#open source twitch clone

[ixhika-jsx]

Resources and study tips to get you in cyber forensics

Master post • Part1 • part2

let's get you prepped to be a cyber sleuth without spending any cash. Here’s the ultimate tips and resources.

Ps: you can't become one while doing these pointers but you can experience the vibe so you can finally find your career interest

### 1. **Digital Scavenger Hunts**

- **CTF Challenges (Capture The Flag)**: Dive into platforms like [CTFtime](https://ctftime.org/) where you can participate in cyber security challenges. It's like playing *Among Us* but with hackers—find the imposter in the code!

- **Hunt A Killer (Digitally)**: Create your own digital crime scenes. Ask friends to send you files (like images, PDFs) with hidden clues. Your job? Find the Easter eggs and solve the case.

### 2. **YouTube University**

- **Cyber Sleuth Tutorials**: Channels like *HackerSploit* and *The Cyber Mentor* have playlists covering digital forensics, cybersecurity, and more. Binge-watch them like your fave Netflix series, but here you're learning skills to catch bad guys.

- **Live Streams & Q&A**: Jump into live streams on platforms like Twitch where cybersecurity experts solve cases in real-time. Ask questions, get answers, and interact with the pros.

### 3. **Public Libraries & eBook Treasure Hunts**

- **Library eBooks**: Most libraries have eBooks or online resources on digital forensics. Check out titles like *"Hacking Exposed"* or *"Digital Forensics for Dummies"*. You might have to dig through the catalog, but think of it as your first case.

- **LinkedIn Learning via Library**: Some libraries offer free access to LinkedIn Learning. If you can snag that, you've got a goldmine of courses on cybersecurity and forensics.

### 4. **Virtual Study Groups**

- **Discord Servers**: Join cybersecurity and hacking communities on Discord. They often have study groups, challenges, and mentors ready to help out. It's like joining a digital Hogwarts for hackers.

- **Reddit Threads**: Subreddits like r/cybersecurity and r/hacking are packed with resources, advice, and study buddies. Post your questions, and you’ll get a whole thread of answers.

### 5. **DIY Labs at Home**

- **Build Your Own Lab**: Got an old PC or laptop? Turn it into a practice lab. Install virtual machines (VMware, VirtualBox) and play around with different operating systems and security tools. It’s like Minecraft but for hacking.

- **Log Your Own Activity**: Turn on logging on your own devices and then try to trace your own steps later. You’re basically spying on yourself—no NSA required.

### 6. **Community College & University Open Courses**

- **Free Audit Courses**: Many universities offer free auditing of cybersecurity courses through platforms like Coursera, edX, and even YouTube. No grades, no stress, just pure learning.

- **MOOCs**: Massive Open Online Courses often have free tiers. Try courses like "Introduction to Cyber Security" on platforms like FutureLearn or edX.

### 7. **Scour GitHub**

- **Open-Source Tools**: GitHub is full of open-source forensic tools and scripts. Clone some repositories and start tinkering with them. You’re basically getting your hands on the tools real investigators use.

- **Follow the Code**: Find projects related to digital forensics, follow the code, and see how they work. Contribute if you can—bonus points for boosting your resume.

### 8. **Local Meetups & Online Conferences**

- **Free Virtual Conferences**: Many cybersecurity conferences are virtual and some offer free access. DEF CON has a lot of free content, and you can find tons of talks on YouTube.

- **Hackathons**: Look for free entry hackathons—often universities or tech companies sponsor them. Compete, learn, and maybe even win some gear.

### 9. **DIY Challenges**

- **Create Your Own Scenarios**: Get a friend to simulate a hack or data breach. You try to solve it using whatever tools and resources you have. It's like escape rooms, but digital.

- **Pen & Paper Simulation**: Before diving into digital, try solving forensic puzzles on paper. Map out scenarios and solutions to get your brain wired like a detective.

### 10. **Stay Updated**

- **Podcasts & Blogs**: Tune into cybersecurity podcasts like *Darknet Diaries* or follow blogs like *Krebs on Security*. It’s like getting the tea on what’s happening in the cyber world.

### 11. **Free Software & Tools**

- **Autopsy**: Free digital forensics software that helps you analyze hard drives and mobile devices. Think of it as your magnifying glass for digital clues.

- **Wireshark**: A free tool to see what's happening on your network. Catch all the data packets like you're a digital fisherman.

### 12. **Online Forensics Communities**

- **Free Webinars & Workshops**: Join communities like the *SANS Institute* for free webinars. It's like attending a masterclass but from the comfort of your gaming chair.

- **LinkedIn Groups**: Join groups like *Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR)*. Network with pros, get job tips, and stay in the loop with the latest trends.

### 13. **Practice Cases & Mock Trials**

- **Set Up Mock Trials**: Role-play with friends where one is the hacker, another the victim, and you’re the investigator. Recreate cases from famous cybercrimes to see how you'd solve them.

- **Case Studies**: Research and recreate famous digital forensic cases. What steps did the investigators take? How would you handle it differently?

There you have it—your roadmap to becoming a cyber sleuth without dropping a dime. You don't have time find your interest after paying pennies to different ppl and colleges. You can explore multiple things from comfort of your home only if you want to.

[dreamingcloudie]

❛❛If Loving You Means Hurting Me, I'd Gladly Suffer More❜❜

✎ ❛❛ It hurts to see you die over and over. But no matter, I'll still love you the same, even when you forget about me each time ❜❜

Pairing(s): Creator!Dottore x Creation!GN!Reader

Genre/Format: Angst + fluff (One shot)

Warning(s): reader dying, probably some grammar mistakes, blood, maybe an OOC Dottore? (Then again, I tried to make him soft here, so...)

wc: ~1.1k

Note: Was scrolling through some tags and I saw someone posted a concept/idea of creator Dottore and creation reader. And that got me thinking...

I usually don't write angst because they hurt me 💀 BUT, I'll make this one an exception. I love this idea a little too much. I hope you guys will like this one :) Any feedback is greatly appreciated ♡

“Open your eyes, Dove,”

You felt a hand caressing your cheek as you stirred awake. Beside the bed, there stood the man who had taken the lives of many.

“There you are, sleepy head,” spoken in a gentle voice, Dottore pressed a quick kiss on your forehead. You slowly sat up with the help of Dottore and you lifted your head up to look at him. His usually hardened gaze soften upon meeting yours. Ah, how familiar, just like the other times, here he was again…

It was funny, the time when you were created, he intended to make more of his clones. After days, or even weeks of making sure that he had the correct formula. He was expecting to see a clone of himself step out of the machine, but instead of his clone, it was you that appeared.

He stared at you in bewilderment, muttering a curse under his breath.

