Goodness Gray-tious

Feb. 22nd, 2026 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Lindsey

 Unless you've been living under a totally unfashionable rock, you are well aware that gray is one of the hottest trends in Trendville right now.

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By Yummy Cupcakes and Cakes

Less harsh than black, more ketchup-friendly than white, it's everywhere in the worlds of fashion, saucy literature, and decor. And of course...

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By Wild Orchid Bakery

...Cake! This one combines two hot and happening trends: gray and ombre. Plus polka-dots, which will never go out of style.

 

Let's hope gray doesn't, either, because pretty much my entire house is painted gray. Some people might think that sounds depressing, but just look at this cake:

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By Charm City Cakes West  Inspired by Nevie-Pie Cakes

Depressing? I think not! Gray is the perfect backdrop for a pop of color, which I love, unlike the phrase "pop of color" which, ugh.

 

But don't worry, colorphobes, gray and white make a fine duo, too.

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By Bee's Cake Design

Sophisticated, simple and sublime.

 

And just think how much detail would have been lost on this cake if it had been white instead of gray.

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By Cotton and Crumbs

Would we have even noticed the lacy border? The delicate butterflies? Gray deserves an award for best supporting hue.

 

BUT! Gray ain't afraid to steal the spotlight.
"This girl belongs on a runway," was my first thought when I saw this cake.

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By Karla

Then I learned that it was modeled after a Vera Wang gown, and I felt totally smart and stylish for a second. Then I looked down at my ensemble of mismatched sweats and slowly lowered my hands from their 'raise the roof' position.

 

But can I get a "holla" for these cakes?

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By Erica OBrien

So sweet and modern at the same time. I just love gray and pink together, and that little cluster of roses in the center, too.

 

I'm also loving the color scheme on this cake. Freaking adorable. Seriously considering turning it into an accessory somehow.

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By Bobbette and Belle

Cake hat? Cake purse? Cake belt buckle? I'll keep thinking.

 

And here's another one I just want to tear apart and wear!

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By Three Little Blackbirds Cakes

Once again, gray adds texture and interest while letting the color shine. Gray: the nicest of neutrals.
That should be its official motto.

 

But why am I trying to convert you to the Church of Gray? You're probably already a card carrying member.

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By Sugar Couture

And if you weren't before, you are now, because WOWZERS. And the little touches of metallics? Swoonballoons.

 

There is so much awesome happening on this cake, but I think the gray tier is still my favorite.

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By Gateaux Inc.

I mean, it even matches the reception hall! 

 

And here's one last gray-hued beauty for our grand finale:

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By Over the Top Cakes

Isn't it great how all the ribbon and fabric look like actual ribbon and fabric? Just amazing.

I sure hope you enjoyed today's gorgeous gray gateaux and that your Sunday is especially sweet!

******

P.S. I was browsing "gray whale" things to link today - because whales are awesome -but then this blue whale butter dish popped up and it's so stinkin' cute you get it instead:

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Whale Ceramic Butter Dish

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

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lilly_the_kid: (Default)
[personal profile] lilly_the_kid posting in [community profile] vidding
Title: One Foot In Front Of The Other
Fandom: The Long Walk
Music: One Foot In Front Of The Other by Walk The Moon
Characters/Pairing: Ray/Peter; ensemble
Summary: Taking this one step at a time.
Warnings: graphic violence

Here on AO3

(no subject)

Feb. 21st, 2026 06:23 am
[syndicated profile] apod_feed

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Movie night!

Feb. 20th, 2026 11:10 pm
aj: (good times)
[personal profile] aj
Cracked open my Battleship dvd, dusted off the dvd player and had myself a movie night. Fuck, I love this stupid movie. The entire cast is fantastic, the plot is very stupid but makes sense if you pay attention to the first 5 minutes, and the last 1/3rd of the film is a legit banger of an action film.

Is the premise stupid? Sure. But it spends 90+ minutes dunking on the mediocre white, male lead while showcasing how fucking amazing the tertiary non-white characters are and even begrudgingly giving wml some growth. And they fridged his BROTHER. I remain assured that this is my favorite trash and I cradle it to my chest in delight. I might reread the novelization. Which I do own.

