Also, I’m in Europe and ngl, had no idea this was even an article up for debate let alone it being fucking passed.
Don’t panic! This was expected at this stage and it is only the beginning. If you are a European and feel passionate about this, please keep on reading and help!
So what has happened so far … the Commission has drafted up a long overdue copyright reform. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2016_280 It contains a lot of good, and some bad: mainly Article 11 and 13.
This was put forward as a whole to the European Parlament, where it was voted down on the 5th of July 2018
This meant, this will not go through the fast way, and will be subject to scrutiny and change.
The Commission made some alterations https://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2016_280 and put it forward again. If Parlament would have voted it down again, it probably would have meant back to the drawing board, but most people (including me) agree that Europe does need copyright reform, so on the second vote it passed the first step:
So what happens now?
This will now go into what is called the Trilogue, where Commission, Parlament and representatives of all national governments will sit together to make alterations until everybody is happy implementing the regulation.
This means we can now influence this via our MEPs and our National Government!
In countries that are red your government is likely to support Article 13.
What to do now?
There are a lot of organisations that organise actions against article 13. Check out their websites and get in touch with your MEP or local government and let them know you are unhappy about this.
… and many many more, just google to find one in your country.
Also, as @asthesea-breezehitsmylungs pointed out, a lot of people are not aware of this going on. So make them aware! Share the memes and point them to the petitions. And don’t just complain how shit this is, get in touch with your politicians!
I can’t influence anyone directly in this, since my country is not in the EU and has no vote. But we still have to follow all the EU directives due to being part of EEA/EFTA. So, reblogging for those who do have a voice. Hopefully they can find a middle road between no copyright and extreme censorship.
[NOTE: I originally posted this on pillowfort but thought it might be interesting to folks here too]
This post is aimed at fic writers but it’s probably of use to anyone who has ever tried to look something up there. It might also be helpful for other Wikis but I don’t frequent those the way I do Wookieepedia, so I can’t verify. These are things that felt like it took me far too long to figure out. I welcome feedback to make it better.
Part 1 is about finding things on Wookieepedia when you aren’t sure what it’s called, aka browsing and using Categories. (this post)
Articles – These are the pages you are looking for. They’ve got pages on Aunt Beru and on Kathleen Kennedy, T-7 ion disruptors and “Destroy Malevolence”(the 4th episode of TCW). Basically everything.
Stubs – These are pages that are placeholders and haven’t been completely filled out. Still handy depending on how much is lacking, even if it’s only to let you know there’s not much.
Pages – Appear to be the same thing as an article or stub and I’m not honestly sure why they sometimes use this term and not articles. It should be noted that it is defined in part by what it is not which is a Category (see below).
Categories – A category is a way of grouping articles together. They can have subcategories creating a hierarchy. Every subcategory is technically a category as well. Categories are cool because when you aren’t sure what you are looking for they allow you to browse and hone in on your search. For example, Starships is a category whose subcategories include Starships by Affiliation and Starships by Type. In addition, Starships are a subcategory of Spacecraft which is a subcategory of Vehicles. Get the idea?
(There’s also Files – this is most often an image and accessed from an article. I won’t be discussing it much here)
There’s a load of screencaps so more below the cut.
For anyone who doesn’t yet know the ins and outs of Wookieepedia, be sure to check these posts out! Using all the functions of the wiki is a great way to sift through it and find what you want quickly!
Some examples of why the Oxford comma is generally a good idea
Please don’t let the Oxford comma die. If you were apathetic about it before, I think this will help you understand why it is necessary.
On the other hand, these sentences are pure gold.
Me with 3 fanfics and 1 original WIP on the go at this very moment: Okay, but what if I wrote about a bounty hunter Outlander who didn’t romance Torian Cadera during the main storyline because he was too young and immature for her then, and when they meet up again on Darvannis that age difference no longer matters because he’s gone and matured a whole helluva lot? And now she’s torn between “oh shit he’s hot” and “am I only falling for him because he reminds me of better days?” Has that been done? Should I do that?
I’m all for fantasy stories where supernatural characters protect their human friends, but does anyone else want some stories where the humans are the ones who are looking after their supernatural friends?
A human girl exchanging her silver engagement ring for a cheaper one after she realises why her werewolf friend has been refusing to high five her.
A group of humans throwing coats over their vampire friend because he forgot it was the Summer solstice and was caught out by the sunrise. Those same friends coming to visit him when he wakes up in the late afternoon, bringing him blood from the butcher’s and putting up with his whining about the nights getting longer.
A human hearing that someone stole their selkie friends pelt and coming over to her new “husband"s house immediately and threatening to punch his lights out unless he tells them where it is.
Humans petitioning the counsel to build a wooden climbing frame in the local playground because the old one has iron parts and their fairy friend’s kids can’t use it without burning themselves.
I’ll post more if I can come up with any.
This kinda fits on this blog
Humans getting the local Dryad’s tree and naiad’s pool named as protected landmarks and keeping them clean of trash and litter.
Human mothers raising changelings and other fey and loving them just as much as their own.
