New Things to Beware on the Internet

On May 3rd, Google released 8 new top-level domains (TLDs) -- these are new values like .com, .org, .biz, domain names. These new TLDs were made available for public registration via any domain registrar on May 10th.

Usually, this should be a cool info, move on with your life and largely ignore it moment.

Except a couple of these new domain names are common file type extensions: ".zip" and ".mov".

This means typing out a file name could resolve into a link that takes you to one of these new URLs, whether it's in an email, on your tumblr blog post, a tweet, or in file explorer on your desktop.

What was previously plain text could now resolve as link and go to a malicious website where people are expecting to go to a file and therefore download malware without realizing it.

Folk monitoring these new domain registrations are already seeing some clearly malicious actors registering and setting this up. Some are squatting the domain names trying to point out what a bad idea this was. Some already trying to steal your login in credentials and personal info.

This is what we're seeing only 12 days into the domains being available. Only 5 days being publicly available.

What can you do? For now, be very careful where you type in .zip or .mov, watch what website URLs you're on, don't enable automatic downloads, be very careful when visiting any site on these new domains, and do not type in file names without spaces or other interrupters.

I'm seeing security officers for companies talking about wholesale blocking .zip and .mov domains from within the company's internet, and that's probably wise.

Be cautious out there.

I really want to reiterate how this can go wrong frequently and fast, folks.

A malicious actor sets up a page with an auto-downloader squatting on a domain name that matches a common zip file name like photos DOT zip. This website is set up to start an auto downloader upon being visited, downloading a zip file with the same name as the URL which contains malicious software (virus, worm, keylogger, etc).

Scenario.

Someone you know well sends you an email or text with promised photos attached. The email even reads something like this.

Because .zip is now a TLD, that plain text is automatically formatted into a link to malicious actor's website without them having to send you anything.

Folk with family with iPhones or iPads that are sent multiple photos in one go might be familiar with iCloud's tendency to automatically compile them into zip file for the sender and less savvy tech users have trouble NOT doing that.

These same less savvy users, or even just someone just not thinking in the moment, will click that .zip link, not realizing it isn't the the same as clicking on the promised attachment.

They download a file that matches the name they expected. They open it because they were expecting that file and it's from a trusted source. Except the file they downloaded isn't the one that was sent by their trusted source and now they have malware.

Another Scenario.

An IT person tries to send you an email with instructions on how to resolve a problem with a commonly used filename like install-repair DOT zip or to install new software like microsoft-office DOT zip.

The email may start with instructions of where to go get the legitimate file to do the install or repair, but now a line later in the instructions is also has a link to a .zip URL. A user, already frazzled by IT problems, may click it to ensure they have the right file. Again, they download malicious code from a squatting website or it prompts them with a fake login and now the squatting website has stolen their login credentials for a legitimate site. All due to an expected email from a trusted source.

Above you can see microsoft-office DOT zip is already out there with a fake Microsoft login screen waiting to steal your credentials.

These risks are already out there now because the TLD has been activated.

Plain text on old post are already being resolved into links to the new websites.

Here you can see a tweet from 2021, long before .zip was a domain name, now resolves that plan text into a clickable link. You'll start seeing this everywhere, and malicious actors do not have to lift a finger to send it to you.

Yes, a lot of users aren't going to click that, but a lot of folk will. Whomever is squatting on photos DOT zip domain name has made a one time payment to have access to anyone that ever sees that file name typed out.

In an example of an existing squatter site, clientdocs DOT zip is exactly one such pre-setup .zip domain name that initiates an automatic download. This one may be harmless, but the set ups are already out there and waiting to catch folk.

It's an unnecessary and risky can of worms that's been opened up.

