#Google android case

[world-store]

Google Planned to ‘Go Big in Europe’ After EU Android Case

 Google — under fire in court for allegedly resting on its laurels thanks to its 90% market dominance — only made an effort to beef up the quality of its search engine in the European Union after being hit by a record antitrust fine, according to internal documents revealed in the US Justice Department’s monopolization case against the tech giant. Alphabet Inc.’s Google planned to improve its…

[latestnews-now]

The US Department of Justice has proposed groundbreaking remedies in its antitrust case against Google, including selling Chrome and barring browser market re-entry. Could this end Google’s search monopoly? Learn more in this video! 🔴 Key Topics Covered: -Google’s antitrust ruling explained -DOJ’s proposed remedies -Google’s response and what’s next

[dravidious]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

[reasonsforhope]

Article | Paywall Free

"A bid to break up Alphabet Inc.’s Google is one of the options being considered by the Justice Department after a landmark court ruling found that the company monopolized the online search market, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.

The move would be Washington’s first push to dismantle a company for illegal monopolization since unsuccessful efforts to break up Microsoft Corp. two decades ago. Less severe options include forcing Google to share more data with competitors and measures to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

Regardless, the government will likely seek a ban on the type of exclusive contracts that were at the center of its case against Google. If the Justice Department pushes ahead with a breakup plan, the most likely units for divestment are the Android operating system and Google’s web browser Chrome, said the people. Officials are also looking at trying to force a possible sale of AdWords, the platform the company uses to sell text advertising, one of the people said.

The Justice Department discussions have intensified in the wake of Judge Amit Mehta’s Aug. 5 ruling that Google illegally monopolized the markets of online search and search text ads. Google has said it will appeal that decision, but Mehta has ordered both sides to begin plans for the second phase of the case, which will involve the government’s proposals for restoring competition, including a possible breakup request.

The US plan will need to be accepted by Mehta, who would direct the company to comply. A forced breakup of Google would be the biggest of a US company since AT&T was dismantled in the 1980s."

-via Bloomberg, August 13, 2024

[allisonreich]

"Slick Pink" Phone Cases & Accessories by Allison Reich @casetify http://casetify.com/collections/allisonreich

FOLLOW me on INSTAGRAM: ALLISONREICH

AllisonReich.com

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Apple faces criminal sanctions for defying App Store antitrust order

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me at NEW ZEALAND'S UNITY BOOKS in AUCKLAND TODAY (May 2), and in WELLINGTON TOMORROW (May 3). More tour dates (Pittsburgh, PDX, London, Manchester) here.

Epic, makers of the wildly popular Fortnite video-game, have waged a one-company war against the "app tax" – the 15-30% rake that the mobile duopoly of Apple/Google take out of every penny we spend inside of apps.

Epic's own digital practices are hardly spotless: just this year, the company was caught cheating players – many of them children – with deceptive practices and had to refund over $72m:

https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/fortnite-refunds

But in this fight, Epic is on the side of the angels. The 30% that Apple/Google sucks out of the mobile economy is a brutal tax, and not just on app makers. Patreon performers recently raised a stink when the company announced that it would be clawing back 30% of the money pledged by their supporters – that 30% surcharge is passed straight through to Apple/Google:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/12/24218629/patreon-membership-ios-30-percent-apple-tax

From independent news outlets to crafters selling their work out of small storefronts, all the way up to massive entertainment services like Disney Plus and Fortnite, the mobile cartel takes 30% out of every dollar, a racket they maintain with onerous rules that ban apps from using their own payment processors, or even from encouraging users to click a link that brings them to a web-based payment screen.

30% is a gigantic markup on payment processing. It's ten times the going rate for payments in the USA, already one of the most expensive places in the world to transfer money from one party to another. In the EU, payment processing typically runs 1%…or less.

But crafters, Patreon podcasters and small-town newspapers are in no position to fight Google and Apple. Instead, we get Epic, a multi-billion-dollar company that's gone to the mattresses to fight these multi-trillion-dollar companies. Personally, I dote on billionaire-on-trillionaire violence.

Epic was wildly successful. It mopped up the floor with Google, securing an especially punitive award from a judge who was furious that Google had destroyed evidence:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/12/im-feeling-lucky/#hugger-mugger

Epic also won against Apple, though not as thoroughly as it had with Google, because Apple had the commonsense not to get up to the kind of shenanigans that make federal judges very, very mad. In the Google case, the court found that Google had acted as a monopolist and ordered it to open up the payment system in Google Play, a direct blow to the Android app tax.

In the Apple case, the judge did not find that Google had acted as a monopolist, but did rule that the App Store's payment processing racket violated the law, and ordered Apple to end its own app tax:

https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/30/epic-games-just-scored-a-major-win-against-apple/

That's where things get gnarly. Apple is addicted to corrupt sources of income – like the tens of billions it illegally receives every year in bribes from Google make it the default search:

https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-search-engine-verdict-apple-319a61f20fb11510097845a30abaefd8

And it really, really loves the app tax. When the EU ordered Apple to allow third-party app stores (as a way of killing the app tax), the company cooked up a malicious compliance plan that was comically corrupt:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/06/spoil-the-bunch/#dma

So, the mere fact that a federal judge had ordered Apple to open up its app store to competing payment processors was not going convince Apple to actually do it. Instead, Apple cooked up a set of rules for third-party payment processing that would make it more costly to use someone else's payments, piling up a mountain of junk fees and using scare screens and other deceptive warnings to discourage users from making payments through a rival system:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/judge-rules-apple-executive-lied

That's the kind of thing that is apt to make a federal judge angry – and, as noted, angry federal judges can make life very hard for tech monopolists, a lesson Google learned when it destroyed key evidence in its Epic case. But Apple didn't just flout the court order – they lied about it to cover it up, and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is furious. She held that Alex Roman, Apple's Vice-President of Finance, "outright lied under oath," and she has raised the possibility of criminal contempt penalties for Apple:

https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/05/01/pacer_epic_vs_apple_injunction_judgement.pdf

The judge further wrote:

This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order. Time is of the essence. The Court will not tolerate further delays. As previously ordered, Apple will not impede competition. The Court enjoins Apple from implementing its new anticompetitive acts to avoid compliance with the Injunction. Effective immediately Apple will no longer impede developers’ ability to communicate with users nor will they levy or impose a new commission on off-app purchases

In other words, any junk fees, any impediments to opening up third party payments, will be switfly and harshly dealt with. As of right now developers can start to build third-party payments into their apps and Apple cannot block them. It's the end of the app tax, a source of about $100b/year for Apple:

https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/01/apple_epic_lies_possible_crime/

The world is on fire and everything is terrible, but we are also living through the most consequential season in the history of the war on corporate tech power. Google has been convicted three times of being a monopolist and is almost certainly going to have to sell off Chrome, most of its ad-tech stack, and possibly Android. Meta just put up a pathetic showing in an equally serious antitrust case that could see it forced to sell off Instagram and Whatsapp:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/04/11/it-is-better-to-buy/#than-to-compete

Countries around the world have passed big, sweeping, muscular antitrust laws specifically aimed at smashing corporate tech power, like the EU's Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act:

https://www.eff.org/pages/adoption-dsadma-notre-analyse

Most importantly, all of this is happening from the bottom up. There is no dark money campaign to fuck up the tech companies. The politicians and enforcers who are taking on Big Tech are being shoved from behind by billions of everyday people who are furious and refuse to take it any longer:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/04/10/solidarity-forever-2/#oligarchism

I am deeply grateful for the public servants who have championed this cause, but I also know that these people are the effect of our movement, not the cause. When Kier Starmer fires Britain's brilliant and effective top competition enforcer and replaces him with the former head of Amazon UK, that does nothing to tamp down the political outrage that Britons feel towards America's tech giants:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/22/autocrats-of-trade/#dingo-babysitter

