This Is A Callout Post.

Shout out to all your internet friends who are gone.

Those messenger screen names that haven’t logged on in ages, some before detailed profiles were a thing on those services.

Those emails that are long since abandoned, some with domains that no longer exist.

Those online friends you knew years ago and who then helped shaped you in some way, who you just can’t FIND anymore.

Those people who once were, and hopefully still exist IRL, that seem to have no known internet life anymore.

And those who have actually passed on, and their online lives are now a memorial to them.

I miss you all. I hope life is/was kind to you, and maybe one day, we’ll somehow connect again.

same. i actually had them last year when i was still in school at these exact times, now i have them a quarter hour later.

If you are a student Follow @studentlifeproblems​

Seriously AO3? I just wanted to get to the next part of the series (the last part ended with a cliffhanger that would get solved in the next part. That's the only thing I remember from when I read it 5 years ago)

Please AO3, get back online. I just wanted to finish my bedtime reading :(

wtf?! cool.

Hogwarts House Sub-Types

Everyone who knows Harry Potter knows by now that, while a lot of stock is put into houses, there are more than four types of people and the four houses therefore lead to some oversimplification. I came up with these sub-types for one of the stories I’m writing, but thought I’d share them outside of it because I’ve never run into anything quite like this before.

Note: Within each house, you will have people who do not fit neatly into a sub-type listed here. Those people usually have a mixture of traits from different sub-types within their house, and are often the ones viewed as most stereotypical of their house. I call these “All-Rounders”.

Ravenclaw

Lost in Thought - Ravenclaws who often get pulled away with an idea. Sometimes, these runaway-thoughts lead to the exclusion of everything else around them, and can cause the Ravenclaw to forget what they were doing. These Ravenclaws are the most likely to be labeled as ‘dreamy’ or ‘eccentric’.

Experimental Method - Ravenclaws who enjoy putting things to the test, and refuse to accept something as true if it hasn’t been appropriately supported with evidence. When someone suggests an idea as truth (like this list), these Ravenclaws may wonder if the idea would stand up to scientific rigor.

Walking Library - Ravenclaws who love to read and learn from books. They tend to have a very good memory for what they’ve read, and will often share this knowledge without prompting. 

Experts - Ravenclaws who have a particular topic they are interested in, and are learning everything they can about that topic. Often, they have knowledge in one or two areas well beyond the expected level for their age and education but are perfectly average or even below average in every other subject.

Banned Books - Ravenclaws who believe no knowledge should be forbidden, or at least not to them. These Ravenclaws aren’t afraid to study dangerous or illegal topics, even if they should be. Not every Banned Books-type Ravenclaw will end up with the wrong crowds, but this is the type of Ravenclaw most likely to go there.

Hufflepuff

Social Justice Warriors - These Hufflepuffs recognize the unfairness in the world, but don’t accept it as natural and unchangeable. When these Hufflepuffs say something isn’t fair, it isn’t an empty complaint. They want change, and will usually put in the work or organize the group to make it happen.

BFF Defense Squad - These Hufflepuffs live out the words, “If you mess with my friends, then you mess with me.” They are extremely loyal and will go to corresponding lengths to defend and life up the people they love.

Soft Slytherin - These Hufflepuffs are so ambitious that others sometimes wonder why they weren’t sorted into Slytherin. Usually, the ruthlessness associated with Slytherin is traded out for Hufflepuff’s brand of hard work. These Hufflepuffs are less likely to take advantage of shortcuts on the way to their goals than someone sorted into the house of snakes.

“I can do anything, but not everything.” - These Hufflepuffs know that with enough hard work, any goal is achievable. They prioritize well, and will likely go far in the areas they choose to develop.

“I can do EVERYTHING.” These Hufflepuffs work just as hard as the second type, but fail to prioritize or focus their work. This often leads to having many unfinished projects, or burning out from overwork. 

Gryffindor

Hero(ine) - These Gryffindors will rush into a situation where someone needs help, regardless of the context. They cannot stand by while someone else is in danger or hurting. These Gryffindors have hearts of gold, but often end up hurt or in trouble because of this tendency.

Adrenaline Junkie - These Gryffindors love to take risks of any kind. They enjoy doing things that prove or display their bravery. Often this is in front of an audience, but it can also be proof to themselves. This category of Gryffindors is likely to produce athletes and performers because of this thrill-seeking behavior. 

Strong and Silent - These Gryffindors have a quieter type of bravery. They stand up for those who need it and do the right thing without drawing attention to themselves. Often, this means they are underappreciated or not seen as brave. 

Shaking Hands - These Gryffindors are the ones who struggle, but keep trying. They are afraid, but bravely push on. The right thing to do is not obvious to them when it seems to be to others, but they do their best every day. Shaking Hands Gryffindors are related to type three in that they aren’t recognized enough for their bravery.

Big Head Boy - These Gryffindors associate themselves with the Hero-types, the well-known Adrenaline Junkies, and the other desirable types of Gryffindors, but don’t do the same level of work to back this up. This can lead to them getting arrogant, becoming irritating to those around them, or even bullying.

