#and your one vote individually is also important

[aroceu]

I've said it once and I'll say it again: anyone who doesn't think people should make their own choices and judgments and think for themselves is at best socially irresponsible, minimally a danger to people around them, and at worst on par with fascists, aka those who desire control over people's opinions and beliefs

[burins]

I know this is the Take Personal Responsibility for Systemic Issues website, but I keep seeing weirdly guilt trippy posts about libraries and ebook licenses, which are a labyrinth from hell and not actually something you personally need to feel guilty about. here are a few facts about ebook licenses you may not know:

in Libby/Overdrive, which currently operates in most US public libraries, ebook licenses vary widely in how much they cost and what their terms are. some ebooks get charged per use, some have a set number of uses before the license runs out, and others have a period of time they're good for (usually 1-2 years) with unlimited checkouts during that period before they expire. these terms are set by the publisher and can also vary from book to book (for instance, a publisher might offer two types of licenses for a book, and we might buy one copy of a book with a set number of uses we want to have but know won't move as much, and another copy with a one year unlimited license for a new bestseller we know will be really moving this year.)

you as a patron have NO way of knowing which is which.

ebook licenses are very expensive compared to physical books! on average they run about 60 bucks a pop, where the same physical book would cost us $10-15 and last us five to ten years (or much longer, if it's a hardcover that doesn't get read a lot.)

if your library uses Hoopla instead, those are all pay per use, which is why many libraries cap checkouts at anywhere between 2-10 per month.

however.

this doesn't mean you shouldn't use ebooks. this doesn't mean you should feel guilty about checking things out! we buy ebook licenses for people to use them, because we know that ebook formats are easier for a lot of people (more accessible, more convenient, easier for people with schedules that don't let them get into the library.) these are resources the library buys for you. this is why we exist. you don't need to feel guilty about using them!

things that are responsible for libraries being underfunded and having to stretch their resources:

government priorities and systemic underfunding of social services that don't turn a profit and aren't easily quantified

our society's failure to value learning and pleasure reading for their own sake

predatory ebook licensing models

things that are not responsible for libraries being underfunded:

individual patron behavior

I promise promise promise that your personal library use is not making or breaking your library's budget. your local politicians are doing that. capitalism is doing that. you are fine.

(if you want to help your local library, the number one thing you can do is to advocate for us! talk to your city or county government about how much you like the library. or call or write emails or letters. advocate for us locally. make sure your state reps know how important the library is to you. there are local advocacy groups in pretty much every state pushing for library priorities. or just ask your local librarian. we like to answer questions!

also, if you're in Massachusetts, bill h3239 would make a huge difference in letting us negotiate ebook prices more fairly. tell your rep to vote for it!)

[mesetacadre]

I'm far from the first person to say this but there is a lot of overcompensating that goes on when communists oppose criticisms of specific communist figureheads. Stalin did not personally order the genocide of millions of people but he also wasn't the sole builder of socialism, nor was he the source of every good policy the USSR implemented. Same goes for Mao, Honecker, Lenin, Castro, etc. I don't think I need to harp on about why it's a remain of liberal historiography and ideology, although that should be acknowledged. Following in the same vein as this other post of mine, it constitutes a conscious and prolongued effort as a communist to adopt class, and more generally, a focus on the collective and processes instead of individual actions as the vehicle of your discourse. The better perspective with which to approach criticisms of a single transistor is to recontextualize it within the whole CPU that it's a part of, if you allow me the metaphor. You hinder yourself when you stoop down to the level of great man theory.

Lenin is a particular example because he tends to be great-manned both from the perspective of people criticizing and defending Stalin. He was neither a pure-hearted libertarian who was betrayed after his death by a conniving Stalin who hid Lenin's thought on him and who arrested/killed every other opponent, nor was Stalin a 1:1 replica of Lenin's positions but in a different stage of socialism. In both of these positions the role of the Bolshevik's party mechanisms and channels are completely ignored, as if it was a simple hereditary mechanism. In a democratic centralist organization, the Congress is the supreme organ of decision, and every office, from General Secretary to the base militant, is beholden to its decisions and has the duty to carry them out, as well as to contribute in its democratic process. Lenin was the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissar, sure, and the de facto "leader". The CPC was a mostly executive office, but like any other organ in the CP, it had a decided political role. The Congress is still the highest organ.

In the 13th Congress, when Stalin was elected to the position of General Secretary, there were 748 voting delegates. It is a misrepresentation of democratic-centralist principles to discount or ignore the vote of these 748 delegates. Lenin, as much as he was an important figure, was not the only politically competent communist, nor the only influential one. Never, even during the tensest months of the civil war or the underground work, was Lenin's criteria followed without criticism or input. He wasn't infallible or without fault, anyone can make mistakes or forget to consider some angles. This is also why Lenin was such a respected leader, because he did not govern alone. Stalin also governed like that, quite famously being skilled at listening to a discussion and being able to synthesize everyone's positions into a logical common ground. I am less concerned with what Lenin, at the end of his life, after two gunshots and a few strokes, personally thought of Stalin's aptness for the position, and more concerned with the opinions of those 748 delegates, all taking into account the discussions that took place in every lower organ of the party. What matters is that the party, democratically, elected Stalin to the position multiple times, and that his responsibility in leading cooperatively were proven competent throughout his tenure. Lenin was not an angel, nor the embodied spirit of revolutionary marxism. He was a very skilled and knowledgeable revolutionary whose words are not the gospel. The achievements made by Stalin's collective leadership (plus the entire party!) and the effective advancement of socialism are much more important than Lenin's opinion, as much as we can respect him. He wasn't clairvoyant

[weirdrtvscomments]

in case anyone is struggling with deciding who they want to vote for in the RTVStan/RTVS Nation/RTVSia/RTVS Topia/RTVS Topia-Ville presidential election, i have compiled a list:

Log

Representing the Ethernet Party: “A people with 5 ping to the main server is a people that prospers.”

Will change the name to RTVS Nation

Comic books are a part of the platform

Everybody gets a free moat

Eyes that are twice as big for everyone that wants them

Offload cost to Wifi users

Working on a battery charged snack

Hypnotist is a protected class

Robloxia war veteran

Defenses are proven

Will take your ants and import more

Endorsed by: Soulja Boy, Ken Masters, Stitch 

Signature move when President: Snake Trick (no weaknesses)

Punishment for other candidates: Follow him out & about like an RPG party

Mike

Representing the Sweets & Treats Party: “I was just outside eating a sandwich.”

Orange creamsicles will be available in every store

Free Steam Deck for every American citizen

Will lower tariffs and imports on all types of sweets and treats from Canada, while raising tariffs on everything else

Most important snack is Wasabi Peas

Not very good against zoners

Why are ants so bad?

Endorsed by: 2 (anonymous), Trap Snax

Signature gimmick when President: Whenever he eats a yummy piece of candy he gets an install, which gets its own theme

Special move when President: A cool punch like Marissa from Street Fighter 6

Punishment for other candidates: Have to reach into a bin of Bean Boozled that's 90% gross ones and eat it in public in front of cameras and the press. After, push into the alligator moat. Also, Mira’s idea

Mira

Representing the Drinks & Eats party: “I was rooting around in a dumpster out back.”