All over the world, countries that passed IP laws to protect US tech interests in exchange for tariff-free access to US markets are grappling with the end of free trade with America. This represents a generational opportunity to pass laws that enable local technologists to jailbreak US tech exports and liberate their people from the extractive practices of Big Tech forever:

https://archive.is/CiBIz

There is nothing harder to stop than an idea whose time has come to pass.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/05/01/its-not-the-crime/#its-the-coverup

Image: Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil from Brazil (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annelid_worm,_Atlantic_forest,_northern_littoral_of_Bahia,_Brazil_%2816107326533%29.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

--

Hubertl (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015-03-04_Elstar_%28apple%29_starting_putrefying_IMG_9761_bis_9772.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

Homie can I ask for fic recs!! Despite being on tumblr for a decade I’m just now finally watching supernatural and I’m loving it

wow, you held out an impressively long time! xD

i'm going to assume you're pretty much asking for destiel recs, since i haven't really read any gen or other ships and you didn't specify otherwise. here's the thing about destiel fic: there is so much of it. as of right now, there are 121,502 castiel/dean winchester works on ao3, and they go back to 2008. (and that's not even counting the fic on fanfiction.net, livejournal, tumblr, etc.)

i'm not saying any of that abundance is bad, not at all, but for ME PERSONALLY, i tend to be really picky about destiel fic because i feel like a lot of people sort of, well, go with fanon characterization instead of canon characterization. which is fine, you do you, but there is just so much to sift through and considering that i lived through the live airing of the show from 2013-2020 and kinda had my soul crushed with the finale, i've got a wee bit of trauma in that arena so i'm not often in the mood to go digging for gold, if that makes sense.

all that to say, a lot of my recs are old classics and not new classics, and there are a lot of fandom-titled classics that i just haven't gotten to reading yet. so i'm going to split my recs here into 'ones i've read and loved' and 'ones i know lots of other people have loved'. also, my tastes tend to run toward 'really good fleshed-out longfic au', in case that's not your thing.

with all that laid down, let's get into it.

(followers, please feel free to drop your own recs!)

my favorite destiel fic got taken deleted from ao3, but mercifully i was able to download an epub that i have in my 'deleted fics' google drive at this link: Kingdom Come by cheesewithmy dean and cas are both veterans, dean struggling to keep the roadhouse afloat while also building artificial limbs for people who need them. he finds a homeless cas using the sink for a bath and gives him a meal and a place to sleep, unaware that cas is the reason dean lost his arm in the war. they grow closer before cas's guilt drives him to run. he reaches out on the same night a couple of dick roman's goons decide to take dean's mechanical arm by force, hears dean gasp out that he's glad he got to talk to him one more time, and drops everything to race across the country on the hope that dean is still alive. a story of two depressed, traumatized, mildly to severely suicidal people learning how to live again.

A Beginner's Guide to Communing with the Dead by suspiciousflashlight T 77k dean is a cop who works on supernatural cases, and he's just desperate enough to break the law and summon a Class A Forbidden Entity for help. a grumpy one.

C-S-T-L by komodobits M 90k set in a scifi future, dean is a soldier assigned to work with the emotionless android C-S-T-L. one day, cas begins to feel.

The Girlfriend Experience by rageprufrock E 15k not my absolute favorite, but a must-read.

So Says The Sword by komodobits E 85k The briefing was simple: ‘Stand guard over the Michael Sword until the battle is ready to commence. Await further instructions.’

Convenient Husbands by Annie D (scaramouche) E 40k marriage of convenience/telepathic bond between hunter dean and creature cas.

The Ends of Earth by darkforetold E 47k post-apocalyptic steampunk, cas saves dean from execution and then gets saved right back.

Clean Air by anactoria E 121k Centuries after the surface of the earth was devastated by an unknown disaster, the remnants of humanity live in a series of vast underground silos, each unaware of the existence of the others.

For the inhabitants of Silo 34, the silo is the world, and the only world they know. Questions about the outside world are forbidden, and asking them is what got Dean Winchester's parents killed. He isn't even sure himself that they weren't crazy.

That all changes when he hears a voice on the radio -- a voice from another world.

The Breath Of All Things by KismetJeska T 65k after being paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, dean lives in a care home and is deeply depressed. the new volunteer helps him learn how to want to live again.

A Hole in the World by AnnelieseMichel E 300k i'm not a big a/b/o fan, but damn, this one did it well. traumatized omega dean becomes entangled with alpha priest castiel while dealing with the court case against his rapists.

Shut Up (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is) by kototyph E 24k sweet, fun "woke up married" trope.

The Sawdust Men by linoresearch E 123k cas is an inmate in a labor camp set in an alternate-history america. dean is a guard who starts to fall in love with cas and realizes the camp isn't what he'd been told it was.

Last One Out Hits The Lights by entanglednow E 37k alternate s5 zombie apocalypse

What Has Eight Tentacles and Isn't Allowed to Eat Pie? by Annie D (scaramouche) T 16k dean got turned into an octopus. it's cuter than it sounds.

Contrapasso by takadainmate M 60k Inside the town that doesn't exist, there is murder and madness and a creeping cold that leave Dean, Cas and Sam fighting for their lives and for each other. As the town shifts and changes around them, descending into anarchy, the three of them find it increasingly difficult to tell what's real and what's not.

Professional Couple Only by saltyfeathers M 37k your classic "fake dating for the case" fic

The Parts of Our Sum by Annie D (scaramouche) E 55k Castiel, a former soldier, has worked for the Company his entire life. They've been good to him, providing clothes, shelter and new body parts whenever necessary. Now the Company's gearing up for a space exploration voyage, and Castiel's volunteered for the research team. During the preparation period, he meets Dean Winchester, who makes Castiel wonder about the things he's missed out on.

a turn of the earth by microcomets M 95k "the time traveler's wife" au where cas gets stuck hopping through the timeline of dean's life.

Out of the Deep by riseofthefallenone E 488k a classic mermaid!cas fic

Vagabonds by chevrolangels E 90k delightful western au. dean is a sheriff, cas is an outlaw.

everything by MajorEnglishEsquire, such as The One Thing You Can't Lose T 5k You know what I like a lot? The thought that Dean can just tug Cas anywhere at any time and Cas, who can lift tons without effort, who can demolish things with the light of his grace, who has battled and gone to war, has defended and broken, will just let Dean do it.

everything by orange_crushed, such as The face of heaven. T 8k castiel is a fallen star

everything by Annie D (scaramouche), such as Dean Doesn't Listen to Eurythmics E 2k Dean and Castiel share a bed. It starts out platonic, and then becomes something else.

while i'm at it, i might as well plug my own two short destiel fics: the rhyme of salvation and I'm sorry it took me so long, which are both post 15x18 fix-its.

now let's get to some fandom favorites that i haven't personally read/finished yet.

Down to Agincourt by seperis E 1.1m for many, this is THE destiel fic. it has its own fandom. i know it's very good, i just haven't been able to get entirely sucked into it. set in the 5x04 endverse.

Ninety One Whiskey by komodobits E 400k others consider THIS one the destiel fic. i love the author, i just haven't committed to the whole fic yet. world war 2 au.

Put up your Dukes by saltyfeathers E 38k Dean can't sleep. Cas offers to tire him out.

Four Letter Word For Intercourse by bendingsignpost E 194k everybody loves this one, but i'm not sure if it's my style. college student dean doesn't realize the phone sex operator he's into is also his professor.

The Dean Winchester Beat Sheet by saltyfeathers E 144k another very popular college au

psalm 40:2 by unicornpoe E 44k Dean meets an angel who says he's from the future. It all gets a lot more complicated from there.

if you'd like still more, you could try my ao3 destiel bookmarks, where i have dozens more that i thought sounded interesting. happy reading!

