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As long as they're not allowed to communicate with US Americans, I urge to look for comparable agencies around the world and to note what they're all reporting on. This will be relevant to Americans and they cannot be ordered to defer to the Trump administration.

During Covid, for instance, there was a lot of information spread by the CDC, but my country had its own agency, the RIVM. They were in direct communication with each other and they will continue to be so. Sister organisations in different countries are not 'the public' and will possibly be exempt from Trump's ban. But even if they are not officially in contact with the US, they are not forbidden from publicing information pertaining to the US.

The world is more interconnected than Trump likes. The EU's sister organisation for the FDA, for instance, is called EMA, and they have no reason to keep health information about global threats from Americans.

It's not a solution but it is a workaround for Americans needing information!

This is relevant for all Americans but especially those who are chronically ill, immunocompromised, or are otherwise in a vulnerable medical situation

Posted on TikTok on January 22:

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All good takes a little effort

Oftentimes, when talking about building a more inclusive society, people mention that not discriminating would take money and effort and therefore, we're obviously not going to do it. We cannot put in more money and effort than we are doing now, so, sadly, it cannot be done. Sucks to be you, if you need any help, but that's the way it is.

But we could work so much smarter than we are doing. So much waste of time, money and effort is built into the way we live now, and it is completely unneccessary. People have remarked upon it with all the time their jobs are forcing them to waste commuting when the work could easily be done remotely, for example. And yes, I dunk a lot on employers and corporations wasting people's energy (which is deliberate because tired people are easier to control and spend more money on convenience).

But why is it that people who feel they have money to spare, or aspire to be among those who have money to spare, can also be so incredibly wasteful?

When I moved to Berlin, I came into a city that had the slogan: "Arm aber sexy" - poor but sexy. And they did not like wasting money. "We're all students", the reasoning went, no one has money, so you can't be wasteful with other people's resources, be they attention, time or money. People did everything potluck style- obviously. You could not expect one person to cater to 20 guests. That wasn't even spelled out, it was self explanatory. And good times were had by all.

But back in Holland, even though the students didn't have money, they felt they had access to copious amounts of cheap credit, and so, wasting became a status symbol, because you did not want to be the type of person "who has to care about this stuff". And so leftover food was thrown out, because they were all young and strong enough to cook fresh or order in every day. Energy is plentiful, so wasting it shows you're important.

It's more important for your status to waste energy than to share it.

In Berlin, somebody like that would be hunted for sport.

But I see rich people do that all the time. Oh, I don't have to be that person that takes two literal minutes to apply a discount code. I don't have to be that person that spends three minutes returning bottles to get the deposit back. I don't have to care this deposit money than stays in the hands of multinationals that steal water from whole communities in El Salvador. I don't have to care about greenhouse gases. I don't have to care, so I don't, see how important I am?

And this leads to what happened today and what I still has me shaking my head going really? REALLY NOW?

Some neighbors in my apartment were moving out rather suddenly, which, great for them. There was a lot of cleaning out, which of course also happened. But today, I wanted to dispose of my own waste, and I couldn't, because six dumpsters, meant for the whole building, were teeming with their stuff.

And I was like, hmpf. That's antisocial. A lot of this waste is not supposed to be in there, that should have been disposed of seperately.

But a lot if it wasn't even waste. Those were items in top shape, they simply couldn't take them.

And I was like, uh, could they not have been donated? Dutch Goodwill comes to pick stuff up if you're unable to go there yourself. FFS I'll sort through some of it and donate it myself, if that means I am able to throw out my thrash! I don't want vermin in my house because they can't be arsed to dispose of their items with some consideration!

You guys.

They'd thrown away literal money.

Now, I know you can't spend euro coins outside of Europe. But there are donation boxes at every airport. If you don't want to carry it around, you could have given it to EVERY STRANGER YOU ENCOUNTERED and it would have done more good than what they had done with it, left it to get burnt.

BURNT.

