meta-squash

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hey here's a website for downloading any video or image from any website.

works w/ youtube, soundcloud, twitch, twitter (gifs and videos), tumblr (video and audio), and most other websites you're probably lookin to download stuff off of.

#for reference

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"In a historic “first-of-its-kind” agreement the government of British Colombia has acknowledged the aboriginal ownership of 200 islands off the west coast of Canada.

The owners are the Haida nation, and rather than the Canadian government giving something to a First Nation, the agreement admits that the “Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai” or the “islands at the end of world,” always belonged to them, a subtle yet powerful difference in the wording of First Nations negotiating.

BC Premier David Eby called the treaty “long overdue” and once signed, will clear the way for half a million hectares (1.3 million acres) of land to be managed by the Haida.

Postal service, shipping lanes, school and community services, private property rights, and local government jurisdiction, will all be unaffected by the agreement, which will essentially outline that the Haida decide what to do with the 200 or so islands and islets.

“We could be facing each other in a courtroom, we could have been fighting each other for years and years, but we chose a different path,” said Minister of Indigenous Relations of BC, Murray Rankin at the signing ceremony, who added that it took creativity and courage to “create a better world for our children.”

Indeed, making the agreement outside the courts of the formal treaty process reflects a vastly different way of negotiating than has been the norm for Canada.

“This agreement won’t only raise all boats here on Haida Gwaii – increase opportunity and prosperity for the Haida people and for the whole community and for the whole province – but it will also be an example and another way for nations – not just in British Columbia, but right across Canada – to have their title recognized,” said Eby.

In other words, by deciding this outside court, Eby and the province of BC hope to set a new standard for how such land title agreements are struck."

-via Good News Network, April 18, 2024

#wow that's such good news!! #i read a book about haida gwaii last year

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I'm having a blast writing this experimental formatting fic and I'm probably like halfway done but I decided to mess around with a work skin on AO3 for a minute just to see how it works and either I don't understand programming/formatting well enough (probably very true) or it straight up doesn't do certain formatting and I won't be able to post this the way I want to because I cannot make things do what I want them to do.

When I'm closer to being done I will probably come on here or on reddit and be like help meeeee but right now I'm just really really really hoping it'll work out because I've already written 13,500 words.

#squash rambles #I'm not going to stop because this fic is really fun and interesting #but fingers and toes and everything crossed that I'll be able to actually put it up when I'm done #ao3

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Floating face down in a blank word document file, while not physically possible, is nevertheless a tangible authorial state.

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obviously we knew this already but oklahoma trying to ban nyla rose from wrestling other women, when it is universally (and legally) known that pro wrestling is not a sport it is performance art that resembles a sport, makes it really really clear that the fear mongering about trans people in sports has nothing to do with 'fairness' or 'safety' it is about pushing them out of public life

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I really wish there had been one more episode between Adrift and Fragments in series 2.

I know Adrift isn't really a favorite episode but it leaves some huge unanswered question and does some really interesting character advancement for Gwen. But because Fragments comes next, nothing gets done with any of that.

One of the unanswered questions is: Do Owen and Tosh know about Flat Holm? I think it's easily plausible both ways.

If they know about it, they also are probably very aware of the limitations of such a facility and also the potential consequences (emotional and security-wise) of letting civilians or family members know about it. I wouldn't be surprised if they were told that Flat Holm was need-to-know. (I wouldn't put it past Jack to tell them separately, so they both think no one else knows.) In any case, if they know about Flat Holm, I think by this time in series 2 they would also be able to gauge what Gwen's reaction would be and how she would try and push the limits of this project, when it's already pretty much as good as it can get, considering the nature of, well, everything.

On the other hand, it makes sense that Ianto knows about Flat Holm if he's doing secretarial duties like expenses and supply runs and things like that, and that it was hidden from everyone else.

And then, if they didn't know about it before, were they told about Flat Holm after? Did Gwen tell them? Or Jack? Or Ianto? I imagine they would react in a more reasonable way than Gwen. Perhaps they'd offer some suggestions for changes but I don't think they'd push much.

The other question is, what's Ianto's motive? And what was Jack's response? We know Ianto pointed Gwen to Flat Holm and we know Jack figures it out, but we don't see them talk about it after. Did Ianto give her clues because he knew she wouldn't stop pushing? Did he give her clues because he thought her knowledge of the facility would be helpful? Was he trying to teach her the exact lesson that she learns in the end? How did Jack react when he got back? What was the conversation between them? It's the first time since Lisa that Ianto deliberately defied Jack and went behind his back about something. That's gotta be a pretty intense blow to their relationship and trust, at least in that it will bring up old wounds.