Holy Unforced Errors, Batman.

quick and easy workaround (until you can find a better solution)

is to add

to your My Filters tab in Ublock Origin. reblog to save a life

you know what would be one of the greatest things Tumblr could implement right now?

there are currently community labels based on nsfw content but i believe adding a label for flashing lights would be incredible

i personally don't have epilepsy, but my father does and i would not like to find out i've inherited it scrolling through my dash.

this is a matter of safety and accessibility. our community is already conscious about these matters, but adding a uniform system would help everyone

(please reblog this post, spread the idea)

Okay but legit, if you're not in a Buy Nothing group, seek out your closest one. We literally got a free washer and dryer once. We've gotten groceries, craft supplies, pet supplies, clothes, and all sorts of shit. It's awesome.

On top of that, Instead of donating our old unwanted stuff to places like Goodwill, which wildly mistreat their workers, Buy Nothing lets me donate things directly to my community, without the risk that the sorters at the thrift shop will just throw things in the trash. I've passed along open things of hair care products that I didn't wind up liking but that had nothing wrong with them. I've passed along snacks we didn't like, pet food we didn't wind up using, and all sorts of perishables that would have otherwise gone right in the garbage.

My local group even has regular meetups where people bring all their stuff at once, and it's like a giant garage sale where everything is free.

They have a damn near global presence, so check out the website if you're looking for a local group!

reblog for sample size!

fizzy propaganda. its messy because i dont have many screenshots (and graphic design is my passion /s) but! vote fizzy!

@old-mcyt-sillymen

mpreg

since no one seems to be happy with lgbt, mogai, or any other acronym or umbrella term, i came up with a new one that i think is gonna cover all our bases:

mpreg = marginalized people of romantic, erotic and gender

this post came into my house and killed my family in front of me

imagine your ocs

wasn't that nice :)

By the way, now that I’ve aired out my persecutor laundry… 

Let’s actually talk about that word.

The reason I’m weary about it is the connotation.  It’s part of a set of words used to describe (and I’ll use common terms here, just for convenience, not because I particularly enjoy them) system “roles.”  

There are other roles and labels for them.  I don’t disagree that these behavioral patterns could exist in many systems, because the terms are so broad (protector is another big one).  They are generally used to refer to selves in DID systems, although to me personally that’s irrelevant, because plurality is plurality.

Anyways, these words take some very normal human experiences and label them as “special” for systems.

Is that not strange to you?  Why do systems need special terms for normal experiences?

Because we still see ourselves as not normal.

You hear me?

It’s normal to call someone a “protective” person.

It’s normal to say someone is a “persecutor” because of an action they take.

It is NOT normal to label an ENTIRE person AS “protector” or “persecutor” just because they sometimes embody these attributes.

I’m glad if it helps you personally to see something about yourselves.  However, straight up labelling yourselves like this and leaving it that way…  It’s like a recipe for disaster.  It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.  You just are the way you are.  You don’t need to be pigeon-holed into a box because one of you is a little more protective than another.  You should all be protectors when you can be.  You feel me?  

You’re people, not roles.

Don’t turn temporary descriptors into absolutes.

…(Unless you want to.  I mean you don’t have to listen to me, for real.  Just move on lol.)

tiny rant about this, although i understand the rest of it... but

i mean, in some ways it is normal. like, let's say you have a friend group, and there's one person who is protective towards that friend group. when referring to that person, the group may say 'oh, that's joe, our protector".

obviously, persecutor isn't common outside of system spaces, but also most people who are hurting others in a friend group are either called "the abuser" and they try to leave, or other labels like "the depressed / mentally ill one" or something and offered help.

of course, the friend group is often aware that there is likely MUCH more to that person than just being the protector, similar with systems (hopefully), but it is not weird to have "role" labels in groups.

think of the tropes regarding cartoon characters, or tiktok/youtube videos showcasing the different group roles a friend group may have. similarly, we have made up names for different tropes/roles for system members. i may be the "elator/optimist" of the system, but im not 100% always optimistic. similarly, a persecutor might not always be aggressive or hurtful / harmful to the system. plus, it's a varied role too like the one user said. like how there are MANY different kinds of, like. jocks or nerds or whatever.

tldr the ending is correct and i agree with it, but it's not bad at ALL to identify with a trope, as long as people don't treat you like a 1-d concept of a person (which is their problem more than ours, but you know.)

