#not adding the source to this for privacy reasons

[awnowimsad]

oh my goooooood some of you guys are the dumbest people alive.

russian troll accounts stole their posts from Black people on twitter. People who had nothing to do with this and had no idea what was going on. and here you are acting like pointing this out is racist???

The construction of Lagonegirl��s post demonstrates the platform conventions utilized to structure a post that would encourage sharing and minimize the potential for exposing the blog as not operated by a Black user. The image and text combination that the Lagonegirl blog shared is sourced from a Tweet originally posted in the summer of 2017. The Tweet does appear to originate with a Black woman on Twitter. Brock (2012) and Florini (2014) have shown how Black users on Twitter engage in linguistic practices of “signifying’” in order to demonstrate cultural competence and negotiate in-group and out-group membership. The excessive use of reaction gifs and incorrect African American Vernacular English (AAVE) can be clear indicators to the in-group that a user is preforming digital blackface, rather than an authentic member of the community (Jackson, 2017). As the original tweet is also still accessible (along with the user’s Twitter page), it is reasonable to believe that this Twitter user was not involved in IRA activities, even if her Tweet was reformatted and redistributed by the IRA. By re-sharing (on a different platform) a Tweet that originates from a Black woman, Lagonegirl potentially avoids misuse of AAVE and being accused of inauthenticity. Lagonegirl in her post in fact does not claim to be the ultimate, original source of the content, and source information back to the original Tweet is still accessible on reblogs of the post. By re-using content posted by another (presumably Black) user, the Lagonegirl account was able to perform “Blackness” through the sharing of this post without ever having to compose the actual text, reducing the possibility of, as Shafiqah Hudson and I’Nasch Crockett would popularize on Twitter, “her slip showing” (Crockett, 2014; Hampton, 2019). The IRA members involved with the production of this post did not have to navigate the social and cultural specificity of AAVE and potentially fail in composing a post that would be read as authentic.

(emphasis added by me)

Neill Hoch, I. (2020). Russian Internet Research Agency Disinformation Activities on Tumblr: Identity, Privacy, and Ambivalence. Social Media + Society, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120961783 (Original work published 2020)

There's also a bunch of reputable sources that back this up!

Do you believe there were Russian bots active on Tumblr in 2018?

[colinodonoghue]

(This picture was edited due to the privacy of his children)

[geonij31]

Hey Newsies Fandom, LETS TALK LODGING HOUSES (by someone who wrote a 13 page essay on them for a university class)

I’ve recently delved into the world of Newsies Fanfiction and I’ve been going a little crazy over some of the representation of the Lodging House so I thought I’d offer up some FACTS regarding some things I’ve seen. For this I’m going to focus on the N°9 Duane Street Lodging-House.

(If you want a basic idea without doing too much research or reading this post, just go watch the 1992 Newsies, it’s not perfectly accurate but it’s close enough.)

THE LAYOUT: the lodging house itself was 6-7 floors. The first floor was rented out to shops like some apartment buildings.

Floor 2: The second floor consisted of a large dining-room “where nearly two hundred boys can sit down at table” (Campbell et al, 1897, 122), as well as a kitchen, laundry room, store-room, servant’s room and living quarters for the lodging’s superintendent and their family.

Floor 3: The third floor contained the school-room as well as washrooms, leaving the two top floors for the dormitories.

Floor 4-5: Each dormitory was “furnished with from fifty to one hundred beds” (Campbell et al, 1897) with spring mattresses and plenty of comforters. There were also “private rooms” which were squared spaces quartered off by curtains for privacy. These beds, though more expensive, were almost ALWAYS filled.

A couple different sources mention the lodging house having a gymnasium (with a trapeze) but they can’t seem to agree exactly where the gymnasium was. My guess is it was on the 6th floor as mentioned in an article by The Journal. The attic was used as extra space for the winters when the dormitories were full.

COSTS: lodging was 6 CENTS (or 10 for a “private room”) and meals (breakfast and dinner) were the same price. Boys could have as many helpings of a mean as they wanted! Without paying extra! From what I could tell they didn’t serve lunch because the afternoon paper came out around noon and most boys just picked up something while they were out so they wouldn’t miss a prime selling time.

(Don’t forget that most papers cost 1¢ for customers so a newsie would only have to sell 6 papers to stay the night or get a meal)

AMENITIES: THEY. HAD. SHOWERS. They had access to both hot and cold water and free towels. Boys were expected to wash up after entering the lodging house. Also, as mentioned, there was a laundry room. From my understanding it was most often used to clean the sheets of the beds which were used every day, but there were also boys said to be around helping with chores, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also able to wash their clothes there when they wanted.

There was also a free clothes ‘closet’ with donated clothing for boys to access. It seemed most boys chose not to make use of it out of pride, but it didn’t go UNUSED. When a kid really needed stuff they would give it to them.

SCHOOLING: boys staying at the lodging house who did not receive a pass to stay out late were expected to attend the night school held there from 7:30-9. During the day the lodging house also held trades classes and other such courses for those who couldn’t attend a full day of school for whatever reason.

There’s so much more but that’s the basics of it and some of the stuff I’ve seen people get wrong (both in fanfics AND here on Tumblr) I’ve added photos from the Lodging house as well as some links of interest for those who want to go do their own research.

Campbell, H., Knox, T. W., & Byrnes, T. (1897). NEW YORK NEWSBOYS-- WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY COME FROM, AND HOW THEY LIVE-- THE WAIFS AND STRAYS OF A GREAT CITY. In Darkness and Daylight; or Lights and Shadows of New York Life; A Pictoral Record of Personal Experiences by Day and Night in the Great Metropolis (pp. 111–138). essay, Hartford, Conn. The Hartford Publishing Company. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://archive.org/details/darknessdaylight00campuoft/page/137/mode/1up.

^ Chapter IV: NEW YORK NEWSBOYS— WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY COME FROM, AND HOW THEY LIVE— THEY WAIFS AND STRAYS OF A GREAT CITY.

Riis, J. A. (1890). How The Other Half Lives. Charles Scribner’s Sons. November 23, 2024, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45502/45502-h/45502-h.htm#Page_82

^Chapter XVII: The Street Arab

Riis, J. A. (1908). The Children of the Poor. Charles Scribner’s Sons. November 23, 2024, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32609/32609-h/32609-h.htm#Page_122

^Chapter XIV: The Outcast and the Homeless

Smallest saving bank in the world. (1896, February 16). The Journal, pp. 19–19. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84031792/1896-02-16/ed-1/?q=Great+Depression&sp=19&st=image&r=-0.421,0.085,1.842,1.398,0.

