#Web Filtering solutions

[oepionie]

— "HE'S THE OTHER MAN!" . the corpse groom

SYNOPSIS: A ghost groom has claimed MC as his unwilling bride. Unfortunately for him, she's already got a lover

⊹ [ c.w ] — violence, possessive behavior, malleus blows a fucking green laser down ramshackle, mentions of blood, yuu is poor but we alrdy knew that, papa crewel crumbs

⊹ [ w.c ] — 1.6k opening post with malleus! if this gets enough attention, I might do more :P

"You what?" Crewel seethed, eyes wide as an unsettling smile stretched across the red of his cheeks.

"Repeat that."

"I…I accidentally released that ghost from the spellbook," Grim sobbed, his glossy eyes reflecting both fear and guilt as he looked up at the imposing figure of the professor. "And he's taken my henchhuman as his bride!"

Oh, Great Sevens. Not again.

Crewel groaned, his hands reaching up to frantically rub at his burning eyes. The flickering candlelight cast erratic shadows across his face.

"Please, do tell. How in Wonderland did someone with your lackluster skills manage to—" The professor was abruptly cut off by a loud, almost obnoxious cry that echoed from the doorway. Turning sharply, Crewel saw Crowley hunched against the entrance frame, hysterically sobbing into his palms. Fat tears dripped beneath his ornate mask, glistening in the low light. "They grow up so fast! My dear child is already getting married!"

Crewel's eye twitched as he took in the scene: Grim shaking like a leaf, and Crowley, dramatically weeping, pathetically looking to him for a solution.

"Fools," Crewel snarled, striding out of the room as he fished his phone from his coat pocket. "If you two won't be of use, then I'll have to enlist the help of those mutts instead."

The day had started like any other in Ramshackle, but you certainly didn't expect it to end with a wedding. Surrounded by the ghostly residents of the dorm, you stood dressed in all white, a bouquet clutched in your hand. Curling in yourself, you sighed and rested your head in your hands, avoiding everyone's gazes which felt like icy needles on your skin.

Ramshackle's old lounge, with its worn-out floorboards and faded wallpaper, was the chosen venue for your ceremony. Whispers rustled through the gathering, carried on a faint breeze that stirred the dust motes in the dim light. Somewhere in the background, the somber notes of an organ piano echoed. You didn't even know you had a piano…

"Dear?"

Jumping with a shriek, you whipped your head around. A ghostly visage, bathed in a deathly pale blue glow, hovered inches from your face, an unnaturally wide grin stretched across their blue lips. Bony fingers gently traced up your cheeks, sending tingles down your spine.

With sunken eyes and high, sharp cheekbones, Elizan—a "visiting" friend of one of Ramshackle's ghosts—was truly a sight to behold. His complexion had a pallor that matched the moonlight filtering through the decrepit windows of the form. Wisps of long, flowing indigo hair framed his face, swept back as if caught in a breeze that only he could feel.

"You look wonderful," he cooed, pressing a featherlight kiss to your forehead, leaving your cheeks burning.

"Ah. Thank you," you stammered, averting your gaze and gently pulling away. You could hardly focus on the words being spoken to you, your mind spinning with the surrealness of it all.

"You look... Good as well," you forced out with a cough, tugging at your hair nervously. "But... Listen... I—"

Before you could finish, the door to the entrance slammed open, nearly breaking off the hinges with a sound that could wake the dead, sending cracks spider-webbing through the already dilapidated walls.

On the inside, you screamed louder than the hinges.

You had painstakingly patched up the door after Grim's recent screw-up—a feat that had tested your patience and carpentry skills to their limit. Unless you wanted to survive on a diet of stale canned food and cafeteria leftovers for another year, you couldn't afford any more repairs.

While you were busy mourning the loss of having decent meals, heaving and leaning against the door for support, your friends called out your name in a panic, their bleary and furious gazes zeroing in on your figure. Clad in white, you stood there, the perfect picture of a pretty blushing bride.

The uninvited guests didn't go unnoticed by your "groom," and in seconds, you were pulled into a suffocating grip. Elizan's usually serene demeanor shattered like fragile glass. His deathly pale features contorted into a snarl, veins pulsing ominously beneath translucent skin. His typically gentle eyes blazed with an unsettling fire, icy whites now narrowed and piercing.

"Mutt!" Crewel seethed, his foot slamming into the floor and shattering the newly installed tiles. Your soul nearly left your body as you screamed inside again. There go a thousand thaumarks…

"What in the Sevens is this!?" Crewel shrieked, running a gloved hand through his tousled hair. With sharp movements, he pointed a finger at Elizan. "I'll have you know I can have you arrested for trespassing, unlawful detention, and violating the sanctity of this academy!"

"How... How dare you? Barging into this sacred ceremony—Who even are you?!" Elizan snapped back, his arms coiling tightly around your torso. The crowd erupted in a haze of shouts and muddled answers. Unable to understand anything, Elizan's intense gaze shifted and bore into yours, demanding answers. You gulped nervously, suddenly feeling small and vulnerable in his grasp.

"Who is he?! Who are they?!" he barked like a dog, flashing his sharp fangs at you.

"Uh… That's my professor—uh, Crewel," you stammered, your voice barely audible over the pounding of your heart. "And those are… They're my… friends?" Your gaze flickered to the group of men who had entered, their expressions ranging from confusion to anger.

Elizan's wide eyes now filled with shock, white orbs glossed over with luminescent blue tears. He pushed you away as if you had burnt him, recoiling from your touch as though it pained him physically.

"You know other men?!" the ghost cried out, his hands clenching into fists, his midnight blue hair cascading wildly around his face like a tempestuous sea. The tortured cries of the groom echoed through the room, sending a shiver down your spine as you awkwardly shifted on your feet, feeling like a character caught in an soap drama.

"…Yes?" you replied, unsure.

"How could you do this to me?!" He sobbed, a dark shadow covering his face. "Running off on an affair the DAY of our marriage?!"

"Well, that's a rather dramatic accusation—" you started, but Elizan shook his head in anguish.

"Answer me! Do you have another man?!" His voice shook the room, and you took a few cautious steps back.

"Elizan, please," you uttered gently, your eyes darting nervously toward one of the men in the room.

Your lover didn't meet your gaze; instead, his eyes were locked onto the ghost, a storm of emotions brewing beneath his features. As you jumped down from the makeshift podium, you shot an apologetic frown at the ghost, hoping to diffuse the escalating situation. "Don't you understand? You're the other man."

"No! You're married to me!" Elizan shrieked, lunging forward in a frenzy, his nails clawing at the air as if trying to grasp something intangible. "Whoever he is—He's the other man!"

MALLEUS DRACONIA

"Whoever he is—He's the other man!"

Lilia raised an eyebrow with a chuckle, his form reclined against a fogged-up window of the room. The weather was gloomy and stormy, the skies tinted green outside, casting an eerie glow over the scene. The window pane, streaked with raindrops and mist, blurred the view of the turbulent skies beyond. Lilia hummed a tune under his breath, a calm figure amidst the brewing storm.

With a sidelong glance, his eyes locked onto Malleus, whose entire figure shook with a barely contained wrath that threatened to engulf the very air around him. The young prince's chest heaved in violent, choked breaths as smoke wisped from his mouth and nose—tendrils of flames flickering amidst the swirling dust and ash.

A deafening crack tore through the air as a vivid surge of green emerald lightning erupted from the heavens, descending upon the roof of the venue with explosive force. The blast of energy painted the sky with a blinding flash of green as it crashed into the building, sending broken glass and wood raining down upon the venue.

Cursing, Elizan moved you both aside, a large chunk of debris hurtling past, narrowly missing your startled form. As more debris crashed down, he shielded you with an outstretched arm, a shimmering barrier briefly forming to deflect a particularly large piece of wood.

"Spectral pest," Malleus seethed, his eyes aglow with an eerie green hue as his nails elongated into sharp claws. With a click of his tongue, he raised his hands, summoning thorns that spiraled towards Elizan, ensnaring the ghost in their sharp embrace. Simultaneously, from the floorboards below, vines emerged like serpents, their tendrils gently but firmly pulling you away from Elizan's protective embrace and guiding you into the safety of Malleus's arms.

"How—?! Ngh!" Elizan writhed against the thorny vines. The prickly tendrils twisted around him like serpents, their sharp points digging into his ghostly flesh.

Malleus paid no mind to the struggling spirit, keeping his gaze fixed on you as he checked for any signs of harm. His expression softened with relief upon finding you unscathed, albeit a bit dusty.

"Beloved," he murmured, his voice a soothing balm amidst the lingering chaos. His gloved hand moved delicately, sweeping away the clinging dust from your shoulders and arms. Pressing a tender kiss to your forehead, his lips lingered there briefly, conveying a warmth that contrasted starkly with the raw power he had displayed moments ago.

"Are you alright?"

Blinking up at him with wide eyes and frazzled hair shooting up in every direction, you nodded dumbly. Turning away from him, you nearly gasped aloud to see the room in shambles, debris scattered everywhere, and the eerie green glow of energy still lingering in the air. The ghostly residents were in a state of panic, their translucent forms flickering as they moved frantically.

"My dorm," you whimpered, your mind racing as you calculated the cost of the damage.

With a chuckle, Malleus adjusted his grip on you, his muscles flexing as he gently set you down. Your legs felt shaky as you tried to steady yourself.

"I will handle the cost of repair, my dearest," Malleus assured you, bending down to your height, his voice dropping to a whisper. Green eyes bore into yours, strands of his midnight hair falling over his face. "You will not need to worry about such things once we are formally betrothed."

You froze, your face suddenly warming and burning.

"What?!"

Malleus reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers lingering against your cheek, claws dragging across your supple cheeks. "Yes, my dear," he murmured, chest rumbling as his lips curved into a sharp smile. "You heard me correctly."

"I… I don't know what to say," you whispered, feeling dizzy with emotion.

"Will you consider it?" he asked softly, a faint hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Please?"

Caught in the depth of his gaze, you felt your resolve melting away. "I-I guess?" you breathed, your voice trembling. "I'll… consider it."

A smug smile spread across his face, and he tenderly pressed his lips against yours. "That's all I ask, my dearest."

After ensuring you were alright one last time, Malleus redirected his focus to Elizan. With a flick of his wrist, the thorns under his control tightened around the ghost. Elizan shrieked and thrashed about, his translucent form writhing in pain as the thorns dug deeper.

"Do try to exercise some restraint, my boy," Lilia drawled, tapping his sharp fingers idly against his crossed arms. "We do not want Ramshackle to be bathed in blood. It would be very unsanitary."

not too sure if i am continuing but feel free to suggest some peepl bookies

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Reptilia - Gaviiformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of birds are the Gaviiformes, called “loons” in North America and “divers” in the UK. While Gaviiformes were prehistorically once more diverse, today only one family, Gaviidae, and one genus, Gavia, remains.

