#additional commentary added by our host

[silmarillionwritersguild]

The SWG Hosts Tolkien Fanworks

Fandom creators may be looking for alternative and additional archives, in light of the multiple critiques currently being made of the OTW and AO3.

This is not intended as commentary on the many issues raised about the OTW and AO3 in recent weeks, although an unofficial position of our organization (as a small archive) has always been that it is ideal to archive your fanworks across multiple sites, and multiple options for archiving should exist. Rather, this post will provide information about who we are and the fanworks we accept so that Tolkien fanworks creators can decide if our archive is a viable option for them.

What is the SWG?

The Silmarillion Writers' Guild was founded in 2005 by @dawnfelagund, and our archive opened in 2007. Our mission is to provide an online archive and community for anyone interested in The Silmarillion that values civility and openness in discussing and making fanworks about Tolkien's legendarium. You can read the SWG's complete mission here.

We currently archive just over 5,000 fanworks by 414 creators. In addition, we offer monthly creative challenges, publish a weekly newsletter that features research by our members, maintain a reference library and beta-reader directory, compile a listing of Tolkien fandom events, and host events such as live readings, fanfiction book clubs, and collaborative creative sessions on our Discord.

What fanworks does the SWG accept?

The SWG is an archive for Silmarillion-based fanworks. We try to define the term "Silmarillion-based" as broadly and inclusively as possible so that we can welcome as many fanworks on our site as possible while maintaining our purpose as a Silmarillion group. Significant use of a source, character or character group, location, or time period featured in The Silmarillion, as long as it is not also covered in detail in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, qualifies a work for our site. Our detailed FAQ on how we define "Silmworks" can be found here.

We accept crossover, alternate universe (AU), and multi-age fanworks, as long as a significant component meets the "Silm fanwork" definition above.

Non-Silmarillion Tolkien Fanworks. We recently added a section to our site called Beyond the Silmarillion, which accepts all fanworks based on Tolkien's writings or Tolkien-based adaptations (films, shows, games, etc.) SWG members become eligible to post in this section once they have archived five fanworks or 10,000 words with us, whichever comes first.

Types of Fanwork We Archive. The SWG currently accepts the following types of fanwork: writing (fiction, nonfiction, plays/screenplays, and poetry), artwork, audio, video, link collections, playlists, series, and multimedia fanworks that include two or more of the formats above. If you need to archive a fanwork that doesn't match any of the above, the site moderators will help you archive your work with us, if it's possible to do so. With the exception of video, we host all fanworks on our server. (Videos must be posted to a video hosting site.)

Ratings and Adult Content. We accept all ratings of fanwork. The only adult-rated fanworks we cannot accept are images or videos that include "graphic depictions of sexual activity, sexualized nudity, and any representation of an underage character in a sexual situation" because these fanworks violate the Terms of Service of our webhost.

AI-Generated Fanworks. We do not accept fanworks entirely or partially produced through prompting an AI generator. Our AI policy can be found here.

What are the conduct expectations for SWG members?

Simply put, the SWG "is a positive-focused, open-minded space." We require civility in all interactions conducted on our archive and affiliated social sites. The SWG is a moderated site and community, so we do hold our members to our expectations. You can read our complete Site Etiquette and Terms of Service here.

How is the SWG governed?

The SWG was founded and is currently run by Dawn Felagund, assisted by a team of moderators. Active moderators are Russandol, Grundy, Lyra, Saelind, and Janeways; they make the ultimate decisions concerning the archive. Other volunteers aid other tasks needed to run the site and community and may contribute to decision-making as well.

The SWG is not a democracy in that we do not hold formal elections and there are certain aspects of our mission that we are unwilling to change, even under majority preference. However, we consider member feedback as part of our decision-making process whenever possible—especially with regard to decisions on controversial or impactful issues—and some of the policies and features we've implemented over the years have come about by member request.

Members who need assistance, have a concern, or wish to make a suggestion can contact the moderators directly or use the #town-hall channel in the SWG's Discord.

We aim (and are generally able) to reply to all communications from members within twenty-four hours.

Because we are a small organization with relatively few decision makers, we can generally implement change relatively quickly. Our recent AI policy offers a good example of how governance in our group works. The issue of AI-generated fanworks was raised in a discussion among the site and Discord moderators on May 5. In this discussion, the moderators shared information and came to a consensus on how they wanted AI-generated fanworks handled on the SWG. Dawn drafted an AI policy, which was put before the other moderators for feedback on May 9. By May 13, the site admins had researched and implemented a block on AI scraper bots using all known strategies. Also on May 13, the AI policy was opened for public comment through May 26, during which time members and other interested parties shared suggestions via email with the moderators and in discussion in the #town-hall channel on Discord. During this time, the draft policy was revised twice using those suggestions. On May 28, the finalized policy was announced on the SWG's site and social networks, and relevant documents on the site were updated to reflect and link to the new policy.

How does the SWG handle racism and other attacks on groups that have been historically marginalized in fandom and beyond?

As stated in our Site Etiquette, as an organization, we recognize that fandom and the Tolkien fandom specifically has historically been and continues to be hostile to and dismissive of fans from marginalized groups, including fans who are Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); women; LGBTQIA+; and fans with disabilities. We believe strongly that, as a fandom organization that has benefited from the status quo, we must also be part of the solution to ensure that these inequities do not persist.

Specific solutions we have implemented on our group include:

Our Site Etiquette and Terms of Service strictly forbids "[a]ttacks on other members based on personal characteristics (such as race, color, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, sexuality, gender identity or expression, disability, or medical condition)" and states that "[a]busive or derogatory behavior will not be tolerated at any time or in any part of the SWG. We do not welcome or allow any content in our group that is designed to be hurtful or insulting." While we generally observe a three-strike policy for rule violations, "[i]f moderators feel that someone is acting deliberately to harm SWG and/or its members … we reserve the right to suspend that person's account without prior warning." Our hope with this policy is to allow members who mess up the opportunity to improve while also having the ability to remove bad actors immediately.

We currently require fanworks on our site to be correctly labeled with warnings, including fanworks that include "in-universe intolerance," such as racism, homophobia, and misogyny. Creators have the option of labeling a fanwork as "Choose Not to Warn" if they do not want to label their fanwork. Our ratings and warnings policy is here.

We maintain an inclusivity focus group that we consult on policies and issues related to inclusivity or that may have a disproportionate impact on some groups of fans. Any SWG member who is part of a group historically marginalized in fandom is welcome to join this focus group and participate when and how they feel comfortable. Any member can request the input of the inclusivity focus group on a moderator decision.

If I want to archive my work with you, what is the best way to do this?

First, review the Site Etiquette and Terms of Service, and if you believe our group is a good fit for you and your work, register for an SWG account.

A moderator will approve your account before you can begin posting or commenting on the site. We aim to approve new accounts within twenty-four hours of registration; typically, it takes much less time than that to be approved.

Once you are approved, you can begin posting your fanworks! We do ask that new members who are archiving many older works with us to backdate these fanworks and exclude them from the Most Recent list to allow creators posting new work to have that spotlight.

Questions on how to use the site, SWG policies, or how best to archive past works with us are welcome via the site's contact form, by emailing the moderators at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org, or reaching out to the mods via any of the SWG's social media.

[kaidanworkshop]

Now Announcing The Kaidan Workshop!

What is The Kaidan Workshop?

The Workshop is a community-led project that aims to preserve and build upon the Original LivTempleton Kaidan and Kaidan 2 mods.

Who is working on Kaidan Workshop? Our staff is entirely made up of volunteers from the Skyrim community, and we welcome all levels of participation; from those who simply have a suggestion, to those who have technical and/or artistic expertise.

What will be included in Kaidan Workshop? Kaidan Workshop's content can be easily broken down into three categories; revoice, custom follower interactions, and new content:

Revoice is geared towards re-recording the entire original script from the Kaidan 2 mod, in an effort to integrate missing dialogue from the original Kaidan mod; these will be re-recorded by a new VA and added into the base mod as a new voice type for the character.

Custom Follower Interaction is fairly self-explanatory; this aspect of the Kaidan Project is all about working with other custom follower creators in the Skyrim community to write and produce new interactions and dialogue between Kaidan and their characters. Once permissions have been granted, we will allow the general community to offer input to the writing staff. However, we respect the right of the original content creators to have the final say in the interpretation of their characters and the final script.

New Content revolves around expanding Kaidan’s backstory and his commentary regarding quests, as well as quality of life additions. This is the portion of the project that will see the most community input and engagement; we host periodic Workshop sessions (on our discord) that serve as a forum for members of the Workshop to brainstorm and discuss new ideas for new scripts and quests, as well as for the staff to ask for input on current projects. As these scripts are developed, Workshop Contributors will be able to view the full finalized scripts before they are sent off to our VA for recording; Workshop Spectators, however, will only be able to view a synopsis or small excerpt of the finalized script.

How can I join in? You can join Kaidan's Workshop by joining our discord server.

Who will be the new voice of Kaidan?

Currently, we are in the midst of a casting call for our new VA. While Paul Warren (VA of Kaidan in the Caryalind patch) is still being considered, we wanted to afford an opportunity for more community members to suggest other accents and voice types. Our casting call ends March 14th, 2023, 11:59 PM CST.

Where else can I support Kaidan Workshop? Disclaimer: All donations through Ko-Fi and Paypal are for direct use to pay our new Kaidan VA.

Ko-Fi Discord Paypal

[eschergirls]

Hi everybody!

It's a new month, so that means it's time to thank our supporters of Patreon and to give a monthly update on the site!

First, The Patreon issues I mentioned last month I think are now resolved, so hopefully that means there's no longer any issues.  If you are having any issues with subscribing to Escher Girls on Patreon, please let me know!

The big news this month is I've restored several posts to the Escher Girls archives that I think people would be interested in, especially if you haven't seen them before.  The coolest one is this old redraw by Ghostarin/Cloudarin of a Star Wars comic cover.  What's really cool is they did 4 different versions of the poses to show different ways you could position the characters to make the action make sense.  As part of the restoration, I've also added additional commentary because I've had more time to appreciate just *how good* their ideas for alternative poses were. 

As well, I've restored all three posts of X-Blades/Blades of Time, and consolidated the series into one tag. Previously, each post was actually filled under different tags: X-Blades, X Blades, and Blades of Time, now they're all under X-Blades (which is also labeled Blades of Time so searching for either title brings you to the same place).  The three restored posts are here: 1, 2, 3.  One of the posts doesn't seem to actually exist on Tumblr anymore, possibly because Tumblr thought it was too adult, or the original submitter deleted their blog and this was when I was still using the Tumblr default autopost for submissions. 

On that note, I'm still working on unflagging posts on Tumblr, in most cases it seems to only add a mature flag to posts, but in others the posts seem to just be missing (or the tags seem to be empty if there's a flagged post).  If you experience any issues on Tumblr with missing content or empty tags, please let me know!  I'd like to appeal everything I can or just fix anything I'm able to.

That some posts just vanish from Tumblr is one of the reasons why I decided to self-host and why I appreciate any support I get because it helps me to keep the site independent and keep the archive as something I control.

