patrickhearteyesbrewer

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

End OTW Racism: A Call To Action

A fan protest against the lack of action from the OTW on addressing issues of harassment and racism on AO3 and within the organization

This is a Call To Action for Fans of Color and Allies

AO3 has acknowledged that they have a harassment & racism problem that its parent organization, the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), needs to address. Currently, people can use AO3 to harass others through fanworks, comments, and tags. Just a few examples include: racist Untamed “spitefic” that used anti-Indigenous slurs and was written specifically to lash out at fans of color; a Transformer fic that used its Black-coded character to reenact George Floyd’s murder in July 2020; someone naming a fandom scholar who criticized their Nazi omegaverse fic in the tags of the fic specifically to incite harassment to the scholar; writers using racial slurs against commenters who pointed out racism in their hockey fic; and so much more.

In June 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, the OTW committed to addressing these issues. It has been nearly three years and they have not yet implemented any of the changes they promised, other than a blocking/muting tool that was already in development before 2020. We need to hold the OTW accountable to their own promises. (See the section further down on “Why Are We Doing This” for even more detail.)

As fans, together, we are powerful. We are organizing to protest the lack of action on promises made by the Organization for Transformative works to deal with issues of racism and harassment on their platform, Archive of Our Own.

We call on fans to do any or all of the following actions any time between May 17 to 31, 2023 to send a message to AO3 and OTW that we will hold them to their promises.

On AO3

Change the title of ten (or more!) of your most recent or most popular fanworks to include ‘End Racism in the OTW’ in the beginning, and provide a link to this post in your summary or first/top creator’s note

Post a new fanwork any time between May 17th to 31st with “End Racism in the OTW” either as the title or at the beginning of the title. The fanwork does not have to be long - it can be a 100-word fic, a quick sketch, a podfic of a ficlet, a 20-second vid/edit, a short piece of meta, etc. In the summary or first/top creator’s note, provide a link to this post

If updating any WIPs with a new chapter, add ‘End Racism in the OTW’ to the title and provide a link back to this post in your summary or first/top author’s note

Update your AO3 icon using the profile pic graphic in our Social Media Toolkit

Plan to maintain these changes until May 31, 2023, or longer if you wish

Send a message to the OTW asking for an update on their 2020 commitments!

For Readers: leave encouraging comments on fanworks with the "End Racism in the OTW" title to show your support of this initiative.

On tumblr

Reblog this Call to Action with the tag #End OTW Racism

Update your profile pics and banners using the graphics in our Social Media Toolkit

Follow this account for updates and signal boost our posts

On Twitter

Follow @/EndOTWRacism (remove the backslash) and signal boost our pinned tweet

Update your profile pics and banners using our graphics, and change your display name to include #EndOTWRacism

Use sample tweets and graphics from our Social Media Toolkit to tweet about your fanworks, and use the hashtag #EndOTWRacism

Help us make this a long-term campaign - sign up to help with other anti-racism projects and future actions!

What Do We Want?

Since their June 2020 statement, OTW has been working on updating their Terms of Service (TOS) to address racist and bigoted harassment, but with little transparency and only the vaguest of updates. It has been three years since their commitment to this update - we want to see the results of their work implemented in the next 6-12 months. Their TOS updates and complementary policies should include:

Harassment policies that can be regularly updated to address both on-site harassment and off-site coordinated harassment of AO3 users, with updated protocols for the Policy & Abuse Team to ensure consistent and informed resolutions of abuse claims

A content policy on abusive (extremely racist and extremely bigoted) content; by abusive, we are talking about fanworks that are intentionally used to spread hate and harassment, not those that accidentally invoke racist or other bigoted stereotypes

These points are not particularly new and are not our own innovation; please refer to Stitch's article written over two years ago, asking for several of these very things.

OTW has also already committed to various process-based actions for longer-term works towards centering antiracism, including hiring a Diversity Consultant. The last update that OTW published said that the consultant would be hired within the next five years (after already having had three years to work on it since their original commitment). That is not soon enough. We want to see the following process-based actions implemented:

Hiring a Diversity Consultant within the next 3-6 months

Committing to a policy of transparency on this topic, with quarterly updates on the progress of these projects including challenges and their plan for overcoming those challenges. These quarterly updates should be published on OTW News page and newsletters, not solely discussed in Board meetings

Why Are We Doing This?

