#quickly kill it those are illegal online

[jackie-of-all-spades]

Oh my god you sound like a pompous ass with a fixation on Jews. Piss off.

Alright a nice and timely bit of hate, from I'm guessing either Spacelazarwolf or Slyandthefamilybook, but who knows and it doesn't really matter.

Here is a breakdown of everything that just happened. I came across a post denouncing antisemitism by someone I follow. A good message save for the fact that it was essentially worded

"If your not Jewish agree that antisemitism is bad as if this conversation took place in a bubble, or you suck"

I then agreed that yes, antisemitism is bad, but refused to pretend any speech occurs in a bubble free of the context of the world around us and the events that transpire in it, soooooo, while yes antisemitism is bad maybe we should also have a discussion about how a particular state in the middle east is attempting to turn the multiple Jewish denominations, and multiple Jewish ethnic identies as well as that state into a Monolith so that criticizing any constituent part of that list constitutes criticizing the entirety.

(I'll admit my initial response was a little more wise ass in tone than it probably needed to be, I don't responde well to posts telling me to "say what I want you to only then shut up")

The response I then received for wanting to also talk about the Israeli state trying to turn the diaspora into something like the monolith that neo-nazis and antisemites paint them as when they say "the jews", and how that is probably a bad thing likely to result in more of the antisemitism that they were asking people to condem as that far right government carries out terrible actions; was, "shut up forever" before i was blocked or it was deleted. Not exactly sure which since I can't look at spacelazarwolfs blog who I'm guessing blocked me, though I think that response was from sly. Regardless the response was essentially

No, I don't want to, shut the fuck up and never talk to me again

So, not exactly the response I'd expect from someone who was genuinely just trying to promote awareness of the growing problem of antisemitism.

As for your charge there anon about me having a fixation on jews. I don't, i do have a fixation on history though the thing I care about is the dual rises in both Identitarianism, and the violence that historically follows a push of that mindset. Whether that's white guys attacking and assaulting people with Hispanic names or dark skin in my country, the use of Russian Nationalism and pride for defeating the nazi's being used by putin to try and claim land and eradicate an ethnic minority, or ethno-religious nationalism from the Israeli state widening the definition of antisemitism to use it as cover to do the very same thing to its neighboring ethnic groups that the states founders wanted a state to be protected from ever experiencing again.

Conversations don't happen in a bubble... those that try to force a conversation to occur in a bubble have an agenda, and I've found, It's usually one that historically you should be wary of because they are trying to hide something.

And with that. May those pushing antisemitism get punched in the face as all Nazi's and antisemites should, and may Palestine be free and it's people find justice.

[simnostalgia]

If KOSA doesn't pass, something else will.

ugh, this whole KOSA thing makes me roll my eyes. I'm sorry I KNOW I'm just a sims blog but I need to say something and it's going to be long, skip if you want to-

I get it I do, call your reps if you want to. I honestly could see it getting struck down (yet again) but honestly? It's probably gonna get through eventually in our current political and cultural climate. Do you know why? Not because of wanting to protect kids, obviously, but because they can't easily shape the narrative. And children, being blank slates, are obviously not as scared of upturning power structures as their X/Boomer parents. Not that I super needed to tell you any of this, I mean it's obvious.

And I mean, don't be naive, this was cute when it was like 2015 or whatever and we all banded together to stop SOPA but obviously this isn't going to stop. This isn't just a whiny lament about how we can do nothing (Which, total sidebar, isn't it weird when these sorts of things come up and people show up in the comments all "Oh no, there's nothing we can do!! I guess we'll just die!!!" like, get a grip)

ANYWAY, when was the last time you watched something illegally? Probably pretty recently, when was the last time you got a hold of something you probably weren't supposed to have. Do you know easy it will probably be to bypass these measures? You really expect me to believe that they're capable of censoring the WHOLE internet?

Our government. Which cannot do anything competently besides war crimes (and even then...), is really going to plug *every hole* in that regard? The trillion dollar Hollywood machine has been dumping endless amounts of money and time into stopping piracy and they STILL haven't done it. The closest they got was just trying to give us a better option, and they even fucked *that* up. And let me tell you, trying to search for a way stop people from finding very specific files you can create bots to look for is WAY easier than trying to automate a system that just searches for nebulous concepts like "dangerous content".

Like I said, do what you feel like you need to do but it's obvious that those in charge are more and more willing to make increasing machiavellian decisions to try control and public whose opinions are quickly spiraling out of control. And I REALLY doubt that calling your rep all "UwU swir, can you pwease not impede my abiwity to rwead supwernatural porwn onwine??" is going to sway them.

And the thing that they're really trying to stop, a changing worldview among youth driven by online discourse, is bound to fail because it's going to be hard to put *that* particular genie back in the bottle. If they wanted to curb the amount of sway that the internet could have over young people's opinions they needed to kill social media in its cradle in the mid-2000s. It's WAY too late for that.

You can be mad and disagree all you want but, how about a plan B? Just in case this, or any future law, gets pushed through by the stone age baby boomers. Try things like not using only the 5 largest social media sites for all of your needs. Learn how to use tor. Protect yourself online. Use platforms that can't be easily tracked. Back up shit you like so you have copies.

Alls I'm saying is MAYBE instead of playing the dumb game of "Maybe if we ask really nicely they'll do the right thing" we make a plan to use decentralized platforms that are far to large and varied to effectively police in any meaningful way. In hindsight, maybe we shouldn't have come to use large platforms to criticize power structures when the heads of those power structures also use those platforms. It just seems like bad planning.

Stop expecting that you can fight EVERY bill and start planning to do some illegal shit online.

[lazycowboy666]

hc for the vongola kids’ favorite video game genres / titles, pt 1 (nami trio); aiming for late 90s-mid 10s which is the general timeline for the series.

tsuna:

mixed PC and console, mostly console (PS2 or Game Cube). already canon that he likes rhythm games (which is so cute and kinda funny considering how uncoordinated he is), so he’s a big fan of Beatmania IIDX, Pop’n Music, osu!, Taiko no Tatsujin, etc. pretty good at them and they help calm his ADHD down. plays Katamari for similar stimulation reasons with the loud cheerful music and straightforward structure.

tried playing DDR and almost actually died. he avoids any footwork ones in the arcade; playing in public stresses him out in general so he usually will buy or rent games for home. Lambo got a Wii for his birthday and between the two of them, the controllers were lodged in the drywall by the end of the day after playing Wii Sports.

likes the Animal Crossing series because it’s cozy, doesn’t get too serious with in-game achievements but plays regularly. doesn’t time travel; got yelled at by Resetti once when he was younger and shut the game off on accident, he cried so hard he almost threw up. feels bad if he leaves his villagers alone too long. when he didn’t have friends growing up, he’d really look forward to in-game holidays and birthdays (sob). trying to collect the squirrels.

will play Smash with Lambo; that’s what helped them bond when Lambo first moved in. fighting games kinda stress him out so this is the most he’ll really play them. his main is Kirby, or Luigi because nobody picks Luigi. :( low to mid-tier.

also they play Minecraft together and are both pretty terrible at it but have fun. introduced it to Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei and they’ll play it with Lambo when either (or all) of them are babysitting him. Tsuna’s constantly on the death alert feed, usually dying from falling into lava. somehow slayed the Ender Dragon.

gokudera:

PC gamer trash, uses emulators because he can’t afford a console. loves difficult, convoluted RPGs and RTS (gag). does not like online lobbies. horror and sci-fi fanatic, especially survival-esque games that require puzzle-solving like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Bioshock. is one of those freaks who illegally downloads unsettling, semi-dangerous games (like Lostboy, Sad Satan, LSD: Dream Emulator) and plays them with HyperCam on because he’s convinced he’s going to see a ghost. has had to install like 5 firewalls and rebuild his PC once.

Demon’s Souls / Dark Souls loser. has a freakish knowledge of where everything is, including short-cuts and secrets. he focuses on magic and will discard and replace weapons without much thought. knows lore simply from the item descriptions. really strategic, memorizes enemy move sets, but will go the hard way because it’s fun. utterly deranged. it’s honestly pretty impressive but it kinda scares tsuna because how many hours did you put into this? how did you kill that boss so quickly? where is your armor, gokudera-kun—

he doesn’t like most FPS games because they can trigger his PTSD if they’re too realistic, but killing endless undead/demons/monsters scratches a weird itch for him so he can play DOOM, and L4D w/ his vongola friends eventually (he’s constantly reviving Tsuna). really likes Half Life and Portal because aliens and puzzles alongside bip-bip. will play Hotline Miami w/ Shittopi if only for the god-tier music but has to be really stoned with her, else he gets uncomfy w/ the content being so close to his old hitman lifestyle.

hates platformers with every fiber of his being. says they’re for children but really he’s so impatient he sucks at them. Yamamoto made him play Yoshi’s Island and he almost blacked out from sheer rage. only tolerates Pikmin because, again, aliens and puzzles. will play Smash under duress: mains Samus or Fox, mid-tier, loses to Yamamoto half the time. returns the favor in Mortal Kombat which he’s pretty decent at.

the only one who plays Minecraft outside group sessions. has started building late at night when his insomnia is bad; really likes the soothing music and will leave it on even when he’s not playing. makes replicas of structures from his favorite nerd media (currently working on the Enterprise).

yamamoto:

pure console lad, likes the Genesis, the Dreamcast, and the GameCube; his dad has a few older consoles that he’s also inherited. in similar hand-me-down style and true to canon, he owns a ridiculous number of late 90s/early 00s baseball video games. can play them for hours and gets really serious about them.

a Sonic stan. does enjoy some Mario Kart and Smash with the boys (mains Ness or Link, mid-high tier)—but he was a Sonic kid and really wanted Soap Shoes growing up. likes the OG 8-bit side-scrollers like Sonic Adventure 2 the most but his ADHD clings to super fast, timing-based shit like Sonic Heroes. also enjoys Rayman but gets stuck a lot.

weirdly good at Super Monkey Ball and knows how to short-cut in ways previously unknown to man. will launch himself across the level and win in less than 3 seconds. how? “idk just lucky i guess.” plays Baby.

has a few broken, shitty titles like Dark Castle, Pen Pen Trilcelon, Puyo Pop Fever. will make Gokudera play them just to infuriate him; this also applies to annoying platformers, it’s just funny to watch him rage quit. generally will troll Gokudera in video games to get a rise out of him, like dropping gravel on him or flooding his caves in Minecraft; never enough to actually ruin the game but enough to annoy him.

started playing Hitman as a joke but is spooky good at it despite not playing FPS/stealth games. “hey gokudera did you ever get to dress up as—” “for the last time, NO.” is generally pretty bad at games with a lot of details/strategy (other than baseball) because he starts tuning out. strong-arms Gokudera into tag-teaming hard puzzles and co-op games in general to build teamwork.

[beardedmrbean]

Violence has shaken the U.K. as riots led by far-right groups have gripped multiple cities across the country, leading to nearly 150 arrests, according to officials.

The disorder spread from Islamophobic and anti-immigrant riots on Saturday called for by far-right groups seeking to exploit the knife attack that killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party on July 29 in the town of Southport, a seaside town about 20 miles north of Liverpool, authorities said.

The protests that quickly turned violent have been fueled by disinformation circulated online by right-wing commentators falsely claiming the suspect in the stabbing attack was a Muslim illegal immigrant.

Since Friday, the riots have hit most major northern cities, including Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sunderland, but also Bristol in southern England, and Belfast in Northern Ireland, the worst outbreak of public disorder in more than a decade. The U.K.’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday condemned the violence as "far-right thuggery," pledging swift prosecution of those involved.

