HEY! SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!

[avaantares]

Fanfiction Authors: HEADS UP

(Non-authors, please RB to signal boost to your author friends!)

An astute reader informed me this morning that one of my fics (Children of the Future Age) had been pirated and was being sold as a novel on Amazon:

(And they weren't even creative with their cover design. If you're going to pirate something that I spent a full year of my life writing, at least give me a pretty screenshot to brag about later. Seriously.)

I promptly filed a DMCA complaint to have it removed, but I checked out the company that put it up -- Plush Books -- and it looks like A LOT of their books are pirated fic. They are by no means the only ones doing this, either -- the fact that """publishers""" can download stories from AO3 in ebook format and then reupload them to Amazon in just a few clicks makes fic piracy a common problem. There are a whole host of reasons why letting this continue is bad -- including actual legal risk to fanfiction archives -- but basically:

IF YOU ARE A FANFIC AUTHOR WITH LONG AND/OR POPULAR WORKS, PLEASE CHECK AMAZON TO SEE IF YOUR STORIES HAVE BEEN PIRATED.

You can search for your fics by title, or by text from the description (which is often just copied wholesale from AO3 as well). If you find that someone has stolen your work and is selling it as their own, you can lodge a DMCA complaint (Amazon.com/USA site; other countries have different systems). If you haven't done this before, it's easy! Here's a tutorial:

HOW TO FILE A COPYRIGHT COMPLAINT FOR STOLEN WORK ON AMAZON.COM:

First, go to this form. You'll need to be signed into your Amazon account.

Select the radio buttons/dropdown options (shown below) to indicate that you are the legal Rights Owner, you have a copyright concern, and it is about a pirated product.

Enter the name of your story in the Name of Brand field.

In the Link to the Copyrighted Work box, enter a link to the story on AO3 or whatever site your work is posted on.

In the Additional Information box, explain that you are the author of the work and it is being sold without your permission. That's all you really need. If you want, you can include additional information that might be helpful in establishing the validity of your claim, but you don't have to go into great detail. You can simply write something like this:

I am the author of this work, which is being sold by [publisher] without my permission. I originally published this story in [date/year] on [name of site], and have provided a link to the original above. On request, I can provide documentation proving that I am the owner of the account that originally posted this story.

In the ASIN/ISBN-10 field, copy and paste the ID number from the pirated copy's URL. You'll find this ten-digit number in the Amazon URL after the word "product," as in the screenshot below. (If the URL extends beyond this number, you can ignore everything from the question mark on.) Once this number has been added, Amazon will pull the product information automatically and add it to the complaint form, so you can check the listing title and make sure it's correct.

Finally, add your contact information to the relevant fields, check the "I have read and accept the statements" box, and then click Submit. You should receive an email confirmation that Amazon has received the form.

Please share this information with your writer friends, keep an eye out for/report pirated works, and help us keep fanfiction free and legally protected!

NOTE: All of the above also applies to Amazon products featuring stolen artwork, etc., so fan artists should check too!

[paceyjoeys]

BEETLEJUICE (1988) dir. Tim Burton

[injuries-in-dust]

Forgotten By History

Female firefighters at Pearl Harbor (1941).

Donna Tobias - the first woman to graduate from the US Navy’s Deep Sea Diving School in 1975.

Brave women of the Red Cross hitting the beach at Normandy.

Dottie Kamenshek was called the best player in women’s baseball and was once recruited to play for a men’s professional team.

Kate Warne - Private Detective. Born in New York City, almost nothing is known of her prior to 1856 when, as a young widow, she answered an employment advertisement placed by Alan Pinkerton. She was one of four new agents the Pinkerton Detective Agency hired that year and proved to be a natural, taking to undercover work easily. She had taken part in embezzlement and railroad security cases when in 1861 the Pinkertons developed the first lead about an anti-Lincoln conspiracy.

Catherine Leroy, female photographer in Vietnam.

The three women pictured in this incredible photograph from 1885 – Anandibai Joshi of India, Keiko Okami of Japan, and Sabat Islambouli of Syria – each became the first licensed female doctors in their respective countries. The three were students at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania; one of the only places in the world at the time where women could study medicine.

Female Samurai Warrior - Onno-Bugeisha - Female warrior belonging to the Japanese upper class. Many women engaged in battle, commonly alongside samurai men. They were members of the bushi (samurai) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war.

One of the most feared of all London street gangs from the late 1880’s was a group of female toughs known as the Clockwork Oranges. They woulde later inspire Anthony burgess’ most notorious novel. Their main Rivals were the All-female “the Forty Elephants” gang.

Maureen Dunlop de Popp, Pioneering female pilot who flew Spitfires during Second World War. She joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in 1942 and became one of a small group of female pilots who were trained to fly 38 types of aircraft.

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston marathon. After realizing that a woman was running, race organizer Jock Semple went after Switzer shouting, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.” However, Switzer’s boyfriend and other male runners provided a protective shield during the entire marathon. The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines, and Kathrine later won the NYC marathon with a time of 3:07:29.

[imfemalewarrior]

Women have always participated in fighting; whether that is in war or in breaking down barriers that have been set in front of us by society. 

Take inspiration from our foremothers and continue breaking down barriers, wherever you are. 

-FemaleWarrior, She/They 

[ladylouoflothlorien]

nothing to do with my blog but how could I not reblog this???

