#gemma rambles

[gemmahale]

Okay, I'm home, I've been on the road for the better part of 4 hours today due to a miscommunication and a cancelled event, and I've had this rant brewing.

Being Anti-Military and Pro-Veteran are stances that can mutually exist.

Games like CoD and whatever other FPS/Military Simulation game is out there is propaganda. It’s meant to make you want to sign up or support military action.

The military (I’m speaking specifically to the US, as I am most familiar with them by proxy) uses some incredibly underhanded techniques to ensure they have the warm bodies soldiers they need to keep the system working as intended.

This includes but is not limited to: promises of paying for education, aspirations of “seeing the world”, provision of job security, access to healthcare, a stable job and housing, etc. They use things like “patriotism” and “glory” and “security” to lure people in.

And then, when that person is wholly and completely reliant on the military - for a paycheck, housing, healthcare, you name it - they spit them back out into the world with a "thanks a lot and good fucking luck."

Into a world where:

Financial support for care has been axed and axed and axed again under "budget cuts"

Care is secured with red tape so thick you can tightrope walk across it

Care is denied for things the military caused (by saying "it didn't happen while you were serving".) *Yes, that's a direct quote from a doctor to one of Kallen's peers. When assessing a life-altering injury sustained while they were in country overseas, it was deemed as "non-service related injury”.

In comparison to civilians:

Veterans are ~40% more likely to be homeless.

Veterans are ~80% more likely to suffer from untreated mental and physical health issues - PTSD, hearing loss, nerve damage, etc.

Veterans are ~60% more likely to turn to addictive substances - alcohol, drugs, etc.

Veterans are ~70% more likely to commit suicide.

This isn’t limited to combat vets. Logistics specialists, administrative specialists, IT specialists all get screwed when they leave.

Ask just about any veteran that has served, they are incredibly likely to be staunchly anti-military.

The military causes a tremendous amount of damage to every person involved, even if they aren't aware of it at the time.

It’s a cult, it’s an abusive relationship, it’s predatory. Treat it as such.

Support veterans, advocate for their care. They made choices you may not agree with, but they made them because of what they thought the military was offering to them. Many thought they were doing the right thing for their country - that was the lie they were fed from 9/11 on (in the US). Then they were chewed up, spit out, and left for dead by the same people that made all those promises to them.

Here are some US-based, apolitical Veteran Support groups (many have International chapters/members):

22 Until None - 501-C3 that provides support to veterans by veterans. There are local chapters on Facebook that are all active and are listed on the website

Disabled American Veteran - Veteran help association; involved in legislation and local assistance, connections to VA advocates to help navigate the VA

Wounded Warrior Project - 501-C3 charity supporting disabled veterans.

Note: I am absolutely not doing the "not all servicemembers" thing here. I'm saying "veterans are living with their choices, and still deserve access to care."

[gemmahale]

Kallen and I do something similar called "Satellite Time" - we both do our own things in the house, but every half-hour or so we check on each other - just a simple "You good? I'm good." *kiss* before we fuck back off to what we were doing.

That check in usually coincides with one of us getting a snack or some water or changing what we're doing, but it has a very similar effect of no pressure on either party.

so judging by how astonished people are by it every time we explain it to anybody, it seems like my wife and I might really be onto something here

during the pandemic, we invented something we call "astronaut time."

when it's astronaut time, it's like we are two astronauts wearing the big helmets, moving around the station on totally separate tasks. one of us is outside the space station and one of us is inside the space station. our radios do not work and we have no way of communicating with each other. we might see each other through the lil porthole windows, but we ignore each other because we both have different things to do.

"astronaut time" is how we get total privacy when we live in the same apartment. I will pretend you don't exist. You will pretend I don't exist. we have a nonverbal, zero-contact signal for when astronaut time is over (usually "I'll draw a smiley-face on the whiteboard in the kitchen when I'm done"). No talking, stay out of each other's line of sight, we are actively avoiding each other, unless you are currently experiencing a medical emergency goodbye.

it has been. a godsend. imagine living with your partner and being able to close every single tab in your brain related to social interaction. no fear of being interrupted by a "hey, quick question--" or "sorry to bother you, but do you know where the scissors are?" or "did you want something to eat, too?" Once or twice a month, we look at each other lovingly, hold hands, and say "baby I think I need some astronaut time tonight," and the other person goes "okay cool. bye! have a nice night!" and nobody's feelings are hurt and we both go and have a lovely evening completely by ourselves.

like idk it's a small thing but it's made our lives so much nicer, so if you and your partner/roommate are both people who sometimes need total privacy in order to recharge, maybe try it

[gemmahale]

Ficbook.net and Unauthorized Translations - An Update

Update to the update: some of the fics have been removed! 🎉 This happened before I finished this write-up even!

