#cut out the middleman and follow the blogs I follow and cut me out of the equation entirely

[kenzan-kiwami]

everybody claims to be a kashiwagi enjoyer but the only time anyone ever talks about him is to say he's the hottest piece of meat in the series

[neverendingford]

.

[wanderingmind867]

I am half tempted to send some of my mutuals asks where i ask them if they've seen my latest posts. I think I'd feel guilty doing it, but that doesn't necessarily mean i won't do it. It just means that i'll feel like a jerk doing it, and it may fuel my desire to make a post where I discuss how I feel social media can be bad for me (i keep wanting to make that post, but i never can bring myself to make it). But if i'm so concerned that i'm overtraining it all this badly, why not cut out the middleman? I'm just gonna tag three of my mutuals, i'll say some stuff that'll make me want to run to another tab (like a chatbot site or a tierlist site or something), and then we'll go from there:

Now, Warning: The things I say might end up sounding awkward, rude, or any number of any negative ways. I don't mean it in those ways. I feel bad enough about making this stupid post, but i'm doing it anyways.

@ihauntmyhouse @thewordsmith3 @yourfriendlyneighbourhoodaries the three of you are sort of like a trio, in a weird way: i followed you all at one point because you had a period where you really engaged with my posts. And unlike some other blogs i engaged with (where I never followed them back or we drifted apart due to diverging interests in my 2+ years on here), i have always unfollowed and refolllowed you to keep you near the top of my following count. I don't know why anymore. Habit, maybe? A desire to ensure people focus on me (that makes me sound like a narcissist, which i really don't feel like i am. But that goes back to me wondering if social media is good for me)? A simple matter of me being lazy and sedentary and not liking the aesthetics if different people at the top of the count?

The point of that giant text block is: I don't know why i'm like this online. That's really all i needed to say, but i rambled. And since i haven't seen your blogs in my activity log lately (and since my brain is pressuring me over thinking my posts don't get enough attention), I needed to make this post and ensure you still see me. Maybe that's feeding this too; a fear of being forgotten or something. Considering my only friend irl is my dad (who i'm super dependent on) and i've been suffering existential issues, it could be a fear of being forgotten.

[urbanquests]

This blog is part of an ongoing undergraduate architecture thesis. It argues that the act of playing (by all, in all circumstances and, at times, against the wishes of those with power over us) has the ability to disrupt the social and spatial habits of daily life in the city. Anyone is welcome to participate.

how to play

Carry out any quest(s) that you please, in any way that you please. Then, document it - by taking a photo or a short video, by sketching, by writing in words, by recounting it to someone, etc. You don't have to show this material to anyone. If you choose, however, you may submit your documentation to this blog and I will append it to the corresponding quest. Feel free also to cut out the middleman (me) and reblog with your addition.

If you'd like me not to publish your submission to the blog but would still like me to include it as part of my thesis (i.e. for me and my review panel's eyes only), that is also very welcome - just indicate it.

See the archive to view quests en masse.

general guidelines

Play by yourself or with others. Follow local law; be respectful of the natural and built environment as well as others around you. Be safe, conscientious and aware of your impact. When submitting material, take caution: use a pseudonym and make sure that identifying features (of yourself, your peers, and your environment) are left out.

That's all!

[hellfireheroes]

🎸 Hello! This is an Indie, Semi-Selective and Crossover/OC friendly 80s and Horror Multimuse! 🎸

I do not own any of the muses mentioned besides my own OCs.

I am aware of the actions of two of the cast members of Stranger things regarding real world events and I do not support or condone such behaviors.

Free Palestine.

This blog is a sideblog. All likes, follows and interactions will come from my blog (@scribsmcgee). This blog is also mobile bound but I will cut my posts and write multiple paragraphs and will do my best to fulfill any standards regarding your rules about lengths of posts and such.

This also explains why my gifs are different sizes and icons are different sizes. My apologies.

I am a Semi-selective blog which means I’m a tad picky on who I interact with. This also goes into unfollowing. If I unfollow you, I can’t see our muses working out anymore or our writing styles. Don’t take it personally, this is a hobby after all. This also means don’t drag me into bullshit if I unfollow you, I have my reasons. I have the right to follow and unfollow who I wish and the same goes to you. Remember boundaries are important folks!

This blog will contain canon divergent aspects for certain characters and verses. I will also be sprinkling in my headcannons for these characters and a few world building headcannons.

Crossovers are 1000000% welcome! I encourage you to throw your funny guys at my guys!! I will need some guidance on muses I don’t know though so be prepared to plot plot plot!!

This blog is mega 21+ given the content of the show and that I’m an old fart (23). I won’t hold back on getting into more heavier topics such as Child abuse and Neglect, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Trauma, Other worldly body horror, Eldritch horror, Gun violence, Body violence, mind control, Misunderstanding and blackmailing of someone who is neurodivergent, The Mun is Diagnosed, (Not from the muses themselves but will be referenced in their bios), blood, gore and etc.

Seriously, if any of this shit above affects you, I urge you to proceed with caution. I’m not responsible if you get upset with the warning label above.

I will tag any and all references of more heavier shit with the tags below. If you need something tagged let me know and I’ll happily do so!

Examples:

Media.warning.blood

Media.warning.injury.

That being said, this blog will NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES write problematic content. None. I’m talking proshit and other nasty shit.

I mean it, don’t bring it in my house.

This blog Will however, write ships!

The ship I mainly write is Steddie but I am open to more ships.

The ships I will not write but will still take interactions on are:

Stancy

Hellcheer

Harringrove

I won’t write shipping content in any form with Minors.

For NSFW:

I am comfortable writing some NSFW but no hardcore stuff. Ask me what level I’m comfy with but I’m okay with some stuff.

I prefer not to list it here due to comfort reasons.

I’ll also say this here aswell. DO NOT GUILT TRIP ME OR MANIPULATE ME INTO REPLYING or FOLLOWING YOU BACK. I will not have that on my blog. Do not pull that with me I will block you.

