#Winning Numbers Software

[speaksleazy]

♬♪ .. living，retro computer id pack﹙for anonymous ﹚♯ predominantly androgynous.

names ⇢ lovebytes，calware，malakai，halware，atari，AM，wheatley，chip，malwaria，micah，mickey，hal，zip，zap，tessa，tecca，emoticon﹙emoticonnie﹚，bailey，sean，cursor，pascal，cache，java﹙javascript﹚，data，click﹙clicky，clickie，clicker﹚，myspace，wirehead，whirr，solitaire，paige，peyton﹙payton﹚，electronica，talia﹙digitalia﹚，fax，circe，programatha，juno，will

pronouns ⇢ it its，bit byte，beep boop，click clack，key keys keyboard，whirr whirrs，pix pixel pixelated，CPU CPUs，compute computer，route router，win windows，sentient sentience，wire wires wired，err error，pro program programmed，soft software，hard hardware，cir circuit circuitboard，click scroll，404 404s，404 page not found，^_^ ^_^s，:-) :-D，o_o >_>，🔌 🔌s，💻 💻s，🖥 🖥s，⌨ ⌨s，🖱 🖱s，💽 💽s，💾 💾s，💿 💿s，📀 📀s，🔇 🔊

titles ⇢ the man﹙woman，girl，boy，gal，guy，being，thing﹚in the machine，the one behind your screen﹙The one behind your LCD screen﹚，＿ who is running on flash﹙can be replaced with any software﹚，＿ technological form，＿ wires，＿＿ with a circuitboard in place of ＿ brain，ms. paint，＿＿ plugged into the wall，your mechanical﹙technological，electronic﹚best friend

ids ⇢ Aiwarix，Vietechxic，Digitalbeing，Technobodiment，8bitgender，Technoperspeque，Girlvirtual，Nonbinaryvirtual，Boyvirtual，Virualors，Oldcomputic，Win10gender，Byteic，Aithing，Dynirusic，Digirealgender

users ⇢ Lovebytez，﹙name﹚-﹙4-digit number﹚，0100000101001101，7653r70¹，hi-040405，computers-cant-byte，machinery-and-me，35784m5¹，circuitboard4brains，malwaria，b-i-n-a-r-y，c-i-r-c-u-i-t，https-﹙name﹚-dot-com，thinking-in-1s-and-0s，1s-and-0s-and-1s，benevolentware，wifiwifey，pluginbestfriend，pluginplaything

¹ Combining random numbers and letters can be used to make more usernames like this.

[exitwound]

if i could see the future if i was a prophet a seer a medium an angel but a bad one, if i was someone who only knew which numbers wouldn't win the lottery, and also if i could code, the first thing i would do would be to create a way to allow machine language to work on the psychic field, plead with god for an api to give me a way to manipulate my access to it on a computer, he will eventually say yes because he wants to see what im going to do, he's curious, he doesn't like to admit it but he's always curious, and then i would use that api to write a software that detects the songs about to be played on radio stations around the world, runs an algorithm connected to my heart that detects which song amongst all of the ones about to be played that i want most to hear or that i am meant to hear for kismet reasons, and then a little robot hand would tune my beautiful SONY dream machine alarm clock from 2008 that i love so much to the station where that song is about to play right as it plays. and also as part of the deal god would ask me what else i need from him and id say an antenna as long as the distance between the moon and the earth. just to be safe. in case the song i want to hear most is being played by beautiful aliens serenading me from the moon, although they dont know it, theyve never met me, they just have this strange feeling, this unusual feeling that theyre about to fall in love

[diceramblesaboutocs]

Undirected Connection || Idia x Reader || Chapter 1

Prologue

Author’s note: wow I actually updated. :) Also the mandatory: English isn't my native language so...

Rating: Teen Pairing: Idia/Reader Words: 3 884 Tags: GenderNeutral Reader - Reader is from Ignihyde - Cat and mouse chase dynamic - minimal editing - I just try to write stuff - no beta, we die like men

The Board Game club. A place for introverts alike to find their voice as they played against other students, something that they all had in common so they had something to talk about. Or for people who like to stay one jump ahead of everyone else, like Azul Ashengrotto, the housewarden of Octavinelle. In the whole college, there was no more ruthless businessman. Strategy games? Be ready to be dominated by the cephalo-punk (as Savanaclaw's housewarden called him). Or witness him develop the best technique to throw the dice so he would always land the favorable numbers for his turn in a game of chance. Either way not many people were willing to play against him. Other than Idia, who could give a good fight and occasionally even win. It was a battle of equal wit and smarts. A match to witness.

But this evening, Idia found himself struggling. Not because of the game but because Azul's newest obsession and he needed Idia's help.

“Just name your price and we can negotiate.” Azul's clear and benevolent voice slithered towards Idia, like a seawitch's tentacles wrapping around someone valuable.

“No.” For once Idia didn't stutter. Maybe it was because they were in the middle of a game, one of his favorite games in fact. The Court of Wonders, a board game of horror and mystery, taking place in an old gothic city based on Fleur City. Fully cooperative, roleplaying puzzle game with combat and story campaigns where the player characters could investigate, fight eldritch beings, die or worse, go insane and start sabotaging the fellow players. Idia had been so excited when he got the newest expansion for the game that he brought it to the club without a second thought. He had done the prep work for it ahead of time. He had a mental list of how he would convince Azul to play the game with him.

But he didn't need the list. Azul had accepted the choice of game way too easy. And now he knew why.

Azul let out a hefty sigh, trying to tug on Idia's heartstrings. Who would help the helpless, benevolent housewarden of Octavinelle? “You do understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity?”

Idia's brows knitted together in frustration as he gestured towards the game hoping that Azul would give up. “For you, now play your turn.”

“And I’m willing to compensate for your efforts. I’m not just a decent businessman, I'm a benevolent one!” The silver haired businessman smiled with controlled brightness, very sure of himself that he would eventually tear down Idia's defenses.

“Azul, it’s your move. What will your character do? We could really use more clues.”

“Listen, Idia, you aren’t understanding the gravity of the losses I’m having here. Through this Litae, I could be making thousands of thaumarks.”

To use his superior technical skills to locate one sorry student who had piqued Azul's attention? If anything, that sounded low tier D rank quest. Idia had better things to do than that. “I can make you a voice generation software, just play your turn.” He had already done the text-to-speech app for the presentations on the Culture event, doing a voice generation on top of that would be a piece of cake. He could look through the best voice banks and implement those to the learning algorithm. He would actually create something, not spy on someone's online activity.

Azul wagged his finger in front of him in protest. “No, no. That won’t do. I need the real deal.”

Why couldn't Azul just let it be? “I’m not going to use my free time to chase after some weird online voice.” The tips of Idia's hair started to shift their hue to more orange as his frustration started to morph into anger.

The change didn't go unnoticed by Azul. “... Very well, I didn’t want to do this, Idia, but you leave me no choice. Jade.” He looked at the door out of the classroom and Idia instinctively followed with his eyes to see the tall eel man with the most gentlemanly demeanor that hid something deep and dangerous beneath it.

The teal haired henchman gave his most polite smile to Idia, who's hair seemed to turn a bit paler in fear. “Yes, Azul.”

Before Azul could even give his orders to lynch the blue haired mage, tha panic had settled in Idia's mind. “Were you waiting for him to call you in like that?! Like some sort of BBEG?!”

“Jade here has some very interesting information on you, it would be a shame if someone made it public knowledge…” Azul crossed his hands in front of him and leaned in a bit, smiling deviously.

“... Wait wait, why are you taking this so seriously? Chill, dude, don’t you think you are going a little bit overboard with this? Like zero chill.” Idia saw how Azul loved to see him squirm under the pressure. He wasn't eager to let his browser history or his other cringe interested to be public knowledge. He was already half-way in becoming a social pariah, he really didn't need a boost for that.

“I just wanted to make sure that you understand how serious I am about this, Idia.” The merchant of the depths said his name with a singsong tune, happy about his victory in this game. “Shees, I wish I could report you. … Fine.” Idia sighed and slumped in his chair, cursing the cephalo-punk in his mind.

“I’m glad we got into an understanding. Let’s discuss the details of payment.” Azul pulled a very official looking paper out of his bag, tapping it gingerly with an expensive onyx ballpoint pen.

***

It wasn't only the day for the Board Game club to gather, but also for the Film Research Club. All the members were busy with their newest project, a horror short film with stylized visuals and extravagant setting. Using the Night Raven College Campus for the setting was ideal, as the tall castle set the mood to the correct base line. [Y/N] loved the project idea. Even though their little family quirk could be used in many ways in performative art forms such as acting or singing, they loved creating stuff with their hands. It was a creative outlet, where their form or sound of their voice mattered little. Only what they created mattered and they poured their heart and soul into them.

They had just finished creating the base for a miniature hill with a large and bare tree on top and was preparing a glue mixture to cover it with. This served as the adhesive for the dirt, gravel and small pebbles. Vil had been very particular about the color of the ground so [Y/N] had to collect right colored rocks that could be grinded down to smaller size to fit the criteria. It was lot of work, but it was worth it. They would never admit it, but getting praise for a job well done from Schoenheit made them feel very proud of themselves.