“Darn it, were my calculations of the formula wrong?”

At first, he wanted nothing to do with you. But just like a duckling to its mother, you followed him everywhere. The other harbingers would often tease him about it, saying things such as:

“Hah! look at mama duck go!”

“Hatched an egg, Doctor?”

He was not amused, however. Constantly calling you “an annoying pest” with a scowl on his face. Later on, he had to accept his defeat because no matter what he said, he could still find you behind him. Observing him with a glint of curiosity. He gave up on trying to shoo you away, and just let you stick around.

“Let’s head out now, there’s something that caught my interest,” Dottore said as he opened the door for you.

Like usual, you tagged along with him to go to a spot where he found interesting things to tinker with. Dottore stopped on his track as he couldn’t hear your footsteps anymore. He turned around only to find you being distracted by a bed of flowers on the side of the road.

“What now?” He sighed and walked over to see what caught your attention. As he got closer, he noticed a look of adoration on you. Following your line of sight, a crystalfly was situated on one of the flowers. Feeling his presence, you turned to him and tilted your head, as if you were asking what this magnificent creature was.

“That’s a crystalfly,” he explained.

Upon hearing his answer, a smile graced your face.

“Crystalfly…” you repeated after him.

He was taken back, that was the first time he has ever heard you talk. He was so used to his test subjects screaming in fear and colleagues yelling at each other. Hearing such a tender tone for once was oddly a nice change…

Shaking his thoughts away, he pulled your arm and got you back on your feet.

“You’ve stalled long enough. Come on now, I got work to do.”

Finally arriving at the research site, mechanical parts were scattered around the place. Striding over to one of them, he started to examine it. Out of nowhere, he heard a yelp which brought him out of his trance. Turning to the source of the noise, he found you laying on the ground and an activated ruin guard hidden underneath a shade of trees not far from here. The ruin guard launched its missiles again, aiming straight at Dottore. He dodged left and right, charging at the machine before blowing an attack toward its core.

After making sure it was deactivated, he rushed over to you.

The sight before him was making his stomach twitch and turn, an alarmingly large pool of blood was surrounding you. He placed his fingers to where your neck was and checked for your pulse.

But he felt nothing.

‘Why the hell am I shaking,’ he asked himself.

You were just an annoying pest. He could’ve just left you there so he wouldn’t have to deal with you anymore. You meant nothing to him and he did not care about you. So why? If he didn’t care, then how come every time you showed that toothy grin of yours, he suddenly felt all fuzzy and warm inside? If he didn’t care, then how come every time his fingers slightly touched yours, he could feel the heat slowly creeping up his face? If he didn’t care, then why was he carrying your body back to his lab in a hurry, trying to bring you back?

He stood there and watched as you laid on the bed. Waiting for you to wake up. He could see a little bit of movement before you opened your eyes.

“Finally awake, I see?”

And that was the first time, the first time where he witnessed your death. It did hurt him a little, but he didn’t think much about it as he was able to bring you back to life.

The second time was when you drowned in a lake. His heart ached a bit more this time. But he was successful in bringing you back to life, again. And that’s all that matters.

The third time was when a new Fatui recruit who has never seen you before mistook you for an intruder and killed you. The wound of his heart reopened itself once more. But nonetheless, bringing you back was still manageable.

And there’s a fourth.

A fifth.

A sixth…

Just how long did he have to endure this constant torment? It hurts having to watch you die over and over, not even knowing if he was able to bring you back. And even if it was a success, every time when you were greeted by the world once more, you’d forget about him. Dottore never thought he would get attached to someone. Let alone you, an accidental creation. He was someone that has witnessed countless deaths, and none of those affect him at all. Ironically, he was also someone who has killed a lot without an ounce of regret.

What was so special about you?

What made him so drawn to you?

Dottore sat there on the edge of your bed, berating himself for not doing a good job at protecting you. You may not remember who he was, but your body definitely did. It somehow always acted on its own whenever you saw a frown on him. Somewhere at the back of your mind, you remembered seeing a crystalfly before. And watching it flutter made you happy. You tugged at Dottore’s sleeve and pointed at the jar filled with crystalflies that he got for you on the bedside desk.

“Crystalflies!” You beamed with a grin, hoping their hypnotic movements could make him feel better. Just like how they made you happy.

Ah… there it was, that cute little grin of yours. The way your eyes would always lit up whenever you saw him. The way that you would always cared for him even when your memories of him were long gone...

If loving you means hurting him, then he would gladly accept all the pain the world would throw at him. All he had to do was simply bring you back to him, a small price to pay just to see you smile.

[l-lend]

A/N: yeah so this was a fun one to tackle. Inspiration for this one involved Hunter mentioning Tech's "hobby". Another fic for @clonexreaderbingo <3

It was barely dawn when he returned. Another successful job for his squad, and a well needed break for repairs and rest. His lover was still curled up in her bed as he climbed in to join her. His armor left in the living room to be cleaned after rest. As soon as his back hit the mattress, she was there, coiling around his side. The scent of her shampoo began to coax his eyes to slipped closed. After a mental struggle, he surrendered to unconsciousness.

A soft noise slipped past her lips as she rolled over. Her hands met cooled sheets before she cracked open an eye. The comforting warmth that had joined her in the early hours was gone, but his location was given away as she registered that the shower was on. Her feet soon met the floor as she eased herself up. He was always a creature of habit when he was planet side: shower, tinker with a project, fix the ship, and maybe eat and sleep in between.

As she pondered what to badger him into eating this morning, a soft noise caught her attention.

“Tech, you need to get up.”

It took a few moments to focus on the noise when it sounded again.

“Tech, your caf's getting cold.”

Her brow furrowed as she scouted the room for the source. The culprit soon discovered on the opposite side of the bed. The noise sounded again from the datapad, and her heart sank. The voice was hers.

Snatching up the device, she stopped the sound with a few button presses. As she stared down at the screen, curiosity swirled behind her eyes. When did she record her voice for him? Her fingers began pressing buttons until she viewed his files. Another press shifted the files into the order of most recent. The worry planted in her chest sprouted to full bloom as her eyes skimmed over some files:

Sleeping_With_Cyare.mp4

Shower_Cyare.mp4

The datapad was still clenched in her hand as she barged into the refresher. The towel clad clone turned towards the opened door. His hair clinging to his scalp in damp tendrils. His goggles still rested on the counter.

“Everything alright?”

“Tech, h...have you been recording me?”

His lips formed a line.

“I record a wide variety of subjects.” He replied, matter-of-factly.

His fuzzy gaze failed to catch the subtle twitch of muscles that morphed from confusion to disgust. It was her scowl that greeted him as the world came into focus once more. Chances were favorable that a clash was imminent.

