roma★
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
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Janaina Medeiros
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Stranger Things
Misplaced Lens Cap
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Origami Around
taylor price
art blog(derogatory)
Not today Justin
oozey mess
#extradirty
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Andulka
Acquired Stardust
DEAR READER
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@allochthon
I don't even tumblr any more, I only read @petermorwood, while not logged in. I keep this post open in a tab at all times, and re-read it about once a week. @merriam-webster: "we tried to like this twice" breaks me every time. (And I now follow @OKWildlifeDept, @thoughtsofdog and @weratedogs on twitter. That's it.)
Is The Tolkien Estate crazy?
Have you seen FAQ on the new The Tolkien Estate webpage? https://www.tolkienestate.com/frequently-asked-questions-and-links/?fbclid=IwAR3oyGPRKgf1sE3B9D_3e1WtVJaYV0yZHConYXedDJY79tDy8SKmYetqrY4 No fanfiction, no fanzines, no Tolkien music, no Tolkien quotes (without permission), no writing in Tolkien languages (if you intend to post it somewhere), no Tolkien-related events (even charitable and not-for-profit ones - no exceptions), no public readings (without permission), no recordings of reading of Tolkien works (and TE is going to take action against unauthorized audiobooks or readings on social media), no Tolkien photographs. Tell me if it is true, or if someone is joking!
Holy crap, it’s been YEARS since anyone did something as stupid as try and threaten fanfic writers. Those are dark days we talk about as legends! Does anyone know when these policies were published and if any legal actions have actually been taken?
Good lord, reading through this whole thing, this could be the death of the fandom. we may have to go underground, because the level of control they have exerted over this outright stops fans from even interacting with the work. It’s far beyond stopping people from making a bit of cash off of it, it full on threatens any creator who wishes to engage with the material! I’m honestly surprised they didn’t just go all the way and say making fan art is illegal too!
I don’t know the exact day that the new policies came out, but it was within the past two weeks. I haven’t heard that the estate has cracked down on anyone yet. It’s probably too soon still.
I’ve been checking some of the other large Tolkien fan communities (theonering.net, Tolkien Society, Silmarillion Writers’ Guild) to see if anyone has released a statement about the new policies, but I haven’t seen anything yet; nearly all discussion so far has been relegated to the site’s new appearance and the new artwork released on it. (Although there is this hilarious Reddit discussion about the new policies.)
I’m not sure how many Tolkien fanfic sites are left since I only use AO3, but this makes me wonder what could happen to the fanfic sites that haven’t yet moved their archives onto AO3 and don’t have the protection of AO3′s lawyers, should the estate decide to crack down on Tolkien fanfic sites. This could really deal a blow to some of those communities if the estate firmly enforces the new policies.
I’m astonished, though, that relatively no large Tolkien communities (that I’ve seen) are talking about the changes, except for on here, and that even the conversation about it here is pretty limited. I don’t know how seriously the Tolkien Estate will enforce this, but it’s a major shift in tone from the estate nonetheless.
that link has Facebook tracky nonsense in the URL, here’s a clean one:
and emyn-arnens’s “within the last two weeks” is as of 2022 March 5
To clarify a point: The wording they use for fan fiction seems to be designed to rule out fan art, too. You should probably ask a lawyer (which I am not) for details, but the wording there is not limited to literary fan material, it seems to cover everything a fan might want to create.
they’re also including in this ban such things as quotations for the purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, or research that the Tolkien estate won’t like—I know this because the only thing they’re saying about quotations is “here’s where to ask for permission” and having to ask implies the possibility the answer will be no—and criticism, comment, scholarship, or research that the copyright holder won’t like are so unambiguously the sort of thing that US copyright law protects as fair use that I’m quoting those purposes from Section 107.
which, even setting aside all the discussions about the legality of fanfiction and composing songs in Elvish and etc, tells me the Tolkien estate didn’t consult an IP lawyer.