Will change the name to RTVSia

One of every food and drink, free of charge

Will develop a chemical compound called “Ketracel White,” will genetically engineer ants to be dependent on it 

Endorsed by: IceFrog, Yoshi, Yoshi (from Mario), baby Yoshi (might be one and the same), Chun Lee

Signature move(s) when President: Level up system (up to 3), if she gets knocked down she loses a charge of it, gets it when she does some power up move (or something), negative edge inputs (landmine, fireball, that one thing Bison does in Street Fighter 5), install where she gets a command grab, 8-way air dash, guard impact, levels reset between rounds, invincible super (can do it on wakeup)

Punishment for other candidates: Detractors rounded up and taken into woods where they are given a knife, camera, and laptop to make a Youtube channel of them living in the woods (Ethernet in the trees)

Trog

Representing the People’s Choice Freedom Integrity Liberty Justice Prosperity Sovereign Citizen’s Ethical Governance Democratic Renewal Global Sustainability Citizens for Unity (may be part of the Lego Star Wars Party): “We’re all part of God’s nation in my eyes.”

All breakfast restaurants have to be open for lunch & dinner in addition to breakfast

THEY HAVE TO GIVE YOU A LARGE WATER WHEN YOU ASK FOR IT

Desegregate PornHub and GayTube

Everybody gets a free castle

Immediately cease all snack exports 

Will start war with Canada

Will mail a bomb if you want him to

Will double your ants and give them to the next guy OR will turn them all into 1 big ant

New category on PornHub for ants

Will build death robots and a spaceship

Will be inventing gorgons, griffins, vampires, Frankenstiens, zombies, mummies, insects, gorgon ants (small)

Endorsed by: The Sims, Captain Video, Half Life 2: Lost Coast (demo), Tobuscus

Super move when President: 1 Sphinx on every tile surrounding, +1 food, +1 culture (if next to a river, +2 food, +2 culture instead)

Theme song: Steppin’ Out by Joe Jackson

Punishment for other candidates: All other candidates have to do an embarrassing pose and gaze into Medusa’s eyes, which will turn them into stone. The statues will be put in front of the White House, where during a nation-wide celebration they will be knocked down with a wrecking ball/individually destroyed with dirty bombs

Wayneradiotv/Wayne John 

Representing the California Milk Processors Board: “Enjoy DOGh.”

Every gallon of milk will have $2,000 in it

Free PornHub premium

Any dairy product you want whenever you want it

Will attract more ants

Will rename it to Milk Nation

Pig milk Iron Fist

Endorsed by: Britney Spears, Beyonce, Rhianna, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Shaquille O’Neal, Harrison Ford (all branded with Permanent Milk Mustache & committed their eternal lives), Batman, Mario, Spongebob

Signature move when President: Cow army that walks on their hind legs and shoot milk as projectiles

Punishment for other candidates: Mulched into feed for his cows

Things you need to rememer for the ONLY ELECTION THAT MATTERS!!!!

[therandompagesblog]

SKZ Mate: Chapter 9

Warnings: None

Nesting is a very important part of a werewolf's journey. It allows the werewolf to feel safe and secure wherever they are. It is more important for the werewolf when they join a pack. It provides them with a safe space. A space where you can be you. Every werewolf goes through nesting phases regardless of their status, but some are more different than others. Alphas are taught to nest from a very young age as they are the ones who are the main providers for the pack. When an alpha becomes old enough to have an omega they are taught to become protective of their nests as their nests would become a mating place and later on a place to have pups. Beta's were taught in a similar way to alphas that they too would have their nest as a mating place. The main difference is betas can share nests with omegas or go into each others nest. Betas and omegas often stick together as they are the lowest rank. The two of them often depend on each other hence their acceptance of sharing nests. Like an alpha, a beta can too feel protective of their nest if an unwanted visitor disrupts their nest. 

Now for omegas, it is even more important for them to nest, considering how important they are. An omega's nest can depend on whether it is their own or a mated nest in their pack. An individual nest is often where the omega will live, relax or hide when in danger (if they do not have a pack). When an omega is presented to a pack they are supposed to design their own nest as part of the offering and allow their pack members to donate gifts to their nest. Once the omega is mated they can nest anywhere in their pack mates house as a sign of claiming the omega claiming their mates. If an omega is not presented with a nest they can often grow up to be quite attached and hostile due to lack of stability. This can also be seen when an omega nest has been disrupted. When a nest is disrupted without their consent omegas can get rather emotional and agitated, making them more harder to tame. A nest is probably more important for an omega to have than an alpha, which is why Y/N was never fully content or settled.

This was something that broke Chan's heart when he heard no one had ever taught his soulmate how to make a nest. Not even her mother provided her with the comfort and materials of nest building. It was the best part of anyone's childhood. You would grow up and show off your nests and have competitions on who had the better nest. Chan even remembered a time he competed with his brother and got his mother to vote. What turned Chan's stomach was the fact that Hongjoong carried that lie with him and prevented her from ever nesting in his home. Chan didn't understand it but what Chan did understand was his omega was never shown love and tenderness. This was why Chan made a point to get everyone involved in giving her a perfect nesting experience and by getting everyone involved he meant asking Hyunjin for his least favourite set of clothes. It took a few weeks but Chan wanted her to have a nest where she could feel safe and alone when she needed to.

On the first week, Chan helped Y/N settle in and taught her how to use her senses without blindfolding her. Chan taught her how to look for furniture that felt out of place, his reasoning behind this was to help her learn to decorate her own nest without too many scents. He also wanted her to feel completely comfortable in her own space before she went any further. The reason it took so long in the first place was that she changed it four times, one of which was Minho's fault because she caught him pulling a slight face and it made her insecure. The other time was Felix's fault because he asked if another coloured blanket would have been better on the chair, which led to Jisung pulling Felix's nest a part. In the second week, Y/N wanted some of their things in her room. Jisung was the first to proudly donate his pillow and bracelet. Chan the same day offered his shirts and scent on some of her clothes so she didn't have to worry. Changbin the following day offered his plushies and his sweaty gym towel but promised he would find something better. Felix and Seungmin came the day after with snacks and offered to roll around in her nest because Seugnmin barely had anything in his room to donate and Felix spent the whole night in a panicked state what to get. Felix later that evening went shopping to get her some fairy lights and unscented candles which made the omega feel better. A very nervous Jeongin came the day after with a bundle of hoodies and sweatshirts to donate which had been rutted on by him because he didn't know how to offer things to an omega. None of them had thought to tell him he didn't need to rut on them. Much to everyone's surprise Y/N donated one of her new jumpers to Jeongin nest which made the new alpha so excitable and proud, that he slept in it the same night. Minho came the day after with his hoodies and socks that he had washed and then re-scented because he wasn't disgusting like Changbin who gives people unwashed clothes. Minho had politely dropped them off outside when Hyunjin had offered his t-shirt and by offering he almost threw it at her, which annoyed Minho. It was an insult to her and to Chan and Minho wasn't going to tolerate it.

Minho had quickly apologised to Y/N with a bow before heading to the infuriating alpha's room and kicked his door down, breaking it straight off the hinges. The elder had shouted profusely at the younger alpha about his rudeness to the point the beta had thrown a load of blankets into the alpha's arms as he tried to force him to rut on them. By forcing him, Minho had pushed him to the ground and threatened to tell Chan that he made the omega cry if he didn't rut on them and politely present them to Y/N. To Y/N's surprise, Hyunjin did return with a grumble and handed her the blankets gently to her stating he didn't have any blankets so he had to find them. What Y/N didn't know was that Minho had bullied the alpha into donating something to her. That was something that kept Y/N awake at night as she held Hyunjin's blankets in her hand, feeling the soft texture of the material. She was almost too afraid to sniff it. He frightened her but at the same time, she was fascinated by him. She wondered if it was because he reminded her of Ateez, but he wasn't even close to their power or was he. Y/N tried to shake the thoughts from her mind as she sniffed Hyunjin's wet musky vanilla and ylang-ylang which sent her body into a massive frenzy. His scent was ethereal. It drove her insane as her mind darkened and went to another worldly place. What Y/N didn't realise was that Hyunjin was sat in his room listening to all of her thoughts and feelings.

