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girlgenius_main_feed Dec. 10th, 2025 05:00 am)
girlgenius_main_feed Dec. 10th, 2025 05:00 am)The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, December 10, 2025 has been posted.
(questionable_content_feed Dec. 9th, 2025 09:21 pm)
questionable_content_feed Dec. 9th, 2025 09:21 pm)
A Bembo comic! Man I love these. IIRC, the whole idea for Bembo started off on twitter when I went on a bit of a "dumb barbarian but not in the way you'd expect" style of shitposting spree. Then later that year I needed some filler comics for the week between xmas and new year's so I decided to turn some of those posts into actual comics. And then it became a semi-regular thing! They're very fun and I hope to do more in the future. Bembo is obviously heavily indebted to Oglaf, a comic I adore. Go read Oglaf, unless you don't like cartoons with tits and wieners in them I guess.
Every time I see one of these old comics I think "man, remember when QC was about indie rock lol." Also remember when I used to make jokes about the size of Faye's ass but didn't really know how to draw thicker ladies yet so she pretty much looked like every other character, lol.
(wtfjht_feed Dec. 9th, 2025 01:57 pm)
wtfjht_feed Dec. 9th, 2025 01:57 pm)
Today in one sentence: Trump called Europe "weak" and “decaying,” warning that some countries may no longer be “viable”; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out ceding any territory to Russia, rejecting a core part of Trump’s peace plan; Trump reversed his public pledge to release the full video of the Sept. 2 U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, instead saying “whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me"; a federal judge granted the Justice Department permission to release grand jury transcripts and investigative records from the sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell; a federal judge rejected Trump’s effort to block permits and leases for new wind energy projects on federal lands and waters; Trump authorized Nvidia to sell its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China in return for 25% of the revenue; the Trump administration agreed to a proposed settlement with seven Republican-led states that would shut down the SAVE student loan repayment plan; and Texas announced a partnership with Turning Point USA to establish “Club America” chapters in every high school in the state and warned schools not to block the clubs.
1/ Trump called Europe “weak” and “decaying,” warning that some countries may no longer be “viable” while praising authoritarian leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In an interview with Politico, Trump argued that immigration and political correctness, not Russia, are Europe’s real threat, bragged that “NATO calls me ‘Daddy’,” questioned further NATO expansion, and said Ukraine is losing the war and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must “start accepting things.” At the same time, Trump gave his economic performance an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade, made support for immediate interest rate cuts a litmus test for his next Federal Reserve chair, floated more targeted tariff carveouts while promising higher duties elsewhere, and refused to say whether he will back extending expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that would prevent premium hikes. Democrats, meanwhile, accused Trump of “dishonor[ing] the decades-long bipartisan commitment” to NATO and Ukraine and of misunderstanding that “Putin is driving this war.” (Politico / The Guardian / New York Times / Axios)
2/ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out ceding any territory to Russia, rejecting a core part of Trump’s peace plan. Zelensky said Ukraine has “no right to give anything away, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law,” and added that there is “no moral right either,” even as Trump insists Ukraine is “losing” and should “play ball” because Russia has the “upper hand.” Ukrainian and European officials have treated the plan as favoring Russia, and have pushed to strip out what Zelensky called “explicitly anti-Ukrainian provisions.” Zelensky is now working with European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on a counter-proposal that centers on firm security guarantees and rejects locking in territorial concessions to Russia. (Associated Press / CBS News / The Guardian / Politico / Washington Post / Axios / Wall Street Journal)
3/ Trump reversed his public pledge to release the full video of the Sept. 2 U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, instead saying “whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me.” Trump also denied that he ever promised to make the footage available, despite saying on Dec. 3, 2025, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem.” Following months of limited disclosure about at least 22 boat strikes that have killed around 87 people, Congress is using its must-pass defense bill to force the Pentagon to give the armed services committees the execute orders and unedited videos. The bill would also freeze 25% of Hegseth’s travel budget until it does so. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / ABC News / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / CBS News / NBC News / Associated Press)
4/ A federal judge granted the Justice Department permission to release grand jury transcripts and investigative records from the sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell. Judge Paul Engelmayer said the new Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the department to disclose Epstein and Maxwell records by Dec. 19. He modified an earlier protective order so that “voluminous discovery” such as search materials, financial records, and victim interviews can be made public with redactions. He ordered Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to “personally certify” that all released material has been “rigorously reviewed” to ensure it doesn’t identify victims. (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / CBS News / CNN / Associated Press / Politico / CNBC / Axios)
