LoserVille :)

and more importantly this

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hmmm and perhaps

Options are being brought to us, now. Read this open letter then peruse their option. -Wolf

OPEN LETTER 

To: Tumblr Jeff D’Onofrio, Tumblr CEO New York City, New York, United States

Dear Jeff D’Onofrio,

On December 17, Tumblr will be banning porn from its site.

By banning “adult content” from your website in truth you categorically ban sex workers regardless of how they are using your platform. You cut them off from the ability to build an audience for their work, and what’s even worse, you declare their very existence as obscene.

Tumblr allows every content creator, artist, or small entrepreneur to build an audience and communicate with this audience at any moment in time - if you do not work in the adult industry of course.

Many brands use social media to sell products. Social media and eCommerce are interlocked. You take this now away from every adult content creator around the globe. And that is wrong.

You mentioned in a blog post titled “A better, more positive Tumblr”:

“There is no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content. We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community.”

You are wrong: There is a shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content, in particular when it comes to shadowbanning and the ability to also advertise on these sites.

Look, here is what we do:

Sharesome is a site that welcomes all the people that you just kicked off your platform. You gave them time until December 17th to export a backup of their blog to save their years of work. Meanwhile we will develop an import tool, so they can move to us, and we leave you with all the white supremacist Nazi blogs – because we ban that kind of shit.

Regards,

There are no lights, down this road which you are going,

There are no lit torches, or lanterns that are glowing,

There is only a bitter agony, of the unpleasant kind,

That a damaged soul like yours, seems so desperate to find,

So come away from here, and do your best to follow,

Down this path of love and pain, and you’ll make it through the morrow,

Don’t you worry now my dear, for always in the end,

“A brain, A brain,

My life for a brain.” I chanted,

It was the devil I summoned,

As I incanted,

A puff of smoke,

And a flash of light,

And there he stood,

The devil himself, a ghastly sight,

Could I do this?

Could I ever follow through?

Could I give up my life,

and pay my dues?

He nodded wisely,

As if he could read my mind,

As if he knew the words,

That I struggled to find,

“Give me your soul, Scarecrow,

And you will have your brain,

I promise that it will be whole,

And only partly insane”,

The devil cackled,

Fire spitting from his eyes,

His serpent tongue flickering,

As he spoke his lies,

The devil smiled,

As he held out his hand,

I staggered forward,

Feet dragging in the sand,

Our fingers met,

A flash of pain in my heart,

My body torn asunder,

My mind torn apart,

“A fool, A fool,

A fool you are haystack,

For a brain you had,

but confidence you lacked,

Now mine, all mine,

Yes mine you are scarecrow,

Just another puppet,

To dance in my show,

The devil leaned in close

And said with a grin

“Never deal with me

“i couldn’t help it, i was having a bad episode” is a justification, not an apology.

“i’m so fucking sorry, i fucked up, i don’t deserve to live, i should stop talking to anyone ever, i should die” is a second breakdown and a guilt trip. it is not an apology.

when you apologize, the focus should be on the person you hurt. “i’m sorry. i did something that was hurtful to you. even if i was having a rough time, you didn’t deserve to hear that,” is a better apology. if it was a small thing, you can leave it at that.

if you caused significant distress to the other person, this is a good time to talk about how you can minimize damage in the future. and again, even if it is tempting to say you should self-isolate and/or die, that is not a helpful suggestion. it will result in the person you’re talking to trying to talk you out of doing that, which makes your guilt the focus of the conversation instead of their hurt.

Fellas, listen.

You don’t have to do anything sexual that you’re not interested in. Moreover, you don’t have to explain why. “No” is a complete sentence.

Not interested in getting pegged? You don’t have to. Monogamous and not into the idea of another partner? Okay. Not sure about period sex? Cool.

Now hear the struggles of the lonely clown,

His tired life,

His heavy frown,

He lives in a house of broken doors,

With a leaky roof,

And creaky floors,

And there is no movement on his street,

No blinking lights,

No weary feet,

But still he watches through the window panes,

The falling snow,

And the pouring rain,

And as he stares his mind does wonder,

Where he failed,

Or if he blundered,

For in this world that is so cruel,

There is one law,

One lonely rule,

To always strive to do your best,

To survive,

And pass the test,

But on this day this clown did know,

That this was it,

His final show,

So with one last laugh he said goodbye,

With one final click,

We literally have the most left wing manifesto out of the labour party we’ve seen in years - they’re finally not just a centrist, almost policy for policy but slightly more left version of the tories. 

However, right-wing media is attempting to destroy our left wing leader. They’re smearing him left, right and centre. Hopelessly trying to make him out to be an ‘incapable leader’, as though ANY of the leaders we’ve had in the past few decades were the most respectable of people. 

