#net 360

[foone]

AAA games? Pfft. Indie games? Double pfft.

I only play games from the alternate history where Hillary Clinton was elected in 2008 and banned all video games. You can only imagine how weird their underground gaming scene is. People like to call unlicensed games "bootlegs" but they've got actual bootlegged games! I've played games about helping your grandmother in hospice care realize she's a lesbian by reading Sappho to her, at 2am in a speakeasy in Baltimore. The cops raided it the next night, hundreds of Gamers were arrested. They posted pictures all over Friendster of the Baltimore PD destroying the arcades with axes.

I nearly got busted once because I was imaging old disks from a 386 and someone tipped off the gaming cops that there was a copy of Commander Keen in there. I had to prove that I didn't know it, I was imaging the disks blind and then indexing them later, and I would of course turn over any contraband to the proper authorities.

I was already on a watch list because I'd been known to have some gamedev-related activities pre-ban. They can't arrest me for making games back in 2007 when it was still legal, but they do want to keep an eye on me since I have the skills to break the law.

Anyway that universe's bootlegs are mainly PC games. Can't really have console games if there hasn't been a console release since the Wii/PS3/360 era. At one point Nintendo threatened to release the Wii SDK so game devs in the US could make unlicensed games, but that didn't happen as there were quickly no functional Wiis left in the US, except for very rare holdouts that never move. PC games are easy to distribute samizdat and hide on a USB stick or CD-R labeled "nickelback".

Japan's games industry is still going, so the later Nintendo and Sony consoles still exist, but Microsoft got out of the business of course. They sold the franchise to Sega who were hoping to release the 360 successor (the Xbox One in our universe) as the Sega Phoenix but it never materialized, either through their own financial incompetence or because of pressure from the US. There's a lot of international treaties that the US has pushed "and this aid only goes through if you ban games" clauses into. That would have been an official UN resolution if the USSR hadn't vetoed it. For once, thank God for the security council, eh?

I mainly get my gaming news through Japanese gaming sites (through a set of VPNs, since they're blocked at the border firewall), and some tor onion site run by a weird guy in Minnesota who is obsessed with documenting all the underground US games.

There's a lot being worked on, but it's always a tricky trade off. Too much attention and the police might be able to track down the creators, and it's basically impossible to fund underground games, as the VISA/PayPal etc funds get seized immediately. There's a whole task force for that.

Anyway one of the weirdest differences between our two time lines is that they've gone back and edited out gaming from a bunch of movies. Those that they can, of course. War games was just banned because they couldn't remove the tic tac toe ending. The Net just removed the scene at the beginning where she's playing Wolfenstein 3D, by recording some new screen footage and a new voice over. She's fixing a spreadsheet in the new edition.

(Yes, I've seen The Net from this alternate timeline. On Laserdisc, of course. I'm just that kind of person!)

They even edited Star Wars. You know that scene where R2-D2 is playing holochess with Chewie? They edited it to be a board game instead of holograms, because that made it too "video gamey".

Technically it's not illegal to show gaming in a movie, but it needs to be an 18+ film and you have to show the deleterious effects of gaming and/or the gamesters coming to a bad end.

This has affected films less than you'd think, to be honest. They were never great about showing video games even before they banned them.

Anyway, go have fun playing your AAA games with hundred-million-dollar budgets. I only play indie games made by people under a constant threat of arrest for their art.

[pedriache]

Gold star — Pedri González.

Pairing: Pedri González x Fem!Reader

Summary: While playing a fun game of football with Pedri’s friends, the man couldn’t help but be amazed by you.

Word count: 360+

Disclaimer/s: fluff !

A/N: had this idea from a certain clip in an edit my friend made so..

Watching you play football with Gavi and Fermín, Pedri leaned against the wooden fence next to Ansu. His expression was soft—adoring, even.

The way you handled the ball made him proud. You swiftly kicked it through Gavi’s legs, laughing as you dodged him to retrieve it again. Of course, the boy’s were going easy on you, knowing if they accidentally caused harm to you, Pedri would not take that lightly.

“Did you see that?” Pedri gawks, not taking his eyes off you as he spoke to Ansu, “I taught her that!”

Everything you’d learned either the ball, came straight from Pedri. He’d begged you to play with him many times, and you had always agreed without hesitation.

As Pedri watched, he’d droned out the conversation he had previously held with Ansu, to which he hadn’t complained about. All the boys on the team knew just how in love Pedri was with you. So when Pedri’s attention was on you, they knew there was no chance of getting it to turn away.

You easily kicked around Fermin and retrieved the ball again, doing your best to make a beeline to the net. With an excited squeal, you glanced back, seeing Gavi right on your heels. Your eyes widen and you pick of the pace, taking the shot.

Ansu’s hand clasped onto Pedri’s shoulders, shaking him as he said, “look at your girl go!”

Goal!

Turning around you jump and clap, running towards your boyfriend. Pedri’s smile reached his eyes, his arms opening to greet you in a tight hug.

“Good job.” Pedri chuckled into your ear. “You did great, cariño.”

You lean your head back, coming face to face with the man you loved. “Rate the skills.”

Pedri gives you an amused grin, giving your lips a quick kiss. “I’d give you a gold star.” He sets you back in the ground, “should we team up on them next?”

Your eyes light up, “oh, absolutely.” Standing on your tip toes, you give him a soft kiss before turning on your heals to face the other duo. “Okay! New round!” You announce, wrapping your hand around Pedri’s to pull him along with you.

likes , comments , and reblog’s are all appreciated. lmk if you’d like to be tagged in future posts.

DTS , @halfwayhearted @sakashq @hrts4havertz @joaoflms @spidybaby @gadriezmannsgirl @unx100to !