In defense of creative winter: why you should take breaks from creating
I wrote this some time ago and thought of it again today. The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me, and I’ve had very little creative energy – a phenomenon I usually fight tooth and nail. But this time I’m leaning into it, and I learned to do that last year, when I wrote this piece.
If you’re a creative person, I hope reading this helps you. Writing it helped me.
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At the time of this writing, I’m experiencing a phenomenon that’s difficult for an ambitious person like me. I am, as an artist, experiencing a downturn in my creative energy. People have called this phenomenon many things. Personally, I like using the analogy of the seasons, so I call it my creative winter.
What happens during a creative winter? Well, just what you would expect from the analogy. In a creative winter, making art, writing stories, or otherwise inventing things fades from the forefront of your mind. Activities that usually excite you suddenly don’t seem appealing. Instead of making brushstrokes, you’d rather curl up in a warm cave in a pile of leaves, sleep, dream, and stay very still.
For me, this phenomenon is marked by several changes in daily life. Suddenly I want to read a LOT of books. I watch movies I’ve wanted to see, but have never gotten around to. Domestic projects become fun again – I might finally rearrange the contents of my bookshelf, or clean out that too-full closet, or organize my disaster of a pantry. I spend more time with my cats, observing their adorable quirks and enjoying the feel of their fur.
All in all, it’s a time of quiet and hibernation.
And yet, it’s incredibly difficult.
I don’t know about you, but as a creative person I feel pressured to be on the go all the time. Not just by external forces, but by my own impatience too. I am keenly aware that the harder and faster I push my art, the sooner I’ll reach my goal of becoming The Best Artist/Writer I Can Ever Be™. That’s a difficult proposition to say no to for any length of time.
But sometimes I must.
Why, you ask? Well, because occasional creative winters are good. Even necessary.
Let me show you why.
1. Sometimes you need to change course.
It’s easy to just keep on keeping on, letting inertia carry you. Every once in a while, though, that is NOT the best way forward. You may not even know it until your energy bleeds away, and suddenly you’re stalling midstream, with enough time on your hands to wonder: “Wait, do I really want to go this way?”
This has happened to me MANY times as an artist. It’s been a good thing every time.
I’ve come to believe that something deep within me knows when I need to change course. I can be hurrying down the wrong path, all gung-ho about this or that project, and my inner self will start to apply the brakes. At first it will be confusing and irritating. Then I’ll start to see the truth: I’m doing this just because I think I should, or because someone told me to, or because…well…any number of reasons. But none of them are good enough.
Next time you’re drained of energy, turn your attention inward. You might find you need a change.
2. Sometimes you need to reclaim your purpose.
Just as it’s easy to go down the wrong path, it’s easy to lose your way entirely. You start wondering, “Why am I doing ANY of this? Why should I choose Path A over Path B, or even Path Y? They all look the same!”
If you’re wondering this right now…oh, honey. It’s time to retreat to your winter cave, because you need some rest. Bad.
Here’s what you should do: watch movies you love. Reread favorite books and find new ones. Chill out to music that speaks to you. Go outside. Hang out with friends, cuddle some animals, and journal if you feel like it. But don’t MAKE yourself create.* Your artist self needs time and space to remember why you started doing this at all, and the best way to help is to wrap yourself in the things – and people – you love. Just think of them as the warm bed of leaves in your winter cave.
“But Julia,” you might say, “what if I never knew my purpose? I can’t reclaim it if I haven’t found it yet.”
Well, believe it or not, hibernating can be a good way to find your purpose in the first place. Have you ever gone to bed thinking about a problem, and when you woke up in the morning, you had the solution? While you were sleeping, your brain sorted stuff out. Creative life is like that.
So if you’re having trouble knowing your purpose, burrow into that warm pile of leaves and snooze a bit. You might wake up with the answer.
3. Sometimes you’re just plain broken, and you need to heal.
I’ve experienced some pretty rough storms in my life. Betrayal by friends and family, personal losses, illness. In times like those, when it takes all the energy you have just to get through the day, let yourself retreat. If you don’t, you risk breaking yourself even further. No one wants that for you!
–
I know it’s hard to step back. Believe me, I do. I wish I was an artistic superhero, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound without breaking stride. I wish I knew exactly where I was going 100% of the time, and I wish I never, ever got tired.
But alas, my friend, we are mere mortals. We go through seasons, and if we want to stay healthy, we have to respect that neverending cycle.
So this time, I’m leaning into the cycle instead of rejecting it.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
–
[back to present day] … and I can tell you now that leaning into the cycle was the best trick I ever learned. I read a thousand books, grew into myself, and generally just had an amazing few months. I don’t regret a second. In fact I look back on it fondly.
I might write more on this subject in the future. Suffice to say – don’t fight the cycle, friends. It has things to teach you. ❤
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*Footnote: Nothing I say here is a license to skip out on paying clients! If you make art for a living, always, always fulfill your obligations. Just don’t feel bad for saying “no” to new ones.And of course, know the difference between (A) a simple downturn in your energy and (B) total burnout. If you’re suffering from (B), it’s a sign that you need a radical life change.
I love your writing. I love your art. I love seeing the fascinating characters you’ve brought into this world, the moving stories you’re telling. I love the courage and the passion and the sheer determination you have to create something and make it yours.
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