Food is complicated.

Feb. 20th, 2026 03:36 pm
aj: (hungry)
[personal profile] aj
I've had a couple conversations about food with relatively young humans in the last little bit. It's reminded me how far I've come when it comes to eating, learning about, and cooking food. Big props to [personal profile] annieeats for being a regular new-cuisine companion or introducer over the last ~20 years.

I note any of this because the most recent conversation about food I had was with a young person who has been very limited in what they eat and/or cook. And while they want to learn more, they've got a range of 'safe' foods that it's tough for them to deviate from. Also, they're limited in funds (like most young people and, lbr, everyone right now), so trying or adding new things to their comfy food list is complicated. Food sensitivities and poverty are hard fucking rivers to navigate. Add in that they have limited experience with cooking at all, and I'm thrown back to my early 20's. Woof.

I guess I'm just really kind of grateful to my parents and friends for making food interesting and exciting rather than intimidating. But I'll also give myself some grace and space for being willing to try things I've never eaten before. 20-yo me would be pretty intimidated by stuff I eat regularly now. But good for her for eventually getting here!

Write 'Em, Cowboys!

Feb. 20th, 2026 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

Hey guys, it's time again for our Annual Texas Cowboy Poetry post!

(My apologies in advance to Texas, cowboys, and poetry in general.)

 

Ahem hem hem.

swirling poo vortex
moistly encircles my horse

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keep it off the boots.

******

 

There once was a rodeo clown
The best of the whole bunch, hands down.

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A real Texas Star

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He's sure to go far

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If he'd just stop horsing aroun'.

*****

 

Dangle the Dog's show had to close
The problem? Right under his nose.
Since it's hard to erase
the things on his face...

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Now he just does puppet shows.

****

 

Kill.
Kill, kill, kill
KILL!
Killllllllllll....

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Kill kill.

*********

 

And for our grand finale, we'd like you to know that John wrote the next one. That's right, JOHN DID IT. So it's not my or Sharyn's fault. We're just saying.

Take it away, John!

 

Once upon a morning dreary, while I sat there, drinking beery,
Thinkin' 'bout this girl I'd ogled at the game the night before.
How we went back to her trailer, thinkin' I was gonna... uh, regale her
Shame she fell into the baler, just below the hayloft door.
"Geez Louise!" I screamed in terror as her bits lay on the floor.
"Now she's boobs... and nothing more!"

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Thanks to Jodee R., Erica D., Tug T., Samantha R., Kristen, Emily S., & Willow M. for helping John get that off his chest.

*****

P.S. I see you appreciate poetry. Might I recommend...?

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I Could Pee On This, And Other Poems By Cats

This hardcover gift book costs less than $10 and will have your friends feline fine.

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

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brokenframe: (Default)
[personal profile] brokenframe posting in [community profile] vidding
Title: Animus Vox
Characters: Ensemble
Movie: Bullet Train (2022)
Summary: Good Luck, Bad Luck, Chance, Karma, Faith, Revenge, Redemption, Wrath, Love, Justice, Fate...
Music: Animus Vox by The Glitch Mob
Length: 3:59
Warnings: Blood and violence
Streaming/download at: DW | Tumblr

I love my cats.

Feb. 19th, 2026 10:52 am
aj: (on fire)
[personal profile] aj
I love my girls. I can unequivocally say that they've stabilized my mental health for years. That said, I recently sat down and did the math about how expensive they currently are.

Here is my current regular maintenance budget (per 30 day period) for the girlies:

Wink (wet) food: $150-180
Tea (wet) food: $25
Tea (dry) food: $15
Treats (both): $5-10
Cat litter: $36-55
Meds (Wink): $7

Total: $238-292/30 day period.

With mathing that is fudgy, this is a larger than 10% chunk of my monthly budget. That's not including vet trips or separate purchases or cleaning supplies.

