#These are both examples of affiliate content

[phantomrose96]

When people join self-improvement or even hobbyist communities, there are some absolutely critical skills of fundamental skepticism they need when going in. I think most people who get into these communities aren't aware of these.

And just, as a fundamental few:

Does this person stand to gain financially from the thing they're trying to sell you on?

Is the business model of this whole community one of artificial competitiveness? Is there a pressure around never lapsing, or never straying from the model being sold to you?

Are the claims made in this community becoming bolder and bolder deviations from standard information?

These are absolutely rife in fitness, nutrition, and financial-advice communities and they often receive very little scrutiny except among those who already "got out." Because from the outside, seeing someone get into fitness is a good thing, good for them, glad to see it, look at that dedication, happy for them. Same on the other categories, and probably numerous others I haven't seen.

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Does this person stand to gain financially from the thing they're trying to sell you on?

If the answer is yes, that does NOT mean "immediately abort", it means keep that in mind when you're interacting with their content.

This nutrition influencer has given you some great recipes for free, and now they're promoting a "really fantastic" brand that they have an affiliate link with? Their motivation isn't to be your friend and helpfully clue you in on a great product. It's to make money off you.

You really like this fitness influencer's work outs, but she gets MORE interaction and MORE viewers the skinnier she gets? She CLAIMS she's been losing weight naturally with healthy eating and exercise, and she's still full of energy, and You Can Too. This is not your friend. This is not someone who knows you. This is someone under large financial and social pressure to do everything she can to put out her best appearance and her happiest appearance, and your attention and belief in the appearance is where the money and clout come from. You really need to remember this in the same way you remember to look both ways before crossing the street. You can cross a street and you can follow a fitness account, but protect yourself when doing it.

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Is the business model of this whole community one of artificial competitiveness? Is there a pressure around never lapsing, or never straying from the model being sold to you?

Communities stay strong if they retain people. There are a lot of fine and positive ways to retain people, but it's often easier to retain people by instilling them with a sense that they must be here. They should feel bad if they lapse or if their attention drifts. What they were before was inadequate. Everyone outside this community is inadequate. Do you want to go back to inadequate?

Is that financial subreddit that taught you valuable lessons about 401k's, index funds, and budgeting also quietly pressuring you to always do more? Are the top posts from extremist examples of people living in destitution so they can show the most extreme screenshot, and curate the envy of everyone else who ought to be ashamed of not doing as well as them?

Is that fitness community that got you into jogging also putting you in the mind that the truest and best people exercise 7 days a week? Never miss a metric? Never compromise on their dedication?

Is that person who "cut out all sugar and feels amazing" informing you that you should never have another cupcake in your life? And if you DO it's because you're BAD and DON'T WORRY, you'll get RIGHT back on the horse after. Shame will motivate you to come right back, and stay with the community, and never leave.

As long as you stay, the community grows. As long as you stay, the ad sponsors and the endorsed products and the influencers can benefit more and more. And sometimes, there's perhaps not even a malicious force behind it. It can happen from evolutionary pressures. The communities that survive are the ones that retain people. A community that trips accidentally into a model of pressuring people to stay is one which retains people and thrives.

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Are the claims made in this community becoming bolder and bolder deviations from standard information?

You joined because you wanted to learn to cook for yourself. And this community has been helpful! You know how to make some delicious things. You've tried vegetables you've never tried before. And maybe you needed some convincing that brussel sprouts can be yummy, but what do you know, turns out you like them roasted.

But what else is being said? What things are being said with more and more frequency? Is it that "humans don't actually need any sugar, and it's a poison being sold to us?" Is it that "seed oils are toxic for you"? Is it that "pasteurization is bad"? Is the raw fruitarian convincing you that cavemen lived exclusively off fruit and you can too?

They'll have sources sometimes. Check them. Are they cherry-picked? Are they from an insular echo-chamber? Why isn't the mainstream literature aware of this? And if the answer has anything to do with "because mainstream wants to TRICK YOU and you're actually BAD for ASKING" then don't engage. Disregard. Take the recipes if you must but apply your skeptical filter to all the parts that are snake oil.

Sometimes it's that another community is only a stone's throw away. That person with a great financial portfolio has only good things to say about crypto, and what they're saying is making sense (average person [not smart] [poor] [bad money skills] laughs at crypto, but you're smarter. you're on the in-track). That amazing bodybuilder is pulling the hottest dates, and he says it's about male-confidence, and he says there are good support guides on becoming a respectable masculine man, and all you need to do is reclaim your masculinity in a society that wants to steal it from you.

In any place like this, come up for air. Come up for air FREQUENTLY. Talk to regular people and engage in academic literature outside this circle. Conspiracy thinking wins if you draw all your information from the entity trying to sell you on the conspiracy.

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And I hope this is clear but my message is not "never join a community." My message is know danger when you see it. Recognize when you're being used or pressured. Don't fall for conspiracy thinking. Protect yourself. You can use a gas stove to cook meals but don't touch the flame and don't burn your house down. You can cross the street but recognize the signs of a car coming down the street.

And I'm making this point because so many people just don't know. ...Because getting into fitness is "good" and "self-improvement"! So is nutrition. So if financial responsibility. People walk into it and the extremism can make them feel accomplished, and admired, and like they're a part of something, and maybe even like a proper self-punishment for their own inadequacies. And people on the outside won't save you because "Wow! He spends 3 hours at the gym every day! I wish I was that dedicated." is a common attitude, and will push you deeper into what has its claws in you.

Everything I'm saying is not because I'm so much smarter and so much holier-than-thou for knowing this when others don't--I'm saying this because I was in it. I fell for it. Not all the examples above, of course. But I recognize the machine in them. It is highly appealing to run farther and fast longer and overload your class schedule when you don't feel good enough and want to prove something, and so many communities will sell you on the idea this IS an accomplishment. Then once you do, you have to do it forever. Or else you'll go back to not being good enough. And since fitness is "good", and weight-loss and good grades, no one can save you but you.

The answer was not to give up on the hobbies I was doing. I cook for myself most nights. I run and bike as regular parts of my routine. I like new recipes and I like half-marathons. But these are just positive additions to my life and they do not define my worth. If I miss a work-out it's whatever. If I order take-out it's whatever. I fundamentally do not care about the influencer with the washboard abs, and if I try a work-out from her, I have no loyalty to it. If the new recipe I try mentions "clean eating" I'll roll my eyes and just figure out if the recipe seems good. If the recipe is botching itself to avoid certain scare-words I will simply find something else.

There is absolutely a reasonable place for challenging yourself and trying things outside your comfort zone. The internet is full of resources to do so much more than you currently know how to do. And if that community is an oven, recognize it's an oven. Wear oven mitts. If it's actively on fire, leave. You're the only one protecting you. Stay safe.

[jaythes1mp]

Do you think readers' lives would be different if they were a deer hybrid?

Fun Fact: Did you know that cervids (from the deer, deer and elk family) are considered extremely sensitive animals. When suffering severe stress, such as when captured or rescued, for example, the animal's reaction can cause what is called 'capture myopathy' ', which compromises the organism of these animals.

I do, actually. Because, another fun fact! In June of this year me and my roommate saved a baby deer who was laying next to her mums dead body (she was less than 48 hours old). Fortunately she wasn’t injured. We were extremely lucky to be living next to a wildlife specialist, our neighbour, who’s been looking after Astrid and will continue to until she’s old enough to be relocated. Thankfully this wasn’t the first deer that’s been brought to her. So unfortunately I'm very acquainted with that fact.

She’s still striving strong though! These were the first pics taken of her.

Anyway, how they’d react:

Batfam x deer hybrid reader

With Damian's exceptionally caring nature when it comes to animals, he has already meticulously planned out the perfect environment for your deer forms comfort. He has considered every possible scenario and tailored everything to ensure your contentment as well as a space to meet all of your needs.