[fabaulti]

I think most of us should take the whole ai scraping situation as a sign that we should maybe stop giving google/facebook/big corps all our data and look into alternatives that actually value your privacy.

i know this is easier said than done because everybody under the sun seems to use these services, but I promise you it’s not impossible. In fact, I made a list of a few alternatives to popular apps and services, alternatives that are privacy first, open source and don’t sell your data.

right off the bat I suggest you stop using gmail. it’s trash and not secure at all. google can read your emails. in fact, google has acces to all the data on your account and while what they do with it is already shady, I don’t even want to know what the whole ai situation is going to bring. a good alternative to a few google services is skiff. they provide a secure, e3ee mail service along with a workspace that can easily import google documents, a calendar and 10 gb free storage. i’ve been using it for a while and it’s great.

a good alternative to google drive is either koofr or filen. I use filen because everything you upload on there is end to end encrypted with zero knowledge. they offer 10 gb of free storage and really affordable lifetime plans.

google docs? i don’t know her. instead, try cryptpad. I don’t have the spoons to list all the great features of this service, you just have to believe me. nothing you write there will be used to train ai and you can share it just as easily. if skiff is too limited for you and you also need stuff like sheets or forms, cryptpad is here for you. the only downside i could think of is that they don’t have a mobile app, but the site works great in a browser too.

since there is no real alternative to youtube I recommend watching your little slime videos through a streaming frontend like freetube or new pipe. besides the fact that they remove ads, they also stop google from tracking what you watch. there is a bit of functionality loss with these services, but if you just want to watch videos privately they’re great.

if you’re looking for an alternative to google photos that is secure and end to end encrypted you might want to look into stingle, although in my experience filen’s photos tab works pretty well too.

oh, also, for the love of god, stop using whatsapp, facebook messenger or instagram for messaging. just stop. signal and telegram are literally here and they’re free. spread the word, educate your friends, ask them if they really want anyone to snoop around their private conversations.

regarding browser, you know the drill. throw google chrome/edge in the trash (they really basically spyware disguised as browsers) and download either librewolf or brave. mozilla can be a great secure option too, with a bit of tinkering.

if you wanna get a vpn (and I recommend you do) be wary that some of them are scammy. do your research, read their terms and conditions, familiarise yourself with their model. if you don’t wanna do that and are willing to trust my word, go with mullvad. they don’t keep any logs. it’s 5 euros a month with no different pricing plans or other bullshit.

lastly, whatever alternative you decide on, what matters most is that you don’t keep all your data in one place. don’t trust a service to take care of your emails, documents, photos and messages. store all these things in different, trustworthy (preferably open source) places. there is absolutely no reason google has to know everything about you.

do your own research as well, don’t just trust the first vpn service your favourite youtube gets sponsored by. don’t trust random tech blogs to tell you what the best cloud storage service is — they get good money for advertising one or the other. compare shit on your own or ask a tech savvy friend to help you. you’ve got this.

[definetly]

Mozilla Firefox has started sharing and selling your data and has now implemented a terms of service.

TL;DR: Mozilla has done the following to Firefox (edit)

They removed from their FAQ a statement that they'd never sell or collect your data. (So much for "never")

For the first time ever, they added a Terms of Use for Firefox which includes the ability to bar you from using Firefox for any reason by adding a Termination clause to their new Terms of Use.

Mozilla claims that there they're changing the language of 'selling of data' to avoid potential lawsuits due to "the broad and vague language of 'data selling'"; which could legitimately be true.

Alternatives

If you want a good alternative that doesn't do that, try out LibreWolf, a more private fork of Firefox, or LadyBird, which doesn't include clode from other browser.

Librewolf:

Ladybird

[smellslikebot]

"how do I keep my art from being scraped for AI from now on?"

if you post images online, there's no 100% guaranteed way to prevent this, and you can probably assume that there's no need to remove/edit existing content. you might contest this as a matter of data privacy and workers' rights, but you might also be looking for smaller, more immediate actions to take.

...so I made this list! I can't vouch for the effectiveness of all of these, but I wanted to compile as many options as possible so you can decide what's best for you.

Discouraging data scraping and "opting out"

robots.txt - This is a file placed in a website's home directory to "ask" web crawlers not to access certain parts of a site. If you have your own website, you can edit this yourself, or you can check which crawlers a site disallows by adding /robots.txt at the end of the URL. This article has instructions for blocking some bots that scrape data for AI.

HTML metadata - DeviantArt (i know) has proposed the "noai" and "noimageai" meta tags for opting images out of machine learning datasets, while Mojeek proposed "noml". To use all three, you'd put the following in your webpages' headers:

<meta name="robots" content="noai, noimageai, noml">

Have I Been Trained? - A tool by Spawning to search for images in the LAION-5B and LAION-400M datasets and opt your images and web domain out of future model training. Spawning claims that Stability AI and Hugging Face have agreed to respect these opt-outs. Try searching for usernames!

Kudurru - A tool by Spawning (currently a Wordpress plugin) in closed beta that purportedly blocks/redirects AI scrapers from your website. I don't know much about how this one works.

ai.txt - Similar to robots.txt. A new type of permissions file for AI training proposed by Spawning.

ArtShield Watermarker - Web-based tool to add Stable Diffusion's "invisible watermark" to images, which may cause an image to be recognized as AI-generated and excluded from data scraping and/or model training. Source available on GitHub. Doesn't seem to have updated/posted on social media since last year.

Image processing... things

these are popular now, but there seems to be some confusion regarding the goal of these tools; these aren't meant to "kill" AI art, and they won't affect existing models. they won't magically guarantee full protection, so you probably shouldn't loudly announce that you're using them to try to bait AI users into responding

Glaze - UChicago's tool to add "adversarial noise" to art to disrupt style mimicry. Devs recommend glazing pictures last. Runs on Windows and Mac (Nvidia GPU required)

WebGlaze - Free browser-based Glaze service for those who can't run Glaze locally. Request an invite by following their instructions.

Mist - Another adversarial noise tool, by Psyker Group. Runs on Windows and Linux (Nvidia GPU required) or on web with a Google Colab Notebook.

Nightshade - UChicago's tool to distort AI's recognition of features and "poison" datasets, with the goal of making it inconvenient to use images scraped without consent. The guide recommends that you do not disclose whether your art is nightshaded. Nightshade chooses a tag that's relevant to your image. You should use this word in the image's caption/alt text when you post the image online. This means the alt text will accurately describe what's in the image-- there is no reason to ever write false/mismatched alt text!!! Runs on Windows and Mac (Nvidia GPU required)

Sanative AI - Web-based "anti-AI watermark"-- maybe comparable to Glaze and Mist. I can't find much about this one except that they won a "Responsible AI Challenge" hosted by Mozilla last year.

Just Add A Regular Watermark - It doesn't take a lot of processing power to add a watermark, so why not? Try adding complexities like warping, changes in color/opacity, and blurring to make it more annoying for an AI (or human) to remove. You could even try testing your watermark against an AI watermark remover. (the privacy policy claims that they don't keep or otherwise use your images, but use your own judgment)

given that energy consumption was the focus of some AI art criticism, I'm not sure if the benefits of these GPU-intensive tools outweigh the cost, and I'd like to know more about that. in any case, I thought that people writing alt text/image descriptions more often would've been a neat side effect of Nightshade being used, so I hope to see more of that in the future, at least!

[skepticalarrie]

https://www.tumblr.com/skepticalarrie/782944322810249216/httpswwwtumblrcomskepticalarrie7829416243040?source=share

Hey Allie, I'm not sure if this is what you meant when you said it felt contradictory, but I wanted to share a thought:

I feel like being in the fandom since the 1D days really helps you understand how both Harry and Louis’ public images are managed now — and also gives you a deeper sense of who they are.

Take this contradiction between the narrative around Harry and who he really is. I think it ties a lot to how he dealt with closeting and the whole womanizer image during 1D. I keep thinking of all those times he was asked invasive questions about his sex life or supposed relationships, and you could literally see how uncomfortable it made him. And on stage, he used to be so spontaneous with Louis, until they were told not to even interact with each other.

And I think by 2014–2015, he just emotionally coasted and put on a mask because it had gotten to be too much.

I believe it’s always been important for Harry not just to avoid hiding who he is, but to express it and feel free in doing so. So when he launched his solo career, he wanted that repression to stop — or at least ease up.

But of course, it wasn’t going to be a drastic shift overnight. It had to be gradual and strategic. I remember during one of his early tour shows, he said, “We’re a little bit gay, aren’t we?” and Jeff Azoff’s brother literally whipped his head around like he couldn’t believe he said that (we’ve come such a long way since then).