While other members were busy with costume designs and hunting down the era specific props, [Y/N] had the workshop class all on their own. The Film Research club had used its funding to get all sorts of tools and smaller scale machines to help with the production, ranging from sewing machines to sawing machines. The big windows of the old classroom made sure the daylight filled the room and gave the best light to compare colors in different environments. Two huge workshop tables occupied the center of the room, the other now filled with all the tools [Y/N] would need for the miniature setting.

“And here is the last stop of the introductions." Vil's clear voice echoed clearly from the hallway as he opened the workshop door completely. Behind him floated a familiar figure to all Ignihyde students, Ortho. Idia's "little brother". A technomantic humanoid, a marvel of scientific potential. He seemed to scan around the workshop quickly, eager to take in everything he saw. Vil on the other hand didn't waste time as he strut with decisive steps to [Y/N]. "This is [Y/N], they are in charge of the special effects, practical and computer graphics. But as you know, the film industry is so saturated with CG that people like to see something real and tangible.”

As Ortho's face recognition verified that indeed, [Y/N] was part of the Film Research club, his eyes smiled. “Ah, [Y/N]! I was told that I wouldn’t be the only student from Ignihyde.”

[Y/N] lowered their headphones and gave a quick wave of hand to Ortho with a small smile. “Oh yeah, I did hear you joined the club.”

“Yes, I hope to understand human emotions better and be better at emoting them to others. I got special permission to enroll as a student here so I hope to be a good underclassman for you.” The young humanoid was eager to explain the situation, embodying the very essence of child-like curiosity.

[Y/N] gave a small laugh. They enrolled in NRC the same year as Idia, so it was weird to think Ortho as an underclassman. “... You have been here as long as I have been so I wouldn’t exactly say that you are an underclassman in that sense. But it is nice to see you excited about this.” Now that they thought about it more, Ortho seemed different compared to their first year. His movements and speech had evolved to be more natural, and one could see him hover alone at times, asking questions. Maybe he was trying to make sense of life even back then. But one had to admit, he seemed even more different now. [Y/N] wondered what had triggered it.

Ortho nodded enthusiastically, his eyes looking past [Y/N] and fixating on the miniature base model. “What are you working on?”

“As our current project is a short horror movie inspired by old school movies, we asked [Y/N] to create sets and effects to work in that context.” Vil was quick to take the center stage again, now looking at the work in progress on the table too.

“Yeah, what Vil said. This here will be a miniature set for an establishing shot for the movie.” Feeling already proud because of Vil's words, [Y/N] gestured towards the project. The little gray pebbles were now neatly placed as naturally as possible on the base, waiting for the glue to cure.

Barely audible sound of scanning took place as Ortho leaned closer to the project on the table. “Ooh, yes, I can see it now. You use hard foam as a base and then add details and such with other materials like polymer clay, artificial miniature grass and foliage to make it look like the actual environment. I’m familiar with it as I used to help my brother work on Pirates of Treasure Planet figures and battle arenas.”

The mentioning of the popular miniature strategy game made [Y/N]'s smile wider as the nostalgia flowed into their mind. “That’s pretty much where I picked it myself too. Well I didn’t play the game myself, but my older brother too used to be a huge fan of the game when he was younger.” Their brother let them help with painting the figures and designing the battle arenas that they then took to the local comic book store. The game itself seemed quite deep and complex, [Y/N] was more interested in the creative aspect of the hobby than actually playing the game. “I see.” Ortho smiled.

Vil took a moment to look at the clock on his phone. “That said, have you informed the art club of our order?”

[Y/N] nodded, reaching out for their notes in their bag. As they grabbed the notepad, they could feel as the bag vibrated gently on silent. There was so many notifications coming a long. As soon as the club time was over, they would have their work be cut out for them. But every request would be a step closer to Wonderlink console. “Yes, I delivered the offer and advised them to send portfolios in the club email address. Right now there are couple applications but I haven’t checked them any further. I wait for couple more to arrive.”

“Very well. Forward the best candidates to me as soon as possible.” Vil would quickly take a look at his face through the front camera and then type a message to someone. He really was a busy and wanted person. Always going and reaching for new heights. One could hope to have such passion for everything that they did.

Ortho looked at Vil and then at [Y/N], trying to make sense of the conversation. [Y/N] gave a small shrug, it wasn't really a secret. “Candidates for matte painting for the background of this miniature set.”

“How exciting, you guys hire people from other clubs to work for the projects too?”

“Making films are collaborative efforts, dear Ortho. To get the best film, we need the best talent. Depending on the project, we might need a very wide range of talents to help with it.” Vil gave his signature pose whenever he was offering advice to anyone who just happened to be listening.

Ortho nodded and processed the information for a moment. “Say [Y/N], would it be okay for me to come to such meetings sometimes. I would like to know how these kinds of things really work in real life.”

“I don’t see a harm in that.” The idea didn't seem bad at all. Having someone like Ortho with such appointments would probably be very beneficial. He was an information bank and most likely had cameras installed into him. If some other student started to be too much of an arrogant bitch, they would have evidence. You never knew with students of Night Raven College, the S-rank troublemakers.

“Ah yes, the best way to learn acting and how people talk to each other is in the natural setting. I will allow it.” Vil gave his blessing, which meant that it was more than okay.

“Thank you!” Ortho beamed at Vil and turned back to [Y/N], his eyes fixating on their bag on the table. “Someone is really trying to reach you there. It is barely audible, but my sensors pick up vibration in frequency that would indicate that your phone is getting notifications.”

“Ah, sorry. Yeah, it is probably my friends sharing weird videos on magicam.” [Y/N] said as they pulled their phone out of the bag, the well worn phone charm dangling from it. A graphic presentation of constellations inside a silhouette shaped like a pegasus embellished with silver lines, giving it a look of an enamel pin.

The eyes of the young technomatic humanoid widen in recognition. “Is that the pegasus star system logo from Star Rogue?”

“Oh, yeah, it is.” [Y/N] moved the phone closer to Ortho, showing the small phone charm to him. It was an old charm, but it was beautiful. You rarely saw phone charms anymore, the smart phones rarely had any way to tie one on them. Even now, the old Star Rogue charm was looped around a self-made hole in the phone case.

“Me and Idia used to play that a lot when we were kids. It is one of my all time favorite games ever.”

Of course they would have played it. It was a cult classic. A legend of a game. The story, the graphics and the game mechanics were revolutionary when it was published. “It is a classic! I have played it too many times already, even tho I’m not that good at bullet hell games.” [Y/N] added.

“Maybe someday I can get Idia show you the no-death meteor run!” Ortho seemed more than happy to ask his brother to do that. Though [Y/N] had their doubts, it was already a rare sight to see the housewarden outside his room. Once in a full moon, the older Shroud emerged from his cave of a room and even then he tried not to draw any attention to him. Maybe he really just played all day and night in his room. Well, they could not be too mad about it, Idia still held best marks when it came to tests in school. Expect physical education. He really struggled with that.

“Oh, he has managed that? Serious props to him.” [Y/N] had to admit. It was a pretty amazing feat.

***

The cup noodles became too soggy again. Idia snarled but food was food and he had to eat something. Served him right as he got too immersed in the third volume of Sled Over Heels. It wasn't the newest anime around and the manga was only retelling of the anime, but the original creators were part of the writing process and he saw it 100%. Maybe one day he would learn to put on a timer and not trust his own judgement when 3 minutes had passed.

He sat into his gaming chair, the signed agreement generating damage over time, area of effect debuffing him, reminding him to do his "job". Major L. The agreement and the soggy noodles.

Fortunately, Ortho let himself into his big brother's room, enthusiastic as ever. “Hey Idia! How was the board game club today?”

“Ah, Ortho… It was a drag really… Azul was being crazy obsessed by some mystery entrepreneur and pretty much blackmailed me to help him locate them.” Idia didn't even look at Ortho's entrance, slurping on his meal and glaring at the official paper hoping it would burst into flames just then and there.

The smaller Shroud's eyes filled with worry and he approached Idia. “... You can’t let him do that. I will go to the Octanivelle dorm and have a chat with him.” He would. If no one else was his brother's friend and protector, he would be. It might have been his programming or the fact that his personality was based on Idia's dead younger brother, but he was always worried about him. Idia was quick to bend to his fate, whatever it may be. The depression and the social anxiety had him almost immobilized, and Ortho didn't want anything more than his brother to get better and find happiness and friends.

The offer made Idia's social anxiety raise its ugly head. “No, no no, no really, it is fine. I don’t want him to get super salty at me. It is already awkward to go to the club, I don’t really want the added awkwardness on top of that, plz.”

Ortho sighed. “Very well…” If Idia wished him not to say anything, he would respect his wishes. Even if it pained him. As much as it could pain a technomatic humanoid with artificial intelligence. But he wasn't sure if those were once again programmed emotions or was he truly feeling it. He shook his head. It didn't matter. What mattered was that Idia was feeling comfortable.

The silence that was born out of Ortho's submission to his wishes didn't help Idia's anxiety. “But hey, how was your club? The first day of the film study club.”

“Oh it was great! Vil showed me around and introduced me to everyone there. And guess what, I’m not the only Ignihyde student there.” Ortho didn't want to prolong the heavy atmosphere either and he truly felt excited about his day.

