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occultbooks · 4 months ago

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no one asked but here are my favorite passages from all of my oneshots on ao3. gonna put a link to this post in my pinned + update it regularly as my version of a portfolio.

[Sep 8 2020] R is for Roy - Maurice Moss/Roy Trenneman (The IT Crowd)

Moss thought about that. "I dunno. Labels help me figure things out, but I can see why you don't like them. They sort of put you in a box, don't they? You wouldn't like it in a box, I wouldn't like it in jail. We're similar in that way, aren't we? Anyway, I could just keep you filed under R," he smiled.

[Oct 21 2020] Please Don't Touch Me - Jared Dunn/Richard Hendricks (Silicon Valley)

The water cascaded over him, drowning out every sound and every thought, the bathroom light like a sole streetlamp at the end of a dark cul-de-sac. He’d left the fan off so the steam would blind him. He sat on the shower floor, his head in his hands. He didn’t know why he was crying so much. Not that he thought crying was a bad thing, because he knew it wasn’t, but he didn’t know why the simple thought of Richard made him so sad. All he wanted was to help him, to understand him, and he couldn’t even do that. He felt absolutely powerless.

[Jan 20 2021] you just forgot your one pet name for me - Dinesh Chugtai/Bertram Gilfoyle (Silicon Valley)

”hey. dinesh.” he said to the mirror. practicing. he’d never done that before, at least not to prepare a talk with dinesh. “how’s it going, babe?” that word felt wrong in his mouth. it wasn’t a thing he wanted to say. he said it over and over but it was still uncomfortable. he couldn’t use “darling,” because jared said that to richard all the time. the last thing gilfoyle wanted to do was turn into jared. ugh. “doll” was just too 50s. he didn’t want to say “honey,” or “sweetie.” those were too lovey for a casual conversation to begin with. fuck it, who cares.

[Jun 6 2021] MCBC and the Rambling Robot - The MC Bat Commander/Jimmy the Robot (The Aquabats! Super Show!)

The Commander was more interested in science in concept than he was in practicality. He liked explosions and chemical reactions and...explosions! When Jimmy started talking about what all the little gears and gizmos do, internal hardware and whatnot, the Commander often tuned it out. He would just stare and stare and stare at Jimmy, almost longingly. The way he got all exasperated when asked about science stuff. How his eyes would (literally) light up with excitement. How happy he seemed, just to be sharing his knowledge with someone else. The good vibes and energies were so nice to just sit there and soak in.

[Oct 2 2021] Helping Out in the Lab - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

“How long have you been wanting to do that for, Spengs?” Ray asked softly. “Do you want honesty or something that sounds sane?” Ray mulled it over. “Honesty. Please and thank you.” “The first day we met.” “When we first met…at the university,” Ray stifled a laugh, grinning, and looked up at the ceiling. “How about that, eh?” Egon blushed again. More silence, the buzzing of fluorescent bulbs horribly apparent in Egon’s head, but he was too lost in the sound of his own heartbeat to care.

[Oct 4 2021] I Need You to Breathe For Me - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

The most terrifying thing known to mankind is the unforeseen consequential altering of previously fixed objectives and other consistencies. Or, at least, this is the most terrifying thing known to Egon. In other words, this is the changing of things that seemed, even if illogically so, safe and unchanging; such as, one losing something sentimental and meaningful.

[Jan 29 2022] The Questions of Who and Why - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

“Spengs!?” Ray didn’t mean to sound so bemused, but it wasn’t often that he saw Egon outside of work. They’d known each other since college, and Ray wasn’t entirely sure that Egon didn’t still live on campus. But here he was, in the dead of night. Ray, realizing this wasn’t as much of a big deal as he was convinced it was, let out a frustrated breath. He motioned with his hand. “Get inside, it’s freezing out!” Egon obliged. Much like a vampire, Egon wasn’t one to enter a house without being invited in, even if he’d been in said house before, and was given express permission to barge in whenever he liked. “Don’t send a Spengler to do a Venkman’s job,” Ray liked to joke. Once inside, true to form, Egon waited until Ray gave him permission to “make yourself at home” before sitting down. From the kitchen, he called, “You want anything to drink?”

[March 4 2022] Starfish - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

Ray pressed his forehead to Egon’s in a reassuring way. Ray was never very good at clear verbal communication on an intimate level, and when it came to expressions of appreciation, or love, most of the time he just seized up. He loved Egon so dearly, and he wished he could say all the things that were in his head; all the things he knew Egon needed to hear. But his mind was either scrambled to no end, or it felt completely blank. He felt guilty about it, because logically, if he talked so much anyway, it should be easy. He only wished it was. Sometimes, all he could really do to show Egon how much he cared was to hold him. In Egon’s head, that was enough.

[May 5 2022] Last Kiss - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

The way Egon looked at him was enough to make Ray crumble to the ground. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt young again. In his 20s, when him and Egon had met, their studies were the only things they were supposed to be concerned with. They would meet in each other’s dorms, narrowly avoiding Ray’s nuisance roommate, and help each other prepare for tests. Soon enough, it changed. It all changed because Ray caught Egon looking at him in the way he tended to do. Knowing that he’d never be looked at like that again, Ray became somber, and the fleeting lonesome feeling filled his heart again. The look so filled with admiration that it was almost an out-of-body experience. The look that made the insecurities disappear and reappear with fluctuating frequency. The look that made him think, “This face? This body? This soul? You want me?” but allowed every question mark to melt when Egon’s hand brushed his arm. In his isolated months, Ray’s self-image had no doubt deteriorated back to that time. Even with a hand on his face, he felt himself thinking, “This old face? This old body? This old soul? You want me?”

[May 25 2022] now it's sweat, it's sweat now - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

In my thoughts, a swirl of colors surrounds me. I am an abstract concept within myself, and Egon, who sits adjacent to me in my reality, is surrounding me on every side, watching me with a million eyes. I want to be his only objective. A primal urge rushes through me and I feel overwhelmed, though I am sitting still. A muddled tango of feeling, literally proverbial, yet conceptually literal, as the figures in my mind dance around my stand-in and become more distorted, until they are inky black snakes slithering towards me. I feel shame, and abandonment; not that it has happened, but that it could. Where it is all coming from, I cannot place, but I cannot make it stop. My mind and heart race in syncopation until I’m no longer sure I’m human.

[May 27 2022] conversations with a stone - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

Eleven roses littered the ground, bruised by boots, sunken in soil. Petals were perturbed, stems were severed. A stone engraved; 8 digits and a name. No quote, no relatives, no “loved by many” messages. 8 digits and a name. No service was held for the man under the dirt, being eaten by the inhabitants of the home his body invaded. Leaves crunched beneath the shoes of a man who’d walked the same path almost a dozen times before. He approached the stone to greet it, to pretend he was speaking to the one lying beneath it, to continue maintaining some placebo of a connection. As he kneeled next to the grave, he felt his lip begin to tremble. 35 years ago, he was alive, and they talked every day. 15 years ago, he was alive, and they talked whenever possible. Two years ago, he was alive, and Ray should’ve called.

[Jul 31 2022] ray gets hurt and then other stuff happens - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

But Egon said nothing. He leaned closer to Ray, clearly unsure of himself. Ray could feel his own heart beat, and he swore he could hear them both. Their noses almost touching, Egon breathed in softly, then let out a small nervous sigh as his eyes flew around Ray’s face, looking for any sign of discomfort so he could pass off what he was doing as something inconspicuous without verbal confrontation. He felt so pathetic; he was like a teenage boy with a crush on a girl, except he was a grown man, and Ray was not a girl, and these alterations to the trope formula only made him feel more terrified. After a beat, he said, “May I…” and then he forgot how to speak. He was paralyzed by the fear of rejection, and he didn’t want to finish the sentence. Egon hated feeling vulnerable; he thought Ray was vulnerable enough for the both of them. Now he felt as exposed as ever, like an outside dog during winter at night.