“Is there something wrong with my interests?”

“You interests? You sneaking recordings of me is an interest?!” She fumed. shoving his datapad against his bare chest.

His deft hands kept the device from tumbling to the ground. His gaze lifted as she began her escape. She laid her fingers on the handle when he spoke.

“Your voice is soothing.”

She froze before glancing over her shoulder, “What?”

He pressed a few buttons before turning the datapad to her. Portions of the screen were marked off with color coded bars. The date at the top correlated with him and his brothers being away. She glanced back up to him.

“This is...a morning routine?”

He tapped on one of the events with an alarm. Her voice poured through the datapad's speaker again. He played another from a different barred off section of his schedule.

“It's common for people to crave structure and routine.” He explained after his most recent selection called for him to take a break and stretch his legs.

His free hand cradled her chin tilting her to meet his spectacles.

“One such example of structure would be your voice as it has become a welcomed presence.”

She shook her head, “So it's not a kink but a comfort.”

“I thought it was obvious.”

She was silent for a few moments. Her shoulders silently shaking before laughter bubbled up from her throat.

“Alright, this way.”

She grabbed his free hand pulling him out of the refresher and to the bed.

“Lay back.” She offered gently before joining him.

She curled up against his side as he laid on his back. The smile she flashed him touched her eyes.

“Now,” She began, “how about you tell me what things you want me to say.”

@locitapurplepink @rain-on-kamino @writing-positivelyexisting @burningfieldof-clover @padawancat97 @ahsokastechie @techs-stitches

[hetalianskywalker]

Day 22: Fishing For A Merman

Pairing: Mer Howzer x Twi’lek Reader

Summary: You decide to find the merman who has been helping you fish.

Author’s Note: I just barely fought off writer’s block to bring you our Baja blast man.

Warnings: none that I can think of.

Word Count: 921

Prompt: “Okay, not to sounds creepy, but I’ve been coming to this fishing spot to watch you fish, and I may have had a hand in you catching so many big fish lately…it’s like the merperson equivalent of a bouquet of flowers.”

Prompt from “Human falls in love with a human on land AUs” by auideas.

When you see the tide become slower and calmer, you knew your secret helper was back. You smile to yourself as you continue to fish. You turn to look down at your dangling feet rather than trying to spot what should be a turquoise and white fin out in the sea. For just a little over a year, the merman had been helping you catch fish consistently and lately the fish were increasing in size. After how the Separatists had pillaged your home, the island of Ryloth, it was nice to have a stable food source to depend on.

You feel the gentle tug on your pole and you know he’s hooking on the fish. You play along and begin to reel it in. You resist scanning the water for the mer again. You know that if you catch a glimpse of him, he swims off before you can say or do anything. Besides the longest glimpses you can catch of him only happen at the end; when you have the fish in your hands, he sometimes sticks around just a moment or two longer. If you have those couple extra seconds, you might be able to piece together which Mer clone it is.

Ever since the announcement of the republic becoming an empire, the Mer clones' armor and tails have been going back to their original white coloring. In fact, there is only one Mer clone left on Ryloth who has retained his color: Captain Howzer.

Once the fish is on the dock, you snap your head up and search for him in the water. He escapes away into the open sea after he realizes your eyes found him. You grin victoriously though as he vanishes; you saw teal.

“Captain Howzer.” Your lekku twitch slightly in anticipation as you call out to him. The Mer trooper in question blinks in surprise before he gives you a nervous smile. He finishes a conversation with another trooper before he sends him on his way. You take a breath to try and calm your own nerves.

“Hi.” Howzer looks stoic, but you can tell he’s anxious from the way he won’t look you in the eye. “How can I help you?”

“I’m just here to thank you for all the fish, Captain.” You smirk, unable to help yourself. “So thank you.” You resist the urge to laugh by forcing your lips to remain sealed when his jaw drops slightly.

“How-” He begins to regain his more stoic composure, but still looks embarrassed. However you are happy he doesn’t try to deny it. “How did you find out?”

“I don’t know anyone else who has a teal fin still.” You tease as you turn to go; the Mer trooper pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Do you?”

“No, I guess not anymore…” Howzer trails off and you both look sadly at the pure white armor all over the marketplace.

“Meet me at my fishing spot tonight if you can.” You whisper, gently reaching up to squeeze his shoulder. It finally dawns on you that with all the political changes going on, it was best to have this conversation in private. While no Twi’lek would have ratted him out after everything Howzer had done to protect their world; it was better to be safe than sorry. His face relaxed and he nods in agreement.

“It’s a date then.” And you run off without seeing his reaction.

You wait back on your dock for about an hour that night for Howzer to arrive. Eventually, he swims up to the dock and he pulls himself up to sit next to you, apologizing for the wait. He remains in mer form though; his claws, teeth, and scales all seem to glow in the low light of the crescent moon.

“Okay, not to sound creepy, but I’ve been coming to this fishing spot to watch you fish, and I may have had a hand in you catching so many big fish lately…” Howzer admits while making anxious ripples with the end of his tail. You open your mouth to say something, but he continues.

“It’s like the merperson equivalent of a bouquet of flowers.” You blush and it’s now your turn to have your jaw hang open. Sure you like to flirt with and tease him, but you had never thought he actually liked you. You had just thought it was an act of kindness; something you had seen him do for many of the citizens of Ryloth time and time again. It is why the Twi’leks of Ryloth love him.

“Th-thank you.” You want to slap yourself at how surprised and flustered you sound. “So you actually like me?”

“Yes.” Howzer states more confidently now. He gives you a soft smile, taking your hand in his.

“Why?” Your eyebrows pinch together as you examine him. “I’m not anyone special.”

“You are to me.” He gently cups your cheek in his free hand and you can feel the breath stop in your chest. “I’m the one who isn’t very unique.”

“That’s not true either.” You sigh before fully relaxing in his touch. “I like you as you are, inside and out. And…” You let your voice trail off before grinning up at him.

“I would be more than honored to be yours.” You finish, pulling Howzer into a tight hug and he happily returns the gesture. Even with all the insanity that would follow in the coming months, you never doubted your decision to be with him.

[rinwritesfics]

How (Not) to Heal - Chapter 4

Plot: After being rescued from Mount Tantiss, Crosshair has to figure out how to work with the Batch again - and their new medic. It would be fine if he didn’t start to fall in love with her.

Warnings: mild discussion of trauma

Word Count: 1175

Author’s Note: Yes, I know what they said about his chip.

Previously

Chapter 4

It was the dead of night when they met Rex. They all made their way to a civvie hospital as Rex explained that this was the safest place for the operation to take place in such a short amount of time. The hospital itself was in the middle of an upper part of the main city, which was almost silent aside from a buzzing light fixture here and there.