Hundreds of extremist demonstrators have attacked police and set fire to mosques and shops, with hundreds of masked individuals rampaging through city centers.

In the northern English town of Rotherham on Sunday, a mob of hundreds of people attacked a hotel that was housing asylum seekers. The rioters assaulted police protecting the hotel, smashing windows and then trying to set it on fire. At least 10 police officers were injured, South Yorkshire Police said, calling the violence "deplorable."

"We absolutely condemn the scenes of disorder we witnessed, with a total of around 700 people in attendance," the police added.

Several small fires were started, but South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services "worked to extinguish these quickly," according to officials.

A heavy police presence was expected to stay outside the hotel and the surrounding area for the rest of Sunday evening and into Monday, according to the police.

South of Rotherham, another hotel in Tamworth, England, was targeted by rioters. Police in the area urged the public to stay away while they worked on controlling the situation. One officer was injured, the police said Sunday night.

"We're urging members of the public to avoid the area around the Holiday Inn, Tamworth, as specialist officers continue to deal with violent acts of thuggery," Tamworth Police said in an update Sunday evening local time.

On Saturday, police said they rescued a Black man in Manchester who was being kicked and punched as dozens of men surrounded him. In Sunderland, hundreds of Muslim men gathered to protect a local mosque as groups of individuals targeted the religious building.

Prime Minister Starmer held crisis talks on Saturday with his government discussing measures to shut down the violence.

MORE: 2 kids dead, 11 people hurt in 'ferocious' stabbing attack at dance event in United Kingdom, 17-year-old arrested

Starmer released a statement Sunday condemning the violence and vowing to "do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice."

"I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen this weekend," Starmer said. "Be in no doubt: those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law," he added.

"I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves," Starmer said. "This is not a protest, it is organized, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online."

Starmer said more arrests would follow and prosecutions would be swift. The government is moving to have courts open 24 hours a day to rapidly process the arrested. The government has also offered increased protection for mosques.

U.K. authorities have accused far-right groups of coordinating the violence. Following the deadly knife attack in Southport, far-right groups and commentators quickly spread false claims on social media, particularly X, that the attacker was a Muslim migrant who crossed illegally on the so-called "small boats" from Europe.

However, Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, a 17-year-old boy from Banks, a coastal village in Lancashire, just outside Southport, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, police said. The suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales, police said.

[queenwille]

heyy uhhh where are there so many posts about palestians asking for help finding clean water and getting out of palestine and showing pictures of their bombed homes and the corpses of children, but all the israeli "help me" posts are just like. Black eyes. And bruises.

And how the palestian posts are all new and constant and every single day, but all of the TOTALLY CORRECT REAL JEWS can talk about is that one time they got hit by a bomb. The one time, the one date. Oct 7. You know, that one time? That one time after 75 years? One? As in singular enough that it's the only "massacre" date of israelis that I can find?

But meanwhile, Palestinians are posting about new massacres every week? New dead children, new names to a list of tens of thousands.

can you help explain that? I'm confused

of course i can, here to help as always.

the photos you are speaking of are the photos of our hostages. sounds like you specifically mean these:

or maybe the one of Hersh missing one arm, idk.

all of these were taken back in october 2023. all of them and are the last pictures their families have of them. why? we ask the same actually.

the main difference between the pictures/posts you see online of palestinians and these is pretty simple. the palestinian aren’t held captive, they have their phones and are free to post as they wish (tho do watch out, as most of those gofundmes are scammers that have nothing to do with the issue even). those girls aren’t free, that’s literally all we have of them.

there are horrible pictures of people hurt from missiles and such inside of israel (there were two from magdal shamash) that find their way to the web, but it’s mostly illegal in israel and more importantly, considered very unethical, to publish graphic photos from horror scenes. even more so if it’s possible to identify the person hurt. i’m not sure how and when it was established, but i do know somewhere in the back of my mind that it was an issue back in the 2nd intifada, i think, where horrifying photographs where broadcasted on live television very quickly. beside being very traumatic and seen by children and such, families identified their loved ones that way and it was very problematic. nowadays it obviously can be seen on social media sometimes, but even so, it’s considered unethical unless approved by the family and censorship laws (and then it’s published legally on national TV as well), so people widely avoid that.for example, an IDF soldier was actually sent to a military trail a few weeks ago for sending his friends a video from a truck with the bodies of 5 rescued hostages. he was proud of the rescue and meant no harm, but as the israeli population is very small, its considered very unethical and illegal to so.

lastly, october 7th wasn’t one isolated attack, yeah? many many, TOO MANY, people, including civilians were killed since and before that. this is a very bloody conflict. we mention october 7th as a day when all hell broke loose. the brutality, the horror, the acts that were preformed there were unspeakable. those were no acts of resistance or war, those were pure acts against humanity. why do we mention them so much? cause we’re still there, even if the world doesn’t care anymore, even if no one believes it, even if the world doesn’t think it was that bad. we’re there, with so many people not back in their homes, missiles still fired daily, people knifed on the streets, so many people still in duty and not back to their lives and most importantly… with 115 men, women, a child that had his 5th birthday yesterday and a 1.5 year old baby still held captive. it’s not even the fact that we can’t, because even with the ones we know for sure that are gone, it’s considered mandatory in judaism to respect the dead and do whatever it takes to bring him or her to a proper jewish burial back at home, but it’s also the fact that we won’t. no man or woman are left behind. the hamas (and others btw, keep hiding our people behind human shields and y’all keep hyping them up, so it’s a never ending cycle). it might sound like a dumb cliche to y’all, but with being such a small community, all of those hostages are our family members as well.

[myfakecandyy]

Areo Lore 101 + Some Art

Areo, My Drow Wizard/Cleric of Eiliestraee with an insane god complex and attachment issues. Both art by me <3!

When I started getting invested in Dungeons & Dragons, I needed to familiarise myself with the Lore, worldbuilding and races in the Forgotten Realms setting. So, to experiment, I came up with the rough idea of my Wizard Areo. I did not have a clear picture of who I wanted to create. Still, I knew I wanted to play someone with a memorable and fun roleplay personality, so I gave her a holier-then-thou god complex; she was created to be someone who believed she was immortal and so took unnecessary risks with a delusional sense of safety. Before I ever got to play her in a tabletop setting, Baldurs Gate 3 came out, and I was very excited to play as I grew up playing the Baldurs Gate spin-off games Dark Alliance 1 & 2, coupled with the exciting and positive things I saw online I bought the game pretty quickly. To expand on Areo and learn more about the Lore, I made my Tav Areo, and she's grown into such a beloved OC to me.

Actual Lore under the cut! [Possible Spoilers]

Early Life: Areo was born and grew up in the Drow city Menzoberranzan; for those unfamiliar with the setting, it's a large city in the Underdark(Underground of Faerun). Her upbringing was vastly different from most of the city. This is because Menzoberranzan is built and run by devout followers of the Chaotic Evil Goddess of Drow Lolth, Queen of Spiders, while Areo's mother, Miz'ri, was a follower and Priestess of Eiliestraee, the Chaotic Good Goddess of Drow. It is important to note that Eiliestraee and Lolth oppose each other morally, ideally and narratively.

Lolth: To explain the Lore surrounding Lolth, she is essentially a tyrant. She thrives in cruelty, encouraging her followers to kill each other to prove themselves worthy of her fickle favour, enjoying manipulating them into servitude, only to then toy with them anyway. She demands questionless loyalty and devotion; it is no wonder her people are known for their backstabbing, power-hungry tenacity. It was illegal to worship any deity besides her in the city; treachery almost guaranteed death.

Eiliestraee: Eiliestraee is the daughter of Lolth and lives to stand against her mother's ways. She is the Drow Goddess of Freedom, Dance and Song for all those who wish to return to the surface world and be free of Lolth's grasp. She is a joyful mother-like goddess who strives to inspire the Drow and stand as a beacon of hope.

To continue, Miz'ri wished to spread the word and beliefs of Eiliestraee, helping shepherd many of the lower-class citizens of Menzoberranzan into better lives on the surface world, the journey of which was highly treacherous and dangerous. This was something that kept many Drow from leaving. However, Miz'ri was an extremely powerful Cleric of amazing faith and magic. Areo spent her childhood beside her, and the small group of followers she amassed became her family. This rag-tag group of Drow worked secretly for the first 11 years of her life, dodging the threats of the city surrounding them.

It was in the year she turned 12 that things changed. Her mother, who held so much love and affection for the world and people around her, was methodically corrupted and converted by Lolth, an established master at manipulation. On one long expedition to the surface world, just as they had almost broken the surface, Miz'ri turned on the clergy she created, slaughtering the innocents she once led to freedom, leaving nothing behind but a pile of gore. As is Lolth's will to all that turn their back on her. Areo lived to be the only survivor. The effects of this event then altered her perception of reality and life.

Areo didn't survive due to the mercy of her mother. If you asked her to recall how she survived, she would be unable to tell the truth, her mind betraying her. I will break the events into two paragraphs: What Areo thought happened and compare it to what actually happened?

Delusion: In her memories, Areo cannot recall much of that day beyond a haze of religious imagery and flashes of light. She saw herself outside her body receiving a divine blessing from her deity of unbreakable protection. Shortly after, the beautiful form of Eilistraee manifests in front of her to use her divine magic to end her mother's tormented destruction and free her soul.

Reality: Her mother came for her life last; perhaps she had a semblance of her old self alive, urging her to spare her baby, but she was cold and without mercy in her final moments. It was pure luck and timing that Areo managed to kill her mother before she killed her; it was a quick and straightforward burst of magic in a moment of panic that managed to catch Miz'ri off guard enough to pierce her heart fatally.

Areos's memory was heavily clouded by trauma and a childlike way of rationalising things, and so her developed survivor guilt manifested oddly. Being a weak child seeing all these people around her die, she couldn't understand why she was the lone survivor, and so while searching for an answer as to why, her brain jumped to incorrect conclusions. In this case, her thought process was, "I didn't die? Even though I should have? That must mean I'm Immortal and blessed by the gods(In her case, Eiliestraee); that's the only reason that explains how I got to live while others didn't." This, of course, drastically changed her worldview.

Growing up, these delusions only elevated and reinforced themselves deep into her brain; every near-death experience, every lucky instance in her life, and every victory in combat only made her believe this more, especially with the increasingly heavy risks she began taking. Indeed, it is all incorrect, and she has survived this far solely on luck, her cunning and wit.

Some old art from when I was first developing this storyline. There are a few inconsistencies as I have changed the Lore and her design by now, but the vibes remain similar:

Young child: Very shortly after the massacre, Areo aimlessly wandered around the shallows of the Underdark. She was starving and injured from the renowned harshness of the area. Once again, luck comes to her aid when a kind older wizard passes her way. He had been scouring the land for different plants and fungi to use in his brews and alchemy when he noticed the pure black eyes of a young girl watching him from afar. He knew she would have died had he not taken her in, so for the next part of her life, she lived in a tower taught magic by this man she became quite fond of.

Early Adulthood: In his old age, that kind of wizard died a peaceful death in Areo's 15th year. She was consumed by an intense grief, finding herself alone once again. In her mind, she cursed her "immortality", a curse to outlive all she came to care for, and so, in anger and sadness, she resigned herself to live a life of solitude in the tower forever. There was more at play. However, she was also so terrified. She had never left the building alone, and much of the surface world did see Drow kindly, but even then, the fear dug deeper in her head. Even approaching the door to left her paralysed her mentally. Her life up to this point had taken a massive toll on her mental health. It was a mental block she could never get past.