5/ A federal judge rejected Trump’s effort to block permits and leases for new wind energy projects on federal lands and waters, vacating what she described as the administration’s blanket “wind order.” Judge Patti Saris ruled that Trump’s Jan. 20 directive, and the follow-on actions by federal agencies, were “arbitrary and capricious” and “contrary to law” because officials provided no reasoned explanations beyond carrying out the president’s instructions, which she said violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision came in a case led by New York and joined by 16 other Democrat-led states, Washington, D.C., and outside groups, which argued that Trump’s ban threatened investments, grid reliability, and state climate goals. (New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / CNBC / The Hill)
6/ Trump authorized Nvidia to sell its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China in return for 25% of the revenue, in a deal that Trump said will also apply to AMD and Intel. The policy allows only Commerce Department–vetted commercial buyers to receive the H200 while Nvidia’s more powerful Blackwell and upcoming Rubin chips remain blocked. The Institute for Progress estimates the H200 is almost six times as powerful as the H20 model that China was previously allowed to buy, and researchers at Georgetown University say its performance is nearly 10 times the old export limit on chips for China. Greg Allen of the Wadhwani Center told the Senate that access to advanced chips is “almost certainly the largest single advantage” the U.S. has over China, warning that easing controls on H200s could weaken that edge as Chinese firms race to build large AI data centers. Democrats and national security experts, meanwhile, argued that the move risks strengthening China’s AI and military capabilities, noting that analysts at the Center for a New American Security estimate Chinese chips currently provide at most about 2% of the computing power of foreign rivals and saying the shift could be a “colossal economic and national security failure” if it helps Beijing close the gap in high-end computing. (Semafor / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CNBC / Axios / Politico / Bloomberg)
7/ The Trump administration agreed to a proposed settlement with seven Republican-led states that would shut down the SAVE student loan repayment plan and require roughly 7 million borrowers to move into other, generally more expensive options if a federal court in Missouri approves the deal. The Education Department said it will stop all new SAVE enrollments, deny pending applications, and transition current participants into other repayment plans under the agreement. Undersecretary of Education Nicholas Kent claimed the move ends a “deceptive scheme,” while borrower advocates warned that it would “strip borrowers of the most affordable repayment plan.” The settlement also requires the department to give the Missouri attorney general at least 30 days’ notice before canceling more than $10 billion in federal student loans, a condition that will last for the next decade. (Washington Post / CNBC)
8/ Texas announced a partnership with Turning Point USA to establish “Club America” chapters in every high school in the state and warned schools not to block the clubs. Gov. Greg Abbott said he expects “meaningful disciplinary action” against “any stoppage of TPUSA in the great state of Texas” and told supporters that “any school that stands in the way of a Club America program in their school should be reported immediately to the Texas Education Agency.” Civil rights groups, student and parent organizers, and some educators have criticized Turning Point for what they describe as racist, homophobic, and sexist rhetoric, and have questioned whether state-backed promotion of the organization in public schools is constitutional given that Texas has banned LGBTQ+ student clubs and opened investigations into teachers over comments about founder Charlie Kirk’s killing. State leaders say more than 500 Texas high schools already host Club America chapters, and the group is pushing for 20,000 high school chapters nationwide. (Texas Tribune / The Guardian / The Hill)
⏭️ Notably Next: The 2026 midterms are in 329 days.
- Today last year: Day 1420: "Can’t guarantee anything."
- Five years ago today: Day 1420: "That might not go over well."
- Six years ago today: Day 1054: Justified.
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james_davis_nicoll Dec. 9th, 2025 06:35 am)
james_davis_nicoll Dec. 9th, 2025 06:35 am)
A depowered witch discovers she is just one zany scheme away from regaining her power... provided her estranged mentor does not intervene. Which of course he will.
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
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(wtfjht_feed Dec. 8th, 2025 01:58 pm)
wtfjht_feed Dec. 8th, 2025 01:58 pm)
Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court appeared ready to make it easier for Trump to fire independent government officials despite federal law restricting the president from removing them without cause; Trump’s former personal lawyer resigned as U.S. attorney for New Jersey after a federal appeals court upheld that she’d been serving in the position unlawfully; Trump announced a $12 billion bailout to help farmers hurt by his tariffs; Senate Republicans circulated competing health care proposals ahead of a vote on a Democratic plan to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of December; Trump said he was “a little bit disappointed” in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hours after the Kremlin praised Trump’s new National Security Strategy because it aligns with "our vision"; Trump suggested Netflix’s proposed $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” as Jared Kushner’s private equity fund is backing Paramount’s hostile takeover of the company; days after pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case, Trump said Cuellar showed “a lack of LOYALTY”; and 42% of Americans approved of the job Trump was doing as president, while 55% disapproved.