So I’d say it’s always been like this: “You can do this, but we have to do this other thing” Like, “You can have creative freedom with Fine Line, but the narrative will be about a breakup.” I’m sure it’s way more layered than that, but that’s how I’d sum it up.

And I think the reason someone newer to the fandom might feel that disconnect with Harry’s public image is because they don’t have the full context. I think it’s not so much about playing both sides or trying to cater to everyone — it’s more about constantly negotiating what Harry wants to express, what he's willing to compromise to do that, how to protect his privacy, and still hit the goals he has for his career. Like a constant chess game.

Yes, definitely. The industry is a big game, and you have to learn how to play it. I think any artist who’s reached the level of success that 1D did, and now Harry as a solo act, has to be part of that system and negotiate what they want to achieve.

With Harry, it’s probably even more complex, especially with the added layer of his sexuality. At this point, I think he’s fully aware of what needs to be compromised to keep moving forward. I just hope he’s genuinely comfortable with where he’s headed (it seems like he is).

[lith0000000]

Is privacy important to you?

So recently, I've seen an uptick of people interested in privacy regarding electronics (phones, pc, what have you). When I say people, I'm referring to non-techy people, like myself. I know my way around my computer and can do some basic troubleshooting for hardware/software, but beyond that, I'm sort of helpless. I don't know anything about hacking or cybersecurity and the only coding I can do is some html. I'm below a novice haha. So, if you're that sort of person, then maybe this could be of interest to you. What I am about to discuss involves no coding or really any in depth knowledge regarding technology. You don't have to be Elliot Alderson for this.

>Why does privacy even matter?

The answer to this question will vary from person to person. I, for one, do not like the idea of any corporation hoarding my data to sell or store or do fuck all with. If this does not bother you, I'd consider asking yourself if you're comfortable with, let's say, something like Google knowing everything about you. And I mean everything. Suppose that doesn't bother you, then okay. Maybe think about how it would feel if your classmates or coworkers knew what Google knows about you. Corporations also extend to governments because they're jerking each other off, so something to keep in mind. And individuals, people like you and I, work for these entities. And these people can abuse your data. For any reason.

Your data is a tool for them to control you. You might not realize it until it's too late. I'm being a little vague here because this point alone could be an entire wall of posts.

Additionally, something to consider is the level of privacy that you may require. If you are someone who attends public protests or is part of some sort of organization that criticizes your government, you are at risk of potential scrutiny or harassment. Obviously, but I mean specifically from a lack of privacy practices. Maybe from your government or somebody who opposes your views, etc. And depending on how you've been communicating about these gatherings or communities, you're potentially putting others at risk as well. If you're one of the people who's in charge of organizing or playing a large role, some of the methods I will be going over will likely not be enough to protect you. Activists and journalists need a different level of privacy that I can't begin to match.

Listed below are some videos that I watched that really helped me to understand why this is important.

“I Have Nothing to Hide” – The Dangerous Myth About Privacy

Is it impossible to be private online? (Eric's channel has been very helpful for me personally because his explanations do not alienate the tech illiterate)

>So...Where do I start?

Luckily, there are small steps you can take to prevent some information about you from being hoarded. And I say some, not all. Unfortunately, the only way to completely avoid all of this is to live out in a cabin in the middle of nowhere and never use the internet ever. Which I can assume you don't want because you're reading this on a website right now! You will have to make some compromises for some of these options, and if you can't replace all of these and only some, that's fine. Most of these can be adjusted in just a few minutes, if that.

General

Oh my god, stop using chrome. I'm serious, please stop. If you are using chrome to read this, close out of this and download firefox. or brave or chromium or whatever. I use firefox, and the second you download firefox, download ublock origin. Ads on the internet are completely out of control. Firefox is not foolproof either, other add-ons can provide not just a more private experience, but also a much smoother one. ClearURLs removes tracking elements from urls. And it's open source. There are a few others, but I don't know everything lol. There are VPNs you can use, but I only ever use one if I'm away from home and using the Wi-Fi at work or something.

Stop using google search engine. In firefox, you can set something else by default. I just use duckduckgo, but there are alternatives. You can also turn off the ai bullshit. Find one that works best for you and your needs.

Email. So this is one I have not moved yet. I still have gmail for my youtube account. I also have to use gmail for my university. I do have a protonmail, though, that I've been slowly moving over to. This could be an easy fix for some people, while impossible for others. This is something that I am willing to compromise on. Again, you can't have it all with how things are set up. I'm sure there are some ways to circumvent this, but I am not aware of it. For things like drive and docs there are also some alternatives, but I don't use drive all that much, so finding an alternative isn't that pressing for me. There's proton drive, which functions similarly, and several paid options, but I'm trying to keep this process free for people just starting to be privacy-conscious.

Signal is a good messenger especially if you're moving from something like facebook messenger, instagram, whatsapp, whatever. It's end to end encrypted and pretty modern (so stuff like emojis, reactions, voice messages) You do need a phone number though, but again, better than just whatsapp. More people are moving to it now, so you might have an easier time introducing friends to it.

Cellphone

Alright, so this is going to depend on a few factors, mainly whether you have Android or iOS. I had an iPhone for a long time, up until last year. I was never an Apple fanboy, it's just what I had, but I wasn't deep in the ecosystem by any means. I've always used a Windows computer, so I didn't have a Mac or apple watch or whatever. I had an ipad but sold it to a friend last year because I transitioned to using my Wacom full time on my PC. I only say that because if you like your apple products just keep in mind that while you are secure (apple does have great security), you may not be private. iOS is closed source, so it's more difficult for third parties or hackers to get your data, but apple has it. And apple can do whatever. Also, you are limited to the ways you can customize your phone.

I will link a video on someone who discusses privacy on iphone but aside from the few things I listed above I can't really help you much further than a few other points. Sorry.

A brief guide to privacy for iPhone

If you have an Android based phone you are in luck. Most Android phones allow you to put a different os on your cellphone since you can access the bootloader (unlike iphones) BUT your phone in most cases has to be OEM unlockable. Phones from carriers like Verizon aren't able to be unlocked because Verizon is weird and kinda treats their consumers like shit lol. I own a Google pixel 9 and I will admit I splurged on this phone by buying it brand new. It was on sale, I got a bonus at work and hey what can I say... Also my iphone 12mini was shitting itself so it was time for a new phone. The money must have been burning a damn hole in my pocket. In retrospect though, the smarter thing would have been to buy used or an older model. Which I will be doing in the future. Back on track though.

You're probably scratching your head here: if he was just complaining about google why the hell does he have a Google phone?

I'm glad you asked, hypothetical voice in my head.

Grapheneos is a os that is only available on Google pixels (I believe from 6 onward). What it does is basically degoogles your phone. So removes google services. And the thing is, you can redownload these services but refuse network permissions and limit what they can and cannot do or have access to. Or tweak settings that you would not otherwise have access to. You have control over your device and it actually somewhat feels like your device. It's easy to install...like, modding a ds takes longer than installing graphene on your phone. Here is a video that I watched that goes over specifics and installation.

Here is the grapheneos website

For non google phones there's calyxOS but I have no personal experience with it. But both of these OS give you back some ownership on your device by letting the user control how their cellphone functions and not a company. Also, it can help your phone feel a little smoother because it removes a lot of proprietary apps that companies like Samsung add to android. If your phone can't be unlocked, then start by switching to alternative apps and delete as many proprietary apps as possible. Watch this video on fdroid.

Remove face ID if you're able and remove fingerprints as well. It might be a bit inconvenient but it's much safer. I understand that these may be great accessibility tools for some so just do what you can. Turn off location when you're not using it. With graphene, you can give map applications your approximate location, not your exact location. There are also map options that can be disconnected from network, and you can save routes, but I use public transportation and really need to see when my bus is going to arrive. My cities bus app is so shit sometimes. Again, another example of compromising that is going make you ask what's important to you, and if you're willing to risk your privacy for it.

