Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Exit Strategy & Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells starting October 1, 2023.

My daughter and I couldn't wait to read Exit Strategy after finishing Rogue Protocol. We enjoyed it.

LOL Totally understandable reaction. I do think that this one rounds out the novellas as one arc.

Nyssa wrote: "My daughter and I couldn't wait to read Exit Strategy after finishing Rogue Protocol. We enjoyed it."

It's great that your daughter enjoys them too :)

Narilka wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "My daughter and I couldn't wait to read Exit Strategy after finishing Rogue Protocol. We enjoyed it."

It's great that your daughter enjoys them too :)"

Thanks. :)

Nirkatze wrote: "LOL Totally understandable reaction. I do think that this one rounds out the novellas as one arc."

It reads as though it does.

Went ahead and read this, to finish out the initial 4-novella story... for some reason I thought we were a bit closer to the start date... I see we're slowing down a bit, after this...

Anyway... I like these... the characters, the story, etc etc etc... but I always feel like the combat/climax resolves so quickly... I guess that's inevitable, when the stakes are so high... kill or be killed...

Indeed, the schedule does slow down. I think we didn't know the exact release date at first. You can see from Yanique's post for Sytem Collapse that it was at first slotted for June before being pushed back to "November" sometime.

Still, with the release date (November 14) getting closer and being less likely to change... Perhaps we can move the BR date up to November 21st, for the usual one week post-release buffer? Well, it's not during the competition, so it doesn't really matter for points, but I'm just letting y'all know that I may not be able to wait that long... :)

I couldn't help but start right in on the last novella in the arc.

Hahaha! I gotta say. "all the brains and personality of a heat shield generator" is an exceptionally specific and delightful insult for a bot.

Also, while the opening to All Systems Red will still be epic and one of my favorite opening paragraphs ever, I love how these others all carry on in the same way, opening with such a sarcastic, flippant tone. Just reminds me of the fun we're about to have. :)

I also wanted to give people more time on the novels than the novellas, so started with 10 days and then upped it to 20... I think...

Really looking forward to wrapping this arc up...

I'm down for starting a bit early... :)

Chapter 2:
Oh, how I love and hate this ad-inundated corporate dystopia. Wells is not subtle at all, and I do not care. Ugh, it's profoundly irritating even at a remove. Just imagining the overstimulation, even without any of the actual sensory input, makes one recoil from the overwhelming LOUDness of it all.

(view spoiler)[I had to go meet some old friends.
Finally! The anticipation has been building for a couple books now.
SQUEEE~!! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[Instead I pulled him away from the wall and choked him out.
From the humans it was all “Wait!” “No!” “Um—”
Hahaha, I read that as Pin-Lee, Ratthi, and Gurathin.
It didn't register before, but I found that "Um--" especially funny this time.
Hm, I could also see that being Ratthi, a little slower than the rest to process what's happening. But no, I also like the idea of Gurathin not immediately being against choking a GrayCris operative.

What do you guys think?

I shut my risk assessment module down.
So badass. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6:
Mm! I just appreciate different bits each time.

(view spoiler)[I remember on my initial readthrough loving the way Murderbot used the holostorm, having it drop down into the crowd to obscure visibility. Actually, just across the board, I love how well Murderbot incorporates the environment into its strategy. Well done, Wells!

A bunch of other things I love:
- Murderbot leaping out of the moving pod with Mensah, protecting her head and rolling to safety. Very cinematic. (Reminds me of the movie Speed, and I know it exists in other media, but TVTropes is failing me.)

- Murderbot and Mensah just... talking. All of it. Even venturing into having feeeeelings.
I hadn’t been afraid that she wasn’t my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me.

- Murderbot taking Mensah's hand. (I'm a big softie, so what. This is the equivalent of platonic fanservice, and I don't care. I love it.)

- Oh, and in the same vein, how could I forget the whole:
Murderbot: "You can hug me if you want." *eye roll*
Mensah: *laugh* Heck why not *hugs the crap out of Murderbot*
Murderbot: Huh, this actually isn't all that terrible...
Mensah: *disengages* *cough cough* *professional professional* *not at all indulging in Murderbot hugs*

Hehehe, I'm now imagining a later scene of the PreservationAux crew drinking and chatting -- no no, Mensah wouldn't divulge that... or Murderbot would have to mature a lot to put up with friendly teasing before she did.
No, scratch that. Gurathin has to get into Murderbot's memory for reasons, and while pulling and shifting and searching for things, stumbles upon the memory. Gurathin would be just enough of an asshole to be like:
Gurathin: So you hugged Mensah, eh?
Murderbot: She hugged me. I was... offering assistance.
Gurathin: I notice you didn't offer to let me hug you.
Murderbot: *planning way number 672 to disable Gurathin's speech capabilities*

Okay, I'm getting sidetracked.