[5ummit]

Important things I’ve learned about the new tumblr polls so far (which are NOT mentioned in the official announcement post):

Once you’ve voted you can’t change it and you can only vote once.

You can only view poll results on the dashboard or in blogview. The buttons are still displayed on custom blog layouts, but if you try to click on them it will automatically take you to blogview.

Responses are completely anonymous. Neither the poll creator nor the respondents can see who voted or what they voted for. The only visible metric is the total number of votes.

Votes don’t show up on your activity feed so you have to go find the poll on your blog if you want to see the results or know if people are even voting.

You can’t view the results of your own poll without participating (clicking on one of the answer choices yourself).

You can’t edit a poll post once you publish it, you can only delete it! I assume this lasts until the poll has timed out, which will either be in a week or a day depending on what you picked This is permanent, so you better hope you got all of your tags and answer choices correct before you publish! This also means you can’t change your poll duration later either.

UPDATE (Jan 22, 2023):

You can send individual polls to someone as a submission, which the recipient can then edit and customize before publishing, but this will NOT give that person the ability to create new polls on their own.

Polls have a maximum of 10 answer choices and each answer choice is limited to 80 characters.

Polls can’t be added to reblogs, only original posts. Additionally, only one poll is allowed per post.

You can add a poll to a previously published original post (that doesn’t have one already), but as soon as it’s published again all editing will be disabled. Also, the poll time limit starts from the original post date, so if you add a poll to a post older than your set time limit, the poll will automatically show up as completed with zero votes.

If you aren't sure if you have the ability to create polls, check this guide. As of right now, according to my current poll, only about 10-15% of users have this feature.

For more detailed info about polls and other currently known bugs and exploits, check out gotinterest’s polls masterpost.

[sflow-er]

Friendly reminder to vote against the far right in the European elections

If you are an EU citizen, you have probably noticed that the European elections will be held in the new week, 6 to 9 June depending on where you are. In some countries, early voting is already underway.

The polls are predicting a landslide for the far and extreme right, reflecting the current political trend across Europe. They may even outnumber the conservatives' EPP.

The good news is that they are currently splintered into a few different parliament groups and unaffiliated/non-inscrit parties. The bad news is that the EPP is now willing to work with some of them instead of reaching out to the centre or left. This cooperation between the conservative and far right will significantly impact the legislation that can be passed by the new Parliament, as well as the agenda of the new Commission (similar to a national government; the presumptive head of the Commission will negotiate with the groups after the election to gain their support).

If that sounds concerning to you, find out how to vote here.

If you don't know who to vote for, here are my three tips:

1 - Each party in your country probably has a platform/agenda listing their main objectives/focus areas for the EU elections on their website. Compare the parties that might appeal to you. Due to how the votes are counted (more info here), the choice of party is more important than the choice of candidate!

2 - Look to NGOs for guidance. They often list focus areas for each election, publish research on how individual MEPs voted in the previous term, and draft pledges that candidates can sign. For example, check out which candidates from your country have signed the ILGA Europe pledge for LGBTQIA+ rights and if others in their party signed it too. Or browse the EU Parliament Scoreboard ranking parliament groups and national parties on climate, nature and pollution legislation in the 2019-2024 election cycle.

3 - In some countries, there are also "Find your candidate" type quizzes that compare your answers to the candidates' answers. E.g. Wahl-O-Mat in Germany, Candidator in France, WhichCandidate in Ireland, valkompasser in Sweden / vaalikoneet in Finland (too many to link). If you know of any others, please put them in the reblogs! Remember to check if the quiz or its provider has a political affiliation (the ones linked above seemed impartial, but it's good to double check). I also recommend taking a look at the best-matched candidates' websites/social media to confirm your choice.

--

Reblogs for wider reach are much appreciated! Every vote counts, especially in an election with low turnout.

[lookninjas]

Pick a song based on a bad description! You do not have to recognize any of the songs to choose them. You're going more for a mood. A vibe. Whatever cracks you up. Roll a d12, maybe. Just pick something and reblog the poll (reblogging is important -- we get a lot of ties if there's not a bunch of votes, so please reblog!)

At the end of the week, I will take all the songs and put them in a playlist, starting with the song that has the least number of votes and working up to the song with the most votes. I will then share the poll around one last time with a link to the playlist and all individual songs. If you would like to hear the finished playlist, please leave a comment or mention it in tags or whatever, and I will tag you when the playlist is finished.

Also, if you're intrigued by a description and you just can't wait, shoot me an ask and I will tell you the name/artist of the song that you're interested in. But like I said, you don't have to know to vote. Go with what you feel in your heart.

[pudding-parade]

Sorry, but I have to get political on all your asses, at least those of you who live in the US. It will be a one-time thing on this subject, the only thing that I will say here about the election before it happens. And yeah, I'm going to say this on a blog devoted to a stupid video game. Why? Because I know that I have younger American people who follow me here, and if y'all are like some of the younger people I've talked to in real life and online in other venues, I have concerns. So I'm going to say all this as an old-ass, progressive American. Because if I can wake up one apathetic mind out there, it will be worth it. And if you're pissed at me for making a single political post at this important juncture, then fuck off and unfollow me or send me nasty messages or whatever you want to do. I don't care. And I'm not cutting this, either.

My dear followers: Donald Trump cannot -- CANNOT -- become president again.

Late last night, Trump posted on his Truth Social account a video containing language and images reminiscent of the World War era. It was about his fantasies of what America would be like, should he win the general election in about five months. It contained suspicious imagery and phrases like "creating a unified Reich." Does that sort of language sound familiar? Especially when combined with his rhetoric about immigrants being "vermin" that "poison the blood of our country?" Ring any bells? I'm sure it does for any German folks who might read this.

Trump's post was only taken down about 12 hours later, after backlash over it, and then Trump claimed that a "low level staffer" posted it, not him. Which is either a lie OR he was lying when he said previously that only he and his campaign's communications director have or will ever have access to that account. If you want more info about this, here's a short video from Jesse Dollemore, an independent commentator:

This election isn't about liberal/progressive vs. conservative. It truly doesn't matter what your personal ideology is because this election is about saving democracy. This is about preserving your freedoms, because we won't be able to do anything about any other issue, whatever our individual ideologies and pet issues are, if our basic freedoms upon which this country was founded -- freedom of speech and to protest, freedom of (and from) religion, freedom of the press -- are chipped away until they are gone. Because that's what autocrats do. They want freedom only for themselves, and Donald Trump and his cronies and hangers-on are all autocrat wannabes.

And if you -- Yes, you, even if you're sitting in the middle of blood-red state -- don't vote for Joe Biden, you will be doing your part to hand the autocrats what they want, because a non-vote or a vote for anyone other than Biden is in fact a vote for Trump and autocracy. Similarly, you must also vote for Democrats for all other positions, local, state, and federal so that America's overt flirtation with autocracy that's been going on since at least the 1990s might finally end once and for all.

Yes, yes, I know: "But Genocide Joe!" Think about it: Do you seriously think that Trump, who licks Netanyahu's asshole because he sees him as the kind of "strong man" that Trump wants to be, is going to help Gaza? Or that he'll go against Putin and continue aid to Ukraine? Because if you think that he will do either of those things, I have several bridges I'd like to sell you. No, Trump is going to "put America first." He says it all the time, and what he means by that is that he will do nothing except whatever it takes to keep himself and his cronies in power while also isolating America by severing ties to our allies. Gaza will be given to Netanyahu just as Ukraine will be given to Putin, should Trump win, and he won't give a shit. In the end, Biden (and Harris, should she have to take over) will listen and help Gaza, maybe not as much as we'd like because the Middle East situation is complicated and there are no simple solutions, but a Biden-led government will certainly help more than another Trumpian government would. And Biden will definitely continue to aid Ukraine, because that situation isn't complicated at all.

