⬇️ please click this link for the full inforgraphic - I, like Caroline, apparently also need someone with a BA in CS to post anything with correct formatting online 😅
​
https://preview.redd.it/y9bk7axiyj4b1.jpg?width=1116&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=80e0f0db908fd36531d6c576b5c4fa55e223463d
​
Further info from the Save3rdPartyApps post below:
​
What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
​
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
​
What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at ModCoord- but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

Some thoughts as it pertains to our sub:
Yes, I know the scamphlet will allegedly be released during that time, but if history has taught us anything, this will be just another case of Kitty Sanchez repeatedly flashing Michael Bluth and screaming “this is the LAST time, Michael!” - there probably isn’t going to be anything released on the 12 (yesterday, wasn’t she asking people to submit their shipping address by the 16?). I understand not everyone might want to have the sub dark because of that.
If I can add another thought, if hell freezes over and she actually does drop the “book” of 100 pages and 59 chapters on the 12, it might be a nice coincidence that we’re offline. At this point we’re the largest group by far that’s giving her any type of attention, and you know she’ll be checking here obsessively that day. And there’s nothing she loves more than attention. We can always take screenshots and post them after the protest. :)
Anyway, what does everyone else think?

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team

Despite the dominance of Kudoltha/Synthesizer variants among Red builds in Pauper, I do favor more traditional approach. There are several reasons for it:

• plays starting from the first turn: deck is proposing an active and open play almost immediately, without any "setup"/"empty" turns (unless you try to outmaneuver your opponent).
• loose coupling between cards: almost all cards are useful in a "standalone" mode. The only exception is Needle Drop, but its benefits outweight the necessity for activation.
• 3-4 Fireblasts in a maindeck. I do agree Galvanic Blast is a powerfull spell, but Fireblast is just in the other league. Playing Red and not playing Fireblast(s) in a maindeck means you play only half of Red :D

"Scorching Red" Decklist

4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Scorching Fiend 3 Mogg Fanatic - flex slot 3 Thermo-Alchemist - flex slot 2 Viashino Pyromancer - flex slot 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Chain Ligtning 4 Lava Spike 4 Lava Dart - flex slot 3 Needle Drop 3 Reckless Impulse 4 Fireblast 18 Mountains SB 2 Searing Blaze 3 Pillar of Flame 4 Pyroblast 2 End the Festivities 4 Smash to Smithereens 

Creatures - One Mana

Monastery Swiftspear

MVP of Red in Pauper, "raison d'etre". However, if you cast creatures for the first few turns, it is equal in a "damage inflicted" rating to Raging Goblin; therefore, it's important to choose the correct timing and provide support cards to maximize the resulting effect. Also being an MVP makes it "target number one" for any removal as well.

Scorching Fiend

While everything has already been told about the power of Swiftspear, [[Scorching Fiend]] is rarely mentioned and remains largely unknown. In the same time this card is equally - or even more - effective, especially during the early game! Without blockers it reliably deals 2 points of damage, and even blockers can not prevent it from biting your opponent for 1, and this point of damage is unaffected by Fog-like effects. Additionally [[Scorching Fiend]] works as an activator for Needle Drop, allowing it to trigger the prowess ability of Swiftspear before the combat damage step. In some of my games it was killed by Snuff Out casted for 4 life points - the best possible testament to its humble power.

Flex/Meta Slot: Mogg Fanatic

Mogg Fanatic, the Faithful One. First printed in 1997, this guy probably finished more games in favor of Red Mages than any other one-mana creature. It has fallen out of favor after change of the rules related to damage, but with re-emergence of decks with important 1/1s it's getting back. Fanatic is not a great hitter, but rather a utility creature: removes early blockers, supports the attacks, nibbles opponent's life points and helps to finish.
I would still call this slot a "flex" slot, which can be used for fine-tuning of your deck for the metagame. The other candidates for it are:

• Voldaren Epicure - great card, deals damage, creates Blood tokens, but can not pickup small threats, which can loose you a game. Remarkably useless against Faeries plus some other decks, which tend to put on 1/1 blockers early on, blocking you Switfties and Scorching Fiends.
  
• Fanatical Firebrand - potentially more aggressive, but a bit less flexible. Attack-sacrifice is "standard" finish for Fanatic, which is not possible for Firebrand.
  
