jackgraysonfox

[jackgraysonfox]

I Am Once Again Asking for a Statement from DenFur Regarding Last Year's Hotel Situation

(Insert the Bernie Sanders "I am once again asking for your financial support" picture here.)

Update (2 October 2024): I didn't attend DenFur this year because of a conflict with a different event. It seems (based on my limited browsing of social-media posts regarding the convention) that there weren't the same hotel issues as last year, or at least not to the same degree. I'm still a bit disappointed that the leadership never released a statement like they said they would, but I'd like to believe that the issues have been resolved, and I hope that the convention and the hotel can maintain a positive working relationship going forward. I will consider attending DenFur again if circumstances allow.

Full disclosure: I was staff for DenFur in 2023, but this post relies only on information that has been made public.

Some background for those who aren't familiar with this situation: Many attendees at DenFur 2023 reported issues with the hotel. As I understand it, these were mostly centered around hotel staff being much stricter about noise complaints compared to previous years, and many parties being shut down as a result. At the feedback panel at the end of the convention, the board of directors acknowledged these issues and, if I recall correctly, said that they would release a statement on this matter soon. As far as I'm aware, no such statement has been released.

This post is my formal request for a statement regarding these hotel issues. I've asked about this statement twice in the convention's Telegram chat with no real response, so I'm writing this out in the hopes that this will motivate the convention to release a statement. I'm being more insistent on this for two reasons: First, it's a simple matter of keeping promises, and second, people still have concerns about how hotel staff will treat them, which are especially relevant now that hotel bookings have opened for this year's convention.

What I'm asking for comes down to a single question: What is the convention doing to prevent last year's hotel issues from happening again? There are more specific questions that underlie this, of course, such as:

What were the results of meetings between convention leadership and hotel management, as they relate to the issues attendees faced? Have the convention and the hotel come to any particular agreements? I remember in the feedback panel last year the board said that they had a meeting scheduled with the hotel the following week, and I assume there have been more meetings after that. I certainly hope that these issues have been brought up at some point.

There are plans for a party floor this year, so how does this factor in to the arrangements the convention has made with the hotel? Will noise policies be enforced more loosely on the party floor, or otherwise how will rooms there be made more amenable to parties?

Some people have noticed an agreement when booking hotel rooms that states that "social events in guest rooms [are] to end by 10 PM." (I can confirm this for myself when I try to book a room.) How strictly will this be enforced, either on the party floor or elsewhere?

With hotel bookings open for this year, it's possible that the DenFur was already planning to address this, and I will give them credit if that is the case. But I think this statement is overdue, and I hope that formalizing this request might motivate the convention to release the statement that was promised, or at least commit to releasing one at a particular point in the future.

[jackgraysonfox]

Convention Roomshare Scams Update

A few months ago I wrote a post about roomshare scams at (primarily) furry conventions. As the year goes on, there are some updates and additional remarks I want to make. If you're not familiar with these scams, I recommend reading that previous post, since most of the advice still applies.

These scams are unfortunately still ongoing. I previously said that I hadn't come across them as much lately, but I assumed incorrectly that it meant they were dying down. That is definitely not the case. Plus, they're now crossing over from Telegram for furry conventions to Discord for brony conventions, since I've come across a few of the same names from Telegram on Discord.

Paying on arrival is still one of the best ways to avoid this scam. I emphasize this because it's as close to a guarantee as you can get, in contrast with the other advice which is constantly changing as scammers evolve their tactics. I'll go further and say that anyone who insists on payment in advance should be treated with skepticism, if not suspicion. I said previously that paying in advance was the norm in the past, so I won't necessarily blame legitimate hosts for sticking to it. Even so, it's a good idea to express your concern, and to be prepared to turn down an genuine offer to protect yourself.

For furry conventions in particular, consider joining the Furry Con Roomies group on Telegram (public link). The admins are pretty good at keeping scammers out, and it's become a trusted place to offer and find roomshares (as well as the main place I learn about new scam techniques in this area). After you send a join request, be sure to follow the instructions in the rules topic in order to be approved. Keep in mind that things can still slip through the cracks, so you should still watch out for signs of a scam even if the offer comes from within the group.

Related to the previous item, you should be very suspicious if someone messages you and they don't share any groups with you. Furry Con Roomies is a public group, so anyone can view the messages without joining. In a few cases, scammers have contacted members of the group despite not being members themselves, and they make excuses for why they're not in the group. In general I think it's a little creepy to message people after going through the messages of a group you're not a member of, and in this case it's a red flag for a scam.