And in the end, it's not really about Ukraine and Gaza, though they are of course important. It's about us. Should Trump get into the White House again, he will surround himself with people who want America to be a plutocratic and authoritarian autocracy, very similar to Putin's Russia. This is not hyperbole. This is fact. A vote for Trump -- either actual or de facto by fucking around with not voting or voting for a third party because you think it's a "protest" -- is a vote to end democracy, plain and simple, which might very well mean that you'll never be able to protest again another day.

How bad could Trump be, you ask? Who cares who is president? Well, have a look at Project 2025. It's a 900-page "playbook" for the next "conservative" administration. (In quotes because there is nothing "conservative" about these people, including Trump and his cronies; they are radicals.) It is nothing less than a plan to destroy the federal government, the Constitution, and the freedoms that it enshrines and protects, which means the end of democracy. They published a similar tome before Reagan was elected, and once he was in, Reagan followed through with a lot of it. I have no doubt that Trump would, too, given that his "Agenda 47" platform is basically the same. Here is an article that summarizes Project 2025 and details some of its directives. And here is an article from Time Magazine, of all things, where the writer of it interviewed Trump about his vision for America, should he win. The first line of the article is, "Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice." You can read the transcripts of the interviews, too, so you can rest assured that the interviewer isn't being hyperbolic.

It ain't good, folks. Part of this extreme-right agenda is ridiculously expanding the power of the executive branch so that it would no longer be checked and balanced by Congress and the Supreme Court, which effectively turns the presidency into a dictatorship. And if Biden does not win, at least some of this bullshit will come to pass, especially because Trump already has the Supreme Court in his pocket. And he'll be able to appoint more young, far-right lunatics to that, too, should he win.

I'll repeat that Trump CANNOT win. I'll be the first to say that, as a pretty extreme (but also pragmatic) progressive, I'm not Biden's biggest fan, for various reasons. He is way farther right than I am, though he has been far more progressive-friendly than I expected and he has gotten some very good things done. But even if he wasn't and hadn't, he will preserve democracy and because of that, I will be voting for him without hesitation. I won't even have to hold my nose. Trump and his cronies in Congress and the Supreme Court will destroy democracy if you -- Yes, YOU! -- let them. And if you let them by deciding not to vote or doing some sort of lame "protest" vote, especially if you live in that handful of states where every presidential vote matters, you will have no one to blame but yourself and others like you. People being apathetic or doing "protest" votes is what got us Trump the first time around.

For fuck's sake, do the right thing.

[zedecksiew]

THE BLOGGIES 2023: FINALISTS

(If you just want to skip to the list of BLOGGIE finalists, scroll to the "Who Are The BLOGGIES?" section below.)

+++

WHAT ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Awards for some of the best tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) blog posts to come out in 2022. There will be five awards: Best Theory Blogpost, Best Gameable Blogpost, Best Advice Blogpost, Best Review Blogpost, and, the biggest one, Best Blogpost.

I won Best Blogpost, last year. So I am hosting the BLOGGIES, this year.

+++

WHY ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Blogs are worth celebrating. Barring the actual playing of actual games, they are our most fertile field, our most volatile laboratory. Longform, text-based, and informal---they are a place to jot down our most outre design ideas. Free and publicly available---they are a vector for open debate and serendipitous discourse. Perhaps most importantly: relatively free of algorithmic social-media pressures---they are the best chance we have at a cultural memory.

I got into TTRPGs because of blogs.

The BLOGGIES are, at best, an affirmation of the above. At least, they are a way to celebrate 64 excellent blog posts from the last year, and maybe get them in front of people who did not read them the first time.

+++

HOW ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Nominations: I put an open call for blog-post nominations on Christmas 2023; I also canvassed the TTRPG communities I am part of. Nominated posts had to be from between 1 December 2022 to 31 December 2023.

I closed the nomination period on 1 Jan 2024 with 149 blog posts for consideration. I read / re-read them all.

I chose a slate of 64 finalists, according to the following metrics, in order:

Enthusiasm---a post got multiple nominations;

Diversity---no one blog was allowed to be a finalist more than once in a category (except the Reviews category, where this rule was tied to individual writers, due to shared review blogs);

Notability---a post was extraordinary in presenting a novel idea, addressing an important subject, or reflecting a community current.

Obviously, that last metric is highly subjective, and limited to my knowledge and perspective in the scene. I did my best.

I will not have final final say. Finalists will go head to head, vying for to be anointed best of the best by ballot. The bracket was seeded in order of number of nominations received. The BLOGGIES await your vote, o TTRPG folx.

+++

WHEN ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Throughout January 2024! Voting is >>>NOW OPEN<<< on Google Forms according to the following schedule (I will link to the forms and result threads as I post them):

First Week January - THEORY

3 January: Round of 16

4 January: Round of 8

5 January: Round of 4

6 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

Second Week January - GAMEABLE

10 January: Round of 16

11 January: Round of 8

12 January: Round of 4

13 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

Third Week January - ADVICE

17 January: Round of 16

18 January: Round of 8

19 January: Round of 4

20 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

Fourth Week January - REVIEW

24 January: Round of 16

25 January: Round of 8

26 January: Round of 4

27 January: Quarterfinals (winners in category) - Results

31 January - FINALS

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WHO ARE THE BLOGGIES?

Your BLOGGIES 2023 FINALISTS are (presented in bracket order):

(High-res version here)

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THEORY

🥉 (1) being a problem - playable orcs at the limits of humanity, from Majestic Fly Whisk Some deep thinking about the racialisation of the orc in elfgames, why mainstream fixes fall short, and ways to move beyond.

vs

(16) #132: Axes of Game Design, from The Indie RPG Newsletter An exploration of the design axes / spectrums on which every TTRPG may fall.

(8) The Genres the OSR Can't Do, from A Knight At The Opera Sketching the limits of the OSR playstyle by looking at genres which are too differently-bound for it to emulate.

vs

(9) RPG Transcript Analysis: Critical Role, from Trilemma Adventures Examining a style of play through transcript analysis (looking at what is actually being said during a session), with Critical Role as case study.

🥈 (5) Critical GLOG: Base Resolution Mechanics, from Goblin Punch A deep dive into dice and resolution mechanics, and what they do in practice.

vs

(12) My favorite problems, from Failure Tolerated A list of design problems in TTRPGs, and a case for game design and theory to be driven by problem-solving.

(4) Roleplay Is Folk Art, from Wizard Thief Fighter An impassioned call to consider TTRPGs as folk art as opposed to corpocratic walled-garden IPs.

vs

(13) ART, PRODUCT, BOARD GAMES AND MAUSRITTER, from Fail Forward Critique of reviews that accuse TTRPGs for being too slick; interrogating the assumptions behind the label “commercial”.

(6) Toolbox Design, from The Dododecahedron Considering the principles of designing TTRPGs like toolboxes, through the lens of Cairn RPG and similar.

vs

(11) Mario vs ActRaiser vs Final Fantasy vs Zelda - Types of Advancement in RPGs, from Rise Up Comus Identifying some general types of advancement in TTRPGs, using videogames as a comparative lens.

(3) Posters, Posers and POSR(s), from Prismatic Wasteland Relitigating whether the OSR is dead, and defining its successor, the Post-OSR.

vs

(14) psychosis is badly written in tabletop games, from paper cult “Attempting to mechanize something so intensely personal, different, and mutable as mental illness is complicated. I think that makes these depictions bad!”

(7) “Rules Elide” and Its Consequences, from Jared Considering the implications of the maxim that "a game is about X when you have rules for everything but X".

vs

(10) Models of High-Level Play, from Benign Brown Beast Loose but useful classifications for types of high-level play: domains; god-like play; etc.