“Mm… I suppose there would be someone who would be interested in films here.” The older Shroud leaned back in his chair, trying to remember if there were any loud movie fans in the dorm. Or atleast any he talked to.

“It is [Y/N], they are from Class D of the third year” Ortho floated next to his charging station, preparing the device for the night.

Idia squinted. “... I have no recollection of them.” One would have to have a booming voice and loud opinions or otherwise eye catching for him to actually remember them. Someone like Malleus Draconia or the Leech Twins. Riddle Rosehearts made himself very unforgettable with his scary presence.

“Well anyway, they seemed super cool, and promised to let me observe as they would negotiate with other clubs for the film!”

“That’s pretty MVP behavior.”

“I know, right!”

Idia was happy to see his brother excited and making friends. At least one of them was and Ortho was always the more extroverted one anyway. It fit his character and Idia was content how the things were. Dealing with other people was tiresome and awkward. And with that thought, dealing with the stupid agreement he was blackmailed to agree to.“... Ortho, I would like to you to help me a bit with Azul’s demand. The entrepreneur in question makes personalized greetings for the clients, with the voices of known big wig celebrities or characters. If you could run your detection algorithm over the greeting I get to see if there is any indications of AI generation, patterns or pitches that could give us a lead for the person in question.”

Ortho tilted his head a bit as he assessed the brief. “Sounds doable. I suggest we choose a famous person who is well documented so we can compare the audio data against them.” “Yeah. Hmm… How about Neige LeBlanche? He is pretty popular and active on Magicam so there would be lots of casual footage and professional quality audio to run the tests through.” Even Idia knew who he was, the rivalry between Vil and Neige was almost a meme on its own.

“That’s a good choice!” Ortho beamed and readied his audio sensors for processing the possible information.

Idia took his phone out and started to type in the contact information and request details for this mysterious Litae. The money would not be a problem, but his mind blanked as soon as he reached the request text box. “... What should I ask them to say…” He looked at Ortho.

“How about a good luck shout or encouragement? Or a good night's wish while playing one of their characters from a beloved film?”

“... Let’s go with that.” Who was he to shoot down the suggestion? He didn't have any better ideas. Hopefully this would give enough data that he didn't need to do this again. He typed in the request: "Neige LeBlanche. A good night's wish." He stared at the request details in silence only to admit that he didn't know any films starring Neige LeBlanche. So maybe his actor persona would be enough.

He pressed send and in ten minutes an audio file was sent to his spare email. There was no way he would use his primary email to something like this.

With a swift click of a mouse the audio file was downloaded and it played its contents clearly: “You look so sleepy… haha… maybe you should go to sleep. Don’t worry, I will bake you an apple pie tomorrow. Like I promised. Good night, my dream. Sleep well.”

It really sounded like Neige. No immediate detection of audio artefacts from audio generation. The voice was clear and soft.

And this all made shivers of cringe travel across Idia's back.

[voltaspistol]

So yeah, about Trump's "win"? It's starting to look like maaaaaaaybe that whole "voter suppression of persons of color" thing was the deciding factor, not Democrats who stayed home and didn't vote.

"Stay with me and I’ll give you the means, methods and, most important, the key calculations. But if you’re expecting a sexy story about Elon Musk messing with vote-counting software from outer space, sorry, you won’t get that here. As in Bush v. Gore in 2000 and in too many other miscarriages of Democracy, this election was determined by good old “vote suppression,” the polite term we use for shafting people of color out of their ballot. We used to call it Jim Crow. Here are key numbers: — 4,776,706 voters were wrongly purged from voter rolls according to US Elections Assistance Commission data. — By August of 2024, for the first time since 1946, self-proclaimed “vigilante” voter-fraud hunters challenged the rights of 317,886 voters. The NAACP of Georgia estimates that by Election Day, the challenges exceeded 200,000 in Georgia alone. — No fewer than 2,121,000 mail-in ballots were disqualified for minor clerical errors (e.g. postage due). — At least 585,000 ballots cast in-precinct were also disqualified. — 1,216,000 “provisional” ballots were rejected, not counted. — 3.24 million new registrations were rejected or not entered on the rolls in time to vote. If the purges, challenges and ballot rejections were random, it wouldn’t matter. It’s anything but random. For example, an audit by the State of Washington found that a Black voter was 400% more likely than a white voter to have their mail-in ballot rejected. Rejection of Black in-person votes, according to a US Civil Rights Commission study in Florida, ran 14.3% or one in seven ballots cast."

[linkhundr]

So NFTgate has now hit tumblr - I made a thread about it on my twitter, but I'll talk a bit more about it here as well in slightly more detail. It'll be a long one, sorry! Using my degree for something here. This is not intended to sway you in one way or the other - merely to inform so you can make your own decision and so that you aware of this because it will happen again, with many other artists you know.

Let's start at the basics: NFT stands for 'non fungible token', which you should read as 'passcode you can't replicate'. These codes are stored in blocks in what is essentially a huge ledger of records, all chained together - a blockchain. Blockchain is encoded in such a way that you can't edit one block without editing the whole chain, meaning that when the data is validated it comes back 'negative' if it has been tampered with. This makes it a really, really safe method of storing data, and managing access to said data. For example, verifying that a bank account belongs to the person that says that is their bank account.

For most people, the association with NFT's is bitcoin and Bored Ape, and that's honestly fair. The way that used to work - and why it was such a scam - is that you essentially purchased a receipt that said you owned digital space - not the digital space itself. That receipt was the NFT. So, in reality, you did not own any goods, that receipt had no legal grounds, and its value was completely made up and not based on anything. On top of that, these NFTs were purchased almost exclusively with cryptocurrency which at the time used a verifiation method called proof of work, which is terrible for the environment because it requires insane amounts of electricity and computing power to verify. The carbon footprint for NFTs and coins at this time was absolutely insane.

In short, Bored Apes were just a huge tech fad with the intention to make a huge profit regardless of the cost, which resulted in the large market crash late last year. NFTs in this form are without value.

However, NFTs are just tech by itself more than they are some company that uses them. NFTs do have real-life, useful applications, particularly in data storage and verification. Research is being done to see if we can use blockchain to safely store patient data, or use it for bank wire transfers of extremely large amounts. That's cool stuff!

So what exactly is Käärijä doing? Kä is not selling NFTs in the traditional way you might have become familiar with. In this use-case, the NFT is in essence a software key that gives you access to a digital space. For the raffle, the NFT was basically your ticket number. This is a very secure way of doing so, assuring individuality, but also that no one can replicate that code and win through a false method. You are paying for a legimate product - the NFT is your access to that product.

What about the environmental impact in this case? We've thankfully made leaps and bounds in advancing the tech to reduce the carbon footprint as well as general mitigations to avoid expanding it over time. One big thing is shifting from proof of work verification to proof of space or proof of stake verifications, both of which require much less power in order to work. It seems that Kollekt is partnered with Polygon, a company that offers blockchain technology with the intention to become climate positive as soon as possible. Numbers on their site are very promising, they appear to be using proof of stake verification, and all-around appear more interested in the tech than the profits it could offer.

But most importantly: Kollekt does not allow for purchases made with cryptocurrency, and that is the real pisser from an environmental perspective. Cryptocurrency purchases require the most active verification across systems in order to go through - this is what bitcoin mining is, essentially. The fact that this website does not use it means good things in terms of carbon footprint.

But why not use something like Patreon? I can't tell you. My guess is that Patreon is a monthly recurring service and they wanted something one-time. Kollekt is based in Helsinki, and word is that Mikke (who is running this) is friends with folks on the team. These are all contributing factors, I would assume, but that's entirely an assumption and you can't take for fact.

Is this a good thing/bad thing? That I also can't tell you - you have to decide that for yourself. It's not a scam, it's not crypto, just a service that sits on the blockchain. But it does have higher carbon output than a lot of other services do, and its exact nature is not publicly disclosed. This isn't intended to sway you to say one or the other, but merely to give you the proper understanding of what NFTs are as a whole and what they are in this particular case so you can make that decision for yourself.

[neysaadept]

fic request, i read your last request fic and kinda had a slight idea. for the prompts i need you & you’re family. similar ish to the last fic but emily is struggling and trying to convince her how important she actually is

I do hope you enjoy what I came up with!

Self Surrender

Emily Prentiss x Female!Reader (Reader is a Financial Analyst)

Tags - No use of y/n, swearing, angst, established relationship. mentions of blood but not gory, hurt/comfort. Set after the events of Demonology. Minors DNI.

AO3

Word Count: 2.3k

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell -  Buddha

It was a late day at work with a deadline that got pushed up due to military funding and the financials needed to be completed by end of day today. You enjoy crunching numbers and the beauty of spreadsheets, but this was fucking ridiculous. Yes, yes, need to keep people safe with the top-secret project you were working on at Northrup Grumman, but no one needed to baseline the damn project right now. The software design was already approved so what did it matter? Of course, you did not get paid the big bucks to make these decisions but one day, you aspired to be.

