#mfa Pros and cons

[acercrea]

I don’t see that anyone answered your question, so I’m going to. A physical mfa token is usually a small device with a screen like a calculator screen that has a button on it and pushing the button generates a code that you put in wherever is prompting for that code. You can typically only have the physical token tied to one log in, so when I worked as a bank employee I had 3 tokens I kept in my locked desk drawer for 3 different services I needed to log into, including the program we used to send wire transfers.

Physical tokens are both more secure because they can only access one thing, but if you don’t have that token you will not be getting into whatever it is attached to and can be expensive to replace if you lose it entirely. It is not something I would recommend to anyone who doesn’t require a background check to do their job as they can be far less convenient because they are so secure.

I would instead recommend a productivity app to you if you are getting distracted by other apps when you try to access your Authenticator app.

I'm not the most security savvy but two-factor authentication makes me deeply suspicious. Is it actually more secure or is it just annoying? Especially the ones that send a code to your phone that pops up in your notifications.

It is genuinely, massively, TREMENDOUSLY more secure to use 2FA/MFA than to not use it.

One of our clients is currently under attack by a group that appears to be using credential stuffing; they are making educated guesses about the accounts they're trying to lot into based on common factors showing up in the credentials in years of pastes and breaches and leaks. Like, let's say it's a professional arborist's guild and their domain is arborist.tree and they've had three hundred members who have had their credentials compromised in the last ten years and the people looking at all the passwords associated with arborist.tree noticed that the words "arboreal" and "conifer" and "leaf" and "branch" show up over and over and over again in the passwords for the members of the professional arborist's guild.

So they can make an educated guess for how to log in to accounts belonging to the tree-loving tree lover's club, combine that with the list of legitimate emails, and go to town.

And they are in fact going to town. We're getting between 1000 and 4000 login attempts per hour. It's been happening for a couple weeks.

And every single one of those attempts is failing - in spite of some pretty poor password practices that believe me, I have been doing some talking about - as a result of having MFA enforced for the entire group. They all use an app that is synced to their individual accounts with a mobile device, except that sometimes you have trouble getting a code when you're up in a tree so some of them have physical MFA tokens.

People try to sign into my tumblr sometimes. To those people I say: lol, good luck, I couldn't guess my own password with a gun to my head. But if I *did* have some password that was, like "tiny-bastard-is#1" they would also need access to my email address because I've got MFA set up on tumblr. And to THAT I say: lol, good luck, it's complex passwords and MFA all the way down.

Of the types of MFA that most people will run across, the most secure to least secure hierarchy goes physical token>app based one-time-passwords>tie between email and SMS. Email and SMS are less preferred because email is relatively easy to capture and open in transit and cellphone SIMs can be cloned to capture your text messages. But if you are using email or SMS for your authentication you are still miles and miles and miles ahead of people who are not using any kind of authentication.

MFA is, in fact, so effective that I only advise people to turn it on if they are 100% sure that they will be able to access the account if they lose access to the device that had the authenticator on it. You usually can do this by saving a collection of recovery codes someplace safe (I recommend doing this in the secure notes section of your password manager on the entry for the site in question - if this is not a feature that your password manager has, I recommend that you get a better password manager, and the password manager I recommend is bitwarden).

A couple weeks ago I needed to get into a work account that I had created in 2019. In 2022, my boss had completely taken me off of managing that service and had his own account, so I deleted it from my authenticator. Then in 2024 my boss sold the business but didn't provide MFA for a ton of the accounts we've got. I was able to get back into my account because five years earlier I had taken a photo of the ten security codes from the company and saved them in a folder on my desktop called "work recovery codes." If you are going to use MFA, it is VITALLY IMPORTANT that you save recovery codes for the accounts you're authenticating someplace that you'll be able to find them, because MFA is so secure that the biggest problem with it is locking people out of their accounts.

In any kind of business context, I think MFA should be mandatory. No question.

For personal accounts, I think you should be pointed and cautious where you apply it, and always leave yourself another way in. There are SO MANY stories about people having their phones wiped or stolen or destroyed and losing MFA with the device because they didn't have a backup of the app or hadn't properly transferred it to a new device.

But it's also important to note that MFA is not a "fix all security forever" thing - I've talked about session hijacking here and the way you most often see MFA defeated is by tricking someone into logging in to a portal that gives them access to your cookies. This is usually done by phishing and sending someone a link to a fake portal.

That is YET ANOTHER reason that you should be using a good password manager that allows you to set the base domain for the password you're using so that you can be sure you're not logging in to a faked portal. If your password manager doesn't have that feature (setting the domain where you can log in to the base domain) then I recommend that you get a better password manager (get bitwarden.)

In 2020 my terrible boss wanted me to write him a book about tech that he could have run off at a vanity press and could give to prospect customers as a business card. That was a terrible idea, but I worked on the book anyway and started writing it as a book about security for nontechnical people. I started out with a very simple statement:

If every one of our customers did what we recommend in the first four chapters of this book (make good backups, use a password manager and complex unique passwords, enable MFA, and learn how to avoid phishing), we would go out of business, because supporting problems that come from those four things is about 90-95% of our work.

So yes, absolutely, please use MFA. BUT! Save your recovery codes.

[mothman-etd]

hello 👋🏼

first loving the twiyor 😌

second I have a tech question I was hoping you might be able and willing to answer: are the 'we send you a link to your email to log in instead of using your password' actually more secure or are businesses just being mean to me personally?

hope your day is kind 😊

Ok so Authentication (going to call it auth going forward) is a very large topic and there is some baseline info I want to convey before answering you question.

First, auth breaks down into 3 methods. Confirming what someone knows, confirming what someone has, confirming what someone is.

What you know: this is the traditional password method, do you remember your password you made for us? Do you remember your username? great you can get in if you know those. Stealing these creds is very straight forward, you either guess until you are right or you steal them from where someone has them stored/written down. This is why you should NEVER store your password in a browser and use a password manager instead. I would rather see people write passwords on post-it notes then store them in Google Chrome or Edge. Seriously, it is incredibly easy to steal passwords from Chrome.

What you have: have ever been asked to put an MFA pin into a phone app? that's this method, they are putting predictable generated numbers on your phone that you can then turn around and use to prove you are in physical possession of your phone. This is much more difficult to steal and usually requires physically accessing a phone or infecting it in some fashion to steal the generation algorithm. PS: If a site uses a text message instead of an app to send a pin that is less secure because SIM duplicating is easier then both the above methods for theft (i dont know the details on how to sim dup but I know no good security team takes sms pins seriously)

What you are: This is stuff like Apple's face id, windows hello, finger scan. Anything that is unique to your physical body that can be scanned to confirm who you are. This is either incredibly difficult or super easy to break depending on how the program is written. for example Face ID had an issue where it could not differentiate between particular ethnicities, also someone (the police) can just hold your phone up to force the unlock. This is usually a good method to use in conjunction with one of the others to make Auth more difficult.

So which one is better? Well each one has its pros and cons which means the most secure method is using more then one. This is called Multi Factor Authentication or MFA for short.

So lets go back to your question, is getting a login link more secure then say remembering a password. Well how secure is access to your email? if your email just requires a username and password to get into, then it is the same security level.

If you have your email setup with MFA where you need to password and pin into it then it is probably more secure then some random sites username password pair.

Also we need to ask questions about the links themselves, do you get the same link each time or is a new one created each request? How are they generated? how long until a link expires? is the link email sent via TLS? Which version of TLS? How are they stored or Are they stored? Is link generation predictable, if I had enough info could i just make my own links for any user?

Honestly I think the biggest benefit of this auth method happens on the website side and less the end user side. This requires less development to create, also they do not need to figure out how to store and keep your passwords, and if they get hacked there are no passwords to be stolen since they literally don't use them. Having passwords stolen is when law enforcement needs to get involved (Law enforcement needs to be contacted in the event any Personally Identifiable Information or PII is stolen). So if they do not use passwords that is one less PII they have in their possession.

Overall passwords are shit and anyone trying to make an effort to not use passwords or to not allow just passwords is at least making an effort to have a better security posture. But if it is actually more secure really depends, passwordless is new territory for a lot of people so its going to have growing pains.

hopefully this answers your question! if you want more clarification let me know.

Oh and Spy Family is life

[mueritos]

Hey Matteo!

I was just wondering like how your overall experience with Boston has been?

I'm a transmasc butch, from a small town, and have been questioning moving to that area (either around Boston or closer to Salem) and I'm autistic and Deaf (very little amount of my hearing left) so I try to do as much research as I can before solidifying ideas.. but I've also desperately been wanting out of my hometown and Midwest State.

I'm especially interested in any Queer friendly experiences you've had and/or museums as I am an anthropology major (Archaeology focus)

hey there! I'll insert a read more :)

It's good you're researching the area ^-^ like any city, there's pros and cons, and like any other major city, if you're looking for something, it is likely here already. Biggest cons to me in this city are 1. expensive as fuck (rent can be anywhere between 1200-2000+ per bed/room), transportation is mid (trains are cool but systemic racism has made it difficult to access certain neighborhoods), and the weather (i'm used to it because it's like a slightly colder PA). Oh, and I truly believe there is no good food in Boston. You have to LEAVE Boston to eat good food lol.

Pros! I do think the city is mostly autistic friendly, surprisingly. Sure a city on average is louder, but there are plenty of quieter places to live and you don't really see/hear people out late at night, unless you're living by universities. As for my daily experience, there's all kinds of queer events to go to in the area, including support groups (Boston Area Trans Support Group BATS) and university hosted events that are open to the public. From what I hear, there's not much of a huge art scene, but the MFA is quite active in the Fenway area and you can always find ways to be involved by contacting universities as well. There's a science museum I've been meaning to go to, but I did go to the aquarium and that was like soo awesome. You can search on r/boston as well for any specific experiences or museum/anthropology stuff. I have a friend rn who collects shells and maybe he would have some direct connections, so I will ask him ^-^

For the most part, people in Boston are very queer friendly. I don't know a single homophobic person haha, but I know of people who are TERF adjacent. RACISM and transphobia is probably one of the biggest things here. The city is very segregated and like I mentioned above, it can be difficult accessing certain parts of the city (mainly BIPOC parts) without a car (45-1 hour + on the train/bus vs a 15-30 min drive). I experience a lot of the usual city experiences, people asking for money or asking you for directions, but if you're kind then you won't have an issue. People freak out like its the NYC here when a homeless person walks up to them, but the best advice is try to carry cash, and if you can't give, just say "god bless you I hope you take care".