And like, I knew it was a significant portion of my budget, and I'm not actually mad about it? I made the commitment to care for these two in a healthy and engaged way. And YES, Wink's wet food bill is insane, but she's got some medical shit going on (she's almost 16? Is 16? Adopt a rescue for uncertainty!) and tolerates this food and this food alone. Both for her nutritional needs and for her willingness to eat it. Royal Canin wet food owns my ass until this girlie passes and I've just given up and tried to find coupons.

Also, Tea's her own worst enemy in that she has to be deeply drugged if she goes to the vet. Like, it's on her file. Wink's a damn delight (legit, there's not been one regular vet appointment where she hasn't been dubbed 'best behaved'), but Tea Had A Bad Experience and is taking it out on the universe now. Luckily, 3-year vaccines are a thing now, so I just haul her in for an eye-wateringly priced teeth cleaning, and they just give her jabs while she's unconscious. Just. SIGH.

This is 100% me just venting but. *stomps foot* I am definitely not getting another pet after Tea passes. I just can't afford it.

The All-Male Wreck Review

Feb. 19th, 2026 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

[Note: Mildly risque jokes & images ahead. And one banana hammock.]

We all live in fear of an embarrassing photo popping up on Facebook, but it turns out there's an even WORSE place for those best-forgotten candids to turn up:

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Your birthday cake.

(And, ok, yeah -  then on an internationally-known blog about bad cakes, but still.)

 

I used to think edible photos were the worst invention since the Steering Wheel Desk, but that was before I realized their true purpose:

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Humiliating drunk guys who take their clothes off.

 

 Yep, edible images are the best thing to happen to passive-aggression since the Post-It note. How else can you get back at the guy who showed up early, drank all the Zima, and then passed out in your mom's favorite arm chair and peed himself?

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Remember, revenge is a dish best served iced - and there is a lot of icing...IN CAKE.

 

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I would comment on the misspellings, but it's hard to concentrate with big nipples staring you in the face.

Which I guess explains why employers block so much of the Internet at work, huh? 

(HEYO.)

 

 Of course, not all guys need alcohol to get a little frisky in front of the camera:

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Must. Not. Make. "Horny." Joke...

And once you hit your ninety-something-th birthday, I know exactly what you want to see:

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Not bad, not bad...but can we get some kind of a wild cat in here? And maybe a mullet?

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Purrrfect.

I feel like we're straying off the drunken path, though. See, what we *really* need is something with a clown wig, a little Crisco, and a HUGE...

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...oh. Rats.

Ok, never mind.

 

Thanks to Angie B., Kimberly E., Julie C., Christy M., Stacey H., Sarah T., Katherine M. & Aaron for the full Monte Crisco. It was delicious.

******

And from my other blog, Epbot:

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(no subject)

Feb. 19th, 2026 05:35 am
[syndicated profile] apod_feed

Cradled in red-glowing hydrogen gas, stars are being born in Orion. Cradled in red-glowing hydrogen gas, stars are being born in Orion.


I need to go do some physical things.

Feb. 18th, 2026 02:56 pm
aj: (reading)
[personal profile] aj
I think I'm finally having some energy? Also, I'm realizing that I'm just really tired of being inside and not doing things. I did need the rest and I'm grateful this health stuff fell during a time where I could take the time to rest and recover. That said, I am wanting to move around.

Some of this is I think I've od'd on reading. While I'm not reading trad pub stuff atm, I have been reading a lot of fic and I've also noticed how apathetic I am to a lot of stuff and I just really need to start to engage with the outer world again. I miss being active and having activities!

Honestly, I'm seriously considering volunteering to do some shifts cleaning park districts. It gets me outside, I get to straighten somewhere up, and I get to listen to audiobooks. I looked it up on the Cook County Park District website and self-directed volunteering is an option! We'll see if I follow through on this. :)

With Apologies to Julie Andrews

Feb. 18th, 2026 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

♫ Bulbous-nosed witches who probably eat kittens

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Messages piped out that should be rewritten

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(Supposed to read "Congratulations Wojtek From Thunder Road")

 

Cakes decorated with smeared silly string

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Bakers make some of the wreckiest things!