Also, as a reminder, you can follow Escher Girls using RSS. (For newbies, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is basically a feed you can read using an RSS reader. Simply copy and paste https://eschergirls.com/rss.xml into an RSS reader and it will keep you up to date on Escher Girls!)

If you have any suggestions for upgrades to the site that would make it more readable and usable to you, please let me know!  Especially if there's a particular commenting service or style you'd like us to use since i know the interaction is part of the fun, and I don't know how many people use Disqus anymore.

And now, I want to give a huge thank you to our August Patreon supporters:

So thank you so much to:

Anne Adler Cat Mara CheerfulOptimistic Chris McKenzie Em Bardon First Time Trek Greg Sepelak Ian Cameron Ken Trosaurus Kevin Carson Kim Wincen Kristoffer Illern Holmén Leak Manuel Dalton Mary Kuhner Max Schwarz Michael Mazur Michael Norton Miriam Pody Morgan McEvoy mors_d randomisedmongoose Rebecca Breu Ringoko Ryan Gerber Sam Mikes Sean Sea SnigePippi SpecialRandomCast Thomas Thomas Key

Oh, and there's also *one more post* I restored, which I decided to save for the upcoming 12th anniversary post of Escher Girls next Monday.  It is definitely something people will want to see, so hopefully you all enjoy it!

And again, I want to thank everybody for reading, interacting, commenting, and submitting things to the site because you're why Escher Girls continues to exist into it's 12th anniversary! :D

Thank you all so much,

Ami

(If you wish to support Escher Girls, you can subscribe to our Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ami_angelwings or donate through Ko-Fi at: https://ko-fi.com/amiangelwings.)

[lgcmanager]

TEAM UNKNOWN 004

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 2 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

on APRIL 8, the following trainees were called to a meeting with KIM HYUNCHEOL, SEO YOUNGJAE, and JANG INSUNG.

BAE NATHAN ( @lgcnathan )

CARTER JAEJIN ( @lgcjaejin )

CHO ISEUL ( @iseullgc )

CHOI JUNKYU ( @lgcjunkyu )

KANG MINJUN ( @lgcmjun )

KANG YOOJOON ( @lgcyoojoon )

KIM SEYOON ( @seyoonlgc )

KWON HYUNTAE ( @hyuntaelgc )

( important note: the trainees selected will be participating in TRAINEE MISSION 017, but they will be skipping out on one of the writing requirements to focus primarily on this. if you do not want to participate in this, please send a message to the main before APRIL 20, 2024 11:59PM EDT. if you choose your muse to be excluded from this for whatever reason, you can do all of the writing requirements for the trainee mission. )

after the greetings, HYUNCHEOL begins by telling them the purpose of the meeting, “some of you may have been aware of heard of ‘TEAM UNKNOWN’ before and we’ve gathered all of you here for that. the outcome and process may seem unknown to all of you, but we have some long-term plans in store.”

GROUP EVALUATION

“with the help of our two coaches here,” HYUNCHEOL points towards YOUNGJAE and INSUNG. “all of you will be focusing on your performance skills for the first half in preparation for your GROUP EVALUATION. the coaches will hand you the necessary information pertaining to this evaluation.”

in the files, these are the three songs that the trainees will have to learn and prepare:

BEAUTIFUL PAIN - BTOB 

CAN’T LET YOU GO EVEN IF I DIE - 2AM ( ACAPELLA )

MISSING YOU – BTOB

lyrics distributions for this can be found over HERE.

“for some of you that may be familiar with these songs or artists, you can safely assume that we’ve assigned you to sing BALLAD songs.” HYUNCHEOL states before letting the coaches give additional commentary. 

INSUNG chimed in proudly, “since this is my strength, all of you will be spending plenty of time with me learning how to sing and convey the emotions of the song. we expect your group performances to move us, so you will be learning quite a lot about SINGING, PERFORMANCE, and ACTING, which are the three important skills in performing those emotional ballads. for the handful of people who are lucky in those areas, we will set even higher expectations. as for our rappers, you will also be taught how to rap for two of the songs assigned to you, but will be spending the majority of your time on the skills mentioned.” YOUNGJAE added, “it also means that for one of the assigned songs, ‘CAN’T LET YOU GO EVEN IF I DIE’, everyone will be doing it in acapella. it’s a test on everyone’s skills along with your teamwork so consider it as one of your biggest challenges for this part of the evaluation.”

SPECIALTIES

near the end of the meeting, HYUNCHEOL will inform the trainees that they will be having a brief one on one meeting with YOUNGJAE or INSUNG afterwards. during this time, each trainee will be shown on the tablet screen one column with categories listed: CHARISMA ( ACTING ), ENTERTAINMENT ( HOSTING ), PERSONALITY ( VARIETY ), VISUAL ( MODELING ), CREATIVITY ( MUSIC/LYRIC COMPOSITION AND/OR CHOREOGRAPHY ). the trainee will have to rank the five categories from 1-5, with 1 being what they think they think they’re the best at and 5 being what they think they are the worst at.

ooc wise, it is advised to choose what suits your muse and that whatever your muse chooses for this will impact the course of the team unknown outcome. please submit the following form to the lgcmanager blog before APRIL 27, 2024 11:59PM EDT.

MUSE NAME ∙ TU MISSION SPECIALTIES - SPECIALTIES: ( rank from 1-5 the following skills, with 1 being what they think they’re the best at and 5 being what they think they’re the worst at; CHARISMA ( ACTING ), ENTERTAINMENT ( HOSTING ), PERSONALITY ( VARIETY ), VISUAL ( MODELING ), CREATIVITY ( MUSIC/LYRIC COMPOSITION AND/OR CHOREOGRAPHY ) )

SCHEDULES

to get a general idea of how the schedules will look like during this time, it will be as follows:

WEEK 1 ( APRIL 8 – 13 ): intensive singing lessons ( and rapping for HYUNTAE, JUNKYU, and MINJUN too ). preparation for ‘BEAUTIFUL PAIN’.

WEEK 2 ( APRIL 15-20 ): intensive performance lessons ( focusing more on being charismatic and standing out on stage, this will also overlap with WEEK 3 lesson material wise ). preparation for ‘MISSING YOU’.

WEEK 3 ( APRIL 22-27 ): intensive acting lessons ( focusing on conveying the emotional messages in performing, will also include bits of musical acting to help with becoming a better singer ). preparation for ‘CAN’T LET YOU GO EVEN IF I DIE’.

WEEK 4 ( APRIL 28- MAY 10 ): refining the details for the group evaluation performances ( includes dancing for the btob songs )

MAY 11: group evaluation performances

since this mission will have two parts, there will be no feedback on the group evaluations in the next half of the mission. instead the feedback for that will be done after Q2. in addition to this, the trainees ( specifically NATHAN, JAEJIN, JUNKYU, and MINJUN ) will be joining the NKND muses with working on their LANGUAGES. more information about that can be found in a separate post. any of the trainees not mentioned can attend the language workshops, but it is not mandatory for them.

REQUIREMENTS

GROUP EVALUATION PREP: write a 4 replies ( 2 posts per mun; minimum 8 lines ) with another team unknown trainee about anything related to/happening during the schedule above for +10 POINTS TO SINGING, PERFORMANCE, or ACTING !

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:tumission for all of the tasks. you have until MAY 4, 2024 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ TEAM UNKNOWN MISSION 004 - GROUP EVALUATION PREP: +10 ( singing, performance, or acting )  [ LINK ]

[is-solarpunk]

Solarpunk Writing Prompts #5

Here you can listen to original podcast

Here is the source of the podcast's transcript you can read below

Solarpunk Prompts - The Hackerspace

Hello world. I'm Tomasino.

This is Solarpunk Prompts, a series for writers where we discuss Solarpunk, a movement that imagines a world where technology is used for the good of the planet.

In this series we spend each episode exploring a single Solarpunk story prompt adding some commentary, some inspirations, and some considerations.

Most importantly, we consider how that story might help us to better envision a sustainable civilization.

If this is your first time here, I'd recommend checking out our introduction episode first, where we talk about what Solarpunk is, why you should care, and why this series came into being.

Let's take a look at today's prompt:

A hackerspace sits within a city still clinging to their own ways while the rest of the world changes. Activists, technologists, inventors and educators trying to show the communities around them that it's possible to live differently, while actively squabbling over whose plan is the best.

To really understand this prompt we need to unpack a few terms and ideas first. The first is the term "hacker", which comes with a bit of controversy. The term originates from MIT in the 50s and 60s. Historically a hacker, someone who is part of hacker culture, can best be thought of as a creative problem solver and tinkerer. Specifically, the act of engaging in activities such as programming or working in other media with a spirit of playfulness and exploration is termed "hacking". The term was and continues to be misused to describe people who break into computers or networks, whether ethically to work in security, or for personal gain and criminal activity. Computer specialists are still trying to reclaim the term and differentiate between true hackers and what they would call "crackers", "security hackers", or simply cyber-criminals.

In this episode, and indeed in this entire podcast, if I ever refer to hackers, hacking, or hackerspaces, I most emphatically mean that community of people who live an ethos of information sharing, cooperation, and clever, playful discovery.

In his 1984 book, "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution", Steven Levy traces the roots and development of hacker culture across three decades of its inception. He begins his book with a list of principles of the culture:

Sharing

Openness

Decentralization

Free access, to computers, information, etc

World Improvement

In our prompt we're told to envision a hackerspace. These are the playgrounds of the playful tinkerer. Hackerspaces are community-operated physical places, where hackers come together to work on their projects and to socialize. And since hackers have such a diverse set of interests those projects can vary tremendously. If you were to walk into a hackerspace it would be common to find a well lit space with many workstations, desks, and a plethora of machinery. The walls would be a hodgepodge of shelving, pegboard, mounts, lighting, white boards, and art. The shelves would be covered in books, electronics components, and computers, but also with duct tape, hand tools, drills, and textiles. They are places filled with well organized messes. Everything in its place, but also filled to the brim with everything. You may encounter someone building a community mesh network or someone building LEDs into textiles. Some hackers work exclusively in software and others never touch a computer at all. The spirit of tinkering and playful exploration infuses it all.

Lets look at some real life examples for context. Noisebridge, a hackerspace in San Francisco, teaches circuitry hacking on Mondays, a writers workshop on Tuesdays, video game development on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and hosts a sewing night every Friday. In addition to those and many other regular events, they also undertake larger efforts in groups, like monitoring the status of trees around the city, or the construction of their massive wall made from LED-lit bottles which they use to display animated artwork. Games, Fabrication, Music, Events, hackerspaces do it all.

OmniCommons in Oakland is home to nine collectives working together in a massive shared space. They offer open education programs to the public, urban farming, DIY biology labs, film and video, and a collective focused on providing free food. There's so much more they do we could spend the rest of this episode covering it.

I'll share some links to these and other hackerspaces, like Hacklab, so that you can explore their wikis to see what they do, and also a virtual tour to get a look inside.

sudo room and counter culture labs

With this vision in mind we now return to the prompt.

I've just spent the last several minutes painting you a picture of these amazing places of discovery, yet the prompt talks about the community squabbling over which plan is best. And to be honest, that's not unusual activity for a hackerspace, either. This is a convergence of highly motivated people who excel at and enjoy breaking things down to see how they work. They spend their free time putting things together in interesting ways. Opinions are really not hard to find.