1/ The Supreme Court appeared ready to make it easier for Trump to fire independent government officials despite federal law restricting the president from removing them without cause – a major expansion of presidential power. During arguments over Trump’s removal of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the conservative majority cast doubt on the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent that prevents at-will firings of commissioners. Several justices called that precedent a “dried husk,” and Justice Neil Gorsuch said it was “poorly reasoned,” while the three liberal justices warned the move would “destroy the structure of government” and hand presidents “massive, uncontrolled, unchecked power.” The court has already allowed Trump’s dismissal of Slaughter and other commissioners to take effect and is expected to issue a full ruling next year. (NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Politico / CNN / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Axios)
2/ Trump’s former personal lawyer resigned as U.S. attorney for New Jersey after a federal appeals court upheld that she’d been serving in the position unlawfully. The 3rd Circuit said the Trump administration’s maneuvering to keep Alina Habba in the job without Senate confirmation violated federal vacancies law, prompting Attorney General Pam Bondi to call the situation “untenable.” Habba said she was stepping down “to protect the stability and integrity of the office,” adding, “do not mistake compliance for surrender,” while Bondi vowed to appeal the decision and said Habba intends to return if the ruling is reversed. In New Jersey, Habba’s duties will now be divided among three existing prosecutors, as judges and lawyers sort through delays and questions in cases that involved her, part of a wider wave of court challenges that have also disqualified other Trump-installed U.S. attorneys in Virginia, Nevada, California and potentially New York. (Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / NBC News / CNN / Axios / CNBC)
- The Justice Department continues to list Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney despite a court ruling finding her appointment invalid and voided the indictments of James Comey and Letitia James. Federal judges in Virginia struck or annotated her name on new filings and said they found it “difficult to reconcile” her continued role with Judge Cameron McGowan Currie’s order. Prosecutors, however, said they kept her name on filings only because the Office of Legal Counsel told them to do so. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the judges of a “campaign of bias and hostility” and said Halligan was following department direction. (New York Times / CNN / Axios)
- A federal grand jury declined to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud and false statement charges, days after a judge threw out the original case because Lindsey Halligan had been improperly installed as interim U.S. attorney after the 120-day appointment window had expired. Judge Cameron Currie ruled that all actions flowing from Halligan’s defective appointment were invalid. Because Halligan was the sole prosecutor who signed the indictments of James and James Comey, the judge set both cases aside. (NBC News / CNN / New York Times / Politico)
- Records show Trump signed two mortgages in the mid-1990s that each required him to use a different Palm Beach home as his primary residence, even though he appears to have lived in neither and rented both out. The arrangement matches or exceeds the conduct his administration has called evidence of mortgage fraud in its cases against officials like Lisa Cook and Letitia James. (ProPublica)
3/ Trump announced a $12 billion bailout to help farmers hurt by his tariffs. In retaliation, China cut purchases of U.S. soybeans to near zero for months, which pushed down prices until October when Beijing agreed to buy 12 million metric tons this year and 25 million metric tons annually for the next three years. The White House said up to $11 billion will be paid as one-time “bridge” payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program for major row crops, with the rest set aside for commodities the program does not cover. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, said Trump “wants credit for trying to fix a mess of his making,” while some farm groups warned that government support doesn’t replace stable markets. (Associated Press / New York Times / Politico / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Bloomberg / NBC News / Washington Post)
4/ Senate Republicans circulated competing health care proposals ahead of a vote on a Democratic plan to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of December. The Democratic bill, which would keep the pandemic-era tax credits in place for three years, is expected to fail. Republicans, however, haven’t coalesced around a single alternative plan, but instead have floated ideas ranging from sending money into health savings accounts and expanding catastrophic plans, to a two-year extension with new income caps and minimum premium payments, to proposals that would replace the subsidy structure with health savings accounts. If Congress does nothing, the enhanced subsidies will lapse and roughly 20 million enrollees will face higher premiums in January, with many seeing monthly costs that could more than double. (NPR / New York Times / Axios / Washington Post / The Hill / Politico / Wall Street Journal)
5/ Trump said he was “a little bit disappointed” in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hours after the Kremlin praised Trump’s new National Security Strategy because it aligns with “our vision.” Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy hadn’t read the latest U.S. peace proposal and that “Russia’s fine with it.” Zelenskyy, however, said the U.S.-brokered negotiations remain divided because Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow have different visions for Donbas and that Ukraine needed clearer commitments from Western partners on how they would respond if Russia launched another attack. Trump Jr., meanwhile, claimed that Ukraine’s leaders were prolonging the war for political reasons, called the country more corrupt than Russia, and said his dad “may” end U.S. support if Kyiv doesn’t agree to a peace deal with Moscow. (Politico / Bloomberg / Reuters / The Guardian / BBC / ABC News / CNBC / Bloomberg / The Guardian)