Loons are the size of large ducks or small geese, with similarly webbed feet. They are fully aquatic, with legs set far on the back of their bodies making walking on land difficult. Only the Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) (image 2) can take off from land; all other species require large bodies of water to take off for their long migration flights. But all loons are excellent swimmers, and can hold their breath for as long as 90 seconds underwater. As their British name would suggest, they hunt fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and other aquatic animals by diving and swimming under the water. They have a spear-shaped bill, which is both used for catching prey and defending against predators and rivals. Loons live on inland freshwater lakes for the majority of the year, but migrate to coastlines in the Winter months. They are well-adapted to the change in salinity due to specialized salt glands located directly above their eyes. These glands filter out salts in their blood and flush this salty solution out through their nasal passages, allowing them to consume ocean fish and drink saltwater. Loons are native only to the Northern Hemisphere.

Loons nest during the summer on freshwater lakes and/or large ponds. The male will choose a nest site and the pair will build their nest close to the water, preferring sites that are completely surrounded by water, such as islands. They use a variety of materials to build their nests, including aquatic vegetation, pine needles, leaves, grass, moss, and mud. Most clutches consist of two eggs, which both parents will incubate. Loon chicks are precocial, able to swim and dive right away, but will often ride on their parents' back during their first two weeks. They are fed mainly by their parents for about six weeks but gradually begin to feed themselves over time. Loons form longterm pair bonds, but a typical adult loon is likely to have several mates during its lifetime because of territorial takeover. Each breeding pair must frequently defend its territory against "floaters" (territory-less adults) trying to evict at least one owner and seize the breeding site. Territories that have produced chicks in the past year are especially prone to takeovers, as chicks indicate high-quality territories. One-third of all territorial evictions among males result in the death of the owner, but female loons usually survive. The Red-throated Loon, however, may nest colonially, with several pairs living close together, though there may still be agonistic behavior between pairs.

Gaviiformes originated in the Early Eocene, with the oldest known stem-gaviiform being Nasidytes of England, dating to around 55 million years ago. The living genus Gavia originated in Europe during the Paleogene, with the earliest known species, Gavia egeriana, found in early Miocene deposits in the Czech Republic.

Propaganda under the cut:

Loons go through a simultaneous wing moult, losing all their flight feathers at once and becoming flightless for a period of three to four weeks.

The Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) (image 2) is the most basal, the smallest, and the most widespread of all the loons, and can be found in much of the Northern Hemisphere.

As recently as the 1800s, the behaviour of the Red-throated Loon was used to predict the weather. According to the conventional wisdom of the time, loons flying inland or giving short cries predicted good weather, while those flying out to sea or giving long, wailing cries predicted rain. Meanwhile, the people of the Faroe Islands believed that if the Red-throated Loon meowed like a cat, then rain was imminent, while a call of “gaa-gaa-gaa” or “turkatrae-turkatrae” predicted fine weather. In the Orkney and Shetland islands of Scotland, the species is still known as the "rain goose".

Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica) (image 4) are known to be highly aggressive during breeding season, attacking other loons, aquatic predators, and even airplanes that pass too close to their nest. If the threat is another animal on the water, the attacking loon will extend its head and neck in an aggressive manner and dive under the threat in an attempt to stab it with its beak as it resurfaces.

The Common Loon (Gavia immer) (gif above) has a distinctive wailing call that is often used in movies to evoke the wilderness, though sometimes it is used quite out of place in jungles and deserts.

The voice and appearance of the Common Loon has made it prominent in several Native American tales. These include an Ojibwe story of a loon that created the world, and a Mi'kmaq saga describing Kwee-moo, the loon who was a special messenger of Glooscap, the tribal hero. The tale of the loon's necklace was handed down in many versions among Pacific Coast peoples. The Delaware in the east of North America and the Buryats of Siberia also had creation stories involving the loon. The Red-throated Loon similarly factors into the creation stories of indigenous groups throughout the Holarctic. According to the myths, the loon was asked by a great shaman to fetch earth from the bottom of the sea. That earth was then used to build the world's dry land.

The Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) (image 3) is the largest living species of loon, with a length of 76 - 97 cm (2.5 - 3.2 ft), a wingspan of 135 - 160 cm (4.4 - 5.2 ft), and a weight ranging from 4 - 6.4 kg (8.8 - 14.1 lb).

Loons can live as long as 30 years.

Loons swallow their prey whole, and ingest small pebbles to help break down hard food parts. Unfortunately, they may also inadvertently ingest small bits of lead, left behind by anglers (line sinkers) and hunters (lead shot). These small pieces of lead will cause lead poisoning and lead to the loon’s eventual death. Some areas have banned the use of lead sinkers and lead shot, but in most places there is significant pushback from anglers and hunters who want to continue to do things “the way it’s always been done.” The best way to combat the issue of lead poisoning of wildlife is education. Spread the word to anyone who may use lead bullets or fishing tackle, and make the switch to steel, tungsten, bismuth, or brass.

[thedensworld]

Guilty Flower | C.Sc

Pairing: Seungcheol x Reader

Genre: angst, fluff, slow burn

Summary: Seungcheol accepted his mother offer to meet you, his potential future wife said his mother, without knowing what kind of person you are.

Seungcheol, a man of countless responsibilities, found himself entangled in a web of anticipation. With a laundry list of 99 tasks to tackle, the last thing he desired was to be kept waiting. Almost half an hour had slipped away, and there was no sign of you. No message from his diligent secretary, Chan, indicating a cancellation. An internal sigh escaped him, a realization dawning that perhaps he was being overly considerate to a stranger.

His mother, insistent as ever, had urged him to meet you—Moon Y/n, a woman she'd encountered in a cooking class unbeknownst to Seungcheol. Information trickled in about your professional life, as a member of the Moon clan overseeing a significant conglomerate, Nova AutoWorks, headed by none other than your brother, Moon Junhui. The context lent some leniency to your tardiness.

With reluctance, Seungcheol reached for his phone, dialing Chan's number. He notified him of his imminent departure, resigning himself to the fact that dinner would remain elusive. Tonight's mood was effectively soured, all thanks to you.

Not one to retreat immediately, he sought refuge in his office, determined to chip away at the looming workload. Chan's competence was evident, yet Seungcheol couldn't resist the urge to scrutinize every detail before the dawn of the next day.

Morning light filtered into his office, accompanied by the fragrance of fresh blooms. Chan entered, bearing a bountiful bucket of flowers. Seungcheol rose from his chair, fingers tracing the sender's name on the accompanying note—Moon Y/n. An apologetic message nestled within, explaining your absence.

Seungcheol's brows knitted in contemplation. Was it common for a man to receive such a gesture? His mother's adoration for you, forged in the fires of their shared culinary pursuits, would surely wilt upon learning of last night's disappointment.

Chan, sensing the internal conflict, began to offer a solution. "If you'd prefer, I can get rid of these," he suggested, but Seungcheol intercepted the offer with a raised hand, his thoughts tangled in uncertainty. It seemed wasteful to discard such a gift, yet he was decidedly unversed in the language of flowers.

With a tentative query, he asked Chan if he possessed any proficiency in tending to such flora. Chan's surprise was palpable. "You'd like me to arrange them in a vase?" he confirmed.

Seungcheol inclined his head, the question resolved. "Is that the protocol for these... specimens?" he inquired, met with an affirming nod from Chan.

"Yes, sir. We'll supply them with water and ensure it's changed regularly. Any withering leaves, we remove; it prolongs their bloom," Chan elucidated, his tone adopting an air of expertise.

Seungcheol absorbed the guidance, a silent signal to his capable secretary to undertake the task. "And," he added before Chan could retreat with the bouquet, "once you've tended to them, kindly place them upon my desk."

Chan nodded crisply. "Of course, sir. It won't take more than five minutes." The words lingered in Seungcheol's mind, leaving him to ponder the unexpected role of a flower in his evening.

*

As you step out of the car, the clatter of your discarded helmet and gloves punctuates your frustration. The manufacturing manager, Kim Mingyu, approaches swiftly, sensing the gravity of the situation. Your face bears the weight of your anger, but you temper it with a cold composure as you lock eyes with him.

"You know exactly what needs to be said," you remark, your voice steady, arms crossed in stern resolve. The anniversary event looms, a mere two months away, yet the persistent recurrence of errors threatens to jeopardize its success.

Mingyu's gaze remains lowered, an acknowledgment of his accountability. He mumbles a conciliatory admission, his eyes shifting to the car that, in your estimation, still falls short of the masterpiece it should be.

Another sigh escapes your lips, laden with the weight of responsibility. "And what of our previous manufacturing vendor?" you press, seeking alternatives. Mingyu shakes his head, delivering the sobering news that even the best option has been snatched up by Hyundai, leaving PrecisionTech struggling to accommodate your intricate design.

Silent curses swirl in your mind for your brother's penchant for complexity and your ensuing burden. Not only must you ensure the flawless completion of this project, but you're also tasked with surpassing last year's anniversary event.

Your thoughts shift to the impending meeting with the vendor handling the anniversary launch, a critical milestone for both the car and your family's legacy.

"Innomatic, from the Seventeen Series," you suggest, memories of past successes with the company resurfacing. "Can we collaborate with them again?"

Mingyu's response brings a flicker of hope. "I believe so. Although, I'm not sure if Seungcheol is still overseeing it. He's now the COO."

Your brows arch inquisitively. "Choi Seungcheol?"

Mingyu nods, providing the confirmation that Choi Seungcheol holds a pivotal role at InnoCorp. He elaborates on the potential benefits of rekindling the partnership with Innomatic, drawing on their previous triumphs with the Seventeen Series.

Without further ado, you stride away, leaving Mingyu to ponder your sudden departure. Pulling out your phone, you dial your trusted assistant, Seo Myungho, whose loyalty has been unwavering for half a decade.

"I need you to cover for me," you implore, the urgency evident in your tone.

A scoff precedes Myungho's response. "I do it every day."

Your request takes an unexpected turn, one that elicits laughter from Myungho, followed by a barely stifled chuckle. "You claimed zero interest just last night."

A sigh escapes you, your fingers threading through your hair. "I know, and I am. But circumstances have shifted. I'll explain later. Just send him something... an email, an invitation to brunch, a thoughtful souvenir, or perhaps our exclusive repairment voucher. Please, please, please!"

You can almost hear the mischievous grin in Myungho's voice as he agrees, reveling in your unusual request, "it's refreshing to hear you begging like this, Y/n. Alrighty, I'll handle this easy-peasy task."

*

Seungcheol gestured towards the plush couch in his office, inviting you to take a seat. After a week of correspondence through emails, you finally found yourself face to face with Choi Seungcheol—the man who had been your beacon of hope. He was also the one you had inadvertently stood up on a date.

Politely declining the offer of a drink from his secretary, you turned to face Seungcheol, who occupied a chair arranged for him.

"I've reviewed your proposal to collaborate with Innomatic, but I believe a more in-depth discussion is in order, given our previous decision to decline Hyundai's offer. We need to ensure our alignment in the automotive industry, Ms. Moon," Seungcheol stated, his gaze steady and intent.

You reached for another file you had brought along, presenting the sales report and insights from the previous Nova-Innomatic venture. "Indeed, Mr. Choi. Based on this sales report and our collaboration history, I believe it's advantageous to build upon the strong foundation we've established."

Seungcheol perused the report before placing it on the table, leaning back and fixing his gaze on you. "I wouldn't characterize our relationship as 'good terms,' Ms. Moon."

The mention of the Nova Seventeen Series gave you pause. Suddenly, it dawned on you what he was alluding to. You promptly bowed, apologizing for the date you had flaked on.

