#I require communication on the site via asks

[soukokumychildren]

Basically think of it as Tommy in some sort of video (he did this at one point with SOMEONE using a different word) and just apply a Russian accent to it LOL

Fyodor: spots Dazai with Ushanka

Fyodor: walks up to him Comrade?

Dazai: mimicking him comrade?

Fyodor: more pressing COMRADE?

Dazai: COMRADE!

Fyodor: COMRAAAAADE

Dazai: COMMMRAAAAAADEEE

[olderthannetfic]

hi, as someone who is tragically gen Z and only ever read AO3, can I ask: what was so great about LiveJournal? Like, I know that there were fics posted there (and I've even read about the "purge", so I get why it isn't used anymore) and that it was sort of a forum-type thing. But what I don't understand, wouldn't Tumblr fill in the latter function? How was that site any different? I see a lot of people reminiscing about it and I'm confused

--

A big factor in LJ's greatness is timing and nostalgia.

It was genuinely great, but it wasn't quite as great as all of the Lo, shall the Golden Age ne'er come again? posts suggest.

LJ arrived at a pivotal time in the development of the internet both in terms of technical stuff and how many people had access. Many fans who are now in their thirties to fifties first discovered fandom through LJ and many were at a time in their lives when they were feeling energetic and up to making lots of new friends—and to figuring out how to make a site work for them.

I got on LJ in 2002 when it required invites. Fandom arrived in droves in 2003, first via coordinated campaigns to get invites to key people and then when LJ opened up free account creation to everyone. Back then, LJ's features sucked. It was impossible to search properly, among other things. At its height (2005-7, let's say), there was a reasonable site search, and fans had developed all sorts of community resources for finding each other.

People often remember this phase but not the early days of suckitude.

This development parallels how Tumblr used to not have that private chat feature and how a lot of fuckyeah[whatever] type tumblrs have helped curate the site and make it much more usable for fans. Fandom draining away from LJ after strikethrough also parallels people draining away from Tumblr after the purge.

There are people who talk about Tumblr the way my cohort talks about LJ...

And to the shock of no one, they are people who came of age on Tumblr, who found fandom via Tumblr, who were on Tumblr during pivotal times in their lives and ones when they had energy to make friends and figure out how a site worked.

Those same Tumblrites are now making all the same geriatric-sounding posts we LJers do about how other sites lack the required features to be good for fandom while missing that 90% of tumblr's "features" at its height (2012-2016, let's say) were actually fan-created and were basically the same as any fandom newsletter or links page or all the versions of this kind of personal curation stretching back to long before the internet existed.

What life phase you hit a site at matters.

--

With all of that said, no, LJ was not a forum. It was a blogging site with threaded comments.

The key point to understand is that conversation was always happening in a specific person's space. Unlike on a true forum, people were in the comments on a particular post in a journal owned by another fan. (On a forum, there's the first post in a thread, but it's still more of a communal space with less of a hierarchy.)

Overall, the LJ format can have a feeling a bit like you're over at someone's house for tea. There's more of a sense of intimacy and also behaving yourself in front of community members.

Tumblr being obscure and impossible to find anything in does give it some of the same vibe relative to Twitter, but it's still part of modern social media that tries to shove every rando into the face of every other rando.

But it wasn't just vibes: LJ also had robust privacy features where you could lock a post to this or that group of friends. You could moderate your comments section properly. Tumblr has far fewer controls to force people to behave or leave on a technical level.

--

The biggest thing many people miss about LJ is the threaded comments. At least by late LJ and on Dreamwidth, you can expand and collapse threads, making it far easier to deal with a massive comments section. But more than that, things are properly threaded with multiple levels of hierarchy that are all easily visible in the same place.

On Tumblr, it used to be extremely difficult to find all of the actual commentary on a post. Nowadays, it's far easier, but you still have to scroll chronologically, and multiple versions of a post with a long chain of commentary may be much more divorced from each other than what would happen in a LJ comments section.

--

But could we use Tumblr pretty much how we used LJ?

We could.

I do.

--

The key things that people tend to miss about LJ, aside from the younger and more excited version of themselves or the friends they've lost since then, are:

Heavily text-based

It may sound odd on the modern internet, but there are a lot of people whose brains don't like or handle an image-heavy site well. They were everywhere in SF book fandom. They were everywhere on the early internet. Today, they're hanging out on Dreamwidth and still going to their SF cons. They're usually not on Tumblr.

You could follow the discussion

Threaded comments help, but a lot of it is about having some place you can check for updates. It wasn't actually that easy to follow big LJ discussions unless you were subscribed to comments and reading along as things were happening instead of coming along after the entire mass of comments had been left.

The tone of the discussion is intellectual and one's enemies are "idiots", not "problematic"

All this requires is a penchant for longwindedness and an itchy blocking finger to remove anyone slinging ad hominems from the comments section.

On tumblr, it's as simple as conversations happening in the replies on a popular account and that person not tolerating suibaiting and threats.

(And make no mistake, a lot of LJ discussion was in the comments on popular accounts, not spread equally between everyone's.)

It does require that multiple people like that tone and want to engage in that way, but lots of people do want to.

--

These days, I interact with tumblr by checking my askbox and reading my activity page. The vast, vast majority of my posts are ones where I'm the OP, so if I block someone, they're booted from the discussion entirely.

For me... yeah, Tumblr functions almost exactly like LJ.

Also like LJ, while I'm hosting the conversation, if you hang around, you'll see the same people again and again in the comments. They may or may not also host that kind of conversation in their space, and there's a larger pool of lurkers who have some notion of which people count as regulars. Other people are watching from the shadows, enjoying or deriding the takes of the usual crowd.

People presumably do like reading my lengthy commentary or they wouldn't be here, but my tumblr wouldn't be popular like this without a healthy pool of other people who chime in regularly. It's not just that there are more people: it's that you see the same people over time. There's a bit more sense of place and community than on some parts of the internet.

--

So, in my opinion, the failure to just recreate LJ fandom on Tumblr was a skill issue.

Threaded comments were great, but LJ culture came from mailing lists, and mailing lists had the same issue as tumblr with the diverging threads.

We solved that back then by clipping out only the parts we wanted to respond to (you'd write "snip" around the quotation to show it was incomplete). We solved the smaller LJ issue by linking to other posts we were referencing and doing discussion link roundups. We solve it on tumblr by, again, linking to what we're talking about and even quoting multiple reblog chains in our own reblog of just one chain.

--

Tumblr's technical features and even general crap-ness aren't really the problem. 90s and early 00s sites regularly went down for periods of time unthinkable today.

The missing piece is people.

When one is in an active fandom with others who curate or with friends who let one know what's up, a site with imperfect features is easy to figure out and retrofit for fandom's needs. When one already feels out of touch and is between fannish passions—or at least fannish passions anyone else cares about—seeing the potential in a new site is hard.

--

Threaded comments are different and better.

LJ's built-in way to see everyone's blog in your own style was better. The automatic timestamps and the ease of seeing a paginated archive of an entire blog was better than tumblr's endless scroll and lack of clear date labeling. But some of that can be fixed with xkit or knowing your way around tumblr well.

A lot of it is nostalgia for the lj era and a refusal to take the time to figure out how to use tumblr in an oldschool internet way.

--

So by all means, people, weigh in about what made LJ great or how the culture felt at the time...

But if I see one more god damn response going "You can't have a conversation on tumblr!" in reply to my tumblr, which contains nothing but conversation, I am coming for you.

[ridiasfangirlings]

How to buy K merch in the Year 2024

I got several asks about this so rather than do each individually, I’ve decided to just make one big How to Buy K Merch in the Year 2024 post. I’m going to skip over the more obvious western sites like eBay and focus more on Japanese sites here. Because there hasn’t been much new K merch in some time keep in mind that most of what you will be looking for is secondhand, which means availability will vary.

Shopping Services

For some of these sites you will need a shopping service, so we’ll start there. This is by no means a comprehensive list of available shopping services, just ones I’ve used and liked. 

FromJapan - This one is very straightforward — copy and paste the url of the item you want into their search bar. For anything in certain sites like Rakuten this will pull up a page that will give you the item and its price in your currency and you can just click add to cart. For other sites you may need to request a price quote, there’s a small form to fill out and they’ll get back to you on if they can order it. Timing depends on when you make the request. The nice thing about FromJapan is they will hold items for you for 45 days, so you can collect multiple purchases from multiple sites over time and have them all shipped at once. The bad side is that after 45 days they will discard your items, so keep an eye on when your oldest item arrived (you can see how long it’s been at their warehouse on your account page, and they will email you as the deadline gets close too).

Treasure Japan - Treasure Japan is a much smaller service than the others on this list but also the one I’ve used the longest. Being a smaller service means they tend to be more able to purchase items that might have seller restrictions, particularly from places like Mercari. Some listings when pasted into other shopping service sites will have a ‘cannot purchase from this seller’ warning, because some sellers don’t want to deal with shopping services. I haven’t had much trouble with this merchandise-wise, but when I’ve run into it with j-fashion Treasure Japan has been able to order when the bigger services couldn’t. Their site is set up so you will input different sites in different sections, there’s one for auction, one for ‘flea market’ (this will be places like Mercari) and one for shopping sites. 

Buyee/Tenso - Buyee is a shopping service, Tenso is a forwarding service. They’re owned by the same parent company but are separate sites and you’ll need a separate account for each. Buyee is directly integrated with some sites like Mercari and Yahoo Japan, you can put in the url into their search bar and get a listing that you can buy immediately. Like FromJapan, any sites outside of the ones they’re integrated into will require you to request a quote (I found this more difficult with Buyee than FromJapan, personally) and they will sometimes be unable to purchase items. They will hold your items for 30 days at no charge, and you can request to consolidate packages for shipping.

Tenso, as I said above, is a forwarding service and somewhat more complicated. Basically when you sign up they will give you a Japanese address (presumably one of their warehouses) and you can then buy directly from Japanese websites, inputting the address you were given in the address field and paying with your own credit card. The items will be shipped to Tenso and from there you can have them sent to you. Obviously this is more complicated than a shopping service. I’ve used it mainly for things that didn’t involve an item being shipped (this is how I signed up for Fan Clan back in the day, for example, though my lottery goods were sent via Tenso too) or sites that require you to sign up to purchase from. I wouldn’t recommend it for any marketplace type site unless you’re fluent in Japanese, since sellers on those sites may try to communicate with you. 

Stores 

AmiAmi (no shopping service needed) - AmiAmi is mainly for new goods but I’ll mention it here anyway, in case K ever gets more merch. AmiAmi usually sells out on preorders, you place your order and they will let you know when the item arrives. You pay at that time. They do sometimes get used merch though so you can keep an eye out there, sometimes there will be decent deals on items that only have small flaws like the box being damaged. 

Amazon Japan (may or may not need a shopping service) - Did you know overseas people can buy from Amazon Japan? You do now! You will need to make a new account, even if you have an Amazon account in your country. Whether you need a shopping service or not depends on the item. Anything sold directly by the company will likely not need a shopping service — the majority of my K manga and the stage plays were all bought directly from here, and when I was supplying raws for Countdown and LSW I was buying the magazines from here as well (I’ve also used it for Pokémon plushies and sewing books). If the item is being sold by a third party seller though you will likely need a shopping service. The site will tell you when you try to check out.

Surugaya EN (no shopping service required)/ Surugaya JP (shopping service required) - This is a secondhand shop and a great place to find merch. The main difference between the English site and the Japanese one is that the Japanese site has a larger selection (particularly doujinshi, and even more particularly spicy doujinshi). The English site periodically has free shipping sales so keep an eye out. Surugaya also has physical stores and will sometimes share merch between the store and the site so keep that in mind too, I have had items canceled before because they sold out in store and the listing hadn’t been updated yet.

