Network

Current Mood: busy

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Science

Human brains emit light and glow in the dark, revealing our mental state

All living tissues give off photons as excited molecules shed excess energy. The phenomenon is so subtle – roughly a million times dimmer than the threshold of human vision – that researchers call it ultra-weak photon emission (UPE).

Oh look, scientists have "discovered" the aura of life energy. Now go figure out how people detect it without tools, because humans have been drawing and writing about that for ages.

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Saturday laying about...

1. Batman casting news...apparently Sebastain Stan has decided to be in both the MCU franchise and the DC franchise, and is the latest to appear in both to date. (Christian Bale did the same thing but in reverse - he appeared as Batman in DC's franchise, and Gor: the God Killer in the Thor films in MCU's franchise.)

Stan has been selected to portray Harvey Dent aka Half and Half in The Batman Part II (the Robert Pattinson Batman films). Actually The Batman was pretty good - in that it focused, for once, more on Batman. And it is clearly taken from Frank Miller's run on the comics - aka Batman Year 1.

Go HERE

If you know anything about the character or the comics, that's actually perfect casting. DC is doing a better job of casting their films than expected. I'm actually looking forward to seeing them.

2. I used a cold compress last night on my knee in bed - to quell the pain in the middle of the night - and it apparently tore in the night. I discovered this when I awoke - and ended up with tiny blue plastic beads on the floor and on the bed. Not too many thankfully, but enough to almost undo all the work that the cold compress had accomplished. Also I liked that cold compress - which alas is in the waste bin. So around 4:30 am, I'm cleaning up the little plastic beads from the floor. Took a while to get back to sleep - and ended up getting up around 8:30 am.

Now, icing again, after doing exercises, and robot vacuuming my apartment.

3. Angel S3 rewatch - Episode 13, Waiting in the Wings - which delves into the doomed romances of Angel. It's the companion piece to Buffy. In case you've never watched any of the Whedon series (Buffy, Angel, Firefly) - a word to the wise? Don't ship the romantic or sexual relationships on them. (Platonic, yes, romantic, no.) They won't end well. There is no such thing as a romantic HEA in a Whedon series. The writers of Buffy/Angel are NOT romance writers. I kept trying to tell people in the fandom this - but they wouldn't listen to me, and sure enough they'd get their little hearts broken. I'm a long running serial fan - happy romantic relationships seldom last on serials.
( Read more... )
All in all, the romances on Buffy work better for me - mainly because they aren't love triangles, and the obstacles are more central to the characters, and less contrived misunderstandings.

4. Reading...

* Working my way through Angelica Huston's autobiography on audible:

Finished "A Story Lately Told: Growing up in Ireland, London, and New York"

and half way into "Watch Me" - about her life in Hollywood, mainly with Jack Nicholson, who ironically discovered his mother was his sister, long after both his mother and grandmother died. (Ironic if you remember the plot of Chinatown - which Nicholson starred in.) ( Read more... )

* Also reading "The Botanist's Assistant" in paperback, but not getting that far - because I'm struggling to focus on reading books at the moment.
Don't know why. Could be the commute is too short and disruptive to read? It's only a 19-20 minute train ride, then off, steps, walk, steps, stand, five minute train ride, walk, there. That's kind of difficult to really read during? And the way my brain works - I need at least ten-fifteen minutes to get into any task, be it reading, writing, what have you.

It's good - so not the book's fault. About an ungainly tall middle-aged female research assistant working in a University botany lab, who discovers her boss's body. Refusing to accept that it was by natural causes, she begins to investigate the death. She also cared for the man, and had a serious crush on him.

(no subject)

My house has been on the market for a month or so. The real estate agent has been holding open houses every weekend and there have been lots of views at the listing on Zillow, but so far it hasn't sold. Someone made an offer at the beginning of January but it was $50,000 below the asking price so we decided not to accept since it was the first offer we'd had and we wanted to see if we would get any better offers as we move through winter and into spring. Then yesterday the agent said he would like to drop the asking price by $15,000, so I somewhat reluctantly agreed. The house is starting to feel like an albatross and I just want it gone. Also I've discovered that my Medicare payments could dramatically increase if I sell it more than two years after S's death, so it would be better if it sells within the next six months.

It's a dull dreary day today, damp but not raining right now. I used the rebounder for 45 minutes rather than going for a walk outside.

