#that's why everyone should be paid a living wage

[starsisstars]

Pointless ISAT Headcanons

Hi I have to get up for opening shift tomorrow but who CARES it's time for headcanons. Except not the normal or angsty ones, it's goofy ridiculous hours ONLY. (Please send me more goofy niche headcanons I want to consume silly details like candy.) Filled with spoilers despite the sillies.

Bonnie invents potato chips 10 years after the end of the game after many failed attempts to make Sif like potatoes (Sif LOVES their chips, so this is Bonnie's win in the end).

Immortality fiction is super popular in Vaugarde because they're witnesses to change over decades but are prevented from changing themselves. Tragic wisemen usually. This got way less popular post-King.

Teachers get paid good wages in Vaugarde because they help kids through the period of the most change in their lives.

I think it's so funny everyone in fanfic thinks Sif sleeps in trees. It's universal and y'know what? Sure. I'm adopting that. Y'all had me scrolling through dialogue for ages just to make sure I didn't miss any tree nap mentions.

Loop spent the majority of Sif's first run through Dormont and the House training their voice so that it wouldn't be a dead giveaway to their identity when Sif showed up. They wanted it to sound like Odile. It does not even a little bit.

Mira is RED. Bonnie is ORANGE/YELLOW/BLUE. Odile is PURPLE. Isa is GREEN/BROWN. Sif and Loop are MONOCHROME.

Mira has a notebook FILLED with edgy poetry from when she was small. She buried it somewhere but knows exactly where it is and once every couple years digs it up just to make sure nobody found it.

Bon is a reptile person. Wants a bearded dragon as a pet.

Mwudu is Acadia (in the same way Vaugarde is France, etc.). Not a colony of Vaugarde or anything though, just a lot of cultural exchange. (Vaugarde is NOT imperialistic.)

Post-canon Sif sometimes has such a tight grip on Isa in his sleep that Isa can get up and walk around with them still latched onto him. One morning Isa even brushed his teeth and styled his hair before the Sif on his back woke up.

Nille is swole af. Taller than Odile too. I like it when people give her a braid.

I changed my mind; everyone has really ugly colors because they can't see them and they all look terrible. I do not care about the practicalities of more colorful dyes being difficult to obtain; this is fantasy logic and I say they all should cause eyestrain.

Sif's all-black look under the cloak and hat (both of which he didn't choose) is the only good fashion choice they're capable of making. If you ask them to get creative it's a disaster. Isa indulges this anyways because hell yeah fashion disaster rights, but Sif will inevitably ask for help once he actually sees the design in person.

Isa was a hardcore STEM person, while Odile was properly studying anthropology/writing but is actually SUPER into linguistics.

Fishermen from the Forgotten Country were given additional pathways to easy fishing crabs on Vaugarde's shore because Vaugarde didn't want 'em. The overfishing caused a minor ecological crisis that was then fixed by Wish Craft.

Pre-canon Sif tried to make some money via an eating competition in one of the unnamed countries but was so uncomfortable with the attention from winning first place they refused to ever step foot in the country again. They don't even remember why they refuse to visit anymore but still don't wanna go. It wasn't even that big a contest nor a big deal emotionally long-term (like the party would suspect) for Sif, they're just stubborn.

Since we have a classic RPG setup I think the party's inventory is not limited by logic and they carry around 78 tents and 23 cottages somehow.

[nicki0kaye]

Hello fellow artist

you are not charging enough for your commissions

I know why--the fandom/online economy includes a lot of our friends who are also super broke, so it feels like a dick move to charge them more than 20 bucks

but your shit is worth so much more than that.

ESPECIALLY if you're doing any rendering. ESPECIALLY if that rendering includes color.

Sketches should be messy--if your shit isn't scribbly spagetti, what you have should be charged as lineart, because that's what it is. It just may not be 'final line'. Labeling it as a 'sketch' fucks with everyone's perspective of what a sketch should look like, how much detail it should have and how much effort it should take to make it.

The gap between what ppl charge for full line, even messy line, here in online circles and what ppl charge 'in the industry' ie for commercial use in magazines or TV ads or websites, is massive.

I'm talking full body line of one character, no rendering, being easily 300, and a full render with color reaching into 3k or higher, depending on the amount of detail.

I know its scary to raise your rates, viscerally I know that, but we are hurting each other by asking for so little for so much. It skews everyone's perception of what art by demand is worth, and reinforces that you can't possibly make a living wage doing art you love.

If you're in highschool, fine, charge 25 bucks for finished work, but if you're an adult being commissioned by other adults, raise your prices.

Art is a luxury item, made on demand, and not everyone can afford that. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be paid what you're worth. Yes, even if its fanart.

And if you're a fan of an artist who raises their prices; support them. Gas them up. Save up to commission them. Please.

[socialistexan]

I think people get too caught up targeting CEO's when talking about the ills of the modern late capitalist economy.

Like, yeah, CEO's and other executives make way too much money, but if you, say, redistribute Bob Iger's $27 million a year he gets from Disney, every Disney employee would get something like $300 extra dollars a year. Not nothing and is something I think should absolutely happen, but also not exactly life-changing money and won't pull these employees up to a living wage.

CEO's are very publicly visible and their salaries are an easily visualized target. It's easy to blame a single person for the issues rather than an amorphous blob of shadowy investors who constantly demand that line go up. I get it, but I think it would be so much easier to tie all of our struggles together by pointing out the effects of financialization has had on every single industry.

It is never enough to not just make a profit, but that profit has to be higher every single year - year over year - to keep the investor class satisfied. The line can't just go up, it has to go up more every year. That's why you see pay cuts to ever more overworked employees who providing goods and services of increasingly lower quality at ever inflating prices.

There are CEO's that get paid very little of "donate" their salaries, and they can do that because they make money off of their investments. And the CEO's who aren't investors are beholden to the investors. Their job is to make sure line go up enough to make the investors happy.

We need to start blaming the McKinneyification of industry, higher returns for the lowest possible input and expenditures. Focus your fury on the market, on wall street, on these investment companies that skim off of everyone else's labor and misery. Investor market economics is the enemy we should target, everything else is a bandaid.

[snaccpopstudios]

Games Report 06/20/23

Hello everyone! Before we get into the meat of this week's dev report, today's guest artwork of Shaun Durand-Coffer and Moon Pie is by Coda Blue, a black games developer we commissioned to commemorate Juneteenth 2023!

We're also breaking a bit of convention today: it’s Sauce here to do some talking about a frequent (and valid) concern/question we get from fans.

Why so many projects at one time?

There are a lot of reasons that go into it and it’s kind of difficult to break down casually. But I’ll do my best to use the analogy of a relay race with batons!

Each project (Sunny Day Jack, The Groom of Gallagher Mansion, AphroDesia, and DacahaBo) largely has its own team, meaning that Writer A is assigned to Project A while Writer B is assigned to Project B and so forth. In a single Project, when the Writer is done with the script, they pass the baton to the Artist (usually me, in this case) to draw additional art like CGs to accentuate key scenes, while an Editor works to tighten up the sentence structure and spot missing plot points (a Musician may be working at this time as well). After editing is complete and art is at least underway, Programmers and Voice Actors can begin on their tasks. As we near completion, Programmers, Audio Engineers, and Beta Testers make sure the package is nice and tidy for everyone to enjoy.

At least, that's how it goes in an ideal situation.