[Aug 27 2022] The After-Effects of Synthesized Positivity - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

“I love you,” Ray responded earnestly. He’d said this a lot tonight: a couple times at the museum, a few times as they walked to the car, many times on the way home. But he hadn’t yet said it to Egon, alone. It was always “I love you guys,” “I love both of you,” “I love my friends.” A couple times, Egon had considered telling him to shut up. Not that he was jealous. Not that he would ever admit it if he was, which he wasn’t. Egon wasn’t jealous. He didn’t care that the attention wasn’t on him and him alone. He didn’t silently grit his teeth at the simple fact that Ray had enough love to go around, or that he enjoyed expressing this love. Egon was not jealous. He wasn’t. Not at all. Despite this, upon hearing the words, a palpable sense of adoration filled his chest, and his face was so warm he couldn’t blame it on the steam.

[Nov 19 2022] Feeling Lighter - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

Ray held his trusty Zippo lighter in his hand. Old faithful. Sure, Bic lighters had become more common overtime, but why exchange comfort for style? He had closed all the windows. He didn’t want a Story of an Hour revelation. Though, this was unrealistic; nothing could change his disposition, no matter how retrospectively he stared at the sky. Another reason he closed the windows was that the urge to jump through one of them repeatedly was stronger than he cared to admit to even himself. What else could he do in solitude except to break every bone in his body trying to justify his survival? What else could he do now? Flick…flick. Open…closed. He glanced at the door that no one was going to walk through. He looked at the kitchen where no food would be made. There was no saving grace this time. Egon was dead. He couldn’t just take a cab home from the afterlife. Ray had been in the business long enough to know that much. Death is permanent. His leg bounced like he was waiting for something. Every sound he heard made his heart drop. He was an anxious dog lamely waiting for his owner’s return, even though it had been a year. He didn’t have a concept of time. Egon left just last week, right? He’ll come back, right? Flick, flick. Open, closed.

[Dec 22 2022] my job is to love you - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

Egon could predict that Ray was going to get upset no matter what he said. “Raymond, I’m sorry for chastising you, but you’re behaving like a child.” “At least children have a future to look forward to!” Ray yelled, his voice breaking. “This is it for me! I’m stuck with this life!” And then the room became silent. The world stood still, as if it, as well as them, was waiting for one of them to walk out the door and never come back. But then, something shifted. Ray’s breath wavered as the echo of what he had said made its way off of the wall and into his brain. “I don’t…I didn’t mean that.” He whispered. “What am I saying?” Ray stared at his hands, unclenching his fists. Egon stood up, concerned. Ray covered his face with his hands, letting out choking sobs as he fell to the floor.

[Mar 3 2023] doesn't subtract from the fact that i love you for psychological reasons - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

Maybe it was the way that Egon smelled. Like pages of a book, bathed in vanilla. Maybe it was the way his mouth tasted. Always like something sweet. Always. Maybe it was the way he gripped Ray’s neck like the scruff of a cat as they kissed, being careful not to hurt him while still being charmingly possessive. No matter what it was, Ray found it hard to act normal around Egon; it was nearly impossible. They’d only known each other for a year and a semester, but that was enough for Ray. His heart pounded in his chest, and it felt like high school all over again.

[Jul 5 2023] Bad Ending - Daniel Cain/Herbert West (Reanimator)

They were numbers on a sheet. Time stamps. Statistics. Limp, lifeless bodies. As Herbert looked out at the sea of those limp, lifeless bodies, he felt no guilt in his chest. No metaphorical blood on his hands. Only literal. His subconscious was colorblind as a greyhound, and he smelled only opportunity. The metal pipe at his feet was dented to oblivion, but still retained its shape. The man holding the pipe, dead on the ground, was not yet beyond recognition. His wounds – a gash across his stomach, scratches and bites in his arms and legs – were no longer gushing blood, yet the wide-eyed expression on his face screamed silently, as if he could still feel what was done to him. Herbert looked at him, feeling something unfamiliar creeping into himself and reverberating throughout his ribcage. His heart was beating hard and uncomfortably as he knelt down. The beaming fluorescents were giving him a headache, or he was allergic to something in the air. He thought that was why his eyes began to water as he took in the battered face of Dan Cain.

[Jul 27 2023] You're the Man, Jones - Conrad Earp/Jones Hall (Asteroid City)

Silence again. Conrad kept writing. Jones was wondering if the incessant pounding in his head was necessary. He was paranoid, still. He was afraid, still. The world wasn’t ready for a man like Conrad. Jones could handle it himself, but even Conrad couldn’t. He would crumble under the pressure. He was delicate. He was a flower, and there was a shoe crushing his spine and his petals, destroying everything that made him special. And the flower was on top of a tripwire that set off a bomb. The tripwire was Conrad. And the bomb was Conrad. And the shoe was also Conrad.

[Nov 4 2023] jonah, he was swallowed by a whale - Egon Spengler/Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters)

Can you have love without it being noticed? How do you love without shouting it to the clouds and the sun, the birds and the butterflies, the stars and the moon? Is it possible to be half a whole and still allow people to think you are a unit in and of yourself? How do you mask love? How do you hide something so impossibly consuming? How can you be eaten by a whale and continue to behave like you are not being digested?

NOTE: from here on, the fics have the tendency to be sexually explicit. heed this warning.

[Dec 4 2024] don't have to guess the color of (my) underwear - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

"Sickle cell?" Foreman suggested. Wilson felt a vibration begin. He gasped sharply. Everyone looked at him, and Wilson tried not to look ashamed. "I forgot to mention. Wilson is wearing a shock bracelet on his leg. Every time someone says something idiotic, I shock him." House pulled the remote out from his pocket. "Sickle cell doesn't cause nausea." Wilson prayed to a god he didn't believe in that this got diagnosed as fast as possible so he could go home and let House have his way with him.

[Dec 7 2024] drunk in love or whatever - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

He got obscenely close to Wilson’s face. Wilson looked up at him like he was seeing the stars for the first time, and House would never admit how warm that made him feel. He didn’t like being “lovey-dovey” or “soft,” even around Wilson. It didn’t necessarily make him feel weak, it just made him feel vulnerable. He wasn’t worried about weakness; he was weak all the time. But opening his ribcage up and letting someone poke and prod around at his heart…sure, surgeons did it all the time, but what if he loved someone who didn’t know what they were doing? What if he loved someone who really did?

[Dec 14 2024] there he is - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

Of course that’s what did it. Of course the words “I love you” made Wilson cum and moan like a bitch. He slowed his thrusts down to a halt as he filled his husband. “God, you were so good, you’re so good for me, I love you, I love you so much, Christ, you’re perfect, I love you.” He fell softly on top of House, kissing at his neck and jaw fervently, practically singing praises as if they were the only things he knew how to say.