As writers what's difficult is to place ourselves mentally and emotionally into each of these characters and fully embody their passions. These are not like the path seeker from our previous prompt. They aren't looking for their calling, they've found it. What will create conflict between them isn't the goal, but the means.

One difficulty will in capturing the different flavors of these shared values to keep your characters unique and avoid painting them all with the same brush. It may be helpful to revisit a list of character archetypes first. With that in mind, you can turn and aim them back at the shared problems, Let their values and hacker ethics pull them together, and exploit their core differences for the squabbling drama.

Another option is to consider a community like OmniCommons, one which houses several collectives. Each will have their own focus, and want to push that method.

The biggest difference in this setting vs a singular system, like the library we discussed before, is that these people-- activists, technologists, inventors and educators-- are already parts of different communities. They'll be here to meet and interface. But they'll be focused on which is the best way to go forward.

These interactions within groups and between groups will bring new angles for social situations. It's not just individuals who are bickering, but clubs, workshops, educational institutions, and maybe even outside groups.

Of all the prompts we've discussed so far, this one is probably the easiest to use in a present day setting. The recipe for everything is here already. The world is moving on and this community wants to show everyone that it's possible to live differently, while they struggle internally, not with deception or intrigue, but with the politics of a group who all wants whats best, and simply can't agree on where to start.

They know that they are a movement making a world where technology is used for the good of the planet. Surely others will see that too, right? If only they can decide how.

I'll caution you here to remember our Solarpunk guidelines:

The "Community as Protagonist" means that whichever way your story goes, and whatever the community decides to do, it's the process that matters.

The defining characteristic of a hacker is not the activities performed themselves, but how it is done and whether it is exciting and meaningful.

When we say "infrastructure is sexy, but there are no simple solutions," this is the essence of what we mean. That solar powered, vertical farming, robot harvester didn't just show up one day. There was sweat and tears, but perseverance and shared values make for a resilient culture.

And finally, don't lose sight that this is all about the human/environmental context. This hackerspace is there to save the world by showing everyone else how to live in balance with it, and how technology can help.

Now, if I've done my job right you're probably sitting there thinking about how cool hackerspaces sound, and wondering whether there's one near you. I'd start by checking out hackerspaces.org. They keep a very up-to-date list of locations all around the globe. Once you find something nearby, check out their website to find out what they're into, and then join them for an open meeting. Most hackerspaces have a regular meeting that's open to the public where you can meet other hackers and try things out. If you're ever in Iceland, come check out ours in Reykjavík.

Thanks for joining me. I'll talk to you soon on the next Solarpunk Prompt.

Music in this recording is "astrobotany" by yourdiscovery from Global Pattern's compilation Solarpunk: A Brighter Perspective

[practicalsolutions]

I swear a lot of this boils down to TV vs internet. Seriously.

Used to be that everyone got their info from cable news. As businesses, these news stations need revenue. They get it from ads. The more people watch, the more valuable the ad slots are. The more sensational the news, the more people watch. Almost every major station is classed as entertainment instead of news to avoid defamation suits. Fox news even sued to be able to lie. Unfortunately for us, the most lucrative export is paranoia, rage, and fear.

But the internet was growing. Now you could meet and talk to people all over the without needing to leave your house. User-created content on sites like youtube took off. Freelance or civilian journalism and commentary could have reach without needing to be rich or well connected. People were slowly tuning out of mainstream television news. Who needed them? Why sit and watch when you could interact with a living, breathing digital world.

Cable news tried to adapt to the internet, establishing and growing their websites and hosting more content. Creating paywalls and subscriptions. Hell, now it was the NEWS buying the ads on the internet, hoping to attract traffic. Conversely, user generated content started being smothered by corporate things. Youtube was no longer a place to broadcast yourself. Social media algorithms that fuel addition so you keep giving them clicks and they can keep selling your metadata. You are not the customer. You are the product. You are in a digital human farm. You are in the matrix. Again, the drive for influence and greed transformed the internet into a place to sell you things at great risk to your well-being. The news turned into the internet and the internet turned into TV. It is an all out war for influence, to have the final say, and the noise is driving people mad.

I’m obviously biased in favor of the internet. I tuned out years ago, and genuinely think that people would be much happier if they did too, or at least know when to look away for a bit and ground themselves. Easier said than done, I know. The internet has become predatory, and I have not figured out how to recognize when to step away. I miss the old internet. I’m hoping that people get tired of the emotional manipulation and reject the conventions of the corporate sanitized web. I can hope but I am not holding my breath. Maybe it’s doomed. Maybe it’s just our nature. Every good thing created by the human race will eventually be used to harm it.

[floorinsite]

NEW STAIR EDGINGS & FLOOR TRIMS CATALOGUE FROM GRADUS

Gradus is delighted to announce the launch of a new 2024 edition of its popular Stair Edgings & Floor Trims catalogue.

Adam Hill, Product Marketing Manager at Gradus, comments: “In commercial environments, stairs are one of the most important aspects to get right, as a correctly specified solution will help to reduce slips, trips and falls. 

“Our new Stair Edgings & Floor Trims catalogue provides a comprehensive guide to Gradus’ wide choice of accessories for stairs and floors, with content that combines safety, performance, and aesthetics. It features several new products, useful specification information and easy to digest commentary of key extracts from relevant guidelines and regulations. 

“This all-in-one guide has proven to be an essential tool for specifiers, architects, contractors and our distribution network when it comes to product selection, and this latest version is no exception.”

What’s new?

Gradus’ new XT Bronze stair edgings comprises a stunning collection of 14 profiles offered in Polished Bronze or Satin Bronze channel finishes, with configurations to suit various floorcoverings and step shapes. 

The existing XT Aluminium stair edgings range has also been upgraded with the introduction of six premium channel finishes. A new metal castellated insert option is now also available in nine finishes, which can be combined with any XT Bronze or XT Aluminium profile, allowing specifiers to either match the channel and insert finishes or select contrasting options to create a unique look. 

In addition, a selection of new Interior, Xtra-grip & Xtra-grip Plus insert colours are offered across selected ranges, delivering a comprehensive range for all environments and specification challenges.

The catalogue also includes seven new wide channel Traditional Aluminium stair edgings, ideal for stairs with a large going or where heavy traffic is expected.  

Gradus haven’t stopped at just the stair edgings. The Luxury Trim System has also been updated, adding a new Satin Bronze finish, meaning five of the seven opulent finishes in this range can now be matched with the equivalent XT Bronze & XT Aluminium stair edging finishes, for a consistent look throughout a project.

Other updates to the range include a new RNRC551 PVC-u Hardnose stair edging profile, an additional profile length of 2.715m for selected Multi-Purpose Trims which is designed to minimise wastage when using at door thresholds, and a host of fresh Internal & External Corner decorative trims.

As with all Gradus catalogues, the profiles are detailed alongside colour availability. Guidance is provided across all products, with information on LRVs included for easy reference. 

To request a printed copy of the new Gradus Stair Edgings & Floor Trims catalogue, call Gradus Technical Support on 01625 428922, or contact your local Gradus sales representative. Alternatively, a digital version is available at www.gradus.com

[talesofloreandlegend]

The Rhymer's Tale

SERIES · I EPISODE ·I

Storyteller: Rick Scott Host: Sebastian Odell

Now I’ll tell you a tale of a Britain that is almost gone; a Britain of stone circles, and barrow hills, of giant’s graves and fairy rings. The Britain of the Beltane fires, the greenwood, the enchanted isle. The Britain of the sidhe; the fae; The Hidden People; the people of the barrows; the lordly ones; the good people; the woodkind; the fair folk; the story folk. Of grimms, boggarts, bogles and imps, of goblins and pucks, dwarfs and brownies and bugbears, the elf-kin, and the erl king...

The story of Thomas the Rhymer is derived from a legendary figure of the thirteenth century, whose story is recorded in a fifteenth century medieval verse poem and a series of folk ballads first collected and published in the nineteenth century. ​

Sir Thomas of Erceldoune – modern day Earlston in Berwickshire, on the Scottish border with Northumberland – is recorded in medieval charters from the thirteenth century which mention his name as ‘Thome Rymour de Ercildoun’. There are five medieval manuscripts containing the romance poem about his encounter with the Elf Queen in full or in fragments. The popular ballad of True Thomas tells the same story, and is listed as number 37 in the Child Ballads collection. There are many versions, the first of which were collected and published in the early 1800s. Additional stories and folklore about Thomas can be found in accounts of Scots historians, including various prophetic verses attributed to him and said to have been proven true by future events.

The story is set around the Eildon Hills in Melrose, Berwickshire, which has been occupied since the Bronze Age and was the site of a Roman hill fort in the first century AD. Archaeological evidence suggests the site may have been considered holy since prehistoric times, and the legend of True Thomas is intimately associated with beliefs that Eildon was a ‘hollow hill’ and possible entrance to the faery world. It is also associated with another figure prominent in Scots folklore, the medieval scholar and reputed magician Michael Scot, who was said to have used his magic to cleft the peak into three pieces.

Our own version of this tale is derived from readings of the romance poem, different versions of the ballad, and later versions presented by folklorists which translated the poem, the ballad and other fragments of folklore about Thomas into a prose story.

Our tale also uses the device of cante fable, the practise of ocassionally interjecting verse into the narrative. Our cante fable verses have been adapted from the poem and the ballads and re-worked to fit into our interpretation of Thomas’ journey. For this series of Lore & Legend, the ballad verses play a key roll as a framing device, a larger tale which functions as a container or a chorus for the other stories in this series. As Thomas follows the Queen into Elf land, she relates to him tales about others who have become entangled with the Other world and it’s denizens. Our verses are largely drawn from or inspired by this edition of the romance poem, and versions of the True Thomas ballad as collected by Frances James Child, interpreted by Walter Scot, and sung by Andrew Calhoun among others.

The identification of the mystical tree on Eildon Hill as an Elder tree (rather than the more common idea that it was a Hawthorne) and the mention of elderberry wine is inspired by commentary on an article on the subject by historian Lee Ray, as is our portrayal of Thomas as something of a drunk and vagabond before his encounter with the Elf Queen.

SOURCE MATERIAL

Medieval Romance Thomas, the Rhymer, 1220?-1297?; Murray, James Augustus Henry, Sir, 1837-1915 The romance and prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune : printed from five manuscripts, with illustrations from the prophetic literature of the 15th and 16th centuries, Published 1875

Songs & Ballads

“Thomas Rymer, no. 37”, Child’s Collected Ballads by Francis James Child

“Thomas the Rhymer and the Queen of Elfland” in Jamieson, Robert, 1780?-1844, Popular ballads and songs, from tradition, manuscripts, and scarce editions; with translations of similar pieces from the ancient Danish language, and a few originals by the editor, Volume 2, Published 1806

“Thomas the Rhymer” in Scott, Walter, Sir, 1771-1832, Minstrelsy of the Scottish border; consisting of historical and romantic ballads, Volume 2, Published 1802

“Thomas the Rhymer/True Thomas” on Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music

Research Sources

“Thomas the Rhymer.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30 May. 2019. Web. 28 Jun. 2019.

