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"Ok, ma'am that'll be $226.03."

I take my wallet out of my pocket and unfold it. It is empty other than a single moth that lazily flies out. The moth lands on the tap point of the card reader. There's a beat, and my payment is processed. The moth flies back into my wallet and I put it back in my pocket.

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Got contacted by the lovely @abdalsalam1990 to write a poll for their campaign! They are verified (check any post on their blog!) and would love your support, whether through sharing or donating. Please help them out if you can!!

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14 year old ahmed waleed is in gaza and has to start a new fundraiser because he is unable to contact the person who was organising his previous gofundme. he is starting a new fundraiser from scratch. he needs to buy a tent as his current one is torn and cannot protect him from the cold and winter has started in gaza.

his fundraiser has been verified and is number 167 on el-shab-hussein and nabulsi's list of verified fundraisers. you can help him by donating or sharing his fundraiser. you can read his story in his own words here.

donate here || @ahmadwaleed555

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why yes I AM making boop gifs from screen recording

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oh no I've been too busy to open my notifications and now there are 33 why did i post those eyeshield thoughts last week

(it's been a while because this used to happen on twitter and sometimes i felt anxious when i got a lot of notifications cos I'd worry they're all people disagreeing with me)

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Day 7: passport (by Anya)

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i feel like it says something about us as a species that somebody worked real hard to invent 3D printing when i think anyone who has ever used a printer would agree with me that we have not really gotten our arms around 2D printing yet. we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

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So great to know there is a skunkdex

Shun Imai from Oddtaxi has been added to the skunkdex!

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Secure your spot today!

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Removing watermarks and credit (e.g from posts) really indicates to me that those people value aesthetic over human effort, effort born out of the creator's passion or expression.

Regarding scans and watermarks

Yesterday, a SxF clear file scan made by my friend @xxscarletxrosexx (who had allowed me to share the scan on my blog here) was reposted on Twitter with her watermark clearly removed. She wrote an insightful post about how, despite what many people think, it does take a good amount of work to obtain and scan rare collectibles like this. As someone who makes a lot of scans with watermarks, I want to offer my thoughts on the topic.

For those who have followed me since my blog started, you may have noticed that my watermarks have "evolved" over time. This was in response to, of course, my scans getting reposted without credit (my old watermarks were easy to crop/edit out). I know some people take issue with putting watermarks on official art because we technically didn't "create" it. But that doesn't mean time and effort wasn't put into making the scan. To me, it's similar to people who take photos of exclusive events or people who make gifs...while they didn't create the subjects of these things, they still created the presentation of it. For people who take and share exclusive photos, they spent time, effort, and money not just on going to that location and taking the photos, but posting them in a presentable way online for others to enjoy. For people who make gifs, it again takes a lot of time and effort to create, edit, and present the gifs in an attractive way on social media. In both these cases, while these people didn't draw, animate, design, etc, the subject of their photos or gifs, there was still self-imposed work and creative effort behind it, which I think deserves some recognition. It's the same with making scans...I didn't personally draw the images I scan (and I make this clear by including "scanned by..." in my watermarks) but I still made the presentation of it - the scan - which does take time and effort; I bought a Canon TS6300 scanner a while back particularly for this purpose, I often have to finagle with the books I scan to make sure they're properly flattened so the scans aren't blurry or crooked (have to redo them sometimes when this happens), and if little pieces of lint or other blemishes get in the scanner, I either have to scan them again or use photo editing software to fix them. And while I paid for all the books, posters, etc, I scan with my own money, sometimes just obtaining certain rare collectibles not only takes money, but a lot of dedication to obtain! The Twiyor chara fine graph I recently posted about is a perfect example of how much work can go into acquiring a rare item...and I have no obligation to scan the merch I get. I could just enjoy them on my own and only share quick, low-quality photos from my phone. But I like making scans because I know other people enjoy them 🙂 I also know that many people don't have the means or funds to get this kind of merch, so it's nice to let them have enjoyment from it second-hand through my scans! Sometimes I buy merch only or mostly for the purpose of making scans because I know that artwork isn't currently available in an official artbook or anywhere else.