Anyway, there are several Deaf community events that I know are mainly hosted through Northeastern University. They have deaf interpreter program and they have events open to the public as well. If you want a deaf/hoh community, i think they're your best first step. Their site also has some state resources.

Also a lesbian bar just opened up! Dani's was cute and fun, went with friends once and while the drinks were expensive, the vibe was nice. Saw lots of awesome lesbians and t boys and transmascs all around. While queer spaces will be primarily white, there are BIPOC spaces if you're looking for that too.

this was all over the place but i think this is all I have to say. if anyone else is currently living in Boston or the Salem area and wants to share their thoughts, pls do! ive only been here for about 2 years and I plan to leave soon, so I won't know what its like past the summer.

Good luck!

[starl1tsky]

ok so. boston gatsby musical. overall? i enjoyed it, had a great time watching it, etc.... HOWEVER. cons first then pros. and then stuff i had mixed feelings on.

a) they took gatsby's teeth out. he was wayyy too nice. also not charismatic enough. like i feel like a gatsby should suck the air out of a room bc you're too busy staring at him. like those gayass vampires from the vampire show. anyway he was dorky and like sweet and shit and im like that is NOT jay gatsby!!!! that is a musical theater mfa.

b) daisy was also a yass queen white feminist instead of like. the ideal that gatsby obsesses over which like ok, fleshing out female characters, wtver, but daisy SUCKS SO HARD like she killed that girl. did daisy buchanan successfully utilize girl power when she vehicular manslaughtered her husband's mistress. also they were leaning so hard into the class thing that it might've been better to like uh idk TALK ABOUT CLASS??? BC DAISY IS ALL ABOUT CLASS SHE IS LITERALLY THE REPRESENTATION OF THE UPPER CLASS?????

b part 2) they also changed it so that daisy actually totally did want to marry gatsby and her mom forced her to marry tom which imo removes a lot of nuance from the story like??? its not a fucking love story????!!! daisy was NOT about to marry gatsby when he was poor like. let's not try to make daisy something she isn't.

c) ok so they basically made it so gatsby was Native American and like pretending to be white and that in and of itself is NOT a con, i think that's an interesting way to deal with the whole new money/reinvention thing. HOWEVER it felt very shoehorned in bc it was literally only mentioned in the last song when gatsby's dad came to bury him. and then the finale was like #landback which is all well and good but again let's maybe try and have one cohesive theme (class tensions) before we try to add things into the final two songs. because that is not the place to add themes.

d) this isn't so much a con as a ???? but jordan??? what the fuck was she doing there. she like was an exposition drop for nick like twice and then she just stood there and had a verse in like two songs and made out with people. the actress was very hot so it was okay but like. what was she doingggggg.

e) i LOVE florence + the machine however. the music was GOOD, objectively speaking but i would have appreciated a little more variety. the tap number was great tho, 10/10. also loved the damage that you do, that was a good one. "what of love and what of god" felt like, a good florence + the machine song but a heavy handed musical theater song like. giving dust and ashes. great song, but jesus christ josh groban calm the fuck down.

PROS:

a) ok i know i said gatsby wasn't charismatic enough BUT. in the meyer wolfsheim number, he was tap dancing and it was INCREDIBLE. so what i think is that they just should have had him dance more, bc the actor was an INCREDIBLE dancer and that would've given him the gatsby charisma and magnetism. so that's a directing/staging issue not an actor issue. like as far as i remember he only properly danced in that one song.

b) i did appreciate how they fleshed out myrtle and her husband, it was very well done and added significantly to the class tension themes of the original novel

b part 2) HOLY SHIT SOLEA PFEIFFER THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE. also the husband ATE. the two of them were really extraordinary, standout performances.

c) nick was very charming, they did fourth wall break/monologue type things and it worked quite well i thought. he had a great voice, would've loved it if they gave him more to do but...

d) i mentioned this before but GOOD LORD the meyer wolfsheim tap number was fantastic. best part of the whole show imo

e) honestly the tom was very good. like detestable and i wanted to punch him in his face the whole time but. he was quite good. and i said it before but the damage that you do ATE.

f) very sexy. lots of hot people dancing and making out with each other.

ok now things im unsure about.

a) look. nick carraway is a homosexual. you know this; i know this, however, i don't think he's aware enough to be like "yeah i'm fucking gay and in love with gatsby" like he is gay, he is in love with gatsby but like i do not think he knows that. he idolizes gatsby because he doesn't have the vocabulary or the self knowledge to know that he's in love with him. also babe if you know you're gay and you know you'r ein love with gatsby and gatsby is trying to get with you for his first song and a half, WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM GET WITH THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE WHO HAPPENS TO BE YOUR COUSIN???? make it make sense. but yea i think making nick gay is the right choice and even having him make out with dudes is the right choice and yea maybe he even knows he's gay but i really don't think he knows he's in love with gatsby. and also nick didn't narrate quite enough and when he did he wasn't quite unreliable enough.

basically i just LOVe the great gatsby and while i did enjoy this musical i just didn't like it as much as the book. so i guess my expectations were too high. also i found it ironic and depressing that in a musical where the adapters added so much about modern politics and tried so hard to modernize the politics of the original novel, the ushers STILL managed to be racist to my mother. yay a.r.t!!!!!

[briannysey]

Was talking to one of my profs yesterday about MFA degress, their potential value, pros and cons, etc etc, and he mentioned that mentors or professors for these programs are often not very interested in sharing opportunities with their students. That in a lot of ways these professors feel theyre training their competition and act accordingly.

I dont fucking understand this attitude. While im definitely predisposed to the idea that a rising tide lifts all ships, I truly do feel that more and better writers is only good for the industry. I have never been more inspired to read than after reading good stories, and Ive never been more inspired to write than after reading good stories.

I think for a public that grows more averse to reading over time, good stories convinces folks that there’s other good stories out there, and to seek them out.

Idk i could be totally wrong here, but I’m never going to think well of mentors and teachers being shitty to students or treating their students as expendable or rivals to be foiled. Fuck those guys

[angelbluediary]

7/5/2024 Brain Dump

More than half the year has gone by...

Well, one nice thing about today was filling the bird bath with water. I tried to make sure it was cold enough; it's scorching these days, and a red cardinal seemed unhappy to get no relief from the just-damp stone, which inspired me to walk outside with a heavy water jug and hear the wind chimes for the first time in a long time.

Our parents are at the lake. It's easier to do things when I'm not passing by others to do it, explaining what I'm doing and why. Easier when I'm not being perceived, when I can just let my body wander and not have to be on guard against anything or use my words to justify existing or fulfilling any random whim.

I finally beat Baldur's Gate 3. I turned into a mind flayer sorta kinda against my will, killed myself in front of everyone after the final battle (because my Durge did not resist her murderous urge throughout the entire game and finally beat it just to have to give up her personhood and be stuck with a new one!), and cried irl when I immediately realized Karlach had to die without me being there for her till the end like I had promised her. For a game with so much freedom, I felt so powerless at the end. Like all the struggle and resistance had been for nothing, and of course that translates to my irl bitter view at how things have been so overall it just sort of soured the experience for me. Not to say I dislike it or am done, I'll definitely be diving back in here and there to try new choices. But I think more than ever, I need happy endings after all the strife and misery.

In other news, there is no other news. Indecision paralysis still grips me fiercely. My "plans" swing from one end of the pendulum to the next with each passing day. I make pros and cons lists of all my ideas and then can't stand to look at them or consider any of it. It's like I've lost the ability to function. My mind is so sharp and analytical but only in its pursuit to keep me resentful and sad and convince me why everything sucks. It's a narrow view that I know logically holds no merit but my feelings, my experiences, my unhealed wounds all cry otherwise and they're so so heavy.

When I think of putting anything out into the world now -- even things I really enjoy or used to daydream about all the time -- I feel sick to my stomach. I can't commit to anything. I'm so terrified of doing any particular thing which I KNOW makes no sense because I'm much more fed up with not doing ANYTHING than if I were to pursue a goal. But when does the goal lose its luster? When do I become disillusioned with the thing I'd sunk my time and efforts into? Where does any of it go if it's not going towards building a future for myself where I can buy myself food and shelter and pay my debts back? Reality feels like a noose around my neck and I'm trying to convince myself I'm still in love with the rope's bite.

Anyway. Brain dump. Here are my "plans":

APPLY TO PRESTIGIOUS MFA WRITING PROGRAMS. Pursue what I'd always wanted to pursue and hone my creative writing skills. Stoke my ego by possibly getting accepted into a respectable program (on the flip side, getting a closed door instead of endless "what ifs"). Embrace deadlines, new motivation, community, acceptance as the type of writer I always have been (before it was beat out of me), be able to move somewhere new and GET OUT OF THIS PLACE, get a graduate assistantship so I'd be gaining new academic and professional experience at the same time...

LIBRARY SCIENCE DEGREE. Spend 2 years training to be a librarian and look for opportunities to gain professional experience before graduation. More practical than the creative writing route and would offer a decently organized, quiet job. I like the idea of libraries beyond their peaceful atmosphere; they're safe spaces for lots of people. Might be emotionally-challenging but I've always found myself somehow taking on roles more suited to counselors. Could work at public libraries or at schools, museums, etc. Better than working as a teacher and with a better salary, too.

SUCK IT UP AND GET A DEGREE/CERTIFICATE IN GOOD-PAYING, IN-DEMAND JOB. You only need a certificate (little over a year) to become an X-ray tech and start making decent money. I wouldn't have to worry about my salary or my passions being bled dry by work; I'd clock in, do my job, clock out, and then unwind with things I like. Would have to look more into how much it costs to be certified. Also hate the idea of working in medical, personally. I know my strengths and weaknesses and I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of work. Scared it would break me down. (but being unemployed pursuing what I like is also breaking me down, so.)

NO MORE SCHOOL, HOLD OUT FOR JOBS NOW. Give the idea of school a rest and move on. Toughen up my resume, gain what professional experiences I can with what I've got, and try to be smarter about how I present myself in applications and interviews. Just focus on making money however I best can.

