It feels like the web is becoming more closed every year — fewer open forums, more platforms locking away data and communities behind logins. What do you think are the biggest forces driving the decline of the open internet? Are walled gardens like Discord the main problem, or is it something else like artificial intelligence, corporate consolidation, surveillance, or changing user habits?

OQB @PumpkinDrama@reddthat.com

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Original Title: Scientists have uncovered a surprising connection between sugar metabolism and alcohol addiction, identifying a potential new therapeutic target for treating alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

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Image description

A Twitter screenshot which shows a quote-retweet and a reply to said QRT.

The quoted tweet from Alex & Books (@AlexAndBooks_) on November 5, 2025 reads,

Books men like to read vs. Books women like to read:

and has an image of a graph titled "Goodreads reviewers by genre and sex (Thelwall M., 2017)"; the data seems to be from the 2017 paper "Reader and author gender and genre in Goodreads" by Mike Thelwall. The graph has a list of Goodreads genres on the Y-axis and percentage of readers on the X-axis, with bars for "Males" and "Females" (representing the gender proportion of reviewers in a sample of books within each genre), and the list of genres sorted from highest male readership to lowest male readership. The most striking thing about the graph is that females overwhelmingly dominate in nearly all genres, with only four genres having more male than female readers (and only relatively small margins even then). The genre with the highest male-to-female ratio (roughly 59% to 39%) is philosophy.

I have provided tabular editions of this data below in two versions: an abbreviated version with only the genres and percentages, as in the graph, as well as a full version with all the data from the paper plus the percentages (since the percentages were not in the original paper, only raw numbers).

The QRT from august (@regularagust) on November 8 reads,

This becomes way funnier to look at if you know what the philosophy section in the average bookstore looks like.

The reply from 滿帖子乖謬之言觀汝似有瘋症 (@remmettmaxwell) on November 8 reads,

what we imagine: "phenomenology of the being and cognition" by j. j. r. von Grosseschleichen (1889)

what they mean: "locking in: 12 lessons on the meaning of life i learned from being with the operators in the coast guard auxiliary"

Data (abbreviated, percentages only)

Genre^[The symbol > indicates that the category on the right has been classified by Goodreads as being a subcategory of the category on the left.]	Male %	Female %
philosophy	59.1%	40.9%
sequential-art>comics	57.8%	42.2%
politics	56.4%	43.6%
sequential-art>graphic-novels	54.9%	45.1%
science-fiction	49.8%	50.2%
history	46.9%	53.1%
religion	42.0%	58.0%
science	41.4%	58.6%
literature	40.9%	59.1%
horror	40.8%	59.2%
classics	36.5%	63.5%
non-fiction	35.8%	64.2%
reference	35.0%	65.0%
novels	34.6%	65.4%
biography	34.2%	65.8%
adventure	33.9%	66.1%
psychology	33.7%	66.3%
short-stories	32.7%	67.3%
thriller	32.2%	67.8%
travel	30.9%	69.1%
mystery>crime	30.4%	69.6%
poetry	29.8%	70.2%
art	29.4%	70.6%
fantasy	27.8%	72.2%
autobiography>memoir	24.9%	75.1%
christian	24.4%	75.6%
fiction	23.9%	76.1%
humor	23.1%	76.9%
thriller>mystery-thriller	22.9%	77.1%
mystery	21.8%	78.2%
sequential-art>manga	21.1%	78.9%
suspense	21.1%	78.9%
historical	17.8%	82.2%
historical-fiction	16.9%	83.1%
fantasy>magic	16.8%	83.2%
romance>m-m-romance	15.8%	84.2%
young-adult	15.0%	85.0%
childrens	13.1%	86.9%
food-and-drink>cookbooks	13.1%	86.9%
animals	12.6%	87.4%
adult	12.3%	87.7%
fantasy>paranormal	11.7%	88.3%
contemporary	10.4%	89.6%
childrens>picture-books	9.8%	90.2%
adult-fiction>erotica	6.3%	93.7%
romance	5.4%	94.6%
romance>paranormal-romance	4.0%	96.0%
womens-fiction>chick-lit	3.6%	96.4%
romance>contemporary-romance	2.7%	97.3%
romance>historical-romance	2.5%	97.5%

