Sex(tus) Pal(amedes)

bro biologists won't even agree on the definition of "alive" you think you can get them to back you on "two genders" lmao

“I have been set several impossible tasks,” the other man offered in return.
“Impossible?” Conju asked, lightly teasing.
‘Someone’s secretary’ smiled slowly, with a sort of secret pride. “Perhaps not entirely.”

Cliopher had never, not once, imagined that Fitzroy found him attractive.

DEPLOY YOUR GRUNTS

Linux Hits 3% On Steam's October 2025 Hardware Survey - Steam Deck HQ Steam's latest hardware survey is here, and Linux has finally hit the 3% mark!

Steam's latest hardware survey is here for October 2025, and Linux has finally hit the 3% mark:

steamdeckhq.com/linux-hits-3...

i don't even have a creative tag line for this one. everybody, come get your knight 🦄 ( re-upload because i wasn't happy with the previous version )

[ #ffxiv #haurchefant #pinup ]

An image of OpenAI's Sora logo on a mobile phone screen

Celebrity personalised video app Cameo is suing OpenAI, accusing them of tarnishing their company with "hastily made AI slop and deepfakes featuring celebrities.”

A growing number of companies are set to test the legal boundaries of AI at court.

(Read more: The Verge)

Keep yourself educated. Chances are you've already encountered deepfakes in some form or other, and that—even if just for a brief moment—you didn't realise they were fake. And chances are that sooner or later one may catch you and trick you in ways that'll hurt you or the people around you.

🧵 2/2

YouTube video by StarTalk It’s Getting Harder To Know What’s Real

How deep can trust go when nothing you see can be truly trusted anymore?

Neil deGrasse Tyson on deepfake: AI generated conted that aims to deceive and exploit you. 🧵 1/2

youtu.be/EA0Bx2OeDj8

What to Expect from this Patreon | Playing Civilization Get more from Playing Civilization on Patreon

I'm launching the Playing Civilization Patreon today, a space for research on 21st-century culture wars and Russia's role in them. I examine texts, speeches, historical narratives, and propaganda that shape modern conflict. Read the Q&A and join www.patreon.com/posts/what-t...

Alan Wake 2

🤝🤝🤝
Недавно к этому выводу пришли, т.к. хочется чего-то, что мозг почешет, но не требует постоянной вовлеченности, как компьютерные ролевые.

american indie developer deciding on a setting: in a cozy mountain town surrounded by wholesome yokai, ghibli inspired cooperative sustainable cherry blossoms and you can pet the dog french indie developer deciding on a setting: in a world where the gestalt misery of colonisation's victims has manifested into a sort of misery elemental, three church-like religious organisations hav[nine more paragraphs that leave you feeling like you know less than you knew before you started reading] polish indie developer deciding on a setting: warsaw👍🇵🇱 it is very bad

Where's that one post about French indie games having massive and extremely complex Catholic-inspired lore, and Polish indie games being like "Warsaw! Is very bad 👍"

Remember when youtube got rid of downvotes because it was making brands sad?

The idea sneaks up on him. Sylvien has heard about the spoons, of course — in passing mentions and vague references; has even seen a couple of them change hands, the gifter looking hopeful, the receiver pleased, one or both infatuated. It isn't a secret, or a mystery, he just... never really cared to learn the specifics. Well. The piece of rosewood in front of him would be perfect for something small — a weapon's handle, perhaps, or a set of hairpins; or — Sylvien rubs his temples and accepts that he is thinking of it. Or a spoon. It would be a fitting gift, would it not? Something meaningful, created by his own hands, a showcase of passion for the craft they both hold dear — maybe not useful, but a clear enough message, surely. Surely. Sylvien doesn't drop his head onto the workbench, but it's a near thing. He knows — frustratingly vaguely — that there is meaning in designs; that he needs to be specific, if he wants the message to be clear, and it does make sense — but Sylvien never needed to know the specifics, and asking now would be — mortifying. It would also spoil the surprise, and, immediately following that thought — Sylvien should really work on it at the guild, where there's tools and safeguards and his fellow carpenters to ask for advice. He absolutely cannot do it at the guild.

He ends up choosing plants. Of course he does — Sylvien might be a successful and passionate carpenter now, but that isn't where he started, is it? He was a botanist, before, and still is in some way, and plant language, if not exactly clear, is always reliable. He sketches it out — a stalk of acanthus for the handle, a clover flower, a single carnation, and a vine of ivy winding around it all. Not a simple design, and not a quick project, and yet — it will be worth it, in the end. So Sylvien carves. He is being so very slow, so careful — bloodstains are terribly hard to fully wash away from wood, and a wrong cut would be even more disastrous, with him only having one attempt at this. Oh, he's sure he could find another fitting piece of rosewood eventually — but after how long? And would he dare to try another time, should this one prove a disaster? Besides, Sylvien is okay with the spoon taking its time. It seems fitting, almost, in a way that truly important things require effort — in a way this, too, can show the feelings he is trying to commit to wood and carved flowers. Maybe, he thinks while carving out a particularly tricky petal, that's how the tradition came to be.

