#rather than ‘donating’ to someone directly

[adventures-in-a-world-of-fiction]

I've seen a couple of comments from someone around paying Tumblr for stuff that I want to address. I'm not going to mention the person who made these comments because I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I think they're worth talking about. The comments in question are: "you think user money is anything compared to advertisers" and in a pinned post they tell people to not give money to Tumblr.

The thing is, user money can definitely be something compared to advertisers. There are multiple ways that an online company (in general, not just Tumblr) can make money, but let's break them down into three categories:

A. From the users - selling merchandise, subscriptions, premium packages, asking for donations, etc.

B. From advertisers - selling views and space on the platform to companies that use it to try and sell stuff to the users

C. From data - selling information about the user base to other companies that might use it in a whole bunch of dodgy and malicious ways, or just try to find better ways to sell stuff to us

All three of these are viable ways for a company to make money, and many companies use some combination of the above. What matters is what the company sees as their PRIMARY method of making money, because that is what drives their corporate decisions.

If none of the methods are making money, the company will shut down, and I don't want Tumblr to shut down - I like this hellsite. If option B is what makes them the most money, then they will make business decisions that make the platform look better to advertisers and this is likely to drive everything in a more algorithm-centric direction and give users fewer options to curate their own experience. If option C is what makes them the most money, then they will focus on features that enable privacy invasion and data harvesting. If option A is what makes them the most money, then they have to think about how to keep the users spending that money. Now, option A doesn't always lead to good outcomes - in mobile/online games it can end up as loot box gambling add-ins and pay-to-win options, but thankfully Tumblr isn't the sort of site where loot box mechanics would make a lot of sense. Which makes it more likely they'll go the other option: delivering the features that users want to keep them coming back and paying for subscriptions. 

I would much rather Tumblr goes for option A than options B or C because it means that Tumblr is more likely to put the user base first when making decisions instead of advertisers. We just need to show them that it's a viable option.

Tumblr is trying what online games have done for years - crabs and checkmarks are the equivalent of horse armour DLCs and cosmetics. They're trying to make the business work through microtransactions. If enough people spend a small amount, it can add up to a large amount of money. The point of crab day is to send a message to Tumblr that option A is viable so that they make the choice to focus on that. If everyone goes, "No, don't spend money on Tumblr, you're nothing compared to advertisers," then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and Tumblr will have to go with options B or C if they want to keep making money.

I'm not giving Tumblr money out of naivety or because I think they're somehow deserving - I'm giving them my money because I would much rather they make money directly from me and give them an incentive to provide features I like, than by making the site worse so that they can exploit me.

[tbposting]

wait- how do you make money on yt when ppl use adblockers ? i was always advised to turn my adblockers off when visiting a smaller creator's yt page bc, if the ads don't load, the person i'm watching "doesn't get paid." do you know if that's true ?

like, when i watch twitch, i'm forced to watch ads bc the ads help the streamers (i have 3 adblockers on at all times lmao). is it not the same w/ yt?

Well, I mean, basically for me it's like this:

I hate ads, they are a horrible part of the YouTube user experience, they are intrusive and annoying, and I block them all the time myself. It would be hypocritical in the extreme to demand that other people sit through them.

If someone wants to support my work, I would much rather they donate a single dollar directly and ad-block all my videos forever, rather than have them sit through the literal thousands of ads they would have to watch to generate equivalent revenue for me.

Ad revenue only works at the scale of thousands and tens of thousands; any one person blocking my ads literally does not make any kind of difference. I earn a fraction of a fraction of a cent off of your view, at the cost of entire minutes of your finite time on Earth. I think that's a shitty bargain, I don't want my work to waste people's time just to make money for fucking Google, that idea makes me feel pretty bad.

I don't think I've ever spoken to a YouTuber who would not much, much rather make their money off direct support from the audience than from ads, we only rely on ad revenue because we're stuck in the same capitalist hellhole everyone else is and we've got bills to pay.

So: If there's a YouTuber whose work you enjoy, donate a single dollar to them directly through Patreon or ko-fi, or buy a single t-shirt or mug from their merch store, and then ad-block on literally a thousand of their videos with the clear conscience that you've done more to support them than ad revenue ever will.

[miaclemeverett]

Summary of Dream's livestream with Techno's father if people can't or are unable watch:

Most importantly, please support Techno's family and the Sarcoma Foundation by buying merch here: (You can also donate directly to the Sarcoma Foundation here)

Dream is streaming with Techno's father & staying with the family

Techno's father met Skeppy, for the Sarcoma Foundation Gala he asked for Skeppy's favorite video with Techno and Skeppy said it was the "skeppy tries to troll me but i troll him first" video

Techno's father has been intentionally pulling up memories and stories of Techno's whole life which was "a speedrun" and full of joy and happiness, rather than just focusing on the last week

When Techno and his younger sister were diaper age, she fell down the final 2 steps of the staircase (completely fine) and while their father was trying to explain to their mother what happened, Techno walked in and said "baby fall down CRASH"

The first message that Dream sent to Techno was trying to Trojan horse his way into Minecraft Monday by playing with Techno. Techno's reply was "maybe next time" and Techno kicked his ass in Dream's first MCM. Sapnap thought Techno was overhyped but then Sapnap watched the next Techno MCM and changed his mind

Techno's father didn't really watch or understand Minecraft, he watched Techno 1v1 tons of people without losing any hearts and asked him "Do the other players even know you're there?"

Techno vs. Dream $100k duel: Techno's father never saw him stress about anything in his career except for the duel. Techno's father was competitive on Techno's behalf like "who is this green smiling man gaining subscribers faster than my boy?!" Techno texted his dad as soon as he knew it was at least a tie and he couldn't lose.

Dream saw Techno release "death merch" and thought that was the coolest, most Technoblade thing he had ever seen

Techno's entire family loved the "no one took the news harder than my health provider. they're the real victim" joke

Dream did an elbow reveal in honor of Techno

Techno's father made a joke to Dream about getting ready to do his (Techno's father's) own face reveal

Techno's father made this joke: "This video today is sponsored by cancer, without which this video would not have happened" and Dream called him an idiot

Techno's father thinks Techno would have done a proper face reveal. There were a couple of months where doctors were saying the next step would be to amputate his entire arm and shoulder. Techno joked that it was going to be the most epic elbow reveal ever and that they'd "traumatize millions." Techno's father was as positive as he could be without being fake and he got Techno a present ahead of the surgery (which never ended up happening), a 1st edition printing of Hemingway's "A Farewell To Arms."

Dream and Techno teaming in MCC: This is when they really started becoming friends, before that they had been more rivals/frenemies. Techno also never said or joked about giving Dream his first MCC win.

Techno was whitelisted for way longer before he actually joined the server, back when it was just a few people (Tommy might have asked him to whitelist Techno).

Techno had a Minecraft account called "Whitelisted" when he didn't want to be recognized, just to make the joke "You can't do this if you're not whitelisted"

Techno's dad has GOTTA tell dad jokes

When Techno was young, he would always talk to his dad about being a gaming Youtuber and Techno's father would tell him "no one would want to watch someone else play a video game" lmao

When Techno was young and he'd be building for hours in Roblox and they'd have a power failure, Techno would complain to his dad about all of his work being wasted and Techno's dad would say "all of that PLAY wasted"

Techno talked to his dad about what circumstances would lead to him face revealing, he would have wanted it to be funny and memorable but he never had a clear plan for it

Techno had a front bedroom with a TERRIBLE desk. Techno's dad told Techno to come to the studio to pick out any chair he wanted, Techno went into his dad's office and picked his dad's chair LMAO. Techno's dad offered for him to work on a soundstage because their house had horrible acoustics but Techno said "eh." At 2am when the family was trying to sleep they'd hear him screaming and yelling, it was so annoying when it happened but so painful when it stopped

Techno's dad would text him a meme and Techno would call him a loser, he'd ask him to watch Hunter x Hunter together. Techno couldn't eat without watching TV at the same time

Techno's dad sometimes sees posts on Reddit and his instinct is to send them to Techno. Techno's dad has come close to making a reddit account, he said hello and thanks to Techno's subreddit and he reads their posts a lot when he can take it.

