Snowflake Challenge: Friending Meme
Jan. 31st, 2026 10:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
goals_on_dwsnowflake_challenge is hosting its Friending Meme today. If you have a goal like "make new friends," "meet more people," or "find more blogs to read," then this is one of the best opportunities of the year to do such things on Dreamwidth. Use the template in that post to comment with your response. You can also copy it onto your own blog, as I've done here. This provides a place for longer conversations if desired, so they don't clog up the main challenge, which typically runs hundreds of comments anyhow.
Art
Jan. 31st, 2026 08:28 pmysabetwordsmith posting in goals_on_dw
Sunday Word: Demesne
Feb. 1st, 2026 12:12 pmsallymn posting in 1word1daydemesne [dih-meyn, -meen]
noun:
1 possession of land as one's own
2 an estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner
3 land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate
4 the dominion or territory of a sovereign or state; domain
5 a district; region
Examples:
A couple of centuries or so later, the peninsula became part of a Spanish land grant, and the demesne of Manuel Dominguez as his Rancho San Pedro. (Patt Morrison, Palos Verdes Peninsula landslides can tell us a lot about L A history, Los Angeles Times, May 2024)
In Loki, the titular character finds himself in the bizarre (almost Brazil style) demesne of the Time Keepers, an organization devoted to ensuring the sanctity of the timeline. (Erik Kain, Owen Wilson And Tom Hiddleston Light Up First 'Loki' Disney Plus Trailer, Forbes, April 2021)
The castle or manor-house of the baron or lord, into which the thegn’s hall had now developed, was the centre of rural life. Around it lay the home-farm, the lord’s demesne land, cultivated partly by free tenants, partly by the customary labour due from the villeins whose cottages clustered on its border, and whose holdings, with a tract of common pasture and common woodland, made up the remainder of the estate. (Kate Norgate, England Under the Angevin Kings)
However, as he pursued his wayfaring with the two Armenian Christians who formed his retinue, he began to hear from the inhabitants of that portion of Abchaz the rumor of an equally dread demesne, named Antchar, lying before him on the road to Georgia. (Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Kingdom of the Worm')
After winding along it for more than a mile, they reached their own house. A small green court was the whole of its demesne in front; and a neat wicket gate admitted them into it. (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility)
(click to enlarge)
Origin:
c. 1300, demeine, demeyne (modern spelling by late 15c), 'power; dominion; control, possession,' senses now obsolete, from Anglo-French demesne, demeine, Old French demaine 'land held for a lord's own use,' from Latin dominicus 'belonging to a master,' from dominus 'lord, master,' from domus 'house' (from PIE root dem- 'house, household'). Re-spelled by Anglo-French legal scribes under influence of Old French mesnie 'household' (and the concept of a demesne as 'land attached to a mansion') and their fondness for inserting -s- before -n-. Meaning 'a manor house and near or adjacent land,' kept and occupied by the lord and his family, is from late 14c, hence 'any landed estate' (late 14c) (Online Etymology Dictionary)
Why isn't 'demesne' pronounced the way it's spelled? Our word actually began as demayn or demeyn in the 14th century, when it was borrowed from Anglo-French property law. At that time, the Anglo-French form was demeine. Later, the Anglo-French spelling changed to demesne, perhaps by association with another term from Anglo-French property law: mesne, meaning 'intermediate.' (Mesne has entered English as a legal term as well.) According to rules of French pronunciation, the 's' was silent and the vowel was long. English speakers eventually followed suit, adopting the 'demesne' spelling. Our word domain (which overlaps with the meaning of 'demesne' in some applications) also comes from Anglo-French demeine. (Merriam-Webster)
Best suit or dress.
Jan. 31st, 2026 07:14 pmhannahAs for the last time I got entirely new clothes, excluding undergarments and shoes, I definitely can't remember. Most of the clothes I've bought the last few years came secondhand, eBay and Mercari and Poshmark, so while they're new to me and might be functionally new based on how often they'd been worn before I got them, they're not new to the world. I think the last new purchase was a dress for one of my brothers' weddings, so it would've been 2022 or 2023. Not that long ago, but certainly a while.
The amount spent on the new coat's certainly more than it'd cost to replace the zippers, but I'm buying more than zippers in getting a new, high-quality coat. I'm thinking of buying new zippers just the same, replacing them and then donating it somewhere to give someone else a few more years' use of it.
A Few Notes About Posting
Jan. 31st, 2026 03:21 pmcmk418 posting in halfamoonHere's the handy FAQ/intro post for any questions you may have on what is appropriate for the fest. Info about OFCs & gender identity can be found there.
Please make sure your subject line has the following information- TYPE (Fic/Vid/Icons,etc.) - FANDOOM - FEMALE CHARACTER (for example: FIC - Game of Thrones - Sansa Stark). Fics of over 100 words, large graphics, or vids should go behind a cut if posting directly to the community. You can also just include a header with a link to the creation- please make sure that it's open to the public or you may not get as much feedback as you'd like.
Please be kind when commenting. Not every character/pairing is each person's cup of tea and that's as it should be, but no bashing a writer for their choices.
Above all, have fun. Show off your creativity in celebrating these wonderful women. Experiment. Rec wildly. Let us see your favorite characters in a new light or introduce us to some we haven't met yet.
Have a wonderful HalfAMoon!
IVD 2025 Volunteer Q&A—Communications Spotlight
Jan. 31st, 2026 05:45 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
otw_news_feedLast November we asked the community to submit questions to our OTW volunteers in celebration of International Volunteer Day. In this series of posts we will spotlight some of our committees’ responses.