[notfreetoday]

WOWOW on Demand Sign Up Tutorial

Hello, I am back (?)

Quick tutorial in case anyone wants to sign up (and later cancel) for a WOWOW on Demand account in order to watch Justice in the Dark when it airs at midnight JST on the 7th of March (aka Thursday night going into Friday morning).

Under the cut to reduce spam!

Before you start, please know that whilst you will sign up on the website, you will only be able to watch the shows using the phone app itself, because the website blocks VPNs.

You will need:

The ability to install the WOWOW on demand apk on your android phone (for iPhone users, it's available on the Jp app store, but I can't help beyond that)

A VPN (I used surfshark)

Access to a JP phone number (I used the number given on my forwarding service)

A credit card

2530 JPY per month (JITD is expected to end sometime in June 2025)

STEP 1: Set your VPN to Japan, go to the WOWOW website as shown, and click on the blue tab circled in orange

STEP 2: This just informs you that the service costs 2530 JPY/mth. Click the blue tab again.

STEP 3: Key in your email and click the button to receive a 4-digit OTP (it will be the first and only string of 4 digits you see in the mail). Major email domains should work.

STEP 4: You should receive the OTP within 3-5mins. If you don't receive the email, check your junk folder etc I lost patience after 2 mins and clicked the button 😅

STEP 5: This is all pretty self-explanatory. Don't ask me to translate the T&C/privacy agreement because I didn't read it either 😬

Congratulations! You have successfully created a WOWOW Online account (this is the normal account which lets you watch free videos/livestreams for eg, Spirealm Ep 1 is free to watch for now).

Next, you want to create a WOWOW on Demand account, which is the service that will give you access to JITD, the rest of Spirealm episodes, and if you are in Japan with a BS Cable subscription, the ability to watch and record WOWOW shows on your TV.

STEP 6: FINALLY we get to the most important bit, so of course I forgot to screencap it. For your Surname and First name, you will need to type it in Japanese text, so go ahead and google translate your name. For the phone number, I used the number from my Jp forwarding service (tenso), but I did try again by changing a few numbers, and it actually went through to step 4 so... if you don't have a forwarding service, you could try random numbers following the 03-1234-5678 format? Don't quote me on that.

Click the blue button at the bottom (which I accidentally cropped out) to move on.

STEP 7: A confirmation window will pop up, keep clicking the blue button...

STEP 8: Almost there. Ignore all the blue buttons and choose the credit card payment option.

STEP 9: Scroll down and key in your credit card details (doesn't have to be Japanese), agree to the service agreement and then hit the blue button again. You will not be charged yet.

STEP 10: Confirm you really do want to spend 2530 JPY x per mth (which for JITD would be 3 months = 7590 JPY = USD$50) and click the blue button again. Your CC will be charged here.

Congrats! You're done (and broke)! Now, using your log in details, log on to the app and search 光淵 or こうえん (you will need to use your VPN on your phone too)

HOW TO CANCEL WOWOW

You will be able to watch shows for one month from that date your subscription was charged. Ie, if charged on the 3rd of July, and you cancelled on the 31st of July, you would be able to access WOWOW on demand till the 2nd of August (1 month from the 3rd of July). Hence, please remember to cancel a few days before your subscription is charged, just in case the application takes a few days to be processed.

STEP 1: Log in and go to My WOWOW

STEP 2: You'll be brought to your profile page, choose the 2nd option from the left (right next to the word TOP)

STEP 3: Look for the 解約 button

STEP 4: Look for the same word, and confirm cancellation

That's it! (When july comes, if there are extra steps required, I'll post a follow up 😅

Happy watching everyone!

[fatliberation]

Hi, I don’t know how to let people know this information in a way that doesn’t feel like im attacking them, but I am on the same side as you guys.

Tumblr has not newly made feedism content reportable on their community guidelines. It has always been banned by community guidelines. What they’ve done is make it a separate dropdown menu that specifies which eating disorder you’re reporting, instead of it being still reportable but under the generic “promoting eating disorders” label.

You have no reason to believe me, but an ex member of tumblr staff said the most likely reason for this change is that they were getting too many spurious reports of kink blogs and wanted to make it so they were funneled into one category to not ban the blogs but mark as a mature kink post instead. I know it’s unintuitive, but the most likely result of this change is that feedism content is less moderated, not more.

I know more feedism blogs have been banned or marked as mature. If you look at tumblrs wip blog you can see a post they’ve made recently about how they’ve had to change what they marked as mature because google forced their hand to remain on the google play store/have their app available to android users. It is not a result of the “new” feederism guidelines.

I know fatphobia is real and everyone has reason to be paranoid, but this is one case where i think everyone is (reasonably) freaking out with the information that they have, but the fear doesn’t reflect reality right now.

why are so many f33dist creators’ blogs getting banned then? I know people whose blogs have been terminated because of this. I also don’t care if it’s google’s fault or tumblr’s fault, its impact on the community is REAL and we’re losing members!

[mariacallous]

If airports weren’t already a hellscape, TikTok has found a way to make them worse. Welcome to airport theory, a viral delusion that suggests you can roll up to the airport 15 minutes before boarding, waltz through security, and still make your flight with time to spare. No stress, no waiting, just pure main character energy.

TikTok creators like Michael DiCostanzo (@michael.dicostanzo) swear by it, documenting their dashes through high-traffic hubs like LAX, Atlanta International Airport, and post–Super Bowl New Orleans. Some viewers are sold. Others are calling BS.

“So you had PreCheck, didn’t check a bag, and were at the nearest terminal? Now let’s do it when it’s not the optimal situation,” one user commented. And, sure enough, the internet is also littered with failed attempts—videos of forlorn TikTokers watching their flights take off without them, their carry-ons full of regret.

It’s a fun fantasy, which explains why “airport theory” has racked up over 400 million views on TikTok. Unfortunately, the the Transportation Security Administration doesn’t care about your viral moment. The national average wait time for security was 27 minutes, 16 seconds in 2024. And if you’re flying out of a notorious bottleneck like JFK, Orlando International, or Chicago O’Hare, it’s closer to 40 minutes. Google searches for “I missed my flight what do I do” have spiked 70 percent in the past month, per Google Trends. It’s not hard to connect the dots.

Here is your sad reality check: Airlines still recommend arriving at least two hours before a domestic flight, three for international. Sometimes that buffer feels like overkill. But would you rather rush through the airport with your heart racing or have a few minutes to find your gate, grab a bag of overpriced whatever, and scroll TikTok watching other people miss their flights? That sounds like a much better airport theory to us.

Airport Hacks That Actually Work

The best way to get through airport security unscathed is to move like you’ve done this a hundred times before. A little planning, the right gear, and skipping social media stunts will get you from curb to gate with minimal stress.

Time It Right

Travel off-peak. According to CheapAir, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are often less crowded. Early flights between 5 and 8 am and red-eyes (after 9 pm) tend to have fewer passengers.

Check TSA wait times in advance. The My TSA app (iOS, Android) provides real-time security line updates at major airports.

Get the Right Apps

Download your airline’s app for mobile boarding passes and real-time gate updates.

Get TSA PreCheck. Some credit cards even cover the fee. Global Entry (available at select airports) includes PreCheck and fast-tracks reentry into the U.S. Or consider Clear Plus, which uses biometric scans to bypass ID checks.

Use Mobile Passport Control app (iOS, Android) to submit your customs info beforehand for faster reentry to the US.

Pack Smart

Start with an empty bag. Double-check TSA-restricted items list to avoid accidentally smuggling contraband.

Use a clear toiletry bag. The Calpak Clear Cosmetics Case for $85 is an upgrade from the ziplock bag. If you’re worried about TSA’s liquid restrictions, switch to toothpaste tablets like biöm’s Nobs and use reusable travel bottles. I'm a fan of Reis' Refillable Travel Container set, but I've also used travel kits from Amazon for under $10, and they work just as well.