Techno's dad knew Techno had a big audience, but he didn't and still kind of doesn't understand how he meant a lot to people in ways that have nothing to do with PvP or funny jokes. He's proud of Techno and grateful to everyone. The executive director of the Sarcoma Foundation told Techno's family they haven't seen anything like this before with regards to fundraising, she told them that a little kid ran a lemonade stand and raised $150 for the Sarcoma Foundation in honor of Techno.

Techno's dad: "If we do the call-to-action (to donate to Sarcoma Foundation) 10 times, I should get 6 of them" (referencing Techno beating Dream in the duel 6-5). Dream: "I see where he got his humor from"

There has been a refresh today of the merch store so GO BUY THE MERCH!!!! Techno didn't like when there were delays in people receiving merch, so you can only order when it's in stock so GO BUY NOW

Dream will be signing some unreleased merch concepts to include as an extra in some orders

Techno's father thanked Dream and he appreciates everything Dream did for them, he also loves Skeppy

Dream wants to get everyone together and do a massive fundraiser

[tarotwithlove]

PAC ⋆ blessings coming towards you in the next three months ; timeless reading

reminder that this is a general reading and messages found here may not apply to everyone. take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and don't force anything if it does not fit.

BOOK A READING WITH ME · BOOK A 2024 YEAR AHEAD READING WITH ME (GENERAL OR NSFW) · LINKTREE · 18+ PATREON · TIPS ♡ tips, bookings, and feedback are highly appreciated!

GROUP ONE

cards · six of cups (reversed), queen of pentacles, king of pentacles (reversed), ten of wands, four of pentacles, strange valentine: love is strange!

channelled songs · light bulb by nct u. replay (pm 01:27) by nct 127. not nice by megan thee stallion. out of control by the boyz. 

hey there my group one ♡ these three months begin with a purge; with removing things from your life that do not, and will not, serve you -- people who will only take from your life instead of add to it, job opportunities that have no future, desires that will bring you nothing but harm. 

this may not feel like a blessing, of course, and you may often find yourself feeling hopeless. you may feel that nothing is working out in your favour, only for the universe to be working for you behind the scenes.

the queen and king of pentacles beside each other, with the king of pentacles, shows us the first tangible blessing of the next three months. it is not so much that love or a relationship is the blessing coming towards you, but, rather, that you realise you do not need a relationship to make you happy. that you realise you do not need someone else to complete you or to save you from your life. 

this realisation may come as a result of you experiencing a great financial blessing in your life, or having a financial burden lightened by some external force. you may get a job, a raise, a bursary or a scholarship. you may win the lottery. this is something substantial in your life, that makes you feel safe and secure in your life -- and, thus, by extension, safe and secure in yourself -- not just a one-off piece of financial assistance like someone lending you money. 

these next three months will bring you a lot to do, and you will have to toe the line between how much you do for others versus how much you do for yourself. you may have more money -- more consistent money -- than you've had in a long time, and you'll want to spoil your loved ones, help with bills, donate to charity, and buy things for yourself. you'll want to spend it freely, telling yourself it's fine because you'll get paid again soon. and while, yes, to an extent, it is fine and you will get paid again soon, you will still need to save as much money as possible. 

in these upcoming three months, as you experience a surge in financial blessings, be wise with your money, how you spend it and how you save it. and make sure you are allowing your future self to also experience this state of abundance by putting money aside for them. 

GROUP TWO

cards · page of wands (reversed), knight of pentacles (reversed), the high priestess (reversed), the moon (reversed), strength (reversed), two little witches: magickal space-clearing time. 

channelled songs · fake by brockhampton. best friend ever by nct dream. pretty gurlz shoot by bbymutha & fly anakin. dun deal by central cee. 

hey there my group two ♡ it may not feel like the next three months have any blessings at all you, but they will. though these will be blessings in disguise. these will be blessings that you only see as blessings many months, or even years, later. hindsight is 20/20 after all.  

you may be injured, fired, or laid off in this time. whatever it is exactly, something may happen that, directly or inadvertently, forces you to stay indoors. alone with yourself and with your thoughts; stifled, frustrated, bored, and unsure of what the future has in store for you. you will have all this time on your hands and little to do with it. this, in turn, will make you do something that you otherwise would not have done, or that otherwise would not have had time to do -- like writing or painting or learning a new language. 

this is something drastic that forces you to do things differently. live differently. approach life differently.

the actor taz skylar (who plays sanji in the one piece live action) comes to mind. he has spoken about how he had wanted to join the british army as a reservist, however a car accident gave him a severe concussion which led to him failing medical tests and being unable to enlist. this, in turn, led him to acting and writing. 

so something which, in the moment may have seemed life-ending, which may have left him at a loss for what to do with his life, actually put him on the right path. 

that’s god’s intervention. that’s dharma – in the sense of the universe and your soul aligning with what you need to do in order for the world at large to remain harmoniously balanced. 

and that is what’s happening to you, now and in the next three months. 

you will feel like your life is falling apart around you. you will feel like your life is ending, but know that your life is not ending. your life is about to start. 

GROUP THREE

cards · six of cups, queen of pentacles, eight of swords (reversed), the sun (reversed), nine of wands, storm angel: collision of beliefs, styles, attitudes, energies.

channelled songs · my love by florence + the machine. check yes, juliet by we the kings. flamin’ hottie by megan thee stallion. baltimore by bbymutha. 

hey there my group three ♡ these next three months bless you with something for which you have been asking god for some time. i'm hearing the words, "god, please, please, let me get what i want!” -- this prayer that you have called out to the divine, to the universe, for days and weeks and months now. a desperate clinging on to hope, even when everything in you starts to feel hopeless. 

right now, you may feel lost… uncertain… out of touch… you need things to start working out for you. you need peace of mind. and, as much as you need it, you may feel like these things are just so out of reach for you that such things will be all but impossible to ever achieve. but know, dear, they will not be out of reach for too much longer. 

you will come into your own in the next three months, as it is discipline in and of itself with which you will be blessed. this discipline will, slowly but surely, change everything in your life.

you will find yourself more willing to make difficult choices. more willing to sacrifice temporary comforts for permanent luxuries. more willing to put in the work without receiving any immediate fruits for your efforts and labour. more willing to accept delayed gratification. 

discipline is not only the biggest blessing you will receive in the next three months, but the biggest blessing to your life overall. 

with this discipline, you will find yourself succeeding in many ways. if you want to see changes in your physical appearance, you will be disciplined enough to put in the consistent work to see such changes. if you want to improve your singing abilities, you will disciplined enough to consistently improving your abilities. if you want to get promoted, you will be disciplined enough to do all that is asked of you and more until you receive this desired promotion. and so on, and so forth. 