6/ Trump suggested Netflix’s proposed $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” as Jared Kushner’s private equity fund is backing Paramount’s hostile takeover of the company. The Netflix deal requires approval by antitrust regulators and Trump said he will “be involved” in that process. Paramount, meanwhile, is telling shareholders that its $108 billion bid faces fewer regulatory hurdles than Netflix’s cash-and-stock deal for Warner’s studio and streaming assets, and it says all foreign investors have agreed to forgo governance and board rights to stay outside CFIUS review. (CNBC / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times / Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)
7/ Days after pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case, Trump said Cuellar showed “a lack of LOYALTY.” Cuellar filed to run for reelection as a Democrat the same day he received a pardon from Trump. He told Fox News he remains a conservative Democrat and said “I don’t vote party, I vote for what’s right for the country.” (Politico / Axios / Associated Press / NBC News)
poll/ 42% of Americans approved of the job Trump was doing as president, while 55% disapproved. Independents’ approval dropped to 31%, down from 41% in July. Approval among white college-educated men fell to 40%, down from 47% in June. Meanwhile, Republican approval remains at 91%. (New York Times)
⏭️ Notably Next: The 2026 midterms are in 330 days.
✏️ Weekend Notables.
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The Supreme Court agreed to review Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship, even though the policy has been blocked at every level of the lower courts and has never taken effect. The administration claims the 14th Amendment was never meant to cover children of undocumented or temporary visitors. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico)
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An immigration judge ordered the release a Brazilian immigrant who once was engaged to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s brother and shares custody of their 11-year-old son. ICE arrested Bruna Ferreira on Nov. 12 in Massachusetts and moved her to a Louisiana detention center. Her attorneys said she has lived in the U.S. since early childhood and previously received protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (Associated Press / Washington Post)
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The newly restructured CDC vaccine panel voted 8–3 to end the long-standing recommendation that all newborns get a hepatitis B shot at birth, keeping the birth-dose guidance only for infants born to mothers who test positive or have unknown status. The change came over objections from medical groups and CDC experts who said the birth dose has decades of evidence behind it and warned the rollback will lead to more preventable infections. Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill will decide whether to adopt the recommendations, as critics warned the panel “presented no information and no data” to justify the change and said the process has shifted away from scientific review. (Associated Press / NPR / Reuters / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)
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A federal judge in Florida has ordered grand jury transcripts from old Jeffrey Epstein investigations to be unsealed. The Epstein Files Transparency Act forces the Justice Department to post unclassified Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell records by Dec. 19, but it also lets the government redact victim details and withhold files tied to active probes or classified matters. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press / Reuters / Washington Post / Axios)
- Three years ago today: Day 688: "Hope and dignity."
- Four years ago today: Day 323: "No choice."
- Five years ago today: Day 1419: "I literally don't know."
- Eight years ago today: Day 323: Puppet.
Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member
Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free
The third array of recent standalone tabletop roleplaying games using the Forged in the Dark rules system based on John Harper's Blades in the Dark from One Seven Design Studio.
Bundle of Holding: Forged 3
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Did you miss these books the first time around? Good news!
Five Freshly Reprinted SFF Books and Series
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(otw_news_feed Dec. 8th, 2025 03:30 pm)
otw_news_feed Dec. 8th, 2025 03:30 pm)I. SPOTLIGHT ON FANLORE
In November, Fanlore ran the Fanlore No Fault November challenge: a catch-up event for earlier badges editors missed! The challenge ran from November 16 to 30, with many editors participating and earning badges from previous months.
Curious about editing Fanlore? Check out the New Visitor Portal and Tutorial for getting started!
II. ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN
On November 14, we celebrated AO3’s 16th anniversary! \o/
Accessibility, Design & Technology continued to prepare emails for translation and improved how the download and chapter index menus behave with each other on smaller screens.
AO3 Documentation updated the Contacting the Staff FAQ.
Open Doors finished importing Oz Magi, an Oz annual gift exchange, and Stayka’s Saint Seiya Archive, a Saint Seiya archive. They also shared an annual roundup of the fanzine collections created in the last year for fanworks imported through the Fanzine Scan Hosting Project (FSHP) and announced the upcoming import of a Harry Potter archive, PhoenixSong.
