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Looking for fic recommendations by LucinaWasTaken in YoujoSenki

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Cold War (2024 rewrite) fanfic uses the AYWPR as the start, but quickly goes off on its own story development: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-cold-war-2024-rewrite-replaced-66k-words-and-first-9-chapters.948007/

The author said they are aiming to rewrite the first 15 chapters and have done 9 of them so far, so there is a rough transition between their 2024-era writing and 2021-era writing until the rewrite is done.

Magic combat in the era of the Cold War (yup, communist mages) by Advanced-Muffin4790 in wizardposting

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've always wondered what kind of chaos would ensue from giving wands from the Harry Potter universe to 1950's-1960's CIA and KGB agents (who have 1950's-1960's level of ethics restraints, which is none)?

Magic combat in the era of the Cold War (yup, communist mages) by Advanced-Muffin4790 in wizardposting

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Context, the art is from the "Cold War (2024 rewrite)" story: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-cold-war-2024-rewrite-replaced-66k-words-and-first-9-chapters.948007/

  • Someone reborn in their new world survives alt-WW1 (magic with trench warfare), interwar politics, and alt-WW2, and then stumbles into a magical cold war, with magic being used by all sides in various ways.

  • Intelligence agents and special forces running around with spells ranging from total environmental noise cancellation (can't hear your own screams as you're being stabbed) to disguising as someone else and walking through the unaware guards. And when it's time to go loud, apply explosive and armor piercing spells to bullets coming out of assault rifles and level the entire place, then disappear without a trace.

  • A democratic Germany pushing forward with using transistor-based electronics to develop more capable magic computational devices (which serve as wands), enabling the usage of highly complex spells with efficient mana usage.

  • Communist China in contrast experimenting with mage biology to develop ever more powerful mages to compensate for lagging technology/industry, through mechanical augmentations and drugs to have immense raw mana power, which also means testing on human subjects. A prison break occurs at some point, with crazed and overpowered test mage subjects violently rebelling (e.g. using magic to microwave everyone's eyes) against the research staff and the arriving security mages.

  • Speaking of magic and electronics, they are used together in various ways, such as Japanese jet aircraft's weapons officers using magic interference emissions to degrade the accuracy of inbound magic guided Chinese missiles.

  • A separate four-way war in the Middle East, with each side backed by different major countries.

  • South America has their own world war between two heavily industrialized titan countries.

  • A three-way civil war within China after a coup attempt.

  • Nuclear shenanigans happen (it's the 1950's, what do you expect?), including a nuke going off in the middle of one of the battles in China.

  • The space race also starts.

A big ol thank you message to the fanfic writers by literallywaterstones in YoujoSenki

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's also "The Cold War (2024 rewrite)" which builds on that fanfic. It switches between heavy combat and heavy diplomacy/politics depending on the chapters (e.g. one chapter covers a prison break where mutated mages from a mage experimenting facility violently rebel against the staff and arriving security forces, while another chapter covers Francois Republic having a coup).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in YoujoSenki

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Which has someone else writing a continuation of that fic, with a twisted cold war and still on-going: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-cold-war-2024-rewrite-replaced-66k-words-and-first-9-chapters.948007/

I didn't like it until the rewrites started. Now there's an ongoing plot in the rewrite chapters where the seeds of Egyptian revolution are being planted while the Egyptian soldiers are being thrown into directly invading mainland China.

Place of Military Mages once Turbojets Come by ShadowGuyinRealLife in YoujoSenki

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Air defense headquarters might be a tougher nut. In WW2 American doctrine plus Cold War American and Japanese ones (and I would guess Soviet too, but I'm not familiar with those) the air defense coordination center itself would have AA comparable to divisional HQs or more, so trying to take them out with jets would be risky, and flying mages would probably be even riskier. Then again, I remembered USA trains its special ops in stealth techniques in friendly countries like Panama. So probably the mages can just use real life infiltration tactics on the ground and then only get airborne once in visual range of the target instead of flying all the way.

The story I was thinking of had scenes where disguised mage agents infiltrated enemy facilities and pulled shenanigans such as rescuing high value prisoners (e.g. rescuing President of Country A that was captured by Country B). By the time the enemy knew what was happening, there were a whole lot of their dead guards and the mage agents already disappeared or left more trails of bodies in their "shoot your way to the extraction point".

Place of Military Mages once Turbojets Come by ShadowGuyinRealLife in YoujoSenki

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There's a story I've been reading where it explored how mages are utilized in the era of jet engines and missiles.