“Eildon Hill.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 22 Mar. 2019. Web. 28 Jun. 2019.

“Erceldoune, Thomas of” by Henry Richard Tedder, Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 17 Lee Raye, “The Eildon Tree in ‘The Romance of Thomas of Erceldoune’ (Thomas the Rhymer)”, Natural History Blog, Wordpress, Posted on May 18, 2014 “Thomas the Rhymer, Melrose” on The Fiary Folklorist, Posted Tuesday, 14 June 2011 ​

[chanoyu-to-wa]

An Addition to a Previous Post (1/21).

Dear Followers and Readers,

     Several weeks ago, I mentioned that I came across some notes recording a conversation that I had with Kanshū oshō-sama, regarding the way to seal, and cut open, the sa-tsū-bako [茶通箱].  His explanation was very different than what is found in Book Seven of the Nampō Roku (which is why I made a note of it).  Unfortunately, when someone borrowed my copy of Shibayama Fugen’s commentary a number of years ago (to make a photocopy of the set), all of my notes were removed and simply put inside the covers when the books were returned.  I thought I had restored them all to their original places, but apparently that was not the case, and I came upon this note recently when reading through the appendix listing the sizes of various things at the end of the third book of the set.  After finally being able to confirm that I have not discussed this elsewhere in this blog, I decided that the best thing to do was to add the information, as an appendix, to the third of the three posts* that make up the translation and discussion of entry 29, which is primarily focused on the sa-tsū-bako.

    To my introductory comments on post 29c, I added:

[...] I would like to include some additional material that has an impact on our understanding of the raison d'être of entry 29, viz. the way to seal the sa-tsū-bako with a paper tape, and the way that tape is to be cut open at the beginning of the goza. These details were conveyed to me by Kanshū oshō-sama, and are not found in any published account or commentary.  His explanation will be presented in an appendix that I will attach to the end of this post.

     The appendix is as follows:

❖ Appendix:  Kanshū Oshō-sama’s Explanation of an Alternative Way to Seal, and Cut Open, the Sa-tsū-bako.

    According to what Kanshū oshō-sama related to me, it appears that the way the sealing of the sa-tsū-bako is described in entry 29 of the Nampō Roku is flawed (at least if the idea was to protect the integrity of the tea, as well as physically preserve it from degradation).  Pasting a strip of tape around the box (or, even more, encircling the box with a piece of tape that is pasted together only at the point where the ends overlap) can hardly be said to offer anything more than token security -- and, indeed, it would not require three cuts of a knife (or even one, truth be told) to open.

    Beginning when matcha came to be sold commercially in generic containers (such as tin-cans), the seal was effected by pasting a tape around the entire circumference of the can over the point where the lid joined the body.  This practice has continued to be observed into modern times by certain traditional tea merchants¹³, and is said to have been based on how the wooden box in which the tea was sent to the customer (i.e., a sa-tsū-bako [茶通箱], though here we are talking about a commercial product) was prepared for dispatch to the customer¹⁴.

    The traditional way of sealing the sa-tsū-bako, then, was for the tape to be pasted horizontally, so that it covered the place where the lid matched the body, as shown below.

    The sealed sa-tsū-bako was displayed in the tearoom during the shoza (either in the toko, or on the tana)¹⁵.  At the beginning of the goza, as the first step in the koicha-temae, the host would cut open the sa-tsū-bako, using a small knife (that was usually displayed on the tana beside the box).

    First, the host made two cuts, as shown below.

    Then the sa-tsū-bako was passed around so that the guests could inspect the box and the still-intact name-seal¹⁶.  After it was returned, the host took up the knife again and cut through the name-seal, which allowed the box to be opened.

    These three cuts of the sealing tape were referred to as fū no mi-katana　[封ノ三刀]¹⁷.

    After the box was cut open, the container of tea was taken out and placed in front of the mizusashi, and the lid of the box was then passed around (if it contained written details describing the tea that the box had contained), so that the guests could inspect that as well; after which the box was moved to the katte.

    When Hideyoshi visited someone (such as Rikyū) for chanoyu, the tea was usually tea from one of Hideyoshi’s own jars that had been ground in his palace (under the watchful eyes of his personal guards)¹⁸.  Thus, the inspection to make sure the seal had not been tempered with was always a part of the procedures.  However, since Hideyoshi objected to the knife, an alternate way of opening the box was devised:  a thread was glued to the back side of the paper tape before it was pasted over the box.  Thus, once the paste was dried, the host only had to pull on the thread to tear through the paper tape, and so open the box without need for a knife¹⁹.

    Kanshū oshō-sama had no good answer for how or why the way to paste the paper tape onto the sa-tsū-bako changed -- other than to speculate that doing so made it easier to open the box.

    In the Nambō-ate no densho [南坊宛の傳書], there is a drawing of the way the kiji-tsurube is sealed with a paper tape.  Rikyū’s drawing from that document is shown below.  (The semi-circle at the top was supposed to represent the hole in the handle of the kiji-tsurube:  the paper tape is passed through this hole, so that it can encircle the whole tsurube; the line down the front is the paper tape, while the tsurube is depicted from the side.)

    Beginning with Furuta Sōshitsu (during the time when he was supposed to be overseeing the decimation of Sakai and its incorporation into the Japanese state), a knowledge of the documents preserved in the Shū-un-an began to spread throughout the tea communities of Ōsaka and Kyōto, and efforts were made by different people to access, and copy, part of this collection.  Since these copies were usually made very quickly, they often contain errors -- and one of the most commonly seen errors is when drawings became disassociated from the text that describes them (for example, even Oribe’s copy of the above-cited densho is missing several of Rikyū's sketches, while one or two others are found in completely different places in Oribe’s copy).

    Given the similarity between Rikyū's drawing of the kiji-tsurube sealed with a paper tape (left) and the sketch of the sa-tsū-bako sealed with a paper tape from Tachibana Jitsuzan’s personal notes, shown on the right (these were the notes taken with the Shū-un-an documents spread in front of him, which he subsequently edited and recopied into the notebooks that he presented to the Enkaku-ji), it seems at least plausible that, at some point, the earlier drawing had become orphaned from its text, and was then reinterpreted as being a sketch of the latter concept, thus giving rise to the idea that the sa-tsū-bako was supposed to be sealed with a tape passed around the box the same way one was passed around the kiji-tsurube²⁰.

    The matter is complicated by the fact that Rikyū did not leave us any drawings of the way the sa-tsū-bako was supposed to be sealed²¹ (though, since this action would have been intuitive, making sketches would have been unnecessary:  indeed, the sketch of the tsurube might have been desirable, at least in his mind, precisely because the tsurube does not need to be sealed as carefully as the sa-tsū-bako).  Nevertheless, Kanshū oshō-sama’s explanation is convincing, especially in light of the Nampō Roku’s text (if we simply ignore the sketch). _________________________ ¹³Chaho [茶舗], which is a shop that sells sencha, matcha, and so forth, such as the famous house Ippodō [一保堂] (as opposed to a “teahouse”).

¹⁴This was told to me by Watanabe Kyōko-san, the owner/manager of Ippodō at that time.

¹⁵It is important to point out that, while sa-tsū-bako that hold two containers of tea are the best known today, in the sixteenth century (and continuing into the early Edo period), sa-tsū-bako were made in various sizes -- that held one, two, or three containers of tea, according to what the donor required.

    The number three was selected as the upper limit because the large tea jars traditionally were packed with three kinds of tea leaves:  hatsu-no-mukashi koicha [初昔濃茶] (produced from tea leaves picked between the 77th and 87th day of the Lunar year), ato-no-mukashi koicha [後昔濃茶] (made from leaves harvested between the 89th and 99th days of the year), and the lower quality leaves (made from an unspecified mixture of inferior leaves from both harvests) that were used as packing material (these leaves were also suitable for use as usucha [薄茶]).

    During Rikyū's period, sa-tsū-bako holding a single container of matcha seem to have been most common (the idea of storing chaire in wooden boxes arose during this time when people recycled these boxes to protect their chaire when not in use -- since specially turned hikiya [挽家] were very costly, and so out of keeping with the idea of wabi, while reusing a box intended for another purpose agreed exactly with this kind of approach), while boxes holding two containers overwhelmingly became the sa-tsu-bako of choice during the Edo period, once it became the established custom to serve both koicha and usucha, using a different variety of tea for each, during the goza.

¹⁶Originally as a security precaution (to verify that the box had not been tampered with); later usually as a sort of status symbol -- that the host was in a position to receive a gift of tea from the esteemed sender.

¹⁷The way the sa-tsū-bako was cut open is, in fact, the same way that the paper tape sealing the lid of the cha-tsubo is cut open.  This is completely logical, since both actions share a common purpose.

¹⁸Hideyoshi received the finest tea available each year.  Thus, the tea available to anyone else would necessarily have been inferior (and, more commonly than not, markedly so).

    Furthermore, since the beginning of chanoyu in Japan, in the early fifteenth century, all of the practitioners had belonged to the Ikkō-shū [一向宗], the Amidist sect of Buddhism that had been responsible for the overthrow of the Koryeo dynasty (using names that ended in -ami [-阿彌] was the way that followers of the Ikkō-shū identified themselves to each other).  While the monumental bureaucracy of the Ashikaga family had served as a sort of safeguard, to people like Nobunaga and Hideyoshi there remained a perpetual fear of revolution at the hands of the followers of the Ikkō-shū (since power, in their cases, was still wholly concentrated in a single man, so that the assassination of that single man would necessarily precipitate political change).  Unfortunately, it was impossible to have chanoyu without also granting access to his person to followers of this politically dangerous sect (while most followers of the Ikkō-shū seem to have been pacifists, there was a radicalized faction that congregated around the Ishiyama Hongan-ji [石山本願寺] in Ōsaka, which actively opposed both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, which is why both of these military men went to war against that temple -- and why, once Hideyoshi prevailed, he razed the temple and used the land as the site for his Ōsaka castle; and later attempted to dilute the power of the Ikkō-shū by moving their headquarters to Kyōto, and then dividing the temple into two, in the hopes that the factions would become antagonistic to each other).  Thus, while he deeply enjoyed chanoyu, Hideyoshi remained hyper-vigilant (to a point that bordered on paranoia) to the potential threat posed by his intimate association with the chajin of his day.

¹⁹Later, in the Edo period, more attractive (though technically less secure) methods of keeping the box closed appeared, using attractive silk ribbons attached to the box in different ways.  This is where the different styles of himo on utensil boxes originated.

²⁰The idea was to protect the water drawn at dawn from contamination.  The primary problem was that the half lids of the kiji-tsurube tend to warp (as the top side dries while the inner side continues to absorb more water vapor from within).  The paper tape will not prevent warping, but it will keep the lid from flaring upward on the outer edge, leaving a large gap through which dust could easily enter, while also keeping pressure on the lid so that the warping will be minimized. The paper tape passes through the half-circular hole in the middle of the handle (this is where a rope was passed so that a pair of tsurube could be balanced on a shoulder pole for the trip from well to mizuya -- two tsurube of water being usually enough for most days).

