u/tsrblke

As you are aware reddit is one of the founding members of the "Web Realignment and Enshittification Council" (WREC).

Following fellow council member Etsy's recent decisions Reddit feels like it is not keeping pace with the WREC mission.

As such, we are joining Etsy and will no longer allow posts that involve the use of animal skins or furs. Using only the best AI approaches we will analyze your SOTD post and photos to determine if your brush is badger or boar and delete it appropriately.

Wait what?

Yes, that's right, to curb the sale of animal products, and because we didn't read C. S. Lewis in college, we're stopping you from posting about your stuff.

Just Badger and Boar though?

Well, if you actually have a horsehair knot the animal isn't killed, so it's fine. But also...you have a horsehair knot. Who really wins here?

AI? How's that gonna work?

It was meticulously trained to tell if a brush is hair or not by looking at it. And by reading. It's not like faux hair brushes exist...

Does this mean only vegan soaps are allowed?

No, as it turns out the guy who made this policy hates cows, like really hates them. So, cow-based stuff is still totally fine. Strop with leather all you want, use tallow soap...but maybe not duck fat soap? We're still debating. Maybe someone can come up with a leather brush.

Any other exceptions?

Yes, here at Reddit HQ, we acknowledge the movie Dances with Wolves, so we have carved out an insanely narrow cultural exception based on a government agency's determination of who counts in that exemption. Obviously, this exemption is only valid in the US, since a US agency makes the determination. Culture competency goal met.

And what if I think this approach is stupid?

What are you gonna do? Set up your own reddit?

This is a joke right?

I dunno. You decide.

Did you already mess up your Austere August run? Does the thought of not completing a AA side quest make you sad? Did you never start a challenge and now want in?

If any of the above apply to you then you may be a Lost Sheep.

The shepherds of Stirling are happy to find you and pull you into the flock.

What is the Lost Sheep?

Lost sheep is a side contest that has been run off and on for those who want to reboot their AA?

What do I have to do?

Easy use only a Stirling Mutton tallow base soap for the rest of the month (starting when you declare yourself a lost sheep) and for at least 10 shaves. To be clear once you join Lost Sheep you must use only Stirling sheep allow soap, the same soap, for the rest of the month. And you must log at least 10 shaves. Shepherds care not for hardware or posts. Change those as you want.

Is there a tag?

All hail u/merikus. There is a tag use $lostsheep in each shave. I'll handle the rest.

Can I join at any time?

AA can long and people fall all the time. As long as there are 10 shaves left, you may join the Flock.

What if I don't have sheep soap?

You got time, go order some!

What do I get?

A flair, 🐑 🐑 🐑 Lost Sheep 🐑🐑🐑

Also I'll include you in my matching donation to 4H as if you completed the entire month.

Maybe I'll rustle up something else as well as a random prize. I think there's still sub moose left, let me check (US only if that pans out).

Wait tsr aren't you doing darkwing this year? Wtf is this "shepherds" stuff.

Once a shepherd always shepherd. Plus I am a co-sponsor of Shepherds and I checked with u/hugbckt. All good.

Wait it's a different flair?

Same flock but we keep a special eye on the strays. For their safety.

Is this compatible with other challenges?

Probably not. Check their rules.

I have other questions, you were unclear.

Ask them below. I'm boarding a plane as I type this so I may have effed up my description.

A new AA challenge has entered the fray. Assisted by our very own Endeegee (gone but not forgotten) this is precursor to the soap killing challenge I may kick off next year.

Recognizing it's very hard to kill a soap in one month this challenge will focus on something even harder for us: Use your Unobtanium.

That's right, for this challenge you must pick 1 unobtanium soap (See below about running out) and use it all month. That's it. That's the challenge. Will your obsessive hording allow you to do it?

Use the tag $annihilation in each SOTD post so I can see how we're doing.

FAQs:

What's an "unobtanium" soap?

Great question, unobtanium soap is soap that can no longer be purchased through normal vendors. You have to find it used or "New old Stock". It can be an old defunct brand (Williams Mug), a recent defunct Brand (RIP Southern Witchcrafts, DG, and all the others), or just a scent that an artisan no longer makes (Stirling Gatlinburg.) Many of our sub exclusives are also unobtanium. Seasonal scents (HoM Santa Noir, Stirling Christmas Eve, etc.) are not unobtanium as they get regularly released.

So, if I use it all up, I can never get it again?

Maybe not "never" but it will be harder than ordering from Maggard's. But that's OK. Soap is meant to be used!

Do I have to kill the tub?

No. There's not enough prep for this to be a requirement. Consider this a trial run for Annihilation August 2: The Killing Fields.* However, see below about flairs.