- Mensah's shoe coming off during their sprint, and her toeing off the other one. Love that detail.

- The delightful CHAOS that is the careening hauler bots

- The fact that Murderbot is, in fact, not a CombatSecUnit, and is going to be outclassed going up against one in a fight. Murderbot is impressive, but its abilities are realistically confined. The retreat in this case makes sense.

- Also, Murderbot offering it its freedom really highlights how CombatUnits are built to fight, and SecUnits are built to protect. So whereas Murderbot, given full autonomy, still has the desire to protect humans, the CombatSecUnit just wants to kill.

I still do wish that Murderbot got a chance to talk with another SecUnit though... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7:
Hehehe, I love this moment
(view spoiler)[Listening to the SecSystem’s audio, I heard a crew member in the corridor say, “I’ve never seen one out of armor. They really do look human.”
I made a gesture in that direction that I had only seen in the shows that were rated high on the obscenity scale. Gurathin saw me and made a choking noise.

It's crazy how I have such outsized memories of the different fights Murderbot gets into. Rescuing Mensah, fighting off the CombatSecUnit in the port, getting almost deleted by the ship killware. But the actual action is over before I know it. Not saying that's bad, but probably simply a sign of how distinctive and impactful I found the scenes in the first place. (hide spoiler)]

Finished

(view spoiler)[An hour later, Ratthi tapped my feed and sent, We set up a little network. I hope it helps.
I cautiously initiated a search. They had put cameras in all the suite lounges and connecting hallways, so I could see everything.
I had a complex emotional reaction. A whole new burst of neural connections blossomed. Oh right, I often have complex emotional reactions which I can’t easily interpret.

Whaaa~! I'm having a complex emotional reaction too!!
Like, a person wouldn't think that setting up a few security cameras would be an emotional moment, but that person would not be familiar with Murderbot.

*sobs* It's just so considerate and understanding~~! 😭😭😭 They're such guh-hood freh-heh-hends~~!! *honks nose dramatically into a handkerchief* 🤧

"And that you have friends here you can discuss things with, whatever you decide to do, or wherever you decide to go.”

I had options, and I didn’t have to decide right away. Which was good, because I still didn’t know what I wanted.
But maybe I had a place to be while I figured it out.

Aw man, that really hits different after COVID. If you've ever been in limbo, that's exactly what you would want to hear. (hide spoiler)]

Well, it was somewhat inevitable to jump ahead on these. I'll look forward to the rest of you starting as well. After this 4 novella arc, this is the perfect place to pause for a bit before continuing on with the series.

Up through Chapter 3! Love these books...

@Mel--I love your description of the "ad-inundated corporate dystopia." Actually makes me think of A Witch's Sin, which I've been wanting to try...

I love (view spoiler)[Pin Lee's reaction to MB, and how MB feels being able to be itself around her. The first time it really got to be itself around anyone. It's also nice to see a human that MB respects for competence.

I really liked the moment when MB picked out its own clothing, and had an emotion, similar to one when it would watch a show it liked. Liking clothes. Because it picked them out itself. (hide spoiler)]

Finished both today (view spoiler)[Started a little slow but it picked up once MB realized Mensah was in trouble, loved how quickly it went to her aid. The fight with GreyCris was donw very well and it was a solid conclusion to what I believe is the arc for this part of the series. MB is taking on more human characteristics/personality, feelings, emotions, hugging, so here for all of that. I was so glad that it ended up with Mensah and the rest of her crew.

Regarding Home - I found it interesting that this was not told from MB POV but rather Mensah's. Clearly she has some issued to work out as a result of her captivity plus some struggle to get MB accepted in her community but the interactions with MB were so much fun, can't wait to see how this next chapter plays out! (hide spoiler)]

Mel wrote: "Chapter 4..."