²¹It is certainly possible that many of Rikyū’s densho were lost over the years, though the ones that Suzuki Keiichi did inspect (which is larger than the number of examples quoted in his Sen no Rikyū zen-shū [千利休全集]) seem to have been a representative selection of his writings.  (Rikyū, as I mentioned during the translation of his densho, gives evidence of having been dyslectic.  As a result, once he managed to produce a densho, he seems to have kept a copy in his archive, and then reused the text as often as possible, only changing certain minor details so that each version appeared as if it had been written specifically for his interlocutor.  As the documents were supposed to be kept secret, there was little chance of his disciples comparing notes; as a result their thank-presents were usually quite lavish:  these gifts played an important role in Rikyū’s restoration of his personal wealth, the foundation of which had been laid by the sale of the utensils that he brought back from the continent.  As the fourth son of the family, he was basically forced to look after himself for the rest of his life, following their bankruptcy.)

     I believe this is an important addition to the post, and, even though it is very late in coming, I hope you will agree...and find the information useful.

     The next post is almost ready, and will be published on schedule tomorrow (Sunday) morning.

     Thank you all very much for your time.

Sincerely yours,

Daniel M. Burkus <daniel_burkus@yahoo.com>

_________________________

*The three posts that make up the translation and commentary of entry 29 are as follows:

￮ Nampō Roku, Book 7 (29a):  the Chabako [茶箱] and the Sa-tsū-bako [茶通箱].

29a) https://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/692506213711331328/namp%C5%8D-roku-book-7-29a-the-chabako-%E8%8C%B6%E7%AE%B1-and

￮ Nampō Roku, Book 7 (29b):  Tanaka Sensho’s Version of Entry 29, Together with the Temae Narrative Commentary from the Genpon [原本] Text.

29b) https://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/692868624771383296/namp%C5%8D-roku-book-7-29b-tanaka-sensh%C5%8Ds-version

￮ Nampō Roku, Book 7 (29c):  the Kaki-ire [書入].

29c) https://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/693140395818876928/namp%C5%8D-roku-book-7-29c-the-kaki-ire-%E6%9B%B8%E5%85%A5

    The above appendix was added to part 29c, because the other two posts are already followed by appendices of their own, so I felt that the additional material would have been too confusing to add in those contexts.

[freedomofform]

Year in review - January 2022!

2022 has been a really productive year for us! We featured a lot of it on Twitter, but you know how that goes. :P

As we were starting 2022, we were very excitedly riding a wave of all sorts of progress from 2021 - technical, talent, financial, outreach, community, and so many other great signs of growth. (And, I'm happy to say, 2022 has turned out to be even better!)

So, let's rewind and go through it together from the top! As it turns out, we post a newsletter every month, covering a lot of the things we're up to. Our January 2022 newsletter was a big one, coming to almost 6 pages.

You can read our newsletter here.

The lead article was written by yours truly. It reviewed a lot of the happenings in 2021 and commentary about our longer-term trajectory.

In reviewing 2021, I talked about how the research projects - Integument Review, Enhanced Tail, and Anatomy Re-engineering Framework (then called 3D Anatomy project) - fit into our strategy, and moreover how the Technical Roadmap project is being used to steer our research strategy. We also discussed with a lot of heavy-hitters in outreach terms: Hugh Herr, Liz Parrish, and Max More among others - people who are well positioned to influence others throughout science and perhaps even policy. These are just some of the results we've been delivering.

Looking into the future, a lot of the strategy is similar to what we've already been practicing. Research and outreach. Growing our talent base and the community. Earning additional financial growth. And, in the coming years, getting some products/services out there, and a few years further along, performing select body modifications (whether in-house or via outside partners or subsidiaries).

Other articles in the newsletter included:

A compliance update by Atha on jurisdictions we were working with in some way as of January 2022.

A preview for 2022 by yours truly again. As with any plan, we had hits and misses! Overall, we did well, especially in Integument Review, Tail Project, and Gender Resources! We've also added two fantastic new moderators and hosted many community events since January. We didn't do as well with educational lectures or presentations, or with extruding (so to speak) the Technical Roadmap from our brains into written words. (We reached some important conclusions with the Technical Roadmap, in terms of things that impact decisions, but it's still not as far along as we'd like).

Some smaller articles about recruitment for volunteer openings at the time, Atha moving to the US from the UK, and a new podcast getting released.

Introduction for a new-at-the-time volunteer, Bleddyn, team lead for the Tail Project!

The full January newsletter is on our website.

There's plenty more where that came from! On our next post, we'll review February of this year, including some more specific coverage about projects, guest interviews, and more. Stay tuned!

[mack3030]

Types of Paywall Abuse --- A post...

I think it’s time to tackle a topic that might make a few simmers uncomfortable, but we need to talk about it, because in addition to seeing a lot of people complain about it in general, I’ve also been getting some anons in my inbox talking about it. So let’s discuss this. 

Now, first of all, I would like to clarify a couple of things: 

When I speak of PAYWALLS here, I am talking about custom content that can ONLY be accessed by paying, or viewing an ad through a virus filled ad shortener link (which is just as bad).  Pure early access content, where you pay for it and get it earlier than everyone else who gets it for free IS NOT PAYWALLED CONTENT. 

This is why it is called a pay “WALL” because the wall portion indicates that you cannot access it without paying a fee/toll. 

Second of all, I would like to remind the public at large that this is not hate, it is a critical commentary. I am not going to go for these creators personally, nor do I want to. I, as a member of the community who plays the sims 4, and downloads/uses CC, would like to simply hold some of these creators accountable for actions that are unethical and unsatisfactory to the community in which they serve. That is it. No more, no less. I simply believe they CAN do better and BE better than this. 

Now, let’s get into the meat of this. 

The main type of abuse that I have focused on has been what I call Permapaywalls. 

Permapaywalls:

Content that cannot be accessed ANY other way than either paying a certain amount via patreon or another service, OR viewing a link through a virus-filled ad that puts your computer at risk. 

There are many creators who are well known permapaywall creators, with at least 80% or more of their content being locked behind these permapaywalls. Sometimes they may release a few items for free, but this is very similar to being allowed to test drive a car before buying it. It’s to entice the user/viewer into liking the brand, and then buying in.

I’m not going to delve into this too much because I’ve already expounded on this topic a bit. So let’s go further. 

The next type of abuse is what I like to call “Exclusive Loopholes”. 

Exclusive Loopholes: Creators who try to “get around” EA’s early access policy by offering a majority of their content as early access, but holding back certain items only to those who “subscribe” to their “patreon exclusive” content. 

There are some who are okay with this, thinking of this as a neat “bonus” for those who subscribe and support. However, the sims team made it clear: 

Folks who have a Patreon page are welcome to provide folks with "early access" incentives for their content but it should be made available to the general public within 2-3 weeks of it being given to folks early.

- Simguru Drake, The Sims Forum

Notice nowhere in this answer does it say anything about BONUS CC incentives. Nowhere. This is just a method that certain creators try to use to keep people from decrying them as “big bad paywall creators”. This way they can say “oh look, we do early access, we’re following EA’s rules~!” while still holding content hostage. 

If you want to offer your patreons some exclusives, here’s some ideas:  * Share pictures of your process, or work in progress content coming up.  * Allow them to have input into your process via polls and questions.  * Have an exclusive discord community just for your patreons where they can talk to you easier and share excitement and input about your content with you and each other.  * Have exclusive streams where only you and your patreons have the link to see you go live making content.  * Host a workshop on how to make CC using your process. (I see all of you who steal meshes from other sites sweating over this. ;D)  * Pause billing for a month and say “you know what, since you guys have been loyal and supported me, have a month of patreon on me!”  * Anything that honestly doesn’t involve only giving those patreons CC and not releasing it to the public. 

Let’s talk about another type, and oh my lanta, this type has had some anons messaging me ALL up in arms. I like to call this type “The Donation Disaster”.

Donation Disaster: Someone who CONSTANTLY uses the “downs” in the up/downs of life as excuses to not release content on time, or delay it while still collecting payment from patreons. Bonus “you’re a jerk” points if they then try to use those misfortunate circumstances to beg for even more money from their patreons on multiple occasions. 

Look, we all have junk that goes on in our lives. But when that junk is used as an excuse for you continually delaying content while still charging your patreons (and not using the pause feature), it makes them feel cheated.  In addition, when you then ask for donations to help you during your difficult time, and turn to your patreons instead of the support networks that are around you (ex: friends, family, religious communities, etc.), that can be VERY off-putting. You might be able to get away with it once, maybe twice, without a large chunk of your community turning against you. But the more regular it becomes, and the more they hear about how strapped for cash you are and how you’re asking them to give more than their pledge, and you’ll soon find yourself being called a scammer. Regardless of your intent, or if your problems are reality, you’ll find people’s empathy for your situation will be lacking.

I’ve had a few anons in my inbox talking about different patreon creators that always seem to have an excuse for why updates aren’t coming just yet, or why x is broken, and with their excuse comes a plea for help with bills, and a link to a paypal or venmo. 

Everyone has junk, don’t get me wrong. And it sucks to go through the junk we have in life, but if you’re reaching out to random people on the internet as your first method of support, you might need to be looking someplace else for support first before you come to the people who are already paying you for content you make. A one time “hey I’m in a bind, I need some help” donation thing might not be a bad thing, but when it becomes a constant pattern on your patreon....people aren’t going to take it well...at all. 

And last, but not least, I’d like to talk about the last kind of patreon abuse, which frankly, is really upsetting to me. I don’t even really have a name for it, because it’s literally so much of a “what?” thing in my head. I don’t even understand why it goes on.  Now, this practice involves the black/POC community, and frankly, as a white girl, I don’t feel I should be speaking over the community and what they have to say. Thankfully @xmiramira​ spoke on it, all the way back in 2019. Here’s an excerpt from her fantastic POST:

Even new creators who JUST joined the community sliding up in TBS with locs and braids talking about Patreon only. GTFOH. I’m not okay with creators doing Patreon only CC PERIOD, but my main discussion is focused on NON BLACK simmers making CC catered to US, and making it PATREON EXCLUSIVE IN AN ATTEMPT TO FORCE US TO PLEDGE, and how people are ASSUMING that I’m OKAY WITH THIS, and ASSUMING that I’m letting it FLY in my community. Just because I don’t go off about shit as frequent as I used to doesn’t mean I cannot see and I am not doing what I can to keep the fuckery OUT.“Oh but your friend has a Patreon” I don’t have an issue with what @ebonixsims is doing because it’s all early release. It gets released to the public a few weeks later. It’s not being kept behind Patreon, forcing people to pledge to her. Despite this, she’s still doing really good with it. So don’t get it twisted, I’m not on social media arguing with folks so people just assumed I’m okay with this shit, I’m really not. I’m actually two seconds off dropping Patreon share folders. (That also have my shit in it) Supporting people is one thing, but a lot of these motherfuckers are becoming extremely exploitive, and it’s aggravating. It’s like you goofy motherfuckers sit in DMs like “yeah let’s make some CC for the negros and put it on Patreon” Fuck outta here. And it’s not even just hair, it’s skins and even CLOTHING STYLES. Y’all are really wilding the hell out. African necklaces, black girl magic chains, Juicy Couture sweatsuits. Who the fuck do you think you’re fooling? IM TIRED! Next time someone asks me where I got something and it’s Patreon exclusive I’m dropping a SFS link. FUCK OUTTA HERE!