Data (full)

Genre*	Books	Ratings	Male reviewers	Female reviewers	Male %	Female %	Reviews for RQ5^[Review Question 5: Are there differences in the types of things that male and female reviewers write about male and female authored books in specific genres?]
philosophy	5131	95606	11234	7772	59.1%	40.9%	857
sequential-art>comics	8567	166331	13334	9749	57.8%	42.2%	1263
politics	3894	34030	12657	9790	56.4%	43.6%	490
sequential-art>graphic-novels	6961	169828	13204	10828	54.9%	45.1%	878
science-fiction	9967	261253	22221	22363	49.8%	50.2%	1614
history	16315	199503	33017	37310	46.9%	53.1%	4033
religion	5056	54552	11505	15890	42.0%	58.0%	676
science	4463	71467	9908	14006	41.4%	58.6%	938
literature	3697	77384	9679	13979	40.9%	59.1%	92
horror	5545	161636	9923	14398	40.8%	59.2%	914
classics	5187	664000	10818	18831	36.5%	63.5%	556
non-fiction	40208	507491	69899	125264	35.8%	64.2%	8215
reference	6039	27524	8862	16453	35.0%	65.0%	580
novels	4564	52933	11389	21551	34.6%	65.4%	76
biography	7925	103156	18571	35705	34.2%	65.8%	1627
adventure	4822	83352	13506	26298	33.9%	66.1%	180
psychology	3259	49520	6378	12558	33.7%	66.3%	617
short-stories	7834	96615	8555	17644	32.7%	67.3%	758
thriller	5003	86473	12521	26326	32.2%	67.8%	453
travel	2941	31811	4369	9781	30.9%	69.1%	654
mystery>crime	4786	72899	11691	26793	30.4%	69.6%	272
poetry	7011	111621	5686	13389	29.8%	70.2%	1943
art	4469	30879	4043	9718	29.4%	70.6%	876
fantasy	19909	1057426	26409	68596	27.8%	72.2%	2758
autobiography>memoir	3673	67055	8576	25807	24.9%	75.1%	480
christian	4356	45478	7915	24530	24.4%	75.6%	796
fiction	41475	1218673	69470	220826	23.9%	76.1%	5187
humor	6409	87725	10417	34633	23.1%	76.9%	516
thriller>mystery-thriller	3167	26621	7562	25407	22.9%	77.1%	30
mystery	13093	389375	20210	72440	21.8%	78.2%	3645
sequential-art>manga	6623	285353	349	1306	21.1%	78.9%	162
suspense	3829	41560	6874	25647	21.1%	78.9%	79
historical	8654	137803	12514	57776	17.8%	82.2%	260
historical-fiction	9243	309406	12213	60237	16.9%	83.1%	1909
fantasy>magic	3028	60821	3188	15762	16.8%	83.2%	70
romance>m-m-romance	5729	125520	1100	5847	15.8%	84.2%	525
young-adult	11286	621919	10739	60915	15.0%	85.0%	1943
childrens	14147	163267	11264	74404	13.1%	86.9%	1989
food-and-drink>cookbooks	3642	36381	1183	7833	13.1%	86.9%	899
animals	3280	29674	3501	24264	12.6%	87.4%	294
adult	7043	72240	7151	50876	12.3%	87.7%	101
fantasy>paranormal	9094	261909	4556	34374	11.7%	88.3%	599
contemporary	13853	204599	8471	72730	10.4%	89.6%	227
childrens>picture-books	7410	131850	4754	43752	9.8%	90.2%	2945
adult-fiction>erotica	6981	78255	906	13487	6.3%	93.7%	427
romance	29205	676026	6805	119519	5.4%	94.6%	3342
romance>paranormal-romance	4239	110105	706	17100	4.0%	96.0%	288
womens-fiction>chick-lit	4072	91559	1318	35144	3.6%	96.4%	481
romance>contemporary-romance	7403	91478	868	30965	2.7%	97.3%	212
romance>historical-romance	3767	103730	555	21370	2.5%	97.5%	872

edit: just realized the link I gave for the paper wasn't the open access link I used, so here's a direct link for that one

Health experts have said the spread of the virus, enabled by slipping vaccination rates in parts of the country, is a harbinger of a resurgence of more vaccine-preventable illnesses in a population increasingly skeptical and mistrustful of vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nurgle worshipping Anti Vaccination Cultists can go fuck themselves.

