#sample email to executives

[redgoldsparks]

March Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Before I get to the reviews this month, I have to bring up the fact that the current fascist, book-hating administration is trying to defund/destroy the The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides grants to libraries and museums across the country. According to the American Library Association, the IMLS provides "the majority of federal library funds." The IMLS says it awarded $266 million in grants and research funding to cultural institutions last year. This money goes to help staff, fund maintenance, and create new programs. And as of March 31, every single member of its approximately 70 person staff has been put on administrative leave. This could have devastating effects to libraries across the country. (source)

Please! Write or call your state governor and state reps about this. Here's the sample email I sent, which I modified from a template sent out by Authors Against Book Bans:

I am writing to express my support for federal museum and library funding, and to urge you to stand against President Trump's recent Executive Order against the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

As I'm sure you know, the IMLS provides important support for local libraries and museums across the state and the country. IMLS makes grants that bridge funding gaps in local libraries and museums allowing them to better serve our communities by targeting each community's unique needs. These grants improve internet access to rural areas, support tribal libraries, ensure that libraries offer interlibrary loans, fund language programs, subsidize programs for veterans, businesses, and entrepreneurs, and so much more.

As an author, libraries directly support my career. As a reader, I check out over 100 books a year from the library for reading and research, way more than I could ever afford to buy or have space to store. Libraries personally benefit my life in so many ways. Please stand against cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and ensure museums and libraries can continue to benefit communities across the United States.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End vol 1 by Kanehito Yamada, art by Tsukasa Abe, translated by Misa

I had already watched a few episodes of the anime, so the set up of this story was familiar to me. Frieren is an elf mage who traveled with the adventuring band who killed the demon king decades ago. She has not visibly aged, but her traveling companions are all old men how. 50 years after their big victory, she returns to travel with them again. That's the last time she seems one of them alive. She realizes she had not processed how short human lives are in comparison to her own, and vows to do a better job getting to know the next group of humans whose lives touch her own. This is a contemplative and slow burn story, but with a lot of tenderness. I definitely want to keep reading more of this rambling adventure!

I Think Our Son is Gay vol 1 by Okura translated by Leo McDonagh 

A very gentle slice of life story, told from the POV of a mother of two teen boys. She suspects her older son, in high school, is probably gay and has a crush on one of his classmates. She begins trying to support him in subtle ways and slowly educates herself more about the queer community, while wondering how to share this information with her husband (who is often away on work trips and sees their children less often than she does). The chapters are very short and often silly, giving the book overall a very light tone.

Survival of the Friendliest by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods read by Rene Ruiz 

The majority of this book outlines some very interesting animal research on the effects of domestication, specifically self-domestication, over time. The Russian "friendly foxes" project, a silver fox breeding program where the only trait selected for was friendliness/openness to humans, is one of the main studies discussed and I enjoyed learning more about it. Over generations, the foxes selected for friendliness started to show surprising physical changes- wider variety of coat colors, curlier tails, smaller teeth, and increased social communication skills. The authors combine this with studies on bonobo monkeys, chimpanzees, dogs, and human fossil skulls, to present an argument that it was friendliness and cooperation, not strength or "fitness", that lead to humans dominance over other early human species such as neanderthals. The last quarter of the book then tries to turn this research into an explanation on how and why humans also dehumanize each other and how in-groups give rise to fascism. I wasn't as sold on the contemporary political theorizing, but I still think this book is worth a read.

Homesick: Stories by Nino Cipri 

This is a WONDERFUL short story collection, nine stories, each with some kind of speculative or fantasy element, and nearly all with a queer or trans main character. The stories gained momentum as they went a long, many of them making me exclaim "how did you think of that?" A few of the longer pieces are particular standouts- "The Shape of My Name", in which a trans man recons with his family's history of time travel; "Presque Vu", in which the inhabitants of a town connect over their shared personal hauntings (the main character coughs up old keys); and "Before We Disperse Like Star Stuff" in which a queer friend group of academics deals with the fall out of a massive archeological discovery, and the way one of them ran away with the story to publish without the other two, leading a breakup and also a Smithsonian documentary. Nino Cipri is on my immediate-read list!

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat vol 5 by Sakaomi Yuzaki translated by Caleb Cook

This serious continues to be SO CHARMING! Nomoto and Kasuga continue to house hunt, but run into difficulties on renting together as a same sex couple. Their friends are there to cheer lead, and offer resources and support. I love these foodie lesbians!

Sea Legs by Jules Bakes and Niki Smith 

Set in 1993, and heavily based on the author's lived experience, this graphic novel follows Janey's very unusual fourth grade year. Her parents own and live on a 40-foot steel sailing ship. They've been mooring in Miami, Florida, and Janey has been attending a regular public school where she has made a best friend, Rae. But Janey's parents want to set to sea again, so Janey and her cat Sassa are off to the Caribbean. There are many wonderful things about sailing- new islands, new food, new views every morning- but it's lonely too. Janey sends letters to Rae but can only receive them when the family stays in a port long enough to get a PO box. She's often bored, doesn't want to do her homework, wishes she had any friends near by. Finally the family's boat, the Merrimaid, stops St Thomas for a while, where her parents get part time jobs. Janey spots a girl only a little older living on another boat in the harbor. Astrid is aloof, challenging, mysterious, and knows a lot of places on the island where kids can get into trouble. Janey is entranced by her, but too young to see the precarious and potentially abusive situation Astrid is living in. This book is BEAUTIFULLY drawn, bright and sharp. I was completely drawn in to Janey's world and the struggles she faces with her parents and her two very different friends, Rae and Astrid. This book brought back how hard it was to maintain a long distance friendship in the 90s, and also pointed out how easy it is for kids without responsible adults in their lives to disappear off the map. It's more challenging and dark than the colorful cover suggests but I HIGHLY recommend it.

I Think Our Son is Gay vol 2 by Okura translated by Leo McDonagh 

This gentle slice of life story continues. Tomoko, mother of two sons, one or both of whom might be queer, borrows a gay manga series to read from a friend and leaves it in the living room for her possibly queer teen to find. She also learns that one of her co-works at work is gay, and open to answering some questions. I really enjoy the slow, realistic journey of a parent figuring out how to be supportive of her kids.

I Think Our Son is Gay vol 3 by Okura translated by Leo McDonagh 

The cast of characters is slowly expanding! A neighbor, who probably has a crush on her gay son Hiroki, starts at Hiroki's high school. I like that we are starting to learn more about Hiroki's younger brother Yuri, who at the moment reads like a very aro-ace character. The main tension point is Tomoko's husband, who has some really basic homophobic beliefs and occasionally says shitty things without seeming to realize they might be hurtful. Tomoko is more patient with him that I would be.

I Think Our Son is Gay vol 4 by Okura translated by Leo McDonagh 

Tomoko is such a wonderful and loving parent to her two probably queer sons. The elder son is dealing with the very normal high school rejection of his crush starting to date someone else, and the younger feels more and more aro-ace and maybe even agender. This is such a gentle, soft parenting story with a lot of sweetness and humor.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton read by John Pirhalla and Katherine Chin 

The plot of this book is engaging, but the prose is bad. Mickey Barnes is an "expendable" on a terraforming human colony mission on a cold, icy planet. Before the mission left, his entire consciousness was scanned and uploaded to a server, and his biology encoded so the mission can print new versions of him as needed. He is the only member of the roughly 200 person colony who has received this treatment, and it's his duty to do jobs that require a human but will likely get them killed, such as fixing the nuclear reactor, testing out medical procedures, or exploring the system of crevasses and caves below the ice- which happen to be full of insect-like alien species of unknown intelligence levels. This book has some very fun world building and clever twists, but the main character himself is an idiot who regularly makes mistakes that could have been easily avoided with even just a modicum of advanced planning. I would describe the writing as workman-like, just competent enough to get the story told, but often undercutting the emotional impact of the events with quips and fairly shallow character work. I haven't seen the movie but I have a feeling it might be better than the book, a rarity.

I Think Our Son is Gay vol 5 by Okura translated by Leo McDonagh

I'm so glad the main character finally confronted her husband on his careless homophobic remarks! Also I loved the story like of Hiroki getting into a girl idol group named Soup=Soup, what a perfect name for a group. If this is the last book of the series I am satisfied :) If there are more I will read them!

Paladin of Souls by Lois Mcmaster Bujold read by Kate Reading 

Ista is now the Dowager Royina of all Chalion, but she's having trouble shaking the titles she's been known by for most the past two decades: Mad Ista, hysterical Ista, Ista who needs to be watched because she is danger to herself. In her mid-40s, Ista despairs that the family curse, now broken, might define the rest of her life as well. Then inspiration strikes: perhaps a pilgrimage under an assumed name could prove the vehicle to travel, see some more of the world, breath some clearer air, and spend company with some young, adventurous people less defined by their dark pasts. And so Ista takes to the road with just one young lady's maid, two travel wardens, a small trope of soldiers dedicated to the Daughter and one a divine of the Bastard's order as her spiritual advisor. In truth, Ista wants nothing more to do with the gods. But the gods, it seems, are not yet done with her. The simple pilgrimage quickly runs into demons, secret conspiracies, death magic, and a danger that might strike all the way to the heart of the kingdom. And Ista finds that she still has the capacity for both sweetness and steal when the world demands them. This was my second time reading this book, but the first as an adult, and I absolutely LOVED it this go around. The audiobook reader is excellent and I am living for middle-aged fantasy protagonists these days. Give me a character who has seen some shit and nevertheless persists!