For callout and cancel culture I’m a bit of a middleman. I don’t particularly like it due to its problematic history itself but I fully believe warning people about problematic and dangerous people in the RPC is a good thing! But there are often times alot of claims are bullshit and just make things messy for no reason other than petty disputes. I will 100% believe any accusations on anyone I interact with if there is proof of their shitty behavior or disgusting acts. I try to see things as innocent until 100% proven guilty and if anyone I interact with have such a history with disgusting things PLEASE LET ME KNOW WITH PROOF I AM VERY STUPID!

If you wish to warn me about a dangerous individual please don’t send me an anon all ‘hey so and so is bad’ and not give me any proof or what exactly makes them bad because I’ve had that happen before and it just makes you look silly friend. Again, Please provide proof for me.

Personals are allowed to follow and leave inbox messages if they don’t have rp blogs. However, They cannot like or reblog rp threads/ starter calls or inbox calls.

Personals attached to rp blogs are free to like starter calls and inbox calls! Just make sure your blog is visible in your description or let me know via inbox!

If I have used your content, via icons or headers and I have missed crediting you properly, absolutely let me know and I’ll fix it!

Thank you so much for making it this far! I know it’s a heavy read but it means a lot :]

This password isn’t necessary but I would appreciate it in my inbox to show you’ve read the rules!

‘CODE RED I REPEAT, CODE RED!’

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

hi! been following your blog for years and years and i think you've got great taste :) i also remember you used to rec fics? idk if you still have the energy for it but if you do i'd love to know which fics you've been enjoying! i have to admit im a bit lost in the variety and don't really know what im looking for around here yet ^^"

have a wonderful day 🖤

oh gosh, that's so sweet of you, thank you!

i'm glad to rec fics, though you didn't actually specify what fandom you're looking for recs for...?? 😆

if you're referring to our flag means death, i actually just added my recs onto a rec post earlier today. i've been reading pretty much nonstop ofmd the past week, so i have a bunch of recs there! if you want to cut out the middleman, here's my ao3 bookmarks filtered for blackbonnet for you.

if that's too many to choose from, let me select some of my favorites so far for you:

we were warnings by mia_ugly

Starcharts by triedunture

Close Quarters by FortinbrasFTW

the knife and the throat by darcylindbergh

on the bed of this blue ocean by kirkaut

domestic by Ark

a laughing matter by mxwicked (SpacemanSpiff7)

Half agony, half hope by lyricl

Bit of a Clothes Horse by Aivelin, Fyre

heartless by Nanashi07

to carry home inside me by ShowMeAHero

Aftercare by perkynurples

that seems like a lot, but i had to whittle it down from like 55 😄 if you like those, be sure to check the authors for their other works; a lot of these are some of my favorite authors on ao3.

if you're talking about another pairing, like destiel or ineffable husbands or w/e, let me know and i'll hunt down some of my old rec lists for you. :)

[domjaehyun]

RULES

Please read before messaging! Hi, everyone! So this blog gets a lot of traffic and I get quite a lot of messages a day (read: 50-70) and this can get kinda overwhelming because I’m just one person who occasionally has bad mental health days! I love feedback and that is always encouraged but I am also a person whose mental health isn’t the best, so I think I need to establish some terms for using my ask box so I don’t get burned out.

I am no longer answering asks that:

include images. I’ll answer them privately but not publicly because they make my theme look all wonky!

are asking for updates on QC3. I am thrilled that you’re all so excited about it, but I’ve said at least eight separate times that I’m not starting QC3 until I finish my commissions.

talk about things I’ve covered in my rules. I really don’t like repeating myself!!

upset me (if I have to tag it with a trigger warning, it’s not getting answered, I’m sorry) This is not because I don’t care; if anything, I care way too much. It makes me feel helpless when I can’t help at all, so please respect this rule.

are questions you can Google. I am not a search engine and I am happy to give advice, but the chances are usually that I have to Google the answer myself, so why not just cut out the middleman and look it up, y’know?

are self promotions or requests for feedback. Not only do I not have time to read fics and edit them/give feedback, but I also have a very hard time being genuine about my feedback if I don’t feel fully comfortable sharing my thoughts with you. 

are super long or span over more than one ask. Please…...I cannot read. 

are starting discourse. Truthfully: I don’t care and I don’t like being involved in drama, so please keep me out of it.

If you go against my rules, I’m not answering your ask; I’m sorry, but I think I’ve been super clear about my boundaries in this post! Please have respect for me. 🥺

Asks that I love receiving:

Feedback! Asks that are reviewing a fic or giving me praise for the hard work that I put into each fic! I really don’t care how long these get because they motivate me to keep writing, and that’s basically why we’re all here, y’know?

Things that made you happy! Hearing about good things make me feel better but the shorter the better

When you ask me about myself, especially if you’re a new follower.

I am touched when you ask for advice; just know that I will do my best, but I am only moderately knowledgeable about most things, so my answer might not be perfect!

Gushing messages about your crush, your KPOP boy/girl/person of choice.

General conversation starters!!

NOTE: If I haven’t answered your ask yet and you’re not violating the terms/my rules, then please be patient! If I haven’t answered in 24 hours and I’ve been very active in that time, then tumblr might have eaten it and you can send it again! Please respect my boundaries so I don’t end up closing my inbox or anything! I love love love talking to all of you but it gets really draining to get those kinds of messages. If you can read Quarantine Chronicles 1 and 2 which were 28.5k and 55.2k respectively, you can read this 600 word post!

[distortingbones]

i was tagged by @hotdrinks (ty)!!

1- why did you choose your URL?

"distorting bones" = two-for-one special referencing both the distortion & the not!them (when their body gets all freaky in the tunnels). because they're both very compelling monsters and i like them!