Scammers have ramped up their impersonations of people in the furry fandom. At a minimum, scammers take the names and pictures (including commissioned artwork) of people in the fandom, so they don't immediately appear as outsiders. If there are other signs of a scam, it may be worth doing some investigation. Search for the account name (either display name or handle) on other social-media sites, and do a reverse image search (through Google Images, for example) on the profile picture(s). You should also consider alerting the person being impersonated if you're confident that the account belongs to a scammer.

A few remarks on hotel confirmation screenshots. Some people have started asking for these as a way to verify that a room host actually has a reservation. I would advise caution here for a few different reasons:

Screenshots can be faked. This might be obvious but it's worth pointing out anyway. And there are ways for a scammer to fake a reservation without editing a screenshot.

Screenshots with personal information raise privacy concerns. Some people have suggested calling the hotel to verify the reservation, but this means the host has to provide personal information. Just speaking for myself as a room host, I'm wary of providing personal information to people I don't already trust, and it's worth keeping in mind that a name and confirmation number is generally enough to change or cancel a reservation. (Although, to be fair, I doubt a scammer would do this.)

If you're a room host, providing a screenshot could help someone perpetrate a scam against others. Supposedly, some scammers have posed as prospective roommates, asked hosts for screenshots as verification, and then passed them off as their own to make their scams more convincing. I don't have direct evidence of this happening, but I suspect this is what happened to me recently when I was hosting. Someone has proposed a potential way of preventing this, namely adding a conspicuous and difficult-to-remove watermark to the screenshot with your username. That's something to consider.

Finally, if you're confident that someone is a scammer, report them. Report them to the social-media platform as well as any groups you may share (especially those related to conventions). You can also consider making a public callout post, but keep in mind that it's very easy for scammers to change their names or create new accounts.

[jackgraysonfox]

How to Avoid Convention Roomshare Scams

Update (22 March 2024): I've written a follow-up post with some additional thoughts on these scams. The advice here still applies, though.

As we head into a new year of conventions, it's worth talking about roomshare scams. These became prevalent in the furry fandom in 2023, although I haven't come across them as much lately. Still, it's good to watch out for them.

If you aren't already familiar with this scam, here's how it works: A scammer advertises that they have a hotel room for the convention and they're looking for roommates. When someone accepts the offer, the scammer asks for a share of the room cost in advance. However, the room being advertised is fake, and the scammer simply runs off with the money from the advance payment. When the convention comes, the victim has lost their money and also doesn't have a place to stay.

There are a few ways to protect yourself from this type of scam:

Room with people you already know and trust

Pay on arrival instead of in advance

Use payment methods with a dispute process, like PayPal "goods and services" payments (but I'll discuss some caveats to this later)

Also, there are some warning signs you can look out for in order to spot a potential scam:

No social-media presence other than where they are advertising the roomshare

Little or no other participation in the group or chat

Unsolicited private messages as opposed to posts in groups/public chats

Lack of knowledge about the convention, venue, or fandom

Other signs that suggest that the person is an outsider

(It's important to keep in mind that these signs are not definitive. Some people may genuinely not use social media a lot [for example], and some scammers can put on pretty convincing impersonations.)

I think paying on arrival instead of in advance is one of the best ways to avoid this type of scam, because the scam relies on advance payment. Paying in advance used to be the norm in my experience, but it's understandable that people are becoming skeptical of this. (I think the previous norm came from concerns about people not paying their share, so the compromise I've come up with is to make sure they pay before letting them into the room.)

As I mentioned earlier, there are some caveats to consider when using disputable payment methods. First, the recipient usually has to pay a fee (for PayPal "goods and services" payments, this is about 3%). Also, for US taxpayers, this can result in payments being reported to the IRS: Payment platforms like PayPal are required to file a Form 1099-K for every user who receives over a certain amount of business (i.e., "goods and services") payments, because business revenue is considered taxable income.

(Obligatory disclaimer: I am not a tax expert or professional.) Payments for a roomshare are probably not considered taxable income, and there are ways to correct the information on a 1099-K when you file your tax returns. Even so, I suspect most people would prefer to avoid this situation entirely, so they would have to stay below the threshold for filing the form. The threshold for filing was lowered to $600 per year (although this hasn't taken effect yet), and that isn't too difficult to reach if everyone pays using "goods and services" payments. So while this is a way to avoid the scam, it's not something I would recommend for everyone.