Private Rites by Julia Armfield 

Set in a near future world which is drowning under decades of torrential rains, this lyrical, tense family drama follows three estranged sisters after the death of their patriarch father. Isla, the oldest, is a therapist in middle of a divorce; she feels the most pulled to manage the family tragedy of the death, funeral, will, and her more unruly sisters' emotions. Irene, the middle sister, struggles to throw off her teen role as "the angry one", though a very loving partner has softened her rough edges over time. And their half sister, Agnes, younger by 11 years, wants nothing to do with any of this and doesn't feel she owes alliance or family feeling to the others. But all of them are haunted by the ghosts of their dead or missing parents, the abuse and neglect they suffered during a disrupted childhood. Plus there's the matter of the family home to deal with: a cold and luxurious house built on stilts which hold it above the rising water. I enjoyed the lovely prose, the fact that all three sisters are queer, and the exploration of how traumatized people try or fail to build and maintain relationships under many pressures, including climate crisis. The ending is a bit rushed and leaves as many questions open as answered. I might later lower my rating to 3.75, but I rounded up because I enjoyed my book club discussion about it so much.

Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold read by Grover Gardener

Lord Penric is on the way to his betrothal to a local cheese maker's daughter when he comes upon an elderly divine of the Bastard's order collapsed on the side of the road, surrounded by her anxious retinue. He stops to offer aid; he doesn't realized that he will end up becoming the host of the centuries old demon she carried. Suddenly the path of his small and certain future is thrown askew, and the road under his feet leads to places he hardly dared imagine. If, that is, he can figure out how to co-exist with a demonic being. I'm excited to start in on this novella series! I'm such a fan of Bujold's writing and very pleased to find many of these books are available in audio.

Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky

Preet is the most powerful magic user in her island community; her wife Valissa can't use even the most basic powers. But when the island is threatened by a dangerous withering fog, Valissa is the one who volunteers to try and discover its source. In her absence, Preet does a work of magic which is forbidden by the community to do alone; she and her child are exiled from the island and must find a new place to live safely. Will the two women be able to find other another again, and reconcile their believes about tradition, family, and power? This is a very beautiful and ultimately gentle story, mysterious, but compelling.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach read by Helen Laser

Phoebe Stone, a deeply depressed and recently divorced adjunct English professor, checks in at a beautiful hotel by the sea with the intent of killing herself after the end of one decadent night. But she starts to run into roadblocks immediately, including the fact that the entire rest of the hotel is fully booked for a 6 day wedding. Phoebe strikes up a blunt and unlikely friendship with the bride, and after a failed attempt at her own life, lets herself be pulled into the whirlwind of drama in the bridal party. The humor in this book is often dark, but it is also very funny and very human. I was impressed that the author made this kind of wild premise work as well as it did. I became invested in Phoebe's relationships with the bride, the groom, the groom's preteen daughter from a previous relationship, and various other attendees. I loved that part of Phoebe's decision to stick around and see what else life had to offer was breaking out a creative block and a decision to completely change everything about how she'd lived in the previous version of life. Big content warning for suicide; but I think it was handled thoughtfully.

Stories are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind by Annalee Newitz read by Alexandra Cohler 

This audiobook was by turns informative, engaging, and deeply upsetting. Newitz spells out the history of the use of propaganda in American warfare, including as far back as the war for independence, and the many wars against Indian nations in the attempt to empty the West of its original people to make the land available for white settlers. During the years around WWII, several key thinkers penned books on physiological operations; some also wrote science fiction under other pen names. The same tactics that fed military thought on propaganda was also used by early advertisers. The book also lays out the Cambridge Analytica project and how clearly it falls into the use of psychological weapons by American corporations against American citizens, and tactic which is supposed to be illegal. I listened to this on audio during the Trans Rights Readaton ] and I'm glad I got to it but some chapters on the 2016 election and current targeting of books, libraries, and queer people were not a fun time to listen to. Newitz ends with a short chapter on "Psy-Ops disarmament" and of course it points to all of the things the current administration is trying to destroy: public educations, a robust library system, trusted new sources, and free movement of citizens across borders.

World Heist by Linnea Sterte 

Two thieves, one a cursed child and the other with the face of a cat, set out to steal things as rare and difficult to obtain as a whole magical pocket realm and the lover of a god. Dreamy, brief, and gorgeously illustrated. Linnea Sterte is doing comics on a whole other level!

Penric and The Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold read by Grover Gardener

Lord Penric and his demon, Desdemona, have completed their temple training in a record three years and are now in service to the Princess-Archdivine of Martin's Bridge. He spends much of his time translating and copying manuscripts, but every now and then the Princess sends him out on a more interesting errand. So it happens that when a Locator of the Father's Order arrives on the tail of a runaway shaman who murdered a nobleman before fleeing, Penric is set to join the chase. But of course the case is more complicated than it seems, and more than one lost soul hangs in the balance. I had a great time with this second novella in the series; I finished it on a long drive just as the sun was rising over the Richmond bridge and it set a wonderful tone for my whole day.

Penric’s Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold read by Grover Gardener

I am continuing to devour these audiobooks at a ferocious rate! In this third adventure, Penric's vacation is rudely interrupted by a murder; he is pulled into the investigation because of his particular demon-given talents. The victim herself was a temple sorcerer; but who killed her, and why, and where her demon fled after her death are all obscure. This is a clever little bottle episode in the series. I look forward to reading more!

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag (re-read for bookclub)

This was exceptional. Mags, a recent high school graduate, lives a carefully controlled life. She cares for her aging grandmother, she works her restaurant shifts, she doesn't party, she doesn't let anyone get too close, even the girl she's sleeping with, who has a boyfriend. Also, she's feeding a dangerous secret, something fanged and strange that lives in the dark. Then Mags' careful routine is disrupted when a friend from childhood, Nessa, turns to the little town outside Joshua Tree where they both grew up. Nessa is being chased by a darkness of her own, and wants answers about a confusing childhood memory. The storytelling, the page layouts, the mixed use of color and black and white, all combined to build such delicious tension in this queer horror tale. Highly recommend!

Added in 2025: I re-read this for book club and on the second pass caught some clever foreshading and paid more attention to the elegant use of visual storytelling tools. This book is worth reading and worth re-reading!

Spent by Alison Bechdel 

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Bechdel's newest, and most meta, comic. I was genuinely unsure if the premise of this one would work for me, but oh, it did. The main character of this book, Alison, is a cartoonist living in Vermont on a rescue pygmy goat farm. She is the author of a popular memoir about her relationship with her father, a troubled taxidermist who spent time in prison before his death. This book is currently being adapted into a multi-season TV show which is straying increasing farther and farther from reality. Alison's partner, Holly, does the majority of the work around the farm; that is, until one of her wood chopping videos goes viral and she starts dabbling as an influencer instead. Meanwhile, in town, Al and Hol's friends- Sparrow, Stuart, Ginger, and Lois- all live together in an experimental communal home. Yes, that's right, many of the old gang from Dykes to Watch Out For are back, with grayer hair, but just as much wit and spark as ever. JR is a nonbinary, asexual, poly freshman at Oberlin who runs a podcast and participates in campus protests for Gaza. Ginger is still teaching and in a long distance relationship. Sparrow and Stuart are contemplating opening their relationship up. Lois is organizing local events, some of which, unfortunately, turn into covid parties. I have no idea if this book will land for readers who haven't read Dykes to Watch Out For, but hopefully those who have will enjoy this return to the old cast as much as I did. 

All but 5 of the books I read this month were courtesy of the library.

[mariacallous]

Within just the last week or so, Elon Musk’s DOGE hit team of mostly young, almost exclusively male engineers and executives have done the following:

Pushed a website live to track “savings” that showed no savings for several days, and made it trivially easy for random people on the internet to make changes to it.

Published classified information on that same website.

Got called out for accidentally inflating that savings amount by $7,992,000,000, and doubled down on their inaccuracy before they fixed it.

Fired hundreds of people who work on nuclear security, then scrambled to rehire them, except they had nuked all the work email addresses and personnel files so they didn’t know how to get in touch.

Basically the same deal, except with the US Department of Agriculture employees working to protect the country from a looming bird flu crisis.

Rehired a 25-year-old engineer with a stack of racist tweets to his name.

Spouted a bunch of nonsense conspiracy theories about who’s getting Social Security benefits. (Okay, that was all Musk.)

That’s just a sampling. It doesn’t include the damage born of purging thousands of workers across multiple government agencies, the consequences of which will reverberate in both obvious and unexpected ways for a generation—not to mention the near-term impact that arbitrarily spiking the unemployment rate will have on the US economy. It doesn’t include the opportunity cost of tossing hundreds of government contracts and programs into a bonfire.

