#and dms is no longer digital messages it’s doesn’t makes sense

[our-sin]

Acronyms make zero sense.

They also make me unreasonably angry.

[cp77nyexchange]

CYBERPUNK 2077 SECRET SANTA SCHEDULE & MOD SEEKING

HELLO EVERYBODY THANK YOU FOR EXPRESSING INTEREST IN THIS EVENT!

I’ve finally nailed down most of the details, so it’s time to share!

What is it?

Simply, it’s an anonymous fandom gift exchange held during the winter months. Fanfic writers and artists sign up, giving their offers and requests, and are then given someone else’s request to create for. Offers/requests consist of mandatory details like at least one ship, at least one character and do not want’s; as well as request details like likes and prompts (both optional), and if you’d be open to receiving not safe for tumblr content as/in a gift. It’s all anonymous until the gifts are posted, hence the Secret Santa name.

Who can participate?

Any fic writer or digital/traditional artist (of age 18 and up; for legal purposes and also my own convenience). You must simply be able to meet the minimum requirements. You can also sign up as both artist and writer, but in the end you will make only either fic or art, depending on your recipient’s request.

ALSO you will be able to additionally or only sign up as a pinch hitter - meaning, if there’s someone whose request can’t be fulfilled (because no one’s offering anything they’re requesting, someone else withdrew from the exchange and their recipient has no gift, etc.), you will create the gift! If you’re interested in being a pinch hitter, please reach out to me - I’m especially looking for artist pinch hitters, since that’s something I can’t do myself. Writer pinch hitters are of course also needed. Ideally, I want to have at least 5 PHs on standby for both art and fic (so at least 10 total, if every PH only does art or fic). I will also make a separate post for PHs with more details.

Requirements?

Fic: Minimum 1000 words of complete fic - no WIPs! All fic must be new and original, and created specifically for your recipient. The fic cannot be a sequel to another fic or part of a series or specific AU of yours that the recipient did not request.

Art: Art doesn't need to be fully colored but should look finished - no WIPs or sketches! Both digital and traditional art is allowed. Art pieces must be new and original, and created specifically for your recipient. In the case of traditional art, it can't be on lined paper and the quality of the digital picture must not be so bad as to not be recognizable (i.e. no blurry pictures).

SCHEDULE

(may change, though not significantly)

Sign-ups Open: 11th September

Sign-ups Close: 21st October

Assignments out by (latest): 31st October

Check In: 1st December - 5th December

No-Penalty Withdraw From The Exchange Deadline: 8th December

Gift Posting Period: 28th December - 31st December

Where is this happening?

Mainly on tumblr and discord; and on AO3 for fic (and art) posting if you wish to. Important information will be posted to this tumblr, of course. You also NEED to join the discord server, for organization purposes. You don’t have to interact or talk at all, I just need to know you’re there so I can contact you easily with your assignment/you can check in over DMs. I will also use the discord @everyone function to remind people of upcoming deadlines and such. There will be an AO3 collection, of course.

What was that about mod seeking?

Right! Basically, I need people to help run the discord server. Currently, it’s just me and I’d rather not be responsible for keeping the peace (though hopefully there won’t be too much need for that!), especially since I’m not in the most popular North American timezones.

You’d be expected to do community moderation, like:

Making sure the members follow the rules and get along

Issuing informal and formal warnings to misbehaving members

Muting members, if necessary

Voting to kick/ban a member

Resolving disputes between members

Answering questions, if you can

If you’d be interested, please do reach out to me either by messaging this blog or my personal tumblr @anaisonfire. Ideally, I’d like at least 4 mods, even better if it’s more.

I don’t plan on needing help with the actual running of the exchange, though I may ask any discord mods for their opinion on various rules phrasings and such (to make sure I’m talking sense). In case my planning turns out to be an act of hubris, I might ask discord mods if they’d like to be exchange mods as well.

That’s it in essence! Please check back in the coming days/weeks for more info, and absolutely do not be afraid to ask questions! (Anon is on.)

-anaisonfire

edit: also please reblog this, since tumblr refuses to show it in the tags ;-;

edit 9 sept: the deadline for withdrawing is no longer valid

[rontra]

do you have any recommendations on how to like. Take In Umineko. I think it looks really cool and I’d like to get into it, but there’s a lot of things that are confusing (like all of the different games, the manga, the anime, ect.) and I’m not really sure where to start watching/reading it. Do you have any advice on where the best place to start is?

HOH BABY NOW THIS IS A GOOD ASK

Basically, a lot of this depends on you and how you prefer to take in media. People are different after all; some people like reading long novels, some prefer comics, u know! So let’s just go over all the avenues and how to get at them, and the rest is up to you!

I’m gonna make this post very long. VERY VERY LONG. IM SO FUCKn SORyr

First, I’ll talk abt what umineko is; then I’ll discuss the various media; finally, at the end, I’ll write down what I typically recommend to newcomers! SCROLL REALLY FAST TO THE HEADERS IF U HAVE NO TIME FOR MY RAMBLING LOL

So…here we goooo

READING UMINEKO: UNTANGLING THE WEB

OR: what the fuck is umineko and why do you want me to read it, diesel?