[jackgraysonfox]

Pony Music Spelunking: "Princess of the Moon" by Pixelated Pizza (with Firehoof Brony)

I was recently going through some older music in my collection and I came across this house track, which I've included a sample of on this post. It's actually a pretty decent one and honestly a sort of sound I'd like to make at some point.

The metadata in the file I have has a year of 2015, and I've been trying to find any copies of it that might still be online. I think I got it from SoundCloud, and there is an existing account that goes by the name Pixelated Pizza, although I'm not entirely sure this is actually the same artist. I did find three posts on Twitter from 2015 referencing different works (which have since been removed) by a Pixelated Pizza at the same profile URL: "Hooving on Up," "Peek a Boo," and "Space Surfing."

If anyone knows more about this song I'd like to hear about it!

[jackgraysonfox]

Alright so I did a little more searching and look looking things over and… I’m at a loss honestly. The picture shows the Tindeck 320kbps version available on archive.org on top vs a straight YouTube rip of the song on the bottom (the 320kbps on the bottom one is fake, I checked and the waveform is indistinguishable from the 128kbps version you would regularly get). However, I can tell you this, that the mixing in the PMV YouTube version of Sunshine and Celery Stalks is different than the PPS2011 album and also now apparently the Tindeck version. I am.. I’m searching for a high quality version of the PMV YouTube version. If you listen directly after the melody part of the bridge (around 2:46ish), you’ll hear that the vocal line is different between the PPS2011/Tindeck and PMV versions. The mixing is also a little different. He says in this original upload of BBBFF Regret is Forever: https://youtu.be/wtAfyiNa7D4?t=313 that the album versions are remastered. I have been looking everywhere to find the old versions of stuff, but maybe they just dont exist. I also know that he had a link to his Dropbox account on his YouTube account way back when (http://db.tt/7yYum8B which leads to https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2qxaxz3brzonro) and I wonder if the original tracks with the original mixes might have been there. I just don’t know at this point though. Do you think you could upload your Tindeck versions to Mega or Mediafire or something like that though since archive.org is missing a song? And do you happen to know if there are even Dropbox versions of the songs? Thanks a bunch, and sorry for talking your ear off

[Response to submitted post]

Hi, and sorry again for taking nearly two years to respond. This is some interesting analysis but I’m not very knowledgeable about these different versions. (I wasn’t even aware of anything to do with Dropbox.)

My first inclination was to check community archive projects (some of which I’m preserving here) like the MLP Music Archive and the Pony Music Archive. At least for “Sunshine and Celery Stalks,” the MLP Music Archive has the same version as the one in the Internet Archive (different metadata but the audio matches), and the Pony Music Archive has the version from PPS 2011, so nothing new here unfortunately.

I don’t think I have the original files I downloaded from Tindeck, but the MLP Music Archive does have a copy of “The Astronomical Astronomer’s Almanac to All Things Astronomy,” although the file is different. I’m hoping that it’s the same audio and just different metadata as for “Sunshine and Celery Stalks.”

Sorry I couldn’t be more help. I’m hoping someone else may be able to provide more information.

[jackgraysonfox]

Hey, I just saw your post about PinkiePieSwear's stuff being saved on Tindeck. I've actually been looking for the original Tindeck versions of these for forever, and little facehoofed when you reminded me that Archive Team literally saved everything from there. ..BUT! It looks like PPS replaced them with the newer versions before things went down! And I think I found an easy way to check. With your version of Sunshine and Celery Stalks, is it 4:11 in length or 4:07? Thanks, hope to hear from you

(First off, I just want to say I'm really sorry for not answering this sooner. I checked the date and it's been nearly two years! I have no idea why there wasn't any notification. I'm not sure if you'll actually get this but here it is.)

To answer your question, the archived version I linked to in the post is 4:11.

The Archive Team actually seems to have missed one of the songs from Tindeck as I mentioned; if you or anyone else has an archive of that song from there I'd like to know.

[jackgraysonfox]

About Ponies Exposition

Yes, I went to Ponies Exposition (PoniExpo) in Phoenix the weekend before last. I had an alright time personally and, well...it wasn't a complete disaster.

Despite the staff by and large working admirably to make this happen, it's clear that there were several things that went wrong. This convention has a lot of work to do if it wants to come back in the future.