🥇 (2) OSR Rules Families, from Traverse Fantasy Sketching the landscape of the OSR, how various systems function, and how their attributes cluster and trend together.

vs

(15) Moralising and manipulation in tabletop roleplaying games, from Playful Void The importance of having design preferences without tying these preferences to moral judgments.

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GAMEABLE

🥉 (1) Flux Space, from Papers & Pencils A point-crawl procedure specifically designed for labyrinths / dungeons that are architecturally confusing / samey.

vs

(16) Generating Elevation in a Hexcrawl, from Traveler's Rest Procedures and advice on how to generate a mountain-crawl: hiking-focused adventure geography.

(8) The Autumn of Summers, from False Machine God-monsters born of summer, the hunting culture around such beasts, and random tables to generate their attributes.

vs

(9) MIMICS, from Vaults Of Vaarn A spread of novel pretender-creatures, with ecological and social implications.

(5) Another take on demihumans as social constructs, from Cavegirl's Game Stuff What if we consider fantasy races not as separate species, but as differing social roles?

vs

(12) The Apocalypse Archive, from Bearded Devil An unfinished by exemplary #dungeon23 attempt that includes wonderful maps and soundtrack notes.

🥈 (4) Pointcrawling Character Creation, from Rise Up Comus A framework for tying character generation to a geography, generating history and familiarity with campaign locales.

vs

(13) how to be erased, from Straits Of Anian Procedures for getting lost and getting led astray, and the kith and spirits one meets in those places.

(6) Dungeon Skirmishing, from All Dead Generations Feature-complete skirmish combat mechanics for OD&D, and the design rationales thereof.

vs

(11) Zelda-Style NPC Personalities, from To Distant Lands A system of generating quick and punchy NPCs, inspired by the way Zelda videogames present NPCs.

(3) GULCH, from Mindstorm A starter town specifically designed for contemporary (horror, urban fantasy, non-fantasy) campaigns.

vs

(14) Down the Road: Local Situation Design, from Deeper In The Game A procedure for quickly generating a powderkeg situation in a local geography of play.

🥇 (7) Laws of the Land: meaningful terrain via in-fiction limits and conditions, from Was It Likely? A method to generate meaningful diegetic terrain and tone in an adventuring region.

vs

(10) False Equivalent Exchange, from The Graverobber's Guide A novel magic system, done in natural language, with discussion on how it could be used in play.

(2) Deeper Catacombs, from Benign Brown Beast Iteration notes and a presentation of a comprehensive dungeon tracking procedure.

vs

(15) Inadvisable Decisions (GLΔG), from The Nothic's Eye An evocative alienist character class, based on drawing the attention of alter-describable things from beyond.

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ADVICE

🥈 (1) How to Handle Parley as an OSR DM, from Goblin Punch Comprehensive notes on how to run non-combat encounters without resorting to boring rolls.

vs

(16) GM Pointers: Live-Text Games, from Shadow & Fae Good reminders on how to run live-text games better, so they are better coordinated and don't take forever.

(8) ONLY Roll Initiative, from Bastionland Considerations on how to adjudicate combats, if initiative were the only dice roll in a combat system.

vs

(9) Action Mysteries, from A Knight At The Opera Asserting that good TTRPGs mysteries involve action---not just figuring out the truth but opposing the antagonist's goals.

(5) Modular Ecology, from The Graverobber's Guide A practical approach to including gameable ecology in TTRPGs, by tying materials to specific locations and conditions of the world.

vs

(12) ULTIMATE ANIMIST MECHANIC: EVERYTHING IS A REACTION, from Alone In The Labyrinth How to run a game where all actions are resolved by reaction roll: everything in the world responds by how much they like you.

(4) Game Mastering Like A Park Ranger, from SILVERARM Advice about GM-ing, based on the real-world work experience of being a park ranger.

vs

(13) An OSR approach to Spotlight, from Permanent Cranial Damage The suggestion that intentionally spotlighting characters solves the real-life problem of spotlighting players nicely.

(6) #Dungeon23, from Win Conditions The idea that spawned a thousand notebook dungeons, plus salient advice on how to start / keep going.

vs

(11) The Storyteller Technique, from Possum Creek Games When writing TTRPGs, imagine your game text as a diegetic artefact in the world of the game.

🥉 (3) RANSACKING THE ROOM, from Mindstorm A simple and powerful three-step method to handle room-searching in games: inspect, search, and ransack.

vs

(14) Cairn Crash Course, from Widdershins Wanderings A masterclass example on how to write player guides to a game, for Cairn RPG.

(7) AN EXAMPLE OF FKR (NEAR-)DICELESS COMBAT (WITH COSMIC ORRERY!), from Underground Adventures Describing combat in a Free Kriegsspiel Roleplaying (FKR) game, useful in understanding that playstyle.

vs

🥇 (10) Re-inventing the Wilderness: Part 1 - Introduction, from sachagoat Figuring out problems with wilderness exploration, and applying a mental-map framework from urban-theory academia.

(2) Dungeon Design, Process and Keys, from All Dead Generations A detailed process to designing and keying a traditional dungeon adventure.

vs

(15) THE D&D IN MY HEAD: In Only 6 Load-Bearing Numbers, from I Cast Light! Identifying the essential and minimum rules you need to remember, to run D&D.

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REVIEW

🥇 (1) An Empty Africa - PF2E's The Mwangi Expanse and the strange career of Black Atlanticism, from Majestic Fly Whisk A review of Pathfinder’s "The Mwangi Expanse", and a discussion of Black Atlanticism's fraught relationship with its sourcelands.

vs

(16) What Hull Breach Teaches Us, from Mazirian's Garden An assessment of the Mothership RPG third-party "Hull Breach" anthology as a "new standard for anthology companions".

(8) Grave Trespass - Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Adventure Game, from Bones Of Contention A review of the Labyrinth RPG. It’s got all these things which are "bad" in RPGs, so why does it work?

vs

(9) The First Rumor Tables, Part 2: Caverns of Thracia or Caverns of Quasqueton?, from Tom Van Winkle's Return To Gaming An investigation into the origins of rumour tables in TTRPGs. Did TSR plagiarise Jaquays?

(5) Standing up for D&D's Gen X: 2e (Part 1), from Mythlands Of Erce A full-throated defense of D&D2E, viewing it in the context of its time and as a refinement over 1E.

vs

(12) Systemcrawl: Break!! RPG, from Widdershins Wanderings A review and system analysis of Break!! RPG, which marries JRPG and OSR inspirations.

(4) Dungeon Crawls in Cinema, from Directsun Games Evaluating several films on the basis of how well they function as dungeon crawls.

vs

(13) Reasonable Reviews, from Rise Up Comus A general overview of TTRPG reviews, and what may or may not make them useful.

(6) Deep Dive: A|STATE, from The Indie Game Reading Club A review of a|state, and how it builds on and departs from the Blades In The Dark formula.

vs

(11) I Read Cloud Empress, from Playful Void A review of Cloud Empress, the first descendant of the Mothership RPG ruleset.

🥈 (3) Plagiarism in Unconquered (2022), from Traverse Fantasy A forensic analysis of how Unconquered plagiarised Ultraviolet Grasslands and Vaults Of Vaarn.

vs

(14) Rod, Reel, & Fist (Review), from Benign Brown Beast A substantial review of Rod, Reel, & Fist, a "system-forward fishing simulation RPG".

(7) Pedantic Wasteland - Vampire Cruise, from Bones Of Contention A review of Vampire Cruise, a largely system-neutral horror-comedy adventure set at sea.

vs

(10) Dragon Magazine: Player Advice Collection Overview, from Attronarch Athenaeum A comprehensive read-through and rating of 143 Dragon Magazine advice articles.