Actually, I have to do #4 anyway since I'm desperately trying to scrounge up enough money to get by month to month. Although I'm only paying for storage and bills, I'm losing more than I'm making and just barely staying afloat. I just need my foot in the door somewhere. I can't keep track of all the places and institutions I've applied to. Random odd jobs, big girl jobs, everything in between.

The first two options appeal to me the most; the first is the most exciting, but the biggest gamble. There's no guarantee that going back to school even with tuition remission and an assistantship would make for easy living, or even do much to affect my future prospects. I would secure an assistantship with a decent stipend though, and make sure my program has plenty to teach on the publishing industry which I'd like to work in, along with professional and networking opportunities while in school. It'd be a restart point for me.

Being a librarian is also a nice thought but I'm worried I'd get bored with it or have "dry periods" where nowhere around me would be hiring library workers. But of course I could pack up and move...

~

The other day, I applied for 3 different variations of academic advisor positions (it took 4 hours total, woof). 2 on-site at colleges near me, and 1 remote. I was rejected last year by my alma mater, even though people I graduated with were hired and folded back into the nest. Although that makes me a little bitter, the real kick in the teeth for me was seeing the boy who violated me and poured his trauma into me move away and get an advisor position at an even BIGGER school. Where he now has access to all those first year students. And I know my credentials were better than his. It all starts to make me feel like I'm going crazy.

Back to the MFA thing. I can't even apply without any writing samples. I always think it'll just work itself out, I'll write just enough to make a strong portfolio and then once I'm in school again, the floodgates will open. I make all kinds of excuses for why I can't tap into my writing here: I have no space, I'm too angry and strung out being here, I have very little privacy, it's dark, I feel physically ill because everything is dirty, blah blah blah. I couldn't write in my sunny spacious apartment either. Will it really all turn around because of a writing program?

(yes, yes it could. Deadlines and guidelines. Accountability. Need to impress. All the wrong reasons all the right steps).

My brain is a constant storm and I hate asking for advice because when I do -- and it takes SUCH immense effort dear lord -- I feel dismissed, or discouraged, or even offended. I get defensive instantly. I keep reaffirming that I won't let anyone else guide my life, and now it's difficult to even hear someone out when they're giving practical solutions to the issues that have plagued me for a long time now.

I still want to make this next step on my own. I want to do it in secret and be totally committed to it before I share it. Everything in me is telling me to be quiet about whatever I choose, but that means I HAVE to hold myself accountable and CHOOSE SOMETHING so I can get out of this limbo standstill and start working towards something finally, finally.

[jnrmanagement]

Multi-Factor Authentication in India

Multi-Factor Authentication: Stepping Up Your Security Game In 2024

In today's digital world, our precious data is constantly under siege. Hackers, data thieves, and malicious actors lurk around every corner, waiting for the weakest link in our online defenses. While strong passwords are a crucial first line of defense, they're no longer enough. Enter Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), the superhero of online security, ready to add an extra layer of protection to your digital fortress.

What Is MFA?

Imagine a bank vault protected by not just a single lock, but multiple layers of security: a thick steel door, a keypad requiring a complex code, and finally, a biometric scanner for double verification. That's essentially how MFA works for your online accounts. Instead of relying solely on a password (the single lock), MFA adds additional "factors" of authentication, making it exponentially harder for unauthorized access.

Secure Key Management

One of the primary functions of HSMs is secure generation, storage, and management of cryptographic keys, preventing unauthorized usage and potential breaches.

These Factors Can Be Categorized Into Three Main Groups:

Something you know:This could be your traditional password, a PIN, or a security question answer. While not the strongest factor alone, it's still a basic hurdle for attackers.

Something you have:This might be your smartphone, a physical security key, or a one-time password (OTP) generated by an app. Having physical possession of the item adds another layer of difficulty for malicious actors.

Something you are:This is where biometrics like fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans come into play. These unique physiological characteristics offer the highest level of security, as they're nearly impossible to replicate.

Why Multi-Factor Authentication Is Necessary?

Digital security is critical in today's world because both businesses and users store sensitive information online. Everyone interacts with applications, services, and data that are stored on the internet using online accounts. A breach, or misuse, of this online information could have serious real-world consequences, such as financial theft, business disruption, and loss of privacy.

While passwords protect digital assets, they are simply not enough. Expert cybercriminals try to actively find passwords. By discovering one password, access can potentially be gained to multiple accounts for which you might have reused the password. Multi-factor authentication acts as an additional layer of security to prevent unauthorized users from accessing these accounts, even when the password has been stolen. Businesses use multi-factor authentication to validate user identities and provide quick and convenient access to authorized users

The benefits of MFA extend far beyond personal accounts. Businesses that implement MFA for employee access can significantly strengthen their cybersecurity posture, protecting sensitive data and reducing the risk of costly data breaches. Governments and organizations handling critical infrastructure can also leverage MFA to safeguard vital systems and information.

Different Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Choices Cater To Mobile Devices

Enhancing security while offering varied benefits

One-Time Passwords (OTP):

Innovative applications generate OTPs, similar to traditional security tokens, sent via time-based SMS.

Utilizing a smartphone or tablet eliminates the need for physical tokens, reducing replacement costs for companies.

Biometric Authentication:

Leading smartphone manufacturers prioritize security concerns by offering biometric authentication options.

These features ensure that only authorized users access devices, yet each technique comes with its own set of pros and cons.

How Is Multi-Factor Authentication Implemented In The Cloud?

As businesses transition various aspects like data storage, communication, server infrastructure, and more to the cloud, IT administrators grapple with the challenges of departing from traditional on-premises setups. Ensuring secure user access becomes paramount in safeguarding sensitive data within cloud environments.

Major tech players such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, Facebook, and Twitter recognize this need for heightened security. They've embraced two-factor authentication for entry into their cloud services, with some progressively expanding into more advanced multi-factor authentication protocols.

Multi-Factor Authentication For Microsoft 365

Multi-Factor Authentication in Microsoft 365 strengthens security measures for accessing applications on PCs, Macs, and mobile devices. Upon login, users receive a random 16-character token via the Microsoft 365 admin tool, initiating the authentication process. Afterward, users can set up additional layers of verification, including:

Call My Mobile Phone: Users press # upon receiving a confirmation call to log in via their mobile device.

Call My Office Phone: Similar to the mobile option, the confirmation call is directed to a separate line, such as a desk phone.

Text Code to My Mobile Phone: A code sent via SMS to the user's phone, entered into the Microsoft 365 login form.

Notify Me through App: Utilizing a Microsoft smartphone app (available for Windows Phone, iPhone, and Android) to receive and confirm notifications.

Show One-Time Code in App: Utilizing the same app as the Notify Me feature, a one-time, six-digit code is provided for login verification within the Microsoft 365 interface.

How Can Multi-Factor Authentication Enhance Security?

Heightened Security: MFA significantly raises the bar for security by requiring multiple forms of verification. This makes it exponentially harder for hackers to gain unauthorized access.

Compliance Adherence: In various industries, compliance standards necessitate robust security measures. MFA aids in meeting these standards, ensuring adherence to regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.

Versatility and Adaptability: MFA solutions are versatile and adaptable, allowing integration across diverse platforms and devices. From mobile apps generating time-based tokens to hardware tokens and biometric authentication, the options cater to different user preferences and security needs.

Implementing MFA: From Zero To Hero

The good news is that implementing MFA is easier than ever. Most major online platforms and services offer built-in MFA options, often with just a few clicks in your account settings. Here are some quick tips:

Start with the essentials: Enable MFA for your email, bank accounts, social media profiles, and any other platform where you store sensitive information.

Choose the right factors: Consider a combination of convenience and security when selecting your MFA methods. Avoid relying solely on SMS OTPs.

Educate yourself and others: Spread awareness about MFA and its importance within your family, friends, and workplace.

Stay vigilant: Keep your software and devices updated to patch vulnerabilities and maintain strong security practices.

MFA: Not Just A Buzzword, A Necessity

In today's digital landscape, cybersecurity is no longer optional. Multi-Factor Authentication is a powerful tool that can significantly improve your online security posture, protecting your valuable data and accounts from unauthorized access. Don't wait for a data breach to wake you up - take control of your security and embrace the power of MFA today.

Remember, a little extra effort now can save you a lot of heartache and headaches in the future. So, choose the most suitable MFA method and strengthen your mobile security today!

JNR Management is best Multi-Factor Authentication in India

[moistvonlipwig]

well i certainly am not aiming for a job i'll hate !

maybe it'll help me to write out the pros and cons of each. this is mostly for my own benefit but anyone who follows me or sees this post, please do feel free to chime in with your thoughts, especially if you have any experience in the listed fields but even if you don't...

MATH:

pros: honestly this is a super interesting subject that i've been getting into more since becoming a math tutor. and my aunt is a retired mathematician so i could exchange Math Ideas with her. it's something i want to learn about and i could see myself spending my life studying it and not getting bored because there are so many delightful things to discover about it. plus if i did a PhD that means i don't have to pay for schooling. cons: i would have to take a few courses to make up for what i didn't take in college prior to applying for any program, which could delay me. a PhD program would take an additional 5-6 years; a Masters' would be shorter but potentially less useful and i'd have to pay for it. additionally, since i am interested in pure math, not really applied math, it could be difficult to find a job, as it is actually quite difficult to get a stable tenured academic position in math.

ASTROPHYSICS / QUANTUM PHYSICS:

pros: similarly, these are subjects i am highly interested in, and in fact i would say i'm more interested in these subjects than i am in math, and unlike math i already did some undergrad coursework in college and i have some professors who at the very least could write me recommendation letters/advise me on potential paths (i've spoken to one in-depth already back in february). like math, i could see myself spending my life studying either of these subjects and not getting bored. and again, if i did a PhD then that's a free ride. cons: i would still have to take a few courses to make up for what i didn't take in college, plus in order to get into a good program i'd probably have to work on an independent research project on my own since i have no research experience and the labs at the universities near me aren't hiring (i've checked). same with math, a PhD program would take quite a few years, while a Masters' is supposedly not very useful at all in physics. and the same issue arises that it is very difficult to get a good research/academic position in either astro or quantum physics. my astro professor from college compared it to trying to make it in hollywood which is exactly what i'm trying to get myself away from. so. yeah. there is the possible route of aiming not for an academic position but for a position with JPL/NASA, which would be a much more stable job, but i might have to shift focus to an aspect of astrophysics that interests me less & that i have less experience in (e.g. planetary science) and also i have reservations about working for JPL/NASA due to their involvements with the government & astrocolonialism (which to be fair is also an issue with certain branches of academic astrophysics research as well).