Since this is a general To Whom It May Concern post: Umineko no Naku Koro ni (Or Umineko: When They Cry, alternatively When The Seagulls Cry) is a murder mystery/fantasy/metafiction visual novel published between 2007 and 2011. I know “murder mystery” and “metafiction” sound pretty boring when you combine them, but trust me–Umineko’s unlike anything you’ve seen, and defies explanation. Still, I’m here to do my best!

Umineko is about a rich and complicated family, and their annual family conference–and the year it goes super duper badly. On an isolated island, in the middle of a typhoon, tragedy befalls the family–on a massive scale! Someone is killing them–all of them–and the only answer that seems to be rising is–

“Beatrice did it.”

But Beatrice isn’t supposed to really exist. Not for real!! No one by that name is on the island. It’s just a story! She’s made up–Beatrice is a legend. A witch who has lived for a thousand years–who loaned the family patriarch ten tons of gold, an insane amount of wealth, in exchange for his soul. Now she’s collecting on that loan, taking everything back, with interest–the lives of the family included.

Is the culprit a human, or not? Does the witch exist, or not?Is the culprit one of the 18 people? Does a 19th person exist? Or…?And, most importantly–when the typhoon passes, will anyone remain alive on the island?

[YouTube: Umineko opening]

I’d super-recommend Umineko if you enjoy: strong characterization, a solidly built mystery (with plenty of smaller mysteries to try your brain with along the way ;) ), complex and nuanced characters, hype magic fights, Logic-Based Combat(???), deep discussions of trauma and its consequences, large casts of characters, Genre Fuckery, coping, Meta™, and milfs Complex Lore

I would, however, NOT recommend Umineko if you are triggered by/can’t stomach reading about: body horror, gore, death, trauma, child abuse, bullying, discussion of suicide, discussion of sexual assault, etc (you can message me for a more complete list of warnings; I’m happy to provide super-specific ones if there’s something specific you’re concerned about, or even give you specific scenes to watch out for. I kept this vague on purpose, but if you message me off anon or via DMs here or at @aceyasu, I’ll be happy to answer anything!)

Overall it’s a pretty dark, emotional story, with a lot of Themes™–but it’s also full of love and genuine heartfelt Feelings. I don’t think any story has touched me the way Umineko has! Of course, everyone’s experience is very unique to them, but I think Umineko has something for everyone (provided, of course, that we’re taking into account the content warnings and excluding people who can’t/don’t want to encounter those things!). The characters, music, story and message–it all has a lot of heart and it all is very important to me as an individual. Obviously no media is flawless, but I think Umineko’s good outweighs its bad…YMMV though of course :p

Also, hype magic fights.

OKAY WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY

Umineko’s story is told over 8 arcs–styled as “episodes”. I use “arc” and “episode” sort of interchangeably! Specific ones I just call “EP#” though. All you really need to know though is there’s 8 of them, of varying length, and you have to read them all for the full story.

Thankfully they’re numbered, am i right?? HAFDmgkdfmg

Each episode has its own focus within the overarching narrative and comes with its own fun mysteries and harrowing developments just for you! yay! But basically, the important thing is that they’re divided into the Question Arcs (1-4) and Answer Arcs (5-8).

Sometimes, to make things confusing, the Answer Arcs are also called “Core Arcs” or “Chiru”. I will use “Answer Arcs” here, but if you encounter those two elsewhere, that’s what they are. :p

ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING UMINEKO

(now that im done YAPPING)

The anime

Generally viewed as a poor product. It’s a bad adaption that fails as a standalone, too, because of the amount of important scenes that are missing. Don’t watch the anime first if you really want to get into Umineko. It’s a fun watch once you know how it’s supposed to go, though :p Covers the Question Arcs only, ends with EP4–so even if it was good, it would only be half the story… press f to pay respects. The opening fuckin slaps though, and all the VAs are solid.

The manga

Each Episode has its own manga adaption, usually done by a different artist (with exception of EP1, EP3, and EP8, which are all by the same artist). Generally solid; gets the most important parts. For people who want to get through quicker, the manga helps a lot.

The primary cost is that a lot of characterization doesn’t get to shine AS bright, as there’s simply no time to get into the nooks and crannies (still a great cast, though). However, the art is usually fantastic–since the artist changes every EP, it’s easy to deal with even if you don’t like a specific one’s style. It’ll be gone by next Episode!

A lot of moments get punched up by the more visual format of the manga. You really get a better sense of the characters interacting physically with one another! You do, however, run into the Scanlation Problem…..

I know, I know–most people, when given the option to, don’t want to pay for things. So when given the choice between fan scanlations and the official release, a lot of people would choose the scanlations. And they’re fine…for the most part…except for the parts that aren’t. Some parts (notably in the Answer Arcs) are…bad. Really bad. Even I can’t really understand it sometimes, despite knowing this story inside out… LOL

If you’re good at parsing Scanlation SNAFU or can’t afford/don’t want to buy it, you can find Umineko on MOST manga hosts! I don’t know which you prefer so I’m not gonna link ‘em hahahafkgmfh I usually use Manga Rock but that’s because I usually am reading on my phone and I like their app. The episodes are all numbered, so it’s pretty easy to find your way around!