The young Wayne would thoughtfully strategize and visualise your reactions to every minor action or stimulus. He would carefully consider the most appropriate responses and adapt his behaviour to ensure a positive and nurturing environment for you. Even if the environment in question was one that you were forced into.

The bats would handle your transformed state with great caution, disregarding if your human mind was in control when you were transformed or not. Given your affiliation with the Cervidae family in your animal form, the Wayne family would be especially mindful and considerate of your natural tendencies, behaviours, and instincts.

Despite Dick's intelligence and expertise as a vigilante, being second only to Bruce Wayne himself, his impatience would become apparent within the twenty-ninth attempt to approach you for some affectionate ‘big brother cuddles’. Assuming you’re an adult or older teen, you would be extremely skittish and resistant in your deer form to his advances and attempts to get close, if not completely avoid his presence altogether, let alone let him cling to you for a ‘snuggle.’

Jason wouldn’t comprehend why you’d consistently conceal yourself, in both forms, hiding behind the couch every time he arrives, or why you involuntarily freeze at the sound of his motorcycle, or even why you instinctively flee at the slightest hint of him standing or making a move. But despite his confusion, he doesn't hold it against you. He’s witnessed the horrific experiences and trauma the children of Gotham City are subjected to, and if hiding and evading is the way you cope with what you’re going through, then he’s willing to wait patiently for you to feel secure in his presence. As your sibling, he vowed never to give you a reason to fear him. He knows just how overwhelming it is in this new environment, and he’s not planning on giving you any more reasons to be frightened by them.

Tim would find it easier to deal with your distressed nature than the others, opting to monitor you through the security cameras, allowing him to work on his cases simultaneously, rather than being overly affectionate with you. This way, he could keep a watchful eye on you without having to directly interact, which allows him to multi-task and focus on both keeping you safe and solving his cases.

Despite Jason and Dick no longer living in the Manor, Bruce would likely be the one to spend the least time with you. However, he's not neglecting you. He makes a conscious effort to rearrange his busy schedule, keeps certain days free every week, and meticulously plans time for some quality family bonding. Even if the quality time in question only consists of him quietly sitting in your vicinity, sipping on some freshly made tea while reading the newspaper, he cherishes every moment that he gets to share with you. Simply being near you is enough. Because you're his child, and he's not planning on fucking that up ever again.

[my-deer-friend]

I have a stupid question. How do you find out about current history scholarship and research? I am sick of reading books I've read a hundred times and were published decades ago. Is there like a forum or something where historians share research or lectures or things?

Not stupid at all!

The key is 1) knowing which sources provide the most up-to-date information, and then 2) using the appropriate strategy to access them.

Conference and lectures

Conferences are where you find the most cutting-edge research – usually work that has not been published yet, or is still in progress. Accessing conferences can be both expensive and difficult (if they're limited to people with certain affiliations, for example), but there are also conferences that are free for the public, and ones run by groups like the Organization of American Historians that are reasonably priced for the digital attendance option. You can browse conference programmes (here is the OAH's 2024 version) to at least find the names of academics relevant to your field of interest, which will help with the kinds of searches you will want to conduct below.

Finding these is a mix of luck and effort. You can set a search alerts on various platforms, literally just do a search for "[topic] academic conference", find relevant organisations and subscribe to their newsletters for updates, or do some browsing on social media. I found History Symposium (free, current, deep-dive history lectures and a virtual conference) because of something shared here on Tumblr. Following the Instagram account of the Powder House in Charleston keeps me updated on their history lecture programming (which host virtual talks including showcasing new research on the US colonial era). Then there are institutions like the Royal Museums Greenwich who publish a range of high-quality historical content on their YouTube account (they have a good series on black history and the Transatlantic slave trade, as well as a fascinating recent lecture by a historian on the queer history of the British navy, which I also found here on Tumblr).

Academic journals

Journals are where you get the most recent published academic scholarship. A journal article generally is a fairly narrow/focused exploration of a topic that adds something new to the ongoing academic conversation (e.g., a new discovery, a new analysis of existing material, a new theoretical perspective, a challenge to a previous author's work).

Other useful kinds of journal content are book reviews, as well as "review" articles, which summarise and synthesise recent research in a field – as well as newly arising questions and research directions.

Getting your hands on articles requires two steps: 1) finding the research, and 2) accessing the research.

Finding articles

For better or worse, the best generalist search tool for journal articles is Google Scholar – it allows you to search across hundreds of databases and independent publishers for relevant content.

If you're a member of a university library (not necessarily staff or student – check if your library allows external membership), it will have its own search tool which allows you to find material in the databases and journals that the university is subscribed to. Individual databases, archives or publishers (think JSTOR) will also have their own internal search.

My advice is to start your search as narrowly as possible, and then expand out slowly if you don't find anything relevant. So, for example, I might start my search with "same-sex relationships london 1780s", and if nothing comes up, I might broaden it out to "england" or "late eighteenth century", and so on.

The other thing to do is follow citations (i.e., who referenced what?). You can travel "backwards" through the literature by looking at the reference lists of books or articles you already have (in other words, which works the author used to base their research on).

But you can also travel forwards – the "cited by x" link below a reference on Google Scholar is your friend, because it shows you who used that particular source in their (by default, more recent) work.

Accessing articles

Unfortunately, a lot of academic research is gatekept by the academic publishing industrial complex – not by academics themselves, to be clear. This results in those ludicrous charges for single papers:

(And $30 is hardly the upper limit...)

But hope is not lost! You still have some options if you're willing to do a bit of work.

1) Sometimes, if you're lucky, the article will be freely available online. In Google Scholar, for example, check for the "PDF" or "HTML" link to the right of the title:

Some entire journals are freely available (usually called "open access") – one example is the Journal of the American Revolution. You can also search on DOAJ for open-access-only articles and journals.

2) I've also occasionally found the article just by googling "[article name] pdf". Some scholars will make these available for free on their personal websites, for example.

3) You can also try contacting the scholar directly through a platform like Academia.edu. Find the article there, and check if there is a "request full-text" option on its page (or, even, if the full text version has already been posted).

4) For slightly older articles, try searching on JSTOR, which gives anyone with an account free access to 100 articles a month. (I say "older", but there's even scholarship from 2024 on there these days.)

5) If all else fails, definitely do not type "sci hub" into your search engine and check there. That would be bad and naughty and very, very sexy of you. I repeat, do not do this. 🤫

Academic books

Books are not usually a great source of super-current research, both because the format doesn't lend itself to it and the publishing cycle can be very long, but they can be an excellent source for a decently recent and detailed overview of the topic. Note that you specifically want academic books here (not the ones in the "history" section of your local chain bookstore).

If you've done some digging in journal databases, you should have a good sense of which authors are writing about the topics you're interested in. Find their websites or social media feeds and subscribe to get updates on their latest work. For example, historian and Tumblr darling Joanne Freeman has a website with links to her books, lectures and podcast, as well as other media. The Museum of the American Revolution has a "Read the Revolution" speaker series featuring newly published books on relevant topics (and they're certainly not the only museum or public institution to do this). Their newsletter will keep you updated on the upcoming sessions, and the website often has a free recording of the talk available.

The prices can be quite extortionate, so again, see if you can find a free version online using the methods above. You might also have some luck finding the book on Archive.org (which might allow you to loan it out for free for an hour at a time) or Google Books (which sometimes shows you a decently large preview). Definitely do not type "libgen" into your search engine and try to download the book form there.

In summary...

There's a lot out there. A bit of persistence and a lot of searching (on databases, social media and the internet in general) will open up a huge spectrum of intereting and relevant resources!

[mckitterick]

The End Is Near: "News" organizations using AI to create content, firing human writers

source: X

source: X

source: X

an example "story" now comes with this warning:

A new byline showed up Wednesday on io9: “Gizmodo Bot.” The site’s editorial staff had no input or advance notice of the new AI-generator, snuck in by parent company G/O Media.

G/O Media’s AI-generated articles are riddled with errors and outdated information, and block reader comments.

