Porn. Erotica. Smut. Adult fanfiction and fanart. Rule 34 is dark and full of terrors. Currently obsessed with Arcane & TMA. Do Archive, if you like; your funeral. @you_tacky_thing on twt, @youtackything on bsky, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tacky_tramp/works
An open letter to the Organization for Transformative Works' legal team:
Dear @transformativeworks Legal,
I am requesting that you take action on Speechify/WordStream's wholesale theft of non-commercial fanworks for commercial purposes.
As you are probably aware, Speechify, an app that uses AI voices to turn user-supplied text into audiobooks, has created a spinoff app called WordStream. WordStream has scraped many, many works of fanfiction from AO3, and has published AI-generated audiobooks of these fics. They charge users for access to these audiobooks, under a subscription model. Not only has this company, run by Cliff Weitzman, violated AO3 users' copyrights, it has done so for profit.
I understand that only authors themselves can file DMCA takedown notices when their fics are stolen. However, there are steps the OTW can take on this matter:
1. Notify all AO3 users via email that their work may have been stolen, and give them next steps. This is what companies are required to do in the event of a data breach, and that's effectively what this is.
2. Publish a blog post about WordStream's theft, and promote it on social media.
3. Send a letter to Speechify, educating them about fanfiction and copyright. Explain that fanfiction is *not* in the public domain, and therefore the users whose work they've stolen have legal recourse against them. Demand they take down all fanfiction they have stolen.
4. Reach out through your networks in tech and publishing to raise awareness of this and marshall support for a campaign to pressure Speechify to remove all fanfiction they posted without author permission.
I am a former OTW volunteer, and I would be happy to assist with any of this!
The Malevolent Finale. Letβs talk about it. Spoilers ahead folks.
I first off want to say that I didnβt hate the finale and want to congratulate HG on creating a genuinely intriguing show. This show helped me through my darkest year and has been a comfort to me ever since. I have spent over 200 hours listening to this show and its episodes and have dedicated my time and energy into loving it and consuming every ounce of it. But like everything I love that has also been a comfort to me, it also has its flaws. Thatβs doesnβt necessarily mean its bad, but it deserves criticism and praise all the same.
To start with the pre-show/post-show. It was lovely, felt really inclusive but Iβm slightly disappointed that there wasnβt more of an in-depth QnA because thatβs what I expected, but I also understand that it was quite late where they were filming and so they were probably tired, fair enough. I did also get a bit irked out with some things that were said though. (P.S. these are not exact quotes)
βIf you donβt like the finale, Malevolent wasnβt written for you.β Thisβ¦ hurt. To say the least. Like I explained, Malevolent has become a safe space and a comfort for me and has really helped me in times of stress and overstimulation and inconsistency. It was always consistent and always there. Hearing that, made me feel like if I didnβt absolutely love and adore every second of the finale then I would be losing that safe space and that was stressful. I went into the finale with anxiety which I think led to me not being able to enjoy it as much which made me more stressed out.
βI know thereβs going to be negativity but ignore that because this is a show about hope.β Writing, no matter how good or bad is meant to be analysed and criticised and if youβre a good writer youβll know that and understand that. Youβll know that youβre not perfect and not everyone is going to be happy with every single aspect of something you write. Hell, Iβm a writer myself and shit it hurts when someone says itβs not your best work, but you find out how to fix it and make it better, or you move on and say that you canβt please everyone. Telling your audience to ignore all negativity basically tells them you donβt want your audience to think critically about the show and how things could be different or better and that feels like a bad stance to have.
Moving on to the actual episode. I do have good things to say but I also have negative things to say. Iβll start with the things I didnβt love and then talk about the things I did.
Faroe. Big one. I love Faroe, she is a brilliant character and has so much potential, especially with her being a teenager. But it felt like it defeated Arthurβs entire character arc. He spent so much time trying to come to terms with his grief, trying to understand what Faroe would want and how to respect her after her death and he even says the line βitβs time I found a new purpose.β A fantastic way to move away from the grief arc while still have that being a part of his character. And then she justβ¦ came back? I am really happy that sheβll be voiced by Jo though in the new series but still, it sort of destroys the whole purpose of Arthurβs arc.
Arthurβs βdeathβ. I mean, again? I wasnβt upset because I had truly cried so much in episode 56. In Parting Glass I was genuinely convinced that Arthur had died and sobbed for a while that night, the episode made me sick and I struggled with it. And then he came back and my grief was useless. Yes I call it grief which sounds dramatic, but I struggle a lot with the deaths of characters and having dealt with grief ten times over in my life itβs comparable to me, slightly less difficult but deeply troubling still. Him coming back in 57 already hit me and made me frustrated, wasted grief and a wasted month of depression for a character that came back with no consequences. So, when he βdiedβ in 60 I was more frustrated than anything, he would come back and I knew it. And he did, as I expected. Iβve said it before and Iβll say it again, either Parting Glassβ ending shouldnβt have happened, and it should have been saved for The Final Act or Arthur should have stayed dead.
