#Co-ops

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Thanks to Curieously for sending another fabulous New York City apt. I can never afford. It's a penthouse (my dream, but I'd settle for any floor) in a 1927 Pre-War building and it's another one of those stock co-ops w/exorbitant HOA fees. 3bds, 3ba, $4.5M + the $5,536mo. HOA fee. And, just in case any of my LGBTQ friends are filthy rich, when you go before the stick-up-the-ass co-op board, there are legal protections for the LGBTQ community at the state level in New York. I, however, can be rejected for any reason, and those interviews can be brutal.

Love this room so much. It's so cozy, and love the library ladder and fireplace.

Not too sure I like that it's open like this. This isn't the dining room, so maybe it should be the entire living room? It's listed on the floor plan as a den. A door opens to the wrap-around terrace.

This is the dining room. Wow, the shelving! Love the brick floor and the fireplace. This room has a great view and sliders to the terrace.

For a NYC kitchen this is a good size. Gets a lot of nice natural light, too.

The primary bedroom is quite spacious. More built-ins, too.

Bedroom #2 looks like it has built-in bunks. Very cozy room.

Well, to me the the 3rd bedroom looks more like a reading nook or sunroom. It has paned windows and doors that let in a lot of light, plus the terrace is separate from the larger wraparound one.

This must be the primary bath. Not bad, but this place is a lot of money, so it's not exactly what one would expect.

Bath #2 looks like it was remodeled in the 80s. (Note - that low toilet doesn't take a standard tank float replacement, b/c it's too small, so you can't just buy it at Home Depot, you have to get a plumber.)

The terrace really does wrap around the entire apt.

Here's the view. Some ugly rooftop HVACs.

[anti-workshop]

So, there's a wonderful food co-op in our neighborhood that is really struggling right now. They've been a cornerstone of the community for decades and they're in danger of closing.

Their motto is "Food for people, not profit."

If that vibes with you, and you have a buck to spare, or share this post, it would be awesome. Thanks y'all.

[somethingmissingthiswaycomes]

The @indiesellersguild has printed merch now and ✨I want a tote bag ✨

I can maybe do that for myself after Christmas, idk.

[cynon777]

NLA is *barely* a walkable ... half-city, saved by the fact cars aren’t solid and you can jump about 12 feet.

But at least it does have a Co-Op. Co-Ops are cool. Also, neurodivergent hero (Xenoblade Chronicles is *really* good about ND representation without needing to tell you) Phog has a heart to heart here.

[webmarketingar]

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[gerardpilled]

[lokh]

(not) recognising the self in the other...

[genericpuff]

Tbh at this point you should just make your own webcomic app/website because it would probably be 100 times better than whatever going on with webtoon right now.

hahaha it wouldn't tho, sorry 💀

Here's the fundamental issue with webcomic platforms that a lot of people just don't realize (and why they're so difficult to run successfully):

Storage costs are incredibly expensive, it's why so many sites have limitations on file sizes / page sizes / etc. because all of those images and site info have to be stored somewhere, which costs $$$.

Maintenance costs are expensive and get more so as you grow, you need people who are capable of fixing bugs ASAP and managing the servers and site itself

Financially speaking, webcomics are in a state of high supply, low demand. Loads of artists are willing to create their passion projects, but getting people to read them and pay for them is a whole other issue. Demand is high in the general sense that once people get attached to a webtoon they'll demand more, but many people aren't actually willing to go looking for new stuff to read and depend more on what sites feed them (and what they already like). There are a lot of comics to go around and thus a lot of competition with a limited audience of people willing to actually pay for them.

Trying to build a new platform from the ground up is incredibly difficult and a majority of sites fail within their first year. Not only do you have to convince artists to take a chance on your platform, you have to convince readers to come. Readers won't come if there isn't work on the platform to read, but artists won't come if they don't think the site will be worth it due to low traffic numbers. This is why the artists with large followings who are willing to take chances on the smaller sites are crucial, but that's only if you can convince them to use the site in favor of (or alongside) whatever platform they're using already where the majority of their audience lies. For many creators it's just not worth the time, energy, or risk.

Even if you find short-term success, in the long-term there are always going to be profit margins to maintain. The more users you pull in, the more storage is used by incoming artists, the more you have to spend on storage and server maintenance costs, and that means either taking the risk at crowdfunding (ex. ComicFury) or having to resort to outsider investments (ex. Tapas). Look at SmackJeeves, it used to be a titan in the independent webcomic hosting community, until it folded over to a buyout by NHN and then was pretty much immediately shuttered due to NHN basically turning it into a manwha scanlation site and driving away its entire userbase. And if you don't get bought out and try your hand at crowdfunding, you may just wind up living on a lifeline that could cut out at any moment, like what happened to Inkblazers (fun fact, the death of Inkblazers was what kicked off the cultural shift in Tapas around 2015-16 when all of IB's users migrated over and brought their work with them which was more aimed towards the BL and romancee drama community, rather than the comedy / gag-a-day culture that Tapas had made itself known for... now you deadass can't tell Tapas apart from a lot of scanlation sites because it got bought out by Kakao and kept putting all of its eggs into the isekai/romance drama basket.)