“As you may have seen today, an AI-generated article appeared on io9,” James Whitbrook, deputy editor at io9 and Gizmodo, tweeted. “I was informed approximately 10 minutes beforehand, and no one at io9 played a part in its editing or publication.”

Whitbrook sent a statement to G/O Media along with “a lengthy list of corrections.” In part, his statement said, “The article published on io9 today rejects the very standards this team holds itself to on a daily basis as critics and as reporters. It is shoddily written, it is riddled with basic errors; in closing the comments section off, it denies our readers, the lifeblood of this network, the chance to publicly hold us accountable, and to call this work exactly what it is: embarrassing, unpublishable, disrespectful of both the audience and the people who work here, and a blow to our authority and integrity.”

He continued, “It is shameful that this work has been put to our audience and to our peers in the industry as a window to G/O’s future, and it is shameful that we as a team have had to spend an egregious amount of time away from our actual work to make it clear to you the unacceptable errors made in publishing this piece.”

According to the Gizmodo Media Group Union, affiliated with WGA East, the AI effort has “been pushed by” G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller, recently hired editorial director Merrill Brown, and deputy editorial director Lea Goldman.

In 2019, Spanfeller and private-equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired Gizmodo Media Group (previously Gawker Media) and The Onion.

The Writers Guild of America issued a blistering condemnation of G/O Media’s use of artificial intelligence to generate content.

“These AI-generated posts are only the beginning. Such articles represent an existential threat to journalism. Our members are professionally harmed by G/O Media’s supposed ‘test’ of AI-generated articles.”

WGA added, “But this fight is not only about members in online media. This is the same fight happening in broadcast newsrooms throughout our union. This is the same fight our film, television, and streaming colleagues are waging against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in their strike.”

The union, in its statement, said it “demands an immediate end of AI-generated articles on G/O Media sites,” which include The A.V. Club, Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, The Onion, Quartz, The Root, and The Takeout.

but wait, there's more:

Just weeks after news broke that tech site CNET was secretly using artificial intelligence to produce articles, the company is doing extensive layoffs that include several longtime employees, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. The layoffs total 10 percent of the public masthead.

*

Greedy corporate sleazeballs using artificial intelligence are replacing humans with cost-free machines to barf out garbage content.

This is what end-stage capitalism looks like: An ouroborus of machines feeding machines in a downward spiral, with no room for humans between the teeth of their hungry gears.

Anyone who cares about human life, let alone wants to be a writer, should be getting out the EMP tools and burning down capitalist infrastructure right now before it's too late.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Do time lords have last names? Do they just use the name of their House, or are they more like humans?

Do Time Lords have last names?

Kinda, but it's all a bit more confusing than your typical Earth first name surname.

In the Old Times, Shobogan children (the ancestors of the Time Lords) took their surnames from their mothers, which was quite straightforward. But things got more formal and symbolic when the Time Lords started the Academy. During their time there, they receive an official name, often including their House. These names are written in Old High Gallifreyan, and they're long.

🧑‍🏫 Long and Powerful Names

For Time Lords, names represent power, status, and beliefs. The more influence a Time Lord has, the longer their name becomes. Over time, their names grow in length to reflect their social and political stature. That said, Time Lords don't usually go around throwing these grand names into casual conversations. Instead, they use a more manageable, two-syllable version when dealing with close friends or trusted colleagues. You might hear names like Spandrall, Maxil, or Borusa, but those are usually just the 'friendly' versions.

🏛️ The Role of the House

While Time Lords don't have last names like humans do, their Houses play a huge role in their identity. A Time Lord's House is a major part of their longer name, much like a family name. Think of it as an aristocratic title tied to their heritage and social standing.

🎩 Elective Semantectomy

Now, many Time Lords (especially renegades) opt for a process called the Elective Semantectomy, which is essentially a fancy way of saying they can remove their given name from history and replace it with a title based on what they do or what they represent. The Doctor, for example, chose their title after leaving Gallifrey, and it’s become part of their identity. Titles like the Master or the Rani work the same way. This process allows renegades to shake off any ties to their House and form a new identity.

🎂 Name Days and Namedays

Time Lords celebrate something called a Name Day, which is a bit like a birthday. The Doctor's name day is Otherstide, which is the Gallifreyan equivalent of Christmas. Some Time Lords even get treats on their name day.

🏫 So...

Time Lords don’t use surnames in the traditional human sense; they certainly have powerful, ever-growing names that reflect their status and beliefs. And, for those who prefer not to be tied to their past, they have the option to cast off their names and pick a title that defines who they really are.

Related:

💬|⏰🎉How do Gallifreyans celebrate Otherstide?: Looking at how Gallifreyans celebrate this holiday.

💬|🧸🏡Does a Gallifreyan's House determine which chapter they'll be a part of?: Looking at Academy affiliations and the Academy selection process.

💬|💍💎What are some Gallifreyan wedding traditions?: Expanded look at how weddings might work on Gallifrey, both in ceremony and legalities.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features: ⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[mariacallous]

From the order in which members of The Beatles should be listed to the origins of the Pavlova dessert, “edit wars” have dominated Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, since its inception. Though many of these online discussions pertain to cultural icons and phenomena, some have taken a more sinister turn—especially when it comes to controversial or politically sensitive topics such elections, protests, or wars. This has become particularly apparent in the case of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, shaped by multiple competing and ever-evolving narratives.

Started in May 2001, the Russian-language Wikipedia is among the world’s top six Wikipedia sites and, until recently, has remained a popular source of information in and about the country. However, over the last two decades, it has become embroiled in controversy, largely due to the Kremlin’s state-sponsored disinformation plaguing the platform.

Reliant on government sources and edited by Russian editors, Russian-language Wikipedia pages have often featured pro-Kremlin narratives, especially in relation to Russia’s war against Ukraine. For example, while articles in English have clearly indicated the illegal and disputed nature of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its occupation of Donetsk, the Russian-language pages have previously downplayed the role of the Russian military and portrayed Donetsk as a people’s separatist republic (though it has since been changed and is now consistent with the English version).

Another example is the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. While the English-language version acknowledges that the flight was shot down by the Russian military, which is the international consensus, Russian Wikipedia has called it a “catastrophe” without any attribution of guilt. There are also many inconsistencies having to do with famous historical figures appropriated by Russia, such as those of King Volodymyr the Great or Nestor the Chronicler, both of whom lived in Kyiv.

Over the last two years, Russian courts have fined the Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia, several times over content related to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, according to a 2022 report, multiple groups of “sock-puppet” editor accounts, which have coordinated their activity to rewrite pages relating to Russian-Ukrainian relations while using false identifiers. These groups have actively undermined Western and Ukrainian information sources and instead endorsed Russian narratives and state-sponsored media.

Though Russia briefly banned Wikipedia in August 2015, it has now taken its digital offensive campaign to the next level.

Earlier this year, Vladimir Medeyko, the former director of Wikimedia Russia, launched an alternative platform called Ruwiki. The new platform started out as a copy-pasted version of the original Russian-language Wikipedia, exploiting a technicality of Wikipedia’s open-source agreement. Today, the new platform contains up to 2 million articles in Russian, as well as 12 other regional languages spoken in Russia, and is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

Unlike the well-established Wikipedia model, in which any user with internet access can create, edit, or update articles, which then undergo rigorous community moderation, Ruwiki works in a different way. While any user can contribute content, it is subject to review by a narrow circle of undisclosed, likely government-sanctioned “experts” to avoid “mistakes” and adjudicate “complex issues.” But it is no secret which issues are considered “complex” by the Kremlin, whose disinformation machine has been working relentlessly to justify its invasion of Ukraine and vehemently deny the war crimes committed there.

