And mr. Sailorman was a completely different man

Level 1: browser extensions

This one is basically impossible to get wrong, or at least to get wrong badly enough that it causes any problems.

Get Firefox, or a Firefox fork like Waterfox. If you use a fork, make sure it's one that will let you use add-ons. On a PC, pretty much any Firefox fork will take add-ons, but on mobile devices, many don't. Iceraven is one that does.

Get the add-ons uBlock Origin, YouTube Sponsorblock (if you use YouTube), and FBCleaner (if you use Facebook).

uBlock Origin comes with a built-in list of filters to block ads and trackers, but you can add your own filters to block any specific element of a website you don't like. You know those goddamn floating frames on fandom.com sites that block half the screen? Now you can zap 'em.

Sponsorblock uses crowdsourced timestamps to automatically skip sponsor spots and self-promotion in YouTube videos. Never listen to anyone say "hit like and subscribe" or "Raid Shadow Legends" again.

FBCleaner hides all content from your feed except posts from people, groups, and pages you've actually chosen to follow.

Level 2: leaving enshittified services

The software that's become standard over the years in a lot of fields is steadily selling more of your data, showing you more ads, and pushing you to buy more expensive subscriptions. Time to tell them to get fucked.

Dump Adobe apps for Affinity or Krita. Drop Microsoft for LibreOffice. Change your default search engine from Google to DuckDuckGo or Qwant. Use OpenStreetMaps instead of Google or Apple Maps.

Level 3: network-level DNS fuckery

DNS, or Domain Name Service, is the thing that tells your computer where www.website.com is actually located. By hacking your network's DNS you can force it to tell your devices that ad-hosting domains don't exist at all. Some of the steps on this one can get pretty technical, but because you're doing all the difficult stuff on a dedicated device, you can't really fuck up anything that seriously.

Get yourself a Raspberry Pi (a cheap older one like a model 3B will work just fine for this purpose), and follow a guide like this one to get it set up running AdGuard Home. AdGuard, like uBlock, has built-in filter lists, but you can also add your own if there are specific domains you want to block.

Once it's up and running, you'll need to change the DNS settings on your router to point to your AdGuard service. This is different for every router but will always start with logging into the admin panel with a password printed on a little sticker somewhere on the router.

With that done, every time a device on your home network looks for ads.website.com, it'll get back a message that says "sorry, can't find it", so it won't be able to load any ads.

Level 4: Android-specific DNS fuckery

Because AdGuard runs on your home network, it can't block ads on your phone when you're away from home - and what's worse, your phone will sometimes remember the addresses it got when you were out and about, and ads will get past your AdGuard wall even when you're home.

To avoid this, get AdAway for DNS-based ad-blocking directly on your phone. The easy, but less seamless, way of using AdAway is the "local VPN mode", which doesn't require you to do any mucking about with your phone's operating system.

Level 5: automated media piracy

The best way to stop seeing ads on all your streaming services is to stop using streaming services. There are loads of ways to do this, but the best ones involve setting up what's called an "arr stack" (Google that for setup guides) along with nzbget and a usenet account. Most of the time you'll want to set this stuff up on a dedicated device - an old laptop gathering dust in the closet is a great option, or you can grab something used from a charity shop or a local electronics recycler.

The great thing about usenet is that unlike with torrents, you don't have to do any sharing from your computer, so you're in a lot less legal jeopardy - legally speaking, distributing pirated content is waaayyy more serious than accessing it. I pay about £3 a month for a secure, high-bandwidth usenet service.

Once you start getting your own collection of media on your own computer, use the open-source media library manager Jellyfin to browse and play things from basically any device.

Oh, and don't be a dick. Pirate all you want from big corporations, but please pay independent small-time creators for their work.

Level 6: fucking with Android

Android phones are a lot more locked-down than they used to be, but depending on the device you own you can still do a lot of messing around under the hood. Note that if you get something wrong while doing this, there is always the possibility that it will turn your device into a paperweight.

Before you buy a device, check where it sits on the Bootloader Unlock Wall of Shame. Once you've bought it, check the xda-developer forums for guides on how to unlock it and "root" it (gain admin access) with Magisk.

Once Magisk is installed, you can add modules to do all sorts of cool stuff, including using AdAway in "root mode" which makes it basically invisible.

You can also install YouTube ReVanced, which will do all the ad- and sponsor blocking stuff we took care of in your Windows browser a few paragraphs ago. Be careful: there are a lot of fake sites out there pretending they're associated with the ReVanced project which might be injecting malware into their downloads. This Reddit post has the official instructions and links.