And not only that. They'd chucked toys, electronics, unopened foods. The saddest thing was: many of the things that went in the dumpster were perfectly usable before. But for having been in a dumpster, they had become useless. Lids without boxes and boxes without lids. Half of bottle of premium olive oil. I did manage to save some things either to use myself or to donate, and fished out the electronics to bring to a recycling plant. There are four- year olds being put to work in cobalt mines for this, there are people dying of horrible cancers and these people want to chuck their electronics in an incinerator? Because THEY don't have to care? They can afford it? The world can't afford it! Literally anything else would have been better, again, I'm sure Goodwill would have known of a food bank - anything. But again a lot of the things that went in the dumpster lost their value for having been treated as worthless. A lot of the items would have been good to donate but I could do nothing but put them back too, because now, they stank or were broken.

I don't begrudge them their obvious wealth. But that wealth could have been distrubted to benefit others with only the slightest - absolutely teeny tiniest - bit of extra effort, at no further cost to them. They could have put a box in the hallway with the sign: "Take what you need, the rest will be thrown out by tomorrow." They could have put the food in donation boxes around the city.

But they couldn't even be bothered to give their money to anyone at all - so they chucked it.

Yeah, with that attitude, there isn't enough to go around. But there never, ever, ever could be, no matter how much wealth we generate.

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They stand there, next to the bed, when his mate softly starts to cry again. "It hurts," he sighs.

Terry swallows. "I know," he says. "I can feel it, too. I could feel it even then."

"Why...?" Daniel sobs, heartbroken.

"Because I was an idiot," he says. "Daniel, I beg you -"

exheixexcehe

I was re-reading this and I wanted to ask what Daniel means by it hurts? Like physically or mentally? Then Terry says he feels and felt it too—what is he talking about?

and what was he about to say to Daniel at the end before they were interrupted? i beg you what?

thanks so much :)

It hurts physically and mentally.

When intimacy and violence come together like that, the pain can creep into your body and stay under your skin, like a presence that you carry. It doesn't negate other feelings you may have for a person, just mixes it all up.

Daniel is carrying that pain under his skin, and Terry noticed that about him, maybe even during the rape, how deeply he was hurting him and how it was changing his mate. Only, during - the pain was the point. The power of hurting him was the point.

But now, even though he regrets it, even though they've shared a heat since, the pain is still there. Terry knows. He knows because he is very aware of how his mate is feeling. What he was going to say was: I beg you, believe me, believe me I've changed.

Which would have been difficult for Daniel because he has no reason to believe that. The reason, at this point, why they're together is that Terry will not let Daniel go. Terry will come for him when he leaves. Oh, he still loves him. Deeply. The only way out would be for him to kill Terry. Which he doesn't want. And he's loved him for years and they have a home and pups but there's still that deep pain and fear that Daniel is carrying.

Pain in every part of his body. And fear in every part of his mind.

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I’ve read the leaks on Redd*t for S6 part 3 and it’s terrible. OMG. Fuck this show. If it’s true, which I think it is, it’s going to be horrific. I never thought I could hate Johnny Lawrence more than I do, but S6 leaks have proved me entirely wrong.

I've read them too though I'm wondering what Johnny did in it what he typically wouldn't have done for the last four seasons? He fucks over Robby but that is what he always does. That's his entire modus operandi, again I'm surprised Robby gives him the time of day.

Does it sound utterly ridiculous? Yes. Has it gone from flawed but interesting to guilty pleasure to utter garbage? Also yes. Is it both dangerously inaccurate and offensive in its depiction of both rehab and cancer patients? You bet it is! Does it make Terry Silver into a walking antisemitic stereotype, where the film left some room for deniability? Yes, because Schlossberg wants to be like Terry Silver in the only way he can - no way he'd have the strength and spine to run a company with employees that like him or learn martial arts or read philosophy or appreciate a painting or learn a musical instrument well. But hey, he's Jewish!

...

I'll probably watch it. Will I rewatch more than a few scenes? Very, very unlikely.

This show has made me watch things I never would have otherwise known of. Terry is my meow meow and Daniel my dearest, most darling blorbo. But I feel that this show was only ever held in check by YouTube's budget constraints and with those gone...