By the time you return to your town home in Westboro, MD, it was past 10pm. All you could think of was having a generous glass of wine while taking a bath to soak your stress and aches of the day away. You toss your keys and purse on a table in the foyer, lock up and reset the security system. You take off your coat and shake off the snow before hanging it up in the closet and turn on the lights. Shoes were kicked off and then you walked down the hallway into the living room to pick up the remote control on top of the fireplace. You turn on the flatscreen above on the wall and put on a classic rock station to fill your home with music, but something gives you pause before you put the remote back down.

You suddenly pivot on your feet to see what causes your senses to heighten, and there sitting on your couch dressed all in black is Emily Prentiss. Somehow you missed her when you first walked in.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Em!” You set the remote down and laugh in relief. “Scared the shit outta me.”

She doesn’t say anything but acknowledges you with her lips twisted to the side looking apologetic.

You’re delighted to see her but couldn’t fathom why Emily didn’t call or text you she was going to meet you here at your home. She was close to practically living here, which is why she had a key and the code to the town home and can truly come and go as she pleases, but something was clearly off as you approach her. She hadn’t even taken her coat or shoes off and looked distraught with brown eyes dull and introspective. What really made your heart ache was the dried blood under her nose.

“What the hell happened?!” Now you move quickly to sit beside her and immediately tilt her head to face you. You swipe your thumb above her lip and find it doesn’t come off easily. It was dried.

You frown. “What happened, baby?”

“Case was bad,” she answers in a raspy voice and gently tries to bring your hand down by the wrist. You don’t budge. “But I’m okay.”

You look at her dubiously and narrow your eyes. “Then why is my love sitting on my couch looking uncomfortable and sad?”

She shrugs as her response.

“Okay.” You are patient and lower your hands to slide the coat off her shoulders. “Take this off and I’ll go make us some tea.” You want clear heads for right now if Emily wants to talk and the tea would be soothing and warm for the weather outside.

She nods at that, and you give her a quick kiss that she returns.

The kitchen had an entrance through the living room and quickly take the stainless steel kettle off the stove top to the faucet to fill with water. You do look to your right to make sure Emily is getting comfortable and smiles that she is also taking off her shoes.

As the kettle heats up, you go into a cabinet to grab two clean kitchen towels and run one under warm water. After you rinse it out to be properly damp, you make your way back to the couch and see Emily has neatly folded her coat on the loveseat and her shoes were on the mat in front of the patio doors. What bothers you is her upright posture and her defensively crossed her arms over her stomach. She rarely does that around you anymore, but what’s worse, is she’s staring out through the patio windows. She is watching the snow come down and doesn’t realize you are back. This was so unlike her.

“Em?” you call out gently and watch as she drags her eyes towards you before her head follows. You dangle the towels before her as you sit down once again. “Let me take care of that …”

“It’s alright. I got it,” she says and reaches for the towel to do it herself. You give it up and bunch the dry towel between your hands.

You watch Emily start to dry the blood from under nose. “Wanna talk about it?” you offer as your hand goes to her thigh to squeeze in comfort. Even if she didn’t want to talk, you could offer small gestures of affection.

She doesn’t immediately say anything but when she was done cleaning herself off, Emily points to the picture on the glass coffee table. It was an old picture by the look of it, all folded up and yellow with age. You give her the dry towel to finish cleaning herself up and carefully pick up the picture, unfolding it.

You can’t help the smile that comes seeing a teenage Emily with two boys. All were smiling and had their arms up, except the boy on the right only had one. “Look at you. Still got the same smile.”

The affection you feel at Emily sharing a part of her past turns to concern because if she is showing you this with her mood clearly down, something terrible has happened. You look at her and wait, knowing she’ll speak when she’s ready.

“The picture was taken in Rome when my mother was posted there.” She rolls the wet towel into the dry one and sets them aside on the couch arm. She scoots closer and points to each boy. “That’s Matthew. And that’s Johnny.”

Emily reaches for the picture which you gladly relinquish and guides you to sit back on the couch with her. She strokes Matthew’s face with a thumb. “Matthew died.”

Your eyes widen in horror. Immediately your arm entwines Emily’s as you rest your head against her shoulder. You squeeze her forearm and respond so sadly. “I’m so sorry, Em. What happened?”

All three of them were around the same age in the picture so it had to be shocking to know someone Emily’s age had died. What you didn’t anticipate is what Emily shares next. “This case I told you I was working on …”

“Yeah,” you answer softly and then a shiver runs down your back as you understand where this was leading. “Oh, shit. I … I’m so sorry that you …” But you pause because something didn’t make sense. “I thought you couldn’t work on a case about someone you’re close to?”

That pulls a smile from her. “There’s my smart girl. You’re right. I asked the BAU to look into his death since it was under suspicious circumstances.”

“And they found out what happened?”

She briskly nods. “Yes. We did.”

You tilt your head to look at her profile with a frown. “We? Hotch let you work the case?” You lick your lips and continue softly so confused. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s nothing. Really,” she states firmly.

“Okay.” You rest your head back down on her shoulder and try a different approach. “Then why did I find you in my home sitting in the dark?”

Her lips firmly press together and for a moment, you think Emily’s going to bolt. You’re upset that you were right as she starts to shift under you to untangle limbs. “You’re right. That was inconsiderate of me …”

The tea kettle begins to whistle but you ignore it for now as you hold onto her and plea. “Please don’t go.”

She stiffens under you, and you can tell Emily is weighing her options. To your relief, she settles back against the couch. “Okay,” she states so quietly that you thought you heard wrong.

“Are you in the mood for hazelnut?” you ask, hoping that you heard right.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

You lift your head and kiss her and then her on the cheek. “I’ll be back quick.”

She squeezes your hand with acknowledgement and as a promise to not go anywhere. You head into the kitchen and turn the stove off and place the teapot on a cooler grate. You take the cream-colored mugs off the wall rack and rummage in the cupboard for the hazelnut and mint teas to steep for both of you. You came back in five minutes and Emily was anxiously waiting for you. She was aggressively going at her fingernails and your eyes move from her nervous habit to gaze at her brown ones with sympathy.

Silently you set down your respective mugs on a wooden coaster before you sit back down and take Emily’s hands in your own. You run soothing circles over dry skin from the cold outside. “Talk to me. Please?”

She looks away, eyes focusing on the hardwood floors. “This is the time I fuck up relationships.”

“What makes you think you’ve fucked up our relationship?” you ask with confusion.

Emily scowls and audibly sighs. “Because … because I should’ve told you about this when it first started happening. And … everything around it that involved me.”

You look confused but she doesn’t see it as she continues. “I’m afraid. Of losing you to something stupid I do. Or don’t do because I can’t talk about how I feel. Or even worse.” Emily’s words turn harsher as she verbally lashes herself. “That I don’t know how to talk to you about it. Which is what I did.”

You reach out and gently touch Emily’s chin, briefly caressing it, before you coax her to turn to face you. You search for her gaze, but you are unable to connect with her just yet. “You’re talking to me now.”

“But, for how long are you gonna tolerate me keeping things from you?” she admits and quietly adds at the end, “how long before you leave me…”

Your eyes water at hearing this startling admission. Never did you think Emily was afraid of you leaving her. That was your fear of her doing that to you. You frantically blink, not wanting to let her go and wipe any tears that may fall. “Em?”

She doesn’t respond verbally or physically, only staring off at the floor. “Emily. Please… please look at me?”

It takes a good long minute for her to find the strength to lift her head and shift her gaze to hold yours. What she sees makes her choke back a sob because there is nothing but love reflecting in your orbs. You smile tenderly. “I need you, Em. So, I’m not going anywhere.”

She laughs out of nerves, not believing you. “Maybe not now …”

“Hey!” You deeply frown and drop your hand to run through her hair before rubbing the back of her neck. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not just gonna run out on the love of my life because shit got hard. And I’m still well versed in your long ass monologue when things got serious that you’re a pain in the ass who works long hours, is out of state a lot, and has commitment issues. Oh!” You smile, almost forgetting one important part. “And that your mom’s an ass.”

She looks sheepish as she tries to bite back a laugh. “Yeah, I did say all that.” She gazes deeply into your watery eyes that couldn’t hold back tears any longer. “And you’re still here.”

You nod. “I’m still here. Four months later. Cuz, I love you, you fucking dork.”

That makes her laugh. “Tell me how you really feel.”

You know she was kidding but you answer anyway. “You’re my family, Em. Nothing’s gonna change that. And I can see how hard this is for you but I’m not going anywhere just because it gets hard talking about the past. It’s happened with me, too, and you’re still here.”

She smiles tenderly. “Yeah.”

You scoot closer to her and cup Emily’s cheek with your free hand. “We got all the time in the world to share ourselves. I’m just glad you’re here with me, tonight, instead of by yourself. And to me? That’s a brave fucking thing you’ve done, baby.”

Emily joins you in shedding tears as you watch her overcome with emotion. Her lower lip quivers and she visibly shakes, and not from the cold. You were going to bring her into a hug but instead she launches forward and captures your mouth in a fierce, grounding, kiss. It was a kiss that made your body shiver from its intensity, feeling the love Emily has for you and her need to connect physically as words were so difficult for her to find. Her kiss is also an apology and a promise to do better.

And as Emily clings to your top, you press against her while you return the kiss. Now, it was a mutual promise you both declare moving forward and as long as you both could come together like this? You two would weather any storm.