Ruwiki is an isolated digital ecosystem that has created an alternate reality. In this version, Holodomor, the man-made famine under Stalin’s rule that killed up to 8 million Ukrainians by some estimates, never happened. Ukraine’s regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and, of course, Crimea are missing from the country’s internationally recognised administrative map. The 2022 Bucha massacre, in which more than 400 Ukrainians were tortured and killed by the Russian military, is explained as an unverifiable “provocation.” And of course, the platform promotes Russia’s official (wrong) narrative that NATO “provoked” the Russian invasion and that NATO soldiers have participated in the war on behalf of Ukraine.

Ruwiki is the perfect example of the “splinternet”—the fragmentation of the global internet into smaller, divergent, and disconnected spaces. Sometimes, splinters form organically on platforms due to cultural and linguistic preferences of their users. But more often, it is a result of targeted government policies that restrict access to certain websites and services in an attempt to curtail free speech. These measures are often undertaken by authoritarian regimes under the guise of digital sovereignty, ensuring the state’s autonomy and control over its communication and digital infrastructures.

In 2011, Iran’s National Information Network (NIN) project, which envisioned the creation of an absolutely independent online ecosystem back in 2011, is a famous case of digital authoritarianism. Another example is Turkey’s new amendments to the Press Law, which came into effect in 2022. The law increased government control over social media and news platforms and has been dubbed as a “draconian” censorship law by media rights activists and opposition leaders.

Similarly, Russia’s Sovereign Internet Law, adopted in 2019, grants the Kremlin the power to isolate the Russian internet from other countries. The law requires Russian internet service providers to hand over many of their powers to the state, including the ability to directly censor unwanted content and prevent users from accessing alternative ways of seeing banned websites.

While these measures to nationalize the internet might seem benign from the perspective of maintaining technological autonomy, such concentration of power in the hands of the state also comes with an unprecedented ability to surveil its domestic population. Since 2019, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has direct access, complete with encryption codes, to access any messages transmitted via Russian social media platforms or stored on servers located within the country.

These splinternets undermine the idea of a unified and global internet. They create isolated pockets of content that is easy to censor and can only be accessed by users from within the state, thus cutting them off from internationally produced content. As numerous studies show, such fragmentation is a pathway to a rapid deterioration of democratic discourse on platforms that institute it.

Take, for example, Truth Social, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media platform, which routinely echoes radical right-wing narratives on immigration, gun ownership, and the 2020 election. Another example is Ukraine’s 2017 decision to ban Russian social media platforms, VK and Odnoklassniki, in the interest of national security, after the platforms had become a toxic cesspool of hate speech, racism, and xenophobia, with well documented calls to rape and murder Ukrainians.

Similarly, in 2022, Russian TikTok blocked all non-Russian content in Russia. Once splintered from the rest of the platform and left unchecked, it became a hotbed of Russian war propaganda.

However, Russian propaganda on TikTok is not limited to its borders alone. Recent research indicates that accounts affiliated with Russian state media, especially Russia Today and Sputnik, have enjoyed a wide international reach, with their content being shared in multiple languages. Once those accounts were flagged by the platform as Russian state-affiliated in 2022, they became inactive and switched to newly created, unlabelled accounts to avoid detection. Another action, which flew under the radar, was Russia’s use of political influencers to sway public opinion in the United States, ahead of its upcoming presidential election.

In light of these disturbing developments, we can reasonably expect to see Ruwiki move along the same historical pathway. Though other countries like China, Turkey, India, and Pakistan have either banned or threatened to ban Wikipedia, Ruwiki’s full control over facts will allow the Kremlin to retell history on its own terms—including denying its war crimes in Ukraine.

This—combined with the targeted destruction of Ukrainian books, the rewriting of Russian school curriculum, and the murder of Ukrainian public intellectuals in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories—will help Russia justify its expansionist goals and cement its colonial dominance over the region.

This digitally mediated historical revisionism is particularly dangerous in light of the increasing use of the internet as the ultimate source of information, especially among Russia’s youth. Splintered from the rest of the world, they will be coming of age in an alternative Kremlin-manufactured version of reality where “nothing is true, but everything is possible.”

[eretzyisrael]

AHA: The report identifies three main factions within the movement: Islamists, communists/Marxists/anarchists, and to a lesser extent white supremacist groups. Based on my reading of your report it seems to me that the Marxist-Leninist types are in fact the most practically and ideologically influential in the U.S., who then provide rhetorical support and justification for the Islamists. How did these factions come to work together despite having vastly different ideologies?

Mauro: The Islamists, such as those organizationally, historically, or ideologically connected to the Muslim Brotherhood (a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt that seeks to establish Islamic governance globally) and Jammat-e-Islami (a South Asian Islamist group advocating for the creation of an Islamic state governed by Sharia law), made a strategic decision to let their non-Islamist political allies take the lead after the October 7 attacks.

Cover photo of Ryan Mauro’s report “Marching Toward Violence The Domestic Anti-Israeli Protest Movement.”

In fact, as I documented in the report, the Muslim American Society, which federal prosecutors have stated in court was founded as the “overt” arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S., instructed its affiliated leaders to refrain from mentioning Hamas when publicly preaching and praying for the anti-Israel cause.

By having their non-Islamist allies take the forefront, they broadened the appeal of the anti-Israel offensive by preventing the impression that it is a purely religious, ethnic, or national movement. The organizations whose logos appear on posts advertising the protests and social media memes are mostly non-Islamist. Unfamiliar audiences will see organizational names with terms like “human rights,” “ceasefire,” “peace,” and “justice,” and assume their content comes from credible civil rights activists or moral sources of information.

The cross-pollination of these extremist factions has a long history. It is partly intentional, with different activists and organizations deliberately collaborating on shared issues and common enemies, and partly organic, arising from overlapping online ecosystems.

For example, there are Middle East-oriented chats on Telegram aimed at audiences of one faction, but it’s common to find adherents of one or two other factions active in them. They often appreciate the content and enjoy engaging with others interested in the topic, even if there are some differences in opinion.

It is very common for an Islamist group to post content in its chat, which is then forwarded to other Islamist chats as well as chats of non-Islamist factions, and vice versa. Content even spreads between Antifa chats and white nationalist or “far-right” chats, often while both sides are simultaneously discussing physically clashing with each other.

There is also a symbiosis where a faction’s morale, radicalization, and recruitment increase whenever an opposing faction succeeds. This occurs because both sides favor instability, follow ideologies that foresee and encourage violent nationwide upheaval as a core tenet, and crave opportunities to demonstrate their importance. I’ve dubbed this phenomenon the "War of the Extremes."

Sam Westrop (left), Director of Islamist Watch at the Middle East Forum, leads a discussion with Jeff Breinholt (center) and Ryan Mauro (right) on tracking and stopping the funding of Islamist activities at the CLARITy Coalition’s 2024 Conference “Defending the West.”

The term “alliance,” when referring to these factions’ relationships, is somewhat misleading because it implies collaboration between distinct entities. Instead, they are all part of the same foundational ecosystem, sharing many core beliefs about the world and the necessity of anti-Western revolution, insurgency, discord, and separatism. The massive overlap and the "War of the Extremes" symbiosis are why I refer to these factions as a single threat: The Seditionist Movement.

More broadly, the Seditionist Movement is essentially the U.S. wing of a global anti-Western governmental and non-governmental coalition that I have chosen to name the Axis of Sedition. The Axis of Sedition consists of the anti-Western governments with the seditious goal of destabilizing, overthrowing and remaking the Western-led international order.

A strategy of sedition matches these seditious goals: Attacking their enemies through their domestic seditious movements and groups and sedition-fueling sentiments and behaviors within their enemies’ civil societies, like anti-Westernism, hate, tribalism, disinformation, apathy, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and generic feelings of desperation and disempowerment.

The Axis is led by the governments of Iran, China, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar and their government allies like Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and various other countries with anti-Western regimes.

Nongovernmental members based outside the U.S. are also included, such as the legions of pro-Axis NGOs, terrorist groups, and proxies like Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, the Russian-backed militias in Ukraine, and Marxist, communist, anarchist, and other pro-Axis political groups.