Slytherin

Politician - These Slytherins love the power plays and complicated dynamics often associated with Slytherin House. Usually their goals for their adult life are political in nature, whether that means working in the government or behind the scenes. These Slytherins seek understand what is happening under the surface of every major interaction and read the subtext in everything.

Knowledge is Power. These Slytherins might be accused of secretly being a Ravenclaw. They love to learn, and will study a wide range of topics or look deeply into certain ones. What differs from a Ravenclaw, however, is that these Slytherins are driven to learn by the ways their knowledge can be put to use instead of for the sake of the learning itself.

Problem Solvers - These Slytherins will find the most expedient solution for any problem they are faced with. Often, they will find several effective, quick solutions. When giving a problem to these Slytherins to solve you should always give them all of the constraints you are working within, including moral ones. These Slytherins are not immoral but they often believe that the end justifies the means, so they need to know how far you are willing to go. Regardless of the constraints you give them, these Slytherins will find you an answer.

Behind the Scenes - These Slytherins embody the cunning and sneaky portions of their House’s reputation. Often, you won’t see the work they do or know how active they are. These Slytherins may control the gossip mill in their environment, or be the brains behind a political-type Slytherin. Unless you ask them, and they bring you into their confidence, you’ll never know.

Ruthless Slytherins - These Slytherins will do anything to get what they want. They are related to problem solvers, but don’t bring your problems to them unless you’ve accepted that the solutions they give will benefit them at least as much as they benefit you. This is the type of Slytherin most likely to cause or get into trouble, and then find a way out of it again that leaves them looking squeaky clean.

So, there you have it. There aren’t four types of people - there are twenty-one.

One of Kamala's biggest hobbies in the comics is writing fanfiction. Have any of you ever written fanfiction?

[Image Description: Tag reading “I know everyone really reads this for the home renovation sections not the sex”]

The AO3 Tag of the Day is: An ace lesbian

the joy of AuDHD and executive dysfunction 😅

anybody else in the club feeling this one

In response to the reactions I’ve seen to #EndOTWRacism

Four things that can, actually, co-exist:

1.) being anti-censorship

2.) writing extremely kinky, fucked up idfic

3.) being a longtime lover and supporter of AO3

4.) supporting the End OTW Racism initiative

There are only four things the End OTW Racism initiative is asking for right now.

ASK ONE:

Harassment policies that can be regularly updated to address both on-site harassment and off-site coordinated harassment of AO3 users, with updated protocols for the Policy & Abuse Team to ensure consistent and informed resolutions of abuse claims

If the inclusion of “off-site coordinated harassment of AO3 users” upsets you, try one of the following:

1.) consider the idea that a person should be able to submit evidence of off-site harassment in conjunction with reports of on-site harassment, or

2.) go to the final thought at the bottom of this post.

ASK TWO:

A content policy on abusive (extremely racist and extremely bigoted) content; by abusive, we are talking about fanworks that are intentionally used to spread hate and harassment, not those that accidentally invoke racist or other bigoted stereotypes

Say it louder for the people in the back: “we are talking about fanworks that are intentionally used to spread hate and harassment, NOT those that accidentally invoke racist or other bigoted stereotypes.”

(If you believe removing works that harass actual human beings is the same thing as censorship, you’ll need to engage with someone who has far more spoons than I do.)

ASK THREE:

Hiring a Diversity Consultant within the next 3-6 months

How is this controversial?  It’s been THREE YEARS.

ASK FOUR:

Committing to a policy of transparency on this topic, with quarterly updates on the progress of these projects including challenges and their plan for overcoming those challenges. These quarterly updates should be published on OTW News page and newsletters, not solely discussed in Board meetings

This is not a big ask.  This is an important enough topic that one should not be forced to either attend the Board meetings or read the published Board minutes in order to receive an update.

Final thought:

Your beliefs do not have to perfectly align with a movement (nor every person within that movement) in order to support that movement.

And if you think they do, please consider how that works in real life. (It doesn’t; that’s how movements get divided.)

And perhaps also take a moment to appreciate the purity culture/purity wank implications. (“I only support things that are absolutely perfect!”)

This post is from May 18, 2023.  The End OTW Racism initiative referred to here is the planned two weeks of action from May 17 through May 31, 2023.

As a batfam enjoyer: Jason’s character has not been handled well since UTRH and Lost Days, meaning he has not had nearly the correct story impact in decades, so him fitting into the batfam right now is nowhere near even a decent writing decision. His entire character is meant to be discomforting to and challenging Bruce constantly. He was reduced to “trigger happy idiot with daddy issues and no solid beliefs” almost immediately and has stayed like that, so he is being thrust into another supporting role without getting 5% of the individual growth that the other main characters get.

It shows very clearly in that he doesn’t even get his very first established skills levels, making him seem incompetent in order to shove him into a role within the batfam. This can’t even be excused by “the writers focused so much on the emotional aspect that they altered everything else to fit” because the closest we’ve gotten to genuine, not shallow emotions was the cheer induced desire scene in Urban Legends. And it was followed by Jason giving up guns, very obviously a lead up to him giving up killing for Batman.