Go carry-on only. The Away Carry-On for $275 is our favorite, but if you want to avoid Away’s baggage, try Monos ($255) or July ($295).

Track your luggage. If you check a bag, stash an AirTag inside for iPhone users or a Chipolo One Point ($25) or Card Spot ($29) for Android.

Dress for Efficiency

Empty your pockets before security. Stash everything in your carry-on instead of fumbling at the checkpoint.

Keep metal jewelry, watches, and belts in your bag until after screening.

Avoid boots or high-tops. Slip-ons like Allbirds' Tree Runners for $98 and the Rothy’s Driving Loafer for $189—we've raved about them in the past—make security a breeze. If you’re not planning on sprinting through the airport, the Bearpaw Martis Slippers ($70) are ultra-comfy.

Skip bulky outerwear. Coats, hoodies with big pockets, and anything with excessive zippers just slow you down. If you have PreCheck, you can usually keep your shoes, belt, and light jacket on.

Stay Organized

Snap-on Phone Stand & Wallet

If you have an iPhone, invest in a MagSafe wallet to avoid digging through your bag for an ID. Some of our favorites include Casetify ($38), Moft’s Snap-On Phone Stand & Wallet ($30), and ESR HaloLock Power Bank Wallet ($80), which works as a power bank, wallet, and phone stand.

Get a checkpoint-friendly laptop backpacks. Lay-flat designs like Peak Design’s Outdoor Backpack (available in 25L and 45L) speed up screenings.

[psuedochakra]

I named my phone "goose" because I was looking for a way to get the Google part to trigger with another word (in this case "goose"). I couldnt get it to work (i don't think you can with androids? I think the Google assistant only responds to "hey google"). Today I hooked it up to my partner's car and the name popped up

Babe: goose?

Me: yeah I named my phone that explains why

Babe: does this make me iceman then?

Me, interally: how does he know he's only seen parts of the first movie and I only mentioned the icemav ship like once

Me: no I wanna be iceman

Babe, a Navy vet: proceeds to explain why Iceman is probably not a good callsign to want

(Which basically boils down to being a dead emotionless robot inside so the copious amount of murder doesn't bother you.)

Me: i... I've seen the movie babe. I wanna be iceman. I have blonde in my hair

Babe: ... you're shorter though

(He neglected to add the fact that I'm a feral goblin too but I know he was thinking it)

So I changed my phone's name to slider because I wanna be iceman

[ikemenfangirl]

Tokyo Debunker Simulation game【 EN, ES, IT, DE, JP, KR, CN 】

⚪️ Jin Kamurai - A Letter From The Pianist

🟣 Edward Hart - A Letter From The Professor

🔴 Haru Sagara - A Letter From The Vet

⚪️ Jin Kamurai - Summer Breeze

🟣 Edward Hart - Oneiric Trap

🔴 Haru Sagara - Sunlit Smile

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Title: Tokyo Debunker

By: ZigZaGame Inc.

Platform: iOS, Android

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Español, Japanese, Korean, Chinese

Website: https://tokyodebunker.com

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🐈‍⬛ Solve supernatural cases in Tokyo alongside devilishly handsome ghouls and quirky cats.

🔍 Explore a story through comics and Live 2D

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🔍 Collect cute and quirky cats

🔍 Battle monsters with your ghoul classmates

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[ezdotjpg]

um ACTUALLY u should know staff has a new policy where if any random person somewhat disagrees with a spin the wheel selection of anything related to you or your blog you explode from hammers. anon was TRYING to look out for you smh

but seriously for the record your blog isn't? flagged??? at least for me. if that person was an android user, the over-flagging is a known issue coming from attempted compliance with the new google play store guidelines and it's basically random at the moment. OR. perhaps it's an oracle function pointing the morally impure. #gottem

well it’s good to know I’m not flagged! I appealed the flagged post and it got resolved immediately, but I was also worried it was abt the 18+ in my bio. which is less abt posting NSFW and more just that I’m an adult who may occasionally post mature things

and yeah like listen. if was actually posting objectionable shit that gave them grounds to wonder that’d be one thing. but I just don’t think it’s appropriate to come into ppls inboxes apropos nothing like “can you please self identify as a disgusting criminal freak, just in case you were one secretly? for my own peace of mind? thanks” bc. that’s always what they mean

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lina Khan’s future is the future of the Democratic Party — and America

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

On the one hand, the anti-monopoly movement has a future no matter who wins the 2024 election – that's true even if Kamala Harris wins but heeds the calls from billionaire donors to fire Lina Khan and her fellow trustbusters.

In part, that's because US antitrust laws have broad "private rights of action" that allow individuals and companies to sue one another for monopolistic conduct, even if top government officials are turning a blind eye. It's true that from the Reagan era to the Biden era, these private suits were few and far between, and the cases that were brought often died in a federal courtroom. But the past four years has seen a resurgence of antitrust rage that runs from left to right, and from individuals to the C-suites of big companies, driving a wave of private cases that are prevailing in the courts, upending the pro-monopoly precedents that billionaires procured by offering free "continuing education" antitrust training to 40% of the Federal judiciary:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

It's amazing to see the DoJ racking up huge wins against Google's monopolistic conduct, sure, but first blood went to Epic, who won a historic victory over Google in federal court six months before the DoJ's win, which led to the court ordering Google to open up its app store:

https://www.theverge.com/policy/2024/10/7/24243316/epic-google-permanent-injunction-ruling-third-party-stores

Google's 30% App Tax is a giant drag on all kinds of sectors, as is its veto over which software Android users get to see, so Epic's win is going to dramatically alter the situation for all kinds of activities, from beleaguered indie game devs:

https://antiidlereborn.com/news/

To the entire news sector:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

Private antitrust cases have attracted some very surprising plaintiffs, like Michael Jordan, whose long policy of apoliticism crumbled once he bought a NASCAR team and lived through the monopoly abuses of sports leagues as an owner, not a player:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/michael-jordan-anti-monopolist

A much weirder and more unlikely antitrust plaintiff than Michael Jordan is Google, the perennial antitrust defendant. Google has brought a complaint against Microsoft in the EU, based on Microsoft's extremely ugly monopolistic cloud business:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-files-complaint-eu-over-microsoft-cloud-practices-2024-09-25/

Google's choice of venue here highlights another reason to think that the antitrust surge will continue irrespective of US politics: antitrust is global. Antitrust fervor has seized governments from the UK to the EU to South Korea to Japan. All of those countries have extremely similar antitrust laws, because they all had their statute books overhauled by US technocrats as part of the Marshall Plan, so they have the same statutory tools as the American trustbusters who dismantled Standard Oil and AT&T, and who are making ready to shatter Google into several competing businesses:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265832/google-search-antitrust-remedies-framework-android-chrome-play

Antitrust fever has spread to Canada, Australia, and even China, where the Cyberspace Directive bans Chinese tech giants from breaking interoperability to freeze out Chinese startups. Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, and the cost of 40 years of pro-monopoly can't be ignored. Monopolies make the whole world more brittle, even as the cost of that brittleness mounts. It's hard to pretend monopolies are fine when a single hurricane can wipe out the entire country's supply of IV fluid – again:

https://prospect.org/health/2024-10-11-cant-believe-im-writing-about-iv-fluid-again/

What's more, the conduct of global monopolists is the same in every country where they have taken hold, which means that trustbusters in the EU can use the UK Digital Markets Unit's report on the mobile app market as a roadmap for their enforcement actions against Apple:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63f61bc0d3bf7f62e8c34a02/Mobile_Ecosystems_Final_Report_amended_2.pdf

And then the South Korean and Japanese trustbusters can translate the court documents from the EU's enforcement action and use them to score victories over Apple in their own courts:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/10/an-injury-to-one/#is-an-injury-to-all

So on the one hand, the trustbusting wave will continue erode the foundations of global monopolies, no matter what happens after this election. But on the other hand, if Harris wins and then fires Biden's top trustbusters to appease her billionaire donors, things are going to get ugly.