[pennkquest]

Hi, the brainworms continue to feast on the ETS Polycule so here's more headcanons for James/Spouse/Asset! (Names pending okay /lh)

James offers to bring Asset home with him post-project after running it by his partner and seeing that the alternatives for who or where Asset went were slim. Maybe James suspects that being near him and his Spouse could help Asset learn more about human experience, kindness, affection, etc. since they didn't have much time for that during the project, but fairly early on James and his Spouse develop a fondness for Asset (which is reciprocated)

I like the idea that Spouse is science-y as well? Just not DUMP affiliated at all. So Asset is a welcome and fascinating addition to the home. James has to hold them back some from overwhelming Asset, but they strike me as a quietly curious domestic dynamic. James free from DUMP work allows him to unwind and support for a change and Asset provides them a chance to introduce/teach them about new things

Asset has weekly required shutdown times that mimic them needing "sleep", but even without needing to sleep usually, they enjoy cuddling a lot because it feels like enough of an action/task to not make them feel restless. (Both them and James are working on being content being idle /lh)

I think it'd be fun if they can still be seen as robotic when they need touch ups under their face plate, for example. Or need to get a tune up so you open up their stomach and fiddle with their wires, so on.

James and Spouse try to include Asset in as many household tasks as they can at first to make them feel included in general and then see what Asset takes a liking to and go from there. I think it'd be similar to like "I'm a vamp but I can drink blood while you eat your sandwich"

Spouse up at 1 am, legal pad and pen in hand as they lovingly interrogate their robot partner until James comes up and plucks the pen from their hand, dragging them both to sleep

Asset, week by week, finding a new hobby/interest to try with James and/or Spouse, fascinated by the world of possibility in front of them not that they're out of Project Meridian

Spawned on by @nortyourself and @sincerelywhistler I think, James with a prosthetic leg and Asset finding out for the first time once they've been brought home. Watching Spouse help tune it up with wide quiet eyes, feeling closer to them than they have with previous humans

But yeah! If y'all have any more thoughts on this, please let me know! Hopefully some of these are fun to ponder

[densewentz]

DenseWentz’s End of '23 Commission Information

Alrighty guys!! Ol' Dense has to pay some dental bills so lo and behold my ever-rare commissions are opening back up!

I am open to drawing both fandom and oc content. You can check out my art tag here or my instagram for more examples of my work.

For full commission and contact information check here

Notable Terms

All prices are USD and all payments are through Paypal Invoice only

If order total is under $50, full payment is due up front, otherwise 50% of payment is due upfront, and remaining 50% is due after initial sketches are sent

Commissions are being opened with limited slots available 

I reserve the right to turn down commissions for any reason

All artwork delivered is for Personal Use Only and any use/affiliation with any sort of AI program is absolutely prohibited

Commission slots are limited and will close again in a few weeks so if you’re interested be sure to contact me with your concept and your references!

If you’ve got questions or want to pitch a commissions please feel free to message me here, email me at densewentz@gmail.com or add me on Discord as densewentz

Let's make some art!

[galwaygirl83]

So here’s a fun lesson for the Tag Police in this fandom. This is relevant to both sides by the way, because I’ve seen policing from both.

Using any tag that is relevant to your post is not breaking the rules.

Maybe there are unwritten, don’t-need-to-be-said rules, some Tumblr etiquette bloggers who have been here a while have decided is the way it should be, but please remember many Luke-Nicola-Bridgerton related blogs are newer and came here to escape the vitriol and toxicity of other platforms.

I’m sad to say from what I’ve seen, Tumblr is no exception to that crap. And believe me, the few nasty messages I got yesterday are nothing compared to what some in the fandom have received.

But I digress.

Despite any unwritten rules, there are actual rules. The only place tags appear in Tumblr Terms of Service is in the spam section and it clearly states meaningful tags are welcome.

What is not welcome is using tags that have nothing to do with your post.

Here is the full spam section directly from the TOS (fun fact - it is the ONLY place in the TOS that tags are mentioned):

*Spam. Don't spam people. Don't make spammy posts, don't post spammy replies, don't send people spammy messages. Be a regular human.

Don't put tags on your posts that will mislead or deceive searchers. For example, don't tag a photo of your cat with "doctor who" unless the name of your cat is actually Doctor Who, and don't overload your posts with #barely #relevant #tags. Of course, meaningful uses of tags are always fine (for example, ironic "punchline" tags that add meaning or context to a post).

Don't put dubious code in your posts, like using JavaScript to cause redirects or inject unwanted ads in blogs. Don't use deceptive means to generate revenue or traffic, or create blogs with the primary purpose of affiliate marketing. Spam doesn't belong on Tumblr.

https://www.tumblr.com/policy/en/user-guidelines

Using tags relevant to your posts is not a reportable offense. If you don’t like content, please scroll by. Stop yourself from sending nasty messages or leaving nasty comments. Find the content that makes you happy and ignore the posts that don’t.

We are all here for the same reason - to love and support our faves, and supporting them might look different for many of us.

So there you have it. Now…

[revcnqe]

Thanks for reading my guidelines. I'm Midnight (she/they, millennial, CET). My activity level and reply speed are (very) slow, please don’t rush me. English is my second language, mistakes will happen and I apologize in advance. My blog operates in english (default) and german, both are equally fine.

About and Verses are currently procrastinated worked on!

01. GENERAL INFO (for non-rp blogs). Besides being a roleplayer I am also a hobby gif maker, personal blogs are welcome! Basic Tumblr etiquette applies: Don’t steal, repost or edit my gifs. If you want to insert a single gif into one of your posts please use the gif search function. Make sure you don’t reblog my roleplay content which includes tag games, writing examples, headcanons, threads and answered asks. Speaking of asks: I will generally react in-character whenever possible but I am not an IC ask blog.

02. DISCLAIMER. I am not affiliated with the creators of The Boys or the actor Karl Urban and I don’t own the character Billy Butcher. I claim ownership of my own written headcanons and texts. All graphics/aesthetics, gifs and colorings on this blog are mine, up from 2024 until present. Older promos and edits have psds credited in their respective posts.

03. CONTENT WARNING. To interact with me, you have to be 18+ (mun and muse). The Boys is an R-rated series and this is a general trigger warning for mature content such as — strong language, graphic violence and gore, physical and mental abuse, mention of sa, mention of child abuse, alcohol addiction, mental illness, terminal illness, trauma, sexual content, weapons, drug use, political and social commentary, sick humour, satire and overall rude behaviour which can be expected from this muse. I will only tag some of these on a regular basis. I use "trigger cw" and my n.sfw tag is "usft". Please let me know if you need a specific thing tagged. I don't have a lot of triggers but I would ask you to tag spiders and horror jumpscares in gifs for me.

04. MUN ≠ MUSE. It should go without saying but at the same time cannot be stressed enough. This is a morally grey/villainous character. If you are easily offended we’re likely not matching well. Butcher can be tremendously rude and aggressive, he swears excessively and is quick to insult your muse if he dislikes them or feels provoked. Make sure that you can handle interacting with such a muse and do not take anything from him personal or too serious. But if we started writing and, for any reason, you feel discomfort please communicate it. I’m always willing to take a step back and sort things out.

05. INTERACTIONS. Best way to get started is through sending me prompts or having prompts/opens available on your blog, so I can interact with those! I have some starter- and interaction calls and I will post opens occasionally. I just got started with Tumblr rp in early 2025, so my blog is a bit empty and I'm still learning and figuring things out. Memes and prompts are always accepted, they never expire. Please try to link to the post you've send me something from, it makes my life easier, but I won't get mad if you don't. My inbox is open to everyone but starters and threads are for mutuals only. Don't continue an answered ask or reply to an open if we're not both following each other.

