BronxWench

Those issues being inadequate healthcare, inadequate educational opportunities, job discrimination, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, broken families, to name a few. Tony Hillerman used his novels about Navajo life to illustrate the issues that are real, but you know, as a white man, that was probably wrong of him to try to shine a spotlight on these very serious issues. It's a good thing he didn't mention Skinwalkers. Oh, wait...

JK Rowling also took parts of my faith, and incorporated them into her fantasy world, and you don't hear me, or most pagans, for that matter, running around, tearing hair out and sobbing about the appropriation of religious and often cultural beliefs. Being American, I do happen to know people of Native ancestry. My ex-boyfriend had been engaged to a Navajo woman, who was sadly killed by a drunk driver. He spent time on the reservation where she lived, and they had plans to live there after they married, had she not died. Her brother wasn't happy, but her grandmother overruled him. So, really, what would he have been doing, had he lived among the Navajo, as a member of their tribe by marriage? He was as white as they come, Slovine and Finn mix by way of Northern Minnesota. I worked with Native people, and for the most part, I can tell you... they are pretty much people like everyone else. They have the same needs, desires, and goals as, well, people like me. (Entitled white people who are obviously supposed to apologize for our very entitled existence, apparently. So, to steal from the Christians, because they won't care, either: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.) The broad brush here is being wielded by the few shrill voices screaming cultural appropriation, and not all those voices belong to people who actually have a dog in this fight, as my dad would have said. This isn't worthy of discussion. It's bullying via public excoriation, and it's shameful.

I don't think anyone is making light of it. But on the other hand, at some point in time, we need to stop bubble-wrapping the world in case someone's feelings get hurt. You now what? Life hurts. That's what makes us stronger people and often better people. It's how we deal with adversity. When I had a miscarriage, should everyone have hidden infants from my sight, in case I felt diminished by my inability to carry that pregnancy to term? Should there have been a separate practice, so I wouldn't have had to go to my OB's office for a post-miscarriage exam, to make sure all the placental tissue had been expelled? I mean, I saw pregnant women there. It was hard as hell, but you simply need to deal with it. The world goes on. This is no different, when you think about it. Yes, there are living Navajo, and dozens of other tribes whose beliefs may or may not resemble what JK Rowling has written. Should we not mention any of their beliefs? Should the health insurance I had when I worked, insurance that covered Navajo singing-ways, have specified that only Navajo would be allowed to take advantage of that because no one else could possibly believe what they do? Do you see how silly this can get?

Pretty much! I have a WIP set in a slightly AU version of Wales in the 4th Century CE, I say AU because I am not using actual place names, and it's a male/male story. While the Romans were certainly familiar with catamites, and Romanized Britain would have no doubt been exposed to the Roman habit of taking pretty youths to bed, an arranged marriage between two males would be well out of the realm of historical reality. But it's fiction, and I'm taking liberties. If someone wants to take umbrage because I've appropriated something or someone, let them. They have a choice. Don't buy the book. Vote with your wallet. If people are that offended by JK Rowling's new book, then they can simply not buy it. How very radical--decline to provide economic support for something you don't care for. The alternate is that we all stop writing, because we're all going to offend someone somewhere at some point in time.

And Chrissy has said it perfectly for me as well. JK Rowling hasn't even held herself out as an expert on actual witchcraft, or any actual pagan faith. She uses bastardized Latin for her spells, and her witches and wizards celebrate Christian holidays. If we're going to treat her North American wizarding world as a factual discourse on North American history, then I rather imagine we'll need to start treating Wikipedia as an unimpeachable reference as well. It's called fantasy for a reason, people.

Exactly, those are the flat fee for review sites. They leave a generic review on the line of "Great book! Couldn't put it down!" which tells you nothing and is never from a verified purchaser or disclosed recipient of an advance review copy. I hadn't been aware the author accounts were getting banned as well, so thank you for that update. I've never wanted to pay for reviews myself, so I don't think I have to worry, and when I review on Amazon, it's as a verified purchaser.