[Dec 19 2024] how out of control we are this evening (darling) - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

Beautiful. Wilson had such a complicated relationship with that word. It was so often used, in his youth, to mean like Aphrodite. To be soft, and feminine. To be desirable to men who wanted you to act like a woman. Everyone in Wilson’s life saw him, and they thought, why aren’t you a normal girl? Wilson thought it when he looked in the mirror. He knew he was beautiful. But if that was beauty, well, he would rather have been an amorphous blob, hibernating in a cellar, alone, with no reflective surfaces. Why did he have to choose between being beautiful and being a man? When House—Greg—said he was beautiful, it always meant something different. It felt different. Adonis-like. With the qualities of the feminine beauty he once admonished himself to be rid of, but harnessing them in a masculine way. It was strange, incredibly so. There was still a tinge of the old meaning (how could there not be?), that made Wilson wince when he thought about it for too long. But, when the man who had known him as Dr. James Wilson for the past 20 years had his head between his legs, gripping his hips and thighs for dear life, it was hard to believe he was anything other than a man. What a strange world.

[Dec 30 2024] baby cut me open, take my blood in your mouth - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

“Are you an idiot? Of course I liked it. I had all of my power taken from me, and you, in all your wide-eyed sluttiness, gave me some of it back. I kicked you out because I didn’t want to take advantage of you.” “I wouldn’t have let that happen.” “You just did.”

[Jan 6 2025] i could do this forever - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

House hated how much that affected him, his cheeks heating up despite himself. He tried not to think about what Wilson was really saying, how that meant that he was loved unconditionally, how that meant that Wilson was choosing to stick around despite House’s frequent power trips and insatiable appetite for bickering. Wilson had lied: he was not at House’s mercy. He chose to play by House’s rules. Wilson was the one trying to keep him around.

[Jan 15 2025] you're like the stars - Robert Chase/Chi Park (House M.D.)

Undressing in this way felt vulnerable. Sure, they’d had sex, but this was different. This was baring your soul to someone who then had to help you carry it gently across a sea of broken glass. This was letting someone look at a story that you were in the middle of writing, asking them if they liked it, hoping they would understand that it’s not quite done. Hoping they would help you finish the book.

[Jan 30 2025] we drink and i bandage your wrists - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

He sat down again, dropping the gauze. “Open,” he ordered, producing a single Vicodin from the bottle. House obeyed. Wilson placed the pill on House’s tongue. He felt his muscles relax at the taste. Not just of the dusty pill residue dissolving, but also the taste of Wilson’s fingers. He swallowed the pill, closing his lips around the digits in his mouth, knowing they would be pulled away. Wilson gasped sharply and retracted his hand, wiping it off on the side of his pants. “What’s wrong with you?” “Lots.”

[Feb 12 2025] without the pretty pink ribbon, you'd end up just like me - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

House decided she was She like the sun. House was She like a boat or a car. House was She like Mother Nature. House was She like the Universe. House was She who chain smoked in the office of a film noir detective. She put out her cigarette on his wooden desk and pulled a gun out to press it to his head. She whispered in his ear and her lipstick brushed his cheek so he smelled like her. “How hard is this going to be?” House asked earnestly. Wilson looked at her with watery eyes. “Hard,” he admitted. “But I’m going to be here.”

[Feb 28 2025] it's like you're in heat - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

“I can’t kneel. T-this is the next best thing.” If he keeps talking like this… “I’d kneel for you, though. If I could. I’d pray to you. I’d kill for you.” Wilson squeezed his eyes shut, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. House connected their lips. “I’d let you kill me if you wanted to. If you needed it.”

[Mar 10 2025] codependency and pillows - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

The pillow smelled nice. He settled back down against it. He thought about running his hands through House’s hair. The vague scent of his 3-in-1 shampoo permeated the fabric and found itself lodged in the cotton beneath the pillow cover. Wilson felt like a rabid bloodhound as he buried his nose in the cushion, managing to glean more notes with every inhale. The smell of House’s sweat mingled with the woodsy soap. Wilson caught himself whimpering as he breathed it in. I need to get a hold of myself. Easier said – thought – than done. Wilson turned the pillow vertically, allowing it to be parallel to his body so he could put his arm around it and hug it close to himself. He nuzzled his face into it like a cat. Once again, he was intending to go back to sleep, but suddenly, the scent felt like it was getting stronger. Maybe he was just drifting into a place between sleep and consciousness where all sensory input was impossibly intense. Or maybe he just missed House so badly that he was having olfactory hallucinations.

[Mar 27 2025] something you all want - Gregory House/James Wilson/Female!Reader (House M.D.)

The problem came thusly: you knew James was also in love with Greg. It took a few months before he was able to admit it, and a few cautious, carefully-timed questions regarding the nature of their relationship. James hadn’t done anything about it, obviously, because he had a reputation at the hospital, but you couldn’t help but think it would do them both some good to get the feelings out there in one way or another. Sure, you loved having James all to yourself, but you didn’t really have him all to yourself as it was. He was with Greg every other day anyway. But, maybe if your hopeless romantic boyfriend was getting what he needed on all sides of his life, the tension in his shoulders would ease. That’s all you really wanted for him: to see him relax. Soon enough, a mischievous idea formed in your head. Maybe we can all get a little something out of this. But it couldn’t be presented like it was your idea. Oh, no, no, NO! Absolutely not. You didn’t want him to think it was for you…even if it kind of was.

[Apr 2 2025] re: my reputation - Gregory House/James Wilson (House M.D.)

House came with a shout that melted into a groan. Wilson slowed to a halt and bent down, kissing the skin of House’s cheek that was beginning to bloom red, kissing the beginnings of tears that threatened to fall. An apology went unspoken, but Wilson understood it regardless. He just continued to kiss the man’s face until they joined their lips together, and all was forgiven.

#fanfiction #my art #portfolio #house md #hilson #ghostbusters #stantzler #mcrobot #the aquabats supershow #jarrich #silicon valley hbo #dilfoyle #the it crowd #my writing

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years ago

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Amazon Alexa is a graduate of the Darth Vader MBA

Next Tuesday (Oct 31) at 10hPT, the Internet Archive is livestreaming my presentation on my recent book, The Internet Con.

If you own an Alexa, you might enjoy its integration with IFTTT, an easy scripting environment that lets you create your own little voice-controlled apps, like "start my Roomba" or "close the garage door." If so, tough shit, Amazon just nuked IFTTT for Alexa:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/25/23931463/ifttt-amazon-alexa-applets-ending-support-integration-automation

Amazon can do this because the Alexa's operating system sits behind a cryptographic lock, and any tool that bypasses that lock is a felony under Section 1201 of the DMCA, punishable by a 5-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine. That means that it's literally a crime to provide a rival OS that lets users retain functionality that Amazon no longer supports.

This is the proverbial gun on the mantelpiece, a moral hazard and invitation to mischief that tempts Amazon executives to run a bait-and-switch con where they sell you a gadget with five features and then remotely kill-switch two of them. This is prime directive of the Darth Vader MBA: "I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

So many companies got their business-plan at the Darth Vader MBA. The ability to revoke features after the fact means that companies can fuck around, but never find out. Apple sold millions of tracks via iTunes with the promise of letting you stream them to any other device you owned. After a couple years of this, the company caught some heat from the record labels, so they just pushed an update that killed the feature:

https://memex.craphound.com/2004/10/30/apple-to-ipod-owners-eat-shit-and-die-updated/

That gun on the mantelpiece went off all the way back in 2004 and it turns out it was a starter-pistol. Pretty soon, everyone was getting in on the act. If you find an alert on your printer screen demanding that you install a "security update" there's a damned good chance that the "update" is designed to block you from using third-party ink cartridges in a printer that you (sorta) own:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

Selling your Tesla? Have fun being poor. The upgrades you spent thousands of dollars on go up in a puff of smoke the minute you trade the car into the dealer, annihilating the resale value of your car at the speed of light:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/23/how-to-fix-cars-by-breaking-felony-contempt-of-business-model/

Telsa has to detect the ownership transfer first. But once a product is sufficiently cloud-based, they can destroy your property from a distance without any warning or intervention on your part. That's what Adobe did last year, when it literally stole the colors from your Photoshop files, in history's SaaSiest heist caper:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/28/fade-to-black/#trust-the-process

And yet, when we hear about remote killswitches in the news, it's most often as part of a PR blitz for their virtues. Russia's invasion of Ukraine kicked off a new genre of these PR pieces, celebrating the fact that a John Deere dealership was able to remotely brick looted tractors that had been removed to Chechnya:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/08/about-those-kill-switched-ukrainian-tractors/

Today, Deere's PR minions are pitching search-and-replace versions of this story about Israeli tractors that Hamas is said to have looted, which were also remotely bricked.