If you watch most of these videos, you'll hear a lot of these points are going to overlap.

I was considering discussing what you can do for your PC, but I'm a complete noob. I've been using Linux mint for a little bit now, and I avoid the terminal most of the time because I'm a little baby. Even still, I recommend getting away from windows if you're able. Especially if you have a windows 10 computer since Microsoft is dropping support this fall iirc. Linux mint is super beginner friendly and much lighter on your computer, so even better if your PC is older.

Some videos that might help you decide if Linux could be a good alternative for you.

Switching to Linux: A Beginner’s Guide

Why Linux is Better Than Windows 11

Linux Mint 22: Excellent Distro for Windows Users

Linux Mint for Gaming (2025) | Linux Gaming Setup (for Beginners) Pt. 1

This privacy stuff can go so deep and you'll feel kinda crazy lol. Once you learn about what people can do with this data, and read about how people's lives have been ruined by it getting into the wrong hands, it'll never leave your head. But it's important to start small. And start sooner rather than later.

Social media was something I considered discussing but I think it could be added to a later post since this is kinda long already. I hope this is somewhat helpful, I tend to ramble a lot of the time. If you're someone who is a bit more savvy than I, then please reply with any info that you think could be important. But remember that this post is for basic beginners who are just now learning about this stuff so keep it simple. Thanks for reading!

[systastic]

Sleepover / Pillow Fort Headspace

an addendum onto this pack fur anon! —🍥

An Outsider’s View

On the outside, this realm doesn’t look like much compared to other places in headspace. NPC passerby tend to gossip about it: “What’s all this fuss about a tent made of blankets for? Can’t you make that at home?” It gets quite irritating to hear that ad nauseum… Such is the reason why the entryway to this part of headspace moves around so often. It could be set deep in the forests on one day, masquerading as part of a circus troupe the next, or found in one’s basement on the third. No matter the location of the entrance, one thing remains the same: it takes the form of a comfortable-looking blanket fort of impressive size, able to support at least a few people inside of its walls. Looking at it evokes a sense of nostalgia in your heart… Surely you can spare a few minutes to take a look around, no?

source: here!

Personal Rooms

The word “room” has a very loose definition in this headspace. When the walls, floors, and ceilings are all made of blankets and plush, it can be hard to make anything solid. Fortunately, all of the extra padding serves as an excellent way to practice individuality in other ways. Embroidering walls and pillows to signify them as one’s own is common, as is changing the colors of the lights in one’s room, the addition of plushies and stuffed animals, and creating piles of pillows to function as “sleep mountains”. Rooms can be stylized through the fabric used as well: color and style is an easy change, as is most of everything else. Privacy is a bit harder — but as long as you have a curtain to pull back over the front door, you’ll be just fine in keeping your things away from others.

source: here, here!

Court of Pillows and Plush

Most system require some level of internal communication in order to make their needs known and establish rapport among fellow headmates. This is why the Court of Pillows and Plush is so important: without it, there would be no way for headmates to congregate and have talks amongst one another. Gentle light fills the entire room from top to bottom, allowing all parties to speak on level terms without having to fight to be seen.

Being made out of fabric, blankets, and soft pillows helps to soothe unruly headmates or those with a penchant for punching things. Pillows can’t exactly complain about being hit, now can they? Fellow headmates on the other hand… Well, perhaps it’s better to stick to pillow punching for now.

source: here, here!

Lamplighter’s Workspace

Every individual light, every tiny piece of the headspace must be crafted and maintained. Thousands upon thousands of hours have gone into mastering the art of creating light. It is with these lights that the headspace flows and churns, able to keep up with the population of those who reside within it. Upon entering the Lamplighter’s Workshop, one is immediately struck by how bright it is. Motes of golden light hover and dance in the air, moving about from a simple touch of one’s fingers. Oak wood that makes up the Lamplighter’s desk is the only thing in this world not made of pillows and fabric. Trinkets and tools hang from the walls in an orderly fashion, filling up the drawers close to bursting. Other headmates may try their hand at creating new lights and altering the layout of this headspace… but without the role of architect or the prior permission of the Lamplighter, the tools can be somewhat uncooperative.

source: here, here!

The Space Between

All of these comfortable, cozy places residing within one headspace… what a wonderful paradise. It raises the question, though: how does one travel between these places? What prevents headmates from getting lost among the sheets? The answer to these is simple: not all of these places are directly connected in the same tent. Some tents have open flaps that allow residents to dip into a Dark Zone known as The Space Between. These flaps offer direct routes to other locations, making for easy access to other spaces such as the Court or to Front.

The Space Between is pitch black and near impossible to see anything in. All that can be made out is the orange glow of other rooms and the starry night sky swirling overhead. It’s recommended to avoid staying in The Space Between for too long and stick to the shortest path lest you lose yourself among the stars. Rumors say that those who become lost may hear strange voices or clipped conversation from things they aren’t meant to remember… Surely that’s just a rumor and nothing more.

source: here, here!

Extra: The Lamplighter

All things that are in existence have to have come from somewhere. The Lamplighter is that “somewhere”. It makes the light that spreads throughout the fabric walls of the headspace, spreading pieces of itself anywhere and everywhere to ward off the ever-encroaching reach of the night. It is akin to a minor deity within the bounds of headspace, keeping those who fear the dark safe. No headmates have ever seen the Lamplighter in person; in fact, some argue that it doesn’t even exist to begin with. If it does not exist, though… then who is constantly altering and maintaining this headspace?

source: here!

[zoniteillusion-pyritedreams]

https://www.tumblr.com/zoniteillusion-pyritedreams/783641128522203136/hiiiii-can-i-also-request-this-ask?source=share

Reading for Sunoo of Enhypen.

Sure thing baby! Sunoo is one of those Idols where I knew who he was before I knew his group was. I DESPISE survival programs especially ones like I-land. Where it's basically just psychological torture and unnecessary competition very Hunger Games like but they pretend like it's for the benefit of the artist.

That being said he's also so pretty I think I have an entire folder and Pinterest board dedicated to him on my tablet because he's just so damn pretty. Should be illegal.

“What Really Gets to Sunoo of ENHYPEN?”

(a flirty Aphrodite approved deep dive, powered by sparkles, secrets, and just a hint of sass)

First song pulled? Such a Boy by Astrid S.

Aphrodite smirked immediately. The message? "He may look like a prince, but he falls for someone who could outshine the crown.”

Second song? Serendipity by Jimin.

Cue soft lighting, blushing cheeks, a hand brush that makes his heart stutter. Aphrodite whispered:

“He doesn’t fall. He melts.”

Astro Cards:

Luna/Moon + Taurus + Uranus Reversed + Mercury Reversed

Sunoo is drawn to people with depth and softness

emotional intelligence that’s wrapped in warmth. He wants:

Gentle mystery (Moon)

Sensual beauty and elegant simplicity (Taurus)

Non-chaotic calm (Uranus reversed = he avoids drama)

A soul who speaks volumes without always needing words (Mercury reversed)

He’s into someone who moves gracefully through life but knows what they’re about. Think: confident Queen energy for some reason if I had to think of a celebrity I would just automatically think like Beyonce for Rihanna both of those are women who I feel like they know what they want in life where their priorities lie and they're not going to let other people dictate that. And they move about their business with confidence and grace.

Now Aphrodite wasn't done because as soon as I went to pick the cards back. She decided to hit me with Jupiter in reverse. So adding on.:

Oooh—Jupiter reversed jumping out after your reading? Aphrodite just added a juicy footnote, babe.