LOL I like your analysis, Mel. (view spoiler)[I think I'd kind of swap Rathi & Pin Lee... Rathi being a "Wait, what?" and Pin Lee being "No! There are legal ramifications!" but yeah, totally Gurathin on the "umm."

Also, thank goodness MB came back when it did. Can you imagine this meeting going down without it?

Also noticed that Pin Lee & co use "it" to refer to MB.

And I loved MB sending Gurathin an edited reel of "Murderbot pretending to be a regular human security consultant and failing miserably." or something like that. I want that blooper real, dammit. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6--Love all the Mel-versions of the dialogue... (view spoiler)[And I would so love to see these given the screen treatment...

re: hugs--I want to add the prefacing line. I braced myself and made the ultimate sacrifice. "Uh... you can hug me if you want to."
Awwww. That's friendship, whether MB knows it or not--sacrificing to give friends what they need...

I really love how Dr. Mensa asks MB what it liked about Sanctuary Moon. That she did the research because she wanted to understand, but she didn't start talking about "oh, I can see what you like..." but instead asked and listened. That definitely ties in to what MB was saying about how it was afraid to see Dr. Mensa again... she sees.

And the holding hands was super awwwwwww.

More fodder for the Bot Revolution--the door listening to MB about saving his client and letting Dr. Mensa through...

What I was mostly thinking was that there wasn’t going to be one dead SecUnit on this embarkation floor, there were going to be four. ending SecUnits after me was one thing. But they sent SecUnits after my client. No one gets to walk away from that. (hide spoiler)]
More Awww here. I want a friend like MB.

I really like @Mel your point about CombatSecUnits v. SecUnits--protect v. kill. And I do still want that break room conversation...

Chapter 7--love the bit you picked out again, Mel... found some of my own... (view spoiler)[Our shuttle slot was six locks down, glowing emergency lighting showing me Mensah standing beside it holding a small energy weapon. Why the hell did she have that? BECAUSE MENSA IS ALSO A BADASS!! I love that image of her standing there with an energy weapon, covering their escape... (hide spoiler)]

Finished! Again, loving the bits you pick out, @Mel--totally blowing my nose there too. @Ann-Marie, 100% agreeing with everything you said, especially (view spoiler)[how awesome the fights were. Have I mentioned I want to see these on screen? But how would Murderbot have its private emotions on screen?

Which group is it that wants to hire Murderbot? Didn't it call itself "Security Consultant Rin" on both situations? Though, on Milu, it was Rin's SecUnit, so probably the group from the 2nd novella... I really like the idea of it taking jobs protecting the underdogs out there... but first, it needs time to just figure itself out--like Mel said... (hide spoiler)]

Jumping in to the short story...

Short story Home finished! I love how (view spoiler)[MB is sending Mensa those packets. I bet it has her heart rate monitored, and is noticing a 0.5% decrease in stress levels each time it sends her a packet.

Also--the bit about Preservation's history? Because they stand on this station built from the ship that saved their grandparents’ lives, that helped them for no other reason than because it was there and it could.--that sounds awfully like it was the SHIP ITSELF, like an ART-style ship, that saved them...

It's interesting how Mensa & co's plan to start the Bot Revolution involves spinning the story in the media. Makes me think of what my friend was telling me, about how Taylor Swift can make or break markets with a single tweet...

Also appreciating the parallels Mensa is drawing between her hostage experience and MB's whole existence... they have both been powerless, things, bargaining chips, reduced to not-people...

Dittoing @Ann-Marie--so interesting being in Dr. Mensa's head! I love that even in her head, she's respecting MB's privacy and calling it "SecUnit." Damn. Now I feel bad for using its private name. We definitely haven't been given permission. I also love that she gets MB's humor (sorry MB, can't refer to it as anything else, I'm not as good as Mensa) and notes the irony in its voice.

MB is a good friend. It'll make sure Dr. Mensa gets post-trauma help... (hide spoiler)]

Oh, and a reminder that the next story we're doing is the sixth publication order story, Fugitive Telemetry, that takes chronologically after Exit Strategy... see y'all there on the 15th!

Home
I'd forgotten about this one.
(view spoiler)[- I like how this addresses Mensah's trauma after the kidnapping

- Hehe, I love Murderbot's sense of humor, what with the sending requisition forms for ridiculous armaments. Clearly it knows that Mensah needs the calming distraction.