@staff pls take notes 

100% TRUE

Pro tip: If you copy and paste a link that said “no free articles” into a private/incognito browser, it will let you read the whole thing.

also if u press the “esc” (escape) key on ur laptop before the page fully loads, it won’t load any pop-ups blocking u from reading. if the article has images, then this method sometimes does not u see them. but! the words will be fine :)

If the site is particularly badly designed, you might just be able to delete the overlay itself. Right click > Inspect element and delete the line of HTML (it’ll be highlighted automatically)

hey kids there is a website called outline.com that will let you read from pretty much any news site with a paywall for free

outline.com is amazing - it hasn’t failed yet on any site that I’ve tried it on.

There’s a chrome extension and firefox extension.

The point isnt that there are workarounds for non-free news sites, the point being that if you have to jump through hoops to get the news, people are going to where they dont have to jump through hoops.

Repeating this because it’s ridiculously important:

The point isnt that there are workarounds for non-free news sites, the point being that if you have to jump through hoops to get the news, people are going to where they dont have to jump through hoops.

why you should vote herobrine in every single Tumblr Sexyman poll

he's one of the originals: look, a lot of these upstarts are new to the party. they may be sexy and they may be men, but they lack legacy. not so with herobrine. herobrine's been around. he's been around before sans. he's been around before bill cipher. he's one of the original originals alongside the onceler himself. know your herstory etc etc

he fits more of the criteria: look. i love benrey, i love reigen arataka, i love raymond animalcrossing. but look me in the eyes and tell me: is there a significant portion of people who ship them with themselves? once upon a time that used to be a requirement. and guess who does fit that requirement? that's right. herobrine. i mean, yeah, there's also herosteve i guess, but i was there back in the mid-2010s! i know what i saw! even to this day people will make new herobrine variant ocs! and guess what! sometimes they smooch!

he's a trailblazer: i think quite possibly one of the few more influential video game creepypastas you could cite would be BEN Drowned, but with all my respects -- he does not have the advantage of being in one of the longest-living games of the decade. herobrine, meanwhile? herobrine comes from the same time as first-era MCYT, and no matter how you feel about the phrase "MCYT" as a whole, you should know that interpretive roleplay and storytelling in the confines of video games is very, very cool and very, very important. and the first villain of every 13-year-old's minecraft roleplay? if it wasn't herobrine, he almost certainly made an impact elsewhere.

he's been through a lot: if i had a nickel for every time i saw whitewashed herobrine i would probably be a millionaire. despite being blocks he gets drawn as a stereotypical muscleman (twig herobrines get a pass they have a je ne sais quoi about them). his alive half-brother is a total asshole. people hate him on instinct because some famous jackass or another happens to play the game he's originated from. he's gotten banned from minecraft at least 10 separate times. he doesn't deserve this. he's just really been through the ringer and he really deserves this win.

i love your other guys. i do. except one or two of them but i don't want those guys anywhere near my blog so i'm not naming those fuckers. but for the most part i love like 90% of them and if it were up to me they'd all be given titles for their individual contributions to sexymandom.

but c'mon, y'all, it's herobrine minecraft. someone changed four pixels on the original steve skin and made a complete and utter legend and we can't just let that go unaccoladed forever.

[ID: an image of Herobrine's skin at a 3/4ths angle facing right. /End ID.]

the universe loves you very much, be gay do minecraft and vote herobrine.

Tumblr Sexyrematch info

HEROBRINESWEEP PLEEEASE 🥺🥺

Can any other fictionkin people that see this, tell me if their kintypes talk back, because I thought this was normal…

I’m not sure how normal it is but I don’t think it’s unusual to talk to characters in your mind. Some fictionkin don’t experience it like that but others do. I talk with my kintypes and my own original characters. I don’t consider it plurality, personally. My singlet partner is fictionkin and experiences their kintypes are the character actually “taking over” when they kinshift. They are not plural either.

