wyrdnis

[wyrdnis]

destressing at the Neve Gallus-Rana Savas Detective Agency

[wyrdnis]

Andrew Robinson on playing Garak for the first time. 

[wyrdnis]

Am I getting a good grade in tumblr mutual?

[wyrdnis]

. our Captain of Sorrows . [insp]

[ ko-fi / full res download ]

details:

[wyrdnis]

Your goal should be to get weirder with age and im not kidding. Become that odd estranged extended family member that owns a whacky home wherein a powerful magical item is kept that is the catalyst for the story of a children's adventure novel protagonist

[wyrdnis]

good view

[wyrdnis]

I want to work on something more elaborate but basically what I want to say comes down to this:

Too many people waste their time staying informed about things they'll never change while ignoring the vast amount they could - and that is only to the benefit of everyone they profess to be against.

My recommendations:

Block ads - they track and sell your data on and offline; they're whole goal is to further capitalism/consumerism

Get off of social media entirely (especially Meta platforms) or move to decentralized platforms; decentralized ones at least aren't optimized to keep you on them

Leave streaming platforms (Netflix, Spotify) limit or avoid endless content platforms (YouTube). They have a vested interest in you not feeling satisfied, tiring you out so all you can do is consume them.

When you do consume, switch to more free/low cost media from collective sources like libraries (books, DVDs, music, Kanopy or Hoopla) and direct from creators (indie books, zines, games, etc). This supports your community and cultivates valuing exchanges outside of commercial factors.

Learn about security and privacy issues - consider degoogling, switching to Linux, using a safer phone OS or downgrading your phone, infosec online, etc.

Mask as often as possible with the best quality mask you can afford. This is not as effective at blocking facial recognition as has been reported but it does limit spread of many deadly viruses and saves lives.

Create an archive and back it up of work you enjoy or find useful. Have ways to access it completely offline. Prepare for an internet that is controlled by autocrats or cut off entirely. Make it so you can share it with friends and family if need be.

When you're less influenced by tech and business oligarchies, you're better able to think critically for your own and other's benefits. When you value spending time and consuming outside of their reach, you aren't a cog in their machinery - spending that time feeding them content they can train AIs on and spy on you to sell you to others. When you care about privacy and security and take measures to protect yourself, you help others who have to take those measure to protect themselves because they're targeted - activists, marginalized groups etc - by making it less easy to flag those people. When you mask you protect yourself and others from disease while the health care system is getting attacked and dismantled.

These are meaningful and concrete ways of assisting others that are getting completely ignored in favor of more performative ways of "helping" or not helping at all. And I just...wish people knew it wasn't all or nothing.

The powers that be are trying to destroy services that were intended to benefit all of us so they can sell it back to some of us at a steep mark up. When you use NWS for your weather or NPR/PBS for your news and television, you care when they're gone.

You do not have to consent to autocracy. You can resist it.

[wyrdnis]

🐁Make Websites Think You're Somewhere Else (extensive tips from a russian)

in my country, Shit Simply Won't Work. even the people who don't mind our authorities are getting VPNs because without them, the internet is unusable. whatever the government hasn't yet banned is limited from the outside via blocking russian traffic, not signing up russian phone numbers, and not taking russian payment.

here's some tips on how to bypass next to any online restriction if your government also wants to get up your asshole with a lantern and swab every fold for biometrics. i've given the rundown privately to a UK friend of mine, but this could be relevant to anyone. expenses and complexity may vary, do whatever works for you. mind the laws of your country when considering the possibility of any of these methods.

if there's anything i have omitted or gotten wrong, feel free to add!

1. get a VPN

VPNs are middlemen between you and the website you want to access. they're the first (and for many, only) step to location masking. here, you have two options:

get a commercial VPN. pros: easy, you hit a button and it works; wide selection of countries. cons: more expensive (unless it's a free one, then be aware you're the product); it's easy for governments to block commercial VPNs, as VPN companies are required to make all their IPs public; some VPN companies may be worse at handling your data than others

rent a server in your country of choice and deploy a VPN on it (openvpn is a popular tool for this). pros: server rent is often cheaper than a VPN subscription; it's exceptionally easy using this openvpn script; you can share it with as many people as your traffic capacity will allow; it's more reliable and harder to block because the IP won't be associated with any known VPN service. cons: you have to be a bit more tech-savvy and know how to set up a linux server, or be willing to learn; if you want another country/address, you have to set up another server. going down this route, look up how to keep your personal server secure if you don't already have an idea

‼️caveat 1: VPN traffic looks different from normal traffic. often, websites can tell you're using a VPN. there are tools to mask this fact that may or may not come with your VPN, including DIY solutions like openvpn. look into those tools, try different VPNs as needed

‼️caveat 2: sometimes, websites get your location from the data stored in your browser. VPNs also come in the form of browser add-ons. they have solved this issue for me every time

‼️caveat 3 (99.9% chance you don't need to worry about this, feel free to skip): just having the one openvpn server could come with several issues. if all your devices are connected to it 24/7 and anything you do ever accidentally invites scrutiny (or if there's ever widespread measures to weed out VPN users), it'll be very obvious you're using one. only having a single address also makes it much easier to trace all your activity back to you. your government, if it has the power, could also compel the hosting company to tell them who's paying for the server. if you're the kind of person who'd be concerned about this, you're probably not reading this guide, or you already know how to mitigate.

