NEvery time you think the internet can't get darker, it finds a new basement.
JAnd what fresh basement is this?
NA post claiming Germany just banned WatchPeopleDie — the gore site — nationwide.
JWait, that site still exists?
NOh, it exists. Over five and a half million registered users, if you can believe that.
JThat's... a lot of people watching the worst possible thing.
NBut here's what actually happened: it wasn't the German government, and it wasn't nationwide. Two state regulators — Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia — told internet providers to block it. Deadline's mid-November.
JSo a regional block, not a federal ban.
NExactly. And the post called it a 'professional snuff film site with its own companion app.'
JThe companion app detail feels like a weird flex. Like the guy's reviewing the UI of a horror show.
NHe literally says he can attest to its 'very high quality UI.' That's the line that stuck with me.
JThat's not a review you want on your résumé.
NRight? Which brings me to the actual point: why are regulators finally moving?
JBecause a gore forum with millions of users isn't just a dark corner. It's a pipeline for the worst content.
NAccording to the ADL, this specific site has been flagged for years. This isn't new pressure.
JSo the block order is catching up, finally. The post got the who and the how wrong, but the what is real.
NAnd there's something else worth saying: a block is a DNS order. It's not police kicking down doors.
JWhich means anyone with a VPN is still watching. The block is theater.
NTheater? You think it does nothing?
JI think it's a speed bump, not a wall. The people who want this will find it.
NBut you don't think making it harder matters? Most people aren't going to jump through hoops.
JIt's not about hoops. It's about pretending you've solved a problem by hiding it from your own DNS.
NI'm not pretending that. I'm saying the site's main audience isn't VPN-savvy. It's stumbling onto it.
JThen the real fix is platform moderation, not making a domain harder to reach. Go after the host, not the road.
NBoth can be true. A block and pressure on the host.
JYou sound like a very reasonable regulator.
NI sound like someone who's seen the numbers. And five and a half million users isn't a secret club.
JNo, it's a very public sewer with a good UI, apparently.
NCan we go back to the part where he praised the interface? That's my whole night, honestly.
JIt's deeply unsettling. Like rating a torture chamber on Yelp.
NAnyway, that's the story: regional regulators in Germany moved, a misleading post made it sound bigger, but the underlying site is genuinely awful.
JAnd the awful part isn't a debate. That's just fact.
NDifferent corner of the internet entirely: Drawfee announced they took classic horror monsters and made them wholesome.
JA Frankenstein you'd want to hug? I'm listening.
NThe video's for people scared of spooky movies, apparently. They're leaning fully into the cozy-horror trend.
JThat's smart. The algorithm loves a genre flip. Also, I'm curious what Dracula looks like as a dog.
NA golden retriever with a cape, probably. But here's the thing — this trend of softening horror isn't new.
JIt's reaction content. We had years of torture porn, now the pendulum swings to comfort horror.
NAnd that's better? Turning monsters into plushies?
JIt's fine. Not everything has to be a psychological deep dive. Sometimes you just want a cute Mummy.
NI'm not saying it has to be deep. I'm saying horror works because it's scary. You take that away, it's just... Halloween aesthetic.
JThere's room for both. That's the whole point of a niche internet.
NFine, but if Frankenstein starts doing ASMR, I'm out.
JYou'll be the first subscriber and we both know it.
NSpeaking of wholesome: a guy on Bluesky posted about a man who learned to swim as an adult and tweeted the whole journey.
JI remember that era of Twitter. It was actually nice. Thousands of strangers cheering on a grown man in a pool.
NSamuel Mehr — that's the poster — calls it 'very wholesome and good' and honestly, he's right.
JIt was one of those rare moments where the internet decided to be decent. No dunking, no side-eyeing.
NWhich is remarkable, because a grown man admitting he can't swim could easily become a joke.
JInstead it became a whole narrative. People checking in, asking for updates. It was a little community.
NYou don't get that on the algorithm-driven feed anymore. It's all rage and insularity.
JBut that's also nostalgia talking. People post hopeful things every day; we just don't see them because the algorithm buries them.
NSo you're saying it's still there, just harder to find.
JAlways has been. The good internet didn't vanish. It just lost the battle for attention.
NI'll take the small wins. A swimming thread on Bluesky is a small win.
JAgreed. It's better than five and a half million people on a gore site.
NOne more from the softer side: Marcy, a Deadhead on Bluesky, posted about an awkward exchange that came from 'wholesome, innocent and kind hearted' place.
JVague, but I know exactly what she means. Those moments where someone means well and it lands wrong.
NIt kinda melted her heart, though. That's the core.
JSee, that's the internet too. Not everything's a fight.
NDon't worry. Tomorrow someone will post a bad take about Dracula and we'll be back to arguing.