"I'm sincerely sorry about that," you admitted, acknowledging your lapse in etiquette.

Seungcheol's response was a measured nod. "I waited for... nearly an hour. A significant stretch of time, particularly for individuals with demanding schedules, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Moon? Nonetheless, I appreciated the gesture the following morning."

You nodded, inwardly grateful that you had delegated the situation to Myungho. "Thank you. It was a memento from our previous collaboration—"

"I've taken to adorning my office with flowers. They're both aesthetically pleasing and calming," he interjected, motioning to a vase of blooms on the nearby table. Your curiosity piqued. What variety of flowers were they?

"I'm sorry?" you mumbled, slightly taken aback.

Seungcheol acknowledged your confusion with a nod. "You sent me flowers the next day. It was... the first time I'd received such a gift," he admitted, his tone tinged with a hint of reticence.

Your own words tumbled out in response, "I sent you flowers? Yes, I did. I'm glad they found favor with you," you replied, offering a sincere smile.

A smile you replicated every time you contemplated seeking retribution against Seo Myungho.

*

Seungcheol sat in an odd calmness amidst the lively banter of his friends. His fingers absently twirled the whiskey in his glass, his thoughts far from the story Jeonghan was sharing. It was Jisoo's sharp slap on his arm and ensuing laughter that snapped him back to reality, a stark contrast to Seungcheol's own demeanor.

Jeonghan's playful annoyance flared up. "I just told a hilarious tale about Soonyoung. How did you not crack a smile, Seungcheol?"

Seungcheol blinked, downing the contents of his glass in one swift motion. "I'm sorry, my mind's preoccupied at the moment," he admitted, setting the glass down.

Jisoo's smirk danced across his face. "I'd wager it's not work-related," he quipped, piquing Jeonghan's curiosity. "Work never troubles Choi Seungcheol. My dad even calls him the 'Jesus of InnoCorp.'"

The comparison made Seungcheol cringe. "What on earth does that mean?"

Jeonghan scoffed. "It means you're the savior of InnoCorp. You could be my Jesus too, Seungcheol."

"Does that imply Seungcheol has to make a sacrificial offering for you?" Jisoo chimed in, earning a casual shrug from Jeonghan.

"He saved me from a call to my dad's worker, if you must know," Jeonghan clarified, alluding to Seungcheol's initial role in the family business before his venture into the entertainment industry.

"So," Jeonghan clapped his hands to recapture their focus, "is this about the woman your mom set you up with?"

"She stood you up, didn't she?" Jisoo interjected. Seungcheol's brows furrowed, while Jeonghan gasped in astonishment.

"How did you know?" Seungcheol inquired, surprised at how swiftly the news had circulated within their circle.

Meanwhile, Jeonghan's irritation flared. He was entirely in the dark about the specifics of this supposed meeting. "Hold on a minute!"

"I heard it from Chan when I called him a few days back," Jisoo clarified, recounting the tale of Seungcheol's foiled date from a week prior, as if Seungcheol were a spectator to his own story.

"Moon Y/n, President Moon's daughter? The businesswoman? I can't fathom how President Moon managed to pass on his business acumen to all his children, while my father bequeathed me nothing but a stubborn streak," Jeonghan remarked, shaking his head in mild exasperation.

Jisoo chuckled. "Dokyeom is her friend, and he's spoken highly of her since their college days. She's our junior, Seungcheol," he revealed, prompting a raised brow from Seungcheol.

"She is?" Seungcheol queried, the revelation sinking in.

His lips pressed into a thin line as a flurry of questions about you crowded his mind:

1. What compelled his mother to be so insistent on introducing you?

2. Why did you stand him up on their date, only to send flowers the next day?

3. Why did the mere thought of you leave him feeling oddly fluttery?

4. Could this all be part of a strategic move, considering your interest in Innomatic?

"Out with it, Choi Seungcheol! Not everyone's a mind-reader," Jisoo chided, delivering a playful slap on his arm, a gesture he'd made more than once that evening—surely a sign of his inebriation.

Jeonghan, ever the perceptive one, added, "I can read about 50% of it, though. And right now, it's likely about Y/n."

Seungcheol chuckled, waving off Jeonghan's words. "Quiet, you two. I was merely contemplating something..."

"What if..." he began hesitantly, "someone were to send you flowers?" Seungcheol asked, addressing his two friends with a touch of uncertainty.

"Condolence flowers?" Jisoo's response made it clear he was thoroughly inebriated. Meanwhile, Jeonghan gasped dramatically, chanting, "She sent you flowers?!"

"Dude, she's a keeper. She's got you... She's definitely got you!" Jeonghan laughed, clearly unable to believe the turn of events.

Seungcheol regarded him with a bemused expression. "I'm not that easily swayed. I was just curious, is it commonplace for a woman to send flowers to a man? If so, then it was likely just her way of apologizing." Seungcheol explained slowly, but Jeonghan dismissed his words.

"But she's already won you over. I can tell, 100%. The moment you see her again, you'll be smitten. Trust me!"

*

Jeonghan's prediction had turned into an undeniable truth. Seungcheol's mother called him suddenly, requesting his presence to pick her up from her cooking class. Her request, however, entailed much more than a simple ride home; it involved a tasting session of the dishes she'd prepared, introductions to fellow classmates, and then their departure together. So, Seungcheol arrived promptly at the designated course building.

Upon his arrival, he discovered a scene of communal celebration, each student proudly presenting their meticulously prepared traditional Korean meals to their special guests. Standing by his mother's side, Seungcheol couldn't help but wonder if being here was indeed a wise decision.

Before the instructor could commence the class, a familiar figure entered the room. It was you, donning a striking white Etsy dress that complemented your complexion, exuding a unique blend of elegance and the commanding aura of a career-driven woman.

Did he just find you beautiful? No, it was more accurate to say he appreciated the beauty of your dress. Yes, that was it.

"Did you meet her on the date I arranged?" his mother discreetly inquired, to which Seungcheol simply nodded, now understanding her motive for summoning him here.

You swiftly made your way to the counter, offering an apology for your tardiness. As the class began, Seungcheol found himself stealing glances in your direction every few minutes, silently pondering why you had come alone.

"Will someone be picking you up later, Ms. Moon?" the instructor's voice carried clearly to Seungcheol's ears.

"I doubt it. My family members are quite busy," you replied with a light chuckle.

As his mother was called to present her creation, Seungcheol stood alone behind the counter, your eyes never once meeting his. It was as though you two had never crossed paths before, never shaken hands in agreement for the collaboration between your respective companies.

The instructor turned their attention to you. "Who have you brought with you today, Ms. Moon?"

You heard your answer, your gaze fixed on your dish, the instructor, anywhere but Seungcheol. Like the meeting and collaboration between the two of you had never happened.

Seungcheol's mother began to speak, "I brought my one and only son today. He used to complain that I never cooked for him when he was a child. That's why I worked hard to learn cooking, so I can prepare everything he wants now that I'm older."

Seungcheol couldn't help but steal another glance at you. He saw the gentle smile you directed at his mother. Unconsciously, he found himself mirroring your expression, a smile etched across his face until it was your turn to present your creation.

"You didn't bring anyone today, Ms. Moon. But could you share with us what inspired you to join our class? It's not often we have a young lady like yourself join us."

explained.

Seungcheol's gaze remained fixed on you, his ears attuned to every word that left your lips, your voice soft-spoken and gentle, a facet of your personality he'd noticed from the very first encounter.

"I've always loved home-cooked meals since I was a child. They remind me of the memories I shared with my grandmother. Sadly, no one in my family knows how to cook now. So, I thought it would be a good idea to learn to cook for myself," you explained.

Perhaps Seungcheol didn't understand how it all began. He might not have realized that his feelings for you had taken root from a simple flower you had sent him out of guilt. However, in that moment, he knew that his feelings for you had no intentions of finding an end.

*

Wednesday, July 26th

Seo Myungho: Chan, I don't think my boss will ever budge from her desk. She's knee-deep in wrapping up the end-of-month report!

Lee Chan: No way! My boss is already on his way :(

Seo Myungho: I just don't get why she agreed to the date in the first place if she wasn't interested! She clearly has a soft spot for your boss's mom, but not for your boss.

Lee Chan: But I swear, my boss is genuinely kind. He even told me to go home instead of waiting for him:(

Seo Myungho: Chan, that's just basic courtesy. Making sure you get home on time is what he should do.

Lee Chan: But he also surprised me with my favorite coffee and cookies this morning. He's seriously the sweetest boss ever.

Seo Myungho: Well, good for you. I can't relate at all -_-

Lee Chan: Anyway, my boss just arrived.

Lee Chan: Yo!

Lee Chan: Hyung, really :(

Thursday, July 27th

Seo Myungho: Chan! My phone died yesterday and I forgot to let you know. Turns out, my boss couldn't make it because she had a sudden bout of constipation!

Lee Chan: You're such a pain, hyung. It's all good though, I handled everything.

Seo Myungho: What do you mean?

Lee Chan: I'll fill you in later... Lunch at Kimbab Heaven?

Seo Myungho: Deal!

[mana-sputachu]

Artshield

I was going to flop in bed and try to draw from there, but the sudden swarm of AI shit on another of my accounts fueled me with spite, so I'm writing this post NOW rather than tomorrow when I'll be more awake.

If you can't run Glaze/Nightshade because of the insane specs required for it, give a try to Artshield.

It's a web-based app that will let you load all the pics you want and protect them with a big, invisible watermark all over it. It also has a checker option to use after you've shielded your art, to be sure it worked.

Now, I'm terrible with math so I can't explain how it exactly work, but here's the explanation on their blog. If someone who's more math-savvy than me wants to add a simpler explanation to this post, please do!

While it can't poison AIs like Nightshade does, it's still a good solution if you can't run Glaze/Nightshade on your pc... like many of us, really. As I wrote on another post about Glaze, I have a pretty decent gaming pc that, while not being like high-end or anything (my GPU is a RTX 3060), suits my needs perfectly and runs all the games I'm interested in (Tekken 8's demo being the most recent thing).

Yet, in order to try Nightshade, I had to close all the apps I had running in the background, which were, in that moment, Opera and Discord. Only when I shut them down, it finally started. 10 minutes for the mid setting and the result was awful.

I tried WebGlaze (not Cara yet), and the results were also awful, given you can't control the strenght of the glazing much.

I understand it might be hard to develop this kind of technology, but I wish they would meet us halfway since the majority of people use old machines, laptops (a friend of mine tried running Glaze on hers and the fans started spinning like it was ready to fly) or even just tablets and phones, so those specs are hard to meet.

That's why I want to share Artshield, as a solution for those of you who can't run Glaze and Nightshade.

Artshield's only big limitation is that it won't work with white backgrounds, so try to add a color layer to your white background before shielding it. Same for B/W images.

Other tips I can suggest for trying to protect your works:

Post at the lowest resolution you can: I go for 72 DPI, keeping bigger sizes and high quality files only for Ko-Fi rewards and clients' files

Add a noise filter: I always do this because I like the paper-like, grainy feel it gives to my art, but I read once it might messes with AI's scrapers. While I don't know if this is still true, it's worth trying it

Don't forget a big visible watermark (aside from the Artshield one)!