(2) Spire: The Monstrosity of Empire, the Necessity of Violence, from A A Voigt A comparative-literature analysis of Spire RPG through R F Kuang’s spec-fic novel "Babel, or the Necessity of Violence".

vs

🥉 (15) MICROBLOG: CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND TABLETOP GAMES, from Fail Forward Considering the influence of children’s books on TTRPG designers and works like "Barkeep on the Borderlands".

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It is difficult to describe how hard it was for me to whittle down the list of nominees to these finalists. I consider each of these 64 a landmark in 2023's TTRPG thinkings, and the folks from which they issue essential reading, going forward. They already deserve a prize.

So here it is, dear bloggers: a hand-carved linocut "finalist's pin" graphic you are free to use on your sites / posts, should you wish:

(High-res downloadable version HERE)

Thank you for writing! And good luck in the coming rounds of voting!

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CORRECTION: A blog post from 2021 (Not All Crunch Is the Same, from A Knight At The Opera), was included in the soft-launch posting of this list. An error on the part of its nominator, compounded by a data-entry error on my part. It has since been replaced by a post from the same blog with the actual most nominations (The Genres the OSR Can't Do). I have also double-checked my lists and all finalists. Apologies for my error!

[asurrogateblog]

The Syd Poll

the topic of this poll is one that is frequently avoided in the pink floyd fandom, but inevitably one we all consider – our individual views on what we think caused syd's psychological struggles (and by extension, led to his departure from the band). I think that – at least in this neighborhood of tumblr – this is a conversation we are capable of having in a way that is civil, nuanced, and at least minimally disrespectful to syd.

So, to help facilitate this, here are some ground rules:

let's all assume we have a mutual understanding of the complexities of this. syd could never actually be reduced down to a poll, and all of our viewpoints are limited in various ways

the poll options just serve as just a conversation starter, and responses are not necessarily a statement of absolute beliefs

feel free to discuss as much or as little of your own perspective as you feel comfortable sharing.

in the case that debates break out, please try to assume good intent – and also demonstrate it (unless, for instance, someone is being blatantly insulting beyond a misunderstanding that needs correcting)

please do NOT vote if you are not actually a pink floyd fan with at least basic knowledge about what we're talking about here.

The options I've included below are not meant to be exhaustive, they are simply the "theories" that I have seen most commonly circulated. I have also decided not to include combinations. I'm fairly sure we'd all agree multiple factors were involved. Rather than make the poll too complicated, I ask you to instead select the one that you think is the "most" important to your viewpoint, and clarify further in your tags/comments as you wish.

so. here we go.

READ BEFORE VOTING ^^^^

(note of correction: "late-onset schizophrenia" should just be "schizophrenia". the typical timeline for onset of symptoms is late adolescence/early adulthood, so syd would've been well within that period at the time)

[thestitchywitchy]

Future Spouse: First Impressions Pt. II

PART 1 HERE

Hey all! By popular vote, here is the the second part to the Future Spouse: First Impressions 😊 this one is going to be your first impression of them. Hope you enjoy! Please leave feedback 💜

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To book a reading with me, please DM or send an email to thestitchywitchy@yahoo.com with your inquiry 💌

My Links <- 🔮please support your witch💕 -> Masterlist

Please donate if you’re able to 🙏

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Here we go! Shake it out, take a breath, close your eyes, and choose an animated couple that calls out most to you. This is a general reading, so take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. If you feel inclined to choose more than one group, please feel free to do so.

***Disclaimer: these readings are for entertainment purposes only.***

Pictures from Pinterest, editing done by me.

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Pile One - Linguini & Colette

The Sun, The Devil, Queen of Swords

Hi Pile 1, welcome to your reading! Your initial impression of your future spouse is that they come off as complex, with many hidden layers. Your FS is highly energetic, optimistic, and charismatic. You will be swept away by their charm. They may have a magnetic personality and make others feel comfortable and at ease around them. Something about their smile just warms you down to your core. You can’t help but be intrigued by them. They exude positivity and warmth, and their presence can be uplifting and inspiring. But I do see you having a moment of doubt. Like, “ is this too good to be true? Surely, someone can’t be this perfect all the time?” And of course you’re right, they’re only human after all. So give them the benefit of the doubt, because yes, this charisma is one of the ways that helps them protect themselves and their inner world. But with that said, they are an incredibly friendly and social individual.

Your FS definitely has a darker or more complex side to their personality. Layers to them that they don’t feel comfortable sharing right off the bat, but you can sense the depth of this person the more you observe or talk to them. They may have struggled with temptation or addiction in the past. It makes them a lot more cautious opening up to people and you can sense that. Your FS may give you just enough information to get them by, but they definitely aren’t going to be revealing too much to you at this time. I see them wanting to impress you, so they’re going to try to remain a bit mysterious. They may also be currently grappling with difficult choices or inner demons. So it’s possible that they’re going to do their best to keep you at arm’s length for the time being. They may have a rebellious streak and may be drawn to experiences that push boundaries or challenge social norms. I see you definitely feeling their “bad boy/girl” vibe lol like, “hmmm what kind of trouble can we get into?” Ok pile 1, I see you! 👀

This person is highly intelligent and analytical. I mean, you don't become that dastardly charming by being a dumb dumb, amiright? 😈 Your FS may possess a sharp wit and be able to cut through complexity to get straight to the heart of a matter. Their ability to read people, including you, exceptionally well may intimidate you a bit. Their piercing eyes will cut right through you if you allow it. Independence is of the utmost importance to them at this point of their life. It may be hard to get them to be open to the idea of settling down, but eventually you will open them up to the possibility. They may be assertive and decisive, able to make tough decisions with ease. However, they may also come across as emotionally distant or aloof, prioritizing logic over emotions. This may be hard for some of you to get pass in the long run, because I see a lot of you are quite an emotional individual. Nothing wrong with that, you just need to find a middle ground with them. Hope you liked your reading!

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Pile Two - Terence & Tinkerbell

5 of Cups, Page of Pentacles, and Knight of Swords

Hey pile 2! Here we go... Your initial impression of you future spouse is that they are a complex and emotionally intense individual.

You may think that your FS may be feeling sadness or more so disappointment in this case. They may also seem to be focused on what they have lost rather than what they still have. I'm getting that they could have been snubbed for a promotion or didn't get a job they applied for. For a good handful of you, they lost a significant amount of money in stock trading or something a long those lines and they are pissed off about it. But they still have an air of wealth to them so it's not something they'll be worried about for too long. Very much career oriented. They may give off an initial impression of feeling down or carrying a heavy burden. A lot of weight falls on their shoulders. Over all, you most likely will be meeting your FS when they're having a bad day and they're trying to blow of some steam. Kind of a pessimistic vibe and you'll wonder if they're always like this.

But even with all that said, your FS is grounded and practical, with a strong focus on building a solid foundation for their future. I think they're practicality is what will stand out most to you. They may be diligent and hardworking, with a strong sense of responsibility and duty. Lol for some, I'm hearing "a duty to their mama, more like", so they can be a Mama's boy/girl and family oriented as well. Could even want to be a provider. I can see them talking about their job/career a lot. It looks like they're going to try to impress you with how much money they earn and quite a lot of you will take the bait. They may also be eager to learn and explore new things. So they will question you a lot too.