This is a hoot, they have said very seriously that you cannot use the trademark TOLKIEN name for anything without permission, examples given are things like: naming a park. I am fascinated by the implication that fanfic, academic works and rogue municipal park-namers are some of the key menacing threats to intellectual property
Apparently they did consult IP lawyers (lots of the links go to Maier Blackburn) but either they’re really very bad, or they don’t understand non-commercial fanworks at all. Or they’re aiming to piss off the fans.
Plus, this:
Almost every damn country in the world has a Tolkien Society! They’re not for profit, they live from donations and do literally nothing else except a) sit around and discuss Tolkien’s work and b) promote Tolkien’s work at events. They’re literally providing free advertising. Now who wants to bet that these annual licenses will be prohibitively expensive??
Oh, they also don’t want any music inspired by Tolkien’s works…
[Image ID: a screenshot from the office FAQ of the Tolkien estate, containing the following text: Clubs and Societies. How do I set up an official Tolkien club or society? Tolkien clubs and societies require a license to use the Tolkien name, which is a registered trademark. The Estate will consider, amongst other things, the proposed objects, constitution and management of the club or society when determining whether a license will be granted.]
this is fucking ridiculous
other things they want to be able to deny people permission for:
Any public readings of Tolkien’s work, even non-commercial ones. Tolkien Reading Day has been a well-established event in the fandom for years, and they would very much like this to not be a thing.
Documentaries. They will only accept requests from “established commercial broadcasters” so I guess that rules out video essays and other amateur documentaries.
Using his name in the “promotion” of “events or festivals”. What is an event or festival? Well, I don’t know, but it’s a good thing the pandemic isn’t over yet, ‘cause if you had planned a Tolkien panel/talk/whatever at a con (of any kind) that would potentially fall under this. To reiterate: If you want to talk about his works at a conference you essentially need permission to do so.
Fanzines, or more specifically: “Unfortunately permission cannot be given for publications which use the name TOLKIEN or the Tolkien Estate’s copyright materials”. Of course “fanzine” is a very broad category and also, it clearly says “publication”. So essentially, you are not allowed to independently publish critical analysis of Tolkien’s work, ever.
Making songs for Tolkien’s poetry. Honestly this probably pisses me off the most. Tell me the professor wouldn’t be absolutely delighted by the vast number of artists who have made songs out of his words.
In conclusion, you may only interact with his work by giving money to the Tolkien estate, you may not talk about his work, you may not take inspiration from his work, you may not utter his name without asking permission (and presumably paying a license fee).
I don’t presume to know the minds of people long dead, but considering he set out to create a great folkloric epic for England, I doubt the Professor would have wanted this.
This is actually a very good point. Any crafters out there that want any Tolkien associated craft pattern may want to grab them now. Fanfiction is one thing, but we have seen companies easily come through and take down patterns in recent years. Ghibli just did it recently themselves, and there’s no group like Ao3 to protect us.
/scurries of to write Tolkien Estate IP Lawyers / AO3 IP Lawyers hatesex slash fic...
Okay, I never use Tumblr any more, and I’m a terrible graphic designer. Someone good make a good version of this, pretty please? (And then make it go viral somehow, like get a BNF to re-post/tweet it?)
Alternatively, I can’t be the first to have this idea/do this. Point me to previous (better) versions?
Okay, I never use Tumblr any more, and I’m a terrible graphic designer. Someone good make a good version of this, pretty please? (And then make it go viral somehow, like get a BNF to re-post/tweet it?)
the USPS is now REMOVING MAIL SORTING MACHINES. the shit is hitting the fan. i need to reiterate that signing petitions or texting a number that sends an email isn’t going to cut it. dont send complaints to louis dejoy’s office or any bullshit like that. don’t waste your time. people who live in the US need to CALL their Senators and House reps. you need to post about this constantly. you need to make a big deal about this with friends and family. get them do it too.
if you want to save the USPS i am BEGGING you call your representatives directly to DEMAND they co-sponsor and vote for:
1. the Delivering for America Act (call HOUSE reps). This attempts to reverse the bullshit Trump is doing.