Hope this will help other strugglin artists, I never see Artshield suggested around, especially in posts about Glaze and Nightshade, so I decided to write this one.

Go and shield your art!

[shmowder]

Begging you to please do something with a Sherlock reader x daniil if you ever feel like doing more for that!! Because that sounds tasty!!

Starts as a rivalry, what kind of academic would Dankovsky be if he doesn't instantly gauge the qualifications of everyone he meets and compare them against his own standings. You don't need to be an academic overachiever; Holmes wasn't.

But you can't hide genius for long, your wit has a way of showing itself sooner rather than later. A little too-informed of a medical comment slipping past your lips here, a too crisp of a foreign word pronunciation there, arriving at the gates of logic faster than Daniil has time to blink at the first sign of a conundrum facing your way.

He's... intimidated, feigning skepticism to hide his true emotions. This random person in this backwaters town couldn't possibly be his equal... could you?

Well, Daniil's not wrong. You're not his equal.

You're so much more than that. Leagues above him, to be exact.

He tests you, subtly. Baits more knowledge out of you with trailing off comments and open-ended sentences that might resemble a question if you squint. Lowering the filter he deliberately uses whenever speaking to the commonfolks, much like a city lowers its gates. Going into the nity-grity of technical terms and medical phrases.

Speaking to you with the indifference of a colleague in his field. The training wheels are off, no more watered-down latin and simplified terminology. It's a challenge, a rawr. Meant to intimidate the ignorant and beckon the knowing.

You survive the tiral by fire, much to his displeasure. You're not a doctor, not even in the medical field, least of all a graduate from a prestigious academy. He checked behind your back, double-checked, hell triple checked.

A chemist student, that was your highest credential.

You're polite, exceptionally well-mannered, albeit with bursts of unexpected bluntness. You do tend to corner people in lies, make them trip over their own words, when you deem them a suspect in a crime of some form, no matter how trivial.

It was impossible for him not to like you, a person right after his own heart. Daniil was so slow to trust you, but when he did, he fell hard.

Suddenly, he's making trips to and from your place of residence, running his every discovery and paper under your watchful gaze.

You never antagonise or belittle him for not knowing. In fact, you're always so eager to help. Welcoming his little "puzzles" is what you tend to call them. Daniil, let's it slide. Sure, his lifework is a mere puzzle to you. That's at least one step above the heresy and pseudoscience accusations usually thrown at him.

Your input is invaluable, not because you reinvent the wheel or unearth a solution from underground. No, it's priceless because of how obvious the answer was in hindsight. Once you point out what needs to be done or what the logical next course of actions should be, it becomes so apparent that Daniil can't believe he ever missed it to begin with.

Your methods are reasonable and sound, exercising critical thinking. You're not a magician. You don't wave around a wand or credit debatable extraterrestrial sources. You explain your line of thought to him whenever he asks, and he can't help but be impressed each and every time at how using simple differental methods and basic deduction skills untangled this web-like mess he found himself in.

Now he's hyperaware of how he's presenting himself to you, of the stray hairs stubbornly refusing to cooperate atop his head, of that mispronounced latin word he rushed out, of the messy handwriting on the letter he sent you.

Cursing his past self for starting off on the wrong foot, for looking a gift horse in the mouth. He should've been celebrating when he found a single reasonable individual in this town instead of grilling you with passive-aggressive intellectual tests.

Bless your benevolent mind, for you don't seem to hold his past hostility against him. It was entertaining for you, a nice brain exercise, you were growing bored in this sleepy town.

You even admit to finding it a little endearing, a little... cute.

Him, being called "cute" The Bachelor wouldn't have let this slide if it came from anyone else's mouth, but because it was you, Daniil didn't find himself minding.

Against his better judgement, he beamed a little inside at your praise. Cute, smart, whatever. He tried not to let it show just how being in your good graces lifted his spirits up.

Soon enough, the two of you grew inseparable at the hip. You letting your curiosity lead you into the next adventure, Daniil hurrying after you because he's aware of how much of a danger-magnet you tend to be—like really, how could a single person get shot so many times? Clever as you are, he could never understand how you thought it's a sensible idea to confront wrong-doers at the scene of the crime, red handed, without any reinforcement, and expect criminals to peacefully surrender when faced with your foolproof logic.

Other times, it's Daniil dragging you from place to place. Energised steps and a never-stopping chatter as he inquires about your input on every little thing. Boasting about his discoveries, looking from the corner of his eyes to make sure you're watching when he performs his doctorly duties.

Anyone who sees him interact with you can easily tell how star-struck Daniil is at your presence, how he holds himself a little higher, and his back straighter. Eyes shining as he soaks in your every word, treasuring every little nugget of wisdom.

For someone who finds himself at a total disinterest with 99% of the people he meets on the daily, who always has acquaintances but never friends, who's in the medical field for the science solely, it's nothing short of a miracle that Daniil found someone he genuinely likes.

He can confidently claim that you are the closest thing to perfection a human could ever aspire to.

Until, one seemingly uneventful afternoon, a gap in your knowledge was abruptly uncovered in the most unexpected way.

And the culprit responsible?

A quote

A simple stupid philosophy quote he recited out of habit, answering one of Eva's daily musings.

Sprawled on the couch like a cosy cat, voicing her wanderings out loud. Times were simpler before, she explained as she recalls her years of childhood fondly.

"I believe Thomas Carlyle said it best," Daniil answered, sitting on the far desk as usual, adjusting the microscope's wheels as he exaimed the same samples Rubin sent, "the past is always attractive because it is drained of fear."

The melodic sound of the violin in the background came to a halt, a faded note that lost itself between the strings. You turned away from the window you were facing, looking at the two of them.

"Who?" You inquired in the naivest way, making him pause.

"I'm sorry? who is... what?" Daniil replied.

"That Thomas fellow you just quoted, who is he?"

Are you messing with him? You had to be.

The chair creeked as Daniil shot up, turning towards you with a concerned gaze. Comedy was never one of your strong fortes, but even you surely understand how juvenile of a joke it is to pretend not to know the leading philosopher and writer of the victorian era.

"What has he done exactly?" You added as the silence stretched awkwardly. Your eyes held nothing but sincerity, authenticity dripped from your very being.

Remarkable, truly, remarkable.

In an instant, Daniil was at your side, almost cornering you against the wall as he coaxed the violin out of your arms.

Testing you on literature, philosophy, astronomy, and politics. Every common piece of knowledge he could recall.

He couldn't believe what's happening.

Nill, your information on all the topics listed above is absolutely zero. You were completely oblivious and ignorant to even the most basic of high-school level knowledge.

His surprise reached a climax, however, when he found that you're ignorant of the Copernican Theory and the Solar System composition.

The fact that any civilized human being in this century isn't aware that the earth travelled around the sun, appeared to him nothing short of extraordinary, he could barely actualise it.

“You appear to be astonished,” you said, smiling at his dumbfounded expression. “Now that I do know it, I shall do my best to forget it.”

“To forget it...?" Daniil's voice came in a desperate whisper.

“You see,” you explain, “I consider a man’s brain like a little empty attic, one to stock with furniture of your choosing. Only a fool takes in all the lumber of every sort he may come across, rendering it clogged, crowding out all the knowledge of true use to him. Or, at best, it gets entangled and jumbled with different threads."

Your hand rests against his chest, palm flat against his hammering heart.

"So that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it." You continued, "Now, the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the best tools that may help him in doing his work, but of these, he has a large assortment and all in the most perfect order. It's a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it. There comes a time when, for every addition of knowledge, you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."

“But the Solar System—” Danill protested.

“What the deuce is it to me?” You interrupted impatiently: “you say that we go around the sun—If we went around the moon, it would still not make a penny worth of difference to me or to my work.”

With a simple push of your palm, you coaxed him back into his chair, to which Daniil immediately surrendered. Picking up the antique violin, you resume where you left off.

The sound of Eva's giggling at this interaction came soon after, as the familiar music of your instrument echoed through the Stillwaters.

[jazzically]

I FINISHED. OH MY GOD I FINISHED IT

i dont have to filter #the magnus archives anymore EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

GUYS THAT WAS. SO AMAZING. I DONT EVEN HAVE WORDS

massive spoilers for the end of season 5 follow

during the annabelle confrontation i was thinking like no way... this is a little too far-fetched even for me, no way they are doing this, no way is a solution getting handed to them. and then in 199 they voiced all my thoughts about ew no this is unethical and jon don't you dare sacrifice yourself and tf are we gonna do/do we even have the right to make this decision!!!!! plot-wise i really liked that conversation (besides the fighting which was sad); i was kinda worried they would just go with it and that was how the story was gonna end but i didnt want to say anything in case i was wrong and LO AND BEHOLD YIPPEE!!!!!! alex and jonny im so sorry how could i ever have doubted you

i mean it sort of did turn out like that in a way??? but somehow better and more beautiful than i realized?? DUDE THAT WAS SO SAD I WAS LIKE WAIT NO WTF ARE THEY OKAY????? ARE THEY OKAY????????? guess ill have to wait until i reach the qna ☹️ BUT SERIOUSLY!!!! SCREAMING KICKING MY FEET BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS WHAT THE FLIP I LOVE THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES!!!!!!!!!! im not okay that ending broke me i HAVW TO KNOW also side note i <3 jon's Web lighter i just knew ....... something about how they kept randomly mentioning it.. fun little detail. does anyone recall when it first appears?

i have like so many thoughts about it but i dont know how to think them

sigh there's nothing else to do with my life now.......EXCEPT RELISTEN 100 TIMES AND CONSUME FANART!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

anyway bye i'm gonna disappear into tma fan content forever and ever (after i finish most of the bonus content and doodle my imagination a bit) but be warned there might be a flash flood on my blog soon

bonus screenshots from my drafts that are no longer applicable

[kris-tyne]

Chromebook Tech Literacy Masterpost

I've seen a lot of posts about the systemic death of tech literacy in schools with the advent of ChromeOS, and instead of responding to them one by one, I want to create a masterpost to destroy the system. First: FUCK CIPA. The Children's Internet Protection Act is a United States FCC act that standardizes internet safety across the country. Public schools are not required to comply with this act, but they will lose discounts offered for the E-rate program. In short, if you don't want to put up web filters, then you don't get government grants for technology and Internet. Fuck that. Many of these workarounds bank on my personal experiences, so some solutions may not work with your web filters, but they definitely are a step in the right direction. For talking with friends: chat rooms are your friend. Many chat rooms for professional use act just like Discord, and many are just a single text channel. Several I've used include: Google Messages, Rumbletalk, Slack, Element, ClickUp, Pumble, and... in a pinch, Google Docs can give you a shared document that's practically impossible to block. For watching videos: some chat rooms, especially Rumbletalk, allow you to directly embed a YouTube video. This is rare, however, so we found some workarounds. Canva has a video search and embed function that allows you to play YouTube videos straight from the editing page of their slideshows. For anime, a website that I don't think is maintained as well but should still work is AnimeTribes. It is a .ru site but it is perfectly safe, as long as you don't click on ads. I've never seen it redirect you otherwise, and the owner used to be commonly found on the chat page. Another piracy site is 9Anime, which doesn't work on Chromebooks but is an infinitely better source in general. A non-anime video piracy site is Arc018, which is my favorite. It does redirect you decently commonly, but just take care to avoid those redirects and follow piracy suggestions that I will lay out further down. For adblocking: the easiest method is to use uBlock Origin. Though, with all the stuff that Google has been doing, I'm not entirely sure if it works anymore. I gave up on Chrome the second I could get away from it and I suggest you all do the same. For playing games: so. I'm a nerd. I play Pokemon games. SO if you do too you're in luck. The only thing I could come up with was to download GPemu, a ChromeOS based emulator. Unfortunately it's pretty bad, but apparently there's an alternative called EmulatorJS. I never used it myself, but if someone wants to try it and let me know how it goes, that would be appreciated. HOWEVER, none of these work without the games to play them with. I'm going to detail piracy safety later, but for now: Vimm's Lair recently got axed by Nintendo's DMCA, but some ROMs may still be available. Another source (which is admittedly undergoing some major changes) is The Internet Archive. I haven't done a lot of searching on the Archive, and I don't know if it works on Chromebooks, but try it and let me know :).

