Welcome to assorted chaos!

[happybird16]

Make yourself into a spooOoky ghost or ghoul

tagging: @postwarlevi @chaotic-on-main @darlingheichou @humanitys-strongest-bamf and everyone else who's interested!

[glugglestar]

tagging @purrdapper @ccritterbugg @plutos134340 @terrencetheshark14 @finleyforevermore @its-time-to-rise-above @twig-gy @a-storm-of-moss-and-rats @ezraphobicsoup @queeniesretrozone @funkypurpleradiohost

[funkypurpleradiohost]

Tagging @spineless-lobster and @twoplayer-game and anyone else who wishes to join (you don't have to of you don't want to)

[spineless-lobster]

Thanks for the tag!!!

I’ll tag @atleasttheyvegotstars @limbowzo @athelstan-anglecyning @eccentricthornback @brezideje @at-1800-hours and anyone else who wants to join! (No pressure of course!)

[brezideje]

thank you for the tag!! :)

tagging (no pressure and no obbligation): @chiminniesworld @junebug-the-wug @heftmanrhamm @apothecary-apologises

and anybody else who wants to join!! :)

(sorry if you've already been tagged)

[heftmanrhamm]

Hey yo, thanks for the tags!!

Tagging [if you would like to do :) ]:

@streetjack @maths-is-my-religion @historical-paramedics @glowinggreeneyes-e

(please, only if you want)

[historical-paramedics]

this was fun! Thanks for the tag :)

Tagging if you want:

@ttrdfhcvg @andy-andromedus @whorriblestuff @pooralligatorskin @queerestqueertoeverqueer @dazednstoned and anyone else dw if you don't want to:)

[deadbootcreek]

cute picrew i really had fun with t his :-)

tags if you want:

@eatingoleander @kieropal @reddedmiller

[cornymuffin-deactivated20240223]

funny enough, i did this picrew a while back! its super cute, i love all the patterns.

(tags: n/a if u see this feel free to invite urself to do it)

[samblerambles]

this was fun!!!

Tagging @telltaleclerk @vole-mon-amour @rai-knightshade @lavendersblues @ethuilgreen and anyone else who wants to jump in

[katiecomma]

Fun!

Tagging @lavendersblues @thethistlegirl @nade2308

[lavendersblues]

Too fun! @daughter-of-infinity

[theaxolotlkween]

@hauntingyourself @floq I feel like you guys would like this.

[floq]

:3

tagging but no pressure @letswonderspirit @kawaiijohn @13threbagel @astrito @bloomtoy

[ididntstartthatfireiswear]

@bonfires-and-blackberries

[hellenhighwater]

Well those are allllmost done

[codebreakerblue]

question. why do you have 7 featureless grey monoliths in your driveway

[hellenhighwater]

There's eight actually but the last one is still in the garage

[jackfromthefairytale]

question. why do you have eight featureless grey monoliths

[hellenhighwater]

They're actually a really dark purple

[fishofthewoods]

question. why do you have seven featureless really dark purple monoliths in your driveway and an eighth in the garage

[hellenhighwater]

Some of them do have features though. There's holes and hinges and stuff, so I can put secrets in em

[nobodywasneverhere]

question. why do you have 8 really dark purple occasionally featureful monoliths

[hellenhighwater]

The heart wants what the heart wants

[fred-the-dinosaur]

this reads like a muppet sketch

[fred-the-dinosaur]

see? See!??!

[hellenhighwater]

You're not wrong

[meckamecha]

I got a laptop with Windows 11 for an IT course so I can get certified, and doing the first time device set-up for it made me want to commit unspeakable violence

Windows 11 should not exist, no one should use it for any reason, it puts ads in the file explorer and has made it so file searches are also web searches and this cannot be turned off except through registry editing. Whoever is responsible for those decisions should be killed, full stop.

Switch to linux, it's free and it's good.

[kuromi-hoemie]

u r absolutely right I have SO many complaints about Windows omg.

For anyone who'd like to follow along, I'm gonna share how to get around those things with group policies bc they're more user friendly and descriptive than registry editor imo :3 I'll also show how to get around needing a Microsoft account to get setup.