• Jackal Pup - yes, you read it right. There are still metas w/o red, so exactly for them old puppy is still good. If you happen to be surrounded by Tron, UB Terror, etc - do not underestimate it. It can quickly bring anybody to his or her senses after several turns. Among one-mana hitters, it's still Nr 3 in Pauper for Red.
  
• Foundry Street Denizen - great guy for red beatdowns, whose value, unfortunately, tends to decrease as the game progesses. It's more often 1/1 towards the middle of the game, and therefore is more suitable for more creature-oriented (20+ creature cards) to fully utilize its potential.
  
• Ghitu Lavarunner - it looks good on paper, but it's lacking a bit on the table. As your first turn creature drop it is worse than anything from the aforementioned cards. Its power is "conditional" and as a Red Mage you do not really want your creatures to be dependent on any external factors. It also tends to create some awkward plays in order to get him "haste-d".
  

Creatures: Two-Mana Slot

From my point of view, the best red creature for 2 mana at common rarity should be theoretical "2/2 haste for RR" hitter. However, Wizards aren't that primitive, and they are giving us lots of other cards, which are more complicated and less straightforward. Thus the particular choice and proportion of 2-mana creatures is more card- and meta-specific, rather than driven by the card quality itself.

Thermo-Alchemist

Not an obvious solution, and I would call it meta-dependent. In my local matches I do expect longer games, and oh gosh! - this guy can grind. It reliably hits for one, it's not that easy to kill it with mass removal and it activates Needle Drop and Skewer the Critics. It is worth mentioning though, that it can be killed "in response" to its untap trigger, so be careful. Correct timing to put it on the table is required, as well as certain skill to outplay potential edict-like and targeted removal spells.

Viashino Pyromancer

This is how Wizards see my hypothetical "2-mana 2/2 haste" creature. Great card, easy to play, good topdeck. However it's vulnerable to the weakest board wipes, to any 1/1 blockers, Tundra Wolves etc thus making it's a bit less useful. I'm used to maindeck 3 of them, because in a slower and more controlling or combo meta it is your "better" 2/2 haster, immediately dealing damage. It's also suitable as a mid-game topdeck, not ruining your game and keeping your opponent under pressure.

Another candidates

• Kiln Fiend and its variants - while it is a great card on its own, it's a problem if you topdeck it in the middle of the game with an empty hand - which, to be honest, happens to red-aligned mages relatively often. And a damage from it can be prevented from Fog-like effects.
  
• Kessig Flamebreather - great card, but can not activate Needle Drop and can not grind if you have no cards and/or opponent being low on life and having blockers.
  
• Keldon Marauders - I think it's in general a worthy card. I played a lot with it, but I do personally prefer threats which are sticking to the battlefield rather than perishing on their own. In the middle of the game I would always prefer Pyromancer over it as Viashino just deals more damage immediately.
  
• Flame Rift - yes, this spell can also be considered in this slot. It immediately deals 4 damage points, through any blockers, and may actually be a great supporting card on a turn 3 or act as an activator for Needle Drop, further putting your opponent (and you) in a Red Zone. There is a hefty drawback however, esp. pronounced in matchups versus aggro decks - again, do consider you meta.
  

Direct Damage / Burn

Core - Bolts, Chains, Spikes, Blasts

I think it's pretty clear here. Bolts, Chains, Spikes and Blasts are the core of almost any red aggro/burn deck, giving you a really long reach and explosive turns, also creating synergetical play with Needle Drops, Swiftspears and Alchemists.

You flex slot - Lava Darts

Lava Darts play mainly supporting and "gluing" role for the first few turns, helping your creatures to inflict initial damage and to activate prowess. It's also a great "Pacifier of Blue", and helpt to tame Spellstutter Sprite. Depending on your meta you can reduce their quantity or replace altogether with other one mana burn spells, such as Shock (yes, you need to play instances sometimes!), Seal of Fire, Rift Bolts, Skewer the Critics, etc.

Card Draw

One important aspect is not only to have card draw spells, but also to have a right amount of it. It's useless (for Red Deck) to draw cards w/o dealing actual damage as this shifts your game more in "mittelspiel", where other decks are normally stronger! Card draw spells do not play a main role here, but rather assist the main line and help you to get your next threat, while only partially being a threat on their own.