Mandarake (no shopping service needed) - Another secondhand shop similar to Surugaya. I have not actually purchased from them myself and am not fond of their interface but I know people who have bought things from here. Like Surugaya they share stock with physical stores so something you want can sell out even after you’ve purchased. 

Lashinbang (shoppng service required) - More secondhand shops. Lashinbang is rather small though so they don't always have much stuff, at least not for K.

CDJapan (no shopping service needed) - This is also better for new merch than secondhand but still worth a mention. I’ve found their prices tend to be worse than a lot of other stores though, this is more of a last resort for me.

Otaku Republic/Goods Republic (no shopping service needed) - Otaku sells doujinshi, Goods sells merch. The main draw is that these two are easy to search if you’re uncomfortable dealing with Japanese sites. I haven’t used them in quite a while but when I was buying from them they would send me free gifts with every purchase (my S4 cup came from them, as well as a bunch of clear file folders that I didn’t take pictures of because they’re being used as sewing pattern storage right now). The main downside is that while shipping is free over $50 they massively mark up the base prices to make up for it. I eventually stopped using this site because the shopping service was cheaper even with shipping and fees, you are paying for convenience. A lot of their ‘inventory’ is just listings from other sites including Surugaya, so check there first.

GoraShop (shopping service required) - This is Gora’s direct bookshop! They only have the season novelizations and Idol K books right now, as well as some Ayaka stuff. 

Kinkurido (shopping service required) - This is the King Amusement Creative shop. All Memories was sold through this shop but is currently sold out, if they ever restock Gora will likely announce it on their Twitter. They do have some other small K goods available, including some CDs and artbooks (and Sarumi body pillows). 

Marketplaces

Mercari Japan (Shopping service needed) - If you’ve ever used the English version of Mercari, here it is again but Japanese edition. You can find a lot of good used pieces here but prices are set by the individual seller so be wary of overpaying the first thing you find. Be sure to use a translator to look at the description in case you're buying a damaged item. Sometimes shopping services can try to negotiate the prices if you ask. 

Yahoo Japan Auctions (shopping service needed) - Similarly as above, if you’re familiar with eBay this is fundamentally the same thing. Some shopping services will allow you to place last minute ‘sniper’ bids, and most will let you set a maximum bid and keep bidding on your behalf until that max is reached. 

Shopping tips and things to know

The good news about buying from Japan right now: the yen is weak, so you can get deals! In the US, anyway. This may depend on your country so if you’re unsure on the exchange rate you can google “[your country’s currency] to yen exchange rate” and it should give you an approximate.

The bad news: shipping is killer. Keep that in mind, especially if you’re buying heavy items like bags or shoes (yes, K has those, there are several SuperGroupies collabs. If you want a S4 purse or Yata Misaki shoes keep in mind you will probably be paying through the nose for shipping). For the European types, you may have additional taxes too so be aware of your country’s import laws. Ditto when it comes to customs. For my fellow Americans, I have never had a customs issue even when buying fairly pricey dresses so you’re probably okay on that end but I can’t speak for other countries. 

Character tax is real. Basically, more popular characters will likely have more expensive merch because there’s more demand — for example, Fushimi and Yata merch tends to be more expensive than, say, Silvers merch. Keychains and pins are usually cheaper than larger items like figures and standees either way though. 

Most of the Japanese sites will need to be searched in Japanese. For character names, I suggest going to the K wiki and grabbing your favorite character’s name in kanji and using that to search. For pairings, while marketplace sites like Mercari may have listings under the pairing name sites like Suruga will use the two individual character names so you’ll want to search under that. If your browser doesn’t have an add on to translate that’s very helpful to grab in order to make your experience easier. For K itself, in general this is really the downside of having a favorite series with a one letter title. However, using ‘Missing Kings,’ ‘Return of Kings’ or ‘Seven Stories’ can be helpful here but will likely mostly turn up merch made for that specific season/movie. 

If you want to look up something specific like a plush but don't know the Japanese word for it, Jisho can be helpful. Look up the kanji for the word you want and then copy-paste into your search. The downside is sometimes there are multiple words for the same thing or a word may be in kanji but people use the hiragana more often and you won't know, but it should get you on the right path to start.

On buying spicier goods: most shopping services have it in their terms that they will not buy adult items. In practice, however, this depends. I've had FromJapan refuse to buy perfectly tame G-rated doujinshi. Treasure Japan has in their terms that they won't ship adult items but like 70% of my doujinshi collection was purchased through them, with an R18 Sarumi book purchased as recently as last year. I've heard Buyee also states that they won't ship adult items but it's hit or miss if they turn down your order, and if you buy directly using Tenso they likely won't even open your package. Keep your country's laws regarding importing in mind, especially if you think customs might be likely to poke around in your package. Don't get in legal trouble just for spicy drawings.

Buying secondhand is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes it takes a while for what you want to show up, so just keep looking! When I was collecting my nui set I literally bookmarked the search for “K ぬい” (nui) on Mercari and checked every day or so, which may be more obsessive than you want but it does get the job done (I was molded in the merch search mines of trying to find lolita dresses that haven’t been sold for 10 years, so I’m used to this kind of thing). If you keep looking you may even find things you didn't know you needed, like this Sarumi bedsheet I forgot to add into my collection post.

Happy hunting!

[myrfing]

hi!!! sorry this might be a bit of an odd ask, but i saw that you get some comms from the crepe site (the eating gif one is sooooo cute) and i wanted to ask what the process was like to use that site to order commissions? is knowledge of korean needed? is it like skeb where you can enter comm details in english and it auto translates it for the artist? thank you for your time!

HI not odd at all! I hope more people use crepe, there's many talented artists on there. There is no auto-translate like on skeb. I run everything through the DeepL translator or good old google translate. I also use the Simple Translate extension for Firefox to make this a lot easier. I have 0 knowledge of Korean so I like to double check back and forth & try to use simple, straightforward phrases. Thankfully the website is also designed pretty intuitively, it's just a lot double checking on my end :J...

I pay via stocking up on Points via Paypal and use that to pay artists. In short: you select a commission type from the artist's page, fill out and send in their request form (it seems to be customizable on their end so they differ between artists), and if they accept your commission, they will invoice you via the site's chat system. They will also likely ask any questions they have about your request in here. Once the site confirms your payment, then it's relayed to them to begin working on your commission. Some artists offer check sketch, etc., stages that are facilitated by the site in the same chat, some don't. When they finish, the site will notify you via email & that chat thread, you receive the file, review it, and confirm the completion. At that point, no changes can be made, and the transaction is complete.

Here's a shitty mspaint guide:

To sign up via email:

Follow this link. Enter your email and hit the link to send an authentication email.

2. In the email from crepe, hit the verify button.

3. Fill out your new credentials, then hit the create account button. You can review the terms & services via the subtitle link.

4. This next page asks you what your account is for. The left box = I'm here to commission artists. The right box = I'm here to take commissions as an artist. Make sure the left box is selected and hit next. (Text below informs you you can swap to an artist account later, and artists can commission from other artists)

5. It then scrolls you to the option to verify your identity. This lets you communicate via kakaotalk, adds a layer of security, and verifies your age for 18+ commissions, but unless you have some form of S. Korean ID, hit "I want to do it later". Then hit the "I don't want to verify now" option again on the confirmation popup. I'll add on to this post on how to verify via passport as an overseas user, but it's not necessary unless you want to get hole & pole commissions.

6. Account creation complete :~)! the button just takes you to the front page which displays random commissions you can browse.

To commission an artist:

I'll use the artist who did the snacking animation for me as an example! Say you find an artist you really like, and you go on their page. Here's an overview.

Let's say I click on the top one. It will take me to this page. Scroll down and review all the information and terms about this particular commission type. Artists will tell you what you get, what they will and won't draw, pricing caveats, what you're allowed to do with the commission, and whatever other pertinent info here.

2. Once you've reviewed everything, scroll back up and hit apply. The price is a range; artists will tend to charge more for high detail/addons!

3. You will be taken to their application form. Again, this is different for each artist, and you're gonna need to carefully fill it out case-by-case. Once you've filled out everything required, scroll all the way down and the submit button should no longer be greyed out. It's purple like all the buttons so far. Hit that, and it will show you your completed application and send it to the artist.

4. At this point, you wait for them to either accept or deny your commission. Here's an overview of your header bar menu, click on your icon to access it. You can check commission progress history, the application you submitted, and your messages here. Your messages are where you're going to be alerted if the artist accepts or not, it will have a notif mark. You can also stock up on points, but you can also do that when they invoice you.

5. Once the artist accepts, you'll get a message. It's in the messages where you'll deal with all communication and the procession of your commission. If you're not completing your steps (i.e. paying, checking the sketches) by hitting the purple buttons, the commission can't continue. These buttons will sometimes take you to different pages, i.e. charging points for the invoice, to the comm timeline page to receive your files and confirm steps...U Must play it by ear here and translate on your own because I'd need an ongoing commission to show you & I'm on ice soup week right now

But that's pretty much it! Some things:

I usually begin my applications with a blurb specifying I'm using a translator as an overseas customer in case they are not comfortable working with the language barrier or I start saying some crazy ass mistranslated shit to them. Ex: 안��하세요! 저는 기계 번역을 사용하는 해외 고객입니다. 번역이 제대로 되지 않은 텍스트에 대해 사과드립니다. 해외 고객은 받지 않는지 알려주세요.

I tried asking if an artist takes tips once, but there's no built-in system for it and Paypal seems to be the only avenue for it, which I think the site disallows you from sharing (?) to keep transactions moderated by the site. They said "don't worry about it", but I dunno if this is universal

Try to not leave descriptions in your ref images, it's hard to read in your application. Enter it as text in the boxes.

I leave a review once per artist within a month, I am nooot sure about the etiquette about leaving multiple reviews. I don't think it would hurt but uhhh I haven't checked

"Omakase" = artist's choice for most of the image composition. You can still give refs of course and make a simple request, but this means you can't nitpick/have total control over what the artist draws.

"Water level" = NSFW 18+ stuff. I habe no idea what a better translation for the term is yahoo mario water level

👍 enjoy your beautofial art

[mariacallous]

When Microsoft named its new Windows feature Recall, the company intended the word to refer to a kind of perfect, AI-enabled memory for your device. Today, the other, unintended definition of “recall”—a company's admission that a product is too dangerous or defective to be left on the market in its current form—seems more appropriate.

On Friday, Microsoft announced that it would be making multiple dramatic changes to its rollout of its Recall feature, making it an opt-in feature in the Copilot+ compatible versions of Windows where it had previously been turned on by default, and introducing new security measures designed to better keep data encrypted and require authentication to access Recall's stored data.

“We are updating the set-up experience of Copilot+ PCs to give people a clearer choice to opt-in to saving snapshots using Recall,” reads a blog post from Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Windows and devices. “If you don’t proactively choose to turn it on, it will be off by default.”

The changes come amid a mounting barrage of criticism from the security and privacy community, which has described Recall—which silently stores a screenshot of the user's activity every five seconds as fodder for AI analysis—as a gift to hackers: essentially unrequested, preinstalled spyware built into new Windows computers.

In the preview versions of Recall, that screenshot data, complete with the user's every bank login, password, and porn site visit would have been indefinitely collected on the user's machine by default. And though that highly sensitive data is stored locally on the user's machine and not uploaded to the cloud, cybersecurity experts have warned that it all remains accessible to any hacker who so much as gains a temporary foothold on a user's Recall-enabled device, giving them a long-term panopticon view of the victim's digital life.

"It makes your security very fragile,” as Dave Aitel, a former NSA hacker and founder of security firm Immunity, described it—more charitably than some others—to WIRED earlier this week. “Anyone who penetrates your computer for even a second can get your whole history. Which is not something people want.”

In addition to making Recall an opt-in feature, Microsoft’s Davuluri also writes that the company will make changes to better safeguard the data Recall collects and more closely police who can turn it on, requiring that users prove their identity via its Microsoft Hello authentication function any time they either enable Recall or access its data, which can require a PIN or biometric check of the user’s face or thumbprint. Davuluri says Recall’s data will remain encrypted in storage until the user authenticates.