[th3-c0ll3ct3r]

Quackity in his time away from YouTube has developed an app called DABABEL that can translate what you're seeing in real time to another person in your voice as well as help you learn another language

However there is only been one main criticism of this app and it is that it uses AI

And I'm here to tell you why constructive use of AI is not bad

1. AI was originally designed to be a tool for people to harness.

The implication that the only main form of AI is like chat gbt and AI art is false. Those kinds of AIs is more of a personal gratification, and personal entertainment system software rather than anything useful to society. And the main argument for those types of AI is you could learn those skills yourself but instead you were taking from others and then redistributing a combination of other people's work.

It's like stealing a recipe and saying it's your own, because you made it in your kitchen instead of that.

These types of AI good examples of non-constructive AI. They do not add anything, and the world could spin without them.

However the AI the I'm talking about, is when AI mutually benefits a large group of people without any major negative drawbacks.

An example of this would be development in machinery that allows people to detect certain cancer cells using AI models the before person really even knows. It's constructive. It's beneficial. And it benefits a large group of people who are at risk.

AI was developed to make people jobs and lives easier not take away people jobs and livelihoods.

And this app Dababel could be used to improve human communication between those from different languages, and also improve on pronunciation, vocabulary and generally help with learning.

It's a tool for people to use to better their lives.

2. Informed Consent.

Apps such as YouTube and Twitter buried their use of AI until they were caught. And why? Because alot of people didn't give their consent.

They would covertly bury it in the terms of services and act like nothing happened.

They weren't overt, transparent or fair about it.

It lack proper notice for new people and to people who already had fhd app, they didn't find out until the app updated.

But Dababel has very transparent informed consent. In 2 forms.

One being, common sense. You spoke into your phone and it gave you a response, in your voice, in a different language. Like what did you expect?

And two, it's optional, unlike YouTube or Facebook it isn't automatically downloaded on your phone. You have a choice of downloading and engaging with it.

Furthermore Quackity made a whole video breaking down what the app is used for. Your informed about the apps implications and what it actually does.

3. It's constructive.

It's similar to point number 1, but to keep it brief, the app doesn't take away from anyones ability to learn from another source, learn on their own or refine pronunciations.

It's not out m here stealing jobs of translators or ensure people get paid less for language use. It's instead making communication accessible for the average person.

And it's not going to be perfect but it does have to be, communication comes in may forms and even being able to hold a basic conversation with more comprehensive understanding is a massive win.

Overall it's a great use of AI, as it doesn't take away but adds.

And I understand people disliking AI so they may dislike this, but overall it's non destructive, helpful and innovative forms of AI

[wisteriagoesvroom]

broadscar best moments compilation🫣👉👈?

y'know. i actually really had to think about this. because oscar i feel is currently in the early intermediate phase of his glow up and not at his full blastoff broadscar potential yet (give it another few years).

NONETHELESS. the people ask. the people receive. my personal opinion top 5 broadscar moments:

#5. oh boy! that sure is a bicep!

you know the IT guy who shows up to fix your computer and you're like, well. that's nice he's just a quiet guy he's well informed about relevant cybersecurity software patches. he probably plays COD on the weekend and feeds his cat regularly.

then he leans forward with his palms flat on the table to check a dashboard or something and you're like - hold on. whaaat?

anyway not to get into AU or y/n territory rn but like. this was a strong hint of the sleeper build. is all i'm saying.

#4. back getting big, brain go brrrr

exhibit a: cannot remember which race this was from but okay, yeah he's an athletic dude, blablabla

exhibit b: suzuka '24. yooo back gains? and he is SLOUCHING...

#3: the fireproofs of peril

look...if i speak. i simply posit the question to the audience: what if oscar piastri stood up straight more often.

(and thank you @inchidentally for bringing this picture to my attention in the first place. a connoisseur. a scholar.)

number two: qatar karting night kardio arrest

yo. the arms. the balaclava. the vaguely drift-racing-game-adjacent nighttime lighting. and the amount of times this clip alone has surfaced in the oscar piastri thirst edits. ENOUGH SAID.

number one: the qatar sprint-sweat saga

I KNOW WE WERE ALL THINKING IT, OKAY.

how could i not include this on the list because, hello, first win, but also.... O, to be a single drop of sweat sliding down oscar piastri's face and into his *LOUD HELICOPTER NOISE*

anyway, sorry, did y'all hear something??? it sounded like someone losing their mind??

[catblinker]

have any favorite hdg works, my Mistress has gotten me into the series over the past few months, I've read Into Sleep We Fell, and Independence is Easy (that one did a number on my brain). I'm currently reading Dog of War :3

i wanna be floret so bad she has some in universe domestication form and i wnana sign it so bad goshhhhhh

all you need (not done it yet but cold-hearted proud terran is fed a slow drip of class-c's and falls for her failgirlish affini neighbour)

learning from mistakes (buncha good oneoffs)

sweet poppy (manipulation, extreme jealousy, cleansing flame, "blood-curdling psychosexual horror")

ramifaction (only a little in but it's some REALLY slow burn of a terran lawyer trying to win a ship crew's independence but she's slowly being overtaken by her affini guardian's biorhythm)

black start (cybernetically enhanced girl that's accord military hardware gets an affini droneification virus that turns her into a mindless happy utility, like actual piece of software. very good)

anything by annabool really. good writer good stories :)

cat and mouse (also early into this one lol but it's 'i love it when you run' predprey/preyification, ft plurality)

perfect match (dependent solely on you liking agereg + permanent regression, but good if you do)

ultima ratio plantarum (rebel that knows how to resist affini manipulation gets manipulated into believing she's fictional and authored by a terrifying affini librarian, and also a kitsune)

and for anybody who hasn't seen independence is easy, i highly recommend it. stressed-out independence coach makes (and comes to regret (then comes to be happy for (then loses the memory of)) a stacked bet against his affini friend, who starts doing any part of his daily routine (eg meals, picking clothes, being taken places, leisure time) he 'fails' for him. this leads to "No, that’s my skin. Please tell me that’s my skin." being a real and (horrific/climactic) line from the now-floret.

bonus mention: @cadence-the-hypnotic-floret 's excellent hypnosis audio files. they're definitely a lot more intense, and a couple of them do (try to) implant triggers, so approach with a lil caution as they (pleasantly) fuck your brain a lil. do approach though they're excellent

hope you and any other weedfuckers (/affectionate) enjoy these :3

[mantisfriendd]

Ok so I talked about this in tags of a post earlier but I need to talk about it properly

So a couple weeks ago I finally pulled the trigger, I dual booted Linux Mint on my laptop

It has less of my vital files on it then my pc, but I use it more for videos and general Internet stuff, so I would know if I liked it

Installing was scary but after a bit of trouble shooting with disabling bit locker it was easy, and let me be clear, that's a windows thing, because Microsoft really really doesn't want you to have freedom over your machine.

So I booted in

And like

I literally love it so much

I knew people talked about how much better Linux is and how it speeds up literally anything it's put on over windows, but like WOW

It doesn't take 2 minutes to boot up or shut down, my CPU doesn't idle at 25% for no reason, the search for files feature doesn't take 40 minutes only to show me Internet results instead of files, its wonderful.

The default theme is (in my opinion) pretty ugly, sorry whoever made it, it's just not for me.

But that's the great thing, you can literally customize this almost however you would like.

Maybe you shouldn't trust my opinion on what looks nice because I instantly installed a theme that replicated Windows 7

But I got bored of the default colors so I literally found the files where the home bar is saved and changed them to be more "minty"

That along with some CSS color editing gave me this:

You just can't do anything like this in Windows 10/11. You can change the color on windows but if I wanted, in Mint, I could completely change everything, centered icons on the taskbar, icons left justified on the taskbar, no taskbar, make it look like windows 95, it's all yours to do with whatever you want.

There are issues, I won't lie, the biggest one that will probably haunt Linux forever is compatibility.

Simply put most developers don't make native Linux versions of their software, you are lucky if there is a Mac version.

Lots and lots of Windows software CAN work on Linux through compatibility layers like Wine and Steam's Proton, but it's not 100%

My biggest problem is FL Studio and Clip Studio, neither of these I could get working with Wine or Proton so far. I'm hoping in the future I will find a way to make this work, or transition to their free and open source alternatives, but for now I'm stuck with a win 10 pc.

The other issue I've faced is that Linux seems to have a hard time recognizing and remembering my wired headphones. Like sometimes it just works, but most of the time it fails to do so.

My solution to this until I have time to troubleshoot more is to use my stupid headphone jack to USB C dongle that I bought for my stupid phone with no headphone jack.

Luckily it works fine and the type C port on my laptop literally doesn't get used otherwise.

All in all, I'm like excited to use a computer again. I used to only be excited for the programs it allowed me to use, but for the first time in a long time, the "magic" of the PC has returned for me.

Once I save up the money, my next PC will be Linux, Windows doesn't cut it anymore for me.

Ok now I'm going to kinda just talk about Linux for a bit, unrelated to my experience because my brain has been buzzing about this topic lately.

I get why guys who run Linux are so annoying about it now, because it's me now, I love this stupid OS and everyone has to hear about it.