Is that a tongue sticking out of that poodle?

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Were they attempting to make ersatz noodles?

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"Congradulations" with Doritos rings

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Bakers make some of the wreckiest things!

 

Plumber's jeans that don't quite cover their "assets"

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Creepy-faced smiley with too-thick eyelashes

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Harry and Gollum and wands holding rings

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Bakers make some of the wreckiest things!

 

Though these dogs might

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Be all frosting

 Though these cakes are bad!

I simply remember these wreckiest things

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And then I just can't

Feel sad! ♪

 

 BIG thanks to Katie G., Victoria L., J.R., Vanessa M., Lisa H., Pete Z., Andrea G., Darla H., Becca T., Rachel L., and J.C.  You know you're my favorites, right?

*****

P.S. If you're going to wear an Easter tee this year, THIS IS THE WAY:

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Star Wars Grogu Easter T-Shirt

This one's the child's size, but it also comes in adult sizes and tons more colors.

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

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[syndicated profile] dinosaur_comics_feed
archive - contact - sexy exciting merchandise - search - about
dinosaur comics returns monday!

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February 18th, 2026next

February 18th, 2026: Thanks everyone who came out to Vancouver Fan Expo! I had a ton of fun and really enjoyed all the chats!!

– Ryan

[syndicated profile] otw_news_feed

Posted by callmeri

Are you a developer who has submitted pull requests to the otwarchive GitHub repository? Want to help shape the future of the OTW in a flexible, collaborative role? Are you interested in following checklists to administer personnel related tasks? Would you like to wrangle AO3 tags? Can you read and translate from Portuguese to English? Can you read and translate from Chinese to English? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We’re excited to announce the opening of applications for:

  • Communications Social Media Moderator – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 60 applications
  • Organizational Culture Roadmap Volunteer – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 60 applications
  • Accessibility, Design, & Technology Software Developer – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC
  • Volunteers & Recruiting Volunteer – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 30 applications
  • Tag Wrangling Volunteer – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 125 applications
  • Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Portuguese) – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 30 applications
  • Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) – closing 25 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC or after 45 applications

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don’t see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.

Communications Social Media Moderator

Are you familiar with Instagram or Facebook? Do you want to help connect the public with the OTW?

The Communications committee is recruiting for Social Media Moderators to help us manage our Facebook and Instagram. Social Media Moderators will help the OTW maintain an active presence on their platform, creating or reblogging a range of posts of relevance and interest to the OTW’s userbase, and doing outreach to fan groups and individuals on the site. Moderators are also responsible for handling user questions and managing responses to the OTW’s news content. You will be working as part of a team, and you must be able to dedicate at least 3-4 hours each week to the OTW.

For this position, we are seeking people who are familiar with the conventions of one of these platforms and who ideally have experience moderating a social media page. We are also interested in hearing from those with customer service experience, especially in an online environment. We expect you to have an interest in fandom at large and an understanding of the concerns and activities of the OTW (although we will, of course, provide you with training once you start).

You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. If you’re a frequent Facebook or Instagram user who enjoys helping others, have wide-ranging interests across the fandom space, and are curious and willing to learn, we’d love to hear from you!

Applications will close 25 February 2026 or after 60 applications

Apply for Communications Social Media Moderator at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Organizational Culture Roadmap Volunteer

Want to help shape the future of the OTW in a flexible, collaborative role? Organizational Culture Roadmap (OCR) Volunteers support the implementation of OTW Organizational Culture Roadmap goals by assisting with planning, documentation, and team coordination. Whether you prefer jumping into projects, offering behind-the-scenes support, or helping teams stay on track, there’s space to contribute in a way that works for you.

This role is great for those with clear communication skills who enjoy collaborative work. Time commitment is 1-5 hours per week. As an OCR Volunteer, you’ll play a key role in ensuring smooth operations by:

  • Writing and editing OCR project plans, goal documentation, statements, surveys, replies to public questions, policies, minutes, and reports
  • Assisting in the research, development, management, and delivery of internal projects
  • Working as part of a team to support specific goals to reaching completion

We’re looking for volunteers who are proactive, driven, and committed to the OTW’s long-term success.