05 a. FOR FAKEVZ FOLKS: I am very reluctant to roleplay or talk in-character in dms, for different reasons (exceptions can be discussed on rare occasions). Please respect this as an important boundary. I'd rather use my dms for plotting purposes and checking in with my writing partners. However, I am open to short form writing on the dashboard which includes IC-Talk, if you're interested. I'm also willing to write on a sideblog but this option is heavily limited to not overwhelm myself. We should have interacted, plotted or known each other for a while. I do not rp outside of Tumblr (Discord, Wire, Docs, Forums, etc.)

06. WRITING. No godmodding, power play, meta gaming. I also don’t like forcing or rushing certain dynamics that don’t feel like natural character progression. Plotting beforehand is welcome but not mandatory. If it ever feels like being stuck we can pause the writing and have a small plotting session between scenes or even for the same scene. I am a big fan of the “yes, and” approach, give me something to work with. I don’t have an estimated length for texts, it always depends.

07. REGARDING AI. My blog is strictly and firmly against the usage of AI. I will never use AI for writing or to generate images. If I ever accidentially reblog something AI-generated please let me know, but be respectful while you do so. I do not wish to write with you if you use AI, don't ever feed my writing to an AI, I do not consent to this.

08. FORMATTING. I don’t do a lot of formatting. I prefer small font, my writing is usually continuous text with no line breaks for dialogue. Let me know if this is difficult to read for you and I will adjust, no questions asked. Please try to trim your posts if possible. Generally, feel free to format your text as you wish but here are some things I have issues with: Excessive spacing between words (triple space and higher), excessive bolding or italicizing to a point where it distracts me; all caps, text from font generators (captions and highlighted phrases are perfectly fine but I can’t read a whole text in those fonts).

09. SHIPPING. I’m multiship and multiverse, every ship takes place in its own verse if not communicated otherwise. I rely heavily on chemistry, don't force things. The occasional smut might happen but I’m more interested in exploring dynamics outside of romantic shipping, such as allies, enemies, enemies to friends, found family, etc. and I'd love to have a setting where I get a chance to write Butcher as an unhinged villain and diverge from the canon liberally.

10. FOLLOWING. I will likely follow you first if I stumble upon your blog through community tags or shared mutuals and if I like your muse(s), your writing, aesthetics or all of the above! You can be sure that I have read your pinned post and rules. I follow every blog out of genuine interest and curiousity, not to collect follow backs, but please understand that it’s impossible for me to reach out to everyone. Don’t get offended when I forget and also never feel obligated to become mutuals. If you softblocked me in the past and I refollow you it’s accidentially. Hardblock me if you don’t want that to happen, I won’t take it personal.

11. ACTIVITY. My blog is labeled low activity. I am here for rp, but I like to do lots of other things on Tumblr, too. There’s periods of time where I don’t have the energy to work on drafts or talk to anyone. Rest assured that you never did anything wrong when I disappear for a while. What I’m not willing to do is constantly giving activity updates on a schedule. I might make a post on current stats every once in a blue moon and if I go on hiatus for longer I will highly likely make a post about it.

12. DON’T BE A CUNT. I have zero tolerance for homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, sexism, zionism, hateful comments in general, out of character drama, gossiping, constant negativity, passive aggressiveness, vague posting, guilt tripping, gaslighting and other similar behaviour. Just be a decent person and we’re fine.

13. THE MUN. So you're still reading? Much appreciated. <3 Read more info about me here and I can also be found @bitemcrks.

[gf-seasons-zine]

Information About

As we count down the days for applications to open (April 1st!), we want to post some information about what to expect when you apply to be part of the Gravity Falls Seasons Zine! All of this information is on our carrd, but we thought it would be nice to post it here too!

And now, we are proud to present (under the cut)... What you need to know about the artist applications! (Cue Soos pressing the "applause" key on his keyboard):

General Application Rules

1. PLEASE tag your content!

The zine will be completely SFW and will not feature ships, but we understand some people may wish to submit ship art or content that might be less family-friendly in their portfolios.

All mods are 18+ but we don't want any surprises, so please describe your art in the boxes provided if required!

2. At least ONE of your pieces must be Gravity Falls themed or feature Gravity Falls characters.

We would particularly like to see your work of Ford, Stan, Mabel, or Dipper as the Pines family is the main focus of this zine!

3. Check your sharing settings!

If sharing a Google Drive folder link for your portfolio, please ensure your folder's sharing settings are set to 'allow anyone with the link to view'. You can test this on an Incognito browser or a browser NOT logged into your Google account to make sure.

Mods will NOT be able to contact every person who makes this mistake to ask them to a new link to their portfolio and it is very likely your application will just be dismissed.

Specific Artist Application Guidance

1.Please submit 3-6 samples of finished work that best represent your style (or the style you intend to create your piece(s) in and your ability.

2. NSFW works will NOT be allowed in the zine (this will be a family friendly SFW zine!) but you CAN put them in your portfolio. 

If your pieces require trigger warnings, feature ANY ships, or feature NSFW content there WILL be a space for you to write this on your form and we expect you to do so. All moderators are 18+ but we wish to avoid any surprises. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding (Yes, we put this in twice- it's that important!)

3.We will judge pieces based on composition, colour and/or value, understanding of form and depth, and anatomy.

4.If you would like to be considered for making a comic for the zine, please include at least ONE example of previous comic work so we can judge how well you carry a plot, readability, style, and the layout of panels.

5. Both digital and traditional works are acceptable but traditional work must be scanned in high quality.

Stay tuned for more information about other ways to contribute! And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

See you soon!

The GF Seasons Zine Mod Team

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with Disney in any way. The zine will be a charity zine with all surplus going to charity- no one will profit from this zine.

CARRD TWITTER RETROSPRING

[whack-patty]

Why can't you fully animate your content instead of having it be still pictures so the fanon friendship between Buster and Suki can be canon?

Illumination keeps making careless, clumsy, cash-cow crap films with Despicable Me 4 being their latest example.

And the dynamic those two have would actually make a difference from Illumination's generic trope-following system, but the only way to do it animate them ourselves.

Seriously, this miserable universe needs it even with Meledandri being against the idea.

Alright, normally I'd ignore an ask like this but you managed to have some opinions about things that I've been studying/have been on the mind lately, so I'm gonna do a very simple run through of my responses here. Animation, the relationship between canon and fanon, the importance of creativity, stuff like that has been fun to analyze as I'm getting older and actually looking at how the entertainment industry works. My responses are still gonna be short because I'm tired today, but here's my thoughts anyway.

The following rant is both an answer to this question and a generalized thought process on...all this stuff. It's also meant kindly, so please switch your internal voice to Genuinely Well Meaning When I Say These Things and apply it to yourself as you will

((Also, on a more personal level, I know you're anonymous but I know who you are and I know you won't listen to me, so I'm asking you once to take my answer and then let it rest (in my dms/asks, at least). Take this as informative for your own future angry rants. Everyone else reading this, just enjoy yourself lol))

Q: "Why can't you just fully animate your content instead or having it be silly pictures"

A: Animation is not easy. It takes hundreds of workers to make a five minute segment of a movie, and not all of them are even animators--you have riggers, modlers, concept artists, writing teams, voice actors, etc. And while it is very possible to animate something alone, it takes an absurd amount of time, patience, skill, practice, and even budget.

Unfortunately, I am a whole human being with a whole life going on behind the screen. I've got more important things to tackle at the moment than dedicating hundreds of hours to a fandom that, frankly, I'm not all that invested in at the moment. I, personally, am a concept artist more than a finalist. I enjoy the process of coming up with stories and plugging together the pieces far more than finishing the product. This means that coming up with Sneep Snorp's comic carried me through a hard time when I needed it to, and dedicating hundreds of unpaid hours to a project that is unfulfilling would actually detract from my health and ability to live a functionable life.

If you would like to pay me to animate those two, I will gladly do so. I have bills to pay and a home to save up for, and will gladly animate anything you like for a fair working wage.

Any other content I make of those characters from my hand and mind will happen when I want it to. I like making silly pictures. That's what I do.

Q: "so the Suki and Buster friendship can be canon?"