Circumventing the web filter: While those solutions work for specific things you can do online, these present a general solution, capable of multitasking and providing you much more extended freedom. The first is CroxyProxy, a completely free proxy service that can be added through the Chrome Web Store. If the Web Store is blocked, it can be accessed via the direct website or through specific IP addresses. These change frequently, and I’m absolutely positive the ones that I have access to are blocked or simply go nowhere useful. The other option, assuming you have a home computer connected to the Internet at all times, is Chrome Remote Desktop. It will work as long as both computers are signed in to one shared Google account and both are connected to the Internet.

But Ty... none of this works for me: Oh boy. I guess it's time for my trump card. The pinnacle of my Chromebook workaround career has culminated in this. The ultimate destruction of ChromeOS, all without jailbreaking the computer and getting in a LOT of trouble (don't do that please). My magnum opus came from my blossoming understanding of emulation and, specifically, Windows images. During my senior year, I successfully used a trusted and necessary source (unblockable) to emulate a Windows computer entirely through a single Chrome tab. This source… Microsoft Azure. This cloud computing service allows the creation of a remote desktop that will save data when offline. The biggest hurdle with Azure is that… it costs money. However, when I did it, I got 200 hours of emulation FREE, and I would highly recommend you find the same deal, if it still works. Things to note: you can make multiple accounts, but you will need to also have separate payment cards, as multiple accounts with the same card will flag and not be usable. The frame rate is decently shit, and there is no physical graphics card, so the vast majority of games will not run. I mostly used it for Discord. However, feel free to experiment and make it your own. Use this knowledge wisely, and run free, my friends. Fuck CIPA, and fuck ChromeOS!

Please feel free to reblog or comment with more suggestions, because I would love to add them!

[mandokero-eboy]

GET RID OF AI NONSENSE FROM YOUR GOOGLE RESULTS

Like you, I used udm=14 for a bit to get rid of the AI generated shit in google. Sadly it doesn't get rid of shitty search results. It also breaks other parts of google like image search, so it's not a very good solution.

BEHOLD!!!

A filter list for uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist that blocks out google search results for a lot of websites known to post generative AI content The only way we stop this shit now is if we find automated ways to deny them traffic, so you should share this.

If you find any AI shit that isn't on this list you should contribute to it as well

While you're at it, install adNauseam. It's uBlockOrigin but it silently tells the website that you're clicking on every ad while it blocks it. Of course this gives money to the website with the ads but what's important is

a) it wastes money from the ads provider b) doesn't allow them to profile u based on ads you click

Personally can't wait till you tell all your friends about this AI filtering tool and in order to use it your friends also have to download the ad blocking tool that makes Google actively waste money. Google is going to love that.

While we're at it

This is another list that blocks a bunch of spam websites that do very aggressive SEO

And this other uBlacklist filter for various kinds of miscellaneous spam

I can't stress enough, the only thing that's convincing tech companies to back down from this shit is if having AI automatically gets them less engagement and it gets everyone to start installing adblockers and other shit that hurts their core business model.

Oh and while I still have you here, delete Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Should've done that before but especially now.

[prep4tomoro]

Survival Uses of Chewing Gum:

Go into any grocery store, gas station, convenience store and you’re going to find packs and packs of chewing gum. What used to be considered a candy, has now become a health food (of sorts) as gum makers have moved to create gum that’s healthy for your teeth, won’t cause health issues and may be made to address a specific benefit like staying awake (caffeinated). While chewing gum isn’t on the same level as a water filter or a camping stove, you’ll find that keeping some of this stored in your survival kit or bug out bag is a worthwhile addition. How can Chewing Gum Help You Survive?

Scientifically proven to alleviate anxiety and stress, lowering Cortisol.

Fights fatigue and improve mental alertness.

Enhances working memory and brain performance.

Improves concentration.

Boosts morale and energy.

Aids digestion by increasing the salivary flow.

Quenches thirst and prevents "dry mouth" by stimulating saliva.

Suppresses an appetite to lose weight or when eating is not convenient.

A sticky substance to bind things together and fill gaps.

Fishing lure.

Fishing bobber/float (Survivorman, Georgia Swamp, S1E4).

Bartering tool.

Promotes oral health by breaking down food particles brushing can't reach

Prevents watering eyes while slicing onions.

A fine addition as composting material.

Freshens Breath.

Combats acid reflux, nausea and dizziness.

Curbs addictions (like smoking and eating)

Start a Fire with Foil Gum Wrapper and Battery

Removes "Earworms" (a song or thought stuck in your head).

Chewing Gum Removal: During a visit from a very prankish young friend of mine, I fed him lunch on an unfinished wooden tray so he could eat while watching TV. He was chewing gum before I fed him and he removed the gum from his mouth and placed it on the edge of the glass plate of food. I thought that was very responsible of him. After he was finished eating, he placed the tray and plate on my kitchen counter. When he left my house, I began cleaning up after him and when I "tried" to move the tray, it was stuck to my kitchen counter with the wad of gum he had, formerly, placed on the plate. Fortunately, the gum was easy to remove from the kitchen counter but not the wooden tray. From previous chewing gum encounters, I knew that freezing gum helps remove it so I put the tray into my freezer for about an hour and was able to remove most of the giant wad but not all; a thin layer remained. So I went on the web to search for removal solutions. My solution was to use several strips of Duct Tape (sticky side), rubbed over the gum residue, to pull up much of it then Acetone to remove the rest. There is a chewing gum ban at my house for this young man.

Related Resources: Chewing Gum Facts What to Know About Chewing Gum Health Benefits of Chewing Gum Recycle Gum into Other Useful Products Discover Chewing Gum’s Crazy Survival Uses

[11-Cs Basic Emergency Kit] [14-Point Emergency Preps Checklist] [Immediate Steps to Take When Disaster Strikes] [Learn to be More Self-Sufficient] [The Ultimate Preparation] [P4T Main Menu]

This blog is partially funded by Affiliate Program Links and Private Donations. Thank you for your support.

[soleilceirinen]

MITO (DPR Ian x Reader) - Part 1

Summary: Ian crossed the threshold that separated our world from the other side and let the blueberry monster in. You are the only person he trusts to help him stop it. What you don't know is that in addition to the monster, he brought Mito with him.

Warnings: suicide attempt and a bit of violence (against the monster mostly).

Note: this story is inspired by the DPR Ian album Moodswings In This Order. This sets in al alternative universe. English is not my first language so sorry for any mistake!

MASTERLIST - PEAKY BLINDERS MASTERLIST

Forests are scary.

Unlike a desert, where nothing surrounds you, when entering a forest you’ll find yourself encircled by a web of branches and leaves creating a barrier between where you are and the rest of the world. As you move on and get into the deep end, it seems that you are crossing the threshold which takes you to another place. The branches are moved by the gentle breeze and from time to time, they let the faint rays of sun pass through. 

Ian entered the forest located on the outskirts of Tower Mills in the middle of the night and immediately he found himself covered by the most absolute darkness. That night there was a full moon but its light barely filtered through the thick foliage of the trees. Not that he cared, he had gone there to be alone, with the intention of ending his life. 

He walked for a few minutes although hours could have passed. Everything seemed the same, the same trees, the same stones and the same grooves on the ground. So he decided to stop, he gripped the gun in his hand until his knuckles turned white. Did he really want to do it? He thought of y/n, who might be sleeping in her small apartment. At the thought of her he felt his eyes filling up with tears, she was the only good thing in his life. Yes, it was the only solution, although maybe…

He wasn’t alone in the forest.

Ian blinked rapidly in order to clear his vision, the tears making everything look as if it were being seen through a layer of water. He heard something creaking somewhere at his right, or had it been at his left? It was impossible to assure it and be completely certain.

He remained utterly still, in silence, trying to hear it again but all he could hear was his own heart beating loudly in his ears. Perhaps it was nothing, some nocturnal animal. After all, he was in the middle of a forest and everybody knows that woods are alive. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was not his intention to leave this world so agitated. Ian knelt down by some ferns and put the gun in his mouth but just before pulling the trigger he heard it again. 

This time it sounded closer, almost as if whatever that caused the sound were getting slowly closer until stopping behind him. Definitely, he wasn’t alone. Ian could feel the gaze of someone or something fixed on him. The warm breeze ruffled his hair, bristling the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. It was too hot, almost like the breath of something alive. He opened his eyes but couldn’t see anything, he could barely see the tree trunks surrounding him.

Slowly, he took the gun out of his mouth and without loosening the strength with which he held it, turned around and pointed the weapon. 

What he saw left him paralyzed, it was the worst than anything that came out of his worst nightmares. Ian felt the urge to throw up, his mouth filled with bile and without thinking twice he pulled the trigger repeatedly. That seemed to do little damage to the creature, who got even closer, this time letting itself be seen completely. 

Despite the darkness, Ian distinguished a dark figure, too tall to be a human, with long arms which ended in sharp claws. The way it moved didn’t look human either, as if the scene were being seen through a sequence of photograms. 

The creature reached out with one of its arms and grabbed Ian by the shoulder, digging its clawed fingers into his flesh. The sudden pain made him react, he felt a thick darkness taking over him, and all of a sudden he wasn’t capable of controlling his own body. Ian saw how his own arm grabbed the creature along with a strong smell of sulfur and how the creature moved back. It seemed as if Ian had hurt it with his touch. But he was no longer Ian. 

His new self fought against that strange being with a strength never experienced before, as if something were leading him to do it. Without knowing it, that night Ian crossed a threshold, he entered another place from where he returned changed. He could feel the change deep inside his bones, how the darkness had taken over his body and never left, as well as the terrifying creatures that lived in the woods of Tower Mills.

[catboybiologist]

The realization that 'good girl' is a blocked tag actually fucking sent me. Especially when good boy isn't and literally the third post I saw there was a full on spanking gif. Thoughts?

yeah tumblr's filtering and content policies are fucked

Idk. Like obviously tumblr's upper management is dumb as fuck. I think that arbitrarily blocking tags is a natural consequence of having a no-nsfw policy like theirs, though. It's like shutting down a forum because of an influx of banned content- its not about the purpose of the tag or the forum, its about the flood of content using that tag or forum. Simplest way is just to shut it down. Of course, good boy is gonna have some stuff, but I doubt it was/is as prominent as good girl.