"Bigger Isn't Better"

He's Not Impressed by Excess

Jupiter normally rules expansion, grandeur, success, and excess. Reversed? It’s saying Sunoo’s turned off by:

Flashy displays of wealth

Over-the-top energy

People who talk a big game but don’t live it

He’s not attracted to those chasing clout or constantly “on.” He’s drawn to understated depth over drama or luxury.

Intimacy > Popularity

This confirms he’d likely lean away from a traditional idol/idol relationship, especially one that’s high-profile.

He wants closeness, not spectacle.

He may feel smothered by too much attention or pressure to “perform” in a relationship.

Privacy is precious. A quiet, almost sacred connection is what turns him on.

Caution Around Idealism

He's wary of people who try to "sell him a dream relationship."

He does not want fantasy he wants reality. So someone who might be trying to push being the ideal partner would give him the biggest ick of his life he wants you to have flaws matter of fact he'd probably celebrate them.

He'll also avoid relationships that feel too perfect too fast. Someone who molds themselves to be like the ideal partner would also freak him out.

Be slow to trust when it comes to someone claiming they’re “meant to be”

This adds nuance to that Serendipity song—he wants the dreamy romance, but only if it unfolds naturally and doesn’t feel forced or like a fantasy trap.

Internal Growth Is Key

Jupiter reversed is also a call inward.

He's drawn to people who are on a self-growth journey

Partners who are spiritually or emotionally reflective

Someone who’s not afraid to challenge limiting beliefs (his or their own)

Sunoo’s not looking for a “trophy love.” He wants a divine slow burn—something private, healing, and quietly expansive. Jupiter reversed just confirmed: “Don’t show him the world—show him the universe inside you.”

Oracle of the Roses (aka “The Ultra-Specific Blueprint of His Ideal”)

Aphrodite straight-up dumped half the deck. Translation? This Man Has Standards.

Emotionally mature and nurturing: The Mother, Healer, Companion, Rescuer, Father

Mentally curious and deep: The Scientist, Seeker, Mystic, Alchemist

Grounded but unconventional: The Citizen, Pioneer, Innovator, Outsider

Romantic with a tiny rebellious streak: The Hero, The Gambler, The Knight

He’s looking for someone whose kindness is intentional, not performative. Someone soft-spoken, but powerful underneath, like a slow-burning candle that never flickers out.

Tarot Says... Sunoo's Turn-Ons Are in the Soul (but aesthetics help too):

The Magician reversed + King of Swords reversed + Page of Cups reversed

He can smell manipulation from a mile away. Try to play games or act like someone you’re not? He’s gone.

He’s into authenticity, not performance.

I'm also getting the vibe that this stems from two things. One being the company that he's signed to. I definitely feel like there have been moments where they've tried to use manipulative tactics on him and his group and he picked up on it so fucking quickly. On the second one is more so friendship outside of the spotlight. It's giving he was friends with someone and he felt like they were being manipulative but he ignored those signs because he thought he was being paranoid because he's a celebrity but in actuality his gut feeling was right. It's also why I think he kind of is intrigued by people on self-discovery Journeys people who want to improve on themselves who are in tuned mentally emotionally and spiritually. Like he wants someone to help him understand his gut feeling his intuition to reprogram his way of thinking but in a way that feels right.

King of Cups + Queen of Cups + 10 of Cups

He’s so moved by emotional fluency. People who check in, who feel deeply, who love tenderly and consistently.

Like I said he needs someone who's very in tuned with themselves and their emotions. Kind of similar to him but more advanced if that makes sense. I'm also getting the vibe that he kind of wants someone who's like around the same age or younger than him so if they are older they wouldn't be more than one or two years older than him. He wants someone he can still relate to but who has the mental and emotional maturity that he craves and needs.

10 of Wands + 7 of Pentacles reversed + 4 of Swords

He’s drawn to people who don’t overextend for approval. He finds quiet confidence and restfulness, so attractive. Be calm in a storm, and he’ll see you as magic.

He doesn't perform or put on a front for people's approval. So he doesn't want to be with someone who would do that. Feel like this makes sense again not a fan of his group but I've definitely watched quite a few edits and also I've seen clips of him and interviews or on their variety show I'm assuming it is here and there and genuinely he comes off like he really does not give a shit what other people might think of what could be or would be considered like masculine or what a man should be or how he should act. He's very comfortable and confident in himself so I feel like he would want someone who's also like that he wouldn't want to date a person where it's like they care about external validation to the point where they would be putting on a show errors for other people like maybe they're more quiet or soft spoken but every time they go out or they're doing something they become brass and loud. Same with if someone's just very funny or very goofy and they dim themselves down to come off as more mysterious or pretending to have black cat energy when really their orange cat chaos. He needs someone who's comfortable in their skin being themselves who doesn't care what Outsiders or other people might say or think or perceive them as.

The Hermit + The Star + Judgment reversed

He’s in awe of introspective souls. The types who light candles, journal, meditate, and cry during moon phases. You have to have a private world and maybe let him into it slowly.

Low key he wants to date himself the spiritual witchy baddie. Be into crystals keep track of the moon phases grow your own herbs and plants that you use for burning or making teas or seasoning your food to give you that extra kick of luck or love or lust or whatever it may be. Have 50 million books about spells and rituals and magical history. And slowly let him into your magical chaotic world he would absolutely adore that. And it also goes with the whole being able to change your own unnecessary or limiting thoughts or beliefs or his own. Like show him that magic is real especially if you do it in a slow way like an onion just peeling back layers.

3 of Cups reversed + Knight of Wands

He’s not into “life of the party” types. He likes subtle, slow-burn intimacy over loud socializing.

Physically?

Gentle eyes. Soft skin. Calm voice. Again he's someone where I feel like he'll pay attention to your eyes it's like one of the first things you'll notice on your face probably because it's one of the first things people notice on his face so making direct eye contact just comes naturally. Also he wants to do a skincare routine with you he wants the two of you to sit there in the bathroom doing all the cute shit like the Pinterest pics you find or the couples on Xiaohongshu or they're wearing matching pajama sets and the girl is sitting there and helping her boyfriend put on a face mask Etc those are the vibes.

Earthy or powdery perfume. He is an ambassador for Prada and they happen to have a fragrance that he was probably like which is Prada infused d'Iris

Someone who dresses simply but tastefully with one detail that feels like a secret wink.

He notices the quiet things: the way you brush your hair back, how you bite your lip when you're focused, the softness of your hands.

Would He Date a civilians or a Celebrity?

Honestly?

Aphrodite's verdict is:

He’d rather date a “regular” person with an extraordinary heart.

He doesn’t chase status or flash. He wants real. That said, another artist could work but only if they’re humble, sweet, and aligned with his values.

He’s turned off by superficiality. Celebrity or civilian if you’re genuine, emotionally warm, and softly powerful, you’ll stand out to him.

But that's also why he would find it hard to date another celebrity. He's well aware that they all have what I'll call your customer service personality. Kind of like how people talk about certain Idols like certain NCT members having like a customer service voice. I feel like he's so used to being around fellow artists where sometimes in order to avoid conflict or if a situation might arise within like a friendship that customer service personality comes out. And he would just be so turned off by that like it would be something that will get a genuine visceral reaction out of him. Like if they're sitting there having conversation or some form of dispute and all of a sudden that customer service personality comes out he would physically flinch away.

A normal person who wouldn't put him on a pedestal who doesn't see him as just a celebrity. Could 100% open his eyes to different possibilities to a brand new world he's never thought of before. That's what he wants he wants something magical but also realistic think Slow Burn best friends to lovers type of vibe.