Rex’s assurances didn’t make Crosshair feel at ease. How many procedures had the Batch gone through after they had been decanted from their growth pods? How much pain, agony, had they all been subjected to day in and day out, where they still had the physical scars?

The mental scars?

Even the Empire hadn’t been without their experiments, but the first one they made him undergo had brought on the chip enhancement. The rest, the more recent ones, well….

He told himself not to think about that.

But how was he supposed to accept that this procedure was going to be any better than the experiments?

Hunter said what Crosshair was thinking, “Rex, can we trust this person?”

“I trust them with my life,” Rex said, opening the service door to the hospital and ushering the group in. They began climbing the stairs, their boots echoing loudly against the grey stairs and cream walls.

“I hope so.”

Rex took a breath before speaking. “It’s Senator Chuchi’s sister who’s giving us this access. She’s in on the cause.”

“Chuchi, the clone sympathizer?” Crosshair asked.

“The very same.” Rex opened the door to a dark hallway and ushered the group further.

Crosshair felt claustrophobic at the size of the hall while being surrounded by so many people, and he knew Hunter could sense it, so he forced himself to calm down. The glance Hunter gave him confirmed he was out of practice at keeping his emotions completely on lockdown.

“Where is everyone?” asked Omega. “I’ve never seen a perfectly working hospital so empty.”

“This section has been shut down for us,” said Rex. “The doctor put it under maintenance for ‘health and safety.’”

“Sounds awfully convenient,” Echo said. “The staff bought it?”

“She may have fudged some air quality results that may or may not need to be retested and will come back completely clean.”

“But she could lose her job!” exclaimed Omega.

The group fell silent, pondering the risk the doctor was taking for them. For Rex’s request.

For Crosshair.

Rex led them to a room and let them in. Inside was a surgical biobed. The cylindrical unit surrounding the bed glowed a bluish white, the whole thing reminding him of his time, however brief, as a child on Kamino. His fists twitched in a reflex from the memory of the pain and he tore his gaze away. He flinched when a hand met his and he turned to the source.

Omega. She was looking up at him with those innocent eyes. He wanted to hate her. He wanted to yell at her for touching him, but deep down this was comforting to him, like it had happened before, despite not being able to remember it.

“It’ll be okay, Crosshair. You won’t be left alone while it happens.”

Hunter nodded. “We’ll all be here. I promise.”

But Crosshair wasn’t afraid of them being here. He was afraid of them not being there when he woke up. He was afraid that he would wake up back at Tantiss like in one of his nightmares.

Still, he let his sister guide him to the biobed and he sat. There was a little pressure in his right temple and he rubbed at it, which didn’t go missed by anyone. Ka’li ushered everyone back to give him some space, and some of the stress that was knotting up his stomach lessened. Everyone’s eyes on him certainly didn’t make him feel comfortable.

Tech did approach, and offered to begin the process as Omega stood at his side. Crosshair laid back in the bed and closed his eyes, trying to practice a counting exercise in his head to distract him and calm him. It usually worked.

Before he got halfway, he lost consciousness.

* * *

He blinked a few times, gaze coming to rest on his brother Tech, and then Ka’li who was beside Omega. The bed had pulled all the way out of the surgical unit, and the procedure was complete. His hand flew to his healing cut, and it was clean and stitched. It was over.

He was free. For real, this time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Omega shake Ka’li’s arm and Ka’li startled awake in her chair, small smiles on both of their faces.

Tech spoke, slightly startling him and making him look back at his brother as he sat up. “Ah, good, you’re awake. We must leave soon, but it is acceptable for you to take a moment to wake up properly.”

Omega almost pushed Tech out of the way in her excitement and gave Crosshair a hug from his side. “You’re okay!”

The show of affection felt foreign to him, but this was his sister. He considered pushing her away, but he knew she loved him despite everything he had done. Her hug did fill a little bit of the void in him, so he resisted shoving her. He scowled a little to show he wasn’t going soft, but it wasn’t at its usual intensity.

When she let go, Tech didn’t step back to examine him. Instead, Wrecker came up to him from the other side of the room and offered to help him up. This time, Crosshair did scoff. He wasn’t fragile. He could do things himself, like stand up, but seeing the look on Wrecker’s face made him reconsider. Wrecker’s face held indescribable glee when he agreed.

Crosshair looked around and noticed Hunter was missing, as was Echo. Seeing as Rex wasn’t there, all three had to be discussing something without him.

Again, he thought bitterly.

He didn’t realize he had a scowl on his face until Ka’li approached him and his eyebrows softened.

“Hey. How’s the head?”

He took a measured breath and assessed. Then he realized –

“The pain is gone.”

She gave him a lopsided smile. “Glad to hear it.”

A feeling blossomed in his chest and it struck him that he had been waiting to hear she had been concerned, and not just because of the team. Maybe it was the smile. Not carefully curated for a bedside manner. No, it was real. And it made him happy.

He knew shortly thereafter the moment would be over, but here it was. His batch – no, his family – was here for him, and so was someone he was falling for.

“We need to start moving. More staff will arrive soon, and we need to clean up and be out of here before they do.” Rex stepped in. He then turned directly to Crosshair. “We also have a mission to accomplish. You up for it?”

Crosshair straightened. “It’s payback time.”

Chapter 5 Tags: @crosshairsbabygurl, @starrylothcat, @thecoffeelorian, @idoubleswearimawriter, @heylosers06, @totesnothere04, @dangraccoon

[valkeakuulas]

🎲 crosstech please? (Canon or any au ❤️)

Here you are. Something sweet just for you~

33. A kiss to a scar, birthmark, injury, or other marking

Crosshair was roused from his nap by a low hiss of pain.

Blinking slowly, the lanky clone turned his head, easily locating the source of the sound that had disturbed his sleep; in the middle of the barracks, Tech sat by the table, surrounded by what looked more like a droid carnage than -- scratch that, it was a droid carnage.

Crosshair frowned when he spotted not only two dissembled mouse droids, but a powered-down gonk droid, and what Crosshair guessed to be the chassis of a B1 battle droid.

Crosshair kriffing hoped it wasn't and he was just seeing things.

The last time Tech had smuggled a piece of Sep technology in Kamino, Hunter had all but hurled it off the Marauder's hangar and into the storm to keep the Batch safe.

Tech, who hadn't noticed Crosshair staring at him, had a grimace on his face as he shook his right hand. In the bright artificial light of the barracks, Crosshair saw the red fingertips when Tech paused to blow air on them.

Deciding that his nap could be postponed, Crosshair unfolded himself from the bunk and made his way to Tech.

"What happened?" Crosshair drawled, looming over Tech.