First, some general thoughts on convention feedback and criticism:

I have very little experience in staffing conventions so please take what I say with a large grain of salt. I also recognize that there can be reasonable differences of opinion, so I won't fault the convention if it decides to take a different path from what I would like in certain areas. I'm just laying out my personal opinions to hopefully try to improve this convention.

A common "meta-issue" that has come up is whether people who didn't attend the convention should be allowed to provide feedback on it. Arguably, if someone hasn't actually attended an event, then it's easier to rely on speculation and misinformation rather than hard facts. And even when online posts and second-hand information aren't outright false, they can miss important nuances. All this means that feedback and criticism from non-attendees may turn out to be not constructive, so some skepticism is warranted. But even so, blindly dismissing such feedback with, "You weren't there so you don't know what you're talking about," without any thought is, quite frankly, rude and condescending. This is especially true when the people providing feedback are those who have experience in running conventions (and so may be able to spot potential problems from the outside), or those who witness aspects of the convention that are open to non-attendees (like social media).

Another common refrain I've come across is, "It's their first year." Yes, this is true, and so it may be reasonable to expect some problems that a more established convention wouldn't have. But using this as a shield against criticism is entirely backward. Acknowledging that it's the first year means acknowledging that there will be problems, so this should be an invitation to criticism. The convention should take this first year as an opportunity to learn, not as a way to ignore problems.

Finally, I think it's important to keep in mind what "constructive criticism" actually means. I think some people confuse "constructive" and "civil." While constructive criticism should generally be delivered in a civil matter, civil criticism isn't necessarily constructive. Constructive criticism is criticism that helps improve something, so ideally it should include specific suggestions or solutions to problems. Pointing out problems without offering solutions can be constructive, but only when they are not already known or they are known but persist. (I will admit that some of what I say is not strictly constructive under this definition, because I'm pointing out some problems that are already known and are being worked on. But I'll mention them anyway to serve as a record of what happened at this convention so hopefully these problems don't come up again.)

Okay, now let's get into the actual feedback:

This did not seem like an outright scam. I'm mentioning this because some people do believe that this was a scam, given that there have been previous attempts to start a brony/pony convention in Phoenix under different names. Both times that I'm aware of, the organizers deleted the convention's entire online presence before it got off the ground, and I will say that I did find that suspicious. But this did seem like a genuine attempt to put on a convention, and there's no indication that the organizers are simply running away with attendees' money.

Appointing new chairs is a good start. With all due respect, I think the new chairs are better equipped to take on this challenge. The staff has been fairly quiet after the convention, but from what I've seen I think this convention has a chance of coming back under this new leadership.

Announcements were inconsistent. There was only one announcement on the Discord server before the convention, and, while the Twitter account seemed active, some important information wasn't communicated there. Ideally, all important information should be announced to all forms of online presence, including the website (in a "News" or "Announcements" section). Online presence should also be kept up to date: There's also a Facebook page linked from the website but it seems to have been taken down. (Either the Facebook page should be restored or it should be removed from the website.)

Related to the previous, schedule changes weren't communicated consistently. In addition to announcing major changes, I suggest having a schedule available on the website (separate from the conbook), so any last-minute changes can be reflected in the schedule. I assume Wordpress has a schedule plugin or something to enable this, but if that's not feasible, Google Sheets lets you "publish" spreadsheets so people can view it in a nice format. (Note: This is different from just sharing the normal link to the spreadsheet.)

Registration had a few different issues. When I went to pick up my badge on Saturday morning, registration opened late, and materials (like the badge sleeves) were missing. From what I witnessed, there weren't any checks to make sure that the person picking up the badge was the actual registrant, nor was there anything to verify that the registration was real in the first place. I could be wrong here and maybe there were more checks than I realized, but it seemed like it would have been easy for someone to sneak a badge without paying. Ideally, everything should be ready to go before registration opens, and registrations should be checked to make sure every attendee is legitimate. (Since the convention is using a third-party ticket system, I assume there is some way to check in attendees within the system, or at the very least a way to create a list of all registrants and check them off manually.)

Certain staff acted in a hostile manner towards critics. This is simply unacceptable, and I believe this forms a major part of the convention's current negative reputation. People with legitimate criticism were kicked or banned from the Discord server, or received hostile responses on Twitter. At one point, a channel in the Discord server dedicated to feedback was completely wiped, forcing people to repeat their comments. It's true that some critics were a bit harsh in their remarks, but the reaction needs to match the action. If someone is derailing the conversation, then the first response should generally be a warning, not a kick or ban. To be fair, things do seem to be getting better in this regard, but it's been pretty quiet since the convention ended so it may be a bit hard to tell. I'll be watching this. (Before someone else mentions it, yes, there were actually two instances of the feedback channel being wiped, but the second one was by a troll due to improper permissions, which was another problem, but not relevant to this point.)