When you’re working on a production, a large amount of variables (defined as an "element, feature, or factor that is liable to vary or change") are in play. Some of those variables might look like:

When does this team member get off from college, their day job, or other life commitment?

When they're done with those, how much personal time do they need in order to take care of themselves, or even recuperate?

What happens if the person actively working on something has a chronic illness flare-up, gets sick, or has something else preventing them from doing their assignment?

What happens if this person isn't openly communicating about delays in delivering work?

What happens if we can't contact someone because they're not responding to our inquiries?

What if we need to remove someone from the team, or someone we were counting on leaves voluntarily?

What happens if work that was "completed" and already paid for needs to be scrapped entirely and redone from the ground up?

Does someone else from Project C need to fill in and work on Project A to help them catch up?

Does someone assigned to one role in a Project need to take on multiple roles to help the entire team catch up?

Even from this short list of potential hurdles we might face during production, it seems like an easy solution would be to eliminate someone's time spent on outside life commitments! Except, it's not: even BáiYù can't quit his day job because in America, traditional employment often offers healthcare as part of their employee benefits and SnaccPop Studios is nowhere close to being able to provide a full living wage for everyone working with us. Maybe one day! But we’re not quite there.

So as you can imagine, sometimes there will be periods of time when an entire group of people aren't working because they don't have the baton quite yet since the person holding the baton is being held up by life. And this isn't their fault by any means, but a lack of communication about that makes it harder for us to estimate when any single relay race will be complete.

So how do you keep a Patreon filled with content?

We are very fortunate and grateful to receive a lot of Patreon support, especially after our SDJ Kickstarter! But getting all those funds is a huge responsibility. You should attempt to keep it stocked. And that’s what we attempt to do.

SP is made up of different teams suited to each individual property. Different programmers, different writers, etc. Each team is tasked with getting a set amount of work done, and between all the variables listed above sometimes we have really good months and sometimes we have pretty dry ones. Keeping all these teams moving together helps us to put out content while say, a writer is out with COVID and SDJ needs to pause for a week. TGoGM had a technical error that saw the game needing to be rebuilt in a new engine. And at the moment, AD is currently sans an audio drama writer.

These are frustrating problems and we're working on fixing what's in our direct control. But we understand that we also have to USE the money we receive visibly or else people ask us where the money is even paying for. And while we make an effort to put away savings responsibly, we can’t just accept large amounts of money without providing a product, or portions of one, in return.

The "Boring Bits"

There’s also in productions portions I like to call “Boring Bits”. These are moments where everything being done is just exceptionally boring to show off. Either it’s programming and bug fixing, or it’s deep lore writing and scripting we can’t show due to spoilers, or something else like that.

At those times all we CAN say is we’ve been fixing bugs or writing. BáiYù and some of the other team members could give an explanation of what's going on during those times but most of us can agree that it's not as enjoyable as something like a new pin-up or an audio drama. 

Sometimes to say more would be a spoiler, or we can’t say anything else. Sometimes, it's all a waiting game.

At the beginning, waiting was the hardest part. It could take anywhere from two weeks to months to get back recordings or audio or art. And we have to respect why these things happen. When it’s an instance of slow delivery, we can ask for more clear deadlines or pay a rush fee, but other than that it’s just a long wait.

So, while we waited, we tried to find other means of providing entertainment.

Productions featuring groups of people all over the world, with very different lives, is extremely difficult. But sometimes people who provide quality work require that bit of patience.

So where is everything in the relay race?

At the moment, the status of our projects is as such:

Sunny Day Jack

SDJ is still being mapped out due to the inclusion of Nick as a love interest, as his character becoming more permanent changes several things in the narrative with the other love interests. To help speed things along, we've asked Gil Finnegan (he/him) from the DachaBo team to work with Biscuwuit to split the character route workloads.

It’s a large game, and their work includes labeling every individual scene as well as planning all the programmable variables. We can’t share ANYTHING more than what we have already shared on Kickstarter and Patreon. No new art assets are prepared because they’ve either been made (BGs, GUI) or we don’t how many sprites we need for the full roster until the plot is reworked completely. We can’t give script pages because of spoiler reasons.

We anticipate that a more robust report cycle will begin appearing once we get to scripting, but as a VN writing is a heavy and very important portion of the game that requires this narrative planning, sensitivity editing, and retcon checking. We will likely be in the writing portion a lot of 2023, which was expected since the game is intended to release in 2024.

Sleepy Time Jack

STJ is our additional companion app that’s seeing its final updates with the Patreon Exclusive “Jacktor” portion currently in progress. Due to some less-than-ideal cloud storage issues, we had to remake certain assets from scratch. Additionally, Steam is currently giving BáiYù the runaround and making it difficult for him to get the page up publicly, but we think we've figured out why they're complaining about the logo (they seem to be afraid of the "Digital Talking Body Pillow" subtitle not being part of the app's name in the system).

The Groom of Gallagher Mansion

TGoGM is expected to be finished soon, with free NSFW content planned for the future, but not until we’ve given it some time to sit. BáiYù has had to not only perform his usual Producer duties across all of SP, but also take on Writer and Programmer duties in this project to keep it moving due to life circumstances surrounding team members.

DachaBo

DachaBo Classic is being maintained canonically and updated by a largely separate team, but mostly only as a cosmetic and stability update. DachaBo: Barks & Mews proper remains in pre-production (Planning lore, connecting dots, and conceptualizing) until TGoGM sees its first release in English.

AphroDesia

AD is currently planning its audio reboot. But as a lore-heavy series, it’s being taken under consideration very carefully. Audio drama writers are key, and our current writer is prioritizing living expense-crucial work.

The "Re-Pilot" has a full outline written that is about seven pages long, with a script to follow after. Priority will re-shift back to this project once TGoGM and STJ are out the door, with a slowly metered development since it is an audio drama/planned comic. This production is more about assigning duties and waiting than any other task.

What about other projects?

Anything else besides these projects and the Bachelor of the Month series (currently on hiatus) is not an official SP project, and funds do not directly contribute to those projects, as they’re considered personal items by individual members.

As has been mentioned before, I (Sauce) also make personal works. And that’s part of why I’m the one handling this.

Many people still consider me a part of SP from a heading POV. But part of why I stepped down as "Boss" was because at the moment I’m juggling a college education, full or part-time employment, and healing from years of untreated mental health. It was no longer feasible for me to manage all of these things.

BáiYù instead is compensated to handle the business aspects, and is more capable to do so at this time. I help with Patreon art, tier rewards, and additional creative work while he's been the one writing the majority of the updates and dev reports. I also work on SDJ sprite art, and additional art assets (Steam page, GUI, graphics, etc.) but with my free time I have begun to prioritize taking moments to relax with some non-game art.

I have noticed people saying my work outside is SP work, or attributing it as such. I attempted to even use a separate alias to separate the two, but I guess my style is recognizable to a degree and tried to make the best of it by declaring otherwise myself.

Anything not SDJ, STJ, TGoGM, DB, AD, or BotM is not property of SnaccPop Studios. I've invited some of the individual team members to talk about the projects they do in their free time or as parts of other game studios as SP has a wonderful platform thanks to all of you, but always be sure to look for the official SP branding or else risk accidentally affiliating unrelated work with us.

That is such the case for me, and it could very well be that way for anyone else.

In conclusion...

At the end of the day, SnaccPop does its best to balance a busy, worthwhile Patreon and quality projects done by persons whose individual circumstances are acknowledged and respected. And we understand that a lot of things at once can look flighty and unfocused.