In October, Policy & Abuse received 5,061 tickets, setting a record high for the third month in a row. Support received 3,043 tickets. Tag Wrangling wrangled over 600,000 tags, or over 1,380 tags per wrangling volunteer.
Tag Wrangling also continues to create new “No Fandom” canonical tags and announced a new batch of tags for November.
III. ELSEWHERE AT THE OTW
TWC continues to prepare for the two upcoming 2026 special issues: “Disability and Fandom” and “Gaming Fandom”. The submission deadline for the two 2027 special issues, “Music Fandom” and “Latin American Fandoms”, is also quickly approaching on January 1.
In November, the OTW filed an Amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court, arguing that the Supreme Court should clarify the rules surrounding who can challenge a trademark registration application. In a case involving whether someone should own the trademark “Rapunzel” for dolls of the character Rapunzel, the OTW argued that the Trademark Office should consider the interests of the public—including fans—in deciding whether to award private ownership over a word or symbol that may be in the public domain.
Legal also worked with Communications on a news post about recent legislation and have responded to a number of comments and queries on this post and other issues.
IV. GOVERNANCE
Board continued work on annual turnover and meeting with all committees. They made progress on the OTW Procurement Policy and expected to get it finalized soon. They, along with the Board Assistants Team, also continued to work with Volunteers & Recruiting and Organizational Culture Roadmap on the ongoing Code of Conduct review.
Development & Membership has been catching up on post-Drive tasks.
V. OUR VOLUNTEERS
December 5 was International Volunteers Day! As a volunteer-run organization, the OTW would not be possible without the support and diligence of our volunteers. We thank all our volunteers, past and present, for the work they’ve contributed to the OTW.
If you’re curious about volunteering for the OTW, we recruit for various positions on a regular basis, and recruitment will next open in January.
From October 25 to November 22, Volunteers & Recruiting received 287 new requests, and completed 270, leaving them with 63 open requests (including induction and removal tasks listed below). As of November 22, 2025, the OTW has 983 volunteers. \o/ Recent personnel movements are listed below.
New Fanlore Volunteers: Luana and 2 other Chair-Track Volunteers
New Policy & Abuse Volunteers: Anderson, Araxie, corr, Aspenfire, Klm, Mothmantic, Nova Deca, vanishinghorizons, and 1 other Volunteer
New Tag Wrangling Volunteers: 90Percent Human, Aeon, Alecander Seiler, ambystoma, Astrum, Atlas Oak, batoidea, Bette, Bottle, bowekatan, Bruno, Chaosxvi, Destiny, DogsAreTheBest312, Dream, elia faustus, Ellexamines, Elliott W, Gracey, jacksonwangparty, Jean W, Kalico, Keira Gong, Kiru, lamonnaie, Lavender, Loria, Lucia G, LWynn, Max, Nikki, Nioral, noctilucent, Our Hospitality, Primo, Rie, Salethia, Sapphira, sashene, Schnee, Scylle, sneakyowl, soymilk, Thaddeus, TheCrystalRing, thewritegrump, Water, Wintam, yucca, and 1 other Tag Wrangling Volunteer
New Translation Volunteers: 1 Translator
New TWC Volunteers: Lys Benson (Copyeditor)
New User Response Translation Volunteers: Cesium (Translator)
Departing AO3 Documentation Volunteers: 1 Editor
Departing Open Doors Volunteers: Irina, Paula, and 2 other Import Assistants; 1 Administrative Volunteer, and 1 Fan Culture Preservation Project Volunteer
Departing Policy & Abuse Volunteers: 1 Communications News Post Moderation Liaison
Departing Tag Wrangling Volunteers: Julia Santos (Tag Wrangling Supervisor); blackelement7, pan2fel, and 7 other Tag Wrangling Volunteers
Departing Translation Volunteers: weliuona and 2 other Translators
Departing Volunteers & Recruiting Volunteers: Alisande and 2 other Volunteers
For more information about our committees and their regular activities, you can refer to the committee pages on our website.
Six works new to me: four fantasy, one horror, and one SF (also ttrpg). Four are arguably series.