For the Device Setup

"OOBE" stands for Out Of Box Experience which is what that setup workflow is. But it also happens to be a folder with a little program in it that'll let you skip connecting to the internet; this makes it so you don't have to sign up with a Microsoft account and can just use a normal local one instead. And it already comes preinstalled! Here's how you get to it:

Hold Shift + F10, or Shift + Fn + F10 depending on your keyboard.

Click inside the window that pops up, type the following and press enter afterwards to run it: OOBE\BypassNRO

I believe it should restart your computer automatically, but if not then restart your computer or type: shutdown /r /t 0 /f

Now when you're brought back to the setup workflow, the page where you connect to the internet will have a new button on it that lets you say you don't have internet. Clicking that and proceeding through the rest of the setup lets you get around the Microsoft account thing.

Group Policies

You don't have to know much about them, these are just a bunch of specific settings for what your computer can or can't do that lets you decide how it works in different ways.

I'm gonna show you how to turn off the recommendations and internet stuff basically. For now bring up search and type gpedit, pick this

It'll open up to Local Group Policy Editor and we can get started :3c

Start Recommendations

In the side menu, go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar. Click on Settings to sort them with all the "Turn off" ones bumped to the top.

Here's what you should set:

Turn off user tracking: enabled

Turn off feature advertisement balloon notifications: enabled

Remove Recommended section from Start Menu: enabled

Remove Personalized Website Recommendations from the Recommended section in the Start Menu: enabled

Do not search Internet: enabled

Windows Spotlight

Back in the side menu, go down to Windows Components > Cloud Content

Turn off all Windows spotlight features: enabled

Do not use diagnostic data for tailored experiences: enabled

Cortana

In the side menu, this one's back at the top under Computer Configuration. You're gonna want to go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search

Allow Cortana: disabled

Don't search the web or display web results in Search: enabled

News and Interests

In the side menu go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > News and interests.

Enable news and interests on the taskbar: disabled

Microsoft Account Login Nudges

When you don't use a Microsoft account they'll nudge you repeatedly to sign in so you can "get the most out of your experience" *gag*. The group policy for turning that off has a note that suggests it might not work with Windows 11 though (implicitly), so you can close the group policy editor window now and for this last one let's just open up the regular settings.

Go to System > Notifications > Additional settings, then uncheck all the boxes. And there ya go! (✿◠‿◠)ﾉ u are done.

Group policies are kind of a rabbit hole so while there is a lot more you could change or read into, for your own sanity's sake I would advise against it and say call it a day lol

[meckamecha]

This is all extremely good information, thank you very much for the addition!

[shrimpblaster]

I endorse this as an IT technician. I do this to every new Win11 device I set up.

As a bonus, run Chris Titus Tech's debloat tool on it.

Having Fun with Technology

It allows you to add tools, remove/disable shitty parts of windows, and easily change some settings. My default is running the preset for a desktop/laptop and applying security update settings, but there are so many options to customize. I used it on my personal laptop.

[meckamecha]

I got a laptop with Windows 11 for an IT course so I can get certified, and doing the first time device set-up for it made me want to commit unspeakable violence

Windows 11 should not exist, no one should use it for any reason, it puts ads in the file explorer and has made it so file searches are also web searches and this cannot be turned off except through registry editing. Whoever is responsible for those decisions should be killed, full stop.

Switch to linux, it's free and it's good.

[kuromi-hoemie]

u r absolutely right I have SO many complaints about Windows omg.

For anyone who'd like to follow along, I'm gonna share how to get around those things with group policies bc they're more user friendly and descriptive than registry editor imo :3 I'll also show how to get around needing a Microsoft account to get setup.

For the Device Setup

"OOBE" stands for Out Of Box Experience which is what that setup workflow is. But it also happens to be a folder with a little program in it that'll let you skip connecting to the internet; this makes it so you don't have to sign up with a Microsoft account and can just use a normal local one instead. And it already comes preinstalled! Here's how you get to it:

Hold Shift + F10, or Shift + Fn + F10 depending on your keyboard.