While I am always happy to applaud initiative, review services have come under a great deal of scrutiny recently, thanks to the services that offer a set number of reviews for a flat fee, aimed at works published for sale. The problem is that the reviews are so generic as to be applicable to any book or novella or short story, and therefore are quite obviously being used solely to boost a story's review count and sell more books. In fact, the presence of one of these paid reviews is often a kiss of death in terms of sales, since readers are put off by them. The reviews that sell books are reviews from verified purchasers, or from people who clearly disclose that they received an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Readers put more trust in those reviews, and therefore authors are better served by having fewer reviews of that nature as opposed to filling a review board with paid reviews. So, the challenge for you and your team would be to create reviews that clearly show you've read the material. All of it, and not just the marketing blurbs we all struggle so hard to write. No one wants plot spoilers, but there has to be enough in the review to indicate familiarity. I'm not as bothered by the length of the review, since a pithy 200-word review that comes from someone who read the book is just as useful as a long review as a sales tool from the author's perspective, if the reviews are positive. If not, well, then it should be a clear wake-up call to the author to consider what readers find lacking, yes?

Honestly? I think the entire notion of cultural appropriation is a bit of a tempest in a Tumblr teapot. It's just another face of the "ban the patriarchy" hysteria, and largely as well thought out. We have, all throughout history, appropriated bits and pieces from other cultures. If we strip the English language of all it has "borrowed," we'd be reduced to grunts. Shakespeare borrowed Roman culture and traditions freely, among others, and we're not burning his plays in the street. Hemingway, hack that he was, is lauded for his depiction of people from other cultures. I am prone to borrowing bits and pieces from the mythology of various cultures, and I am not at all inclined to apologize, especially if it's my own cultural background. Being 100% respectful is impossible in a world where opinions are shared as widely and as swiftly as the flicker of electrons over a fiber optic line. Someone, somewhere, is going to take umbrage, and broadcast that ire over social media, where others will take up the cause to make themselves feel a part of something in an increasingly isolated world. I notice no one is defending the rights of witches, or correcting the misuse of the term warlock by JK Rowling and pretty much everyone else out there writing about things they don't understand. As a pagan, I could take umbrage a dozen times a day, but because I'm a rational human being who was born before the urge to share every single thought that crosses one's mind, I behave like the adult I'm supposed to be. I remind myself that people derive most of their education from the media, and therefore know nothing about my beliefs, and I just smile. As a person of Irish ancestry, I get to endure the farce known as St Patrick's Day, with green beer and drunken idiots wearing shamrocks. The Viking portion of my ancestors are not rolling over in their graves over the Marvel depictions of their gods, so why should I growl? So, personally, I think people need to take a step back, and stop expecting the world to be perfect. Then again, I'm a cranky old thing.

I need my "Like" button back!

That's usually what I do, but we have this sort of unspoken agreement regarding the car. I am delighted to report that it runs just fine now, though, having been up to the lake and back today. It's gorgeous - 75F and sunny. How could I stay home? And I did pick up orange juice on the way back for the sickly daft one...

He's a brilliant electrician, but he's just stubborn. When he was growing up, car engines were large and roomy, and he poked around in them with his dad. Now, they're compact, computerized, and he's not the whiz he was, but he hates admitting that. Me, I'm perfectly fine with knowing how to add wiper fluid and antifreeze, check my oil, and pump gas when I need to do it myself. Aside from that, I prefer having a reliable service center, and I'm happy to pay them to do what I can't do. But seriously, when he tells me to read the door sticker to find out my correct cold tire psi (35psi, because I did look), I'd sort of expect him to have done the same for tire size. Just saying...