It’s normal to interact with characters or simulations of other people in your mind. I don’t know a single person who hasn’t done that at least once. If you want to call it plurality that’s your decision, but I also think it’s just a normal human experience.

Where would you say the line is?

In another post, you seemed to not like the idea of "you're plural if you identify as plural." So I think you would want some type of relatively-objective definition. Not necessarily hard rules but at least general guidelines.

But at the point where someone has multiple people or identity states in their head that talk to them, seemingly have their own sense of identity and the person feels like these identities routinely "take over" their body, I'm not sure what the difference is between their kinshifting and a system's switching beyond the word used to describe it.

If we're talking about plurality as an identity label, it doesn't really matter. You're plural if you feel plural and a singlet if you feel like a singlet.

But as a set of unifying experiences, that seems way closer to plurality than singlethood to me.

its really weird to see people talk about having characters talking in your head as a normal thing

yes, sure, the 'agents' of sorts (using sophies terminology because it fits best lol) that you may interact with in your mind while developing a character can be a normal thing, but...

there's a world of difference between "i feel like this character would not like this and would prefer something different" and them literally thinking back to you and responding. especially when they have opinions about IRL things and not just "no you're writing me wrong, i act like this!"

when a "character" starts to want to go to the store to buy a specific food they like, or play games through your hands, it's when plurality may be considered. yes, you can experience these things and consider yourself still a singlet imo, but like...

it's normal to interact with simulations of people (agents) in your own mind. but are they wanting to interact with the world? do they exist for longer than the scriptwriting process (or whatever purpose that agent fills), or are they persistent?

theres a difference and as a system whos experienced both, it's good to note that difference

As much as I love that JK Rowling is being shredded for her transphobia, I'm begging y'all as a trans man to acknowledge that the fucking Hogwarts Legacy game is fucking antisemitism personified.

Jewish people are very often erased from this shit already, ACKNOWLEDGE that the entire game's premise is about it. Jesus fuck.

This. The reason people should be boycotting the game is because of the game’s actually vile premise, not just because JKR is a transphobic asshole. She’s also an antisemitic, racist asshole.

When the game’s premise first came to light—before JKR’s infamous anti-trans diatribe that specifically targeted transmascs and especially autistic transmascs—a lot of people rightly decried it because of its blatant antisemitism and the fact that it’s premise encouraged genocidal actions against the Jewish-stereotyped goblins.

And then, somehow, for some people, JKR’s transphobia erased the fact that we already KNEW that the game was bad because of the inherent antisemitism of its narrative.

There’s more reasons to hate JKR and not buy things she’s responsible for than just her transphobia. She’s not just a TERF; she’s a racist, antisemitic TERF.

Don’t forget that, folks.

if you search a tag on someone’s blog on the mobile app it will show you only a selection of posts in an inscrutably random order but if you go to a mobile browser and type [blog url].tumblr.com/tagged/[tag] you will get all posts on that blog with that tag in reverse chronological order. if you add /chrono behind it you get them in regular chronological order. naturally this works in desktop browsers too but i know many people are mobile only these days and the app’s built in tag search is shit so this knowledge is vital to your survival

ID: #unfortunately not everyone HAS a blogurl.tumblr.com these days #you gotta opt in for it /end ID

WAIT REALLY WTF

YEP! You have to go to Edit Appearance and toggle Enable Custom Theme:

If you’ve ever noticed that some people’s blogs only open in the weird dashboard format and don’t lead to an actual blog this is why!!

some sites for when you’re bored and looking for new music

Getting real hard to follow other systems on here when half of everyone we see is anti-endo

If you're a system related blog and you're pro-endo pls interact

Anti-endo people this is not a space for you, we won't tolerate people coming in to argue with us about it you will be blocked.