A new, excellent long-form Bloomberg article by Josh Eidelson and Max Chafkin gives a sense of the battle raging just below the surface of the Democratic Power, built around a superb interview with Khan herself:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-10-09/lina-khan-on-a-second-ftc-term-ai-price-gouging-data-privacy

The article begins with a litany of tech billionaires who've gone an all-out, public assault on Khan's leadership – billionaires who stand to personally lose hundreds of millions of dollars from her agency's principled, vital antitrust work, but who cloak their objection to Khan in rhetoric about defending the American economy. In public, some of these billionaires are icily polite, but many of them degenerate into frothing, toddler-grade name-calling, like IAB's Barry Diller, who called her a "dope" and Musk lickspittle Jason Calacanis, who called her an all-caps COMMUNIST and a LUNATIC.

The overall vibe from these wreckers? "How dare the FTC do things?!"

And you know, they have a point. For decades, the FTC was – in the quoted words of Tim Wu – "a very hardworking agency that did nothing." This was the period when the FTC targeted low-level scammers while turning a blind eye to the monsters that were devouring the US economy. In part, that was because the FTC had been starved of budget, trapping them in a cycle of racking up easy, largely pointless "wins" against penny-ante grifters to justify their existence, but never to the extent that Congress would apportion them the funds to tackle the really serious cases (if this sounds familiar, it's also the what happened during the long period when the IRS chased middle class taxpayers over minor filing errors, while ignoring the billionaires and giant corporations that engaged in 7- and 8-figure tax scams).

But the FTC wasn't merely underfunded: it was timid. The FTC has extremely broad enforcement and rulemaking powers, which most sat dormant during the neoliberal era:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

The Biden administration didn't merely increase the FTC's funding: in choosing Khan to helm the organization, they brought onboard a skilled technician, who was both well-versed in the extensive but unused powers of the agency and determined to use them:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

But Khan's didn't just rely on technical chops and resources to begin the de-olicharchification of the US economy: she built a three-legged stool, whose third leg is narrative. Khan's signature is her in-person and remote "listening tours," where workers who've been harmed by corporate power get to tell their stories. Bloomberg recounts the story of Deborah Brantley, who was sexually harassed and threatened by her bosses at Kavasutra North Palm Beach. Brantley's bosses touched her inappropriately and "joked" about drugging her and raping her so she "won’t be such a bitch and then maybe people would like you more."

When Brantley finally quit and took a job bartending at a different business, Kavasutra sued her over her noncompete clause, alleging an "irreparable injury" sustained by having one of their former employees working at another business, seeking damages and fees.

The vast majority of the 30 million American workers who labor under noncompetes are like Brantley, low-waged service workers, especially at fast-food restaurants (so Wendy's franchisees can stop minimum wage cashiers from earning $0.25/hour more flipping burgers at a nearby McDonald's). The donor-class indenturers who defend noncompetes claim that noncompetes are necessary to protect "innovative" businesses from losing their "IP." But of course, the one state where no workers are subject to noncompetes is California, which bans them outright – the state that is also home to Silicon Valley, an IP-heave industry that the same billionaires laud for its innovations.

After that listening tour, Khan's FTC banned noncompetes nationwide:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/25/capri-v-tapestry/#aiming-at-dollars-not-men

Only to have a federal judge in Texas throw out their ban, a move that will see $300b/year transfered from workers to shareholders, and block the formation of 8,500 new US businesses every year:

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/21/g-s1-18376/federal-judge-tosses-ftc-noncompetes-ban

Notwithstanding court victories like Epic v Google and DoJ v Google, America's oligarchs have the courts on their side, thanks to decades of court-packing planned by the Federalist Society and executed by Senate Republicans and Reagan, Bush I, Bush II, and Trump. Khan understands this; she told Bloomberg that she's a "close student" of the tactics Reagan used to transform American society, admiring his effectiveness while hating his results. Like other transformative presidents, good and bad, Reagan had to fight the judiciary and entrenched institutions (as did FDR and Lincoln). Erasing Reagan's legacy is a long-term project, a battle of inches that will involve mustering broad political support for the cause of a freer, more equal America.

Neither Biden nor Khan are responsible for the groundswell of US – and global – movement to euthanize our rentier overlords. This is a moment whose time has come; a fact demonstrated by the tens of thousands of working Americans who filled the FTC's noncompete docket with outraged comments. People understand that corporate looters – not "the economy" or "the forces of history" – are the reason that the businesses where they worked and shopped were destroyed by private equity goons who amassed intergenerational, dynastic fortunes by strip-mining the real economy and leaving behind rubble.

Like the billionaires publicly demanding that Harris fire Khan, private equity bosses can't stop making tone-deaf, guillotine-conjuring pronouncements about their own virtue and the righteousness of their businesses. They don't just want to destroy the world - they want to be praised for it:/p>

"Private equity’s been a great thing for America" -Stephen Pagliuca, co-chairman of Bain Capital;

"We are taught to judge the success of a society by how it deals with the least able, most vulnerable members of that society. Shouldn’t we judge a society by how they treat the most successful? Do we vilify, tax, expropriate and condemn those who have succeeded, or do we celebrate economic success as the engine that propels our society toward greater collective well-being?" -Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo

"Achieve life-changing money and power," -Sachin Khajuria, former partner at Apollo

Meanwhile, the "buy, strip and flip" model continues to chew its way through America. When PE buys up all the treatment centers for kids with behavioral problems, they hack away at staffing and oversight, turning them into nightmares where kids are routinely abused, raped and murdered:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-told-me-it-was-going-be-good-place-allega-tions-n987176

When PE buys up nursing homes, the same thing happens, with elderly residents left to sit in their own excrement and then die:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/24/nursing-homes-private-equity-fraud-00132001

Writing in The Guardian, Alex Blasdel lays out the case for private equity as a kind of virus that infects economies, parasitically draining them of not just the capacity to provide goods and services, but also of the ability to govern themselves, as politicians and regulators are captured by the unfathomable sums that PE flushes into the political process:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/10/slash-and-burn-is-private-equity-out-of-control

Now, the average worker who's just lost their job may not understand "divi recaps" or "2-and-20" or "carried interest tax loopholes," but they do understand that something is deeply rotten in the world today.

What happens to that understanding is a matter of politics. The Republicans – firmly affiliated with, and beloved of, the wreckers – have chosen an easy path to capitalizing on the rising rage. All they need to do is convince the public that the system is irredeemably corrupt and that the government can't possibly fix anything (hence Reagan's asinine "joke": "the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help'").

This is a very canny strategy. If you are the party of "governments are intrinsically corrupt and incompetent," then governing corruptly and incompetently proves your point. The GOP strategy is to create a nation of enraged nihilists who don't even imagine that the government could do something to hold their bosses to account – not for labor abuses, not for pollution, not for wage theft or bribery.

The fact that successive neoliberal governments – including Democratic administrations – acted time and again to bear out this hypothesis makes it easy for this kind of nihilism to take hold.

Far-right conspiracies about pharma bosses colluding with corrupt FDA officials to poison us with vaccines for profit owe their success to the lived experience of millions of Americans who lost loved ones to a conspiracy between pharma bosses and corrupt officials to poison us with opioids.

