Re: Fandom, uh.... unicycles?

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Jan 26, 2013, 2:53:26 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
archiveofourown.org/works/180787/chapters/265846

I didn't really care for the writing style, either, but I hope it satisfies your curiosity. ;)
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Fandom, uh.... unicycles?
Thank you! :D

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Jan 26, 2013, 2:57:48 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I am a little, uh, skeptical about the two recent M&M's commercials which seem to feature the threat of predatory homosexuals and/or rape. (The one where the pretzel M&M is at the bar, and a woman offers to eat him, because if the pretzel M&M doesn't let her do it, a nearby man is going to; and the one where the sexy brown female M&M is at a party and a human woman comes up and warns her of another woman's love for chocolate, so the brown M&M fobs the hungry woman off on the red M&M, who is promptly assaulted.)

I also have to raise an eyebrow at those Sour Patch Kids commercials I was seeing a lot of last year. "First they're sour--then they're sweet!" Classic domestic abuse pattern right there, Sour Patch Kids!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Creepy-wrong commercials
Ugh, I hate those Sour Patch Kids commercials. So creepy!

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:01:13 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
So two of my friends have decided, just in case the Tumblr situation gets worse instead of better, to get DreamWidth accounts. (I would have pointed them to LJ because it's more active even in its death throes, but I didn't want to throw them out of the frying pan and into the fire of Bad Website Decisions.)

Problem is...they're complete babes in the woods when it comes to journal sites. Their main fandom experience has been via forums and Tumblr. I'm not sure I can explain all of the unwritten rules of social interaction and fandom activity on LJ and its clones. Anyone willing to help me?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: User's Guide to Journal Fandom?
What everybody else has said about explaining friending policies (something I still don't entirely get myself, after years on LJ), and privacy/access levels. Other things maybe worth mentioning:

The value of checking people's profile pages to see whether they're batshit before you add them, as well as to see what their friending policies are. There's a standard page, so it's easier on the eyes and simpler to check out than trying to find tumblr profiles.

The mechanics of commenting, as well as the way it replaces reblogging in LJ/DW culture. Things like nesting comments, and the fact that if you reply to a comment only the person you replied to, and the OP if that's somebody different, will automatically see the emailed notifications. Things like the convention that, in general, people will welcome comments from people who they don't know or haven't subscribed to, but it's polite to say how you found their post when you do it.

The fact that if you post moving or flashing things and don't put it behind a cut, many people will consider it rude, unlike tumblr where it's all over everyone's posts.

The giant difference in tagging conventions: on DW, tags are pretty much for organizational purposes and not for moment-to-moment navigation or for commentary.

I'm sure there's other stuff, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.


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Jan 26, 2013, 3:01:04 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
ayrt

This might be a YMMV issue, too. I agree, reconsidering certain decisions is a good idea before you publish a fic for public consumption, but at a certain point it's less about grammar and more about style and personal preference.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Betaing a foreign language
NA to whole thread: In any case I think a good attitude for a beta, ESL or not, to basically go "this is what I thought, but I could be wrong, use this note if it's useful to you otherwise ignore". (That's what I try to do, though as an ESL I often do add stuff like "maybe this is just a phrase/idiom I haven't encountered before".)

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:02:26 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I think this may be an issue of cultural deafness on my part but this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_fwotkHSfQ

It's a cute idea and I was fond of it up until the lady pulls out the paper collar filler and the guy gives her this look that reads "I'm about to slap you for that," to me. And then the lady's like, "We discovered our day of love," and all I can think is, "More like you discovered that your husband's gonna hit you."

IDK. Maybe an India anon can tell me if I'm reading the face he makes wrong because it's been bothering me.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Creepy-wrong commercials
I don't see a threat of physical violence from it, but it's still a ridiculously weird look he's giving her. It's so...unhappy and solemn, like she pulled out evidence of some horrible dark secret instead of a paper collar filler.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:02:28 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Once Upon A Time.

(Nonnie who has just started S2, so is not up on all the newer characters, but still curious)
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Shipping Wall Thread Returns!
Snow/Charming, Emma/happiness, Ruby with lots of people

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:05:25 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?

I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I kind of like it, except when the things go a little funny when I accidently hit the shift key when writing a tag. And by 'funny' I mean that the reblog gets crammed on the right-hand corner of my screen, and I have press enter to get it back to where it should, again.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:05:35 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?

I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
....Is it really that bad? If people hadn't pointed some of the changes out I wouldn't even have noticed them.

Frankly, I just want them to do something about their mobile app, now THAT sucks serious ass.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:06:30 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
OP here: Thanks for the suggestions! I hadn't thought about screencapping the tweets, so that's done now, just in case.

She hadn't been banned before for all her defaults because she's a good friend of my former co-mod who wanted to keep giving her chances. But now the banning begins!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Fic exchange modding question
Good luck, nonnie.

Post back and let us know how it goes. :)

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:06:49 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Seems like we've tentatively settled on this Saturday, the 26th, at the cafe in the Boston Public Library at 3:00 with the candlestick.

Is that okay for everyone? Can we get a vague headcount?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: FFA Meetups - Boston
I don't know if anyone at/en route to the meetup is reading this thread now, but on the off chance someone is, how are we going to find/recognize each other? (I'm on my way there now, though unfortunately running a little late.)

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:07:15 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
So two of my friends have decided, just in case the Tumblr situation gets worse instead of better, to get DreamWidth accounts. (I would have pointed them to LJ because it's more active even in its death throes, but I didn't want to throw them out of the frying pan and into the fire of Bad Website Decisions.)


Problem is...they're complete babes in the woods when it comes to journal sites. Their main fandom experience has been via forums and Tumblr. I'm not sure I can explain all of the unwritten rules of social interaction and fandom activity on LJ and its clones. Anyone willing to help me?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: User's Guide to Journal Fandom?
LOL, make sure they know that DW is quite a change of pace from Tumblr. (Although my DW flist is a lot more active than my filtered LJ flist. It's very sad.)

But yeah, cuts are important, as is crediting -- icons, layouts, the like.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:08:25 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I don't think it's that bad but I don't use many of the functions people miss. My main gripe is how narrow the dropdown of possible tags is. Someone on my dash linked to another extension for chrome that pretty much does what missing-e does, but I have yet to check it out.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:10:29 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?

I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Once again I find myself wondering what the big deal is ... yet another change to something the doesn't seem to be nearly as dramatic or terrible as people are making it out to be.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:11:18 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Which fandoms are you into?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Does anyone here buy fanzines, or have you bought them in the past?
Rat Patrol was the main one I was looking for. Was after the old Flanking Maneuvers slash zines in particular, but I've only seen them going for $30+ each, which is pretty steep when I've read a few of the stories online already.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:12:00 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
If you're using Chrome, installing this (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/user-agent-switcher/lkmofgnohbedopheiphabfhfjgkhfcgf?hl=en) and selecting Internet Explorer 9 once it's installed seems to bring back the old Tumblr as-was. I assume that Karp will catch on and crush it ASAP, given his massive hateboner for anything that improves the functionality of his site, but it's working for me right now.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:13:19 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
The only workaround I've found for this is to save the webpage as an HTML file in the browser (NOT on AO3); open in Sigil (free epub editor that can turn HTML files into epub) and delete header/footer crap; save as epub to the Add to Calibre folder; open in Calibre (free ebook conversion/organization program). Calibre can turn the epub into any other format. It takes about 2-3 minutes, depending on how clean and perfect you want your ebook (I don't mind sloppy).