This is just the truly dumb stuff, the peek behind the veil of DOGE, the confirmation that all of this destruction is, in fact, as specious and arbitrary as it seems. When in doubt, tear it all down, see what breaks, assume you can repair it—maybe with AI? It’s the federal government; how hard can it be?

This is incompetence born of self-confidence. It’s a familiar Silicon Valley mindset, the reason startups are forever reinventing a bus, or a bodega, or mail. It’s the implacable certainty that if you’re smart at one thing you must be smart at all of the things.

It doesn’t work like that. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all time; when he turned to baseball in 1994, Jordan hit .202 in 127 games for the AA Birmingham Barons. (For anyone unfamiliar with baseball stats, this is very bad. Embarrassing, honestly.) Elon Musk is the undisputed champion of making money for Elon Musk. As effectively the CEO of the United States of America? Very bad. Embarrassing, honestly.

Just look at all of those firings. DOGE has targeted so-called probationary employees first, often without regard for their skill or necessity of their roles. Do you know what a probationary employee is? It’s people who have been in their position for less than a year, or in some cases less than two years. That means new hires, sure, but also experienced workers who recently transferred departments or got promoted.

Not only does DOGE not seem to understand this, it has given no indication that it wants to understand. These are the easiest employees to fire, legally speaking, so they’re gone. It even changed the length of the probationary period—from one year of service to two—in order to super-size its purge of the National Science Foundation.

It takes a certain swashbuckling arrogance to propel a startup to glory. But as we’ve repeatedly said, the United States is not a startup. The federal government exists to do all of the things that are definitionally not profitable, that serve the public good rather than protect investor profits. (The vast majority of startups also fail, something the United States cannot afford to do.)

And if you don’t believe in the public good? You sprint through the ruination. You metastasize from agency to agency, leveling the maximum allowable destruction under the law. DOGE’s costly, embarrassing mistakes are a byproduct of reckless nihilism; if artificial intelligence can sell you a pizza, of course it can future-proof the General Services Administration.

Worse still, none of this will actually help DOGE make a dent in its purported mission. What’s efficient about firing people you have to scramble to hire back? What are the cost savings of a few thousand federal employees compared to the F-35 program? What are we even doing here, actually?

There are two possible explanations for this mess. One is that Musk and DOGE have no interest in the government, or efficiency, but do care deeply about the data they can reap from various agencies and revel in privatization for its own sake. The other is that a bunch of purportedly talented coders have indeed responded to a higher civic calling, but are out here batting .202.

Musk did have a rare moment of self-awareness late last week, during an Oval Office appearance with his four-year-old son and President Donald Trump. “We will make mistakes,” he said. “but we'll act quickly to correct any mistakes.”

So far he’s half right.

[noobiestnoober]

Cringe and Command (Wesker's Assistant Chronicles)

You’re Albert Wesker's assistant. Unfortunately for him, you refuse to take his villain speeches seriously. Even worse? You keep calling them cringe. He tries to fire you. Repeatedly. But somehow, you're still on payroll. Honestly, he might need therapy more than world domination.

"The world shall kneel before my new order," Wesker intoned, voice dripping with menace as red warning lights blinked around the lab, painting his cheekbones in dramatic crimson shadows.

You rolled your eyes from your spinning chair in the corner. "That line sounds like a villain wrote it after binge-watching bad anime dubs. Cringe."

Wesker froze mid-speech like someone had unplugged him. "Excuse me?"

You sipped from your Umbrella-logo mug. "I'm just saying, if you want people to actually kneel, you might wanna update your material. Maybe something less ‘theatre kid turned fascist.’"

His jaw flexed. "You're fired."

"Cool. I'll pack after I finish fixing your disaster of a PowerPoint presentation. Seriously, slide three transitions simulate a car chase. Did you mean to make it look like a Michael Bay film?"

Wesker glared, his sunglasses somehow reflecting your judgmental stare even though you were indoors. You glared back, wholly unimpressed. The red lights continued to blink like a rave for evil plans, unnoticed by both of you.

Day 34

Wesker tried to fire you again after you brought cupcakes to a top-secret Umbrella executive meeting and insisted everyone sing happy birthday to Nemesis.

"You are the worst assistant I've ever had," he snapped, lips twitching like he was trying not to scream.

"Nemesis deserves joy, Albert," you replied calmly, placing a party hat on a bio-organic weapon—roughly eight feet tall with a permanent snarl—that blinked once in confused gratitude.

He rubbed his temple. "I created life to destroy the world, not to… wear sprinkle cupcakes as hats."

You looked him dead in the eye. "Sounds like a you problem."

Day 46

You changed the lab’s background music to Barbie Girl during a viral sample test. Wesker entered the room to find you and Mr. X doing a synchronized head bop.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Team morale, sir."

He tried to fire you. You printed the HR handbook in Comic Sans and highlighted the clause where he couldn’t actually terminate staff without written approval from Umbrella HQ.

Day 58

You changed his password to "ILoveCringe69" and left a sticky note that said, "World domination is temporary. Memes are forever."

Wesker stared at the screen like it had personally betrayed him. He fired you via email this time. You replied with a meme of a raccoon giving a thumbs-up, captioned: "Mood."

Day 73

He returned to his office to find a slideshow titled "Top 10 Times Wesker Tried to Monologue and I Laughed."

"Number 4 was during a hostage situation!" he shouted.

"Exactly. Peak comedy."

"Get out."

You reached for your bag. "Do I take the laser pointer or...?"

He screamed into his glove.

Day 100

He gave up.

"Why are you still here?"

"Because no one else knows how to rewire the coffee machine without setting the lab on fire. Plus, I'm the only one who can decipher your handwriting. Is that 'Destroy the Resistance' or 'Dessert Inventory'?"

He stared at you. You stared back. Somewhere in the distance, a B.O.W. dropped a beaker. No one moved.

"...Fine. But no more cupcakes."

"Deal."

(You still brought cupcakes. With little Umbrella logos on top. Nemesis ate six. Wesker stared at the crumbs and muttered, "At this point, resistance is futile.")

If you want to see more of Wesker's Assistant Chaos, take a look at Part 2

> HERE <

[kingsmoot]

This is a very stupid thing to come to you as you are a stranger but I am in a very niche fandom in in and I love it but it san old fandom and a ghost town…as a gold fandom we don’t get much content..I am a terrible writer like really bad so but I really love the ships in the fandom..so I put a few prompts into ChatGPT cause I was curious cause my friends day ChatGPT is funny…is it ok to pay the prompts I made in ChatGPT is I say this dc was made in ChatGPT?

hello, anon.

the first thing i will say is very simple. you are a stranger. i am a stranger. you do not need my permission or approval to do anything. but i am assuming that you understand that, and that you still want my thoughts on the matter, rather than my permission. your question seems to be genuine, and you seem to be coming to me (a stranger) in a very earnest way. so i am going to tell you my opinions on this.

no. i do not think that it is ever ok to use chatgpt or other similar generative ai services to generate content. "content" here meaning things like fanfic, fanart, videos of your otp kissing, etc.

my opinion on generative ai is very simple. i am a human being. if a human being cannot do the bare basic minimum of writing something (an email. an essay. a fanfic.) why should i read it? if a human person did not write a length of text, what value could there possibly be in my reading it? i am a person. if a person could not even be bothered to create the text they want me to read, why would i ever want to read it? what would be the point? what could i ever gain from it?

if you (general "you", but also you specifically the anonymous person who wrote this) cannot do the bare minimum basic effort of writing a fanfic, why would anyone read the fanfic that you asked chatgpt to generate for you? what would be the point? if you care so little about your own fandom, if you care so little about your own ship, that you cannot expend the bare minimum effort to write fanfic yourself... why would i read the slop you asked chatgpt to produce for you? what would be the point? you don't care. you don't care so much that you're paying an algorithm money to mash random words together because you cannot string words together yourself. why should i read that? why should i lower myself to reading that? why should anyone?

i will also speak to you being a "terrible writer". i have no way of knowing if this is true. obviously you did not attach a writing sample. but i personally consider myself to be a good fanfic writer. i like writing fanfic. it means a lot to me to be able to successfully emulate the voice of a source text. i think i am very good at that. i work very hard at doing so. i like writing my fake little kissing stories about my fake little people. i was not born with any sort of innate writing ability. i do not have a specific gene that makes me a good writer. when i was younger i was a terrible writer. everyone is. writing is a skill. it is an ability that you can hone. if you want to create fanfic (and it sounds like you do!! it sounds like you do want to create fanfic!! you care about this fandom of yours. you care about your ship!! you want to produce art based on this fandom. you want to produce art based on this ship!!) then the only way to do so is to do it yourself. you are a human being. you have thoughts and ideas. you have an active mind. you have opinions. write these things down. bring them forth.

if you feel like you have great ideas but you do not have the skills to execute these great ideas, then i would like to congratulate you. you have discovered Craft. you are lucky enough that this experience, this feeling of not being good enough to do justice to the ideas that are important to you, will never ever leave you. you will feel this for the rest of your life. and if you are brave (which i think that you are) you will meet this feeling head on. you will challenge yourself. you will think about how the art that you want to create is important to you, and you will strive to create it. you will be met again and again and again with the upper limits of your own skills. you will realize over and over again that you are not yet skilled enough to make the art that you so badly want to make.

so you will try again. you will try over and over and over and over again. you will learn new skills. you will grow. you will write things that you hate, and then you will read them again in three months and you will think "hey this was pretty good!!". you will write things that you love and want to show off, and you will read them again in a year and think "this is so embarrassing. i can't believe i wrote that. i know so much more now. i would do this totally differently if i wrote it today!!"

this is beautiful. this is magical. this is fun and agonizing. this is what it means to create things. this is what it means to value your own time and effort. to value yourself. this is what it means to know that difficult things are worth doing. that you can learn and grow and gain new skills. this is what it means to feel a creative urge and to foster it instead of letting it rot away inside of you and paying an algorithm to generate nonsense garbage for you to get a sliver of instant gratification.

you are better than that. you care. you care about this fandom and this ship and you have ideas about them. i would encourage you to engage in the limitless joy and frustration of creation. you are a human being with ideas. bring them to fruition. you deserve to do that.