[blue-jisungs]

sharks

[ axe’s memo ! ] this is sooooo self indulgent bc guess what am i scared of ‼️ exactly. ALSO LOL THE MEGATRON PART I DEADASS THOUGHT THAGS RIGHT UNTIL RESEARCHONG FOR THIS FIX😭😭😭😭

[ extras ! ] fluff + established relationship; reader says they’re scared of sharks and depths

[ req ! ] yes, by 🌱 anon here

[ word count ! ] 360 (by park jihoon)

[ net ! ] @onedoornet

“donghyun, i have a confession”

your boyfriend hummed, acknowledging your words, but his eyes were glued to the book about fishes.

“promise you won’t be mad” you added quietly and sat down next to him, mattress dipping under the weight.

now this caught his attention and big brown eyes of his looked at you with worry.

“darling, there’s nothing you could do to anger me” he chuckled lowly and pressed a kiss against your forehead.

“deep waters scare me. and the fishes there too.” you mumbled and rested your head on his shoulder, looking at the picture of a colorful fish on his page. his fingers that were tracing its contour, halted

“i mean, understandable. the human race discovered only 5% of the ocean so… honestly, it scares me a bit too. but excites mostly. imagine how many various species are there!” donghyun sighed dreamily.

“do you think… the really big shark… lives there too? the megatron or something” your murmur was quiet against his t-shirt but he heard you. the hum from his throat sent vibrations against your head.

“megatron? oh, oooh…” leehan laughed and closed the book. his chest was shaking and you just puffed your cheeks. “megalodon, sweetheart”

“whatever” you scoffed but a soft smile also formed on your lips. donghyun took off his glasses and faced you.

“it’s extinct” he smiled “whale shark, however…”

you whined and closed your eyes, scooting closer to him.

“i don’t like sharks. and depths” you sighed into his chest when he pulled you closer, arms wrapping around your waist.

that would make sense. you always seemed less excited about his shark looking accessories compared to regular sea creatures.

and you did mention you don’t like swimming in lakes and open water areas.

“why i wouldn’t be mad about that? it’s okay” he said softly, chin ruffling your hair “i prefer fishes anyway”

“really?” you asked and rose your head up. donghyun smiled at the sight of your eyes sparkling. with a gentle nod, he pressed a tender kiss onto your forehead.

“really. and you’re way above sharks as well” he grinned and pulled you closer, ruffling his head against yours.

m. list

taglist. @slytherinshua

[sertsiken0606]

Merhaba Hasan bey ben Arife bende anlatacak çok hikaye var ama 1 tanesini anlatmak istiyorum. Aslına bakarsanız sekste çok azgın bir kadınımdır dominant 33 yaşında sarışın mavi gözlü beyaz tenli 170 boyunda 60 kilo evliyim kocam tam bir su katılmamış öküzdür. 13 yıl oldu evleneli ilk kez kocamla birlikte olduğumuzda anlamıştım öküzün teki olduğunu. 2 hafta geçmişti o ilk geceden sonra hiç birliktelik yaşamadım düşünün ilk evlendiniz gerçekten sonra 2 hafta geçmiş 1 kez bile yatakta icraat yok. O zamanlar msn vardı bu kadar rahatça internette dolaşamıyorduk my net te oyun oynuyor msn de arkadaşlar ile sohbet ediyorduk . Ben evlenmeden önce hemen hemen her gece kendimi okşayarak orgazm oluyordum evliydim ama siken yoktu kocam misafir kabul etmiyor evde çilingir sofrası kurdurur içer sızardı .

Neyse ki kız arkadaşım sayesinde bir sahte hesap açtık seksidulAsiye adı altında . My netten olsun seksidulAsiye yi baya baya yaydık 3 5 gün içinde 360 erkek ekledi kimi sikinin fotoğraflarını çekip atmış kimi video göndermiş . Aralarından bir iki tanesiyle konuştum , biri beni görmek istedi cam açtım yüzümü göstermeden kendimi gösterdim. Ama o adam hoşuma gitmedi bir kadın ismiyle (kaderingülü06) biri ekledi 2 saat konuştuk ismi Demir miş karısıyla birlikte 1 kadınla birlikte olmak istiyormuş karım kabul etti ama bize katılacak kadın bulamadık dedi . Ben Üçevler de onlar alaattinbey de oturuyordu . Ben karınla konuşayım gerçekten kabul ediyorsa bana yakınsınız ben gelirim dedim saat 17.30 da eşinin yanında olacak ben konusacaktım dediği saatte çağrı attı açtım karşımda ela gözlü beyaz tenli güzel bir kadın vardı konuştuk ismi Funda ymış Demir ve Funda ile konuştum her konuda anlaştık ertesi gün sabah 10 gibi beni alacaklar 6 gibi evime getireceklerdi hemen hazırlık yaptım saçımı başımı yaptırdım özel parfüm aldım . Kocam eve geldiğinde her gece yaptığı gibi masasını kurdum içti hemde masada sızdı kaldı. Sabah olmuş kocam saat 7 de işyerine gitti 10 a kadar yeni aldığım iç çamaşırlarını giydim parfümü sıktım saçımı tekrar yaptırdım herşey hazır bekliyordum tam 10 da geldi arabaya bindim evlerine kadar hiç konuşmadık eve girdikten Funda hanım hoş geldiniz teşekkür ederim bizi kırmayıp kabul ettiğiniz için dedi biraz sohbet ettik sonra soyunmaya başladı bende Funda soyunmaya başlayınca soyundum birlikte lezbiyenler gibi sevişmeye başladık kanepeyi açtı yatak haline getirdi Demir , biz birbirimizin amını yalıyorduk Demir de soyunup çırılçıplak yanımıza geldi benim vücudumu okşuyor diliyle yalıyordu karısı gibi amıma girdi diliyle amımı ve göt deliğimi yalamaya başladı o anda nasıl boşaldım anlatamam resmen bağırarak boşaldım. Sıra bende dedi Demir sikini ağzıma verdi tuhaf ama kocamın sikinden büyük değildi ama kazık gibiydi sakso çekmeye başladım karısı memelerimi okşuyor dili ile daireler çizerek yalıyordu Demir sikini ağzımdan çekti bacaklarımı omzuna aldı karısı eliyle amımı sıvazladı kocasının sikini tutup amıma yerleştirdi Demir bir anda soktu. Sanki yeni bozuyordu kızlığımı o kadar zevkliydi ki onun içime boşalmasına bile izin verdim sonra içimden çıktı karısına soktu karısı orgazm olduktan sonra kalktı gitti siz devam edin ben geliyorum dedi biz tekrar sevişmeye başladık. Beni kucağına aldı sikini amıma sürtüp sikinin üzerine oturttu beni öpüşüyor oynaşıyorduk siki içimde hiç küçülmeden kaldı sonra oturup kalkmaya başladım o kadar sert bir şekilde oturup kalkmaya devam ediyordum Funda bizi izliyordu bu arada yemek sofrasını hazırlıyordu Demir benim kulağıma göt deliğini sikeyim mi dedi yok bugün değil ama ilk sana siktireceğim dedim . O gün beni 3 kez doya doya sikti benide doyurdu . Onlardan sonra alaattinbey de 5 aile ile birlikte oldum. Onlarıda anlatacağım sizlere halen kocamla evliyim ama o ilk geceden sonra 2 kez birlikte oldum öküz aldattığımı anlamadı bile.