Here’s the deal. The black community has been fighting for a while to be able to feel represented in this game. Here’s two articles (ONE, TWO) talking about this issue.  But the thing that has me upset is the fact that SO many creators of content that is AIMED at Black/POC simmers are locking that content (or a good majority of it) behind paywalls. And what’s even more shameful is some of those creators are POC themselves! They understand what it’s like to feel that they cannot make themselves or have sims that look like them in this game, yet they still lock their content away and expect people not just in the SIMS community, but in the POC community to pay through the nose for it.  The fact that this is STILL going on, two freaking years after she made this post, and that both NON POC creators and POC creators are engaging in this behavior is honestly disappointing and shameful. I believe black/POC creators should be supported, BUT they should be supported without depriving their OWN community of representation and access. And frankly, if you’re a NON POC creator and you’re specifically targeting this group to make money off of them with paywalls, I have only one thing to say to you:

I’d speak on it more, but frankly, I’d rather let the people who are actually in the black/POC community speak on it, so if any of you want to let loose in the comments about this problem, go wild. I’m happy to sit back and listen, and I suggest others do the same.

[empty-movement]

Empty Movement Site Update!!

There used to be this thing, called websites. Instead of social media accounts or wikis, people built websites. It was harder. Very tedious. But a cool breeding ground for creativity. I still run mine! Very retro. :D

Here’s what you can find waiting for you!!! 

Nagumo’s translation of the 50+ page 1997 November Newtype special, Utena? (Oh My!) UTENA!, a love letter to the series by the creators, in the run up to the finale. An awesome piece of history and some gorgeous artwork.

New gallery treats, including Miki’s purchase privilege bromide from the second musical, ACTUAL ART MADE FOR ME BY ACTUAL NAGAHAMA OGMEGERYF, official cosplay images, THE ENTIRE STORYBOARDS FOR EPISODE 6, and a lot of cross posting and work to make translated materials easier to find!!

Two new analysis essays, Smash Genesis explored the difficulty of a mostly male creative team trying to make an essentially feminist story in Patriarchy and Entrapment in 'Revolutionary Girl Utena', and Jude Deluca explores the inspirations Ikuhara drew from in  'Revolutionary Girl Utena' and its Debt to Shinji Wada.

The two SEGA Real Models of Utena and Anthy came with bonus omake audio drama CDs that have been translated by Nagumo. I wanted to do something fun with them, to get a bit more exposure to some peak content that deserves it, so I put the audio to game assets! Check out Utena’s discussion of Princely training, and Anthy’s letter answering drama. Both read like the next episode commentaries except funnier. 

Also in Audiology, Feral Phoenix translated Ikuhara and Saito’s liner notes for OST 5, ‘ Now, Engage Yourself to Me... ‘, and Ayu Ohseki added another translation to the OST 7 version of Saionji’s movie duel, Revive! Infinite History!

If you like doujinshi, absolute baller circles Anatomic Angel and Dwarf Sunflowers have new additions! Check out Dolly and La Periode Bleue for gorgeous art. Want some hosted history? The ancient Satellite of Revolution by Chris Rain is now hosted on Empty Movement. This wildly popular in its day MST3K site is now a daunting glimpse into what we thought was funny in the early 00′s. Content warnings all around.  We are also now hosting La fille sans un prince, by Kristine, once hosted on the Utena Network. This beautiful artifact of the days of character shrines is worth checking out! Finally, Historia Arcana, our untranslated resource site, has been updated with a new leaflet of Mizuki Yamamoto’s official cosplay of Utena, as well as has been cross referenced with links to when and where translations of the material exists.

As always, thanks to all the people who contribute to our goal of drowning the Utena fandom in content despite its age! Translators? Commentators? Resource hounds? Patreon supporters? We see you, we love you. <3

[immerlein]

I see that some Christian women like to cover their hair, particularly the Orthodox women on your page, what is the significance of this? I find it beautiful and I’m thinking of wearing my headscarves like that as well.

Hi there! Thank you very much for this question; this is probably my favourite thing to talk about (if my #headscarf tag didn’t give that away, haha).  Wearing a headscarf/headcovering in church and in prayer is an ancient and traditional Christian practice. It is mentioned throughout the Bible:

1.) The priest shall stand the woman before the Lord, uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands (Numbers 5:18)  (her head must have been covered for this to make sense) 2.) Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. (Genesis 24:64-65) 3.)  Now Susanna was exceeding delicate, and beautiful to behold. But those wicked men commanded that her face should be uncovered, (for she was covered,) that so at least they might be satisfied with her beauty. Therefore her friends and all her acquaintance wept. (The Story of Susanna / Daniel 13:31-33)

And, most famously:

4.) Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God. (1 Corinthians 11)

Our Church Fathers write of headcovering, saying: “The angels are present here... Open the eyes of faith and look upon this sight. For if the very air is filled with angels, how much more so the Church! ...Hear the Apostle teaching this, when he bids the women to cover their heads with a veil because of the presence of the angels.” - St John Chrysostom, referring to St Paul’s writing in Corinthians.  Origen said, “There are angels in the midst of our assembly...we have here a twofold Church, one of men, the other of angels...And since there are angels present...women, when they pray, are ordered to have a covering upon their heads because of those angels. They assist the saints and rejoice in the Church.” Instructions for catechumens in The Apostolic Tradition, by St. Hippolytus of Rome, include this: “Moreover, let all the women have their heads veiled with a scarf...” And St. Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on I Corinthians, wrote: “The angels find it extremely hard to bear if this law [that women cover their heads] is disregarded.”

I should probably mention now how this passage in Corinthians can be taken to mean that women are ‘inferior’ to men in some way, and that is what the covering represents. I won’t pretend that there aren’t people who might think this is the case, however, if we look at the Greek translation of “for this reason, the woman should have a symbol of authority of her head, because of the angels” we find the word “exousia”, which means “right/power/authority”. “Exousia” is also used in John 1:12: “As many as received Him, to them He gave exousia to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” The headcovering is not a sign of a man’s authority over the woman, rather it is an outward sign of her own authority/right/power as a woman.  Another question you might be asking yourself is “why would angels care???”  To borrow from orthodoxinfo.com: “In her book, The Holy Angels, Mother Alexandra writes: “The Celestial hierarchies are the spiritual reality of ordered creation, the stable patterns in which disruption is unknown...” Obedience is characteristic of the angelic realm.”

In Orthodoxy we recognise nine orders/ hierarchies of celestial beings, arranged in three choirs. 

“Seraphim and cherubim are in the first, archangels and angels in the third choir, closest to us. Without obedience there is chaos and disorder. St. John Chrysostom, in a sermon on I Corinthians, speaks of how distinction in male and female dress—and particularly the veiling of women—“ministers effectively to good order among mankind.” Taking off the veil was “no small error,” said St. John; ”...it is disobedience.” It “disturbs all things and betrays the gifts of God, and casts to the ground the honor bestowed...For to [the woman] it is the greatest of honor to preserve her own rank.” To some who argued that a woman, by taking off her covering, “mounts up to the glory of man,” Chrysostom answers: “She doth not mount up, but rather falls from her own proper honor...Since not to abide within our own limits and the laws of God, but to go beyond, is not an addition, but a diminution...” Always emphasizing the equality between man and woman, Chrysostom admonishes the man “not to dishonor her who governs next to thyself.” The issue was order, not superiority or inferiority. At Matins for Orthodoxy Sunday, we sing, “Come and let us celebrate a day of joy: Now heaven makes glad! Earth with all the hosts of angels and the companies of mortal men, each in their varied order, keeps the feast.” “ - from orthodoxinfo.com

Fr. Basil Rhodes wrote in his Master of Divinity thesis in 1977 on the veiling of women in I Cor. 11 “Man is the head of the woman, according to Genesis and to St. Paul who compares the relationship of man and woman with that of the Son to the Father: ‘And the head of Christ is God’ (I Cor. 2:3). It would be a grave error to say that Christ is inferior to His Father.”  (it would be heresy!) 

Timothy McFadden writes: “Members of the Godhead—and His image—are not interchangeable. As God Father and Son are equal and One in nature, so also they are unique and not interchangeable. Similarly, though equal in nature, man is not woman, woman is not man. They are distinguishable.” - from orthodoxinfo.com

I posted about it a little while ago, but I also heard another interpretation of “because of the angels” on the Ancient Faith radio podcast called The Lord of Spirits. They linked it back to sexual immortality between humanity and spiritual beings, so not only do you need to cover to be modest among human beings, you also need to because angels might, I don’t know, be tempted by you? (The context of the passage was essentially around pagan converts to Christianity and explaining how Christian worship was not sexual/did and does not contain ritualistic sex.) @hymnsofheresy added some additional commentary from her classes: “1 Corinthians 11:4 specifies that covering is especially required when a woman is prophesying. In Hellenistic temples, it was understood that prophecy could result in a sexual encounter with spiritual beings. Veiling in church while prophesying was a way of preventing women from having sexual intercourse with (or being raped by) an angel. Angel theology at the time was heavily influenced by the Book of Enoch, and it was likely that many people saw angels as sexually capable beings who desired human women.”  I have absolutely zero idea how much this (if at all) influenced the continued practice of Christian women covering their heads in church/during prayer, but it is certainly fascinating to think about nevertheless. 

For me, on a personal level, I wear a headscarf as an outward sign of respect for holy spaces and holy practices, to help myself focus on prayer, as an imitation of the Theotokos (and other women saints), for modesty, because I respect the tradition, and largely simply because I like them! At my parish, they’re required if you want to partake of the Holy Mysteries (communion, confession, etc) but I’ve also been in Orthodox parishes that don’t require it (though perhaps encourage it). An old friend of mine once told me how his priest said that women are lucky to have a covering/protection to be sheltered by as they approach the Holy Chalice for communion, because it is SO holy and men have no such shroud. I thought that was pretty interesting too! 

I hope this is helpful to you! Please feel free to ask more if you need to :) 

[elgaberino-mcoc]

MCOC Wishlist Blog Character Spotlight KNULL

by Marco “Prophet of Knull” Garcia ed. Other Gabe

BACKGROUND

Knull is an ancient malevolent deity whose existence predates the universe itself, and was originally content to drift through the endless abyss that existed before time.

He used his weapon, the Necrosword, to combat the Celestials who disturbed his darkness. With this sword Knull severed the head of a Celestial. That head is now Knowhere, a popularly-known Marvel location and a battle zone in the Marvel Contest of Champions Battlerealm.

Wanting an army, Knull then constructed the aliens we all know, love, and sometimes hate, the Klyntar race of gooey symbiotic aliens.¹ Later, after a debacle with the Mighty Thor, the symbiotes rebelled against their “God” and trapped him on a desolate planet, later known as Klyntar. There the God of Symbiotes waits and plans his escape, hoping to one day lay waste and bring Darkness to the universe.

“The End is near. God is coming….”  

Editor’s note: the next several sections are designed to familiarize the reader with Knull’s worthiness to be featured in a video game, compared with the myriad other Marvel characters from whom Kabam could choose.