GROUP FOUR

cards · nine of wands, the world, eight of cups (reversed), three of cups (reversed), eight of swords, the three fates: what comes around… 

channelled songs · dedication by epik high. never too much by luther vandross. plastic flowers by the front bottoms. sing about me, i’m dying of thirst by kendrick lamar. 

hey there my group four ♡ the next three months brings you major blessings in the form of the people who have hurt you, betrayed you, and just in general done some wrong to you, receiving what is coming to them.

the law is coming through quite strongly, so someone may go to jail. especially someone who you currently have a case against, or who you plan to open a case against. 

for some of you, your divorce may -- at last -- be finalised. here too, again, for some, with it being proven that your ex-spouse is a violent person or unfit parent. jail time, restraining orders, and you gaining full custody of any children involved are significant. 

for others, this blessing comes in the form of someone who hurt you being injured or killed. you may hear about this or get this news and celebrate with your friends, telling people who knew how much suffered at the hands of the person and posting to your social media accounts things like, "my abuser died lolll." this may be a stalker, for some of you. 

people may tell you that you shouldn’t be happy because this is still a tragedy. but, so what? be happy. you’re free now. 

[mlmxreader]

isn't it funny how the people donating to ao3 NEVER donate to Palestinians? their support of Palestinians is entirely hollow bc despite having the means to, they'd rather give their cash to pedophilic zionists than actual people who need that money. I mean, surely, if you support Palestinians SO MUCH as you claim to online, you'd prefer to give your money directly to THEM instead of a website that hosts CSEM/CSA material and actively supports zionazis?

you have the means to donate, I mean, you can give 10 quid to your fave zionazis - but you can't cough up 10 quid for someone who genuinely, honestly, needs it? seriously?

also, if you're an ao3 stan and you're gonna rb this w some bullshit, how about you show me receipts of you donating an equivalent OR MORE of what you give to ao3 to any of the following:

[piosplayhouse]

Imo "accountability culture" references condemnation of an action that has a direct real effect on real people - mocking a group of people, donating to harmful organizations knowingly etc etc. there's an undercurrent of realistic harm scaled of course to the influence someone has to inflict that, a billionaire donating thousands of dollars to antitrans orgs requires more attention and accountability than a small business owner shopping at hobby lobby for supplies because they have no other affordable option in their town.

On the other hand "call-out culture", called that because people will literally title their docs of "evidence" as "call-out docs" is more catered to and an issue in small fandom spaces, where condemnation isn't directed towards actions that have had a direct impact on anyone, but instead just look bad or could hypothetically cause harm (as the writer chooses to present it). These focus more on quantity than quality, with emphasis on digging up as much tangential evidence of anything as possible. Call-out docs can have some elements of accountability culture, particularly when they're directed towards an account/person who, though having a relatively small impact, directly harmed people through grooming or mocking or whatnot, but these will often be either exaggerated or mixed in with nonsense additions like "liked a problematic anime 2 years ago" or "retweeted an unrelated post from someone who was already cancelled". Because of this, reading through entire call-out docs will often leave you thinking "well that was a waste of time" or "why did they put allegations of abusing their ex next to shipping bakudeku". There's a disconnection between what are real harmful actions that need to be addressed and remedied and things added because they have bad optics or make the doc longer and therefore more "valid" in the eyes of a culture that prioritizes QRTing with how many -isms someone is rather than how much harm they've actually done.

[frostedlemonwriter]

A Re-Introduction to Writeblr

My name is Eric, and I'm a bit of a writer. Pansexual and in the past I identified as bisexual. I came out in 2002, but I never really brought it up either. Not until I found LiveJournal some years later. Now I'm proud of who and what I am. I've been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and ADHD. It runs in the family since some members of my father's family had Manic Depression, an old term for it. I try my best but often fail, and I apologize for when I do.

Okay with all that out of the way, as I mentioned I am a bit of a writer. My first story was a play I wrote in the fourth grade. At least the first story I can recall with more than just vague memories. Followed by sporadic writing over the years until about 2008/2009 when I started writing fanfic on a consistent basis. I will not mention the fandom here, though.

Now! I do tend to just write whatever I want. But cyberpunk, fantasy, and fantasy-western are the three rather vague genres I write in the most. Also, I am writing quite a bit of horror right now.

If you are so kind donate to my ko-fi.

Stories under the cut

STORIES

The Last of the Orc--Eithne's Faith

After her tribe was destroyed by the Norse at the beginning of the Viking Age. Eithne seeks a way to stop the tide of the vikings and the Christians that threaten to change her way of life. With the help of an old druid, she heard about a legendary weapon hidden deep in a forest at the foot of a mountain.

Find it here

The Voice In The Wires

Shortly after a gifted, but troubled, high school senior--Rachel--kills herself. The junior--Danika--she tutored begins to received text messages and DMs from someone who claims to be the dead student. At first Danika calls it off as someone playing a bad prank. Yet after she finds out other students she tutored received similar messages, Danika delves deep to find who would do such a thing.

Only to find herself going down a rabbit hole that leads to experimental nano-drugs, corporate cover-ups, and a young woman who discovers an ability to directly connect to the internet--where the vengeful spirit of Rachel dwells.

Tag: #voiceinthewires

By Axe & Arrow: The Saga of Teagen

Finished!

After her parents died when their longship capsized in service of Jarl Viggo Iverssen. He took in their only child, a young girl named Teagen. Born under an auspicious sign that the jarl’s seer divined weeks beforehand, he took her into his own longhouse. Without restriction, she could pursue a life of her own desire alongside with twin sisters Astrid and Helga, her best-friends, and youngest children, to the jarl. Almost forgotten, they too could find their honor and glory alongside their friend if they didn’t tear each other apart along the way. At the beginning of the viking age, many legends were still to come and Teagen would do anything to become one.

Tag: #axe&arrow

At The End of a Warm Gun

Finished!

Alexandra Sullivan is a young woman with a natural talent for marksmanship, and perhaps too strong of a sense of justice. Despite some tragedy, she doesn't stop her from pursuing her dream.

Backstory: The Union broke at the battle of Gettysburg on that second day, General Meade's larger force routed by the stubborn defense of the Confederates. Bloody familial war waged until Washington D.C., besieged and starving with its port blockade by English ships, conceded. The Confederate States of America had earned its independence -- it didn't last long.

Tag: #warmgun

Also various other WIPs.

I have a novel I am working on that I am not quite ready to debut. Alongside various short stories.

[yuzurujenn]

2024.03.11 Yuzuru Hanyu sends a message to victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Noto Peninsula Earthquake

(Before the interview, while arranging the camera and lighting, I asked Hanyu, "the three days ice shows just finished you look a little tired." Hanyu replied, "Although there is a reason for this, but as expected all sorts of thoughts come to my mind on this day.")

How do you feel about the day of 3.11?

It remains the same every year. I will feel pain and recall the experience of that day. Although many things have changed, there are still things that remain unchanged, and emotions that have not changed actually exist. How to say, every emotion is actually very complicated.

Do you still remember the situation at the time of the disaster?

Yes. I have never forgotten, nor have I ever thought about forgetting. No matter what I do, these memories come back over and over again. I think they will not fade away and will always exist in my mind.

Was it during practice when the earthquake occurred, right on the ice?

Yes, it was on the ice. There had been several earthquakes before that (*a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the coast of Sanriku on March 9), so I thought that would be the end of it. At that time, it happened to be the holiday period after school exams, so I practiced during the normal business hours of the ice rink. When the initial shock started, I tried to reassure the guests on the ice that “it’s okay” and provide guidance. I have to say that I am actually somewhat used to earthquakes.

You went back to your home?

I walked back, but my home was not in a habitable condition at all (note: it was later judged to be in a completely destroyed state). Although I went to a shelter, it was closed and I couldn't stay overnight. So, I walked for about thirty to forty minutes to another shelter.

Have you ever felt the fear of having your daily life disrupted?