The COVID-19 policy was not enforced well, if at all. I certainly hope that COVID-19 safety measures won't be needed for this convention next year, but nevertheless this may hint at a bigger issue regarding communication among staff. Before the convention I got three different responses from three different staff members about how it would be enforced, and at the convention it didn't seem to be enforced at all. (I heard from someone that this policy was dropped at the last minute, but I was never informed of this directly and I don't think it was announced publicly at all. Also, I've already expressed my opinion on a convention changing such a policy shortly before it happens.) I don't want to get into a debate about what the policy should have been for this convention; my point is that, once a policy is set, all staff should be on the same page. This applies to other important policies as well, including, for example, the anti-harrassment policy.

The conbook could be improved. One thing in particular that bothered me was how the venue map was printed: The two pages were back to back rather than side by side, which made it hard to navigate between the two ends of the venue. Also related to maps, the area guide should have a north-facing arrow, especially given that west was up in this particular map. These are both minor issues; overall, the conbook seems decent.

The convention has a negative reputation to overcome. I could tell that some people were wary of coming to this convention, and I'm sure the actual convention only reinforced that for a lot of them. I can't speak for everyone, of course, but before I personally even consider coming back, the convention is going to have to make it clear that there are significant improvements.

All this is based on what I've witnessed personally. There are also posts from others that go into other important issues:

Twitter thread by Button (attendee and chair of another pony convention)

Twitter thread by Sophie Scruggs (one of the guests of honor)

Twitter thread by Retro (longtime convention staffer) about the conbook

(I may add more of these posts in the future.)

Whew, that was a lot. I know that I'm focusing a lot on the negatives, but please understand that I'm not simply attacking the convention or the staff. Like I said, I think there is hope for this convention, and I do want to see it succeed. (I may apply for staff but I don't think I'm ready to do that right now.) If you did make it all the way, through this, thanks for reading.

[jackgraysonfox]

In Response to Golden State Fur Con’s Relaxed Safety Rules Regarding COVID-19

Update: In response to the criticism, Golden State Fur Con held a poll on whether it should require (the previous policy) or only recommend vaccination and face masks and subsequently decided to revert to the previous policy. The convention was held with that previous policy in place.

I am so confused right now.

Earlier today, Golden State Fur Con, a furry convention set to take place on 8-10 April in Los Angeles, decided to drop their requirements for attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear face masks during the convention, reducing them to recommendations. They cite the latest county public-health order which took effect today and reduces the requirements for "mega events" (events with large numbers of people) to recommendations.

There are a few possibilities I can think of for why this happened.

The organizers decided to do this voluntarily to align with government restrictions: Okay, I can understand wanting to ease restrictions related to COVID-19. But many events have imposed stricter requirements than the government's, so the organizers could still keep the previous requirements. I can respect people's choices to attend or not attend based on these restrictions, but making this change only a week before the event, when people's plans have been set and costs have been paid, makes this choice much more difficult. I ask the event organizers to please reconsider if they can.

The government does not allow events to impose further requirements related to COVID-19: I don't think this is the case here. Obviously, if the county (and the state) recommend that "mega events" verify vaccination status or a negative viral test, then events can choose to do that even if it's not required by the government. Nothing I can find in the county or state orders indicates that events cannot impose even stricter requirements if they so choose. Similarly, the county suggests that event hosts may require everyone to wear masks, again, even if it's not required by the government.

The organizers have some contractual obligation not to impose further requirements related to COVID-19: This is a possibility that was mentioned on Telegram, but to my knowledge this has not been confirmed. This seems somewhat plausible but in my mind this raises more questions than it answers.

This is an April Fools' Day joke: Hahaha, they got me good... This is in incredibly poor taste. They should've gone with the "fork fandom" thing that everyone else is doing today. (Maybe post a picture with fifty forks or something based on the theme.)

If you are still planning to attend, I highly recommend that you continue to adhere to the previous requirements. Get vaccinated (and boosted) if you can, and wear a face mask. Also consider getting tested before and after the convention to reduce your risk further.