2- Any side blogs?

nope! i'm too lazy to curate multiple blogs

3- How long have you been on Tumblr?

either 10 years or 1 year depending on how you count 🤪 i first joined in 2011 but i left in 2016 when ace discourse was getting really bad. then made this blog in 2020 so as to better archive the magnus

4- Do you have a queue tag?

too lazy for queuing... if my followers don't like me reblogging 10 pictures of jonmartin kissing in a row then that's their problem not mine

5- Why did you start your blog in the first place?

oops i answered this in 3! but basically me and my bestie both got really into tma a couple months before quarantine hit. they kept sending me tumblr links to tma fan content so i eventually decided to cut out the middleman! and maybe also post some of my own fanart (once in a blue moon - most of it stays in my sketchbook because i intend to color it and then. forget.)

6- Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

i just think she's neat (annabelle cane)

7- Why did you choose your header?

don't have one

8- What’s your post with the most notes?

hmm i think the tma meta post where i talk abt gertrude & gerry & eric. i don't post original content too often so i don't get a ton of notes, which is honestly how i prefer it - i've gone viral on twitter a few times and it sucked so bad

9- How many mutuals do you have?

at least one

10- How many followers do you have?

111

11-How many people do you follow?

only 41! i like being able to keep up with my dash (also prevents me from sinking TOO much time into scrolling)

12- Have you ever made a shit post?

all of my posts are deadly serious. obviously.

13- How often do you use Tumblr each day?

like 1-2 hours total spread throughout the day (i have a 90 minute time limit for tumblr on my phone but i ignore it a lot lol)

14- Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

not on this blog! internet arguments stress me out and are rarely productive so i just. don't do that. unless someone brings the fight to me - which never happens here because i don't have a popular blog ✌️peace and love on planet earth

15- How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

actually op you'll find that i do not need to do that at all. here i'll prove it

16- Do you like tag games?

sure! it makes me feel included :)

17- Do you like ask games?

yeah once in a while!

18- Which of your mutuals do you think is Tumblr famous?

idk what counts as "tumblr famous" but i think @crit20lesbian and @hotdrinks are both so cool and talented :)

19- Do you have a crush on a mutual?

nope! got some mutuals i would like to befriend tho :)

uhhh i'll tag @marionberry-jam @gentlemancrow @crit20lesbian @v0idsign !! no pressure ofc though

[konglindorm]

King Thrushbeard

King Thrushbeard has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. Top five, easily. (The top five, in no particular order: King Thrushbeard, Prince Lindworm, Donkey Cabbages, East of the Sun West of the Moon, and Beauty and the Beast.) This is partly because (spoiler) I'm a total sucker for secret identities (I blame this on early exposure to Robin Hood and The Princess Bride), and I think partly because of a blog post I read years and years and years ago, which analyzed King Thrushbeard as a Christian allegory. It was a really fascinating post, and I wish I could link it for you, but I first encountered it over a decade ago, and I wouldn't know where to even begin looking for it now.

So recently I reread King Thrushbeard for the first time in at least five years. Which. Kind of a mistake. Some things are just better in memory. (Which is why I no longer read favorite books from my childhood. Some things you just can't bear to have ruined by, like, good taste.)

Anyway. Let's get into it.

Our story starts with a princess who doesn't want to get married, which. Fair. But we're in a setting, where,  like, you kinda gotta anyway. Princesses in this culture are not doing a lot of marrying for love, even in fairy tales. And our girl, she's being pretty much as difficult as possible about it. Her father keeps on bringing in suitors, and she keeps on rejecting them in the rudest ways possible. Mostly stuff about their physical appearances. "I can't marry this guy; he's so fat he looks like a wine barrel." "He's so red he looks like a rooster." "His chin is so crooked it looks like a thrush's beak." Etc., etc. Except that the thrush beak one - I'm glancing through the pitt.edu version as I write this post and that's what it says, but in other translations I know they've said his beard looks like a thrush's nest, which makes much more sense to me because facial hair is much more easily changed than chin shape.

Now, okay, I get that marrying a total stranger to strengthen your father's political alliances isn't fun. But insulting powerful men as you reject them is just not the best idea, hon. You're gonna cause problems there. People are gonna blame your dad for your rudeness and not want to be in treaties with him anymore. Which you should know.

So. Dad gets fed up with this whole thing after princess rejects the latest batch of suitors, and swears to marry her to the next beggar that comes to the door. Minstrel beggar comes by shortly afterwards, and beggar and princess are married despite strenuous objections by both. King kicks princess out, because it's "not proper for a beggar's wife to live in the palace."

Princess and beggar walk a ways. They pass through a number of beautiful places owned by King Thrushbeard (which is what we're calling chin/beard dude now), and princess bemoans her foolishness in refusing to marry him. Out loud, which her new husband points out is pretty rude, as she's married to him now.

Eventually they reach the tiny hut where they're going to live. Princess is shocked and horrified by lack of servants. Beggar immediately sets her to cooking and housework, neither of which she has any idea how to do. And then he decides she needs to get a job.

(Once he gets married we never see him beg again, or do any other kind of work; he just expects his brand new wife with no marketable skills to provide for him and contributes absolutely nothing to the relationship. Fantastic. Real stand-up guy.)

Princess is set to weaving baskets, but the materials cut her delicate princess hands. She's set to spinning thread, but those materials also cut her delicate princess hands, and, like, what? Exactly how delicate do your hands have to be to be cut by thread? Apparently we just have a full-on Princess and the Pea situation here. Okay.

Beggar sets her to selling pottery in the marketplace. That goes really well; people buy her pots because she's pretty and sad and they feel sorry for her. This is apparently pottery that the beggar bought from someone else, making the princess sort of the middleman here. Which is where the trouble comes in; some drunk dude on a horse comes through the market and smashes all her pots. Which she and the beggar then have to pay for.

And of course, according to the beggar, this is all her fault, because of the part of the market she chose to work in? If she'd set up somewhere else the pots wouldn't have been trampled. And, like, I'm not liking the beggar. Not an appealing character. Kind of a jerk.

He gets the princess a job as a kitchen maid at King Thrushbeard's palace. She starts smuggling food home in her pockets, which will become relevant in a minute here, because she and her husband are very poor, and food is hard to come by.