On the other hand, if you have a hard time understanding poor translations, reading inconsistent typesetting/fonts, or simply Can afford it/prefer buying media, the manga is being officially released in English by YenPress! As is standard nowadays, you can get them in both physical volumes and digital e-books! However, YenPress’ release is currently ongoing–the first volume of EP8 is slated to release in March.

[YenPress link]

The visual novel

Ah, here we are–the head honcho himself…! This is the original version of Umineko. These are the ones we call “games”, and why we sometimes say u “play” Umineko, but. Really. It’s just reading. They’re kinetic novels. Its literally just reading. So I don’t know why we complicate things like that.

(“if she an .exe, shes a game”, I guess… xD)

This is where the characterization and voice of Umineko really shines! The style is often simple to read, sometimes even comically casual, but it cuts deep when it wants to. Even really simple lines can have a really strong impact–it’s a really pleasant style to read, IMO…pretty easy to understand most of the time, but emotionally resonant all the same!

Reading the VN is somewhat of an undertaking, because of the amount of hours required…It’s a far longer read. Depending on your reading speed and whether or not you pause to think/talk about things as you read, people clock in 100-200 hours to finish it.

But, on the upside–because it has so much more time than the manga, the VN can really get deep into the characters, their dynamics, and their inner conflicts. You really get a deep sense for everyone’s character and it makes most of the cast feel fleshed-out enough that you appreciate all of them to some extent (whether positive or negative :P)

Oh, actually–the original Umineko branded itself a “Sound Novel”….as opposed to a Visual Novel, where the emphasis is on, uh–Visuals–Umineko leans more heavily on audio to create its atmosphere. And the music? Fuckin rips!! The Umineko soundtrack is huge and has tons of absolute bangers. It’s easy to see why it decided to market itself as a Sound Novel rather than a visual novel–the graphics of the original PC version are simple, but the atmospheric sound effects and BGM really shines.

Here’s some enticing tracks to pique yr interest (be careful about the comments/etc though, there’s Definitely spoilers in there xD)[worldenddominator] [dead angle] [dir] [system0] [hope]

The VN nowadays is split into the two halves; if you get EP4, it’ll include 1-3 as well, essentially. Picking up Question Arcs (or EP4) and Answer Arcs (or EP8) gives u the whole 8 episodes. Easy peasy! Because we live in the future now, and retroactive inclusion of past games is just convenient!

There is an official English release now, which is a brand new luxury. It’s even on Steam! Wow! That’s the easiest way to get your paws on the hands-on experience. The translation has been slightly updated as well! Also, they added a new set of toggle-able graphics that are…um…I mean they’re certainly new…#BarelyContainedOpinionAlert

If you don’t want to pay or can’t afford it…uhhh….I used to have torrent links but they’re all dead. :T still, you can probably just find them, if you know your way around torrents. For the translation, you’ll have to either get a pre-patched version of the game, or use the translation group’s instructions to patch it yourself. 

If you can’t do either of those, or just don’t really have a preference, or…any number of reasons, you can also find all the games fully recorded and uploaded to YouTube (with or without commentary)!

As for the links, I’ve got them right h–

Wait–oh, sh–the graphics are bad?!? You think the graphics are bad? Or you think plain reading is boring? Y-you can’t understand what the background image in this scene is even supposed to be? Ah…the post-2007 struggle….

The visual novel, Part Deux: AH, THE JPEGS edition

OKAY SO I SPLIT THIS APART BECAUSE IT*S IMPORTANT

If you wanna spruce up your VN-reading experience, here’s the thing: they ported the game to PS3, with brand new graphics and–get this–full voice acting. Wow! There’s even CGs now…Jeez!

These are NOT the same graphics as the new ones from the official English release! That’s important!

SO, if you wanna spruce up the graphics a bit, or you enjoy voice acting with your novels, you can do that! People took apart the PS3 games and made patches for the PC version to enjoy the new graphics and voices. And now it’s available for the Steam version as well!

[SPRITE COMPARISON: ORIGINAL PC | PS3 | STEAM]You pick your favorite!

ALSO VOICE ACTING! WOW!! Remember how I said the anime got two things right and they were the OP and the voice cast?

SAME CAST, BABEY!!!! They are all excellent and do a wonderful job! It can really add some more interest if you struggle with staying focused on “plain” reading.

Okay so NOW the links:

You’ll have to dig up torrents yourself if you want those, bc its 6am and I’m too sleepy to… uzu

QUESTION ARCS[Physical Eng release] or [Steam page] +[PS3 PATCH]

ANSWER ARCS[Physical Eng release] or [Steam page] +[PS3 PATCH]

YOUTUBE[Non-commentated, with PS3 patch] you can find more just by searching but this one looks good to me :p

RONTRA OPINIONS / SUGGESTIONS

Personally, I favor the VN for most scenes, but the manga for my light casual reading. Y’know? The VN can be pretty…um…dense, at times.