“Sunoo doesn’t fall for the loudest one in the room. He falls for the soul that feels like a lullaby, smells like spring, and reminds him that love can be gentle and strong at once.”

[heidi891]

My Digital Minimalism Journey

Doomscrolling. Smartphone addiction. Google this, Google that. Sounds familiar? I've begun a journey to untangle myslef from American megacorps and declutter my digital life.

I consider Google the worst big corporation, because while Microsoft and Apple sell products (hardware, software), Google's basically an advertising company. We are Google's products—that's why Google can give us so much for free and still make so much money. "But I have nothing to hide." Me too. I don't commit crimes, I don't watch pornography, I don't do anything classified. If everyone suddenly could see everything I do online, I'd just be slightly embarrased, that's all. But monopolies are illegal and dangerous for a reason. They erode freedom, shape our reality, leave us no alternative, influence our beliefs. I know I'm not immune to this, even though it's easy to believe otherwise.

Another factor I take into account is using local products to support my country's (Poland's) and Europe's economy and security.

Google Search

I noticed long time ago that Google Search became far from ideal, full of ads and focused on shopping. For example, when I looked for information about a medicine, I saw a long list of online pharmacies. I started using Bing, because it gave me information I was looking for—the medicine's description and side effects. (My husband is happy with Google, but his searches involve more shopping, like buying things for his hobbies and renovations.) Recently I've started using Qwant—a French search engine that uses their own index to some extent and Bing. Some people like German Ecosia that uses Google search results AFAIK.

Browser

The problem with browsers is that most of them are based on Chromium (not to be confused with Google Chrome). Chromium, Safari's Webkit and Mozilla's Gecko are like engines beneath the hoods that are browsers. Browsers may have different functions like adblocks, tab management or favourites, but those three are what allows browsers to read and display websites. While Chromium is open source, it's controlled and developed by Google.

I decided to use Mozilla Firefox with turned off telemetry and Qwant and uBlock Origin extensions. Mozilla, though American, is open source and non profit.

Update: I also installed Privacy Badger extension.

E-mail

Almost twenty years ago, as a teenager, I set up my mailbox on Onet—a Polish news portal. When I got married and changed my last name, I changed my mailbox too, to Gmail. Recently I've started using my old mailbox again when I discovered that I could create an alias for my current last name. In my Gmail I set up my mail to be forwarded to my current mailbox and deleted from Gmail. It isn't perfect, because the mail still reaches Google servers, but I changed most logins and I hardly get any mail there.

If you're from Poland, you can check out wp.pl and O2, they have mailboxes too. Otherwise, Swiss Proton and German Tuta are popular, especially amongst those who care much about privacy. Swiss Infomaniak offers a mailbox in Western Europe. There may be some good mailbox providers in your country, you can look it up.

Contacts

I deleted my contacts from Google and store them locally on the phone. I have backups saved on a pedrive and in a cloud.

Calendar

I've started using a paid Polish app called Domownik (dom means home, so the name means it's an app for home, for household matters). I keep my private calendar there and tasks, and recipes, and weekly menu, and a shopping list that I share with my husband, and some notes that I used to keep in Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote. It's Polish and family oriented, so it isn't a good choice for everyone. Some mailbox providers offer calendars too. You may also think about a paper calendar.

Google Drive, OneDrive

I still use them to some extent. We pay for a family plan on OneDrive. Unfortunately, when I checked European providers like Filen, Proton, Koofr, Cryptee, kDrive, Jottacloud, Hetzner... (if you just want a few GB of storage for free, check them out), it turned out OneDrive is cheaper. My husband loves photo remainders there too. I want to use Swiss pCloud where you can pay once for a lifetime. They also offer nice photo gallery and playlists made from your files. I hope I manage to change it this year.

Google Maps

I checked out a few navigation apps like HERE WeGo, Magic Earth and Organic Maps, but eventually decided to use mapy.com (former mapy.cz). You can download one country's map for free and they have great hiking trails map. I know it works best for Czech Republic and its neighbours (which I happen to be), so I'm not sure if it's as good in other countries.

There's an option to share location, but currently I'm the only one in my family who use it, so I haven't had a chance to try it out. Location sharing is the only reason why I'm still keeping Google Maps on my phone. Next time we're visiting my parents I'll try location sharing in WhatsApp and if it works, I could get rid of Google Maps.

For public transport I use Polish app jakdojade.pl.

Google Docs, Microsoft Office

I've used LibreOffice for years (and OpenOffice before that), so I don't need to change much on my PC. However, I used Google Docs and Sheets on my phone. I had a Google Sheets file for recording my weight. I decided I'm going to keep a digital version of that as ODS (LibreOffice file) on my PC (with a backup in a cloud) and I'll start noting my weight and pressure in a notebook, so if I ever have to show it to a doctor, I can just bring it with me. I used to write fanfiction in Google Docs, so I'm either coming back to writing on my PC in LibreOffice or I'll try French Cryptpad.

Update: I ended up using FreeOffice. It isn't perfect, but it works and that's what's most important.

Google Translate

I've started using German DeepL instead.

Social Media

I have a blog and used to have fanpages on Facebook and Instagram. I don't offer any services or sell any products; it's a project born out of passion. Running a fanpage was so time consuming and hardly anyone was interested in my work, so I decided to stop doing it. I still have my blog; I started running a small blog on wordpress.com with updates and interesting links, so that anyone who's interested can subscribe to it via newsletter or RSS app. I write an update only once in a while when I change something on my main website or if I find something interesting. I deleted Instagram and Facebook (I changed there some settings though, to get some most important notifications to my mailbox), and Tumblr too (too much mindless scrolling).

I downloaded an RSS app instead (I chose Bulgarian Inoreader, but there're others). I follow news sites and blogs I like. It's a feed, but it's my feed, in a chronological order, without ads, sponsored content, algorithms and stupid or hateful comments. Just news and blog posts in a chronological order. I noticed I started to actually read articles! On social media apps it was so easy to read a title and go to the comment section immediately.

Podcasts and Music

I follow my favourite YouTube channels in the RSS app and I got rid of YouTube. I listen to my favourite podcasts in Swedish Spotify. We used to have a family plan in Spotify, but we use American Tidal for music now, because it's a little cheaper, there aren't so many YouTube-like podcasts that my son watched (and I don't want him to), and Tidal pays artists three times more than Spotify. Personally, I'd love to come back to having my mp3 files and playing my own music (I only listen to my own playlists anyway), but my family isn't on board. I'll try to buy my favourite songs to support artists a little and find a way to convert my CDs to digital files (I did it years ago, but I got rid of them...).

Films and TV shows

We had Netflix, Disney+, HBO and Prime at one point. Currently we only keep Netflix (where we have lots to watch) and Prime (my husband says it's cheap enough to keep; I'd just get rid of it if it were up to me). We may pay for i.e. HBO for a month when there's something we want to watch.

I love watching TV shows, so I don't want to give up streaming altogether.

Phone

I use an old iPhone. Android is controlled by Google and iPhone is the only Apple thing I use. Degoogled Android like Graphene OS or Dumbphones are too much for me (just like self-hosted cloud).

What Is Difficult To Get Rid Of

I keep Google Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety to have parental control over my children's computers and phones. My children keep using Microsoft Edge browser too because of that. It's less about time limits and mostly about blocking some websites (I want them only to use websites and download apps that I allow them to). I haven't find a better way yet.

[warningsine]

All right, since I bombarded a poor mutual yesterday...

Privacy is not security and security is not privacy. These terms are not interchangeable, but they are intrinsically linked.

While we're at this, anonymity =/= security either. For example, Tor provides the former, but not necessarily the latter, hence using Https is always essential.

