eternally 30, self-identifying with she/they (but not picky), living under a rock (though my heart lives in Venice). Writing fanfiction since 2002 & still going strong.
(Since Iāve actually been opening some tumblr pages on mobile browser & got annoyed with how many things DONāT WORK on it, I realised I should...probably bring my about me page from a page to an actual post. ^^; Also, gonna go ahead and pin it.)
Hi, Iām Batsutousai, but answer to most nickname variations (I understand my name isn't really easy to spell at a glance), most notably Bats, Batsu, and Batty.
I self-identify with she/they, but I don't particularly care what pronouns are used for me. I'm asexual and demi-romantic. When I turned 30, I decided I will be 30 for the rest of my life. (Given the number of people irl who think I've only just graduated high school, it'll be a while before this stops working.)
I am American, but I've spent quite a few years in British fandoms, and it shows in my spelling and some of my turns of phrase. I don't, necessarily, do it on purpose (except to make my mum twitchy), but I also don't go out of my way to correct myself, unless I'm writing from the point of view of an American character.
I first started posting fanfic back in 2002, under the name Katmon, and while you can find some of that on AO3, most of it has (thankfully) vanished into the ether. After a bad breakup and a brief hiatus, I began writing under the name Batsutousai in 2004, and have no intention to change names again (even if some of the ā04 stuffās kinda crap, imo).
While I have a preference for male/male ships in fandom, what little original stuff Iāve done tends to be female-centric. You can find a list of all my ships here, on my writing tumblr.
In 2012, I became a Tag Wrangler for AO3, and while I fairly regularly bitch about ātumblr-styleā freeforms and weird ships, I actually really love the work. Unfortunately, I had to quit it summer of 2020, because I couldn't make the time while working retail during the pandemic, but I fully intend to pick it up again, once life settles back down.
Iām happy to talk about my experiences as a tag wrangler, and I donāt really hide what fandoms I wrangled for (Digimon, FMA, Radiata Stories, & some minor fandoms), but I DO NOT speak for the tag wrangling team or the archive as a whole. (I also donāt out other wranglers.)
In real life, Iām currently living with my younger sister, work at a family-owned local repair company (currently answering phones, but being transitioned into more of an admin assistant job), & occasionally catsit from some friends. I have an Etsy shop, where I sell crocheted things (nothing up there right now, because it costs money to keep things listed, & I don't sell enough to excuse the constant cost).
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Some FAQs:
When is (name WiP series/fic here) updating?
When it does?
Look, I get that you really, really like that series/fic ā I do, too ā and Iāve probably reread it fairly recently, to see if my muse will behave, but heās a little shit, and every time someone asks about an update for any particular fic, that makes him LESS LIKELY to give me ideas for it. Iām happy to hear all about how much you like it, but asking about updates is more likely to keep one from happening.
Ā
Will you write a sequel for this fic?
My answer 99% of the time: No.
If I said somewhere there will be a sequel, yes. Eventually. Otherwise, NO.
Ā
Can I do a translation or podfic of your work?
You can indeed! I do request that you let me know when/where itās posted, so I can add it to my list of such works!
*With some cautions; I have a list on LJ/DW of pieces that currently have translations; please speak to the translators in question if you want to continue something unfinished, as itāll be easier for everyone to communicate in their (I assume) native tongue, than for me to play go-between.
**I donāt have a listing yet of podfics, mostly because the only ones Iām aware of, are either linked through AO3, or I donāt have a public link for.
Ā
Can I make fanart/fanfic/moodboard/etc based on one of your fics?
You absolutely may!
Please do add a note somewhere (in the post/authorās note) or, on AO3, use the inspired by option, to link back to the fic thatās serving as your inspiration. & then feel free to let me know!
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Can I create a physical copy of your work for my personal use?
Yes, you may. I have nothing against folks saving copies of my work for personal use, be that in the form of old-school 3-ring binders, digital copies on kindle and similar devices, or through the increasingly common hobby of book-binding.
You Ā don't have to show me what they look like when you're done, but you're welcome to. Ā
Ā
Do you take requests?
For fanfic? Not really. I sometimes reblog those āgive me a fandom/pairing/character(s) and a number and Iāll write the thingā memes, but I canāt guarantee Iāll write everything I get.