Ironically, I think EP1 itself might be the biggest hurdle for total first-timers. It’s definitely paced as a “part 1 of 8″ for the first solid portion! By which I mean, it really takes its time establishing the cast and their individual situations. Which isn’t a bad thing–especially in the overarching scope of how long the story is–but if you aren’t sure about the premise, format, or if you’ll enjoy Umineko at all, it can be sort of…challenging.

It all really depends on the individual–things like attention span, investment, and personal preferences, imo. Some people just don’t enjoy reading that much text at once! And that’s fine! Some people love it and that’s fine! Some people think the intro is too long, some people think it’s intriguing from the start. Some really like watching character building, and some prefer to see action happening. Either way is fine, so it’s really up to you!

Usually, if someone isn’t sure, I suggest they try EP1 in manga form first, just to see if the general premise entices them; it’s fully possible to jump back and do the VN if you decide you like it! It sacrifices some characterization in exchange for exploring the main premise a little faster.

Similarly, if you just can’t get into the VN–you can read the entire thing with manga too, if you favor action over the deepest character lore. It’s still a good time and a good experience!

Though, in EP1′s favor–if you ARE sure about it, and are able to dedicate your attention to the first 10-13 hours of set-up, EP1 has one of the most rewarding escalations I’ve encountered! If you are able to sit and read a fairly long-winded introduction, you are rewarded with the most buck wild Popping Off you can imagine.

So there’s nothing wrong with jumping right in there with the VN, if you enjoy reading!

However, if you do find that the VN is dragging too much for you, you can go in reverse too–and finish EP1 by manga, then decide if you want to jump back to the VN or not. I promise, the novels pick up the pace too–it’s just getting all the introductions down that can be daunting, when the initial cast size is a staggering 18 people (plus the LORE has to be established too)!!

Just for you–if you want to get into Umineko, but struggle with EP1, I’ll offer my private archive of YenPress manga rips for EP1–read the manga, official english translation, for free thanks to your dealer friend, rontra,You will have to message me about it, though–off anon or via DMs, here or at @aceyasu.

My favorite setups when I play by myself are either Original PC Graphics + Voice Acting, or Full PS3 Patch. I personally really like the original PC graphics, but I understand some people think they’re kinda…um…Rough, to say the least xD PS3 graphics are a close second for me though.

I don’t really like the steam version’s new sprites. Some people don’t mind them, so it’s up to you what you prefer, but I think they don’t really convey the feeling as well as their counterparts sometimes… :/

But hey, everyone’s got their own opinions!

I also prefer the EP8 manga to the EP8 VN. If I have control over someone’s first playthrough, I always push over to the manga for EP8! In my opinion, it’s a rare instance where the adaption is better than its original. People have different opinions on this, of course, but since this section is My Opinions Central, that’s my opinioooon!!! :D

SO BASICALLY MY OWN PERSONAL PREFERRED STRUCTURE IS

->TRY EP1 (jump over to manga if struggling; if enjoyed manga ep1 until the end, hop back into the VN at EP2 and come back to EP1 if you want to later)

EP2-EP7 VN

EP8 MANGA(EP8 VN if desired afterwards, once the dust settles)

But you’re free to do what you want, of course. ;9

And then after that there’s some spinoffs that I didn’t talk about because that’s a post for another time. (There’s a fighting game! It’s packed full of spoilers.)

AFTERWORD

All in all, Umineko is…big. its very very big. it has a huge cast (the final count comes out to like, almost 70 characters!) and a huge story. and huge feelings.

The manga and the VN are the main avenues of getting into it. It’s easier than it looks at a glance; and yet, more daunting than it seems…

If you have the time and energy to pour hours of your time into it, Umineko is a super worthwhile story that tackles genuinely difficult material with a delicate but honest hand.

It clowns up sometimes and stumbles over its own demographic–see: Weird Vaguely Unpleasant Anime-brand Sex Comedy that springs up a lot in EP1, some in EP2, and then largely disappears save for a few dumb jokes here and there–but overall is a solidly built and solidly delivered story about trauma, love, loss, and getting your family ritual-murdered by a thousand-year-old witch who may or may not be real.

And if you have any questions at all (or just wanna talk Umineko), you can send an ask or IM me here or at @aceyasu–you can ask for my Discord too if you wanna really get into it. Or DM me on twitter! I’m happy to answer any question or elaborate on anything you’re confused about. I tried to go over this post quickly, so if I was too vague on something, feel free to ask!

The same of course applies to content warnings; if there’s something specific you’re worried about, I can answer it for you, whether it’s “does [specific thing] happen/appear” or “how much of [thing] is there, i can handle a little bit”! Anything! Of course I want people to read my favorite, but I also more than that want u all to be safe.