2. TOR as a VPN alternative

some people i've known have used TOR in lieu of a VPN out of convenience (though personally, it wasn't convenient for me). if for some reason you can't/won't do VPNs, consider using the TOR browser. it also hides your location and encrypts your data, and it's free.

keep in mind that it's easy for a government to combat the use of TOR, as russia has (successfully?) banned it (fellow russians, do tell me if it somehow still works, i haven't been keeping up). can't elaborate any further since i haven't used TOR as a daily driver myself

3. use temporary phone numbers

a lot of platforms decide which country's laws your account needs to follow based on your phone number. signing up for a website, you can use a cheap online service that provides phone numbers from a wide choice of countries.

these are temporary, often single-use, meaning you sign up, you get the code in the SMS, and you can't access the number again. the one i've used has billed per text, with prices varying by target country. i recommend this method for low-stakes stuff that you just need to get working once, or for services where you can immediately switch all verification to email. absolutely do not use this for payment processors or other accounts you can't afford to get compromised or lose.

there's also completely free services like this where the numbers are permanently available to everyone, and anyone can read the text history. those are obviously very insecure so i'd never use them in most cases

4. travel to the nearest cheapest easiest country and get your own sim

...if you don't already have one from travelling or w/e. solves all the issues of the above method. costly but worth it to some. sign up for anything at any point foreva (obviously limited by the country you're buying your sim in) (and by whether you need a payment method, on that below)

5. travel to the nearest cheapest easiest country and get your own sim and a bank account registered to that sim

russians are completely cut off from international banking without credit card tourism, so we've been doing it a lot since the start of the invasion. this may become relevant to our UK friends, as websites can fix your location to that of your bank account, OR throw a hissy fit if the locations of your phone and your bank account don't match.

this is expensive. i've thankfully been able to afford the trip, while many many others can't. the costs are more justifiable to a russian, but if you're english and can travel somewhere they'll let you make a bank account quickly, consider this option. this, combined with a VPN to the country of your new card and phone, can free you from your new restrictions entirely*

research carefully how someone with your citizenship can open a bank account in the country you're planning to visit, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and how to declare your new account to your own tax authorities.

*i haven't been to every single website nor am i english, extrapolating from personal experience

‼️caveat 1: make your billing address an address in the new country if possible. some websites will throw up and die if your billing address is in a country they want to restrict

‼️caveat 2: some websites will throw up and die if you try to change the country of your profile without your traffic also coming from that country. you still need a VPN

‼️caveat 3: some websites will throw up and die if you change the location of your profile too frequently. try to minimise "suspicious" activity, as major region-dependent services like spotify can and will fight you tooth and nail

that's it from me for now. thank you for reading, reblog if you've found this helpful, add if you know more, and happy browsing!

[wyrdnis]

[wyrdnis]

also a poem from the new, unreleased collection. very possibly my own all-time favourite.

[wyrdnis]

Cat

[wyrdnis]

has me weak in the knees and everything

[wyrdnis]

Finished Veilguard yesterday. "Real life" kind of feels like a fade prison.

[wyrdnis]

Seeing a lot of new people show up in my notes with like "proship dni" or whatever so RENT LOWERING GUNSHOT: IM AN ADULT WHO DOES NOT CARE IF PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMATIC SHIPS, IM OLD AND BELIEVE TABOO FICTION IS SAFE AND HEALTHY, IM AN OLD MAN WHO THINKS IT'S FINE TO HAVE SHIPS THAT WOULD BE BAD IN REAL LIFE, I BELIEVE IN TABOO KINKS AS HEALING PLACES, I DO NOT DO SHIP DISCOURSE, I THINK IT'S OKAY TO WRITE ABOUT BAD THINGS HAPPENING TO GOOD PEOPLE WITHOUT CONDEMNING IT IN THE NARRATIVE, I THINK IT'S OKAY TO GET OFF TO MAKE BELIEVE BAD THINGS!!! THANKS

[wyrdnis]

"Well, I guess you've found me"

Another sketch of him in this "armor" hehe Well, I mean it protects some parts.

____________________________________

Links and info | Commissions are OPEN

[wyrdnis]

new post! please help me stay housed & meet my medical needs

update july 30: new post because the last one was too long.

my landlord messed up the paperwork so my lease is renewed, but the eviction hearing is still happening & i really need to move. i've been dealing with constant hostility & ableism since i moved in, to the point that i haven't even had time to go to viewings. i need to get out ASAP. she just put up a fence that blocks half the alley so i can't take my walker or wheelchair out at all & can barely even fit my body through. she's literally trapped me in my apartment. i can't walk without support & have medical appts i can't miss. i need to be able to get out in emergencies.

last month, a local org agreed to pay $299 on a pair of smartcrutches, but i still have to pay at least $230 out of pocket. it'll take a long time to get help with my landlord and i need to be able to leave the building while i look for a new place. i'd be able to squeeze them through the fence & they'd at least provide more support than a cane or standard crutches, and they don't put pressure on my hands which is really important for me.

i also couldn't get my new glasses this month because i didn't meet my goal & what disability doesn't cover will be $300 or more (i have a big head and a weird prescription & they'll only cover $76 😭).

please help me if you can!

[wyrdnis]

Wheel of Time, S1 E2: Shadow's Waiting & S3E7: Goldeneyes

But the children and their minders, hidden in the mountains, had been saved. There was nothing left of their farms, their villages or their great city. But they returned, and they held the land that was theirs.

That is why the song says, "Weep." "Weep." Weep for Manetheren. Weep for what is lost forever.

- Moiraine Sedai

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