Needle Drop

This card is tricky. It requires activation and is almost always played directly "into" your opponent. It feels like a loss of value if you have it with a Swiftspear w/o an additional activator. However, with an activator, it acts like a glue for a red deck: - it makes it possible to begin with 1 land starting hand, making it possible to draw a second land on a turn 2 (this is your call as a player!) - activates prowess - it adds damage to your attack - AND brings you a card - potentially a next threat! - especially important on a draw!
According to my experience, it's not worth to play 4 copies of it, as chances to have 2 of them in your starting hand aren't that small; it's still only 1 point of conditional damage and neither 2 nor 3, and it doesn't help to free the road from obstacles for your guys.

Reckless Impulse

Current trend is to have 4 copies in a maindeck. My personal belief is that it's a bit too much. This card is very powerful, single-handedly "dragging" Red Mages into a midgame, but it's still doesn't deal any damage to opponent. You do not really want to play it and find another Impulse-like card instead of your so desired burn spell. In another words, you need your draw spells to bring you more bolts and blasts, but not more draws (if it's not an activated Needle Drop, of course!). Red must attack and deal damage, and only minimally dillute its game with anything else. Stay focused, use necessary help, but not more than this!

Amount of 2-mana creature spells

In the most cases, with 18 mountains in the main deck, you'll find yourself with 2 lands on the battlefield for the first 3-4 turns. Thus you do not really want your hand to be full of two-mana spells, as it means a huge loss of tempo and makes you an easy prey for midgame oriented decks, as they will be able to establish a better board presence while you are trying to squeeze your two-mana threat on the table (it makes "overloading" impossible).
I would recommend up to 6 'instances' of two-mana creatures in the deck; with additional draw spells you can go down to 5 or even 4. This ensures that you'll get at least one in most of the cases within first few turns, but not more than two, thus "freeing" the room for "finishing" spells (and any burn spell after turn 4 can be treated as finishing).
In this particular case, I used a 3+2 combination. Number 3 means, that I'm always glad to see one the card in my starting hand, but not two, and it's good to have maybe starting from turn 3. With 2 copies of Pyromancers I'm trying to add some variety to my starting hand, if it happens two have two 2-mana creatures and increasing the overall probability of having a two-mana creature during first couple of turns.

Conclusion

I do like how this deck plays and the philosophy behind it. I like its "loose coupling" - almost every card alone has an immediate effect, progressing you in your game plan, - in the same time, amplifying each other effects if you've got your starting hand right. The deck can also grind out longer matches due to the presence of Alchemists and additional help from Needle Drops and Reckless Impulses. Take it, adapt it to you local meta and have fun!

This Subreddit will go dark for 48 hours from 12th-14th June. The Reasons are mentioned under this Message, if you want more info, join the subreddits ModCoord and Save3rdPartyApps!

Don't Let Reddit Kill 3rd Party Apps!

📷What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at ModCoord - but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. This includes not harassing moderators of subreddits who have chosen not to take part: no one likes a missionary, a used-car salesman, or a flame warrior.

You've probably heard about the protest in other subs already. This sub will go dark on June 12. I haven't set an end date on the blackout, because that's dependent on how the administration responds to the protest.
In the event that this kills our little subreddit, I want to thank you all for fighting this uphill battle with me. Misandry is real, it is massively under-recognized, and it does real, lasting damage to innocent people. Those of us here know that, but there are many others out there who apparently need to be dragged to a place of greater awareness, kicking and screaming the whole way. Keep up the good fight.

• kuato2012

General blackout protest information follows:
This subreddit will be joining in the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface.
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Hi everyone,
As you may or may not have heard, Reddit has decided to change its policies to raise prices and essentially kill third party apps. Our mod u/jayy_double_u brought this to the team’s attention the other day, but it’s a widely known issue. Those wanting a more detailed explanation can check out [this article]( https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23749188/reddit-subreddit-private-protest-api-changes-apollo-charges)
I’m sure many of you use third party apps and, if not, please know that your experience on Reddit is heavily influenced by third party apps. Many moderator bots, for example, are third party. With these changes, the subs you frequent will have a much harder time controlling spam and moderating their communities in general. On a personal note, I myself use Apollo on IOS to mod, so I’ll be forced to be less present, and it’ll become much more strenuous as I’ll have to switch over to desktop to mod. Approving posts, responding to modmail, and addressing reported posts and comments would all take much longer.
This is also an accessibility issue. Third party apps are much more friendly to disabled people (blind users, for example, cannot use Reddit’s mobile app).
In solidarity with the Reddit community, Twlight, TwlightFanfic, and TwlightMemes will be shutting down the subreddit for 48 hours starting on June 12.
You can support the efforts in the following ways:

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at ModCoord- but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

We are sorry for the inconvenience but hope that those of you in our communities understand that this is a widespread issue worth fighting for!
Team Twlight

Hi everyone,
As you may or may not have heard, Reddit has decided to change its policies to raise prices and essentially kill third party apps. Our mod u/jayy_double_u brought this to the team’s attention the other day, but it’s a widely known issue. Those wanting a more detailed explanation can check out [this article]( https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23749188/reddit-subreddit-private-protest-api-changes-apollo-charges)
I’m sure many of you use third party apps and, if not, please know that your experience on Reddit is heavily influenced by third party apps. Many moderator bots, for example, are third party. With these changes, the subs you frequent will have a much harder time controlling spam and moderating their communities in general. On a personal note, I myself use Apollo on IOS to mod, so I’ll be forced to be less present, and it’ll become much more strenuous as I’ll have to switch over to desktop to mod. Approving posts, responding to modmail, and addressing reported posts and comments would all take much longer.
This is also an accessibility issue. Third party apps are much more friendly to disabled people (blind users, for example, cannot use Reddit’s mobile app).
In solidarity with the Reddit community, Twlight, TwlightFanfic, and TwlightMemes will be shutting down the subreddit for 48 hours starting on June 12.
You can support the efforts in the following ways:

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at ModCoord- but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

We are sorry for the inconvenience but hope that those of you in our communities understand that this is a widespread issue worth fighting for!
Team Twlight

r/postmetal will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at ModCoord.
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at ModCoord
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to ModCoord.

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team

On May 31 of this year, Reddit unilaterally announced that it was changing the pricing structure for all third-party applications using its servers and, in order for apps like Apollo, Bacon Reader, or RiF is Fun to continue to function, they would be required to pay Reddit, Inc. some tens of millions of dollars per year effective 30 days hence. The net effect of this is that Reddit plans on ending the ability for ALL third-party applications to function. This will mean destroying the ability of users to interact with the site on their favorite platforms. This will affect not only moderators but also every user who chooses to use a third-party application to view the site; THIS DIRECTLY AFFECTS YOU.
Reddit cannot function without its volunteer moderators and users and the tools and skills they bring to the platform.
Reddit is making these changes solely to serve you more advertisements, facilitate more spam, and track and sell your personal user data to other marketers and platforms. This has no benefit to the user, but we have seen this pattern before with other platforms.The animosity of Reddit towards third-party app developers, moderator staff, and users alike is telling and it does not bode well for the future of the platform. Reddit's actions are bad for everyone.
The takeaway from this:
In protest, corvette will be closing all access as of June 12 and will be dark through June 14, joining several other subs like cars
What can you do?
Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
Spread the word. Discuss this on related subreddits.
Do NOT attempt to doxx, threaten, harass, or promote violence towards anyone.
Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th: Instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.Thank you. We hope for a positive resolution in this matter. This is the hand that we must play.
Thank you, and don't forget to keep waving.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
   
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at /ModCoord - but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.
   
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
   
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
   

I know you're probably tired of hearing about this, but it needs to happen. This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.
What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do as a user?
Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-the mf who created the sub

I know you're probably tired of hearing about this, but it needs to happen. This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.
What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do as a user?
Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-the guy with the soup dream