We really hope this breakdown helps, and we apologize for any issues that not having one up prior may have caused!

Making art is messy. Confining creative and quality visions to jobs and roles can be at the best of times spontaneous. But we’re happy to be able to employ or use our funding to pay and contribute to the lives of many different types of creatives in many different lifestyles.

Again, here's how our projects are looking:

SDJ is on track to arrive in 2024.

STJ and TGoGM are in their final stretches with more content to come after.

DB Classic is being stablized before wide release while DB: Barks & Mews is in pre-production

AD is in pre-production, but the personal circumstances of a key writer are making it a bit difficult!

Thank you all for taking the time to be a part of this! Literally, we could not even do that without you all. This is a privilege we take very seriously. And we’re working very hard behind the scenes to keep you updated, our team members with any work we can provide, and patrons entertained longterm and short term.

[aurea-corde]

I've never seen a single episode of anything related to watcher but I am eating up all this drama. Also sorry to y'all going through this

i appreciate that anon 😭 i've seen several good nuanced takes on the situation thankfully. the company definitely did mess up how it introduced the streaming service to people: they said in the video they were going to paywall all existing and new content and then in the comments and in the variety article pretended like that was never their intent. the variety article reveals that they were in fact initially told watcher was going to delete all existing content. the CEO in particular but in general all the founders said that the amount they are charging is affordable - specifically that anyone could afford it - which no they can't obviously. As they are now finding out the hard way. The CEO Steven also made an instagram post insinuating people who wouldn't subscribe just no longer want to watch them, rather than the reality which is that a massive majority of the audience can't afford to. Because he is the CEO, people are blaming the entire thing on him, but it's also important to remember there are actually three founder-owners with decision-making abilities in the company. Shane and Ryan are adults, and the way people are acting like Steven is some kind of dictator, Ryan just went along with it but Shane is the people's anticapitalist hero who was simply outvoted is not a great look. Especially the posts that refuse to acknowledge even the possibility of racial biases here. Mistakes were made, poc are not immune to criticism, but let's consider why so many feel like Shane was forced into this by the evil Steven (and people in the comments have literally called him evil for this) and either lump Ryan in with him or give Ryan no agency in the situation whatsoever. Steven is the most likely to have made the proposal as the closest thing Watcher has to a business-minded founder, but the other two clearly agreed with him. They could have just decided not to be in the video. I also don't see a world where they contractually obligated themselves to every whim of Steven's like some people are suggesting.

Do I think they're a bit sheltered in their LA life? Yeah, probably. I'm pretty sheltered myself - I live a comfortable middle class life in Australia, have a good job and am studying law. I could definitely afford the subscription. But I don't want to atm, or at least until they respond to the situation. Are they the worst most evil capitalists because they want to charge money for the content they create? No, not inherently. People supported them on Patreon because of course creatives should be paid for their labour, and ideally paid well enough to live comfortably. But the combo of bad business decisions (e.g. hiring too many staff too quickly while also wanting to pay them above a living wage, not advertising the patreon, not utilising revenue streams that aren't a streaming service like youtube memberships, spending what Ryan has said is hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single season of a series they have called Ghost Files) and the fact the CEO is pretty open about his comfortable lifestyle (drives a tesla which btw folks isn't a luxury car it's just a more expensive one, has a $300 matcha machine, has a series based on fine dining vs more affordable restaurants), means people are understandably mad because they are struggling financially and the founders (from what we know) are not - but they're trying to tell people that 6 USD is affordable for everyone.

It's a lot less to do with the fact of them charging for content as much as the way they went about it and in particular how it's been phrased to people has come across really insensitive. There's other logistics with the streaming service itself that were not thought out at all for international viewers, but I won't get into that here. And the pretending they were always going to leave their content up and telling viewers not to spread misinformation is scummy to me - at least acknowledge that was a mistake you made and backtracked on. It's just a mess but I really loved their videos and hope they make Youtube's Greatest Apology Video Ever (unironically) and try to undo some of the damage.

edit: someone in the replies made a great point that teslas could actually be considered a luxury car in some countries outside of the US, and I fully agree that 6 USD is 1) too much for what they offer, esp in this economic climate and 2) wayyyyy too much when converted to other currencies. I've seen other Australians say the conversion is too much for them but I know viewers in other countries say it comes out to literally thousands for them - if they can even access the site at all from their country.

[hyenahunt]

Obbligato: The Devotion to Tatsumi Kazehaya - 13

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring, three years ago

Characters: Kaname, Tatsumi, Jun

Proofreading: Remi + 310mc (JP) & honeyspades (ENG)

Translation: Peace & hyenahunt

Tatsumi: The root of all misfortune lies in inequality and injustice. They are the root of all unhappiness. That is why they must be corrected.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Kaname: ... I feel the same as Sazanami. If the fame and shine doesn't belong to my own name, then there's no point to it.

But... Still, it seems as if "Tatsumi Kazehaya" is doing well for itself.

Maybe I should learn from it. Throw away this pride of mine and ensure success through that.

All so I can become the sparkling idol I've always dreamed of being.

Tatsumi: Haha. If you so wish, then we are able to help you in a number of ways. We offer idol practices, studies, and can even help you find work — all free of charge.

In fact, I pay everyone who comes to one of my gatherings an equal part of my own wages.

Kaname: What do you mean...?

Tatsumi: You see, I have no interest in money. All of the money that "Tatsumi Kazehaya" accumulates is thus given out in equal shares to those gathered here.

No matter how much you've done, or what you've helped with, you're given the same amount of pay as the person next to you.

Hence, I've asked them to help me with the work I've received as much as possible.

Kaname: Are you for real? You're the one paying them?

It isn't the other way around? They're only managing to catch rays of the limelight because of you, aren't they? And yet... you're paying them?

Tatsumi: That's right. I likened it to a company, didn't I? Anyone who becomes a part of "Tatsumi Kazehaya" is offered the same regular pay as everyone else within it.

It's only natural to reward those who work a reasonable sum, isn't it? I would never ask someone to do my work for free.

Such a thing would be against our doctrine— nay, against human decency itself.

Jun: Ohhh, I get it now... I see just why these guys don't care for working on their own and are perfectly content just being "Tatsumi Kazehaya's assistants.”

They can just kick back and let their earnings pour in that way. Why wouldn't they? The cash they earn through this kinda fixed income is definitely gonna be way more than whatever an idol with no accomplishments could get through independent work.

And on top of that, Kazehaya-senpai's so brilliant at what he does that his work's a huge success every single time. Thanks to that, these guys get the chance to shine while avoiding any risk of failure or injury, or of being thought of as useless.

Sure is a dream job — one fit for morons.

Kaname: And on top of that, if I'm understanding correctly, you pay those a fair wage even if they haven't worked at all?

Tatsumi: I do. We don't discriminate here, you see. All are equal.

Jun: Mmm, well, I’m not that educated so I might be wrong, but this whole arrangement'spretty much that thing, isn't it? Starts with a c and ends with ism....

Our country's a capitalist nation, so y'know, the opposite of that —

Tatsumi: There's truly no need to go that far. I only wish to treat everyone as equally and fairly as possible.

Such a world would be ideal, wouldn't you agree? I want to make it a reality.

Tatsumi: Everyone is treated equally, given the same opportunities, and is paid fairly for their work. That way, everyone is able to live a happy, fulfilling life.