SCREENWRITING / PLAYWRITING:

pros: this is what i've been trying to make work for years. i love writing. i want to write. i would love to write for tv. my dream is to be a showrunner. that's been my dream for over a decade, and even though last august i started accepting i should probably look into other things, it's so hard for me to give up that dream. i wouldn't have to take any extra classes or learn any new skills to apply for a writing MFA program, just produce/polish some samples, and i already have several old professors & industry contacts who could recommend me. plus there are a couple free programs i could apply to so the money thing wouldn't even be an issue. if i did an MFA in screenwriting (or playwriting, which i'm also interested in) that opens the door for internship programs that are only available to current students as well as way more networking opportunities than i currently have. it also would help me get better at writing & give me the opportunity to maybe put my stuff on screen or stage for real which would beef up my portfolio. honestly i will probably apply to at least one free program just for the sake of it, because why not. cons: i've been trying to make it work for years. and it hasn't. never mind getting a writing job, i can't land any industry job. maybe networking in an MFA program could help, but it also might not -- it's a highly competitive industry that is going through a lot of changes. and then i'd have spent 2 years not making money just to end up in the same boat i started in. and that's speaking for screenwriting -- it's very hard to make it as a playwright at all, although some screenwriters start as playwrights, and i do love theatre (part of me wishes i could be an actor, in fact, because i love acting, but 'theatre actor' is not a job that makes money and i have no illusions about how likely someone with my body type + presentation is to be cast in commercials or film/tv). not to mention getting into an MFA program will be competitive as well. even if i were to break in, it's hardly a stable career unless i get a big break, and i no longer fancy myself that lucky. and i don't know if i can live that kind of unstable life.

ANIMATION:

pros: i think animation is super cool and it's one of my favorite mediums. a lot of my favorite shows & films are animated and i think you can do things with animation, including children's animation, that you simply can't do with live-action. i would love to work on animated shows & create my own. and it does seem like, with few exceptions, getting into animation writing & creating is often less about studying screenwriting itself and more about studying art & animation. and there are good schools & fellowships i could apply to which could help me do that. although putting together a portfolio to apply would be a ton of work (see below), it would be work i could much more reasonably do on my own than, say, a research project for astro or quantum physics good enough to get me into one of those programs. additionally, i already live in what is arguably the animation capital of the country, and there are lots of good programs and studios local to here, so i wouldn't have to move to find a good program. (as much as part of me wants to flee to the east coast, it would be practically much easier for me to stay here, at least until i am much more financially independent than i am now.) cons: i never really studied art beyond a couple high school classes, i doodle and stuff but i'm not anywhere near professional level, so i would need to seriously buckle down and spend a lot of time learning on my own. of course there are other avenues than just drawn animation such as claymation that i could look into, but that is also very much a learned skill. so it would be a lot of independent work before i could get into a program. i also admit that while art & animation is not uninteresting to me, i mostly really am interested in writing & conceptualizing animation over the art itself, although possibly that could change with time. there's also the concern that the animation industry is going through a lot -- a lot of skilled & experienced animators are struggling to get hired and have to sell themselves on twitter, and there are lots of issues within the animation industry that could make a career unstable or unsustainable if i'm not lucky enough to get a good deal. and as mentioned above, i no longer trust my luck, and i do really need something stable & sustainable. it's always possible to try to make independent animations while doing another career, of course, but that is also, obviously, much more difficult for a host of reasons.

LAW:

pros: this would probably be the easiest program to get into -- with my 174 lsat score & essay writing skills i could certainly get into a decent law school and maybe even a prestigious one, and also if you get into a decent law school and do very well there's the option to transfer to a more prestigious one after your first year. of all my options, this one probably offers the highest likelihood of actually getting a decent-paying stable job, which i do need in order to be able to live a good life. i also think that i could find fulfillment in certain types of law advocating for human rights & similar things. cons: the law school debt bro.......like yes if i got a good-paying job i could take care of that but still!!! also there is the concern that the type of law i would find fulfilling might not actually be the best-paying or easiest to get a job in lol. there's also just the fact that of the options on this list it's the one i'm least invested in. for me it's screenwriting/playwriting/animation > astrophysics/quantum physics > math > law. which, law is still above many other professions, but, still. :|

ok anyway that's it i guess. there's also other stuff i think is fascinating (like paleontology......one of the coolest jobs ever!!!) but that i would basically need an entirely new bachelor's degree to do and uhhh i'd like to avoid that if possible lol

having an existential crisis this summer and am desperately unsure if i should go into math or astrophysics or animation or get a screenwriting mfa or give up on all that and go to law school

[daemonhxckergrrl]

Privacy, accounts, and password managers

!!! NOTE: THIS GUIDE WILL BE UPDATED AND REFINED; CONSIDER THIS A FIRST PASS !!!

Preamble

this is a GUIDE on the basics of security, and how to set up a password manager. i'll run-through of the aims of security practices and include a glossary at the end for some of the more technical terms d:

The point of security

contrary to popular belief, the point of security measures (in cyber- or meatspace) is not to make it impossible to gain access to the Protected Thing; the point is to significantly reduce the chance of unauthorised access to the Protected Thing.

we do this by making it:

harder (think rpg skill check)

more time consuming (people get bored; it's also less profitable)

less appealing (add obstacles)

Security basics

the golden rules of security and privacy:

SHUT THE FUCK UP (for the love of Void, stop sharing your personal info publicly! or privately, for that matter)

sandboxes and containers ! (keep your personal shit separate from your work shit; doubly so for activists)

change passwords regularly

use 2FA/MFA (security layers are important !)

don't sign up for accounts/services you don't need ??

Password managers

a password manager is a tool that stores login information for your various accounts in an encrypted database, protected by a master password. this means you can have stronger passwords for your social media, bank login, online shopping etc. without having to remember them.

many password managers these days are cloud-based, meaning the password database is stored on the servers of the company offering the service, and you can access these across multiple devices. many also include browser extensions.

!!! WARNING: USING A CLOUD-BASED PASSWORD MANAGER MEANS PLACING TRUST IN THAT COMPANY TO PROTECT YOUR DATA !!!

there's also local password managers that keep their database on your computer/phone/external drive. the trade-off here is trust (and ownership of your data) vs convenience. there's methods to get around this (manual transfer or an automatic file sync) but they're beyond this GUIDE's scope.

How to set this up

i personally use a local password manager (KeePassXC) as i don't trust companies like Bitwarden and LastPass. the former, while open source, added a feature to send files/passwords between users, and the latter is proprietary so can't be independently audited.

KeePassXC pros:

open source (can be independently audited)

trusted lineage

multiple database support

in-depth encryption options (including 2FA via cryptographic* or hardware key)

strong and customisable password generation

folder-based organisation

password expiry

function to copy a username/password to clipboard then clear the clipboard after 10 seconds

cons:

is local only unless you set up a manual sync

*(no this isn't that kind of crypto, though that is where those currencies got their name)

Preparation

before setting up your fancy new password manager, i would recommend creating a list (ideally on paper that can be shredded, or an air-gapped device) of all your accounts and services you currently use. we're gonna weed out the ones we don't need and provide ourselves a way to track our progress.

follow these steps:

write down the names of all the services you use, including any you have multiple of (eg Twitter, Private Twitter, Amazon, Reddit, Old Reddit you don't use anymore)

put those you wish to delete into a separate column (mark if you wish to delete and remake)

organise the rest of your accounts into groups; these can be as simple as personal/work or you could split off nsfw content or your social media, however you see fit

Deletion

our next step is deleting those accounts we no longer want. depending on the service, this ranges from easy to impossible; there's also the issue of which services may still hold onto your data. the following sites cover most of the major services for deletion or getting your data: https://justdeleteme.xyz https://justgetmydata.com

now we have our accounts nicely organised ! it's time to structure things. with these groups we have a few options:

1 database, folder separation

separate databases

memorise master passwords

store master passwords in master database

store master passwords on air-gapped device/hardware key

store master passwords on something non-electronic

Each has advantages and disadvantages, but i recommend any of the separate databases methods. if someone gains access to your socials database they haven't also gained access to your bank account.

Database creation

choose strong (memorable if needed) passwords for your databases. for extra security, allow KeePassXC to generate a key - just remember you will need this key file and your password every time you unlock the database.

the time slider is a tradeoff between convenience and security - this is entirely down to your needs. as these databases are encrypted, they're safe to create backups of. i recommend keeping a backup on an air-gapped device or even external storage media. give this a strong password and store in a safe place.

!!! WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NO BACKUPS AND ACCIDENTALLY DELETE YOUR DATABASE FILE, YOUR PASSWORDS ARE GONE. PLEASE MAKE A SAFE BACKUP !!!

Migration

now it's time to migrate. using the organised sheet you created earlier, go through one-by-one and add each account. this is a good time to check your settings on each account, change their passwords (using KeePassXC's generator) and disable what tracking/data collection you can.

here are some useful links - i recommend switching from gmail/hotmail/yahoo to something more secure, and reading up on dark patterns (how companies trick you into being tracked or buying services):

email alternatives (will expand into proper post later:

https://protonmail.com

https://tutanota.com

https://posteo.de

dark patterns

privacy addons

cookies

Next Steps

that's it !! just remember to update your passwords regularly and keep from cross-contamination !! and don't overshare personal information !!! there will be more GUIDEs and REPO links to other aspects of privacy and security in the future. password managers are only the tip of the iceberg

[lokiondisneyplus]

"Humanity, look how far you’ve fallen,” a voice drawled out of the darkness of San Diego’s Comic-Con. In the summer of 2013 actor Tom Hiddleston took the stage in full Loki costume to promote what was supposed to be his last turn as everybody’s favorite Marvel villain in Thor: The Dark World. The already boisterous crowd went absolutely bananas chanting “Loki! Loki! Loki!” as Hiddleston, channeling iconic pro-wrestling heels like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, fed off the mixture of screams and boos, pointed menacingly at the crowd and hurled elaborate insults. Go ahead and google “mewling quim” if you’re feeling brave.