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Besides, Daniel is at risk of becoming caught up in a skirmish whatever he does, simply by being Danny Silver...

//

I’m just surprised that nothing has happened to Daniel yet, as he IS Daniel Silver now. He’s a walking target by association with Terry and of course The Don, but also because he is omega and an especially lovely one at that. On the other hand, if something did happen to him I think Terry would start the Apocalypse. Maybe that threat prevents people from bothering Daniel here.

Do I think Daniel would be able to get out of trouble? Sort of. He’s not stupid and can be a little trickster and cunning too, but he can also be naive and clueless and fooled easily. Look at how he fell for Terry’s trap with the dog cage in S6! Bless his heart lol.

In Mobverse though, I think he can be more clever. And play up that submissive, shy omega side to get the information he wants and then…who knows!

Yes, you can get to Daniel because he so deeply, utterly wants to believe in the goodness of people. And that pureness can cause people to become better than what they ever were but if they're not a bit good, they can weaponise that. Here though, Daniele is more aware that betrayal exists. His own family, the ones he loves most in the whole world, betrayed him. He's more wary because of it, he knows people can be NOT good. He knows that and it hurts his heart more than canon Daniel, although he's pretty crushed by that too when we meet him in CK. It's also complicated because the good he does is not always wrong is it? He wouldn't have been able to spring himself from Terry's trap in canon if he hadn't shown kindness seconds before. Ah, it's complicated having such a big heart. Here in Knights and Pawns, I think he's pretty jaded (and well guarded), but if he felt he was actually trying to help you could get to him. Use a bleeding heart as bait. Luckily, especially Sister George is no fool, she's been able to keep a lot of con artists away from Daniel. A gangster wouldn't easily trick Daniel, but a scared, lonely puppy in need of help...

Most people who either know Terry or the Don know to stay away but Terry's new business often doesn't. Terry really has to drill Daniel: "No helping people I haven't vetted. Especially pups, Daniel!" It makes him sad, but he's delighted to keep other omegas out of trouble and safely mated instead of trafficked, like Anoush. Their pups are so beautiful and happy, they'll do well, and Daniel comforts himself with that. But he's saddened living in a world where people will use pups in need to try and hurt him.

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I live for your CK takes. So what do you think about how the show handled Robbie? Sexual harrassment aside (lets not even touch that because... yikesTM), I think his time wth/at Cobra Kai may have settled the miyagi philosophy (KK did confirm it's the right path) more than staying with Miyagi-do would have. He learned a lot and helped other people, too. Though I do wish the show had fixed the relationship he had with Daniel, it was very heartwarming and uplifting, and both learned a lot from each other. The way they handled Johnny-Robbie, on the other hand, makes me really uncomfortable, because it feels neither right nor organic to what the show was the 1st 2 seasons (good ol' times).

If I were Robby, I'd think I was somehow cursed, and would try to find a medium to get me out of the Matrix because something about his life, particularly after he wounded Miguel, must feel off kilter. No one is that unlucky. The fact that he doesn't have a relationship with Daniel anymore is strange. The way he feels compelled, by something outside of himself, must be, to return to Johnny, who he knows is a deadbeat who has long replaced him with Miguel. Apparently Johnny did Miguel's rehab like singlehandedly but he was too drunk to show up for one (1) visit in Juvie. His mom - where is his mom? It feels like she got written out of The Truman Show. Does he have an extended family of any kind? He... Can't recall. Why can't he leave? Why is he in his Dad's shitty apartment? He wants to be there for his girlfriend but there is only static in his brain. He must fight, and lose. Fight, and lose. For whom? He doesn't know. There's only fight and lose. Fight and lose...

In all seriousness, I might have just about bought Robby's detour in joining Kreese, because he does like to lash out by joining the enemy: he did the same to Johnny when he joined LaRusso auto. But his whole arc in S4 should have culminated in Robby rejoining Daniel and moving back in with him. Johnny is there all the time anyway. Enough potential for teen drama if the show needed that. But the show only takes sick pleasure in hurting him. They don't care about his dreams or his heart. That's the only reason I think him and Tory are still together, despite Tory's massive homicidal crush on Samantha. Tory is in a Saw trap, which is close enough to Robby's Gothic horror that they can still relate to each other.