For 60 years of chronic isolation, she read the thousands of books her mentor had collected in his long life, many of which were books passed from his master and so on. The collection of multiple generations' worth of arcane knowledge and study kept her mind nourished but her body weak. Her options for food were limited by her inability to leave the building. For 60 years, her growing adolescent body feasted on inhumane amounts of food, the leaves from decorative plants, ants that crawled along the walls, moss growing on the ceiling and worse. Her extreme malnutrition had drastic effects on her body that are, at this point, irreversible.

This explains her cannon base Dnd Stats at 75 years old (BG3 Timeline). Strength 4, Dexterity 6, Constitution 2, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 14, Charisma 12

Baldurs Gate 3: In accordance with the game lore, Areo was at some point abducted from the tower by Mindflayers and infected with a Mindflayer Tadpole. It is safe to assume she would never have left that place otherwise and would be starving in that tower for many more years.

The first art I had drawn of her after starting Bg3:

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP,

I'm really thankful for your insight on fandom discourse, it helps me a lot as a new fan.

Recently some songs from JK's new album were leaked, it happened to Dreamers too. Can you share if this often happened to BTS songs, or mostly JK? Is this intentional by the company for marketing, or is it illegally done, will those people who leaked get punished?

***

Hi Anon,

Yeah this has happened with other BTS songs. The first time I heard a BTS song leak was for songs off the Love Yourself: Tear album in April 2018 - about a month before the album was released. And then I believe there was a shipping mishap too, with Amazon delivering albums almost a week before the album was supposed to be released lol. And there have been (infrequent) leaks for almost every release since then, including a bit for Indigo (though it was killed quickly). ARMYs used to be very good about keeping leaks under wraps and getting leaks removed from online platforms but it seems BTS is too big for any leaks to be fully contained now, and newer fans don’t seem to care as much about spreading leaks, so I doubt JK’s song leaks will be the last of it. Unfortunately.

I don’t know if BigHit is using this as a marketing strategy. I don’t see why they’d have to, but it’s no secret labels use leaks to gauge interest ahead of a release and to build hype. Again, BTS has a fandom that’s extremely engaged and Jungkook is very well loved, so I don’t see why BigHit would need to do a temp check or ratchet up hype for JK (or any BTS member tbh), but it’s possible so I won’t discount it completely.

Nearly all the leaks I’ve seen, including for JK’s album and Proof, appear to come from different sources posted originally to different galleries and platforms. On the English-speaking side of the internet, the leaks are collected and spread by a handful of the same accounts, but on the Korean side the leaks are a lot more fragmented, which makes me think it’s not just one person abusing their access. And so it might be difficult for BigHit to find them and prosecute.

But then, if the people who leaked songs in the past were punished, we wouldn’t know about it.

[sa7abnews]

Social media giants must take ‘some responsibility’ for riots, home secretary suggests

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/social-media-giants-must-take-some-responsibility-for-riots-home-secretary-suggests/

Social media giants must take ‘some responsibility’ for riots, home secretary suggests

Social media companies must take responsibility for putting “rocket boosters” under riots, the home secretary has said.  Far right violence has spread on Britain’s streets after the suspect accused of killing three young girls was falsely identified online as an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK via “small boat”. More than 420 people have been arrested since riots erupted last week with disinformation on social media fuelling the unrest. Over the weekend, demonstrations took place in Rotherham, Tamworth, Bolton and Middlesbrough with clashes breaking out between far right and counter-protestors. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, has now suggested social media companies must take “some responsibility” what is playing out on Britain’s streets.  ***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest election news and analysis.*** She told BBC Radio 5 Live: “What is criminal offline is also criminal online, so some of the things we have seen online are also illegal and we will expect the police to be pursuing the online criminality as well as the offline criminality. “But look, social media companies also need to take some responsibility for this. Social media has put rocket boosters under some of the not just misinformation but the encouragement of violence. “That is a total disgrace and we cannot carry on like this. So we will also be pursuing this with social media companies.” It comes after prime minister Keir Starmer warned over the weekend that rioters would regret their actions, vowing to do “whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice as quickly as possible.” “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, either directly or those whipping up this disorder online”, Starmer declared in a televised address. Referring to a violent attack on a hotel in Rotherham thought to have housed migrants, he said: “There is no justification for taking this action.” Masked men had launched pieces of wood and let off fire extinguishers at police officers outside the Holiday Inn Express, and some stormed into the hotel. “People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we have seen Muslim communities targeted and attacks on mosques”, the prime minister added. Starmer said Muslims had been targeted along with other minority communities, adding there were “Nazi salutes in the streets.” Downing Street is understood to be holding a Cobra emergency response meeting on Monday to discuss the government’s response over the coming days. Shadow home secretary James Cleverly has criticised the government for not acting faster in response to the riots. He insisted the prime minister is “right” to have taken firm action, but added it “should and could have been quicker.” Asked about what caused the riots, Cleverly told Sky News he was aware of “pernicious” online culture when he was home secretary. He said this was “perpetrated by the far right, amplified, both within the UK, and beyond our borders”. What has happened in the past seven days “has got all the hallmarks of something which has been stoked by that”, he added. Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest election news and analysis. The post Social media giants must take ‘some responsibility’ for riots, home secretary suggests .

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what is vpn torrenting

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what is vpn torrenting

VPN for torrenting

Unlocking the Power of VPNs for Torrenting

In the realm of online file sharing, torrenting has long been a favored method for accessing a vast array of digital content. However, the practice of torrenting comes with inherent risks, particularly related to privacy and security. This is where Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) enter the scene as indispensable tools for torrent enthusiasts.

VPNs offer a layer of encryption and anonymity that shields users from prying eyes, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), copyright trolls, and government agencies. When torrenting without a VPN, your IP address is exposed, leaving you vulnerable to potential legal action or monitoring. By connecting to a VPN server, your true IP address is masked, and your online activities become virtually untraceable.

Choosing the right VPN for torrenting is crucial. Look for providers that offer robust security features, including a strict no-logs policy, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. Additionally, opt for VPNs with high-speed servers optimized for P2P file sharing, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted torrenting sessions.

Moreover, jurisdiction matters. Select VPNs based in privacy-friendly countries with stringent data protection laws to minimize the risk of your data falling into the wrong hands.

It's important to note that while VPNs provide enhanced privacy and security, they do not condone illegal activities. Torrenting copyrighted material without proper authorization remains illegal in many jurisdictions, and VPNs should not be used as a means to circumvent these laws.

In conclusion, VPNs serve as invaluable allies for those engaging in torrenting activities, offering peace of mind and safeguarding against potential risks. However, it's essential to use them responsibly and in compliance with the law to fully reap their benefits.

Torrenting with VPN

Torrenting is a popular method of file sharing that allows users to download and share large files quickly and efficiently. However, torrenting without proper protection can expose your IP address and make you vulnerable to cyber threats. This is where using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes into play.

A VPN creates a secure and encrypted connection between your device and the internet, ensuring that your online activities remain anonymous and protected. When torrenting with a VPN, your real IP address is masked, and instead, the VPN server's IP address is visible to others in the torrent network. This adds an extra layer of security and privacy, making it difficult for third parties to track your online activities.

Using a VPN while torrenting also helps you bypass geo-restrictions and internet censorship. Some countries have strict regulations regarding torrenting, and using a VPN allows you to access and download content without restrictions. Additionally, VPNs can prevent your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from monitoring your online activities and potentially throttling your connection speed when torrenting.

When choosing a VPN for torrenting, it's essential to select a provider that offers fast connection speeds, a strict no-logs policy, and support for P2P file sharing. Additionally, make sure the VPN has servers in torrent-friendly locations and offers strong encryption protocols to keep your data secure.

In conclusion, torrenting with a VPN is a smart and responsible way to protect your online privacy and security while enjoying the benefits of fast and efficient file sharing. By using a VPN, you can torrent safely and anonymously without worrying about prying eyes or legal implications.

VPN benefits for torrenting

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for torrenting can offer several advantages to users who engage in this activity. VPNs work by encrypting your connection and masking your IP address. This added layer of security ensures that your online activities, including torrenting, remain private and anonymous. Here are some key benefits of using a VPN for torrenting:

Anonymity: One of the primary benefits of using a VPN for torrenting is the ability to remain anonymous. By hiding your IP address, a VPN protects your identity and location from being exposed to third parties, such as your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or potential copyright trolls.

Security: VPNs encrypt your internet traffic, making it more difficult for hackers or other malicious actors to intercept your data while torrenting. This keeps your personal information and browsing history safe from prying eyes.

Access Restricted Content: Some countries have strict laws regarding torrenting, and certain websites may be blocked in your region. By using a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and access geo-blocked content while torrenting securely.

Avoid Bandwidth Throttling: Some ISPs throttle internet speeds for users who engage in high-bandwidth activities like torrenting. By using a VPN, you can prevent your ISP from monitoring your torrenting habits and potentially slowing down your connection.

Protect Against Copyright Infringement: While torrenting itself is not illegal, downloading copyrighted material without permission is. By using a VPN, you can add an extra layer of protection against potential legal ramifications by keeping your torrenting activities private.

Overall, using a VPN for torrenting can enhance your online privacy and security, allowing you to enjoy your favorite content without worrying about potential risks.

Secure torrenting with VPN

When it comes to torrenting, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is essential to ensure secure and anonymous downloading. A VPN encrypts your internet connection and hides your IP address, preventing snooping by your internet service provider (ISP) or any other prying eyes.

One of the main advantages of using a VPN for torrenting is that it masks your IP address, making it nearly impossible for anyone to trace your online activity back to you. This is crucial for maintaining your privacy and avoiding potential legal issues related to copyright infringement.

Additionally, VPNs provide an extra layer of security by encrypting your data, making it unreadable to hackers and other malicious parties. This is especially important when downloading torrents, as the nature of peer-to-peer file sharing can leave your device vulnerable to cyber threats.

Another benefit of using a VPN for torrenting is the ability to access geo-restricted content. By connecting to servers in different locations around the world, you can bypass censorship and access websites and content that may be blocked in your region.

However, not all VPNs are created equal, and it's important to choose a reliable and reputable provider that allows torrenting on their servers. Look for VPNs with a strict no-logs policy, fast connection speeds, and a kill switch feature to ensure your anonymity and security while torrenting.

In conclusion, utilizing a VPN for secure torrenting is a smart way to protect your privacy, enhance your online security, and access a wider range of content. By taking the necessary precautions and using a trusted VPN service, you can enjoy the benefits of torrenting while minimizing the risks associated with peer-to-peer file sharing.

VPN torrenting advantages

VPN torrenting, also known as using a Virtual Private Network for torrenting, offers several advantages for individuals who engage in downloading and sharing files through peer-to-peer networks.

One of the main benefits of using a VPN for torrenting is enhanced privacy and security. By connecting to a VPN server before accessing torrent sites, your online activity is encrypted and your IP address is masked, making it difficult for third parties to track your downloads or monitor your online behavior. This added layer of security helps protect your identity and personal information from potential cyber threats and surveillance.

Moreover, VPNs can help bypass geographic restrictions and internet censorship. Many countries and internet service providers (ISPs) restrict access to certain torrent sites or throttle bandwidth for torrenting activities. With a VPN, users can access these sites and download content anonymously, regardless of their physical location, by connecting to servers in other countries where such restrictions do not apply.

Additionally, VPNs provide faster download speeds and reduce the risk of bandwidth throttling by ISPs. By encrypting your internet connection and masking your IP address, VPNs prevent your ISP from monitoring your online activity and selectively limiting your bandwidth when torrenting large files.