Books Received, November 29 — December 5
Poll #33929 Books Received, November 29 — December 5
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 26
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine: Volume I, Number 5 edited by Oliver Brackenbury (December 2025)
3 (11.5%)
New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine: Volume I, Number 6 edited by Oliver Brackenbury (December 2025)
3 (11.5%)
New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine: Volume I, Number 7 edited by Oliver Brackenbury (December 2025)
2 (7.7%)
Black River Ruby by Jean Cottle (January 2026)
7 (26.9%)
The Flowers of Algorab by Nils Karlén, Kosta Kostulas, and Martin Grip (January 2026)
8 (30.8%)
Headlights by C J Leede (June 2026)
4 (15.4%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
21 (80.8%)
(siderea Dec. 8th, 2025 07:42 am)
siderea Dec. 8th, 2025 07:42 am)Canonical link: https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1890011.html
What we call health insurance is a contract. When you get health insurance, you (or somebody on your behalf) are agreeing to a contract with a health insurance company – a contract where they agree to do certain things for you in exchange for money. So a health insurance plan is a contract between the insurance company and the customer (you).
For simplicity, I will use the term health plan to mean the actual contract – the specific health insurance product – you get from a health insurance company. (It sounds less weird than saying "an insurance" and is shorter to type than "a health insurance plan".)
One of the things this clarifies is that one health insurance company can have a bunch of different contracts (health plans) to sell. This is the same as how you may have more than one internet company that could sell you an internet connection to your home, and each of those internet companies might have several different package deals they offer with different prices and terms. In exactly that way, there are multiple different health insurance companies, and they each can sell multiple different health plans with different prices and terms.
( Read more... [7,130 words] )
This post brought to you by the 220 readers who funded my writing it – thank you all so much! You can see who they are at my Patreon page. If you're not one of them, and would be willing to chip in so I can write more things like this, please do so there.
Please leave comments on the Comment Catcher comment, instead of the main body of the post – unless you are commenting to get a copy of the post sent to you in email through the notification system, then go ahead and comment on it directly. Thanks!
This is part of Understanding Health Insurance
- Introduction
- A Health Plan is a Contract ⇐ You are here
Health Insurance is a Contract
What we call health insurance is a contract. When you get health insurance, you (or somebody on your behalf) are agreeing to a contract with a health insurance company – a contract where they agree to do certain things for you in exchange for money. So a health insurance plan is a contract between the insurance company and the customer (you).
For simplicity, I will use the term health plan to mean the actual contract – the specific health insurance product – you get from a health insurance company. (It sounds less weird than saying "an insurance" and is shorter to type than "a health insurance plan".)
One of the things this clarifies is that one health insurance company can have a bunch of different contracts (health plans) to sell. This is the same as how you may have more than one internet company that could sell you an internet connection to your home, and each of those internet companies might have several different package deals they offer with different prices and terms. In exactly that way, there are multiple different health insurance companies, and they each can sell multiple different health plans with different prices and terms.
( Read more... [7,130 words] )
This post brought to you by the 220 readers who funded my writing it – thank you all so much! You can see who they are at my Patreon page. If you're not one of them, and would be willing to chip in so I can write more things like this, please do so there.
Please leave comments on the Comment Catcher comment, instead of the main body of the post – unless you are commenting to get a copy of the post sent to you in email through the notification system, then go ahead and comment on it directly. Thanks!
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(siderea Dec. 8th, 2025 07:41 am)
siderea Dec. 8th, 2025 07:41 am)Canonical link: https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1889543.html
Preface: I had hoped to get this out in a more timely manner, but was hindered by technical difficulties with my arms, which have now been resolved. This is a serial about health insurance in the US from the consumer's point of view, of potential use for people still dealing with open enrollment, which we are coming up on the end of imminently. For everyone else dealing with the US health insurance system, such as it is, perhaps it will be useful to you in the future.
Understanding Health Insurance:
Health insurance in the US is hard to understand. It just is. If you find it confusing and bewildering, as well as infuriating, it's not just you.
I think that one of the reasons it's hard to understand has to do with how definitions work.
Part of the reason why health insurance is so confusing is all the insurance industry jargon that is used. Unfortunately, there's no way around that jargon. We all are stuck having to learn what all these strange terms mean. So helpful people try to explain that jargon. They try to help by giving definitions.
But definitions are like leaves: you need a trunk and some branches to hang them on, or they just swirl around in bewildering clouds and eventually settle in indecipherable piles.
There are several big ideas that provide the trunk and branches of understanding health insurance. If you have those ideas, the jargon becomes a lot easier to understand, and then insurance itself becomes a lot easier to understand.
So in this series, I am going to explain some of those big ideas, and then use them to explain how health insurance is organized.
This unorthodox introduction to health insurance is for beginners to health insurance in the US, and anyone who still feels like a beginner after bouncing off the bureaucratic nightmare that is our so-called health care system in the US. It's for anyone who is new to being an health insurance shopper in the US, or feels their understanding is uncertain. Maybe you just got your first job and are being asked to pick a health plan from several offered. Maybe you have always had insurance from an employer and are shopping on your state marketplace for the first time. Maybe you have always gotten insurance through your parents and spouse, and had no say in it, but do now. This introduction assumes you are coming in cold, a complete beginner knowing nothing about health insurance or what any of the health insurance industry jargon even is.