[jackgraysonfox]

YouTube Is Privating Old Unlisted Videos Soon, Take Action Now

YouTube is changing unlisted videos uploaded before 2017 to private starting on 23 July 2021, unless the channel owner takes action to opt out. For those who don't know, when a video is unlisted, anyone can watch it by visiting a link, but it doesn't show up in searches or the YouTube channel's public list of videos. Private means that only the uploader and specific people they share the video with can watch it.

This is bad. Thousands or even millions of old unlisted videos will no longer be accessible. While some videos are archived in places like the Internet Archive, many are not, and by their very nature they are more difficult to find.

What can you do about this?

If you have a YouTube channel: Opt out of this change so older unlisted videos remain unlisted and accessible. Fill out the opt-out form.

Notes:

If you get a message saying, "Your channel is not impacted by upcoming changes to older Unlisted content," make sure you are logged in and try going to the form again.

If you have multiple channels, make sure you submit the form for each channel.

If you're a viewer: There are a few things you can do:

Spread the word. Encourage your favorite YouTube channels who have been around since before 2017 to opt out.

Submit videos to archives.

For My Little Pony-related videos specifically, The Pony Archive is a massive project to archive all types of pony media, including YouTube videos. There is a bot on the Discord server that can automatically archive videos for you. Or, send the videos to this form from a TPA contributor (not me).

For other videos, check out the Archive Team's page for YouTube for technical resources.

[jackgraysonfox]

Pony Music Spelunking: PinkiePieSwear on Tindeck

Tindeck was a music and audio sharing site. In 2018, it announced that it would be shutting down, but fortunately the Archive Team was able to preserve everything in the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, an archive of old Web pages.

PinkiePieSwear is a musician in the brony fandom known for incorporating glitched pony vocals into songs including such classics as "Flutterwonder" and "Sunshine and Celery Stalks." Since PinkiePieSwear had a Tindeck profile, I decided to put the archive to the test by downloading all the music there and comparing it with the file hashes I posted in 2017:

Hush Now Quiet Now (Lucid Dream Mix): Archived (SHA-256 hash: 8e0d2b909f668a778f2a0e65f363163e47e1cf2014c9a45b03b4f53cc3f690d6)

Sunshine and Celery Stalks: Archived (SHA-256 hash: 5f015dfb23c5aee0345b2e13420feae22c36be58bd0f22b5582022340cf64dfa)

Flutterwonder: Archived (SHA-256 hash: a37ef40cfa34e495ff05b8ede140d1220100df6d300cdc5ed4cb5029fd1f8362)

The Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy: Could not find an archive. The "listen" page is archived but I can't find the actual audio file. I do have my own copy already but I'd be interested to know if there is a way to get it from the Wayback Machine. (SHA-256 hash: 25bab3032aedf9d908ff19d135465b9eb7eabc0c1c51d463d1db38f1bc0ca0ad)

Luna, Please Fill My Empty Sky: Archived (SHA-256 hash: 882ca5d5489abbcd958efac3b2be29c205953c56a72cdfe942bf1b99243d3fd4)

Trixie's Good Side: Archived (SHA-256 hash: 3af3113a5f41243b55837583b25e42fa9ff3e236cf116e03427d33a4b965deba)

Art of the Dress (Always Stressed Mix): Archived (SHA-256 hash: cdec338e2254f9d3ce8e728eb9c9e3c7a43a3e431a7fd5874dc025cbed80fa27)

Winter Wrap Up (Late Again): Archived (SHA-256 hash: 0ae1a982266b82c07ca32f3bb304d3c133e685e0bcc8b60b5745a0c0a1573d29)

Giggle at the Ghostly (Simple Joy Mix): Archived (SHA-256 hash: c019c084f5bb057eed8535168f10dc43d92a5c09e2e6dc53c5dc36e40bda5230)

All of PinkiePieSwear's music is still available from other sources, including Bandcamp and other community archives.

[jackgraysonfox]

The Story of the Cursed Con Gem

The cursed con gem has been auctioned off for charity at several brony conventions. If you're wondering what it looks like, TekCharlie has a pretty good photo of it. (The sticker is based on art by Underpable [Derpibooru mirror].) The story goes that the curse can only be lifted by passing it to the next con, and here's where's it's been so far.

TrotCon 2018 was where the curse began, and there's a video of the gem being imbued with the curse. I don't have any information on how much it sold for at auction.

BronyCon 2018 was next, as shown on Twitter after it was sold. Again, no information on how much it sold for.