In conclusion, using a VPN for torrenting offers numerous advantages, including privacy protection, enhanced security, bypassing geo-blocks, and faster download speeds. However, it is important to choose a reliable VPN service provider that does not keep logs of your online activity to ensure maximum anonymity and security while torrenting.

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do i need a vpn to go on piratebay

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do i need a vpn to go on piratebay

VPN benefits for torrenting

Title: The Advantages of Using a VPN for Torrenting

In the digital age, torrenting has become a popular method for sharing and downloading large files quickly and efficiently. However, engaging in torrenting without adequate protection can expose users to various risks, including privacy breaches, copyright infringement issues, and potential legal consequences. This is where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes into play, offering numerous benefits for those who engage in torrenting activities.

First and foremost, a VPN encrypts your internet connection, making it virtually impossible for anyone, including your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or government agencies, to monitor your online activities. This means that when you download or share torrents, your IP address and browsing history remain concealed, preserving your anonymity and privacy.

Moreover, using a VPN allows you to bypass geographic restrictions and access torrent sites and content that may be blocked in your region. By connecting to servers located in different countries, you can circumvent censorship and enjoy unrestricted access to a wide range of torrents and online content.

Additionally, VPNs offer enhanced security features such as kill switches and DNS leak protection, which further safeguard your identity and data while torrenting. Kill switches automatically disconnect your internet connection if the VPN connection drops, preventing your real IP address from being exposed. Meanwhile, DNS leak protection ensures that your DNS requests are routed through the VPN, preventing potential leaks that could compromise your privacy.

Furthermore, VPNs can help prevent bandwidth throttling by ISPs, which often occurs when they detect heavy torrenting traffic. By encrypting your internet traffic, VPNs make it difficult for ISPs to detect and throttle your connection, ensuring consistent download speeds for torrenting.

In conclusion, using a VPN for torrenting offers a multitude of benefits, including privacy protection, access to restricted content, enhanced security, and prevention of bandwidth throttling. By investing in a reliable VPN service, torrent users can enjoy a safer and more seamless downloading experience without compromising their online privacy and security.

Legal implications of using PirateBay

Title: Navigating the Legal Waters: Understanding the Implications of Using PirateBay

In the digital age, accessing entertainment and media has become easier than ever before. However, the rise of platforms like PirateBay has sparked debates over the legality and ethics of accessing copyrighted material without permission. While many users see PirateBay as a convenient way to access content for free, it's essential to understand the legal implications that come with using such platforms.

First and foremost, it's crucial to recognize that downloading or sharing copyrighted material without authorization is illegal in most countries. PirateBay facilitates the distribution of copyrighted movies, music, software, and other content without the consent of the copyright holders. By using PirateBay to access such material, users may be engaging in copyright infringement, which can result in severe legal consequences.

Copyright infringement is not a victimless crime. When individuals download or share copyrighted material without permission, they deprive content creators of rightful compensation for their work. This loss of revenue can harm artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other creators, impacting their ability to continue producing the content that audiences enjoy.

Furthermore, accessing content through platforms like PirateBay exposes users to various risks, including malware, viruses, and other security threats. These risks can compromise the security of personal information stored on devices and networks, leading to potential identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.

While PirateBay and similar platforms may promise anonymity and freedom from financial obligations, users should be aware that they are not above the law. Governments and law enforcement agencies around the world are increasingly cracking down on copyright infringement, targeting both the operators of such platforms and individual users.

In conclusion, while PirateBay may offer a tempting array of free content, users must consider the legal and ethical implications of accessing copyrighted material without permission. By supporting legitimate channels for accessing and consuming content, individuals can ensure that they uphold the rights of creators while also safeguarding themselves from legal trouble and cybersecurity threats.

VPN vs

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Virtual Server (VS) are two technologies that are often confused but serve different purposes. Let's delve into the differences between VPN vs VS to better understand their functionalities.

A VPN is a secure connection between your device and the internet, encrypting your data to ensure privacy and security. It creates a private network within a public internet connection, allowing users to browse the web anonymously and access geo-restricted content. VPNs are commonly used to protect sensitive information from hackers, especially when using public Wi-Fi networks.

On the other hand, a Virtual Server (VS) is a cloud-based server that mimics a physical server, providing users with dedicated resources and computing power. Virtual servers can host websites, run applications, and store data, offering scalability and flexibility without the need for physical hardware.

So, what sets VPN and VS apart? While both technologies offer enhanced security and privacy, VPNs focus on encrypting internet traffic, while VS provides users with a virtualized server environment for computing needs. VPNs are ideal for protecting online activities and bypassing censorship, while VS is more suitable for hosting websites and applications in a scalable manner.

In conclusion, understanding the distinction between VPN vs VS is crucial in determining which technology best suits your needs. Whether you require secure internet browsing or scalable server resources, choosing the right technology can significantly improve your online experience.

Risks of downloading torrents without VPN

Torrenting can be a convenient way to access a wide range of digital content, from movies and music to software and e-books. However, downloading torrents without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can expose users to various risks.

One of the primary concerns of torrenting without a VPN is privacy. When downloading torrents, your IP address is visible to other users in the torrent swarm. Without a VPN, this means that your internet service provider (ISP) and potentially even copyright enforcement agencies can see what you are downloading. This can lead to legal consequences, such as receiving a copyright infringement notice or facing legal action from copyright holders.

Additionally, torrenting without a VPN can leave your device vulnerable to cyber threats. Since torrenting involves connecting to multiple peers to download files, there is an increased risk of encountering malicious actors who may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in your system. Without the encryption and anonymity provided by a VPN, your personal information, such as your IP address and location, can be exposed to these threats.

Furthermore, some Internet Service Providers actively monitor and throttle the internet connection of users who engage in torrenting activities. This can result in slower download speeds and overall degraded internet performance.

In conclusion, downloading torrents without using a VPN can pose significant risks to your privacy, security, and internet speed. To mitigate these risks, it is highly recommended to use a reputable VPN service when torrenting. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address, providing you with anonymity and security while engaging in torrenting activities. By taking this precautionary measure, you can enjoy the benefits of torrenting while minimizing the associated risks.

Choosing the right VPN for torrenting

When it comes to torrenting, having a reliable Virtual Private Network (VPN) is crucial in ensuring your online anonymity and security. With the increasing scrutiny on torrenting activities by ISPs and copyright enforcement agencies, selecting the right VPN service is paramount to safeguard your privacy.

One of the key factors to consider when choosing a VPN for torrenting is the logging policy of the provider. Opt for a VPN service that has a strict no-logs policy, meaning they do not keep records of your online activities. This ensures that even if requested, there will be no data to hand over to authorities.

Additionally, the speed and bandwidth limits of the VPN are essential to maintain a smooth torrenting experience. Look for VPN providers that offer unlimited bandwidth and high-speed connections to ensure fast downloads and uploads without any interruptions.

Moreover, the jurisdiction of the VPN provider is significant as it determines the legal obligations they have to disclose user information. Choosing a VPN service based in a privacy-friendly country with strong data protection laws can offer an extra layer of security.

Lastly, encryption protocols play a vital role in safeguarding your data while torrenting. Opt for a VPN service that employs robust encryption standards like AES-256 bit encryption to protect your online activities from prying eyes.

In conclusion, choosing the right VPN for torrenting is crucial to ensure your online privacy and security. By considering factors such as logging policy, speed, jurisdiction, and encryption protocols, you can make an informed decision to find the best VPN service that meets your torrenting needs.

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does express vpn allow torrenting

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does express vpn allow torrenting

ExpressVPN torrenting policy

ExpressVPN is a well-known name in the VPN industry, offering users privacy, security, and unrestricted internet access. However, when it comes to torrenting, users often have questions about ExpressVPN's policy.

ExpressVPN does allow torrenting on its network, but with certain conditions in place to ensure the safety and legality of its service. The company emphasizes that it does not condone the use of its service for illegal activities, including copyright infringement through torrenting of pirated content.

To maintain a secure and reliable service, ExpressVPN operates under a strict zero-logs policy. This means that it does not keep any logs of user activity, including internet traffic or connection timestamps. By not storing this information, ExpressVPN aims to protect its users' privacy and anonymity while they torrent.

Additionally, ExpressVPN employs advanced security features such as AES-256 encryption, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. These measures help to safeguard users' data and prevent their IP addresses from being exposed while torrenting.

ExpressVPN also provides unlimited bandwidth and high-speed servers in numerous locations around the world. This allows users to enjoy fast and seamless torrenting experiences without worrying about restrictions or slowdowns.

In summary, ExpressVPN's torrenting policy is clear: while it permits torrenting on its network, users must abide by the law and refrain from engaging in illegal activities. With its robust security features, strict zero-logs policy, and high-speed servers, ExpressVPN offers a safe and reliable option for those looking to torrent securely and anonymously.

ExpressVPN P2P support

ExpressVPN is a popular choice for users seeking high-quality VPN services, and one of its standout features is its robust support for P2P file sharing. Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology allows users to share files directly with one another, offering a decentralized approach to file sharing. However, many online activities associated with P2P, such as torrenting, can raise concerns about privacy and security. This is where a VPN like ExpressVPN comes in.

With ExpressVPN's P2P support, users can enjoy secure and private file sharing activities without worrying about their online activities being tracked or monitored. By encrypting all internet traffic and masking users' IP addresses, ExpressVPN ensures that P2P operations remain private and anonymous. This is particularly important for individuals who want to protect their identities while engaging in file sharing activities.

Moreover, ExpressVPN's P2P support is backed by a vast network of high-speed servers located in strategic locations around the globe. This means that users can enjoy fast and reliable connections while sharing files through P2P networks. The service also offers unlimited bandwidth, ensuring that users can transfer files quickly and efficiently without any restrictions.

In conclusion, ExpressVPN's P2P support is a valuable feature for users who engage in file sharing activities and prioritize their privacy and security online. By leveraging ExpressVPN's advanced encryption protocols and extensive server network, users can enjoy seamless and secure P2P file sharing experiences.

Torrenting with ExpressVPN

Torrenting with ExpressVPN

Torrenting is a popular method of sharing files over the internet, but it comes with risks. When you download or upload files using torrents, your IP address is visible to everyone else in the network. This means that your online activities can be easily tracked by government agencies, hackers, or even copyright trolls. This is where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like ExpressVPN comes in handy.

ExpressVPN is a leading VPN service that offers robust encryption and a large network of servers around the world. When you use ExpressVPN while torrenting, your IP address is masked, making it nearly impossible for anyone to trace your online activities back to you. This helps protect your privacy and anonymity while engaging in peer-to-peer file sharing.

In addition to anonymity, ExpressVPN also helps improve your security by encrypting your internet traffic. This means that even if someone is able to intercept your data, they won't be able to decipher it. Furthermore, ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy, which means that they do not store any data about your online activities.

It's important to note that while ExpressVPN enhances your privacy and security while torrenting, it's always best to make sure you're not violating any laws by downloading copyrighted material. Using a VPN doesn't make it legal to engage in piracy.

Overall, if you're looking to torrent files safely and privately, using ExpressVPN is a smart choice. With its advanced encryption, global server network, and strict privacy policy, ExpressVPN is a reliable companion for anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of torrenting without compromising their online security and privacy.

ExpressVPN torrenting servers

ExpressVPN offers a reliable and secure solution for users looking to access torrenting servers seamlessly. With its vast network of high-speed servers strategically located in torrent-friendly regions worldwide, ExpressVPN enables users to torrent files quickly and efficiently while maintaining their online privacy.