It was a star-making moment for an already popular character—one that racked up millions of views online and ensured Hiddleston’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU. It’s the reason, according to longtime Marvel producer Nate Moore, that Hiddleston’s character escaped death once again in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame to land his very own show, Loki, debuting June 9 on Disney+. “If you’ve ever been to a Comic-Con where Tom Hiddleston makes an appearance,” Moore says, ”you see what magic that is.

”The same year Hiddleston turned in the WWE-worthy performance in San Diego, lifelong pro-wrestling enthusiast and Loki head writer Michael Waldron began an MFA program in screenwriting just a couple hundred miles up the California coast, at Pepperdine University. Waldron rode his love for Hulk Hogan and the drama of the wrestling world all the way out from Atlanta to the shores of Malibu. His ride, from there, took him straight to the top. This is how one man’s lifelong love affair with wrestling became critical to the development of Marvel Phase Four.

Less than a decade later, with an Emmy-winning stint on Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon’s fiercely beloved animated series Rick and Morty in his rearview, Waldron has become the chosen favorite of Marvel president Kevin Feige, who was so impressed with the now 34-year-old’s work as head writer on Loki, that he tapped him to take over writing duties on the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. Impressed with Strange, Feige then handpicked Waldron to work on his top-secret Star Wars project. With Loki set to make a big splash next week, Waldron shared his unusual inspirations for both Loki and Strange, his rapid climb to the top of the Hollywood heap and how, really, he just wants to be the next Nora Ephron.

While still a student at Pepperdine, Waldron landed an assistant gig with one of his comedy heroes: Dan Harmon. Stationed outside the Rick and Morty writers room, Waldron was desperate to catch Harmon’s eye and decided launching a softball league would be the key. “What I knew about him before was that he was a guy that would love a bunch of attention, like everybody,” Harmon says. “When he started coaching the softball team, it became obvious that he deserved attention.”

“We were terrible. We were the worst team in Burbank rec league history,” Waldron recalls. “But it was a great opportunity for me to trick everybody into reading my writing.” Waldron leaned on his “Southern roots” to channel Friday Night Lights’ coach Taylor every week.

“We lost every single game and he’d take us out to the parking lot and give us this pep talk,” Harmon says. “What was the point of pep talking this terrible team? He kept on, which was a job that you couldn’t accomplish by being ironic or cynical.” One day, fortune smiled on both Waldron and the team when, in the frenzied excitement after their first-ever softball win, Harmon offered Waldron a writers assistant job on the fifth season of his NBC sitcom Community. “I look at all the amazing moments I’ve had in my career, and I’ve been so lucky, I don’t think I’ll ever have anything more exciting than that one,” Waldron says.

“He wanted to be a writer and I was like, ‘Too bad. You’re very handsome and charming. Get on the phone and talk to these producers for me,’” Harmon recalls of his early treatment of Waldron. “So there he is on Community as a writers P.A. and as a ‘facilities manager’ simultaneously—which is code for fixing things that go wrong in the bathroom.”

Waldron, not content to work in Harmon’s bathroom forever, began pitching a show he wrote while still in school about his first love: wrestling. Starz gave Waldron a crack at it, and in the summer of 2017, despite never having written a script that made it to air, Waldron ran his first writers room. “What I loved about wrestling, even as a kid, was there were stakes,” Waldron says. “If Hulk Hogan turned bad one week, that had big ramifications for the rest of my life, as far as I was concerned.”

The wrestling show Heels was born and just as quickly fell apart. “We couldn’t cast it,” Waldron says. “So much for my meteoric rise. My career’s over. I’m like 29 and really, really languishing. I licked my wounds after Heels went on the shelf and said, ‘All right, let me prove to myself that I can still write.’”

With his eye on impressing the likes of Marvel and Lucasfilm, Waldron took two weeks to whip together the first draft of a time-traveling/sci-fi/romance feature worthy of both Nora Ephron and the Rick and Morty writers room, titled Worst Guy of All Time. Waldron’s team was disinclined to share a copy of the script (possibly because it’s in development or its DNA will be found in some other project he’s working on) but you can read write-ups of it here and here. The story about the worst guy in the world, the girl who was sent through time to kill him, and how they fell, disastrously, in love landed Waldron on the 2018 Black List alongside Emerald Fennell’s Oscar-winning Promising Young Woman. It also caught the eye of Kevin Feige.

Meanwhile, Dan Harmon had finally seen the light. In 2018, Harmon and his Ricky and Morty team decided to staff “blind” with writers submitting anonymous cold opens for the fourth season of his irreverent, animated journey through time and space featuring a young boy (Morty) and his drunk, Doc Brown–esque grandfather (Rick). “It was such a Sword in the Stone thing,” Harmon says. Someone informed Harmon that the two submissions he identified as “clearly the best” were “both by the same writer and that writer was the guy cleaning your toilets and all other manner of dirty work and trying to develop a Starz show on his off hours.”

Harmon was so impressed that he not only hired Waldron to write for season four, he offered him a showrunner position for season five. “We’re like, ‘Okay. He’s a little green, but he’s moving so quickly and he learns so fast and he’s such a hard worker. We’re crazy for doing it. Let’s take a chance on this kid,’” Harmon says. “He’s like, ‘Guys, I’m so flattered by this. I have a meeting at Marvel this afternoon. I think I might be running a show for them.’ That’s the story of how we loved, semi-supported, semi-discouraged, and definitely lost Michael Waldron.”

Dan Harmon is no stranger to losing talent to Kevin Feige. Longtime MCU directors Joe and Anthony Russo were plucked from Community. And in 2020 Marvel hired another Rick and Morty writer, Jeff Loveness, to write Ant-Man 3. It’s no mystery why. When sitting down for a lengthy interview with Vanity Fair in 2017, Feige was as eager to talk about the Rick and Morty season-three finale as anything else.

“Well, you can’t fight Kevin Feige in the street,” Harmon says. “He’ll just say, ‘Oh, I love that you’re fighting me, this is so wonderful,’ and everyone will start booing you for being a bully. I am honored and validated by the idea that if people leave me, they leave me for Marvel. That’s an amazing legacy.”

When Michael Waldron left for Marvel in 2019, he went with his Rick and Morty experience, his love of wrestling, a time-travel romance screenplay, and very little actual comic book knowledge. This last part may have appealed to Feige the most. The head of Marvel Studios himself didn’t grow up reading comics and has said that someone with an outsider’s approach to a comic book story can be more valuable than a writer stuck in the weeds of back issues. “I grew up a pro-wrestling guy, probably more of a Star Wars guy,” Waldron says, “but my love of Marvel came from the movies.”

When Waldron met with Marvel for Loki, the executive team had already decided to set the show in the world of the TVA (or Time Variance Authority), a sci-fi bureaucratic agency that cleans up any anomalies in Marvel’s increasingly complex and branching timelines and realities.

“That was the sandbox that we had to play in,” Waldron says. “I came up with the emotional engine of the whole thing. The fans of Loki watched him experience a character arc through Infinity War and, in a lot of ways, maybe even arc out. How do we break new ground with this character? What better movies and TV shows did I intend to rip off in each episode?”

Marvel itself solved the “arc out” problem by plucking Loki from earlier in his timeline at the end of 2012’s Avengers. Hiddleston’s character enters the show a time criminal captured by the TVA who may, in the end, prove its most valuable asset. Loki, the series, presents a less evolved, more mischievous god of mischief and Waldron considers Hiddleston’s versatility the show’s ultimate weapon. The ceiling for Loki felt “so high” that Waldron was free to draw on a broad range of films and TV shows to construct Loki’s latest journey through the MCU.

The time-and-space-hopping adventure spirit of Rick and Morty is an obvious inspiration. “At first I was carrying in the Rick and Morty sensibility and I had to recalibrate,” he says. “I'm not writing a 22-minute cartoon. I was watching Quentin Tarantino movies — Inglourious Basterds. Movies that luxuriate in long scenes of dialogue and tension building.” Waldron also rattles off some other surprising inspirations: Blade Runner, Before Sunrise, and Catch Me If You Can.

But just because he’s pulling from cinema doesn’t mean Waldron thinks of Loki as a six-hour movie. “I’d say it’s something totally new! It’s MCU. It was important that every episode stood alone. The Leftovers or Watchmen, which I admired so much—every one of those episodes felt like a distinct short story. That’s the sign of a great episode of TV. ‘Oh, it’s that episode of Loki.’” (If you’re wondering how delightfully weird Loki might get, Waldron mentions the lion sex cult boat episode of The Leftovers, “It’s A Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World,” as a personal favorite.)

Close watchers of Loki trailers have already singled out what they think is a Mad Men reference in an homage to unsolved mystery man D.B. Cooper. Waldron says the connections to Mad Men, his favorite show of all time, run deeper. “Mad Men is about characters becoming aware of who they are,” he says. “Don Draper gained an awareness of how he was broken and why.”

Here, Waldron says, is where time travel stories really come in handy: “You can literally hold up a mirror to your characters. Perhaps they can encounter other versions of themselves at different points in their lives. In the case of Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, he can encounter versions of his parents and then he understands himself better.”

Fans of the Loki comics know things can get even wilder than Lorraine and George McFly. On the page Loki has shown up as a little kid, and as a seductive figure known as Lady Loki—could these be versions of himself that Loki meets on his journey? Could meeting yourself be literalized in this way? “It certainly could,” Waldron says. “What being is more chaotic than Loki? What do you have to learn from any version of yourself?” If this is the case, Marvel is keeping that aspect of the show a secret but fans have noticed that a few Loki actors, including the decidedly Hiddleston-esque Richard E. Grant, have yet to be assigned roles. Could Grant be playing an elder Loki?

It’s the juvenile iteration of Loki that caught Waldron’s attention. The Kid Loki comic Journey Into Mystery #622-636 by Kieron Gillen was inspirational “not necessarily because our show is about a child version of Loki, but because it excavates his humanity in a more vulnerable space in a way that you only can with a child. A child version of Loki is still burdened by the sins of his past self which is very much what our version of Loki is running up against in the TVA. Can a tiger change its stripes?”

As for Lady Loki, remember the toxic romance Blacklist screenplay that first got Michael Waldron in the door at Marvel. Loki’s cinematic journey has been so tied up in his relationship with his brother, Thor, that he’s never had an on-screen love interest. Waldron, who still aspires to be Nora Ephron, says there certainly are some love stories running through his season.