A: even if it was as nice as I could possibly animate it, it would not be canon because I do not work for Illumination. Not even affiliated. I briefly had a thing with an indie studio and currently I flip quesedillas to buy food each week. It'd be fantastic content, but it would never be official unless someone from their end approved it.

However, your fulfillment coming from any fictional characters does not NEED the stamp of "canon" in order to be satisfying. Because, frankly, we'll never get exactly what we want from a studio that has an agenda and responsibility to fulfill. And that's perfectly fine. Make your own content and treat it as canon as you want. Be harmless, be creative, have fun. No amount of big CEO or publisher handing you what you want on a silver platter will ever itch the scratch in your brain. We've got to metaphorically feed ourselves--make what YOU want to exist exist. It'll be exactly what you want it to be because you'll be in control.

Q: "Illumination keeps making cash-cow crap films with Despicable Me 4 as their latest example."

A: That's what they're supposed to do. They're a big studio. They're an entertainment company trying to buy everyone's attention with nostalgia. Because Despicable Me is so generally well-liked, they're going to milk that cash cow until they can't anymore. Companies who have found a successful niche will do that. It happens in every company, not just entertainment.

Big entertainment studios are not artists the same way you and I are. Seldom few are creating passion projects, expressing genuine beliefs, or loving their characters the same way small artists do. When they make and publish movies and shows, they are making a product to sell. They will edit their product until it is as consumable by the most people as possible, or they will remake what they know the most people will buy again and again.

Q: "the dynamic those two would have would make a difference from Illumination's generic trope-following system"

Tropes are easy to digest. Every story has tropes. Every single one. You can alter them as much as you'd like, but they're still there. One of the reasons I enjoy SING as much as I do is because Buster Moon, the protagonist and instigator of the plot, is technically a villain trope, and it's RARE to see a character like him in the leading role of a cartoon franchise. SING itself is an unusual storytelling format, with its fragmented heroes journeys and large leading cast. That's cool! Illumination, however, will not be purposefully trying to break any boundaries bigger than that anytime soon. They need to sell to the general masses, and so they will do what works and occasionally tip toe outside of it as much as they need.

SING itself as a franchise, however, follows a formula. Every franchise does. Buster causes a problem because he has big dreams, everyone else grows for it, rinse and repeat. Other stories do the same. They are not going to explore the deep emotional depths behind every interaction, that's an INSIDE OUT franchise thing. They're not going to give Buster a love interest, that's another franchise's wheelhouse. Etc etc etc.

Q: "but the only way to do it is to animate it ourselves"

Yes! Absolutely! That's what fandom stuff is for! That's a community of people who enjoy a concept together and want to explore it to it's fullest!

However!

The fandom are very rarely the paid workers behind the scenes.

If you want something, either HELP somebody else make it, or make it yourself--but do not demand it.

Your contributions are wanted, no matter how clumbsy or unskillful you may worry they be. Create. I beg of you. We need people who CARE about things to create things they CARE about. Learn to draw silly pictures, learn to animate silly animations, learn to write silly stories. You'll have exactly what you want in your hands. Plus, if you're kind about it and share with others, you may inspire the people around you to create with you!

I, however, simply do not care about this topic. I like Buster, I like Suki. Sometimes I draw them. I have other things I like more. I have other things I'm more passionate about. That is where I will focus my energy. You focus your energy where you want it, and I will do the same with mine.

Q: "this miserable universe needs it even with Meledandri being against the idea."

No clue who/what Meledandri is, but yes, this miserable universe needs people who care about things and will make the stuff they care about. Do it. I dare you. Make something with all that fire and passion about the things you love. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

[waywardsculs-a2]

This place is a ℂ𝕀ℝℂ𝕌𝕊,

you just see the surface They cover shit under the rug

You can't see they're 𝔽𝔸𝕂𝕀ℕ𝔾,

they'll never be naked

Just fill your drink with tonic gin,

this is the American dream

Hey yo what's up you filthy fucking sinners welcome to my little multimuse blog for Vivziepop's HAZBIN HOTEL and HELLUVA BOSS , featuring characters like VELVETTE , LILITH and FIZZAROLLI .

That said, I go by Ritsu, She/Her or They/Them, 30, Australian and just generally tryna chill. You can find my rules below.

OTHER BLOGS

@constellaris ( multifandom multimuse, sideblog ) @harmonysheart ( robin from honkai star rail, sideblog )

AFFILIATED WITH: @bittcnneck , @hellshoard , @cxncrie , @ochtendster / @dageraadster , @sinfuldxgenerates ♥

Header & Promo Credit. || Pinned Credit. Dash Icon Credit. || Icon Template Credit. MDNI & 18+ Warning Credit. || Divider Credit.

IMPORTANT NOTE : if you ship adam with charlie, for both of us, it would be best you do not follow me if you don't intend to tag it. i'm sorry, but it makes me so vehemently uncomfortable that i just would prefer to keep my distance.

Keep the setting of the show in mind when looking to interact. Not all muses will be friendly or even remotely nice. Don't take it personally.

I'll be as canon divergent as I feel like. Let's face it, the second we take up writing a character we're making shit that ain't ever gonna be canon. Let's just have fun.

Muse ≠ Mun. Shouldn't have to say this, but I will anyway. Some muses might be assholes, but I try not to be. You're free to come talk to me any time, I'm usually just tired lmao.

I will not be following any pre-conceived relationships with OCs unless specifically discussed prior to interaction. For example, one of my OCs (Ambriel) has her main story tied to Velvette, being that she works for her, however this only applies to my Velvette. I will not push this on any others who write Velvette, and I expect the same in return.

I am very into shipping. Our muses should kiss. Bang. Fuck around. You know what it is. I'm a ship hoe and I don't care.

NSFW content may be present. I'll make sure it's tagged as #nsfw cw or #suggestive cw for easy blocking if you guys need it, but don't be surprised if it shows up from time to time. You shouldn't be, not with the nature of the show.

Mutuals only. Meaning you need to be following this blog and be followed in return from my main blog for us to count as mutuals. If you are using a hub blog, please have your blog(s) linked somewhere so I know who you are. Otherwise I block personals on sight.

Due to personal reasons, I will only ever touch on angst threads / content in general with people I feel I can trust immensely. Please do not push me for this. I may also post occasional ideas, but I will be very picky about who I explore these with.

Every ship is in its own verse and completely separate from one another. There will never be any form of infidelity occurring on this blog in any way. To expand on this, I also will not partake in any polyships or any situations where my muse has more than one romantic or sexual partner.

I never try to hide the fact that I do struggle with my mental health a lot, and I cannot stress enough that I need any and all of my partners to be understanding with it. I have been formally diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder. All of this is by no means an excuse in any way for anything, I simply hope this may help explain some of my behaviour at times.

I have a life away from Tumblr. I won't always be around to write replies or chat. That's how life is. I work, I have responsibilities, and those take priority.

I don't do passwords/pass phrases. If I follow you, it's safe to assume I've read your rules. I always do before following anyone.

I'm not here for drama. I know you see this everywhere, but I'll be real - I barely have the spoons to live lately. I just wanna vibe and enjoy a hobby, not take part in any bullshit. Leave me out of things unless it's absolutely imperative I know about something.

No art on this blog is mine unless I openly state otherwise. The usual. Let's leave it at that babes.

Ships I Will Not Write / Do Not Like

I will not be elaborating on why I dislike them or won't write them. These are simply things I've found I really don't like and, if possible, would prefer tagged so I can simply block them.

AdamsApple (Adam/Lucifer), Velmilla (Velvette/Carmilla), Charlastor/Radiobelle (Alastor/Charlie), Valentino/Angel Dust, Adam/Charlie, Valentino/Charlie

[maps-to-elsewhere]

The Last Architecture: Zorveth

Average Height: 1.8 – 2.1 m / 6’ – 7’ (at shoulder when quadrupedal); 2.1 – 2.7 m / 7’ – 9’ (when standing bipedally)

Blood Colour: Blue, copper

Lifespan: 90 - 150 years

Skin Colours: Pale green base, with darker verdigris striations along limbs and spine.