When it comes to torrenting, speed is of the essence. ExpressVPN boasts a network of servers optimized for P2P sharing, ensuring blazing-fast download and upload speeds. This means you can access your favorite torrenting sites, download large files, and seed content without experiencing frustrating lags or slowdowns.

Furthermore, ExpressVPN's robust encryption protocols and stringent no-logs policy guarantee your online activities remain private and secure while torrenting. By masking your IP address and encrypting your internet traffic, ExpressVPN shields your online identity from prying eyes and potential threats such as hackers or copyright trolls.

ExpressVPN's user-friendly interface and intuitive software make it easy for even beginners to connect to torrenting servers effortlessly. Whether you're using a desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet, ExpressVPN offers multi-device compatibility, allowing you to torrent files securely across all your devices with a single subscription.

In conclusion, ExpressVPN's torrenting servers provide a safe, fast, and reliable solution for users seeking to engage in P2P file sharing activities. With its extensive server network, top-notch security features, and user-friendly interface, ExpressVPN is a premier choice for anyone looking to torrent content securely and privately.

ExpressVPN torrenting speed

Title: Maximizing Torrenting Speed with ExpressVPN: A Comprehensive Review

When it comes to torrenting, speed is paramount. Whether you're downloading large files or streaming media, a fast and reliable VPN can make all the difference. ExpressVPN, one of the leading names in the VPN industry, has garnered attention for its claimed ability to maintain high speeds even during torrenting activities. But does it live up to the hype? Let's delve into the specifics.

ExpressVPN employs a vast network of servers strategically located around the globe. This extensive server network aims to minimize latency and optimize bandwidth for users engaging in bandwidth-intensive activities like torrenting. By connecting to nearby servers, users can experience faster download and upload speeds compared to servers located farther away.

Moreover, ExpressVPN utilizes advanced encryption protocols to secure users' data while torrenting. While encryption adds a layer of security, it can sometimes lead to reduced speeds due to the processing overhead. However, ExpressVPN manages to strike a balance between security and performance, offering robust encryption without compromising on speed.

In addition to its server network and encryption protocols, ExpressVPN implements various optimization techniques to enhance torrenting speed. These include bandwidth throttling prevention, which ensures that users can fully utilize their available bandwidth without restrictions. ExpressVPN also continuously monitors server performance and load to dynamically allocate resources and maintain optimal speeds for all users.

Real-world tests and user reviews consistently highlight ExpressVPN's impressive torrenting speeds. Users report minimal impact on download and upload speeds, with some even experiencing faster speeds compared to their ISP-provided connection. This demonstrates ExpressVPN's commitment to providing a seamless torrenting experience without sacrificing performance.

In conclusion, ExpressVPN stands out as a top choice for users seeking fast and reliable torrenting speeds. With its extensive server network, robust encryption, and optimization techniques, ExpressVPN delivers on its promise of maintaining high speeds even during bandwidth-intensive activities like torrenting. Whether you're a casual downloader or a heavy torrent user, ExpressVPN has you covered.

[msclaritea]

35 people detained after "coordinated attack" at Atlanta's "Cop City" police training site - CBS News

"

Nearly three dozen people have been detained after flaming bottles and rocks were thrown at officers during a violent protest at a new police training center that's been the site of prior demonstrations and the death of a protester, Atlanta police said.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a midnight news conference that several pieces of construction equipment were set on fire Sunday at the site for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in DeKalb County.

Surveillance video released by police show a piece of heavy equipment in flames at the facility under construction that critics have dubbed "Cop City." It was among multiple pieces of construction equipment destroyed, police said.

Authorities charged 23 people with domestic terrorism in connection with the protest, according to the Atlanta Police Department. The protesters facing charges, whose names and photographs were published by law enforcement online, are from various states across the U.S. as well as Canada and France, according to police. Their ages range from 18 years old to nearly 50. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation filed all charges.

In a statement, police called the incident "a coordinated attack" on equipment and officers by individuals who they allege "used the cover of a peaceful protest" to access the premises before changing "into black clothing and entering the construction area."

"The agitators destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism," the Atlanta Police Department said in a news release issued on Sunday night. At the time, 35 people had been detained in connection with the protest, according to the police department.

Protesters dressed in all black threw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers Sunday at the construction site, police said.

Other police agencies stepped in to assist city officers, and no officers were injured, Schierbaum said. Officers used restraint and nonlethal enforcement methods to disperse the crowd and detain those involved, he said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the people involved "chose destruction and vandalism over legitimate protest, yet again demonstrating the radical intents of their actions."

"The illegal actions of the agitators could have resulted in bodily harm. ... With protests planned for the coming days, the Atlanta Police Department, in collaboration with law enforcement partners, have a multi-layered strategy that includes reaction and arrest," police said in the release.

At the press conference, Schierbaum described the protest as "a very violent attack."

This wasn't about a public safety training center," he said. "This was about anarchy ... and we are addressing that quickly."

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the people involved "chose destruction and vandalism over legitimate protest, yet again demonstrating the radical intent behind their actions."

"As I've said before, domestic terrorism will NOT be tolerated in this state," Kemp said in a statement Monday.

"We will not rest until those who use violence and intimidation for an extremist end are brought to full justice," he said.

In January, a 26-year-old environmental activist was shot to death by law officers in the forest where the training center is being built.

"The Atlanta Police Department asks for this week's protests to remain peaceful," police said in a statement.

Mounting clashes between environmental activists and law enforcement officers in Atlanta gained national attention earlier this year. In January, a confrontation between police and protesters at the "Cop City" construction site — which unfolded as officers attempted to clear people from the area — ended with gunfire. One protester was killed and a state trooper was wounded, but the details of what happened remained unclear.

Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, a "forest defender" who went by the name Tortuguita, died in the shooting. Teran's death sparked outrage and debate across the country, and fueled tension between environmental advocates and law enforcement in the Atlanta area. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said the shooting was not recorded by police body cameras.

The $90 million, 85-acre center, which includes a shooting range, mock city and burn building, among other facilities, will "reimagine law enforcement training and Police/Fire Rescue community engagement," said the Atlanta Police Foundation, a not-for-profit that helps fund police initiatives through private-public partnerships in a statement on its website.

But the training center drew opposition almost immediately, coming on the heels of a tumultuous year of high-profile cases of police brutality and strained community relations."

These are the goals of the new police center:

Public Safety Training Center

The new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center will reimagine law enforcement training and Police/Fire Rescue community engagement. The PSTC will:

Improve morale, retention, recruitment and training for APD and AFR professionals and ensure that Atlanta attracts and motivates those most highly committed to careers in

law enforcement

Set a national standard for community engagement, neighborhood sensitivity and devotion to the civil rights of all citizens by law enforcement

Embrace police reform and cultural sensitivity through an extensive training and educational partnership with the National Center for Civil & Human Rights

Facilitate collaboration and joint training between Atlanta’s police, fire/ rescue agencies and their local, state and federal partner agencies

Welcome the community to its public spaces The Public Safety Training Center will afford APD and AFR, the South’s largest law enforcement agencies, a state-of-the-art training facility, reduced insurance and operational training costs, and the essential training flexibility required of best-in class urban police departments.

The first phase of the Public Safety Training Center is scheduled to open 4Q 2023.

Why would anyone be against these goals, if they improved policing for Atlanta and the entire country, if successful? Why were some of the protesters from Canada, a British colony and France? I hope the Atlanta Police Department get to the bottom of it.

[soulmate-game]

Daughter of wonderwoman au where marinette finds out her mother is actually Diana and somehow it ends up with her meeting/being introduced to the batfam maybe because she has super strength and is seen yeeting some bad guys who tried to mug her... Or something.

“... you are running from your problems, Mari,” Adrien’s exasperated voice reminded his best friend. Again. She ignored him, and he threw his hands up in exasperation. “Look, you don’t have to do anything about it! Nobody would hold it against you if you decided to just, ignore that you found anything out at all. But you need to actually think about what we just found out and decide whether or not you’re gonna do anything—“ he side-stepped a piece of trash that went flying in his direction. “—or if you’re gonna move on and pretend nothing happened.”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Marinette shot back, pushing her bangs out of her face and tying her hair back with one hand.

“No, you’re currently hiding away in Gotham to avoid your parents while you beat up every random group of idiots who thinks you’re an easy mark,” he retorted. Another wannabe kidnapper went flying in his direction, making him sigh and side step again. She had thrown that one with only her one free hand, showing just how upset she was. “You’re ignoring everything in your life, which is not what we meant we said you should get a little space.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marinette dropkicked the last criminal into unconsciousness before stepping back and putting her hands on her hips. She looked over at the now seven passed out men in the alleyway, and the one very frustrated ex-model pinching the bride of his nose. “I think I’m coping just fine.”

“It’s better than being forced to suppress all of your emotions, sure,” Adrien reluctantly agreed. “But not by much. Your angry rampage through Gotham has already attracted more attention,” he raised his hand to point at a nearby rooftop. Several shadows lurked there, looming over the building’s edge. “Which, might I add, is exactly why I told you not to come to Gotham.”

“You’re the one who followed me here,” she shot back before turning to the shadowy figures above them. “Go ahead and come down! But it was self defense, and you can’t arrest or beat me up for defending myself!”

The first figure to drop down straightened your just as quickly, revealing the imposing figure of none other than Batman himself. The little white eyes on his cowl seemed to narrow on their own as he looked down at her.

“That might be true, but I’m sure you know my policy on metas in my city,” he grumbled back at her. He wasn’t necessarily threatening, but he definitely wasn’t welcoming either. With all of his limbs hidden behind the cocoon that was his cape, Marinette would never be able to predict his next move if he did decide to fight. Not that she seemed particularly worried about that as she crossed her arms over her chest and met his glare evenly.

“Oh, do you own this city now? I wasn’t given the memo,” she retorted. “And considering I didn’t even know I was a meta until last week? I think I deserve a little slack. I’m angry and if people think the tiny little girl in pink is an easy kidnapping target, then it’s their fault for making themselves into the perfect practice dummies for me to try out my newly discovered strength on.”

Adrien saw the eyes on Batman’s mask narrow even further. Marinette wasn’t exactly at her most charismatic at the moment, and Adrien didn’t wanna get the both of them into a bad relationship with the experienced superhero who always seemed to know things he shouldn’t know. So he stepped up quickly, getting in between Marinette and the Bat and holding his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Okay, Monsieur Batman,” Adrien started slowly, making sure his posture was impeccable and his smile bright. “She’s telling the truth, even if she’s not... the most tactful about it right now. She just found out some very concerning things about her origin and Gotham is the best place for her to hide from her problems and let loose a little pent up aggression. But— well,” he grimaced. “We didn’t intend to run into you guys, but maybe it’s a good thing we did.”

“How so?” Batman was clearly still incredibly suspicious of the both of them and wasn’t giving an inch. So Marinette rolled her eyes (she was still very moody) and leaned around Adrien so she could get a good look at the monochromatic hero.

“I thank my lucky spots that we ran into you, Batman!” She said monotonously. “Me and Adrien are paw-sitively excited at this opportunity.”

Batman. Froze.

Not only were those two lines the very first lines ever spoken to him by two foreign heroes a few years ago (with a few key words changed to protect identities), but they had become their code phrase for whenever they made calls to one another outside of their costumes. All at once it seemed to hit him— the golden hair and bright green eyes on the boy, the blue-black hair and normally super-focused bluebell eyes on the girl that were currently sporting very uncharacteristic frustration. Their heights. Their builds. All of this info flowed through his mind and compared to the information stored in his memory, and it only took the span of two seconds for everything to click.