The root of all misfortune lies in inequality and injustice. They are the root of all unhappiness.

That is why they must be corrected.

There is a distinct disparity between the Special and Non-Special Students here at Reimei Academy. I'm doing what I can to close it.

It doesn't matter who you are, what you are, or even where you came from: you will be treated equally. Everyone will carry the same weight, walk the same amount of steps, and reach the same destination.

Everyone finishes at the same time. Everyone will be granted the same first place result, fairly and ideally.

And that is how we'll stop needless fighting over who's won and lost, we'll cease begrudging others for what they have, and we'll share the same happiness with one another.

That is the ideal world I dream of.

To bring it even slightly closer to reality, I'm doing what I can— though at the moment, this small sphere is all I'm able to influence in such a way.

Tatsumi: One day, I will take all those who inhabit Reimei Academy, the teachers and Special Students alike, as well as those in the idol industry, in this country, in this world...

And change their ways so we may live in such an Eden.

No, it's more than that. That is my mission in life as the Voice of God, as someone born within a family who teaches His words.

I truly believe that, and so I will live by that faith.

Tatsumi: May all of God's creations be blessed. Amen.

[ ☆ ]

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[chaifootsteps]

not to Goofus and Gallant again (at this point it feels unavoidable) but I'd love to know how much animators are paid per completed shot on Lackdaisy, Murder Drones & TADC. Just for all the people claiming 'below living wage' is somehow fine and normal for indie animation (also it's not like they kill you with pay on some corporate animation shows. This argument is stupid - everyone should be paid enough, we shouldn't be acting like indie is somehow entitled to pay less than a studio owned show. if that's what it takes to get an indie show made then you are running your studio wrong) this is part of why it was so reassuring to see LD set such a high kickstarter goal and have the pie charts indicating where all the money was going, because it's an indication they're setting up a proper production pipeline and paying everyone right.

would love to see that kind of transparency from either HB's production or HH's. If they have the ability to prove they didn't blow the budget on VAs and exploit their animators I think they should at this point

Also, after the Lackadaisy fundraiser, I think I remember hearing they doubled their animator salaries.

Vivzie just doubles the Vivzie salary.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Why can't your husband buy his own xbox :/ why does he NEED an xbox anyway if y'all are struggling...

We can't afford anything nice at the moment. I had planned on using my earnings from selling my quilts, but I didn't make enough money to cover the more important things, like paying off our debts. Why should people who are poor not have nice things? Why must those of us who are poor be made to suffer because capitalism insists on hoarding money rather than putting it into livable wages that then make it possible for people to spend money and make the economy healthier? Why must those of us who are poor be forced to live unhappy?

My husband just started a new job two days ago, he turns 50 next month, and he has his original XBox One, and it's falling apart. It can no longer read discs, and all his games are on disc. It likes to randomly disconnect from the internet, and we using streaming services rather than cable. It also likes to randomly lose the ability to even operate at all. Why must he suffer and be unhappy?

An outlet for the struggling is healthy, but going to the gym is not nor shall ever be an option because they're filthy, and we're both high risk of getting sick and dying from covid19 (over 1000 people die from it every week in the US, but the economy is more important than people). Playing video games is a good way to get aggression out without actively hurting anyone.

How do you suggest he spends his off-hours? Or his days off? After all the yard and housework is finished, he's in pain. Arthritis in his shoulders, elbows, and hands, neuropathy in his feet, these make it difficult to do much physical labor without suffering from pain for hours or days afterwards. Dyslexia makes reading difficult, and just sitting and painting his miniatures without something playing in the background makes it less enjoyable and more difficult to focus courtesy of unmedicated ADHD. Do you suggest he just sit in a quiet room for hours and hours, staring at the wall?

The reason I ask for help acquiring a new console for him is because we are struggling. If I sold all my paintings at my asking price, it would have most of the debt covered. I would be more comfortable spending money on something nice for him if I had most of the debt paid. He's my caregiver, and I'm permanently Disabled. He does the cooking, laundry, yardwork, and so much more, while also working outside our home. He's exhausted. Playing video games helps him recover and prevent burnout. Do you suggest he burnout and suffer it for months or years?

Now how about you relieve yourself of some stress and misery by pulling out the stick you have shoved up your ass and stop criticizing folks for asking for help? Just because you're miserable doesn't mean you need to make certain everyone else is as well, seeing as misery loves company. That nasty taste of last week's dinner that you've been tasting is having a serious impact on how you interact with other people. Removing the stick and the taste will go away, give yourself time to recover and adjust to having a major source of your unhappiness removed, and learn to breathe and accept that some people don't see shame in asking for help. If, however, you insist on continuing with keeping the stick up there and judging me based on limited information and many assumption, you must purchase either a quilt or painting from my shop. Otherwise our next interaction will result in me simply blocking you. I have more important things to do than justify not wanting to be miserable.

If the stick is difficult to remove, a laxative might be just what you need.

[olderthannetfic]

In the completely hypothetical scenario that someone donated 10 billion dollars to the OTW and then each year donated enough money to keep the archive comfortably afloat, what do you think they would do with such money? What would come first and what would take time? Since money restriction is the largest reason given behind the slow development of the archive and certain things being impossible.

--

Well, given how everyone cries about all money spent, it would probably still be a clusterfuck.

What they should do is go back to having in-person Board retreats and telling all the crybabies who think it's "too expensive" to fly Board members in from far away countries to go fuck themselves.

(Seriously, back in the day, I saw people whining that it was unfair to ~waste money~ on that, and why couldn't the non-American call in??? As if the whole point of an in-person retreat wasn't to bridge cultural gaps!)

Generally, there's a lot of pushback to any do-gooder organization spending money on any of the things they badly need to, like professional development opportunities, living wages, etc.

The only way to judge an org is by its effectiveness at its stated goals and by how it treats its people. OTW has the same problem other orgs do with assclowns who are too stupid to deserve to have an opinion going "But the overhead!!!"

(If you donate to charities based on them having low overhead instead of on proven results, you are the problem. Do not do this.)

Broadly, the sorts of things that would make sense would be hiring someone to do payroll, an accountant, a team of coders, sysadmins, people to write documentation, various levels of manager to interface between different teams, staff to deal with Abuse reports...

Basically, anything that's particularly onerous or where it's helpful to have the same person working a full time workload instead of lots of volunteers doing a little bit each would work best as a paid position. There are a lot of things like this, some more to do with how AO3 functions for users and some more relevant to making the internal experience of staff and volunteers less shitty.

[360degreesasthecrowflies]

London is a city that has always been deeply uneven, with plenty of cultural treasures to hide the poverty in the Tower Blocks and the underpasses. London is effectively the main of the UK economy, and everything is geared towards it. Hence it retains a degree of economic dynamism that allows a degree of optimism, after all there's always a new restaurant, new exhibition, new flagship store, new play. Sure most workers are dirt poor, living on mashed avocado, and hoping the landlord gets visited by 3 Ghosts at Christmas, but there's the dream of making it in the big city.

Outside the London bubble, large parts of the country are either in despair, or have totally given up. Roads, bridges, hospitals, and schools are crumbling. Police have almost disappeared outside traffic stops. Courts are backlogged, prisons overfilled & well past their designed lifespan. Companies face significant trade barriers with the EU. The water industry is essentially operating on leveraged debt and mostly owned by oversea's pension funds, whilst the infrastructure collapses and raw sewage is being pumped into the rivers/seas. Everyone is underpaid compared to the cost of living, but also compared to many comparable roles in other countries.