"The Separatists have done an upgrade in their models," Tech replied, and Crosshair held back the urge to groan as his suspicion was confirmed. "There should be no current running through this area anymore and yet..."

"And yet you ended up zapping yourself," Crosshair finished and he grabbed Tech's hand by the wrist. "Show me," he said only as he pulled the hand toward him, ignoring the uncomfortable angle Tech's arm ended up in.

Sure enough, the skin on the tip of Tech's fingers looked a little singed.

"Could you please let go of my hand so that can continue with my work?" Tech inquired, not even looking at Crosshair as he picked another tool with his left hand, poking the B1's innards with it. "If you want to help, you could go and fetch the med kit for me.

Rolling his eyes, Crosshair huffed. "Since you asked so nicely."

Before he did so, Crosshair bent to kiss the reddened fingertips. He smirked a little when Tech's left hand froze for a second before moving again.

"As much as I love your kisses, the bacta would help me better," Tech commented but despite the neutral tone, there was a light dusting on his cheeks.

Sighing, Crosshair let go of the hand. "I feel so loved right now," he mused but moved to get the med kit.

"Good because I do love you quite a lot, Crosshair," Tech replied almost absentmindedly.

The fact that Tech tended to declare his love so openly without much fanfare never ceased to amaze Crosshair, the corners of his mouth twitching with the need to smile as he grabbed the beaten-up box from a shelf next to Tech's bunk.

"Just so you know, I'm going to kiss you when I get back there," Crosshair informed as he opened the med kit to get the bacta. "So you better not be touching any live circuits when that happens."

"That's fair," Tech agreed before adding matter-of-factly, "the only "zap" I want you to experience is when I bite your lip."

If Crosshair nearly dropped the bacta tube because of what Tech said, well, it was only for him to know.

[pipermca]

K-9: Part 3

Start at the beginning here.

Enjoy.

No content warnings. Relationships: Barricade & Prowl, Bluestreak & Prowl, Prowl & OC

***********************************

"I can't even tell you how excited I am that someone's actually going to give the unit another chance," Brainstorm said. The scientist was practically floating down the hallway of the military's research lab. "I heard you got the documentation on the project. Do you have any questions?"

"I have several, in fact," Prowl said. "The documentation for the drone's basic construction was straightforward enough. However, I am afraid that the jargon used in the white papers was a bit beyond my comprehension." When Brainstorm made a 'go on' twirl with his fingers, Prowl continued. "For example, much of the literature seems centered around spark integration into a modified frame. I have never heard of a drone with a spark, though. Also, the declassified brief released to the Watch did not mention anything about a spark."

"Ooooh, that," Brainstorm said. His wings twitched up and down in a way that Prowl was not able to interpret. "Well, in order to get it through the ethics board, I had to use the drone terminology and tone down the spark talk. Fortunately, once they give approval they usually don't bother peeking in on what you're doing again. Brainstorm winked at Prowl. "Anyway, lot of the language for the ethics board made its way into the brief you received. But don't worry, it's not a real spark, it's an artificial one. We were able to clone a wirehound spark that we harvested from a wild pod, blank its firmware, tweak its power output, and put it into a custom frame. The spark provides a better power source than a typical drone's power core, and the processor code we developed interacts with the cloned spark's innate characteristics to give it something like intuition. You know, above what a drone could accomplish. But legally, it's still a drone."

"You purposefully circumvented an ethical review of the project?" Prowl asked. A pall of disquiet crept over him.

"Not really. I mean, kind of, but not really really. The whole project was explained in the proposal. We just talked up certain aspects and talked down others. We didn't hide anything." Brainstorm waved his hand dismissively. "Listen if anyone was going to raise a question of ethics, my lab partner would have." He mimed a mouth talking with his hand. "'Brainstorm, do not use neutronium in the ammunition of that weapon. Blah blah, black holes, end of the universe, blah blah.'" Brainstorm rolled his optics. "Trust me, Percy would have made sure I heard about any real concerns. But this is a huge advance in spark science, with tons of applications elsewhere. So we're really interested to see what you're able to do with the unit."

"I see." Prowl resolved to raise any apprehensions he had about the project with the Captain. "Another question I had was why the project's results were rejected by the military. Captain Overdrive suggested it was because the drone is not a weapon."

"Well..." Brainstorm dragged out the word thoughtfully. "That might be part of it. I do have a bit of a reputation for making some of their better weapons. But even when I said I could retrofit it with butt rockets and a mouth laser they weren't interested. Honestly, I think they just didn't like the time commitment it ended up needing. They wanted something that could be plug and play: give it to one solider, let them use it for a while, then reassign it to another solider. You know, just like any other tool or weapon." Brainstorm paused by a door and tapped in a code. "But as it turns out, the unit doesn't work like that. I guess it's a side effect of the source spark."

"What do you mean?" Prowl asked.

"The coding seems to like consistency," Brainstorm said as the door opened. "No matter how many times we wiped its memory, the unit seemed to retain impressions of its prior experiences. Good on the one hand, but not great when you want it to be something that gets traded around a lot."

Once the door was open, the lights in the room flickered on. It seemed to be large storage room, with boxes piled high to the ceiling. The towers of storage crates made irregular shadows in the narrow canyons they created, with corners lost completely to darkness.

Brainstorm led Prowl down one row of crates. "We were keeping it in the lab for a while, but once the brass canned the project we had to put it in storage. Its forced power-down sequence stopped working a few memory wipes ago, though, so I've had to come in here once in a while to top up its fuel." He paused by a large crate that looked like more of a cage than a storage box, and tapped on the bars. "Here we are. Wake up, buddy. Your new user's here."

The depths of the crate completely hidden in shadows. Prowl peered into the crate, trying to make out any shapes. After adjusting his optics to the darkness, he could finally see a very dim red light far back inside the cage, almost on the floor.

"See, this is what I was saying about it liking consistency. Every other time I've come down here, I had some fuel for it." He dug into his subspace and pulled out a small packet of crystalized energon. "Come on, A-6. I've got your treats."

The red light brightened and lifted up from floor. Prowl heard a scrape and a thump, and then the drone moved forward and out of the shadows.

Prowl was passingly familiar with wirehounds. They were fast, lithe little mechanimals that lived in the rocky hills outside of Iacon. They mostly scavenged fuel from small creatures like dexisquirrels and rustbugs, but when they got into stores of refined energon they were eliminated as pests. The largest wirehounds Prowl had ever seen came up no higher than his knee joints, but most only stood as high as his shin windows.