Your FS is highly intellectual and may be prone to quick thinking and may have to make hard decisions on a daily basis. Ok, this person is Do-Mi-NANT! They tend to be the boss at work, in social situations, and most of all, in the bedroom! This isn’t an 18+ reading, but it needed to be said lol. They may be sharp-tongued and assertive with the tendency to speak their mind without hesitation. And you better believe they're going to be assertive in showing their intentions with you 👀 You may get intimidated if they come on too strongly, but they're doing it in order to test you. They may be drawn to conflict or competition and may thrive under pressure. If they see you having other suitors present, they're going to make those suitors have a run for their money. The type of person who likes the chase because they know they have the tendency to get whatever they want. You'll be attracted to their power and the way they carry themselves. Hope you enjoyed the reading!

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Pile Three - Mavis & Johnny

8 of Cups reversed, The Magician reversed, The Hierophant

Hello pile 3, welcome to your reading. Your future spouse may give off an initial impression of them feeling stuck in life, lacking direction, and/or disconnected from their inner power. They may have a guarded, distracted demeanor all around so they may not even notice you at first.

Your FS may have a reluctance to let go of old patterns or situations that are no longer serving their needs. They may come across as feeling unfulfilled or unhappy with their current circumstances and may be hesitant to take action to change them. Somewhat of a people pleaser whose pretty much over everyone, but won't do anything beyond that point at the moment. It's likely that you're going to meet them as they're struggling to transition careers or after a break up. For the majority of you, it will be after a break up. Ok, let's get real a moment... for a good number of you who chose this pile, they may currently be in a relationship that they're not happy/satisfied with and it shows and you can see the unfulfillment written all over them. Rolling their eyes, huffing when someone speaks, arms crossed, all around closed off… Their current person may be there with them when you meet them for some of you, so heads up. Let their situation play out. Don't be the one to throw a wrench in the mix or you'll bring a lot of unnecessary drama in your life.

Your FS isn't all that great at expressing their intentions or manifesting their desires. Just all around really bad at flirting 🙈 how adorable lol. Most of you will find this really cute and endearing, but there are some of you who will think that they may not be interested in you even though they really are. For the ones who are meeting their FS when they're taken, your FS will try to block this connection, but obviously that isn't going to work for them in the long run lol.

Your FS may come across as lacking confidence in their abilities. They come across as well mannered and really shy as well. Also, they aren't that creative in their approach because they may feel like they don't stand a chance with someone like you. Your FS is pretty much just winging it at the the moment. They may seem to be lacking a sense of direction of what their intentions are, that's because they arent entirely sure what they want right now.

They seem like they are wanting to venture out and do their own thing. Pretty tired of the opinions of others, but not entirely confident enough yet to put a snub to certain situations. The situations will be different for each individual. At first meeting, you may not be entirely sure how you feel about your FS. You find them to be smart but also quite stubborn in their approach to life. You are attracted to them, but you may be concerned with their lack of current stability. Only time will tell... Hope you enjoyed your reading!

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All rights reserved to @thestitchywitchy. Thank you for participating in this pick a card reading 😊

If you enjoyed your reading and would like to look into this topic further, please DM me for a $7.77 extended reading.

[mariacallous]

You’ve studied Russian information warfare pretty extensively. A few weeks ago the Justice Department indicted two employees of the Russian state media outlet RT for their role in surreptitiously funding a right-wing US media outfit as part of a foreign-influence-peddling scheme, which saw them pull the wool over a bunch of right-wing media personalities. Do you think this type of thing is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Russian information warfare?

Of course. It’s the tip of the iceberg, and I want to refer back to 2016. It was much bigger in 2016 than we recognized at the time. The things that the Obama administration was concerned with—like the actual penetration of state voting systems and stuff—that was really just nothing compared to all of the internet stuff they had going. And we basically caught zilcho of that before the election itself. And I think the federal government is more aware of it this time, but also the Russians are doing different things this time, no doubt.

I’m afraid what I think is that there are probably an awful lot of people who are doing this—including people who are much more important in the media than those guys—and that there’s just no way we’re going to catch very many of them before November. That’s my gut feeling.

While we’re on Russia, I do want to talk about Ukraine, especially since you’re there right now. I think one of the most unfortunate aspects of [the media’s coverage of] foreign wars—the Ukraine war and also the Israel-Hamas war—is just the way they inevitably fade into the background of the American news cycle, especially if no American boots are on the ground. I’m curious if this dynamic frustrates you as a historian.

Oh, a couple points there. One is, I’m going to point out slightly mean-spiritedly that the stories about war fatigue in Ukraine began in March 2022. As a historian, I am a little bit upset at journalists. I don’t mean the good ones. I don’t mean the guys I just saw who just came back from the front. [I mean] the people who are sitting in DC or New York or wherever, who immediately ginned up this notion of war fatigue and kept asking everybody from the beginning, “When are you going to get tired of this war?” We turned war fatigue into a topos almost instantaneously. And I found that really irresponsible because you’re affecting the discourse. But also, I feel like there was a kind of inbuilt laziness into it. If war fatigue sets in right away, then you have an excuse never to go to the country, and you have an excuse never to figure out what’s going on, and you have an excuse never to figure out why it’s important.

So I was really upset by that, and also because there’s just something so odd about Americans being tired of this war. We can get bored of it or whatever, but how can we be tired? We’re not doing a damn thing. We’re doing nothing. I mean, there’s some great individual Americans who are volunteering and giving supplies and stuff, but as a country, we’re not doing a damn thing. I mean, a tiny percentage of our defense budget—which would be going to other stuff anyway—insead goes to Ukraine.

And by the way, Ukrainians understand that Americans have other things to think about. I was not very far from the front three days ago talking to soldiers, and their basic attitude about the election and us was, like, “Yeah, you got your own things to think about. We understand. It’s not your war.” But as a historian, the thing which troubles me is pace, because with time, all kinds of resources wear down. And the most painful is the Ukrainian human resource. That’s probably a terribly euphemistic word, but people die and people get wounded and people get traumatized. Your own side runs out of stuff.

We were played by the Russians, psychologically, about the way wars are fought. And that stretched out the war. That’s the thing which bothers me most. You win wars with pace and you win wars with surprise. You don’t win wars by allowing the other side to dictate what the rules are and stretching everything out, which is basically what’s happened. And with that has come a certain amount of American distraction and changing the subject and impatience. I think journalists have made a mistake by making it into a kind of consumer thing where they’re sort of instructing the public that it’s okay to be bored or fatigued. And then I think the Biden administration made a mistake by not doing things at pace and allowing every decision to take weeks and months and so on.

What do you think another Trump presidency would mean for the war and for America’s commitment to Ukraine?

I think Trump switches sides and puts American power on the Russian side, effectively. I think Trump cuts off. He’s a bad dealmaker—that’s the problem. I mean, he’s a good entertainer. He’s very talented; he’s very charismatic. In his way, he’s very intelligent, but he’s not a good dealmaker. And a) ending wars is not a deal the way that buying a building is a deal, and b) even if it were, he’s consistently made bad deals his whole career and lost out and gone bankrupt.

So you can’t really trust him with something like this, even if his intentions were good—and I don’t think his intentions are good. Going back to the strongman thing, I think he believes that it’s right and good that the strong defeat and dominate the weak. And I think in his instinctual view of the world, Putin is pretty much the paradigmatic strongman—the one that he admires the most. And because he thinks Putin is strong, Putin will win. The sad irony of all this is that we are so much stronger than Russia. And in my view, the only way Russia can really win is if we flip or if we do nothing. So, because Trump himself is so psychologically weak and wants to look up to another strongman, I think he’s going to flip. But even if I’m wrong about that, I think he’s incompetent to deal with a situation like this. Because he wants the quick affirmation of a deal. And if the other side knows you’re in a hurry, then you’ve already lost from the beginning.

Timothy Snyder Explains How Americans Might Adapt to Fascism Under Trump

[fswintersdelight]

Edit: We do NOT accept AI-generated art, writing, or other creative craft.