One love story to keep an eye out for is brewing between Hiddleston’s god of mischief and Owen Wilson’s TVA bureaucrat Mr. Mobius. The two spark and spar, building on the duo’s chemistry from Midnight in Paris. “Mobius and Loki, that's one of the love stories you might see in Loki for sure,” he says. “Although if you print that, knowing our fans, they’re going to take it the wrong way.” When I clarified that their love story might be more akin to the platonic one between Tom Hanks’ FBI Agent Carl Hanratty and Leonardo DiCaprio’s con man Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can, Waldron says: “Exactly. Right.”

As fruitful as the time travel genre can be when it comes to juicy emotional development, Waldron knows it can also be a logistical nightmare if not plotted carefully. “I can show you what was all over our writers room,” he says, quickly sketching out a branching timeline. “We had to create an insane institutional knowledge of how time travel would work within the TVA so the audience never has to think about it again. It was a lot of drawings of squiggly timelines.”

Marvel already made its case for how time travel works in Avengers: Endgame but that, Waldron points out, “is the way the Avengers understand it.” With a TV show it’s a little different. “I was always very acutely aware of the fact that there's a week between each of our episodes and these fans are going to do exactly what I would do, which is pick this apart. We wanted to create a time travel logic that was so air-tight it could sustain over six hours. There's some time-travel sci-fi concepts here that I'm eager for my Rick and Morty colleagues to see.”

Part of the fun on a Marvel project like this, Waldron says, is creating a disaster and just saying, “‘Yeah, we'll leave that for the next writer.’ But then you do that on Loki and you find yourself writing Doctor Strange and you have to clean up your own mess.”

Like WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier before it, Loki has two main creatives working alongside the team of Marvel producers and executives. In the world of Marvel on Disney+, a head writer like Waldron will get the ball rolling and then a director, in this case Kate Herron (Sex Education), will join in shaping the project going forward.

“Kate's a great creator,” Waldron says. “Suddenly we had the benefit of fresh eyes on this whole thing as we hurtled into production. It's been run more like a feature in that it’s ultimately more director-driven. I'm not the showrunner in the sense that I'm not the one with the budget hanging over my head.”

Waldron wasn’t even on set while Loki was shooting because in February of last year, just before he was to leave for Atlanta, Kevin Feige called and let Waldron know “they were going in a different direction on Doctor Strange.” Original Strange director Scott Derrickson left the project over “creative differences” and Feige, likely eager to hit the target production date of May, made an offer to Waldron.

“I knew I wanted to stay in the family,” Waldron says. “I felt like Loki was in a great place and I was eager for what the next challenge would be.” Director Sam Raimi, a longtime hero of Waldron’s and someone Feige knows from his early days as a producer on the Raimi’s Spider-Man films, was brought on board a week later to direct.

Time was tight. “How do we just make a movie in two months?” Waldron recalls thinking. “But COVID quickly descended upon us. We're not shooting now until November. So I got to spend my 2020 on Zooms with Sam Raimi. Not too bad.” While acknowledging the foundation Derrickson laid for him, Waldron says he and Raimi started “from scratch.”

Waldron began juggling his Strange duties while still keeping one “hand on the wheel of Loki.” (Oh and somewhere in there he also scooped up an Emmy for Rick and Morty over Zoom.) He put his trust in Herron and fellow Rick and Morty alum, writer Eric Martin, to handle the day-to-day of Loki while Martin and Waldron would collaborate on any re-writes needed to make the series come together.

Waldron found a real-life touchstone for Loki in Apple mogul Steve Jobs. They’re both adopted, he points out, and they love control. For Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Stephen Strange, Waldron says: “I gravitated towards [travel documentarian and chef] Anthony Bourdain. Strange is an elitist as a neurosurgeon and a sorcerer. Anthony Bourdain was a man of the people, but there was that intense intellect. You always felt like he could eviscerate anybody with his words at any time. But yet Anthony Bourdain never really punched down. That was the first ingredient in the stew for Doctor Strange.”

Waldron also connects Bourdain’s world-traveling to Strange’s own reality-hopping adventure: “Anthony Bourdain had been everywhere, seen everything. What surprises you at this point? I think for all of the heroes in the MCU, in a post-Endgame world, how do you rally yourself to fight the stand-alone movie villains after you fought Thanos?”

Strange’s fighting spirit led Waldron to his next inspiration. “He's Indiana Jones in a cloak to me,” he says. “He's a hero who can take a punch. That's what made those Harrison Ford heroes so great. Those guys get their asses kicked. Look at Stephen Strange in the first movie. He's really getting beat up but he's very capable and everything. I can tell you that it's a ride...very Sam Raimi. The film is incredibly visually thrilling. John Mathieson our DP, who shot Gladiator and Logan — I think the look of it is going to be unlike anything you've seen in the MCU before.”

“He just wanted to write a really great Indiana Jones-esque blockbuster,” Waldron’s close friend, fellow Rick and Morty alum and Ant-Man 3 writer Jeff Loveness says. “He nailed it. It’s a kind of a throwback.” Waldron, he adds, may have an even more personal connection to Strange: “His wife is a [physician’s assistant]. He really got to the heart of the character, how doctors do have to be cocky. He got the Hawkeye Pierce energy of Strange.”

Waldron says whatever plans he had for Strange weren’t greatly impacted by the fact that the character was meant to show up (and then didn’t) in WandaVision. But Waldron’s close friendship with WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer, forged in the halls of Marvel as he was working on Loki, loomed large over the production. “I admired her so much,” he says. Schaeffer, who recently signed an overall deal with Marvel Studios, created a show around Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff which will lead directly into Waldron’s first feature film. “When I got brought on to Doctor Strange — especially because Wanda is part of that story — I just wanted to make sure I wasn't gonna let my friend down,” he says. “I can't shit the bed because she did such a great job. So we had a lot of conversations. Getting to continue Wanda's story was amazing.”

Waldron found himself in frequent communication with Schaeffer and Loveness, creating a kind of friend-based network of writers you don’t often see across several MCU projects. “He was still in the middle of his highly strenuous shoot and running another show, and working on another secret movie and he came onto our Zoom and collaborated on some story stuff,” Loveness recalls, “It's like swimming in the ocean over there. There's always going to be 10 movies that yours ties into. They're going to change Doctor Strange so that it will affect Ant-Man and that'll affect season eight of The Mandalorian.”

Waldron notes that one of his Loki writers, Bisha Ali, went on to create Ms. Marvel and that the whole interconnected enterprise hangs together better if they can think of it as a family: ”Jeff’s dealing with the Quantum Realm and I was dealing with time travel and the multi-verse. Our conversations are probably illegal to have, digitally. We have to meet on a bridge somewhere.”

“Iwas like eight weeks into writing Loki and I finally moved on,” Waldron recalls. “I'd spent a year driving past the old Heels writers room and feeling like a failure. Now I'd risen like a phoenix from the ashes and then, of course, the jilted lover calls and says, ‘Hey, what are you up to?’”

In 2019, Starz came calling to see if Waldron would be interested in reviving his old wrestling show Heels. Arrow star Stephen Amell, having wrapped up his superhero duties on the CW, was available. Waldron, of course, was a bit busy.

“I had to surrender control over the thing that I had been the most maniacally obsessive over,” Waldron says of giving the reins to actor turned showrunner Mike O’Malley. “Mike, to his great credit, was just so generous and patient with me as I did that. There's still so much of it that's mine.” Waldron spent some of his 2021 working on post-production for the show which will debut this August.

By then, Waldron may be even busier tackling another cinematic galaxy. He can’t say much about getting the call to work on Feige’s Star Wars, but he can say: “You’ve heard all my references here. Star Wars! Indiana Jones! [Kathleen Kennedy], she’s made so many of my favorite movies. So to get to collaborate with both of those entities is a dream come true.” Waldron's Lucasfilm gig came with a lucrative overall deal at Disney.

Setting sail on a steady ship like Marvel is one thing, but diving into a fractured fandom like Star Wars is a much bigger challenge. Then again, Waldron survived the Rick and Morty Szechuan Sauce Wars of 2017, so anything is possible. “I think he can be the guy to really kickstart the cinematic grandeur of those movies,” Loveness says. “That's probably laying it on a little thick, but I really think he's the guy to do it.”

“Star Wars is definitely sticky because if you make a certain brand of nerd happy, you're actually middle fingering an adjacent breed of nerd,” Harmon says. “If you take it too seriously, you're doing it wrong. If you don't take it seriously enough, you're definitely doing it wrong. It needs that total joy of the greatest franchise ever, along with a kind of swagger. I do think that Waldron would make a good match for that, but I don't know if he would make a good match for the machine that's carrying that stuff.”

Then again, this is Feige’s Star Wars and it’s not at all difficult to see why these two have forged a successful partnership. Feige and Waldron are both nice guys from the East Coast with wives in the medical field who like action blockbusters from the 80s, have a connection to Nora Ephron, and weren’t brought up on comic books. But the parallels run even deeper. Feige and Waldron see story in a similar way: constantly pushing beloved comic book characters through the lens of favorite blockbusters like Back to the Future. More crucially, both seem to have mastered the art of being political and ambitious without ever seeming disingenuous.

“I remember when he said [he was going to] Marvel and I was like, ‘Oh, god. That's perfect. He's going to be such a team player,” Harmon says. “Orson Welles is not going to work well at Marvel. The Russo brothers, they were collaborators always, first and foremost. That also didn't surprise me. There's a tremendous mandate at Marvel about ‘all for one’ and respecting the franchise. Their leader, Kevin Feige, leads by example. If your ego is simultaneously powerful but flexible enough to fit through that pipe, you are rewarded and you have a home there forever. It's the most obvious place in the world for Waldron. He is an Avenger.”

Growing up in Atlanta and watching his hero Hulk Hogan captivate a crowd, Michael Waldron may not have even known what an Avenger was. But possibly the two worlds aren’t all that different. “In the Heels pilot, somebody compares wrestlers to superheroes because there's the aspirational quality of putting ourselves in their shoes,” Waldron says. “But superheroes aren't just gods, even the ones that are gods. They're human. They're broken just like us. So whether it's a towering, hulking wrestler in the middle of the ring or a pompous demi-god shooting green balls of energy out of his hands, there's a vulnerability in there. I think that's just a really thrilling thing to get to explore.”