But the main use of this remote killswitch isn't confounding war-looters: it's preventing farmers from fixing their own tractors without paying rent to John Deere. An even bigger omission from this narrative is the fact that John Deere is objectively Very Bad At Security, which means that the world's fleet of critical agricultural equipment is one breach away from being rendered permanently inert:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/23/reputation-laundry/#deere-john

There are plenty of good and honorable people working at big companies, from Adobe to Apple to Deere to Tesla to Amazon. But those people have to convince their colleagues that they should do the right thing. Those debates weigh the expected gains from scammy, immoral behavior against the expected costs.

Without DMCA 1201, Amazon would have to worry that their decision to revoke IFTTT functionality would motivate customers to seek out alternative software for their Alexas. This is a big deal: once a customer learns how to de-Amazon their Alexa, Amazon might never recapture that customer. Such a switch wouldn't have to come from a scrappy startup or a hacker's DIY solution, either. Take away DMCA 1201 and Walmart could step up, offering an alternative Alexa software stack that let you switch your purchases away from Amazon.

Money talks, bullshit walks. In any boardroom argument about whether to shift value away from customers to the company, a credible argument about how the company will suffer a net loss as a result has a better chance of prevailing than an argument that's just about the ethics of such a course of action:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

Inevitably, these killswitches are pitched as a paternalistic tool for protecting customers. An HP rep once told me that they push deceptive security updates to brick third-party ink cartridges so that printer owners aren't tricked into printing out cherished family photos with ink that fades over time. Apple insists that its ability to push iOS updates that revoke functionality is about keeping mobile users safe – not monopolizing repair:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

John Deere's killswitches protect you from looters. Adobe's killswitches let them add valuable functionality to their products. Tesla? Well, Tesla at least is refreshingly honest: "We have a killswitch because fuck you, that's why."

These excuses ring hollow because they conspicuously omit the possibility that you could have the benefits without the harms. Like, your tractor could come with a killswitch that you could bypass, meaning you could brick it at a distance, and still fix it yourself. Same with your phone. Software updates that take away functionality you want can be mitigated with the ability to roll back those updates – and by giving users the ability to apply part of a patch, but not the whole patch.

Cloud computing and software as a service are a choice. "Local first" computing is possible, and desirable:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/03/there-is-no-cloud/#only-other-peoples-computers

The cheapest rhetorical trick of the tech sector is the "indivisibility gambit" – the idea that these prix-fixe menus could never be served a la carte. Wanna talk to your friends online? Sorry there's just no way to help you do that without spying on you:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/08/divisibility/#technognosticism

One important argument over smart-speakers was poisoned by this false dichotomy: the debate about accessibility and IoT gadgets. Every IoT privacy or revocation scandal would provoke blanket statements from technically savvy people like, "No one should ever use one of these." The replies would then swiftly follow: "That's an ableist statement: I rely on my automation because I have a disability and I would otherwise be reliant on a caregiver or have to go without."

But the excluded middle here is: "No one should use one of these because they are killswitched. This is especially bad when a smart speaker is an assistive technology, because those applications are too important to leave up to the whims of giant companies that might brick them or revoke their features due to their own commercial imperatives, callousness, or financial straits."

Like the problem with the "bionic eyes" that Second Sight bricked wasn't that they helped visually impaired people see – it was that they couldn't be operated without the company's ongoing support and consent:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/bionic-eye-obsolete

It's perfectly possible to imagine a bionic eye whose software can be maintained by third parties, whose parts and schematics are widely available. The challenge of making this assistive technology fail gracefully isn't technical – it's commercial.

We're meant to believe that no bionic eye company could survive unless they devise their assistive technology such that it fails catastrophically if the business goes under. But it turns out that a bionic eye company can't survive even if they are allowed to do this.

Even if you believe Milton Friedman's Big Lie that a company is legally obligated to "maximize shareholder value," not even Friedman says that you are legally obligated to maximize companies' shareholder value. The fact that a company can make more money by defrauding you by revoking or bricking the things you buy from them doesn't oblige you to stand up for their right to do this.

Indeed, all of this conduct is arguably illegal, under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits "unfair and deceptive business practices":

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

"No one should ever use a smart speaker" lacks nuance. "Anyone who uses a smart speaker should be insulated from unilateral revocations by the manufacturer, both through legal restrictions that bind the manufacturer, and legal rights that empower others to modify our devices to help us," is a much better formulation.

It's only in the land of the Darth Vader MBA that the deal is "take it or leave it." In a good world, we should be able to take the parts that work, and throw away the parts that don't.

(Image: Stock Catalog/https://www.quotecatalog.com, Sam Howzit; CC BY 2.0; modified)

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/26/hit-with-a-brick/#graceful-failure

#pluralistic #alexa #ifttt #criptech #disability #drm #revocation #nothing about us without us #futureproofing #graceful failure #darth vader MBA #enshittification

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covid-safer-hotties · 7 months ago

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Also preserved in our archive (Daily updates!)

By DEVI SHASTRI

A regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board.

Southwest District Health appears to be the first in the nation to be restricted from giving COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccinations are an essential function of a public health department.

While policymakers in Texas banned health departments from promoting COVID vaccines and Florida’s surgeon general bucked medical consensus to recommend against the vaccine, governmental bodies across the country haven’t blocked the vaccines outright.

“I’m not aware of anything else like this,” said Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials. She said health departments have stopped offering the vaccine because of cost or low demand, but not based on “a judgment of the medical product itself.”

The six-county district along the Idaho-Oregon border includes three counties in the Boise metropolitan area. Demand for COVID vaccines in the health district has declined — with 1,601 given in 2021 to 64 so far in 2024. The same is true for other vaccines: Idaho has the highest childhood vaccination exemption rate in the nation, and last year, the Southwest District Health Department rushed to contain a rare measles outbreak that sickened 10.

On Oct. 22, the health department’s board voted 4-3 in favor of the ban — despite Southwest’s medical director testifying to the vaccine’s necessity.

“Our request of the board is that we would be able to carry and offer those (vaccines), recognizing that we always have these discussions of risks and benefits,” Dr. Perry Jansen said at the meeting. “This is not a blind, everybody-gets-a-shot approach. This is a thoughtful approach.”

Opposite Jansen’s plea were more than 290 public comments, many of which called for an end to vaccine mandates or taxpayer funding of the vaccines, neither of which are happening in the district. At the meeting, many people who spoke are nationally known for making the rounds to testify against COVID vaccines, including Dr. Peter McCullough, a Texas cardiologist who sells “contagion emergency kits” that include ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine — drugs that have not been approved to treat COVID-19 and can have dangerous side effects.