What if I kill a tub?

If you run out of soap part way through the month you have to use another unobtanium soap to stay in the challenge. This is also the only way you can switch soaps and stay in the challenge. Also, be aware this has negative effects on any other challenges you are trying to do. Plan accordingly. (Edited: See comment below from u/Mammoth_Don regarding the Mammoth Mafia's rules to accommodate this.)

Does it have to be a tub?

No, I'm using "tub" generically here. Got an unobtanium cream? (:stares at my OG Moos:) It counts.

Does it have to be full size?

No. Not this time. See above about killing "tubs"

Do I have to shave daily? What if I shave 2x/day?

If I come up with a prize, you will need to be a daily shaver to enter. Flairs are free, claim it if you think you shaved enough to justify it. For 2x shavers, my take on AA is each shave is its own event. Stick with the same soap for at least one of your routine shaves; both shaves, if you're daring.

What do I get?

Strictly speaking...nothing really except the Thrill of getting closer to eliminating a soap knowing it can't' be bought again.

But also, Endeegee (RIP), myself and Eld, came up with some flair ideas:

Ozymandius - Kill a tub from a defunct brand

Brand Butler- Kill an unobtanium tub from a live brand

Soap Necromancer - Convince an artisan to bring back the soap you're using. (Please do not harass the artisans).

Gollum - Use the unobtanium all month but don't kill your precious.

Historic Suds Specialist -Use a soap made before 1990. (The soap itself, not the brand.) (h/t u/EldrormR)

Fully Remote - Use Remote Learning every day all month. Soap, Splash and Frag. (At least until the Frag is gone. Must keep using Soap/Splash all month unless you kill those to per above rules.)**

🇦🇺 Kangaroo Killa 🇦🇺 - Kill an APR scented soap.

Consider these a work in progress set of flairs. I'm open to suggestions for new/different flairs. I may muster up a random drawing prize by the end of this. But no promises.

Is this compatible with any other AA challenges? What soaps count?

You betcha. It's basically compatible with all software challenges except Order of the Stag. Both HoM and Chicago Grooming Co have unobtanium scents. (I'll be using AG 1889.) Nothing stopping you from adding frost drops to your soap for Arctic August. To ensure compatibility with Shepherds of Stirling the Sub Exclusive "I, Rich Moose" (sheep base) will count for this challenge. While Rod still has some left, it's a one-off batch which is close enough to "unobtanium" for me since it can sell out at any time. For the purposes of this challenge, we only consider if the soap is available when considering unobtanium status. (So DinoS'mores counts). As far as I can tell it should be compatible with all hardware challenges. Please see the other challenges for their specific rules, which may be stricter than mine!

Will you change the rules?

The core of the contest will remain the same, you must use the same unobtanium soap all month (unless you kill it then you can move to a new unobtanium). But this is a work in progress that was developed in 20 min. I reserve the right to adjust/clarify/otherwise change the rules based on any issues.

Are you donating anything for participants?

Sadly no, I'm already a matching donor for Shepherds of Stirling. Use sub exclusive Moose to get me to send more money.

Notes:

*Annihilation August 2: The Killing Fields is still very much a work in progress and may not happen, but I got ideas.

**If anyone accomplishes this, and provides evidence of using frag, I will find a prize for them, they deserve it.

I'm going to try to keep this updated as we go, but here's a running list of AA challenges. Please see each challenge's rules to see what's compatible with what?

• Headless Horsemen
  • u/gcgallent honing offer
• Darkwing Challenge
• MMOC Master Quest
• Arctic August (Full post)
• Raw Hoggin (Full Post)
• Raw Hoggin/Arctic August (Edited: Original teaser announcement post for these, left for information)
• Shepherds of Stirling (No Post yet)

If I missed any please let me know. (I'm sure someone's gonna run stag and Mammoth)

I've noticed a lot of new faces lately, and a few returning old faces. With LG happening in Oct. now, there's some "dead" time. So, I thought I'd open the summer by creating a thread for people to introduce themselves if they'd like and tell us a bit more about themselves.

Over the years we've all learned probably more than we should have about each other (internet opsec, what is it?) Often that happens in LG or the discord, so I thought I'd bring a bit of it here and see how it goes. This will not replace "Free Talk Friday" (if anything it's a 1-2 times a year thing.)

Note to Vendors: We can soften Rule 4 a bit here. One of the cool things about this sub is talking directly to vendors. But no straight up advertising here. the deals thread is live for that. Feel free to tell us who you are, store name, and category (e.g. brushes, soaps, a bit of everything) and otherwise stick to telling us about yourself. I know for most of you the store isn't even close to the most interesting thing about you.