Lillith. Oh Lillith, how I adore you. She is such a brilliant character who was diminished. She, like Faroe, had so much potential and I still hold out hope for her in Threshold. I didnβt appreciate that HG said that he βgot around to giving her her momentβ and her moment was helping a man. Through her entire original characterisation, it seemed to me that she didnβt have respect for a lot of men, especially those who downplay or deny women in their lives. She talks about Alia so fondly and so angrily. She talks about the injustices that Alia suffered and how she deserves a peaceful death. She talks about Faroe and how she was neglected, how she was denied a life by her selfish father. I understand and respect the idea that she was showing off her humanity in that last part, and you know what, I love that. But thatβs not her moment. Thatβs Arthurβs, sheβs just there. She deserved to kill Kayne and the Manager, she deserved to be the hero for once, she deserved to have a moment, just for her. And she didnβt get that.
Loose ends. Charlie Dowd, Alia, Anna Staczyk, Oscarβs letter, Horig, Malam, all of them were just briefly mentioned at the end as a way of hooking us into the next series and that stings. Like, no, no, if youβre going to end a series and start a new one, wrap up your loose ends. You can continue their stories and expand on it but at least give them some sort of satisfactory completion. Charlie being brought up in the second to last episode to then not even have an appearance in the last episode was brutal, it felt a bit rushed. Like HG just wanted the first series, this campaign to finish and be done with but still had so much he hadnβt answered that he had to be like βdonβt worry! I havenβt forgot theyβll just come up next series!β like sure thatβs cool but it doesnβt make sense. HG brought up TMA and how it had a tragic ending and he didnβt want that but at least TMA wrapped up its plot points (as far as I can remember) before it continued onto the next series, which does still feature the same characters, but shows them from a new perspective. Leading me to my next point.
Arthur and John. I love them, I really do, especially John, but I expected their story to end and for it to move onto another character and show their perspective. Someone on here said that the show has gone on for 6 seasons without an end and now it feels like itβs just continuing without a break. Like yes thereβs a hiatus, but it still follows the same characters, same investigative style, same same. They need to be put down and put away; itβs time to hear someone elseβs story or perspective (even if John and Arthur are still there).
Now the good stuff!
The music. I always love the music in this show and I loved Kayneβs performance. It was so in character, and it was so interesting to hear and listen to. The energy was just so perfect especially with Arthur and John trying to convince him not to kill the world and Kayne just being chaotic as always.
Kayne. Heβs actually quite the perfect villain to me. Like heβs so unhinged and chaotic but his violence and anger is so intriguing and captivating that it just makes him such a complex character. I also adored Arthurβs love about Kayne being βthe perfect example of a God who caresβ because YES. He truly is. Heβs violent and angry but itβs so perfect because the truth it a lot of people would also be violent and angry at the indifference of their God. Heβs angry for people being denied opportunity and freedom. The fight scene with him was also immaculate to me, like the tension and the discussions he has with Arthur. I love the way he interacts with them every time. Heβs truly a brilliantly complex character and I think that makes him an amazing villain. I do believe heβll also make a reappearance in Threshold. Like I have a feeling that Arthur and John will contact him at some point trying to find Charlie which is why he was kept alive.
Arthur and the Black Stone. Arthur being able to hold the Black Stone and it not affect him GOD that shit was good. Like I expected it but also it was just so satisfying, like Kayne was his own ruin because of it, and I found his interaction with Arthur during that scene funny. I just, ugh, that scene was so deeply satisfying to me, truly. And the fact that Arthur is the last surviving Arthur is so interesting and cool, the fact that that is what makes Arthur able to destroy the Black Stone.
Lillith. I love that she got away. Alexa, play βThe Subwayβ by Chappell Roan. Like sheβll definitely make another appearance in Threshold. The way she took the stones and fucked off. I love you Lillith, please marry me. Iβm so normal about her I swear. Her independence and strength is so so important to me as a feminist.
Itβs still early days of the episode being released and Iβve only listened to it a couple of times, so Iβm still not quite sure how I feel at the moment. I still love Malevolent and I still find comfort in it but itβs not perfect, same as everything else.
All Malevolent podcast fans are invited to join us for a Malevoween prompt fest (NSFW edition)!
Thanks to @croik for the design!
Fic, art and other media are welcome! Feel free to share your works here for everyone to enjoy, and/or you can tag with #malevoween.
