Wolf's Chaos

[THESE ARE MY PERSONAL VIEWS AND I AM NOT SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF ANY COMPANY FOR WHOM I HAVE WORKED]

Right, I'm not on TikTok and I'm not looking this up, but I get a lot of asks similar to this so I'll try to unpack it a bit. The short answer is: Don't Tell Me About This Shit. As a rule of thumb if an unlicenced product is visible enough to be bothering you, you can assume whoever owns the appropriate copyright has seen it and is taking what action they can.

Speaking more generally. Creative Commons (which we released TMA under) says you can do whatever you like with the podcast, the universe and the characters as long as you don't make any money from it. That's pretty simple, pretty clear. And to be honest, I've worked with a lot of companies and the attitude is almost always the same, even when it's not explicitly CC. Its only when money gets involving that things get complicated.

Obviously no-one actually wants to punish small fan artists taking commissions or the like, but here's the thing: legally you have to enforce your copyright or you can straight up lose it. And given the era of ripped-off and AI-generated slop we exist in, that means if a company is aware of copyright infringement, they have to take action.

Now, basically no company in the creative space actually has the resources or manpower to be actively hunting down everyone selling a few dozen keychains with a weird princess or a good cow printed on them, so if something gets big enough that it organically crosses their path, it's probably big enough that does genuinely need to get slapped down.

But the thing is, if I'm made aware of any of this stuff, I gotta tell 'em. So do not fucking tell me. Do not ask me if it's ok to sell your cool unlicenced merch. Do not ask me to promote or endorse it(!) If you give me a fun little present at a signing, do not tell me you're also selling it. And if you're someone who's done one of these things already: No You Fucking Didn't.

There are a few states that actually have Shield/Refuge laws designed to help trans people fleeing from trans-unsafe states, which also guarantee trans folks access to healthcare. These states are:

California

Colorado

Illinois

Oregon

Vermont

Washington

Minnesota

New Mexico

Maine

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Connecticut

Washington D.C.

Additionally, some states have "trans sanctuary" executive orders signifying safety for trans folks seeking healthcare. These states are:

Maryland

New Jersey

New York

Living as a resident in these states means you are protected by state's rights and state government to continue or begin receiving trans healthcare. These laws have been codified in their states so everything has been a-ok'd by their state governments.

we voted ~57% to enshrine abortion rights in the florida constitution. amendments for our state require a supermajority, aka 60% to pass. this is bullshit and we were set up to fail.

the entire time, our governor Ron Desantis' officials were pressuring and threatening media outlets for publishing anything supporting this amendment.

I hope you're right.

Usually, I hate being wrong, but this time I desperately want to be proven wrong. Four years from now as we're looking back on his second term, I hope you're giving me a well-deserved, "I told you so."

• I hope I'm wrong that his tariffs and other economic policies will drive up prices and hurt the poor and middle class.

• I hope I'm wrong about him and his followers continuing to demonize and scapegoat transgender people, and the pain and deaths it will cause.

• I hope I'm wrong about his rhetoric worsening the hate and racism in this country.

• I hope I'm wrong about the damage his policies will do to the environment and to the future of the planet.

• I hope I'm wrong about how the next four years will embolden Russia, North Korea, and other dictatorships.

• I hope I'm wrong about the trolls proclaiming, "Your body, my choice" being just the beginning of a larger backlash against women and their rights.

I could go on, but the point is, I would love for all of my fears to be proven groundless. And if that's what happens, I will joyfully tell you that you were right.

I just hope if it turns out you're wrong about some or all of these fears, that you'll have the strength and courage to admit it and to fight back. I hope you won't blindly follow cruelty and hate and greed, just because they're coming from your "side."

I'm afraid you won't. I'm afraid we'll see a lot of harm in the coming years, and I'm afraid you'll double down. I'm afraid you'll push lies and propaganda rather than face hard truths.