And the entire episode like I said is some interesting character advancement for Gwen. This is the first time her pushing truly and spectacularly blows up in her face in a way that cannot be fixed at all. For the most part every time she fucks up or goes to far either Jack/the team are able to save the day, or she fumbles it back. This time, the damage is done on a level that she can't undo, and she learns that sometimes you can't do more, that it's better not to know things, that sometimes her actions of "caring" do more harm than good, and learns that there's a lot more to Jack and Ianto and the whole business of running Torchwood than she thought.

I just wish there was one more "regular" episode in between Adrift and Fragments, where we get to see how those realizations might have altered how Gwen saw or functioned in the job, and how Jack and Ianto's relationship might have been affected, and stuff like that.

I mean, I know that's what fanfiction is for, of course, but I'd be so interested to know what the actual showrunners would have done with it. Mainly because the trajectory all the characters were going in in the latter half of series 2 was actually pretty interesting, and then it just screeches to a halt.

#squash rambles #torchwood meta #torchwood

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re: Jack telling people he wishes he could switch places with them, this is also something he says to Gray in Exit Wounds. Seems to be his go-to self flagellation when faced with the direct results of his failures. Whoops!

You're right, he does!

I find Jack so interesting because he's basically invulnerable except when it comes to guilt.

What I mean is, because he can't die/be permanently injured, and because he's a soldier/leader, any of his actions are not about his own physical wellbeing. The two angles he can look at the things he must do are: the wellbeing of his loved ones/the world at large, and his own future guilt.

And it totally depends where he is emotionally/the size of the stakes which he prioritizes. But it also means that people can blackmail him using the ones he loves, like in Children Of Earth, like in Exit Wounds.

Sometimes he prioritizes the world and doesn't think about his future guilt, like with the children in 1965, or ordering Ianto to kill Lisa. Sometimes his guilt comes first, like with Owen's first death or John in Out Of Time. It's fascinating how ruthless Jack can be and yet how guilty at the same time. He's forced, over and over, to take on responsibilities that no one else will. And then, over and over, he has to face the consequences and the guilt and he never gets to get away from it, ever, because he can't die. And he can't run away from himself. His only consolation is forgetting.

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historical accuracy in fics is so funny to me. googling if they had grapefruit spoons in 1845 but also letting two men get married. fuck homophobia, tell me about cutlery.

#me googling the global population in various years for like 2 sentences in this long ass fic #and then using google to do math to make sure the percents in said sentences are correct

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hey did you know that uhh

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

vii. the monster stands at the threshold… of becoming

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I'm reading the Children Of Earth scripts and man they had SUCH a cool parallel that they cut out of Children of Earth Day 4.

At the very beginning of the episode, when Clem is reacting to seeing Jack for the first time and points the gun at Jack, he says "You're in every nightmare I've ever had" and in the script Jack responds with "I'm sorry. If I could've taken your place, I would've done."

They cut Jack's line out of the scene, and instead just had Clem shoot him after he says "I'm sorry."

Later, when Ianto is dying in the Thames House, Ianto tells Jack he loves him and then grows too weak to keep his eyes open. Jack says "Stay with me! Stay with me, please!" and in the script, when Ianto opens his eyes again, Jack says "If I could swap places..." but doesn't finish the sentence.

I so wish they'd kept those parallel bits of dialogue in. Just two examples of the absolute futility of Jack's words when it comes to the consequences of his actions. Two examples of the way his immortality ruins both the lives of others around him and his own life. The complete inadequacy of apology and of useless offers of sacrifice, an 'if' that is completely impossible and whose sentiment can't really be considered a comfort.

#torchwood meta #children of earth #coe day 4 #jack harkness #torchwood

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unpopular opinion: i fully understand why people were so upset that ianto died in children of earth and that jack didn't tell him he loved him back and that he basically died for nothing but i think it makes so so so much sense on multiple levels

on the level of jack and ianto's relationship, it makes perfect sense. from the start of the children of earth series, jack rebuffs every single one of ianto's attempts to define their relationship, to clarify what they are to each other, to learn more about him. even though their relationship seems to have advanced further than it was in series 2, ianto's attempts to get jack to open up emotionally fall flat or get rejected for multiple reasons. and then we're introduced to alice, who illustrates what happens to people who survive relationships with jack. and it was established long before children of earth that jack is terrible at dealing with death, at admitting defeat. of course he can't tell ianto he loves him, even if he does, because that would mean admitting losing him, and because (jack thinks) letting him in that way would only make the loss hurt more

on the level of the rest of the children of earth storyline, it perfectly lines up with the rest of the plot. jack sacrifices twelve children to the 456 so that 1-2% of the human race will not be killed in 1965, and assumes it's over. but it turns out the sacrifice is for nothing because they come back in 2009 and threaten to either take 10% of the worlds children, or the entire human race. jack goes to thames house with ianto and they threaten the 456, who then release the virus that kills ianto and everyone in thames house. a sacrifice which, for jack and alice, is basically for nothing because then stephen (who is innocent, and cannot consent to the risk of torchwood the way ianto did) is sacrificed anyway, and the world itself might be saved but they have to live with that grief and jack must live with all that guilt.