- MurderBot making a full second of direct eye contact(!) to glare at Mensah about going to therapy

- Overall this was a lovely little interlude, an extra scene of bonus content of Murderbot and its crew simply *existing* together. Just being able to exist in the same space as people you care about? What a privilege. (hide spoiler)]

@ Ann-Marie
I agree it was so nice to get a POV of Mensah's thoughts!

@Nirkatze
Ooh, you were reading closer than I was! (view spoiler)[I love the theory of the generation sip being a similar ART-like AI!

You know, I also started typing "SecUnit" after it being mentally referred to as such by Mensa. Such respect shown for it, even in her thoughts! If it helps, since in the previous books from Murderbot's POV, it has basically been narrating to US its private thoughts, we can assume that we've already been granted that level of privacy as readers. So, I say its name is fair game. :) (hide spoiler)]

@Nirkatze
You picked such good moments as well!

(view spoiler)[- Murderbot picking out its own clothes was so meaningful! Being able to choose how it wants to represent itself... liking the way it looks is a great moment.

- The fact that Mensa went and watched Sanctuary Moon, period. Seriously, engaging with the same media you love is a Love Language right there.
(This is coming from someone who has spent years trying to get best friends to watch certain pieces of media. Like, I get that not everyone is a reader, so that's why I have you guys. <3 And I get that some longer series are a time investment. But a 6 episode tv show? A movie? Surely it shouldn't be that hard.)

More fodder for the Bot Revolution--the door listening to MB about saving his client and letting Dr. Mensa through...
Actually... I think in this instance it was significant that there was a human on the other end of the line. Murderbot couldn't think of a way to hack the walls open in time, so appealed to the sympathy of a human admin somewhere out there, who must be watching.

Re: Mensa holding the energy weapon
Hahaha! A reprise of Mensa, yet again being a badass and dragging Murderbot to safety! But I love Murderbot's little, "Hey! What are you doing with that?" protective moment.

Which group is it that wants to hire Murderbot? Didn't it call itself "Security Consultant Rin" on both situations?
No, it was "Eden" in Artificial Condition. "Rin" was the name for the Milu mission, and eventually they figured out that "Rin" and "Rin's SecUnit" were one and the same. (hide spoiler)]

Mel wrote: "Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[
Instead I pulled him away from the wall and choked him out.
From the humans it was all “Wait!” “No!” “Um—”
Hahaha, I read that as Pin-Lee, Ratthi, and Gurathin.
It didn't register before,..." (hide spoiler)]
LOL (view spoiler)[ I think I would say the Um was Gurathin too. Totally vibes with him being an asshole (hide spoiler)]

This made me have all the feelings and I'm glad I was in private lol I'm glad I seem to have similar feelings as the first go based on my ratings... I think this was my favorite.

Re Nirkatze/Mel's selected scenes (view spoiler)[ Love all the ones brought up here.
Nirkatze:More fodder for the Bot Revolution--the door listening to MB about saving his client and letting Dr. Mensa through...
Mel:Actually... I think in this instance it was significant that there was a human on the other end of the line.
I thought it was a bot, but I can see that maybe MB thought it was talking to a human... But that really reminds me of Leckie's Imperial Radch (view spoiler)[ with stations and ships being very protective of their humans even when breaking from Radchaii... They would cooperate if it meant saving their humans (hide spoiler)]

The fact that Mensa went and watched Sanctuary Moon, period. Seriously, engaging with the same media you love is a Love Language right there.
YES! I try to get my friends to watch things all the time and also try my best to watch their suggestions. Idk, if I feel very strongly about a media I want to share it with other people because it becomes a little part of me.

Loved Mel's tangent on Gurathin pranks/blooper scenes :D

AND THE HUG. I died a little from a complex emotional reaction! (hide spoiler)]

Grr! Laptop shhutdown erased my comment. >:(

@Emily
Yes, this one was my favorite too. We finally get the payoff for all the buildup so far.

And I could use just a whole extra collection of bonus scenes of Gurathin and Murderbot. I love me a good frenemies vibe. Kind of like the scene where Murderbot is "waking up."

(view spoiler)[That was Gurathin. I don’t like him. “I don’t like you.”
“I know.”
He sounded like he thought it was funny. “That is not funny.”
“I’m going to mark your cognition level at fifty-five percent.”
“Fuck you.”
“Let’s make that sixty percent.”