So this page [ http://archiveofourown.org/works/398203 ] turns into this epub[ http://www.sendspace.com/file/h992ex ]. I was logged in so you see my pink background as well as the colored text; obviously, if you want a white background, that's as easy as not logging in, but it gives an example of color.

(HTML + Sigil is also how to get artwork into your ebooks!)
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Ebook question
AYRT

Huh, thanks! I admit I was hoping for something that I was missing on AO3 that'd make it easy, but Sigil sounds good. I use Calibre already, but it does NOT like HTML files directly. Appreciate the help!

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:19:44 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I'm tired of unisex names like Alex and Sam being used to indicate that a female character is spunky. It's part and parcel with the "one of the guys" stereotype that men can only be buddy-buddy with women who act like men.

I'm also tired of Zoe permutations as a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl name, and that goes for HMPCGIC Zooey Deschanel.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Character names you never want to see again
+1 on both these. I just started a fic which introduced an OC as a sister to one of the main characters. As soon as I read that her name was "Dani" I backbuttoned out of that fic so fast.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:22:26 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
If you're using Chrome, installing this (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/user-agent-switcher/lkmofgnohbedopheiphabfhfjgkhfcgf?hl=en) and selecting Internet Explorer 9 once it's installed seems to bring back the old Tumblr as-was. I assume that Karp will catch on and crush it ASAP, given his massive hateboner for anything that improves the functionality of his site, but it's working for me right now.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I assume that Karp will catch on and crush it ASAP, given his massive hateboner for anything that improves the functionality of his site

What is it with them? It's like they hate to make people happy. I'm using this solution for now, though I'm sure they'll try to ruin it again but someone will come up with an add-on or something because someone always does.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:23:16 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Once again I find myself wondering what the big deal is ... yet another change to something the doesn't seem to be nearly as dramatic or terrible as people are making it out to be.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Well, I guess since you're happy no one has a right to feel differently then.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:23:05 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Inspired by an Io9 feature on sci-fi names that should never be reused, because they're played out, give away too much about the character, or make references to other (better) works in a way that's annoying.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Character names you never want to see again
Jack, always and forever Jack. No character (particularly an action movie star and/or handsome rogue) should ever, ever be name Jack again. Ever.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:24:29 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Michael. Too many leads with that name or a variation of it on TV to the point there's now a Michael Westen and a Mike Weston.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Character names you never want to see again
Well now I'm waiting for Mike Westeros.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:26:04 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I'm tired of unisex names like Alex and Sam being used to indicate that a female character is spunky. It's part and parcel with the "one of the guys" stereotype that men can only be buddy-buddy with women who act like men.


I'm also tired of Zoe permutations as a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl name, and that goes for HMPCGIC Zooey Deschanel.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Character names you never want to see again
Also, the unisex name being a nickname for something long and frilly of which the woman in question is ashamed. These characters also tend to be the only girl in a family of boys and have a father in the military or law enforcement.

See also Jo (Josefina) Lupo, Eureka; Jules (Julianna) Callaghan, Flashpoint; and Alex (Alexandra) Eames, Law and Order CI.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:26:22 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Well, I guess since you're happy no one has a right to feel differently then.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
DA

Whoa, overly defensive, much?

I also don't understand what the big problem is (except maybe to people who used Missing-E and now can't use it anymore). To me everything works normally, including Tumblr Savior. It just looks a bit different.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:26:37 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I work with a conservative guy and usually we work hard to find common ground. But every now and then he comes up with something that either shocks me or sends me into angry tears (date rape isn't real rape!) and I just . . . don't know how to deal.

Today he asked me how I felt about women being sent into combat. I said I was fine with it, and if a woman wanted to fight she had the right to do that. His complaint? BUT WHAT IF I HAVE TO PEE IN FRONT OF A WOMAN!? I just stared at him. He said, "What would you say to a guy who couldn't do that?" I said, "I'd tell him to man the fuck up and if he can handle shooting another dude with a gun he'd have to learn to pee when/where needed."

He told me I was accusing him of racism and sexism and belittling him and using illogical arguments. Well, to be fair this was after he told me that letting women fight in the U.S. meant lowering all the standards of war and also they'd be having sex and distracting everyone and I called him an asshole.

I just . . . he always wants the "logical" arguments from me, but his premise questions are so gross and centered on men's poor wittle feelings. And I have to deal with him EVERY DAY. I just don't know what to say when he starts in. But sometimes I wish a REAL ball-buster could step up and just wipe the walls with him. I'm not sure anyone could change his mind, but fuck it all, I'll like to see someone PWN his ass. >:/ Is it ever appropriate to tell your superior to go fuck himself?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: When you WANT to go SJW on someone's ass...
I'm going to nth that you don't need to talk to this guy. Say a polite, hi and bye and otherwise say you are busy, with, you know, work. He's not your boss. These conversations are not work related.

If necessary tell him, 'Listen, X, you are a basically decent guy, so I hope you'll listen to me when I say I find these conversations obnoxious and unpleasant. I don't want to hear about your political opinions anymore and I don't enjoy arguing with you, so let's just keep our conversations about work."

Sometimes you just have to be really, really blunt to get through.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:28:56 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I'm going to nth that you don't need to talk to this guy. Say a polite, hi and bye and otherwise say you are busy, with, you know, work. He's not your boss. These conversations are not work related.


If necessary tell him, 'Listen, X, you are a basically decent guy, so I hope you'll listen to me when I say I find these conversations obnoxious and unpleasant. I don't want to hear about your political opinions anymore and I don't enjoy arguing with you, so let's just keep our conversations about work."

Sometimes you just have to be really, really blunt to get through.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: When you WANT to go SJW on someone's ass...
Wait, he is your boss. You can still tell him you don't enjoy arguing and would rather keep your conversations work related.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:29:22 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Well, I guess since you're happy no one has a right to feel differently then.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
AYRT

Being baffled at the level of outrage is quite a bit different than saying no one has the right to feel differently.

But of course it's also possible I'm forgetting that there are Tumblr users love their hyperbole reactions.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:31:19 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I prefer the new photo post layout flexibility. The only change that bothers me is that there's more clicking to get to a few options hidden in the upper-right "cog." Visually I think it integrates nicely into their overall layout and looks more "polished" than the kind of chunky old version. I like chunky so I didn't mind, but the direction they're heading is more in line with the direction I see a lot of other modern websites heading.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:31:32 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to a LiveJournal post in which sunnymodffa (sunnymodffa) said:
Seals, ponies, and friends are still off pillaging. The velociraptors aren't sure how they ended up being volunteered into babysitting a nest of small flightless birds they're not supposed to eat, but the sparrows are demanding, hungry, and LOUD. Worse, the only things they'll eat are pre-digested worms or pristinely fresh Beluga caviar. Please send help. Urgently. Mary Poppins or Nurse Matilda preferred.

All the fail_fandomanon Rules and Information (and Ban Requests): http://fail-fandomanon.livejournal.com/36692.html The short version: no embeds, don't out people's real names, don't be that much of an asshole, body fluids are off topic, Mods reserve the right to delete the fuck out of stuff. Meme away.