In the shires, the more well paid commuter class can still have a nice life, but they are feeling a sharp pinch. Holidays cut. Cars held on to much, much longer than before. Meals out being reduced. Optional extras like music or sports for the kids cancelled. Impulse purchases stopped. All of which sounds like "oh poor Emma can't get her daughter Lucinda piano lessons boo hoo" but think about the economic impact. That is money that would have gone to a piano teacher (usually self employed), to the coffee shop whilst Emma waits, to a music shop for music, perhaps a CD or concert tickets to something Lucinda played at a lesson. Then when Lucinda grows up instead of having a career in arts or entertainment, even at her local bar or church, she doesn't know how to play piano. So society as a whole has lost a musician, and Lucinda as a person flourishes slightly less. The UK arts sector is one of our biggest economic powerhouses, yet it is routinely ignored and hammered by the govt. Art & music are regarded as luxury items, despite contributing £1.6 billion to the annual economy (2021 at 5.6%). That's huge, bigger than the fishing industry which contributes £1.4 billion (2021 at 4%). Yet with rents sky rocketing, and school budgets in utter crisis, arts/music get dropped and creative talent has to switch to more routine jobs to survive. UK Musicians are dropped from EU events following the botched visa system, and international work is increasingly harder for them to get.

Outside the diminishing middle class, the real difficulty and poverty of the UK hits home. People are not sure whether the next rent payment or electricity will quite literally bankrupt them and leave them homeless. Wages are mostly static, with few rises outside a number of key sectors. Some areas have seen wage growth, but that has been concentrated in a small number of jobs (especially finance/management). The population is aging, and the care system is left almost entirely to private companies in a very disjointed, expensive manner. For most people the only credible hope of a financially better life is to inherit or to win the lottery or to commit crime. This is strikingly similar to the pattern seen in many developing world economies.

For example, I have worked in the public sector for 20 years. In that time I have trained, gained professional qualifications, led larger teams, upskilled on IT/project management and become more productive. Since my pay has been capped at a 0.5% rise, it is a real terms wage cut. So I've become more productive yet I'm paid less. Why should I 1) carry on trying to be more productive, & 2) stay in the job? Productivity increases from workers have to be linked to a personal reward, as well as a benefit to an employer or there's no point for the employee. Hence "quiet quitting".

So the UK is in the dire position of poor infrastructure, rampant poverty, and a population that no longer believes hard work or being productive will improve their own lives, only maintain their survival. This is not a recipe for a flourishing economy or nation. The worst thing is that the UK has started to lose hope that things can get better without a magical solution. Without at least some hope, we are doomed.

Saved via reddit from user 'AgeOfVictoriaPodcast' - as an excellent (if depressing!) summary of the UK's economy and society in 2023 / the 2020s / post Brexit

[agirlandherquill]

oc questionnaire tag - thanks @willtheweaver!

let me just very politely consult with my characters for a volunteer, drum roll if you please (insert drumming on my keyboard) - let's go with Fenley from Ruin's Reprisal!

Are you named after anyone?

"I was named after a legend, an inferior one if you ask me, goes by the name of Fenrir - I know I'm dramatic, but that guy? I won't help the world end, the world will end because of me."

When was the last time you cried?

"Tears are for the weak. I haven't cried since I was a boy."

Do you have kids?

"What would I want one of those for? I can't do anything with it except pin it to a target and practise throwing knives - even then, they'd be an inconvenience."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"No, really, how could you tell? Well- Does the sun set every morning? Does my heart beat inside my chest - actually, you'd have to check that one, but you get my point."

What is the first thing you notice about people?

"How likely they are to kill me. What's the point of noticing anything else?"

What's your eye colour?

"Some say storms live in my eyes, I prefer to think of it as the colour of darkness waging war on my soul."

Scary movies or happy endings?

"Paintings that move... How interesting. Hm, now my curiosity is torn but happy endings are ever so dull, I need a challenge, I need a reason for my life... I'm not so certain I've found it yet. So, I'll take the strange paintings, or movies, as you call them."

Any special talents?

"I can kill a man at forty paces with a twitch of my finger, my shadows take care of the work. If you think I'm impressive with a knife, you should see me with my bare hands."

Where were you born?

"In this cesspit of a country known as Aliria. You have no need to know anything else."

Do you have any pets?

"Pets? Why would I demean an animal in such a way? Utter nonsense. I have partners and I have friends, the species is irrelevant."

What sports do you play?

"A lovely game called chase - you run, I find you, and you won't like what happens when I do."

How tall are you?

"Tall. I have no need to measure myself, that's just a silly insecurity."

What was your favourite subject in school?

"Weapons handling. I can accomplish many things with a knife, and you wouldn't realise it until I was done."

What is your dream job?

"I do not have a job, I have a duty, one that rewards me very nicely - who knew death paid so well?"

this was super fun, haven't done a tag game in a while, now to pass this lovely questionnaire on to some other fantastic people! @the-ellia-west @corinneglass @drchenquill @thewritingautisticat @mysticstarlightduck @aestheic-writer18 and of course open tag, I'd love to get to know everyone's oc's!

[forabeatofadrum]

Just Some Guy (6/9)

Notes: Chapter 6 of 9? Brah, 69? NICE lol - J.J.

AO3

–

Year 6

MATT

From 6th year on, Watford students can have student jobs. They aren’t a lot of work and you get paid minimum wage, but it’s something to do to pass the time. This is definitely needed now that the Mage banned mobile phones for some reason. He claims it’s for our protection.

Rumour has it that it has something to do with Simon Snow, as usual.

Goddamnit, Simon Snow.

Although John wonders if it’s a political move. The Mage uses it to prevent the Old Families from contacting their kids. Look, I don’t care for the Old Families either. I don’t even care for politics, but making it harder for parents to reach their kids is a dick move.

This whole civil war shit is getting eerily close. Man, I really wish I was living in uninteresting times.

Anyway I get a job in miss Possibelf’s office, which consists of cleaning and ordering. John decides to work out on the grounds. Leslie and Luis decide to work as kit managers for the football team. Ryan cares for the plants. Arnold helps in the kitchens. Scott also gets an office job, but at the Minotaur’s office. Sam is from a rich family (not an Old one, mind you!) and doesn’t see the need to work.

(I mean, my mum’s family also has money, but she still thinks I should have a job.)

“Do you know if Simon Snow got a job?” Arnold wonders one day. He’s staring at something and when I follow his gaze, I see the usual trio: Simon Snow, Penelope Bunce, and to my dismay, Agatha Wellbelove. (Yes, I am still not over Agatha.)

“Dunno, don’t care,” Sam says.

“He’s too busy trailing some bunnies, or something,” Luis says.

“Hares,” John corrects him, “The Six White Hares.”

“John, how do you always know so much about the Chosen One’s whereabouts?” Leslie asks and I have to admit, I have questioned the same thing several times.

John just shrugs.

“I know everything,” he says, cryptic as usual. We know John, so we’re not too bothered by it and Leslie lets it slide.

“So, does he have a job?” I ask.

John shakes his head.

“Makes sense,” Arnold says, “He’s so caught up in the Chosen One shit, I bet he and his friends don’t even know that Watford has jobs!”

“Must be nice not to have a job,” Ryan sighs, “Or not to be bored these days.”