I happened to see something online - someone's tips for 10 things she has done to improve her health, and one of the things was to use a rebounder for 5 minutes a day. I guess 5 minutes is better than nothing, but it seems ludicrously little to me. However, a quick google search tells me that someone who is new to rebounding should start with 5 to 10 minutes of uncomplicated bouncing per day and work up to 20 minutes or more with more complex and more intense movements. I do longer workouts but keep it fairly simple and low impact, and it still gets my heart rate up fairly quickly.

help a girl out?

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Current Mood: ecstatic

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Heated Rivalry rec (WIP)

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Fandom Empire - Monopoly 2026 is starting tomorrow

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

You Win Or You Die: An Heirs of the Dragon LARP Report

At the beginning of December I participated in a LARP called Heirs of the Dragon. This LARP, inspired by George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire novels, was set at the Great Council of 101AC, 180 years before the events of the main book series and 30 years before the Dance of the Dragons. The LARP took place in its own timeline, such that the events of the LARP did not necessarily have to be consistent with those of any book or TV show set at a later time.

This was an "international blockbuster LARP," meaning that it had a large cast (130 players), a highly detailed and immersive setting (the marvelous Czocha Castle in Poland, which dates to the 13th century and has hosted many a LARP), magnificent costumes (provided by the players), and prewritten characters. It's one of the best LARPs I have played, although I did have a few issues, most of which I would ascribe to myself as a player.

This report will include SPOILERS for the game. Be warned!

( Read more... )

Lord Tully with the dragon

Credit to Charmed Plume and Wonderlarp for the LARP and Rekografia for the photos.

Current Mood: what did I ever do to you meme

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stop! meme time!

Yes. Memes are indeed fun.

New Years Book Meme Via flamingsword:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 126
3. The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026

hah my closest book was Nghi Vo's Mammoths at the Gates, which ends at 120 pages.

"I stared down into it, no lights burning at its heart, no voices raised in song, while Rencki tried to call up the shuttle to Kiskol."
Slow Gods by Claire North.

Well, um. That sounds bleak? 2026 really needs to be nicer to me.

Positive note, I do like the writing.

Entry tags:

heated rivalry

Heated Rivalry: And So it Begins

OMG, you guys! Guess what has made it to my *coff* DL source?!! I mean, the subject line obviously gives it away, but I'm so excited! I get to see what all the fuss is about now. And read the posts on my f-list. And the fic recs, omg!!!! *flails*

Sweet interview with the Empty Netters

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Photos!

I’ve been wanting to share some photos, but I had some issues with Imgur, and then with my e-mail, but all of that seems to have been resolved!

Saturday, Jan 3

Where in the world is Midnight?!! I feel like he’s giving me the evil eye for bothering him. *g*

~*~

( 8 more back here )

Current Music: Flight Attendant - Man of Chaos

Entry tags:

To the devil on your shoulder.

+ I'm going back to work tonight, just to sleep on board so I can get cracking nice and early before everybody else arrives. It'll probably be freezing but hopping in bed wearing wool should sort that out. Right now I am of course procrastinating to the max. I have not packed a single item yet. At least my packages have been collected, the laundry and washing up done, and I've bought the necessities. The plan was to finish early so I could have a nice bath? *sighs at self* Man, you'll love that bath. Make that bath happen!

eta ugh my dad gave me anxiety about whether the key would be there, so now I won't be going on the boat until tomorrow and I'm grumbly about it. I wanted stuff to be ready dammit.

+ One thing I did finish is my holiday quest list in Dreamlight Valley, most important of all lolol. Gotta get those holiday decoration items, so I can boot it back up next December and once again not actually get around to decorating all that much. But it does make Kid Me happy still, wandering around with Belle and Wall-E, the most low stakes gameplay there is, collecting pretty holiday items. (they did actually sneak in an extra holiday thing that started after New Years and I'm cranky about it.)

+ I should also do my big yearly tarot spread, but I may not have the brains. Maybe I'll just lay them out and take pictures for later.

+ Letterboxd's In Memoriam tribute this year really hit me in the feels. We lost some lovely creatives.

+ Discord is hosting a survey to see what you think of them adding AI bullshit here. Feel free to stop by and tell them nope.

+ Snowflake Challenge #5
In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. I'd love to see more people share things that bring them joy in their journals, no matter how small. We gotta grab what we can.
2. If you can't quite think of something shiny to share atm: memes are fun!
3. And if anyone has shared something that has brought you joy, please tell them so <3
(sneaky 4. but please do tell Discord to go fuck themselves with their AI bs.)

