-4AF-

Stop reblogging from them please until they start making their own things. Some of us put a lot of work into the things we make and don’t appreciate reposting especially if said person does not ask (which this person hasn’t).

This fandom used to be a safe space where people could write and draw and gif and not worry about being harassed or being told that their work is ‘gross’ or that they don’t update often enough or that this character Dick #1 doesn’t like should ‘fuck off and die already’. 

But nope, now every time I have a comment on a Root/Shaw fic I cringe because I’m afraid of what it’ll say. I used to be so happy to create for you nerds, and now I just…??? I’m constantly worried. And I know for a fact I’m not the only one.

You guys do realise when we write or create something it takes time and energy, right? And it comes from actual persons, real life human beings who have a life and a job or an education to go back to, giving you this content for free - and you people shit on it?

Seriously? Because you don’t like the plot or a pairing or because it doesn’t have the smut you were hoping it would? Wow. WOW.

It’s okay not to like something; just close the tab and get on with your life. No one needs your ‘i don’t like this’ comment. No one. 

Yeah, I know there are assholes in every fandom, I’m not a naive little bird crying over one or two isolated cases. But in our little corner of the femslash nerdsphere, their ranks are growing. And to be honest with you all, the more they grow, the less good content you’ll see online. 

I interrupt a long-term hiatus to help raise awareness towards the new Copyright Laws that might come into effect starting next week unless we join efforts to stop it. 

A friend and fellow artist, Will Terry, has joined forces with Brad Holland to help us understand what this Copyright Law is all about, here is their message:

“Orphan Works in a Nutshell:

- Congress is drafting a new US Copyright Act. If passed, it would replace current US Copyright law. There isn’t any bill yet, but the Copyright Office has issued its recommendations for one. Their Report is 234 pages long and is very complicated, so it’s risky to try reducing it to a few words. But here’s a summary of its basic features:

It would void your Constitutional right to the EXCLUSIVE CONTROL of YOUR work.

It would effectively reverse the default premise of copyright law; which means…

It would make the public’s right to use your work its defining goal; which means…

You would have to make your work available to the public.

You would have to do this by registering every picture you want to retain the rights to with for-profit registries.

Unregistered work would be considered legally “orphaned.”

Orphaned work would be available for commercial infringement by “good faith” infringers.

Good faith infringers would be anyone who believed they had made a “reasonably diligent,” but unsuccessful effort to find you.

Infringers could also ALTER your work and copyright the “derivative works” in their own names.

This would affect all visual art: drawings, paintings, sketches, photos, etc.; past, present and future; published and unpublished; domestic and foreign.

It would include family snapshots and any picture or work you ever put on the Internet.

The Copyright Office acknowledges that this would pose special “challenges” for visual artists…

But they conclude that it’s in the public interest for your work to be available for anyone to use.

The Copyright Office has also recommended the following:

Mass Digitization of the world’s intellectual property by corporate interests.

Extended Collective Licensing, a form of socialized corporate licensing that would replace voluntary agreements between artists and clients.

A Copyright Small Claims Court to handle the expected flood of orphan works lawsuits.

         —> The deadline is This Thursday, July 23, 2015″ <—

– WHAT CAN WE DO? –

Write a letter —> HERE <— Let them know why this isn’t a good idea!

Don’t know what to write? Here are Letter samples 

SHARE this information as much as you can! 

– LEARN MORE –  

Watch/Listen to Will Terry and Brad Holland discuss this Law on “ Everything You Know About Copyright Is About To Change”

Read all about it.

IPA Artists Alert

Join Illustrator’s Partnership

This Copyright Act could affect all kinds of creators!!