All goes well until the king's wedding day. She's got her pockets full of food, and the king - King Thrushbeard, who she so rudely rejected - demands that she, a random kitchen maid, dance with him. While they're dancing, all her pockets burst, spilling the stolen food, and she's in filthy rags in a ballroom in front of a suitor she rejected, so she makes the only logical choice and runs right out of there.

The king follows her. He says, "Surprise! I'm your beggar husband and somehow you didn't recognize me just now? I orchestrated this whole big thing - the marriage, the broken pots, that fun little wardrobe malfunction you just had - to teach you a lesson. And now that you've learned it we can live happily ever after!"

To which the princess replies, "I suck and I'm not worthy to be your wife," which. Just. Oh, honey, no. You were really rude to him once, so he made the next several months of your life a living hell. You are not the unworthy one. Why do you think you're unworthy? Is this Stockholm Syndrome? Do you have Stockholm Syndrome? Is that even how Stockholm Syndrome works? Probably not, but I am Concerned.

(One of these days I'd like to make it through a whole fairy tale summary without being Concerned. Hasn't happened yet.)

So. The wedding that's happening is her surprise wedding, she changes clothes quick before the ceremony, and they live happily ever after. Good times. Our beggar/Thrushbeard was a lot more likeable in my memory before this reread.

(This post was available early on my Patreon.)

[gothiethefairy]

someone linked me a couple posts from your blog so I went ahead and just followed you to cut out the middleman. The quality was as advertised so I continued to follow.

oh jeez, wonder what were the posts lol

were they bad shitposts i made? probably lol

[transgenderteensurvivalguide]

I'm planning on being out as Agender at school next year but I know I won't be to my family. Do you have any tips on how to be fully out at school but not at home/elsewhere? Or do you know of any laws that would allow me to be out at school but prevent administration from notifying my parents?

Lee says:

When you come out to your teachers, make sure you say that it isn’t safe for you to come out to your parents at home because they’re transphobic (so they understand the gravity of the issue), and tell them that you’d appreciate if they used your birth name and (insert specific pronouns here) if they have parent teacher conferences or interact with your family at some point, like during accomodations meetings.

But there is a chance you’ll be outed even if your teachers aren’t the ones doing it.

When I was 16, during my first year modding this blog, I came out to my peers at school and told my teachers not to tell my parents. My friends all knew I wasn’t out to my parents, so they were careful to use my birth name and she/her pronouns when they were around my family, and my teachers knew not to use my chosen name or they/them around my family too.

Then, one day, one of my classmates told their parents I’m trans, probably in some passing conversation. I wasn’t close to this person- they were in another grade and we only shared one elective class together- so they might have not known I wasn’t fully out, or they knew but didn’t mention it to their family in whatever brief conversation they had in which my gender was mentioned. Then, one of those parents met my parents at a party of a mutual friend. Not knowing I wasn’t out to them, the parent told my mom and dad how they thought it was wonderful I was living my truth, and so on. My parents were shocked and angry. The person who mentioned me being trans to their parent didn’t anticipate outing me, so it wasn’t a deliberate or malicious act, but it still outed me anyway.

To add another unfortunate element to this story, I decided that my parents being at this party was a good opportunity to finally cut my hair short because my parents don’t work so they’re always in the house. I anticipated them being angry about it, but I thought they’d get over it after a few weeks so it would be worth it for me. Then my parents came home, already upset, and found me with short hair. Long story short, it wasn’t pretty and they weren’t happy. It was rough at home for a few months, but in the end they did come around and became accepting, if not always fully supportive (there is a difference between the two).

Hopefully sharing my mistakes will help you prepare for your coming out- I’d recommend that if you come out to your grade or the people in your classes, you make it really clear that you aren’t out at home. 

But there’s always a chance that someone will mention it to their sibling without mentioning that you aren’t out, and maybe that sibling will tell their friend and that friend might tell their friend, who is your brother. Or a million other potential situations where things can go wrong.

There’s also the possibility that you come out to as trans to everyone in all of your classes, and they’re all okay with it- except for one person, who is a transphobic jerk and that person contacts your family and outs you. This may seem far-reached, but this also happened to me when I came out as gay. I posted on Instagram and then told my family- and then someone in my grade contacted my parents to tell them that I’m gay (luckily after I already did so myself).

Being out to more people, like your classmates and teachers, can help your dysphoria, but you have to weigh it against the safety risk of your family finding out. That being said, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be out at school. That’s always a decision that each individual has to make for themself. 

Our School page has info on coming out at school (and info on more topics if you check the page!)

Name and Pronouns letter to teachers

Another name and pronouns letter to teachers

Coming out when teachers knew you last year

Coming out to teachers example letter

Telling teachers your name/pronouns

Cut out the guidance counselor or other middleman and talk to your teacher about your names and pronouns yourself if guidance is unhelpful

Coming out to teachers in high school

Coming out to course instructors

How to come out in high school

Coming out to your grade

Our Coming out page has general coming out tips

Followers, any other tips on how to be fully out at school but closeted at home/elsewhere?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Independent Musician Explains Why Article 13 Will Be An Utter Disaster For Independent Artists

Mike Masnick/Techdirt:

A decade ago, when there were still people laughably insisting that the internet was the worst thing that ever happened to musicians, I kept pointing out examples of artists who were creatively embracing the internet to great success -- connecting with fans, building new business models, and succeeding. And every time I did that, people would complain that this example was an "exception" or an "anomaly." And, they had a habit of qualifying any success story -- even if the qualifications were contradictory. For example, if I highlighted an independent artist's success, people would say "well, that's just a small independent artist, they have nothing to lose, no big rock star could ever succeed that way." And then, when I'd highlight a big rock star having success embracing the internet, I'd be told "well, it's easy for him, he already had a huge following." It got so silly that back in 2008 one of our commenters coined "Masnick's Law" to describe this phenomenon:

Masnick's Law states that in any conversation about musicians doing something different to achieve fame and/or fortune someone will inevitably attempt to make the argument that "it only worked for them because they are big/small and it will never work for someone who is the opposite," no matter how much evidence to the contrary might be readily available.