It is impossible to have privacy without security, but you can have security without privacy.

A case in point is administrators being able to view any data they want due to their full-access rights to a system. That being said, there are ethics and policies that usually prevent such behavior.

Some general tips:

Operating System: Switch to Linux. Ubuntu and Linux Mint are widely used for a reason. Fedora too. And don't worry! You can keep your current operating system, apps and data. If you're on a Mac computer, you can easily partition your hard drive or SSD by using Disk Utility. If you're on Windows, you can follow this guide.

You want to go a step further? Go with Whonix or Tails. They're Linux distributions as well, but they're both aiming for security, not beauty so the interface might not be ideal for everyone. Many political activists and journalists use them.

You want anonymity? Then you need to familiarize yourself with Tor. Also, Tor and HTTPS and Tor’s weaknesses. When you're using it, don't log in to sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter etc. and make sure to stay away from Java and Javascript, because those things make you traceable.

Alternatives for dealing with censorship? i2p and Freenet.

Is ^ too much? Welp. All right. Let's see. The first step is to degoogle.

Switch to a user-friendly browser like Firefox (or better yet LibreWolf), Brave or Vivaldi. There are plenty of hardened browsers, but they can be overwhelming for a beginner.

Get an ad blocker like Ublock Origin.

Search Engine? StartPage or Duckduckgo. SearXNG too. Like I said degoogle.

Get a PGP encrypted e-mail. Check Protonmail out.

There's also Tutamail that doesn't cover PGP, but uses hybrid encryption that avoids some of the cons of PGP.

Skiff mail is also a decent option.

Use an e-mail aliasing service such as SimpleLogin or AnonAddy.

Check OpenPGP out. Claws Mail is a good e-mail client for Windows and Linux, Thunderbird for Mac OS.

Gpg4win is free and easy to use for anyone that wants to encrypt/decrypt e-mails.

Instead of Whatsapp, Facebook messenger, Telegram etc. use Signal for your encrypted insant messaging, voice and video calls.

Get a metadata cleaner.

Get a firewall like Opensnitch, Portmaster or Netguard which can block Internet for trackers.

Alternatively, go with a private DNS that blocks these trackers. NextDNS is a good paid service. Rethink a good free option.

Replace as many of your applications as you can with FOSS (free and open source) ones. Alternativeto can help you.

Always have automatic updates on. They are annoying af, I know, but they are necessary.

Keep your distance from outdated software.

Always have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled.

Do not use your administrator account for casual stuff. If you're on Linux, you probably know you can be sudo, but not root.

On Linux distributions use AppArmor, but stay away from random antivirus scanners. Other distributions default to SELinux, which is less suited to a beginner.

Never repeat your passwords. If you can't remember them all, use a password manager like KeePass.

Encrypt your drive.

Honestly, VPNs have their uses and ProtonVPN, Mullvad and Windscribe are decent, but eh. If you don't trust your ISP, why would you trust the VPN provider that claims they don't log you when you can't verify such a thing?

[posttexasstressdisorder]

CNN 3/29/2025

McConnell warns of ‘embarrassing naivete’ in Trump admin’s dealings with Putin while sharply criticizing Ukraine policy

By Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju, CNN

Updated: 12:28 PM EDT, Fri March 28, 2025

Source: CNN

Former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticized the Trump administration’s Ukraine policy and pivot toward isolationism Thursday night, accusing President Donald Trump’s advisers of showing “their embarrassing naivete” in dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

McConnell, a staunch supporter of Ukraine who delivered remarks while being awarded the US-Ukraine Foundation’s highest honor, warned that “some of the president’s advisers” are urging Trump to pull back from supporting the war-torn nation, and argued that such a move would be a sign of “weakness.”

“This war is a reminder that what happens in one region has implications in another. That weakness in the face of one adversary would invite aggression from another even closer to home. That our credibility was not divisible,” McConnell said. “Allies half a world away in Asia have told us the same – that Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression matters to those who live in China’s shadow.”

“America can’t afford to ignore these lessons. But that’s exactly what some of the president’s advisers are urging him to do.”

The pointed remarks from McConnell come as Trump has spoken with Putin twice since taking office – breaking a sustained period of silence between the White House and the Kremlin – and follow the president’s fiery Oval Office meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky late last month.

McConnell’s desire for an active US role in deterring aggression from Russia in Ukraine has put him at odds with a growing share of the Republican electorate, which has embraced Trump’s more isolationist view. And while the Kentucky Republican has largely voted with Trump during his tenure, he recently put himself at odds with nearly all Senate Republicans when he cast a trio of votes against Trump’s Cabinet nominees – including for the critical defense secretary and director of national intelligence roles.

In turn, McConnell, the longest-serving leader in Senate history when he stepped down from the role in November, has drawn Trump’s ire.

McConnell on Thursday noted that the US’ allies and adversaries are watching closely as the administration praises Putin.

“When the president’s envoys trumpet the magnanimity of a thuggish autocrat, they do so under the watchful eyes of his friends in Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang. When his representatives in negotiations masquerade as neutral arbiters, or legitimize sham elections, or treat aggressor and victim as morally equivalent, they do so in full view of longtime partners across the globe – some who know the taste of aggression, and some who have good reason to fear its imminent arrival,” McConnell said.

“When American officials court the favor of an adversary at the expense of allies. When they mock our friends to impress an enemy. They reveal their embarrassing naivete.”

The former GOP leader pointed to former President Ronald Reagan’s military buildup and the end of the Cold War, and specifically what he said is “the most popular phrase in Washington today: peace through strength.”

“But too many of those who use it – particularly among the president’s advisers – don’t seem ready to summon the resources and national will it requires,” he argued.

McConnell ended with a stark warning: “To cut off Ukraine is to stab ourselves in the back. So is the denigration of allies who have fought and died alongside us.”

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[azuremosquito]

Gratitude.

It was not a concept with which Astarion had much experience. Two hundred years of seducing people and luring them to their deaths for his master lent itself more to resentment and hatred. But this gratitude thing was rather nice.

Sure, he had saved Halsin for selfish reasons, of course - he had a mindflayer worm in his head and he did not fancy losing his good looks to tentacles, thank you so very much - but in doing so, Astarion and the other survivors of the crashed nautiloid had also cleared the road to Baldur’s Gate for the tiefling refugees and restored peace to the druid’s grove. The refugees had been so elated, they’d insisted on joining the camp for the night and celebrating properly.

Properly, it seemed, included a great deal of wine. The vampire had already had several bottles and mugs thrust into his hands from people who gazed at him like… like… some sort of hero.

At first it had alarmed him, his finely honed self-preservation senses tense and wary. Surely this was some sort of trap or ploy. He mustn’t lower his guard for a moment because that was how people ended up as vampire food. He should know because he’d been very good at it.

But these happy faces around the campfire seemed… genuine. He didn’t know what to make of it. All these innocents smiling at him, unafraid. Old habits urged him to lure them off in secret one by one but… Cazador wasn’t here. Astarion, for the first time in two centuries, was free.

And he had to admit, it felt good to have these people looking up to him. Very good. In fact, he could quite get used to this sort of adoration. He deserved nothing less, if he were being honest with himself. Although, it did admittedly have some downsides. He thought back to Lae’zel’s ‘proposition’ and a shudder squirmed its way down his spine.

While he had been forced to seduce women and men alike to feed Cazador’s insatiable hunger, he had a preference for male companionship, and certainly none that sounded quite so violent as Lae’zel had hinted at.

“You should be out there mingling. Everyone wants to celebrate with you,” a quiet voice spoke somewhere behind and above him.