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Winter's Delight: A Four Swords Calendar

Hi and welcome to Winter's Delight 2024: A Four Swords Calendar!

If you have participated before, welcome back, and if this is your first time here, welcome to a month of fan creation.

Winter’s Delight is an event organised by fans for fans. This is the third year in a row this event runs. Last year we experimented with zine and daily prompts, but it didn’t create the sense of joy, delight, and community we were looking for – so this year we’re returning to our roots in art+writing reveals.

Winter's Delight 2024: A Four Swords Calendar runs from the 1st to the 31st of December. In the months leading up to it, we invite artists and writers to prepare pieces of fanart, fanfics, or similar to be posted on Tumblr (and, if the participants choose so, to our Ao3 collection) throughout December.

Each year we have two themes. To represent the name of the event, one theme will always be WINTER. The other has been determined through submissions from fans and voting. This year, the other theme is LIGHT IN THE DARK. Any piece you create for the event must contain at least one of these two themes.

The event has a total of 31 available spaces for artists and writers. Spaces are made available on a first-come basis. To sign up, please fill in and submit the Google Form below.

Once the sign-up form closes, you will be assigned a number of days across the month of December. (The exact number will be indicated by yourself when you fill out the form.) You will be expected to create an individual piece of art or writing for each of your assigned days, and to post these pieces on the assigned days. When you post, please tag us ( @fswintersdelight ) so we can reblog your piece and help fans find it!

Please see the full extent of our guidelines below.

This year we will also trial a private Discord server for ease of communication. As this event is in the form of reveals, we ask that participants don’t share their completed piece(s) until their assigned day(s). You may, however, share little sneak-peeks (screenshots/photos of sections of an artwork or a few lines of text).

General Guidelines

One OR both of the themes has to be apparent in the art or writing. The themes for 2024 are: WINTER and LIGHT IN THE DARK.

The art or writing must include character(s) and/or setting(s) from either the Four Swords games or the Four Swords manga.

We do NOT accept mature or explicit content.

We welcome all ships and AUs.

All written pieces should be in the range of 500–8,000 words.*

Art can include short comics, crafts, or other creative expressions.

Music or videos are permitted, provided they are no longer than 5 minutes.

*If your piece is an illustrated recipe or similar, the text itself may be shorter than 500 words. We do, however, ask that pieces of this type be clearly related to themes and characters/setting, either via an attached short story or illustrations.

To share your piece on your assigned day, please do the following:

STEP 1

Create a Tumblr post on your own account, featuring your piece. (If it’s a fanfic, piece of music, or a video, a link to the piece is sufficient.)

STEP 2

Tag us (@fswintersdelight) so we can reblog your piece!

STEP 3

Use this year’s tags: #fswintersdelight2024 OR #fswd24

STEP 4 (optional)

If you would also like to post your piece to Ao3, please consider adding it to the appropriate Winter’s Delight subcollection. The subcollection will be made available from the 30th of November.

Deadlines and Important Dates

12th of September: Sign-up form opens.

25th of October: Sign-up form closes.

1st of November: Final assignments and Discord invites sent out.

22nd of November: Check-in for anyone assigned days between 1st and 15th of December.

29th of November: Check-in for anyone assigned days between 16th and 31st of December.

1st of December: FSWD24 officially opens.

31st of December: FSWD24 officially closes.

Thank you for spreading the word!

With your help we can make this December a kind, loving, welcoming, and vibrantly joyful month.

I look forward to seeing everyone's fantastic artworks, and to read all the fanfics you share for the event.

Hugs, spice, and all things bright,

Kalh

Contact

Tumblr: @fswintersdelight

Email: fswintersdelight@gmail.com

[kirbyoctournament]

🌖 kirby oc tournament 2024 💫

final confirmations + schedule adjustment!

hello again everyone, hope you are all well and excited for the tourney! we have an important update regarding our planned schedule.

due to the number of competitors (about three times as many as we predicted, nearly 150 individual participants!) we are taking a little extra time to get things sorted up front, and ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible during the event.

if you are a competitor and have not yet done so, please confirm your name, oc name, and intro post url on our participants sheet. if anything is incorrect, let us know ASAP. the deadline for this is may 9th, after which we cannot make changes!

🗓️ REVISED schedule of events 🗓️

competitor confirmation window: until may 9th brackets announced: may 10th voting begins: may 13th bracket length: 1 week next bracket announced: 1 week after polling ends total break length: 2 weeks after polling ends due to the size of the tournament, poll posts will be staggered over several days. each voting bracket will last One Week with public tumblr polls on the @kirbyoctournament blog. this is the longest they can be. there will be a revised 2 WEEKS between polls. one week after polls are closed, the next brackets will be announced, and after the second week the following polls will begin to go live. this extended break gives participants time to wind down, create additional propaganda (including their new opponent, if they wish), and gives us as hosts the time needed to make the number of polls. as the tournament progresses, this break length may reduce, as we'll have less polls to make! we will be sure to let you know!

we appreciate your patience with the new schedule, and apologize for the slight delay in start time. because all polls -now numbering over 70 for the first bracket- will be hand-made and double checked by only two people, we need some extra time to ensure there are no mistakes!

we are also being as lenient as we can to welcome several late-comer entries, as we don't want folks to miss out! if this is you, please be aware the firm and final deadline is 11:59pm CST on the 5th of may. we cannot accept any more entries after that point!

[betweenlands]

why you should vote herobrine in every single Tumblr Sexyman poll

he's one of the originals: look, a lot of these upstarts are new to the party. they may be sexy and they may be men, but they lack legacy. not so with herobrine. herobrine's been around. he's been around before sans. he's been around before bill cipher. he's one of the original originals alongside the onceler himself. know your herstory etc etc

he fits more of the criteria: look. i love benrey, i love reigen arataka, i love raymond animalcrossing. but look me in the eyes and tell me: is there a significant portion of people who ship them with themselves? once upon a time that used to be a requirement. and guess who does fit that requirement? that's right. herobrine. i mean, yeah, there's also herosteve i guess, but i was there back in the mid-2010s! i know what i saw! even to this day people will make new herobrine variant ocs! and guess what! sometimes they smooch!

he's a trailblazer: i think quite possibly one of the few more influential video game creepypastas you could cite would be BEN Drowned, but with all my respects -- he does not have the advantage of being in one of the longest-living games of the decade. herobrine, meanwhile? herobrine comes from the same time as first-era MCYT, and no matter how you feel about the phrase "MCYT" as a whole, you should know that interpretive roleplay and storytelling in the confines of video games is very, very cool and very, very important. and the first villain of every 13-year-old's minecraft roleplay? if it wasn't herobrine, he almost certainly made an impact elsewhere.

he's been through a lot: if i had a nickel for every time i saw whitewashed herobrine i would probably be a millionaire. despite being blocks he gets drawn as a stereotypical muscleman (twig herobrines get a pass they have a je ne sais quoi about them). his alive half-brother is a total asshole. people hate him on instinct because some famous jackass or another happens to play the game he's originated from. he's gotten banned from minecraft at least 10 separate times. he doesn't deserve this. he's just really been through the ringer and he really deserves this win.

i love your other guys. i do. except one or two of them but i don't want those guys anywhere near my blog so i'm not naming those fuckers. but for the most part i love like 90% of them and if it were up to me they'd all be given titles for their individual contributions to sexymandom.

but c'mon, y'all, it's herobrine minecraft. someone changed four pixels on the original steve skin and made a complete and utter legend and we can't just let that go unaccoladed forever.

[ID: an image of Herobrine's skin at a 3/4ths angle facing right. /End ID.]

the universe loves you very much, be gay do minecraft and vote herobrine.