Hi all,
As you may have heard, Reddit recently announced some changes to their API terms and conditions. They have already broken access to a vital tool used by moderators for detecting serial spammers and trolls, and starting 1st July they intend to start charging third-party app developers.
If this change goes ahead, third party app developers like Apollo, Reddit is Fun, Narwhal, and BaconReader will be put out of business, unless they're able to pass on the costs to their users. Another third-party use includes apps and extensions used by Reddit's blind community, who rely on these apps to be able to access Reddit, which is otherwise not very easily accessible to them. If these API changes go ahead, blind users will be effectively cut off from Reddit.
While Reddit has said that bots used by mods and communities like BotDefense, RemindMeBot, and the Transcribers of Reddit, and the many other bots that help make Reddit what it is "should not be impacted", there is concern about the extent to which this will be true, with fears many tools may end up blocked by accident even if Reddit's promises can be completely trusted.
There are genuine scientific researchers who make use of the Reddit API to gather data for important scientific research. For example, research into mental health, social media privacy, and democratic discourse. Researchers are concerned that the API changes are going to remove their ability to do useful scientific research.
Finally, many of us are concerned that this is the first step in a series of actions that could include shutting down the way many users prefer to access Reddit: old.reddit.com. Reddit has already failed to continue support for third-party apps and the classic Reddit website in the form of numerous new features that have not been added to the API or to classic Reddit. On this subreddit, we use the custom CSS support in classic Reddit to display greentext properly in comments, and if you're not using classic Reddit, you're not getting the best /dndgreentext experience. But classic Reddit has felt like it's on life support for a while now, and many long time Reddit users are worried this is the beginning of the end.
In protest against all of this, we will be joining with over 2,000 other subreddits in going private for around 48 hours starting on 12th July, 2023. In our case, that will probably be from approximately midnight New Zealand time at the beginning of the 12th July until midnight American Pacific Time at the beginning of the 14th July. That's 12:00 UTC on 11/06/2023 until 07:00 UTC on 14/06/2023.
We thank you for your support in this.
The /dndgreentext mods.

FAQ

What can I do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app—and sign your username in support to this post.
   
2. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th—instead, take to your favourite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
   
3. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible. This includes not harassing moderators of subreddits who have chosen not to take part: no one likes a missionary, a used-car salesman, or a flame warrior.
   

Why is Reddit doing this?

We don't really know. Reddit has many possible motivations.
Along with charging for API access, Reddit is intending to restrict anything using the API—including both third-party apps and community-made tools—from accessing NSFW content. They claim the intent behind this is to protect users, but they're allowing it to continue to exist on their first-party apps.
Reddit has indicated a desire to limit the ability of malicious actors and freeloaders to harvest and submit large amounts of data for the use in cyber misinformation campaigns or in training LLMs. Which is a laudable goal, but should not come at the cost of the ability of mods to do their work, basic accessibility needs, and the millions of legitimate users who use third-party apps to access the site.
Currently, people who use third-party apps don't receive ads from Reddit. Some third-party apps might show their own ads to pay the developer, but Reddit receives no income. Charging for API access is a way for Reddit to make money from users of third-party apps.

Doesn't Reddit deserve to be able to make money off their platform?

Sure, but the Apollo devs estimated that to break even they would have to charge every single user $2.50 per month. Ask yourself: would you be willing to pay that to access Reddit? Do you think it likely a majority of users would? Or would they all give up and go back to the 1st-party app?
Furthermore, they have other options for monetisation. They could include advertising in API results the same way they're currently included on the web, and require as part of their terms of service that third-party apps display the ads.

What’s up you dirty little bastards.
As we're sure many of you have seen, it has come to light that Reddit will be altering their API process to charge the providers of 3rd party apps at a level that will likely result in the death of most of these apps.
Our subreddit will be joining a growing list of our fellow communities to protest this change by taking the subreddit private from June 12th through the 14th.
What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at ModCoord.
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible

This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team

The mods would like to ask the Community whether this subreddit should join in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
In addition, many differently abled or neuro-atypical users use third-party apps to access reddit, and this will unfairly affect them, reducing their ability to access their communities.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, participating subs can use the community and buzz built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What else can be done?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

Please vote to indicate your choice, and thank you for your voice in this matter.
-Mod Team
View Poll

This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit : submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.

CHECK OUT THIS SWEET INFOGRAPHIC Y'ALL!