Please note! This series is mostly about commercial insurance products: the kinds that you buy with money. Included in that are the kind of health insurance people buy for themselves on the state ACA marketplaces and also the kind of health insurance people get from their employers as a "bene". It may (I am honestly not sure) also include Medicare Advantage plans.
The things this series explains do not necessarily also describe Medicaid or bare Medicare, or Tricare or any other government run insurance program, though if you are on such an insurance plan this may still be helpful to you. Typically government-run plans have fewer moving parts with fewer choices, so fewer jargon terms even matter to them. Similarly, this may be less useful for subsidized plans on the state ACA marketplaces. It depends on the state. Some states do things differently for differently subsidized plans.
But all these different kinds of government-provided health insurance still use some insurance industry jargon for commercial insurance, if only to tell you what they don't have or do. So this post may be useful to you because understanding how insurance typically works may still prove helpful in understanding what the government is up to. Understanding what the assumptions are of regular commercial insurance will hopefully clarify the terms even government plans use to describe themselves. Just realize that if you have a plan the government in some sense is running, things may be different – including maybe very different – for you.
On to the first important idea: Health Insurance is a Contract.
Preface: I had hoped to get this out in a more timely manner, but was hindered by technical difficulties with my arms, which have now been resolved. This is a serial about health insurance in the US from the consumer's point of view, of potential use for people still dealing with open enrollment, which we are coming up on the end of imminently. For everyone else dealing with the US health insurance system, such as it is, perhaps it will be useful to you in the future.
Understanding Health Insurance:
Introduction
Health insurance in the US is hard to understand. It just is. If you find it confusing and bewildering, as well as infuriating, it's not just you.
I think that one of the reasons it's hard to understand has to do with how definitions work.
Part of the reason why health insurance is so confusing is all the insurance industry jargon that is used. Unfortunately, there's no way around that jargon. We all are stuck having to learn what all these strange terms mean. So helpful people try to explain that jargon. They try to help by giving definitions.
But definitions are like leaves: you need a trunk and some branches to hang them on, or they just swirl around in bewildering clouds and eventually settle in indecipherable piles.
There are several big ideas that provide the trunk and branches of understanding health insurance. If you have those ideas, the jargon becomes a lot easier to understand, and then insurance itself becomes a lot easier to understand.
So in this series, I am going to explain some of those big ideas, and then use them to explain how health insurance is organized.
This unorthodox introduction to health insurance is for beginners to health insurance in the US, and anyone who still feels like a beginner after bouncing off the bureaucratic nightmare that is our so-called health care system in the US. It's for anyone who is new to being an health insurance shopper in the US, or feels their understanding is uncertain. Maybe you just got your first job and are being asked to pick a health plan from several offered. Maybe you have always had insurance from an employer and are shopping on your state marketplace for the first time. Maybe you have always gotten insurance through your parents and spouse, and had no say in it, but do now. This introduction assumes you are coming in cold, a complete beginner knowing nothing about health insurance or what any of the health insurance industry jargon even is.
Please note! This series is mostly about commercial insurance products: the kinds that you buy with money. Included in that are the kind of health insurance people buy for themselves on the state ACA marketplaces and also the kind of health insurance people get from their employers as a "bene". It may (I am honestly not sure) also include Medicare Advantage plans.
The things this series explains do not necessarily also describe Medicaid or bare Medicare, or Tricare or any other government run insurance program, though if you are on such an insurance plan this may still be helpful to you. Typically government-run plans have fewer moving parts with fewer choices, so fewer jargon terms even matter to them. Similarly, this may be less useful for subsidized plans on the state ACA marketplaces. It depends on the state. Some states do things differently for differently subsidized plans.
But all these different kinds of government-provided health insurance still use some insurance industry jargon for commercial insurance, if only to tell you what they don't have or do. So this post may be useful to you because understanding how insurance typically works may still prove helpful in understanding what the government is up to. Understanding what the assumptions are of regular commercial insurance will hopefully clarify the terms even government plans use to describe themselves. Just realize that if you have a plan the government in some sense is running, things may be different – including maybe very different – for you.
On to the first important idea: Health Insurance is a Contract.
Understanding Health Insurance
- Introduction
- Health Insurance is a Contract
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(girlgenius_main_feed Dec. 8th, 2025 05:00 am)
girlgenius_main_feed Dec. 8th, 2025 05:00 am)The Girl Genius comic for Monday, December 08, 2025 has been posted.