Ā
Will you follow me back?
I donāt do follow-backs, sorry. Which is mostly because I have a thing about needing people to tag ā the only people I follow who donāt tag are rl friends who post rarely, or folks who only reblog a specific fandom ā and I prefer people who queue things, because Iām not fond of poking my head in and finding my TL taken over by one person (esp if theyāre posting for a fandom Iām not interested in :/ Iām afraid Iām a bit of a crabby old person, not sorry).
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What do you tag for?
Right now, I tag for fandom/character/ship, food, USA nonsense, politics, personal posts, and video/audio. Iām kinda bad about remembering to tag triggers, but if youāve got one you need tagged, let me know and Iāll make a concerted effort. (For example, I tag for food because someone asked me to tag for it.)
Ā
Hey, I really like your work! Can I send you money?
You can, actually! You can buy me a tea via ko-fi, or go a bit more long-term and support me on patreon (where I post stalled WiPs and related snippets/fic notes you may never see anywhere else).
Ā
I want to show you this thing!
If youāre posting it yourself, tag me in one of the first five of the postās tags (I follow batsutousai). If itās a reblog, you can @ tag me. (I did finally figure out how to get tumblr to send me email notifications about those.)
I donāt allow submissions, sorry.
Ā
I have another question.
Send me a DM or ask! Anon is always on, if you want to keep your identity a secret from me, and I rarely respond to asks from users publicly.
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This is the Veil Nebula, which Hubble saw on July 1, 2020.
Have you ever looked up what our Hubble Space Telescope saw on your birthday? (Or your anniversary, or your pet's adoption day, or...)
We've given our popular interactive page a new look ā and, just as importantly, it now shows you five different cosmic sights Hubble was checking out on the day that you picked.
you know what really helps you locate any small paper cuts you might have forgotten you have? putting your hand in a bucket of acid. cool things I learned today
I buy citric acid crystals in bulk and mix them with water to make a bath for cleaning aquarium equipment. and then sometimes I reach in with my bare hand to take things out because I am fundamentally the kind of person who would do that
Credit card companies will TRY to saddle you with this kind of debt by the way - if ever a loved one dies and you are not co-signed on their credit card, do NOT agree to pay their debt unless you ask a lawyer first if you truly have to.
They will say ādonāt you want them to go to the grave without debtā, they will try to guilt you, they will take advantage of your vulnerability.
Source: when my father died, he had some credit cards that my mom wasnāt on that she had no access to. The companies contacted her while she was sorting through the bills and getting a handle on how to run the house alone, badgering her with his credit card debt.
She wasnāt liable for any of it, but if she had ever agreed to pay before finding out that she didnāt need to, she would have been considered to have taken on his debt and would have HAD to pay it. Itās slimy, itās predatory, and itās entirely legal for them to do this.
Never accept the credit card companyās word about your obligation to pay anyone elseās debt, if you donāt have access to the card, ask a lawyer before agreeing to anything.
Ok, I'm not an estate lawyer disclaimer blah blah locations all have different laws blah blah BUT a couple months back I started to get overly worried I will likely die still owing money some day, with a negative "net worth" whateverwhatever. I only care that my niblings could get harassed about bills of mine, and I would HATE THAT.
What I found by doing a bunch of research, talking to a family lawyer I know, and a wealth planner, is accurate to what's up thread. Those who I am a debtor w/ can/will take what they can from "my estate." They can/will try to chase down payments.
But when said estate (lol) is all gone, that's it. They can TRY to contact my niblings about bills, but basically they'll just need to be like "Auntie who????" and/or ignore it fully and not pay a cent and they can't be held responsible.
While we're on this topic, don't forget: even with credit card debts or medical bills that are yours, when you can't pay they go in collections, the collections company is very very likely to settle w/ you for pennies on the dollar. I once paid $500 for a hospital bill that originally came to me over $6k.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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ppl on ao3 should use the "this work was inspired by" option more. so many fics out there that put links to other fics in the a/n but theres a better option.....
important addition i forgot that not everyone might know. similar to how ao3 bookmarks work, you can also link to non-ao3 fanworks using this format. so, for instance, if theres some fanart on tumblr that inspired you to write the fic? you can link that fanart to your fic!