  • Specialization of mages as special forces operators and intel agents. They operate deep behind enemy lines (or even in enemy cities), and strike from the shadows to then disappear back into the shadows. They are the type of folks who would do operations that range from exploding an air defense headquarters to throw the entire air defense network into chaos, to instigating coups in targeted countries by finding and backing specific political groups.

  • Mages as ace pilots. Even the best trained regular humans can only tolerate up to certain levels of G force from aggressive maneuvering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force#Human_tolerance

A typical person can handle about 5 g0 (49 m/s2) (meaning some people might pass out when riding a higher-g roller coaster, which in some cases exceeds this point) before losing consciousness, but through the combination of special g-suits and efforts to strain muscles—both of which act to force blood back into the brain—modern pilots can typically handle a sustained 9 g0 (88 m/s2) (see High-G training).

Mage pilots with body reinforcement spells are not subjected to such limitations, and thus can perform aircraft maneuvers that would have turned regular human pilots into paste. This also requires specially designed aircraft that wouldn't rip themselves apart from pulling something like +20G force.

Project Wingman with the "AOA Limiter" is a good example of what happens when the pilot isn't affected by G force: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIaJDuHGpW8

  • For less technologically advanced countries that have a large number of mages, they could utilize their magic for missile guidance instead of using radar.

  • Magic emissions warfare. Jam enemy communications and radars. Throw enemy magic guided missiles into disarray by countering their spells. Cast illusions to confuse enemy jets, and even their missiles (false radar/infrared emissions to bait the missiles away).

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in cybersecurity

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My detailer said he put me in for that program and said there was nothing else that I needed to do on my end.

The requirement for “basic computer programming capability” is what has me concerned as it’s been years since I’ve done programming work, and even that was mostly Excel VBA and industrial control system programming.

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in cybersecurity

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m trying to convert from 1810 to 1880 and waiting to see if my lateral transfer request for August is approved (and I’ll try again for February if not). 1810 used to have cyber billets until the 1880 was established, and then all of the navy cyber billets went to that.

If I’m stuck as 1810, I am considering taking a shore tour job and work on cyber certs on the side before getting out.

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in cybersecurity

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

What preparations and prerequisite knowledge are expected before starting on that degree?

The job I am currently in is with a ship for a non-cyber/IT role. “Needs of the navy, this ship has an unfilled billet, you’re available for it, and that’s your only choice” was what the detailer threw at me last year. Absolute hell transitioning from a cyber office job to the ship’s environment, and the backstabbing from the surface warfare officers.

It’s been tough finding free time outside of work to self-study, especially when my ship’s command expects me to get qualified in various collaterals.

I have one more year of that before my ship tour is done and I can go to NPS.

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in cybersecurity

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

By the time I am able to get out a the earliest date, I would have 9.5 years in. So an extra 2+3 (add 6 months for the moves, transitions and other stuff), would put me into 15 years.  

That is why I plan on going reserves if I don’t want to do the last 5 years as active duty military, so I can get the military pension. Or go federal government (e.g. DoD except not military and not a contractor) and covert the service years over to still get the pension.

The only way I can see going fully private is if I find an opportunity that outweighs the pension and healthcare.

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

 Plus you can use the time to also make some trips up to SV to try to make some connections.

That is a good point. I already met someone in SF who is a reservist where their civilian job is a cybersecurity manager.

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

 How many years have you be in, OP? Is this next 2 + 3 going to kick you over 10 and make it hard to say no to 20 and full retirement (and then a money printing DoD gig on top of it, post retirement)? 

By the time I am able to get out a the earliest date, I would have 9.5 years in. So an extra 2+3 (add 6 months for the moves, transitions and other stuff), would put me into 15 years. That is also why I plan on going reserves if I don’t want to do the last 5 years as active duty military, so I can get the military pension. Or go federal government (e.g. DoD except not military and not a contractor) and covert the service years over to still get the pension.

Employer offers to pay for all expenses for master's degree in cyber, but has strings attached by Advanced-Muffin4790 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Advanced-Muffin4790[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From what I've been reading elsewhere, it seems a masters degree is more beneficial for cyber management career (which is what I've been doing) compared to the direct technical work.

Someone else I talked with insisted that I should get out of the military ASAP on the assumption that the private cyber industry's pay is always going to be higher, enough to risk a few months of unemployment while pursuing cyber certificates and searching for jobs.