Also, try out the modded version of Facebook from APKmoddone, which will block most of the same shit as the FBcleaner add-on from earlier. There's always a possibility that modified apps like this are doing something dodgy, but I've never had any issues with this one personally.

Level 7: fucking with Windows

This one is scary because it can seriously fuck up your shit if something goes wrong, but some really cool people have actually made it very simple to strip all the bloat, ads, and spyware out of Windows. The tool I use is ReviOS. Start reading at https://www.revi.cc/docs. Basically, you'll need to download a tool called AME Wizard and the ReviOS "playbook" that tells AME what to do. Read the documentation before you do any of this.

Level 8: switching to Linux

I'm not going to pretend this is an option for everyone. Half the software I use on a weekly basis isn't available on Linux. But if you can switch? Do it. These days, Ubuntu - one of the most popular flavours of Linux - is built with people switching from Windows in mind, and a lot of things will be pretty intuitive. It also has great documentation and a huge community you can go to for help if you're confused about stuff.

You don't even need a pihole for it anymore. You can throw "dns.adguard-dns.com" into your android phone under Network (or Connections) > Private DNS > Private DNS Provider Hostname in your Settings app. You can also set your router up to use it via the IPs:

94.140.14.14

94.140.14.15

Link to to source for that:

That will depend on your router, just search "How to set up custom DNS for (router name & model)". You can usually find that info on a sticker on the router itself. The model name is often nonsense like CM1000.

For switching to Linux:

If you're worried about software not working, and the software isn't something with work-related requirements attached, you can usually find alternatives. Alternativeto.net is a good place to start with that.

If you're a gamer, protondb.com will let you see how well your specific game runs on Linux. Ranks are from:

Borked - Does Not Work At All, or works so poorly that you cannot play the game at all

Bronze - Sort of works, but with glitches that don't exist on Windows that affect gameplay

Silver - Works, but requires tinkering, and has glitches that don't affect gameplay, or requires heavy tinkering to get running

Gold - Works, requires mild tinkering (usually just selecting another proton version from the drop down)

Platinum - Works out of the box

Native - Is made for Linux

Other common alternatives:

Spotify: I've heard good things about Tidal, but haven't personally used it (I use a cloud storage service and local files for music)

Google drive: Nextcloud. You can find free servers on their website

Google office: OnlyOffice has a desktop/mobile app, and most of the features

Gmail: Free providers aren't common, but disroot is one of them. They also offer quite a few services. Personally I use mailbox.org, but they do cost $36 a year minimum

Google search: Disroot has a searx instance, startpage.com exists, and you'd be surprised at how far you can get by setting your default search engine to Wikipedia. Marginalia's also good, but selective about what they index (mostly indieweb stuff)

I, admittedly, run almost everything through Emacs nowadays, so there may be better alternatives now.

on the OTHER hand, because btvs is nothing without its dichotomies, i feel as the other coinflip of pain is presented in tandem. the flipside of death is life. it is textual, we see this happening the way buffy grows more lively and more in touch with life after she starts her relationship with spike, who has multiple times been connected with the imagery of death. he is the slayer of slayers, he'll make her neck his chalice, he's the one who first brings up the inherent death drive of the slayer and how he took pleasure in killing them. and YETTT. buffy begins her relationship with spike/death that is filled with roughness and bruises and blood and episode-by-episode, we watch her become more connected with her friends and family again. maybe another person has a different reading of this, but i have always viewed that it was this relationship with spike, which was supposed to be that death knell/this unconscious action to get her closer to oblivion, that was instead the feeling (once more, with feeling) given back to her tryst after tryst to bring her back to herself. and she ends their relationship once she's well and truly alive again. i wont discredit the scoobies, her relationship to them is extremely important, but i feel like it really was spike and their affair that led buffy to switch her tracks from death to life.

Idk when I was younger, you could just go and go and find exciting new websites full of whatever cool things you wanted to explore. An overabundance of ways to occupy your time online.

Now, it's just... Social media. That's it. Social media and news sites. And I'm tired of social media and I'm tired of the news.

You're right that the internet is smaller than it used to be, but there's still some cool stuff left in the corners. I'd recommend checking checking out Neocities if you haven't--it's an independent web hosting platform like Geocities of the old web, and there are hundreds of interesting and active pages discoverable both through their search function and through web buttons (links attached to small pictures with the title of a website) within the websites themselves. Here are three examples of web buttons you may find in link pages:

Most Neocities websites have link pages or button collections with anywhere from tens to hundreds of these. Don't be afraid to explore!