[little-alien-thoughts]

HEY

DO YOU CONSIDER LIBRARIES TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR LIFE/COMMUNITY/SOCIETY?

On March 14, this order was signed by Trump that aims to cut funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which provides libraries nationwide a LOT of the funding they need to continue providing their services. The IMLS also funds many internet connectivity programs that allow people in the rural US to have internet.

This order will also similarly cut funding and resources to other programs listed out in the order, and will reduce those programs to the bare minimum of functioning.

PLEASE make sure to contact your local and national representatives about this!! If you care about your local library or the services that it provides to your community, this is an easy way you can help!!

There are sample letters online if you're unsure of what to say. Your email doesn't need to be long, but you do need to be clear that you oppose this executive order and you want funding/staffing for the IMLS to continue.

[unhinged-diaries]

Business Guide:

How to get started

When you have a business name in mind look up the domain name to see if it’s taken. You don’t want to spend money on an LLC just to find out that your name is taken. Thats a waste of money because you also have to pay to dissolve it.

If the name is not taken, great, don’t file an LLC yet. Go online and get a virtual business address. Why? If you’re running your business out of your home like I am, just know that it’s public information if you use your address to file your LLC. A virtual address should cost like $10-$20 a month. Use that to file your LLC.

Once you’ve filed that LLC get your Ein. That’s your Employee Identification Number. It’s your businesses tax id. It’s free to file on the IRS website. Don’t fall for the scam websites you guys.

Once you’ve gotten your EIN go to Google domains and get your website name aswell as 3-4 emails. An email for your social media accounts, an executive email for yourself, an ecomm@businessname.com for things like your business bank account, Shopify account, etc; and maybe a customer support email. I use the social email as a customer support email. All of this should be like $50/month.

Once you’ve don’t that get on Canva and make that logo bookie. Personally I paid someone on Fiverr to make mine because I’m a “soft business life” kind of girl and I’d rather pay the professionals. Thats just me though.

Once you’ve got your logo go ahead and get them social media accounts going. Instagram, tiktok, Facebook.

Alright now this is where it gets specific to clothing brands because that’s what I own.

Time to find a manufacturer. Head over to alibaba and search what kind of product you want to sell. Be sure to add “oem” if you want a manufacturer that customizes. Look for the amount of orders they’ve gotten on that product. If it says zero orders that’s ok. Some styles are new and thus haven’t been ordered yet. Check any reviews they have for other products. Also check the total revenue they’ve done. It’s on the store profile. I can’t tell you what the sweet spot is yet bc I’ve only used one manufacturer so far but I’d look for mid six figures and up if you wanna be real safe.

Chat with them and order a sample. Even if you buy from a vendor list you’ll need your own sample to make content with. I suggest buying one and first. It’s worth the wait because if you buy multiple and end up not liking them you’d have wasted money that could’ve gone into testing a different manufacturer.

Do not launch with more than 2 products. Even 2 is a stretch, wallai start with one.

This is because if you’re doing the preorder, which I suggest, you’ll be depending on customer orders to pay for the bulk order. Manufacturers do their moq by color or style. If you have too many options in your website and customers order a mix of things, you better pray you have enough money to cover the bulk for all those different styles. Stay safe and give them 1-2 options to choose from.

Pre order method is great if you don’t have a lot of cash to start with because the orders pay for themselves. Bulk orders start to wrack up. Especially if it’s a custom style or material. You don’t want to break the bank for something that might not sell.

Once you’ve gotten and approved your samples choose a launch date. 2-3 weeks before that launch dates post consistently. At least once a day but remember quality over quantity. Now don’t be tricked. Quality doesn’t mean a full cinematography. It means connecting with your audience and relating with them to a point where they’re like “this business gets it”. Either that or attaching yourself to an identity they want to have. “It girl ig influencer”, “feminine soft life babe” “clean girl Pilates princess” whatever the fuck it is embody ur as best as you can. When customers attach your product with an identity that is aspirational to them they will buy it without rationalizing. It’s why the luxury market makes so much off of ppl who can’t afford to buy it twice.

Focus on the backend

If you have a goal of getting an influx of orders and making a lot of sales, be sure that your business is structured in a way that can handle it happening at any given time. You know those tiktok businesses that get one viral video and sell out over night? That could be you but if you’re not prepared ppl are going to be upset. I suggest working backwards:

A customer service platform/inbox so that you can answer them right away with frequently asked questions.

Have stock so that you have something for customers to buy once they finally land on your website.

Have a well presenting website so that ppl don’t think you’re a scam. I’m going to do a post on this bc some of these business websites drive me fuckin nuts. Color theory ppl, color theory.

A social media page with some kind of social proof ie reviews from customers in some way shape or form. Ppl are going to be looking for what others have to say about your brand. Hire UGC creators to make videos that you can post on your page. They’re cheaper than influencers but still know how to convey the message well. You’ll have to have extra samples and items on hand to send them. Also check out their usage rights. Some will allow you to use their videos in ads but you have to pay extra and it’s only for a certain amount of time. But if they do it right, you’ll get a great return. Scared money don’t make no money.

A social media page that shows the products in movement and different lighting. I need to be able to imagine myself in the item before I buy it. Where would I wear it, how will it fit on me. Even when I’ve already ordered something I stay going back to the businesses social media page just to see the clothes again. I might even search it up to see other ppl wearing it.

Packaging

No need to go crazy with the packaging in the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, branding is important but as a beginner you may not have the money for that yet. You need to focus on spending money on what will give you the best return. Just get regular poly mailers from Amazon in your brand colors. You’ll also need:

A stack of 6x4 shipping labels

A thermal printer

A scale

When your manufacturer sends you the clothes they will most likely be in their own little bags. If not you can get those from Amazon too.

Later on you can go to alibaba and find a manufacturer to print you custom poly mailers for that extra edge. Put your logo, a cute message, and your social media handles on the bag and that’s it. Good to go.

You can also design your own thank you cards as well. I won’t be doing that.

Little things to remember

Don’t feel like you have to keep up with big brands. You don’t need to launch something every two weeks. As a matter of fact I advise against emulating super fast fashion brands. I only launch a new item once the pre ordered items have been shipped out to customers.

Be nice to your customers. You’d think this was obvious but it’s not. Some ppl are rude, ghetto, and uncouth. If you hate authority and have a smart mouth I think you should either take a customer service course or hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines to do your customer service for you because no customers = no money.

I’ll update this as I learn and grow:

12/18/2023

Influencers

Not every influencer with a mass follower base is going to be your influencer. It’s possible that you pay $5000 for an influencer with 75k followers to post your product on her page but that post makes you less than $3k. That means you’ve net negative $2k. What a fuckin waste of money.

This is why it’s important to develop a persona for your brand. What is your brand identity? Who is your target audience? What are their psychographics?

Where do currently shop? What are there favorite social media apps?What is their race? Their age? Their ethnicity? Are they in college or highschool? Do they have parents that support their lifestyle or are they hustlers? Are they concerned about price or quality more? Are they married? Do they have children? Are they environmentally conscious?

You need to embody Joe Goldberg and peer at them through their window. Acquaint yourself with every part of their life.

Also, you might not be your target demographic yet and that’s ok. The girls that shop with my brand have social lives. They go out with their friends and need outfits to wear. I don’t have a social life. The only clothes I wear are my work clothes to go to work and my robe when I’m at home.Or a sweat set and a bonnet to run errands.

Don’t think to yourself “ I would never wear that.” “I would never buy something at that price point”. That’s fine cuz someone else will. A lot of people will.

Another thing is your demographic could change once you start your business. It might be that you create content that attracts a different type of person than what you originally planned and that’s cool too. We don’t live in a perfect world. As long as they’re close enough to what you had predetermined it’s ok. Sometimes our business comes out different than we hoped but it’s just as good if not better. It’s like child. Don’t destroy its greatness trying to turn it into something it doesn’t want to be.