More from Michael Waldron and a Loki preview on this week's Still Watching podcast.

[candiedspit]

hi jasmine :) i am thinking of applying to mfa in creative writing programs. have you considered this? wondering what the pros/cons are. also we have the same birthday hehe. xoxoxo

Omg!!! Aquarius genius!!! I’ve thought of it in passing, I was gonna apply to the Iowa program, I even paid the $70 fee but in the end didn’t do it. Sometimes I wish I had. But anyway for me the pros include….writing beneath a deadline & with some sort of guidance, getting feedback in workshops, venturing out of New York & not having to work. Cons include not having enough to pay, being in debt, having to adhere to the “MFA style” way of writing. And general interest. I’d much rather do a residency / fellowship and work on my work that way while working than dedicate two years to a program that might or might not have a positive impact on my work. Even in undergrad, the only person whose comments made an actual difference were my professors. The classes can often behave as a hive mind….sometimes they say the most out of pocket shit LOL so idk! For me in my life right now it doesn’t interest me and I’ve never seen myself going to grad school but in a year who knows? What has helped with FOMO (seeing as most people in my undergrad went on to grad school) is knowing that the average age of someone in a grad program is 27….anyway I hope this helps!! ❤️❤️

[twh-news]

How the Man Behind Loki Is Shaping Marvel’s Phase 4 and Beyond

By Joanna Robinson | June 3, 2021

[Please read the whole article on Vanity Fair. It is so long that I can't paste it all on one post]

Humanity, look how far you’ve fallen,” a voice drawled out of the darkness of San Diego’s Comic-Con. In the summer of 2013 actor Tom Hiddleston took the stage in full Loki costume to promote what was supposed to be his last turn as everybody’s favorite Marvel villain in Thor: The Dark World. The already boisterous crowd went absolutely bananas chanting “Loki! Loki! Loki!” as Hiddleston, channeling iconic pro-wrestling heels like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, fed off the mixture of screams and boos, pointed menacingly at the crowd, and hurled elaborate insults. Go ahead and google “mewling quim” if you’re feeling brave.

It was a star-making moment for an already popular character—one that racked up millions of views online and ensured Hiddleston’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU. It’s the reason, according to longtime Marvel producer Nate Moore, that Hiddleston’s character escaped death once again in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame to land his very own show, Loki, debuting June 9 on Disney+. “If you’ve ever been to a Comic-Con where Tom Hiddleston makes an appearance,” Moore says, “you see what magic that is.”

The same year Hiddleston turned in the WWE-worthy performance in San Diego, lifelong pro-wrestling enthusiast and Loki head writer Michael Waldron began an MFA program in screenwriting just a couple hundred miles up the California coast, at Pepperdine University. Waldron rode his love for Hulk Hogan and the drama of the wrestling world all the way out from Atlanta to the shores of Malibu. His ride, from there, took him straight to the top. This is how one man’s lifelong love affair with wrestling became critical to the development of Marvel Phase Four.

Less than a decade later, with an Emmy-winning stint on Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon’s fiercely beloved animated series Rick and Morty in his rearview, Waldron has become the chosen favorite of Marvel president Kevin Feige, who was so impressed with the now 34-year-old’s work as head writer on Loki that he tapped him to take over writing duties on the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. Impressed with Strange, Feige then handpicked Waldron to work on his top secret Star Wars project. With Loki set to make a big splash next week, Waldron shared his unusual inspirations for both Loki and Strange, his rapid climb to the top of the Hollywood heap, and how, really, he just wants to be the next Nora Ephron.

While still a student at Pepperdine, Waldron landed an assistant gig with one of his comedy heroes: Dan Harmon. Stationed outside the Rick and Morty writers room, Waldron was desperate to catch Harmon’s eye and decided launching a softball league would be the key. “What I knew about him before was that he was a guy that would love a bunch of attention, like everybody,” Harmon says. “When he started coaching the softball team, it became obvious that he deserved attention.”

“We were terrible. We were the worst team in Burbank rec league history,” Waldron recalls. “But it was a great opportunity for me to trick everybody into reading my writing.” Waldron leaned on his “Southern roots” to channel Friday Night Lights coach Taylor every week.

“We lost every single game, and he’d take us out to the parking lot and give us this pep talk,” Harmon says. “What was the point of pep talking this terrible team? He kept on, which was a job that you couldn’t accomplish by being ironic or cynical.” One day, fortune smiled on both Waldron and the team when, in the frenzied excitement after their first-ever softball win, Harmon offered Waldron a writer’s assistant job on the fifth season of his NBC sitcom Community. “I look at all the amazing moments I’ve had in my career, and I’ve been so lucky, I don’t think I’ll ever have anything more exciting than that one,” Waldron says.

More from Michael Waldron and a Loki preview on this week's Still Watching podcast.

“He wanted to be a writer and I was like, ‘Too bad. You’re very handsome and charming. Get on the phone and talk to these producers for me,’” Harmon recalls of his early treatment of Waldron. “So there he is on Community as a writer’s P.A. and as a ‘facilities manager’ simultaneously—which is code for fixing things that go wrong in the bathroom.”

Waldron, not content to work in Harmon’s bathroom forever, began pitching a show he wrote while still in school about his first love: wrestling. Starz gave Waldron a crack at it, and in the summer of 2017, despite never having written a script that made it to air, Waldron ran his first writers room. “What I loved about wrestling, even as a kid, was there were stakes,” Waldron says. “If Hulk Hogan turned bad one week, that had big ramifications for the rest of my life, as far as I was concerned.”

The wrestling show Heels was born and just as quickly fell apart. “We couldn’t cast it,” Waldron says. “So much for my meteoric rise. My career’s over. I’m like 29 and really, really languishing. I licked my wounds after Heels went on the shelf and said, ‘All right, let me prove to myself that I can still write.’”

With his eye on impressing the likes of Marvel and Lucasfilm, Waldron took two weeks to whip together the first draft of a time-traveling/sci-fi/romance feature worthy of both Nora Ephron and the Rick and Morty writers room, titled Worst Guy of All Time. Waldron’s team was disinclined to share a copy of the script (possibly because it’s in development or its DNA will be found in some other project he’s working on) but you can read write-ups of it here and here. The story about the worst guy in the world, the girl who was sent through time to kill him, and how they fell, disastrously, in love landed Waldron on the 2018 Black List alongside Emerald Fennell’s Oscar-winning Promising Young Woman. It also caught the eye of Kevin Feige.

Meanwhile, Dan Harmon had finally seen the light. In 2018, Harmon and his Ricky and Morty team decided to staff “blind,” with writers submitting anonymous cold opens for the fourth season of his irreverent, animated journey through time and space featuring a young boy (Morty) and his drunk, Doc Brown–esque grandfather (Rick). “It was such a Sword in the Stone thing,” Harmon says. Someone informed Harmon that the two submissions he identified as “clearly the best” were “both by the same writer and that writer was the guy cleaning your toilets and all other manner of dirty work and trying to develop a Starz show on his off hours.”

Harmon was so impressed that he not only hired Waldron to write for season four, he offered him a showrunner position for season five. “We’re like, ‘Okay. He’s a little green, but he’s moving so quickly and he learns so fast and he’s such a hard worker. We’re crazy for doing it. Let’s take a chance on this kid,’” Harmon says. “He’s like, ‘Guys, I’m so flattered by this. I have a meeting at Marvel this afternoon. I think I might be running a show for them.’ That’s the story of how we loved, semi-supported, semi-discouraged, and definitely lost Michael Waldron.”

Dan Harmon is no stranger to losing talent to Kevin Feige. Longtime MCU directors Joe and Anthony Russo were plucked from Community. And in 2020 Marvel hired another Rick and Morty writer, Jeff Loveness, to write Ant-Man 3. It’s no mystery why. When sitting down for a lengthy interview with Vanity Fair in 2017, Feige was as eager to talk about the Rick and Morty season-three finale as anything else.

“Well, you can’t fight Kevin Feige in the street,” Harmon says. “He’ll just say, ‘Oh, I love that you’re fighting me, this is so wonderful,’ and everyone will start booing you for being a bully. I am honored and validated by the idea that if people leave me, they leave me for Marvel. That’s an amazing legacy.”

When Waldron left for Marvel in 2019, he went with his Rick and Morty experience, his love of wrestling, a time-travel romance screenplay, and very little actual comic book knowledge. This last part might have appealed to Feige the most. The head of Marvel Studios himself didn’t grow up reading comics and has said that someone with an outsider’s approach to a comic book story can be more valuable than a writer stuck in the weeds of back issues. “I grew up a pro-wrestling guy, probably more of a Star Wars guy,” Waldron says, “but my love of Marvel came from the movies.”

When Waldron met with Marvel for Loki, the executive team had already decided to set the show in the world of the TVA (or Time Variance Authority), a sci-fi bureaucratic agency that cleans up any anomalies in Marvel’s increasingly complex and branching timelines and realities.

Waldron cites this Thor: The Dark World moment as a particular favorite.

“That was the sandbox that we had to play in,” Waldron says. “I came up with the emotional engine of the whole thing. The fans of Loki watched him experience a character arc through Infinity War, and in a lot of ways, maybe even arc out. How do we break new ground with this character? What better movies and TV shows did I intend to rip off in each episode?”

Marvel itself solved the “arc out” problem by plucking Loki from earlier in his timeline at the end of 2012’s Avengers. Hiddleston’s character enters the show a time criminal captured by the TVA, and he might, in the end, prove its most valuable asset. Loki, the series, presents a less evolved, more mischievous god of mischief, and Waldron considers Hiddleston’s versatility the show’s ultimate weapon. The ceiling for Loki felt “so high” that Waldron was free to draw on a broad range of films and TV shows to construct Loki’s latest journey through the MCU.

The time-and-space-hopping adventure spirit of Rick and Morty is an obvious inspiration. “At first I was carrying in the Rick and Morty sensibility and I had to recalibrate,” he says. “I’m not writing a 22-minute cartoon. I was watching Quentin Tarantino movies—Inglourious Basterds. Movies that luxuriate in long scenes of dialogue and tension building.” Waldron also rattles off some other surprising inspirations: Blade Runner, Before Sunrise, and Catch Me If You Can.