“Simon Snow is always up and running,” Scott nods as well.

Just when Scott says that, I hear a small explosion coming from the Wavering Woods and on a cue, Simon Snow and Penelope Bunce run towards it. Agatha Wellbelove watches them leave. So do we. This is a normal occurrence. Even the smoke coming from the Woods doesn’t faze me anymore. I do feel back for John, who now also manages the Woods for his side job.

Can Simon Snow please let anything outside of Watford explode for once?

--

Leslie asks if I want to go to a football game with her.

Sure, why not?

Ever since Leslie and Luis have joined the team as kit managers, (“That’s what the ‘man’ in kit man stands for,” Leslie had explained, “Although I still like to say I am a kit woman.”) they’ve gotten more interested in football.

John and I show up at the game.

Leslie frowns when she sees us.

“What’s up?” I ask.

Leslie casts a quick glance at John, but then says it’s nothing. She walks us to the stands and gives us a basic explanation of football, since we’re woefully unfamiliar with the sport.

“It’s not hockey,” John laments.

“… Right,” Leslie says and continues her explanation.

Once we’re seated, she bids us farewell and goes down to the field with another word. I wonder what is up with her.

The team is already on, including Luis, who waves from below. After a few minutes, the game starts. The Watford football team is split into two and both sides are playing against each other. Baz Pitch is on the team, which I never knew, but I also don’t keep track of his whereabouts.

Unlike Simon Snow.

Since last year, everyone’s noticed that he’s been trailing Baz Pitch and today is no exception. I didn’t even notice him at first, but after ten minutes into the match I can feel his magic leaking over the stands in waves. It’s fucking annoying, honestly. It distracts me from the game.

I gloat at him, but he doesn’t seem the notice the visible discomfort of everyone. He had his head resting on his hands. He’s leaning forward and he’s staring intensely at Baz Pitch. Penelope Bunce, his trusty sidekick, is sat next to him, but she’s reading a book.

I am so annoyed by him, that I keep looking and therefore completely miss the first goal.

Fucking hell, Simon Snow.

--

My year goes on as usual. I go home for Christmas and when I go back to school, two things are discussed. First off, the Mage apparently got kidnapped over Christmas, and he had to be saved by Simon Snow.

That’s cool or whatever, but the second thing is more prominent. When you’re in 6th year, Watford also starts preparing you for your future.

We all need to attend a mandatory class in our first week after the vacation. Miss Bellamy is talking about all our options in the World of Mages. Most of us will attend Normal uni, if we even attend uni in the first place, but we can then use that knowledge for our world.

Honestly, I hadn’t given my future a lot of thought. I am just a 16 year old guy. What do I know? Adulthood seems scary, if I may say so.

“It’s fine,” John reassures me during our break.

“How would you know?” Scott bemoans.

“I’ve been an adult before,” John says cryptically, “Even went to college.”

All of us share a look before we collectively decide to let it go.

John’s words weren’t as reassuring as he’d hoped, because when we return to class, we’re reminded of the reality that in one or two years or so, we’ll be gone.

Miss Bellamy has decided to make this an interactive class, which is every student’s worse nightmare. She’s started singling people out to ask them a question. I try to keep my head low.

“You,” Miss Bellamy points in my direction, but then I realise she’s pointing towards the person behind me, “Mr. Snow, what are your plans for the future?”

Everyone turns around to face Simon Snow. This is another reason why interactive lessons suck. The focus is on one poor person, and it happens to be the Chosen One.

Simon Snow shrugs.

“Dunno,” he says. He’s as eloquent as ever.

“Mr. Snow, I know it might seem like you still have time, and yes, you do, but 16 is the perfect age to start thinking about your options,” Miss Bellamy says cheerfully, as if that would magickally motivate anyone to start thinking about their future.

“No, Miss, it’s just…” Simon looks around and sees everyone staring.

“Yes?” Miss Bellamy beckons him to go on.

Simon shrugs. I think he shrugs a lot.

“Use your words, Snow,” Baz Pitch sneers from behind us and some kids snicker. I roll my eyes. Of course that Pitch brat sees this as a moment to mess with him.

Miss Bellamy also tells him to be quiet.

Simon shrugs again. Is he addicted to shrugging, or something? What a weirdo.

“It’s just that I don’t expect to live past 18, that’s all,” he says casually, as if he didn’t just drop a fucking verbal bomb on us, “Don’t see the point of thinking. About my future. Or just, thinking.”

He shrugs yet again and I am not even bothered by it, because I am too shocked by what he just said.

The silence continues. Penelope Bunce looks upset and she opens her mouth as if she wants to say something, but then stops herself. Agatha Wellbelove has an empty look in her eyes as she stares out of the window. Even Baz Pitch isn’t cheering about the Chosen One’s inevitable demise, or something. The only one who doesn’t seem bothered is Simon himself.

This must be an everyday occurrence for him. The worst part is that he might be right.

Miss Bellamy awkwardly interrupts the even more awkward silence by asking Niall Kelly what he wants to do next.

--

The future.

It is a thing.

And unlike Simon Snow, I do expect to live.

Oh Merlin.

It hangs over me during the remainer of the year.

And then the academic year ends. I am hugging my friends goodbye. We’re all hanging out in the summer, but the realisation that another year at Watford is over, hits me. Two more years left, since I am planning on doing the optional 8th year. But what will I do next? I am just some guy, I don’t have a destiny. I don’t even have a girlfriend! That’s another Watford milestone. My parents met here.

Which… in hindsight doesn’t mean anything, but still. Even Simon Snow has a girlfriend and he spends more time saving the world than being with her. Not only that, but rumour has it that Agatha Wellbelove has been kidnapped several times since she started dating him. Yikes.

If I were her boyfriend, she’d never be on the bottom of a well.

Although, I must admit, ever since Agatha became unavailable, I’ve gotten less interested in her. It sounds bad, I know, but why dream for the unattainable. The other day, during Magickal History, I was paired up with her for a debate assignment, and it went alright. I wasn’t a mess.

Damn, does that mean I am not into her anymore?

“Shit, I need to reassess my plans,” I say out loud, like an idiot.

“What plans?” Leslie asks.

I try to bullshit my way out of it. I already knows how it will sound. But I give up, since Leslie’s icy stare is killing.

“My future with Agatha,” I confess.

“I swear to Merlin,” Leslie sighs and walks off.

I frown. I expected a longer rant from her.

But maybe I should count my blessings.

“Plenty of fishes in the sea, Matty,” John slings his arm around me. He then slightly turns me towards Leslie’s direction.

I look at Leslie, who has her back turned to me and she’s talking to Sam.

“What are you implying, John?” I ask.

“Have you ever wondered why Leslie is so bothered by your crush on Agatha?”

“Because I tend to use language that presents Agatha as an object I want to possess or a prize I deserve?” I say automatically. Those were her exact words once and they’re fried into my brain.

“That as well,” John says.

“Huh?” I look at John for an explanation, but he smiles. He lets go of me, but does give me a pat on the back.