16 years ago, Astolat famously published her manifesto calling for a fandom Archive of One’s Own. In that time, AO3 has grown to be a central pillar of fandom, likely far outstripping its founders’ original vision. It is more than just an archive now; it is a central hub of the modern fannish experience. AO3 and the OTW must continue to grow and evolve with fandom over time to remain a healthy and functioning pillar of fandom. To that end, there are several areas in which the organization, as it admits itself, is lacking.

In June 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter Movement, The OTW published a “This Week in Fandom” referencing the works of Dr. Rukmini Pande and Stitch, among others in which they discussed ‘making change for a better society’ through ‘conversations about race and racism’. In response, Dr. Pande and Stitch submitted a letter to the OTW calling for a more formal public statement than an offhand reference in a News Roundup that only served to call for thoughts and discussion without any indication the organization intended to do anything, policy wise, to address the issues being raised.

Eventually, the organization did remove the references to the works of Dr. Pande and Stitch and then made an official statement on the issue of racism within the organization and AO3. In it, they identified several things they would be prioritizing to combat harassment and benefit users. Some of those have been implemented (notably those that were already under development). However as of this writing, little else has been done especially in regards to:

Improving admin tools for the Policy & Abuse team

Reassessing the current mandatory archive warnings with the possibility of implementing others

And, most importantly, reviewing the Terms of Service (TOS) to allow the Policy & Abuse team to address harassment that is currently not covered by the existing TOS

By their own admission, the current tools and policies of the OTW are not sufficient to deal with issues of harassment and racism.

Several people who were involved in the founding of the OTW, including previous OTW Board members and staff on the original OTW Content Policy Committee, acknowledge that the founding of the OTW in 2008 and early board iterations failed us as a fandom by not doing enough, and by not even considering the way racism is perpetuated in fannish spaces, despite a long history of racism in fandom.

It has been nearly three years since the original commitment by the organization with little visible, measurable progress on these three crucial issues and a complete lack of transparency on where they are in regards to even beginning to deal with these issues. In fact, in Q&As, it was heavily implied by a member of the board that those calling for OTW to deal with issues of racism (which OTW had already acknowledged as a problem!) were not really fans but outside agitators.

This has cast significant doubt on the organization's sincerity and commitment to their stated goals, and on their position as leaders of a central fan tent-pole. Fans of color are not outsiders. They are right here, members of our community, and they are being harassed and targeted and driven out while space and platforms are being given to racists.

We, as fans of color and our allies, find the current state of fandom and current actions (and lack thereof) unacceptable. Fandom is our space, all of ours. We, as a fandom, have a right to a racism-free space and have a duty to our fellow fans to create that space. Unlike so much of the world, this is a space we can control and make better. It is a space we must make better. To read even more about this movement, visit our FAQs.

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

Here is a link to the US Restrict Act (commonly known as the TikTok ban) as it is currently written.

Please read the actual bill and share even if you do not live in the United States. The precedents this piece of legislation would set would have far reaching impacts on how the internet is used for everyone in the future.

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

— Carol Gilligan

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

“patrick brewer, you are my happy ending”

binged watched the entirety of schitt’s creek a few days ago and i very much care about these two now

~~

Reblog, don’t repost

Support me on Ko-Fi!

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

Alice Oseman: Yesterday was one year since we shot the photo booth scene! I actually wasn’t expecting this scene to be a fan favourite, but I’m very happy that it is. We thought you’d like to see the photos as well as some of the outtakes! #Heartstopper

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

not to get political but im begging you guys to stop coming to hawaii. in maui theyre asking to put a ‘pause’ on flights bc we literally do not have enough room or staff to service you. the roads are so full that its causing a major backup when ppl need to get to work.

on top of this, i heard that by September? theyre expecting to get rid of the mask rule (if 70% of ppl are vaccinated/all goes well) but ill be honest w/ you, i know many locals arent getting the vaccine and i know plenty of tourist arent gonna take the necessary precautions.

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

an open letter from creators of fanworks

As writers of fanfiction/creators of fanworks, we have made the decision to share our love of certain characters through words/art. As creators, we get to choose when, where, and how we display our works. By posting them in a public space, we realize that this provides a level of access to audiences that is out of our control.

As a consumer of fanfiction/fanworks, you have a responsibility to respect the creators who give you pieces of themselves and the content you love.

