The argument for not allowing trans children in sports ignores all the reasons we would like a young person to benefit from socializing with their peers *on purpose* because not allowing a young trans person to generate a healthy peer group *is the point* but they can’t say that part aloud.

What benefits does sports have for kids? Why are we so focused on winning?

YouTube video by GenericArtDad

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Widow's Bay is like if you took every adult in a Goosebumps episode and stranded them southeast of Rhode Island.

turns out that a.) 9 albums is actually embarrassingly little, and b.) picking a favourite Everything Everything, Lupe Fiasco, or Aesop Rock album is like picking which finger you would rather be the only one remaining on one hand. But Demon Days? You never forget your first (CD purchase).

Miscreant Meow Connoisseur@bankuei.bsky.social · yesterday

www.my9albums.com/s/zSOrhF75Z2 I feel like I'd need 9 for each decade of my life.

Love knowing that some of the biggest pubs are willing to write off writers for suspected AI use but are allegedly letting Rumpelstiltskin write their emails Especially since Hachette is allegedly included, considering the last time 'Hachette' and 'AI' were in the same headline...

WIRED@wired.com · yesterday

More than two dozen workers at three major publishing houses—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette—tell WIRED that LLMs are being used for publicity, cover art, back cover copy, and emails, as some execs push junior staff to champion the tech. Read the full story: buff.ly/p0ymGmN

Another for the list of 'Brandon Has An Idea for A TTRPG campaign Set In The Caribbean': Brindlewood Bay, but it's set in Bayshore/Shorelands/Westmoorings By The Sea in Port of Spain, so you know it's mostly just wealthy assholes dying and/or being cultists.

i don't know if i have all the spoons for it but i have a pile of thoughts about Lanterns and I suspect I'm gonna drop them as a bunch of @leaflet.pub sub-pages because it is also kinda fun to be like 'this is an essay that is made up of a bunch of essays dropped on you like a kind of mini-magazine'

All the other potential opinions about Universes Beyond notwithstanding, I am actually far more in favour of the Darkhold Destiny promise of daring to construct story within those universes, and I'd prefer it if that were the case every time instead of just giving us a pile of characters & lore.

Yes, because let’s face it, people often do in fact judge a book (or magazine) by its cover. I know for a fact that there are people previously unfamiliar with my work who ordered my book for the cover alone. I’m honored to get to work with visual artists. Each and every time.

Brandon O’Brien, but wearing a wolf mask@therisingtithes.bsky.social · 2d ago

Remember that if you are in the field—a choice word, because it means we are walking the uncharted territories together—we have a duty to care for the growth, visibility, and dignity of our peers. Artists are not vestigial to the craft of writing. Respect them and they'll respect us.

If Asimov's was a bucket-list sale, nearing more of the MRM news must be like hearing that the high-end sandwich shop you've always wanted to get the house special from just hired a guy who can make a hell of a hoagie with bootheels for meat.

Today in Corporations Finding New Ways To Hate You: I just got an email from PayPal about claiming my portion of the Amazon FTC settlement, and I am only sorta surprised that it is real. But that also means I am not surprised that it goes to such lengths to obviously look like a scam email.

I'm not playing Marvel Tokon, but a.) Phoenix Cyclops is actually kind of a rad premise to use after getting used to Phoenix Jean in previous fighting games; and b.) "The power of your 'Mother Earth' does not compare TO A STAR!" is too hardcore of a line for its own good.

MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls - Phoenix Cyclops Gameplay Reveal Trailer

YouTube video by GameSpot

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Gothic by Gaslight - Episode 4 The Dreadfuls recruit Inspector Vance to join them in their watch on Jekyll's cabinet that fateful night. The strange case comes to a brutal conclusion. directory.libsyn.com/episode/inde... #callofcthulhu

Elise Tobler, editor of the fabled SHIMMER magazine and now THE DEADLANDS is hospitalized after cancer and an infection. She made SFF an inclusive, interesting place and broke out many authors. Help if u can gofund.me/6ea1bf7a4

Donate to Help Support Elise While She Recovers, organized by Sean Markey

hello. friends if you're reading this, you're likely a Friend of The Deadl… Sean Markey needs your support for Help Support Elise While She Recovers

gofund.me

Also: because I'm manipulative, I'll just mention that today is my birthday and I'm old.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show@skiffyandfanty.com · 4d ago

And it's here. We've been promising it. Now it's real! Announcing our 2026 Fundraiser and Membership Drive! We've got two goals, three TTRPG events, some giveaways, and more! Read our announcement for full details, dates, and more! Spread the word! skiffyandfanty.com/b...

For real! We need a couple of players. If you'd like to donate and join @therisingtithes.bsky.social for a game of Public Access or @stephengm.bsky.social and @brandoncrilly.bsky.social for a game of B.O.A., we would love to hear from you!

Paul "Princejvstin" Weimer@princejvstin.com · 4d ago

And if you want to donate and become part of one of the games, let us know ASAP!