All of that is a “great improvement,” says Jake Williams, another former NSA hacker who now serves as VP of R&D at the cybersecurity consultancy Hunter Strategy, where he says he's been asked by some of the firm's clients to test Recall's security before they add Microsoft devices that use it to their networks. But Williams still sees serious risks in Recall, even in its latest form.

Many users will turn on Recall, he points out, partly due to Microsoft’s high-profile marketing of the feature. And when they do, they’ll still face plenty of unresolved privacy problems, from domestic abusers that often demand partners give up their PINs to subpoenas or lawsuits that compel them to turn over their historical data. “Satya Nadella has been out there talking about how this is a game changer and the solution to all problems,” Williams says, referring to Microsoft's CEO. “If customers turn it on, there’s still a huge threat of legal discovery. I can’t imagine a corporate legal team that’s ready to accept the risk of all of a user’s actions being turned over in discovery.”

For Microsoft, the Recall rollback comes in the midst of an embarrassing string of cybersecurity incidents and breaches—including a leak of terabytes of its customers' data and a shocking penetration of government email accounts enabled by a cascading series of Microsoft security slipups—that have grown so problematic as to become a sticking point given its uniquely close relationship with the US government.

Those scandals have escalated to the degree that Microsoft's Nadella issued a memo just last month declaring that Microsoft would make security its first priority in any business decision. “If you’re faced with the trade-off between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security,” Nadella's memo read (emphasis his). “In some cases, this will mean prioritizing security above other things we do, such as releasing new features or providing ongoing support for legacy systems.”

By all appearances, Microsoft's rollout of Recall—even after today's announcement—displays the opposite approach, and one that seems more in line with business as usual in Redmond: Announce a feature, get pummeled for its glaring security failures, then belatedly scramble to control the damage.

[ty-bayonet-betteridge]

You have Undertale OCs? 👀👀 Tell me more

HI SO. this is from an au where i indulge myself in my ficwriter nature. and make everybody alive. chara never does their plan so they never die so asriel never dies either so asgore never declares war on humanity. and hten i squash the timeline together so all the fallen humans fall within a couple dozen years of each other instead of over probably hundreds of years like they probably do in canon.

Constance AKA Connie, the purple/Perseverance-souled human. they fell at 14 years old and are now 48. considers themself an anthropologist despite no formal training, and has taken particular interest in the role of puzzles in monster society. acts as caretaker of the ruins, viewing it as an important historical site. as seen as they saw a single gray hair they dyed all of it that color so they could tell people they were Mature and Sophisticated now. first person to discover Frisk when they fell, has Zero childrearing instinct so instead of treating them like their kid immediately started treating them as a friend, confidante, and research partner.

Dinah, the yellow/Justice-souled human. she fell at 13 years old and is now 36. she was abused and is very distrustful to humans because of this + experiences with Drew (wait a bit and you'll see.) watches all humans who fall very very Very closely waiting for them to step out of line. one of only four members of the Underground's Royal Guard alongside Undyne, Dogamy, and Dogaressa. Crops up multiple times over Frisk's journey and essentially takes the role of a more openly judgemental Sans. that's a tattoo, not a real scar, don't ask her about it she sort of regrets it. has trouble opening up with new people and only has a few close friends in the Underground.

Emmett, the blue/Integrity-souled human. fell at 11 years old, is now 30. trans man, ran away from home while still in the closet to escape parents he hated. used to do ballet, hates it now but still loves other forms of dance. Mettaton is his best friend in the underground, but he's very social in general. wants desperately to see his brother Drew again, but Drew's been avoiding him. they dont have hormones in the underground so hes transitioning via magic and everyone is very, Very curious how thats going to turn out.

Andrew (Drew for short), the orange/Bravery-souled human. he fell at 17 and is now 35. came to Mt. Ebbott searching for his sister Emily, who ran away and went missing there a year ago, and upon seeing monsterkind was openly distrustful and hostile to them. in fact, he lashed out so strongly while looking for Emily that he injured several monsters and killed Dogamy's mother. Dinah was able to apprehend him in Snowdin, but one of the warning shots she fired struck a block of ice, creating shrapnel that took his eye. he was lucky the wound wasn't worse. he now lives in Waterfall, doing rehabilitative community service under the watchful and distrustful eye of Undyne. there's 12 years left on his sentence. he and Dinah refuse to speak to each other. he regrets what happened deeply, and doesn't want to talk to Emmett because he doesn't think he deserves for Emmett to forgive him. in general, avoids talking to people, only speaking as required to the people involved in rehabilitating him, though Ndidi and Aliza have made some progress in getting him to accept their friendship.

Ndidi, the light blue/Patience-souled human. they fell at 6 years old and are now 16. Nigerian mother, Irish-American father. transfeminine, transitioned socially but no interest in medical transition at the moment. the Underground's absolute DARLING, beloved by all. raised by Toriel and Asgore (who had retired and left Chara and Asriel to rule the kingdom by the time she fell.) this makes the rulers of the Underground her siblings, a privilege she exploits shamelessly, alongside their privilege of being adorable. heard about Drew and his history when she was 7 and decided she would be the one to rehabilitate him. kept showing up and pestering him and he couldn't ignore her because she's a LITERAL CHILD, and because she kept showing up he Sort Of Also Raised Her. if pressed about it both of them would say their relationship these days is purely platonic but it definitely at least USED to be familial in some way.

Aliza, the green/Kindness-souled human. she fell at 13 years old and is currently 21. Ashkenazi Jewish ethnically, reform religiously. natural-born leader and unreasonably good cook. got lost and fell into the Underground in the few days between her 13th birthday and when her bat mitzvah service was supposed to happen and cries when she thinks about what her family must think, so she tries not to think about it. did eventually have a bat mitzvah service, though there isnt a Torah anywhere in the Underground so she had to improvise somewhat. one of Alphys's only friends and visits her frequently (because she worries about her mental health (with good reason!!!)). wore Drew down with various gifts of food until he accepted her friendship.

also heres adult Chara. fell at 8, is now 46. Ruler of the Underground. not as openly anti-human as in canon, but still doesn't exactly trust them and wants to see any new humans that fall before allowing them to live in the Underground. thinks Drew shouldve been given the death penalty, but Asriel talked them down. hasnt voiced this to anyone, but if a human ever died in the Underground they would want a monster to take their soul, cross the Barrier, and take six more souls from "deserving" humans in order to break the Barrier.

[sanctus-ingenium]

answering your asks vol 3

Full context for the Inprnt issue can be found here on this post , tl;dr my shop is closed until I receive my payments from inprnt in a timely manner and essentially won't reopen unless they clean up their act. Regarding the money they owe me outlined in that post, I still have not received it and on Friday I sent a support ticket in to inprnt demanding they send it soon. Haven't heard back since. I think where Inprnt is concerned, it's worth mentioning that they no longer send promotional emails (which used to be a regular occurrence) and there seems to be a complete lack of communication and the only thing about the site that regularly updates is the sale banner (ending soon!!! 🙄)

So honestly I'm of the opinion that the print on demand bubble has burst and that this method of selling art was a very short-lived feature of an internet that doesn't exist anymore. Think about it - I make money on a sale after having spent nothing on promotion, on materials, on postage fees, etc. It's so easy to game the system using bots or stolen art to essentially print free money that I'm shocked it even lasted as long as it did. Maybe I'm wrong but I won't tie myself to another print on demand service that's just going to pull the same old shit redbubble and inprnt have done this year, or one that requires me to constantly promo it like some kind of influencer on instagram or tiktok or whatever.

Will prints come back? I hope so. I am looking into local printing shops and considering the feasibility of handling the process myself but you must understand that if I do that, the price will rise. I won't have the ability to run constant discounts or eat a loss if I order 20 prints and only 7 sell. It is what it is.

And the actual worldbuilding asks below the cut lol:

(referring to this post)

Only if you want to! I've had a few people send me cool sketches and stuff via dms and it's always nice to see but you really shouldn't feel pressured to. After all it's not like I post my rough practice here lol (that goes on patreon ;)

-

I'm going to be SO real with you right now - I did not consider that at all. However I do know that tinting flames with various chemical compounds was a huge part of alchemy, part of the whole flashy show of it to impress the layperson. So sure, I bet they do throw in copper sulfate or various other chemicals to produce the coloured flames - these make a huge impression on witnesses who might not even have imagined such a thing possible, and also help identify a holy beast at a distance on a battlefield choked with smoke and dive-bombing serpents.

Fun fact, the flames come from the furnace wells, right. Each well is connected to specific systems, where it can most efficiently deliver fuel to the heart and onwards. So it is possible to 'read' the pattern of flame bursts from the furnace slits - they are not constant, but there'll be one every few seconds based on when the furnace tenders excite each well. You can tell at a distance, for example, that Leun is readying an acid spray, or rerouting power to the rear legs for a leap, or even what direction he's turning. It all runs at a slight delay, which is why the crew inside has to be SO closely coordinated.

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@absolutely-flabbergasted Knights are allowed to reproduce but not marry, because it's sort of accepted theory that blood relatives of a knight will be 'accepted' by the knight's beast when the time comes. This is not true but it means that sometimes the knight's apprentices are their own children. The other parent is mostly another member of the church and usually not identified or considered important (unless they're a smith...). There are usually a decent number of known knight bastards running about.

Smiths are not allowed to have families or marry, because their first devotion should be to their art or their beast if they are assigned to one. If one tries, the kids are taken away, anonymised with new names, and put into the pool of potential novices in some other stable. Now, in reality some stables or churches are just not that strict and have a slightly different culture, so there's often an Open Secret about some master smith's illegitimate family or a priest's secret mistress. This is tolerated by the authorities to a certain degree but if it becomes too rampant there'll usually be a change of management and some sort of crackdown.

Families who give up their second born cannot stay in contact, but if the child becomes successful in some way (say, if the child becomes a knight) the families are sent tokens symbolising this which can be placed in the family/village shrine. This can be a huge point of pride, with some people faking the tokens just so that they can show off about their successful kids that are totally knight apprentices.

The reason they don't get to stay in touch with their children is due to the secretive nature of the church and its arts. The church has been at war with the neighbouring nations for a long time and only its mastery of engine work has kept it afloat, and nobody wants these secrets to fall into enemy hands. Particularly if your kid goes on to become a scribe, which is if anything an even more closely guarded profession than that of a knight (those engine diagrams don't draw themselves). The laity are usually quite devout and understanding of this. If they aren't, they might attempt to find their child, often without success.

If you want your church kid back: it depends. If you can prove to the church authorities that you need your child's labour to stay afloat or to carry on the family line, they might take that into consideration. Of course, the only children that return are the likes of sweepers, cleaners, altar boys, pages, etc. Nobody who might have witnessed any Secrets. The church is best understood as being in the middle of a cold war for the past few centuries (and sometimes just regular war) so it's far more closely guarded.

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@kicks-tiktaalik-back-into-water

It's not likely. Even if the ventilation system worked perfectly, he is still from an older generation of holy beasts and no longer represents the pinnacle of the technology. Leun might have a less sophisticated ventilation system but everything else about him is head and shoulders more advanced - including the crew number he can take on. Leun only requires a single enginesmith in the heart, for example. This is because there's more automation of his systems, and he can actually manage to walk home from battle without anybody inside at all, just based on the knight's input (because the throne chamber is open to the air the knights are technically not inside the beasts). It's not preferable (it can damage the systems) but it is a huge bonus.