So, the other day, I managed to pick up a screw in my tire. I found this out on Saturday, when I got into my car, started it up, and it helpfully informed me that my rear tire on the driver's side only had 8psi. I drove carefully to the gas station, put air into the offending tire, and noticed the screw, later determined to be what is known as a self drilling SMS, or "zippy," after a thorough interrogation by the daft bugger. I had a hot movie date with Youngerspawn, so when it appeared that the tire would hold pressure, I headed off for an afternoon of frivolity and popcorn consumption, and returned home safely and happily, with my well-screwed tire. After the interrogation to identify the nature of the screw, the daft bugger gave me a list of instructions on how to proceed. You see, I had an appointment to have my car serviced on Monday. It seemed logical to have them replace the tire, or both rear tires, since having both tires on an axle match is generally a good idea. But I was not to mention the screw, you see. Let them find it, I was cautioned. Then I could immediately wield my superior negotiating skills to induce them to replace the rear tires at a good price. I know the daft one well. Any decision I made would wind up being wrong, and I prefer not to be duplicitous with the people poking under the hood of my car. Call me silly. So, he decided he would go instead to a tire center and have my tires fixed. He asked the size, and I informed him that I had absolutely no idea, but I'd go check the car. Oh, no, he said, He could check on line. And he did, proudly showing me the result of his online searches and shopping. This is apparently his version of bringing home prey. "Look, woman! I have found tires!" Armed with his knowledge, he set off on Sunday to replace my damaged tire. He returned, triumphant, in time to take us to baseball practice, and on the way, he proudly informed me that he'd gotten a good deal, although the tires were a little smaller. Oh, and the service indicator for my 4-wheel drive had gone off. I was to tell the service people on Monday that I didn't need my tires rotated, but I probably would want to mention the service indicator. Oh, and don't tell them the new tires were smaller. (Because they wouldn't notice this, you see. They're factory trained and certified technicians who see nothing we don't want them to see. It's his version of the Force, which I have now dubbed the Farce.) I go to the service appointment Monday. I mention the new tires, and not needing rotation. I mention my service indicator for the 4-wheel drive. I agree that if there was no actual problem, I'd have to pay the diagnostic charge for wasting a tech's time to look for nothing. And then I settled in to wait for the verdict. They did notice the size difference of the tires. In fact, that was why I got the indicator. The smaller rear tires were revolving at a faster pace than the larger front tires, and the onboard computer noticed this. Not being an AI, it decided to simply shut off my 4-wheel drive capability in an effort to get my attention, which worked. It also cost an extra $150 for wasting a tech's time to determine that we were stupid enough not to match tire sizes. I tell the daft one this good news, along with how much else I spent on service. He tells me to go buy two new tires. At this point, I'm fairly dubious since I don't want to replace the front tires, too. This whole exercise has become fraught with peril. We go on line, and I notice that there are TWO trim options for my tires. The option he chose is the too-small size. The other option is what I had on the car in the first place. Now, perhaps I'm simply too much of a female to grasp these things, but I was perplexed as to (a) why no one involved would check the tires he was replacing to see what size they were, or consult the handy sticker inside the driver's door which clearly states the tires size, and (b) why an otherwise reputable tire dealer would knowingly put the wrong size tire on my car in the first place. I suspect the daft one simply insisted that it was fine. Still, I called the tire place, and they agreed that they would look at my car and perhaps replace the incorrect new tires. Which they did, today. For an additional $2.82. I now have four tires of identical size, no warning indicator telling me that my 4-wheel drive is in need of service, and a car that runs properly. And the daft one gets to pay a $150 "wow, you're a berk" diagnostic charge, which equates to roughly another new tire for the car, and then some. Some things are priceless...

The cover is amazing, and you know you have me hooked! I love you, you evil woman, you!

Link for above: Auribus Teneo Lupum by Shigure-san See the continuation in Auribus Teneo Lupum II: Praeditos

And hopefully, we'll see more of The CL's stuff being published!

What JayDee said. There's also the instances when you write for a game fandom, like I do, and you are of the opinion that the developers missed a crucial plot point, or went the wrong way, so to speak. In that case, I will happily dive into the AU pool.

I can't really quibble, because I did like Gwyn ap Nudd, a lot!

You're such a tease...

Preferably involving Valentina breaking Aneurin's freaking pretty nose with a well-aimed fist.

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That's an excellent point. It's going to be hard for everyone to forgive his actions, I'd think. "Not me" isn't a very valid defense.

Ai! So much to look forward to!

Aneurin largely redeemed himself for me when he warned Valentina about the Swynwr's plans for her. I still wish he could snap Islwyn's neck, but they need the Druid, or so I'm assuming. If nothing else, he makes a handy fuck-toy for the Swynwr. Pair of treacherous, two-faced sheepfuckers...

We actually have a thread for this, but at the moment, pending completion of some additional archive code updates, DG's not making categories. What you can do is to post your stories in the Games > Misc category, and in your summary add [Overwatch] to let her know where to put those once she's back to making new categories again. Then add a request here using the format posted for requests.