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Their reply was:
Subject: LENSFLARE/LIGHTSABRE = OTP?
I don't want to get my hopes up, damn it! :(

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:31:27 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Sometimes I worry that I'm really close to developing and eating disorder.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
Nonny, be careful. Eating disorders can creep up on you and trap you before you know it.

/nonny who just spent five weeks in an eating disorders unit.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:34:22 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I suffer from depression and have an autistic kid, but nope. Word policing is not doing any good. I'd rather people be concerned about the assumptions behind discrimination rather than the particular wording. Ablism is not totally silly, but the way fandom deals with it really is.

Most of all I wish people would treat people as individuals with individual needs and feelings rather than as block groups that should all react in lock step. And I definitely feel that the oppression olympics that have been going on the last few years is both emotionally unhealthy and rather self-indulgent -- encouraging fragility and unhealthy labeling by rewarding it with tons of positive attention.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: At times like this, I miss FWD.
+100 to every point in this whole comment.


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Jan 26, 2013, 3:35:32 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
AYRT


Being baffled at the level of outrage is quite a bit different than saying no one has the right to feel differently.

But of course it's also possible I'm forgetting that there are Tumblr users love their hyperbole reactions.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Oh please, you were the one accusing people who don't like the changes of being over-dramatic, now you are trying to act like you weren't judging. But go ahead dear, if it helps you feel superior.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:37:19 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
It doesn't work for me at all now. I can't reblog anything. I hit reblog and if I'm in Safari, nothing happens. If I'm in Firefox, the screen turns blue and... nothing happens.

I'm on an old computer that can't run Chrome or the most up-to-date Firefox updates, though, so maybe that's my problem. If so, I guess it's no more tumblr for me, because right now I can't afford to get a new computer just so I can reblog fanart. It worked fine for me before the "upgrade" despite my ancient hardware. Oh well.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:38:05 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?

I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I actually like what they've done with the tags. Now I don't have to remember exactly how I've phrased a tag before, just know one word that was used and it'll pop up.

Although I was someone without either Missing e or Savior so, maybe getting used to the new layout isn't as dramatic for me.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:38:46 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I'm tired of unisex names like Alex and Sam being used to indicate that a female character is spunky. It's part and parcel with the "one of the guys" stereotype that men can only be buddy-buddy with women who act like men.


I'm also tired of Zoe permutations as a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl name, and that goes for HMPCGIC Zooey Deschanel.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Character names you never want to see again
Seriously. The name doesn't make the character. The character makes the name. Remember Buffy? It didn't use to evoke images of tough, buff and strong. It used to be jokingly used for a snobby, shallow, upperclass girl.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:39:07 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Sherlock/Criminal Minds

Throwing these ideas out in case someone might want to read them...

BAU vs. Sherlock trying to track down an unsub, both have different but interesting ways of trying to find whoever it is.

Another one is Moriaty comes to the US to torture Reid
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Crossovers You Would Like to See
I've actually seen a few crossovers between these two fandoms. If you're interested, search the criminalXminds comm for Sherlock. Can't promise they fit your specifics, though.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:39:29 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I'm having trouble figuring out how my photo layouts will end up. It's been a bit of a guessing game so far.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:41:55 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I prefer the new photo post layout flexibility. The only change that bothers me is that there's more clicking to get to a few options hidden in the upper-right "cog." Visually I think it integrates nicely into their overall layout and looks more "polished" than the kind of chunky old version. I like chunky so I didn't mind, but the direction they're heading is more in line with the direction I see a lot of other modern websites heading.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Yeah, the aesthetic is pretty familiar - it actually kind of reminds me of the first release of the new Delicious? Just in the way the tags dropdown and some of the buttons look, with a lot of blank space and the rounded corners. I'm not sure I like it much, but I can definitely see the style they're aiming for.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:43:38 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I think everyone hates me, wants me to shut up and that I never do anything right.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
*hugs nonny*

I hope this doesn't come across as rude, but it sounds like you are suffering from depression. Are you able to talk to someone?

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:48:38 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Books, movies, anime, tv, anywhere? Got any favorites? Share them please.

I suspect my affinity for them was shaped by reading "Prince and Pauper" at impressionable age.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Whipping Scenes
Seconding the earlier rec for Diana Gabaldon's Outlander - along with the big whipping scene the other nonnie has mentioned, there's also a deliciously idtastic little scene earlier in the book where he volunteers to take a beating in place of a girl who was going to be publicly punished for some infraction.

Very old YA, but one that I imprinted on hard as a kid - the flogging scene at the end of Eloise Jarvis McGraw's Mara, Daughter of the Nile, where the bad guys are torturing the heroine in front of her love interest, trying to force her to admit that he is really the secret leader of the revolutionary faction.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:51:44 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
As a result of childhood abuse, I'm incapable of forming bonds with other people. But that doesn't mean I don't want them around. Sometimes I feel so lonely that I consider dating a random person and faking love, just to have some company.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
I don't know what to say except give you hugs

My best friend went through some incredibly horrific abuse. She managed to find a counsellor who specialises in trauma.

I hope you can feel better nonny.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:52:47 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Once again I find myself wondering what the big deal is ... yet another change to something the doesn't seem to be nearly as dramatic or terrible as people are making it out to be.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
NA

I'm pissed off because I no longer have the "Let people answer this" option unless I end my posts with a question mark. And because I can't find any way to answer anyone else's posts without reblogging. The reply function (which maybe was a Missing e thing?) is just gone for me.

Since I do actually like to converse at least minimally, this is incredibly annoying and discourages me from using the site. Yes, yes, I can reblog things to reply, but I don't want to have to make a damn reblog post for every one-sentence remark I would like to make to another user. I don't want to have to reblog every single thing in order to comment on it.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:52:54 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I assume that Karp will catch on and crush it ASAP, given his massive hateboner for anything that improves the functionality of his site


What is it with them? It's like they hate to make people happy. I'm using this solution for now, though I'm sure they'll try to ruin it again but someone will come up with an add-on or something because someone always does.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I don't get it either - I mean, you'd think they'd realise that if this many people go to the trouble of installing Missing E/xkit/Tumblr Saviour, there's clearly something they want that the website isn't offering. But no, it's clearly far more sensible to ignore that and put time and effort into breaking their own website (looking at you, wraparound tags incident) and putting up concern-trolly warnings about the Dangers of Underage Drinking Unauthorised Browser Extensions.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:53:08 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Cos we like it on the 1st page.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
On the flip side of anon who thinks everyone hates them, I have a friend like that. And it's exhausting. I know it's depression and I've tried for awhile to just be her friend, but it's starting to affect my own emotional health. I fear she's not emotionally stable enough to have an honest conversation about it and I don't know what to do.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:53:47 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
As long as Savior still works, I'll get used to it. Not a big fan of the changes, but could be worse.

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Jan 26, 2013, 3:56:05 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
NA

I'm pissed off because I no longer have the "Let people answer this" option unless I end my posts with a question mark. And because I can't find any way to answer anyone else's posts without reblogging. The reply function (which maybe was a Missing e thing?) is just gone for me.