“Happy summer, Matty Chris D.,” he says before saying goodbye to Arnold.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 15, Part 2 (Lost and Found, Aka The One Where Rory Loses Dean's Shitty Bracelet)

Part 1 and all previous commentary here. I should start renaming these things "Gilmore Girls 10 Minutes At A Time" because right now that's about all I can get through per day before Lorelai has me grinding my teeth into a fine powder. Luke and Jess are checking out some houses because Luke is totally going to move out to a new house in the middle of season 2. Luke and Jess have looked at about a half dozen apartments and they squabble over minor imperfections of each one, whether it be pink paint on the walls or an excess amount of windows. To both Jess and Luke: I would implore you both to be a little less stubborn and just take anything with two bedrooms. Your lives will drastically improve with any two bedroom apartment. Better yet, keep turning down every apartment in Stars Hollow until you've reached the next town. Continue this process until you're both living in another state completely. Jess eventually whatevers- I dont cares- you pick the place out of the situation because he's due at Lorelai's in 20 minutes to get treated like used gum on the bottom of her shoe and get paid in stale jelly beans. And we get a SadBaby™ quote.

Let's play another game of "What the hell is that: early 2000's gadget edition"

What the hell is that? VHS rewinder thingymabob.

Oh. It's just a clock. A clock that plays cds and makes barnyard noises. Would you look at that. Another one of my favorite mini games to play while watching gilmore girls is "Determining how an object is going to be integral to the plot of the episode". This is Gilmore GIrls so we are seeing this clock for a reason. This clock won't just show up and disappear with no further explanation. It always means something. Please say Lorelai hides her squealing State of the Art CD player pig clock when Jess arrives because she thinks he is going to steal it. PLEASE. I promise it's been long enough since I've seen the show that I don't know if that actually happens but I put nothing past her. Nothing. Let's take a break to Admire The Baby:

Although he may flake out on dates with Rory and skip school, our little Employee of the Month is always on time for work.

Narrator: He would not be getting his own room.

#AdmireTheBaby #Quick #BeforeLorelaiShowsUp

Narrator: Lorelai Gilmore did not find Jess Mariano's arrival to be all that terrific.

Nevermind moving down the street in Stars Hollow, he's hoping for that Male Gilmore Characters California Wormhole to suck him up and transport him to the opposite end of the country to get away from this hell. He still has to suffer for another season and a half before that'll happen. Jess is this emoji: 😐

Narrator: She was not trying. Rory gives Jess the ol Razzle Dazzle: "Why don't you talk more?" or more precisely "Why don't you talk around my mother"?

Why is Jess supposed to trust and adore and respect this random woman he doesn't know, who he sees pawing at his uncle he also doesn't know, a random strange woman who is very transparent in her feelings about him, who is transparently suspicious of him for no reason, someone so full of shit that he can see right through her when no one else can or will admit to it. WHAT I'M GETTING AT IT IS: Is he supposed to be happy to be in her presence or something? Why should he have anything to say? He's only doing this because of a rock solid work ethic, and I’d say because he hopes to earn some money. But I’d hate to dash poor Baby’s hopes about making any money and inform him that his uncle and his uncle’s weird friend agreed he could be paid subpar wages.

I think everyone in Stars Hollow is two faced anyway. They act like they like her but you know Patty and Babette talk shit nonstop about Lorelai when she's not around. Kinda like me.

Honey, you can just keep your pretty little mouth quiet around her and let me do all the shit talking.

Why? Even Rory is still more or less a stranger to him at this point, an acquaintance or loose friend at best (we know this because minutes earlier, Lorelai had Lorelai Thoughts about Rory saying Jess was a casual friend). Why does he have to please her mom? Rory says she went out on a limb to try to convince her mother that Jess was a good person. This is true. But why is she even wasting her breath trying to convince Lorelai when her mother clearly refuses to listen. It’s a hopeless endeavor. Jess does not even owe Lorelai the time of day so stop asking him to be nice to her.

#AdmireTheBaby Rory: It wouldn't hurt you to be nice to my mom. Jess: Why? Rory: Because she's my mom and a friend of Luke's. Jess: So? Just because she's your Mom or Luke's friend doesn't mean I automatically have to get along with her. Thank you for doing the work for me, babes. Mwah.

Fixed it with some flawless editing. Rory: If you care about me at all you'll be mildly polite to my mother.

GOT HER! :) #SharpAsATack

Mmm. Do go on.

I just skipped ahead to see what was happening at the 20 minute mark and it's Dean and I can't complain because yesterday I was literally begging for him to show up to divert the plot away from Lorelai even for a minute. Thank you Dean. Thank you. I am eagerly anticipating your whining and sulking at the book fair.

#AdmireTheBaby

We have been blessed with another Milo Ventimiglia Okuh. An okuh is like a soothing balm that makes everything better.

#AdmireTheBaby.

YAYYYY ITS DEAN! HOORAY FOR DEAN! DEAN DEAN DEAN DEAN.

Taylor's back on his bullshit I see. What are we raising money for, err should I say what cause is Taylor stealing money from? Please tell me it's the Bridge so I can divert my Lorelai Rage into Bridge Rage and Dean Rage. I'm a bit delirious right now. Amy Sherman Palladino: This character Dean likes to read books. No, sports. No, books again. No, he rides a motorcycle. Wait, books again. Softball? Dean hates to read. HOCKEY. Here is Dean early in season 1 contrasted with Dean halfway into season 2 (still wearing that smelly leather coat too):

I am particularly delighted whenever the 3 Dean Forrester fans in existence try to use Dean telling Rory "I watched you browse for books for two hours" as an example of his devotion to Rory. As you can see by this display of unbridled enthusiasm, he clearly wants to be here with her. When Rory disputes that it’s been that long and feels guilty for boring him, he shows her his watch to prove to her its been two hours. Dean Forrester is a stale chicken nugget that's been laying on the floor for 4 days. You know what would make everyone happy? Jess and Dean switching places. Dean could go over to Lorelai's and spend some time "cleaning her gutters" and Jess and Rory could enjoy the book fair. God, in what universe is it fucking fair that DEAN is the one who gets to accompany Rory to a book sale and he just acts like a miserable turd. While Jess is missing the book fair to work for Lorelai? UGH. I hear Rory's voice screaming "WHAT'S UP QUIPPY! WHY SO SILENT!" at Paris but my inner monologue is screaming "WHAT'S UP AMY! WHY COULDN'T JESS GO TO THE BOOK FAIR? HUH? WHY SO SILENT?! AMY!" Literally the only thing to ever happen in Stars Hollow that he would enjoy and voluntarily attend and instead he's slopping some bitch's gutters. I maxed out my 30 screen shots and I can't delete any of Baby so this three ring shit circus will spill into a part 3. See ya soon.

[facelessoldgargoyle]

Also if you hate intellectual property to the point of screaming at random people over the internet for being a bit upset that their arts getting copied then why are you supporting the wga strike? They’re literally striking to profit from their intellectual property and to enforce their intellectual property rights to prevent Disney or Amazon or some other dickhead from feeding their scripts into AI.

That reminds me , you’ve reblogged anti AI art stuff in the past talking about how scraping and copying art is immoral , you want to explain that one since you just told somone to get fucked for not wanting their art copied?

I think this is answered in my previous response, but we do not live in a world where everyone has financial security. In this world, if you’re making a wage, you deserve to make a living wage. I think it’s kind of stupid that Hollywood has structured its labor agreements such that writers are paid shit wages for the actual labor they do but continue to pay them on the backend. But that’s better than nothing, and if the studios get to profit from licensing fees, then the artists who enabled their profit should get that money. Labor is entitled to all it creates, and it’s unjust that the writers, actors, directors, and other artists are getting such a minuscule cut of the pie.