We also have a Malevoween AO3 collection! Feel free to add your work to it if you'd like.
If you'd prefer to play with a less freaky prompt set, we have Malevoween Prompts SFW edition.
The Malevoween NSFW prompts, text version:
1 glove/hand kink
2 public masturbation
3 gaping
4 footplay/footjob
5 ritual sacrifice
6 leather/latex
7 fisting
8 sounding
9 pet play
10 blood/woundfucking
11 sensory deprivation
12 double penetration
13 maw/teeth
14 impact play
15 titfucking
16 feral/bestiality
17 incorporeal/ghosts
18 corruption (in honor of the caitvi kinktober)
19 dubcon/noncon
20 breeding/pregnancy
21 power play
22 intoxication/altered mental state
23 tentacles
24 non-human erotic experiences
25 transformation/apotheosis
26 exhibitionism/voyeurism
27 surrogate/wrong person
28 piss
29 degradation
30 tattoos/marking
31 MALEVOWEEN Bonus day
Alts - substitute one for any prompt you want to opt out of (or do what you want, what am I gonna do, call your mom?):
A orgasm control
B clothing kink
C slime
Potato Iβm coming into your asks with my head in my hands but I have to ask: how the HELL do you draw people kissing, youβve gotten it down in such a βsatisfyingβ way I need to know your secrets
okay this is probably going to be really incomprehensible but I am TRYING my BEST
first, we must implement the tilt method. you want your faces to be tilting in opposite directions as to make room for the kiss. the heads tend to make a heart shape if youβre normal and draw the heads completely (oops). And the lips create a zig zag type shape. the person tilting towards us (right figure) having their nose and top lip visible, and the person tilting away (left figure) has just their bottom lip and chin visible.
and you can use this for two people being close, just about to kiss. although you donβt have to tilt em as far since they have more leeway, but the principle is still there
you can play around with this tho, and I have a few different ways of drawing a kiss to portray different things-
1 is more puckered, a light playful kiss that may not last long
2 has the mouths create an O shape, giving an air of a breathy slightly desperate kiss. it gives the impression that the kiss isnβt the focus, these two are more focused on what their hands are doing, how close they are, soaking in the feeling of being intimate ect etc.
3 is wider, closer, there could be some tongue action going on. They miss eachother and they want to smash their faces together as humanly possible
You can also use these when only one person is giving the kiss !!
PHASE TWO REAL WORLD EXAMPLES because one thing that aids in a good kiss is the BODY LANGUAGE. it gives the kiss more life and feeling, the above examples even have some shoulder action to further the vibe. Anyway. Exhibit A
a subtle tilt, but that works in favor of creating a more relaxed feel. their kiss is a mix between 2 n 3, wide and open, messy and passionate. theyβre definitely taking their time.
this oneβs a body language one !! just the kiss alone has much less going for it compared to the way theyβre tangled together. Ford (right) is more relaxed, more confident. And Arthur (left) is a bit more weary but letting Ford take the lead. Arthur has his lips puckered more, while Fordβs are more relaxed and a bit more open (although itβs very subtle)
This one is mainly kiss with body language as an aid. Arthurβs (right) head is tilted up instead of to the side, leaving Oscar (left) to pick whichever direction. The kiss is mainly 3, with a hint of 2 to communicate the more desperate and eager vibe. This is also paired with the subtle head tilt away from eachother and solid position theyβre in. This creates a relaxed and content feel, like they started off hungry but ultimately donβt want to take it any further.
Subtle head tilt, a kiss between 1 n 2, and idle bodies make for a relaxed, domestic and intimate feeling. theyβre sharing a kiss that was intended to be quick, but they lingered a few seconds too long and now theyβll stay there for a good 15 minutes. hands resting on the other, lips gently touching, words exchanged between moments of no contact.
GOD SORRY ANYWAY I spent way too long rambling about my podcast men kissing I hope this was insightful Iβll take my leave
Recently, fanzines have grown to include large-scale projects that use professional printers and even include goodies like keychains and pins β and require a lot of money and expertise to produce. That isn't how zines have to work, though. The old-school option is still available!
Why make a fanzine?
Before the internet, fanzines were the main way fanworks circulated. We don't need them for that anymore. So why go to the trouble of making one?Β
You really have to answer that for yourself, if the idea of making a zine appeals to you. Some possibilities:
Getting the satisfaction of creating something cool
Developing new skills, or dusting off old ones
Building community with other fans
Promoting your favorite kinds of fanworksΒ
Raising money for charity
Seeing your work, and othersβ, in print
Having fun!
How do you make a fanzine?
Get fanworks (with permission from their creators)
Put fanworks together into a publication of some kind
Distribute the publication
There are a million ways to approach each of these steps, with varying levels of complexity, but that's the basic outline!