Since I do actually like to converse at least minimally, this is incredibly annoying and discourages me from using the site. Yes, yes, I can reblog things to reply, but I don't want to have to make a damn reblog post for every one-sentence remark I would like to make to another user. I don't want to have to reblog every single thing in order to comment on it.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
DA

As someone who hasn't been using Missing E - both issues you describe are perfectly normal for me.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:02:07 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
DA


As someone who hasn't been using Missing E - both issues you describe are perfectly normal for me.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
ayrt

And both issues fall under Things I Hate About Tumblr, and now I get to hate them all over again. :-P

I don't get why this site is so hell-bent on making even the shallowest and briefest discussions so difficult. I don't understand how they think there's any benefit in that.

Time to find out if Xkit will work on my Mac.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:04:11 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I came to fandom long after fanzines were the main way of getting to read fanfiction, but I've always been so fascinated by fandom history - and, in particular, Star Trek fandom history - that I've just bought one on eBay as a sort of "time capsule" to have for myself. The 'zine I bought is Stardate Unknown, Issue #1 by Gerry Downes and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I've never read or owned or even really looked at a fanzine before, so it will be a learning experience.

I was just curious to see if anyone here is still into fanzines at this point in time and how popular they still are as a method of reading and publishing fic. There are loads of fanzines on eBay, and people like agentwithstyle seem to do well enough to keep their business of selling them going even now when the internet has been the main way of people getting their fic out there since the 1990s.

Also, what have been some of your favourite 'zines? Do you still have a collection of any kind or a treasured few saved?

Curious young 'un is curious. :)
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Does anyone here buy fanzines, or have you bought them in the past?
I never have, but if I saw some going cheap enough I'd probably pick them up just for the history aspect of it.

If somebody wanted to establish a zine for a fandom I'm in I'd definitely buy it. It would be really cool to have something designed to go out in hard copy.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:05:36 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I don't want to get my hopes up, damn it! :(
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: LENSFLARE/LIGHTSABRE = OTP?
According to starwars.com, YES!

http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-is-being-kick-started-with-dynamite-jj-abrams-to-direct-star-wars-episode-vii.html

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:05:39 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Inspired by an Io9 feature on sci-fi names that should never be reused, because they're played out, give away too much about the character, or make references to other (better) works in a way that's annoying.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Character names you never want to see again
More for OCs than anything else, but I'd be happy never to see another character named Amethyst or Crystal.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:06:18 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
....Is it really that bad? If people hadn't pointed some of the changes out I wouldn't even have noticed them.

Frankly, I just want them to do something about their mobile app, now THAT sucks serious ass.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I don't think the changes are that bad, especially to the point where there's a Change.org petition for the old dashboard. And I hate the language in it, as if every person on the site does fandom things on it and absolutely hates it. The non-fannish Tumblrs I follow like the changes.

IA with the mobile app, but strangely enough, I like Tumblr's iPad app more than I do endless scrolling on the website.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:09:10 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I guess you could save it to your drafts so it gets kind of bookmarked but you'd have to manually reblog it every time. But I don't know how else, I'm sure other more savvy anons could offer another solution.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Tumblr advice
I think that's what I will have to do. Thanks you!

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:09:23 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Sometimes, you gotta wonder who the hell thought this was a good idea.

This thread brought to you by Cinnamon Toast Crunch, whose latest spate of commercials feature cereal squares cannibalizing each other. I cannot possibly be the only person who finds this truly creeptastic.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Creepy-wrong commercials
In addition to the ones already mentioned, this one Kay Jewelry commercial where a couple is in a log cabin while it's dark and storming. The guy says something about how he'll ~always be there, and it's meant to be romantic but his tone of voice it is a lot creepier than anything else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltA50HKyM14

Also a Snickers commercial from a couple years ago, where kids dress up as a woman and sort of accost a neighbor in a grocery store, to get her to buy candy for Halloween? It creeped me out the first couple times I saw it (late at night to boot), but then I started loving it because it's so strange.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc2TyL5VzgY

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:11:54 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I think that's what I will have to do. Thanks you!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Tumblr advice
I mean thank you, sorry.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:11:52 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
....Is it really that bad? If people hadn't pointed some of the changes out I wouldn't even have noticed them.

Frankly, I just want them to do something about their mobile app, now THAT sucks serious ass.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Even after watching everyone freak out, I still can't tell what's actually wrong with it, or even what's changed. Maybe I just use it differently from the people who are complaining, idk?

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:12:35 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I don't think the changes are that bad, especially to the point where there's a Change.org petition for the old dashboard. And I hate the language in it, as if every person on the site does fandom things on it and absolutely hates it. The non-fannish Tumblrs I follow like the changes.


IA with the mobile app, but strangely enough, I like Tumblr's iPad app more than I do endless scrolling on the website.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Change.org? jfc

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:12:57 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
Meh, I don't feel like joining in on the occasionally over-the-top outrage at the update. It was bad the very first time I tried, but once I turned off a few options in Missing-e, I got rid of the worst bugs. And well, I mainly used Missing-e for easier posting, and I don't need that anymore.

Tumblr Savior still works perfectly, so. No real complaints. /shrug

There seems to be a lot of people on tumblr who are prepared to complain about every single update, ever. Ofc, this was bigger than any of the previous ones, but I've seen the same complaining and threats of leaving the site with pretty much every change, and people are still there. This might be different, but I somehow doubt there will be a mass exodus.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:13:46 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
As a result of childhood abuse, I'm incapable of forming bonds with other people. But that doesn't mean I don't want them around. Sometimes I feel so lonely that I consider dating a random person and faking love, just to have some company.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
Same. Therapy is helping me with coping better but I think I'm ruined as far as relationships go.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:16:07 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
The mod's English isn't perfect and the average fic for their exchanges won't be amazing, but they're very laid back (they'll allow pretty much anything but extensions if you give them a rationale), answer questions quickly, and put in great effort to make things run as smoothly as they can and find pinch hits. I appreciate that they've started so many exchanges I'm interested in: this, also Blasters & Wands and the Magical Girl swap.

More nominations are allowed than you have to request/offer and some obscure stuff got matched last year, so I think you should be fine on pairings.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Shipswap
DA

Last year I withdrew my signup with one day to go till signups closed, the pairings I wanted seemed to rare and the others were of no interest to me.

My nomination is finished and I fear the same thing will happen this year.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:18:11 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
....Is it really that bad? If people hadn't pointed some of the changes out I wouldn't even have noticed them.

Frankly, I just want them to do something about their mobile app, now THAT sucks serious ass.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
+1 on the mobile app. Ugh, I settled for using the mobile site instead, since that option wasn't awful. Though there now seems to be some trouble with it? I keep getting non-mobile reblog pages, and it's terrible annoying since my phone is tiny.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:20:47 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
So two of my friends have decided, just in case the Tumblr situation gets worse instead of better, to get DreamWidth accounts. (I would have pointed them to LJ because it's more active even in its death throes, but I didn't want to throw them out of the frying pan and into the fire of Bad Website Decisions.)

Problem is...they're complete babes in the woods when it comes to journal sites. Their main fandom experience has been via forums and Tumblr. I'm not sure I can explain all of the unwritten rules of social interaction and fandom activity on LJ and its clones. Anyone willing to help me?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: User's Guide to Journal Fandom?
OP: thank you all for your help! :D

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:21:30 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Books, movies, anime, tv, anywhere? Got any favorites? Share them please.