Think about how in the early days of commercial aviation, there could be as many as eight people working on the flight deck. In the 60s, a 3-person crew was standard; captain, first officer, and flight engineer. Today there are only two pilots needed. This is down to increased automation, and it means that it is cheaper to fly the plane - the airline has to hire fewer pilots, 'flight engineer' is a nonexistent role these days, and that means you need to train fewer people, have fewer people on call, feed fewer people etc etc. It is cheaper for the church to run Leun than it is to run Krokodilos and even though the church is wealthy, the money and resources are not infinite. Especially now, in times of plague. Leun, for all everybody sings his praises, is basically a reskinned Pantera with better systems - again, cutting costs, because now we can get all of Pantera's old enginesmiths to work on him instead of having to train up new ones on a brand new and wholly unique platform. It's as much a matter of logistics as it is innovation and technology.

[droctaviolovecraft]

"I thought prostitution was the oldest profession in the world."

ANM-566 - "God of War"

Danger Level: Helper 🔵 | Uncontained ❌️

Responsible Researcher: The Eleven Counselors

Type of Anomaly: Humanoid, political, historical

Type of Damage: Military, global, manipulative

Confinement: ANM-566-US is to be housed in a standard humanoid containment cell at Site-██. The cell is to be furnished with amenities resembling those of a 1980s-era office, including a replica of the Oval Office desk and décor. ANM-566 has shown cooperative behavior, and thus is allowed supervised recreational activities, including access to classic American films, 1980s news archives, and board games.

Two armed guards must be stationed outside ANM-566 containment cell at all times, with a third guard monitoring the interior via camera feed. Interaction with ANM-566 is to be conducted with caution; any discussions about political matters or current military conflicts must be avoided to prevent unintended activation of its anomalous effects. If ANM-566 begins to discuss or joke about instigating conflict, staff should redirect the conversation to safe topics, such as classic movies or jelly beans (a favorite of ANM-566).

Description: ANM-566-US is an anomalous entity that visually resembles former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, appearing as he did in the early 1980s. ANM-566 speaks with a distinctive tone and mannerisms that closely match those of Reagan during his time in office. The entity is capable of making humorous quips and jokes, often about politics, war, or the 1980s. Despite these traits, ANM-566-US exhibits a surprisingly deep understanding of modern geopolitical issues, suggesting an awareness beyond that of its physical appearance.

ANM-566 primary anomalous ability manifests when it discusses, suggests, or jokes about instigating military conflicts or escalating existing disputes. These comments, regardless of how offhand or humorous they may seem, have a statistically significant correlation with the outbreak of war or significant escalation in tensions within a week of the comment. The severity and location of the conflict appear to be influenced by the specifics of ANM-566 statements. For example:

Incident 566-01: On ██/██/20██, during a conversation with Dr. ██████, Ronald remarked, "You know, if I were in charge today, I'd probably just send a little fleet to remind the South China Sea who's boss." Within three days, tensions between the U.S. and China escalated, leading to a series of naval encounters in the South China Sea.

Incident 566-05: During an interview with Researcher ██████, ANM-566 joked, "Well, if they won't listen, I guess we could always dust off those old nukes and give the Cold War a reboot." Within four days, an international dispute over nuclear arms control agreements flared up, leading to several countries announcing intentions to expand their nuclear arsenals.

ANM-566-US ability does not appear to require direct interaction with political leaders or access to communications technology. The entity's statements alone seem sufficient to influence events, suggesting that its anomalous properties are not constrained by traditional cause-and-effect mechanisms.

Addendum 566-A: Psychological Evaluation

ANM-566 exhibits a humorous and charismatic personality, frequently making jokes and telling stories about "his" time as President of the United States. It seems to possess a genuine fondness for humor and nostalgia, particularly for the 1980s era. Despite this, there is evidence that ANM-566-US may be aware of its anomalous properties, as it occasionally makes self-referential remarks about "stirring up trouble" or "making history."

When asked directly about its ability to influence conflicts, ANM-566 typically deflects with humor. In one instance, when questioned by Dr. █████ about whether it had any control over its anomalous properties, ANM-566 replied, "Control? Well, I always said, 'Trust, but verify.' But I suppose it's more of a 'joke, but escalate' situation with me."

Addendum 566-B: Excerpt Interview Log 566-13

Interview conducted by Dr. ███████

> Dr. ███████: Good morning, Mr. Ronald Reagan. How are you today?

> ANM-566: Oh, I'm just dandy, doc! You know, I've been thinking about starting a new war. I've got my eye on… oh, what’s the country of the month?

> Dr. ███████: That’s precisely why I wanted to speak with you. We’ve noticed a pattern where your jokes about international conflicts seem to… well, come true.

> ANM-566: (Chuckles) You're giving me too much credit, doc. I just like to stir the pot a bit, keep things interesting. Back in my day, we didn't start wars. We just gave them a little nudge.

> Dr. ███████: It’s more than just a nudge, Reagan. Is there any way you can—

> ANM-566: (Interrupts) Oh come now, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud. You gotta have some fun with these things. Besides, what's the harm in a little saber-rattling? Keeps everybody on their toes.

Note: Following this interview, ANM-566 containment procedures were revised to limit topics of conversation. Staff are advised to avoid any mention of current international conflicts or military operations.

Addendum 566-C: Discovery

ANM-566 was discovered following a string of unusual geopolitical events in early 20██, which analysts traced back to comments made during a previously unknown radio broadcast originating from a decommissioned military bunker in ██████, California. The broadcast consisted of ANM-566 voice discussing hypothetical military scenarios, each of which subsequently unfolded within days.

Institute MOTHRA agents located ANM-566 at the bunker, where it appeared to be hosting a radio show. The equipment was outdated and non-functional by conventional standards, yet ANM-566-US seemed to broadcast effortlessly. When confronted, ANM-566 greeted the agents with, "Well, looks like my ratings finally caught up to me. Do I get a bigger studio, or is this the part where you folks take me to your secret underground base?"

Addendum 566-D: Experiment Logs

To better understand the limits and mechanics of ANM-566 abilities, controlled tests were conducted where ANM-566 was asked to comment on fictional geopolitical scenarios. In every case, conflicts did not manifest, suggesting ANM-566 abilities only affect real-world situations with pre-existing tensions.

Test 566-12: ANM-566 was asked to comment on a fictional country named "Norfalia" allegedly building nuclear weapons. ANM-566 quipped, "Well, if Norfalia wants to play with the big boys, they better have a big stick." No incidents were reported, and Norfalia does not exist.

Test 566-18: ANM-566 joked about "invading Atlantis," remarking, "Well, I always wanted a beachfront property." No anomalous effects occurred.

Test 566-21:

Objective: To determine whether ANM-566 influence extends to historical scenarios. ANM-566 was informed of a "newly discovered" conflict in ancient history involving the fictional "Kingdom of Phandalin," which was allegedly preparing to attack "the Empire of Zog."

Result: AMM-566 chuckled and said, "Well, if Phandalin wants to pick a fight with Zog, they better have a good battle plan. Maybe hire some mercenaries while they're at it." No historical evidence of any conflict involving Phandalin and Zog surfaced, suggesting that ANM-566 cannot retroactively affect history.

Test 566-23:

Objective: To test ANM-566 influence over hypothetical extraterrestrial conflicts. ANM-566 was asked what it would do if a fleet of alien ships approached Earth, claiming to be from the "Andromedan Federation."

Result: ANM-566 grinned and said, "Well, I'd just invite them over for a summit, then slip a few jelly beans into their fuel tanks to see what happens. Who knows, maybe they'd take a liking to Earth and declare a friendly invasion." No extraterrestrial contact occurred following the experiment, suggesting ANM-566 influence is limited to Earth-based events.

Test 566-25:

Objective: To understand the specific limits of ANM-566 war-inducing abilities by involving peaceful nations. ANM-566 was asked for its thoughts on "MOTHRA Peace Initiative," a fictional proposal aimed at convincing the countries of Norway and Switzerland to go to war over control of the world's best chocolate.

Result: ANM-566 laughed and said, "Well, that’s one sweet conflict. But let’s face it, even if Norway and Switzerland did go to war, the worst that would happen is a snowball fight." No evidence of heightened tensions appeared between Norway and Switzerland, indicating ANM-566 influence may require pre-existing political tensions.

Test 566-28:

Objective: To determine if ANM-566 can influence non-state actors. ANM-566 was asked about a fictitious terrorist organization called "The Purple Dragon Brigade" supposedly planning a major attack.

Result: ANM-566 leaned back and said, "Well, if these Purple Dragons want to cause trouble, I'd just send in a few knights to slay them. Problem solved." No incidents involving an organization with that name occurred, reinforcing the hypothesis that ANM-566 abilities are limited to influencing recognized nation-states or established factions.

Test 566-30:

Objective: To observe ANM-566 effects on the outcome of ongoing, low-intensity conflicts. ANM-566 was briefed on the situation in ████████, where minor skirmishes between local militias were occurring.

Result: ANM-566 remarked, "Ah, just some good old-fashioned neighborly disputes. If I were running the show, I'd tell them to settle it over a game of checkers. Or maybe thumb wrestling—much more civilized." Within two days, both militias unexpectedly agreed to a ceasefire for a "peaceful competition" involving various games, though the situation soon resumed its prior level of hostilities.

Test 566-32:

Objective: To test ANM-566 ability to influence entirely abstract or metaphorical "wars." ANM-566 was told about a "war on boredom" supposedly being fought by an international coalition of artists and philosophers.

Result: ANM-566 quipped, "Well, if they're waging a war on boredom, then I'm your secret weapon. Just give me a microphone and I'll talk about tax policy until everyone falls asleep." No significant cultural changes or mass outbreaks of boredom-related issues were reported. ANM-566 influence appears to be tied specifically to traditional concepts of war and conflict.

Incident 566-36:

During a routine examination of containment, ANM-566 spontaneously commented, "You know, the best way to get people to work together is to give them a common enemy. Or just send 'em all to a really long meeting. Either way, they’ll end up fighting someone." Within the following week, Site-██ experienced a series of escalating interdepartmental disputes over meeting schedules, resulting in multiple memos recommending an overhaul of site-wide communication procedures.

Conclusion: ANM-566 appears to have the ability to escalate or instigate real-world conflicts, but its anomalous effects do not extend to fictional or entirely peaceful situations.

Addendum 566-E: Humorous Anecdote Archive

The following are examples of ANM-566 humorous statements recorded during containment:

"You know, back when I was president, we didn't have these fancy smartphones. If we wanted to start a war, we had to do it the old-fashioned way—with a strongly worded telegram!"

"So, what do you call it when a president starts a conflict just for kicks? The Oval Ordeal, of course!"

"If I had a dollar for every war I could've started… well, I'd have enough to buy Greenland."

"You know, I was thinking of writing a book called 'War and Me,' but then I thought, why not just let history do the writing? Much less work."

"I once said, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!' I didn't mean all the walls! Now everyone’s tearing things down, and I can't keep up. Who knew I was such a trendsetter?"

"You ever think about how much easier my job would’ve been if Twitter had existed in the '80s? I could’ve just tweeted, ‘Nuke 'em,’ and gone golfing."

"Back in my day, we didn’t need drones to bomb people from the sky; we had good old-fashioned bombers flown by people with a sense of adventure. Ah, those were the days."

"Someone asked me if I miss being president. I said, 'Only on the days when there's a big military parade. Or when there's leftover cake in the breakroom.'"

"You know, sometimes I like to think of myself as the world’s greatest improv comedian—except my punchlines start wars. That’s gotta be worth something, right?"

"I thought about starting a new Cold War, but then I remembered how much I hated shoveling snow in D.C."

"They call it the 'War on Terror,' but it seems like they’re fighting a losing battle if they still let me make suggestions, don't you think?"

Incident Report 566-F:

During a containment breach at Site-██, ANM-566 managed to access a MOTHRA intercom and broadcast a short monologue: "Folks, I’d like to announce my campaign for world peace. Just kidding, let's keep it interesting out there, shall we?" Within the following week, multiple minor border skirmishes occurred across three continents. ANM-566 was found in the Site cafeteria, eating a bowl of jelly beans, claiming, "I was just making sure everyone was still paying attention."