Astarion felt another tremor through his body. How had a man as big as Halsin managed to sneak up on him in utter silence? Rearranging his face into a flirtatious smirk, the pale elf turned in place and gazed up at the taller man through his eyelashes. “I was looking for you, actually.”

Halsin was a giant of an elf, towering over him (and everyone else, for that matter), with arms like muscled tree trunks; Astarion was fairly certain those arms were bigger around than his waist, and the thought sent a tingling heat to his loins. Halsin was a powerful man who commanded respect, a renowned healer who led with fairness and kindness, not through fear and domination. And yet, Astarion had seen firsthand how ferocious the druid could be in a fight, when something he cared about was threatened.

Here was a valuable ally, if only he could properly ingratiate himself with the gentle giant. Astarion had been flattering Gale previously; what better source of protection than an eminently powerful and skilled wizard, one who had caught the eye of a very goddess? And then the blasted man had gone and revealed that he was a walking bomb, disgraced by said goddess. Astarion had enough problems without adding that to his list.

He purred at Halsin, taking a step closer into the big man’s personal space. “I thought we could find ourselves a little privacy. Get to know each other better.” He waited a beat before dangling the carrot. “Or, perhaps there’s something else you’d rather do besides talking?” The flirting came easily to him, as natural as breathing had once been. A means to make himself useful. A way to protect himself.

He saw interest kindle in the tall druid’s eyes, felt the man take a deep, steadying breath, his snug leather robes creaking around his barrel of a chest. A gentle smile played around the man’s lips as he gazed down at Astarion.

His words, however, were a gentle rebuff.

“Hmm… I’m sure there are. You strike me as extremely… resourceful. But there are many grateful people here who want to spend time with you. I must not keep you all to myself.” Astarion felt a sinking sensation in his gut, until Halsin added, “as enjoyable as that may be.”

Playing hard to get, was he? Astarion generally chose easier marks but something about this massive bear of a man called to him. Certainly, ingratiating himself with Halsin would have many advantages, not the least of which was having his very own resident healer with a great deal of knowledge about these damned illithid tadpoles squirming around in their heads.

No, he could be patient.

In the meantime, he rather thought he could go enjoy being adored.

“Some other time, then.” With a last, lingering glance at the druid, Astarion left the shadows and rejoined those gathered around the campfire in celebration.

[sussex-newswire]

"An immigration expert with knowledge of the case told Vanity Fair that the prince’s records are private documents, like all immigration records. 'The duke is facing an extraordinary level of scrutiny over his immigration status—far beyond what almost anybody else would ever experience,' the source said. 'The US government has a very long standing policy of protecting the privacy of individuals rather than disclosing the personal details found in their immigration files. There are many reasons for this. To name a few: national security, law-enforcement priorities, and to protect the public against wrongdoing, extortion, blackmail, and identity theft.'

"The expert added that the previous decision to keep the records private was standard. 'It was the US government—not the duke—and subsequently a judge, that determined his records should remain private, upholding the very policies designed to ensure fairness and consistency across the system,' the source said. 'In fact, from an outside vantage point, this is anything but favoritism—the duke has been unfairly singled out by the Heritage Foundation.'

[maypop-the-dragon]

PSA: Free Software

Reading this may really save your time, privacy, and money! Reblog or share to spread awareness!

Folks often use software that’s expensive and sometimes even inferior because they don’t know there are alternatives. So to those unfamiliar: basically, free and open-source (FOSS) or "libre" software is free to use and anyone can access the original code to make their own version or work on fixing problems.

That does not mean anyone can randomly add a virus and give it to everyone—any respectable libre project has checks in place to make sure changes to the official version are good! Libre software is typically developed by communities who really care about the quality of the software as a goal in itself.

There are libre alternatives to many well-known programs that do everything an average user needs (find out more under the cut!) for free with no DRM, license keys, or subscriptions.

Using libre software when possible is an easy way to fight against and free yourself from corporate greed while actually being more convenient in many cases! If you need an app to do something, perhaps try searching online for things like:

foss [whatever it is]

libre [whatever it is]

open source [whatever it is]

Feel free to recommend more libre software in the tags, replies, comments, or whatever you freaks like to do!

Some Libre Software I Personally Enjoy…

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is an office suite, much like Microsoft Office. It includes equivalents for apps like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, which can view and edit files created for those apps.

I can't say I've used it much myself yet. I do not personally like using office software except when I have to for school.

OpenShot

OpenShot Video Editor is, as the name suggests, a video editing program. It has industry-standard features like splicing, layering, transitions, and greenscreen.

I've only made one video with it so far, but I'm already very happy with it. I had already paid for a video editor (Cyberlink PowerDirector Pro), but I needed to reinstall it and I didn't remember how. Out of desperation, I searched up "FOSS video editor" and I'm so glad I did. There's no launcher, there's no promotion of other apps and asset packs—it's just a video editor with a normal installer.

GIMP

GNU Image Manipulation Program is an image editor, much like Photoshop. Originally created for Linux but also available for Windows and MacOS, it provides plenty of functionality for editing images. It is a bit unintuitive to learn at first, though.

I've used it to create and modify images for years, including logos, really bad traceover art, and Minecraft textures. It doesn't have certain advanced tech like AI paint-in, but it has served my purposes well and it might just work for yours!

(Be sure to go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Colors. I have no idea why that's not enabled by default.)

Audacity

Audacity is an audio editing program. It can record, load, splice, and layer audio files and apply effects to them.

Audacity is another program I've used for a long time. It is not designed to compose music, but it is great for podcasts, simple edits, and loading legacy MS Paint to hear cool noises.

7-Zip

7-Zip is a file manager and archive tool. It supports many archive types including ZIP, RAR, TAR, and its own format, 7Z. It can view and modify the contents of archives, encrypt and decrypt archives, and all that good stuff.

Personally, I use 7-Zip to look inside JAR files for Minecraft reasons. I must admit that its UI is ugly.

Firefox

Firefox is an internet browser, much like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. While browsers are free, many of them include tracking or other anti-consumer practices. For example, Google plans to release an update to Chromium (the base that most browsers are built from these days) that makes ad blockers less effective by removing the APIs they currently rely on.

Aside from fighting monopolies, benefits include: support for animated themes (the one in the picture is Purple Night Theme), good ad blockers forever, an (albeit hidden) compact UI option (available on about:config), and a cute fox icon.

uBlock Origin

As far as I know, uBlock Origin is one of the best ad blockers there is.

I was on a sketchy website with my brother, and he was using Opera GX's ad blocker. Much of the time when he clicked on anything, it would take us to a random sponsored page. I suggested that he try uBlock Origin, and with uBlock Origin, that didn't happen anymore.

Linux

Linux is a kernel, but the term is often used to refer to operating systems (much like Windows or MacOS) built on it. There are many different Linux-based operating systems (or "distros") to choose from, but apps made for Linux usually work on most popular distros. You can also use many normally Windows-only apps on Linux through compatibility layers like WINE.

I don't have all four of these, so the images are from Wikipedia. I tried to show a variety of Linux distros made for different kinds of users.

If you want to replace your operating system, I recommend being very careful because you can end up breaking things. Many computer manufacturers don't care about supporting Linux, meaning that things may not work (Nvidia graphic cards notoriously have issues on Linux, for example).

Personally, I tried installing Pop!_OS on a laptop, and the sound output mysteriously doesn't work. I may try switching to Arch Linux, since it is extremely customizable and I might be able to experiment until I find a configuration where the audio works.

Many Linux distros offer "Live USB" functionality, which works as both a demo and an installer. You should thoroughly test your distro on a Live USB session before you actually install it to be absolutely sure that everything works. Even if it seems fine, you should probably look into dual-booting with your existing operating system, just in case you need it for some reason.

Happy computering!