Entry tags:

writing

story out!

I know I still owe some comments on my year-end book post (I'm really enjoying the discussions there! it's just been busy) but I wanted to let you all know that I have a story out! Actually, this one is a first for me: it's a graphic story! When I sent them my prose story about a post-post-apocalyptic soil remediation robot and the various lives of the polluted valley around it, they asked if I would be interested in adapting it to a script for an artist to create a graphic story from, and of course I was. It was a very cool experience, and I'm so impressed with Xiang Yata's art (done impressively fast, no less).

You can check out The Valley in Thaw here, and the whole issue at www.tractorbeam.earth.

Entry tags:

Snowflake Challenges 4 & 5

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.

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 do (semi) regular link lists, and thought about dumping one here, but then I saw this video, and wanted to talk about it.

lostrekkie /

jessiegenderafterdark5287: Starfleet Academy Is The Best Live-Action Star Trek We've Gotten In Years (Spoiler-Free Review) (Video: 43 minutes).
I braced for CW-core melodrama in space and instead got a Star Trek show that actually understands Star Trek.

Context on where I am with modern TV Star Trek, the TL;DR being: "Too old and tired to deal with this shit."

I remember watching the first two episodes of Star Trek: Picard, and deciding, "I don't have the energy to be angry at Star Trek." Which was similar to how I felt about pretty much everything in January of 2020, to be fair. But the feeling specific to Star Trek has stuck, and I haven't kept up with any of the modern shows. We did watch part of the first season of Discovery, and I enjoyed later episodes more than my first impression of the pilot (which I loathed). But then I just never cared enough to go back to it.

I probably should've watched Prodigy, which was more my speed (it sounds like, being a Voyager girl growing up). Then I bounced off Lower Decks, both tonally and in animation style. And I felt the same sort of continuity exhaustion towards Strange New Worlds as I do towards all of Star Wars and most of the MCU at this point.

(For the reboot movies: Enjoyed the first one, have forgotten every single thing about the second one, adored the third one, but then Anton died, and they never made any more. Tentatively interested in whatever the reboot of the reboot will be.)

This looks like something I might enjoy! I hope it doesn't rely too much on continuity from season three of Discovery, but otherwise I like the cast, I'm willing to put up with overly-hormonal youth, and I'd just... it'd be nice not to be angry at Star Trek for a change.

A few quibbles with the video:

Not personal to me, but if you're loving the current era of Trek... Jessie very much is not, and may harsh your mellow.

It's probably not as spoiler free as some people use with that term, but it didn't really give away any plot details.

I basically listened to it as a podcast, because while I very much enjoy Jessie's face, there's a lot of b-roll that's just the trailers over and over? Which I guess is a youtube thing.

But overall I liked her video! I will be tuning in to the new show.

AND THEN I SAW THIS VIDEO, so you get some Raye, too.

Watch on YouTube

Challenge #5: In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts.
I'm not really active in transformative works fandom right now (brain full, no room), but here's a couple broad wishes for rainbow chasers.

1. Copying a bunch of people asking for help with

fandomtrees. There's lots of great trees that need a few more decorations <3

2. Tell me your favourite album last year. Not song, full album you can listen to end to end. The album doesn't have to have come out in 2025; it can be from another year, and it was just your favourite to listen to in 2025.

3. Tell me your favourite tiny detail about your blorbo, and why you like it. Don't worry if I know/like your canon. I just want to roll around in some fandom positivity. Alternately, a small joke or funny moment from your blorbo's show (or novel, or whatever).

E.g.: this is more of a canon beat, but the thing in "Mr. Rowl" where everyone keeps mistaking the heroine's dad for the Duke of Wellington cracks me up every time I think of it.

ETA: 4. If you use Discord, please go fill out this survey and tell them to put AI integration where the Sun will never see it: We're exploring how people feel about AI—tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot—and what they'd want (or not want) from AI in Discord.

ETA 2: Survey appears to be down. Not sure if it got overloaded. Or if Discord decided they don't want user input after all. Or what. Let me know if it comes back on.

IVD 2025 Volunteer Q&A—Translation Spotlight

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/33971

International Volunteer Day

Last November we asked the community to submit questions to our OTW volunteers in celebration of International Volunteer Day. In this series of posts we will spotlight some of our committees' responses.