User generated content

Love, love, love her down. She’s that sweet spot between making content yourself and having an influencer with a large following make the content for you. UGC is a form of social proof which is something you need for an e-commerce brand especially. Ppl can’t just pop into your store and try on your stuff so they need the opinions of “regular” people to sell them on it. They want to see that person try it on, do a close up of the fabric, wear it to a social setting, etc;

What I like about UGC is that I can pick someone who fits into my brand persona to represent my brand even if I don’t. Someone that appears aspirational but still relatable. Like I said previously, you yourself might not embody your brands persona but you can pay someone who does.

A little translate for yall: I do not live in a nice apartment. My room is small, and dark, and filled with boxes. My living room has mix matched decor and I myself am not the body type I’d like to be (pls don’t hit me with body positivity babe). What I can do is pay a girl with the opposite of all those things and knows how to sell a product.

I have a girl right now that I’ve inquired to make posts for me and she’s got it all. Her rate for one video is $100 with an extra $30 for 90 days of usage in ads. $100 is the new 50 and for the return I’ll get on her, THATS A STEAL.

If you need to find a UGC creator search it up on tiktok and Twitter. Most of them have a portfolio of past work they’ve done. If you feel like they match your brands vibes, keep their info for when you’re ready.

I suggest to have a roster of them because if ppl keep seeing the same person over and over, the thought that that person is just a regular degular customer leaves their mind and you lose the magic of UGC.

Update 12/21/2023

I’ve been sick but yall ain’t paying me so it’s ok. Here’s the update.

Website

Your website is your home babe and when you’re preparing for guest you can’t have your home looking any type of way. Not only does it need to be clean but it needs to be cohesive and inviting.

You know how many times I’ve opened someone’s booking page on Instagram and I click off. Not only am I not reading through all of that small ass text but my head hurts cuz you’ve got a black font on a hot pink background.

Some of yalls websites to not comply with accessibility guidelines so pay attention to that bc you can be sued. Ppl should be able to read what you have on there without getting a headache.

Good rule of thumb is to have one primary color, and then black and white. Don’t over complicate it. Your primary color will be your logo, think twitters blue, then your secondary colors should be black and white, for your text. You might have an accent color like gold or silver, this should be used sparingly for a little dazzle.

If you’re a clothing brand like me, keep the text short and sweet. Think about it, when you go shopping on your favorite website are you bombarded with a soliloquy on how the collection came to be? And even if you are do you stop and read the whole thing? I don’t bc I don’t care. That’s what your Instagram story is for.

All I want to see is the attention grabber and a short,but convincing, tagline.

Example: Ski Resort 2023-“Stun the slopes and stand out on the ski lift with best sellers spotted at St. Moritz”

Let you images tell the rest of the story.

Don’t overwhelm them with options

Guys this is so important. The more options ppl see the less they buy or the less likely they are to buy. Why? This is the thought process.

“Omg the stuff on this website is so cute! Let me go through their catalog and add to my cart as I go”

5 minutes of scrolling

“Ok I have too many things in my cart let me just save to a wishlist instead”

Another 5 minutes of scrolling

“Ok I’ll just stop here and go back to my cart and decide what I’m going to get rn”

Goes to cart

Spends 10 minutes deciding what she’s gonna get bc there’s so many good options

Takes 10 items out of her cart and only buys two basics bc she knows those are less likely to disappoint.

And scene

That is if she didn’t leave after the second five minutes of scrolling. Nowadays five minutes on a non stimulating website is a lot, don’t let it take that long.

Obviously this also depends on the customers budget. Some people have the money to just buy everything in their cart (I wish- one day), but most are just window shopper you hope to convert with your nice styles, images, and prices. Don’t make it harder for people to give you their money.

I have more but I’m tired of writing so I’ll update yall tmrw.

[vanillaavengerlings]

To all Fanfic/fanart/ fandom content writers/creators/artists/anyone creating fandom content

As we enter the week of 22 July, I wanted to write something hopeful for any writers, artists and content creators out there, because let’s face it, things happening around the world is so grim and most of us are trying to survive the days. 

So, here’s something hopeful for any of you who need this.😄

Please reblog this as much as you can as I would love for fandom writers/creators/artists and for fanfic readers to read this. 

Thank you!

A small background about me - I write fanfics, mostly in the Avengers/Stony fandoms. And it’s what I’ve been doing mostly for a few years, despite schooling and transitioning to work.

It’s my escape from reality. When things get rough, I start writing. Writing fanfictions gives me comfort because I know the characters and I love them, so I feel safe in a way and it’s stress relieving for me.

In 2018, I had to attend a compulsory internship so that I could get my diploma and graduate. My course offered a few positions and one of them was writing for television programs at a well known media company in my country. 

I wanted that job so bad because I wasn’t interested in the others, they were too ‘corporate-like’. So I applied for it. They asked for my portfolio of written works.

And then it hit me. My God, all I’ve written so far were fanfics with male pairing. I come from a conservative country so LGBTQ stories are super rare and can be frowned upon. But that’s all I had and it was all I could submit.

Guess what?

I did just that. I took excerpts from my WIP/published fanfics, and added them into my portfolio. I even went the extra mile and typed a short excerpt into a screenwriting format, like a legit script for a show! (TV writing internships pay special attention to your script writing abilities)

I submitted them.

I was called for an interview a few days later. I was advised to bring hardcopy versions of my written work, so I printed out the stuff from my portfolio. I went for the interview and saw my coursemates, some of whom I consider really capable and smart. 

I thought, there’s no way my fanfics and I stand a chance in getting this job.

I went up first and had the usual interview questions. The last bit came, where the interviewer, a prominent executive producer in my country, asked for my written samples. I handed her the file and gave her a brief explanation of my work.

I told her I published my written works online and have a group of audience who read and review them. I also added that I use their feedback to improve my writing as a whole. She was nodding her head and reading the script of my fanfic I had written. I was hiding my smile. Everything she was flipping through were Stony and Avengers fanfic excerpts!

At last, she handed my file back to me and smiled. It signaled the end of my interview. I went back to my campus and sighed, already looking at the other positions to apply to.

Two hours later, I received the email that I had gotten the job, as a television writer intern at a prominent media company. And all I used were my fanfictions I had written!

I couldn’t believe it worked. My fellow coursemates write really good content and I went into the interview with fanfictions and got the job!

To this day, when I think about this, I laugh. Not in a self-deprecating way, but in a way of disbelief, seeing what I can pull off.

To everyone out there who are thinking so lowly of yourself because all you have done are work related to fandoms, I’ve been there, and I’m here to say that you are so talented coming up with unique content from something that is so fixed and rigid. So don’t be hard on yourself. 

You’re not wasting your time just because you post stuff on AO3 or Tumblr. Every written work/art/creative content is a great way for you to practice and work on your skills. I mean, we all have to start somewhere, right?

Seriously, it takes a lot of talent, creativity and hard work to write fanfictions, draw fanarts and create any fandom related content. And it takes so much of courage to put your work out there in the open for anyone to read.

And that’s the thing! It’s a service that you are doing, letting people read your words, your story, letting people see your art and your creativity. 

Don’t be ashamed of your fandom works. And don’t be ashamed of reading fanfictions. They’re a part of you. So don’t think of yourself lowly. No way. You’re all heroes, in your own ways. 

Some of the best written stories I’ve ever read came from AO3, some of the best art works and funniest content I’ve ever seen are fandom related.

You’ve got this, you talented talented human being. Go out there and shine bright! 🌟

[femmefatalevibe]

any tips for getting into copywriting?

Learn the basics of copywriting & writing fundamentals/ marketing skills

Study the different types of copywriting (web/banners, email, social, ads, direct mail, sales letters, etc.)

Decide on your niche(s). Study everything you can about the industry, trends, latest news, customer demographics/psychographics, customer behavior, types of lifestyles/preferences they have, how they speak, where they spend the most time (IRL or digitally)

Craft an inspiration folder full of compelling copywriting examples you find when browsing on the web, going through your email, scrolling on social media, billboards, magazines, direct mail, etc.

Practice rewriting these examples with your own flair. Evaluate it, and keep practicing until you're proud of your copy.

Be as concise, clever, and convincing as possible. Keep your tone conversational (write like how you would speak), catchy, simple, and witty. Take out any extraneous or fluff words. Pepper in cultural references, puns, and relatable anecdotes understood by your target audience when relevant to your messaging/CTA

Create a portfolio with these mock-ups or projects done for family/friends (state they're spec work, not client-commissioned samples) or clips from an internship, school work, etc.