If you're looking for something more like a search engine, I can point you towards Marginalia. It's not a particularly smart engine, but it's perfectly usable if you've ever been taught to use search engines back when they were mostly run through keywords instead of full sentence comprehension. There's also an "about" and "tips" section on the front page with more information. The algorithm of Marginalia can be filtered by the user to allow, disallow, or require JavaScript depending on your needs, plus there are filters designed specifically to prioritize web 1.0 sites or mostly text-based ones. It is possible to search for modern websites with it, but it can return websites from just about any decade (since the invention of the web, obviously) so long as they contain the information you're looking for. For example, here are some random interesting sites I've found using Marginalia:

Native Languages of the Americas: Native American Cultures

BASIC HTML COMPETENCY IS THE NEW PUNK FOLK EXPLOSION!

Earthbound Text Labs by Bill Eager

The possibilities for discovery are truly endless.

Now you might want to know about directories. These make browsing for websites easier, but require you to read through and judge which ones to visit, as there aren't algorithms ranking the sites besides the whim of whoever coded the directory. Some of them have themes, others don't. Here are two that I've used:

Yesterlinks Directory

Ichigo Directory

Directories can be harder to come by just by surfing the net, but they aren't impossible to find. Many personal websites have their own directories of interesting sites hidden within them.

Webrings are similar to directories, but are actually more community-based. You have to register your website to be a part of a webring, usually by sending an email to whoever runs it and meeting some kind of entry criteria. For example, my personal website used to be a part of a webring called Sweet Dreams, which was for websites that heavily utilize color palettes and images of cute things, particularly sweets. Webrings will give you access to a widget upon entry that allow visitors and other members to browse between the registered websites in a massive ring, ergo, where the term gets its name. Webrings can have any theme or criteria for entry. If you can make a website about it, you can find a webring for it.

Now, you might be wondering about social media alternatives. I can't offer much, but I can nudge you towards the idea of forums. Here's one I found that could really use some traffic. I also browse a bit on MelonLand forum, which is actually closed right now--it's currently closed on Mondays--but on any other day of the week, you can find a fun community there dedicated to web revival. You can find it through MelonLand's main page. I'd also recommend checking out SpaceHey, which is a MySpace clone that's customizable and easy to use.

[image id: a four-page comic. it is titled “do not stand at my grave and weep” after the poem by mary elizabeth frye. the first page shows paleontologists digging up fossils at a dig. it reads, “do not stand at my grave and weep. i am not there. i do not sleep.” page two features several prehistoric creatures living in the wild. not featured but notable, each have modern descendants: horses, cetaceans, horsetail plants, and crocodilians. it reads, “i am a thousand winds that blow. i am the diamond glints on snow. i am the sunlight on ripened grain. i am the gentle autumn rain.” the third page shows archaeopteryx in the treetops and the skies, then a modern museum-goer reading the placard on a fossil display. it reads, “when you awaken in the morning’s hush, i am the swift uplifting rush, of quiet birds in circled flight. i am the soft stars that shine at night. do not stand at my grave and cry.” the fourth page shows a chicken in a field. it reads, “i am not there. i did not die” / end id]

Like I genuinely think it would be humiliating and fuck up with your head. Bringing all the doylist elements into the actual story means she has to ask, is this guy who likes me for real or is he being influenced for ratings? Did my mom get cancer by coincidence, or was it drama created for the show? Is Xander being used as a mouthpiece again?

...If I jump off the tower, the show will move on, and at least my friends and sister are free, right?

But it turns out she's too popular and she gets resurrected, so she can't even die on her own terms.

For Spuffy, I think their season six affair would be painful in a different way. I don't think she would hate herself for sleeping with him, because she got disillusioned about the Slayer gig a long time ago. If they want to see her with him, fine, makes her job a bit easier and at least she can actually blow off some steam with him. Might as well enjoy the sex while it lasts - they'll take it away for drama eventually.

P.s. there's gonna be freedom for her and everyone in the end, I might put her there but I'm not leaving her there.

You know what? You might as well just be a genius cause this is an AMAZING idea

I love that movie!

I think it would be even better if Spike was the one aware of what’s going on but he’s in love so he pretends until he finds out she knows but just accepts her fate and uses him. And she’s then heartbroken he knew all this time but didn’t tell her etc etc ( angsty angst here )

It has a really interesting premise... well... less a premise and more the world building aspect that really reeled me in.

The setting is about 20-30 years after JJK ending. Yuji was in a semi formal relationship with Satoru Gojo during JJK. They even had an official engagement on paper, with the promise of holding the ceremony when Satoru came back after Sukuna... and... well....

What's interesting is the fall out. Yuji becomes Satoru Gojo's widow... in truth (and not just in his behavior in canon Modulo). But the circumstances around his becoming Gojo's widow is very... not ideal.