[foxbirdy]

hi!

just saw your pictures of you doing some marine biology fieldwork and i just wondered if you have any stories about the experience that you would like to share. Im in 1st year uni right now and i have no idea what im gonna specialize in other than “science!!” but i work on boats for my job right now (tallships, very cool stuff) and so marine environment work really appeals to me. If you have the time, I would love to get a picture of what the work you’re doing entails.

(What does the day-to day of marine biology research look like? What kind of stuff are you studying/information are you gathering? Whats it like? Is it awesome? feel free to answer none of these also)

thank you!!

OH, I'm jealous - it's a dream of my mine to get to work on a tallship. & I love to talk about this stuff!

In all honesty, the day-to-day changes pretty dramatically depending on what project work is available. Right now, as a student, a lot of what I'm involved in ties into coursework or research that's happening at the university! I volunteer with a couple different labs, and there's a huge variety of stuff to get in on. For example:

Last Saturday, I spent about six hours pulling otoliths and gonads out of eighty invasive roi, taape, and toau caught by local spearfishermen. Otoliths are the ear bones of fish, and similar to the rings of a tree, they have ringed annuli that can give a lot of information about the life history of the individual species. We cast these otoliths in resin, and then cut cross-sections to look at them under the microscope. The hope is that this information will help us understand when these species become reproductive, and how to control their populations.

The last several Fridays, I've been involved with an effort to collect some water quality and plankton data after a lot of heavy rain. This work was out on the boats, and we used deep and shallow drogues, YSI, light meter, secchi disk, and a couple plankton nets, moving out from the swollen rivermouth and into deeper, saltier water.

Last month, I spent a lot of time on invertebrate snorkel surveys, mostly looking for presence/absence in the nearshore. Next Tuesday, I'll be doing fish surveys in the same location. The Wednesday after I'm hopping on a wetlands restoration project & removing invasive bull grass, and a night snorkel afterwards. Next Friday is a lab day, working to process the plankton samples we've collected, and I'll be in the coral nursery afterwards. That's the really fun thing about university - there's so much different work going on, all the time!

In the summers, outside of school, that work is just as varied. I've really enjoyed having jobs that allow me to do a little bit of everything, and thus far, my supervisors have been very supportive of me in that. Here's some other projects I've gotten to work on, all within just one position:

Servicing passive monitoring systems! These are pictures of my replacing a SEABIRD logger, which has been taking a water temperature measurement every thirty seconds for the past 360 days. This helps conservation managers track heatwaves in sensitive ecosystems. We prepped new loggers with batteries and SD cards and waterproof tape to prevent biofouling, and then used snips and zipties to make the switch.

Scientific fishing! This helps get life history and population data for our target species, large pelagic fish. We collected biopsy samples, placed tags, and released primarily ahi, but also ono, and mahi. (Full disclaimer: this picture is from a subsistence fishing trip and not a scientific one, where people generally have too many things in their hands & are moving too quickly to take pictures. He was a very delicious dinner for our crew, though.)

Other marine tagging! I got to assist with bluewater cetacean tagging of several different dolphin and small whale species, and shark tagging for galapagos, blacktip reef, grey reef, and dusky sharks. Cetacean tagging was done with an air rifle, not easy at high speeds on the boat. Shark tagging was more hands-on, as we had to manually apply the tags.

Coral reef monitoring! The mission of these surveys was to track coral health through heat stress events, and to identify harmful species. I'm looking under the coral head in these pictures for crown-of-thorns starfish, one of the most urgent species threats to reefs in the Pacific.

This is the bastard. Notice the dead coral around him.

Oh I'm about to smack into the photo limit, huh. Please hold!

[eebie]

i flip my lid but overdo it and my lid makes a full 360 landing neatly in its original position with a net amount of Zero things having changed in my disposition except for a momentary flash of mid-shriek visceral rage on my face that is so brief you have to wonder if you even really saw it at all

[argumate]

The challenge facing the administration is that making the Trump tax cuts permanent would cost an estimated $4 trillion over ten years, and many Republicans are unwilling to support this without offsetting revenue increases or spending cuts. Traditional tax increases face significant political hurdles. However, there is one solution that could address both the fiscal and trade objectives: reinstating the 30% foreign withholding tax on interest income.