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I had a funny idea of Mobverse: On an afternoon stroll with a few of his babies, Daniel gets approached for an interview on being a model omega spouse. So young and with so many pups—first litter too!!—would you like to answer a few questions and do a photo spread in our local Omega Today magazine, Mr. Silver?

(The other Mr. Silver��the Alpha—nearly explodes with pride when he hears. That’s MY omega!! 💕 💕)

Yes, but he does not want Daniel's pictures in a magazine for all to see, and, which he definitely thinks, fantasize about. That is his omega! Also Daniel knows they need to be careful drawing attention.

But, he does want the recognition for his lovely.

What to do?

So he lets his angel talk, yes, it is exciting isn't it? And he is very proud of how smart and well cared for his pups are, of course people notice, mo cuishle! Doesn't he keep telling him what a great Mama he is, and what treasures of pups you have given me, baby? I'd shout it out for all the world - if it were safe, darlin'.

There is a better way to make use of this opportunity. Why don't you pick out a cause for Omega Today to report about? I know there's people you'd like to help, mo cuishle. What if you could give them all that attention? Your Alpha will make sure they thank you, baby, in print. The pups can be there, too - they won't have to be named. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Imagine what fun they'll have. Imagine what good you'll do. Yes, Terry will wrangle it. Don't you worry about that. And it's all because of you. How's that now?

Daniel is still teary. "You're sure it isn't safe?"

Terry takes him in his arms. "We can't control who sees it, Danny boy. But like this, you can still show it to your whole family, and our people, and father Martin... God gave you this opportunity, sweetheart. You know they wouldn't have given the option to me."

Daniel grins. "No. No they would not."

Terry strokes his cheek. "There you go. I am proud of you, my love. And we will all be, too."

Daniel bites his lip. "You sure they'll do whatever I want?"

"Oh, yes."

"They'll take nice pictures of the pups?"

"Yes, my love."

"Then I think that's better. I can never get them to sit still!"

He still sniffs a little when they hug. "You're a good omega," Terry whispers.

"The best," Daniel teases then. "They want to put it in the papers!"

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I can't find the Tumblr post about how posts about home repair or cleaning or gardening can entice people to become part of cults of doomsday preppers or tradwives or other radical groups. But if you want tips about daily house upkeep for a US -American setting, try The Dollar Stretcher. The only thing they're radical about is finding ways for Americans to save money, be it thousands or nickles depending on your situation. And that means they have a ton of information about stuff like home repairs and mending and care work and cleaning and cooking. Their mantra of "Make do and mend", "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" can get a little ideological ("Death to sales tactics!") but honest to God, all they want for you is to be comfortable and learn the value of compound interest, nothing more.

And from personal experience, though it may seem a little silly to save the wraps around sticks of butter to grease pans, a lot of household tricks can be very useful when you have nothing on hand, which happens to all of us sometimes, and it may just tide you over instead of needing an extra trip to the store. That's often where the savings are: it's not that using powdered detergent instead of washing up liquid is going to make you rich. But it will probably get your dishes done until the next time you were planning to go anyway.

And pinky promise nobody is trying to convince you to devote yourself to any ideology other than to not buy food at the airport if there is any way to avoid it, and for goodness sake don't impulse buy!

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Interesting observation about tv series: since Netflix locked me out of my mother's account, I have been watching fewer tv series, because it's a bit more effort to find them now. Must be Really Motivated. Which, often, I'm not - there's many a night when I'll find a good enough movie on the arthouse film channels first, or Paramount Netherlands.

And, much as I love binging a good one... I don't really miss them.