ADHD advice from non-ADHD people: start blocking out your day and put things in your google calendar
ADHD advice from ADHD people: any time you're waiting for your food to microwave YOU HAVE TO WASH DISHES WASH AS MANY AS YOU CAN THIS IS A RACE AGAINST TIME THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THIS COULD HAPPEN
One thing that worries me about the use of AI is whether or not it can worsen people's dementia and alzheimer's in the future. When my grandmother was first diagnosed, we got her math activity books. Now, my grandmother never had a formal education, but we did our best to keep her sharp, get her to do math and writing activity books, sudokus, playing board games that required some level of strategizing with her. Her family is prone to alzheimer's and dementia (both her siblings had it and deteriorated very very very quickly, which yeah, scares the shit out of me being her granddaughter) but she was the one whose mind lasted the longest, she only passed away two years ago, at 88, ten whole years after her initial diagnosis and sure, she had forgotten things, recipes and where she put her glasses and appointments, but she never forgot any of us, ten whole years in, she still remembered us. Now, this may have been luck, but doctors always said the constant mental work + companionship + medicine helped her a lot. So I'm thinking, these people who are now relying on AI for everything, from email-writing to thinking what's for dinner to casual conversations, I've even seen people rely on it to calculate what time they should leave their house if they need to be at a place at a specific time and their commute lasts X number of minutes. As if that's not... the simplest math operation possible? You shouldn't even need a calculator for that!!! Idk I don't know how long it'll take us to see the effects of this + exposure to brain-rotting short form content that is completely meaningless + people addicted to right-wing conspiracy style media. Idk I'm very worried. Please, read, read complicated books! Take up a book on philosophy and try to decipher it and make your own opinions on it, please buy a maths activity book and relearn how to do math, please get a hobby that involves lots of thinking and concentrating. PLEASE!!!
As a neurologist, Iāll give you the pretty name for it: cognitive reserve.
The way I explain it to my patients is that our neurons donāt regenerate. They make connections with each other and thatās it. If you donāt use your brain, they make fewer connections and, if one of them dies, youāre gonna miss it, because that was the only one that knew how to do X. Now, if each one of them has many, many connections, you wonāt notice the difference when one of them dies. The others pick up the slack.
As of 2024, 45% of dementia risk factors are modifiable. Relevant to this conversation, 5% for less education and 5% for social isolation.
We absolutely are going to see the reflection of this, but itās gonna take decades and itāll be too late. So, for the love of your brain, pretend that itās a muscle and make it work. People complain about āwhen am I ever gonna use this maths formula in my life?ā Youāre not. Youāre teaching your brain to think logically. Those sinapses will be there for when you need to figure out your weekās schedule. English classes taught me how to interpret data and how to convey it in this text so itās clear and you understand what Iām saying, not because I needed to justify why the curtain is blue.
Make your brain know how to do different things. Logic games, puzzles, taking care of a garden even if small, planning a churchās event or birthday, learn a new instrument, learn a few words in another language, look at a calendar every day, do some manual labor if possible. Do not, I repeat, do not let your brain get rid of sinapses by letting AI do everything. Your brain uses 20% of your bodyās energy ā do you really think itās going to maintain connexions that arenāt in use?
Most cases of Alzheimerās are sporadic, meaning no family history. Family history of a first-degree relative with Alzheimerās starting before they were 80yo increases your risk in 2-3x on average.
TLDR: Yes. From the knowledge we have today, AI will increase the number and severity of dementia cases.
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I love how Zohran Mamdani is wearing a suit everywhere. And if he has anything else he puts it ON TOP of the suit. A basketball jersey. A high-vis vest. All worn over the suit. Heās like the mayor character in a cartoon whoās always dressed as The Mayor. If I didnāt know who he was and he biked past me in NYC Iād be like holy shit was that the mayor
random anecdote for father's day: one time during a long car ride my dad asked me, "you're familiar with Murphy's Law, right?" and i was like "isn't that the one about how anything that can go wrong will go wrong?" and he said "yeah, exactly" and i said "why do you ask?" and he went "well, have you heard of Cole's Law?" and i said "no, actually, what's that?" and he said "it's mostly lettuce and carrots with a little dressing mixed in"