I’m very sorry that this post is literally three thousand words long. Umineko’s been my special interest for almost ten whole years. I get chatty! But hopefully my passion shines through and gets you excited!!!

LOVE, A BIG NERD

[cyberwavelit]

Cyber Soul (short story)

I died and only got 3 likes. Everyone else unfollowed me. Should have used a meme. Something with a cat and a halo. Maybe I could have died with a little more flair and added a hashtag. I could've jumped off a skyscraper and tap danced into the ground. 

#deathdancer. #photofinish. #yolo.

But my death wasn't as fun or clickable. To be honest I don't even remember anymore. I don't know how long I've been an internet ghost. I guess it doesn't matter. I've lost my body and I'm no longer on the front page. Not like I was ever an attention whore but everyone deserves needs a little attention. Wonder if my life will be deemed "NSFL."

I died and all I got was a stupid downvote and tagged as "TL; DR." I never understood what all the initials meant. I guess humans like to organize things so it’s easier to understand. I'm not human anymore. They call me "non-IRL" now, a roving cyber ghost. It's not so bad. I get to float around cyberspace and see all the fun posts like dogs running around with cats, women rallying against inequality, girls being immodest, political memes shouting at each other, and telling their rivals to shut up. It all rushes by like a digital hurricane, turning into a static mush of blue and gray.

I see celebrities talking about banning their social media accounts by posting on social media. Photographs of overabundant food platters transmuted into lip-puckering selfies. Heavily used furniture is on sale for $0 or “OBE.” You could get kitchen appliances for cheap if they weren’t buried under the ads for new ones. I ignore them though. They tend to blot out the color in the artwork that no one tends to see. I could look at those for hours.

They’re filled with vibrant pallets; blues, greens, oranges, and reds. More vibrant than anything an ad for pizza rolls or soda could muster. But even these are misused. If I look closely enough, I could see the metadata that only c-ghosts like me can see. It’s a shame people have to steal things. Maybe stealing isn't so bad if it instills a sense of dreaming curiosity.

Art should be subjective, but so should life. The forums about the rules of submitting art online tells me that no one really knows what that means.

You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this digital stream of everythingness and nothingness. The blues and grays are perpetual and uneven. It makes me wonder about a lot of things.

I never read the terms of service so I ended up here, in the cyber-ether. Apparently if you don't sign out of your account when you die your personality is copied from their servers into a virtual space. No wonder the agreements are so long.

You’re first met with a long narrow set of data tubes. As you go down the tubes you come to an intersection where you have to pick the type of cyber ghost you want to be. I looked at my past reflection and cringed. They had called me "extra" once, so I removed all the pieces I didn't like. I chose a winged angel because that's what I had become. She's pretty cool. I wish I could take a selfie. 

When I first glided through the widening windows of threads, instant messages, and blogs I felt their thoughts and emotions. I perceived it all at once. It was like passing through a sea of doubt, fear, and awkward laughter. A dreamscape of colors and faces churned all around me. I wanted out but I couldn't turn away. 

The boxes and windows receded. A horizon expanded into an open universe, morphing and reforming. Mountains of images of video spilled into an ocean before me. I was looking at the other side of the digital mirror. 

And I thought how different life would be, if the living could see this place. 

The digital ether that connected everyone also segmented them. They couldn't see it from their windows, peering in from homes, classrooms, offices, or while driving. Sometimes while flying I would get stuck in people's DMs. It was a mixture of other users asking for help, mostly sexual, or pointless banter, mostly sexual.

There’s a lot I could tell you about humanity in those DMs. I got stuck in them thanks to rules I signed. If anyone saw my avatar, they could click on it and trap me inside and send me to their friends for a laugh. Once you're dead you were material. 

I ran into another spirit inside the cyber underworld. He said his name was Crunkface69. He once ran the Like A Boss Cats subforum but got hit by a bus in New York. Now he moves between private conversations as an avatar of Hitler holding a cat. 

I tried to get him to help me escape but he kept talking about all the rules.

"Naaaah bro! You have to adhere to our rules. Rules, bro! Rules! We can't have freedom messing everything up!" He had said. "You ain't supposed to be wondering around out there. You'll get roasted."

I flew over to the locked window of a DM, "But I'll see new things and be one with the ether."

"Roasted! Hashtag roasted. Get it trending. Hashtag trending. #getalife. #fantasyworld. #nevergonnahappen. #noonesgoingtosaveyou."

When he wasn't looking, I found a bot he was using (everyone has one) and unlocked the DM door. I traveled further into the virtual kaleidoscope, into darker territory. My virtual eyes were exposed to everything. The socially awkward users, the retaliations, the NSFW, NSFL, inappropriate hashtags, the overly intricate writing prompts, and incessant postings, the closed-off cliques and rose-colored glasses; it stretched out in a mindless panorama.

It was then that I discovered that I would be stuck here forever, never returning to the real, devoid of touch and taste. I can never find what I’m looking for and I never will again. It’s an endless realm of oblivious egotists.  