I…don’t recall reblogging anti-AI art stuff in the past. If you could link to it that would be helpful. I do remember posting about how the anti-AI sentiment is fundamentally reactionary. It’s an understandable reaction because it comes from a fear for one’s livelihood. The solution isn’t stricter copyright laws or anti-AI laws, it’s universal basic income.

[coraniaid]

I don't think I understand the argument that Buffy should have been paid for being a Slayer. 

Of course I agree that -- within the fictional reality depicted by the show -- it is an injustice that Buffy is not paid or properly respected for being a Slayer.  What I don't get is the way this often seems to be framed as a criticism of the show itself.  As if this is a mistake that the writers should have fixed and not a deliberate worldbuilding decision. I don't think that's right at all.

Buffy isn't paid for being a vampire slayer because, if she were, the central metaphor of the fiction would completely collapse. 

Being a Slayer is meant to be something that causes Buffy hardship in her ordinary life.  It is meant to be something she has to do but can’t be appreciated for.  We’re repeatedly shown, from the very first episode of the show, that being the Slayer causes Buffy problems. That she wants to fit in, to be "normal".  That she wants to do well in school and college and to make her teachers and her parents proud of her.  And at the same time we’re also shown that she can’t, because of circumstances that she isn’t able to explain. 

Buffy spends her teenage years battling demons that the adults with power over her can't understand or recognize. Even when she does come out to her loved ones about who she really is, they struggle to accept her. And even when they do, there is still something about her life that even her closest friends can’t ever fully know. Something that makes her different than her mother or her friends or even her sister.

This is, surely, the whole point of the show.  It’s not just some weird quirk or unplanned consequence of other elements of the narrative.  It’s not something that could be 'fixed' without completely changing what the fiction would be about. 

It’s the idea that gives the story its emotional weight; it’s why Buffy as a character works.  Because what Buffy is going through parallels a journey that a lot of us have been through or will go through in our own lives. Fighting battles nobody else has to.  Living with the knowledge that there are things that make our lives difficult that the people around us – even the people who care about us – can’t ever really understand, however much we want them to. That experience is what Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about, on the most basic level. 

It's about taking the simple idea that high school is often a hellish experience, or that everyone has their own private demons to fight, and making these metaphors literal.  Buffy's high school really does sit on top of a portal into hell.  She does have to fight demons, every night, and has to hide the fact she's doing this from her parents and her teachers.  And no, she doesn't get fairly paid or acknowledged for it.  Again, that's the point.

"The hardest thing in the world is to live in it". "I hate that there's evil, and that I was chosen to fight it.  I wish that I hadn't been.  But this isn't about wishes.  It's about choices."  "You don't have a good choice, but you have a choice".    This is what the show is about.  It's about choosing to do the right thing despite the lack of recognition or reward.

If you were to 'fix' this -- by having the establishment represented by the Watchers’ Council pay Buffy a reasonable regular wage, say, instead of acting as obstacles and antagonists -- then what would that mean? What would the show be saying?  "Actually the patriarchy is good and helpful, sometimes, if you know the right people"?  "You will have problems in life that nobody seems to understand and it's important you find a way to monetize them"?  “Some people are chosen to have superpowers and … well, I guess things tend to work out pretty well for those people”?  Yes, the fictional character of Buffy Summers would be happier, but what would the show actually be communicating, as a piece of art?  Would it be saying anything interesting at all?

Similarly, Buffy’s more explicit financial problems in later seasons could have been avoided in a lot of ways. Giles could pass on more of the money he gets from the Watchers’ Council to her, Willow and Tara could pay rent rather than living in her house for free, or, honestly, it just could have turned out that Joyce had had better insurance and left her more money. 

But if any of these things had happened, the story of Season 6 would have been very different.  Buffy’s money problems after her friends bring her back to life are not just something unfortunate that happens to her which the show neglects to correct.  They are a key part of the story the writers are trying to tell.  So too in the show more generally. 

And yes, I know, Angel is paid for battling demons.  That’s true.

But, counterpoint, the following is also true: Angel regularly works alongside the cops against the machinations of evil defense lawyers; Angel is an immortal vampire who lives by choice somewhere famously sunny; Angel devotes his unlife to trying to atone for crimes that the show’s own lore insists he cannot possibly be held responsible for; Angel spends a lot of time feeling sad and powerless when women he knows get magically or metaphorically pregnant and then die. 

Maybe his show is not actually something Buffy should be looking to take writing lessons from.

[ukrfeminism]

The government has been urged to more than double maternity pay so it is equal to minimum wage as mothers are being forced to choose between eating and heating their homes.

Mothers are brushing their teeth to beat hunger cravings, only eating toast all day, or resorting to consuming their kid’s leftovers – with one woman saying she became anaemic due to missing meals, new research has found.

The study, by the trade union Unison and the charity Maternity Action, found seven in 10 mothers have turned down their thermostat while over half turned off the heating to save money.

Mothers warn skimping on heating is causing damp and mould problems in their homes and leaving them with health problems such as respiratory issues – as well as sparking fears their new babies may be getting cold.

Researchers, who polled 1,400 mothers in the UK who had taken maternity leave, also discovered around a third were either missing meals altogether or opting for smaller portion sizes.

One in 20 said they sometimes went without food all day to save money as they were so anxious about the cost of living crisis, while around half said they were being forced to buy less healthy food. 

Union representatives and campaigners urged ministers to raise statutory maternity pay to £364.70 a week to ensure new mothers are not forced to return to work too early – warning the current amount of £172.48 is inadequate.

Ministers must more than double the pay so women receive what amounts to the national minimum wage of £10.42 per hour, campaigners warned, also raising concerns women are cutting down their maternity leave.

Around six in 10 mothers went back to work before they completely recovered from giving birth due to anxiety about money, campaigners claimed.

“Everyone is feeling the impact of escalating living costs. But it’s hitting new mums particularly hard,” Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said.

“No mother should have to go without food or skip meals. But the failure of maternity pay to keep up with increasing living costs is driving many pregnant workers and new mothers into severe financial hardship.

“The government is effectively forcing many women to choose between work and family. They must raise maternity leave pay to ensure no one is penalised for having a baby.”

In the UK, statutory maternity leave is paid for up to 39 weeks – with mothers getting 90 per cent of average weekly earnings before tax for the first six weeks. After that, mothers get £172.48 or 90 per cent of their average weekly earnings, whichever sum is lower, for the next 33 weeks. Employers can offer better terms but they are not legally obliged to.

“Mothers shouldn’t be forced to cut short their maternity leave because they can’t make ends meet,” Ros Bragg, Maternity Action’s director, said. “This is an important time for women to recover from the birth and bond with their baby.”

Ms Bragg argued women must keep their stress levels down while pregnant and during their child's first year, rather than being wracked with anxiety about how they will afford basics.

“Stress during pregnancy puts women at increased risk of post-natal depression and other mental health conditions,” she added. “The government should be supporting pregnant women and new mothers to live healthy lives, not leaving them struggling to keep their house warm and eat a balanced diet.”

A mother, who was forced to return to work when her son was just three months old, said: “We had to take a £5,000 loan to keep us afloat for those three months (on maternity leave) because the maternity pay wasn’t enough.”

A government spokesperson said: “We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work to protect their health and wellbeing and that of their child. That is why we increased Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance by over 10 per cent last year and will raise it again by 6.7 per cent from April.

“In addition, parents who are ready to return to work will benefit from the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever and we’re supporting those who are struggling with record financial support worth around £3,700 per household.”