In 2009, getting fed up with this, I wrote a long article detailing examples of a whole bunch of success stories of artists embracing the internet mixing in ones who were hugely famous with ones who were moderately successful and ones who were small independents... and someone complained in an email that these were all exceptions.

Over the past few years, I thought this kind of "exception" thinking had mostly died out, but it showed up again recently. We posted famed science fiction author Ken MacLeod's excellent opinion piece arguing that, even though he's a big supporter of copyright and against anyone pirating his books, he's absolutely against the EU's plans for Article 11 and Article 13 in the EU Copyright Directive. The key line: "Far greater than my interest in copyright is my interest in a free and open internet – or, failing that, in keeping the internet as free and open as it is now."

And, in the comments... Masnick's Law reared its ugly head again:

Straw-man argument, since he has a big publisher to both pay him and defend his property rights. He's not an indie who markets his own work on the internet and has to fight mass piracy on his own. He doesn't need copyright protection when he has distribution sending his fans to pay for his work (while the same fans might pirate the indies).

He is the one who wants big publishers to continue to dominate and profit, while the indies want direct access to the public and the elimination of the middleman that is this man's meal ticket.

Of course, that's nonsense. That comment is based on the idea that you need to "fight" mass piracy, rather than looking for ways to build a successful business model that involves connecting with your true fans.

And, of course, the impact on independent artists will be even more serious than those signed to big publishers/labels/studios/etc. Indeed, Ken's own Twitter feed pointed me to an independent musician in the UK, Stephen Blythe, who has written about why Article 13 will make life worse for him as an independent musician. After detailing his situation as a musician, he explains that if you want to get your music out there, so that you can build a fanbase, you need to get your music onto the "most popular music" sites. And to do that you have to use a special third party:

If an independent artist wants to get their music out there into the world, to the most popular music sharing sites, they need to use some kind of recognised distributor – as direct submissions are either impossible, or extremely restricted. A pile of these have sprung up, including Amuse, RouteNote, DistroKid, etc. Some charge a subscription fee per year, some take a cut of any revenue generated, and some of them don’t even have a website – operating just from an app. The concept is simple: You send your music to them, and they distribute it digitally to the various partners. One of these partners is YouTube.

But it turns out that those services, as part of their "value add" will "enforce copyright" for you:

What isn’t made clear by these distribution networks is that by submitting your music to YouTube, you essentially give the distributor a licence to enforce your copyright on the platform using the ContentID system. This automatically detects any music uploaded along with a YouTube video (including short clips), and flags it up as unauthorised. To many this might sound great. Stop people stealing your stuff!

The problem of course is that there is very often no way to denote authorised uses or channels with these common distribution services.

He then details two separate scenarios of artists being harmed by this kind of "enforcement" including one that happened directly to himself:

An artist (A) is asked by a fellow musician (B) if they would be interested in a collaboration. The process is simple: B will supply A with some vocal samples that A can then chop up and use however they wish. A gladly accepts, and comes up with a whole electronic composition that brings the vocals to life. B loves the track, and asks if they can use it on their upcoming DIY release. A agrees. B’s friend runs a small label who agrees to put out the album, and they use a distribution service which sends the album to all the major partners automatically – including YouTube’s ContentID system. A few years later, A is producing short video blogs and decides to use one of their old tracks as background music. It gets flagged up as a copyright violation automatically, which A disputes – but the appeal is rejected by the distributor, who has no knowledge of how the track came about in the first place.

He then explains that in a world where everything involves a massive ContentID-like filter, you create a terrible situation for independent musicians, who are at the mercy of much larger companies with no flexibility:

Independent musicians are at the mercy of a system which locks them out from negotiating their own contracts without major label backing, and they therefore have to rely on gatekeepers which provide an inadequate level of information and control over their own music.

Artists who are starting out lack the information required in order to make informed decisions about their interaction with such services, and can inadvertently give away their ability to exploit their creations commercially due to how the systems are constructed.

The ContentID approach to copyright enforcement gives huge clout to the first entity to register a piece of work within their system – which is rarely going to be the artist themselves.

This model has no room for the ad-hoc, informal, and varying ways in which independent musicians create and share their works online.

Or, in short:

The current ContentID system works on a first-come, first-served basis. It puts huge power in the hands of intermediary distribution services which do not provide a service that can ever give artists the amount of control over their licenses they would require to fully exploit their creations. The nature of the beast means that informal collaborations between like-minded folks can unexpectedly tie up their creative expression years down the road. Article 13 will only expand these systems, which will inevitably be less sophisticated on other platforms than ContentID. Independent artists lose the ability to share their work even further.

I'd argue it goes much further than that. First, the major record labels see everything stated in the paragraph above as a benefit of Article 13. Giving huge power to the middlemen gatekeepers puts them back in the position they were in year's ago, where they get to decide who gets distribution and who doesn't. That system created a world in which musicians had to hand over their copyright and nearly all of the revenue generated from their works in exchange for a pittance of an advance (which was really just a loan). So, putting more gatekeeper power back in their hands is the goal here.

Second, and even more concerning, is that Article 13 is premised on only the largest platforms being able to comply -- meaning that there will be less competition on the platform side and fewer and fewer places for independent artists to distribute their work, should they wish to do so. That gives them fewer options and less ability to build a fanbase, unless they get plucked out of obscurity by a giant gatekeeper (again, going back to the way things were a couple decades ago).

Now, I'm sure that someone will pop into the comments and point out that this example doesn't count because it's just a "small, independent artist," and that his concerns don't matter to "real" artists (meaning major label ones), but, haven't we played that game long enough?