Michael Fassbender and Diane Kruger in Inglourious Basterds; Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston in Loki. Top, from the Everett Collection; bottom, courtesy of Disney+.

But just because he’s pulling from cinema doesn’t mean Waldron thinks of Loki as a six-hour movie. “I’d say it’s something totally new! It’s MCU. It was important that every episode stood alone. The Leftovers or Watchmen, which I admired so much—every one of those episodes felt like a distinct short story. That’s the sign of a great episode of TV. ‘Oh, it’s that episode of Loki.’” (If you’re wondering how delightfully weird Loki might get, Waldron mentions the lion sex cult boat episode of The Leftovers, “It’s A Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World,” as a personal favorite.)

Close watchers of Loki trailers have already singled out what they think is a Mad Men reference in an homage to unsolved mystery man D.B. Cooper. Waldron says the connections to Mad Men, his favorite show of all time, run deeper. “Mad Men is about characters becoming aware of who they are,” he says. “Don Draper gained an awareness of how he was broken and why.”

Here, Waldron says, is where time-travel stories really come in handy: “You can literally hold up a mirror to your characters. Perhaps they can encounter other versions of themselves at different points in their lives. In the case of Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, he can encounter versions of his parents and then he understands himself better.”

[Read the full story on Vanity Fair]

[mfatalk]

I’m seriously considering getting an MFA in creative writing, but keep going back and forth on pros/cons. In your experience, has it been worth getting an MFA in general?

I'm not done yet, but yes, space bar, caveat, space bar FOR ME, I think so. it genuinely is so personal and some people genuinely do not need one in any sense of the word. like it’s not an essential step to becoming a writer by any means. remember that everything I'm saying is hugely biased wrt my own life experience up to this point

pros aka things which have genuinely happened for me that I've liked:  - “networking” ie meeting a lot of people who will be useful for future endeavors/learning a ton about how all of this works in general (this also has to do with not just the program but the fact that I relocated to New York and now my entire social circle is in the industry in some capacity)  - meaningful mentorship which has impacted my work in ways I feel are tangible and were needed/which I personally would not have gotten anywhere except an mfa workshop - two in-field jobs i genuinely love doing (admin and teaching) and which have secured my situation for the next two years  - a very sudden and very marked increase in my ability to articulate what I want to articulate, not just in my fiction but in my general analysis of like, everything; though for me there was a steep learning curve when I first came and it still feels steep sometimes. this is just from attending seminar/having to rise to meet the level my profs were expecting  - deadlines good  - mixers good, people offering you stuff good, people keeping you abreast of community news/jobs/etc. very good 

cons aka stuff I haven’t liked as much:  - I am hugely burned out! I am really so burned out. every day is a struggle and we love that for me. sitting down to write is exhausting  - I feel like I'm losing time sometimes -- like I could’ve already slapped something together and had it published. and that’s probably true, I probably could’ve. the quality of it tho. I don’t think it’d be that good without what I've learned here. - I have put all my eggs in this basket and I have family to care for. the stress of this, as you can imagine, is perfectly fine to deal with! - some of the mfa attitude is simply not made for me. for example, we read a lot of poetry, and we read it very slowly, and think about things like: diction, and white space on the page. this is difficult for me and makes me want to yell sometimes.  overall I think I needed this, because prior to this I was not where I needed to be, like, quality-wise. I will say none of my responses to an mfa have surprised me. I knew going in certain things would annoy me and certain things would help me, and I was right on basically all of them. so like, my only advice is truly... know thyself. I guess. 

[gallopinggold]

Ugh I cant decide what to do :/ after months of unemployment and barely any interviews, i receive two job offers at once, and I'm so conflicted on which one to take. The salary/benefits packages are almost identical, and the cost of living is slightly cheaper for option b, but not significantly so to the point where its a huge factor. Both also do not offer remote work, so the pandemic exposure would be similar. So with that in mind:

Option A: research lab job in my hometown

Option B: teaching job in northwestern farm country.

Pros to option A:

-while I don't have family in the area anymore, I have lots of close friends still

-i know the area really well and I am super comfortable with it

-i know the horse community there and would be easily able to find good quality accommodations for Mary, including already having a vet/farrier/shipping company at the ready.

-research job is at a very very prestigious university, and my potential boss already said I would be guaranteed admission/funding in the PhD program if the first year went well. Its also notoriously hard to get a working position at this univeristy, so this may be my only opportunity.

- they have an MFA program, so there's the potential boyfriend and I would not have to do long distance.

-even if I don't like research and decided to leave after the year, it's not going to negatively affect my ability to move into teaching and will likely help.

-moving costs would be significantly cheaper

Cons:

-the thought of doing protein research makes me feel physically ill, but I'm not sure if it's because i actually dislike research now or its just from years and years of legitimate abuse from my old PI.

-the housing market is ridiculously expensive, so while I could live comfortably on the salary, I would likely never be able to afford property to keep Mary on, which is an important life goal for me.

- boyfriend may not get into the school anyways and we would still have to do long distance regardless

- it's a high stress/competitive environment and my personality is not the type that finds motivation from that

-research can be unusual and erratic hours, so I'm not sure the work life balance.

- my allergies are really really bad in my hometown and do affect my quality of life.

Option B pros:

-great entry level masters job that gets my foot in the door for academia and will male it much easier to do

-ability to move up within the University

-is the perfect type of teaching job for my skill set and exactly the type of thing i pictured doing postgrad

-lots of potential for property ownership down the road amd I realistically could own a farm on that salary.

-some great natural beauty and excellent hiking nearby. I also am sick of living in the same two cities and looking to expand elsewhere.

-This job would also be a standard 9-5 so plenty of time for my hobbies and work life balance.

Cons:

-i know literally no one in the area and the closest person would be 8 hours away. I have some health issues that make me nervous to live alone and without support.

-a bit of a no name school, so networking and conference opportunities would not be great, and it wouldn't have the name recognition to help me in future job prospects

-there are no MFA programs near by, so boyfriend would definitely be gone for at least some of my time there, again leaving me completely isolated in the middle of a pandemic.

-i don't know the horse community, so it would be much harder moving Mary and I'm not sure the quality of care I could find out there.

-its snows there and i don't know how to drive in the snow

So yeah, to sum it up, I can either take the research job that isn't really what i want to do, but will have great social support and could be an excellent resume boost even if I decided to pursue teaching next, or I can take the "dream" type job but end up completely isolated and get boxed into only teaching jobs in the future. Its much easier to move from research to teaching versus the other way, and I would get even more teaching opportunities to open if I did do a research PhD, but im not sure if I really even want a PhD at this point. I will say I did enter my grad program with the intention of doing a PhD and switched to a masters because of the abuse from the PI and him forcing me to drop down, but at this point I don't know if I do want to pursue that regardless of his influence.

So yeah, taking advice because I have no earthly idea what to do and need to decide within the week 😭

[michaelbjorkwrites]

Hello, I'm a student in digital Animation and currently trying to write for a Visual Novel. I have the argument and currently exploring your blog. When you write, do you first have the ideas of the plot or the feeling of what you want to write? Or more like, when do you think about the purpose of the work? Because I'm having a lot of ideas for the plot but that doesn't matter much if it doesn't have something to tell your audience, which is what I lack I think.

When do you start thinking about a story’s purpose?

For me, my stories always start with a general concept or image. My current WIP, for example, started with a mental image of a mother and son playing with fire magic in the snow. Others, in contrast, have started with classic “what if” scenarios.

Either way, I take that concept or image, and I start to ask questions about the characters and world. I flesh out my initial cast, do some worldbuilding, and maybe some light plotting.

Then I try to tentatively identify what drives my character – what they’re struggling with emotionally and what they want most.

Establishing that helps me start thinking about theme and purpose. But they’re just initial ideas.

I start to write, using a rough outline but also giving my characters the freedom to act on their own. Inevitably, patterns of meaning start to emerge. Then, when the first draft is done, I revise according to the “purpose” I’ve landed on – keeping what fits, cutting what doesn’t, and adjusting what’s left.

Long story short:

I start with a concept or an image, then flesh it out.

I identify my main character and try to understand their emotional struggles and wants.

Using what I now know about the character, I’m able to get an inkling of the story’s purpose, which helps direct the story as I write; but my understanding of that purpose (and that character) often evolve throughout the writing process.

Hope that helps! If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of starting with meaning vs. letting it naturally arise, check out my post To begin, or not to begin — with theme.

And feel free to reach out with followup questions if you have any!

Best,

— — —

Hey there! My name’s Mike, and I’m a writer & copywriter with an MFA in fiction. For more writing tips on how to hone your craft and nurture meaningful stories, follow my blog.

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

hi emmy! i’m going into my junior year of high school this august, and i have plans for majoring in creative writing in the future. i know i still have two years ahead of me, but i really want to move from florida since i feel there aren’t many opportunities for me, and as someone who’s lgbt, the south can be kinda rough. i’ve been thinking of new york, maybe? but i struggle with anxiety, too so i don’t know... do you know of any states that might be better for pursuing creative writing?

Oh boy, more serious life questions! I admittedly never looked too deep into too many programs, given that I love where I live and an ideal school happened to be only an hour away from my home. I can list you some recommendations, of course, but I’d definitely look into the personal pros and cons for your situation!

There’s, of course, the school I’m transferring to, University of California, Riverside (UCR). I almost never see it mentioned in articles, so perhaps the program isn’t astounding, but it’s an incredibly convenient choice for me! They offer both majors and minors in Creative Writing, and even offer an MFA in Creative Writing for the Performing Arts! The school as a whole has a pretty awesome LGBTQ+ resource center, queer housing options, and has a notably high population of trans students!

Emerson College in Boston, MA is a very well known one! From my visits to Boston, I find it a pretty nice city, and Massachusetts landscape is definitely pretty beautiful and inspiring (when you’re not snowed into everything). They’re pretty well known, and definitely a very different walk of life from Florida!

New York University is also a totally different walk of life, and has a really good program! The catch is, of course, it’s NYC so it’s a very competitive school and there’s a lot that goes on in the city; which can be good or bad, depending on your comfort level!

There are plenty of other schools out there, though, and I fully recommend you look into and contact schools to find out what’s really best for you. Again, I never looked too deep into it myself, because things worked out well kind of in my favor.