Fanfiction Authors: HEADS UP

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!

Don't let anyone make you feel bad for your 'inexperience' when it comes to sex.

It's understandable if, for any reason at all, you had very few sexual encounters, or absolutely none til this point in time. This does not give anyone the right to make you feel like being intimate with you would be such an arduous chore. If they ever insinuate that 'teaching' you or 'guiding' you is too much of a hassle, drop their selfish ass.

Because it isn't. It isn't! You're worth the time, you're worth the patience! You're worth the kindness, the affection, the respect. You don't deserve to be mocked simply because this person has a better understanding of certain topics.

If you don’t click, which can happen with just about anyone, that's ok, too. You harvest that experience, and you move on.

Not being an exact fit for someone else doesn't mean you won't ever find the one who will be yours. It doesn't mean your whole worth should be dismissed by their lack of emotional intelligence or physical incompatibility.

Once more for those in the back.

everyone living in EU - please support the citizens initiative for safe and accessible abortion!!

Art by Leah Gardner

Sooo... I have no idea if anyone is even still actively paying attention to this blog, but I have exciting news!! I actually managed to get tickets, so I'm going to see the NCT Dream concert while they're here in the US 😆

The real reason for this post, though, is that this will technically be my first kpop concert. I went to the SuperM concert, but I didn't really do the "kpop concert thing." Just dressed comfy and arrived before seating opened. So my question(s?) Is this: what the actual hell do I wear? Are ncitizens still doing the all black with neon green thing? Do I pick an era and make an outfit inspired by it? Like. What is the vibe???

Also, since this is baby's first (technically!) concert, what should I expect?? How early do you arrive? Should I be like, bringing photo cards to exchange or anything??? Gaaah help!!

So TLDR: I'm going to a NCT Dream concert, and need help deciding what to wear. Also any general kpop concert advice is appreciated.

Thank you, and I love you all 🥰