POPULARITY

Technically, Knull has been around since 2013, and appeared in Thor: God of Thunder Vol.1 #6 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, as he was a shadowed figure from whom Gorr the God Butcher steals All-Black the Necrosword.

He was then revealed by name by his creators in Venom Vol. 4 #3 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman in 2018. 

Knull has had huge fan buzz around him since his inception and his name is only getting bigger. Despite fewer than a dozen appearances initially, Knull headlined the King in Black line-wide event that began in December 2020, from the minds of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. 

Editor’s note: Arguably named after Knull, the King in Black initial release was considered critically to be a high-stakes situation, due to the perceived hype. Its comics made regular appearances in bestseller lists after the event launched, suggesting the Knull name and story, in conjunction with the strength of his creators’ reputations, was strong enough to sell books. Overall the King in Black arc has also gotten good critical reviews. 

KNULL AS MATERIAL FOR OUR MARVEL GAME

Editor’s note: these character spotlights usually explore several factors to determine whether it is reasonable to expect Kabam to seriously consider the character as a candidate for addition to Marvel Contest of Champions. Among these factors are inclusion in other similarly-marketed games, mainstreaming in comics and other media, mentions in MCOC lore, Kabam conversation, or community rumors, and pure hype among summoners.

OTHER MARVEL GAMES

Knull has been featured in other games already: first in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile app,² then in Marvel Future Fight. In Marvel Puzzle Quest, Knull was originally only part of the backstory description of the playable Prophet Carnage character, but was eventually released in his own right in May 2021.

KNULL AND THE BATTLEREALM

Arguably no direct mention of Knull has happened in either [Marvel Contest of Champions or Marvel Realm of Champions], but it can be said he was alluded to in the motion comic that accompanied the release of Cosmic Ghost Rider and Red Goblin in October 2020.

Then, when story mode Act 7 was released in December 2020, this dialogue was revealed, which has been strongly speculated to be a reference to Knull.

CLAIM TO FAME: KNULL IN OTHER MEDIA

Knull has not enjoyed a reference in any Marvel Cinematic Universe content to date. Hel has only been mentioned in the Disney XD cartoon Spider-Man: Maximum Venom with a retelling loosely based on his comic book origins. 

UNIQUE WAYS KNULL COULD FIT INTO THE MCOC META

Knull could be a massive boost (editor’s note: synergy hub) to many Symbiote champions or champions in general. I see him as a Cosmic [based on what I was told by co-creator Ryan Stegman], with massive damage. Being the creator of symbiotes, Knull could outfit any [non-#Symbiote] champ with a “Klyntar symbiote” of their own to enhance their kit or base numbers. He could also operate with #Symbiote champs similarly to the way Apocalypse enhances Mutant champs. He could also work as a counter to Symbiotes or anyone who would have ever been bonded to a Klyntar before in canon, which would include most of the Spider-Fam!

Knull’s kit could alternately introduce a #Codex tag to add to certain non-#Spiderverse Hero champs who have famously bonded to symbiotes (paging Red Hulk or even Deadpool).³

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN?

No mention of Knull ever came out of the Kabam team or anyone related to MCOC. Then again, Kabam never likes to tease big-name additions like Knull would be. Mid-September 2021, one data miner claimed that Knull is forthcoming.

WHAT DO SUMMONERS THINK?

Summoners seem to dig Knull. He was the winner of the first Tournament  of Battlerealm Future, March Addness 2020, which was co-hosted by MCOC Wishlist creator Other MCOC Gabe and Unofficial MCOC Podcast veteran UMCOC Deacon on Twitter. The tournament pitted hundreds of characters against one another for votes from Summoners expressing who they would prefer to enter Marvel Contest of Champions. He cleaned house throughout most of the tournament, earning his addition to the MCOC Wishlist, where he has risen into the top 50 most wanted champions.

Due to recent ramblings by the author, and the introduction of Red Goblin to Marvel Contest of Champions, people have warmed up to the idea that Knull might actually be coming to the contest. (Even community-renowned comics expert CTMCOC agrees!)

Once below rank 250 on the MCOC Wishlist, Knull now stands as the #31 most-wanted champ, with over 550 Summoner upvotes as of this writing. 

KNULL: CHAMPION BUILD IDEAS

PROBABLE CLASS

As mentioned above, Knull is a canonically cosmic entity or deity who purports to predate the universe itself. This forms a strong case for the MCOC Cosmic class of champions.

POSSIBLE ABILITIES

Like many Cosmic champs’ builds, I can see his relying on many Active Buffs with massive damage and defensive potential due to Symbiotic Armor. Perhaps as Knull collects Codices, he gets stronger and this mechanic could be used in game as persistent charges. The more Codices he gathers, the more potent his Buffs could become. He could utilize Fury, Aptitude, Armor, Cruelty, Precision, and other critical-damage-enhancing Buffs. Bleed and Armor Break Debuffs are likely as Knull breaks down his enemies with bloodthirsty ferocity.

POSSIBLE SYNERGIES

Knull's status as the God of the Klyntar could enhance all #Symbiote champions just as Apocalypse does for Mutants.

Venom could get a unique synergy called “Daddy Issues,” allowing Venom a 2% attack boost for every Buff converted on his sp2 but as passive Fury stacks. I imagine Carnage with something like a “Prophet of Knull” Synergy allowing 95% resistance to incinerate effects, allowing him to heal from Incinerates, since Carnage has no weakness to fire when he is operating as Knull’s prophet in the comics.

Knull could also be built to spend Persistent Charges to enhance #Symbiote champions in order to increase their stats and enhance their buffs.

It would also be clever to have a Synergy with Void called “Knull and Void” allowing Void access to a non-stacking Armor Break Debuff, such as on his Heavy Attack. More debuffs for Void would be devastating. 

Knull could also enjoy a basic “Enemies” synergy with Thor and Silver Surfer. A great champ to release in conjunction with Knull would be Gorr the God-Butcher, a notable Thor villain, played by Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, and the other best-known wielder of All-Black the Necrosword.

•.•.•

Editor’s note: this concludes Marco’s commentary and notes on Knull as a potential champion. Anyone tracking the conversation about future champs knows that the name of Knull comes up frequently among Summoners, and his rise in every voting event in the community tends to support the notion he is greatly demanded by Summoners and would make an excellent addition to the game.

This article was originally drafted almost entirely in late 2020, and has been dug up and completed in September 2021 after MCOC Trucos released a purportedly datamined leak suggesting Knull “is Coming” to Marvel Contest of Champions in October 2021. -OG

________

NOTES 1. The Klyntar alien race is most popularly represented by Venom, and his fellow Klyntar aliens Carnage, Scream, and the other names associated with their stories of superhuman symbiosis and “Venomization.”  2. Spider-Man Unlimited was well ahead of the curve announcing Knull for a video game in 2018. It got there by virtue of attempting to release almost every noteworthy Spider- and symbiote character as playable video game characters. Knull was not yet a character most people would consider important for gaming. 3. A codex (pl. codices) is the term for the biological traces a Klyntar symbiote leaves in its host’s system after separating from that host.

[theliterateape]

I Like to Watch | Zack Snyder’s Justice League

by Don Hall

Mythology is fun.

As a kid I loved reading Edith Hamilton’s book on the Greek gods and the myths. Hercules, Perseus, Apollo, and Hera—this fell completely in line with my love for superhero comics. The strangely petty human traits of envy, greed, and lust combined with the power to level cities make for some great storytelling.

Zeus was basically Harvey Weinstein in the retroactive revision we’re mired in today. If Harvey could’ve changed into a golden animal and boned unsuspecting ladies looking for careers in Hollywood I’m pretty certain he would. The gods and demi-gods of the Greeks dealt with daddy issues, mommy issues, bad relationships, and fighting. Lots of fighting. Sometimes for the good of humanity but more often for the glory of winning.

Zach Snyder is in the business of tackling myths and reframing them with a style all his own. His career has become its own myth.

From Dawn of the Dead (not so much a reboot of Romero's zombie mythology but a philosophical reimagining of the genre that arguably jumpstarted The Hollywood fascination with it), 300 (a borderline homoerotic take on the myth of the Greek underdog), and Watchmen (a ridiculously ambitious attempt to put one of the most iconic takedowns on the potential fascism of the superhero legend machine ever written) to his nearly single-handed hack at answering the Marvel juggernaut with Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder is in the artistic business of subverting and re-envisioning the mythologies we embrace without even seeing them as such.

Snyder's style is operatic. It is on a grand scale even in the most mundane moments. The guy loves slow motion like Scorcese loves mobsters and Italian food. When you're tackling big themes with larger than life stories, the epic nature of his vision makes sense and has alienated a good number of audience members. With such excess, there are bound to be missteps but I'd argue that his massive take on these characters he molds from common understanding and popular nomenclature elevates them to god-like stature.

Fans of Moore's Watchmen have much to complain about Snyder's adaptation. The titular graphic novel is almost impossible to put in any other form than the one Moore intended and yet, Snyder jumped in feet-first and created a living, breathing representation of most, if not all, of the source material's intent. Whether you dig on it or not, it's hard to avoid acknowledging that the first five minutes of Watchmen is a mini-masterpiece of style, storytelling, and epic tragedy wrapped up in a music video.

Despite a host of critical backlash for his one fully original take, Sucker Punch is an amazing thing to see. More a commentary on video game enthusiasm with its lust for hot animated chicks and over-the-top violence that a celebration of cleavage and guns, the film is crazily entertaining. For those who hated the ending, he told you in the title what his plan was all along.

The first movie I saw in the theaters that tried to take a superhero mythology and treat it seriously (for the most part) was Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. Never as big a fan of the DC characters as I have been of Marvel, it was still extraordinary to see a character I had only really known in pages to be so fully realized. Then came Burton's Batman movies. The superhero film was still an anomaly but steam was gaining. Things changed with Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, then Raimi's Spiderman, and those of us who grew up with our pulpy versions of Athena, Hermes, and Hades were rewarded with Nolan's Batman Begins. A far cry from the tongue-in-cheek camp of the 1966 TV Batman, Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne was a serious character and his tale over three films is a tragic commentary filled with the kind of death and betrayal and triumph befitting the grand narrative he deserved.

I loved Singer's Superman Returns in 2006 because it was such a love letter to the 1978 film (down to the opening credits) but by then, the MCU was taking over the world.

Snyder's first of what turns out to be an epic storyline involving perhaps seven or eight movies was Man of Steel. It was fun and, while I had my issues with the broodiness of Kal El, the odd take on Jonathan Kent, and a redheaded Lois Lane, I had no issue with Superman snapping Zod's neck. Darker and more tragic than any other version of the Kryptonian, it was still super entertaining.

Then came Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. By 2016, Marvel had codified their formula of serious characters wrestling with serious issues of power and responsibility peppered with lots of good humor and bright colors. Snyder's desaturated pallete and angst-filled demi-gods was not the obvious road to financial competition.

I'll confess, I hated it. BvS felt half-rendered. Lex Luthor was kind of superficial and played as a kind of Joker. The whole Bruce Wayne wants to kill Superman thing felt undeveloped and the "Martha" moment was just stupid.

When Joss Whedon's version of Snyder's Justice League came out in 2017, I was primed for it to be a turd and I wasn't surprised. So much of it didn't work on any level. I dismissed it as DC trying and failing miserably and was comforted by the coming of Thanos.