Hair Textures: Mane: Coarse, wire-like (similar to horsehair); Body: Bare except for sensory bristles along joints

Hair Colours: Mane: Snow-white, growing streaked with blue-black in elders; Bristles: Iridescent blue.

Eye Colours: Forward pairs: Gold or amber (night vision); Rear pair: Deep violet (infrared/UV detection).

Population Percentage: 6%

Winged, quadrupedal beings with a beastly appearance that hides minds of frightening subtlety and cunning, Zorveth as a whole, are solitary and predatory, ranging across wide and varied territories where they subsist as ambush hunters. Creatures marked by contrasts, their most striking traits are a set of thick black horns dominated by a pair that spiral laterally on either side with at least two other pairs that together encase the skull in a heavy, black crown.

Behind this, a mane of unkempt, snowy hair encompasses their shoulders, chest and along the stomach while the rest of the body remains relatively hairless, with pale, green skin that contrasts with both hair and horns, emphasising the musculature of their lean bodies. A four-metre-long tail trails behind them, sporting a metre-long blade of articulated bone which can be locked into place and lashed like a whip, and although they often walk on all fours, Zorveth possess clawed, prehensile hands similar to humanoids.

The Zorveth’s face is dominated by a tough, bony plate, with strangely serene features, this smooth, mask-like facade pierced by three pairs of eyes, two forward-facing and the third set further back. Olfactory organs are nearly hidden amongst a set of finger-like mandibles which fold together neatly, and feed the contents of their meals back into a circular gullet ringed with cutting, crushing teeth.

Surprisingly, this arrangement is quite dextrous, enabling them the full range of spoken word enjoyed by more bipedal races, of which they are not shy in putting to use above both claw and fang, being naturally inclined toward the philosophical and artistic. An example of diplomacy can be found in Graven, whom Zorveth hold a deep affiliation for teaching them language, often forming something like a family bond with certain individuals or clans which is then passed down to their own offspring.

This association, in the role of guardians and war hounds, is likely what has contributed to a rich oral history, passed down from parent to child and embellished between adults in elaborate rituals of congregation and mating. To that end, Zorveth are oviparous, laying small clutches which are buried in graven forge-hearths within male settlements to incubate while the adults travel with graven females.

[another-dr-another]

INTERMISSION

A guide to Before the Big Bang

Another Danganronpa Another has no affiliation with LINUJ, and is a stand-alone fan-made work which is unconnected to any other works inspired by LINUJ’s projects.

CONTENT WARNING

Before the Big Bang repeatedly discusses: child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, child labor, and parental death. Suicide, gaslighting, toxic dynamics, ableism, classism, homophobia, and transphobia are present in the story. Substances (drugs, alcohol), religious abuse, and (attempted) child murder are mentioned, but not depicted. The game begins with a scene depicting Before the Big Bang being “booted up”, and struggles with dissociation, depersonalization, and derealization are portrayed; readers who struggle with unreality are advised to exercise caution

IN-UNIVERSE

Another Danganronpa Another: Before the Big Bang! is the first “installment” in the Gods Will duology, the Sun Side of the two games. A scrapped first draft of Danganronpa Another ~ Another Despair Academy, upon trying to launch the completed game… this is all the computer would run. Contains the same characters, with the same names and talents- but it will quickly become clear this is the most they have in common. Class 79-B was set to start their first year at Hopes Peak Academy, but have now found themselves participating in a game of mutual killing. We follow Maeda Yuki as he tries to navigate gifting his classmates during their free time events, keeping the conversation on track during class trials, and ignoring his constant creeping feeling that there’s something he’s missing. 

OUT-OF-UNIVERSE

Before the Big Bang is an AU of Danganronpa Another started on August 23rd, 2019. Colloquially referred to as “Beta AU” after a Danganronpa Distrust AU I was writing in 2018, Another Danganronpa Another deals with the mirrored reflections of the DRA cast- different personalities and behaviors, but something at the core of the character that rings true to their original writing. The original account was deleted in April of 2020, but quickly remade, and while most original posts were lost to the ether, this was handled… by rewriting what had been deleted at a speed of four posts/day. “Rewrite 23” is the tag used for posts which have been rewritten since that happened, so if one post suddenly seems to be a bit more polished than the posts before/after it, check to see if it’s tagged with that- it’s possible it’s a higher quality because it’s more recent!

MECHANICS

At the end of most posts, you’ll be given {two or more} {options} which you can pick between. If no asks are sent in, one of Maeda’s classmates will take matters into their own hands, and make the choice for Maeda. If multiple asks are sent in, majority rules- in the case of an even split, the ask that was sent first takes precedence. Occasionally, you’ll be given the option to freely roam the school, instead of being given options.

As this is a Tumblr ask blog, and not a coded video game, there’s a person reading your asks! So long as I can see what your intent is, I’ll do my best to follow along within the parameters of the game. This applies to both free roam, and to asks selecting options. Maeda may not go for your exact suggestion, but, for example- if it’s time for Free Time Events, and an ask is sent saying “we should go throw hands with Tsu. or we could give him item 104 ig”, Maeda will go spend his FTE opportunity with Tsurugi, and will give him Item #104. Don’t worry about needing to be formal!

HOW-TO

Following the “Start” link below will allow you to read every post, in chronological order. Visiting the Chapter Chrono page (through the “Exit” link) will allow you to read posts in chronological order, starting at the specific chapter you choose. Every post is tagged with “dra”, which is used to read through every post chronologically. A similar format is used to read chapters chronologically, however, these links aren’t currently fully functional. Eventually, you’ll be able to read specifically daily/deadly lifes in chronological order, however, posts from the first two chapters aren’t tagged properly for this. Re-tagging is a work in progress, but chapters as a whole can still be read individually, and the daily/deadly life specific tags are in place for Chapter 3.

Especially beginning in the third chapter, posts can be lengthy, and the work is extensive- though an official word count is currently unavailable, an example: the third chapter's investigation was 36 posts, and over 95k words. Those with the free time to spend a few hours a day to spend on reading can generally get through beta in ~five days. For those who aren’t looking for that sort of undertaking, the current recommendation (as of August 2024, during the third trial) is to use the “Replay” link below, read up until the final introduction, then utilize the Chapter Chrono page (through the “Exit” link), and either begin reading at the start of the third chapter, or the start of the third deadly life. Visiting the Synopsis Page (through the “Exit” link) will provide you with summaries of what happened on different days of the killing game, to catch you up on what you’re missing- without having to read through everything immediately.

LINKS

Tumblr hates showing the extra pages on this blog.

E-Handbook is a navigational page. Meant to model the E-Handbooks in Danganronpa games, this page contains the following.

“Class 79-B” is a navigational page which contains profiles on each of the students. These pages should contain synopses of any completed free time events, but this is a work in progress. “Items” is a page listing how many Monocoins Maeda currently has, the things he’s won from the Mono-machine, and other things he’s received. “School Rules” is a list of the school rules the students must abide by. “Truth Bullets” is a page only available during the deadly life segment. It has descriptions of any truth bullets Maeda has, and links back to the post he got them in.

Exit is a navigational page, which contains bonus pages that don’t align with the E-handbook.

“Help” contains a list of any notes/explanations which are given during the game. Primarily, this consists of trial mechanics. “Synopsis” is a page which summarizes what’s happened so far in the game, breaking it down on a day by day basis. “Account Info” contains a more detailed explanation of the AU, links to other relevant blogs, and contains some other miscellaneous details. “Chapter Chrono” allows readers to revisit specific chapters, and view their posts in chronological order.

Replay allows readers to read the entirety of Before the Big Bang from the first post.

QUESTIONS

Please send any questions to @another-dra-anew! Asks which are unrelated to the ongoing story, but get sent here, will be answered and kept up for a week, before being reblogged to Anew, and deleted from this account.