The drone that walked out of the darkness was huge. If it stood up straight and lifted its head as high as possible, it could have looked Prowl directly in the optic. The top of its head was completely composed of red plasteel, as though it had a red visor, and an optical band glowed brightly behind it. Two armatures extended from its back, ending in red lightbars, but the lights in them were off and the bars themselves were pressed tightly against its back. It was painted in a striking white and black motif, not unlike Prowl's own colours.

It looked like it could launch itself out of the crate and do serious damage, weapons or not.

Prowl took an unconscious step backwards. "That... That is not a wirehound," he said as Brainstorm opened the crate.

[magician-kitty]

Savage’s Lament

CW: Panic Attack

"Kitty. Come on, kitty," The cat only yawns as Bai-He struggles to reach for the feline.

Unaware that a blue ghostly mist travels into an alleyway then it sinisterly laughs as it spotted Bai-He.

Savage's ears twitched, hears whispering, gasping. "Sis, look out!!" He cried out.

"Huh?" Bai He looks over her shoulder, confused to what he's talking about, The blue smoke suddenly appears, She screamed in terror as it attacks her, seeping through her skin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No!"

Dark yellow eyes snapped open, Savage screamed as he shot up in his makeshift bed, panting and in cold sweat. He sighed in relief as the clone realized that it was just an awful nightmare and then slowly turned his head to see his sister and MK still asleep, somehow didn't hear him scream.

Savage sighed, trying to shake the creeping feeling of regret as he got in his gut. 'It's my fault, my fault.' He kept chanting in his head, rubbing his tired eyes.

After the events of DBK's possession, his mortal sister, Bai-He was taken by an unknown source of dark magic and was unable to locate her. His father and The Monkey King left the city to find some sort of weapon and that was it.

"And you're supposed to be the strong one.." He muttered to himself. Quietly, he climbed out of bed and into MK's bathroom to splash water in his face. As Savage turned off the sink and grabbed a towel to dry off his face, he was leaving the bathroom when he bumped into someone.

"You wanna tell me why you're up this late?" A voice called to him, startled him. He looks up to see MK awake, staring down at him.

"Oh uh, MK, I was getting a drink," He tried to brush it off. "Nothing to worry about." MK raised an unimpressed brow, she could obviously tell that the little monkey was lying, she sighed and stretches.

"C'mon."

"What? Where we going?" He asked, she didn't say anything as she takes his paw and leaded him downstairs in the kitchen. She sets him down on a stool and goes behind the counter.

"You know, I remember when I woke up in a cold sweat every night when I was little. Mostly due to nightmares. And you know what always cheers me up? A nice bowl of delicious noodles." She smiled, setting down a bowl in front of Savage.

Savage stared at the bowl with tired eyes, "Thanks, I guess." He shrugged before eating. MK sits down next to him on the stool. "So...you wanna talk about it."

"No. I'm fine." He said with a flat look on his face, trying to wave it off. He honestly knew he couldn't keep those feelings inside forever.

MK sighed, rubbing her eyes. 'This might be a hard then I thought.' She thought, she hummed scratching her chin. "Is it about Bai-He?" She asked, judging by the look on the shadow clones face, she's right.

Savage swallowed whatever food was left, his lips quivering as tears slowly seeped from his eyes. "It's...it's my fault..."

MK raised a brow in confusion. Those words shook the brunette. "What? Why would you ever think that?"

"Because it is my fault, okay!?" He yelled angerily, glaring at her, his fangs baring and fur all bristled up. "It's my fault she's gone. I should have protected her. It's what me and Rumble were created for," He clenched his fists, his eyes clenched tight. "I'm supposed to be the tough one! B-but I couldn't-I couldn't save my her and now she's gone! And Dad hates me, and so good am I if-" Savage said banging his paws on his head as tears streamed down his face.

A look of sheer panic spread across his face. His breath quickened, and his heart raced. "Oh no.." MK's eyes widened, a worried look spread across her face.

He's having a panic attack.

"W-What's happening to me?" He asked shakily.

"Savage, Look at me, please." Savage struggled to raise his head, but he made eye contact with MK, A look of total horror was written all over his face.

"You're having a panic attack, I need you to do exactly what I say, okay?" MK said to Savage. Even though he was in such a bad state, he nodded his head in understand.

She assisted him in sitting up and directed her to take deep breaths. "Take deep breaths. In, and out, in, and out," She repeated. They both sat for a few minutes, breathing in sync.

As Savage had calmed down, MK sighed in relief. "It's okay sweetie, Take your time, you're okay now." she said in a calm, soothing tone. She wrapped her arms around the young monkey.

Savage gave out a small whimper as returned the gesture. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Savage, listen to me. What happened was definitely not your fault, I know you probably think that you have to be tough and all that but you're still just a kid. You shouldn't be blaming yourself." She rubbed his head in comfort, hearing him chirp and purr in response.

"And I'm sure no one hates you. They're just as worried about her just as you are." She held onto his shoulders, staring him into his eyes. "You know what I think? I think you're the bravest, toughest little guy that that I know."

"You...really mean it, MK?" Savage asked.

"Yeah, like back in The Cloud and when we took down that Spider Guy. And with your help we're gonna get her back, no matter what, Okay?"

Savage was silent for a moment, he sighed wiping away his tears. "Thanks." he let out a small smile. The monkie kid wiped his face before ruffling his fur.

"You feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She picked the young monkey up in his arms, carrying him back to her room. MK gently lays him down and placed the covers over him.

"Night MK.." Savage yawned.

"Goodnight my little warrior~"

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Tomorrow (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. Tomorrow night, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

#20yrsago New voting machines are criminally bad https://www.salon.com/2003/09/23/bev_harris/

#15yrsago Your chance to mark up the Wall Street bailout bill https://web.archive.org/web/20080929041702/http://publicmarkup.org/

#15yrsago Hank Paulson’s bailout 419 letter https://web.archive.org/web/20080923194140/https://www.thenation.com/blogs/jstreet/363133/bailout_satire

#15yrsago Stanford and Harvard b-school profs vs. free/open source software https://news.slashdot.org/story/08/09/22/2254228/stanford-teaching-mbas-how-to-fight-open-source

#15yrsago Sexist pigs earn more than normal men https://www.science20.com/news_releases/old_fashioned_men_make_more_money_study

#15yrsago Corrupted Science: the history, cause, effect and state of bad science https://memex.craphound.com/2008/09/22/corrupted-science-the-history-cause-effect-and-state-of-bad-science/

#10yrsago Chaos Computer Club claims it can unlock Iphones with fake fingers/cloned fingerprints https://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2013/ccc-breaks-apple-touchid

#5yrsago Anonymous stock-market manipulators behind $20B+ of “mispricing” can be tracked by their writing styles https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3198384

#1yrago Twitch does a chokepoint capitalism: "Amazon is charging Amazon so much money to run the business via Amazon that it has no choice but to take more money from streamers." https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/22/amazon-vs-amazon/#pray-i-dont-alter-it-further

[themalwarezoo]

It's ridiculously easy for the folks of the Haunted Office to meet people and beings they wouldn't otherwise get to meet, all thanks to the wonky properties of the dimension they're in. As it's been explained by one Reaper, dimensions are like the tectonic plates in the earth. Sometimes they shift around and bump into one another, pushing each other out of place and causing earthquakes. The same thing happens with the shards in the In Between, and when this happens if a person is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, they can be thrown into another dimension, oftentimes completely unaware of it. Until they find something out of place, of course.