[prev]
People, not soldiers, but people, normal, everyday types, were attached to some sort of spire, or more precisely, a pole. A large one at that. Now that wouldn't be so bad honestly, if the manner of their attachment was simply being tied to it like that lady from the really old King Kong movies, or any movies where someone is bound to be sacrificed for whatever reason.
This was not how they were attached to the pole.
Instead of rope, there were spikes, wicked, serrated spikes that pierced them in places where they would not die from fatal wounds. Far more abhorrent though was that their flesh had been… stretched, fused to the pole in some unholy manner, no doubt meant to cause more pain than even the spikes did. From here I could see that they were unconscious, which was for the best. It gave them only a moment's rest from the torment they were suffering.
I however, was forced to witness this, all of us were. I’m not ashamed to say that I could not keep the contents of my stomach where they belonged, as did countless others fail to do. The taste of bile in my mouth only served to make me angry, and I knew that by the time I was done with this era, not a single soul in the Dominion would be left alive. They had allowed this, these acts of sheer barbarism to take place, none of them were innocent and I would make sure they received what they deserved.
I was just about to turn away when I spotted one of the knights move, smacking part of the pole. Immediately the people awoke and began to scream again, and now with nothing but air between us, it was an unbearable sound. A sound that seemed to have little effect on the enemy.
Collapsing I clapped my hands over my ears, gritting my teeth as auditory torture lanced through my skull. This new weapon of theirs was going to break us if we didn’t do anything about it. We wouldn’t be able to think, to sleep, to eat, and most importantly, be unable to fight. Which is probably the whole purpose of this weapon now that I think about it.
So we needed to take care of it quickly. But how? The damn thing was at the center of their army, it was, at the moment, utterly unreachable. Staggering down from the walls my gaze alighted upon a most fortunate sight. The freshly collapsed tunnel entrances that the enemy had left behind in their haste. Such tunnels presumably stretched all the way from the city and into the enemy encampment. They probably wouldn’t be expecting any sort of counter-attack using their own tunnels, so it was the perfect delivery system for a demolition crew. The only issue was that I would not be able to fit within them. I was flexible certainly, having managed to squeeze into that passage at the temple so long ago, but this was different. The tunnels had been thin as far as my senses could determine, I’d have to walk on the walls to even fit, and that just wouldn’t do at all.
Which meant someone else would have to take the plunge so to speak and the only person I could even think of was Cameron. He had the necessary skillset, the powers and the heroic part of things so throwing him into the tunnels was the best idea we had. Plus I could support him with an army of the undead, which would be most useful. The only problem was coordinating our efforts through this sonic attack of theirs, which was damn near impossible.
It was then that the same healer from before rushed up to me and grabbed my good arm, giving me a tug downwards that I wasn’t truly expecting and with more strength than I would have thought he possessed. I was just about to complain about such treatment when he forced my head back and tipped the contents of a vial into my mouth. The instant the substance made contact with my tongue everything went quiet. Far too quiet in fact.
I was deaf, I couldn’t hear a peep! Out of everything that's happened to me this was by far the most frightening thing. I felt my breathing quicken, my heart race like a freight train and my entire body got jittery. That is till the healer clapped his hands onto either side of my face and forced me to look him in the eye. He mimed taking deep breaths and I obliged, sucking in huge lungfuls of air before explosively expelling it. It did the job, calming me down to a degree where he felt confident he could explain what he’d done.
‘Protection against the sound, only thing I could think of. Permanent for now, have a potion that’ll cure the effects for later. Communicate via written word or hand signals.’
It looked as though he had hastily scribbled out his immediate solution to our problem on something close to a clipboard, and when he was done I gave him a thumbs up which prompted him to smile and move on. Now that I could think straight I could see the rest of the medical staff was doing the same as he was, deafening everyone they came across. The look of relief on their faces when the silence hit was something I could now easily understand. But this would make things a bit more difficult I realized. How would orders be issued and received?
My question was answered when the soldiers all started signing to each other, mobilizing on the walls and preparing for a potential attack. Some of the mages scrambled to construct something odd, it looked almost… Oh! I knew what it was! I’d seen something similar, just on a far larger scale. It was a mini Maw Hammer from Mass Effect! Or something close. Once built they tested it, the actual hammer bit rising up then slamming into the ground in a pattern. They were a good sixty feet or so away, and yet even I felt the impact through my feet, the pattern vibrating through my body. Those that felt it turned to look, and the forces already on the wall tensed up.
I managed to corner a mage and they explained that it was a sort of alarm system. If something went fucky, then anyone could activate the hammer and it’d alert part of the city. Others were being set up just barely within range of this hammer, thus creating a chain that once activated, would rouse the entire city and get them to defensive positions. It was a smart system indeed.