Suddenly Batman was at full attention, back straight instead of looming over them and eyebrows clearly raised high under his cowl.

He knew Chat Noir and Ladybug would never take a random vacation to Gotham. Ladybug herself had nearly waxed poetic about how much the city depressed her just from the pictures she saw online. If she had willingly come to visit, it was more than to just blow off some steam.

“Batcave?” He asked, earning a relieved look from Adrien and a moody silence from Marinette.

“Please,” Adrien agreed. “You can probably help us, actually.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette leaned back in the metal debriefing chair, legs up on the table and looking for all the world as the picture of pure teenage rebellion and angst. Coincidentally, Red Hood was in the exact same position in the chair next to her.

Batman and all of his other bats and birds were in the cave with the two off-duty Parisian heroes. Everyone except Adrien and Marinette still had their masks on, since the two Parisians were still not privy to their identities. Yet.

To be fair, the bats hadn’t known the identities of the two miraculous users either before today.

“Cha Noir,” Batman started, only to get a head shake from the blond boy.

“Just call me Adrien. Chat’s out of the bag—“ he ignored the groans at the pun and soldiered on, “—so might as well use my real name.”

Batman nodded. “Adrien, then,” he amended. “Why are you and Ladybug really in Gotham?”

Adrien sighed. “I wasn’t lying, before. Marinette,” he gestured to his hero partner. “Just found out some distressing family news. Since HawkMoth is gone, she doesn’t need to repress her negative emotions anymore. But she also didn’t want to be around her parents while she processed everything. I told her to choose any other city— really, I begged— but she insisted on coming to Gotham.”

“The never ending cloud cover and constant rain seem thematic,” she finally spoke up, reaching into her big over-the-shoulder bag and pulling out a large envelope. She threw it to Batman, making the thin package slice through the air like a knife. To nobody’s surprise the seasoned hero easily caught the projectile between two fingers. He looked at the envelope and back to Marinette, silent questions floating in the air between them. Marinette decided to answer at her own pace.

“That’s what we found out. You see, one of my friends is a huge science nerd. A genius. And he wanted to compare DNA samples between us to see if there were any genetic components that determined a person’s suitability towards certain Miraculous or other magical artifacts over others. It was supposed to just be a fun side project that he didn’t expect any breakthroughs on. He mostly just wanted to satisfy his own curiosity. But instead of finding out if our DNA was linked to the miraculous, he found out that my parents are not biologically my parents.”

“Hence the whole just finding out that you’re a meta thing, right?” Nightwing spoke up, fully invested in the story. “Did they never say you were adopted before?”

“It’s not in the system,” she replied easily. “My parents have all the documentation to prove that I’m their biological child, except I’m not. When I confronted them about it, they caved and admitted that they had adopted me in secret and covered it up. Apparently a friend of theirs was involved in something illegal, and,” she waved at the envelope that Batman was now opening. “The details of what we were able to dig up are in there. The summary is this; their friend was part of a secret, illegal experimentation to create clones that could defeat the Justice League—“ the air seemed to get sucked out of the room as soon as those words left Marinette’s mouth. Everyone seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. “—a group called CADMUS. They made me, as apparently one of their early attempts. But I didn’t exhibit any of the powers they were looking for, or any meta traits at all, and my body refused to mature at the rate they wanted. They had no use for a seemingly normal human baby that they managed to clone, so they were preparing to kill me and start over. That’s when my parent’s friend stole me, not wanting to kill an infant, and begged my parents to take me in and pretend I was theirs. Low and behold, it turns out that my DNA just needed a very specific series of emotions to unlock it’s latent abilities.”

“Those emotions being..?” Red hood trailed off, earning a wolfish smile from Marinette.

“Intense anger, betrayal, and confused frustration closely followed by the desire to punch other people’s faces in.”

“That last one is just an assumption,” Adrien chimed in. “And maybe not accurate. But the first three, our scientist friend was able to confirm. The rapid experience of a lot of negative but action-oriented emotions released whatever had been holding back the powers in her DNA from expressing themselves,” he had switched to French so that he could explain everything exactly as Max had told it to them, but he knew all of them were fluent anyway so it was fine. They nodded along, processing the information.

The crinkling of paper drew everyone’s attention back to Batman, who had been flipping through the detailed break down of everything they had found about Marinette’s situation and how she was made by CADMUS.

“Uh,” Red Robin nervously spoke up. “What’s up, Batman?”

“Your genetic donors...” Batman breathed, getting a wink and finger guns from Marinette.

“Yup. Isn’t that just the most fucked up thing you’ve ever seen? They were clearly trying to make someone who could destroy the world.”

“That makes me nervous,” Nightwing admitted, getting up and going to get a look at the papers himself. “It can’t be that ba—“

When even Nightwing was left agape, everyone else who wasn’t in on it found themselves squirming.

“Just tell the rest of us, already!” Robin demanded after the silence stretched just a bit too long.

“The unknowing genetic donors that CADMUS used to make me,” Marinette spoke up, still with her legs up on the table. “Are a very mad-scientist’s-wet-dream combination of Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, and Wonder Woman.”

“We don’t even know why they added Bruce Wayne’s DNA,” Adrien admitted. “Although our scientist friend thinks it’s because of physique. His hypothesis is that, in order to support the genes of Wonder Woman, they had to add male genetics that could support the production of a very high muscle mass and would lean towards easy development of a very athletic body. Lex might be evil-scientist smart, but he’s a string bean. But if he added the DNA of another multi millionaire who just so happens to maintain a ridiculously fit body without putting any obvious work into it,” Adrien shrugged. “Then maybe the clone would be able to support Wonder Woman’s genetics and that of two human donors without falling apart.”

“So I’m ‘the clone’ now, huh?” Marinette snarked, earning an exasperated eye roll from her friend.

Batman just stared at the both of them for a moment. He walked away without a word, and came back with a fresh needle and a box. He placed it on the debriefing table.

“Can I do a paternity test myself?” He asked, his voice suspiciously less gruff than normal. “I trust the both of you, but I rather be safe than sorry with something like this.”

The both of them just stared at him in confusion. They traded a glance, and finally Marinette shrugged and moved to sit in her chair properly. Her shirt was already short sleeved, so she just held her arm out so Batman could easily get a blood sample.

“Sure, why not. But do you just have Lex Luthor or Bruce Wayne’s DNA sitting around to compare, or—“ she shut up when she watched Batman take off his glove and roll his own sleeve up. Realization slowly sunk in as he asked Nightwing to take a blood sample from him.

“Holy shit,” she breathed, eyes wide. “You’re— and Luthor doesn’t know— holy shit this is even worse than I thought,” Marinette rambled, not even noticing as Red Hood moved forward and took a small blood sample from her.

Adrien put a hand over his face and just laughed for a moment hysterically. “Oh my god,” he looked over at Marinette. “You could take over the world.”

“I have the blood of Batman AND Wonder Woman on MY side,” Marinette joked back, also hysterical.

When the bat’s high tech equipment was able to come back with a positive result only a few minutes later, Marinette and Adrien had to sit on the floor and just let it all sink in. Which Batman did not at all help by immediately unmasking himself and trying to make a proper introduction.

“I wanna go beat up random thugs again,” Marinette whined, pulling at her hair. “I’ll put on a mask, whatever, but just please let me punch people. I need to punch people right now.”

[moemammon]

Could I request HC of MC falling asleep on the brothers and someone asks them to do something but they don’t want to move bc of MC🥺 kinda like how it’s illegal to move if an animal is asleep on you🥺💕 thank you!

I'm soft for stuff like this tbh

The Demon Brothers react to GN!MC falling asleep on them

Lucifer

Lucifer has found that he works best when you're near him. Something about your presence calms his old soul. So it's become a habit that he has you near while he's going through paperwork, always touching you in some fashion.

Today, you were resting your head against his shoulder in the late afternoon, the warmth of his body and the sound of his pen scribbling on paper lulling you into a sense of peace and sleepiness.

He looked over after noticing the added weight against his side, and found you'd drifted off to sleep. And man.... this man realizes just how soft he is for you. Like, can you BE any cuter??? You're gonna kill him.

He feels a warmth swell up in his chest, not only from his affection for you, he the way you seem so peaceful sleeping against him like that. The fact that you feel secure with him, while others only seem to fear him, makes his heart fill to the brim.

But now he can't move, or you'll wake up. And to make matters worse, he just heard a loud ass crash in the hall right outside, and the sound of Mammon cursing under his breath. MAMMOOONNNNN-

As much as it pains him, he doesn't have the strength to get up while you look so content and secure sleeping against him like this. Besides, he can always kill punish Mammon later. He’d just text Beel to string him up from the ceiling until then.

Mammon

It's not unusual for the two of you to chill on the couch together, and he doesn't even care that you're all over him. Actually, he's probably the one that pulled you into such a position.

You're laying on his chest, and he's got his arms around you while he plays around on his phone. And that's when he notices the tiniest of snores coming from you. He looks down and sees that you've fallen asleep.

FUCK does that make him wanna scream. His heart is so full of love that he's literally trembling. You were so.. sO CUTE. IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. HE LOVES YOU, DAMN IT.

But then he gets a text from Lucifer, asking him to go back to RAD to fetch some documents. Why'd he have to be his errand boy all the time? Why not Satan??

Mammon is no stranger to Lucifer's wrath though, so now he has a strong need to get you off of him, yet an equally strong need to hold you close.

Especially when you mumble something that sounded vaguely like his name in your sleep. Maybe... it’d be fine to let you rest a little longer? It's not like those lousy papers were going anywhere, right?

Levi

You????? Felt comfortable enough to sleep on him?????? In the middle of a movie he put on????

There's practically steam coming out of his ears. He's short circuiting. He's going to die and it's all your fault. WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE YOURE JUST SLEEPING ON HIS ARM AND YET THE MOE IS TOO STRONG-

Seriously though, he's so red up to his ears that you'd think he might die. The only thing that keeps him from death is that you aren't awake to look at him. He was safe!

But then a notification pops up on his D.D.D, and he suddenly remembers he’s got a tournament to compete in with a couple of online friends! He promised them!!!

Maybe... he'll wake you up? No no no, he'd really die if that happened! You can't wake up yet!! But the game-! The dungeon run-!! The loot!!! What can he do?! There's no way he can ruin this 'straight-out-of-an-anime' moment!!!

Levi's never been one to miss a chance to game, so why was he so conflicted?! Now he was thinking that maybe he could just reschedule the match? Besides, when was the next time he might get to see your sleeping face so close to his own? He wonders if he could sneak in a picture or two...

Satan

Satan's entire room, albeit cluttered, has a cozy vibe. Just the way he likes, as a man who prefers to keep calm and indulge in the wonders of books. And he's invited you over to indulge with him, per usual

Though he'll admit it IS a little late, so he understands that you're sleepy. It doesn't even surprise him when you slump against his arm from your position next to him, the book on your lap sliding to the ground.

As much as it pains him to see the book fall like that, he quickly realizes he can't bend down to grab it, or you'll wake up.

And he hasn't had a chance to really look closely at your sleeping expression, so he has to get his priorities in order. He could get that boom later, anyway.

He laughs at you, and how easily you've fallen asleep. Why didn't you just tell him you were tired? He’d walk you back to your room so you could sleep. Yet you wanted to spend time with him so badly that you pushed through?

He closes his book and leans his head against yours with a soft sigh. Peaceful days like this were all he could ever ask for. He wished he had a spell to preserve this moment forever.