I'm running a game of Public Access to draw members and funds for @skiffyandfanty.com's future content! I may just need a couple of players... 👀 But I hope you all also join us and donate or join our Patreon so the Skiffy and Fanty Show can continue to grow!

The Skiffy and Fanty Show@skiffyandfanty.com · 4d ago

And it's here. We've been promising it. Now it's real! Announcing our 2026 Fundraiser and Membership Drive! We've got two goals, three TTRPG events, some giveaways, and more! Read our announcement for full details, dates, and more! Spread the word! skiffyandfanty.com/b...

This law was also passed without the necessary 3/5ths majority, by 1 vote & takes away constitutional rights for every citizen for years. Outcry in Trinidad and Tobago after passing of police bill that could threaten press freedom | Trinidad and Tobago | The Guardian share.google/VRYoBqjToA5Z...

Outcry in Trinidad and Tobago after passing of police bill that could threaten press freedom

Journalists call for urgent amendment to special operations bill, which increases police search and seizure powers

share.google

Today in 'things I never learned in History class in secondary school': today is the 50th anniversary of the terrorist explosion of CU 455 in Caribbean airspace, which the CIA had intel on for several months before its execution, because its mastermind was a CIA operative for years at the time.

A saddening look at what's happened to Shout!, from the esteemed @cranz.bsky.social. www.avclub.com/shout-factor...

Shout! Factory put old "lost" TV directly into fans' hands—until one day it didn't

Shout! Factory put old "lost" TV directly into fans' hands—until one day it didn't

avclub.com

I actually dig this a lot—because of the nature of Obsidian itself it isn't as player-facing as some would need, but I imagine there are currently quite a few GMs and designers already elbow-deep in .md files of their games that would love to continue using Obsidian to facilitate play as well.

Atlas VTT Setup Guide: From Empty Vault to Your First Session

YouTube video by Atlas VTT

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"Black excellence is almost never self‑defined—it’s projected onto you, shaped by other people’s expectations rather than your own. It's a prison where your only solace is toxic gratitude for platitudes over self-affirmation." Lanterns has been top tier and this essay is absolutely on point.

Aftermath@aftermath.site · 6d ago

Lanterns and the folly of Black excellence aftermath.site/lanterns-dc-st...

Available tomorrow!

Karen Lord@drkarenlord.bsky.social · last wk.

Arriving next week! THE ANGEL AT THE GATES, my latest novel, about trauma, hospitality, sanctuary, and our duty to keep striving to heal and atone. Described by my fave preteen reviewer as ‘beautiful and horrible’ but she loved it regardless. Order it now! www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/the-...

I find it kinda wild to see people make the argument that the Lanterns finale confirms we should have always trusted Hal's gut, when I read it instead as a consistently paranoid clock still being right twice a day.

Good news: @sfwa.bsky.social's Recommended Reading List once again lives! The general public and SFWA members can sort the list to see what SF/F novels, stories, poems, comics, scripts and games are receiving the most love and attention from the org's writers. 1/ www.patreon.com/jasonsanford...

Genre Grapevine: Good News as the SFWA Recommend Reading List Returns | Jason Sanford's Genre Grapevine

When Professor Farnsworth in Futurama says "Good news everyone!" it's rarely good news for his Planet Express crew. But in this case, the ne

patreon.com

I feel so conflicted about the fact that k-os dropped some heat this week from a future album apparently being bankrolled by... {long, laborious sigh} Drake.

Another controversial opinion: a lot of the work men have to do to undo cultures of bad behaviour will definitely require good men to be Actually Good Friends to men who have harmed others. As in, weekly-D&D, Saturday-barbecue, yeah-I'll-help-you-move friends, who will also Take No Shit.

ETA: yesterday I came across several videos making the very true and salient point that many young men have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lives—at the very least, nearly every man has been inappropriately touched at least once—and yet patriarchy normalises it.

Brandon O’Brien, but wearing a wolf mask@therisingtithes.bsky.social · 2w ago

Controversial opinion: men would stop learning to make the 'women send mixed signals' argument to counter women's real increased risk of sexual violence if more men taught more boys that consent is also for them, and refusing to accept doubt is also for their own physical and emotional safety.

A reminder...

R.S.A. Garcia (BUY THE NIGHTWARD)@rsagarcia.bsky.social · 2w ago

My novel, THE NIGHTWARD, is on sale! The ebook's only $1.99 on Barnes & Noble, Bookshop & Amazon. Sale probably ends soon, so if THE WITCHER + Caribbean mythology + Fury Road sounds good, go get it! www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-nightw... bookshop.org/p/books/the-... www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSXFBWRN

I think what recent news stories about the law and violent crime have revealed is that many people, especially those who have likely never experienced victimisation or systemic oppression, would be so content with simply seeing anyone punished that they'd gladly settle for historical scapegoating.