I will assume that as an appreciator of linux you are already knowledgeable on how to install an operating system.

Here are my notes from installing windows literally just to play a single game that can actually run just fine on linux with an anti-cheat that fully supports linux should the developer decide to actually allow it for no additional cost or effort on their own part...

The general philosophy of this guide is it's just windows so I don't care about it being usable outside of running one game and don't care if it breaks I'll just fresh install it again or again try to convince my friends to play less shit games.

Some general dual booting advice

• Use ventoy, it's great
• Contain windows on it's own physical drive; this prevents it messing with the boot record.
• It is not necessary to locate the windows drive as far from your other drives as possible like a pariah but it can be emotionally satisfying.
• Avoid mounting the NTFS drive in linux. Windows has a tendency to throw a tantrum if it thinks someone touched it's stuff.
• If windows can't boot because of file system issues then ntfsfix on linux usually sorts it out.
• Shared data drives should use FAT

I went with windows 10 because I don't care about long term viability of this install and I heard there is no way around having a microsoft account anymore in windows 11. I didn't bother confirming if this is true.

5 minutes later AMD decided to drop support for windows 10... cool . At least they got shamed into changing their minds shortly afterwards <-- imagine this but I dunno Steve Balmer flippin off AMD I guess

General

• Ctrl + Shift when clicking on apps to run as admin, in Powershell can tell by "administrator" in title bar
• Often requires confirmations even when using force args
• Windows often requires reboots for installing things sometimes without saying anything

Powershell

there is no sudo but you can elevate permissions with

Start-Process "powershell" -Verb RunAs

this starts a new window though..

Software

Package manager

Winget

Install WinGet, Window's "built-in" package manager that isn't built in.

Install-Module -Name Microsoft.WinGet.Client

now use winget to install powershell.

oh you thought you already had powershell because you just used it to install winget?

ha you fool!

You will need powershell 7 (or pwsh vs Windows Powershell, great naming scheme guys) in order to use many basic commands, which needs to be installed seperatley to the other 2-3 useless shell environments windows came with. (this might not be need on windows 11? I havent checked)

winget install Microsoft.Powershell

Now switch to powershell 7 from here on out

Start-Process "pwsh" -Verb RunAs

to allow windows updates from powershell

Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate

Now that you have the official windows built in package manager you should install the third party package manager that people actually use

Chocolatey

Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Package search https://community.chocolatey.org/packages

Utilities

included redundant instructions for winget and chocolately to future proof for when microsoft decides to sunset winget for an AI packagemanager or someshit and for when chocolately goes bankrupt because who is paying for a packagemanager??

Some basic apps

winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=LibreWolf.LibreWolf ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=nomacs.nomacs ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e WinDirStat.WinDirStat ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Videolan.Vlc ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id CodecGuide.K-LiteCodecPack.Full ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Microsoft.PowerToys ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Rufus.Rufus ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Lexikos.AutoHotkey ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Flameshot.Flameshot ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id 7zip.7zip

putty is no longer needed as powershell can support ssh now. Truly ground breaking stuff from windows here.

Apps that I use but you might not need

winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=MullvadVPN.MullvadVPN ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Zoom.Zoom ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Adobe.Acrobat.Reader.64-bit

::: spoiler Runtimes that you will inevitably need winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2005.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2008.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2010.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2012.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2013.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2015.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2017.x64 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.VCRedist.2022.x64 winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Git.Git ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Python.Python.3.0 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Python.Python.2

winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.3_1 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.5 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.6 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.7 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.8 ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.9 :::

Remember when I said you should get the 3rd party package manager? one reason is some versions of dotnet are not included in the winget package manager. Some MICROSOFT DOT NET packages are not included in the MICROSOFT windows package manager 'cmon Microsoft this should have been a home run, you're killing me here.