Asmo

Helloooo? Are you even listening anymore?? He was in the middle of telling you about the time Beel ate his entire collection of bath bombs, and you fell asleep right on his lap!

Probably because he was making you lay there while he dabbed products onto your face. "This one is a great toner. Doesn't it smell good? And this moisturizer here is sooo creamy!"

He can't help but notice how peaceful you look laying there, fast asleep. He could just eat you up! Catch him leaning in to kiss you a million times, wondering if you'll wake up.

He's gotta put that kissing on hold when he realizes he has a photo shoot to get to in an hour! He'd need every single minute to get himself ready of course, so he needed to start now. The only problem was... you. On his lap.

He can't get up or he’d be cruelly abandoning his precious MC! And there was no way he’d be that heartless. But that photo shoot was pretty important... How else would he give the devildom its dose of his gorgeous face???

Cue Satan coming in and finding Asmo doing his skin care on his bed, straining to see his reflection in the far away vanity mirror... all so he wouldn't disturb a hair on your adorable little head.

Beel

Beel had asked if you'd lay on his back for extra weight while he did his planks, but he never expected you to fall asleep there. Belphie does the same thing sometimes, so he's no stranger to having to stay still for someone else's sake.

The warmth of your form draped over his back makes him smile, and he wonders if you're cozy laying like that. Wasn't his back kind of hard?

He was fine with waiting until you woke up, since being stuck in a plank for an unknown amount of time would be a great workout, what wasn't so great was the gnawing of hunger slowly starting to creep up on him.

Beel was hungry. Starving, even. And he was stuck because you fell asleep on him. He tried muttering a soft "MC, wake up" as a means to gently wake you, but when you didn't budge, he wondered if he might die like this.

The longer he waited, the more his hunger built. It was five minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty, and then- he lost it.

You wake up to being suddenly dumped onto the cold floor, and you only catch a glimpse of the avatar of gluttony rushing off to empty the fridge of its contents.

He'll apologize when he's full, okay? He promises he loves you, but his hunger is no joke. Promises to treat you to Madam Scream's later as an apology.

Belphie

Not unexpected that you'd fall asleep while in Belphie's care. He had a knack for that sort of thing, bringing the air around him to a sleepy halt and making your eyes heavy with that smooth voice of his.

You were listening to him talk about the old days, when he and Beel would sneak away from their brothers to have their own adventures. Then the next thing you knew, you were drifting off to sleep.

Belphie immediately noticed when your head leaned against his hand; he’d been toying around with your hair and occasionally stroking your cheeks. This was one of those moments he didn't feel like bullying you, after all.

But now he kind of does. You were so innocent, and so vulnerable right now! He could tickle you awake at any moment and you wouldn't be able to stop him at all... Though he doesn't.

He instead looks up when the door opens and Beel pops into the bedroom to ask if Belphie can help him find his jacket. There's no way he’d deny his brother, sooo sorry mc. He hesitates for two seconds, but he's leaving you.

Belphie is a sleep expert, and that includes his mastery of the art of not waking people up, so somehow he's managed to carefully maneuver around you so you're still fast asleep.

Leaves you with a little kiss and tucks you into his bed. He'll come tickle you to death later 💕

[humanuser0613]

Let's Discuss:

Jikookers - Are We Conspiracy Theorists Too?

I read this article and just wanted to discuss the topic in a very open and straightforward manner.

LET'S GET IT! 🤸🏻‍♀️

(also, grab a seat cause it's long)

Short answer: we're not immune to crackpot theories, but jikookers are not, for the most part, conspiracy theorists.

Example of a "crazy" theory: JK posted this pic on Twitter because the Brazilian model proposed to Jimin online.

JK posted or he asked Tae to post again (as Tae had already posted earlier) the picture and this is assumed because Jimin didn't use his hashtag.

And why is this theory crazy?

1) We don't know who posted the picture - it could have been JM, but he just forgot his hashtag

2) Can anyone confirm that the guys even saw the news of the model asking JM to marry her? Can anyone confirm that if one of them saw the news that it was relayed to JK?

3) So we also ultimately don't know why the pictures were posted other than it's typically what the members do for ARMY from time to time. Which isn't out of the norm for them.

And why isn't this theory a conspiracy theory?

Read on to find out 👇👇👇

What's the basic of a conspiracy theory and how come jikookers don't fit?

A conspiracy theory is how an event, sometimes large, sometimes small, gets explained. There are usually sinister forces at work to cover up the true explanation, which isn't the explanation that's already been given. Hence the reason it is a conspiracy.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

The definition of conspiracy being about secret plotting by a group to do some deed, likely illegal or unethical.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

And a theory is how you explain the world around you. Usually you use facts to create a theory. And you use your 5 senses to observe those facts so they're based in reality.

In the instance of conspiracy theorists, they use the absence of facts as their proof and make up explanations to disregard or explain away actual facts. It is based more on emotions than on observable facts. 🚨 It's used to confirm already existing worldviews instead of adjusting worldviews to facts and reality. 🚨

(well known conspiracy theories - the government killed JFK, destroyed the World Trade Center Towers, & faked the moon landing, the earth is flat, Trump won the 2020 election)

And jikookers???

(😐 I'm getting there! Stay with me. 🥰)

We have theories that end up being right later on.

Examples:

1) JM retrieving JK from Hobi's bday vlive and lots of people joked or theorized it's because he needed to get into his hotel room or wanted to go to bed and needed (?) JK for that. Turns out JK had the room key.

Theory: JM needed JK (probably to get into the room)

Facts: JM and JK are often seen together & members talk about them being together a lot and during the vlive JK and JM mentioned being together where JM talked about napping and JK confirmed JM needed to set an alarm, JK talked about his hotel room size and JM didn't, JK had slippers and JM didn't and hotels set up the number of slippers in a room for each guest registered to the room

How: Eyes and ears used, historical data as well

2) Jimin being unable to complete his story during the Dynamite #1bb/JK bday vlive

Theory: Jimin had something else to say, but did it have to do with JK?

(and if people were saying that he wasn't allowed to finish talking...then who was it that was stopping him and why - that's where conspiracies start - as opposed to 7 men talking over each other and quickly moving to different topics because they're on a tight schedule)

Facts: Jimin was trying to say something else and this was later shown to be true during the press conference when he was able to say that he was with JK for his birthday and during this announcement

How: eyes and ears

3) Jimin flew from France to South Korea and spent time with JK on his birthday and posted the picture with some supposed birthday presents - this became a theory because Jimin had posted a video earlier of himself in France and many in the fandom doubted he was actually there for JK's birthday

Theory: Jimin spent time with JK on his birthday, and got the cake (the globe was a whole different issue because a fake account was created to purposely mislead the fandom, and jikookers, about how it was obtained; hence why older jikookers are extremely wary of twitter accounts providing info without evidence to back it up)

Facts: Jimin posted the picture, used his hashtag, later on he held a vlive on his birthday and talked about how he flew back to South Korea and went to see JK directly

Note: the cake theory remains unverified, and while Jimin has been known to prepare the cakes for the members in the past, the time constraints are obvious thus making it unlikely.

How: eyes... literally just accepted the info presented to us, and then ears when explained what happened a month later

Unverified Theories (non-exhaustive)

(Because even jikookers have a few of those)

1) The Matching Rings

Theory: Jikook bought matching rings. Bvlgari is thrown around. They're married!

What happened?: Jikook showed off these rings during 4th muster on their ring fingers. And I say showed off because there was literally no need for this move...

They were spotted in a store in Japan and some people got the backwards Bvlgari ad on the window mixed up with a store name somehow...🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Bottom line: the rings are matching, they were showed off in front of ARMY and no, they're not Bvlgari. Based on available evidence we don't know where they're from. And they weren't bought by any fansites/fans and given to jikook. We don't know with certainty what they symbolize for jikook either. We have South Korean cultural cues that couples often get matching rings, but we also know that group members wear matching jewelry and clothes.

2) Valentine's Day post

Theory: Jikook are boyfriends because they posted on Valentine's Day wearing matching jackets.

Bottom line: This is part of couple culture in South Korea. But the 'boyfriends' part is unconfirmed.

3) Namchin

Theory: jikook basically confirmed their boyfriend status at MMA 2018 with their Gucci clothes and hot looks and the lip reading k-ARMY did

Bottom line: lip reading isn't always accurate, but JK did flash a finger heart to JM and JM did blow JK a kiss and they were photographed leaning into each other when they sat near each other...and the conversation they had might have appeared intense and interesting to onlookers with JM pointing to himself and then JK thus indicating something between them, the whispering in JM's ear that JK did and then JK helping JM to sit down at one point... 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

4) They were separated at the airport (ignore the analysis, just watch the video and draw your own conclusions)

Theory: They weren't allowed to quarantine together upon return to South Korea from the LA PTD concerts

Bottom line: They aren't blood family, aren't married so they faced restrictions. The assumption was made that they were forced apart because Jimin was grabbed at the airport and directed to a different car, but the fact that a different car was there should be proof that the plan was always for them to travel separately. My new theory is just that Jimin forgot. Possibly he was tired. 🤷‍♀️

5) GCF Tokyo is Jimin's birthday present

Theory: JK posted on Twitter for jimin's birthday and said "it's not over yet" and then took him to Tokyo

Bottom line: JK paid for the trip, his Twitter post seemingly indicated there was more to come, and there's video documentation that they went to Tokyo, discussed it often in interviews, and a Twitter post where Jimin stated he wasn't expecting the video. Jimin also had two mini videos he created too.

Now more important than what we observe are the narratives crafted around the observations for the purposes of this blog.

🤡 That's where the sticking point is between what is a conspiracy and what isn't. 🤡

NARRATIVES

Jikooker narratives:

1) They're boyfriends

2) They can't come out officially in South Korea

3) They show us what they're comfortable showing us of their relationship and use plausible deniability to push boundaries (including skinship)

4) They engage in South Korean couple culture with consistency over a long period of time

5) They interact normally and have always been comfortable/close with each other

6) They display body language of a (long term) couple

7) They get hate for the things that would get hyped up between other pairs

8) There's content that is shown to exist that we don't get to see (sounds contradictory, but it's not...🤔...but it is probably worth a different post because BH does have some involvement here 🙃 this one is long enough)

9) Watch original content and listen to the members

10) Don't trust rumors without evidence

🚨 What's noticeably absent is the narrative that they're being forced apart; that they're puppets being controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity than themselves; that they can't tell us what they want to and are forced to lie or use secret codes/gestures to communicate with a select few 'special' people their misery or love for each other. 🚨

Does that mean they don't have their own inside communications? 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Now in all fairness....👁️👄👁️

Here's a few theories that have circumstantial evidence, been analyzed a lot, and have been used in the jikooker community, but they may or may not have anything to do with jikook together as opposed to them individually:

1) 13

2) 1:23

3) vlives where they may or may not have been together 👀👀

4) Jimin is ARMY (something he's stated before)

5) The members teasing JK using JM (probably worth another post 😔✊)

6) Using Twitter posts to talk to each other or even supporting ARMY as is the belief after "kiss mark" trended in SK just before NJ's bday (this is the one time I kinda believe they acknowledged something about themselves to ARMY)

Even with these theories we still don't have any sort of secret cabal doing their level best to keep the truth under wraps and presenting a fictitious version of events to distract everyone else but the chosen few that see through their lies. Jikook are still in control of their own actions and responses. And jikookers are just observing and occasionally making connections to other historical data they've provided.