The scale of potential revenue from such a measure is substantial. As of June 30, 2023, foreign portfolio holdings of U.S. securities totaled $26.9 trillion, with current estimates around $30 trillion, split roughly evenly between the foreign private sector and foreign official institutions. Conservative, back of the envelope estimates suggest a 30% withholding tax on interest income would generate approximately $360 billion annually in tax revenue, or $3.6 trillion over the ten-year window used by the Congressional Budget Office.

Crucially, this revenue would come entirely from foreign holders of U.S. securities, not domestic taxpayers. For private foreign investors, this wouldn’t necessarily increase their total tax burden. For example, the average statutory top personal income tax rate in Europe is 42.8%. Therefore, European holders of US securities would simply pay 30% to the U.S. government and the remaining 12.8% to their home country. The lost revenue would be borne by foreign governments. Given that most foreign jurisdictions already impose similar withholding taxes on their securities, they would have limited grounds for retaliation. The U.S.’s large negative net international investment position further constrains potential retaliatory measures.

woah

[alt-rock-confessions]

People need to stop confusing having money with being an industry plant, you’re babbling words you don’t know the meaning to.

You know what an industry plant is? An industry plant is someone who the industry plucks out and decides to fashion into music careerists. It’s when Simon Cowell puts together a boy band and has their entire image made up for them. It’s when they don’t have an artistic career of their own: every aspect of their career is planned out for them. It’s labels taking a child and saying, ‘kid, we’re gonna make you a star.’

You know what an ‘industry plant’ moment is? A 360 ‘all-rights’ record deal, where the label controls not only print, publishing and distribution of your music, but also what endorsements and sponsorships you will do outside of your music career. When that is signed at the start of your career, that’s industry placement. The word ‘industry plant’ is meaningless.

Having money to buy your instruments, having money to go to music school, having money to sustain a career gigging underground for 3 years before you get discovered? That is not being an industry plant. Getting signed to a record label after being discovered? That’s not being an industry plant.

Being born middle class? You may have your problems with it, but it’s not being an industry plant.

Personally I think we waste time trying to eat slightly more well off kids— focus on the rich kids. There’s not enough money in music for you to be squabbling over how someone with $10,000 is making a music career. I say this in the most practical manner possible: preventing middle class kids from making music is not going to create more grassroots venues. Boycotting middle class musicians will not create more arts grants and youth clubs. Cutting middle class acts, as much as this will surprise you, is not going to mean that more working class bands get support slots that will change their careers. That requires a cultural change. Oasis could’ve made the life and career of any smaller band they’d chosen to open for them. They were given those opportunities at the start of their career. They chose not to do the same for the next generation of working class bands. That decision is not impacted by the availability of working class musicians or the unavailability of middle class ones, that is a culture change. Focus on changing the conversation, redirect the unwanted attention to those that hold the purse strings.

There are execs that run the music industry that are raking in billions. Why is (Spotify CEO) Daniel Ek’s net worth higher than Paul McCartney’s, or all the Beatles (+ estates) put together? Why is one Daniel Ek richer than Oasis? Who’s done more for music? (And who has instead destroyed the industry from the inside so that no musician can ever hope to comfortably live off their music careers?)

Spotify parades on the BRIT awards red carpet going ‘omg, we love the vibes! ✨’ without ever having done any of the work to get those artists up there. I refer you to Myles Smith’s beautiful acceptance speech at the BRITs. ‘You can’t just celebrate success. You have to protect the foundations that make it.’

’Industry plant’, when it is not being used solely to discredit women in music, is not a word that is helpful in actually creating meaningful change in the music industry. All it does is drive wedges between musicians, fans and music industry workers behind the scenes—producers, light and sound technicians, venue staff, road crew, so many more—who are otherwise united in understanding that the problem isn’t that there is no money in music. The problem is that there is no money in grassroots music, because money that used to be put back into the music industry as an investment into the future stars that will one day sell out the big stadiums, top the music charts (/generate billions of streams) and generate those billions in the economy, has simply stopped in favour of another cheque bonus to a Lucian Grainge or a Daniel Ek. Anyone who works in the music industry or is vaguely familiar with its workings knows this.

And so it is in the best interest those that run the industry to create nonexistent divides between the kinds of musicians in the scene: one who will never again have the resources to reach the top and so can be discarded with no consequences by the industry (see: Spotify deciding that any artist with less than a thousand streams a month would not get paid at all. Not only is this work-for-free not being prosecuted, it is being embraced by other streaming companies as well), and the other who are now being eaten by their own for having barely a fraction of the wealth that DOES exist in music but will never reach the people that keep the music industry ticking over.

Put money into the underground. Make it easier for kids to take up music from the very beginning. Ezra Collective stood up on one of the largest platforms you can have in UK music and advocated for youth centres and music clubs.

You really want to tackle industry plants? Combat them by giving everyday musicians the resources to help them reach the top.

Support rising independent music. Voice your support for levies that will give back a portion of larger venues’ revenues to grassroots venues. Buy music if you can, rather than just streaming it. It goes a much further way than the $0.003 a stream gets.

[skelliko]

Can you do a Matsuno Chifuyu request with friends to lovers trope of Emma daring the reader to do a run and jump into his arms in front of the boys cause Emma’s sick of their pining?

Chifuyu matsuno |°- friends to lovers - g/n pronouns used

two friends, friends that just so happen to make the other's heart run a hundred beats a minute. friends, that talk about the other to their other friends enough to make a 60/60 marked essay. friends, that secretly make fake scenarios of the other before drifting off to sleep. things that just happen when two people get closer than others. that's normal, right?