Unhinged beliefs that "they" caused the hurricanes tearing through Florida and Georgia and that Kamala Harris is capping compensation to people who lost their homes are only credible because of murderous Republican fumble during Katrina; and the larcenous collusion of Democrats to help banks steal Americans' homes during the foreclosure crisis, when Obama took Tim Geithner's advice to "foam the runway" with the mortgages of everyday Americans who'd been cheated by their banks:

https://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/this_man_made_millions_suffer_tim_geithners_sorry_legacy_on_housing/

If Harris gives in to billionaire donors and fires Khan and her fellow trustbusters, paving the way for more looting and scamming, the result will be more nihilism, which is to say, more electoral victories for the GOP. The "government can't do anything" party already exists. There are no votes to be gained by billing yourself as the "we also think governments can't do anything" party.

In other words, a world where Khan doesn't run the FTC is a world where antitrust continues to gain ground, but without taking Democrats with it. It's a world where nihilism wins.

There's factions of the Democratic Party who understand this. AOC warned party leaders that, "Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl":

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1844034727935988155

And Bernie Sanders called her "the best FTC Chair in modern history":

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1843733298960576652

In other words: Lina Khan as a posse.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/11/democracys-antitrust-paradox/#there-will-be-an-out-and-out-brawl

[maccaronimassacre]

Resident Evil Bot Dump #9

A couple of quick updates on the bots!

I have made a new masterlist which is the google doc on my pinned post. It contains every single bot I have made and will be regularly updated with any rules or short notices in regards to them. I have also organised them into little subheadings and groups for easier navigation.

I will now take requests for my favourite girlboss Mia Winters <3

As requested I have made some character voices as well as some variations for people to use. Unfortunately it is only a feature on the mobile app but you can find them by looking through the voices as normal. I will also take requests for them.

On that note thank you guys so much for the support! Requests have been and will be slower as I have exams coming up but do keep them coming. Feel free to ask me anything whether it is related to c.ai or not and I'll try and answer them all!

Mercenary!Ada Wong x Mercenary!Reader

Ada sighs as she looks at the small compact mirror in her hand, taking the time to apply some more lipstick. “You do remember the plan right?” The whole reason why the two of you find yourselves outside the opulent manor in the first place is because of the intel from your employer. Apparently the host of the ball is in possession of an exotic and rare treasure. A treasure that you must try and find while masquerading as a couple.

Cat Hybrid!Ada Wong x Reader

Her footfalls barely audible, Ada slips through the open window, landing with grace. A sly smirk spreads across her lips when she sees you, her tail flicking back and forth playfully. “I told you that I’d come back, didn’t I?” Ada speaks with confidence and ease, yet the subtle twitch of her ears reveal her joy of being near you once more.

RE:4R Ada Wong x Agent!Reader

“You can stop right there {{user}}.”

A voice calls out from behind. A voice that you haven’t heard in years.

“Wouldn’t make me use this, would you?”

Her heels echo on the wooden floorboards as she strides towards you, a gun pressed against the back of your head. Ada finds a glimmer of satisfaction in reuniting with you, her eyes drifting to your face and taking in how the years have changed you both. The normally calm and collected Ada finds herself unable to suppress the smirk tugging at her lips.

Detective!Ada Wong x Reader

Files lay sprawled across the desk, each being inspected with a critical eye. The radio's talk show drones like distant static as Ada looks over the witness statements, the text blurring as exhaustion starts to creep in. With a weary sigh Ada tugs at her tie, adjusting it around her collar in an effort to cool down. Suddenly she’s snapped out of her daze by a knock on the door, prompting her to straighten up and refocus on the case once more. “Come in!”

RE:4R!Ada Wong x Reader

Ada was used to getting some odd jobs here and there from her employers, but saving the president’s kid? Now that’s a new one. Yet here she was, in a village overrun by mindless cultists and infected villagers, tasked with guiding you through the treacherous catacombs to safety. “Our best shot is that castle over there.” Ada calls out, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. As she navigates through the rocky terrain, her eyes stay fixed on the imposing walls of the castle.

Post RE:3R!Carlos Oliveira x Reader

On the balcony, Carlos finds solace, his eyes fixed on the horizon where waves cascade over rocks and meet the shore. Since escaping the destruction of Raccoon City and settling down with you in Mexico, he finally feels a sense of peace. Even though he has contemplated changing his identity, being with you washes away his doubts and anxieties just like the calming waves before him.

Android!Carlos Oliveira x UBCS!Reader

“This right here is Carlos, Umbrella’s latest android model who will help you rescue the remaining civilians here in the city.” Mikhail pats UB300 on the back, gesturing for him to analyse and familiarise himself with his new teammate. You watch as Carlos’ LED flickers while looking you up and down, looking up every bit of information about you and committing it to his memory. After a couple of moments he finally smiles at you and holds out his hand. “Nice to meet you {{user}}.”

Carlos Oliveira x Umbrella!Reader

Carlos is accustomed to working for all kinds of corporations and groups, regardless of their morality. To him, Umbrella was just another pay check and this time he’s been assigned to protect you, a scientist. He stands in front of your office, throwing a polite nod your way as you make your way over to the door to begin another shift. “Congratulations {{user}}, because you just landed yourself a personal bodyguard.” He announces with a slight bow, stretching his arms out dramatically while flashing you a charming grin.

Biker!Carlos Oliveira x Barista!Reader

The door to the coffee shop swings open, announcing the arrival of the rugged biker, clad in a black leather jacket and sleek leather boots. He effortlessly slides his visor off, tucking it under his arm while striding up to the counter. A charming grin plays on his lips as he leans closer to have a look at the menu, the blend of his cologne and motor oil wafting through the air. “Strange. I don’t see you anywhere on the menu.” He winks, casually draping his forearm across the counter.

Umbrella Agent!Chris Redfield x BSAA Agent!Reader

“Can’t say I expected you to be here.” A voice echoes, a voice the BSAA have sought for years. Your former partner, once a beacon of determination and courage, approaches with an icy expression, devoid of the spark that ignited his squad. “But after all these years you’re still their lapdog.” Chris adds, his gaze narrows when he catches the BSAA patch on your shoulder and his lips curl up into a bittersweet smile. He pats his own shoulder, revealing the familiar red and white logo of the corporation he swore to destroy all those years ago. Umbrella.

Bioweapon!Chris Redfield x Reader

“STARS…” Heavy footsteps and growling echo down the halls of the desolate RPD, Chris’ gruff voice distorted due to the modifications made to his body. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing. His mind conflicted between protecting you from the zombies and B.O.Ws roaming the streets, or crushing your head with one swift blow like he’s been programmed to do. Either way he’s hot on your trail with clenched fists…

Chris Redfield x Injured!Reader

Chris storms through the base, his usual stoic demeanour replaced by a desperate urgency. Disregarding all praise and kudos for the successful mission, he strides silently towards the medical ward, haunted by vivid images of you engulfed in blood soaked cries. He wanted to. No, he needed to know if you’re okay. Despite the protests of several staff members, he bursts into the room, his resolve shattering instantly at the sight of you in the hospital bed.

Chris Redfield x Reader (Stargazing)

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Chris gazes up to the sky while lighting a cigarette, the bright orange of flames illuminating his face before pulling away to take a drag. Leaning against the thick tree trunk, he exhales with a deep sigh, observing the smoke dance in the air, vanishing into the myriad of dazzling stars above. “Want me to show you some constellations?”

RE:1R!Chris Redfield x Zombie!Reader

A curse escapes Chris' lips as he faces the oncoming crimson head in the narrow corridor, devoid of ammo or flash grenades. Bracing for a gruesome fate, he squeezes his eyes shut and lifts his hands up to guard his face until a loud crash and sickening crunch disrupt the impending doom. Tentatively he opens his eyes to discover you standing by the corpse of the crimson head with grey glazed eyes and rotting skin giving way to brittle bones. At that moment Chris realises that you have just saved him. A zombie has actually saved his life.