Click inside the window that pops up, type the following and press enter afterwards to run it: OOBE\BypassNRO

I believe it should restart your computer automatically, but if not then restart your computer or type: shutdown /r /t 0 /f

Now when you're brought back to the setup workflow, the page where you connect to the internet will have a new button on it that lets you say you don't have internet. Clicking that and proceeding through the rest of the setup lets you get around the Microsoft account thing.

Group Policies

You don't have to know much about them, these are just a bunch of specific settings for what your computer can or can't do that lets you decide how it works in different ways.

I'm gonna show you how to turn off the recommendations and internet stuff basically. For now bring up search and type gpedit, pick this

It'll open up to Local Group Policy Editor and we can get started :3c

Start Recommendations

In the side menu, go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar. Click on Settings to sort them with all the "Turn off" ones bumped to the top.

Here's what you should set:

Turn off user tracking: enabled

Turn off feature advertisement balloon notifications: enabled

Remove Recommended section from Start Menu: enabled

Remove Personalized Website Recommendations from the Recommended section in the Start Menu: enabled

Do not search Internet: enabled

Windows Spotlight

Back in the side menu, go down to Windows Components > Cloud Content

Turn off all Windows spotlight features: enabled

Do not use diagnostic data for tailored experiences: enabled

Cortana

In the side menu, this one's back at the top under Computer Configuration. You're gonna want to go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search

Allow Cortana: disabled

Don't search the web or display web results in Search: enabled

News and Interests

In the side menu go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > News and interests.

Enable news and interests on the taskbar: disabled

Microsoft Account Login Nudges

When you don't use a Microsoft account they'll nudge you repeatedly to sign in so you can "get the most out of your experience" *gag*. The group policy for turning that off has a note that suggests it might not work with Windows 11 though (implicitly), so you can close the group policy editor window now and for this last one let's just open up the regular settings.

Go to System > Notifications > Additional settings, then uncheck all the boxes. And there ya go! (✿◠‿◠)ﾉ u are done.

Group policies are kind of a rabbit hole so while there is a lot more you could change or read into, for your own sanity's sake I would advise against it and say call it a day lol

[meckamecha]

This is all extremely good information, thank you very much for the addition!

[shrimpblaster]

I endorse this as an IT technician. I do this to every new Win11 device I set up.

As a bonus, run Chris Titus Tech's debloat tool on it.

Having Fun with Technology

It allows you to add tools, remove/disable shitty parts of windows, and easily change some settings. My default is running the preset for a desktop/laptop and applying security update settings, but there are so many options to customize. I used it on my personal laptop.

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[melyzard]

As more and more people are being forced to switch to Windows 11, Microsoft's most AI-malware-ridden OS yet, I've been putting together articles and links for how to undo the damage and save your battery, your RAM, your disk space, your privacy, and your sanity from this bullshit.

FIRST:

The easiest way to get rid of the majority of the bullshit that Windows is forcing on us, as of October 2025, is this one-stop-one-click debloat solution from a modern day hero:

GitHub - Raphire/Win11Debloat: A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform v

A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to customi

It's very easy, even if you're not tech savvy or get scared of pop up windows saying "ARE YOU SURE?" Yes, you are sure, I promise. This program takes maybe two minutes and will save you SO MUCH pain, time, and money (and exploitation).

Now that you've done that, here's the cleanup, to catch the little shit that the debloat might have missed (most of this will already be done by debloat, but hey, it's good to double check).

Sick of AI in your Windows 11 PC? Here's how to get rid of it

Microsoft wants to put AI everywhere on your PC, but you can take back control.

Even just reading about some of these features makes me angry. Fucking Copilot and "Discover" AI scrapers are in Notepad. NOTEPAD. And then there's this uncanny valley garbage:

No uncanny valley video calls for me, thanks! (Also, what else is it doing while it scans your face and listens to your calls? What else, microsoft? Because there was a lot of memory being assigned to this program for a simple "smooths your skin" add on).

Stop Windows 11's most intrusive ads with these 9 easy tweaks

Tired of Microsoft pushing ads throughout Windows 11? Here are the settings you can tweak to turn them off and reclaim some privacy.