Board Chairman Kelly Aberasturi was familiar with many of the voices who wanted the ban, especially from earlier local protests of pandemic measures.

Aberasturi, who told The Associated Press that he’s skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines and national public health leaders, said in the meeting and in an interview with the AP that he was supportive of but “disappointed” in the board’s decision.

He said the board had overstepped the relationship between patients and their doctors — and possibly opened a door to blocking other vaccines or treatments.

Board members in favor of the decision argued people can get vaccinated elsewhere, and that providing the shots was equivalent to signing off on their safety. (Some people may be reluctant to get vaccinated or boosted because of misinformation about the shots despite evidence that they’re safe and have saved millions of lives.)

The people getting vaccinated at the health department — including people without housing, people who are homebound and those in long-term care facilities or in the immigration process — had no other options, Jansen and Aberasturi said.

“I’ve been homeless in my lifetime, so I understand how difficult it can be when you’re ... trying to get by and get ahead,” Aberasturi said. “This is where we should be stepping in and helping.

“But we have some board members who have never been there, so they don’t understand what it’s like.”

State health officials have said that they “recommend that people consider the COVID-19 vaccine.” Idaho health department spokesperson AJ McWhorter declined to comment on “public health district business,” but noted that COVID-19 vaccines are still available at community health centers for people who are uninsured.

Aberasturi said he plans to ask at the next board meeting if the health department can at least be allowed to vaccinate older patients and residents of long-term care facilities, adding that the board is supposed to be caring for the “health and well-being” of the district’s residents. “But I believe the way we went about this thing is we didn’t do that due diligence.”

#mask up #covid #pandemic #public health #wear a mask #covid 19 #wear a respirator #still coviding #coronavirus #sars cov 2

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arsquare · 7 months ago

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Hello everyone!

As I take on more projects and expand my practice, it feels prudent to write monthly newsletter posts to keep followers up to date on what projects I'm currently undertaking. So here's the update for October/November 2024!

Zines

Currently I'm participating in two zines, both of which will likely be released in November!

One is the Detective Conan Fanzine, which is dedicated to the 26 movies of the franchise. I was assigned Movie 2, and I've posted a preview below! The full illustration will be available on INPRNT after the zine releases.

The other is the Counter-Pale Resistance (@de-fanzine-cpr-pale), which is a Disco Elysium fanzine. Participants take inspiration from song lyrics to create their piece, whether it's an illustration, comic, or writing. I created an illustration of Harry and Dolores for this zine! I quite like this piece-- it will be available on INPRNT after the zine releases, and I'll also be making gold foil postcards of it. Stay tuned!

Additionally, COMPASS: A Heishin Anthology (@haidocityzines), which I did several illustrations for, has been released for free digitally! Download your copy here. There are also merch bundles remaining if you're interested.

Merchandise

I've been putting together a Kaishin merch bundle in the past several months to go with a polished print version of Breaking Stasis (link goes to the original version-- polished version will be uploaded at a later date), my 2021 Kaishin Secret Santa manga. There's going to be a bookmark, a memopad, and a postcard in addition to the book. I'm waiting for the last of the merch samples to arrive! When they do, I'll photograph them and open up pre-orders.

Remember this? The pages are now fully toned and I've fixed the illustrations that were bothering me...

Pre-orders will likely open on Friday, Nov. 8th, and will close before the end of the month. A more detailed announcement is coming in early November!

Additionally, I've added several prints to my INPRNT:

Commissions

Commissions are currently closed! However, you may contact me at any time via email at [email protected] or soharsquare on Discord to add your name to the waitlist. Folks on the waitlist will get priority when commissions open up again.

Upcoming Events

November 23rd: Tabling at KDF26 (Tainan, Taiwan)

December 10th: Lecture on creating fanzines and doujinshi, hosted by the NCKU Manga Club (Tainan, Taiwan)

December 14th-15th: Tabling at FFK17 (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

This probably isn't relevant to most people here, but I figured I'd put this out there just in case!

CHORUS

CHORUS is my current comic project! It's a 16-chapter BIRDMEN fan manga, and we've just uploaded the last pages of ACT 2. If you liked my previous comics, please consider checking it out at @birdmenfanmanga! Most of my love at this time is going into this project.

A more extended newsletter on CHORUS can be found here.

Subscribe to the Monthly Newsletter Elsewhere

In times like this when social media websites are imploding for one reason or another, I think it's nice to have multiple bases of communication. Of course, monthly newsletters will always be posted on Tumblr, but you can also join my Community Discord for these updates as well. I have also set up an email subscription list.

Thank you all for the support thus far!

Love, Soh Arsquare. Oct. 27, 2024.

[INPRNT | Ko-fi | Commission info]

#monthly newsletter #october 2024 #november 2024 #dcmk #LOL the mangoes one at the bottom is also available on INPRNT... it just didn't make sense to put it with the detco prints

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boxboxblog · 8 months ago

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Driver Profiles: Carlos Sainz

Updated December 2024

Name: Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro

Age: 30

Nationality: Spanish

Years in F1: 9 ( Toro Rosso 2015- Oct 2017, Renault Oct 2017-2018, Mclaren 2019-2020, Ferrari 2021-2024, Williams 2025)

Number: 55

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Sainz is most well known for his strategy more than anything. Regularly during races it is his suggestions on strat that are chosen, and most often they yield positive results. Beyond strategy, he has a calm and effective tire management and calculate decision making skills. All of this together leads to very intelligent driver, and allows him to be one of the smoothest drivers on the track. While he can be aggressive when needed, it is tempered by his patience (similar to teammate Charles Leclerc). The negatives about Sainz is that he tends to overthink in races. This is mostly due to his strategic and cautious way of racing, but it does not let him make split-second decisions very easily. He tends to not rely on his instinct very much.

History:

Sainz is the son of Rally World Champion Carlos Sainz Sr., and with his fathers racing fame came pressure at a young age. Sainz started his career in karting in 2006, after participating in smaller series in Spain. In 2008, he won the Asia-Pacific KF3 title, as well as finishing runner-up in the Spanish Championship In 2009, he also won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup, and was runner-up in the European KF3 Championship. In 2010 at age 16 Sainz raced in Formula BMW, and was added to the Red Bull Junior Program. He finished his season in Formula BMW in 4th place.

(Young Sainz sitting in Fernando Alonso's Renault)

During 2012, Sainz raced in both the Euro Series and British F3 Championships. He did well in both series, gaining multiple pole positions and podiums, but did not get particularly close to winning the championships.

In 2013 Sainz signed with a GP3 team to compete in that years championship. He was a midfielder during this time, and his highest finish was P7. He then competed in Formula Renault 3.5 the same year, and had a difficult year there as well.

In 2015 Sainz was brought up to Formula 1 to drive for Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team, opposite Max Verstappen. His time with Toro Rosso was difficult for Sainz, regularly experiencing mechanical problems and crashes. His first season with them he would find himself 15th in the championship. 2016 would see Sainz get his best career finish of P6, but still is counted as a rather negative year for the Spainard. 2017 was Sainz's best year with Toro Rosso, finishing at the Singapore GP in 4th place. Shortly before this race it was announced Sainz would be on loan to Renualt for the last 4 races and the 2018 season. Sainz stated it was unlikely he would return to Toro Ross. He never did.

(Sainz with teammate Verstappen)

The 2018 season with Renault saw Sainz have significantly more positive results. He qualified in the top ten for the beginning races, and finished in the points for all but one. For the next races, he would consistently score points. however, this was not enough for Renault and he was replace by Daniel Riccardo for the 2019 season. Happily for Sainz, he was able to sign a contract with Mclaren to replace his one with Renault.