A new bill aimed at reversing organizational and structural changes undertaken at the United States Postal Service by the new postmaster gen
2. USPS Fairness Act (call SENATORS). This is a MAJOR repeal of the bullshit the Bush admin and the Republicans did in 2006 that fucked over the USPS in the first place.
All Info for S.2965 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): USPS Fairness Act
3. HEROES Act (call SENATORS). This is the coronavirus omnibus that includes IMMEDIATE USPS relief. Make it clear you want the USPS portion to be included.
Yesterday, the 13 House Committee chairmen with jurisdction over coronavirus relief introduced major legislation to, in part, provide emerge
Here’s a template of what you can say when you call! ”Hi, I’m a constituent of your state and my zip code is [xxxxx]. I’m calling to ask that USPS funding be included in the next relief package, that there be an investigation into Postmaster DeJoy’s new policies, and a vote for the USPS Fairness Act.” source: https://www.boredpanda.com/post-office-usps-slow-mail-voting/?utm_source=ecosia&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic
The REGALIA, the beauty, the pride. Yes little sisters!
It's much easier to pat ourselves on the back for acknowledging their "heroism" than it is to, I dunno, pay them a living wage or give them healthcare.
They don't want to be hailed as heroes. They want to be able to pay their bills. #RespectLabor
New Webinar: Cultural Appropriation - What It Is and How To Avoid It
New Writing the Other Webinar: Cultural Appropriation - What It Is and How To Avoid It. With flexible registration fee options!
Nisi Shawl and I are teaching a webinar on Cultural Appropriation next month. This class has low-cost registrations and a donation/Pay What You Can Afford option to make it more widely available to writers affected by COVID-19. Basic details:
When: May 2, 2020, 10AM – 1PM Pacific Time (Click to see when this happens in your time zone) Where: Online via Zoom video conference Price: $20 – $30 or…
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Does anyone else feel, like, a weird inhibition against starting new TV shows? Like, there are shows I want to watch but when I think about sitting down to start it something in me goes “no you can’t just do that.” What am i waiting for? I feel like I need to prepare? Brain: You have to wait. Me: Wait for what??? Brain: WAIT
I found out recently that it’s due to not having enough emotional or mental space to process something new. Got too much going on in your own head/real life already.
Me: I would like to experience this new thing.
My Brain:… no.
Me: Why not?
My Brain: Can’t do it. Not today.
Me: Whyyyyyyyy?
My Brain: Because we are processing at capacity and one more stream is going to crash the whole system.
Me, aloud: I’m not in the mood to try (new thing) right now.
THIS IS A REAL THING??? ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!!?
Wow. that explains… so much
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Don't forget to wear your covid mask in public.
Eras come in all colours of the rainbow.
Quarantine Day: ???
Laysan albatrosses have a large repertoire of dance moves they use to show affection, so it’s no coincidance that Makana was eager to help out.
HUGE shoutout to amazing Aviculturist Madeline for putting together this TikTok!!
Sound on. (check the orig tags!)
This is messy.
welcome to hell welcome to hell wel
“The home incarceration program is well-suited for this,” Amy Hess, Louisville’s chief of public services, told the newspaper. “It provides us with the proper amount of distancing. We can monitor activity after (the monitoring device) gets affixed to them… to make sure they’re not further affecting the community.”
Holy shit.
holy shit
What. The. Actual. Fucking. Fuck. Right. Now.
Just submitted this to Snopes. Never done that before, so I have no idea if/when they'll get to it.
Brilliant takedown of Hamilton and male entitlement.
fear of lumps :(
Fear of the deep darkness, and the extreme cold and roaming deadzones, I would imagine.
but the ocean is much smaller and less scary when you are sufficiently huge, and it’s much warmer when you are sufficiently lumpy
why would everyone want to be a desert mouse instead of a humpback whale :/
well maybe they don’t want to be mice and they want to be fennec foxes or desert hares instead
and if you don’t specify “humpback whale” on hour application I might assign you to being an elephant seal, or a walrus... I would rather be a mouse than a Beach Master
I haven't checked all the notes, but can I choose KRAKEN?