The question was, even with it, would we be able to survive? I mean, I would, unless they found some way to break the cycle of respawning that I was stuck in, which was something they probably had no knowledge of at all.Or at least I thought they wouldn’t know about that. The only people who had some inkling about my ‘gift’ was Cameron and the Gods, which could also include the eldritch monstrosities in the sky. But I hoped this was not the case.
With my mind clear of that horrible shrieking and a form of communication in place, I debated the merits of getting sleep or trying to figure out a game plan with the other commanders and Cameron. My mind was made for me when a healer came and dragged me back to my room in silence. I realized suddenly just how tired I really was so this became the most logical choice for me to take, and now that I rather literally couldn’t hear anything, I was able to fall asleep so very quickly.
Unlike reality though, my dreams had sound. So vague they were that I wouldn’t remember them when I awoke, but I got the feeling that whatever corruption festered in my arm was the cause of it. At least I managed to recover my strength, for when I did wake I was feeling well rested and invigorated. Since nobody was frantically trying to get my attention or the hammers going crazy I assumed that all was reasonably well and that the enemy had not attacked yet.
So I took my time with getting dressed and geared up, putting my ‘new’ hand to use just so I could get used to it. Having actual claws makes things a bit more difficult than usual, but I persevered. I just needed to remember to not vigorously scratch an itch with that hand. Boy would that be painful.
With my outfit situation settled I ventured out. It was time to put an end to the threat outside these walls and give the people here a reprieve from the war we fought. Making my way into the command tent I found the air filled with glowing words as the elvish commanders argued about plans presumably, with Cameron furiously scribbling on a piece of paper since he couldn’t do the magic word trick. None of them noticed me till one of the guards tapped on a shoulder and they looked in my direction. Words vanished, only to be replaced with ones of greeting and queries about my wellbeing.
I tried to answer normally, before remembering our predicament and so stole some of Cameron’s paper and began scribbling out a question, and so the conversation/debate/argument began again.
“What’s our situation?” I asked.
“As far as we can tell the enemy is still using that sound weapon of theirs. But thanks to our deafness, it’s useless. They just haven’t figured that out yet.” Cameron stated, the elves nodding.
“We need to find some way to destroy it, otherwise we’ll be stuck this way for far longer than any of us would like.”
“Agreed. And on that front I think I have an idea.” I say, earning a few surprised looks from everyone. “The tunnels, the ones the enemy dug. The mages didn’t collapse all of them did they?”
“No, just the entrances, why?”
“Well, I say we use them against the enemy. We won’t have to worry about the spiders attacking our forces in the process, I’ll make sure of that.”
“But that’s suicide! Whoever we send into those tunnels will come out in the middle of their army, they’d be slaughtered before they got anywhere near the construct!” One of the commanders rightly argued, the others nodding in agreement.
“So we go on the offensive, distract them long enough for the tunnel teams to complete their mission and retreat.” I say, and that shut everyone up for a moment.
“You must be truly mad, leave the safety of the walls and fight that on the open battlefield?! We don’t have the numbers for such a thing!”
“Actually, we do. Between those of us who volunteered to be reanimated, and the countless dead spiders and enemy soldiers littering the battlefield, I have enough potential undead to bolster our forces into a proper army. Enough of one to lead a counter assault. Besides, every new casualty we make will just be another soldier to add to our ranks. You forget I am a necromancer.” Again this earns silence, and Cameron nods in appreciation of the rudimentary plan I’ve come up with.
“It could work, with the combined numbers of the undead, spiders and our own living soldiers we could create quite the distraction, plus with that many troops fighting on our side, we’d only be making more and more for ourselves. Enough to keep the enemy focused on them long enough for someone else to complete the main objective. Shit, we might even force them to conduct a full retreat out of the area.” He wrote, and the elves thought it over, using sign language, something I wasn’t all that familiar with to converse privately.
“Very well then, but who will lead the tunnel teams?” One asked, and now it was my turn to surprise Cameron as I turned my attention onto him.
“I think you’d be perfect for the job. You have the necessary powers to make short work of anything that gets in your way, plus you’re better at melee than I am, so throwing you into the thick of things like that wouldn’t be too much trouble I suspect. Besides, I can’t fit in those tunnels.”
He didn’t look too pleased about it, but Cameron didn’t argue my logic, instead he nodded and cracked his neck.
“Right… Guess that makes sense. I’m going to need some volunteers to go with me, I’m not gonna do this by myself. Also, I need to learn whatever that sign language stuff was. I need to be able to give orders.” He said, and the commanders nodded.
“We’ll have a tutor sent to you, sir. And we’ll round up some volunteers as well.” One said, and we all nodded, sighing softly.