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20190124/22555441466/independent-musician-explains-why-article-13-will-be-utter-disaster-independent-artists.shtml

[wanderingmind867]

I am half tempted to send some of my mutuals asks where i ask them if they've seen my latest posts. I think I'd feel guilty doing it, but that doesn't necessarily mean i won't do it. It just means that i'll feel like a jerk doing it, and it may fuel my desire to make a post where I discuss how I feel social media can be bad for me (i keep wanting to make that post, but i never can bring myself to make it). But if i'm so concerned that i'm overtraining it all this badly, why not cut out the middleman? I'm just gonna tag three of my mutuals, i'll say some stuff that'll make me want to run to another tab (like a chatbot site or a tierlist site or something), and then we'll go from there:

Now, Warning: The things I say might end up sounding awkward, rude, or any number of any negative ways. I don't mean it in those ways. I feel bad enough about making this stupid post, but i'm doing it anyways.

@ihauntmyhouse @thewordsmith3 @yourfriendlyneighbourhoodaries the three of you are sort of like a trio, in a weird way: i followed you all at one point because you had a period where you really engaged with my posts. And unlike some other blogs i engaged with (where I never followed them back or we drifted apart due to diverging interests in my 2+ years on here), i have always unfollowed and refolllowed you to keep you near the top of my following count. I don't know why anymore. Habit, maybe? A desire to ensure people focus on me (that makes me sound like a narcissist, which i really don't feel like i am. But that goes back to me wondering if social media is good for me)? A simple matter of me being lazy and sedentary and not liking the aesthetics if different people at the top of the count?

The point of that giant text block is: I don't know why i'm like this online. That's really all i needed to say, but i rambled. And since i haven't seen your blogs in my activity log lately (and since my brain is pressuring me over thinking my posts don't get enough attention), I needed to make this post and ensure you still see me. Maybe that's feeding this too; a fear of being forgotten or something. Considering my only friend irl is my dad (who i'm super dependent on) and i've been suffering existential issues, it could be a fear of being forgotten.

I hate reposting this, but i've made like 20 posts today and yesterday, and I feel like I haven't seen the three of you in my activity lately. I probably shouldn't be so insecure about things like this (i know my personal sense of satisfaction shouldn't come from seeing certain people doing something as minor as liking my stuff online), but I can't help myself. Especially since I feel like a lot of my posts have been vent posts have been really important to me lately, or whatever i suppose you'd call it.

[esoteric-marketing]

A brief history/brand review of the outdoor company Arc’teryx

Before we get into the weeds, I would like to say that the purpose of this post is to bring further consumer awareness and knowledge to a brand that I believe makes incredible products.  Albeit, for somewhat seemingly outrages prices. In the following pages of this post, I will cover Arc’teryx’s history, their environmental impact as an organization on the world, the company’s quality standards, my feelings and opinions on their brand and products, and finally, that often dreaded price point that makes most people feel sick!    

Brand History – Arc’teryx is located just outside of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. The company was founded in 1989 by Dave Lane. However, it wasn’t called Arc’teryx back then.  In fact, the original name of the outdoor clothing giant was ‘Rock Solid.’ Which just so happens to be the name of Arc’teryx’s used clothing website, (More information available on Arc’teryx and their used product market later in this post). A few years later in 1991, Lane’s investor friend Jeremy Guard joins the company, and the name is changed to Arc’teryx.

Most people often wonder where the name Arc’teryx and the company’s logo actually came from. As it turns out, the logo is a carbon copy of the ‘Berlin Fossil’ also known as the ‘Archaeopteryx Lithographica’ (Which is pictured below this section.) The reasoning for the logo and name, is because the ‘Archaeopteryx lithographica’ is considered to be the first reptile to develop the feather for flight. The idea is that Arc’teryx is a brand that Is constantly trying to innovate and evolve for consumers needs.

‘Archaeopteryx Lithographica Fossil’

In 1998, Arc’teryx created their first apparel item known as the ‘SV Jacket.’ More on this product explained here. The jacket was industry changing, and it simply wouldn’t have been made possible without Arc’teryx’s relationship with the U.S. product technologies company ‘GORE-TEX.’ Ever since the collaboration of the two companies and the release of the SV Jacket, Arc’teryx has climbed to the very top of the outdoor industry in terms of quality and price. 

Price Point – Now if you didn’t know anything about Arc’teryx before reading this blog, then you’re probably not aware of the jaw dropping prices that Arc’teryx products command. For example, if you were to mosey on over to the Arc’teryx website, you would see that the men’s ‘SV Jacket’ costs a whopping $785.  I know, I nearly felt sick the first time that I saw that price tag myself. You needn’t worry however.  Arc’teryx is currently running a ‘Spring Sale’ of 25% off certain items. The ‘SV Jacket’ among those items included.  So really, the ‘SV Jacket’ would only cost you $588 in total. PS, shipping is included with your five hundred plus dollar order (Is laughing but really just wants to cry)!

‘SV Jacket’

Now here’s the deal with Arc’teryx. The company is obsessed with creating cutting edge technology and producing it with unmatched quality standards in the outdoor clothing industry. I should also mention that the ‘SV Jacket’ isn’t exactly made for the hobbyist who likes to go hiking on the weekend. The ‘SV Jacket’ is designed to be used by passionate hobbyists and serious professionals who demand the utmost of their gear. I should also mention that the ‘SV Jacket’ is near the top of the line regarding Arc’teryx’s price point. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I picked up the men’s ‘Atom LT Hoody’ for $191 shipped. Usually the hoody will run you around $259 MSRP.  However, Arc’teryx had their ‘Spring Sale’ going on at the time.  Thus, I was able to save some precious cash. To put it simply, Arc’teryx isn’t afraid to go into direct pricing competition with their fellow Canadian outdoor clothing company, ‘Canada Goose.’ Or as I like to call them, ‘Gucci Goose.’

At this point you must be thinking, is Arc’teryx really worth the price that their products command? Well, I suppose that the correct answer is that it’s completely subjective. Every consumer is different. For one person $100 is a substantial amount of money. However, $100 may not be such a significant amount of money for another person. The consumer has to also ask themselves, what am I trying to get out of a product? Let’s take a raincoat for example.  Do you want it to be as light as possible? Maybe completely waterproof instead of water repellant or resistant? Do you want the jacket to have the ability to zip itself into a chest pocket for ease of us when travelling? These are all questions that the consumer should ask themselves before purchasing any quality outdoor focused jacket. Let alone from Arc’teryx or one of their competitors.