If you've never made a zine before, start with the least complex path. Do not start with a lavish, hardbound, merch-laden, fifty-contributor project. Walk before you run.
The simplest option is a small, digital-only, free zine with works by people you already know.
As the zine gets larger, it gets more complicated.
If the zine is printed, it gets more complicated.
Involving money in any way, shape, or form makes the zine more complicated.
Working with strangers makes the zine more complicated.
Think very carefully before adding any of these layers of complexity to your first zine!!! I'm not saying don't β I'm saying, understand what you're getting yourself into. Be realistic. Have a plan.
An open letter to the Organization for Transformative Works' legal team:
Dear @transformativeworks Legal,
I am requesting that you take action on Speechify/WordStream's wholesale theft of non-commercial fanworks for commercial purposes.
As you are probably aware, Speechify, an app that uses AI voices to turn user-supplied text into audiobooks, has created a spinoff app called WordStream. WordStream has scraped many, many works of fanfiction from AO3, and has published AI-generated audiobooks of these fics. They charge users for access to these audiobooks, under a subscription model. Not only has this company, run by Cliff Weitzman, violated AO3 users' copyrights, it has done so for profit.
I understand that only authors themselves can file DMCA takedown notices when their fics are stolen. However, there are steps the OTW can take on this matter:
1. Notify all AO3 users via email that their work may have been stolen, and give them next steps. This is what companies are required to do in the event of a data breach, and that's effectively what this is.
2. Publish a blog post about WordStream's theft, and promote it on social media.
3. Send a letter to Speechify, educating them about fanfiction and copyright. Explain that fanfiction is *not* in the public domain, and therefore the users whose work they've stolen have legal recourse against them. Demand they take down all fanfiction they have stolen.
4. Reach out through your networks in tech and publishing to raise awareness of this and marshall support for a campaign to pressure Speechify to remove all fanfiction they posted without author permission.
I am a former OTW volunteer, and I would be happy to assist with any of this!
does anyone know wtf word-stream.com is or where to send them a takedown request? i just found a bunch of fics, including my own, hosted on this AI slop siteβapparently offering what I assume are AI-generated audiobook versions & (equally AI-generated) ratings and reviews. i canβt take a closer look without signing up, which, no thank you, but it looks like theyβre hosting the full fics and are peddling a paid subscription for the trouble of hosting them. can someone more knowledgeable than me explain what our options are in this situation?
First of all, I'm really sorry to all the authors that have had their works stolen and hosted on this site, this really sucks.
If you try to click on any of the sites, you get a link to the App Store app, which is called "WordStream - Audiobooks".
Who is Ofek Weitzman? Apparently he's also known as Cliff Weitzman, the CEO of Speechify, an AI Voice generator app famous for its partnership with Snoop.
Also, Cliff Weitzman is named as the copyright holder at the bottom:
If you search for Ofek/Cliff Weitzman, you find his name in the terms and conditions for Speechify.
Strange that someone with a legitimate company with a partnership with Brandon Sanderson would put their name behind a shady company stealing works from fanfic writers, but it may be worth reaching out to him on X.
Best case scenario is that someone has stolen the name for an app, but in that case, it would be good for him to know.
Otherwise, it would be good to start a dialogue about how authors can get their works taken down from this site!
Thank you @makicarn & @fazedlight (see her reblog in the tags) for finding more information!! According to the listings for the app it's only been live since October, which explains why we haven't heard much about it yet. The website also purports to provide access to AI-voiced classic novels like (at a glance) Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick and Sherlock Holmes, all of which are all in the public domain, which leads me to think the creator of the website wrongfully assumes copyright doesn't pertain to fan fiction.
Per @echoekhi 's advice (who's done invaluable work for fandom with their project Copy-Knight) I have contacted OTW Legal, hoping they can help. Because word-stream doesn't list a formal policy regarding copyright violations, and Weitzman doesn't appear to publically own up to his connection to the website anywhere, (correction: I just watched the YouTube shorts Maki linked to and his face is right there along with the boast that we can access all of these free works for just one teensy payment, isnβt that just SO GENEROUS OF HIM) I agree with them that it's inadvisable to file a DMCA takedown at this point. I wouldn't trust it 1. with my personal information and 2. for it to actually go anywhere. That being said it's definitely something to keep an eye on and obviously anyone whose work is listed there should do their own research and decide for themselves which steps they want to take.
Sorry to bring attention to such a crummy thing right before the holidays!!
COMING SOON - a small, old-school zine for Malevolent smut fans! NSFW fic and art available in PDF or xeroxed, stapled hard-copy as God intended. Available in two weeks for a modest charitable donation. Stay tuned!