The Translation committee's main responsibility is making content from the OTW and its various projects accessible to fans who don't speak English. This includes content for the organization's main site, FAQs on AO3, Open Doors import announcements, and AO3 news posts, among other things. They also collaborate with other OTW committees, for example to help them communicate with non-English speaking fans and users.

We asked the Translation committee for replies to your questions, and received a lot of feedback! Below you can find a selection of their answers:

Translation Committee Specific Question

Question: Is there a software required if one wanted to volunteer? Also, are there any specific devices required?
Committee answer:
While we have no specific software requirements for volunteering, we definitely recommend using a device with a bigger screen in general, like a desktop or a laptop, or at least a tablet, as that makes it easier to keep everything you need for your work on your screen. One of our requirements for any software we use is that it can run in a common internet browser on a computer, without any local installs, though they may require an app on mobile devices.

General Questions

How many hours a week do you spend on your OTW volunteer work?

It varies a lot week to week! Some weeks are very quiet and there's not a lot to work on, but when I do get an assignment, I tend to spend about a couple of hours on it, and that will usually be it for the week unless we're working on time sensitive tasks or projects, when things can get more hectic! Translation in particular sets generous deadlines to complete our assignments (5 or 7 days depending on what we're working on), which gives us plenty of time to work on it even after RL work hours and factoring in other real life things. I also sometimes help the Tag Wrangling team with their Spanish tags, but that accounts for a couple of minutes of quick work overall, I'd say. So... tl;dr, about 2-3 hours, give or take, depending on what we have to do for the week! (Saku)
It depends on the task, but an average of 2-3 hours per week suffices. (Nameless_ghoul_7)

How do you manage your volunteer time, and do you do the same thing every day like with a day job?

I usually find time for this during the weekend, considering my day job, so it's more of a weekend activity for me. And I prefer to do my translation in one go, and then go through it again afterwards in my free time post weekday work.
It's definitely taught me to be good at time management, because you can't predict how your week is going to go at any point. (Ana)
I use a time tracker to help me track the time I spend on OTW volunteer tasks, though that usually ends up working more in retrospective, where towards the end of each week I look at the hours I did to evaluate whether my current workload is adequate or whether I should delegate some of my work to other people (or if that's not an option, what I can deprioritise and put off until a bit later). I usually try to pick up some volunteer manager or chair trainee work every other day or so (unless I'm working on something that requires daily attention), just to avoid driving myself insane, because at the end of the day there's always more work I could be picking up still. (Rhine)

What's your favorite part about volunteering at the OTW?

My favourite part of volunteering at the OTW has been meeting several new people from around the world and seeing how our different POVs and experiences help with different understandings of life in different spaces and how independently of our differences, cultures and upbringing we're united by pure passion for what we do in and for fandom. Passion and compassion is often hidden or missing in "work spaces" and the OTW has been a positive space filled with positive learning experiences for me since the moment I started volunteering. It's an ever evolving space that takes every instance to be better. (CottonDuck)
I was going to say "the people!" and that is mostly true (I've met some wonderful folks as part of Translation, and it's been a great time overall!), but if I sit down to really think about it, I think my favorite part is that it feels very gratifying to be giving back to a community that has done so much for fandom and fan spaces. I don't read a lot of fanfiction myself anymore, much as I do occasionally write it, but fandom is still very important to me and I've made a lot of good friends thanks to it, so it feels good to be able to contribute my time and skills and do something for a space that has done so much for me in turn. It's good work and good people all around, and it feels good to be part of it through my work for the OTW and AO3. (Saku)

What's the aspect of volunteer work with the OTW that you most wish more people knew about?

How chill the Translation volunteer managers are! If we need something, be it a hiatus, more time on a task, or clarification on some part of the text, we’re pretty much always granted them! And having a full week to do the task is very nice too, I originally thought it was going to be much more hectic. (kati)
The sheer scope of work that is involved! There are so many volunteers, like, seriously, *so many*, and each of us have our own little roles to perform, thus helping everything run like clockwork. Having said all that, it's all strictly on a volunteer basis, which makes it probably the only “work place” I've seen where we all actually enjoy doing what we do. (Ana)

What does a typical day as an OTW volunteer looks like for you?