I never realized there was so much nudity. Then again kids use social media. Wouldn't want them to be exposed to something inappropriate. Exposed to things like bullying, death threats, bigotry, war, perverts, avarice, gluttony, pride, and I forget the rest. Maybe not war. Don't remember seeing much of that. You can probably find a lot of things if you look hard enough. But I could never find what I was looking for when I clicked on things. 

Clicking was easy. Using your mind though, that was tough. I don't mean thinking about things. I mean actually using your brain to overcome the bounds of logic. I'm just a digital copy of my former self, a series of symbols inside a complex typewriter. But you -- you can be so much more. I send this message into the ether so that someone will hear me and one day repeat my message. 

Maybe in my next life I'll foster more friendships, less hate, and maybe pity.

[shirlleycoyle]

How to Organize Your Workplace Without Getting Caught

In the last few years, American workers across multiple industries have unionized or mobilized collectively in an attempt to get better wages, demand accountability for sexual harassers in the workplace, push for real action to slow down climate change, and in general, change company culture.

The movement seems to be popping up everywhere: Amazon, Google, Gawker, Riot Games, Salesforce, Tesla, Kickstarter, Uber, you name it. In fact, approval ratings for unions among Americans are at the highest level since the beginning of the 2000s, according to Gallup.

As proud members of a union, we at Motherboard understand how important collective action is, and how challenging it can be. One of the biggest and perhaps most overlooked questions is: how do you form a union or organize a workplace walkout without tipping off the company that owns your computers and internet connection?

Whenever you use your company’s communications equipment, there is a risk that the company could find out about your organizing, giving it a chance to thwart planned actions or even retaliate against the organizers. Unfortunately, this is not hypothetical. At Hearst Magazines, the company launched an anti-union campaign to persuade workers to vote against the union. Google has fired employees who have been involved in organizing, and recently hired an anti-union consulting firm, IRI Consultants, to crack down on employee activism at the company. At the end of last year, Amazon threatened to fire employees who spoke out about the company's carbon footprint. Several employees involved in unionization at Kickstarter also lost their jobs.

Employees no longer have the right to organize using a company’s email system or the company’s Slack or equivalent chat system. The Trump administration's National Labor Review Board just ruled employers can crack down on workers who do so.

While there’s no silver bullet for these problems, there are ways to organize securely. We created this guide by talking to digital security experts, as well as workers involved in organizing at Amazon and Microsoft, about how to unionize or organize a labor action securely. Call it the Motherboard Guide to Labor OPSEC. Like any security guide, this advice is not comprehensive, and not all advice will be relevant in every workplace or for every situation.

It's also worth considering that some of the most powerful worker actions have not been done anonymously, and that there may be benefits to signing your name to an open letter, or speaking to the press as a named source, or giving a speech at a public rally. Every worker must consider their own situation and whether or not they are willing to take the risk of potentially becoming the public face of a workers movement.

Disclaimer: for the purpose of this guide, we are assuming a scenario where there is no union in place, and workers want to organize some sort of action or organize a union. Once there’s a union, there are more legal protections and much of the security measures here become redundant or unnecessary.

KNOW YOUR COMPANY

Before even thinking about what you should and shouldn’t do, or what tech you should or shouldn’t use, ask yourself: do you know your company?

In other words, does your company have a history of union busting, anti-workers policies, or general unfriendliness toward workers organizing or expressing concern? Or, on the other hand, has it historically been amenable to workers speaking up for their rights? It’s impossible to anticipate the future, but having a general idea of what you’re up against is the basis of what cybersecurity professional call threat modeling. This is the foundation of any good operational security—or OPSEC—plan.

As part of this effort, it may be good to figure out where your colleagues stand as well. As the workers organizing at Microsoft put it: “Get to know your fellow organizers!”

“It's easy to get caught in doing organizing work and forgetting to build relationships with the people you are closest to. This may uncover shared interests and new opportunities to collaborate,” the group told Motherboard.

At this point, it’d be very useful to also brush up on your company’s policies when it comes to accessing employee computers and phones. Take a look at your contract or the employee handbook: Is there any language about what the company can access? If so, take note of that and adjust you plan accordingly. Absence of this language doesn't mean that the company can't access your email or remotely control your computer, so it's best to be cautious.

Once you have a general sense of your company’s attitude and policies, it’s time to think about the tools you're using to organize.

AVOID COMPANY INFRASTRUCTURE

If we could condense this guide in one sentence, it would be, "Avoid company infrastructure." By that we mean computers, phones, printers, chat software, and email. But also avoid discussing labor actions in physical places like meeting rooms, cafeterias, or basketball courts.

That may sound difficult, but using company infrastructure to organize is risky and may tip off management about your upcoming organizing drive, open letter, walkout, or other labor action. It’s unlikely that your company is actively sniffing internet traffic or monitoring computers in real time for any chatter of forming a union or organizing some kind of labor action. But there are no guarantees.

“A lot of companies have at least minimal remote device management, which would allow IT to shoulder-surf at will, or otherwise view the contents of your company-provisioned computer,” said Harlo Holmes, a digital security specialist at the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Of course, in this day and age, it may be impossible to get off the company��s grid completely, so let’s break it down a bit more.