(Sainz when he was with Renault)

The 2019 season and his first year with Mclaren saw Sainz achieve even better results. While his first three races were unfortunate, after he consistently scored high points right behind the top 3 teams and finished above his teammate, Lando Norris. He would go on to get his maiden podium at the Brazilian GP after Lewis Hamilton received a post race time penalty. Unfortunately the rest of the season was rather negative for Sainz, encountering engine problems, pit problems, and other things that made him DNF multiple races. 2020 was a more positive year, which saw him achieve more podiums and finish 6th in the championship.

(Sainz in his Mclaren)

In 2021 Sainz joined Ferrari opposite Charles Leclerc, by the far the most successful team he has been a part of. While he had some issues during the year, he also had a majority of his highest results, finishing the season in fifth and ahead of his teammate. 2022 saw his maiden win at the British GP. Won in a difficult rain race, he showed that he had the chops to keep up with his Championship battling teammate, and had a variety of positive results that year. He ended in fifth in the championship that year, this time behind his teammate. 2023 was a rough year for every team but Red Bull, however Sainz was the only non-Redbull winner that year at the Singapore GP, which was a mark of honor that year.

(Sainz after securing maiden win)

2024 Sainz had a relatively positive year, with a few standout performances and a few terrible results. Notably he crashed out of both Baku and Brazil. However, he won in Australia and Mexico, so kind of a mixed bag. He finished 5th in the standings.

He is set to join Williams for the 2025 season.

(Sainz getting champagne poured on his head by teammate Charles Leclerc at the 2024 Australian GP)

Major Races:

2019 Brazilian GP - Sainz first podium finish, he achieved it after Lewis Hamilton received a time penalty post race. Regardless, he has a strong race and was able to compete with top teams ina. midfield car.

2020 Italian GP - Driving withe Mclaren, he achieved a P2 finish, his highest at the time. Again, we see Sainz has a talent for pulling the maximum out of his car.

2021 Monaco GP - His first podium with Ferrari, the Monaco GP is a prestigious and difficult race. On top of that, it is an early race, and displayed how fast Sainz adapted to the Ferrari car.

2022 British GP - His first win, this race was a wet one which saw multiple DNF's from other drivers. His skill in wet weather allowed him to battle with top drivers like Hamilton and take the win.

2023 Singapore GP - As the only non-Red Bull winner that year, this race result will always show how strong his race craft is. Whiel he held the lead for most of the race, a late safety car threatened his position. In a spur of genius he used Mclaren driver Lando Norris as a buffer to the attacking cars behind, keeping Norris within DRS range but not allowing him by. By far the most impressive use of DRS I have seen from a front car.

2024 Australian GP - Shortly after his appendix surgery, Sainz won through pure race skill, and got Ferrari there first 1-2 of the season, giving them a major lead in the championships.

Cheers!

-B

#f1 #formula 1 #f1 drivers #f1 driver profiles #carlos sainz #carlos sainz jr

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year ago

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By: Gabriella Swerling

Published: Mar 21, 2024

An NHS Trust is investigating accusations that pro-Palestine nurses denied a nine-year-old Jewish boy care.

Elliott Smus, who is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, wrote on LinkedIn on Wednesday about an alleged incident at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital involving his young nephew, who suffers from a rare blood disorder.

Mr Smus said that his nephew, who has suffered with his condition for most of his life, requires a blood transfusion every month or two, spending up to days in hospital for treatment.

He said that his nephew is from a religious Jewish family and wears a kippah and tzitzit, clothing typically worn by orthodox Jewish males.

But he claimed that the child was “kicked out of his bay” by nurses wearing “Free Palestine” badges and forced “to lie on the floor with a canula in”.

As a result, Mr Smus said that his nephew is now scared that if he wears clothing that identifies him as visibly Jewish, he will not receive treatment.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has launched an investigation.

Incident was ‘horrendous’

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley, who is Jewish, described the alleged incident as “horrendous” and called on Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and the NHS to investigate “with urgency”.

Mr Smus, who has been contacted for comment, said on social media: “As a religious Jewish family, my nephew wears his black kippah (yamulka, religious hat whatever you want to call it) and his tzitzit proudly.

“Not today. Why you ask? The nurses (NHS employees) are all walking around wearing “Free Palestine” pins and he was scared.

“Beyond that, the last few times he went in he was denied correct medical care by the same couple of nurses every time.

“This culminated the last time he went in, when my visibly Jewish nine-year-old nephew, with an autoimmune blood disease was kicked out of his bay by one of the nurses who was covered in pro-Palestine badges and stickers, and had to lie on the floor with a canula in.

“Now the damage is done and my proudly Jewish nephew (and his parents) is scared to not get treatment if he wears his kippah and tzitzit.

“Coincidentally, today when not visibly Jewish, he received quick care. Also worth noting, prior to the conflict he received excellent care.

“It is terrifying to be a Jew in the world again.”

Anti-Semitism at all-time high

The Community Security Trust, which records anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, said that anti-Semitism hit an all-time high in 2023 in an “explosion of hatred” following the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

The charity said the surge in anti-Jewish attacks, threats and abuse amounted to a “celebration” of Hamas’s Oct 7 massacre by anti-Semites whose own hatred was fuelled by the brutality of the attacks.

Its annual report said that there were 4,103 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK in 2023, nearly double the previous record in 2021, covering all types of “hate” against Jewish people.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are aware of images and very serious claims which are circulating on social media.

“We are rapidly investigating these to establish the situation and are discussing them with the family involved. Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is committed to providing high-quality care to all patients.”

Mr Burnham said: “I have seen the troubling reports shared on social media and have asked the Royal Children’s Hospital to launch an urgent investigation. No one should feel treated differently in our hospitals because of their race or religion. I’ve asked the hospital management to provide regular updates as they gather the facts.”

The "be kind" "right side of history."

Let's put aside for a moment that it's unethical for medical professionals to be wearing political paraphernalia of any variety.

Whether or not the accusation is true, literally nobody doubts that people who are pro-Hamas and support Islamic terrorism are completely capable of this kind of atrocity.

#Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital #NHS #National Health Service #antisemitism #pro hamas #hamas supporters #pro palestine #israel #free palestine #free gaza #ethics violation #religion is a mental illness

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thelovetheystole · 1 year ago

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Fully updated list with dates for all Robert mentions (plus other somewhat Rob related show content) we've had since Aaron's return in October 2023. Please note that the quotes are not exact as I just write them down from memory.

Pinned to my blog and I'll add more as we go 🤞

2023

○ October 18 - Aaron tells Vinny 'maybe I like the memories' after moving in to the second Mill flat

• October 27 - Rhona quips 'That worked out really well for Robert' in front of Aaron when he was talking about going after Craig

• December 13 - Victoria tells Aaron 'You sound like you're speaking from experience' when Aaron said she should wait for Jacob if he's the one. Followed by her then saying 'Speaking of the one, Robert's doing okay'.