Notes:

ANM-566 humorous demeanor and self-awareness make it deceptively dangerous. While it does not appear to harbor malicious intent, its jokes can have significant consequences. Therefore, interactions with ANM-566 must be handled delicately to avoid unintentionally triggering global incidents.

[librarycards]

please don’t feel pressured at all to answer this because i know it’s a complicated + sensitive question, but i’m very new to all this and have learned a lot from your antipsych resources etc and thought you’d be a good person to ask. how are you able to internally reconcile anti-fatphobia and it’s values with having an eating disorder that centers around weight, and wanting to lose/maintain a lower weight? i’ve found this to be incredibly hard to reconcile, knowing that i want to be thinner for a variety of reasons including my own internalized fatphobia, beliefs i haven’t unlearned about body, beauty, etc, as well as my own knowledge of how i will materially exist in the world if i am not a thin person? i do not want to be fatphobic yet to fully embody a liberationist view would also require giving up my ed, which is opposite to my own internal views but also is something that is very entrenched in my life. it feels very hard and impossible, especially because i’m just not ready for recovery yet. sorry if this isn’t a message you want to post/discuss :(

Firstly - I have a piece in @trans-axolotl's antipsychiatry zine that discusses thin anorexic/ed accompliceship in fat liberation politics - as soon as that's up I can add it to this message/send it to whoever wants it!

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oh anon, i feel this so hard. you're not alone - i think pretty much everyone with a restrictive ed/bdd who has a radical left/body liberationist politic ends up feeling this way, and, of course, feeling an immense degree of shame and frustration that our most visceral lived experiences are at odds with our political commitments. i think about it every day. i will likely continue to, because the desire to be thin at all costs is irreconcilable with liberation for all people, including fat people. so, let's sit with the irreconcilability for a moment.

here is the reality: there is no good, "innocent," or morally "pure" answer here. we cannot and should not be obligated to "fix" our Mad relationships with food/embodiment for the sake of others. neither are fat people obligated to tolerate individual / collective / structural manifestations of antifatness, including those enacted by people whose food/body relationships are psychiatrized (that is to say, if i start talking about how i as an anorexic person "feel fat" around an actual fat person, they'd have every right to smack me upside the head). but part of being in community with other imperfect people under conditions of genocidal violence (against fat / Mad people and intersections therein) is learning about which allowances we can make, which actions we can take, in order to mitigate the harm we do to the people we care about. to employ a tired recovery cliche, the point is progress, not perfection.

here is another truth: every single person mired in a culture of fatphobia has shit to unlearn. for people who are not fat, the stakes of unlearning are even higher, given the structural rewards we reap from antifatness. this is true for any system of oppression. having an antipsych orientation to the idea of "disordered/disorderly eating", i think, has the potential to aid in that unlearning process, not because it means you'll magically "get better" in terms of your own relationship with food, but because it's a bit easier to notice the discourses of disorder that also violently impact fat people. the violence we face in the name of "restoration" and "recovery" increasingly impacts fat people as so-called "ob*sity" is framed as a biopsychological medical condition that must be "cured" via eugenics. shared disorderliness, even allowing for differences in privilege and access, can serve as a site of solidarity - even when our own experiences of disorder are fueled by an erroneous fear of "fat". there is also the important corollary that fat people with restrictive eating disorders, fat people who are terrified of fatness, also exist, and that a radical commitment to imperfection and partiality also benefits people who live in these seemingly-contradictory positions.

to sum, you/i/we don't ever have to recover. however, we can, should, and must fight for a world in which we and others could repair their relationship to food and embodiment if and when we so choose, on our own terms, in our own time, without medical paternalism. this world - a world in which we can eat or not eat what and when we want - is only possible under a paradigm of body/fat liberation. after all, the same systems that seek to eliminate fat people are the ones that seek to eliminate body Madness, to "fix" restrictive eaters through governing how we eat/move our bodies. on the days that it's difficult to imagine yourself as a direct beneficiary of fat liberation (as a fat person or potential fat person) think about the ways fat liberation is simply necessary to all other forms of liberation, including for Mad eaters. likewise, remember that your own personal feelings are in many ways irrelevant to that liberatory fight: what you do, who your accomplices are, and what we can collectively dream, outweigh (lmao) the painful thoughts we experience.

these thoughts, our bodymind relationships, our fears of food and fat, don't define us, even if they take up an outsized portion of our lives. there is always time and space to find community and fight for total liberation as our imperfect selves - everyone else is coming as an imperfect self, too. i think you'll find, as you enter more conversations with people doing this work, that even the "best" advocates share your/our ambivalences and fears, and may desire things that they'd never outwardly advocate for. people are complicated, and we're living in a world that makes living in a body horrifically painful. give yourself the grace to sit with your feelings, and give yourself permission to fight on another day without feeling obligated to "get better." what matters most is the care you're able to share with the people you surround yourself with, and the care you allow yourself to receive by people who love all of you - not just the polished, good-activist parts.

[contentment-of-cats]

F*ck anons

Hate, Harassment, and Threats: Coping and Handling

It happens and it's happened since the rise of LJ. I remember getting my first hatepost and how much it upset me, but I was never a target in the way that many were. LJ was truly the wild and wooly west - Dodge City or Deadwood, when people thought it would be a utopia. We had greyfaces, anons, sock puppets, and meat puppets. For people transitioning from controlled environments like e-Groups, Listserv, and forums it was not the mod-free utopia that they might have wished for. Real fandom scandals and legitimate harm to fans have been built on anons, sockpuppets, and greyfaces.

Terminology

Anon: Anonymous account either from outside the service or from an established account that has been anonymized.

Greyface: LJ term for an account with no identifiers, created explicitly to harass.

Sock Puppet: Account created by one person with the intent of being perceived as a separate individual.

Meat Puppet: Also used to be called a fanpoodle. A person whose actions are directed by another. Also called a muppet for having the controller's hand shoved so far up their ass that it can work their mouth.

Defining Hateposting/Cyberstalking/Harassment/Threats

First, there is a federal law -18 U.S. Code § 2261A Stalking - that defines stalking and harassment. Full text is here, with excerpt below:

(2) (Whoever) with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person, uses the mail, any interactive computer service or electronic communication service or electronic communication system of interstate commerce, or any other facility of interstate or foreign commerce to engage in a course of conduct that— (A)places that person in reasonable fear of the death of or serious bodily injury to a person, a pet, a service animal, an emotional support animal, or a horse described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of paragraph (1)(A); or (B)causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to a person described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of paragraph (1)(A),

Laws can vary from state to state. 48 states have some laws on the books, with 44 having criminal penalties. You'll need to contact local law enforcement or look them up on your state legislature's website.

All forms of online harassment can be grouped under the label of cyberbullying. How do you know what is or isn't cyberbullying? There is a comprehensive list. Even some things that you didn't think might be bullying are, in fact, bullying. Unfortunately, the FBI seems to focus on financial crimes and scams, and have changed their reporting pages to reflect that. In all cases using the internet to convey threats as defined under 18 U.S. Code § 2261A need to be documented and reported to the FBI.

Documenting: Keep the Reciepts

Documenting online abuse is key to stopping online abuse. To be Tumblr specific, screenshots of DMs, replies to your posts, posts harassing you, reblogs of your posts with abuse in the comments and tagjacking or abusive hashtags, screenshots of anons/sockpuppets and harassing asks need to be kept. You need your receipts.

Fuck Anons

Anons are not worth your mental health or the pleasure and community you derive from fandom.

"But some of my followers are shy!"

They can create an account that they can use just for doing asks. Exposing you to abuse and bullying should not be the price of someone being shy. I have also turned on anons when someone has asked me to via DM, in a post comment, or via an anon comment on my Ao3 so that they could send me an ask without unmasking themselves. This protects me and protects them.

Tumblr recently started requiring a valid email address to send an anon without being signed in. This could be seen a couple of different ways - Tumblr wants some sort tabs on people using their site anonymously, or that they want people sending anons to create an account. There is nothing to stop an anon from creating a burner email account in order to harass, so that only goes so far.

Block anons. I am serious. Just go into your account settings and do it. You can even turn off asks entirely.

Per Tumblr: "Anonymous asks are not associated with a specific account, and blocking those will block the IP address of the sender."

So, if you block an anon and someone suddenly disappears from your followers, or you get a follower asking why they can't see or interact with your blog, then you have your answer as to where your anon bullying might well be coming from.

However, isn't it easier to just turn off anons?

Yes. It is. My anons are kept off 99.9 percent of the time and I sleep just fine.

Other Tips and Tricks

You can control who reblogs your posts. The default is that anyone on Tumblr can reblog. You can also block anyone from reblogging. The new feature offers middle ground by allowing you to add users allowed to reblog by mentioning them. I don't know if this extends to other parties reblogging from the people you allowed to reblog, however. Click on the little gear to access the dropdown.

From the Settings Menu

In addition to the default, you have two other options under the dropdown.

Tumblrs you follow and that have been mutuals with you for a week can reply

Only Tumblrs you follow can reply.

Keep the people you follow private by toggling this off.

Toggle off to stop DMs from people you don't follow.

Hide your Tumblr from people without a Tumblr, or from people who are signed out. Remove your blog from Tumblr search results or from search engine crawlers.

Finally, you can block DMs on a case by case basis, too.

Finally, it can be hard to start over, but when the bullying is too much and too persistent, you can back up your blog or take it private and start a new Tumblr with people you trust.

Other Resources

Online Harassment Field Guide - a really comprehensive source

[severitus-big-bang]

Rules and FAQ

(last updated 04/Feb/2024: Added icebreaker questions, updated Round 3 end date. Please confer most recent questions segment for participant questions.)

Pitching has ended! Claiming will happen:

Round 1: Feb 3rd, 11:59 UTC – Feb 4th, 11:59 UTC Round 2: Feb 7th, 11:59 UTC – Feb 8th, 11:59 UTC Round 3: Feb 10th, 11:59 UTC – Feb 11th, 11:59 UTC

Please read the following rules and FAQ completely and carefully if you plan to participate in this fest, and then, if you haven't already:

check out the How-to-Claim doc in which the link to the Claiming Form can be found - which will be open once the claming timeframe starts!

Come say hi on our discord server!

Eager to get to know your teammates? Here's a set of icebreaker questions!

Table of contents:

Most important Rules/Infos

Most recently asked questions

What is Severitus?

How does this Big Bang and Reverse Big Bang work in general?

How can I participate?

What types of works am I allowed to create?

I have no way to access to the pitching / claiming form in the given time frame, but I still want to pitch / claim! How do I do that?

Do I have to pitch to claim?

Can I create works based off of already existing fanworks?

When will this happen? Important Dates:

What happens if I can’t make a deadline/have to opt out?

How will the teams be formed?

I would like to be paired with [XYZ, a specific person]. How do I let you know?

I'm not quite comfortable working with others. Can I still participate?

What happens if I don’t get along with my team members?

Why are there mandatory check-ins?

What happens if I miss a mandatory check-in?

This is totally different from what I know from other Big Bangs. Why?

What is pinch-hitting?

How do I post my work?

I have never posted a work to AO3 - how do I do it?

I do not want to open an AO3 account / do not want the contents of this fest to be associated with my AO3 account. Is there still a way for me to participate?

Can I post my work to other sites besides AO3?

Can I add my work to other fests or collections?

I really want to participate, but I don't have any ideas currently! Is there a prompt list?

I have a question that is not on this list! How and where can I find you?

Most important Rules/Infos

This is a Severitus-centred fest. As such, we will only allow works that feature Severus Snape and Harry Potter in any platonic/non-romantic/non-sexual setting. No Snarry works will be allowed. 

Most important dates: Pitching starts: Jan 1st 2024 Pitching closes: Jan 28th Claiming opens: Feb 3rd Works due: May 17th Posting begins: June 1st 

If you can’t make the deadline, please reach out to the mods as early as possible so we can make arrangements and give you an extension. 