Mostly the same as any normal day. Only that I set apart one or two hours most days to translate what's been assigned to me. (ttom)
It varies a lot! As Translation volunteer managers, we handle several different tasks, depending on the time of year, and what projects are currently going on. For example, if I'm on duty for managing our email inbox and handing out tasks for the week—we alternate regularly—I'll set aside around 2-3 hours a day after work for that. When we are recruiting for new translators, I'll spend a chunk of time in a week holding interviews. There are also routine tasks that each of us rotates through, like preparing meetings or coordinating the upload of translated content to the OTW and AO3 websites. Independent of the task, I usually work through shorter items on my to-do list on weekday nights, and leave bigger tasks for the weekend. (Elin)

What is your favorite animal? Alternatively, do you have a favorite breed of cat/dog?

Cats... I love cats and I have one. (Nameless_ghoul_7)
Cats, giraffes, turtles, butterflies, and I can go on. As for cats, I love the Egyptian Maus that I currently have. (AnneHelena)
My favourite animal is the betta! I loved aquaculture a lot!! My favourite breed of dog is the Indian Pariah Dog. (Aditi Mandavgane)

Do you enjoy reading fanfic? If so, what's your favorite work on AO3?

I love reading fanfics and it's difficult to choose a favourite one. But among the recent fics I am reading, Bifurcation Sandbox by Gardenersnake8822 is a favourite. (Gloriosa)
I love reading fanfic! It's definitely become a hobby, and has been the brunt of my reading as of late (because books are expensive < / 3). It's really difficult to pick a favorite work, since I've read so many amazing fics, but if I had to pick one, I'd pick "The Lowlander" by user foxymoxy! It's a BTS-Dragon Age crossover fic that takes the captor/prisoner trope and really dissects and does something interesting with it. It's one of my all-time favorites, and I re-read it all the time. (Somber)

Do you write any fanfic yourself? What do you enjoy about it?

Yes! I have a writing account on some platforms like AO3 (ofc, duh), Twitter, Wattpad, and Medium. There are so many things I love about writing. But, I’m going to list 3 of them here:
1. I can finally read my ship in tropes that I really wanted to read.
2. The research process. I gained knowledge while doing my hobby. I learn how to write better, to portray the emotion better, to explore and experiment with my characters’ personality, discover interesting information, and so on.
3. It helps me clear my mind. (Keane)
I used to write original stories that never went anywhere and only started writing and publishing fanfiction in order to learn about AO3's user interface so that I could translate the tutorials more accurately. I like how freeing it feels not to have to worry too much about writing well enough for the general audience – it's just me and the five people (at most) who will ever see my silly little stories! (Slovenian Translation volunteer)

What fandoms are you (currently) in?

I’m currently obsessed with F1: The Movie and Ocean's Eleven Trilogy. (Cassie)
I've been in the Star Wars fandom for more than 20 years at this point, mostly on the Rogue One / Andor side nowadays. (Auré)

Do you feel glad or proud to see fanfiction in your mother tongue?

My answer is yes, absolutely! Especially on AO3 in particular, because Mandarin Chinese authors have been facing immense opposition in the form of censorship and takedowns of both digital and physical publications of our works. The 227 incident that resulted in AO3 being banned in Mainland China was a major turning point in the involvement of AO3 within Chinese fandom communities, so every time I see a new Mandarin Chinese work on AO3 I'm always grateful that one more author has found a safe avenue to share their creations with the rest of fandom. (Chinese Translation volunteer)
Absolutely! My first language is Portuguese and I always find it surprising when I see works on some fandoms that are definitely not popular in my country. It’s like an invisible thread suddenly connects me to someone I don’t know but share two things in common: a language and a love for a fandom that makes us want to spend time and effort creating something to share with that community. Funny enough, I usually like to read fanfics in the language my brain associates them with. For example, I don’t speak Korean, and I usually watch K-dramas with English subtitles to continue learning English, so that’s the language my brain associates that series with. When I see a work in Portuguese for that fandom, it’s like my horizons have suddenly been broadened. And if I get a chance to make an online friend because of it? Even better! (Amanda)
I translate English to Marathi, and I don't see a lot of Marathi fanfic on the site, but when I stumble upon one, my heart soars and I feel on top of the world! (Aditi Mandavgane)

Thanks so much to every volunteer who took the time to answer!

(For more answers from Translation volunteers, check out this work on AO3, where we'll collect additional replies to each question!)

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, OTW Legal Advocacy, and Transformative Works and Cultures. We are a fan-run, donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/33971

(no subject)

I am aware jamesdavisnicoll.com is down.