Ponyville Ciderfest 2018 came after that. It sold for $500, and the winner said they would be taking it to BABSCon.

BABSCon 2019, sure enough, was next. It sold for $300, and Everfree Northwest would be next.

Everfree Northwest 2019 did come next, and there is a video of it being auctioned off (starting at 1 hour, 27 minutes; actually it's the entire charity auction; major kudos to RedCard94 for recording it). It sold for $200, and the winner said they would bring it to BronyCon.

BronyCon 2019 was indeed next, and this time six new gems showed up (picture of the new gems). I don't have any information on how much they sold for, and where the gems will show up next remains an open question. (Update (13 December 2020): I previously wrote that the whereabouts of the original gem after Everfree Northwest 2019 were unknown, because I wasn't sure if it made it to BronyCon 2019. Thanks to DarklyDragon for correcting me on this.)

That's all I can find about this gem. If anyone has any more information, I'll be glad to add it here.

[jackgraysonfox]

A statement from the Leadership of Ponyville Ciderfest 2019 (8 Nov 2019) [Mirror/Transcription]

[On 8 November 2019, the Twitter account for Ponyville Ciderfest posted a public statement as a series of images of text. The account also posted a clarification to the first paragraph of the statement. This is a transcription of the statement (with the clarification incorporated) in the interest of increasing public access. If Ponyville Ciderfest requests that this be taken down, I will comply. I can be reached on Twitter @jackgraysonfox.]

[Update: On 12 November, Ponyville Ciderfest posted a response from GAB (also available on Google Drive as a PDF document). On 14 November, Ponyville Ciderfest posted its "final statement and decision" regarding the situation (transcription of the final statement).]

To all Ponyville Ciderfest attendees, supporters, and staff:

On Wednesday, November 6th, Ponyville Ciderfest leadership learned about hateful content posted publicly by one of the associates of our partner charity, Generations Against Bullying (GAB), on their personal Facebook page. Since then, we have been working as quickly as possible to understand the extent of the issue and to take steps to make it right.

As our anti-harassment policy states, "Ponyville Ciderfest is dedicated to providing a harassment-free convention experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion." We take this policy very seriously, and we will not tolerate behaviors that seek to alienate or harm any of our convention attendees in any way.

That same day, we contacted GAB directly to make them aware of the problem. Like us, they were outraged and hurt that this had happened, and they are working with us to resolve the issue. We have appreciated their mutual disappointment with the associate in question as well as their frequent and open communication.

Since the earliest discussion, the Ponyville Ciderfest team has made their position clear: we are unwilling to continue working with anyone that posts hateful content, no matter the context. We communicated this position to GAB and let them know that if GAB is unable to dismiss the person in question, then we will no longer support them as our partner charity.

GAB is currently organizing a meeting with their board, and although we have repeatedly stressed the urgency of the situation, they have requested a few additional days to ensure the entire board fully understands the issue and can react accordingly. In the meantime, we have decided that we can no longer wait before sharing this update.

For their part, we believe GAB has been acting as quickly as they are able to, including having multiple conversations at the highest levels about appropriate consequences. We ask that everyone be patient with GAB while they address this unforeseen scenario, as coordinating between multiple leaders takes time. Like Ciderfest, GAB is run by volunteers who are doing their best to do what's right in a very bad situation. We would like to see a fast resolution as much as everyone else, but we equally want to ensure that this issue is handled properly so that it won't happen again.

The past 48 hours have taken an immense toll on many people. In a perfect world, we would have the ability and resources to vet every associate that is affiliated with our partners, but that is unfortunately infeasible for us. We would never knowingly allow anything into our convention space that would make any of our attendees feel unsafe or unwelcome, and we are grateful that this was brought to our attention so we could rectify the situation as soon as possible.

We also sympathize with the other associates of GAB, who like us were blindsided by this behavior. We appreciate the good work they do as well as their swift and consistent communication in the last two days. To be clear, after a review of GAB's public finances and activities, we continue to believe that GAB does exceptional work to strengthen communities and put a stop to bullying outside this isolated case.

Finally, we especially want to reiterate our support for the LGBT+ community, who were most directly impacted by the offending posts. Ponyville Ciderfest strongly believes in Friendship is Magic's message of love and acceptance for everyone.

Thank you again to those that came forward and made us aware of this issue. Our attendees' safety and comfort is our highest priority, and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure our convention is a welcoming, safe place for all.