I suspect my affinity for them was shaped by reading "Prince and Pauper" at impressionable age.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Whipping Scenes
There's a very nice whipping scene in one of the early episodes of 'The Borgias'.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:22:46 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
DA


Last year I withdrew my signup with one day to go till signups closed, the pairings I wanted seemed to rare and the others were of no interest to me.

My nomination is finished and I fear the same thing will happen this year.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Shipswap
That's really silly. You can always drop out if they tell you you're unmatchable instead of flouncing a day early for no good reason.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:24:37 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
According to starwars.com, YES!

http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-is-being-kick-started-with-dynamite-jj-abrams-to-direct-star-wars-episode-vii.html
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: LENSFLARE/LIGHTSABRE = OTP?
ayrt

Oh, I know it's official, I meant that I liked the ST reboot so now, once again, my hopes are up just like they were when they announced the writer.

... but then the memory of 1999 keeps on lurking next to me and whisper "There is no way that you will enjoy this. This will be painfully bad. There will be midi-chlorians. There will be a CGI'd Yoda. There will be a second memory out of which I do not remember a single thing. There will be DO NOT WANT!"

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:26:36 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Javert absolutely must off himself.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Break it (the opposite of fix-it)
I think Javert's suicide was absolutely the perfect ending in canon, and don't think I'd like his character nearly as much if his story had ended any other way.

But when it comes to fanfic? I crave all the fix-its. Like the Snape fans above, I just really want to see him deal with all the problems he tried to escape through death. It wouldn't have been right for the book, but it's perfect for fanfic.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:28:46 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Even after watching everyone freak out, I still can't tell what's actually wrong with it, or even what's changed. Maybe I just use it differently from the people who are complaining, idk?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
The only thing about it that upsets me is that custom photoset options seem to be gone. I have no idea how i'm going to deal with that.


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Jan 26, 2013, 4:29:45 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I don't think the changes are that bad, especially to the point where there's a Change.org petition for the old dashboard. And I hate the language in it, as if every person on the site does fandom things on it and absolutely hates it. The non-fannish Tumblrs I follow like the changes.


IA with the mobile app, but strangely enough, I like Tumblr's iPad app more than I do endless scrolling on the website.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
A change.org petition? Thanks anon, I need a good laugh today. LOL.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:31:18 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
As someone with a severe hoarding compulsion that I'm finally starting to deal with, I HATE THAT SHOW. It's not actually bringing any awareness of the disease and compassion for the people who struggle with it, it's just all 'let's gawk at the car wreck' viewing and seeing/hearing people discuss it just compounds my symptoms and the shame and depression surrounding them, And from everything I've read and everyone I've talked to who knows this stuff, it's one of the most intractable forms of OCD to have. And the lack of self-awareness is a coping mechanism because admitting how bad your situation is without having the resources to deal with it is soul crushing.

And I will shut up now.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
*Hugs nonny*

I have the same problem.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:31:49 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I realised today that the reason I'm starving myself is because we don't have the money for my food, and I feel so guilty for needing so much expensive stuff because of my health issues.

It's creating a gambling problem on the scratchy crosswords because I don't want heaps of money, but an extra $50, or so would help heaps, and is worth the $5 cost. It's desperate thinking and I need to work out how to stop it.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
*hugs nonny*

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:37:44 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
I like the changes to the tags, because I have a bunch of idiosyncratic but similar tags. The only thing I don't like is that the dropdown is so narrow--would it have killed them to make it wider?

I don't like the sourcing being hidden away; Tumblr culture is already bad enough on that front. And I'm having a difficult time discovering where to add a link to an image on a reblog, if I want to add a source to something.

What I really dislike is how much vertical real estate reblogging takes up now, especially for image posts. Some of us aren't working on giant computer screens set at generous resolutions, and it's a bit irritating to have to scroll around so much.

I'm less dismayed today than I was last night, and I imagine I'll probably simmer down eventually and resign myself to the changes, but for the most part the changes are just irritating rather than helpful.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:46:53 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
ayrt

This might be a YMMV issue, too. I agree, reconsidering certain decisions is a good idea before you publish a fic for public consumption, but at a certain point it's less about grammar and more about style and personal preference.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Betaing a foreign language
I agree, reconsidering certain decisions is a good idea before you publish a fic for public consumption, but at a certain point it's less about grammar and more about style and personal preference.

AYRT Well, yes. But you're going to find those sorts of disagreements with any beta, not just an ESL one.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:47:42 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I don't want to get my hopes up, damn it! :(
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: LENSFLARE/LIGHTSABRE = OTP?
JJ Abrams

JJ Binks

Coincidence?

I THINK NOT

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:50:56 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
There's a very nice whipping scene in one of the early episodes of 'The Borgias'.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Whipping Scenes
+1 Especially because Micheletto is the one demanding to be whipped and Cesare is a bit hesitant at first. I love when Micheletto asks Cesare to whip him harder. Such a good scene.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:52:57 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
NA to whole thread: In any case I think a good attitude for a beta, ESL or not, to basically go "this is what I thought, but I could be wrong, use this note if it's useful to you otherwise ignore". (That's what I try to do, though as an ESL I often do add stuff like "maybe this is just a phrase/idiom I haven't encountered before".)
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Betaing a foreign language
+1 I'm really not sure what there is to be YMMV about this. The beta says "Hey, not sure about this," the author takes a second look and decides either "Yeah, I think you're right" or "No, actually, I think it does work". No one has said you *must* go with everything your beta says, quite the opposite. I've disagreed with betas who were native English speakers over points of style and grammar before. I don't really see how it makes much difference if your beta is ESL or not really.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:58:05 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I don't want to get my hopes up, damn it! :(
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: LENSFLARE/LIGHTSABRE = OTP?
Oh JFC no. He made ST:Reboot tragically soulless, stupid, devoid of substance and populated by unlikeable plastic people. I don't want him to touch SW universe, we already have prequels for that.

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Jan 26, 2013, 4:58:21 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
It's a lot slower for me as well. I hate not being able to directly upload a picture within a post, without uploading it somewhere else and then fiddling with the html to avoid getting the grey box on the dashboard. I also hate that whenever I reblog something, it boosts me back to the top of my dash and I lose my place. I had to turn off infinite scrolling and go page by page, which is annoying and even slower.

And again, they've fucked it up so I can't see more than one line of tags on my dash. I like tags! I like tag meta and tag essays, and I want to see it all at once.


If they fixed these three things, I wouldn't mind at all.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:00:07 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I've been really, really depressed and finally called my old doctor, but she can't fit me in until next week, and even then she's tapering down her practice so we're mostly just meeting so she can see if she can recommend another doctor to me.

I'm scared, both because it will probably be a while before I can see someone, and I'm worried that a new doctor will push medication at me without listening to my fears/reservations about it.

Also I'm probably losing my job, so I'm broke.

This is a stupid vent because it was really nice of her to see me at all, but... why is mental health care so fucking hard.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
*hugs nonny*

I'd feel the same way in your situation.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:00:58 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
*busts through wall into pile of dicks*

OH YEAH!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
I'm laughing so hard right now.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:01:45 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Ugh, I hate that. Does she at least have a desk copy of the course pack she could leave at the library so that the kids who can't spend a pile of money on the coursepack can do the readings there? Could you post alternate links to the readings in your course management software? I mean, she realizes that a huge chunk of the coursepack money is going to the jerks at the copyright clearance center (assuming US), not the university fund for starving puppies or whatever, right?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
AYRT

I think she realizes it on an intellectual level (she also has an administrative position and is very, very familiar with how universities work), but she explained it to my fellow TA and me as "But we need to make sure these not-for-profit presses get paid!"