He becomes such not because he himself wants that title (whatever for??!) but because of political expediency... not for Yuji... but for the Gojo clan and Yuta and Maki later on.

The story goes into the political reality of 2 of the 3 great clans that were foundational to keeping stability of the Jujutsu world being wiped out and what that meant for greater Japan and the surviving, but Satoru-less Gojo clan.

To summarize, Gojo clan officially inducts Yuji into their clan as Satoru Gojo's legal wife. They do this to tie the sorcerer who exorcised Ryomen Sukuna at 6 months into the jujutsu world to their clan. It's a move that strengthens them and allows them the leverage to gradually absorb the remnants of Kamo and Zenin.

Yuji... is not happy about this, but also does not want to watch sensei's home clan fall into weakness and be preyed on by some other factions. The relationship between him and the clan is... difficult to say the least. Yuji is well aware he's being used, but he doesn't have the heart to just leave the Gojo to their own device. The Gojo clanners are also ruthless. By using the things left over by Satoru, they gradually tie Yuji tighter to their clan, forcing him to get involved in big clan decisions that might have an impact on the memories of Satoru Gojo.

With Yuji's reputation, especially when he eventually becomes a full grown adult and slowly acknowledged as the Strongest of a new era, the Gojo would use his 'name' as the Great Lady, the Dai Fujin of the Gojo Clan, now and then to push their own agenda.

When Yuta and Maki assume generational leadership as the next head of the Gojo clan, the situation becomes even more complex and intertwined. Great clans have internal politics of their own. Yuta's strength is respected.... but he is politically an outsider. Maki is worse. She's a pariah. So Yuji has even more reason to stay because it's often that he's Yuta and Maki's support to push new policies to reform the clan itself.

It's really a fascinating scenario to read about.

Yuji is seen from the eyes of the new, younger generation as 2 separate entities: the Yuji Itadori... and the mysterious Dai Fujin of the Gojo clan.

Then... there is the second part of this fic that got me so chuffed. Because within the internal hierarchy of the clan, Yuji is the previous clan head Satoru Gojo's wife, in terms of generational hierarchy, he ranks above both Yuta and Maki... and can technically be considered... Iori Okkotsu's grandmother....

.... Hahahahahahahaahahahahahaha!!!

The scene in which this topic was broached was when a mob character (a gardener who befriended Yuji without knowing he's the Yuji Itadori and the Dai Fujin of the Gojo) had a conversation with Iori (or rather Iori started a tense conversation with him when Iori saw this stranger having a pleasant conversation with Yuji and Yuji smiled at him! Smiled at him!). The gardener ofhandedly commented that the Dai Fujin would be Iori-sama's grand mother, wouldn't it? Even a subtly hostile-to-the-gardener Iori was caught off guard by this observation. I just... hahahahahahahaha

I can't help it. Oh man. Iori has it even worse in this sort of scenario. This boy just does not have an easy time with love, huh?

Iori Okkotsu x Yuji Itadori

It's just the intro part of a IoriIta oneshot I haven't gotten around to completing. It's meant to function as both a character study piece on Iori Okkotsu as well as a timeline of events and the relationship between Yuji and Iori leading to pre-Modulo timeline. I started this oneshot with the intention of using it as the foundation piece for other IoriIta story ideas branching off its ending (or branches that reverses it entirely).

The art above is a WIP commission piece I placed with 'Can't Go on Without Gayporn' (that's her artist's name. I didn't make that name ok!)

...

This tale doesn't have a happy ending.

In the beginning, there was a man and a woman, broken, mending each other, and between the two of them, wanting to mend the world around them. This was a noble thing to want to do. Nobody could have gainsaid it. In support for their grand undertaking, many came forward to tip their hands in help.

Then, the man and the woman had together a child.

This child is our cannibal.

Iori Okkotsu x Yuji Itadori

Fanart. Commissioned. Artist: NDP

Illustration for a draft story idea of mine titled: "The Spider says I Love You"

The plot boils down to a young 18 years old Iori waking up with the memories of an alternate life where he lived to old age, languishing and going mad in heartbreak. Young Iori promptly decides that if it's his fate to go mad for love, then he will go mad... right now. No need to wait and endure decades of torment and a broken performance marriage just so uncle will think of his as a good nephew. He's going to go mad right now, for uncle. It's uncle's fault. He should take responsibility.

Iori then promptly hatches a plot to trick and entrap an unsuspecting Yuji. It's a plot line featuring the usual dark romance cocktail of dubious consent, entrapment, mpreg, political intrigue, the works.