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Hey, quick point - your image for Onna Bugeisha is actually a kabuki actress. I know, because I’ve used the image for presentations on the subject. In her stead may I introduce Niijima Yae, aka Yamamoto Yaeko.

Born in 1845.

In 1868, fought at the Battle of Aizu. Her father was the gunnery instructor, and she was trained on a Spencer carbine, which she used to defend the castle.

1871, divorced her husband and went to Kyoto to find her brother, who had been taken as a POW.

1871-1898, remarried a western-educated man, co-founded two schools (including a girls’ school), became a certified Tea Master and flower arranging instructor.

1890, following the death of her husband, became a Red Cross nurse. Served in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-5) leading a team of 40 nurses, and the Russo-Japanese War (1904). Decorated for her service in both.

[injuries-in-dust]

I’m proud of people adding their own knowledge to this.

[paverics]

“but adding women to [insert title] isn’t accurate!” women existed back then too, baby. history was just written by men, for men

[pennielane]

Julie Andrews burns the President of Warner Brothers during her Best Actress acceptance speech for Mary Poppins at the 1965 Golden Globes Perhaps one of the biggest scandals of Golden Age Hollywood was the decision by Jack Warner, president of Warner Brothers, to cast Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in the movie adaptation of My Fair Lady instead of Julie Andrews. Julie originated the role of Eliza on Broadway and in London - which has been heralded as one of the most difficult Broadway characters of all time - for three straight years, stunning audiences around the world. To provide some modern perspective, My Fair Lady was the Hamilton of its time, selling millions of copies of the Broadway recording in a matter of months, every single Broadway and London show sold-out for its entire record-breaking run. To everyone at the time, Julie was Eliza Doolittle, so to see her passed up for the movie adaptaion sent shockwaves through Hollywood. However, because Jack passed on Julie for the role, Walt Disney was able to cast her in Mary Poppins, for which she won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Julie stated of the Golden Globes night: “I suddenly realized that if Jack Warner had asked me to do My Fair Lady, which I missed out on, I would never have been able to do Mary Poppins.” Her dig - deft, quick, and spoken in her classically sweet nature - took enormous courage, delivering it to the most powerful man in Hollywood in front of all his peers. A member of the audience stated: “Everybody screamed. It was like a thunderous scream, everyone was laughing [including Jack Warner, pictured above]. That was her little sweet revenge.”

[nova-arcania]

[stream]

Addams Family Values (1993) dir. Barry Sonnenfeld

[retrotvblr]

THE MUPPET SHOW (1976 - 1981)  —1.19 Special Guest: Vincent Price

[artfest]

[xiaq]

I’m fifty papers in to this round of grading. Please enjoy a selection of out-of-context comments I’ve left on students’ papers so far:

Further updates as warranted.

[xiaq]

Important update as we hit paper 70. 

Memo to all college writers. If you’re going to write a paper on country music for a born-and-raised Texan professor, make sure you’ve got your facts straight. 

[xiaq]

And with this, I conclude my first round of freshman grading. Hallelujah. In general, I’m quite proud of the work they turned in. Importantly: not a single person failed.

[strawberrygiorno]

[ID: Screenshots of several comments on papers left by op. They read:

- “juicy” is not a very scholarly word.

- It’s true and you should say it.

- lol. You had me in the first half, I’m not gunna lie.

- I think “dicelexea” is the most interesting spelling I’ve seen for “dyslexia” maybe ever.

- “shot off into oblivion” is not a very scholarly phrase

- NO

- why are you shouting at me

- I like it. But it’s a run-on sentence.

- Why would you hurt me like this. MLA format, please!

- How would you feel about becoming an English major?

- this is dangerously close to “throughout history”…but I will allow it.

- The song was actually written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, who both had close family/friends who were diagnosed with fatal illnesses. McGraw heard it demo […]

- I’ll try not to take that personally.

- It’s true and you should say it. But perhaps say it in the active voice next time.

- yes cap

- no cap

- I know I tell y'all not to strive for perfection, but you have obtained it nonetheless with this, the most beautiful Works Cited I have ever had the privilege to behold.

- If you chose to use Shakespeare as a way of ingratiating yourself to me/my love of the bard…your devious plan is working.

- your proper use of semicolons is a beacon of hope in these trying times

- Othello is a play, not a novel.

- I also like to use periods for emphasis. In an academic paper, however, try to use punctuation for its intended stylistic purpose.

- NICE

- please excuse me while I cry

- There are times when “fuck” is absolutely warranted in an academic paper. Alas, this is not one of those times.

[omgthatdress]

Greta Garbo in Mata Hari, 1931

Designs by Adrian

[omgthatdress]

Hedy Lamarr in The Great Zigfield, 1936

Costume by Adrian

[weonsinnombre]

[pisswallet]

Ok, Queen

[uncle-cazador]

Yes please

[nevver]

Geometry homework, Lin Yung Cheng

[ladyoftheteaandblood]

Because

there are never enough post with these pictures.

(pictures not mine)

[turniptitaness]

I was scrolling too fast, and these were sprung upon me without warning.

Thanks for that.

[mewchao]

Tiger kitty

[thewintersoldier]

Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

[thedeployy-deactivated20241114]

[talesfromthecrypts]

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great — You have no power over me.