He almost chickens out, in the end. The spoon is finished — warm with its wax finish, delicate, pridefully impractical; countless hours put into its carvings, it's — good. It turned out good. Just, maybe, possibly, not good enough. The Atrium quiets in the evening, the lights dimmed, people filing out. Sylvien stays — cleans up the workbench, tends to his tools. It feels remarkably similar to that, first evening, down to — "Have you finished your project, then?" Beatin comes down from his vantage point just as Sylvien starts entertaining the thought of actually leaving. Sylvien has told him about needing to work on something private almost immediately, of course he would be interested — of course. This, somehow, doesn't actually make it any easier. Sylvien nods, suddenly not trusting his voice at all, and pulls out the spoon — wrapped in a soft fabric, partly to protect it, partly to conceal. He did want this to be a surprise, didn't he? Now he just needs to see this through. Beatin takes the bundle with remarkable care, and Sylvien finds himself missing his eyes — always, of course, but now especially; it would be nice to compare the color, even if the light is dim. It would be nice to see his eyes.

"This is remarkably well-made, child", Beatin finally raises his voice, and Sylvien's heart falls a little — he hopes it isn't quite as clear on his face, not that Beatin is looking anywhere near it at the moment, "even with me coming to expect truly great things from you. The work on showing the grain alone deserves praise... And sentiment is, of course, appreciated". He does look up from the spoon then, holding it even more carefully, if such a thing is possible. "How long have you spent on this?" Sylvien tries to start talking — breaks off — tries again, not quite knowing what he is so afraid of. "I wouldn't know", and it's quieter than he'd prefer, but, Seven Hells, he came so far — "I worked on it for half an hour or so most evenings, so you could probably add it up, if you'd like to". Beatin hmmms, tracing the ivy vine with his fingertips, and finally looks up again — and, even through the glasses, his expression looks... awed, almost, and wondering. "It's an honor", he says, simply, as if it is as simple as that, "and a privilege. I will need to find a proper place for it". And, not letting Sylvien recover at all, smiling, "And I will, of course, need to reply in kind. That should be quite an interesting challenge... Oh, don't look at me like that, child, I do not mean to start carving now —" And maybe, Sylvien thinks, it did turn out good enough after all.

I will post it to ao3 eventually, but for now will just put it here.

A gift for @u-andcloud.bsky.social, featuring their Sylvien and a certain Timbermaster.

Ed Zitron as fox mulder

Ed Zitron as fox mulder

Hey scully you ever hear of inference

Полушуточное spicy мнение: roguelite игры - аналог "три в ряд" для миллениалов и моложе.

Да, +Аабрия и Эшли!!!

всю смотрю на мэтта в готском мэйкапе…

KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS killsixbilliondemons.com

May moonlight guide you!

Happy Halloween from the Crossroads!🎃

May you have a bewitching eve, and thank you for all your support of Hades II and our team. 🌒🌕🌘

Absolum - Steam Deck HQ Absolum is a fantastic brawler RPG set in a well realized world, and it will be a great experience on the Steam Deck.

Absolum is a fantastic brawler RPG set in a well realized world, and it will be a great experience on the #SteamDeck.

A copy was provided by Dotemu for review.

steamdeckhq.com/game-reviews...

Omelet You Cook's Halloween Update Improves Steam Deck Controls - SDHQ Omelet You Cook is fantastic fun, and the Halloween patch adds new events, while greatly improving the controls for the Steam Deck.

Omelet You Cook is fantastic fun, and the Halloween patch adds new events, while greatly improving the controls for the #SteamDeck:

steamdeckhq.com/omelet-you-c...

Also, island nation, convinces itself it's better than everyone else, starts to conquer the world...

There are times I think Moorcock's dislike of Tolkien is because they're much more similar than different despite their respective politics, and he can't stand that.

The act that brings down Númenor is a punishment for Empire, for the audacity to believe you can seize dominion over others, for in fact having taken that even further than any living human had ever done before. It is not a heavy handed punishment from a disappointed father-god but a denazification.

The Valar pray to Eru to punish them not for some abstract disobedience as in eg. the biblical book of Genesis, but for attempting to harm the realm of Valinor when they had done nothing but be kind and generous to the Númenoreans. Essentially they ask for humanitarian intervention.