The solution is to stop the dumbass nsfw ban of course. You're gonna have this problem with a shitton of arbitrarily blocked tags as long as it stays up. It would also let people ACTUALLY SORT THEIR CONTENT. Hell, if you want to still be prudish about it, you could still have an nsfw tag list with an option to block all of those tags easily and with a single option, on a per-user basis.

But y'know. Webbed site.

[crossatlanticsoftware-blog]

How to Choose the Best Shopify Website Design Company for Your Store in 2025?

In the ever-evolving world of eCommerce, having a well-designed and fully optimized Shopify store is no longer just an option – it's a necessity. As more consumers turn to online shopping, brands must ensure their Shopify website delivers an exceptional user experience, reflects the brand's identity, and supports seamless transactions. This is where a professional Shopify website design company can make all the difference.

Cross Atlantic Software, we understand that the decision to hire a Shopify website design company is a major step in your eCommerce journey. With so many service providers available, making the right choice can be overwhelming. This article aims to guide you through the most important factors to consider when selecting the right partner for your Shopify website design in 2025.

1. Understand Your Goals and Business Needs

Before you even begin searching for a Shopify website design company, clearly outline what you want your Shopify store to achieve. Are you launching a new brand, rebranding an existing one, or scaling up operations? Do you need custom integrations, advanced product filtering, or mobile-first Shopify design?

Having a clear vision will help you communicate effectively with potential design partners and ensure they align with your goals.

2. Look for Specialized Shopify Expertise

Not all web design companies specialize in Shopify. It's essential to choose a team that lives and breathes Shopify website design. Shopify has its own ecosystem, with unique themes, apps, and a proprietary Liquid coding language. Hiring a company that focuses specifically on Shopify design ensures they understand the platform inside-out.

Cross Atlantic Software has dedicated Shopify experts who have built and optimized hundreds of Shopify stores, giving clients the edge they need to compete in saturated markets.

3. Review Their Portfolio and Past Work

A reputable Shopify website design company should have a robust portfolio showcasing their past work. Look for:

Aesthetically pleasing, modern designs

Fast-loading Shopify websites

Mobile responsiveness

Seamless checkout experiences

Custom features like animations or personalized recommendations

Pay attention to diversity in their projects. This tells you whether the company can adapt their Shopify design to different industries and audiences.

4. Read Client Reviews and Testimonials

Real feedback from past clients is one of the most reliable ways to evaluate a Shopify website design company. Look beyond just the star ratings. Focus on detailed testimonials that highlight communication, professionalism, turnaround time, and post-launch support.

Cross Atlantic Software, we don’t just deliver projects — we build partnerships that grow with your business. Many of our clients have been with us for years, and we’re proud to be part of their ongoing success stories. Our testimonials reflect our commitment to excellence and custom-tailored Shopify website design solutions.

5. Ask About the Design and Development Process

Transparency is crucial. A reliable Shopify website design company should be able to walk you through their process from start to finish:

Initial Consultation

Strategy & Planning

Wireframing & Prototyping

Shopify Theme Customization or Custom Build

QA Testing & Optimization

Launch & Post-Launch Support

Knowing how your design team works isn’t just helpful — it’s essential. When everyone’s on the same page from day one, the process becomes smoother, timelines are clearer, and there are no last-minute surprises.

6. Consider Their Understanding of UX and Conversion Optimization

Good design isn't just about looking pretty. A successful Shopify website should convert visitors into buyers. That requires deep knowledge of user behavior, sales funnels, and design psychology.

Choose a Shopify website design company that prioritizes:

Clear CTAs (Call to Action)

Simple navigation

Fast page load times

Engaging product pages

Mobile-first design

Cross Atlantic Software, our team fuses creative Shopify design with data-backed UX principles to help you maximize conversions and sales.

7. Evaluate Support and Maintenance Services

Your Shopify store needs continuous updates, improvements, and sometimes emergency fixes. Make sure your design partner offers ongoing support even after launch. Ask questions like:

Do they offer monthly maintenance packages?

How do they handle bugs or errors?

Will you have a go-to person to call when something breaks or when you need a quick update? A dedicated point of contact makes all the difference when time and clarity matter most.

Cross Atlantic Software offers flexible support plans to ensure your Shopify website stays up-to-date, secure, and optimized at all times.

8. Transparency in Pricing

Clear pricing is a mark of a trustworthy Shopify website design company. While it's tempting to go with the lowest quote, remember that quality design and development require expertise and time.

Request a detailed breakdown of costs, including design, development, apps, and post-launch services. A good partner will explain every line item and adjust to fit your budget where possible.

9. Look for Creative Collaboration, Not Just Execution

The best outcomes happen when the design company works with you as a creative partner rather than just following orders. You should feel heard, respected, and inspired during the design journey.

Cross Atlantic Software, we treat every client as a collaborator. Our team engages in regular brainstorming sessions and strategy calls to ensure your vision translates beautifully into a high-performing Shopify store.

10. Check If They Offer Additional Services

Many eCommerce businesses need more than just Shopify website design. Check if your prospective partner can also help with:

SEO Optimization

Email Marketing Integration

App Integrations

Product Photography

Social Media Integration

A company that offers a comprehensive solution can save you time, money, and the hassle of managing multiple vendors.

Cross Atlantic Software provides end-to-end services to make your Shopify store launch as seamless and impactful as possible.

Conslusion:

Choosing the best Shopify website design company in 2025 is about more than just good looks. It requires strategic thinking, technical expertise, and a collaborative approach.

With a trusted partner like Cross Atlantic Software, you can build a Shopify website that not only looks amazing but also drives growth and customer loyalty.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to level up your current Shopify design, now is the time to make the investment in a company that understands your vision and has the skills to make it real.

Let’s simplify your eCommerce success — one pixel at a time.

Ready to build your dream Shopify store?

Visit us at www.crossatlantic.software and let’s get started.

[eraepoch]

[Full Text] Emerging Media Companies, Tracking Cookies, and Data Privacy -- An open letter to Critical Role, Dropout, and fellow audience members

Summary / TL;DR

Both Critical Role (CR) and Dropout have begun exclusively using links provided by third-party digital marketing solution companies in their email newsletters.

Every link in each of the newsletters (even the unsubscribe link) goes through a third-party domain which is flagged as a tracking server by the uBlock Origin browser extension.

Third-party tracking cookies are strictly unnecessary and come with a wide array of risks, including non-consensual targeted advertising, targeted misinformation, doxxing, and the potential for abuse by law enforcement.

You are potentially putting your privacy at risk every time you click on any of the links in either of these newsletters.

IMO these advertising companies (and perhaps CR/Dropout by proxy) are likely breaking the law in the EU and California by violating the GDPR and CCPA respectively.

Even if Critical Role and Dropout are not directly selling or exploiting your personal data, they are still profiting off of it by contracting with, and receiving services from, companies who almost certainly are. The value of your personal data is priced into the cost of these services.

They should stop, and can do so without any loss of web functionality.

1/7. What is happening?

Critical Role and Dropout have begun exclusively using links provided by third-party digital marketing solution companies in their email newsletters.

[ID:  A screenshot of the Dropout newsletter alongside the page’s HTML source which shows that the target destination for an anchor element in the email leads to d2xR2K04.na1.hubspotlinks.com. End ID.]

[ID: A screenshot of the CR newsletter alongside the page’s HTML source which shows that the target destination for an anchor element in the email leads to trk.klclick.com. End ID.]

The domains attached to these links are flagged as advertising trackers by the uBlock Origin browser extension.

[ID: Screenshot of a Firefox web browser. The page displays a large warning icon and reads “uBlock Origin has prevented the following page from loading [...] because of the following filter: `||hubspotlinks.com` found in Peter Lowe’s Ad and tracking server list. End ID.]

[ID: Screenshot of a Firefox web browser. The page displays a large warning icon and reads “uBlock Origin has prevented the following page from loading [...] because of the following filter: `||klclick1.com` found in Peter Lowe’s Ad and tracking server list. End ID.]

In both cases, every link in the newsletter goes through the flagged third-party domain, and the intended endpoint (Twitter, their store page, etc.) is completely obscured and inaccessible from within the email itself. Even the unsubscribe links feed through the tracking service.

You can test this yourself in your own email client by hovering your cursor over a link in the email without clicking it and watching to see what URL pops up. You may have noticed this yourself if you use uBlock Origin as an ad-blocker.

I don’t know for certain when this first started. It’s possible that this has been going on for a year or more at this point, or it may have started just a few months ago. Either way: it ought to stop.

2/7. What is a tracking cookie?

A tracking cookie is a unique, universally identifiable value placed on your machine by somebody with the intention of checking for that value later to identify you (or at least to identify your machine).

Tracking cookies are used by companies to create advertising behaviour profiles. These profiles are supposedly anonymous, but even if the marketing companies creating them are not lying about that (a tough sell for me personally, but your mileage may vary when it comes to corporations with 9-figure annual incomes), the data can often be de-anonymized.

If this happens, the data can be used to identify the associated user, potentially including their full name, email address, phone number, and physical address—all of which may then be associated with things like their shopping habits, hobbies, preferences, the identities of their friends and family, gender, political opinions, job history, credit score, sexuality, and even when they ovulate.

Now, it is important to note that not all cookies are tracking cookies. A cookie is just some data from a web page that persists on your machine and gets sent back to the server that put it there. Cookies in general are not necessarily malicious or harmful, and are often essential to certain web features functioning correctly (e.g. keeping the user logged in on their web browser after they close the tab). But the thing to keep in mind is that a domain has absolute control over the information that has been stored on your computer by that domain, so allowing cookies is a matter of trusting the specific domain that wants to put them there. You can look at the outgoing information being sent from your machine, but its purpose cannot be determined without knowing what is being done with it on the other side, and these marketing companies ought not to have the benefit of your doubt when they have already been flagged by privacy watchdogs.

3/7. What’s the harm?

Most urgently, as I touched on above: The main source of harm is from corporations profiting off of your private data without your informed consent. However, targeted advertising is actually the least potentially harmful outcome of tracking cookies.

1/6. Data brokers

A data broker is an individual or company that specializes in collecting personal data (such as personal income, ethnicity, political beliefs, geolocation data, etc.) and selling or licensing such information to third parties for a variety of uses, such as background checks conducted by employers and landlords, two universally benevolent groups of people.

There are varying regulations around the world limiting the collection of information on individuals, and the State of California passed a law attempting to address this problem in 2018, following in the footsteps of the EU’s GDPR, but in the jurisdiction of the United States there is no federal regulation protecting consumers from data brokers. In fact, due to the rising interest in federal regulation, data broker firms lobbied to the tune of $29 million in the year 2020 alone.

2/6. De-anonymization techniques

Data re-identification or de-anonymization is the practice of combining datasets (such as advertising profiles) and publicly available information (such as scraped data from social media profiles) in order to discover patterns that may reveal the identities of some or all members of a dataset otherwise intended to be anonymous.

Using the 1990 census, Professor Latanya Sweeney of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School found that up to 87% of the U.S. population can be identified using a combination of their 5-digit zip code, gender, and date of birth. [Link to the paper.]