Creators want you to enjoy and engage with the content they offer to you. What they deserve in return in the knowledge that what they have put out into the world stays where it belongs - within the fandom.

Much like top secret information, fan works are designed for very intentional audiences. As a fan, these creations are for your eyes (and ears) only.

Imagine someone you don’t know coming up to you on the street and shoving sexually explicit material into your hands. You’d be horrified, wouldn’t you? Why would it ever be acceptable to entertain the idea of doing that to someone else, simply because they’re a celebrity? No matter the rating or content of fanwork, it was created for other fans and shared in a safe space where we expect fans to gather.

This rule doesn’t apply to just certain works or specific authors, it applies to absolutely everyone who creates and to every piece of fic, art, etc, that has ever been shared.

As writers and artists, we need to feel safe and respected in order to create. When we don’t have that, the fics stop getting written, the art stops getting made. If you want content, you have to treat the people who make it well. Even seeing someone joking about sharing work with a celebrity or outsider can feel like a threat and have a very chilling effect on our desire to create.

Fanworks have a long and complicated history, and it’s incredible for fans now to exist at a time where we can create and consume so much additional content from the shows/movies/worlds/characters that we love. Don’t be someone who jeopardizes it for the rest of us. Sincerely,

AlexisSomethingRose, Amanita_Fierce, another_Hero, B13maybethistime, bestwisheswarmestregards, bibliopan, blackandwhiteandrose, blueink3, dairaliz, dazedwriter, DelilahMcMuffin, deenerann, dessertwaffles, didipickles, dinnfameron, doingthemost, doubleL27, eggplantsalad, foxtails, high-seas-swan, houdini74, hullomoon, howoldarewe, januarium, kindofspecificstore, lastchancecafe, lilythesilly, lisamc21, maxbegone, midnightstreet, missgeevious, N0Connections, NeelyO67, nerdframed, petalwrites, reginahalliwell, rhetoricalquestions, roguebaby, schittposting, squigmistress, stereopticons, sullymygoodname, sunlightsymphony, thesleepyskipper, thetomkatwholived, treepyful, trueillusion, typewrites, weathereyehorizon, wi22iou, yellow_bird_on_richmond

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

TWO PARTER. If you were an actress, would you read fic written about your character? Anddd if Annie/Sarah found themselves reading some Twylexis content, which of yours would you want them to read?

Oh, no—Annie or Sarah (or anyone else in the cast or crew) reading any Twylexis content, regardless of whether it's mine or anyone else's, is pretty much my worst nightmare! Fic and other fanworks are for the fans' eyes alone, and hopefully we can keep it that way. (As for the first question, I'd like to think that if I were in their shoes, I’d respect fan creators’ privacy.)

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right, oh I need your arms, loving arms to hold me tight

Requested by @mindswindowsdoors

PART 1 | PART 2

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

POV: you’re David Rose, your husband looks hot at work, and you have to document the moment

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

david and patrick but it’s just taylor swift (in/sp) (playlist)

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

[podfic] look up  [03:42]

for @patrickhearteyesbrewer

Patrick tries to get a kiss under the mistletoe

 podfic of look up

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

Almost similar lockscreens/wallpapers I made yesterday because they absolutely are my new obsession and there's nothing I can do about it : David and Patrick from Schitt's Creek

I forgot to put my watermark making them bc they were originally just for me so please, don't steal and reblog if you save, thanks!

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

Mermaid Pup by *Eli-Genesis

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

The Schitt’s Creek fandom hit 7500 published fics yesterday! To celebrate, I made an infographic. Download the full size graphic as a JPG or PDF (and look in the margins for bonus content). Or, click here to see each of the tiles individually.

Here’s to the next 7500 fics!

Note: the file downloads are BIG, so please be patient.

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

When reading fanfic keep in mind that for professional literature: 

Short story: under 7,500

Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500

Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000

Novel: over 40,000

Fics over 40k are literally a novel written and shared for free.  If you have written a 40k+ fic, you have literally written a novel.

[patrickhearteyesbrewer]

GRRRREAT NEWS! We've have extended the collection till Wednesday, November 3rd 2021!

The Fluffy Podfics this fall season have been so exciting, so we decided to let that feeling last a liiittle longer! As long as it's November 3rd anywhere in the world, feel free to add to the collection!

Pssst! If you were procrastinating, or unable to scramble and finish up any WIPs, this is your chance!