"-oh yeah, and chifuyu will be there" Emma mentioned, she and y/n were making their way over to the basketball courts where they would meet with the boys, something about them having a small competition because someone wasn't able to have an agreement. and the two were invited for motivation, to cheer on or something.

just the mention of chifuyu made y/n feel fuzzy, their heart grew warm but at the same time, they felt a type of feeling that can only be explained as 'pining' the feeling of being warmed yet also saddened when realising the true meaning of their feelings. they're in love and is longing for him, but also understand that nothing can be done.

"wait he's gonna be there?" it was more of a repeated statement than a question, of course, chifuyu will be there, y/n just still needs to adjust to her thoughts and feelings. constantly being in denial.

Emma is aware of it all, so aware that it's starting to almost claw at her skin from irritation because all she can hear is y/n yapping about chifuyu and their friendship and how much her guilt and sadness eats them up. don't get Emma wrong though, she listens closely and takes everything into consideration however sometimes it may be a bit too much, it's like listening to a friend talk about their crush for the 20th time of the day but only keeps mentioning the same thing over and over.

though a little plan has settled into Emma's mind as well as a little devious smile. she knows y/n likes Chifuyu as more than a friend but this pining has gone way too far and y/n is in need of a little push otherwise this constant loop will never end. y/n would only be taking 360 turns thinking it would lead to somewhere only to end up in the same position.

Emma and y/n were nearing the basketball courts that's on the side by a park. a few people were around such as those who were walking their dogs or taking their toddlers out to enjoy the sun but it wasn't like anyone would disturb the basketball game that the toman boys were playing.

despite there being others in the court the first person that y/n had her eyes on was chifuyu. his blonde hair slightly rising up and falling as he tried to throw the ball into the net but missed making his face cringe a little at himself, but when he turned around to fit back into the game he couldn't help but notice y/n at the corner of his eye making his full focus to leave for a short moment.

it was as if he was struck with a sword in his chest due to their beauty, despite them being at a fair distance he could still make out their eyes that always makes him feel almost lost. though that trance was rid of after Baji slapped the back of his shoulder to get him back into the game, "they'll be watching, try and pay attention" baji knew what he was setting up in chifuyu's mind, though it couldn't be decided if that caused anxiety or determination knowing that y/n will be watching him.

before going back to the game chifuyu smiled and did a quick wave at both Emma and y/n before having his eyes back to the basketball and who's around.

Emma slightly nudged y/n with her elbow closely, "what if... you randomly hug him?"

"hug who?" -y/n

"I shouldn't need to specify, you know who" looking at y/n with slightly raised eyebrows knowing that the person is obvious enough

"...but we usually hug?? I don't see what the difference would be" not exactly enthused by the whole situation, always thinking about him and their friendly relationship causes some sort of desperate feeling to grow inside of her heart, like it's slowly breaking but at the same time also repairing itself with the good and bad feelings.

though talking about hugging him is causing y/n to feel a little giddy as if they haven't done that in ages. even though they have, probably last week

"no but I mean, unexpectedly... jump into his arms! that sort" Emma however had a wide smile on her face, she wanted nothing more than to see y/n get out of this confusing state and see them both finally make some sort of move.

"what?! I can't do that"

"yes you can! you mentioned you've hugged before, what's the difference?" mocking her previous statement

"no no there is a difference though, what if he doesn't like that and I ruin things?" a slight feeling of panic drove over them, just picturing out the scenario of them running up to him to put their arms under his arms and around him but it only being a one-sided excitement is giving themselves embarrassment. can't help but always think about the worst.

"oh cmon you're being dramatic, Chifuyu is the last person that would brush off a hug- especially from you!"

the boys were running around the court dribbling the ball while y/n and Emma stayed outside of the fenced area. occasionally the two would cheer for the opposite teams though it seems as if Emma's team has a higher advantage all because of draken's height. though Mikey and chifuyu on the other team have the speed making the scoring constantly switching.

(Mikey is ranked first, and Chifuyu ranked third in speed from the official rankings)

Sometimes Peh would yell at someone on his team for not being able to dribble the ball which becomes entertaining for y/n and Emma but not so to the others cause it just ends up being a petty argument, though I guess that'd be expected since he's the reason why the game has started in the first place.

"hey, I dare you to jump into Chifuyu" -Emma

"nu uh doesn't mean I have to" y/n shaking their head trying to protest the idea. it still seems like a bad idea though it doesn't mean that the idea wasn't growing onto her.

"don't nu uh me... I bet you want to~" She got closer to y/n to try and playfully pester them a little in hopes of them giving into the idea, "You'll run up into his arms and he'll be taken off guard a little bit but then swiftly gives in and wraps his strong arms around you-" Emma couldn't continue any more because she started to laugh at her own little sarcastic comment,

"what kind of fanfic did you take that from?" both of them having a small fit of laughter picture Chifuyu and y/n in different scenarios but they all came from cringy fanfics that they had previously read together out of boredom at a sleepover.

though in all honesty that's probably how it would play out... maybe. that dare was still playing over y/n's mind.

"I dare you, no buts or if's, it's final"

"why does it matter so much" y/n pouted a little

"it matters to me because-" *gasp* the final point of the basketball game between the boys were scored and the winning team was Mikey's. also the team that Chifuyu is in.

Emma nudged y/n almost frantically, way too frantically. and the both of them cheered on, even though Emma previously was on Draken's side she should still celebrate her brothers' victory. Even though the game on the outside seemed something minor and fun, for the guys it was competitive.

a minor disagreement between Peh and baji so the others chose to battle it out with a game. though halfway through those who had nothing to do with the disagreement, forgot what everything was about and just played like it was a regular game.