I think this is the closest we're going to get to a drunk Murderbot, and here Gurathin is good-naturedly accompanying it home. I think it's fairly clear that while Gurathin was initially mistrustful, he's come around to Murderbot, and the dislike is mostly one-sided. I mean, he's still a bit of an asshole, but if anything that confirms the fellow feeling there. (Did I just call Murderbot a bit of an asshole? Yes I did. But very much in that, "Just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing," way.) (hide spoiler)]

Also, I feel I must share that I reimagined the rude gesture scene, and in my mind's eye I saw:

Like, I find it hilarious to think of this ridiculous joke gesture as turning into a highly explicit taboo one.

Okay, and because I'm that person, and I can't help but hyperfixate sometimes, I had to go back to check the section that mentions the human security opening the door.

(view spoiler)[ I was still in the StationSecAdmin and PortSec feeds. I thought about that human supervisor who had triggered the klaxon early, giving the humans on the embarkation floor extra time to flee. There were humans on those channels who could manually lift these barriers. To both, I sent: I am a contracted SecUnit with an endangered client. (hide spoiler)]

Can I join you ladies when you start the next one? I just finished this last week and am looking forward to the next.

Of course Laura, glad to have you! Join in for any and all Murderbot discussion!

Laura wrote: "Can I join you ladies when you start the next one? I just finished this last week and am looking forward to the next."

Yes!! More the merrier!! We're doing what is publication order #6, but chronologically #5 next: Fugitive Telemetry, on Oct 15.

@Mel--thanks for digging up that door bit. I'm glad to see @Emily I'm not the only one thinking it was a bot. ^^ However, the Bot Revolution needs its allies too!

Love the reinterpretation of the rude gesture. And that Gurathin scene is just... pure gold. Hm. I wonder if MB could be categorized as an ass in the same way ART is? And it's just gruff because it cares.

@Mel--I also like your rationalization of our use of MB--totally going to use to self-justify. Maybe the "Murderbot Diaries" we are reading are actually the text version of the Documentary they've talked about, being sent to us backwards in time or across dimensions?

re: Media & friends--so feel this! I love watching things with friends too, when have a chance... though there are some things, sometimes, which I have no interest in watching--but I love to hear my friends talk about them and describe, and if they invited me to watch with them, I would...

Hahaha, Nirkatze, I need to open an Etsy store specifically to make "Bot Revolution Ally" badges. Solidarity! *double chest thump*

Ooh, now there's an idea! At the very least, I'm sure the diaries could be used as the basis for the Documentary - which would be an interesting framing device, if the series were picked up for a show, don't you think?

Re: media
Yeah, obviously there are just certain genres/ types of media that people don't like. I can't do horror for emotional reasons, and have a hard time with audio, so podcasts I'm not very likely to pick up. But, if someone really wants me to check something out, I will - a friend had me listen to a podcast in her car, and similar to ART peering over Murderbot's shoulder, I found that since I wasn't driving, and had her reactions and comments to keep me engaged, I was able to process it way better.

But yes, it's such a privilege to have friends who want to engage with the same media. Super grateful to have y'all to chat with! <3

Nirkatze wrote: "Laura wrote: "Can I join you ladies when you start the next one? I just finished this last week and am looking forward to the next."

Yes!! More the merrier!! We're doing what is publication order ..."

Great! I'll be there. :)

Mel wrote: "Of course Laura, glad to have you! Join in for any and all Murderbot discussion!"

Thank you!! :p

Are we reading and chatting about this one here?

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4.5)

If yes when do we start? Or have you ladies already finished it?

Mel wrote: "Hahaha, Nirkatze, I need to open an Etsy store specifically to make "Bot Revolution Ally" badges. Solidarity! *double chest thump*

Ooh, now there's an idea! At the very least, I'm sure the diaries..."

Hah! Yes! I would buy that as a bumper sticker. I did actually end up jumping on that Rise & Fall of Sanctuary Moon T-Shirt...

Ooh, a Documentary/diaries would be a really interesting framing device...

re: Media--like here in BRs, I think I definitely weigh towards enjoying stories more when they're shared. Which brings me full circle again, thinking again on Dr. Mensa (view spoiler)[going OF HER OWN VOLITION to watch Sanctuary Moon (hide spoiler)] and MB's reaction to ART watching "over its shoulder"... but there are also times, when I might want to watch and savor something alone, and have those emotions in private...