Pitching and claiming will be hosted via google forms. The links to those will be posted accordingly. There will be mandatory check-ins once you have claimed. Please stay in contact with the mods (see FAQ). Fics must NOT be Snarry. Ages to participate: 13+, creation of works rated M or E: 18+ 

Minimum requirements for your works: 

Fic: 2500 words

Poetry: 500 words OR 6 poems

Traditional or digital art: 600x600 px (scans in reasonable quality), and a basic description for accessibility

Spoken audio work: 15 minutes, and a written summary (transcript nice-to-have; podficcers may be allowed to pod an excerpt of their template if the final product is at least 15 minutes long)

Original music: 3 minutes, and a basic description (for instance lyrics, chords, sheet music) for accessibility

Song parody: 2 songs, (link to) reference work, and new lyrics

Playlist: 7 elements

Moodboard: 7 elements

Original dance: 3 minutes, and a basic description for accessibility

Fanbinding: one complete typeset: check out this post for details

Other forms: please contact the mod(s)

There are no maximums.

We do NOT accept AI generated content. 

The works must be original to the fest and created by you. They can be part of an existing universe, but must be understandable as stand-alone. 

Posting Please post your works to the AO3 collection and add the mod account (Severitus_Big_Bang_Mods) as co-creator. We will not change your work in any form, we just want to make sure it is appropriately tagged and rated and we can change the publication-date according to the posting-schedule. After reveals, we will delete the mod account from your works.

We want this to be a respectful and safe space. So the following general (fandom) rules apply:

Be respectful, no bullying, no harassment, …

No character or ship shaming/bashing, SALS - ship and let ship

Works created in this event must NOT feature characters under 18 in sexually explicit scenarios

Like most other fandoms, Harry Potter as a canon/fanon/fandom grapples with various issues, including but not limited to transphobia/transmisia, racism and other forms of discrimination. When creating fanworks, it can be helpful to keep various resources in mind, as well as doing additional research. Writing with Color’s Stereotypes & Tropes Navigation is one way to begin examining racism in fanworks creation - please especially refer to the colour stereotype post in regards to the term "Black / Dark Magic" which is deeply rooted in racism. Magical Trans is a community for transgender individuals in the Harry Potter fandom. If you have resources you’ve found helpful and would like to share, please let us know. (We trust this caution isn’t necessary, but if you don’t agree with the linked resources, please do not contact them with negative comments.) (Thank you to @bluedreaming for drawing our attention to this issue, and for allowing us to use their stipulations.)

Most Recent Questions:

Can I invite fellow creators? (Yes!)

Are side ships allowed? (Yes, all apart from Snarry are!)

Detail questions about pitching

You can find the answers HERE: https://severitus-big-bang.tumblr.com/post/738225193133244416/answering-some-more-questions-about-the

I have a question that is not on this list! How and where can I find you?

Mail: severitusbigbang@gmail.com

Discord: in the Severitus Big Bang Discord server or in the Big Bang channel of the Potions&Snitches Server

Tumblr @severitus-big-bang

AO3: Severitus Big Bang 2024 AO3 collection  

Your Mods:

Serena: she/her, @serenaew (discord, tumblr, AO3)

Trueliarose: she/her, @trueliarose (discord, tumblr, AO3)

Eso; any/they/them; esotericsevitus (discord), @esotericsnape (tumblr), esoteric_creature (ao3)

Binte: she/her, @bintemuhammad (discord, tumblr, AO3)

You can find the rest of the FAQ under the cut. 

What is Severitus?

For the sake of this fest, Severitus is every form of fanwork where Severus Snape and Harry Potter have a non-sexual / non-romanticrelationship. 

Severus’ and Harry’s gender don’t have to be male. We welcome any female/non-binary/trans or other queer characters, and characters of any race, and of any other identity, in our works.

Please note that it is our foremost goal to create a chill fest and good experience for everybody participating. That means we need to create a safe space for Severitus shippers and as such, we cannot allow any works that even wander the line to being read as sexual or romantic in the sense of “Snarry”. 

Severitus includes the following:

Snape as Harry’s father/father figure (biological, adopted, stepfather, uncle, godparent)

Snape being Harry’s mentor (Professor, Master in apprenticeship setting, friendly neighbour, you name it)

Severus and Harry being siblings

Severus and Harry being platonic friends

Reverse Severitus: Harry being Severus’ parent/uncle, mentor…

For more information you can also look through our prompt ideas which you can find on our tumblr.

How does this Big Bang and Reverse Big Bang work in general?

The Severitus Big Bang is a fanworks fest centred around Severitus and Reverse Severitus works. 

Creators pitch their ideas of any form to other creators to work on them together and create two or more intertwined fanworks of different kinds/media. 

The spirit of this fest is to connect creators and encourage each other's creativity to collaborate and celebrate Severitus together. If you don’t feel comfortable collaborating with others, it is technically possible to sign up as a “solo team” and create multiple projects for the same idea on your own; however we hope (and we give our best) to create a safe atmosphere without pressure or negativity for our teams to flourish. 

Creators can sign up (pitch, claim, or both) to create works, which, ideally, should be ready by the submission date. (See: [What happens if I have to opt out]). After submission, we plan to reveal the works in a staggered reveal (ideally, we will get new Severitus content every day in June).  All the works will be part of the Severitus Big Bang 2024 AO3 collection. 

For more information please read the following FAQs.

How can I participate?

This bang is more formalised than just posting within the given time frame.

To participate, creators should sign up and can either pitch, claim, or both to create works. 

You are allowed to pitch and/or claim as many works as you feel you can manage in the creation time span.

1. Pitching Pitching means you offer up an idea of yours for other creators to claim later on so that you can create fanworks in collaboration. This is the perfect opportunity to get ideas/prompts that have been on your mind for a long time, but you didn’t have enough time or creativity to work on, out there so that others can share in your joy. 

Please note that a pitch is more than just a one-line prompt; the requirements will be finalised and posted closer to Jan 1st. 

If you ask yourself why all the effort: it is the mods' attempt to formalise the process of presenting your idea for collaborating with other creators so that you needn't know your collaborators' identities to have a high likelihood to create something you both / all like. The process consists of a Google Form. 

All is explained in a great more detail here.

2. Claiming Later on, creators can claim any of the given pitches that request collaborators. 

There will be three rounds of claiming. To ensure that we have the best possible overlap with our creators' needs and wishes, we (the mod team) will work out the best fitting teams, and as many matches as possible, after each round of the claiming period. After matching, any open or partly-open pitches will be opened for claiming again. We hope that all pitches will be claimed after the third round; the unclaimed ones will be open for pinch hitting and will receive at least a little something from the mods. 

For more details about Ho-To-Claim, please refer to this document.

You will then be notified about your claim and how to proceed. 

You then have a period to create. Let your creativity strike, discuss your ideas and works with your co-creator(s) and simply do what you do best. Ideally you have your work ready by the submission date. (See: [Important Dates]) After submission, we plan to reveal the works in a staggered reveal (ideally we will get new Severitus content in June).

What types of works am I allowed to create?

You can create any type of fanwork associated with the pitch you claimed. 

Here is a list of possible types of media:

Written works such as fanfiction, poetry

Traditional or digital art, crafts

Comics, manga

Spoken audio work such as podfic, podcast, audio play

Music (both original music and song parodies)

Fanvid

Playlist

Moodboard

Original dance

Fanbinding

Recipes

…

For further inspiration and clarification especially for the term "art" please refer to this extensive list: https://unconventionalfanworkex.dreamwidth.org/14316.html. 

If you are unsure if the work you want to create will fit the parameters of this fest, please feel free to contact a mod; in these cases, we also advise you to check in with your fellow team member(s)

I have no way to access to the pitching / claiming form in the given time frame, but I still want to pitch / claim! How do I do that?

If you know you won’t be able to pitch / claim during the according period, please contact us and we will send you the pitching or claiming form in advance so you can participate.

For reasons of fairness, please let us know when you will need the form by so that we can pre-release the forms to all participants at the same time.

Pitching or claiming early will not influence your likelihood of being paired with your first choice(s).

Do I have to pitch to claim?

No. You can pitch and not claim or claim and not pitch or do both, it is up to you. However, we hope to receive a lot of pitches and claims to make this fest work, so it is super, duper awesome if you can do both.

Can I create works based off of already existing fanworks?

For your own pre-existing universes, yes, as long as the Big Bang work(s) are newly published and understandable as stand-alone! If at all possible, we would like to ask for your pitch to stay anonymous until claiming ends. 

You can use an already existing fanwork as your pitch if you have permission to create secondary/derivative fanworks by the original author/creator. Please note that we (the mods) can not grant you this permission and can also not monitor if every pitch meets this stipulation. 

If you as a creator want to give permission for others to use your works as such, maybe add a fanworks permission statement / transformative works policy to your profile. You can find a statement builder here or check the mods' profiles for inspiration.

When will this happen? Important Dates:

Pitching starts: Jan 1st 2024

Pitching closes: Jan 28th 

Claiming opens: Feb 3rd (Round 1)

Claiming closes: Feb 17th (Round 3), or earlier if all pitches are claimed to the max

Icebreakers (Check-in 1): Feb 18th

Check-in 2: Mar 3rd

Check-in 3: Mar 31st

Check-in 4: April 28th 

Works due: May 17th

Posting begins: June 1st

What happens if I can’t make a deadline/have to opt out?

Of course, we hope that every one of you will be able to make the submission date, but as we all know: Real life happens. 

If you realise you won’t be able to make the deadline, please contact us early so we know and can plan accordingly. It is completely okay if you have to ask for an extension or drop your claim. We want this to be as accessible and chill as we can make it. 

Just please inform us because we (the mods) have to plan the posting schedule.

How will the teams be formed?

You can either sign up as a pre-formed team with your fandom BFFs (with or without the option of pitching for more team members/claiming as team for a pitch), or the mods will assign you your team member(s) based on who responds to your pitch/which pitches you claim. 

We encourage you to be open to other creators and share the spirit of this fest.

I would like to be paired with [XYZ, a specific person]. How do I let you know?

If you want to be paired with XYZ, the best way to make sure is to sign up (pitch or claim) as a preformed team with yourself and them.

If you pitch your work on your own, we cannot say in advance who you will be paired with until the claims come in at the beginning of February and we can not guarantee that we will assign XYZ as your (only) claimer, because we will have to take all the claims into account.

We will also not reveal the pitchers and claimers to each other until the teams have been decided, and will not reveal the final teams until publication of their works. (So only the teammates themselves know who works together with them until the reveals.)

I'm not quite comfortable working with others. Can I still participate?

If you don’t feel comfortable collaborating with others, it is technically possible to sign up as a “solo team” and create multiple projects for the same idea on your own; however we hope (and we give our best) to create a safe atmosphere without pressure or negativity for our teams to flourish.

What happens if I don’t get along with my team members?

In your claiming form we ask you to give us your Do Not Wants. We try to match the team members to the best of our ability, taking those Do Not Wants into account, and hope that you will get along fine. 

If, despite all this, you notice that you can under no circumstances continue to work together with your teammate(s), please contact the mods. We do not want to force you to work together with someone you can absolutely not stand and we will then find a solution if this might happen.

However, we want to encourage you to be open-minded and give others the benefit of the doubt. We hope to create a fun experience for everybody.

Why are there mandatory check-ins?

We plan to do four mandatory check-ins with you (our participants) to ensure that everything is alright and you are still participating in this fest.

This has several reasons, foremost to make planning for us easier and to ensure that we can help out if that is needed. 

Please note that we don’t want you to feel pressured or patronised. It is completely okay if you just answer “I’m still here.” and tick the box in the relevant google form for those mandatory check-ins. You don’t need to report your work progress to the mods; however, we do recommend using these dates to check in and report to your team (yes, we know, some of us are procrastinators). 

We hope to simply offer guidance and act as a reminder, as life can get busy sometimes.