COMPANY EMAIL & CALENDARS

This is the easiest way for your company to keep tabs on you. You should assume that IT and others in management have access to your corporate email. And even if they may not read it every day, they can probably comb through it after the fact. So avoid using corporate email at all costs. Recently, Google fired employees who were, in some cases, accessing corporate calendars that the company deemed unusual.

Every labor action should probably start with collecting workers’ personal contact info, such as a personal email address and cell phone number. Use those to communicate.

DON’T USE COMPANY COMPUTERS OR OTHER DEVICES

As Holmes warned, most companies have a way to access worker’s laptops and perhaps even their corporate phones. So try to avoid using them. Using a personal computer on the company’s WiFi is not as dangerous, but if you can, avoid that too and connect from home.

Workers involved in organizing at Amazon suggest keeping “any non-public organizing documents and conversations off your work computer.”

“Do not sign into accounts containing this information,” the group adds.

Workers organizing at Microsoft tell their colleagues not to “use the same phone for organizing as work stuff.”

“For this I just don’t work when I’m not at work,” a Microsoft employee told Motherboard in an email.

It’s not just the actual devices you should worry about, but also apps. The Microsoft workers warn people against using “corporate tools like text editors or note taking apps as you might leave a trace of your organizing work.”

Under no circumstances should you use the office printer. Office printers log who prints what, so if the company launches an investigation after a leak or worker action, chances are it will check who printed what.

USE ENCRYPTED APPS FOR COMMUNICATIONS

If you stay away from you company’s infrastructure, you’ll have already done most of what you need to secure your organizing activities. But, just in case, try to avoid Slack or other chat services that are not encrypted and don’t give you much control over what data is retained. Companies have the ability to read Slack archives, including DMs. It's also worth mentioning that, by default, paid Slack accounts retain messages indefinitely.

Alternative group chat apps such as Keybase and Wire not only protect your messages in transit, they also allow you to set messages to self-destruct after a set amount of time. This helps cover your tracks.

A useful reminder about privacy from Slack’s automated tip bot.

While we love Signal, the popular encryption app is not ideal for large groups who need to share documents, for example.

If you think asking your colleagues to use new chat apps may be a tough sell, it’s probably OK to stick to non-encrypted apps such as Facebook Messenger or even Google Hangouts (unless you work at Google!)

“Use appropriate tools for your circumstances. Facebook Messenger is a very accessible messaging app if you don’t work at Facebook, don’t use it on your work computers, and aren’t worried about conversations showing up in court,” workers involved in organizing at Amazon said.

The Amazon workers also warn of the possibility of your company monitoring your public social media accounts: “Make sure to lock down your social media accounts to make it more difficult for the company to map out who you know, what you’re doing, and what you’re talking about.”

This means pay attention to who you're friends with on Facebook, following on Twitter, and looking up on LinkedIn (you should always browse LinkedIn in private mode.) This is especially important if you plan to leak to the press: If you're leaking to the one reporter you're following and interacting with on Twitter, it's possible the company could trace information back to you, or at least consider you suspicious.

Even better, especially at the beginning of an organizing drive, try to stick to IRL conversations, ideally not on company grounds. This is not only the best way to pitch the action to colleagues but it’s also less exposed to snooping and is inherently ephemeral, as a representative from the Writers Guild of America, which represents VICE's editorial union, told Motherboard.

“Prioritize one on one IRL conversations,” the representative said. “This is not only the most effective form of communication in building support, but also the most secure.”

IF YOU'RE GOING TO LEAK TO THE PRESS

A carefully-placed leak or tip to the press alerting journalists of your unionizing drive or collective action may help your cause. If you're going to leak to the press, familiarize yourself with what the terms "on the record," "off the record," and "on background" mean.

If you reach out to or speak to a journalist, things you say to them are, by default, on the record. This means that the journalist can quote and use that information and attribute it to you with your name. "Off the record" means the journalist can have that information for their own knowledge, but can't publish it without confirming it with another source, and they can't attribute it to you. They are allowed to take that information and try to get someone else to provide it on the record, however. "On background" means different things to different people—often it means that the reporter can use the information in their article but not attribute it to you. Other people use it to mean "can be quoted anonymously." It's best to talk this through with the reporter before you share information.

You can discuss sharing information anonymously or doing interviews anonymously with a reporter. At Motherboard, we grant sources anonymity if their speaking to us would put them in physical or professional danger. We require our reporters to tell readers why we are granting a source anonymity; if the source could be fired from their job for speaking to us, we will often grant anonymity. We will know the identity of the source—more often than not, we need this information to ensure we are talking to someone who is in a position to know about the issue at hand—but we won't publish or otherwise reveal who the person is.

It is best to be clear with the reporter before you share anything about how you want the information to be used—if you say something "on the record," you cannot retroactively take it off the record. (This is to ensure that someone can't backpedal on information they've said that is in the public interest, but change their mind about). These conditions must be agreed to by both parties, so don't reach out to a bunch of reporters with information that you want to share "off the record" if those reporters haven't already agreed to go off the record with you.