Rather than the fear of daily life being destroyed, it is better to say that there is no sense of reality at first, and that daily life is destroyed before I realize it. I spent four days in the elementary school gymnasium that was used as a refuge centre at the time. “Was this reality?” To be honest, I felt that I couldn't tell the difference at the time. In the blink of an eye, my life, surrounding environment, and the time I had experienced were all changed. So easily destroyed. So, in the short term, my feelings were closer to the feeling of "what happened" than to fear.

Do you remember when it started to feel real?

Everyone was thinking about the disaster-stricken areas, support was becoming closer and closer to people, and I was also allowed to perform at charity ice shows, so it gradually became more and more realistic. It's almost like a feeling that came to me. Whenever I saw videos on the news or photos in newspapers, no matter how I looked at them, they just looked like CG. I myself am not one of those people who actually lost someone close to me. The numbers were so big and so far removed from me that, to be honest, it didn't seem real to me.

You won a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and when you were told that you didn't smile at a press conference, you said, ``It's difficult to talk about the earthquake.'' Do you still remember what you felt at that time?

Honestly, if you ask me if things have changed since then, there are some things that haven't changed. Of course, I'll donate money, or if I feel like I can help even a little, I'll do my best to help. However, in reality, even if we provide support, nothing will directly change; for example, in the case of a major disaster like this, even if one person aspires to do something and does something, it will not really change anything. So, if you ask me if the hearts of all people in that area will improve after all, I know that it is honestly difficult to do that. In that sense, there are some things that have not changed since then. However, what has changed over time is that through the ice shows and actually visiting disaster-stricken areas and seeing the smiles on the faces of many people, I have come to realize that I have worked hard, and seen the results of my efforts, the feelings I want to convey, the way I skate, and so on, I was able to feel that there was meaning.  

You were also called the star of the disaster area. For a teenager, though, it feels like a burden.

I would say it was a heavy burden. When I was 16 years old, I would say it was heavy. After all, at that time, I was constantly asked about the earthquake, and even if I had achieved results in a competition, for example, I would be asked, “Well, do you have any message for the people in the disaster area?” No matter what I did, I was always asked about the disaster, and at that time I felt the weight of it all. The earthquake happened at the age of 16, at a time when it was easy for me to feel many different things, and I was told many things by many people, and I personally felt that it was very difficult. It's not like I became famous because of that, but as I achieved the results, I was asked about the earthquake in various places, and I couldn't help but associate Yuzuru Hanyu with the earthquake. To be honest, there were times when I wondered why I had to say something like this. However, because of that, I started to connect my skating, and my life itself, with the disaster, and I have come to think that it is one of the missions of my skating.

There are also people who feel afraid and confused about speaking out about the earthquake disaster.

Yes. The same is true today. No matter how hard we try, it is difficult to make everyone empathize. As an individual from the disaster-stricken area, I can be considered one of the victims. However, I did not suffer damage from the tsunami, nor did I lose any relatives at the time. Under such circumstances, I cannot face those who directly suffered the death of relatives and friends, and were displaced. The same is true today. Even if I want to simply convey that reconstruction is progressing, in fact, there are still uninhabitable and abandoned areas around the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, so I cannot make a blanket statement. However, I feel that I have always chosen my words in the midst of this conflict and contradiction to convey what I want to say.

You still struggle with the choice of words. This has not changed.

Yes. Fundamentally speaking, it’s not like I can get close to everyone's heart. Although I don't want to give up...how should I put it? Really, no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I want to be there for you, in the end it is still just my own one-sided feelings, and I can feel that there is still something like a boundary. In that sense, rather than words, I think it’s better to focus on figure skating. Compared to language, physical expressions such as figure skating that are not bound by language can allow people to see different things based on their own values ​​and allow people to think more.

Continuing from last year, the ice show "notte stellata" will be held in Miyagi Prefecture in March this year. You had a desire to do it around the time of March 11th.

This show itself was not planned by me, but I actually visited the disaster-stricken areas and told the people around me that even before I turned professional, I wanted to be able to support the disaster-stricken areas. However, there was someone who made it a reality, and in fact, it is still happening today. That’s why that person took into consideration what I had always thought and put it together to make this work. Thank you for making the show a reality. So, I'm skating with the mindset that I want to give my best performance here.

When you were a competitor, the World Championships were coming up, and you said that it was difficult to provide direct support. By becoming a professional, you can reach that goal.

To be honest, I don't think that my feelings for the disaster area or the time I spent thinking about that time has changed much. However, I think that my ability to actually take action has changed. I think I have changed in terms of being able to actually take action, rather than just thinking directly about the disaster and practice on my own without taking any action. However, year after year, I had painful feelings and various memories, but I never actually expressed them in front of people or delivered anything, so I think things have changed a lot since I became a professional.

A comment published on the 10th anniversary of the earthquake said, ``I think I am the person who has been supported the most by these words, so I am the person who knows the meaning and power of these words the best.'' So let me say this, “Please do your best.” What are the words that you want to convey now?

I want to continue to support them. It's no different from what I said at that time, but I myself received a lot of support, and in the course of various activities like this, I received support from many people, and there were people in the disaster-stricken areas who supported the activities themselves, so I really want to continue to support the people in the disaster-stricken areas for a long time. More than that, I would like to express my gratitude and support to the people who are supporting the disaster-stricken areas.

Do you feel that you are entrusting that feeling to the ice show you held until yesterday and the solo tour performances since last November?

With 'notte stellata', yes, basically. To be honest, I'm a little bit detached from solo performances, but no matter what I say, when I’m saying something or skating, I think that the earthquake disasters are something that inevitably comes with me, so I'm sure there are many words that come to mind in the story of ``RE_PRAY'' (a solo ice show performance). However, with regards to the earthquake disaster and 3.11, I am entrusting all my feelings to 'notte stellata', such as wanting to do something directly, supporting, and cheering people up.

You put your thoughts into the songs you skated this time: “Notte Stellata,” “Carmina Burana,” and “Danny Boy.”

In the first place, people's emotions are different depending on their values, and when it comes to the earthquake disaster, each person has a different sense of distance in how they deal with it. So, in my opinion, there is no general rule that says how I want people to think about the earthquake. So, to be honest, I don’t think I should tell you everything what I want you to think about Danny Boy, notte stellata and Carmina Burana. However, after seeing each of the performances, each with its own themes, after watching the performances in this time’s notte stellata, I want the audience to feel a sense of hope, and I would like to express my wish that, even if it's just for a moment, the people who were suffering in the disaster area, those who are currently suffering, and those who are actually suffering in Ishikawa right now, can have a moment of happiness. I've continued skating with the hope that those people will be able to forget reality and have some kind of happy moment, even just for a moment.

Having seen not only the Great East Japan Earthquake but also various disasters such as torrential rain disasters, what are your common thoughts?

Regardless of the severity or scope of the disaster, I think people’s grief is the same. During the Great East Japan Earthquake, we always unconsciously pay attention to some quantitative things, such as the number of casualties, areas and scope in need of rescue. We tend to think that we feel pain because it caused so much damage, because it was such a tragic disaster, but even a disaster like a landslide is very difficult for the victims. Therefore, behind the number, whether it is "1", "1000" or "10000", there is also pain and hardship behind it, which will not change depending on the size of the number. I wish I could convey that.

Yuzuru Hanyu and the earthquake disaster are inseparable. How do you want to face it?

Honestly, the way we deal with the earthquake, the way we interact with it, and the way we think about it changes every day depending on the situation at the time, and in fact, people who are thinking about various things after the Noto earthquake in 2024, including myself, may change their way of thinking when they think about 3.11 again. I think that the way in which those vivid memories are revived is different for each of us, so I can't generalize what it will be like five years from now, but as I go about my daily life and skate again, I realize that I must never waste that experience, and because I have felt that experience closely, I am sure that there are feelings and a mission that I can convey. I think that's why I want to be involved in the process, searching for ways that only I can provide support.