choco install -y python3 python2 git dotnet dotnet3.5 dotnetfx vcredist140 vcredist2005 vcredist2008 vcredist2010 vcredist2012 vcredist2013 vcredist2015 vcredist2017 visualstudio2019-workload-vctools visualstudio2017-workload-vctools visualstudio2022-workload-vctools--force --force-dependencies

choco install -y librewolf 7zip PowerToys vlc flameshot--force --force-dependencies

choco install -y mullvad-app zoom adobereader --force --force-dependencies

couldn't hurt to reboot

Gaming

Now the reason for this whole operation

choco install -y directx steam itch librehardwaremonitor autohotkey.install mumble --force --force-dependencies

winget

winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=KhronosGroup.VulkanRT ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Microsoft.DirectX ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Valve.Steam ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id Discord.Discord ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=Mumble.Mumble.Client ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e LibreHardwareMonitor.LibreHardwareMonitor ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio

for the convenience of those with cursed taste in games

choco install -y epicgameslauncher

choco install -y ea-app

choco install -y goggalaxy

choco install -y ubisoft-connect

winget

winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=ItchIo.Itch ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id=GodotEngine.GodotEngine ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id EpicGames.EpicGamesLauncher ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id GOG.Galaxy ; winget install --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements -e --id HeroicGamesLauncher.HeroicGamesLauncher

2025-11-05 chocolatey discord not working, winget version is working, probably divergent versions but I couldn't be bothered to check

Hardware

AMD Ryzen CPUs

choco install -y amd-ryzen-chipset --force --force-dependencies

https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/amd-ryzen-chipset

AMD GPUs

afaik you have to do this the old skool way

https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html

there is an app that can debloat the GPU Driver installer

https://github.com/GSDragoon/RadeonSoftwareSlimmer

but the web installer I got off the amd site has a driver only tickbox that makes this redundant. could be useful if amd decides to start being even more annoying

Nvidia

choco install -y nvidia-app --force --force-dependencies

https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/nvidia-app

There is a way to debloat it but I haven't messed with it

https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/nvslimmer-nvidia-driver-slimming-utility.423072/

Intel

choco install -y intel-dsa --force --force-dependencies

https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/intel-dsa

python aside

supposedly can install python scripts through chocolatey with --source python but I cannot get it to recognize it's vc++ dependencies even though just using straight pip works???

eh whatever you probably don't care

pip --version

py --list-paths

$Env:PATH += ";C:\Python314\Lib\site-packages\pip"

Debloating

There are a lot of debloating scripts floating around. I used this one, I don't know if it's better or worse than others. This runs arbritary code from ...someone? it works but I'm not vouching for it's trustworthiness

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm "https://debloat.raphi.re/")))

Ransomware removal

• I recommend using a VPN if you have one while running activation script or visiting associated website https://massgrave.dev/

This runs arbitrary code from ...someone? it works but I'm not vouching for it's trustworthiness

The script is actually loaded from github though so I guess that means it's legit and approved by Microsoft...

irm https://get.activated.win/ | iex

If the above is blocked (by ISP/DNS), try this (needs updated Windows 10 or 11):

iex (curl.exe -s --doh-url https://1.1.1.1/dns-query https://get.activated.win/ | Out-String)

Updates

winget upgrade --all --force --accept-source-agreements --disable-interactivity --uninstall-previous ; choco upgrade all -y ; Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll

does windows updates last because there's a good chance of needing to reboot

only works if you installed PSWindowsUpdate earlier

Sometimes claims Install-WindowsUpdate isn't recognized but later works with no changes to system

Mouse fix

windows does dodgy stuff to mouse acceleration, important to fix if you play FPS especially when used to linux

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ballerhoss/Windows-11-Gaming-Performance-Scripts/refs/heads/main/MouseAccelFix.bat -OutFile ./MouseAccelFix.bat && ./MouseAccelFix.bat

this repo also has a lot of performance tweaking scripts if interested

technically for windows 11 but seems to have worked in windows 10

best run in old power shell (ie "Windows Powershell" not "pwsh", "Microsoft Powershell" or "Powershell ISE")

will cause wear on your any key

changes a lot of stuff which you might not want if you plan to use windows for anything other than playing literally just one videogame

requires some inputs namely asking how much ram you have, which gpu vendor (nvidia/amd) and for thread quantum HEX value

I went with 26

You can run these scripts with:

git clone https://github.com/ballerhoss/Windows-11-Gaming-Performance-Scripts.git

./Windows-11-Gaming-Performance-Scripts/Standard_Install.bat

Exclusive: report by Stand.earth says subsidiary of power plant received truckloads of whole logs at biomass pellet sites

Drax power plant has continued to burn 250-year-old trees sourced from some of Canada’s oldest forests despite growing scrutiny of its sustainability claims, forestry experts say.