And chances are, you've used Linux before already!

Linux is used in a ridiculous number of places because of its open source nature.

Most servers and other cloud computing systems are running Linux, many public terminals and screens run Linux, every supercomputer in the world runs Linux, if you were in the education system for the past 13~ years you might have used ChromeOS, which is built on Linux, if you have ever used an Android device you have used Linux.

It's never going to take over Windows as the go to operating system in the home, most people don't even know they could switch, and if they don't know that there's no way they are willing to put up with some of the headaches Linux brings.

Although I've spent way more time troubleshooting Windows issues then I have Linux ones so far, so maybe Microsoft stuffing so much bloated spyware into their system is starting to cause windows to rip at the seams, idk.

When I try to explain Linux to people who literally don't understand any of this I use a car metaphor

Windows is like a hatchback SUV, you buy it from a dealer and it mostly works for everyone good enough that they don't complain.

Linux is like a project vehicle in a lot of ways, the mechanic can tune it up exactly to the specifications they want, tear a bit out and put a diffrent one in, it requires some work under the engine but once that mechanic gets it the way they want it, it's incredible.

It's not a perfect metaphor but I think it gets the idea across.

Uh IDK how to finish this post, please try Linux if you can, changed my life.

[cinnamontails-ff]

New Year Writing Tag

Happy New Year everyone!

I love this time of year for how it invites reflection and a general (re)assessment of where I am as a writer. I've seen a few "new year writing" tags floating around, but didn't love their focus on numbers, so I decided to make my own. Feel free to use the template if you're interested, leave stuff out, etc!

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

Readers are fickle, and winning yourself an audience is not the same as maintaining it. Still, there will always be people who love your work, exactly the way it is.

How has your writing developed this past year?

I think my grasp on the English language has definitely improved! I find I'm more comfortable with varying my sentence structure, and the fact that I'm finally getting the hang of punctuation also definitely helps haha That said, I've been leaning into my overwriting tendencies. MA was supposed to be 150k words and now it's gonna clock in at nearly 200k. And that's ok because it was a difficult project and I'm proud of myself for pulling through, but I definitely need to rein myself in, moving forward.

Good writing habits?

Finally installing automatic backups through my writing software! Also, investing in a nice keyboard for the first time in my life. Life-changing.

Bad writing habits?

Pushing too hard rather than taking a break because my general modus operandi in life is "Work hard now, so you can relax later" - except, I never let myself get to the "later" part.

Favorite thing you wrote?

Chapter 20 of "Magistrate's Advocate". If you know, you know, but it was a very unusual, very challenging chapter for me, and I love how it came out.

Favorite reads?

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" by T. Kingfisher

"Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang

And my re-reads of "Guards, Guards" and "Small Gods" by Terry Pratchett, but what else is new :D

Biggest win?

Making friends through writing. Connecting with people in a way that goes so much further than storytelling. Getting to go to the wedding of someone I met through fandom (and then try to explain to the other guests how you met :D). Sitting on a riverbank in a European city with a lovely reader for 4h straight, receiving the most beautiful fountain pen as a gift. Really, everyone who's made me feel like they care about me just as much as they care my stories ❤

Goals for the new year?

Finish the translation of my original novel.

Stop beating myself up over the things I have not achieved.

Forget AO3 statistics exist.

Shamelessly re-read my own fics over and over again.

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

"little", "gaze", "look", "smile", "quite", "absolutely", anything to do with "shoulders", "hands" and "eyes".

Seriously, what is it with me and shoulders?

What are you excited for in the new year?

I've just recently started a writing group with a handful of lovely people I met through fandom, and I am extremely excited for it! It's hard to find a group of like-minded people, and while I love the focus on positivity in fandom, I really miss being told where my writing still needs work :D

No-pressure tags (and feel free to pick and choose your favorite questions!): @davenswitcher @obsessedwhyyes @larvasmoon @wobblyweasels @roguishcat @amoremagnificentbastard @lady-vincent @ladyduellist @canon-in-too-deep @khywren @karinamay @bananaiguana and everyone else who loves their new year's reflections!

[hubristicassholefight]

Swordswoman Showdown Round 3

Malenia (Elden Ring) vs Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Malenia

She is arguably the hardest boss in any Fromsoft game.; She is the favorited boss of Animal from the Muppets.

"Arguably" the hardest boss in any fromsoft game? You don't even know. She is OBJECTIVELY the hardest boss in any fromsoft game. On march 1st 2023, a bit more than a full year since the game's release, From Software released the stats on the amount of attempts each boss took for the players collectively. As of march 1st 2023 Malenia has killed the players 329.000.000 times. That's 10 Tarnished every second. That's almost the entire population of the United States. Malenia is also an optional boss in a secluded area hidden away from everyone. According to PlayStation trophy statistics, only 37.9% of people who ever bought the game managed to even REACH Malenia in the first place. Which means among those 329.000.000 people she has obliterated were only the most dedicated of Fromsoft fans. Only 33.3% of people even managed to beat her. That number also includes everyone who beat her with summons, which makes her significantly easier. This means out of all people who bought the game on PlayStation 4 or 5 and reached Malenia which is about 3 million people, 377.000 just fucking dropped her, they didn't even do it with summons. Difficulty aside. Malenia is also extremely pretty and has the softest lips, her Goddess form looks like a painting. She fights with elegance and style unrivalled by any boss in the game, dancing through the battlefield with deadly, fluid motions. Malenia is also 256cm or 8'4" tall. Huge woman.

post let me solo her

#malenia is 8'4“ flat chested and broad shouldered#she kills you with incredible grace and poise#trans icon#id let her Waterfowl Dance on me and Infect Me with her Scarlet Rot...

#malenia is so dedicated to the sword it mends her failing body. she lives by fighting#her strongest attack is a technique that halts the progress of her terminal illness#i can never stop thinking about that. by all means she couldve rotted into a mile of mush before the game started#but she persists!! she persists!!!

#malenia blade of 15 layers of contradictory goals and personality traits summed up in like twelve total lines of dialogue#she's a stupidly good character but shes also a woman who did horrible things in a game with a deliberately vague narrative#so everyone just enters What A Bitch / Step On Me mode with her#as they are wont to do. the lowlives.#anyway what would happen if you hated yourself and successfully became someone who can do plenty of good#and yet the only way to live on and keep doing good would be to embrace the self who causes so much pain#but there's nothing left. so you wait and you rot and you keep telling yourself that you're still the self you love#and then you have to do it again. and now your conflictual agony is over because clearly you lost yourself long ago#and you look up knowing that you're the danger you've always feared you were. and you smile#and turn john eldenring into filet in 2 seconds flat

Xena

Warrior Princess

She wields a sword and chakram. Just had to submit a biconic swordswoman.

i love her. she made me gay as a kid. Anyway, her weapon of choice is her sword, she is obviously very good with it

#unfortunately i have to choose and i have to choose xena#a) utena had no warcry. b) xena fought gods. c) xena has kickass goofy comic book combat which is my favorite

xena didn’t just fight gods. she fucked up a girl’s life so bad that she (calisto) devoted her entire being to destroying everything that xena loved that ended up with calisto becoming a god in order to destroy xena, which didnt work because xena entombed her in lava. and then when xena and gabrielle encountered calisto in the (christian) afterlife (different from the greek one which they also fought her in), calisto dragged gabrielle to hell so xena became an archangel in order to save gabrielle and then sacrificed herself in order to undo all the harm that she did in calisto’s life and then when not!jesus (played by timothy omundson) revives xena and gabrielle, calisto impregnates xena with the reincarnation of calisto’s soul in order to end the cycle of hate. xena doesnt just fight gods. she creates and destroys them

#this isnt even mentioning her fighting julius ceasar several times#telling brutus that caesar is not his friend#xena and gabrielle’s souls reincarnating across centuries in order to kick ass and fall in love all over again#or the time xena became a god but tbh that ep is kinda ‘uhhhhh…..’ even if they did hire a consultant for it

#I think everyone here knows to vote for Xena. I think a couple people here might have some propaganda for Xena saved already#everyone remember that Xena/Gabrielle is CANON and that's a pretty big deal also#(does anyone have that Xena Loves Trans People interview around because that would also make good propaganda)7:47 PM

[partisan-by-default]

Report: Voting Machines Were Altered Before the 2024 Election. Did Kamala Harris Actually Win?

The Quiet Move In 2024, a federally accredited lab named Pro V&V conducted a wave of hardware and software changes to ES&S voting machines. These were major changes—new ballot scanners, printer adjustments, updated firmware, and a new Electionware reporting system. But they were passed off as “de minimis” tweaks, a label meant for minor changes that don’t require full public review or testing.

However, as noted by Dissent in Bloom substack, the changes were anything but minor.

SMART Elections immediately flagged the move. But by then, it was too late. The machines had already been used in the election. And Pro V&V? The lab responsible for certifying them? It all but disappeared. Their once-public website became a hollow page. No logs. No documentation. Just a phone number and a generic email address.

This is the lab that signs off on voting systems in Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, California—and countless other places. And when people started asking questions, they vanished.