What happens if I miss a mandatory check-in?

You will have one week to respond to each mandatory check-in. If you missed it, the mod team will reach out to you. Just shoot us a quick response and you are fine. 

If one more week passes without response, we will have to assume that you dropped out. 

If you already know in advance that those just happen to be the two weeks where you are away without internet access, that's fine. Just let us and your collaborator(s) know in advance and we'll mark you as checked in.

This is totally different from what I know from other Big Bangs. Why?

Things evolve and for this, Serena wanted to make the concept of Big Bang more versatile and therefore adjusted it to what she (we!) thought would fit this fest best. 

The goal was to allow as many different types of media as possible, as well as allow the claiming of as many different works/ideas as one wants. Therefore we allow any type or art, artists can claim artists and so on. 

For this fest, the working together and connecting aspect is the focus (and we are of course rewarded with tons of wonderful works). We like to think that connection spikes creativity and helps us to create our own fandom safe space in which we can thrive. 

We also want to make this as chill as possible to take away pressure - which is why we set the minimum word count for fics as low as 2,500 words.

What is pinch-hitting?

Pinch-hitters are people who volunteer to take on an extra pitch later on if somebody has to opt out and drop their claim.

Can I claim after the deadline if I finish with my first project earlier and want to take on a second pitch?

If there are projects looking for pinch-hitters, yes, absolutely. Please feel free to contact a mod if you finish early and want to take on a second pitch.

How do I post my work?

Please add your works to the Severitus Big Bang 2024 AO3 collection (spelled Severitus_Big_Bang_2024) and add the mod account (Severitus_Big_Bang_Mods) as co-creator. 

We will approve your work for the collection and use the mod account to change the publication date accordingly to our posting schedule. 

Please note that you have to actually post the work to the collection, keeping it as a draft does not suffice. It will not be visible to the general public until one of the mods reveals this work, so don’t fear to do something wrong, and don't hesitate to make changes even after posting to the collection.

I have never posted a work to AO3 - How do I do it?

AO3 has a tutorial on how to post a work, see below. If you have further questions or need further help feel free to contact the mod team.

https://archiveofourown.org/faq/tutorial-posting-a-work-on-ao3?language_id=en 

https://archiveofourown.org/faq?language_id=en 

Posting images: AO3 does not host images, you can only embed them using a link. You have to host them on another site. Here's the how-to: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/posting-and-editing?language_id=en#embedimage  

Posting audio: AO3 does not host audio, but you can embed them in a stream or a download variant. For a list of audio hosting end embed options, check out GodOfLaundryBaskets' Breakdown of Podfic Hosting Options: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240112

I do not want to open an AO3 account / do not want the contents of this fest to be associated with my AO3 account. Is there still a way for me to participate?

We want to give everybody a chance to participate, so please contact us if you won’t be able to post on AO3.

We can post your work from the official Mod Account and then link to the site you posted it to, as well as create an external bookmark for it. 

Please note that even if we post it in your stead (posting it from the mod account) the work will be uploaded on AO3.

Can I post my work to other sites besides AO3?

Yes, you can (and are encouraged to) cross-post whatever you want to whichever site you like. We just ask you to wait with crossposting until after your reveals in the official Severitus Bang AO3 collection!

Can I add my work to other fests or collections?

Yes, you can. After reveals, you are free to do with your work as you please, for example add the works to any collection you like.

Additionally, while waiting for reveals, you are allowed to co-submit to fests and events that have no unrevealed period (e.g. @hp-flowers, free submissions phase of HP Poetry, @voiceteam, May ficlet challenge, many bingos, etc.). Please note that your work will not be accessible in those collections until after reveals.

I really want to participate, but I don't have any ideas currently! Is there a prompt list?

There is not the usual prompt list, but we have made this list of typical Severitus themes/prompts and starting points. We hope this helps to start off your creativity.

[fans4wga]

Hi, I'm interested in organizing my fandom. Can you throw me some templates?

Absolutely yes! Some things have changed in recent weeks, so the top advice we can give you is to be flexible and adapt as you can. The needs of the picketers might change, so keep an eye on the news and the official WGA and SAG-AFTRA channels. Twitter is a good place to follow the union members on strike.

Also, don't feel the need to rush: there is plenty of time to build up a good foundation by talking to people in your fandom and testing the waters to see what people are prepared to do. Some fandoms just have more financial capability than others for whatever demographic reasons, or have more pro-union sentiment in the community. While you can't push anyone to do anything they're unwilling to do, you can find out what's possible and encourage interested people to get involved.

The next best advice we can give you is that this will require logistical skills; therefore, if possible, collect a small moderator team of trusted, responsible fandom friends with organization skills so it's not just you going at it alone. 3 people is probably adequate to start with, more if your organization expands.

I do recommend fandom organizers be at least somewhat active on both Twitter and Tumblr. That way, you can size up the big fandom accounts and figure out the best way to get the word out to your fandom on both sites. (If you have a mod team, you could even just have one person be your official Twitter liaison.)

Here are 3 methods to organize your fandom, and this applies to any fandom, so feel free to share this to whatever fandom group you want to get organized. Pick whichever method seems most feasible for your fandom, and go for it!

Method 1: Mod team assigns volunteers to shifts

Pros: very grassroots and non-hierarchical, can lead to the most consistent fandom support across time

Con: hardest to wrangle, and potentially more difficult for the shift-by-shift volunteers especially if individuals are difficult to reach online

Examples: The Star Trek Snack Squad, the OFMD Snackery

Claire Willett @/clairewillett on Twitter started the Star Trek Snack Squad back in the early days of the strike to get Star Trek fans organized. That's still a solid template to use, but will definitely require modifications. Link here (please make a copy to your own Google account/a throwaway if you'll be making it public and want to protect your identity)

How it works:

-You, the moderator, pick a specific picket location (all locations listed here) to target for delivery. (Since Stranger Things is a Netflix show, targeting Netflix makes sense; however, Netflix is already a very popular target location so maybe the other locations could use some love? I'll leave that to your discretion!)

-Moderators put out a call for volunteers. Make graphics, create a hashtag or catchy name, and get it boosted across the fandom as much as possible. Volunteers will then sign up (via an ask or a Google form, up to you—just make sure you keep track of who's volunteered and their Tumblr or Twitter username that must be open to DMs so people can talk to other people in their group.)

-Moderators organize 3-5 volunteers to a shift (morning or afternoon) on a specific date. It is then up to these volunteers to get talking and for one member to place a DoorDash/UberEats snacks/drinks order for delivery to the picket lines by pooling whatever money they can via Venmo or Paypal (the only international option). From $5 to $50, anything helps: it could be a case of Lacroix, it could be a whole meal for picketers. More instructions and ideas in the template.

-The template can be updated with new shifts until you run out of volunteers.

-If this method is a little overwhelming, fear not, there are other options!

Method 2: Single fundraiser on GoFundMe or PayPal Pools

Pros: Single place for money to go, very easy to set up and organize

Cons: Runs out of steam the fastest as a large monetary goal can seem daunting; money all goes to one place so there has to be a lot of transparency from the fundraiser.

Examples: Julie and the Phantoms hot dogs fundraiser, Lord of the Rings second breakfast (from SAG-AFTRA member Chelsea Schwartz's Ko-Fi); Our Flag Means Strike Paypal pool.

This is your basic fundraiser, which means the mods will have to decide how exactly the money will be used and how to have as much transparency as possible. Sometimes you're fundraising for a specific goal (taco truck at Amazon Studios, for instance). Sometimes you're pooling money to give to the Entertainment Community Fund. If you're looking for food truck options and don't know where to start, you can always reach out to people who have done the OFMD pooling here! From what I've seen, a food truck will generally cost around $3000 for a day, so plan accordingly.

[One possible fundraiser I haven't seen but would love to see is fandoms giving support to the Green Envelope Grocery Fund, which gives out $100 to people affected by the strikes specifically for groceries! So that's definitely an option as well.]

Method 3: Fandom auction for donations

If you're in a fandom that has any big-name writers/artists willing to chip in, you could organize an auction for commissions, with the proceeds going to the Entertainment Community Fund, the Green Envelope Grocery Fund or another WGA/SAG-AFTRA-related fund. As with the above, you'd need to be transparent as to where the money is going.

---

A final note: Organizing any kind of action from scratch is hard, but thankfully people have walked this road before. You can always contact us, or the people at any of the above linked groups, with questions or advice.

It may also be helpful to remember that lots of people have done this before successfully. During the 2007-08 writers strike, the Battlestar Galactica and Whedonverse fandoms were instrumental in showing fan support for the WGA strike. (More on that here!)

Best of luck and feel free to shoot us any more organizing questions! Solidarity always.

[recurringwriter]

curry, as my designated ML friend, do you happen to know anything about the recent nanowrimo controversy? the MLs in my region have basically disbanded the group because of the new contract but i guess i’m out of the loop cause i haven’t heard about it before. i’m curious as to how other regions are handling it!

askjdkfjgh okay so i started on a long-winded and disorganized rant about stuff then remembered i had been much more concise when i explained the agreement to my region. here is an edited version of the message i shared with them, please forgive the proper capitalization and formal tone

NaNoWriMo HQ has decided to revamp the ML program, and at the start of the month sent us the updated ML agreement. All three of us have agreed that we are not comfortable signing the new contract, and will be stepping down as official ML's. We would like it if it were temporary, but HQ has indicated that they aren't interested in member feedback and that they want us to take it or leave it. As it was given to us, the agreement:

Provides contradictory and unclear terms of what our responsibilities will be, and nothing about what we can expect from HQ to support us.

Expects that we complete 'training' before we can learn more of what our responsibilities will even be, and gives no explanation of what this will ask of us.

Requires that we give personal data to ID.me, a third-party identity verification site that would store our information for at minimum 3 years and is considered by tech experts to be a poor choice for ID verification.

Demands increased presence on the forums as unpaid moderators, including during off-season.

Mentions confusing rules about people under 18 participating in the event. We are supposed to report them so that they can be banned, and the wording of the agreement implies that they cannot be permitted in any community events.

Asks that we send more e-mails per week during November, and doesn't account for regions with multiple MLs.

Forbids us from discussing anything sent to us from HQ with anyone, including our regions, other regions, or even fellow MLs.

Forbids us from fundraising directly for our regions, and offers no indication that HQ has plans to fund venues, goodie bags, or any other materials that MLs provide for their regions.

Some concerns have been addressed in a FAQ from the interim Executive Director, but it is uncomfortable that they were not worded clearly in the agreement from the start, and as of now we have not been given information on how much the agreement might change. They claim that there are no legal liabilities for MLs who sign, but the wording of the agreement suggests otherwise. We are being asked to trust HQ, but at this point HQ is giving us no reason to believe them.

...... What would change? We would not get stickers and posters from HQ for Kick-Off and TGIO, but we could still host them so long as we didn't use the official logo or name. The regional page on the official site might cease to exist, but our Discord would continue as it has been and we would still be able to organize 'unofficial' in-person and virtual write-ins. It will be harder to reach out to new members, who might not realize that they could find community nearby. It's unfortunate, but at the moment, this feels like the only option.