Our right wing leader is essentially Cruella De Vil down to wanting to lift the ban on fox hunting. 

Can we talk about this more as a site?

You all blogged for Trump vs Clinton. Now can we pay attention to the rise of the right wing else where? Our left wing is promising nationalisation, free education and taxing the rich to fill our gaps but people still want to vote Tory despite them looking to privatise our health care, rip it to shreds first by giving their friends jobs in management and toss our education system up in the air. All because 1) Not enough people are voting and 2) the right wing is playing dirty tricks. 

But more importantly:

This government has taken away disability benefits and replaced them with a new scheme that is absolute pittance, they increased the national debt, and have continued to de-fund and sell off parts of the NHS. They want to scrap free school lunches for impoverished children, privatise the NHS, reduce the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, tighten border control and immigration, fund more grammar schools, not to mention what has now been dubbed as the “dementia tax” where millions of elderly people and their families are essentially getting financially penalized for living longer while unwell. They are promising to CUT corporation tax, which is already lower in Britain than most other countries in Europe, meaning that all these multi-billion dollar corporations have to pay even LESS than before, and want foreign workers and international students to pay more for their healthcare while over here, as well as to increase defense spending.

And last but not least, I shit you not, Theresa May wants to give the government power to regulate what is posted and shared online.

Quotes from the actual, literal, official Tory manifesto:

“Some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and the internet… We disagree.”

“While we cannot create this framework alone, it is for government, not private companies, to protect the security of people and ensure the fairness of the rules by which people and businesses abide… Nor do we agree that the risks of such an approach outweigh the potential benefits.”

And from The Independent article:

The manifesto also proposes that internet companies will have to pay a levy, like the one currently paid by gambling firms. Just like with gambling, that money will be used to pay for advertising schemes to tell people about the dangers of the internet, in particular being used to “support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms”, according to the manifesto.

The Conservatives will also seek to regulate the kind of news that is posted online and how companies are paid for it. If elected, Theresa May will “take steps to protect the reliability and objectivity of information that is essential to our democracy” – and crack down on Facebook and Google to ensure that news companies get enough advertising money.

If internet companies refuse to comply with the rulings – a suggestion that some have already made about the powers in the Investigatory Powers Act – then there will be a strict and strong set of ways to punish them.

“We will introduce a sanctions regime to ensure compliance, giving regulators the ability to fine or prosecute those companies that fail in their legal duties, and to order the removal of content where it clearly breaches UK law,” the manifesto reads.

Honestly, this shit is terrifying.

And that’s not even talking about how many trans people who have begun their transition are not able to vote. Lets not beat around the bush.

Yes, she wants to bring back fox hunting. But she also wants to do a hell of a lot more much more harmful things than that. This government could be worse than Thatchers. She will make life miserable for the working class, the disabled, migrants, and other minorities.

Here’s the thing about when, uh, What’s New Pussycat plays over and over and over and over and over again. The second time it plays, your immediate thought is not ‘hey someone’s playing What’s New Pussycat again.’ It’s ‘hey, What’s New Pussycat is a lot longer than I first thought. The third time it plays you’re thinking maybe someone’s playing What’s New Pussycat again. The fourth time it plays you’re either thinking ‘whoa someone just played What’s New Pussycat FOUR TIMES or at least someone played it twice, and it’s a really long song.’ So the fifth time is the kicker, alright? 

Now, John and I we’re watching the entire diner at this point, alright? Most people have gotten wind as to what’s going on. And we’re staring at this one guy and he’s sitting in like a booth with his stupid kids jumping around, and he’s like staring at his coffee cup like this, and he’s been onto us since the beginning. And he’s sitting there, and his hand is shaking, and he had this look on his face like, aw, like he had just gotten his thirty day chip from anger management. And he’s staring like this, and the fourth song fades out. It’s dead quiet. Then, I don’t know if you know this, but the song begins very quietly…

BWAAAH BWAAAAAH WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT and he goes GOD DAMN IT and pounds on the table, silverware flies everywhere, and it was fantastic. But a word about my best friend John and what a genius he was because when we first walked into the diner, okay? When we first got there and I’m punching in the What’s New Pussycats alright? I’ve punched in like 7 at this point then John says to me ‘hey hey hey before you punch in another What’s New Pussycat let’s drop in one It’s Not Unusual.’