Laura wrote: "Are we reading and chatting about this one here?

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4.5)

If yes when do we start? Or have you ladies already finished it?"

Yes! We're reading here! Ann-Marie, Mel, & I have commented on the short--I believe we all read it after finishing Exit Strategy.

@Laura
Just read it the other day, so feel free to jump on Home whenever you get the chance.

@Nirkatze
Aw, nice! We can be Sanctuary Moon T-Shirt buds! Which design did you get?

I actually went to look for other designs and merch, but considering the popularity of Murderbot, it's still sorta slim pickings on Etsy and such. Like, compared to Gideon the Ninth for example, which has fewer reviews but a rabid fandom and I was able to find tons of merch. Why do some works inspire the full tumblr treatment, and others not so much? (*inwardly rolls eyes* It's the lesbians Mel, the lesbians.) Maybe I just haven't been interneting in the right places. *shrug*

Re: media
I'd have to agree that most of the time I'd prefer to watch things together with others. Especially comedies. I just watched Bottoms with a large group the other day, and having the uncontrolled laughter of others right there beside you totally makes the experience. Sad movies I can see both enjoying in private, or with someone close. The exception would be when the company isn't someone you feel safe to be emotional around. That's the worst.

I'll start it today and get back here with some comments.

Is there Murderbot merch available?!
Where?! Because I want.

And I have a question.

How do you both see Murderbot. As a he or a she?
Because for some reason I can't help picturing Murderbot as a she.

The only merch out there is fanmade, on sites like Etsy or Redbubble, etc.

This is the design I got myself:
https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/T...

Haha, we have been having plenty of discussion on gender in some of the earlier book threads. In the thread for Artificial Condition in particular. How the the reader's own gender comes into play, or the narrator's voice for audio readers, and also preconceived associations with things like combat being masculine or watching dramas being feminine influencing how one imagines Murderbot.

But to answer your question, neither. Murderbot is nonbinary/agender to me. I like this fanart concept of Murderbot in a "triple A" (AroAceAgender) t-shirt

I like that T-shirt.😍

And I just looked at the chat regarding gender in the previous thread.

I agree that MB is agender but I really can't help setting a female face to them.
And I am sure almost every single reader out there will picture them differently, which is something that doesn't happen often.
I also saw the sexbot as male because the owner was a female and again I truly appreciate the way we are able to imagine MB and build our own mental picture of them. Not many writers manage to give readers that leeway in a way that feels so natural.

I will try and find hardcovers of this series for my shelves but they are insanely expensive in our place due to shipment charges so I'll keep waiting for offers.

Screaming a little at that fanart. Love it.

I'm starting this tonight. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Murderbot's original arc wraps up.

Mel wrote: "Chapter 2:
Oh, how I love and hate this ad-inundated corporate dystopia. Wells is not subtle at all, and I do not care. Ugh, it's profoundly irritating even at a remove. Just imagining the overstim..."

As a person that has tons of ad blockers installed, I agree! lol And I agree with your spoiler (view spoiler)[So excited that we're going to reconnect with Mensah and team! Poor MB feeling responsible for the situation Mensah has found herself in too. (hide spoiler)]

Youtube rolled out it's new anti-adblock policy... it's embedded into the videos... so a few seconds after a video starts, it stops if you have adblockers enabled... options are to disable and/or get Youtube Premium/Red, for the ad-free experience... and now I get fun little "videos" trying to send me to Facebook to make blog videos about myself... woo... but I haven't actually seen any ads before/during/after any videos yet...

Bleh. I haven't been in YT today so haven't had the pleasure yet.

Edit: Give it a week or two. I bet someone creates a work around.

uBlockOrigin and Youtube are at war... Youtube keeps updating their tattler script that detects adblocking, multiple times a day, and uBO keeps thwarting it... but it's a war of attrition... and the uBO people are unpaid... and getting alot of hassle from users on reddit... soul-crushing stuff...

I haven't had any issues with firefox ubo and youtube...yet. Videos still play fine with no ads.

I play a lot of youtube videos in class for my students. They are well trained to yell "RUDE!" and shout insults each time an ad comes on.

Ryan wrote: "I haven't had any issues with firefox ubo and youtube...yet. Videos still play fine with no ads."

Like everything else these days, it's a staggered rollout... happened around here with the GR page updates...