You have been fighting for more than one and half year since you changed to professional. How do you feel about your own evolution?

Especially when it comes to "RE_PRAY", what I want to express, what I want to show, including the world view I want to convey, I was not able do it alone. Everyone in the team is serious about showing these things. These real professionals have poured their souls into their creations. From this perspective, I feel that I am far behind. In short, this solo tour performances make me feel this way. After all, the concept itself is completely different from an ice show, the approach itself is completely different, and the way of creating it itself is completely different, so in that sense, I have to evolve myself. I must have the figure skating skills to match it, and I must have the depth of thought to match it. And more importantly, since I call myself a professional, I always think that I have to skate at the highest level in the world as a professional and a figure skating expert.

At the press conference in July 2022, you said that you didn't have any feelings of sadness about leaving the arena. Do you still feel the same way now?

To be honest, my true feeling is that there's not much point in returning to competition. What I have been doing now is something that is really unimaginable in competitive skating. I don't have any unfinished business in competitive skating, I've already won two Olympic titles, and in my opinion, I've already gone through all the stages and steps that I should have gone through. That's why I don’t see myself returning.

I would like to see Yuzuru Hanyu continue to reach new heights as a professional, and continue to master his expressive ability.

To be honest, professional figure skaters tend to pay a lot of attention to things like expression, but figure skating is a sport after all, so it is important to have a high level of difficulty, and to challenge the limit of one's physical strength, and sublimate the situation as an expression again. In order to present this, it is necessary to hone my skills and strengthen my physical ability even more. I think that this is a new genre of entertainment that we are creating. So, of course, I want people to pay attention to the expressive aspects, but in order to do that, I always ask myself how much strength and how much skill I have to put into it. Furthermore, while I certainly want to evolve in terms of expression, I want to evolve while always asking myself how much more skill and physical strength I need in order to evolve my expression.

(machine translation with some editing)

Source: https://twitter.com/kyodo_DeepEdge/status/1777560764976660827

[khaire-traveler]

💥 Subtle Eris Worship ⚔️

Stand up for yourself and others

Assert your boundaries; learn what your boundaries are; not all boundaries need to be spoken

Do not needlessly sacrifice yourself for others (it takes time to unlearn this behavior, it'll be ok ❤️)

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Engage in activities you're passionate about

Share your passions with others

Support abuse survivor, homeless, or humanitarian organizations

Practice healthy conflict resolution skills; learn about what those might look like

Have imagery black wings, apples (particularly golden), black feathers, or whatever you associate with rivalry/discord around

Have a stuffed animal of any animal you associate with discord or rivalry; have a stuffed animal of an animal you consider to be bold, passionate, or powerful (maybe a predator)

Take risks; do things that you need/want to; if you're scared, do it scared

Learn to speak up when you disagree with someone; don't always hold your tongue

Get comfortable with the idea of change; try to look at positive outcomes rather than focusing on negative ones

Change something within your daily routine if it starts to feel mundane, even something small

Join a supportive community where you feel comfortable expressing yourself; LGBT groups, D&D, survivor therapeutic groups, etc.

Dance/sing to music that makes you feel empowered, badass, or expressive

Find healthy outlets for your emotions; boxing, dancing, drawing, building, crafting, etc.

Allow yourself to feel your feelings; cry, scream, shake - whatever your body needs to do

Make your space reflect parts of yourself; make it your own!

Exercise; get some movement throughout the day, even just stretching

Create a positive change in the life of someone else; cook a meal for someone in need, donate blankets to a homeless shelter, support your friend through a difficult time, etc.

Prioritize your own well-being; learn to be comfortable with being a bit selfish; it's not a bad thing to look out for yourself

Wear outfits that make you feel bold or expressive

Express yourself in little ways if you're unable to be fully open; a bracelet to represent your gender, pride flag colored shoelaces, etc.

Play with pets; get active alongside them!

Listen to stories of people who have gone through major life changes; try to learn from them

Make a list of your personal strengths; acknowledge and honor them

Work hard, but remember that rest is also productive

Practice patience and restraint around people who annoy or bother you a lot; a difficult lesson, believe me, I know

Try to be understanding of the fact that people have their own struggles as well; this doesn't mean you have to forgive transgressions against you

Don't feel obligated to forgive people; you do not owe anyone anything just because they apologized to you

Celebrate your accomplishments, even the small ones!

-

I'll likely add more later! It was a bit tough for me to come up with ideas for Eris because I don't worship her directly and couldn't find many sources discussing her worship, unfortunately. I'm open to ideas! For now, this is my list of discreet Eris worship. I hope someone finds it helpful. ❤️

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[acti-veg]

So I'm trying to get a better understanding of what Veganism is all about, from an ethical standpoint. So, my Grandparents keep chickens pretty much as pets and will regularly give eggs away to family members because they have tons of them. And I'm just curious what the Vegan perspective on that situation is? Like is the main problem with the cruelty of industrial farming or is using animal products in general just blanketly considered bad?

Like I know Vegans do keep pets, so I just wonder what the perspective would be on using eggs or wool or milk or something from an animal that you care for as a pet? Like, if I decided to rescue a sheep an name them and give them a home with me as like another member of the family, would it be considered unethical to use their wool to make yarn for crochet or something like that? Is it different depending on the situation?

The core belief to keep in mind here is that we as vegans oppose the exploitation of animals for human benefit. For welfarists (who tend to be meat eaters or vegetarians) the main issue with animal products is the cruelty involved, whereas vegans tend to be abolitionists, who want to abolish animal agriculture rather than simply improve treatment.

This is relevant for discussing backyard eggs, because those eggs are the result of exploitation. The hens themselves have been exploited because they have been bred into bodies that vastly overproduce eggs to the extent that it comes with a myriad of health issues, they also usually come from hatcheries where male chicks are brutally slaughtered on mass. To then take what their bodies have spent resources to produce, and therefore profit from that situation, is further exploitation on top of that.

Vegans are generally okay with pets on the basis that they're adopted, and that we aren't exploiting them to serve our own interests. You can adopt hens, but the responsible thing to do is to prevent them laying using implants, except in the USA where this is not allowed. In that case, I personally would prefer chickens were allowed to benefit from their own production and those eggs are fed back to them, which restores some of the enormous amount of energy needed to create them. Excess eggs should then be donated to food banks, fed to other rescued animals or donated to vulnerable people rather than thrown away.

Milk is clearcut, since no animal produces milk without first being made pregnant. To keep a steady flow of milk you have to continuously impregnate them, and generally remove the calf so they aren't drinking it all. Dairy cows once again have been bred to overproduce so there may well be excess, but you really shouldn't be allowing pregnancy in the first place, so this is a moot point in terms of what to do with it.

With sheep it is a bit different, while sheep have been purposely bred to over-produce wool, wool is still an incidental part of keeping sheep, they need to be sheared and there is no real way for them to directly benefit from their own production. It is essentially a waste product at that point, like manure. Views differ on this, but I've no issue with a non-profit organisation selling wool on the basis that 100% of the funds generated go towards the care of the animals in question, which is practiced by many animal sanctuaries. Otherwise I think it is fine if someone donating the wool to an animal shelter for blankets, or turning it into warm clothing for the needy.