Individuals whose datasets are re-identified are at risk of having their private information sold to organizations without their knowledge or consent. Once an individual’s privacy has been breached as a result of re-identification, future breaches become much easier: as soon as a link is made between one piece of data and a person’s real identity, that person is no longer anonymous and is at far greater risk of having their data from other sources similarly compromised.

3/6. Doxxing

Once your data has been de-anonymized, you are significantly more vulnerable to all manner of malicious activity: from scam calls and emails to identity theft to doxxing. This is of particular concern for members of minority groups who may be targeted by hate-motivated attacks.

4/6. Potential for abuse by government and law enforcement

Excerpt from “How period tracking apps and data privacy fit into a post-Roe v. Wade climate” by Rina Torchinsky for NPR:

Millions of people use apps to help track their menstrual cycles. Flo, which bills itself as the most popular period and cycle tracking app, has amassed 43 million active users. Another app, Clue, claims 12 million monthly active users. The personal health data stored in these apps is among the most intimate types of information a person can share. And it can also be telling. The apps can show when their period stops and starts and when a pregnancy stops and starts. That has privacy experts on edge because this data—whether subpoenaed or sold to a third party—could be used to suggest that someone has had or is considering an abortion. ‘We're very concerned in a lot of advocacy spaces about what happens when private corporations or the government can gain access to deeply sensitive data about people’s lives and activities,’ says Lydia X. Z. Brown, a policy counsel with the Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. ‘Especially when that data could put people in vulnerable and marginalized communities at risk for actual harm.’

Obviously Critical Role and Dropout are not collecting any sort of data related to their users’ menstrual cycles, but the thing to keep in mind is that any data that is exposed to third parties can be sold and distributed without your knowledge or consent and then be used by disinterested—or outright malicious—actors to de-anonymize your data from other sources, included potentially highly compromising data such as that collected by these period-tracking apps. Data privacy violations have compounding dangers, and should be proactively addressed wherever possible. The more of your personal data exists in the hands of third parties, the more it is to be de-anonymized.

5/6. Targeted misinformation

Data brokers are often incredibly unscrupulous actors, and will sell your data to whomever can afford to buy it, no questions asked. The most high-profile case of the consequences of this is the Facebook—Cambridge Analytica data scandal, wherein the personal data of Facebook users were acquired by Cambridge Analytica Ltd. and compiled alongside information collected from other data brokers. By giving this third-party app permission to acquire their data back in 2015, Meta (then Facebook) also gave the app access to information on their users’ friend networks: this resulted in the data of some 87 million users being collected and exploited.

The data collected by Cambridge Analytica was widely used by political strategists to influence elections and, by and large, undermine democracy around the world: While its parent company SCL had been influencing elections in developing countries  for decades, Cambridge Analytica focused more on the United Kingdom and the United States. CEO Alexander Nix said the organization was involved in 44 American political races in 2014. In 2016, they worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as well as for Leave.EU, one of the organisations campaigning for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

6/6. The Crux: Right to Privacy Violations

Even if all of the above were not concerns, every internet user should object to being arbitrarily tracked on the basis of their right to privacy. Companies should not be entitled to create and profit from personality profiles about you just because you purchased unrelated products or services from them. This right to user privacy is the central motivation behind laws like the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA (see Section 6).

4/7. Refuting Common Responses

1/3. “Why are you so upset? This isn’t a big deal.”

Commenter: Oh, if you’re just talking about third party cookies, that’s not a big deal … Adding a cookie to store that ‘this user clicked on a marketing email from critical role’ is hardly [worth worrying about].

Me: I don’t think you understand what tracking cookies are. They are the digital equivalent of you going to a drive through and someone from the restaurant running out of the store and sticking a GPS monitor onto your car.

Commenter: Kind of. It’s more like slapping a bumper sticker on that says, in restaurant-ese, ‘Hi I’m [name] and I went to [restaurant] once!’

This is actually an accurate correction. My metaphor was admittedly overly simplistic, but the correction specifies only so far as is comfortable for the commenter. If we want to construct a metaphor that is as accurate as possible, it would go something like this:

You drive into the McDonald’s parking lot. As you are pulling in, unbeknownst to you, a Strange Man pops out of a nearby bush (that McDonald’s has allowed him to place here deliberately for this express purpose), and sticks an invisible bumper sticker onto the back of your car. The bumper sticker is a tracker that tells the Strange Man which road you took to drive to McDonald’s, what kind of car you drive, and what (if anything) you ordered from McDonald’s while you were inside. It might also tell him where you parked in the parking lot, what music you were listening to in your car on the way in, which items you looked at on the menu and for how long, if you went to the washroom, which washroom you went into, how long you were in the washroom, and the exact location of every step you took inside the building.

Now, as soon as you leave the McDonald’s, the bumper sticker goes silent and stops being able to report information. But, let’s say next week you decide to go to the Grocery Store, and (again, unbeknownst to you), the Strange Man also has a deal with the Grocery Store. So as you’re driving into the grocery store’s parking lot, he pops out of another bush and goes to put another bumper sticker onto your car. But as he’s doing so, he notices the bumper sticker he’s already placed there a week ago that only he can see (unless you’ve done the car-equivalent of clearing your browser cache), and goes “ah, it’s Consumer #1287499290! I’ll make sure to file all of this new data under my records for Consumer #1287499290!”

You get out of your car and start to walk into the Grocery Store, but before you open the door, the Strange Man whispers to the Grocery Store: “Hey, I know you’re really trying to push your cereal right now, want me to make it more likely that this person buys some cereal from you?” and of course the Grocery Store agrees—this was the whole reason they let him set up that weird parking lot bush in the first place.

So the Strange Man runs around the store rearranging shelves. He doesn’t know your name (all the data he collects is strictly anonymous after all!) but he does know that you chose the cutesy toy for your happy meal at McDonald’s, so he changes all of the cereal packaging labels in the store to be pastel-coloured and covered in fluffy bears and unicorns. And maybe you were already going to the Grocery Store to buy cereal, and maybe you’re actually very happy to buy some cereal in a package that seems to cater specifically to your interests, but wouldn’t you feel at least a little violated if you found out that this whole process occurred without your knowledge? Especially if you felt like you could trust the people who owned the Grocery Store? They’re not really your friend or anything, but maybe you thought that they were compassionate and responsible members of the community, and part of the reason that you shopped at their store was to support that kind of business.

2/3. “Everyone does it, get over it.”

Commenter: [The marketing company working with CR] is an industry standard at this point, particularly for small businesses. Major partner of Shopify, a fairly big player. If you don't have a software development team, using industry standard solutions like these is the easy, safe option.

This sounds reasonable, but it actually makes it worse, not better, that Critical Role and Dropout are doing this. All this excuse tells me is that most businesses using Shopify (or at least the majority of those that use its recommended newsletter service) have a bush for the Strange Man set up in their parking lot.

Contracting with these businesses is certainly the easy option, but it is decidedly not the safe one.

3/3. “They need to do it for marketing reasons.”

Commenter 1: Email marketing tools like [this] use tracking to measure open and click rates. I get why you don’t want to be tracked, but it’s very hard to run a sizeable email newsletter without any user data.

Commenter 2: I work in digital marketing … every single email you get from a company has something similar to this. Guaranteed. This looks totally standard.

I am a web programmer by trade. It is my full time job. Tracking the metrics that Critical Role and Dropout are most likely interested in does not require embedding third-party tracking cookies in their fans’ web browsers. If you feel comfortable taking my word on that, feel free to skip the next section. If you’re skeptical (or if you just want to learn a little bit about how the internet works) please read on.

5/7. Tracking cookies are never necessary

We live in a technocracy. We live in a world in which technology design dictates the rules we live by. We don’t know these people, we didn’t vote for them in office, there was no debate about their design. But yet, the rules that they determine by the design decisions they make—many of them somewhat arbitrary—end up dictating how we will live our lives. —Latanya Sweeney

1/3. Definitions

A website is a combination of 2 computer programs. One of the two programs runs on your computer (laptop/desktop/phone/etc.) and the other runs on another computer somewhere in the world. The program running on your computer is the client program. The program running on the other computer is the server program.

A message sent from the client to the server is a request. A message sent from the server to the client is a response.

Cookies are bits of data that the server sends to the client in a response that the client then sends back to the server as an attachment to its subsequent requests.

A session is a series of sequential interactions between a client and server. When either of the two programs stops running (e.g. when you close a browser tab), the session is ended and any future interactions will take place in a new session.

A URL is a Uniform Resource Locator. You may also sometimes see the initialism URI—in which the ‘I’ stands for Identifier—but they effectively refer to the same thing, which is the place to find a specific thing on the internet. For our purposes, a “link” and a URL mean the same thing.

2/3. What do Critical Role and Dropout want?

These media companies (in my best estimation) are contracting with the digital advertising companies in order to get one or more of the following things:

Customer identity verification (between sessions)

Marketing campaign analytics

Customer preference profiles

Customer behaviour profiles

3/3. How can they get these things without tracking cookies?

Accounts. Dropout has an account system already. As Beacon is a thing now I have to assume Critical Role does as well, therefore this is literally already something they can do without any additional parties getting involved.

URL Query Parameters. So you want to know which of your social media feeds is driving the most traffic to your storefront. You could contract a third-party advertising company to do this for you, but as we have seen this might not be the ideal option. Instead, when posting your links to said feeds, attach a little bit of extra text to the end of the URL link so: becomes or or even These extra bits of information at the end of a URL are query parameters, and act as a way for the client to specify some instructions for the server when sending a request. In effect, a URL with query parameters allows the client to say to the server “I want this thing under these conditions”. The benefit of this approach is, of course, that you actually know precisely what information is being collected (the stuff in the parameters) and precisely what is being done with it, and you’ve avoided exposing any of your user data to third parties.

Internal data collection. Optionally associate a user’s email address with their preferences on the site. Prompt them to do this whenever they purchase anything or do any action that might benefit from having some saved preference, informing them explicitly when you do so and giving them the opportunity to opt-out.

Internal data collection. The same as above, but let the user know you are also tracking their movements while on your site. You can directly track user behaviour down to every single mouse movement if you really want to—again, no need to get an outside party involved to snoop on your fans. But you shouldn’t do that because it’s a little creepy!

At the end of the day, it will of course be more work to set up and maintain these things, and thus it will inevitably be more expensive—but that discrepancy in expense represents profit that these companies are currently making on the basis of violating their fans’ right to privacy.

6/7. Breaking the Law

The data subject shall have the right to object, on grounds relating to his or her particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning him or her [...] The controller shall no longer process the personal data unless the controller demonstrates compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, the data subject shall have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning him or her for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. Where the data subject objects to processing for direct marketing purposes, the personal data shall no longer be processed for such purposes. At the latest at the time of the first communication with the data subject, the right referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be explicitly brought to the attention of the data subject and shall be presented clearly and separately from any other information. — General Data Protection Regulation, Art. 21

Nobody wants to break the law and be caught. I am not accusing anyone of anything and this is just my personal speculation on publicly-available information. I am not a lawyer; I merely make computer go beep-boop. If you have any factual corrections for this or any other section in this document please leave a comment and I will update the text with a revision note. Before I try my hand at the legal-adjacent stuff, allow me to wade in with the tech stuff.