You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. In addition to the initial application, you will be required to complete an assessment to help us understand how well you understand and can complete the committee’s tasks. This will be emailed to you after you complete the application form.

Applications will close 25 February 2026 or after 60 applications

Apply for Organizational Culture Roadmap Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Accessibility, Design, & Technology Software Developer

The Accessibility, Design, & Technology (AD&T) committee coordinates design and development of the software that powers the Archive of Our Own. It is currently seeking Ruby on Rails developers to enhance features, fix bugs, review code, and test new changes in line with the priorities established by AD&T committee chairs and senior developers.

Please note: applicants must have submitted a minimum of two pull requests – at least one for an issue with medium or higher difficulty – to the otwarchive GitHub repository that have been deployed to production prior to applying for the software developer position.

If you don’t have the time to commit to formally volunteering for the OTW, we gratefully accept bug fixes from anyone on GitHub! Please check out our contributing guidelines before submitting a pull request.

Applications are due 25 February 2026

Apply for Accessibility, Design, & Technology Software Developer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Volunteers & Recruiting Volunteer

Are you great at admin and enjoy the satisfaction of completing short tasks and ticking them off to-do lists? Or do you have experience in CRM or database software, data privacy, managing software access, or other related areas? Volunteers & Recruiting is looking for additional volunteers to help our busy team!

Volunteers & Recruiting supports the Organization for Transformative Works as a volunteer-driven organization by ensuring that volunteers are in the right roles, at the right time, with the right tools.

We recruit and manage incoming volunteers, handle exiting volunteers, and handle all committee setup as well as chair and board turnover. We help answer volunteers’ questions about the OTW or the tools we use, or direct volunteers to the right places. We set up tools for committees and subcommittees, mentor volunteers in their work, and track the service of each and every volunteer throughout their time with the organization. We ensure that every volunteer in the organization has the resources they need to complete their work efficiently and effectively.

This recruitment round we’d especially love hearing from applicants who are interested in regularly helping with our day-to-day work! This includes following checklists to answer tickets related to personnel changes, software access, recruitment setup, and general queries. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a live text-based chat interview.

Applications will close 25 February 2026 or after 30 applications

Apply for Volunteers & Recruiting Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are in need.

Wranglers need to be fluent in English, but we welcome applicants who are also fluent in other languages, especially Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), Čeština (Czech), Español (Spanish), isiZulu (Zulu), Italiano (Italian), Polski (Polish), Suomi (Finnish), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), Türkçe (Turkish), Українська (Ukrainian), ไทย (Thai), Русский (Russian), беларуская (Belarusian) and 한국어 (Korean) — but help with other languages would be much appreciated!

Applications will close 25 February 2026 or after 125 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Portuguese)

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.
If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy Tag Wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.
Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Portuguese. We welcome all Portuguese dialects! The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Portuguese into English.

Applications will close 25 February 2026 or after 30 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Portuguese) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese)

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy Tag Wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Chinese. We welcome all Chinese dialects! The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Chinese into English.

Applications will close 25 February 2026 or after 45 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Thanks For Participating in #IFD2026!

Feb. 17th, 2026 08:26 pm
[syndicated profile] otw_news_feed

Posted by Elintiriel

For International Fanworks Day (IFD) 2026, we once again came together from all corners of the fandom cosmos, and celebrated an Alternate Universe-themed IFD! First, we ran our annual Feedback Fest, where we asked you all to recommend to each other fanworks around your favorite AUs. Fanlore hosted their annual IFD editing event from February 14-20, and we signal boosted several community events along with our own. Some of these are still on-going, so make sure to check out the post!

We also hosted chatrooms and games on our once-a-year IFD Discord server for 30 hours. Thanks to everyone who came by! You can check out the fruits of our collective labor–several fandom-themed poems, song lyrics, and stories–by visiting our collected IFD works on AO3.

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our IFD activities and events, and give a huge shoutout to our OTW volunteers who modded chats and games! We hope to see you all again for IFD 2027!