“Well then, I suppose we had best get ready. I need to do some reading, see if there isn’t some way I can bolster my necromancy a bit more. I don’t want things going sideways just because I couldn’t use my spells properly.” The others nod and that seems to be the end of that. So it’s back to my room to do some light reading… I just hope what I learn is going to be enough to turn the tide.
I’m not sure how long I sat there in my hammock with the book, but it must have been long enough for me to pass out. Again I dreamed, my mind filled with a voice I knew well but it was pained, coarse and terrified, but hopeful as well.
– – – – – –
Ihena shivered, feeling more of her essence get siphoned away. She wasn’t going to last much longer, soon she would be a husk like so many other divine beings, used up and cast aside, lifeless. But perhaps with the last of her power she could do something good. The idiots who held her knew she could not use her power to free herself nor effect anything in this chamber where she was held, but that didn’t mean she could not channel her power through her champion, a champion who was now once again in this world.
Grinning, she focused her mind through the haze of pain and the fading of her consciousness, channeling her power through the link between her and Safa, one final gift, one final command. It bled into the asleep woman, whispering the final orders of her patron goddess, and bestowing upon her a more fitting mark of her status. It reached out and touched the once profane phylactery, the book she now guarded fiercely and from which she learned such dark arts, and it took the knowledge within, imparting it upon her Champion.
And then with a hitch in her breath, a final gasp, Ihena slumped in her chains, skin turning to cracked stone before vanishing into dust. Her purpose fulfilled, she was no more.
– – – – – –
When I came to, the book was held to my chest and something felt different I realized. It was like the knowledge within it was seeping into my very being, something which felt rather wrong honestly. But it was filling my mind with all the things I needed to make my magic stronger.
On a whim I decided to take a look at my stats, only to jerk back from the display that appeared before me. Clearly something was once again wrong with the divine system that managed it, as I saw everything that was supposed to be there, but with the addition of screaming faces trying to push and claw their way out of the interface.
My revulsion seemed to have some sort of effect though, as the system fixed itself quickly. Shivering I swiped over into my skills and thankfully did not have a repeat of what had just happened. Instead I took a look at my skills in regards to necromancy and was shocked to see several progress bars filling up for the higher level skills, but they would not be complete anytime soon, those were master level stuff, the kind of things only a lich could do.
Instead I found that I had several new skills unlocked, as well as several upgrades for my earlier abilities.
Puppet Mistress (Passive)
Allows the necromancer to raise and reanimate as many corpses, skeletons or golems as they wish, so long as they have the strength required to do so. WARNING! Over extension of the minion reanimation abilities can result in the draining of internal mana reserves, resulting in the power required to keep minions active being drawn from the casters health pool instead. It is recommended to learn one’s limits and to not exceed them unless absolutely necessary.
Cure Major Wounds (Active Skill Upgrade)
Mortal wounds are now treatable via fleshcrafting, so long as the wound is fresh. Can heal medium to light wounds for no mana cost.
Raise Skeletal Warriors (Active Skill)
Summon skeletal warriors to fight for you. Skeletons come equipped with swords, axes or war hammers and a shield with minimal armor.
-Summon Skeletal Archers: Raise skeletons with minimal armor and longbows.
-Summon Skeletal Mages: Raise skeletons with knowledge of the arcane, beware of accidental friendly fire.
Raise Flesh Construct (Active Skill, Golem)
Combine several zombies into an amalgamation of flesh and bone, creating a powerful flesh golem. Combine more zombies to create larger and more powerful golems.
These new powers would be exceedingly useful, I’d honestly forgotten about my zombie quantity cap, so being able to raise as many undead as I wished now was quite good. I was about to close out of the interface when something new caught my eye, and I peered closely at it.
Ihena’s Last Wish (Divine Blessing, Commandment. Active Skill, One Month Cooldown)
Take on the visage of Ihena’s Champion, be bolstered with the strength of a divine hand and render judgement upon those who would blaspheme against the Lady of Lost Souls and adhere to the last wish of her divine majesty.
“Leave none alive.”
I shivered slightly as I read that, wondering what this talk of a last wish meant, before I realized something. I no longer felt Ihena’s presence, not even a slight tingle in the back of my mind. It was like a voice that had been constantly whispering in my ear had finally gone silent, a presence just out of sight now gone. I felt alone. I was alone.
Ihena was no more.
[prev]

This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit : submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.

CHECK OUT THIS SWEET INFOGRAPHIC Y'ALL!

For those who visit Reddit everyday, how do you plan to spend your new free time? Post your comments below.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface.
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign you username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join us at our sister sub at ModCoord - but please don't pester mods you don't know by simply spamming their modmail.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise is support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.