i just think it fits well as a parallel. an example of the uselessness of reckless action or reckless sacrifice, but also such a good example of what jack has had to live with for over a hundred years. people in power forcing him to do their bidding or for him to act rashly because he can see no other option, and he's forced to do it because he can't die or be otherwise damaged, but the people he loves can, and that's far more frightening. jack will easily put himself in harm's way because he can come back. but those he cares about can't, and people in charge know that, and use it to turn him into a pawn, into someone panic-stricken and reckless and desperate to do whatever it takes, or into someone who cannot say no because he knows that no one else will say yes.

and that's the entire thing about children of earth. ianto's death is caused by a jack who is panic-stricken and reckless, who charges in guns blazing because half the time that works and because he's scared for alice and stephen and also the world. stephen's death is cause by governments, powerful people, forcing jack's hand by threatening those he loves and then forcing him to realise that no one else is going to sacrifice their single child to save millions of others and he has to be the one to do it, because he's the only one they can threaten in that way. even though he's the only one who will live forever with the guilt, literally forever, rather than living one lifetime and then dying.

#squash rambles #torchwood meta #not a very good one sorry #just rewatching little pieces of children of earth in order to write this fic #i should probably rewatch coe in its entirety because i haven't watched it in years but anyway #torchwood

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several times a week I see writing memes about the joy of That One Scene in your head and the agony of Everything Else you need to write around it

please. for your own sake. [gently cups your face] just write the one scene.

#also sometimes you write the one scene and then as you write it more sprout around it #i once had a fic where my only idea was two unconnected scenes with a vague idea of how to connect them #i thought it would be 10k words it turned into a 35k word fic #and is now my second most popular fic in that fandom

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So I was walking to the train station from the grocery store just now and looking up at the apartments near the store that all have big beautiful windows and look really expensive and that got me thinking about Owen's flat with it's big windows which got me thinking about how much Torchwood employees make and things like that.

I imagine since it is technically a "government" job and it's high risk and also Jack has over 100 years of saving and things, they probably make quite a bit of money. Which is how Owen gets such beautiful flats (and Tosh, too).

But since Gwen was hiding her employment at Torchwood for all of season 1, how did she explain the sudden raise? Surely Torchwood is paid more than whatever special ops in actuality might be.

So now I imagine a little scene after the end of Meat where she reveals everything including how much money she makes. But neither of them want to move because they like where they live and Gwen gushes about one day being able to have kids and give them a really really good childhood and stuff like that.

#torchwood #torchwood meta #i wouldn't write a fic of it because idk how to make it interesting #but it's one little scene in my head

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URGENT: KOSA GOING TO HOUSE TODAY!!

[ID: a screenshot of a discord message from user @Taikeero-Lecoredier which reads: "@everyone

‼️URGENT: KOSA has been officially introduced in the House as of today.

We need to spread the word on social media and urge people to send emails to Congress through stopkosa.com.

https://www.stopkosa.com/

• There will be a hearing on Wednesday (17th April) where KOSA, along with some other bad internet bills, like the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act could be pushed.

• We will be having a calling day on TUESDAY (16 th April) to make clear to Congress that there is still a ton of opposition to these bills.

https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chair-rodgers-and-ranking-member-pallone-announce-legislative-hearing-on-data-privacy-proposals-1

• House Energy and Commerce is holding the hearing so they are the best offices to call this week ‼️

https://energycommerce.house.gov/representatives

DONT FORGET: You can go to what-to-write-and-say and check pins to know what to say !!

• You can use http://badinternetbills.com/ to contact your congress people!

• And https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative to find all of the phone numbers of your House Representative, and faxzero.com to send up to 5 free faxes a day

SPREAD THE WORD !!" End ID]

^^ PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND CALL, EMAIL AND FAX YOUR REPS ASAP!!

here's another site where you can find your Reps if the one provided above gives you trouble.

here's a perma link to the Stop Internet Censorship Discord, where there are loads of resources and petitions to sign and actions you can take to keep the Internet censorship free.

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this just in: writing a fic that requires a lot of brainpower and concentration and creativity is not compatible with picking up 2 extra work shifts in one week at the same time that the cta has implemented a new, shittier schedule that makes me get home half an hour later than usual

#i'm trying to work on this fic but my brain is mush and i haaaaate what i've written this week #but i'm just bashing it out and i can use it as scaffolding to make it good after this week is over #squash rambles

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#genre then author #althought tbh right now they're not sorted at all it's just chaos #people who sort their books by color are WILD to me #i think sorting by publication date sounds interesting though i should try it as an experiment #just to see where the majority of my books lie