The Communications committee (Comms) disseminates information to the general public, media, and fans. We draft and beta news posts and social media posts, and are often the first point of contact for anyone interested in the OTW.
We asked Comms for replies to your questions, and received a lot of feedback! Below you can find a selection of their answers:
Communications Committee Specific Questions
Question: We’re so thankful for how fast you guys always respond when the ao3 website goes down. I was wondering what’s the circus like behind the scenes when it happens? xD Do you usually first notice when we start panicking, or does someone keep an eye on it 24/7, do emails start flying from social team to it, is it usually scary or is it very organised and calm since you’re so experienced, who makes the decision to pull the plug for a few hours if it’s really bad and looks hopeless, stuff like this. Thank you!
Committee answer:
Accessibility, Design, & Technology (AD&T) and Systems (our two main technical committees) have already given their own replies to this, but from Comms’ end, we often are the ones that handle posting and disseminating information for downtimes! We work hand in hand with AD&T and Systems to ensure that we’re distributing the most accurate and concise information to the public, and coordinate with our fellow volunteers to make sure that it’s sent out in time. We do our best to handle the public logistics so that our coders can focus on their own work!
General Questions
How many hours a week do you spend on your OTW volunteer work?
- It truly depends on the week! Typically I would say ~4 hours, for just keeping on top of things and my weekly tasks. It can be upwards of 10 if there’s things outside of the norm or that require a bit of research. (Caitlynne)
- For me, it depends on the time of year most of all! As an Event Coordinator, half of the year I’d say it’s ~2-6 hours a week. The bulk of our anniversaries and holidays converge into fall and winter, during that time it’s more ~6-8 hours. (Elin)
How do you manage your volunteer time, and do you do the same thing every day like with a day job?
- I hop on my computer pretty frequently throughout the week, so I tailor my OTW time to when I’m on my PC. If there’s a day I’m busy and away from my PC, I know I’ll have to “catch up” the next day when I have time, so to speak. (Tiana)
- I try to check our chat tool/the Comms email when I can throughout the day and give a dedicated half hour or so on my laptop in the evenings. It doesn’t always work out, but that’s the goal! (callmeri)
What’s your favorite part about volunteering at the OTW?
- I like that tending the little OTW!Tumblr corner of the landscape helps the whole fandom ecosystem. (Remi)
- The best part of volunteering at the OTW is the people, for sure! The social aspect is easily what motivates me the most to stay. I have made lots of friends and the Communications committee has been a really supportive environment! (stork)
What’s the aspect of volunteer work with the OTW that you most wish more people knew about?
- We are fans just like you! There are so many different cultures and fandoms coming together every day to make the organisation run. (Tal)
- We are really big on emojis! The custom emoji feature on our chat tool is definitely getting a lot of mileage with us XD. Also, you can put OTW work on your resume if you want to. (stork)
What does a typical day as an OTW volunteer looks like for you?
- Check the Tumblr notes and ask box in the morning, before scrolling through my personal dash and then the tags the organisation follows looking for Things To Queue. Mosey through the #ao3 tag on occasion to reply or leave little notes to folks. Every day is similar, but none are The Same. (Remi)
- I often start by checking and responding to messages from other volunteers, and then make a list of current tasks to work on. Sometimes that means brainstorming activities for a special milestone, other times it’s writing posts, or preparing for an event. (Elin)
What is your favorite animal? Alternatively, do you have a favorite breed of cat/dog?
- I love bats and think they’re super cute, but identify with possums on an emotional level. (Caitlynne)
- My favorite animal is a saiga antelope. Fave dog breed: Irish wolfhound. (Communications volunteer)
Do you enjoy reading fanfic? If so, what’s your favorite work on AO3?
- For a dyslexic person I seem to read A LOT of fanfic… I actually tend to read more on AO3 than actual books?? Anyway, my favourite of all time would have to be unholyverse. I don’t think anything can beat that… (Gray)
- I love reading fic so much it’s kind of concerning how many tabs I have open all the time. My favourite fic is locked but another fave is between the sheets by DasWarSchonKaputt. og. goat. mother. (choux)
Do you write any fanfic yourself? What do you enjoy about it?
- I do write. I enjoy the creativity and the ability to explore characters. (Communications volunteer)
- I do! It’s my favorite hobby and one I neglected a bit last year. I hope to get back into the swing of it in 2026. (Tiana)
What fandoms are you (currently) in?
- I’m very active in the Dan and Phil fandom :3 (Gray)
- Mostly MDZS and IWTV for the past few years, but Heated Rivalry took over my brain so it looks like I’m getting on that ride. (callmeri)
Do you feel glad or proud to see fanfiction in your mother tongue?
- I’m also a tag wrangler, so I get to participate in tag translation (every tag wrangled needs to have a documented english translation). There aren’t as many German works, but we have loads of German volunteers – this means there’s often several of us running to translate whenever there’s a German tag. it’s really cool to see very specific cultural references in works! (Tal)
- I read a TON of socmed AUs in Filipino along with the Filipino fics in general! I’m super happy to see fanwork in Filipino and when a creator is Filipino as well! especially when I see actual locations or cultural tidbits getting referenced. (choux)
Thanks so much to every volunteer who took the time to answer!
(For more answers, check out this work on AO3, where we collect additional replies to each question!)
The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, OTW Legal Advocacy, and Transformative Works and Cultures. We are a fan-run, donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.