Since I make so many scans, I just accept the fact that they will get reposted without any mention of me or my blog...which I don't mind that much since that's what the watermarks are for - they're to show people who see the scan where it came from, and if they choose to go to that site, they'll be able to find even more scans to enjoy! But if someone actually removes a watermark, it's like they so adamantly believe that the person who made the scan doesn't deserve any recognition for their time, effort, money, etc, put into it that they're going to spend their own time to remove any trace of that person from the scan...I mean, I can't say it's the most heinous act in the world, but it's disrespectful and just plain not nice. I try not to let it bother me, but it is hurtful to see someone else get recognition for something you put work into. But I just keep things in perspective and tell myself that at least I'm not an artist whose creations are getting posted all over the place without credit (I always cringe at all the uncredited fan art I see on Facebook groups and YouTube music compilations. It's so out of control 😔)

Anyway, I hope I've properly illustrated here that it does take a good amount of time and effort to make scans. I don't think I deserve as much recognition for it as an artist who actually draws the images they post, but I still think this kind of content sharing deserves some credit, even if it's just leaving a watermark intact.

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Pure white, pitch black…

both deafening.

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Es21PromptBingo 🍌 N4: Banana Split 🍌

... I mean who else was I supposed to give the banana theme to.

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(About)

[spoilers for Eyeshield 21 manga]

So, I did find those fics after all, and binged them over, I dunno, a month or so (￣▽￣)

It stuck out to me how some of the fic writer fandom had pegged Mamori as “oblivious”. About half of the team also took a while to figure out Sena's secret, including those who found out earlier but not because they guessed it but because of the reveal preceding the Death March. So I thought this a bit of an unfair characterisation, as Mamori is pretty sharp enough in other areas of their team management. But, once we’ve reached Sena's public reveal, it’s almost shocking that Mamori still didn’t know about Sena’s secret.

In the earlier part of the manga, Mamori notices Sena missing during games. Surely she would notice that it was a pattern?

She has looked out for him since elementary school and would likely recognise his movements and body language even if he were dressed differently. Heck, their friend Riku, who they haven't seen since elementary school, deduces Sena’s alter ego immediately.

I guess simply, it's Rule of Funny or a form of the Oblivious Younger (in this case, Older) Sibling trope. It's just... for fun, guys. A gag. I guess.

I do like to think that as Mamori becomes absorbed in her role as team manager, she stopped looking out for Sena during the games. Is this also part of the shift she personally goes through, where supporting Hiruma became more important than looking out for Sena?

Even at their school field day, she sees Sena during the competition, and she has her usual thought about protecting him - but it’s one of the few times she hesitates.

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(About)

[spoilers for Eyeshield 21 manga]

The Zokugaku Chameleons captain asks Hiruma what’s the difference between them - two team captains who use violence and intimidation to push their teams - and it surprisingly made me feel for him. What is the difference? Is it clear enough to us, the readers?

Hiruma, hearing this question, runs through flashbacks of his team, discussing something in the clubhouse, or a moment with Kurita and Musashi as they write about their dream on the side of a school TV.

Is it as simple and cliched as "the power of friendship"? But that’s why I think Hiruma somehow - despite his own dirty tricks - manages to authentically lead and inspire his team towards his dream, such that the dream becomes theirs. Sena joined almost via coercion, but then the dream became Sena’s too (or at least, he works loyally towards it as he starts to have his own dream, to beat Shin).

Everyone else joins with something to aim for, and I think Hiruma is able to strengthen their convictions even as he retains the use of his “demonic” tactics to escalate their training. By halfway through the story, none of the regular members, not even the Ha-ha brothers, are there by force or by deception.

Despite his non-ethical ways, his anti-hero positioning, is Hiruma actually a great leader? Is that the difference between him and Habashira?

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WHEW i didn't think i was gonna make it

Here's my gift for @annja514 for the es 2022 winter gift exchange!! Couldn't have asked for a better recipient haha. Hope I did your girl justice!

I had so much fun participating, much thanks to @eyeshields for facilitating!

some very important details below the cut

very important thanks for ur attention