Craft a USP for yourself (including your niche, copywriting specialties, and the specific expertise you offer within your broader niche/service offerings that makes you unique)

Create an Upwork profile and share your services on LinkedIn (optimize both of these profiles)

Research local clients and small businesses within your niche. Also, take time to create a list of dream clients. Study their copy, brand voice, and keep tabs on updates regarding these companies' happenings

Learn the art of a cold email/LinkedIn pitch/Upwork proposal. Introduce yourself and your services to your prospect and share with them how you can fulfill a specific need they're seeking out (For local and smaller companies, feel free to offer suggestions. With more established companies, connect the dots as to why your experience/expertise is a great fit for their brand/target audience), and attach your work/link to your LinkedIn profile, website, and any other relevant hub for your professional services & content

Ask for referrals from friends/family to get started. If they're not a relative, get a testimonial to include in your portfolio

Follow up once if you haven't heard back from a prospective client after an initial pitch after a few days

Search for potential gigs on sites like Upwork/ProBlogger/People Per Hour

Once you land a gig, execute to the best of your ability and hand in your work by the deadline (strategies surrounding best business practices is a whole other post, lol)

Gather testimonials from all clients of successful projects. Confirm with clients whether you can use their work in your portfolio if you're unsure

Continue studying copywriting from books, courses, and everyday reading & living

Stay knowledgeable about advancements/updates in your field, keep updated on current events, and culture/social trends, and read a lot in general. Have interesting, multi-faceted conversations with others. Observe what makes people tick & remain engaged in a verbal dialogue or content

[so-much-for-subtlety]

Speaking of advertising in 2015 I worked at a tech startup advertising startup that used cookies (digital ones) to track individuals (doesn’t matter if you used a VPN) and they had a way to “inject” ads right into videos bypassing adblockers. It was very creepy tbh. The company was bought by Google and we all got two years of pay before being let go. I honestly hate it. So yes. Advertising executives are scum.

It has changed a lot over the past decade, but there used to be a perception that tech companies were generally progressive and for the benefit of their users. Google used to have “don’t be evil” as the core of their employee code of conduct but they officially dropped that in 2018 (which coincidentally was the same year that GDPR became enforceable and gave people in EU countries some decent rights for privacy).

In the United States we just don’t have equivalent federal legislation to protect citizens (California, Virginia, and Colorado do have some state-level protections).

the bottom line is that tech companies are owned and operated by extremely wealthy individuals who have a vested interest in being able to profit though digital tracking and advertising.

We’re entering the 4th era of digital surveillance:

1st era was IP address tracking (VPNs provided protection for this)

2nd era was cookies and ‘super cookies’ (a range of techniques that serve the same purpose as cookies but are harder to clear from your browser)

3rd era is fingerprinting - possible since 2005 but I think became common in practice only since ~2015 and is a method which uses a bunch of metadata and pinpoints you as an individual based on your unique set of attributes.

I think that a lot of people are still under the misconception that using Chrome incognito mode gives you some privacy

Google's Chrome browser does not provide protection against trackers or fingerprinters in Incognito Mode.

4th era is coming soon and enabled by similar technology that enable LLM and will be able to identify you by the unique way you interact with technology (e.g. the style/tone of my writing in this post has characteristics that are unique to me, and also very hard for me to avoid!).

the 4th era for me is horrifying- imagine your employer being able to take a sample of your writing (from emails or company chat) and be able to identify content you’ve posted online that you thought you were posting anonymously?

—

btw, if anyone is curious about seeing where you stand in terms of digital fingerprinting here are some online tools you can use to get an idea - both are free, no login/signup and take just a few seconds to run:

[humanrightsupdates]

Urgent Action: EXECUTION SET AS STATE MISCONDUCT REVEALED (USA 35.24)

Jamie Mills is scheduled to be executed in Alabama on May 30, 2024. He was convicted in 2007 of the murder of an elderly couple in 2004 and sentenced to death after the jury voted 11-1 for the death penalty.

There is new evidence that the key prosecution witness, then facing the same capital murder charges as Jamie Mills, was offered a plea deal in return for her testimony, something the state denied at the trial.

We urge the Governor to recognize that executive clemency serves as a failsafe against injustices left unremedied by the courts and to commute this death sentence.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: May 30, 2024

TAKE ACTION:

Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.

Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 35.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary569

4/22-23/25

tuesday - wednesday

listening to powell,

some friends were talking about power noise, and industrial techno, got me to think about how weird this guy was, how a lot of people really wanted him to become something, and for this initial ep's quality to be matched/exceeded by the followup album, but it wasn't so, so he kind of went off and did a bunch of other things. but this was crazy to me when i heard it years ago, or of him, i can't recall even what i was listening to of his. but here he's sampling the guitar from stigmata martyr i think, the bauhaus song. his whole thing was working with lots of weird/angular punk stuff and pulling it into dance music, and then also doing a lot of noise things on top of that. to make sort of maximally alienating and weird dance music. i really like the idea a lot, the execution on the club music ep is really excellent. i probably need to run sport again, after all these years, i know a lot of friends and basically anyone who mentions him talks about that record being a disappointment but there's probably things to learn from it at least.

another good one off club music. i thought it was off sport but this other thing he did that got him some attention was he sampled steve albini and sent steve an email, and that email's reproduced in this video:

a funny thing, to put how much steve hates dance music into this, i really like that gesture, though, and that he let him do it.

i also relistened to the most recent die die die record,

it's really good. i liked it when i first heard it but returning to it, it's actually pretty special and strange, the band hasn't really lost it at all, or if they had, they got it back. i think the first time i heard it my one gripe was with the vocals, but i don't know what i was thinking. they're perfectly good, he's older now, he can't be yelpy like he used to be but he's still close enough. the accent does a lot of lifting there but it's the exact thing i like.

i worked on music today, new guitar sound in a song that i think is a lot better. might want to do some reverb stuff on it / them since there's two panned. it sounds sort of good if it's a little harder to hear. although i think my vocals will also make it harder to make out what's not 'real' and whatever. i should see how it sounds with this new version on w/ them, since this song is one i do have vocals for.

lolwtf the guitars are so nasty, the high strings sound so, i don't know how to describe it. this record is crazy so far, it showed up on the sidebar of bands like warsawwasraw on lastfm, i can see it, they've got a bit more a powerviolence-y thing going on sometimes, as well as having every other thing from hardcore going on. converge but totally psycho. oh, that reminds me, apparently converge are finally recording new material. i'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for that.

i need the kewpie mayo shirt.

another good volume. this manga is really fun. i like the chapter about them going to this town on a treasure hunt a lot. i also like that it will sometimes deflate really pretty moments with jokes, or, it creates situations where it feels like the effect would be deflating, but because of that tension being there at all, it's more like how seeing things that are really pretty and then seeing something silly or banal or unpleasant makes that thing prettier, and rarer.

i also like arashiyama getting yelled at for 'not finishing' anything in the last chapter... that happened to me a lot. one time my stepdad yelled at me because i asked if he would put a bag in the trash can when i went to take it out and he said i 'never finish anything'. or maybe not yell, he did raise his voice... is that something everyone feels now, though, saying it felt like people yelling when they weren't 'really' yelling. i think a lot of the time the feeling might be warranted, especially with parents / authority figures.

i'm sooo tired now, today my gf is receiving her award and is going to see friends... i think everyone but her was expecting me... i feel bad but she doesn't care at all that i won't be there. i just hope my friends aren't bothered i guess. i'm sure they will be though.

so,

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mariacallous]

AI slop is flowing onto every major platform where people post online—and Medium is no exception.

The 12-year-old publishing platform has undertaken a dizzying number of pivots over the years. It’s finally on a financial upswing, having turned a monthly profit for the first time this summer. Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine and other executives at the company have described the platform as “a home for human writing.” But there is evidence that robot bloggers are increasingly flocking to the platform, too.

Earlier this year, WIRED asked AI detection startup Pangram Labs to analyze Medium. It took a sampling of 274,466 recent posts over a six-week period and estimated that over 47 percent were likely AI-generated. “This is a couple orders of magnitude more than what I see on the rest of the internet,” says Pangram CEO Max Spero. (The company’s analysis of one day of global news sites this summer found 7 percent as likely AI-generated.)

The strain of slop on Medium tends toward the banal, especially compared with the dadaist flotsam clogging Facebook. Instead of Shrimp Jesus, one is more apt to see vacant dispatches about cryptocurrency. The tags with the most likely AI-generated content included “NFT”—out of 5,712 articles tagged with this phrase over the last several months, Pangram found that 4,492, or around 78 percent, came back as likely AI-generated—as well as “web3,” “ethereum,” “AI,” and, for whatever reason, “pets.”

WIRED asked a second AI detection startup, Originality AI, to run its own analysis. It examined a sampling of Medium posts from 2018 and compared it with a sampling from this year. In 2018, 3.4 percent were estimated as likely AI-generated. CEO Jon Gillham says that percentage corresponds to the company’s false-positive rate, as AI tools were not widely used at that point. For 2024, with a sampling of 473 articles published this year, it suspected that just over 40 percent were likely AI-generated. With no knowledge of each others’ analyses, both Originality and Pangram came to similar conclusions about the scope of AI content.

When contacted by WIRED for this article and notified of the results of the AI detection analyses, Stubblebine rejected the premise that Medium has an AI issue. “I am disputing the importance of the results and also the idea that these companies discovered anything,” he says.

Stubblebine does not deny that Medium has seen a major uptick in AI-generated articles. “We think, probably, AI-generated content that gets posted to Medium is probably up tenfold from the beginning of the year,” he says. He also adopts a generally adversarial approach to AI slop appearing on the platform: “We’re strongly against AI content.” But he objects to the use of AI detectors in assessing the scope of the issue, in part because he alleges they cannot differentiate between posts that are wholly AI-generated and posts in which AI is used more lightly. (“That’s not accurate,” Spero says; he claims Pangram can indeed differentiate between a ChatGPT post generated from a prompt and a post based on an AI outline but fleshed out with human writing.)