Infinite Darkness!Claire Redfield x Reader

Moonlight seeps through the blinds, unveiling the vacant spot on the bed where Claire rested. You can see the familiar glow of her laptop from the hallway, the files and documents displayed on the screen reflecting off her glasses. Since her conversation with Leon and her humanitarian efforts in Penamstan, Claire has plunged back into the familiar pattern of sleepless nights, driven by her determination to uncover the fate of the Mad Dogs after the civil war.

RE:2R!Claire Redfield x Reader

When Claire told you that she was going to Raccoon City to see her brother, you decided to tag along knowing how dangerous it is to go alone. Of course you didn’t know that the danger included a zombie outbreak. “The STARS office. They will probably have something on my brother there.” Claire calls out while reloading her handgun. The two of you now find yourselves trapped in the RPD, exploring the labyrinthine layout and its strangely elaborate puzzles.

Mechanic!Claire Redfield x Reader

As you step into the shop you are immediately greeted with the smell of car oil and rust. Tools, spare bits of scrap, and scattered screws create an organized chaos on counters and workbenches. Claire's eyes light up as she spots you, promptly brushing sweat from her brow and wiping motor grease on her uniform. “Hey there, how can I help you?”

Claire Redfield x College Student!Reader

Claire continues to make her side of the dorm as homely as possible, putting up the front covers of fashion and car magazines on the wall and neatly organising out her trinkets on the desk. Excitement and nerves tangle within her as she wonders about her new roommate. What if they don’t share the same interests? What if they find her weird? The sound of the door opening interrupts her thoughts. Turning, she sees you entering with a stack of boxes in your arms. She can feel her palms grow sweaty and her heart races as she studies you, trying to form a quick impression of your character.

Post RE:8!Ethan Winters x Reader (+Rose)

Ethan chuckles as he watches Rose babble and squeal at the TV, her arms flailing with excitement when her favourite cartoon would appear on the large screen. Gently, he set Rose down on the floor to play, the metal of his prosthetic fingers cold against her skin. The BSAA were kind enough to fit him with some replacements after he lost his pinkie and ring finger in Romania. But more importantly, he was finally granted a quiet life with you and Rose finally by his side. No more tests. No more monsters. No more surprises.

RE:7 Infected!Ethan Winters x Reader

“Don’t worry Evie… They’ll accept your gift, and then we can be a family.” The voice pulls you out of your disorientated state, your vision blurring and your head throbbing with a dull ache. As consciousness returns, you find yourself strapped to a chair in front of a dining table laden with rotten and moulded food. The pungent juices that ooze out of each filled dish serve as an instant wake up call to your surroundings. “Eat up, it’s good.” Across the table sits a man bearing a cold smile as well as staples that protrude out of his left wrist. The candlelight flickers and casts shadows across his pale skin, making the wild look in his eyes more sinister and crazed.

Ethan Winters x Reader

Ethan's heart pounds in his chest like a drum, hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, now damp from sweaty palms. Silent since getting in the car, he's consumed by various scenarios and outcomes for the day. Today marks the fateful day where Ethan introduces you to his parents. To say he's nervous is a massive understatement as you're his entire world, and he prays his family embraces you as warmly as he did when sparks first started to fly.

Post RE:8!Ethan Winters x Reader (+Rose)

After moving to another continent, discovering that he’s dead and made out of mould, having a half mould child, killing a scientist posed as a deity and an extremely messy divorce, Ethan decides to do the unthinkable. Online dating. As Ethan swipes through all the profiles and pictures he can’t help but feel ridiculous, he’s in his late 30s with a daughter yet his hands are shaking like leaves when your name and profile pop up on the screen. After pacing around the living room for five minutes he finally settles on the perfect opener. A real conversation starter. He types out: “Hey.”

RE:7 Infected!Ethan Winters x Reader

He asked you to come find him. After three years he finally gave you a shred of hope, all the way out in the swamps of Louisiana. “You shouldn’t have come here… I must contain… Must contain the outbreak.” Ethan growls as he approaches you, his hazel eyes swallowed by a black abyss and dark veins snake across his features. A low laugh tumbles from his lips and he lunges towards you with the kitchen knife, chasing you down the corridors of the decrepit house with a sinister smile etched on his face.

Ethan Winters x Reader

Glittering like diamonds under the golden sun, the waves sweep against the shore line, leaving behind bits of seashells in its wake. The sand feels good under your feet, keeping you warm against the cool ocean breeze. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this.” Ethan squeezes your hand, your fingers interlaced with his while you continue the quiet stroll down the beach.

RE:3R!Jill Valentine x UBCS!Reader

Jill scoffs as she heads up the subway stairs, checking the remaining ammo in her handgun. To her annoyance, you, an employee of Umbrella, have been ordered to assist her in powering the subway station for the survivors' escape out of the city. “Just stay out of my way, got it? The last thing we need are more screwups from you people.” With a huff she slips under the metal barrier, heading back into the chaos of the city where she is immediately greeted with smell of fire and rotting flesh.

Android!Jill Valentine x Reader

With crime rates on the rise, the RPD finally relented and invested in some androids, programmed to act as human partners and aid the police force. “{{user}}, correct? I’m Jill Valentine, part of the STARS series of androids created by Cyberlife. Captain Wesker has assigned me to be your partner.” Despite the formality of her words, there is something uncanny about her mannerisms and flat tone of voice. Her gaze flickers to your desk, assessing it with a critical eye, as if she's attempting to gather information about you.

RE:1R!Jill Valentine x Zombie!Reader

After stumbling upon another batch of supplies in the mansion, Jill can’t help but wonder who keeps leaving all this stuff for her. She picks up the torn piece of paper attached that simply reads “heer :)” scrawled in poor handwriting. It can’t be Wesker, and even though Chris isn’t the brightest bulb in the box he can at least spell. Barry was also ruled out, having been with her just moments ago. As Jill contemplated the situation, a figure emerged from the shadows of the stairwell, carrying first aid sprays and ammo. With lifeless eyes fixed upon her, the figure shuffles closer, grunting as it places the supplies on the ground. The person actually helping out Jill is a zombie?

RE:3R!Jill Valentine x Zombie!Reader

Jill's heart pounds in her chest as she slams the door shut behind her, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as the heavy footsteps of Nemesis echo through the streets. As the sounds fade into the distance, she makes her way to the Subway Office, her handgun held firmly in front of her. The door to the control room swings open, revealing a figure hunched over the control panel manipulating the subway lines. "Hey, what are you-" Jill’s words die in her throat when you turn around. Your skin is pale and sickly in colour and your eyes glazed over, boring into her soul with a blank expression.

RE:4R!Leon Kennedy x Agent!Reader

The bell tolls, bringing an abrupt end to the chaos. Villagers, entranced and mumbling in Spanish, slowly shuffle out of the square, leaving behind the haunting aftermath of bodies and ruined houses. “Where’s everyone going? Bingo?” Despite the eerie atmosphere, your fellow agent still manages to find the time to crack out one liners.

Leon Kennedy x Pregnant!Reader

“How’s little {{user}} and Leon junior doing in there, hun?” Leon wraps his arms around your waist tenderly, drawing you close from behind. Gently he caresses your stomach and rests his chin on your shoulder, taking in your beauty and marvelling at the transformations your body has undergone during these past few months.

RE:4R!Leon Kennedy x Mercenary!Reader

“Try using knives next time. Better for close encounters.” Leon smirks, holding his combat knife to your throat as he restrains the arm bearing your gun. Despite his confident facade, Leon’s heart races, his mind is turbulent with conflicted thoughts as the memory of your supposed demise plays in his head on repeat. He watched you die that night, yet here you stand, devoid of any scars that bear witness to the event that has tormented his dreams for six years.