Following Thanos and the time heist was COVID. Suddenly, we were internationally sidelined and the movie theater industry caved in. Streaming services started popping up like knock-off smartphones and Hollywood was reeling, doing anything and everything to find a way back. Since Whedon's disastrous helming of Snyder's third act, fans online had been demanding to #ReleasetheSnyderCut but no one was ever really taking them seriously until all movie production was shut down for a year.

The stage was set to remedy a mistake (or at least make some bucks on a do-over of a huge box office failure). Snyder had left the production in part because of the suicide of his daughter and in part due to the constant artistic fights over executives looking for the quippy fun of the MCU but he still had all the original footage. Add to that the broiling accusations that Joss Whedon was "abusive" during the reshoots, the path seemed destined. For an additional $70 million and complete control, Snyder delivered a four hour mega-movie streamed on HBOMax.

Of course, I was going to watch the thing as soon as I could.

The Whedon version opens with an homage to the now dead Superman (including the much maligned digitally erased mustache on Henry Cavill). The SynderCut opens with the death of Superman and the agony of his death scream as it travels across the planet. It's a simple change but exemplifies the very different visions of how this thing is gonna play out.

Snyder doesn't want us to be OK with the power of these beings unleashed. He wants us to feel the damage and pain of death. He wants the results of violence to be as real as he can. When Marvel's Steve Rogers kicks a thug across the room and the thug hits a wall, he crumples and it is effectively over. When Batman does the same thing, we see the broken bones (often in slow motion) and the blood smear on the wall as the thug slides to the ground.

The longer SnyderCut is bloated in some places (like the extended Celtic choir singing Aquaman off to sea or the extended narrations by Wonder Woman which sound slightly like someone trying to explain the plot to Siri). On the other hand, the scene with Barry Allen saving Iris West is both endearing and extraordinary, giving insight to the power of the Flash as well as some essential character-building in contrast to Whedon's comic foil version.

One thing I noticed in this variant is that Zach wants the audience to experience the sequence of every moment as the characters do. An example comes when Diana Prince goes to the crypt to see the very plot she belabors over later. The sequence is simple. She gets a torch and goes down. Most directors which jump cut to the torch. Snyder gives us five beats as she grabs the timber, wraps cloth around the end, soaks it with kerosene, pulls out a box of matches, and lights the torch. Then she goes down the dark passageway.

The gigantic, lush diversity of Snyder’s vision of the DC superhero universe—from the long shots of the sea life in the world of Atlantis to the ancient structures and equipment of Themyscira— is almost painterly. Snyder isn't taking our time; he's taking his time. We are rewarded our patience with a far better backstory for the villain, a beautifully rendered historic battle thwarting Darkseid's initial invasion (including a fucking Green Lantern), and answers to a score of questions set up in both previous films.

Whedon's Bruce Wayne was more Ben Affleck; Snyder's is full-on Frank Miller Batman, the smartest, most brutal fucker in the room. Cyborg, instead of Whedon's sidelined non-character, is now a Frankenstein's monster, grappling with the trade-off between acceptance and enormous power. Wonder Woman is now more in line with the Patty Jenkins version and instead of being told about the loss of Superman, we are forced to live with the anguish of both his mother and Lois Lane in quiet moments of incredible grief.

To be fair to Whedon (something few are willing to do as he is now being castigated not for racism or sexism but for being mean to people) having him come in to throw in some levity and Marvel-esque color to Snyder's Wagnerian pomposity is like hiring Huey Lewis to lighten up Pink Floyd's The Wall or getting Douglas Adams to rewrite Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

I loved Snyder's self-indulgent, mythologic DC universe.

So much so that I then re-watched Man of Steel and then watched the director's version of BvS (which Snyder added approximately 32 minutes). The second film is far better at three hours and Eisenberg's Lex Luthor now makes sense. Then I watched Zach Snyder's Justice League a second time.

After nineteen hours of Snyder's re-imagining of these DC heroes and villains, I saw details that, upon first viewing, are ignored or dismissed, but after seeing them in order and complete, are suddenly consistent and relevant. Like Nolan or Fincher, Snyder defies anyone to eliminate even one piece of his narrative no matter how long. With all the pieces, this is an epic story and the pieces left at the extended epilogue play into a grander narrative we will never see.

Or maybe we will. Who knows these days?

[kyndaris]

The Great Internet Debate

Since the tail end of 2020, many Australians were informed by Google of a political stoush between big news corporations and the tech company behind our favourite search engine. The open letter to end users read like a doomsday spiel – spelling out the encroaching disaster if a mandatory news code came into effect. The proposed legislation – the News Media Bargaining Code – was explained as a means of paying for news content when all that Google did was provide the necessary links for people to ‘choose’ what content they actively consumed. Google also advised that the News Media Bargaining Code would make it unfair for small businesses as larger media companies would be informed of algorithm changes ahead of time and be given data on users to maximise coverage.

A grim picture was painted. Why should big news media companies receive data and information about everyday users of a search engine? Why should their links be propped up higher than other smaller outlets?

At the start of 2021, after a Senate hearing, Google also warned that the proposed legislation might lead to the removal of Google Search in its entirety in Australia. Why? Because why should it pay to just provide a multitude of links based off whatever a person is searching for?

I know that as a writer, most of my searches aren’t news related. In fact, they’re mostly about things people wore in the 18th to 19th century. I ask the internet when doorknobs were invented or the nature of horse care. There was even one enquiry that might have put me on alert lists across the world: how long does it take for a body disposed in water to rise to the surface?

But that was important for a very singular scene in my story, all right! Murder happens in my stories! I just want to make sure that I’ve got all the facts right as well as the science!

What Google, and by extension Facebook, failed to address was the uneven distribution of ad revenue when it comes to large news media. With the advent of the internet, it’s become much harder for traditional newspapers and television stations to accrue the wealth they had.

The news media Bargaining Code however would force huge tech giants to negotiate with each individual news corporation and find a way to ensure a ‘fair’ means of distributing ad revenue by entering into commercial agreements or be subjected to arbitration. In this way, jobs could be kept and journalism could be regarded, once again, as the respected profession that it should be. So, to be honest, it does sound like a noble thing to do in order to support struggling companies.

As for my personal opinion? Well, I’ll be honest with you. I’m not entirely swayed by any one side. There are pros and cons to each.

My own experience with the search engine is indicative of this. The only time I’ve used Google to search for the news is when I’ve been too lazy to memorise the actual link for ABC News. Otherwise, it’s very easy to simply type into your browser: news.com.au or smh.com.au

Often, I feel that the one great problem with these news websites is their inability to modernise and to accommodate a generation that prefers immediacy. A lot of news websites, based off the newspapers that are still being published, have arbitrary gatekeeping with regards to the number of ‘free’ articles that can be viewed each month and an exorbitant subscription fee.

Let’s, for the sake of argument, use the Sydney Morning Herald as an example. Most of their articles on their main website have intriguing headlines and a small excerpt for what the article is about. One can easily get the gist of the content readily available simply by skimming over the content. There’s no mystery or anything too attention grabbing.

If one were curious and wished to learn more, they’d simply click open the article.

But this is where the Sydney Morning Herald falters a little.

Ad revenue, as most people know, is driven by clicks. The more clicks an end-user makes, the more money a company can make. Perhaps, it’s true, that news corporations could make a few more dollars by partnering with search engines to ensure that ads on their website are linked to whatever other websites that the end-user was previously poring over. After all, I’m not as interested in say a NAB home loan than a new game that’s come out.

Yet the crux of the matter comes from the very fact that the Sydney Morning Herald only allows five ‘free’ articles per month. In order to get around that, one needs to ‘subscribe.’ And the subscriptions aren’t very cheap. Particularly for the younger generation. $3.50 a week sounds nice, but if you add it all up, it can be quite significant. Annually, the Starter Digital is $160 per year.

Not a choice most people are willing to dip their toes in when they also have to pay for Netflix, Stan, Disney+ and a whole host of other things that catch their eye.

So, how does something like the Sydney Morning Herald make money when paper is all but dead? One thing they could implement is additional ads on their website and perhaps at the top and bottom of their articles. They could also stop hiding their articles behind paywalls. No student has the money to pay for it, particularly when they’re only using the website for a school project.

Lower your subscriptions and give more back to the consumer. Make it more appealing.

News.com.au might not have the cleanest reputation, but their headlines catch the eye. It might be click-baity as all hell, but in this day and age, it’s what helps it to survive.

It’s not a perfect solution, true, but it might give them a little bit more of a boost.

And instead of only relying on the written word, it might be prudent now to create more videos to elucidate the topics they want to explore. Particularly when it comes to news that most consumers want on a more instantaneous basis. These days, video streaming is the way to go. Three-minute or five-minute videos are pretty easily digestible. And a lot of it can be monetised. It might not be a huge amount of money, but every little thing counts.

Investigative journalism, on the other hand, would need to be well researched and thought out. You can have a written article and transcript or you could have a well-plotted fifteen-minute video. The dialogue needs to be snappy yet informative. News needs to learn how to target their audiences instead of catering only to the older generation.

As for recaps of movies or television shows? You can’t go wrong with James Weir and his commentary. I might not watch Married at First Sight or the Bachelor, but I’d almost definitely read his recap of the episodes because of his biting comments and snide observations.

APPEAL TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR!

Make your websites lively. Make them relevant. Grab the attention of millennials and Generation Z instead of pandering to baby boomers.

Beyond that, find ways to adapt in the current marketplace. So many YouTube creators have to constantly find ways to get around changes to the YouTube algorithm. They complain, sure, but in order to be fair, no one content creator should be told what the changes will be beforehand.

Above all else, negotiate in good faith. And stand your ground. Google and Facebook should not just threaten to remove their services from the good people of Australia just for few million dollars in ad revenue. But, there’s also no need to demand algorithms or have your links unfairly pushed to the top of Google Search and quashing smaller independent voices.

Even if Facebook were to take away the ability to share links, though, I’m sure people will still be able to make do. I know that I, for one, could very easily summarise an article that I’ve read. And if someone wanted links...well...I’m sure I could devise a method to provide an alternate solution to do so. 

In any case, depending on how Google reacts, this humble blogger might have to think about investing in a VPN. Which, unfortunately, might see local Australian businesses suffer because the massive search engine I’m using would be defaulted to another country somewhere in the vast piece of rock we call home. Of course, in saying that, we do still have Bing. So, you know what? Everyone, it’s time to put Bing on the map and make it a serious contender against Google.

So, despite my limited understanding of the entire kerfuffle that’s been kicked up between Google and traditional news media, that is my two cents on the situation. Greed is not good. And don’t use a good honest people as hostages to the regulation of the wild west internet.

Edit: By the time this post goes up, Google has come to several agreements with major news corporations in Australia whilst Facebook has removed all news content for Australians. Which means no sharing of links to news websites for all of us down under.

Unfortunately, news wasn’t properly defined and so many other pages had their posts wiped, such as emergency services and a member of parliament. Here’s hoping that Facebook will also put a stop on conspiracy pages and anti-vaxxer propaganda.

Further edit: After a week of removing news content, Facebook has reversed its decision.