imhilien

I was scrolling on my phone the other day on an ordinary website, when there was suddenly a pop-up message saying, 'shake this phone for a summary of this page'.

Whut? I thought. I'm not five years old. My phone isn't a toy. Was this AI slop trying to creep into my phone? I use Firefox and have never used ChatGPT or the like in my life. I hadn't asked for or needed a summary.

I like to be in charge of my devices, not have them trying to be in charge of me. Or talk down to me. 

snaffled from Tumblr:

Hey, do you guys want to help with a really good cause just by clicking something? Then click this and select the option to donate free kibble to these cats with just a click! You can do it every four hours. The full goal needs to be met for any kibble to be delivered, and right now…it’s looking like it might not happen!

Because you can click it again. And share it again. And get that kibble coming in again. It’s totally quick and easy!

https://www.animalwebaction.com/en/collectes/21303/croquettes-sos-300-chats-maroc-le-coeur-sur-la-patte/

Challenge #14

In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

The Saga of the Exiles by Julian May is a SFF book series about life in the 22nd century. Aliens contacted us and we're now part of their galactic alliance. Everything is fairly stable, but for those who don't fit in, there's a one-way time gate in France that takes you back six million years to prehistoric France.

This attracts misfits, petty criminals and others who don't fit in modern life, who want something simpler. The only thing is... no one knows exactly what they'll find when they go back to the past.

The books follow a group of eight people who are going through the time gate because they're running towards or away from something.

Disclaimer: This series was written in the '80's, so some things have dated badly. But some of the characters might stay rent-free in your heads for quite a while!

The series was almost made into a movie or TV series and there was an animated promotional trailer made (spoilers if you haven't read the books).

https://nickdudman.co.uk/saga-of-the-exiles-2024-mov/

Challenge #12

Make an appreciation post to those who enhance your fandom life. Appreciate them in bullet points, prose, poetry, a moodboard, a song... whatever moves you!

I write fanfiction on A03 and I appreciate all those who have written nice comments as well as just giving kudos to my stories. It really makes my day if I receive one.

Challenge #9

Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works. (Feel free to substitute in theme/motif/cliche if "trope" doesn't resonate with you.)

1. Group of misfits saving the world - they might not all like or trust each other, but on the plus side they can be unpredictable enough that the villain doesn't know what they'll do next either.

2. Enemies forced to work together - the angst! Maybe there's the potential they'll stop being enemies and become an unstoppable power couple instead.

3. Hurt / comfort - enough said.

4. Rags to riches - especially when there's a steep learning curve to go with the riches (which don't come that easily).

5. Reluctant Chosen One  - 'what do you mean I have to save the world? I'm a mess!'

Challenge #7

LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

1. I like being able to fix things when possible. I make beaded jewellery so I have the tools to fix other peoples jewellery - I restring bracelets, replace the clasp on someones necklace if it's broken, etc.

2. I'm a writer, it's a comfort if I'm feeling stressed.

3. I can bake; I can make a cake from scratch and you can eat it (don't look at the icing too closely though, sometimes that can be tricky to make). 

Challenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page

Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!

I like visiting a fantasy book review blog here - https://www.fantasybookcafe.com/   They review the latest books and there's a month each year where female authors are interviewed. 

Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom

Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!

When I was a kid, I had a pet rabbit that lived in a hutch outside. Later on, I had budgies and goldfish as pets.

Mum and I were allergic to cats, so sadly I've never had any. 

I like cats in fandom though - there's Data's cat Spot in ST:TNG and Uncle Rogi has Maine Coon cats in the Galactic Milieu book series by Julian May.