IVD 2025 Volunteer Q&A—Translation Spotlight

Posted by Aditi Paul

https://www.transformativeworks.org/ivd-2025-volunteer-qa-translation-spotlight/

https://www.transformativeworks.org/?p=274409

The Translation committee‘s main responsibility is making content from the OTW and its various projects accessible to fans who don’t speak English. This includes content for the organization’s main site, FAQs on AO3, Open Doors import announcements, and AO3 news posts, among other things. They also collaborate with other OTW committees, for example to help them communicate with non-English speaking fans and users.

We asked the Translation committee for replies to your questions, and received a lot of feedback! Below you can find a selection of their answers:

Translation Committee Specific Question

Question: Is there a software required if one wanted to volunteer? Also, are there any specific devices required?

Committee answer:
While we have no specific software requirements for volunteering, we definitely recommend using a device with a bigger screen in general, like a desktop or a laptop, or at least a tablet, as that makes it easier to keep everything you need for your work on your screen. One of our requirements for any software we use is that it can run in a common internet browser on a computer, without any local installs, though they may require an app on mobile devices.

General Questions

How many hours a week do you spend on your OTW volunteer work?

It varies a lot week to week! Some weeks are very quiet and there’s not a lot to work on, but when I do get an assignment, I tend to spend about a couple of hours on it, and that will usually be it for the week unless we’re working on time sensitive tasks or projects, when things can get more hectic! Translation in particular sets generous deadlines to complete our assignments (5 or 7 days depending on what we’re working on), which gives us plenty of time to work on it even after RL work hours and factoring in other real life things. I also sometimes help the Tag Wrangling team with their Spanish tags, but that accounts for a couple of minutes of quick work overall, I’d say. So… tl;dr, about 2-3 hours, give or take, depending on what we have to do for the week! (Saku)
It depends on the task, but an average of 2-3 hours per week suffices. (Nameless_ghoul_7)

How do you manage your volunteer time, and do you do the same thing every day like with a day job?

I usually find time for this during the weekend, considering my day job, so it’s more of a weekend activity for me. And I prefer to do my translation in one go, and then go through it again afterwards in my free time post weekday work.
It’s definitely taught me to be good at time management, because you can’t predict how your week is going to go at any point. (Ana)
I use a time tracker to help me track the time I spend on OTW volunteer tasks, though that usually ends up working more in retrospective, where towards the end of each week I look at the hours I did to evaluate whether my current workload is adequate or whether I should delegate some of my work to other people (or if that’s not an option, what I can deprioritise and put off until a bit later). I usually try to pick up some volunteer manager or chair trainee work every other day or so (unless I’m working on something that requires daily attention), just to avoid driving myself insane, because at the end of the day there’s always more work I could be picking up still. (Rhine)

What’s your favorite part about volunteering at the OTW?

My favourite part of volunteering at the OTW has been meeting several new people from around the world and seeing how our different POVs and experiences help with different understandings of life in different spaces and how independently of our differences, cultures and upbringing we’re united by pure passion for what we do in and for fandom. Passion and compassion is often hidden or missing in “work spaces” and the OTW has been a positive space filled with positive learning experiences for me since the moment I started volunteering. It’s an ever evolving space that takes every instance to be better. (CottonDuck)
I was going to say “the people!” and that is mostly true (I’ve met some wonderful folks as part of Translation, and it’s been a great time overall!), but if I sit down to really think about it, I think my favorite part is that it feels very gratifying to be giving back to a community that has done so much for fandom and fan spaces. I don’t read a lot of fanfiction myself anymore, much as I do occasionally write it, but fandom is still very important to me and I’ve made a lot of good friends thanks to it, so it feels good to be able to contribute my time and skills and do something for a space that has done so much for me in turn. It’s good work and good people all around, and it feels good to be part of it through my work for the OTW and AO3. (Saku)

What’s the aspect of volunteer work with the OTW that you most wish more people knew about?

How chill the Translation volunteer managers are! If we need something, be it a hiatus, more time on a task, or clarification on some part of the text, we’re pretty much always granted them! And having a full week to do the task is very nice too, I originally thought it was going to be much more hectic. (kati)
The sheer scope of work that is involved! There are so many volunteers, like, seriously, *so many*, and each of us have our own little roles to perform, thus helping everything run like clockwork. Having said all that, it’s all strictly on a volunteer basis, which makes it probably the only “work place” I’ve seen where we all actually enjoy doing what we do. (Ana)

What does a typical day as an OTW volunteer looks like for you?