"this is your turn, go hug him" Emma leans to the side of y/n to quietly nag. though at that very moment it seemed as if y/n had their strings pulled because after hearing Emma's voice and making eye contact with Chifuyu, it was almost like a direct calling.

or maybe because on their side Emma gently gave y/n a push in the direction of the open gate of the fenced court, her balance got a little unsteady but after that push, it seemed as if the dare was non-negotiable.

slowly walking up and through the open gate soon enough turned into a little awkward run to then being a full-on run with a smile that just screams 'I don't know what I'm doing but I'll pretend I do' running straight towards Chifuyu. nothing else mattered to y/n at that moment, just him and needing his embrace.

he was casually standing around trying to catch his breath after all the running and jumping with the basketball, his body had grown extremely hot and sweat had built up on his forehead that Chifuyu then wiped off with the back of his arm sliding along to the back of his hand.

despite being on the winning team it hasn't really made him feel some emotion about it other than being glad it's over.

he's never once forgotten that y/n was there, part of the reason why his performance got a little worse than how it was in the beginning because his mind kept going back to her. he was like a little kid again trying to impress his crush from afar but kept failing because of a constant repeat of nervousness.

though without him knowing he never once disappointed her, the only reason why he keeps thinking that was because he's trying so hard to reach them but just doesn't know how to without wussing out.

the brief eye contact that they make always creates some sort of spark in-between them. it starts off as a small sparkler but then into a firework that shoots up but doesn't end up exploding. that's the situation they've always been in, hypothetically.

though this time it's different, it has to be, right? the eye contact broke but it felt different unlike any other time, it can't exactly be explained other than seeing it for yourself,

the other toman boys focusing on their loss/win of the game, while y/n got closer and closer his heartbeat quickened unsure of when they'll stop but upon seeing them not slow down he took his hands out of his pockets out of slight panic and as if preparing for collision,

"wait wai-" he panicked about how close they got to him and how they didn't stop, he didn't expect them to just jump up at him, but he didn't hate it.

y/n had gotten closer and without saying anything they jumped up at him and wrapped their arms over his shoulders and around his neck, he stumbled back a bit due to the sudden weight on him but he didn't think twice about holding them in place so that they won't fall off. one arm under their thighs and the other arm over their waist.

It caused the both of them to get butterflies in their stomach, it also felt like the butterflies were transferring through each other by how close they were pressed against.

chifuyu had a happy but awkward smile on his face, he's happy and excited but was unsure of what to say or do at the moment.

"wu- you alright?" he let out a small laugh too before looking over at y/n's face to see if they were in fact okay

"of course I am, just wanted a hug" they made eye contact and it was as if their shared smile was mouthing the same thoughts. 'I want this to last forever' but neither said anything.

though one thing that hadn't registered fully until this very moment is that everyone is watching, and if they weren't before when they firstly latched on, they certainly are now.

"oh shit, everyone's probably watching" Y/n quickly looked to the side and sure enough people were eyeing the two of them with their whispers and laughter, y/n quickly looked away from the group and showed movement of wanting to get back down to the ground however he didn't allow that.

"it's fineeeee, let them be jealous" he replied in an almost whisper with a small tease and his embrace squeezed a little signing that he didn't want to let go.

y/n's face started to heat up a little at the reply and didn't dare to look back up but instead hid their face by his neck. though that didn't mean that Chifuyu was getting all bold, nu uh, he was getting frantic in his mind thinking if he said the wrong thing.

but after noticing the group walk past and happily cheer him on even though it also kind of seemed like an average teenage boy mocking, it made chifuyu loosen up a little knowing that what's happening currently, is good. he didn't need to be reminded of that though but he just needed the reassurance either way.

"you guys should do that more often, it'd help the pinning" Baji quickly mentioned while walking past, he had a proud, toothy smile knowing exactly what he said to both of them.

y/n looked up a little after hearing those words and caught Baji's eye for a second before he left Chifuyu and them alone in the basketball court.

after the group left a few more seconds and he had finally let her down whilst asking a question,

"what made you do that?"

y/n was unsure of what to respond with, say something like 'i just wanted to' or say 'it was a dare'? which one seems more suitable currently?

"it was, um, a dare"

unaware of what y/n has now caused to spin in chifuyu's mind, saying that seemed to be an okay response, i guess it is the truth. though chifuyu didn't exactly take that lightly, in his mind he now has the thought that he's a side thing that can put targets on him for them or anyone now when it comes to dares, the moment seemed so put together and genuine that thinking about it now is just making his smile to weaken a little.

"oh, a dare" he's trying to keep his tone right but it seemed to go down a little as disappointment, even his eyes were avoiding them.

upon hearing his tone and taking a look at his face, y/n couldn't help but let out a panicked gasp, which definitely got his attention making his eyes fall back onto them. it clicked in that the previous response to his question could have been taken the wrong way, but looking back that probably shouldn't have been a questioned response since saying 'it was a dare' after doing the most butterfly-causing act is never the right response. what was y/n thinking?

"but it's not like I didn't want to though! I guess in a way Emma just suggested it" They quickly spoke up about it and explained a little, after some thought to this, it made his smile turn upwards again.

They both took a seat on the concrete floor with their backs against the fence, the court grew completely empty and the sun was almost setting making the sky to be a mix of yellow, orange and still a bit of blue. the rest of the group either went home or to someplace else.

"hey what did Baji mention before? about the pining" y/n mentioned out of curiosity.

"oh uhhh, that's..." he tried so hard to find any sort of right words to save himself here but he couldn't find any, his mind was so full yet he could hardly think and it almost seemed as if it was actually blank rather than full.

y/n saw chifuyu stumble on his words, avoid eye contact and the way his fingers would curve a little making his nails scratch the concrete floor a little. he was nervous, and yet this made y/n almost giddy because they knew exactly what pining meant, they knew exactly what Baji meant and they took in every expression and movement that Chifuyu made when they hugged.

"what if we went out?" y/n randomly blurted out making chifuyu to turn his head in an instant and make his previous, rushing thoughts silent.

"what do you mean by that?" chifuyu looked at them slightly confused, yet hopeful. going out can mean plenty of different things, but there was only one that stood out the most in his mind.