The Ponyville Ciderfest Leadership Team

[jackgraysonfox]

Why I Really Watch "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"

(Wow, I haven't been here in years. I heard there was a fire last December that destroyed a lot of blogs... Well, thankfully mine's still standing.)

On several occasions I've come across a debate over certain aspects of the show, like:

What episodes/seasons are the best/worst?

Should Twilight Sparkle have become a princess?

Has Starlight Glimmer been good for the show?

(More recently) What is the best course for "G5"?

I try to give it some thought, but I've come to realize something:

I don't really care.

But isn't one of the major reasons for the adult fandom the well-developed stories and characters?

I'm sure it is. And I do appreciate what they've done. But at the same time, I haven't given it enough thought to complain about (or praise) anything in particular.

For some reason I feel like I'm "supposed to" provide some input on this because, well, that's why I'm here, right? To talk about the stories?

I guess not.

To be clear, I know that everyone has different reasons for enjoying the show, and demanding that people have opinion on these issues would be ridiculous gatekeeping. But I think I've internalized a belief that I was in it for that.

Well, if that's not it, what is?

I think the answer lies in how I'd complete this sentence:

I really want to get caught up with the latest episodes because...

I want to see what else happens to these ponies? Not really.

It's more like: People are probably going to be talking about them.

Or even: There's probably going to be fan art/cosplay/music related to them at the next con.

I'm part of the fandom more than I'm a fan. Which is kinda weird, but it speaks to the power of this community (or any fandom, really).

So whatever happens, I'll be along for the ride. Thanks for making it a fun one.

[jackgraysonfox]

The West Wing S. 4 Ep. 3 “College Kids”

[jackgraysonfox]

I drew this back when I was just getting into the fandom (it's dated 8 June 2012), and I think it's still relevant today.

The term "character fandom" is from Know Your Meme.

[jackgraysonfox]

Fellow Grammar Nazis will twitch at the title.

The Timidly Trinity

http://thealjavis.deviantart.com/art/The-Timidly-Trinity-586146023

A trio of the biggest waifus! A shy tri! I ended having too much fun with this one! I have the biggest crush on these three! I LOVE THEM SO MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH! <3 <3 <3 So I made another group picture, like I did for the Unifive. I’ll see if I can think of another group of ponies.

[jackgraysonfox]

Myths, Facts, and Tips About Copyright and Fan Work

(This is based on a Reddit post I made in /r/mylittlepony, but with JanAnimations's "final result" of his legal saga, I thought I'd post it here to spread it more widely.)

I'm getting ready to talk about copyright in greater detail, so I thought I'd share this first.

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. It is always best to consult a lawyer for your specific case.

Every so often Hasbro comes down with a C&D on something, and everyone loses it, saying that it should still be allowed, etc.

Here's my take on that, as well as some actually good ways to stay within the bounds of copyright law.

Myth: It's fair use if no money is being made and credit is given. Fact: In most countries, these are only a part of determining if something is fair use. In a lot of cases, the nature of the use (is it used for parody or commentary?) is more important. But it may be easier to claim fair use if it is noncommercial.

Myth: It's fair use if you say that no copyright infringement is intended. Fact: A court will find that it is (or isn't) regardless of your intentions.

Myth: It's fair use if you quote the relevant law. Fact: The passage isn't a magic spell that will protect you from copyright infringement claims.

Myth: It's fair use/not owned by the original owner if you redraw a character. Fact: Redrawing is still copying, meaning that the original owner still has copyright. However, if it's in a radically different style, it shouldn't be protected by copyright. But watch out for cutie marks.

Semi-Myth: A pony OC has no copyright owned by Hasbro. Personal View: I think the body shapes are still copyrightable, but others may have their own opinions.

Myth: You can't use the name of a character; that's copyrighted. Fact: Names are not copyrightable. However, you still have to watch out for trademarks. This means that you shouldn't use the names in a way that implies that your work came from Hasbro. A rule of thumb is to keep names out of titles.

And now, the tip: The best way to work with copyright law is to generously apply the two A's:

Allusion: Talking about something without actually copying from it. A lot of fan music (not just in this fandom, I would think) does a good job at this. No samples, and it should be fine. (The covers, though, not so much.)

Abstraction: Reducing something to general elements and then making something else out of them. Here are two examples. (More examples: [1] (the cover, not the song) [2] (just barely not copying, I think) [3] (the table))

Well, that's about it for now. Happy not-copying.