Oh, I'm sure I have missed many a classic, and I do have the means of finding them when motivated enough. But when there used to be a steep drop in quality after, say, five seasons, the point when most of the arcs set up in the pilot had played out, now, they either get cancelled after one season. Or indeed, when something is good and popular, like The Bear, they leave you hanging with half a story for a year. Not because you're waiting for a new season, but because they simply stop in the middle of a season, with everything still up in the air. I'll take that in stride with fanfic, because of course I do and that is not by design anyway. With some rare exceptions, series just end with no conclusion or get terrible halfway through. If I'd have watched a random three episodes of Cobra Kai S3, I would never have given it the time of day. I am incensed at that non S3 of The Bear. Wtf was that, can anyone explain? At least movies, especially slightly older ones that were not spliced for maximum profit, tell a complete story. Series either start as a solid 7 or more and then end or they very rapidly nosedive in quality. Is that why the expect people to pay a subscription for 3+ streaming services?

I'm wondering whether these people have ever met a single living person. I know they don't watch stories, because then this wouldn't happen.

(Actually I think they only know rich people. Those are the kinds of folks that have 8+ streaming services to show others they can without ever watching them. And those are also the only kind of people that actively judge others for not doing that.)

Which goes to show that if you're not sure if you should give something up, give it up anyway and promise yourself you can get it back.

AKA day 4362 of thinking mainstream culture often is well, simply dumb!

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Daniel and Wolf should have fucked just to make Terry Big Mad. Lol.

Why would Terry be Big Mad at Daniel and Wolf giving him a show? He has cameras everywhere and, as I recall from TKK3, he "loves it when they pound him".

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I agree with you on the Daniel/Wolf comparison for the most part except about the build lol. Wolf is toned and fit, built and muscular whereas Danny doesn't have a toned/muscular body. He's thin and small, but untoned.

Yeah, OK, that's where they are each other's inversions. But they are still both very petite and pocket sized next to Terry.

Maybe Terry liked seeing on Wolf what he would never have in a foodie like Daniel who actually hates exercising and has an inexplicable love of Mac and Cheese, where Wolf is probably into complete fighting optimisation through food. Terry has both sides: I feel he has the discipline Wolf also shows and likes those abs on him, but Terry also likes his drink and his cigars and he fell for Daniel who probably had been comfort eating his way through his breakup with Kumiko at the time and had the plumpest and most enticing lil cheeks (face and ass) to show for it.

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It's easy to scoff at this, but I feel that it's a reaction to a very real problem that the right is profiting from. In the workplace, women have the worst of both worlds. They are expected to do better work than men for half the recognition and double the harassment. That's where women's rights are at right now. Of course, that means that women still have a lot of ground to win. But what fascism tells them is: "So this is where your rights got you? Overworked and undervalued? Not having fun, hm? What if you gave them up for a man who made your life easier? Isn't that nicer than what you have?"

Because it is objectively a bad choice women still face, between harassment and discrimination at work and domestic servitude. And girls are like: but what when I find a man who will pay a maid for me, too? Isn't that more comfortable?

When what we really need is more money, more time and more support and partners that don't use us as domestic servants, but it's so easy for the right to say: that is what they promised you having rights would do! When now, you have to kiss your boyfriend and your bosses ass. Face it, baby. It's never gonna happen. Wouldn't you rather be well fucked and rested instead? Give up your rights and that's you (if you don't pick someone who is going to use your dependent state to abuse you, because surely that would never happen to you...:!). If your father was not an abusive asshole but you are being squeezed by the expectations of both a fulltime housewife and a star employee, becoming a sugar baby in a world that will never respect you can seem like a rational decision.

It isn't, as many housewives and sex workers through the ages will tell you. But it seems like a viable alternative in a patriarchical world that still squeezes women for everything they have and then some. Try becoming independently wealthy when all the opportunities go to men.

Very, very few make it, and that breeds girls opting for this rather than an independent life of constant exploitation.

It's too easy to say she's being silly. It's rather a symptom and a glaring indictment of the choices modern women face.

have some fucking dignity

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You mentioned that Wolf is Daniel's evil doppelganger - could you elaborate on that? Like similarities between Wolf and Daniel?

They have a similar physical build, they're both senseis, both black haired and tan, they both flirt with Terry, especially by bantering. They both let themselves be saved by Terry. And they can both go absolutely feral, which Terry finds incredibly sexy.