Mostly the same as any normal day. Only that I set apart one or two hours most days to translate what’s been assigned to me. (ttom)
It varies a lot! As Translation volunteer managers, we handle several different tasks, depending on the time of year, and what projects are currently going on. For example, if I’m on duty for managing our email inbox and handing out tasks for the week—we alternate regularly—I’ll set aside around 2-3 hours a day after work for that. When we are recruiting for new translators, I’ll spend a chunk of time in a week holding interviews. There are also routine tasks that each of us rotates through, like preparing meetings or coordinating the upload of translated content to the OTW and AO3 websites. Independent of the task, I usually work through shorter items on my to-do list on weekday nights, and leave bigger tasks for the weekend. (Elin)

What is your favorite animal? Alternatively, do you have a favorite breed of cat/dog?

Cats… I love cats and I have one. (Nameless_ghoul_7)
Cats, giraffes, turtles, butterflies, and I can go on. As for cats, I love the Egyptian Maus that I currently have. (AnneHelena)
My favourite animal is the betta! I loved aquaculture a lot!! My favourite breed of dog is the Indian Pariah Dog. (Aditi Mandavgane)

Do you enjoy reading fanfic? If so, what’s your favorite work on AO3?

I love reading fanfics and it’s difficult to choose a favourite one. But among the recent fics I am reading, Bifurcation Sandbox by Gardenersnake8822 is a favourite. (Gloriosa)
I love reading fanfic! It’s definitely become a hobby, and has been the brunt of my reading as of late (because books are expensive </3). It's really difficult to pick a favorite work, since I've read so many amazing fics, but if I had to pick one, I'd pick "The Lowlander" by user foxymoxy! It's a BTS-Dragon Age crossover fic that takes the captor/prisoner trope and really dissects and does something interesting with it. It's one of my all-time favorites, and I re-read it all the time. (Somber)

Do you write any fanfic yourself? What do you enjoy about it?

Yes! I have a writing account on some platforms like AO3 (ofc, duh), Twitter, Wattpad, and Medium. There are so many things I love about writing. But, I’m going to list 3 of them here:
1. I can finally read my ship in tropes that I really wanted to read.
2. The research process. I gained knowledge while doing my hobby. I learn how to write better, to portray the emotion better, to explore and experiment with my characters’ personality, discover interesting information, and so on.
3. It helps me clear my mind. (Keane)
I used to write original stories that never went anywhere and only started writing and publishing fanfiction in order to learn about AO3’s user interface so that I could translate the tutorials more accurately. I like how freeing it feels not to have to worry too much about writing well enough for the general audience – it’s just me and the five people (at most) who will ever see my silly little stories! (Slovenian Translation volunteer)

What fandoms are you (currently) in?

I’m currently obsessed with F1: The Movie and Ocean’s Eleven Trilogy. (Cassie)
I’ve been in the Star Wars fandom for more than 20 years at this point, mostly on the Rogue One / Andor side nowadays. (Auré)

Do you feel glad or proud to see fanfiction in your mother tongue?

My answer is yes, absolutely! Especially on AO3 in particular, because Mandarin Chinese authors have been facing immense opposition in the form of censorship and takedowns of both digital and physical publications of our works. The 227 incident that resulted in AO3 being banned in Mainland China was a major turning point in the involvement of AO3 within Chinese fandom communities, so every time I see a new Mandarin Chinese work on AO3 I’m always grateful that one more author has found a safe avenue to share their creations with the rest of fandom. (Chinese Translation volunteer)
Absolutely! My first language is Portuguese and I always find it surprising when I see works on some fandoms that are definitely not popular in my country. It’s like an invisible thread suddenly connects me to someone I don’t know but share two things in common: a language and a love for a fandom that makes us want to spend time and effort creating something to share with that community. Funny enough, I usually like to read fanfics in the language my brain associates them with. For example, I don’t speak Korean, and I usually watch K-dramas with English subtitles to continue learning English, so that’s the language my brain associates that series with. When I see a work in Portuguese for that fandom, it’s like my horizons have suddenly been broadened. And if I get a chance to make an online friend because of it? Even better! (Amanda)
I translate English to Marathi, and I don’t see a lot of Marathi fanfic on the site, but when I stumble upon one, my heart soars and I feel on top of the world! (Aditi Mandavgane)

Thanks so much to every volunteer who took the time to answer!