Which I'm pretty sure they still do if they are part of JSTOR/Humanities Full Text/whatever database.

And she specifically told us not to put our desk copies on reserve because that would "encourage students not to buy the packet." Ugh.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:03:16 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
This is a dumb post.

I am actually tempted to take the SJW's side on this one, just because of how obnoxious this is. White person whining about cultural appropriation taken to extremes because...it's limiting their ability to enjoy Indian food? Wow. Stop making everything about yourself. Go eat it then and stop whining about something you clearly know is ridiculous.

/poc who hates SJW but hates OP more
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
Wow, calm your tits. I wasn't making it all about myself, I was pointing out the hypocrisy of the SJW standpoint on this issue, i.e. first they complain about the "tastelessness" of "white" food, but then when white people make the more flavorful "PoC" food, they say that the white people are culturally appropriating. I wasn't whining about not being able to eat Indian food; I'll do that anyway and make it using recipes and ingredients from actual Indian chefs or buy it from restaurants owned and run by Indian people.

Being annoyed by blatant hypocrisy seems like a pretty natural response.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:06:53 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I've seen people say that when writing characters who speak English as a second (or whatever) language, it's important to avoid them slipping up with basic words when they're speaking English, like having them say 'please' or 'thank you' in their first language, because those are the first things you learn for a new language and easiest to remember.

But when speaking in English, those are some of the words that are most likely to pop out in my mother tongue. I have to think twice about numbers and will often just say please and thank you, and helloes and goodbyes in my first language. Of course, it's probably easy for me to get away with that because I live in a multicultural country with a lot of languages, and people tend to pick up basic words in several languages.

What's the experience for other people with this kind of vocabulary slippage? Do you feel like it's a cheap gimmick to drop a basic non-English word into dialogue to emphasise that someone's ESL?
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Multilingual anons
My experiences are not from mixing English and my native tongue (even though English words are part of my vocabulary through all the languages I speak fluently and daily) but from living in Sweden and speaking Finnish as my native tongue. I was more or less fluent in Swedish before moving here, but I still tend to make mistakes here and there... Probably all over the place, but I've stopped noticing it ;)

I don't have problems with the basic words, thank yous and numbers, but that might come from the fact that the Finnish words for these things are either exactly the same (Hello = Hej vs Hei) or so far appart that when I've switched the languege I'm thinking in, I won't mix them together. They just don't fit into Swedish sentences.

The words that ARE very similiar, but not quite, are where my problems are. I might use the Finnish word thinking that it's the Swedish one without even realising if there is enough similarity. The same goes with pronaunciation. (Chips vs sips)

Then there are the times when I'm tired or talking about something I have lots of Finnish words for. It's easy to use the wrong language if I'm used to talking about the subject in it. Finnish words when making food and so forth.

I make mistakes when I'm really nervous. Job interviews are the worst. That's when my words get really messed up. I guess it's because I start overthinking and really, really do not want to make mistakes.

When writing I wouldn't change the basic words from English to the first language. It happens, sure, but it usually doesn't bring anything to the story. There are better ways to show that someone is ESL.

However, if you'd want to show them being ESL in the their dialogue, I'd change words that are similiar between the languages (the reader can guess the meaning, and it's easy to make a mistake like this). I'd also try to think about WHEN one makes mistakes and/or changes language. Is the character tired? Are they talking about something they are very passionate about? Something that they are used to talking about in their first language?

I found this while struggling with the same question for an original story I was writing. It's worth a look :)
http://teachinghouse.com/myteachinghouse-static/course-forms-NuPHEZUsomIchoSyCRu/LearnerEnglish.pdf




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Jan 26, 2013, 5:07:48 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I'm sorry to hear that, nonnie.

If it would help, I can try to convince your brain? You may know this already, but I find that reminding myself of the math helps me resist the urge.

The more often you gamble, the more certain it is you will be losing money over time.

Say that you have a 1/100 chance of winning that $50 with every scratchy crossword card you buy. Each card costs $5. From a risk analysis point of view, the house advantage (the lotto company's advantage) is then (1%)*(-$100) + (100%)*($5) = $4 (because with every card you buy, they are guaranteed to get $5 from you, and only have a 1% chance of paying out that $100). This is how they make money: many people buy cards, and it averages out to them earning $4/card.

However, the flip side of that is that if you buy many cards, you're going to average out losing $4 per card, even if you win some here and there. With the way that the law of large numbers works, the more cards you buy, the more likely you are to have an actual average (the average worth of your card) equal to the predicted average. The more often you buy per month, the more likely that, per month, and per year, you're going to be losing something closer and closer to $4*however many cards you bought.

So you could think of it like this - every time you're resisting the urge to buy one of the cards, you're automatically winning $4 by not letting the house have it.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
Thank you, nonnie, that explanation helped a lot this weekend. Explaining it so starkly and knowing how far $4 can go for normal food, although it's not mine, helps a lot to put it in context. I knew it wasn't likely, but a few small wins always made it seem worthwhile so your explanation helps to give the overall picture and helps to resist the urge.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:11:55 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
+1 million

The people who sell the lottery or scratch cards are betting (heh) that the people who buy them won't bother to sit down and compute the expected values for buying. The odds are just way too low to be profitable for you, but the companies that make these lotteries spend money on making it sound like they're accessible (see how when people win a windfall, the ads and the articles that they run always emphasize that the winners are just ordinary folks, just like you and me, anyone could win one). But on the average, your expected value is deeply, deeply negative.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
The country I'm in often makes it seem like when they've won, they've just brought it as a "oh I might get one today" and really portrays the idea that everyone could be lucky. Thank you for your comment, it helps further to not give into their betting.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:12:05 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Nonny, where do you live? I'm thinking it's possible there are resources available to help you, and you don't even know it.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
I'm in a too-identifiable country so I don't want to disclose it, sorry. But I'll research more into the resources and see what's there.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:12:35 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
*hugs nonny*
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
Thanks nonny. *hugs back if you want one*

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:14:37 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Same. Therapy is helping me with coping better but I think I'm ruined as far as relationships go.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Stuff you will not admit unanon
DA with similar experiences

Yes, years of therapy did help me, I've gotten better in many regards, so I'd always recommend it. But some things are just too broken to be fixed. I've resigned to probably staying alone for the rest of my life but I'm working on not feeling (too) lonely in that scenario. This seems to work better for me, just focusing on being okay with myself. A relationship would be an additional burden, which I just cannot handle, and I've never experienced any benefits from relationships, so it's not worth it for me. (Mind you, I'm talking about my own experiences here. Not saying this works for everybody.)

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:15:31 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Another site I love RUINED by pointless upgrading!!! I am so sick of this. Tumblr is now so slow (and I am on Superhub Broadband, so it's not my connection) I just closed the window in frustration. Those pop ups when you want to reblog or make your own posts? WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT THAT WAS MORE USERFRIENDLY THAN THE ORIGINAL WAY?


I can't stand this. All my favourite websites keep changing for the worst. It's not just some natural aversion to change on my part either, websites really are destroying themselves when they do this.