To sum up: jikook are the agents of the information they show or withhold in content. There's no evil 3rd party promoting a deceptive truth to hide the real truth about jikook. The information obtained from the members is the information used to come to the basis of the belief that jikookers hold that they are dating or are more than likely dating.

Jikookers aren't conspiracy theorists (but it doesn't mean we can't be delulu 🤸‍♀️). There's also no need for jikookers to spread hate to any of the members. They're all friends. They can navigate and set their own boundaries in their relationships. And frankly, our brains aren't wired to see anyone as an obstacle between jikook....our "reality" or "worldview" doesn't need those mental contortions to continue to make sense to us. They aren't trained to see anything as a threat to a relationship that we don't always see, but what we do see of it, it is calm, loving, fun, they take care of each other's emotional needs and they're still always together behind the scenes. They've provided enough for us to generally trust we'll eventually always see them jikooking happily, even during times where we aren't seeing them be active in real time. Besides, we're more likely to think South Korea needs to come into the 21st century and protect the human rights of all their citizens.

Are there jikookers who could be conspiracy theorists? I do suppose it's possible. The world is large and everyone is different, with different capabilities and backgrounds. They would have been radicalized/broken down by something or someone else though before becoming a jikooker. Conspiracy thinking requires a bit of indoctrination to learn how to turn the rational parts of the brain off and disconnect the ability to take in new information and adjust opinions and also the regulation of appropriate emotions to stimuli.

So I'll caution jikookers to watch that the community doesn't become an echo chamber, that if people are struggling with regulating their thoughts and emotions around jikook and BTS that they're encouraged to take a break from it and gain some outside perspectives (just like people in cults need to completely disconnect in order to deprogram their brains), and that original information continues to be what is used to distinguish fact from fiction.

Happy Jikooking! 💜

(I'll just post this and make edits as discussion progresses or I think of other things)

[pyroclastic727]

Owl House said fuck capitalism

So this episode was interesting. Lilith pretty much killed her sister. Why the fuck would she do that?

Even more interesting: why is Belos like that? How did Hooty put his head through one of those guards? Who the fuck is the Titan, and why does everyone like him? And how are these all tied together?

This episode was a metaphor for capitalism

...and another delicious step towards radicalizing the youth into dismantling this fucked-up neo-feudal system.

We’ll start with Belos. 

Emperor Belos is a weird name, don’t you think? We all thought it was spelled “Bellows,” but it wasn’t. In fact, it’s five letters, starts with Be, ends with os, and describes a megalomaniac emperor that restricts people’s freedom in order to accumulate wealth for himself.

Sound familiar?

Emperor Bezos Belos created capitalism. He saw the beauty of magic and decided to make himself the most powerful.

Belos created a system that destroys the masses and boosts his power.

 I’m dipping into fan theory a little, because the fan theory fits. We know that people get branded with coven magic that makes it so they can only specialize in one area. We know that Belos is the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles. We know that the excess magic, magic created by restrictions, has to go somewhere.

It’s the same system that many viewers see all the time. A job takes up all your day and tires you for the night, so you can only do one skill for the rest of your life. Jeff Bezos is the most powerful man in the United States. Excess money, money taken by restrictions, has to go somewhere.

The magic goes to Belos, like how the money goes to Bezos. Belos created capitalism, and he won it.

The guards aren’t real. 

Look, we’ve never seen their faces. They’re all the same. Why would you work so hard to get to the top, just to become a nameless, faceless killing machine?

Oh, also Hooty stuck his face through one. There is nothing under the armor.

Why? Well, it’s the same reason you see all those celebrities going around flaunting their wealth and bragging about how hard they worked. Like all those songs about how they grind every day and work harder than everyone else while you’re out clubbing, and that makes them dope. And then you take a closer look at them and see that they had a small loan of a million dollars fueling them, or an entire talent agency behind them, or their dad was a famous country star in the 80′s. 

They’re fake. They’re hollow. They’re a ploy created by the capitalist emperor to try to delude you into working harder. 

Let me put this into perspective. I guarantee that every single one of you has heard stuff like this: “Hard work makes you successful.” “I put in the work, and that’s why I’m successful.” “If you work hard enough, then you can be as successful as Mark Zuckerberg.” 

And unless you’re a robot or really lucky, I’m sure all of you have failed at this. Maybe they told you that hard work would make you good at math, so you spent 22 hours a week working on calculus, only to pass it by 3 percentage points and have it destroy your perfect 4.0 GPA. Maybe they told you that if you talked to people enough, then you would make friends, so you spent a lot of time talking to people, only to end up lonely and friendless. Maybe they told you that if you did well in school, you would get a good job, so you spent all your time working hard to be a good student, and then ended up in a soulless, dead-end job.

The guards are there to delude you. Look, who really gains from you being productive? The answer is the ruling class, the CEOs, the government, the bourgeoisie. It has always been that. All you get from working is a paycheck that lets you survive. They get a paycheck that lets them get rich. Just like Belos gets the magic and productivity of the specialized coven witches.

The guards are there to trick you. The truth is that nobody can join the Emperor’s Coven. It’s just there to make you think that hard work will make you successful. Then you spend your entire life working hard, trying to prove to the person in charge that you’re worthwhile. You give your whole life to the Coven, and they give you nothing. 

Magic is supposed to be something you pursue for fun. Being skilled at things, being good at something beautiful...that’s supposed to be something you do because you want to. But they took that and made it into a source of productivity. It doesn’t matter if you make good content. All people fucking care about is if you upload the day of premiere, if you make a lot of content quickly, if you maintain a million different conversations with strangers who expect you to be the most interesting person in the room. They don’t care how it hurts you. They don’t care how you crack from the stress. How you cry when you think no one can see you, and then you check your phone and someone can see you, someone did see you, and you have to put on your face and be the charming, magnetic person they want you to be. (oh by the way that’s why I wasn’t online much last week)

And it ruins it. Suddenly you can’t watch The Owl House without being stressed. You can’t make any content. You can’t make spells as powerfully as you want to. Your passion is replaced by perfectionism and insecurity, a voice telling you to keep being the best at what you do, or else they’ll forget you and let you die.

There’s also the Titan. 

So nobody has mentioned him before, because in addition to the Boiling Isles being a hellscape full of witchcraft and queerness, it’s also full of atheists. 

But suddenly we have people saying all this shit about him? Shit like, he gave witches the gift of magic, and then they learned to use it in a civilized manner, since being uncivilized was disrespectful?

I mean, first off, that’s fucking wrong. The island gives people magic. The island, which just so happened to be shaped like a titan-sized human. But the island/titan gives everyone all types of magic. Hell, even Luz gets to use magic, and she’s human. 

It sounds really fucking familiar. (tw for discussion of homophobia and colonialism and misogyny). It sounds like when the news is on and they show some Tr*mp supporter talking about how fetuses have more rights than people and it is their holy duty to take away a woman’s control over her body and force her through unbearable pain and into an 18-year commitment she didn’t want to make. It sounds like all the times people tried to say homosexuality should be illegal, citing a single line in a book written two thousand years ago and heavily edited by a European king. It sounds like all the times people said God wanted them to conquer, to own the entire earth, to force the other races into pain to support them.

This is that bullshit thing people do where they commit awful sins and justify it by citing the will of God. 

Or, it’s the Coven using religion as an excuse for evil.

Look, the Emperor’s Coven is clearly colonizer-coded. Saying that people’s original form of magic was wild (and showing a picture with the same joyous, rowdy energy of an 18th or 19th -century Black or indigenous party), and that it was God’s will for them to be “civilized?” Sounds like that thing that powerful white people did where they went and murdered people and forced them into their twisted capitalist system. God, gold, and glory, is what they said, because history books just love to omit the gore.

Lilith is passing the abuse cycle along. 

You know, like a good little colonizer. God I fucking hate her. She’s a MILF, in the sense that she’s a Mother I’d Like to Fling off a cliff. 

Ah, enough screaming about how much I want to drown Lilith in a tub of Hooty’s mucus. Let’s go into why I want to do that, and how she took the evils of capitalism and just...adopted those.

So, Lilith is sick and twisted for what she did to her sister. But, uhh, that’s the point. You see, there are so many other people out there like Lilith who would do the exact same thing, if given the chance. These are the people who do mean things when the teacher isn’t looking, and then act nice and try to frame you. These are the people who will hate you if you’re better than them. These are people who would do anything to bring you down, if you dare outperform them.

It’s greed, my friends. The mental illness that capitalism blesses us all with.

Lilith herself said it: she dedicated her entire life to the Coven. What she wanted was to be the best. And she almost was...except for her own sister. Someone who lived with her, annoyed her at home, bested her at school. Someone she could never beat, no matter how hard she worked. And her sister was younger than her, too! How insulting was that? Lilith wanted to be the best, and someone in her exact situation did better than her.

Lilith was insecure. And it consumed her.

But why? Why does insecurity consume her? I mean, no one can be motivated by insecurity forever. Well, not unless someone conditions it into you.

The lovely thing about the capitalist system is the morals it teaches you. Things like: “You’re only useful if you’re the best.” “Being school smart makes you smart, while being social smart or sports smart or creative smart or fandom smart is worthless.” “Your worth can be quantified by numbers and is based off arbitrary measures like your income or your grades.” Things that can and will drive us crazy if we let ourselves believe them.

And it did drive Lilith crazy. She got so twisted by a society that said being good at magic is her only worth. Look, Lilith used to be good at things, probably. She was good at sports. At times, she slips up and does an okay job of being Eda’s sister. She has a powerful presence when she’s in a room. And she’s wicked good at manipulating people. 

But that didn’t matter. Lilith bought into the lies. She let herself believe that magical skill was the only way to measure her worth. And since she needed to be the best, she hurt Eda for it.

The beautiful thing is, Eda didn’t buy that. "It’s my power, kid. And before you showed up, I spent my whole life wasting it.” Is what Eda said, as she used up the last of her power, the last of her life, to save Luz. In her final moments, she proved that she’s not like them. She’s stronger than them.

None of this matters. Not magical prowess. Not the hierarchy. Not the promise of joining the Coven and having more power than anyone else.

The only thing that matters to Eda is her family. Her real family. Her Luz, King, and Hooty. And by extension, Willow, Gus, and Amity. Those are Eda’s real reason for fighting, for dying: to protect them. Look, there’s no way she would’ve come out of that fight alive. She has a family, and her love for them is stronger than greed or jealousy or capitalism. 

Lilith never understood that. She thought the water of the womb was thicker than the blood of the covenant. Or, that the water of the womb and the blood of the covenant are stronger than the bonds of found family. She thought it didn’t matter if Eda loved, her, only if the Emperor loved her. Fucking bitch.

And now, a little something to worry about, before we go. Amity Blight. The girl who wanted to join the Emperor’s Coven more than anything, who dedicated her whole life to doing well in school, to being the best, to being perfect.

And then she met Luz. She fell for Luz. Now she’s in a tricky place, where habit and conditioning want her to join the Emperor’s Coven, but her heart wants her to do the impossible and destroy capitalism.

She wasn’t in this episode. Funny that being injured and unable to work ended up saving her from watching her future mother-in-law die. So she bought some time.

But Luz’s true mom is dead. This is the second mom she has lost, and she’s only fourteen. As powerful as King and Hooty are, Luz needs Amity. Luz needs Amity to support her and help her get back her mom.

So Amity has to make a choice. Fear and insecurity, or love and a high chance of death? 

She’ll probably choose death. Because that’s the message that this family-friendly show is giving us kids. Fuck capitalism. All you need in life is to do what makes you happy and be with the ones you love.