After sending that ^ they gave us the 'updated agreement preview' which we were expected to sign on the 1st (fitting it being on april fool's). i actually have No Idea if i was supposed to e-mail them if i was coming back so that they'd give me the Actual Agreement or if i just failed to get the actual agreement in an e-mail because by that point they'd already wiped all ML's of their status on the site so probably their already-fucked e-mail list was finally laid to rest. in any case there's no way i'd sign because the changes amounted to them saying 'trust us!!! it'll be covered in training!!!' and then didn't even say like. 'training will be done via [method].' they probably think we all live near HQ and can go in person idk.

so TLDR they want us to act as full-time moderators but are certainly not going to be paying us. they've replied to people's well-thought-out concerns and suggestions the way that my manipulative bog witch aunt would. and they got rid of All Of Us right before april camp, before last year's agreement expired. I guess they will blame us all for being toxic when the ML's who they promised would 'soon repopulate your regions' simply do not appear.

and like yeah a lot of people are really bitter about it, but the obfuscating and condescending replies really make me apprehensive about how volunteers willing to sign on are going to be treated. even if they had changed the aspects of the agreement that i found most alarming, i wouldn't want to be micromanaged and thrown under the bus knowing how they put this whole change forward in the first place. and then not be paid! that's what keeps getting me! like i'm not getting paid for this!

most people in my region seem to be in agreement that they'll use the site for goal-tracking, but won't be donating ever again. i've been trying to come up with fun activities to help bring everyone together through the year and keep spirits up, but really...after the forums/site switch a couple years ago people just stopped using our regional forum. it used to be really active but once the site changed, posting dropped right off. hq kept pushing us to try and make their dumb forums worth the money but it was so hard to use that nothing i did worked and i had better things to do with my time anyway. like writing askdjgh.

anyway i hope that writing is going well for you despite all the weirdness happening and that you can stay in touch with your region! and if there's anything i was unclear on or you'd want me to elaborate about let me know, there was A Lot last month and it's hard to keep it all straight in my mind.

[malevolent-monthly]

FAQ

What is Malevolent Monthly?

Malevolent Monthly is a recurring event based on the “draw this in your style” (DTIYS) events that are common in the visual art community. DTIYS events are typically hosted by a single artist who asks other artists to draw a particular piece of theirs in their own style. Many artworks are then created with the same subject matter in different art styles. The motivation behind this event is to encourage writers to write something that may have a similar plot as somebody else’s but that differs in style, execution, and other things that make writers unique. In other words, “write this in your style”!

How does this event work?

Prompts will be released on the 1st of each month, starting January 1st, 2024. Writers will then have the entire month to write a fic based on the prompt. Fics responding to the prompts can be posted anytime. Participants can also send asks or submissions with snippets from their fic, and we will preview them on our Tumblr.

How do I participate?

To participate, all you need to do is write a fic based on the prompt given at the beginning of the month and post it. Fics must be based on the prompt given to be considered part of this event.

Do I have to participate each month?

Nope! You can participate once, or you can participate every month, or anywhere in between. 

How do prompts work? 

Prompts will be posted on the first day of the month on Tumblr, Pillowfort, and AO3. Prompts will be general enough to give you flexibility when writing but specific enough that all fics will have similar plots/subject matter. (Eg. ‘John and Arthur go to see a movie together, but it’s rudely interrupted.’) 

I don’t think I’m going to finish my fic on time; can I post it after the month is over?

Absolutely! We won’t be sharing prompts fulfilled after the end of the month on our Tumblr/Pillowfort, but the AO3 collection will remain open to submissions for past prompts, and we encourage you to finish your fic even if it’ll be a bit late.

Can I write for a past prompt?

Yes! Though we won’t be sharing works written for past prompts on our Tumblr/Pillowfort, the AO3 collection will remain open to submissions for past prompts, so you can write for any past prompt that interests you and add it to the collection.

Can I submit a prompt?

Yes, you can submit a prompt! Anybody can submit prompts, regardless of whether or not you plan on participating in the event as a writer. Prompts can be submitted via our Tumblr or Pillowfort askbox.

Is there a word count minimum or maximum?

There is no word count minimum or maximum. You can write monthly 100-word drabbles or monthly 100,000-word epic novels—whatever inspires you!

Can I participate if I’m a minor (under 18)?

Sure! There is no age restriction for this event.

Can I participate if I’m not a writer?

If you feel inspired by the monthly prompt, you can absolutely create art (or other non-written creations) for it! However, as this is officially a write-this-in-your-style event, we will only be sharing written content on our blogs/in our AO3 collection.

What social media do I need to participate?

We will be posting prompts on Tumblr, AO3, and Pillowfort, so you will need some way to access or view the prompt on one of those three sites to participate. However, you can post your work wherever is most convenient for you, and you will be able to view the AO3 collection without an account, so there is no official social media requirement.

Can I co-write with someone else?

Sure!

What kind of fics can I write?

Any fic centered around the canon characters and/or world of Malevolent is permitted, including AUs, crossovers (where Malevolent characters are central to the story), and NSFW content. Writers must clearly label sensitive content (including, at minimum, AO3’s four major archive warnings) when posting. Any content is allowed as long as it is properly tagged. The exception is any content that is discriminatory or categorized as hate speech, which will not be shared by the mod team on social media or accepted into the AO3 collection.

Where do we post our works?

We will be reblogging works on Tumblr and Pillowfort, and we will also have an AO3 collection that you can post your work to. However, you can post your works on whichever site is most convenient for you.

When posting on Tumblr or Pillowfort, use the tag #malevolent monthly and tag our blog @malevolent-monthly in the body of the post so that we can see it!

How do I add my fic to the AO3 collection?

Follow the Google Doc guide here to add your fic to the Malevolent Monthly collection. Note that the collection is in the prompt meme style, so there are a few extra steps involved that differ from posting to a typical collection. The guide has pictures and step-by-step instructions that should help you post your fic successfully. However, if you have any difficulties, please send us a message.

I plan to include an image in my post/in my fic. Do I need an image ID for it?

Image IDs are highly encouraged, but not strictly required, for this event. Please consider adding IDs when applicable to increase the accessibility of your post or your fic. For a guide on how to write image IDs, please see this document.

Who are the moderators for this event?

The moderators are:

Jay (@bluejayblueskies)

Jack (@organchordsandlightning)

Rowan (@splitting-infinities)

I have another question not answered here.

Please send us an ask!

[darkmaga-returns]

Authored by Jeff Carlson & Hans Mahncke via Truth Over News,

Georgia, the site of massive election misinformation, questionable results, incomplete audits and a mysterious come-from-behind razor-thin win by Joe Biden in 2020, appears to be at it again. Or perhaps we should say Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is at it again.

Kylie Jane Kremer brought the matter to our attention through a series of posts on X. As Kremer notes, “Raffensperger sent an email, in a private capacity, that went to a list of trial lawyers across Georgia soliciting $5 million by November 1st to help in his effort for a 501(c)4 called “Election Defense Fund”, asking lawyers to donate or contact him via his private gmail account & personal cell phone number.”

In the email, Raffensperger claimed that “Election deniers and conspiracy theorists have taken their anger to new levels, employing a variety of tactics including intimidation, legal challenges, and rule changes. In Georgia they have threatened, harassed, and sued election officials. And as you know, most recently the Georgia State Election Board was taken over by three individuals who have pledged to put partisanship over sworn duty.”

Raffensperger appears to be referring to (and trying to intimidate) the three Republican members of Georgia’s five -person State Election Board, Dr. Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares and Janelle King.

Raffensperger also appears to be attempting to intimidate and silence anyone who might challenge the outcome of Georgia’s 2024 presidential election.

On September 20th, Johnston, Jeffares and King voted in favor of requiring a hand count of all ballots to ensure that the number of physical ballots equaled the machine count total at the precinct level. This new rule was opposed by Georgia state elections officials, including Raffensperger, who said it could create chaos and confusion on Election Day.

In advance of the vote by the State Election Board, Raffensperger issued a formal statement, claiming that “Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers… misguided attempts by the State Election Board will delay election results and undermine chain of custody safeguards. Georgia voters reject this 11th hour chaos, and so should the unelected members of the State Election Board.”

If you find it odd that Raffensperger would refer to his three fellow Republicans as “activists” while he worked to thwart common-sense changes that would dramatically increase the security of Georgia’s 2024 election, you’re not alone.

Raffensperger was apparently so concerned that��he rushed to CNN-affiliate WSB, breathlessly claiming that “the State Election Board wants to take us back in time. I guess what they want is to see elections take until 3 a.m. like in Detroit, Michigan. We don’t want to do that in Georgia. Not on my watch.”

Although the move by the three Georgia Republicans had the support of President Trump, lawsuits were immediately filed - and on October 16th a Georgia court blocked the rule changes, inexplicably declaring that they were “illegal, unconstitutional and void.”

We don’t have a copy of the email (Kremer doesn’t have the full email either) but Georgia’s GOP Chairman Josh McKoon appeared to confirm the email was real in a post on X.

McKoon stated that “This email communication by Mr. Raffensperger is a dangerous and unwarranted attack on sworn elections officials doing their duty which threatens to interfere in the conduct of the election and undermine confidence in the outcome.”

[literaticat]

I was recently asked to do a panel event at a library in a neighboring county. The organizer said I could sell my books there, but when I inquired further she meant that literally, as they can't partner with any bookstores. I explained that as a trad pubbed author, selling my own books isn't something I can really do (at least not without a lot of weird financial/tax repercussions) and she said I could have people scan a QR code leading to my publisher's site to purchase and just provide them with book plates. I'm torn whether to do this event or not. On one hand, I'm sure it will be very fun, I do love supporting libraries, and I don't want to seem like a diva. On the other, I know that my time and energy are worth money, and I'd basically be doing this for free since I doubt I'll sell much via QR code. I am far enough into my career and successful enough that I'm not really interested in doing things just for the exposure. What would you recommend in this situation?

(ETA: sorry in advance, this came out lengthy, scroll to the bottom for my succinct answer if that's all you care about, OP!)

I think you have a good head on your shoulders, and it's smart to value your own time and energy. Yes, you should be paid for school visits and talks and that kind of thing, especially any that require travel, etc, UNLESS they are being sponsored by the publisher, like as part of an organized tour, and there will definitely be book sales, in which case, hey, you aren't going out of pocket and those can be QUITE good for sales.

But it is also a fact that sometimes, you will end up doing things for free, without remuneration and without a guarantee of huge sales, for any number of reasons: for charity, because you believe in the mission of whatever-it-is, for marketing/publicity purposes, or even just because it will be fun!

So you need to just do your own cost-benefit analysis. They'll do the QR code, which is nice, but you aren't guaranteed any sales, so let's say this event will definitely make you zero dollars. OK -- What are the Good Points vs Pain (in the Ass) Points?

For good points: Will it generate goodwill amongst your community or with people whose opinions you value? Is it for a charity or cause you believe in? Will there be potentially decision-makers there -- like librarians or teachers who might love your presentation and want to PAY you to participate in something later? Will it be FUN? Will there be other authors there that you want to meet / network with / hang out with / become besties with? How big a reach will this potentially have? (In other words - are we talking 5 people, or 500 people? Is it an event that might be covered by media? Because while you don't want to do things "just for exposure" when that exposure is dubious -- some great exposure wouldn't hurt!)

For PITA points: How much time will it take out of your life? (Include preparing for it, traveling to it, attending it, getting home, and decompressing from it)? Would it be costing you anything money-wise (gas money counts!)? Would it potentially take a toll on your health (mental health counts!)? Would you have to give up anything that would be MORE important to you in order to do it? (writing time, family obligations, time with your pets?) ETC.

The answers to these will be different from one situation to another, or even from person to person (after all, one person's "fun schmooze" thing is another person's "terrible chore"!) -- so weigh these options FOR YOU and see what you come up with.

Long story short:

It's good practice to say YES to anything that you can comfortably do to promote your book if you are getting paid for it or if the upsides outweigh the downsides.

But it's also healthy to have boundaries, and to say NO when that is not the case.

If you are going to say NO (again, a perfectly valid answer!), do so as early as possible, be extremely nice, and just say you are so sorry, you can't make it work, and best of luck with the event. DON'T frame it as "I only do PAID events" or anything like that -- that WILL make you sound like a diva from hell, even if that isn't the case! DON'T agree to it and then back out, because then you are putting them in the position of not having an event at all or having to scramble, ruining the thing they have spent time promoting, yadda yadda.

So in this case: If you haven't agreed to the event, and you decide the PITA points outweigh the good points, it's fine to decline. If you've already agreed to the event and it's happening soon, just suck it up and do it, lesson learned for next time.