Cookies are sometimes good and sometimes bad. Cookies from someone you trust are usually good. Cookies from someone you don’t know are occasionally bad. But you can take proactive measures against bad cookies. You should always default to denying any cookies that go beyond the “essential” or “functional” categorizations on any website of which you are remotely suspicious. Deny as many cookies as possible. Pay attention to what the cookie pop-ups actually say and don’t just click on the highlighted button: it is usually “Accept All”, which means that tracking and advertising cookies are fair game from the moment you click that button onward. It is illegal for companies to arbitrarily provide you a worse service for opting out of being tracked (at least it is in the EU and California).

It is my opinion (and again, I am not a legal professional, just a web developer, so take this with a grain of salt) that the links included in the newsletter emails violate both of these laws. If a user of the email newsletter residing in California or the EU wishes to visit any of the links included in said email without being tracked, they have no way of doing so. None of the actual endpoints are available in the email, effectively forcing the user to go through the third-party domain and submit themselves to being tracked in order to utilize the service they have signed up for. Furthermore, it is impossible to unsubscribe directly from within the email without also submitting to the third-party tracking.

[ID: A screenshot of the unsubscribe button in the CR newsletter alongside the page HTML which shows that the target destination for the anchor element is a trk.klclick.com page. End ID.]

As a brief aside: Opening the links in a private/incognito window is a good idea, but will not completely prevent your actions from being tracked by the advertiser. My recommendation: install uBlock Origin to warn you of tracking domains (it is a completely free and open-source project available on most major web browsers), and do not click on any links in either of these newsletters until they change their practices.

Now, it may be the case that the newsletters are shipped differently to those residing in California or the EU (if you are from either of these regions please feel free to leave a comment on whether or not this is the case), but ask yourself: does that make this any better? Sure, maybe then Critical Role and Dropout (or rather, the advertising companies they contract with) aren’t technically breaking the law, but it shows that the only thing stopping them from exploiting your personal data is potential legal repercussions, rather than any sort of commitment to your right to privacy. But I expect that the emails are not, in fact, shipping any differently in jurisdictions with more advanced privacy legislation—it wouldn’t be the first time a major tech giant blatantly flaunted EU regulations.

Without an additional browser extension such as uBlock Origin, a user clicking on the links in these emails may not even be aware that they have interacted with the advertising agency at all, let alone what sort of information that agency now has pertaining to them, nor do they have any ability to opt out of this data collection.

For more information about your right to privacy—something that only those living in the EU or California currently have—you can read explanations of the legislations at the following links (take note that these links, and all of the links embedded in this paper, are anchored directly to the destinations they purport to be, and do not sneakily pass through an additional domain before redirecting you):

7/7. Conclusion

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by neglect, ignorance or incompetence. —Hanlon’s Razor

The important thing to make clear here is this: Even if Critical Role and Dropout are not directly selling or exploiting your personal data, they are still profiting off of it by contracting with, and receiving services from, companies whom I believe are. You may not believe me.

I do not believe that the management teams at Critical Role and Dropout are evil or malicious. Ignorance seems to be the most likely cause of this situation. Someone at some marketing company told them that this type of thing was helpful, necessary, and an industry standard, and they had no reason to doubt that person’s word. Maybe that person had no reason to doubt the word of the person who told them. Maybe there are a few people in that chain, maybe quite a few. I do not expect everyone running a company to be an expert in this stuff (hell, I’m nowhere close to being an expert in this stuff myself—I only happened to notice this at all because of a browser extension I just happened to have installed to block ads), but what I do expect is that they change their behaviour when the potential harms of their actions have been pointed out to them, which is why I have taken the time to write this.

PS. To the employees of Critical Role and Dropout

It is my understanding that these corporations were both founded with the intention of being socially responsible alongside turning a profit. By using services like the ones described above, you are, however unintentionally, profiting off of the personal datasets of your fans that are being compiled and exploited without their informed consent. You cannot say, implicitly or explicitly, “We’re not like those other evil companies! We care about more than just extracting as much money from our customers as possible!” while at the same time utilizing these services, and it is my hope that after reading this you will make the responsible choice and stop doing so.

Thank you for reading,

era

Originally Published: 23 May 2024

Last Updated: 28 May 2024

[josephdmclean]

Joseph Dee Mclean Shares Why Geoduck Conservation Is Essential

Joseph Dee Mclean, a marine conservation expert, often fields one recurring question from curious minds and environmental enthusiasts alike: why are geoducks so important, and why do they need protection? With a reputation for clear, science-backed communication, Joseph Dee Mclean uses his platform to break down the facts, helping the public understand this fascinating marine species and the challenges it faces.

What Is a Geoduck and Why Should We Care?

A geoduck (pronounced "gooey-duck") is a saltwater clam native to the Pacific Northwest. Recognizable for its large, elongated siphon and long lifespan—some living over a century—this species plays an essential role in marine ecosystems. But what makes it so critical?

Joseph Dee Mclean explains:

Natural Water Filter: Geoducks filter massive amounts of water, helping maintain clean and oxygen-rich environments.

Food Web Contributor: They serve as a food source for marine predators, making them integral to oceanic biodiversity.

Economic Value: Geoducks are a highly prized delicacy in international seafood markets, especially in Asia, contributing significantly to coastal economies.

Why Do Geoducks Need Protection?

According to Joseph Dee Mclean, despite their resilience, geoducks face increasing threats that require urgent attention. Here’s what he shares in response to the frequently asked question:

1. Overharvesting and Commercial Demand

The global appetite for geoducks has grown rapidly. Joseph explains that overharvesting, particularly in areas with weak regulation, is a pressing concern. It threatens to deplete natural populations faster than they can reproduce.

“Unlike many species, geoducks grow slowly and take several years to mature,” says Joseph Dee Mclean. “Sustainable harvest practices are critical if we want future generations to benefit from them.”

2. Habitat Loss and Pollution

Coastal development, pollution from agricultural runoff, and plastic debris are all factors damaging geoduck habitats. Joseph notes:

Shoreline modifications reduce the soft sediment beds geoducks need.

Chemical pollutants can alter water quality, affecting geoduck health and reproduction.

3. Climate Change Impacts

Warming waters and ocean acidification pose long-term threats. As Joseph Dee Mclean emphasizes, acidification can hinder shell development in juvenile geoducks, potentially reducing their survival rate.

“Ocean acidification doesn’t just affect geoducks—it’s a warning sign for the entire marine food web,” Joseph adds.

What Is Joseph Dee Mclean Doing About It?

Joseph is not just raising awareness—he’s on the frontlines of action. Here's how he’s leading the way:

Research and Monitoring

Joseph conducts long-term monitoring of geoduck populations to better understand their breeding habits, growth rates, and stress responses. His research contributes to policy and fishery management strategies that prioritize ecological balance.

Sustainable Practices Advocacy

He works with fishery managers to develop guidelines that regulate harvest volumes, improve traceability, and minimize environmental impact. Joseph also promotes aquaculture methods that can supplement wild populations without disrupting marine habitats.

Public Engagement

Through articles, seminars, and community outreach, Joseph helps people understand the connection between healthy marine life and human wellbeing. He believes education is key to fostering lasting conservation habits.

“When people know more, they care more,” Joseph says. “Conservation begins with understanding.”

Common Questions Joseph Dee Mclean Gets About Geoducks

Are geoducks endangered?

Not currently, but Joseph warns that without proper management, local population declines could become irreversible in some areas.

Can geoducks be farmed?

Yes, and Joseph supports sustainable aquaculture as part of the solution. Farmed geoducks can reduce pressure on wild stocks if done responsibly.

How do geoducks impact the ecosystem?

Their burrowing helps aerate sediments, and their filtering keeps water clean. Joseph often describes them as “underwater janitors with hidden superpowers.”

The Big Picture

Joseph Dee Mclean’s core message is that geoducks represent more than just seafood. They’re an ecological anchor and a symbol of why balanced coexistence with nature is essential. The threats facing geoducks mirror broader environmental challenges—overconsumption, pollution, and climate change.

He stresses:

Protecting geoducks is protecting biodiversity.

Supporting sustainable fisheries ensures long-term economic benefits.

Educating communities empowers collective action.

Final Thoughts from Joseph Dee Mclean

Joseph continues to work tirelessly to ensure that geoducks—and the ecosystems they support—thrive well into the future. For him, conservation is not just about science, but about responsibility.

“Every species plays a role in the health of our oceans. Protecting geoducks isn’t just about clams—it’s about preserving the balance of life under the sea.”

Through his leadership and deep knowledge, Joseph Dee Mclean stands out as a trusted voice in marine conservation. His passion and evidence-based insights offer a roadmap for anyone curious about the future of our oceans—and why it’s worth protecting, one geoduck at a time.

[autolenaphilia]

You shouldn't trust any site that asks you to turn off an adblocker. Not even "reputable" sites like Youtube.

That's because adblockers are an important safety tool for your browser, maybe the most important thing you can do to secure your web browser.

This is because of "Malvertising", one of the most common ways for malware to spread. This is because it is very easy for criminals to pay to place malware infected ads into the big online advertising networks, such as the one Google operates. This can place their malware on otherwise reputable sites who use these networks. And it's well-established you don't even need to click on the ad to get infected, both the wiki page linked above and this Wired article talks about it.

The ad networks have mechanisms for detecting such malvertising, but like antivirus in general, they are inherently limited. The programs can't flag malware that isn't already in their databases.

All the big advertising networks have problems with malvertising, including Google ads which have been infected many times.

The only good solution for the enduser is to block ads entirely in their browser. Ads are both annoying and a dangerous malware vector, not worth it at all.

Google now trying to block adblockers on Youtube and demanding that users turn them off is even more grotesque in light of this. It's like asking you to turn your firewall.

What to do

Ublock Origin is the most reputable adblocker. It doesn't just block ads, it also blocks non-advertising

Part of this is that unlike Adblock Plus or Brave Browser's built-in adblocker, Ublock actually blocks all ads it can and doesn't fund itself by taking bribes from advertisers to show users "acceptable ads."

I linked to the Firefox Addon page for Ublock origin above, because Ublock Origin works best on Firefox, which is the opinion of the Ublock Origin developers and they explain why in technical detail on the project's github page.

So stay safe online, use Ublock Origin and use it on Firefox so it works the best it can.

For youtube specifically, you need to keep your UBO filters updated and clear your chaches, there are threads on the official UBO subreddit with instructions and explanations.

[naharie]

You primarily browse tumblr on the web? Tired of seeing irrelevant content (like only fans stuff) being tacked onto a tag you love and want to follow? Well, I have a solution for you. A userscript that (actually) filters out posts for you. What do I mean actually? I mean no stupid overlay nonsense - they just disappear from your dashboard and search results. Just grab the linked zip, and import it into tampermonkey (Dashboard > Utilities tab, Import). Then go to Install Userscripts and click edit on the script. Go to the line that says "const blocked = [ ];" and add your keywords/tags/usernames as follows:

const blocked = [ "some-tag", "some-username", "text I hate" ];

You can add as many as you want, just don't include quotes in your keyword. You can have spaces, symbols, whatever you want. You can have as many as you want.

If you aren't technically minded or are otherwise having trouble figuring it out, just ask. Worried that I might be trying to steal your data? Have a programmer friend look at the code for you, or just ask. I'm happy to walk you through what each part of the code does.