Something Was Off With the Votes In Rockland County, New York, voters noticed their ballots didn’t seem to count. People swore under oath that they voted for Senate candidate Diane Sare. But in district after district, the machines didn’t reflect it. In one case, nine voters said they picked her. Only five votes showed up. In another, five claimed to vote for her—only three were recorded.

It wasn’t just third-party candidates. Kamala Harris’s name was missing entirely from the top of the ballot in several heavily Democratic districts. In areas that overwhelmingly backed Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand for Senate, somehow, Harris got zero votes. Zero.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump received 750,000 more votes than Republican Senate candidates in those same districts. That’s not just voter preference. That’s a statistical impossibility.

As Dissent in Bloom reported: “That’s not split-ticket voting. That’s a mathematical anomaly.”

[kfcdoubledown]

I bought an 8bitdo Retro mechanical keyboard!

(Picture not mine, source from PC World.)

I wanted a plastic keyboard, I really do not actually use the knob on a Keychron board I have, it still comes in a scooped keycap profile, and it has a companion numpad with a calculator built in. Win/win/win!

This keyboard comes in four designs (not colorways, full designs) themed after the NES, the Famicom, the IBM Model M, and the Commodore 64 keyboard. The NES keycaps have multiple different fonts on them, the Famicom keycaps have Japanese sublegends, the Model M keycaps have a mock stepped Caps Lock key, and the Commodore 64 keycaps are an apparently off-the-shelf SA set from one of many, many, many keycap companies floating around China (I recognize their font and profile shape from Akko ASA keycaps and numerous other scooped profile keycap sets you can have cheaply off of Aliexpress and Amazon. Do check those out, genuinely, you'd struggle to find a bad scooped keycap set these days and I love scooped profiles over Cherry and OEM.)

The build quality of the actual keyboard itself is good, feels like a very similar plastic blend to what 8bitdo uses for its controllers like their Pro 2. Stabilizers are smooth and don't rattle, the legends on the keycaps are reasonably sharp and in NES-appropriate font, the keycaps themselves are MDA profile (I would prefer SA, but beggars can't be choosers) and are somewhat thin but still good quality, dye-sublimated PBT, no warp on the spacebar. Arrow keys are a separate color from the two tones that make up the main keycap set and made to resemble a d-pad. The keyboard itself is somewhat light, but my perception is skewed from using a metal keyboard for a long time, and this is after all a plastic shell, top-mounted keyboard. Even so I think I'll probably end up cracking open the keyboard and putting in some liquid silicone as noise-dampening and additional weight.

Two knobs control both wireless functionality and computer software volume, the wireless knob is heavy with only three options while the volume one is light with many individual steps. The volume knob can be somewhat unresponsive on individual steps. Bluetooth is very responsive and wants to pair with my computer the moment it's flicked over to, and 2.4ghz wireless comes with a receiver that slots into the back of the keyboard magnetically for storage. A power light on the right of the keyboard mimics the NES power light and pulses while charging, is steady while using wireless or when fully charged and connected over USB.

The underlying PCB is south-facing hotswap sockets (who the hell cares their orientation, this only matters for lighting, which this keyboard doesn't have). By default the keyboard comes with Kailh box whites, a very light clicky switch. I yanked them out immediately and put Boba U4T tactiles in because they're the king of all switches. They thunk nicely in this chassis, the Kailh whites weren't slouches either, they did pick a good stock choice for switch without resorting to Gateron or Outemu blue horseshit.

The NES version of the keyboard came with a two-button macro pad that hooks over TRRS cable (you recognize it as a 3.5mm jack or headphone cable) to one of four ports on the top-right of the keyboard. These are essentially just two keyboard switches with giant keycaps on a separate board and the buttons are populated by Gateron greens. The switches are nowhere close to heavy enough to approximate a button, and I gave them Kailh box navies. Still not enough, but better.

These keyboards also come wiiiiiith a companion number pad!

(Picture credit the 8bitdo store.)

While I don't actually have this one in hand just yet I do have it on order. It looks like it'll be about the same build quality as the main keyboard, and it caught my eye for four reasons and ended up making me purchase the full set as a result:

The numpad has a built in calculator.

Same aesthetic choices as the main keyboard (NES, Famicom, IBM Model M, Commodore 64)

Magnetically attaches to the right side of the keyboard to transform it into a more era appropriate full-size.

Far and away the cheapest wireless mechanical numpad with calculator on the market, sitting at $45.

An important note though is that the Famicom and NES keypads don't attach to their respective keyboards, simply because their respective keyboards don't have magnets inside the sides of the chassis to allow for it. I have some cheap button magnets laying around that I'll use for this purpose and probably see if they're strong enough to be placed on the inside of the board and allow for the numpad to connect to it. I also imagine there's going to be a repop or v2 of this keyboard in the future that has this done already, seeing as the Commodore 64 version of the board and I believe the Model M version of the board already have that.

I'll reblog this and give some actual definitive thoughts on the numpad once it's in my hands.

As far as the board itself is concerned, I quite like it. The keycap profile is agreeable, the nostalgia pandering targeted me with laser precision, the board sounds quite good acoustically (especially for being a top-mount keyboard!) and it has a volume knob I'll see if I can reprogram some day. While I normally hate TKL layouts, I'm putting up with it because it will eventually be a fullsize with the numpad. Worth $150 total? Don't know, can't answer that for you, it's worth it to me but I very specifically wanted a keyboard themed after an old Nintendo console with no setup required and no chasing down or commissioning GMK keycap sets. I also wanted a calculator numpad.

[thursdayisbetterthanfriday]

Black Mirror - Plaything & Creatures

AKA - The real kind of AI I want to see in videogames

Season 7 of Black Mirror has come out and, surprisingly, I've found a very personal reference in one of the episodes "Plaything" with Peter Capaldi. The game central to the plot really gives me flashbacks to a truly remarkable game I played as a quirky, lonely, kid.

This gives me an excuse to write a whole essay on one of my favourite games which only 5 people will read. It's still worth it. If you watched this episode, and want to learn a small portion of 1990s gaming history knowledge, read on!

In the episode, an introverted game reviewer in the 90s gets tasked with reviewing a game by a genius designer, with a troubled pasts, which attempts to replicate virtual life. A new kind of game, which isn't about conflict or "winning", but which focusses on caring and nurturing virtual life.

The instant this was brought up by Collin, the game designer, I knew this would be my favourite episode of the season. As a video game player I did enjoy shooter games to some extent, but I always much preferred creative, or strategy, games such as Theme Hospital, Black & White, Pharoah and others. But this game instantly reminded me of one of my all time favourite games.

Thronglets, the in-episode game, is likely heavily inspired by the 90s obsession with artificial life and games such as the creatures series created by eccentric, and brilliant, computer scientist Steve Grand.

How remarkable is this game? Isn't it just some basic Tamagotchi style game?

Oh boy would you be wrong! Let's dig in to one of my major hyperfixations from age 7 onwards.

Steve Grand - What Doth Life?

Tamagotchi's were a popular craze in the 90s, but creatures is on a whole different level. Tamagotchis, being a kind of virtual life, relied on you interacting with them using various buttons to simulate giving food, playing or petting them etc. Fun for some (except when you left on holiday for a week and they all DIED) but limited.

Creatures, however, is a very different beast.

The AI models you see today? Computer scientist and AI researcher Steve Grand created very basic versions of neural networks in order to simulate intelligence and learning for his creatures! Unlike modern AI grad students, who have the benefit of standardised hardware and software libraries, Steve instead created this system which worked on Windows 95 computers. Quite the achievement.

It's more remarkable when you realise you could have 10's of creatures in the same world interacting at the same time on this era of hardware.

These simulated life forms were called Norns. They could actually learn, in a rudimentary way, using input from their environment and input from the person running the game. Players weren't entirely passive, as you could pet or slap the norms to reward/punish them for actions as well as interact with objects within the 2D game world.

There is an excellent video explainer for this system which can be found here:

Not only did Steve Grand do this, he simulated entire biochemical systems for the creatures as well. Not only did it simulate things such as hormones, ATP and insulin but also a number of illnesses and toxins.

Creatures could get illnesses, which you would need to treat. Spend too long in the swamp area? You might get heavy metal poisoning or some horrible bacterial infection.

It would also affect their drives. Too little glucose, and a creature ran the risk of dying. A nice slice of cheese, or some berries, helps to boost energy and keep your norns happy and healthy.

Not only were neural networks, and simulated biochemistry, involved but you could also breed and raise new norns. The genetics system in the game would also influence various inherited biochemical behaviours, but also some of the neural structure as well!

There are STILL communities who breed norns to this day. There is a genre of online game which does use this kind of mechanic, which does remain popular to this day so at least part of Creatures survives on in this form.

Did I also mention that you could SPEAK to them? I still boot up this game on occasion and interact with some of my favourite norns. Obviously, given the hardware and software of the day, the speech is limited to a small vocabulary, but for a 1990's game this was truly incredible.

The Dangers of Too "Realistic" Simulation

Obviously, Black Mirror is a show, in part, telling stories around the dangers of technology. I did like the episode itself, considering the implications of having a significantly more advance simulated life AI observing (and viscerally experiencing) the worst of human behaviour, and what that might motivate it to do and there is ambiguity to what that might indeed be at the end of the episode.