As a general rule, animals should be allowed to benefit from what they produce, rather than us. In cases where they can't directly benefit, we certainly shouldn't seek to profit from them. The power dynamic between humans and non-human animals, between pet and owner, will always be imbalanced and to materially benefit from that relationship is taking advantage of that power for personal gain. As soon as you're personally profiting from an animal's body, you also have a vested interest in continuing to make sure the animal continues to produce whatever you are profiting from, opening the door to further exploitation or even abuse.

Things like eggs from pet chickens or wool from a rescued sheep certainly aren't the biggest animal rights issues on our radar, but thinking about it in an ethically consistent fashion means that we apply the same values to these situations as we would any human use of non-human animals. Animals do not exist to serve our interests, and we should respect their bodily autonomy in every way that is possible and practicable. In short, we just shouldn't be looking for ways to benefit from our relationships with animals.

[2023legendoflinkzine]

Hi, I have a question about the donation breakdown regarding the charity. It currently says all proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders—which is different than profits. As I understand it; profits account for covering the overhead cost, and proceeds are the entire amount received. If all proceeds are going to the charity, does this mean that whatever is purchased is the same as a 1:1 donation? Like, if I buy a $5 sticker pack, does the entirety of those $5 go to Doctors Without Borders? It sounds great, but I’m not sure how that’s possible.

Hello!

This is a wonderful question! Thank you for asking and giving us an opportunity to be transparent with where our money is going.

Profits and proceeds are indeed different, with profits defined as money made after production costs have been covered (as you said).

However, proceeds is a more vague term, and it doesn't have a singular definition. This is why you may see many non-profit organizations use the word "proceeds" rather than "profits" in legal material relating to their funds and donation processes. It often implies a more complex breakdown of charity funds than simply financial surplus.

Here is the answer to your core question: our goal is to raise $1,000 dollars for Doctors Without Borders. All money made up until the $1,000 mark will go directly to the charity, and not to us!

If we are blessed enough to hit our donation goal, a portion (no greater than 25%) of funds made past the $1,000 mark will go to help cover the cost of production.

If someone purchases a $75 bundle now, while we are still working towards the donation goal, all $75 dollars will go to Doctors Without Borders.

If someone purchases a $75 bundle past the $1,000 goal, and we are operating under the maximum 25% being invested back to production costs, $56.25 dollars will go to Doctors Without Borders, and $18.75 will be used to cover production costs. An announcement will be made on all social media platforms if we hit our donation goal, and it will include details on how the donations will see the above change.

Regarding how this is possible, I (Seeking7, the magazine organizer) have paid for all production costs from my personal bank account. I'm a uni student, but I've been working two jobs for the past year to help save, and while it would be nice to be partially compensated for production costs, it's not my priority at all.

I don't want to put all my eggs into one basket, but if we get past the 1k milestone, I will release a statement detailing the breakdown of all further funds. This will be displayed on the website so that interested patrons will be aware of where their money is going, and will be able to make an educated decision on whether they are interested in purchasing the zine.

Our website also includes a "Where Is My Money Going" tab that includes more details on where and how money will be handled!

In conclusion, we've used the word "proceeds" in the language of our donation because instead of using the money to cover production costs and then using profit to go to the charity, we're doing things in the opposite manner. Once we have hit our goal, then we will delegate a portion of further funds to helping alleviate the burden of production costs, but our highest priority is to raise money for a fantastic charity!

Let us know if you have further questions. We want all interested patrons to feel informed about how we are handling their money, and to be able to make an educated decision on whether or not to support us!

Thank you once again for the great question!

[reasonsforhope]

Odd jobs are few and far between in Nearobo. Peter knows because every day he walks the streets of his village in south-east Liberia looking for one. In a good month, he might make $20 (£16.70). That’s hardly enough to feed himself, let alone his children.

But today things are looking up. As part of an innovative new donation scheme, Peter receives $40 (£33.40) per month for a minimum of three years. No paperwork. No requests for receipts. No catch of any kind, in fact. Just hard cash transferred straight to his mobile phone. 

The 59-year-old casual labourer plans to use the money to buy materials for a new home for himself and his family, he says. “Although it is going to take long, I will continue until my house is completed.”

The scheme is part of a new-look approach to development assistance that, if taken to scale, could potentially turn the £156bn international aid industry on its head.

At least, so says Rory Stewart, the former UK foreign secretary turned podcaster-in-chief (he co-hosts ‘The Rest is Politics’ with Alastair Campbell, a surprise hit which has topped the Apple podcast charts virtually every week since it launched a year ago). From his new base in Amman, Jordan, Stewart heads up GiveDirectly – the world’s fastest growing nonproft – who are behind the initiative.

“It’s a rather radical, simple idea to help people out of extreme poverty. We deliver the cash directly … there’s no middleman and no government getting in the way.”

It feels like an odd statement from someone who has spent much of his life in government service: first as a junior diplomat for eight years (during which he penned a bestselling book about dodging Taliban bullets and hungry wolves whilst walking across Afghanistan), followed by almost a decade as a politician at Westminster.

Pictured: Rory Stewart and GiveDirectly’s Ivan Ntwali talk with a refugee household in Rwanda. Image: GiveDirectly

His enthusiasm is even more surprising given his initial caution. During his various ministerial stints at the UK’s department for international development (including three months as secretary of state), he was an out-and-out “cash sceptic.” 

Giving away money with no strings attached was, he felt at the time, an impossible sell to tax-paying voters. What’s stopping recipients spending it down the pub? Or investing in a hair-brained business venture? 

Quite a lot it turns out. No one knows the value of money more than those who don’t have any, he argues. Give an impoverished mother-of-four $40 (£33.40) cash and, 99 times out of 100, she’ll spend it on something useful: repairs to the house, say, or school fees for her kids...

By virtue of GiveDirectly’s model, participants can spend their money on whatever they choose, but the charity’s research indicates that most goes towards food, medical and education expenses, durables, home improvement and social events.

On the flipside, Stewart also has numerous examples of well-funded aid projects that deliver next to nothing. A decade ago, the then United Nations general secretary Ban Ki-moon estimated that 30 per cent of aid money disappears in corruption. There is little to suggest much has changed.

The aid industry doesn’t need corrupt officials to see its funds evaporate, however; it has its own voluminous bureaucracy. Stewart recalls once visiting a $40,000 (£33,560) water and sanitation project in a school in an unnamed African country. The ‘deliverables’ were two brick latrines and five red buckets for storing water...

The beauty of direct giving, he stresses, is not just that it annuls opportunities for thievery and red tape; it also frees the world’s poorest individuals from the well-meaning but, very often, misplaced guidance of donors. An aid expert in Brussels or Washington DC may well have a PhD in development economics, but who is best to judge what a single mother in a Kinshasa slum needs most and how to obtain it most cheaply: the expert with her degree, or the mother with her hungry children?

Empowering recipients to decide for themselves helps end the kind of “mad world” where aid agencies pay to ship wheat from Idaho, US, to Antananarivo, Madagascar, only for local people to sell it in order to buy what they really want, Stewart reasons.

“So often, these communities are having to turn the goods we send them into cash anyway, but just in a very inefficient and wasteful fashion … instead [with direct cash transfers] they are given the choice and freedom in how to spend it.” 

Pictured: Villagers in Kilif, Kenya, at a public meeting about the GiveDirectly programme. Image: GiveDirectly

Is the system perfect? No, clearly not. Stewart concedes that opportunities for fraud and coercion exist. To minimise these risks, GiveDirectly employs field officers to meet face-to-face with recipients, as well as a team of telephone handlers and internal auditors to follow up on reports of irregularity.

By his reckoning, however, the biggest impediment to direct giving really taking off is donor reticence. At present, only 2 per cent of official aid is given direct in cash. Stewart thinks it should be closer to 60 or 70 per cent...