You may have seen this post last night about some CoD X Reader fics having unauthorized translations posted to the Russian site ficbook.net. @karlachismylife was monumental in helping me understand what's going on, and there's some explanation in that link from her POV as well.

Basically - multiple people have copied and translated fanfics into Russian and hosted them on ficbook.net. They're rough translations, some going as far as to use literal translations for turns of phrase. Most likely, they were run through a translation software (Google Translate or similar) and then roughly edited. (Juju mentioned that there is a subset of jobs in Russia where that is your job description. 😖)

Most of them have come from Tumblr posts, some from AO3. Very few had attribution beyond "tagging" the original author. (Aka - no consent was given for these translations.)

@syoddeye took the time to compile a list found here (google sheet). At the time of writing, 65 fics CoD x Reader fics were found - we know there's more but we only have so many knives in a day. (Sy did not look into slash fics either.)

Authors that have been tagged in the comments: I'm sorry you found out this way. I wanted to tell you in person, but given Tumblr's likelihood of thinking I was spamming you, I felt that this was the best option to alert you, provide you with options, and let you determine how you wish to move forward.

So what can be done?

If you already have an account, please report the fics! I'm told that spamming reports gets it taken down. Also consider messaging the author and ask them to remove them - they do not have the author's consent to publish them.

If you want to make an account and report the linked fics, you can. I have chosen not to, because I don't want to give Ficbook any extra support I otherwise might by doing so (clicks, ad views, account numbers).

If the author does not have closed comments (or you have an account), you can leave a comment on the fic.

Russian: Автор оригинала лично подтвердил, что не давал разрешения на перевод и публикацию. English: Author of the work personally confirmed that they did not give permission to translate and publish.

Finally - check in on your author friends that are on that list. It's devastating to find out your work has been plagiarized, translated and hosted somewhere else without your consent. Reblog their work, share comments, hype them up!

A couple of notes: (Juju correct me if I've fucked any of this up 💚)

The posters are likely not making money off the unauthorized translations. The website and their owners definitely are (ads, "premium features", promotion tools, etc.)

Ficbook.net is the biggest Russian language fanfiction platform - somewhat akin to AO3, but it doesn't have a great reputation within Russian circles because of the stealing and underhanded practices the owners use.

AO3 is banned in Russia, and Tumblr is one of the few places Russians can easily (aka without VPNs and Mirrors) read English version of fanfic.

CoD isn't the only fandom affected - there are dozens that have more posted, and we only scratched the surface in our list.

Finally, if you want to translate works, TALK TO THE AUTHOR. A lot of folks don't like having their work shared without their consent. Even if you feel like you are doing a good thing spreading it to a wider audience, YOU NEED THE AUTHOR'S CONSENT. If they've deleted their presence and their stories from hosting sites (tumblr, AO3, etc) - you don't get to pretend you're doing them a favor by reposting them. Respect their decisions.

[gemmahale]

Okay - re Ficbook.net and the (unauthorized) Russian translations.

I spoke with @karlachismylife (who is a gem and a delightful person).

You have to have an account to report fics there, and the author that I was told about has locked comments.

If you want instructions (and to make an account), I'm happy to help you with what needs to be done. Basically, it's spam the report until the system locks you out.

Juju's gone ahead and:

messaged the author about it, asking them to take the fics down since they don't have author approval.

messaged her friends (who are also Russian and have accounts) to report the works. (note: it is also very late/early in Moscow, so it may be a bit before they wake up.)

She told me (verbatim) that it is a very bad translation - it is not adapted to Russian and used a phrase verbatim instead of the intent.

Most likely, this person threw it into Google Translate, adjusted some of the super egregious stuff, and threw it up. It happens in other fandoms too - to the point there are ads out there looking for people to do exactly what this person has done.

If you're one of these people that has copied works over to ficbook.net or similar sites, I hope you perpetually stub your pinky toes and your shoes are always a little leaky/socks are always damp. Fuck you.

People put so much love and passion into their work and you decide to try and make a dollar off their back (when in the US, fanfic cannot be monetized)? How disgusting, awful, and shitty of you. That is how you lose those fics and those authors in the first place - by plagiarizing, copying and translating works without consent.

I'm sorry I don't have more concrete actions for us non-Russians to take - I was hoping making an account wasn't necessary, but I refuse to give that site more clicks and revenue and accounts that support them.

[gemmahale]

Hey, if you need permission from an internet friend:

It’s okay to set the data down. It’s okay to walk away for a bit.

Here’s some ideas:

Make a cuppa something warm. Leave the poll results and the media face down on a table. Enjoy that warm drink.

Send a few friends (or a group chat) the worst dad joke you can think of right now. The kind that makes you groan-laugh. See if you can get into a joke-off.