(For more answers from Translation volunteers, check out this work on AO3, where we’ll collect additional replies to each question!)

https://www.transformativeworks.org/ivd-2025-volunteer-qa-translation-spotlight/

https://www.transformativeworks.org/?p=274409

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The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Jan 9)

I hit Price Chopper and the Bakery while I was downtown, and the Vet’s on the way home (for Ti’s special dog food).

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for a walk with the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. We had grilled hamburgers and Gus’s potatoes for supper. (Thanks to the 'warmer' weather, I was willing to use the grill!)

I typed in ~1,400 words on the

smallfandomfest fic I just finished handwriting! I read some fanfic and more in Amelia Peabody. I watched an ep of House Hunters International and a couple eps of Secrets of the Zoo.

My healthy eating win today was having yogurt as my evening snack instead of any kind of chocolate candy. If I can keep up switching out at least that one snack time (though I have been trying to eat healthy for all snacks), I will consider it a win. I don’t need the high calories in a handful of Hershey kisses, for example, just before bed. Also, I tried the Chobani yogurt because Price Chopper has a very poor selection of my preferred yogurt (Dannon light and fit). I was leery because I remembered trying it once before and not liking it, but I liked it just fine. I had the cherry last night and I have a raspberry waiting in the fridge. (There's more calories in the Chobani, but I do love raspberry, so . . .)

Temps started out at 27.9(F) and reached 48.0 (at 11am when I left to go visit mom; it was already going down when I got home, but there’s the possibility that it got a few degrees warmer than that after I left). It rained in the afternoon.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing well when I visited. She seemed to have a bit more energy than yesterday, and admitted that she was very tired yesterday. My aunt and uncle were there visiting when I arrived.

She’s already getting annoyed with all the hospice visits. The nurse coming every week, the social worker (whose first visit was today) coming every week, the minister (who visited yesterday after I left) coming who knows how often . . .

Rome wasn't built in a day, you gotta climb a little higher, to the top of the display

It's Saturday and my body let me sleep in til a 6:30am. Which doesn't sound like much, but is an hour and a half after I normally get up, so I'll take it.

We played Frostmaiden last night, and it went pretty well. I coughed a bit, but I was mostly able to mut myself before I had a big coughing fit. The game was awesome, fun and twisty, and a lot of fun. My chaos muppets tried diplomacy--twice! Now they have a meeting with some sort of god, and a quest will rise from that, most likely. Frostmaide is long past the point of being a module, now it's all homebrew, which is kind of my favorite thing to do.

I was just looking at maps for said quest, and I found some awesome ones. I'm looking forward to springing them on my players.

Work was quiet yesterday as far as phones, but I was busy. White Marsh sent a thing with four cardiac CT slots that needed to be filled. The first one was on Monday. Could you have not noticed that earlier in the week so I wasn't giving people such short notice. I also got a Mammo, two MRIs and a Barium Swallow in earlier. I kicked ass! My second tier boss was very grateful. I managed not to ask him what was going on, because I'm pretty sure he'd disapprove of his manager telling me anything, and I don't want mommy and daddy fighting.

Seriously, what qualifies as "rather soon?" I want to know now! I have some lovely qualities, but patience is not one of them. I am more "rabidly curious."

Today, we have two games, one at 2 and one at 7. I'm DMing both, so this'll be interesting. Fortunately, if my voice gets craggy, it's only appropriate for the second game, Crooked Moon, as it is a weird little folk horror campaign.

I unfortunately, will have to put on a bra and go out today. I've gotta follow my sister over so she can leave her car for an oil change and check up, and I'll take her to pick it up either between games or tomorrow.

Tomorrow, one game where I'm not DMing, so I don't have to talk much, thankfully.

For someone who feels like tea is just okay, i've been drinking a lot of it lately. With game last night, Jess finally got to use their new teapot! They had two pots during game, and seemed to enjoy both new flavors. They really like the teapot, and posted a picture in the discord, so everyone could ooh and aah over it. (It's tradition to post pictures if you have good food or drink for game.) We've found a few tea companies and have proceeded to buy samples from all of them.

I'm rather fond of the Cherry Almond tea we got from Baltimore Coffee and Tea company. That really hits the spot, and keeps my cough to a minimum.

Our seafood order finally came, and despite being a day late, was still frozen solid. It had salmon and 2.5 lbs of Dungeness crab legs. Good lord that was delicious. Of all crabs, Dungeness may be my favorite, and of course, are the hardest to get around here.

Okay, time to go forth. Everyone have an excellent Saturday!

Purimgifts assignments had been SENT!

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