What is plurality? Where do we draw the line?

(This is a critique on how the plural community defines plurality. Feel free to reblog & share your thoughts.)

When it comes to plurality, I feel like we have to peel away the word on top and take a look at what it’s trying to define beneath. “Being more than one.” Doesn’t that sound really vague? There’s so many things that this could encapsulate. From the normal parts of self that we all experience, to internal family systems, to spiritual practices, to fictional companions, to dissociated parts that aren’t alters, to dissociated parts that are, and to much more. 

There are several religious practices that approach the human mind as if it’s more than one. Some that have been professionally contrasted to DID are Brazilian Spiritist mediumship and an Afro-Brazilian religion called Umbanda, where possession experiences are a core practice. Even Ellert R. Nijenhuis, a leading researcher on DID and one of the minds behind the theory of structural dissociation, states that the same division of personality found in DID also occurs in these religious practices while also having completely different clinical profiles.

Is Jungian psychology, where the human mind is considered to have a multitide of selves (like ‘work self’ and ‘family self’), referring to plurality? What about Beck’s model of personality which suggests that our personalities are not singular but actually composed of infinite ‘modes’? How about cognitive analytical therapy and internal family system therapy, which both operate under the understanding that we are all inherently multifaceted? Ross (1991) posits that we all have multiple spheres of consciousness that lay outside our self’s awareness.

"Multiple consciousness is not the exception, but the law. For the mind is synthesis of many systems, of many moments consciousness," Sidis and Goodhart state (1905). Carl Jung (1935) says that “the so-called unity of consciousness is an illusion... we like to think that we are one but we are not.” It seems like most of psychology echoes that "being more than one" is a universal experience.

Even the only plurality non-profit, The Plural Association, believes that everyone has plural experiences. “Many (singlet) people have a Plural experience(s.) Those experiences are just as valid as those with a permanent, solid and/or long-term experience of Plurality,” they state in their article. They believe that being plural is just a matter of identifying as such, since even singlets experience plurality.

Yet, the majority of the plural community often claims that it’s impossible for everyone to have an experience that could be considered plurality. Why is that? If there’s a specific way that being more than one has to be experienced in order for it to be considered plurality, what is that? Where has the line been drawn?

So many people seem willing to say there’s a line, but no one agrees where that line is.

personally, i think all of these concepts COULD count as plurality, depending on someone's philosophy on the self and how they differenciate the self, self states, and more than one person / self.

These, and more, are different types of labels that may fit someones plural experiences, and/or experiences that some (or many) may look at and count as falling under a plural umbrella

the line, i think, depends on your personal philosophy, and what counts as a "full self". if one experiences things similar to an internal family system but considers themself a singular person, just with different aspects, that's fair. it's like... the sides of a cube are all their own thing, but they all come together and build up this cube, and to remove a side would change that and make it... not a cube.

personally, i find the idea of trying to narrow down what a plural experience is kinda unhelpful, as some plural experiences are entirely different than others but may generally be experienced in, on some levels, a pretty similar way. sub-groups, then, would be more beneficial.

so, you'd have plurals who are people using IFS, some using spiritual practices, some with fictional companions (i presume you're referring to soulbonds here?), people with dissociated parts, traumagenic systems, willed parogen systems and many more. but using those sub-labels is beneficial. are you a person who is plural because of spirital practices? a specific spiritual practice? finding people who do that same practive would be helpful. people with DID who consider themselves dissociated parts may not entirely relate to a traumagenic system who don't consider themselves dissociated parts, even though they both are experiencing plurality on some, generic level.

TLDR: yeah the term plural is broad but it's intended to be, and specifying what kind of plurality you're experiencing is better than just trying to limit what plurality can and can't be based on your opinions of someone else's self/selves perception

(although absolutely philosophize and theorize and consider what Technically counts and what you consider a singlet compared to plural folk, i'm just adding my two cents here abt the term being general / broad.)