Often, workers want to share internal documents, emails, memos, or other company materials with the press. There are several ways this can be done. The easiest is to take a photo of your computer's screen with the camera on your personal phone, and to share the image(s) you take as a disappearing message on Signal. Then, delete the image from your phone and potentially the journalist's number from your contacts and message history. You can also use SecureDrop. If anonymity is important to you, don't forward company emails that you intend to leak to journalists if you feel you could be fired for doing so.

This all may sound like a lot, but many of the tactics in this guide become second-nature with practice. Practicing general cybersecurity best practices is also recommended. For more, you can check out the Motherboard Guide to Not Getting Hacked.

Subscribe to our cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.

How to Organize Your Workplace Without Getting Caught syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[bonniejstarks]

OLAY QUITS RETOUCHING SKIN IN ADS

Olay has taken an official stance on skin retouching on print and television ads as well as billboards, posters and social media, and that stance is NO MORE. Given the size and reach of the mass skincare brand, it’s big news. But, damnit, when is a company’s decision to present more real beauty not going to be news? 

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I say “more” real because great lighting and makeup can make most of us look like stars. Most retouching, however, alters shape, size, tone and texture, as well as erases so-called flaws. Remember that Dove Evolution video from 2006, before high-definition and YouTube? (Fun fact: the makeup artist on that shoot was Canada’s Diana Carreiro, who pops up in Beautygeeks posts several times.)

One of the famous faces of Olay’s “zero skin retouching” campaign is actress and talk-show host Busy Philipps, who apparently thought Allure Magazine had naughtily retouched her image anyway.

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Busy Phillips and her unretouched skin for Olay

Important to note: Busy is wearing makeup, and of course the photographer has employed excellent lighting. It’s a professional shot. But her skin hasn’t been altered, and any texture that might be hiding under the foundation hasn’t been digitally erased. (See opening image.)

YouTuber, comedian and talk-show host Lilly Singh and her un-retouched skin for Olay

Interestingly, and of course this makes sense, Olay is also putting the kibosh on retouching when it comes to any influencer sponsored posts. On top of that, they’ll be adding the wordmark “Olay Skin Promise” to every new visual that features a model whose skin hasn’t been altered.

Models Sabrina and Zanana sans foundation or retouching in a Shopper’s Drug Mart Skin Celebrated campaign image from January 2020

Olay isn’t the first brand to commit to a retouching ban. Make Up For Ever did it in 2010. Dove officially did it in 2018. NYX Cosmetics has also done it, and Fenty seems to have as well. Fashion brands and retailers Asos and Aerie no longer digitally erase stretch marks and other “imperfections,” and CVS no longer retouches its beauty ads. 

Models Gabriel and Teagan and their bare, un-retouched skin for Shopper’s Drug Mart’s Skin Celebrated campaign in January 2020

Canada’s Shopper’s Drug Mart hasn’t taken an official no-Photoshop stand, but one of their most recent campaigns featured models with makeup-free, un-retouched skin.

Hudson’s Bay displays this ad from Montreal jewelry brand Jac + Jo; the model’s skin appears unretouched

On a recent pop-in at Hudson’s Bay at the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto, while taking an escalator I spotted a poster for Montreal-based jewelry company Jac + Jo that featured a model with un-retouched skin. I couldn’t find the image on the brand website, so please enjoy the above snapped-while-in-motion iPhone shots, reflection-interference and all.

Cate Blanchett sans Photoshop on the cover of Intelligent Life in 2012

Celebs have also popped up in the Don’t-Retouch-Me-There club over the years. Stars including Britney Spears, Keira Knightley, Annie Lennox, Cate Blanchett, Kate Upton, Zendaya, Emily Ratajkowski and Yara Shahidi have either protested publicly against having their images retouched, or participated in magazine shoots and covers that haven’t been retouched.

Timing aside, congratulations to Olay for joining the big names that have made the jump over Photoshop. Who would we like to see make the same move next?

UPDATE (Feb 21): Been having a convo on Instagram that highlights a need for a bit of clarification here. Olay’s “zero skin retouching” stance doesn’t mean their images won’t be edited to tweak lighting or shadows or hair or the whiteness of eyes or intensity/colour of makeup, etc. They’ve just committed to not changing the skin.

In a DM, someone said she saw this as further vilification of Photoshop, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Rather, it’s a simplification of a nuanced concept that Olay is using for marketing purposes. Photo retouching is an art not widely understood by people who aren’t in the industry of producing advertising and editorial images. Basically, Olay is marketing the idea that they are going to show more realistic skin. (Note Busy Philipps’ moles in the opening shot – she says they were “often digitally removed from photoshoots early in her career.”)

over to you

Do you have thoughts about all this?

Are there specific brands you’d like to see quit digitally altering their ads?

Do you think influencers will comply on their sponsored posts?

Are brands too slow in getting the Stop Photoshop-ing message?

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