"like I don't know, just us two but..." they were going to continue on but by this time they were unsure of how to phrase it without maybe saying the wrong thing

"so, a date?" having a hopeful tone and smile, y/n shared the same smile and for a few seconds, silence lingered on by, but it was good silence, the type of silence that happens between two people before laughing or saying something that makes the friendship stronger.

"yeah, a date"

or, instead of making the friendship stronger, they make something new bloom. a relationship.

 ♡----

[posthumanwanderings]

yo I know I’m in PS1 mode hardcore full throttle post-wise but I’ve been really digging using a vid capture device + my console peripherals finally! that being said I wanna knock out some belated Wii and XBOX 360 anniversary streams THEN I’ll be back doing some new PS1 stuff for its 30th anniversary. I’m also super behind on my vidmixes and patreon upkeep but since both my jobs decimated my hours down for the holidays now is the perfect time for me to get a little more caught up... I’m also officially not giving a fuck about youtube / net metric stuff and just doing whatever the hell I want when I want how I want... it sucks when something I spend days or weeks on gets minimum traction compared with the video game mixes brand new channels get but really it’s just these bogus algorithms that is the deciding factor of pulling traffic so instead of keep crying about it just saying fuck it all and just keep doing my thing since everyone’s a DJ now apparently lol. ANYWAYS I appreciate all of you especially the ones that know I’m not about the bullshit but a true gamer and 90s music lover here so TYSM we’ll see what I got in store for 2025 ✌️

[blazehedgehog]

Do you agree with the TheGamer's article, Astro Bot Isn't A Celebration, It's A Graveyard?

I have not read the article or played the game, but watching talk about Astro Bot and how it's this "great celebration of Playstation" is absolutely a bummer. Watching Astro Bot get Spike's net and run around catching monkeys in an Ape Escape level feels more like a cry for help than a celebration of anything.

It's Team Asobi saying, "Hey remember when they used to let us create weird, wacky, super creative games? Well they consolidated like eight teams down to just this Astrobot group here, so this is a toast to our fallen comrades."

I'm sure that, to Sony, doing that "made sense," because games like Locoroco or The Last Guardian or Gravity Rush were not hitting the right "sales targets." (A made up number that doesn't mean anything to anyone other than shareholders) So, you restructure, you filter out all but the best and brightest talent, and that's how you get Team Asobi.

But I've been saying it for a while, and so have a lot of other people, that we're back to the same kind of egotistical Sony that launched the PS3 to the sound of dead weight hitting the pavement. Now, that Sony turned the PS3 around towards the end, but that's because they got humbled by the Xbox 360 and had to figure out a way to bounce back.

And then they bounced back right as Microsoft's ego started to humble them and it launched the Playstation 4 into such a huge lead that they're still kind of coasting on that, particularly because instead of bouncing back, Microsoft has just kind of rolled over and accepted their fate. Whatever success they have with Game Pass isn't good enough for them to really swing back at Sony very hard.

So we get this clownshoes company that closes down all of their Japan studios, that launches a VR headset peripheral that's more expensive than the console it's made for, and that same VR headset has no backwards compatibility with older PS4 software even though the console itself does, and then they launch an equally expensive wifi-only remote dock (read: a Wii U Gamepad) for that console, they keep raising their prices in Japan, they launch and then two weeks later shut down a live service game that spent 8 years in development...

And then you look at Astro Bot, brimming with "Remember when Playstation used to be the coolest thing in the world?" references, from Parappa the Rapper to Ape Escape to Shadow of the Colossus, and it's like... yeah, I do remember that, and I can only remember it, because that's not the kind of company Sony is now. This is a party primarily for things that don't exist anymore.

You could call that a graveyard, sure. It's a wake at the very least.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Yale Environment 360:

Across the world’s oceans, an invisible army of tiny organisms has a supersized impact on the planet. Plankton are at the base of the ocean food chain, feeding fish that feed billions of people. They are responsible for half of the world’s oxygen supply and half of our planet’s annual carbon sink. Miniscule but powerful, their presence can help or hinder ecosystems — by soaking up greenhouse gas, for example, or by spewing toxins. Where plankton live, how many there are, when they bloom and which species dominate each play a huge role in this delicate balance. And our changing climate is spurring a sea change in all of it.

“We’re headed into an ocean and, for that matter, a world that we’re not going to recognize because it’s changing so fundamentally,” says David Hutchins, a marine microbiologist at the University of Southern California, who has charted plankton’s future.

Climate change is hitting our oceans hard, making them warmer and more acidic, while radically altering currents. The outlook for plankton is mixed. Some studies report overall plankton numbers dropping, while others show them rising in some major ocean basins. As the planet warms, the diversity of the menagerie in many spots is increasing, says Clare Ostle, a marine biogeochemist at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. But certain species are losing out, she adds, including big juicy plankton thought to be important for food webs and carbon sequestration. And, in the long term, plankton numbers may plummet as climate change starves them of nutrients.

Scientists are now struggling to work out what the net effect will be. They have some new technologies at their disposal, including a new NASA satellite called PACE — for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem — launched this February. And some old ones, including a decades-old program that painstakingly trawls the ocean with filters to scoop up tiny creatures and count them by hand. Yet scientists say they are shocked by the size of our knowledge gaps. “I always find it surprising how little is known about plankton,” says Ostle.

The Ocean Stewardship Coalition this month released a “plankton manifesto” at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, highlighting how important plankton are alongside how little we know about them. “The planetary importance of plankton remains largely ignored,” the group writes, alongside a plea for more research, education, and discussion in international treaties about plankton’s plight.