Website upgrades - always less visually pleasing and more fussy to use than before. WHY!!!
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: What have they DONE to tumblr!?
If it's true that the reply function is just gone, that sucks for me as a fan artist. A lot of my followers typically like and leave replies on my art posts without reblogging, so I guess this means that now I'm just going to be getting the likes but not any comments. Great.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:18:18 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Do you need the tequila for Lady of Quality because no matter how much it wants to be it's just not Black Sheep, or do you have a sincere and unconnected love for both (tequila and LoQ, that is)?
/Black Sheep-biased nonny (drinking wine, also memeing and reading fic instead of Heyer)
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Please tell me I'm not the only memer drinking tonight
DA is reading Black Sheep right now (well, not now this minute). It is awesome. It would only be better if I also had Tequila.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:24:07 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Wow, calm your tits. I wasn't making it all about myself, I was pointing out the hypocrisy of the SJW standpoint on this issue, i.e. first they complain about the "tastelessness" of "white" food, but then when white people make the more flavorful "PoC" food, they say that the white people are culturally appropriating. I wasn't whining about not being able to eat Indian food; I'll do that anyway and make it using recipes and ingredients from actual Indian chefs or buy it from restaurants owned and run by Indian people.


Being annoyed by blatant hypocrisy seems like a pretty natural response.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
da

+1. I'm... really not sure what ayrt's beef (no pun intended) is.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:29:40 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I've been really, really depressed and finally called my old doctor, but she can't fit me in until next week, and even then she's tapering down her practice so we're mostly just meeting so she can see if she can recommend another doctor to me.


I'm scared, both because it will probably be a while before I can see someone, and I'm worried that a new doctor will push medication at me without listening to my fears/reservations about it.

Also I'm probably losing my job, so I'm broke.

This is a stupid vent because it was really nice of her to see me at all, but... why is mental health care so fucking hard.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
Anon, totally understandable vent, not stupid at all.

Instead of saying specifically "I don't want a doctor who will just give me medication" maybe try saying "I am looking for someone who specializes in CBT [or whatever other type of therapy you've had good luck with in the past]".

If you are in the United States, you also want to tell her that you want to see a psychologist/therapist and not a psychiatrist.

I too wish it weren't such a pain in the ass to, you know, get help when you're sick. Hope it all works out for you.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:30:50 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
Every time I see Mandingo mentioned I think it's about some dude with the powers of a dingo.

Man-dingo! An abandoned child raised by dingos, now he is the leader of his own pack! With the power to communicate with and command dingos, he fights crime in the Australian outback!

...I don't know, man.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Exploitation Movies
A Cry in the Dark 2: Man-dingo Boogaloo!

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:33:58 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
NA

I loved FWD - which is not to say I agreed with all the posts or contributers; I don't go as far on ableist language as some people do.

But I did feel uncomfortable in the comments section after someone got mad at me for my reply to their comment. Basically I said something that reiterated what they said in my own words and explaining why I felt that way - as happens in lots of conversations online. But she replied back all polite-snarkily like, "Thanks for just repeating what I said." And I didn't know what to do because she'd been too polite for me to call her on it, yet snarky enough that I was obviously being put down.

And I'm totally confrontation-averse so I just smarted and... didn't comment anymore. :/ It felt like if the discussions were as super-moderated as the site's terms made out, then it would've been nice for someone to say, "Hey now original commenter, that was uncalled for," but apparently the terms were only designed to stop ableist comments and not moderate the conversation between us.

Sometimes I just get this massive "We're all on the same side in that we're disabled people who want to be treated like human beings rather than tropes or statistics, so can we please act like it?" feeling in discussions online, and that was one of those times.

In the end, FWD wasn't perfect; from stuff I hear (e.g. about Jezebel) I'd imagine few sites of its type are, but I do miss it as a hub and I think it's unfortunate that the backlash against SJWs/what degree of language policing is considered OTT/whatever else put people off FWD has tended to create the impression that the basic FWD project was a bad idea.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: At times like this, I miss FWD.
"Thanks for repeating what I just said."

Oh, let me guess, Ouyang Dan?

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:35:23 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
This is a dumb post.


I am actually tempted to take the SJW's side on this one, just because of how obnoxious this is. White person whining about cultural appropriation taken to extremes because...it's limiting their ability to enjoy Indian food? Wow. Stop making everything about yourself. Go eat it then and stop whining about something you clearly know is ridiculous.

/poc who hates SJW but hates OP more
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Venting thread
That is clearly not what they said, are you looking to be offended or something?

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:36:15 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
AYRT


I think she realizes it on an intellectual level (she also has an administrative position and is very, very familiar with how universities work), but she explained it to my fellow TA and me as "But we need to make sure these not-for-profit presses get paid!"

Which I'm pretty sure they still do if they are part of JSTOR/Humanities Full Text/whatever database.

And she specifically told us not to put our desk copies on reserve because that would "encourage students not to buy the packet." Ugh.
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Subject: Re: Venting thread
Yeah, that's why JSTOR subscriptions are so flipping expensive. And factored into tuition as part of the fees/funding that goes to library services! So she's basically just charging students TWICE. Unless you're at a public university, in which case she's charging the taxpayers 50% and the students 150%.

... Sorry, I probably am not helping, two guesses what field I work in. I have a lot of feelings about it apparently! Well, I am glad that you care about this, and hopefully if you're going into academia you will be more sensible about this? It's not your fault as TA when the professor is unreasonable. Some of them are just nutsy about things.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:36:21 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
What's the meme's most/least favorite exploitation movies? Can be from any exploitation genre. For those curious about what meets the definition of an "exploitation movie", keep in mind that a true exploitation movie should have something lurid about it -- it's reveling in the thing it's ostensibly pooh-poohing. There's a decent listing on Wikipedia, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploitation_film

As for me, I recently discovered the existence of the 1970s movie Mandingo, currently most relevant as one of the inspirations for Django Unchained. And if you thought Django Unchained was offensive, watching Mandingo might actually cause you to spontaneously combust. It's set in the Antebellum Deep South, on a plantation, and its about how awesome it is to rape your slaves and make other slaves fight to the death. No really, that's what it's about. In the last thirty seconds of the movie, there's a half-hearted attempt at a moral: "Boy, it sure is wrong to hump slaves and make other slaves fight each other!" This comes after two hours of luridly-depicted, lovingly-detailed slave-humping and slave-cock fighting.

I honestly don't understand how this movie got made... and it had a decent budget and made decent money at the theater! The director went on to make more movies you might've heard of called Conan the Destroyer and Red Sonja, so it didn't even ruin his career.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Exploitation Movies
The Hebrew Hammer is a satire about exploitation movies. It's pretty hilarious. Apparently there's a sequel coming out this year- The Hebrew Hammer Vs. Hitler. Tbh I can't fucking wait XD

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:37:10 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
*swoops in in a swirl of lime-magenta caftan and sparkle earrings*

You called?

I got into zines a couple of years ago because I got into 80s tv shows that never were very active online. In fandoms like those, you don't have any choice: it's old zines or nothing. They physical products are okay. In bigger fandoms, the top ones tend to be more of an art object in their own right. Zines in tiny fandoms from the late 80s/early 90s tend to use blah bindings and low quality paper. The biggest slash zine publisher for Miami Vice was also a talented illustrator, but a lot of zines for 80s tv shows, especially "multi-media" (aka multifandom) ones have very little art and no good quality art.