The truly insane number of places they have stuck ads on your own home computer is sickening. Become Unmarketable.

Bonus:

Some background programs you probably don't need that are taking up space and how to remove them (Microsoft forums, 2024)

Your Samsung Galaxy Phone comes with 22 apps you don't need (Android Police, 2025)

How to disable the AI in firefox (still the only browser that lets you do this permanently) (Windows Report, 2025)

[shinelikethunder]

reminder that if you haven't had a Tdap booster shot in the past 5 years, get one ASAP for the love of god - pertussis (whooping cough) cases have exploded in the US, the CDC can no longer be trusted to report accurate info on further spread, and the vaccine loses most of its efficacy within 5 to 10 years.

official recommendation is every 10 years, but it hurts literally nothing to get your booster early, and that recommendation is extremely conservative - ESPECIALLY for gen Z and gen alpha, because you tend to get longer-lasting immunity if you were given the older whole-cell version of the pertussis vaccine as a child.

(MMR re-up also good given the measles situation, but you generally only need one booster as an adult, and immunity doesn't fade anywhere near as dramatically as it does for pertussis. get your fucking Tdap if you don't remember the last time you got one!)

[marinella-ela]

[souperluminal]

Artober 16: Swallow

[herpsandbirds]

Desert Rain Frog (Breviceps macrops), family Brevicipitidae, Namaqualand, South Africa

photograph by Johan Marais

[herpsandbirds]

Desert Rain Frog (Breviceps macrops), family Brevicipitidae, Namaqualand, South Africa

photograph by Johan Marais

[alma-de-naturaleza]

[stumblngrumbl]

wth

"tens of thousands"

these ones are likely Mobula Munkiana

up to about 1.1m width

The largest school of rays ever caught on film

Tens of thousands of mobula rays come together off the coast of Baja California in a brilliant display of their massive numbers underwater.

[alma-de-naturaleza]

[stumblngrumbl]

wth

"tens of thousands"

these ones are likely Mobula Munkiana

up to about 1.1m width

The largest school of rays ever caught on film

Tens of thousands of mobula rays come together off the coast of Baja California in a brilliant display of their massive numbers underwater.

[vidapuppen]

Scientists Are Working on an Mrna Vaccine To Wipe Out Allergies

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania may have developed a vaccine for seasonal allergies and food allergies.

Y'ALL THIS IS SO COOL AND COULD BE HUGE FOR SO MANY PEOPLE

[dirt-mann]

additional article:

A new Penn mRNA vaccine stopped allergens from causing dangerous immune reactions and life-threatening inflammation in mice.

[lastoneout]

Hold on I just. Oh my god we might be able to CURE ASTHMA!! Hundreds of kids die EVERY YEAR from asthma attacks, I cannot count the number of times I'VE almost died due to asthma. It's terrifying, some of my earliest memories are of horrific asthma attacks, they were so bad my mom thought I had whooping cough. Not to mention the social isolation, the torture that is gym class, kids might not have to put up with that anymore!!

We might create a world where kids don't suffer and die from asthma attacks. I legit am crying as I write this. This is incredible!!!

[lake-erie]

Frog and cranberries it must be fall.

[oolongearlgrey]

Frog and cranberries it must be fall.

[lake-erie]

Frog and cranberries it must be fall.

[frogsandcranberriesitmustbefall]

Frogs and cranberries it must be fall.

[unyieldingsilence]

‎

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Frog and cranberries it must be fall.

[playwrongs]

Okay, this is pretty incredible. A 3D artist, consulting scholars and archaeologists, worked for a year and a half in Blender to create a reconstruction of pre-Columbian Tenochtitlán, complete with the surrounding landscape. It’s staggeringly beautiful, and—at least to me—gives a wonderful impression of the city as a place where people worked and lived and worshiped

[gallusrostromegalus]

HOLY SHIT CLICK THROUGH THIS IS INCREDIBLE

[occasionalvirgin]

Right wing manipulation tactics explained

[taraljc]

this is an epic exposure of how propaganda functions.