Oh yes. That is when the afternoon went from good to great. After seven What’s New Pussycats. In a row - It played seven times. Suddenly - Dum da dum, IT’S NOT UNUSUAL and the sigh of relief that swept through the diner. People were so happy. It was like the liberation of France. You know for years scientists have wondered can you make grown men and women weep tears of joy by playing Tom Jones’s It’s Not Unusual and the answer is yes you can. Provided that it is preceded by seven What’s New Pussycats. It’s true. Dead honest.

And on the other hand. When we went back. Holy shit. It’s Not Unusual fade out. It’s dead quiet. BWAAAH BWAAAAH WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT people went insane. People went out of their minds. No one could handle it. No one could handle it. And they were surrounded by this seemingly indifferent staff that was just like ‘yup some crap as always.’ 

A few weeks ago, I came across something extraordinary in the local trader community, and today, I thought it would be best to share my experience and knowledge of what I saw that day.

Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t be mentioning a post from another trade group. However, something like this is another landmark in MTG history, second only to the 1996 World Champion Trophy and sale for the original art, it deserves to be shared, and these stories should be known by everybody.

This is Raphael Puleo. He runs a humble MTG store known as Magic Bazar in France. He’s also the proud owner of 3 of the world’s rarest and richest pieces of MTG history, spanning back to the beginning of this game.

In his hand, he holds a copy of Splendid Genesis, Fraternal Exaltation, and Proposal. To many, these are names that are vague, even unknown. However, try to understand that three cards are an infinitely important part of Magic The Gathering History, as these are the three cards that Richard Garfield created to celebrate various periods in his life. Make no mistake, these cards are well worth more than Power 9 (Excluding Alpha/Beta Lotuses), and the stories behind each of them are incredibly touching.

I’m also going to explain why Proposal appears to be covered up later on, since some people might ask.

Splendid Genesis

Of the existing celebration cards in MTG, Splendid Genesis is probably the most well-known card, having been listed on eBay and seen in auction houses a number of times over the years. Printed to commemorate the birth of his first child, only 110 copies were ever made and sent out to incredibly close friends and well known employees at Wizards. It was also drawn by Monique Thirifay (an early WotC employee), and to date, is the only card she has ever produced. The card effect is also wholesome and makes me feel happy.

For this card alone, the current market value is an estimated $10,000, which is an amazing price to behold, but probably worth it for something so unique.

Fun fact, Mark Rosewater is also a proud owner of one of these, if my information is correct, which makes a lot of sense.

Fraternal Exaltation

Fraternal Exaltation was a card done in the same fashion, printed to commemorate the birth of Garfield’s second child. However, the amount released this time around was 220, a significant increase, and perhaps a sign of Wizards increasing growth as a company? Or Garfield had more friends, who knows.

This card however, was drawn by Susan Garfield, Richards sister and for me, personally, owning a celebration card drawn by your own sibling is far more amazing than just another Black Lotus.

Given that the print run for this card was significantly larger, the price is lower as a result, but prices still range from $3-$5,000, with those copies having been sold out already.

And of course, comes the best for last.

Proposal

What follows is one of my favorite romance stories and the most feelgood MTG tale I’ve ever heard.

In October 1993, Garfield enlisted the aid of Dave Howell, and the late Quinton Hoover to create a unique and special card. Using this one of a kind piece, Richard was going to propose to his then-girlfriend, Lily Wu.

All together, a single sheet of 9 cards were produced, with one being used for a very special game: “According to Richard, he put just put one in the all-white deck he was playing. As luck would have it, the first three games the pair played, he didn’t draw the card. He did finally find it in the fourth game, but was losing. At one point, Lily asked if he wanted to concede because, as a playtester, she didn’t think any card he could play would allow him to win. Shortly after, Richard played the now-famous card” ~ MTG Librarities So, they did get married, and the 8 remaining copies were sent to family memebers, and Dave and Quinton. Unfortunately, Quinton’s copy was stolen at some point, but it has been verified that this is not that copy. The most unique thing about this card, is that Richard and Lily told all of the owners never to reveal the original artwork to preserve the memory. That image up there? It’s not the actual art, it has never been revealed to this day, and because of that, it is the greatest mystery in MTG history (there’s another fake image out there too). Hence why Ralph has it covered up. As a result, it’s no surprise that the only copy currently being sold is being offered at an astounding $35,000.

I could build a vintage deck with that kind of money. A good one too….

Altogether, the three cards are being sold off for a staggering $55,000. But for 2 cards that barely register in the 3 digit population, and another with just 9 copies in existence, and with all 3 of these being such an important part of MTG history, the price tag is well deserving. It’s still a shame though, that we’ll never see the original art for Proposal, but perhaps its best to keep it unique like this…..

I hope you all enjoyed the wonderful story behind these cards, and hope you’ll retell it to other players as well.