Due to consumer feedback (Which mainly consisted of people wanting Arc’teryx to make their clothing more affordable and/or accessible), Arc’teryx created the website ‘usedgear.arcteryx.com’ which is you guessed it, the website that Arc’teryx uses to sell individuals used Arc’teryx gear. Think of Arc’teryx as the middleman here. They are essentially taking peoples used gear and clothing, providing them a store credit for the company’s main website, and they are turning around and selling said used gear to a new owner.  It’s kind of a win-win-win scenario for everyone involved. The previous owner gets a nice store credit to put towards their new gear. Arc’teryx turns a profit for the second or third time in a row. The ‘Eco Warriors’ get to save the environment by buying used gear/clothing. And finally, penny pinchers like me get an opportunity to save on quality Arc’teryx clothing. 

‘Rock Solid Used Gear’

But wait, there’s more! Just this Summer, Arc’teryx launched their ‘Outlet Website.’ I imagine that Arc’teryx did this in order to recoup some losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that is pure speculation at this point in time. Regardless, the Arc’teryx outlet is another great way for people to save money on Arc’teryx clothing and gear. Everything on the outlet website has a 10 to 50 percent off discount on it. This is because all of the items listed on the website are last seasons products in somewhat unpopular colors. However, if picking up a raincoat in bright orange or lime green colorway doesn’t bother you, than your just in luck!      

Product Quality & Innovation – As someone who owns multiple pieces of clothing and gear from Arc’teryx, I have to say that their quality control and attention to detail is unmatched in the outdoor industry. I don’t say that lightly, considering I have owned dozens of products from competitors such as Patagonia, The North Face, and Osprey to name a few. So how serious does Arc’teryx take quality control regarding their products? Listed on the ‘Explore Page’ of their website, you can find the section titled ‘Craftsmanship.’ Once there, you will discover Arc’teryx’s quality control methods and their constant obsession with perfection.

Arc’teryx is no stranger to innovation either. Back in 1988, Mike Blenkarn a member of the research and development team at Arc’teryx, came up with the idea for a waterproof zipper. He then spent the next 10 years inventing and perfecting the product until its successful release in 1999. During that time, Mike also worked closely with the research and development team at GORE-TEX. So really, Mike and Arc’teryx are to thank for all of the waterproof jacket pockets and backpack zippers that the everyday enthusiast/traveler so enjoys! More on that story shared in the ‘Backcountry Article.’

‘Arc’teryx Waterproof Zipper’

Now before you ask, Arc’teryx did originally produce all of their products at their headquarters in British Colombia, Canada during the 80’s and 90’s. However, at some point in the 2000′s, Arc’teryx made the decision to move one third of their manufacturing to China, and another third to Indonesia, Bangladesh, Romania, and Vietnam. The other remaining third of the company’s products are still made in house at ‘Arc One’ which is Arc’teryx’s manufacturing facility in British Columbia.

So I guess the question is, Am I happy that only one third of Arc’teryx’s products are made in Canada? No, not really. However, I did recently pick up the Arc’teryx ‘Zeta SL Jacket’ (which is one of their products that are manufactured in China) and I have to say, it’s of superb quality. The attention to detail and quality of the materials used, stitching/hemming, and tapping (for waterproofing) is exceptional. To put it simply, I have previously purchased multiple high quality American made jackets that are inferior when compared to the ‘Zeta SL Jacket.’

‘Zeta SL Jacket’

Environmental Impact – Finally, the moment that all the eco warriors have been waiting for. We’re going to talk about Arc’teryx and their environmental impact as a company, and their efforts to combat it. Before we get started, I should preface this section by mentioning that Arc’teryx has extensive knowledge and information about their impact on the environment listed on their website under the section ‘Sustainability.’ Albeit, the information is coming directly from Arc’teryx themselves, so if you want the full scoop, their may be better places to look.

It’s really no surprise that people who enjoy hobbies that require the use of the outdoors, usually have some kind of feeling or another about climate change and the health of the planet. While Arc’teryx acknowledges that they are part of the problem (being that they are a high output clothing manufacturer) they realize that they have a certain responsibility to work towards erasing their carbon footprint. For example, Arc’teryx only uses lower impact/high quality materials that allow for their products to last a lifetime, if not longer.

Arc’teryx also has a no questions asked lifetime warranty on ALL of their products. In fact, if your Arc’teryx product is damaged even with regular wear and tear, Arc’teryx will do one of three things. First, the consumer can have the item repaired for free (with shipping costs covered by Arc’teryx). Second, if the product cannot be repaired, Arc’teryx will give you a full refund and/or a store credit for the full amount owed. Third, if the item that is damaged is still made by Arc’teryx and they cannot repair your original item, they will replace it with a brand new one no questions asked.

Arc’teryx has also committed to utilizing 100% renewable energy sources in their manufacturing processes by the end of 2020. As mentioned previously in this post, Arc’teryx also runs the ‘Rock Solid Used Gear’ website which allows consumers to purchase used gear and clothing so that it can stay in use while cutting down on the consumption of new products. Arc’teryx also pledged back in 2018 that they would attempt to reduce their ‘Green House Gas Emissions’ to 65% by 2030. So in a lot of ways, Arc’teryx is conscious of the current state of the environment, and they are putting in a serious effort to avoid being a part of the problem.

‘Sustainability’

Summary – When it comes to Arc’teryx as a brand and the products that they make, there are really only a few questions that you need to ask yourself. First, am I willing to pay any given dollar amount for this product? Two, do I consistently partake in activities that demand the most out of my clothing and gear? Three, will I like the look, fit, and feel of this jacket 20 or 30 years from now? A weird question maybe, but whatever Arc’teryx product you by, it will probably stick with you for the rest of your life. So if the answer is yes to most of or all of these questions, then you should probably just pickup that rain jacket that you have been looking at for the past three months.