According to Stubblebine, Medium tested several AI detectors and decided they were not effective. (Stubblebine also accused Pangram Labs of attempting to extort him “by press” because Spero, Pangram’s CEO, sent an email detailing the results of the analysis WIRED had requested and then offered its services to Medium. “I just thought we could help them,” Spero says.)

AI detection tools are, indeed, flawed. They work by analyzing texts and making predictions and can produce false positives and false negatives. Caution using them to judge individual pieces of writing and artwork is warranted, especially with a new wave of tools available to trick them. Still, they have utility as barometers gauging changes in how much AI-generated content exists on certain platforms and websites, and they can help researchers, journalists, and the public to spot patterns.

“Since AI detectors are accurate but not perfect, it is impossible to say with certainty whether any single piece of content is AI-generated or not,” says Gillham. “However, they are great at seeing the trend of AI writing taking over platforms like Medium.”

Others have spotted this trend. “During my regular scans for new AI-generated news sites, I regularly come across AI-generated content on Medium on a weekly basis,” says McKenzie Sadeghi, an editor at online misinformation tracking company NewsGuard. “I've found that most of it is often about crypto, marketing, SEO.”

Stubblebine is adamant that these numbers do not accurately capture what Medium readers experience. “It doesn't matter,” he says. “Having access to the raw feed of what gets posted to Medium doesn't represent the actual activity of what gets recommended and viewed. The vast majority of detectable AI-generated stories in the raw feeds for these topics already have zero views. Zero views is the goal and we already have a system that accomplishes [that].” He believes Medium is effectively containing its AI slop with the combination of its general-purpose spam filtering system and its human moderation.

Many accounts that appear to post high volumes of AI-generated material do, indeed, appear to have puny or non-existent readerships. One account flagged by Pangram Labs as the author of likely AI-generated posts about crypto, for example, posted six times in one day, with no interactions on any of the posts, suggesting a negligible impact. Other flagged posts appear to have been recently pulled down; while some may have been voluntarily removed, others may have been removed by Medium days or weeks after publication. Sometimes, Medium deliberately delays removing spam, according to Stubblebine, if it has identified “spam rings” attempting to game the system.

Zero views was not the case across the board, though. WIRED found that other articles flagged as likely AI-generated by Pangram, Originality, and the AI detection company Reality Defender, had hundreds of “claps,” which are similar to “likes” on other platforms, suggesting at the very least a readership substantially higher than zero.

Stubblebine sees people as the cornerstone of Medium’s approach to quality control. “Medium basically runs on human curation now,” he says. He cites the 9,000 editors of Medium’s publications, as well as additional human evaluation for stories that can be “boosted” or more widely distributed. “I think you could, if you're being pedantic, say we're filtering out AI—but there's a goal above that, which is, we're just trying to filter out the stuff that's not very good.”

Medium has taken steps this year to curb the presence of robotic bloggers, updating its AI policy. Its stance is a notable contrast to other platforms, like LinkedIn and Facebook, that explicitly encourage people to use AI. Instead, Medium no longer allows AI writing to be paywalled in its Partner program, to receive wider human-curated distribution from its Boost program, or to promote affiliate links. Disclosed AI writing can get general distribution, but undisclosed AI writing is given only “network” distribution, which means it is meant to appear only on the feeds of people who follow the writer. Medium defines AI-generated writing as “writing where the majority of the content has been created by an AI-writing program with little or no edits, improvements, fact-checking, or changes.” Medium does not have any AI-specific enforcement tools for these new rules. “We've found that our existing curation system has the side effect of filtering out AI generated writing simply because AI generated writing is also bad writing,” says Stubblebine.

Some Medium writers and editors do applaud the platform’s approach to AI. Eric Pierce, who founded Medium’s largest pop culture publication Fanfare, says he doesn’t have to fend off many AI-generated submissions and that he believes that the human curators of Medium’s boost program help highlight the best of the platform’s human writing. “I can’t think of a single piece I’ve read on Medium in the past few months that even hinted at being AI-created,” he says. “Increasingly, Medium feels like a bastion of sanity amid an internet desperate to eat itself alive.”

However, other writers and editors believe they currently still see a plethora of AI-generated writing on the platform. Content marketing writer Marcus Musick, who edits several publications, wrote a post lamenting how what he suspects to be an AI-generated article went viral. (Reality Defender ran an analysis on the article in question and estimated it was 99 percent “likely manipulated.”) The story appears widely read, with over 13,500 “claps.”

In addition to spotting possible AI content as a reader, Musick also believes he encounters it frequently as an editor. He says he rejects around 80 percent of potential contributors a month because he suspects they’re using AI. He does not use AI detectors, which he calls “useless,” instead relying on his own judgment.

While the volume of likely AI-generated content on Medium is notable, the moderation challenges the platform faces—how to surface good work and keep junk banished—is one that has always plagued the greater web. The AI boom has simply super-charged the problem. While click farms have long been an issue, for example, AI has handed SEO-obsessed entrepreneurs a way to swiftly resurrect zombie media outlets by filling them with AI slop. There’s a whole subgenre of YouTube hustle culture entrepreneurs creating get-rich-quick tutorials encouraging others to create AI slop on platforms like Facebook, Amazon Kindle, and, yes, Medium. (Sample headline: “1-Click AI SEO Medium Empire 🤯.”)

“Medium is in the same place as the internet as a whole right now. Because AI content is so quick to generate that it is everywhere,” says plagiarism consultant Jonathan Bailey. “Spam filters, the human moderators, et cetera—those are probably the best tools they have.”

Stubblebine’s argument—that it doesn’t necessarily matter whether a platform contains a large amount of garbage, as long as it successfully amplifies good writing and limits the reach of said garbage—is perhaps more pragmatic than any attempt to wholly banish AI slop. His moderation strategy may very well be the most savvy approach.

It also suggests a future in which the Dead Internet theory comes to fruition. The theory, once the domain of extremely online conspiratorial thinkers, argues that the vast majority of the internet is devoid of real people and human-created posts, instead clogged with AI-generated slop and bots. As generative AI tools grow more commonplace, platforms that give up on trying to blot out bots will incubate an online world in which work created by humans becomes increasingly harder to find on platforms swamped by AI.

[gouden-carolus]

Probably been asked. But what got you into Gen Kill?

Also, favorite fics from the fandom if you want to share.

Also, love your artwork

I don't think it's been asked before no! That being said, I don't think my venture into GK is particularly original. I watched Band of Brothers first (which I enjoy as a show but don't feel particularly fannish about) and then followed the natural progression into The Pacific and Generation Kill.

That was around 2013 though, and because I expected GK to be similar to BoB I didn't actually like it at first (I never made it past the second episode I think). For some reason I'd occasionally keep thinking about it now and then though, until I decided to give it a go again autumn 2022. After that there was no escape, lol.

Also, thank you! It always makes me really happy to hear that people like my art!

And sure, I can share some fic recs. I'll put them under a cut to give myself some space to talk about them.

Since this fandom has some incredibly talented authors it's very hard for me to pick favourites. So consider this more of a sample-sized selection of some of the great fics out there.

Brad/Nate Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt by hackthis This one starts with Brad finishing up his time with the Royal Marines throughout which he's been staying in contact with Nate by phone and email. It then follows Brad making questionable decisions about what to do with the change of status quo. I think the fic manages to balance a fine line where you can understand and sympathise with his thought process, while also wanting to roll your eyes at the stupidity.

Leading the Way by nogoaway Nate-centered fic that follows the somewhat convoluted path to self-acceptance, starting from childhood. Having never lived in the US I can't say if the setting's actually realistic, but it sure felt convincingly grounded in time and place. I also find myself comparing this one a bit to Born Ready by Makeit_takeit. They contrast each other, but both fics are to me equally convincing in their differing takes which I really enjoy.

Static by Nightanddaze What if there was a zombie outbreak in the middle of OIF? That's what this fic is about, and it's great. Great pacing that really lets the unease and hopelessness settle in. While it's definitely a Brad/Nate fic, this one's also plotty in a way that almost resembles an ensemble fic. If you'd rather have your zombie apocalypse fic with Brad/Ray flavour then there's also anthropocene, interrupted which is equally amazing.

Brad/Ray Day is Done by ama Given the canon that Generation Kill takes place in I think it's natural for there to be fics where someone is killed in action and this one is amongst my favourites. It follows Ray during Brad's funeral, giving us the perspective of the one left behind. It's beautifully written and painful to read, as I think it should be. If you like MCD fics I also strongly reccomend in ceremonium which goes for a slightly different premise but is equally amazing. (Much more upbeat is At the End of Your Life, You're Lucky if You Die, which is a Brad/Nate MCD fic with supernatural elements, but also really enjoyable).

Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die by codswallop Ray's got some psychic abilities in a world where this isn't unheard of, and where obviously the military is interested in that kind of resource. I think what I really like about it is that it mixes the added supernatural element with canon really well, and that the resulting conflict and resolution between Brad and Ray feels convincing. Another fic that's got Ray struggling because of supernatural abilities/mutations is Short Change Heroes, although I think the similarities between the two end just about here. It's still another good fic though.

it's time for a switcheroo by lennynards A body swap fic taking place during OIF, which is definitely very poor timing for these things. This one's really well executed and funny though. It also forced me to think hard about whether I'd fuck myself or not, if given the opportunity.

Misc. Pairings Remedial Action (Trombley/Walt) by paintstroke Not a pairing I'd ever given much thought to before, but I think it's great when an author wanders off the beaten path. What I really liked in this was Trombley's voice and how it feels like the guy we see in the show while also taking the necessary steps of going a little deeper to turn him from a caricature into more of a character of his own.

You and I Both Know that the House Is Haunted (Christeson/Stafford) by marycontraire Kid fics aren't usually my thing, but this fic makes excellent use of a character in Stafford's daughter to provide an outsider POV that really elevates the story. It's a fic that's maybe more about PTSD than romance, but I still found that it strikes a good balance. If you want something more ship-focused, then the author's also written a prequel of sorts which is also great.

[floatinginzerog]

URGENT:

Iranian activist, Pakhshan Azizi, is threatened with execution after five months of torture in Iranian prisons She was a peaceful protester and humanitarian worker. Do not let the world forget Iran's oppression!

Link to petition: Avaaz - Stop her execution - Free Pakhshan!

Email and/or call your representatives/senators to put pressure on the UN! Here's a brief sample I wrote up; Dear [Representatives name] I urge you to turn your eyes to the plight of the people trapped under Iran's oppression. America is a country that stands for freedom and democracy for all, and it is a grave injustice that not every country has this right. Iran uses forms of brutal torture, with solitary confinement, eye gouging, and rape only being some of them. Tragically, these horrible methods are used against anyone ranging from political prisoners to peaceful protesters who only wish the best for those around them. We must not forget the repression in Iran. Just because they've silenced their people, it doesn't mean we have to stop listening. One peaceful protester, Pakhshan Azizi, is about to be executed. I am pleading with you to do everything you can to prevent this and future tragedies in Iran.

Thank you for your time - [Your name]

[marqtminds]

BTL Services at MarqtMinds

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[ncisfranchise-source]

Kyle Schmid doesn’t consider himself a Method actor. But for each of his auditions to play Mike Franks, the larger-than-life mentor of protagonist Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the new “NCIS” prequel “Origins,” the Canadian actor — in keeping with Muse Watson’s portrayal of Franks in the original series — decided to adopt a Texas drawl.

It was an accent so convincing that Schmid managed to fool just about everyone on the creative team, including Gina Lucita Monreal and David North, the creators and showrunners of “NCIS: Origins,” which airs Mondays on CBS and Global.

Set in 1991, 10 years before the start of “NCIS,” “Origins” tells the story of newly minted special agent Gibbs (played by Austin Stowell) who, after tragically losing his wife and daughter while deployed overseas, joins the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s fledgling Camp Pendleton office.

Schmid plays Franks, a bold and brash Vietnam War veteran who was responsible for pulling Gibbs into the agency and shaping him into the taciturn chief investigator played by Mark Harmon in the original show. (Harmon and his son Sean, who played a younger Gibbs on “NCIS,” serve as executive producers of the prequel.)

“Franks sees in Gibbs this vulnerable character who needs to be helped out of the darkness, similar to what happened to him before he was able to get sober,” Schmid explained on a video call from his home in Los Angeles. “Franks does let Gibbs off potentially a little too easy … but that’s Mike’s way of showing his love and giving this character what he thinks he needs. It’s giving him a little bit of space to make mistakes.”

While “Origins” is the sixth instalment of the venerable “NCIS” universe, the series, by virtue of its ’90s setting, feels a little grittier — with characters who are, in some cases, products of their era.

“I describe (Franks) as this cowboy hippie because he’s got a heart of gold, but he’s really rough around the edges,” Schmid said. “He says all these offhanded things that nowadays would just not fly. But if you cut out the sensitivity of what he is saying, there is a truth to it.”

Playing truth-tellers has always appealed to the Toronto-born Schmid, who is best known for his work in History Channel’s “Six,” BBC America’s “Copper” and Syfy’s “Being Human.” But “Origins” marks the start of a new chapter for Schmid, who, on a rare day off in early October, giddily recounted the story of his casting.

Although he admittedly didn’t have much of a connection with “NCIS,” Schmid immediately fell in love with the “unapologetic” nature of Franks. While visiting his in-laws in Florida, he was suddenly asked to do a callback with producers via Zoom. An hour before the meeting, the blue-eyed Schmid and his wife, Caity Lotz of “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” begged a Walmart optometrist to give them brown-coloured contact lens samples to match Muse Watson’s eyes. (The optometrist, an “NCIS” fan, relented after learning what they were for.)

Just before he and Lotz were to begin production on the Lifetime movie “Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story” in Vancouver, Schmid had to fly back to Los Angeles to test for the role.

“Austin Stowell looks at me halfway through the meeting and he’s like, ‘Where are you from?’ I look at him and just deadpan: ‘Toronto. F—king wild, isn’t it?’ And his jaw drops because I don’t sound or walk or talk at this point like I’m from Toronto,” Schmid recalled with a laugh. “It’s such an actor’s dream to be able to play somebody that is not like you at all.”

In a joint email, Lucita Monreal and North confirmed Schmid’s story, revealing that they were “shocked” to hear the actor’s real speaking voice during their congratulatory phone call.

Upon landing the role, Schmid became much more acquainted with the significance of Mike Franks’ role in “NCIS.” He and the rest of the cast were given a behind-the-scenes tour of Camp Pendleton, the major West Coast base of the U.S. Marine Corps. Studying old videos of Watson, who was born in Louisiana and raised in Texas, allowed Schmid to pick up on the inherent confidence, and distinctive rhythm and cadence of his dialogue.

It also helped that the elder Harmon offered to connect Schmid with the man himself: “It was easy to talk to Muse and absorb who he was because Muse is very much Mike Franks: somebody who had such a big heart but was also a no-bulls—t kind of guy,” Schmid said.

Playing a character in the ’90s, before the advent of a lot of modern technology, has also made Schmid reflect on his own upbringing in a working-class, blue-collar family in Mississauga.

His mother would often drop him off at the movie theatre at Square One with a roll of quarters in his socks that he could call her on a pay phone when he was ready to get picked up. He played on the Erin Mills soccer team for 10 years, competing in tournaments all over Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville. During the summers, he and his friends would regularly ride their bikes from Port Credit to Clarkson.

“Growing up there, you’re friends with every culture you can imagine,” said Schmid, who makes it a point to return to Toronto a few times a year. “My buddies were Jamaican, and we’d be having curry goat and playing dominoes in the basement. My dad always used to celebrate by taking us to Colossus (Greek) restaurant in Port Credit. My four best friends are Argentinian, Greek and Chinese, and they stood up at my wedding. I moved away when I was 20, but what a wonderful place to grow up culturally.”

Kyle Schmid, centre, with Ato Essandoh and Tom Weston-Jones in “Copper,” which aired on Showcase. Shaw Media file photo

Although he was a naturally performative child, Schmid didn’t act in plays growing up, opting instead to build sets and make the crocodile costume for his school’s production of “Peter Pan.” (Schmid’s father was a carpenter and his stepfather a mechanic, so he grew up working with his hands and even made a living building furniture during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Schmid’s mother one day signed him up for commercials, reasoning that he could save the money he made for college. He eventually got into the University of Guelph, never really considering acting to be a viable career path. But during the making of the Disney Channel film “The Cheetah Girls,” in which Schmid played Raven-Symoné’s love interest, producer Debra Martin Chase took notice of his talents and convinced his mother to let him move to Los Angeles.

“Debra managed me for the first five years of my career while I was in California and also ended up being a wonderful mentor in my life,” Schmid said. “There have been many times over the past 20 years I’d regretted not finishing (school), wishing I’d had a better backup plan. But perhaps that’s also what kept me so driven to succeed in such a difficult industry — failure wasn’t an option.”

Last November, Schmid unexpectedly lost his mother. A month later, he and Lotz learned they were expecting their first child. “In the strangest way, it really felt like my mother was handing off the baton and saying goodbye,” he said.

“When one door closes, another door opens. I’m playing this kind of hippie cowboy. My mother was very much this hippie cowboy; we had a farm in Caledon and she rode horses every day. That’s the universe doing something, right?”

A few days after Lotz gave birth to their daughter, Lennox, Schmid was back on the “Origins” set to begin working on “the heaviest episode of television” he has ever shot. The demands of early fatherhood mean that Schmid is sometimes beginning 16-hour workdays with little to no sleep, but he feels a particular satisfaction in knowing he is able to be a present father and husband amidst a career-defining moment.

“I’m at this point in my life where I’ve been able to clear my head. I have my wife, who is one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met in my life. And now, having this beautiful little girl gives you perspective,” Schmid said, with his newborn daughter sleeping next to him in a rocker during our conversation. “Every morning I wake up and, without a doubt, by the time I’m out of the shower, I am the luckiest person in the world.”