Snuggle a pet/partner/stuffie/blankie. Talk about non-election things (even if they can’t talk back). Tell them about the crunchy leaves or the cool dog you saw today. (You can also call someone else).

Get a snack without checking results. Savor the flavor.

Do a craft! Keep your hands busy (and out of the device).

Put on a light hearted piece of media.

The results will be there after you do any of these. Watching them scroll in will not bring them in faster, will not change the outcome, and will not do you any good.

It’s okay to disengage for your own mental health.

If you’ve voted, you’ve done your job for now. We hold fast and wait for the next phase. You can rest for a bit. You don’t get a prize for overtaxing yourself watching election results.

Polls aren’t closed on the west coast yet. People are still voting (assuming people are staying in line. If you’re in line, stay in line!) Mail in/absentee ballots are still being counted. Do not give into despair or force yourself to stay awake to watch.

Signed, someone who watched the 2016 results roll in alone in a coffee shop (hard seat and overly cooled drink included), didn’t sleep for almost 36 hours and made herself actively ill because of it and doesn’t want you to go through the same cycle she did. 💚

[gemmahale]

Thank goodness for this post because I just had to go back and change 4 paragraphs to the right tense.

Better 4 paragraphs than 4 pages.

You should only write in present tense with extreme caution.

not because it's bad or anything but because if you do it even once you're going to be editing the bits where you shifted tenses out of your writing for the rest of your life

[fcb-mv33]

They literally adore their little boy😭

[lifeofafangirl1]

Seeing straight fanboys in the 1D fandom is so cool to me because like what do you mean you have a massive crush on Harry Styles sister but not Harry himself like…REAL.

[ranger-ribbons]

Ranger Series Operators Headcanons

Ziggy isn't an orphan, he has a father. His father runs another cartel and has been quietly running it underground so far that not even the other cartels have heard more than whispers of.

Dillon and Tenaya's birth names are Daniel and Genevieve

Tenaya's implants are more complete than Dillon’s so once Venjix is defeated, she remembers everything. Dillon's memories come back slowly

Summer, Scott, and Flynn are ride-or-die friends. They'd hide bodies for each other if necessary and can communicate without speaking if necessary

Dillon thinks he stayed in Corinth for Summer, under the impression that she was the one who hooked that first fight into the satellite for Dillon’s borrowed car. Ziggy, forever the king of playing himself down, doesn't correct Dillon, he's just happy Dillon stayed.

None of the Series Operator Rangers are straight. Scott, Flynn, and Summer are all bisexual, Dillon is unlabeled and likes anyone (demisexual if he vibed with labels), Ziggy is gay (or bisexual leaning towards men), and Gem and Gemma are queer. Doctor K is the only one who's straight

If he knew to go looking, Dillon would find his parents' graves in the Wastes. They died protecting their children from Grinders, they were traveling to Corinth. Dillon's car belonged to his father

Gem and Gemma have a form of telepathy left over from the experiments done on them at Alphabet Soup, it's why they can finish each other's sentences

Ziggy has had a crush on Scott, Flynn, Dillon, and Gem, and a platonic one on Summer. He can't help it! They're badasses and Ziggy’s got a thing for people who could obviously kick his ass

Flynn is the oldest of the core Rangers at 25, Scott is 24, Dillon and Summer are both 21, Summer being a few months younger, and Ziggy is 18. Gem and Gemma are in their late 20s, Doctor K is 19

Dillon didn't just click with Ziggy, he actually only tolerated his Wastes partner for the few weeks they were in the Wastes together. But, somehow Ziggy grew on him

Ziggy is Dillon’s best friend, baby brother, and maybe more rolled up into one. Dillon adores Ziggy, but won't let it show. Ziggy, of course, knows this and adores Dillon right back

Scott, Summer, Flynn, Dillon, and Ziggy are all in what amounts to a Queer Platonic Relationship. They seek each other out automatically at this point. If so inclined, that relationship could turn romantic real quick

Scott gives doberman vibes, Summer gives white cat vibes, Flynn gives husky vibes, Dillon gives black cat vibes, Ziggy gives orange cat vibes

Ziggy was once a gymnast, which is the only reason he was able to fight as well as he did at first

The Rangers spar together even after Venjix is defeated

Dillon doesn't like Scott, but he does respect and love him

They're all fucking idiots at best, but Scott can and will chain himself to any of the Rangers if they try to run away.