Agent With Style produces zines that look like they were printed out in someone's school computer lab. I've bought things I was dying to read, but the prices are through the roof for what is typically an inferior product. The advantage there and with eBay is relatively timely shipping and a professional interface. Other zine buying usually requires more interaction, so if you're a lurker looking for a 'buy it now' link, this is offputting. (Yes, Agent With Style is a frequent cause of wank in zine circles. The woman who runs it is prone to flaming people and throwing fits when she's criticized too.)

Yes, that Japanese fan is into Naruto. It's been running since... 1999? I don't know how old the stuff she brought to show us was. Mid-00s to recent, I suspect. She said it was all printed at small doujinshi printers in Tokyo. They do enough of that work that the fat little novel she showed us was sold for around $12, and she said that was quite expensive (but worth it because it's a classic fic she rereads a lot, and she'd rather not do that online). The art she showed us was all top quality, but that's because it's all by her and one of her friends and they're both amazing. There's plenty of garbage art in doujinshi too. The level and the range aren't markedly different from in old zines. The big gap is between any fandom space where illustration is valued and certain of the recent-ish online fandoms for live action media that haven't had much art at all beyond hed-pastede-on manips.


On another note, I e-mailed about the K/S lending library a while back, and it was still active.

And if anyone wants to buy zines, before you pay the 200% markup on eBay and Agent With Style, try Zinelist or Make It Go Away (the Rondeaus' site). Fanlore has a lot of zine info, both on individual zines you might be considering buying and on zine sellers.

As for how popular zines still are... they're still very popular with a set of people who've been doing them for years, but as those people get tired or move on to new fandoms that don't care about zines, their numbers thin. There's also a lot of crankiness and bullshit about how fans online don't care about books or don't believe in editing or other nonsensical explanations for why we don't buy zines... anything other than recognizing that most zines these days aren't that high quality but are offered at extremely high prices. Zine publishing isn't dead, but it's a pretty small segment of fandom compared to even the 90s when the internet had already started to take over. If more people did paper zines that functioned as collector's edition versions of already-popular online longfic (and I were in fandoms large enough that there was any of this in the first place), I would buy more recent zines. But that's not the way they work in "Media Fandom". People publish first in a zine and then are free to post the story online after a year; the stories are the standard range of good and bad like fic anywhere else, and there aren't many artists still active, so you're unlikely to see gorgeous illustrations that justify spending money on a physical copy. As it is, I buy used zines with fic I can't get any other way.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Does anyone here buy fanzines, or have you bought them in the past?
ayrt

*preens self on summoning working like magic*

I would love current-ish zines that function like collector's edition versions of favorite longfic. Especially proofread. And maybe with a few pretty illustrations (or perhaps just illustrated inside front cover and inside back cover). And especially especially if they were bound like the Japanese ones! Tasteful, excellent layout/good use of whitespace, attractive non-representational or otherwise SFW cover, paperback-sized, for $12 or less per book -- DO WANT.

In fact, crave Captive Prince like that. I would so buy CP in three skinny yet oddly attractive volumes (a la early 19th century novels), the first two now, the last one later. I'm tempted by the what looks like trade paperback-sized printed versions that are almost available of CP Volume 1 and 2, but having them in a form-factor more like the doujinshi press ones would make them a definite not just a possible buy.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:37:13 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
I don't think it's an either-or.

I have a mental illness (a fairly severe anxiety disorder), and the word policing (not specifically by FWD, but that sort of thing in general) made me so anxious that I ended up having to limit my online activity to anon spaces.

The big problem I had was that the policing wasn't limited to clearly offensive statements, like "Crazy people should be all be locked up for life" or stuff like that - actual bigoted statements which I knew I would never make. But more energy seemed to go toward attacking individual words, regardless of context, or aggressively interpreting innocent statements to get the worst possible meaning. That made me feel, I think accurately, that there was no way to prevent myself from getting attacked.

Some words really are ableist and hurtful. I have no problem with saying that, for instance, "retard" is not okay.

But aggressive language policing can be extremely harmful to exactly the groups it's meant to protect. To turn their own phrase back on them, "intent doesn't matter."
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: At times like this, I miss FWD.
+ a million.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:39:23 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
http://doctorwhom54.tumblr.com/

^ This has me thinking fondly about my favorite whumpy episodes and/or moments of whump in otherwise blah episodes (movies/books/etc.).

What are some of yours, nonnies?
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Subject: Re: Canon Whump
Actual canon dialogue from Jesse Pinkman, of Breaking Bad: "For what it's worth... getting the shit kicked out of you? Not that you get used to it, but you do kinda get used to it." And he would know, poor darling.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:40:16 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
The thing that bothered me about FWD wasn't so much what various contributors said, but the way in which the comments sections were pretty much expected to be an echo chamber of "thanks for saying that!" or "I never thought of it that way before," with no room for polite disagreement. No, not everyone was s.e. smith, but there was a fair amount of hivemind that seemed to go beyond the basic premise of advocating for people with disabilities.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: At times like this, I miss FWD.
Agreed. And, no, not everyone was s.e. smith, but ou wasn't the only special snowflake there. Anna, for example, was the one who said that people should be able to talk through movies to their blind friends. Then you had Ouyang Dan, and then you had Abby Jean. It was a very, very passive-aggressive space with no tolerance for dissent, even from other people who were disabled. Especially on the issue of the social model, which, I'm sorry, just does not work for everybody.

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:42:47 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:

Most of all I wish people would treat people as individuals with individual needs and feelings rather than as block groups that should all react in lock step. And I definitely feel that the oppression olympics that have been going on the last few years is both emotionally unhealthy and rather self-indulgent -- encouraging fragility and unhealthy labeling by rewarding it with tons of positive attention.

You sum up my feelings on this very succinctly. It's often felt like we took all the "I am me, these are my particular frailties and my particular strengths, and I am entitled to respect and dignity in society," energy and threw it repeatedly in each other's faces, people with whom we basically agreed on the big stuff, rather than using it to approach the people who are unquestionably hurting us.

Of course there are endless qualifications to that statement: my small thing might be a big thing to you, and confronting the forces that oppress us can be draining, terrifying and present real risks. Something's just... gone very wrong in some of the ways we deal with that.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: At times like this, I miss FWD.
Something's just... gone very wrong in some of the ways we deal with that.

This is a chronic problem in politics, especially on the left. The One True Way™ gets defined more and more narrowly, and people who don't hew to the path, even if they're clearly oppressed, are berated for not "doing oppression right."

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Jan 26, 2013, 5:43:10 PM1/26/13
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Somebody replied to an anonymous comment left in a LiveJournal post. The comment they replied to was:
What elements need to be present for you to be fannish about something? (In general. I know we all have at least one or two fandoms that totally break the mold.)

Is it pairing potential? A fun, totally un-reality-like universe to play in? Already-existing fandom? High quality of canon? A particular trope or dynamic? Let us know here.
Their reply was:
Subject: Re: Your Fannish Requirements
There needs to be a relationship that feels unresolved or under-explored, as if there's a boatload of stuff going on between the characters that isn't fully worked-out in canon. The more stuff, the better, though my fannish engagement won't last long if I seem to be the only one who sees it, or if the fandom is too small or not prolific enough. A prolific fandom can keep me interested in a relatively unpromising canon.

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