‘My children will not have to beg anymore’

Happiness Kadzmila from Malawi enrolled on GiveDirectly’s Basic Income project last summer. She will now receive $50 (£41) a month for a year ($600/£496 in total).

What are the biggest hardships you’ve faced in life?

I am a divorced mother of four children. I got divorced in 2020 while I was eight months pregnant with my last-born child. Since then, I have been depending on working on other people’s farms. I get paid $0.49 (£0.43), or a plate of maize flour per day. As a result, it has been a challenge to feed my children, buy clothes for them, and to pay their school fees My firstborn child is in year 4, the school charges $0.69 (£0.61) per day for her. My second is in year 3, I pay $0.49 (£0.43) for him. There were days when I would have no food in my home, and my children would go to my neighbours’ homes to beg for food. This made me feel sorry for my children as a mother.

What does receiving this money mean for you?

I was so happy the day I received cash amounting to $51.75 (£43.56) from GiveDirectly. I used the money to buy maize at $9.88 (£8.32). My children will not have to go to our neighbours to beg for food anymore. I also bought a sheep at $34.58 (£29.10). I will be selling sheep in future when they multiply. I also bought lotion and soap at $1.88 (£1.58).

How will you spend your future payments?

I plan to renovate my house. I have always admired those who sleep in houses made of a roof with iron sheets because they do not have to think of fetching grass every year for a new roof. I will also start a business selling doughnuts to sustain my income after I receive my last transfer. I did not know that an organisation like GiveDirectly would come to help me this way All I can say to those who are giving us this money is ‘thank you’."

-via Positive News, 3/3/23

More and More People to Help

In addition to their universal basic income programs, GiveDirectly also has dedicated programs where you can donate to emergency disaster relief, people living under the protracted civil war and human rights disaster in Yemen, refugees, and survivors of the Syria-Turkey earthquake.

They have also commissioned a number of large-scale, third-party studies on the effectiveness of their numerous universal basic income models. Find these and other projects here.

[hadesoftheladies]

alright, some misogynist and ableist goons on this site keep bothering me about my jkr post because they cannot fathom the fact that calling out bias doesn't necessarily equal endorsing. so i'm going to be super nice about it and put all the facts here for the fact-enjoyers.

let's go over the claims made against jkr by testerical twitterheads, because everything to do with trans politics regarding jkr is just extremist white liberals reaching.

Claim: JK Rowling is friends with Matt Walsh. False!

Claim: JK Rowling is friends with Kellie-Jay Keen. Ambiguous! (She has agreed with Kellie-Jay Keen on several issues and advocated for her based on false allegations about nazism concerning Kellie-Jay Keen. Men-rights activists made shit up about her endorsing nazi salutes at her women's campaign. also, JK Rowling has agreed with many people whose politics she does not wholly endorse, like matt walsh. agreeing with someone on an opinion or fact, does not mean you agree with their politics.)

Claim: JK Rowling denies the Holocaust. False! (For proof, see this thread. JK Rowling does not DENY that the Holocaust happened, but that trans people were specifically targeted by the Nazis. Some argue that this makes her a Holocaust denier based on some German article, but I find the term muddies the water. It can be an offense, a grievous one, to deny the Nazis did something when they did, but calling JKR a Holocaust denier makes people think she doesn't believe the Holocaust happened when she absolutely does.

Additionally, the topic as to whether trans people were explicitly targeted by Nazis has had a fair share of scholarly debate. They may have faced some measure of harassment, but being specifically targeted is also a reach considering how little historical evidence we have of transvestites being outrightly persecuted, at least, to anywhere near the same degree homosexual, black or Jewish people were. Cross-dressing certificates were legal in Nazi Germany, for example, and I have found no record of a transvestite suffering things like forced sterilization. This article briefly mentions a German author who thought that the Nazis would finally take care of "the transvestite problem" because now they could be sent to concentration camps and castrated there, but there is still no record of any transvestite having undergone such a thing. Furthermore, of the examples of transvestites that were taken to concentration camps, both of them were homosexual, so it would be more accurate to say they were targeted for being homosexual, especially when you look at why they were arrested. On the other hand, some transvestites ended up in concentration camps, but it was likely due to the fact that they were Jewish rather than trans.

It is also very significant that in the German Republic, transvestites had permits while homosexuals did not!

JKR might be denying that they burned trans books. Unfortunately for her, she is wrong. Transvestite research WAS targeted by the Nazis. Again, not much is known about transvestites during this time and I have found no solid numbers. It most definitely didn't happen on the same scale as what gay, lesbian, Jewish or Roma people were suffering through--and why would it, transvestites weren't a large population, also i have found no record of transvestites being forced to wear pink triangles, like homosexual men were--, though gay men and transvestites seemed to get more leniency if they were "Aryan." )

Claim: JK Rowling directly funds government suppression. (Which government? Source? I'll make an assumption and guess that you're referring to her 1 million pound donation to the Better Together anti-Scottish independence campaign? Yes, she has. But she respects the opinions of those who disagree with her on the subject. She's also donated to the Labour Party, which is more centre-left politically.)

Claim: JK Rowling has financially supported groups that repress Scotland's right to independence. True! (She also voted "No!" on Scottish independence).

Claim: JK Rowling is gunning to be a Neo-Nazi. False! (She has not expressed any explicit Nazi views! Please tap the source to see what Nazi views actually are! JK Rowling has been explicitly leftist in her politics and anti-racist.)

Claim: JK Rowling is a fascist. False! (She does not identify as fascist and does not have any explicit fascist views. Unlike the people burning and trying to ban her books, which contain very little of her politics.)

i don't worship JKR, i don't even agree with a good chunk of her politics. especially when it comes to her sympathy for israel. she's a millionaire white woman, and i am a born and raised african middle-class person. we won't have many politics in common. but unlike you lot, i don't need to be misogynistic or ableist in order to disagree with a woman. resorting to misogyny, ableism, racism or homophobia just because you hate someone is still misogyny, ableism, racism and homophobia. i wouldn't call a transperson the "t-word" even though i don't profess their gender faith. because i recognize that using the "t-word" on a trans-identified person that's done or said disgusting things like, idk, andrea long chu or hunter schaffer (are these your leaders? seriously?), saying that word will still hurt trans-identified people who didn't do or say those horrible things unnecessarily.

see what i did there? i read things up for myself, added sources from people i disagreed with politically, discussed the valid history of people who i disagree with without resorting to dehumanizing language, and called out the celebrity you lot think are "my hero" without being a hypocrite!

class dismissed.

now fuck off you rancid misogynists and go back to snivelling about how righteous you are to your echo chamber.

also, radblr girlies feel free to reblog or link this for all the anti-jkr posts that make any of these claims or keep trying to bait you with this braindead discourse to save yourselves the effort. love you and muah! :)

[three--rings]

Hi, everyone. This is my virtual craft stall for the Fandom Trumps Hate Fan Crafts Bazaar.

How it works: You bid on my offering at the form below, the highest bidder will make their donation directly to the charity and provide me with a receipt. I will then craft your custom item and send it to you.

What I am offering:

One (1) Fanbinding of a fanfic of your choice (see details). That is a typeset, hand made book by me.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

*The fic you want bound must either be written by yourself or YOU MUST HAVE PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE FIC. I don't feel comfortable exchanging money, even in the form of donations, based on someone else's fanfic work without their permission. You must provide a screenshot of the fic author giving permission or a screenshot of their blanket permission statement if they have one. (You can find a database of creators with blanket permission statements here.)