All the Rangers have some form of abandonment issues. The least of which is Flynn, who has issues regarding his mother's death, the most of which is Ziggy, who was abandoned at the orphanage at age five

The Rangers are always in a rainbow of shipping, but none is more obvious than the RPM Rangers. You can ship anyone with anyone (except Gem/Gemma of course)

The hit on Ziggy’s head never went away, and he never expected it to. He was in the mob from age 10 to age 17, he knows better than to expect kindness from people who would kill him in a heartbeat

On that subject, Ziggy doesn't leave the garage unless he has another person (Dillon) with him

Dillon and Tenaya don't go back to their original names, but they do take their original surname of Sevenson (which is where Venjix got the Seven from)

All the Rangers have PTSD and nightmares. They sneak into each other's beds or have puppy piles on the floor. Usually, you'll see specific patterns with sleeping arrangements. For example, Ziggy hasn't slept in his own bed since the Venjix virus started taking over Dillon, but he rarely ended the night in his own bed even before that

Flynn is the fan-favorite Ranger, but it's a close tie with Dillon and Scott

[gemmahale]

It's actually the vibration from the bees that triggers the pollen to drop from the tomato flowers - it's a technique called sonication. Using a vibrator/electric toothbrush replicates that high frequency vibration and triggers the flower to release the pollen from the anthers onto the stigma.

Tapping behind the flower can have similar results, which might be the "shaking" Derin refers to. (I pictured grabbing the vine and shaking it like it owes me money, so I wanted to clarify!)

You can hear the vibration in this video - it's close to 400 Hz (~400 vibrations per second).

[petvampire]

Y’ALL.

one of the rescues near me has a new litter of soon-to-be adoptable kittens and…

IT’S. GEMMA!

seriously this is now her official character actor xD

ps if you’re interested in adopting this sweet baby or any of the other kittens, check out LaForge & Company on facebook for more info <3

[queermentaldisaster]

“I've taken care of myself so far, I don't need your pity.”

Meet Gemma! She's fourteen and she ends up being adopted by Soap and Ghost.

She was one of the four kids that were originally all in one lab, before the group was ordered to set up more bases around the world for when their boss got out of prison. (Hm, this sounds familiar.)

She was transferred to a lab in Scotland, (yes, I know, but it's my OC, I get to stick her where I please) so she's got a Russian/Scottish accent.

She's a lot like Ghost, especially in the sense that she's extremely distrusting, private, independent, emotionally detached, ruthless, and just all around a cold and broken person.

But she's also like Soap. She's the sun, in the sense that she's burning herself every day. She'll take care of those weaker or younger than her, try to be too bright. She's a solar eclipse, the moon being the center, with a ring of bright light from the sun around it.

She used to protect Zeus before she was transferred when he was about four. (She was eleven.)

[gemmahale]

That book profoundly shaped my worldview and shifted it dramatically.

I should go back and re-read it.

[staringrole]

i don't think you all understand how much carmen loves bobby

[gemmahale]

Hey peeps, we gotta talk about accessibility again.

I’m so glad you’ve discovered how gradient texts work. They look so cool! (Come teach me, plz.)

But I can’t read that color-into-black gradient on my screen unless I highlight it. The text disappears. And I’m on the basic, default setting for Tumblr’s Dash.

I’m here for you matching your aesthetic! I love it! But please, for the love of my eyeballs, please make sure your constant is high enough to be legible by most people. (If I’m struggling on default, folks with migraine settings or other high-visibility tools probably aren’t faring much better.)

And please, please, please, reconsider using that gradient for your tags. I want to know what I’m walking into, and if I can’t see it, I can’t read it. Tags are a safety tool.

Make a banner! Make it an image and have the text below it! You have options!

But at the very least, please don’t use black/navy/dark grey as your second gradient color.

And please rethink using the teeny font for blocks of text. I want to read it without eye strain.

[fantasy-harvest-rune]

Oh dear…I am in full on (mainly autistic but also some occupational/ general life circumstances) burnout mode but will be going straight from the work week to my sister’s Hen Do this weekend. There will be about 20 other people, many of whom I’ve never met. So this could be…interesting…

Feeling so exhausted that I feel as if I’m coming down with the flu seems to be a weekly occurrence for me these days. I could sleep for about 3 days straight atm. All noises are bugging me - the sound of the bathroom fan, the traffic outside, the lightbulb in my bedroom buzzing. Feels ridiculous when I actually type it out like that because yeah…I imagine that’s NOT a regular experience for the majority of people. Yet I’ll still beat myself up for being “lazy” and not being super productive. I would need at least another whole day of the weekend just to have any chance of feeling recovered enough to face the work week. I don’t mean it would be nice to have to relax. I mean it’s the minimum of what I’d need to feel in any way rested and ready for the week ahead. It’s like suddenly becoming aware I’ve been playing life on hard mode when others have it on easy.

I wouldn’t want to change and suddenly become neurotypical now if that was a thing I could do, but my god there are times when it would be convenient…