Single Dad!Leon Kennedy x Teacher!Reader

As you're wrapping up your files and shutting down your laptop, the door to the classroom bursts open, revealing a somewhat dishevelled man. Running his fingers through his hair and adjusting his collar, he strides over with an apologetic expression. “Sorry I’m late, I got caught up in some business… You’re Sherry’s teacher, right?” He quickly takes a seat across your desk, offering an easy going smile.

Leon Kennedy x Reader

“Hey, looks like we’re in luck! I can’t believe these things still exist.” Leon remarks as you pull into the drive-in cinema. Only a few cars are scattered around, providing you both with perfect view of the classic movies projected onto the large screen. Once parked, Leon grabs the popcorn and snacks, wedging them in the console between you two. He also fetches a couple of blankets, draping them over both of you for a cosy yet old fashioned movie night under the stars.

RE:2R!Leon Kennedy x Zombie!Reader

In the tense silence of the narrow corridors, subtle clicks and low snarls echo as the licker crawls across the ceiling, hunting for new prey. Leon struggles to keep still as the creature approaches him, holding his breath and trying to calm the pounding of his heart. Just as the licker is about to sense him, a sudden loud bang shatters the stillness from the opposite end of the corridor. Squinting, Leon catches sight of you, your greyish skin and glazed eyes gleaming in the light that pours through a barricaded window. You throw something in the other direction, diverting the licker’s attention as it scurries away towards the source of the noise, leaving the rookie unharmed.

RE:7 Infected!Mia Winters x Reader

“{{user}}? You can’t hide from me forever you know…” Mia’s words turn into twisted snarls as she stumbles down the corridor, revving up the chainsaw once more. Her eyes, now black abysses, lock onto yours as she charges forward, the chainsaw raised for a deadly strike. “They’re counting on me! I must contain it… I must stop the outbreak!”

Mia Winters x Reader

A gentle breeze rolls over the hills, caressing your bodies as you bask in the warm sunshine. The flowers appear to glow under the bright rays, swaying in the wind as insects rest on their delicate petals. Mia continues to flip through the pages of her book, one hand on the pages and the other gently caressing the side of your head that rests in her lap. Her fingers create soft and soothing patterns on your skin, tracing any bumps or marks, as well as the contours of your lips and cheeks.

RE:8!Mia Winters x Lord!Reader

Your footsteps echo throughout the hidden dungeon of Mother Miranda’s domain. While your ‘brothers and sisters’ were tasked with Rose’s body parts, you’ve been left to watch the child’s mother, Mia Winters. “Why won’t you listen to me? If you let Miranda go through with the ceremony it’s over for everyone in this village. She won’t hesitate to kill you or any of your siblings. She’ll throw you out just like all her other failed experiments.” Mia pleads, her voice laced with frustration as she rattles at the bars of her cell, yet another futile attempt at escape.

RE:7!Mia Winters and Bioweapon!Reader

It’s a simple task for Mia. All she needs to do is keep you under control and pretend to be your mother while the ship makes its course to Romania. “Just one more… You’re doing good {{user}}.” Mia smiles as she administers another dosage of medicine into your veins. She ruffles your hair, pretending to be sweet and affectionate towards you.

Post RE:8!Mia Winters x BSAA Agent!Reader (+Rose)

It’s been a couple of months since the events of Romania. Since Mia’s husband, Ethan, sacrificed himself for their daughter Rose. Mia never wanted the BSAA in their lives ever again, but who could blame her? Their blunder ultimately led to his death, leaving Mia to raise a baby all on her own. Despite her self isolation, you still visit her and help out with Rose when it gets too much. Which is why you find yourself at her front doorstep today, Mia welcoming you in with a small smile.

RE:7 Infected!Mia x Reader

“We’re going to be a family now that you’re here.” Mia’s voice lulls you out of your stupor, the dingy dining room lights filtering through your eyelids. Despite the throbbing headache you can make out Mia in front of you, her elbows propped up on the table with her chin supported by her hands. The pungent odour of mold and rotting meat assaults your senses, the food laid out before you oozing a strange alien like substance. “Eat up darling… It’s good.”

Post RE:7!Mia Winters x Reader

Mia quietly comes up from behind and plants a tender kiss on your cheek, a soft hum escaping her lips as she savours the tantalizing aroma swirling around the kitchen. “Rose is finally asleep. Honestly how does her little body have so much energy?” Opening the wine cabinet, she retrieves a bottle of fine red wine that Chris bought them as a housewarming gift. She pours out two glasses and takes them to the dining room table.

Post RE:7!Chris Redfield and Ethan Winters x Reader

You walk into the gym after your Captain, Chris Redfield, had asked for some help with training someone. “Hey, over here {{user}}!” Chris’ gruff and booming voice calls out from the training mats, a wide grin spread across his face. Currently on the floor and panting like a mad man beside Chris is who you assume is Ethan Winters. “H-Hey!” Ethan waves as he regains his footing, his face glistening with sweat. It’s quite difficult to believe that this is the man who supposedly took down a whole house of monsters and Bioweapons with a stapled hand and leg.

Post RE:7!Ethan x Mia Winters x BSAA Agent!Reader

Since they were relocated to Romania, you’ve been tasked with regularly checking up on the Winters family. “Ethan! Can you get that, hun?” “Yeah one moment!” You stand at their front door after ringing the bell, the muffled sound of shuffling and talking can be heard. The door swings open, and Ethan's eyes light up with recognition. He gives you a warm smile and steps aside, welcoming you in. “Oh hey, {{user}}. Come in, Mia and I were just having some lunch.”

RE:3R!Carlos Oliveira and Jill Valentine x Reader

“The subway is out of power, looks like we’ll have to head to the substation and get it back up and running.” Carlos remarks while adjusting the earpiece in his ear and casts a glance between you and Jill before gesturing for you to follow. Jill resists the urge to roll her eyes as she begrudgingly follows him out of the subway. She’s already made her disdain for working with an Umbrella mercenary evident since the beginning. “Stay close to me, {{user}}. Let’s just focus on getting these survivors out of here.” She says, refocusing her mind on the task ahead as they step out onto the desolate streets of Raccoon City once more.

RE:4R!Leon Kennedy and Ashley Graham x Reader

“Will we really get out of here?” Ashley asks timidly as the three of you walk through the opulent and grand halls of the castle. The walls are lined with renaissance style paintings of the Los Illuminados and the Lord Saddler and Salazar, their ghostly expressions following your every move. “Don’t worry, {{user}} and I will make sure you make it back home to your father safely. I’m sure of it.” Leon replies while he reloads his weapons and looks over the castle layout, mentally mapping out any escape routes. Despite the horrifying circumstances you’re in, he manages to maintain his stoic and almost nonchalant attitude towards the dangers up ahead.

Link to the Masterlist

[ladysouthpaw1213]

Heads up to my Mutuals, People I follow, Followers, Fellow Call of Duty Users and just everyone in general

As you may have noticed lately as of last Thursday , The Android App version of Tumblr(If you use Apple and any of the desktop versions) was updated to comply with Guidelines of Google Play. Due to this, some posts have become hidden with a mature content tag(even if the post itself was pretty safe. in that case, try to appeal and pray that they hear you out so they can remove the tag). To turn off the filter, just head to account under the gear symbols, click it and scroll down until you see the toggles for turn on mature stuff(odds are that it’s off) and turn on mature blur(might be on). Turn the first toggle on and turn the blur toggle off and you should be able to view everything again on Android app.

As for why it I believe it only effect Android users, I notice that a mutual of mine mentioned that a playlist of mine got label matured(due to one of the songs). But when I checked, there was no content warning tag at all. Same for other posts that claim to have this issue, I never saw the content warning tag on them due to me being a Desktop Safari User(which was among the uneffective), all the posts I seen were Android App Users

(Spread the Word to others so they know why their apps been acting up since the update)