@JulietEMcKenna If you view a sensitivity read as being a diminution of the author's voice and role, you're bound to be opposed.
If, though, you see it as helping the author write a better story (as you describe), I fail to see how anyone could object.
As so often, the way we frame an issue controls the conclusion we draw.
Hey y'all! When you're writing alt-text for images, please remember that it should really include any text in the image.
Just saying this because I saw someone share a meme and the alt-text described the image but... not the joke :(
Saying not to bother with the favourite button on mastodon because it doesn't affect any algorithm is like saying not to say thank you to someone because no one else will hear.
Stop thinking in those old social media ways of engagement and visibility and algorithms and reach and audience and start thinking about being social.
And BOOST! It's how you saw this, probably!
A favourite is a nice thanks, a boost lets everyone else discover the great thing you discovered too!
One of my favourite #GothicAdvent and #seasonalfolklore tales is of Frau Holle. A classic two sisters story, the kind and hard-working sister goes down a well after she bloodies her spool. She ends up in a magical land where she assists an old woman with her household chores including making the bed nice and fluffy to help make it snow. After a while, she grew homesick and asked to return home. As she left through the doorway, she was showered in gold by her smiling companion.
Back in the real world, the idle-sister decided to copy her golden-sister and bloodied a spool before jumping in after it. She was also transported to the magical world but refused to do any work on the way to the Old Woman's house. When she met the old woman, she pretended to work hard at first but soon grew lazy and idle when she wasn't immediately rewarded.
Frau Holle grew tired of her and led her to the doorway, except instead of gold, she was showered in black pitch that never came off.
Art: Georg Albert Stroedel, Thekla Brauer and Rie Cramer.
We've done a LOT of incredible work this year, especially with restarting Con or Bust. Every donated dollar helps us do more, like connecting more fans and creatives of color with grants.
Con or Bust is a vital part of the SFFH genre community, and we're honored to continue this work. Since relaunching this summer, we've already issued 14 grants, ranging from convention memberships to assistance with food, hotel costs, travel. Next year we want to quadruple that!