But their styles and goals are polar opposites, and sensei Wolf is, well, wolf coded where Daniel is often styled as Red Riding Hood.

I don't know if it goes any deeper than that but I wonder how many slender, tan, brown eyed, red lipped beauties Terry has bedded over the years telling himself it didn't mean anything.

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Once the pups have all grown up and moved out, would Daniel ever think of getting a paying job? Of course, being a houseomega he runs the household and does everything from morning until night, including raising 9 children, keeping his mate from going feral, and turning a house into a home. But I wonder if he gets bored and restless with less to do once the kids have grown up?

Of course he still has to take care of Terry 🥰 which is a job and a half—but would Daniel ever want something else? I suppose he would adore being a grandparent. Maybe even a great-grandparent!

But would Terry ever “allow” Daniel to get a job outside of the home? Or “Now that the pups are all grown up sweetheart, you can dedicate more time to the family business! Help me out some more with those…connections of yours, baby!”

Me thinks Danny wouldn’t like that…

I think Daniel, as a young young puppy who didn't know he was omega yet, was always a bit scared of having to go out and get a job. Do we all notice in the films that despite their pretty dire financial strates, he never even muses about getting one? It's not that he doesn't work in his first summer with Miyagi, but also in the second film, when he hates the thought of having to go to Fresno with his Ma - get a job, baby boy. Get yourself some pocket money! (I know there wouldn't be a film if he'd done that and it's fantastic that he got to see part of Japan. But, he didn't know he would and it's an option, baby!) Jobs and Daniel? Not even to get himself some nice things apparently. I feel it's very likely that he did a ton around the house for Lucille and she was like "let him focus on his studies", only for Daniel to not want to study, either. It's fine! Housework is work! I'm sure he babysat! But that boy is a housecat if I ever saw one. So no, as soon as he presented: grazie a Dio, that was off the table. Daniel has money. He has his own investments, that's his dowry. Terry doesn't really know how much anything in the house costs so he's free to somewhat overestimate his budget needs. Also, Terry is in the habit of slapping down wads of cash with the directive: "Treat yourself." You know, what Austen called "pin money", money a woman needed to buy herself her personal needs, like needles and thread and fabric and pins to make clothes with.

Daniel doesn't spend all that, he likes to be able to give something to a puppy if Daddy says no to a request for goodies of toys, or to slip something to a mother in the neighborhood when money is tight and a mate is too proud to ask.

So no, not in the least because Terry also wouldn't allow it. You don't want to know how Terry would feel at Daniel "making himself available" to any stranger with a wallet. Not a chance. Forget it. Jaysis, he'd be paranoid at the mention of it. No!

Also, when his last boy, Alexander, is born Daniel is 41 years old. Anthony had his first pup when Alex was six. Then there's Luna, and all his other pups starting families. There's still the omega outreach and the church, Terry barely spends anytime at home anymore with all his young grandpups taking up the rest of Daniel's attention. A job, please. Terry needs to take him on vacations constantly to get any time one on one, it feels.

A job...! 😄😘

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This is a rhetorical question, I'm aware... but do all those people, fictional or otherwise, who go "No Mercy! No Feelings! Me me me !" like being treated that way? Do they like it when no one cares about them other than to want to fight them? Do they like it when no one gives a shit about their feelings? Do they enjoy it when they're only a means to someone else's end? Like, is that fun? Is it fun when your kids ignore your birthday? Is it fun when your wife stays out all night? Is it fun when your wife only cares about her pleasure in bed? Is it fun when someone belittles you?

What I see in characters like that is when they have to take it, they get really violent. Which is still not going to entice anyone to love you. They want people to care about their feelings, usually. They want people to do nice things for them. Because they love them, that's right. But why do they want those things, if they're above them?

Like, Johnny Lawrence didn't look all that happy when no one showed him any kindness and he wasn't kind to anyone. He spent most of his time angry and drunk. But wasn't that treatment exactly what he taught?

Make it make sense. The infamous Tumblr shrimp guy didn't seem very happy not caring about anything but himself either.