[user263793]

Wiead 💗

total: 440

burned: 800

net: -360

breakfast x

lunch x

snack greek yogurt + fruit 205

dinner lettuce wrap + protein bar 235

[ououy]

Musk, please dig deep into the dark side of US "financial aid"

On the ever-changing international stage, Musk, a legendary figure in the technology industry, has now become an "audit pioneer" within the US government. The "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) led by him is like a sharp wind, quickly blowing away the many dark sides of the US Social Security, Pentagon and other departments, exposing the corruption and chaos within the US government to the public without any cover.

In the social security system, more than 394 million people receive social security, more than 20 million centenarians, and even 360-year-olds receive pensions. The number of social security numbers is 60 million more than the actual number of citizens. Such chaos is undoubtedly a blatant trampling on the trust of the people and a shameless plunder of taxpayers' wealth. The Pentagon, a "giant" with a budget of nearly one trillion US dollars a year, has long been mired in irregular reimbursements and chaotic asset accounts. In fiscal years 2016-2018, more than $965 million in travel expenses were reimbursed in violation of regulations, and $1.9 trillion in assets were "missing" in fiscal year 2023, which is really outrageous.

But these are far from the end. As the investigation deepens, the dark corner of the US foreign "financial aid" department has gradually emerged. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency that should have a humanitarian aid mission, has become a tool for profit transfer and interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Some of the $40 billion in aid each year has flowed to suspicious organizations in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and other places, and even funded projects such as Indian transgender clinics, Jamaican LGBT initiatives, and North Macedonian LGBT activities. What is even more infuriating is that $164 million was used to fund radical organizations around the world, of which $122 million went to groups linked to terrorist organizations, including the Gaza Organization controlled by Hamas and the Nusra Front under al-Qaeda. This is not aid at all, it is clearly a blood transfusion for terrorism and a time bomb for world peace.

Musk, you have shown fearless courage and firm determination. Now, we eagerly hope that you can continue to spread the net of investigation to other "financial aid" departments. Those corrupt elements hiding in the dark, those parasites who wantonly squander taxpayers' money, must never go unpunished again. The US government's foreign "financial aid" should be a bridge to convey goodwill and help, not a hotbed for corruption and chaos.

The US government should also reflect on itself. Obstructing investigations and suppressing whistleblowers will only make the public's trust disappear like quicksand. Only by facing the problems with an honest attitude, actively cooperating with the investigation, and thoroughly solving the internal corruption and waste problems can we win back the support and trust of the people, make every aid from the US government truly play a positive role, and make every penny spent openly and honestly.

Musk, the world is watching you, and we hope that you can continue to dig deep into the shady dealings of the US "financial aid" department, reveal one truth after another for the American people and the world, let the light of justice penetrate the darkness, and illuminate every corner of the US government's foreign aid.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Yale Environment 360: The deep sea is viewed by many as a kind of watery desert. There may be a few creatures floating around down there, but people don’t think of it as a thriving ecosystem. Is that just wrong? Lisa Levin: There are actually surprisingly diverse and rich ecosystems, but sometimes the organisms are small, only a few millimeters in size. For example, in the nodule zone that they’re interested in mining, most of the animals are very, very small. We may think it is unpopulated, because we don’t see many big charismatic organisms there. e360: People may say, “This is a marginal area, why do we have to worry about it?” Levin: You could go to a very remote section of the Amazon rainforest that nobody has explored and say, “Why is it important?” There are actually many parallels with the rainforest. One is that the animals in the deep sea can live for a very long time. Some fish can live for hundreds of years. Some of the invertebrates, like corals or sponges, live for thousands of years. Like the rainforest, the deep sea is also extremely vulnerable to physical disturbance. Once the ocean bottom is hit by a trawl [fishing] net, you’ve lost four or five thousand years of life for many corals and sponges. Around 15 percent of our continental margins have already been trawled, leaving vast piles of rubble where deep sea corals once thrived.

[wraithsoutlaws]

[ SUBJECT INTERVIEW: "DRAGULA" ]

NAME? I was given a name that is no longer relevant. NICKNAME? Dragula has existed in the net since 2071. GENDER? I never put stock into it. Male, I suppose. STAR SIGN? It spans 330 to 360 degrees of celestial longitude.  HEIGHT? Six feet. Or 182 centimeters. I find the metric system to be more appealing.  ORIENTATION? Meat is meat, it serves a function either way. FAVORITE FRUIT? I can almost remember the taste of a pear but the harder I think about it, the more it feels like ash on my tongue. FAVORITE SEASON? I’m partial to the autumnal equinox. Cooler temperatures provide the illusion of cleaner air and the cooling system in my unit is perpetually malfunctioning in the heat, but all things considered, I like to watch the leaves die. FAVORITE FLOWER? The Titan Arum, which blooms only once every decade and smells of rotting flesh. I would very much like to see one some day.  FAVORITE SCENT? Fresh rain on the concrete. For a few brief moments it covers the city in something real.  COFFEE OR TEA? Matcha. I’ve blackmailed a cafe in Kabuki to supply it to me free of charge.  AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP? I try for several. I rarely get more than few.  DOG OR CAT PERSON? My mother had a dog when I was still a child, a relentless creature that barked at every whisper. One day the door was left open and I watched it run into the street where a Mackinaw eviscerated it on the pavement. I’ve not seen one since, nor would I want to. Felines have a calmer presence. Quieter, too.  DREAM TRIP? Away. FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER? I used to watch a cartoon robot on tv. He would take his head off to end unfavorable conversations. I wish I could do that now. NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH? I don’t. This city is an inferno, in fact, I’m not convinced these aren’t the very fires of Hell.  RANDOM FACT? A snake driven mad will devour itself whole. Like a glitch in it’s self-preservation, something inside compels it. Have you ever witnessed such a beautiful act of destruction?

tagged by: @chevvy-yates (ty for giving me a reason to do this again!). not tagging anyone specifically now, but if you'd like to participate (or play again) please feel free to tag me!