A new report suggests it is “highly likely” that Britain’s biggest power plant sourced some wood from ecologically valuable forests as recently as this summer. Drax, Britain’s single biggest source of carbon emissions, has received billions of pounds in subsidies from burning biomass derived largely from wood.

The report, by Stand.earth, a Canadian environmental non-profit, claims that a subsidiary of Drax Group received hundreds of truckloads of whole logs at its biomass pellet sites throughout 2024 and into 2025, which were likely to have included trees that were hundreds of years old.

Jeffrey Epstein associate, serving 20 years for sex-trafficking crimes, is now in minimum-security federal prison in Texas

(schumer wasn't the defector this time)

what we got:

a provision that would call federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown back to their jobs. It also would provide funds to ensure that federal workers who were furloughed during the shutdown can receive retroactive pay [(the latter as required by a 2019 law defector Angus King passed)].

The short-term spending bill would additionally bar the Office of Management and Budget from implementing any additional mass layoffs of federal workers through Jan. 30.

what we did not:

healthcare

Former IDF military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who was released to house arrest last week after being detained over the Sde Teiman video leak, was hospitalized on Sunday morning after medics were called to her home over what was later confirmed to have been a suicide attempt.

On Sunday night, Police Commissioner Danny Levy confirmed that Tomer-Yerushalmi had been hospitalized following an attempt to end her own life. "Her life isn’t rosy,” he said of the disgraced prosecutor, after a protester was detained outside of her home.

The police chief also addressed the allegations against Tomer-Yerushalmi, saying that “if she committed the offense, this affects how the army looks, how soldiers behave. We send our kids to an organization where they should be sure that nobody is leaking things, and that’s why we’re probing it,” he added.

China’s $112 billion auto tsunami is taking over the global car market as vehicle exports surge 34% in just one month! From EVs and hybrids to gas-powered models, Chinese automakers like BYD, Geely, and Chery are flooding international markets with unbeatable prices and cutting-edge technology. This massive growth cements China’s position as the world’s largest car exporter, shaking the global automotive industry and challenging giants like Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

🔗

Caption:

“Hey, you wanna see a real scar? Check this baby out!”

No alt text

Disqus comments

Archived Page

I'm not entirely sure what I thought of THRASHER but it's certainly a unique experience and it's officially out now with Linux / Steam Deck support. Note: a key was provided to GamingOnLinux.

For people who played the game THUMPER, this comes from the artist & composer behind it. Not a game I've actually played before, so I went in entirely cold on it. But what I do know, is that they're very different games. Where THUMPER is a rhythm game, THRASHER is an arcade-style smasher that sees you go through some very strange worlds to defeat a bunch of unusual looking otherworldly boss creatures.

I am looking for an online resource to learn finances/economics/investment from the ground up.

I am using those three words because I do not know the difference quite well. The bottom line is that I want to learn how money works, and stop "selling my time for money" (working for some employer). Maybe starting a business, investing in real state, or stock market, maybe another route that I don't even see...

• I am looking for content ideally free, but good material deserves to be paid too.
• Progressive complexity starting from little or no assumptions: several youtubers have all-over-the-place topics that they comment on, assuming you know what they are talking about.
• Perhaps a book or series of books is the solution to this? Or an online course? But you know, every "money bro" says they have the best book/course ever.

thanks for your comments :)

Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, had asked the court to reconsider its landmark 2015 opinion.

#usa #politics #news #lgbt #lgbtq+

Port Sudan (Sudan) (AFP) – "Sixteen killed." "Seven killed." "Thirty-one killed." "People are eating cowhide to survive." "The bombs are getting closer." "They're shooting people trying to run away."