I do think it's important to also discuss how people interact with AI systems in times when social isolation is increasing. The main character in Plaything is drawn to the in-game Thronglets because they offer him a safe non-judgemental social space which he has never experienced before in his life. There are plenty of examples of current AI chatbots who people do interact with in lieu of actual people, perhaps for similar reasons. The cost of living driving up costs, and increasing indirect hostility of business and governments to "third spaces" like parks, bars, libraries and other spaces, also doesn't help the young of today to socialise in person like they did in the past.

It is quite dangerous, then, to have people perhaps too emotionally dependent on software systems which, bluntly, are controlled and owned by large corporations and which can be trained, or altered, with certain viewpoints in mind.

“What I had not realized is that extremely short exposures to a relatively simple computer program could induce powerful delusional thinking in quite normal people.” ― Joseph Weizenbaum on ELIZA, the first chat-bot

Will we live to see such times again?

I miss the creatures games, and the fusion of scientific and creative energy that made it possible in the 1990s gaming environment. Can this kind of thing happen again?

Frankly, Creatures was very much a fluke of a game, created by an AI researcher to show the possibilities of technology to emulate life. I love it to bits, but it's highly unlikely anyone will create anything like it again given current profit motives and linear-mindedness of game design which railroads design into fairly discrete categories. Not necessarily a bad thing, per say, but something that limits the imagination.

The closest I've gotten to seeing similar complexity is with Trico in The Last Guardian, but Trico pales in comparison to the complexity of Steve Grand's creations. Team ICO's intentions to build a relationship with a simulated creature, however, were well served by their approach and the lack of complexity makes it no less impressive. I do wonder, however, what simulated life games could achieve with today's AI systems and technologies. My scratched up Creatures 2 CD ran on Windows 95 computers back in the 1990s. Imagine a similar game released today, taking advantage of all the advancements in software design and research we've had since then and what that could be like....

I can only dream of electric sheep...

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Don Moynihan at Can We Still Govern?:

Members of the DOGE network rarely offer thoughtful accounts that depart from the Musk narrative (government is broken, full of talentless hacks, DOGE is fixing things). So I was interested to see a DOGEr express genuine circumspection. This came from Sahil Lavingia, a startup founder, who was interviewed by Ernie Smith about his experience with DOGE. Lavignia left his start-up, Gumroad, to join Veteran’s Affairs. Here is the key passage:

[Now that he’s there, he says he finds himself surrounded by people who “love their jobs,” who came to the government with a sense of mission driving their work. “In a sense, that makes the DOGE agenda a little bit more complicated, because if half the government took [a buyout offer], then we wouldn’t have to do much more,” he says, implying software can replace departing employees. “We’d just basically use software to plug holes. But that’s not what’s happening.”…when it comes down to it, what he’s found is a machine that largely functions, though it doesn’t make decisions as fast as a startup might. “I would say the culture shock is mostly a lot of meetings, not a lot of decisions,” he says. “But honestly, it’s kind of fine—because the government works. It’s not as inefficient as I was expecting, to be honest. I was hoping for more easy wins.”]

For anyone with a modicum of experience studying or working in government, nothing Lavignia discovered is novel. Public servants care about public service! There is not really that much waste in government! There are too many meetings and decisionmaking is too slow! Indeed, sir! All true! To his credit, Lavignia was willing to acknowledge his prior beliefs were wrong. That is a hard thing for any human to do, and something I have not seen from any other DOGE official, certainly not Musk. The exception offers insight to the rule: DOGErs simply don’t understand the government they are destroying, and are unwilling to learn.

DOGE could have learned a lot by just talking to public employees

This sounds obvious to say, but people handed extraordinary power that affects the lives of others should know what they are doing. If they don’t know important stuff, they should want to learn it before exercising consequential decisions. But DOGE has failed to meet even these banal standards. A trademark of DOGE was the toxic combination of arrogance and ignorance. Some DOGE members have real and impressive achievements, some do not. But all of those achievements are in the private sector. They know almost nothing about government except conspiracy theories from the internet, or negative interactions with the regulators who oversee their businesses. They did not understand where government spent its money, and that it was not full of waste. They could have talked to career public employees or nonpartisan government experts. But they didn’t because they did not want to know. Their closest advisors about how government worked were partisan ideologues who want to upend the constitution, Stephen Miller and Russ Vought. Random X posters seem to have more input on the fate of USAID than any policy experts.

This arrogance has had real consequences, including half-assed administrative changes. DOGE ignored their own pick to run Social Security when he told them that their fraud numbers were wrong. They insisted on administrative changes to detect fraud in SSA phone calls. As Natalie Alms reports, the result was that they found two cases of probably fraudulent phone calls out of 110,000. (Or a fraud rate of 0.0018%). But the extra checks they put in place to chase the phantom fraud were not costless: they slowed the processing of retirement claims by 25%. Why did SSA employees not resist the change? According to a former senior SSA official: “People lacked the fortitude to tell DOGE there was no fraud because they were afraid to lose their jobs. They knew there was no fraud.” It’s not just that DOGE was unwilling to listen: they would fire anyone willing to speak up.

A missed opportunity

A lot of people really wanted DOGE to succeed, or more specifically, they wanted the idealized version of DOGE — smart tech folks disrupting bureaucracy — to succeed. This includes me: when I warned that DOGE would be a disaster right before the Trump inauguration, I felt real ambivalence. Was this just my natural cynicism? Just a couple of days later Will Oremus in the Washington Post asked me, Jen Pahlka and Bridget Dooling to make the case for the best and worst case scenarios for DOGE. Needless to say, the worst case scenarios proved more accurate, and even understated the case, but it was not hard to imagine how things might go well. [...] There are lots of things DOGE does not get about how to manage in the public sector. This overview of the senior talent that DOGE has pushed out of government is simply an extraordinary indictment of it’s incompetence. But there is one particular type of knowledge that DOGE really missed out on which is unforgivable: how tech works in government. Some of those who wanted DOGE to succeed were government technologists, frustrated at the slow pace of change they saw during their time in government. Many were ready to welcome fellow technologists with the influence to transform government. But they were isolated, ignored, fired or resigned. In doing so, DOGE missed their best opportunity to actually live up to their brand as tech disruptors who could fix things. Now, their brand will be the tech bros who broke government. The civic tech movement in the federal government was a decade old when DOGE arrived (the US Digital Service and 18F were created in 2014). I have been tracking the evolution of civic tech, because I think it represents one path for the future of American government. That path could have merged with DOGE, creating a single broad vision of tech-driven change in government. Instead, in now offers a competing vision. I think its worth unpacking some of those differences in a bit more detail. [...]

DOGE’s undemocratic workarounds will fail

There are a couple of big differences between DOGE and civic tech. One is motivational. The civic tech movement is, broadly, driven by prosocial motivations. They believed that government it slow and unwieldy, but that at some basic level it remains a fundamental means to help a lot of people. If you believe that, it makes sense to work at making the structure of government function. It make sense to invest time in building cool products that can be iterated and improved upon over time (Direct File is a good example).

DOGE mostly believes that government is irredeemably broken, wasteful and fraudulent. If you believe that, it makes sense to downsize government as much as possible, and contract out what you cannot. It makes sense not to build cool products (DOGE killed Direct File) but to build AI that cuts the humans out of the process and automate as much as possible. The fact that DOGE claims about fraud have proven to be erroneous should be a huge red flag about how the assumptions that will be embedded into their AI builds will prove to be wrong in ways that could be catastrophic. The other main difference between DOGE and civic tech was the attitudes to constraints. Both DOGE and civic tech employees would probably agree that government has too many constraints. The civic tech solution was largely to find ways to work with or manage those constraints. This included user guides to “hack your bureaucracy.” The DOGE approach has been largely to ignore the constraints. The Privacy Act of 1974 that civic tech people complained about? Pretend it does not exist. Pursue the type of data pooling for surveilling in the context of an increasingly aggressively police state.

The problem of Musk, and DOGE is not a problem of technological capabilities enabled by data sharing and AI. Those capabilities are here, present in the private sector as well as public. The problem is a governance one: laws that exist to constrain the use of data are being ignored. Writing new laws will not solve the problem of people ignoring existing laws. Civic tech folks complained about their limited ability to shape government. They never had a champion like Musk. But they also largely respected hierarchy and lines of control. Some of the turf issues that occur in any government happened. But the idea of the US Digital Service, rather than the Secretary of the Treasury, trying to appoint the acting head of the IRS is unthinkable. But Musk did so. The idea that a Cabinet Secretary would hand over all operational decisions to 18F would have been considered bizarre. But some Cabinet Secretaries have done this with DOGE. [...] Much of what DOGE is doing is illegal. Much of it will create long-term and lasting damage to America. This is the clearest example of an action that was illegal, anti-democratic, but also sped past any moral grey zones to being deeply evil. Even still, 60,000 tons of food, enough to keep millions from starving, are rotting in warehouses, blocked from release by another DOGEr, Jeremy Lewin. Per an analysis in Nature, up to 25 million people will die because of US cuts to foreign aid. Those who die will be largely the most vulnerable people in their world, their fates decided by some of the most privileged and protected people in the world.

DOGE has been nothing but a disaster to both the tech and government service.