2024

○ January 15 - Aaron's drunken pause to Victoria

• January 18 - Charity reminds Aaron of the time he and Robert were 'raising Seb together', * first Seb mention in years

• January 30 - Aaron rattles of all the 'ghosts' on his list to Mack, but Robert was the only on there that's still alive, * first time Aaron has spoken Robert's name since his exit episode in 2021

° March 1 - Aaron tells Vinny he will probably never have kids, so zero chance to pass on a faulty gene

• August 8 - Victoria tells John about their brother Robert, she also says to Eric that she's going to tell Robert about John, later Aaron has a very visible reaction to learning he's unknowingly hooked up with Robert's half brother and John looks at an old Sugden family photo at Vic's house

• August 9 - Aaron emotionally tells his mum that 'It's brought everything back - about Robert' and that he 'can't go there again'

• Aug 13 - Aaron says to Chas that he 'never would have gone there' if he had known John was Robert's brother

○ Aug 16 - Aaron advises Vinny that it's no use 'pining for someone who isn't there anymore'

• Aug 27 - Vic tells John 'It's nice to have someone in my corner, I haven't had that since Robert went away'

° Aug 29 - Victoria tells Aaron and John that this is 'messed up' and questions if Aaron wants to sleep with all her brothers

• Sep 2 - Vic tells Aaron him being involved with Robert's brother is 'a bit weird', Aaron tells her 'John won't replace Robert' for either of them, later John says he's 'not been auditioning as Robert's replacement'

• Sep 23 - Vic has found old family photos and wants to show John, mentions 'Rob and Andy' twice. Later, she finds out John's still seeing Aaron, and tells him 'You know Aaron is married to Robert, our brother?' (Yes, is, not was!)

• Oct 29 - Charity questions where Rebecca and Seb are after Ross brings Moses to an illegal fight *Second Seb mention this year, Charity also mentioned him in january

• Oct 30 - Ross talks about Seb a lot, while Charity asks if Robert knows about Rebecca's death. He just looks at her funny and doesn't answer, just says as far as he knows, he's still in prison

• Oct 31 - Robert is talked about throughout the whole episode, as is Seb, as Ross explains he went to see Robert in prison, where he signed papers for Seb to live in Bristol with Rebecca's aunt

• Nov 5 - More Robert and Seb talk, actual meaningful talk too, with Aaron reminicing of a time he had 'everything'. This one is extra significant because it shows Aaron looking at a photo of Robert and Seb on Vic's keychain 💛🍋

• Nov 6 - Even more Robert and Seb talk, Aaron tries to make out to John that just because he's thinking about Seb doesn't mean he still loves his dad. John doesn't believe him, and of course we don't either! Then John says rude things about Robert, which sets Aaron right off!

• Nov 8 - John apologises to Aaron for being weird about him and Robert

2025

• March 18 - Sam quips 'Loves marrying a Sugden, does our Aaron' after Aaron gets engaged to John *shudder as I write 😣 *

• April 24 - Aaron questions if John is still in love with Aidan, which in turn causes John to ask 'Are you still in love with Robert?', taking Aaron by surprise and he doesn't answer the question...

♡ May 1 - Ryan's "limited", "brief" return as Robert is leaked

☆ May 28 - Robert crashes Aaron's wedding and it's revealed Ryan is back to stay 😭

Link to my post with clues about John ⬇️

Links to my posts with Danny's quotes about Robert/Ryan from 2020-2024 (includes their social media imteractions and their pub meeting) ⬇️

Updated ⬇️

#robert sugden mentions #robron #aaron dingle #emmerdale #seb #danny miller #ryan hawley

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puppygirlsummy · 1 month ago

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I also updated my ponysona from back when I was heavily in the mlp fandom ❤️‍🩹 but you only get this sneak peek for rn until I decide if I wanna finish a human ref too 🙏🏾

(oct. 2021 -> april. 2025)

#summerz sonaz ⟡˖ ࣪#slight hue change from red to more yellow #Also hairstyle change to kinda match my locs hehe #The sunflowers remain forever <3 #ponysona #pony oc #sona

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hoovesandfloorpaws · 7 months ago

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✨HOOVESANDFLOORPAWS' TAGLIST

If you reblog, please know: post is continuously under construction ⚙️ 🔞 This blog is 18+

Masterposts of things I've worked on: • My Posts: PART 1 • PART 2 • PART 3 • All Posts I Elongated For Archive Purposes • old important masterposts, etc. that were previously under a Read More (which get deleted when the blog deletes). (I only started doing this in Nov '24, so there's quite a lot more to come!) ⚓️ Current things: Complete Larry Tattoo Timeline • w/ pictures & meta (last update: April '25) H&L Companies Masterpost • deep dive into all 20 companies Harry & Louis were/are in during and after 1D (last update: May '25) [coming soon] Louis Companies Overview + Meta • incl. 78 Productions as his record label & his 2021 idea to start a management company Two Ghosts Music Video • plot and analysis 1D / H&L Awards Visual Guide • link to a download of a PDF with pics & info of all the awards 1D, Harry, and Louis have won

⚓️ Main tags: ⏱ if you want to look at a tag in the order old to new, add /chrono to the end of the tag link! (in-browser only)

Larry 🏠⚓️💙💚 main tag for all posts involving Harry&Louis Masterpost • masterposts & link compilations Timelines • timeline compilations Meta • insights/explanations/analysis Resources • useful links + taglists Do Not Lose • extra important posts For New Larries • Debunked

2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2023 / 2024 / 2025 • i only started in Oct ‘24 to use the years in my tagging system, so bear with me while I go through almost 600 pages of this blog and add them to my old posts

Baby Boyfriends • est. 2010 Future Husbands • mostly pre-Sep-2013 They Are Married • mostly post-2013 (clarification: i don’t believe they are legally married in the UK, yet, but that they’ve been engaged since 2013 and are practically married) I Love Their Love • domestic bliss Pick Someone Who's Supportive Rainbows • 🏳️‍🌈 everything sexuality-related Harry And Gender • 🏳️‍⚧️ blue and pink forever 💙💖 Coming Out • Closeting • Outing Larry Tweets • Always in my heart, Harry Styles, yours sincerely, Louis Receipts Lyrics • *what does it mean what does it ALL MEAN.gif* Tattoos Signals • Touches • Lyric Changes Sharing Clothes • Coded Clothing Harry Wants A Baby & Louis Wants A Baby • The Larents RBB and SBB • 🧸🏳️‍🌈🧸 Harry's Rings Pleasing • 28 Clothing 1D companies • Harry companies • Louis companies ⚓️ Media: Video • Live • Interview • Audio • Unreleased Songs Manip • Artwork • Comic • AU GIFset Fic Rec Download • videos, fics, etc. Music Video • Photoshoot Crack / FIMQ X-Factor • Wellington 🥔 • 1D Day Dunkirk • My Policeman ⚓️ Misc: Ask Paz Rambles • posts including my thoughts Mine • my posts LMAO • posts to chuckle & snortlaugh about Cute Things • Larry-themed, for when you need a Pick Me Up :') NSFW • Cock Talk • Butt Business • 🍌🍑 Fond Frog Laser Stare • it's a Harry-thing 🐸😌 Music Industry In This House WE HATE SYCO ⚓️ People: The Tomlinsons • all things Tomlinson-Styles family Louis' sisters & Harry's sister all have their own tag, as well. just click on my The Tomlinsons tag and when posts with them pop up, click on their respective tag ⚓️ Beards, Stunts & other bullshit Babygate • Holivia • Haylor • ElouNO • Stunts

#under construction #do not reblog #please #taglist #mine #do not lose

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comfortlesshurt · 5 months ago

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2024 Skyler Wrapped

Little 2024 update because my ass can never get enough statistics! (I enjoy the writing, but I fear my true love is math.)

Anyway, skip this post if it will bother you reading about a year of someone else's achievements! I will totally understand. Literally jerkin' myself off under the cut on this post, my dudes.

This year's new fics (in order of date first posted):

Ratings and TWs can be found at the links. Please check the TWs before reading!