These were the grim updates shared with AFP's veteran Sudan correspondent Abdelmoneim Abu Idris Ali by people trapped in the 18-month-long siege of El-Fasher, a city overrun by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) two weeks ago.

Throughout the siege and ensuing battle, it was thanks to ordinary civilians that AFP and other news organisations were able to form a picture of what was happening there.

They were Dr Omar Selik, Dr Adam Ibrahim Ismail, Sheikh Moussa and activist Mohamed Issa -- men who relayed vital information from a city mostly cut off from communications.

They have all since been killed.

Until their deaths they played a crucial but, for security reasons, anonymous role in documenting Sudan's two-year war between the army and the RSF.

Ismail, a young physician, was detained by RSF fighters on October 26 as he tried to flee the city.

He was shot dead the following day.

Until his last moments, Ismail had been treating "the wounded and the sick" at the Saudi Hospital, El-Fasher's last functioning medical facility, according to the Sudanese Doctors' Union.

AFP's Abu Idris Ali learned of Ismail's death through that statement, having spoken to him only days earlier.

"His voice was weary," Abu Idris Ali recalled from Port Sudan.

"Every time we ended a call, he said goodbye as if it might be the last time."

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In September, Abu Idris Ali had already lost three other local sources -- people who answered his calls and questions whenever communications allowed.

They were killed in a drone strike on a mosque in El-Fasher on September 16, which killed at least 75 people.

"Their voices painted a picture of El-Fasher," he said.

"Through them, I heard the groans of the wounded, the sorrow of the bereaved, the pain of those crushed under the war machine."

Before the war broke out in April 2023, AFP journalists criss-crossed the vast country, regularly visiting far-flung areas of Darfur.

It was there that Abu Idris Ali first met Sheikh Moussa, who opened the door to his modest hut in 2006, beginning a two-decade-long friendship.

Though he never met the tireless Dr Selik or the fiery 28-year-old Mohamed Issa, Abu Idris Ali said, "their voices ring in my ear every day."

Dr Selik, a kind-hearted medic who acted as a key source for journalists worldwide, witnessed the collapse of El-Fasher's health system before his own demise.

Hospitals were shelled, shuttered, or emptied of supplies, yet he continued to work tirelessly.

"He always tried to hide the tinge of sadness in his voice when he gave me toll figures," Abu Idris Ali recalled.

"He spoke like he was talking to a patient's family, breaking the news of the death of a loved one."

Fearful for his own family, he sent them to safety while staying behind to save lives.

Since his death, other doctors have taken up the mantle, but bombs fell daily, striking hospitals and killing medical staff.

Only days before his death, activist Issa told AFP he had fled the famine-hit Abu Shouk displacement camp, overrun by the RSF.

At 28, after months of crossing frontlines to deliver food, water and medicine to trapped families, he was killed.

"Every time I asked him what was happening in the city, his voice would ring out boisterous: 'nothing bad inshallah, I'm a little far away but I'll go find out for you!'" Abu Idris Ali said.

"You couldn't stop him -- and off he went."

Sheikh Moussa had been uprooted from his South Darfur village 22 years ago by the Janjaweed militia, from which the RSF would end up descending.

He spent the rest of his life in refugee camps.

"Violence broke out over and over outside his door, yet his laugh never faded," Abu Idris Ali recalled.

When bombs rained down on El-Fasher, Sheikh Moussa "would speak endlessly of the pain his people were facing, but if you ever asked him how he was, he would only ever say: al-hamdulillah, thank God".

"Every phone call, I could see him, always sitting cross-legged in the shade outside his door, always in a blindingly white jalabiya robe and matching prayer cap, always smiling despite the horrors around him."

Sheikh Moussa never made it home to his village, between El-Fasher and Nyala, the South Darfur state capital.

"Many of those 75 people gathered in that mosque had run for their lives just days before, but an RSF drone showed them there was no fleeing death," Abu Idris said.

"Every death is a tragedy, one we are accustomed to reporting. Yet it is another kind of grief when it is someone you have broken bread with, someone whose voice you heard every day."