This is exactly how Thisday - otherwise minding his own business - has come to find himself in the presence of Polygonz, someone he has never met before yet seems familiar. Understandably, he believes he's met an alternate of this person, much in the same way that he, Doomsday, and Thursday are all alternates of each other.

"Hello!" he says, giving a friendly wave. "Sorry to drop in unannounced like this! If we ever figure out how to predict exactly when we're going to be unceremoniously shoved into other people's dimensions, I'll be sure to start giving a head's up, hahaha. Anyway. How are you?"

@parables-for-days (No rush! Answer whenever you feel like.)

The figure twitches and glitches as it stands with its back to the Day. It's head tilts to the side, and it uses its grey clawed hands to straighten it. You see, Polygonz isn't quite a variant of Austin as much as he's a clone of sorts, sharing most of the man's code with alternates so that it can stop being an error code and be the code of a virus.

As the virus turns, its white clothing seems stained of red at the very edges, but its claws seem to be stained more, its red, and one can hope its just paint but context clues can guess its blood. Sharp white teeth on its face as it laughs lowly, its voice a mimic, a glitch, a false sentence. It generates as it speaks.

"Are you lost?[[Lover Boy]]?" The moment his voice samples something from another source, like queen here from Good Old Fashioined Lover Boy, it sounds weird, and the non sampled sentence sounds clearly made with technology, possibly a synthV or a Utau for easier comparison.

Lover Boy, who knows why he chose that nickname for Thisday but he did, and it only makes himself laugh. "[[This is a bad town for such a pretty face]], you should have turned back the moment you found yourself here. You're too optimistic for your own good, haven't you heard of context clues?"

The virus seems to collapse in on itself, its edges blurry and hard to focus on, while the ends of the wires attached to its back and some of its joints seem to disappear before long, an interesting appearance thats for sure. Polygonz hums quietly and makes a thinking motion before smiling.

Polygonz laughs again, a twisted wicked laugh, it brandishes its claws. "10....9....8...." It looks over at Thisday, its face is clearly predatory, it looks like an animal more than a human being of any sort "7....6....5...." Run, it's telling Thisday to run while he can.

"4...3...2..." It gets ready to chase, legs bended, claws opened, and its pupils, both green and red, sharpened like those of a predatory animal in hunt. "1... Ready or not..."

"Here I come."

[theyoungturks]

Enias Cailliau released GirlfriendGPT as an open-source project, so ANYONE can create a virtual clone of their girlfriend. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discusses on The Young Turks. https://shoptyt.com/collections/justice-is-coming Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://www.insider.com/tech-bro-creates-ai-version-of-his-girlfriend-sends-selfies-2023-6 "A tech bro has created an AI version of his real-life girlfriend, and now you can, too, he says. Enias Cailliau created a virtual clone of his girlfriend, Sacha Ludwig, after taking inspiration from the rising popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT and the subsequent wave of personality-driven AI chatbots." *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Watchlist https://www.youtube.com/watchlisttyt Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey https://www.youtube.com/indisputabletyt Unbossed with Nina Turner https://www.youtube.com/unbossedtyt The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 230608__BE03AIGirlfriend by The Young Turks

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

Nameless, Chapter 1

She-Ra fanfiction Galatic Horde-centric Teen and up.  Tonight, on limited-appeal theater:  The life and times of a clone in the Galactic Horde from his development and birth to his final battle.   Chapter 1: Birth 

Nameless Chapter 1: Birth

 Awareness hit him, coming in soft whispers. He could feel himself being knit together.  Machines moved within his body, performing tiny stitches.  Most of it was not painful, but small moments of discomfort caused him to twitch.  He opened his eyes, straining slowly against the fluid surrounding him. Green…everything green.  He opened his mouth and it rushed past his teeth, thick and wet.  He made a weak kick, small and soft against the enclosing wet pressure.   Whispers echoed into his brain – “Rest now, Little Brother.  You are not yet ready.” It wasn’t a “voice” speaking articulate words at this point in the young one’s development; it was more of a series of feelings. They were feelings of reassurance, but tinged with a stern warning.  Injected directly into his brain, he knew that he must stop kicking, must stop struggling.  His was to close his eyes against the diffused light and return to oblivion. He was assured that he would learn all that he needed to know, if only he slept.   So he slept.   ______________________________

  Sometime later, it seemed eons, he dreamed. Well, “dreaming” is not an entirely accurate measure, as he had not experienced the world outside of his womb and therefore had nothing to process in the mish-mash that constitutes dreaming, nor did the images and sensations he was flooded with have an unreality to them. No, the things he saw and felt were perfectly real, although he had yet to see him with his physical eyes.   Beyond his warm world, there was black and there were lights.  There were “worlds,” he learned, places – nourished by stars, existing in infinity. Some were barren and solid, some were merely made of gases and some had living entities, beings, things with some semblance to himself – things that were imbued with the quality of “life.” Numbers ran through his mind, distances, directions, trajectories.  There were physics and instincts.  There were minerals and substances and things far more mysterious.   Most of all, there was Prime.   Prime was the source of his life, his all – and He was the Source of Life for His Brothers.  This was when the neonate began to hear the mind-whispers of his Brothers.  They seemed innumerable, like the stars out in the black, but there were a set number of them.  They existed on distant worlds and they existed right beside him.  Elder Brothers were watching over his growth and development carefully.  Prime watched through them and Prime flowed directly into his mind.  Perhaps He was a bit indistinct, as knowing Him directly was a promise for a later time.   Prime had created the Brothers out of his own Body, and to his Body they would Return.  It was an endless cycle, as endless as the Night beyond the dazzling Light of his Presence, which was also infinite.  They were the Horde and he was Horde Prime.  They were parts of the whole, extensions of Himself, great in number – all his hands and his feet, extensions of his Will-Perfect to bring all of Existence under Perfection.   As the Brother in-vitro began to awaken more and more, he learned and he felt the Three Virtues of Prime.     Brothers cloned from Horde Prime’s body were to contemplate these Virtues often. This was impressed upon him before he was “born” and set to his appointed tasks.  Whenever they were not engaged in duties, during every period of rest and when duties were mundane, it was time to regard one of these Virtues.