09-Jun-2024: 5 Times Lance Doesn't Matter +1 Time He Finally Does (my first fic after an 18-month break!)

01-Jul-2024: Smiling 'cause you're used to it (a house that's always haunted) (first fic where I truly let myself go wild & write for my own dick & no one else)

03-Jul-2024: Chemicals, chemicals in my brain (where'd you go, where'd you go anyway?) (first time writing the fluffy part & enjoying it)

01-Aug-2024: Nowhere to call home (so I'll pack and run away) (first time completing a writing challenge on time)

10-Sep-2024: What are you wondering? (What do you know?) (I hate this one actually, but I wrote it this year so we'll just give it..... shortest fic I've written in AWHILE)

15-Sep-2024: On it, yes, indeed (on it, watch me bleed) (ugh opposite problem... I loved this one! but there's nothing really standout about it, I guess. just accept that I love it even if it doesn't have a Special Thing)

14-Oct-2024: 5 Times Keith Relies on the Blade +1 Time... (first time creating something to celebrate a fictional character's birthday. also first OCs with more than one line of dialogue, I think)

07-Dec-2024: With talk of love (as I make-pretend) (first work for a gift exchange! whole new scary experience for me!)

22-Dec-2024: Maybe this thing works out (if I'm lying too) (longest thing I have EVER written and shared. the inspiration for this thing is endless, I fear)

Stats I thought were interesting:

I wasn't actually back in fandom until June 3rd, 2024, so all the AO3 stats are based on the difference between my snapshot of that date and my snapshot on December 31st, 2024. Not a huge difference; it's just chopping out all the January through June interaction with my Spider-Man stuff that was already up since the last time I took a stats snapshot before that was 2021.

Published in 2024: 92k words, all VLD!

Written in 2024 but not yet published: 188k words, also all VLD

General new stats in 2024: 128 new work subs (we're so back), 20k new hits, 1.2k new kudos, 94 new comment threads (and i happy screamed at every single one), & 339 new bookmarks (and i crept through every single one with comments or tags attached... like a creep...)

New finished works: 7

New unfinished works: 2

Top artist for title lyrics this year: Those Who Dream at 16 unique titles (1 work title & 15 chapter titles)

Word count range for 2024 published fics: 527 (complete snippet) to 26k (WIP)

Most common additional tags: Keith-centric, POV Keith, Hurt/Comfort (these are surely surprising to you....)

Number of times I used the word 'just' in published & unpublished fics this year: 993 (0.355% of all words I wrote were this word.......)

Other milestones: first time writing someone who was Not My Blorbo and having fun with it, first time writing without it being an escape from something terrible, first shipfic, first time participating in a fandom event where there would be Consequences if I'd backed out, first explicit content posted on my main account, closest I've ever gotten to finishing NaNo* with one single project, first time c*mm*ssioning art for my fics, first time learning you have to censor the word c*mm*ssion to avoid getting scam bots in your tumblr DMs (just a huge milestone year actually)

New word count for this year technically doesn't beat my previous record of 315k in 2021, but 1) I was only employed full-time for 5 months of 2021 so I had way more free time then and 2) I didn't write a single word in 2024 before June 3rd, so 280k in 7 months of 2024 feels like a lot more than 315k in 12 months of 2021.

Also since literally no one IRL cares, some non-writing achievements I'm also proud of for 2024! Going in rough order from earliest in 2024 to latest:

Quit the most abusive job I've ever experienced

And immediately got my first job in my intended career field

Finally coded an AO3 stats tracker after 6 years of having it in the back of my mind

Grew my first ever eggplant (it was very small....)

Paid off my car

First semi-solo business proposal presented with a base price totaling more than all of the bids combined that I supported over 2 years at my last job

Made new friends I love <3

Acquired an unquenchable thirst for vld merch....

Went to my first con

And finally as of today, I'm under 89% of my original mortgage balance & on track to own this thing in half the original loan term! (praying this series of words doesn't wake up the sugar daddy bot again, he LOVES when I discuss my mortgage)

Also, some shoutouts for the year! In order of when we first met:

@zelandiangelo for being one of the few OGs I know still around and always being so nice to talk to and supportive. ;_; In case anyone's forgotten, they're the one who convinced me to write and post my first ever hurt/comfort fic and sucked me right back into fandom after I'd been clean for like... six years at that point.

For the record, there are other OGs and I'm glad to see them around! We're just not as close (but you can change that in 2025 ;) )

@hurtwithabitofcomfort for also being crazy supportive through all the fandoms I've been through. I didn't get to shout 'em out last year since I wasn't active on Tumblr then, but they're the one who kicked off me getting back into writing in 2023. I know I didn't SHARE anything from 2023, but they made me see how much I loved writing again around that time when the rest of my life kinda sucked and I was giving up on everything.

@perpetuallylatetothefandomparty for their incredibly nice comments! Deadass, I probably would've just posted my first one or two fics of this year and disappeared for another year or two if they hadn't been such a constant presence this summer, hyping up all the gen fics I was working on then.

@voltrohgodwhat for being so easy to talk to and being the kind of friend where either of us can like... disappear for a month and still be totally cool with each other. Also for sharing WIPs that still haunt me on a weekly basis because they're so unique and good ;_;

@existwound for being too intimidatingly cool for awhile but STILL hyping me up. If you've liked anything I've posted in the past three months or so, you've probably got Astra to blame for brainstorming it with me, letting me ramble about it, giving me fresh ideas when I'm stuck on something, or hyping it up.

@langst for always yapping to me about Klance and ALSO hyping up my WIPs and letting me ramble about ideas. Also special shoutout to El because she got me back into writing sprints and that is the source of a LOT of this recent word count. There is something so special about getting to stomp people's asses as you write.......

I'm not gonna harass all the writers I like who aren't like... people I talk to regularly, but even though this has been a VERY light reading year for me, there's a whole little list of VLD writers who I read over and over and like... instantly got motivation to write on my own fics afterward. If you've been in any of my 2024 fic rec lists, it's you... you are my motivation....

(Also, I am OLD and don't have my incredible teenage memory anymore, so if you see me add someone to the shoutouts later, no you didn't and I'm SORRY for not remembering in the first place.)

And final thing! Goals for 2025!

500k written in 2025: Just a little above my daily average in 2024 when you account for the 5 months I wasn't writing this year. The goal is to keep up the pace I've had since June 2024, but extend it through the full 12 months of 2025. Might be a bit of a reach but hey, I'll be happy to get anywhere near 500k in a year, so it works!

Start posting In Love and Death by the end of 2025: I'm running SO behind on where I thought I'd be with this project when I started, but there is no excuse for this to not be close enough to finished to start posting by the end of next year. Mark my words.......

Continue posting work I love: I fell out of habitually writing the last time because I was writing based on what I thought other people wanted to read and holy shit, it is so much easier to write what I want to read. So I'm gonna keep doing that in 2025. In 2024 we moved between gen whump, semi-shippy whump, and shippy non-whump, and I enjoyed them all because that was what I felt like writing at the time. I'll slide between them all as I feel like it again in 2025.

Prioritize my mental health online: I've mostly gotten through it fine, but every burst of bad mental health that affected my writing this year was a direct result of continuing to follow people who are just plain assholes and ruining my mood for no good reason when I'm trying to enjoy scrolling my dash. In 2025, I'll be reminding myself more often that no one is talented enough to make up for being a dick, and I will be more brutal with the unfollow and block buttons for anyone who's making my fandom experience worse.

#stats update #month goals

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