*The fic must be 200K words or less. Sorry, there's gotta be a cutoff. If the fic you desire is very close to this cutoff, a few words over, it's probably fine, but check with me to be sure.

*If you would rather have a series of fics bound instead of one fic, that's also fine, so long as the entire series is less than 200K words.

*Fic can be any rating, but if it is rated Explicit you must sign the age statement in the bidding form signifying you are over 18. I am open to most types of content out there (and may or may not actually read the fic myself, depending) but am not willing to do any fic containing explicit scenes involving people younger than 16.

*All design decisions will be made by me, though I am open to requests or suggestions and may ask you to help me with motifs or theme suggestions. However, what materials I use depends a lot on what I have access to/can afford and they can be costly to acquire. So I cannot guarantee any particular style of binding or material (like leather, which is hella expensive.)

*How long it takes to complete the book depends on if I need to order special materials for the design. Please allow a month or to for the entire process.

*I will pay for shipping within the United States. If you are outside the US, I am willing to craft for you, but you will be responsible for the shipping costs, which can be significant as books are heavy. Please look into how much it costs to ship a book sized object from the US to you before bidding.

Here are examples of my past work. I'm a hobbyist, not a professional bookbinder and cannot claim to ever produce perfection.

Charity:

The charity I have selected (from the FTH list) is Never Again Action.

Never Again Action is a Jewish-led mobilization against the persecution, detention, and deportation of immigrants in the United States.

We are fighting for a world free of detention and deportation. We are fighting for collective liberation

I considered a few different kinds of organizations but this is one I think is doing really important work and which I feel strongly about. I live in a border region and have known lots of people and families affected by detention and deportation.

How to Bid:

Fill out this Form with your information and your bid.

You can check the status of the bidding here. Bidding closes on March 5th.

[dogtoling]

On the topic of eggs, I really wonder how marine species take care of eggs and children in the modern day? I feel like the number of eggs they lay is still a lot but has been gradually decreasing as they've been evolving especially considering they appear to have families like us and like take care of their young as they grow but I don't really know how number of offspring is affected in evolution.. I wonder how parents deal with so many eggs though, like is stuff like a fish parent eating some of their eggs still a possibility?? I also feel like there's a chance of parents donating some of their eggs to adoption centers to the point it's very common to not live with your biological parents but I feel like that'd raise concerns with maybe parents adopting someone from another species and not knowing their needs and how to properly take care of them or it being hard to send away some of your eggs because like those are your future children

I have a bunch of weird thoughts about this but I haven't really settled on any one solution. First off, I think a lot of humanoid fish species do still lay big clutches of eggs, but the biggest ones are likely around the low hundreds rather than literally thousands. With an advanced society and parental care it really becomes quality over quantity so in general, the amount of offspring should have gone down dramatically. Assuming these fish (especially talking about Salmonids here, which we can VERY SAFELY ASSUME lay hundreds or at least a few dozen eggs) undergo external fertilization which means they lay unfertilized eggs FIRST, it wouldn't be difficult to directly limit the amount of eggs that actually become kids. We know the main energy source in the Splatoon world is fish eggs, so the logical solution is then that in normal circumstances, the unfertilized eggs are sold or donated if a lot of fish regularly lay eggs. In the wild, the unfertilized eggs probably were just eaten by the parent, other fish in the school and probably scavengers and predators. After all it's not much different than unfertilized chicken eggs; they will happen regardless, and they ARE very nutritious.

As for raising children. I feel like that has to be insane in Splatoon, because from canon materials we know that some people just DO HAVE 100+ children. Imagine how many children that is as soon as you have like, idk, a neighborhood of that species and they all decided to have 100+ children. The population boom is literally exponential and it is RIDICULOUS. It really leads me to believe that especially fish-centric societies have some ridiculously sized kindergartens and schools and it's just way beyond in scale than what the squids have. I'm talking, one class might have a thousand students and there's like 30 teachers. And bear in mind a thousand students, in a specific scenario, could just be the kids of like... 6 different families. It gets very strange.

For how many offspring a lot of fish species have, I think raising children is largely communal rather than done by just the parents. Essentially, the whole town is the parents. And that means that typically, some fish species don't have a super strong parental bond because come on now, how are you going to give like 50 children the kind of care and attention a kid needs when you're literally 1 guy. So these fish might not have strong parental ties like some other species with very few offspring do, instead being very community driven and having super big social circles from a young age. I feel like that makes some kind of sense, and I think that's the case with Salmonids, specifically.

[mueritos]

Hey. Idk if this is me growing up or just being disillusioned with inter celebs etc. Im a 23 yr old trans man so I grew up and was inspired by chella on the YouTube community. But now I just…don’t like chella man anymore. I feel like…he became an industry plant? Over the pandemic asking fans for money to send to him directly to help others and not showing where the money was going exactly incident as well as just becoming older I noticed he seemed to almost want to become the next Keith haring or basquiat? He almost…now seems very fake? He takes deals with brands to be representation but doesn’t do much to call out certain brands for their faults etc.

Idk anymore

I give Chella credit in that he was one of the few transmen that I looked up while I was young, especially with him being BIPOC. Showing him to my family helped them understand me. But that's where the inspiration kinda stops, because it was painful to be surrounded by years-in-transition trans men online when I was absolutely nowhere I wanted to be. That was a me problem tho. But I also didn't know much about his whole donation incident.

Ig heres what I have to say. It's not great to view other people as your justification of your morals. We don't know how people have had to live or how they live now, we don't know what decisions they have to make, and we dont know what kind of fears or goals they have. Chella is allowed to do whatever he wants with his art or his modelling career, just like how I genuinely believe anyone else in the world is capable of making the right decisions for themselves (even if we dont like those decisions!). Im not really concerned with figuring out if hes an industry plant or a "class traitor" (lol) or even if he's "fake". To be honest, I'm all for BIPOC folks getting their $. Does that mean I enjoy seeing wealthy BIPOC folk perpetuate classism and racism? No. Just cuz someone is succeeding for themselves doesn't mean people cant critique them. I guess what Im saying is I see waaay too many people online take the things they enjoy and the people they follow as projections of their morals: "no! stop [Insert celebrity name] you're being problematic and its makes us fans look bad!" Like....Okay lmfao. People are grown adults and are going to make decisions for themselves. Just because you might enjoy a celebrity does not mean your morals are based on how good of a person they are.

and youre allowed to not like the same things anymore just like how people are allowed to change, for better or for worse. I think within online communities there is way too much pressure on "looking" like a good person versus actually being one...because sometimes BEING a good person makes you look absolutely vile in terms of online spaces/communities love of isolating, removing, and deleting "problematic" (and vulnerable) people from their spaces with no trial, discussion, or attempt at conflict mediation. Yea yea I do think people have every right to be criticized just as they have every right to make whatever decision they want, but what Im trying to get at is to really stop viewing anyone with a platform as someone you can other once they dont meet your standards. This is not the same as denouncing or critiquing someone for really egregious behavior (white supremacy, harrassment, bullying, interpersonal violence). Once you kinda start living by your own morals without needing other people's actions/behaviors to justify/define them, you learn to focus on building connections rather than destroying them.

again, this is a much nuanced topic and you prolly werent expecting me to go into this. but ive grown over the years and have engaged in some nasty and vile mob mentality behavior that i just dont vibe with anymore. im not really the kind of person now to speculate online or publicly what other people are doing or should be doing or whether theyre problematic or not. I don't really care about Chella man or most celebrities rn. People r just gonna be people, and I will always have empathy for those of marginalized identities. Free will, autonomy, and self determination goes both ways, but so does accountability, transformative justice, and reconciliation.

but also like kill ur idols lol