Another unconscious person on public transit. This guy just seemed to be terribly tired, but when he slumped over, he knocked his stuff on the floor. Several times. I kept putting his stuff back, and mentioned him to the drive on my way out.
(questionable_content_feed Dec. 7th, 2025 10:02 pm)
questionable_content_feed Dec. 7th, 2025 10:02 pm)
lmao that the first comic to pop up when I hit the random button on my site was Faye saying "why's there always gotta be new people"
Looking back at this year, I feel like Anh basically took over the comic? It's wild how it's always the unexpected ones who have the most juice. No offense to Ayo, who is also plenty juicy and I also love writing. But Anh's a couple orders of magnitude more of a mess. But THIS comic is about AYO! Who is a delightful little idiot and I can't wait to do more with. OKAY THANKS I LOVE YOU ALL BYE
Who killed the empire? More importantly, what does it take to get men to process their emotions?
Space Skimmer by David Gerrold
Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968; aged 21), civil engineering student
Hélène Colgan (born 1966; aged 23), mechanical engineering student
Nathalie Croteau (born 1966; aged 23), mechanical engineering student
Barbara Daigneault (born 1967; aged 22), mechanical engineering student
Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968; aged 21), chemical engineering student
Maud Haviernick (born 1960; aged 29), materials engineering student
Maryse Laganière (born 1964; aged 25), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department
Maryse Leclair (born 1966; aged 23), materials engineering student
Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967; aged 22), mechanical engineering student
Sonia Pelletier (born 1961; aged 28), mechanical engineering student
Michèle Richard (born 1968; aged 21), materials engineering student
Annie St-Arneault (born 1966; aged 23), mechanical engineering student
Annie Turcotte (born 1969; aged 20), materials engineering student
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958; aged 31), nursing student
So, I've been stuck at home for 3 weeks now with a broken ankle. I've watched so much TV. SO. MUCH. TV. Some of it utterly delightful ("The Summer I Turned Pretty", "Queen of the South"), some of it utterly forgettable. Then "Heated Rivalry" came out, and due to the tragic circumstances of being stuck at home, I've watched the first 2 episodes. Let us acknowledge this up front: I should have only watched this show after it finished airing. Like, week-to-week is a very bad format for me with this show.
However, episodes have been consumed, this show is already doing numbers in fannish circles for obvious reasons, my guess is that that trend will continue, and so I need to get stuff off my chest I guess. Think of this not as a public statement but more as a private space where I process stuff, just for the sake of framing the below.
( thoughts in no particular order )
However, episodes have been consumed, this show is already doing numbers in fannish circles for obvious reasons, my guess is that that trend will continue, and so I need to get stuff off my chest I guess. Think of this not as a public statement but more as a private space where I process stuff, just for the sake of framing the below.
( thoughts in no particular order )
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(otw_news_feed Dec. 5th, 2025 03:59 pm)
otw_news_feed Dec. 5th, 2025 03:59 pm)On December 5, people all over the world observe International Volunteer Day (IVD) to acknowledge the work of volunteer workers everywhere, and their efforts, dedication, and passion. Since its conception in 1985, IVD has invited us to recognize the ways in which volunteers contribute to communities and are at the forefront of many people-led initiatives.
Here at the Organisation of Transformative Works (OTW) we depend entirely on that drive, as our organization is 100% volunteer-run! Our volunteers handle our strategic planning, administration, infrastructure, development, any day-to-day tasks required in running a non-profit organization, and so on. Volunteers aren’t just the backbone of the OTW, they are its whole skeleton!
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of an OTW volunteer looks like? The answer is: It’s hard to say! Depending on where in the OTW they are active, their tasks and responsibilities can look very different from those of the next volunteer. Volunteers also work a very wide range of weekly hours, depending on their position(s) and availability: anything from one hour to over twenty hours a week!
For this IVD, we wanted to give you a chance to get to know those volunteers behind the scenes of the OTW and its projects. That is why we sent out a call across our social media for you to send us your most burning questions. Volunteers from different committees have picked and chosen some to answer, and for the rest of December we’ll be releasing a couple of question-answer pairs each week on socials!
We are exceedingly grateful to all volunteers who have taken time out of their day to compose answers, and for the amazing work they do at the OTW on a daily basis! They are the lifeblood of the OTW, AO3, and our other projects!
If you too want to become part of the OTW and help out as a volunteer, keep an eye on our recruitment posts! And if you’re afraid of missing a post, no worries: You can subscribe to our monthly OTW News by Email service for a neat summary of what’s currently happening at the OTW!
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