[udemy-gift-coupon-blog]

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[metaldragoon]

Day four. Putting expectations on yourself is the best way to kill creativity.  I have nothing to provide further with my thoughts and yet here I am, feeling forced to say something.  I’m not, of course, but I said I would write daily and I was doing well so I want to maintain that level so I can be liked and popular but of course what inspired me to start writing is I had something to say, but how is a man supposed to have so much opinion that he can write every day about it???  I didn’t accomplish much today.  I set-up Smash in my room today, which I never wanted to do because it is fairly far away from my modem but I think it will be a lot better.  It’s obviously more comfortable, so it’s much easier to just log in hours and make everything become second nature with my game play.  I haven’t really gotten better in the two years I’ve been playing competitively.  There was a lot of improvement in my earlier months since it was with a friend who played it over his summer break every day for hours on end with me.  It was a great time in my life but he’s a man with a life plan and I have none.  While he got busy taking six different courses in university and working two part time jobs I just sat around doing nothing and not enjoying playing the game any more.  I keep playing because, like I said yesterday, I wish to re-live good memories.   I keep dropping by once a month to our weekly meetups to do average and head on home making no real connection with anyone.  I feel like if I was very successful at the game, I’d still be upset with people because then they’d like me and I’d be like y’all FAKE.  Then I’d just be the weird guy who was mean to people.  I guess it’s not worth worrying about for the time being, though. Anyone who follows my other blog, winterdragoon, you may have noticed I reblog not all that much anymore.  I’ve just been saving things as drafts and I feel like I’m getting the same experience with none of the let-down.  I don’t know if I can explain it.  I feel like everyone who uses this site has to feel it in some way.  I’ve always been selective with who I follow, I follow exactly 40 people in four and a half years.  I try to only follow people who I feel some sort of specific bond with.  I guess there’s no real rhyme to it, but I consider everyone I follow a friend in some sense.  And then, the knife.  What is this, in my back? Why did they reblog that from my other mutual? How did they swap numbers? What’s going on here?  I thought I was your middleman.  You know, it’s just how it goes and that’s the business of things.  I don’t really resent anyone for it, but there’s just something about it.  Was I not good enough? Did you have to go looking for more stimulation because my lack thereof? Now I’ve surpassed all this.  By becoming completely irrelevant on Tumblr, I now reblog from my friends, and since I’ve made it impossible for them to reblog from me, I no longer feel hurt by it :) That might sound fake but honestly it really does work.  I mean, “it really works” makes it sound like I was truly suffering when this happened to me but I still get the exact same enjoyment out of Tumblr with none of the minor drawbacks of this some-how passive-aggressive competitive world of reblogging I’ve gotten my self in to.  I think there’s probably a draft-limit, so I’ve been going through my drafts and deleting things that I didn’t particularly love any more, or posting the things that really resonate with me.  “Resonate with me” he says as his blog is just a collection of loli girls. I’m going back to Smash for a second.  Even though with writing you can always just go right back and make it a seamless connection of thoughts.  There’s something Smash has really made me realise in life.  Like, you might laugh thinking about this but there’s really a lot of mental strength involved in the game.  You have to apply yourself to everything your opponent does and try to figure out his bad habits and formulate a way to get them to commit to their mistakes so you can punish it.  Sometimes, I’m just not in the right mindset.  Sometimes, I just don’t care.  I’ll go and do something foolish, pick a bad character or something, and then I usually will lose for it.  I’ve never once felt okay with my self for doing this after the match.  I only feel accomplished with my self when I give it my all.  Success feels great but failing feels better than not trying and failing too.  I’m not sure.  It’s like if I tried and failed, I learned.  If I went a crappy character and picked bad options I just wasted my time and a great opportunity to improve my self.  Always do your best in things that matter to you, even if you feel it will hurt to lose.  It’ll be worse losing and not trying. My birthday is in a couple weeks (May 12th).  I have my second week of holidays that week.  I don’t particularly care about birthdays anymore, but I’d like to visit my dad.  Unfortunately, my old friend who I haven’t seen in seven years will be up and can only see me on my birthday.  My dad lives about 10 hours away and I also haven’t seen him in about two or three years.  I told my friend I definitely want to see her again, she’s one of the most important people in my life and helped me a lot in my life from when I was 13-18 years old just with general depression/having no friends/always being alone.  We stopped being friends for a few years, though.  I grew very strongly in love with her and I was always depressed about it and felt I wasn’t able to commit my life to anything with her around because she was all I felt I wanted.  I don’t really remember what I said, I told her I didn’t want to talk to her ever again, or something along those lines.  A cold cut in our friendship sandwich. I just wanted to remove her from my life.  The good and the bad, because it was too much for me.  I’ve never seen her since then, because I moved away, but we have reconciled after a few years when I knew I was over her and I apologised for what I did, but at the same time, the friendship’s always felt a little dead since then.  We talk about things, but neither of us fully commit to just listening to each other.  We have different people in our lives now, I guess.  We don’t need each other anymore.  But still, she happens to be in town for something that same week.  I will still probably go see my father, but then I’d have to leave the day before my birthday and that’s kind of I don’t know.  Like I said I don’t care, but it does feel special spending the day with my family, of who I am so detached to, but will I ever get to see my old friend again?  I am surprised how long this went.  I have lots more to say but there’s a limit to how long I can keep a reader interested, so I’ll leave extra thoughts for another day.  A quick summation of my day: played Smash for like six hours, made some weird dinner with perogies/hotdogs/mustard/poppyseed salad dressing, and drank chocolate milk.  Played ME: Andromeda, cut my hair (came out v. good), and watched episode 2 of Rurouni Kenshin.  I watch shows muted with no sub-titles so I can strictly focus on the aesthetic of the scene in it’s visual representation, since that’s all my viewers are going to feel when I GIF something, and I listened to this sweet mix that goes so well with Rurouni Kenshin on mute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjPTQLgGpq8&spfreload=10 I guess that’s all.  Thanks for reading everyone, seeing all those likes makes me feel pretty about my writing.