 Horde Prime’s Perfect Body: Prime was ageless.  He chose his Vessels from among faithful Brothers and any Little Brother could become a temporary Vessel at any time at need or whim. As such, the Little Brothers were to take care of their bodies.  Any injury was to be taken care of by medical staff or machines right away, even if the repair proved to be more painful than the ailment.  Defects without immediate remedy were sin.  No one stored treasure in a broken box, and so it was with the Treasure that was Horde Prime. A lasting defect, especially a progressive one was grounds for decommission. If a defective clone could fight, he would be deployed to one of the front lines.  If not, his body was immediately returned to the Whole. Clones that gave loyal service could serve Prime’s Body directly, either as attendants to the maintenance needs of the Holy Vessel or in other ways if he found them especially useful.     They all carried beauty.  They were all reflections of Prime.   The Second Virtue was Prime’s Perfect Mind. It was He who had chosen a once-weak species and lifted them up – the precursors to the Glory that was Prime’s Body. It was He that freed them from their every enemy.  His judgments were perfect.  He sought to bring order to the entirety of Existence – to civilize all worlds and to bring them the bounty possible with His technology.  There was an order to the universe under Him. One was not to question the Mind of Prime, for he was infinitely higher than any other being, even an Exalted Brother.   The Third Virtue was Prime’s Perfect Will. All that he willed would come to pass, for his Mind, as described before, was perfect.  His Will was wise, inevitable, just and eternal.   The gestating clone would learn much more later.  For now, he contemplated the Virtues of Prime and dreamed of the stars.   _____________________ His bones were struck through with piercing cold!  Ice and shock came as a tremor through his flesh as hefty hands held him, catching him as he pitched forward, dizzy.  He felt the metal hinges and filiaments inside his arms and legs align with a sharp clicking sound that he could hear.  Something soft swept over him.  Wet lingered as his feet as rivulets ran down his skin.  The fluid he’d been suspended in was drained with a slurping, sucking sound below and around him that assaulted his tender ears. His womb, his home, felt uncomfortably lonely as he departed it. He cautiously opened his eyes and beheld the faces he had seen in his dreams.  He did not see the perfect Visage of Prime, only Brothers.  He breathed in blade-sharp air and coughed. “Easy now,” one Brother said while holding his shoulder.  It was a bland voice, but carried a gentleness.   Another held him by his middle.  “We shall assist your first steps,” he told the new clone with that same flat demeanor that the other Brother had used. “You shall go to the examination-dock so that we may assure that your development is complete and that you are without defect.”   The young one was shot through with fear. “Ugh, ugh…” he began, rolling tongue over teeth, the feel of everything unfamiliar.  “Sounds…not in my head…sounds…” “This is more direct,” the first of the directors explained.  “You feel us, as well, do you not?” “Y-yes,” the newborn answered, their language programmed perfectly into his brain.  Moving his tongue and his throat outside of the pod-fluid felt strange to him, as did having sounds resonate outside of the warm confines of his skull. He issued another hearty cough, his lungs and the machinery surrounding them clenching.  He loosed a thick green liquid over his ample and naked chest.   One of his directors pounded on his back with the heel of his palm.  A rubbery-object was forced up his unified nostril.   “Easy!” he was commanded.  “This device will suck out the remaining fluid and you will breathe easier in a moment.”   The pair that had overseen his departure from his development-pod guided him to flat, slightly shiny white surface above which was suspended various tubes and machinery.  He had seen all of this within his “dreams” and knew their names. He was easily seated upon the surface, a “table.”   Hands moved over him, squeezing muscles gently. Fingers caressed over his ears.  A deep vibration issued from his chest and throat as a tingle of pleasure went through him. The touch of his ears felt easy, it felt kind.   “Silence!” he was commanded and he immediately stopped.  Wide green eyes regarded him and although blank, they were sad.  The new clone could detect just a hint of the hidden pupils behind the lenses of his fellow and he could see the brow furrow upon the face of someone who was trying desperately to remain emotionless.   “You must control your expressions, Brother,” this one cautioned.   “Open expressions of emotion are a privilege only for Prime,” the other one said.   “Y-yes, of course,” the new Brother conceded, his head dipping.  He submitted to the remainder of the examination, including the discomfort of the sharp, pointy ends of various machine-cables being fed into the ports in his body that had previously attached him to the hardware of his gestation-pod.  He was assured both in open voice and in mental whispers that their purpose was for checking the function of his internal cybernetics as well as to extract various fluids from his body to analyze them for proper chemical and biological composition.   It was over quickly.  He was given a final cleansing, sprayed down with cold, gelid semi-fluid and wiped down with soft fabrics before gingerly dressed in his First Uniform – the garb of an Acolyte.   “Give thanks to Prime for your life,” he was instructed.  He pressed his hands together, closed his eyes and did so with joy, sending his gratitude out throughout the hive mind.  He felt joy in return -from a multitude of signatures, all those within the ship.   He gaped for a moment, feeling the Presence. Horde Prime acknowledged his birth… and then He was gone.   “Remember the dignity of your face,” one of his directors reminded him when he was tempted to smile.  He obeyed, quickly subduing the subtle upturn he felt at the corners of his lips.   “You shall report for your First Duties,” the other Brother said, his hand upon his now-clothed shoulder.   The young Brother craved to touch them back and to continue with those gentle hands upon him.  Something in him felt an immediate closeness to his Brothers, something very natural, a desire for proximity.  They were exchanging assignments and instructions within one another’s minds – he was being given a mental map of where he was slated to go – a food-production line, it would seem. He could already see the bright green glow of a photosynthesis-vat in his mind, projected by his nearest Brothers. He was being told that he would have many duties, slated to serve wherever he had best use at any given time and cautioned against growing attached to any particular task.  Some Brothers were prone to develop affection for certain duties it and required correction, which was to be avoided.  One must always remain pleasing to Prime in all things.   He did not want to leave, even as he heard and felt the confusion of other young Brothers being “born” within the vast chambers and being cared for by their own sets of directors.  He thought for a moment that he might like to return here. Perhaps, when the time was right and he was needed, he could assist in births.   That is for Prime to decide… was gentled into his mind.   He wanted to reach out and touch the ones that were being born, to give them a soft hand on the shoulder, a stroke to the ears to calm them.  He felt this desire being smacked back. “Your duty is elsewhere” was spoken aloud to him.   “Of-of course,” he acknowledged.   He stood to go and looked back.  He took care not to furrow his brow or to let sadness linger in his eyes.   He had to be pleasing to Prime.  

[gleenlaura]

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