Right now the mindset in which artists and readers are operating is that they're trying way, way too hard to find a "one size fits all" site. Readers want a place where they can find all their favorite webtoons without much effort, artists wants a place where they can post to an audience of thousands, and both sides want a community that will feel tight-knit. But the reality is that you can't really have all three of those things, not on one site. Something always winds up having to be sacrificed - if a site grows big enough, it'll have to start seeking more funding while also cutting costs which will result in features becoming paywall'd, intrusive ads, creators losing their freedom, and/or outsider support which often results in the platform losing its core identity and alienating its tight-knit community.

If I had to describe what I'm talking about in a "pick one" graphic, it would look something like this:

(*note: this is mostly based on my own observations from using all of these sites at some point or another, they're not necessarily entirely accurate to the statistical performance of each site, I can only glean so much from experience and traffic trackers LMAO that said I did ask some comic pals for input and they were very helpful in helping me adjust it with their own takes <3).

The homogenization of the Internet has really whipped people into submission for the "big sites" that offer "everything", but that's never been the Internet, it relies on being multi-faceted and offering different spaces for different purposes. And we're seeing that ideology falter through the enshittification of sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. where users are at odds with the platforms because the platforms are gutting features in an attempt to satisfy shareholders whom without the platforms would not exist. Like, most of us aren't paying money to use social media sites / comic platform sites, so where else are they gonna make the necessary funds to keep these sites running? Selling ad space and locking features behind paywalls.

And this is especially true for a lot of budding sites that don't have the audience to support them via crowdfunding but also don't have the leverage to ask for investments - so unless they get really REALLY lucky in EITHER of those departments, they're gonna be operating at a loss, and even once they do achieve either of those things there are gonna be issues in the site's longevity, whether it be dying from lack of growing crowdfunding support or dying from shareholder meddling.

So what can we do?

We can learn how to take our independence back. We don't have to stop using these big platforms altogether as they do have things to offer in their own way, particularly their large audience sizes and dipping into other demographics that might not be reachable from certain sites - but we gotta learn that no single site is going to satisfy every wish we have and we have to be willing to learn the skills necessary to running our own spaces again. Pick up HTML/CSS, get to know other people who know HTML/CSS if you can't grasp it (it's me, I can't grasp it LOL), be willing to take a chance on those "smaller sites" and don't write them off entirely as spaces that can be beneficial to you just because they don't have large numbers or because they don't offer rewards programs. And if you have a really polished piece of work in your hands, look into agencies and publishing houses that specialize in indie comics / graphic novels, don't settle for the first Originals contract that gets sent your way.

For the last decade corporations have been convincing us that our worth is tied to the eyes we can bring to them. Instead of serving ourselves, we've begun serving the big guys, insisting that it has to be worth something eventually and that it'll "payoff" simply by the virtue of gambler's fallacy. Ask yourself what site is right for you and your work rather than asking yourself if your work is good enough for them. Most of us are broke trying to make it work on these sites anyways, may as well be broke and fulfilled by posting in places that actually suit us and our work if we can. Don't define your success by what sites like Webtoons are enforcing - that definition only benefits them, not you.

[busket]

weird and wild takes coming out of the new dungeon meshi fandom

if you can read all of dungeon meshi and see how it revels in the eroticism of consumption and plays with themes about base instinct, overwhelming desire, loving something so much you want to take it inside you and keep it there forever...if you can read all that and think that the author would be against people sexualizing her characters then I don't know what to tell you. dungeon meshi isn't horny in the way most fantasy animes are horny, but it's a huge fault to think that means it's not horny at all in a more complex and allegorical way. sex is a huge part of human instinct, just like eating, and the wires often get crossed. its that's not a bad thing because sex isn't a bad thing, lol

[hometoursandotherstuff]

If you like moody decor, you'll love "The Bakery," a 1bd, 1ba, co-op in New York City (Midtown, Manhattan). It's in a converted former bakery, so it's got a great industrial look, too. $1.275M + $2,061mo. maintenance fee.

There's a large living space with a great fireplace.

The fireplace is beautiful. I like the stone they chose.

There's a generous space for dining. I'm surprised that it's a pretty large unit for only a 1 bd. in Midtown.

The small kitchen is high end.

I wonder if, when they converted it, they painted the bricks black, and chose the dark colors, or if the current owners did.

It says that there's just one bedroom, but there's also this flex space that could be an office, guest room, or den.

Actually, the primary bedroom isn't very big. I wonder if the mirror is a closet or just an illusion.

Aren't the hallway walls unusual?

The bathroom is so full of mirrors plus a sink and large shower.

[sydney-humanism-group]

DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATIVES IN YUGOSLAVIA

Summary

The article discusses the development of agricultural cooperatives in Yugoslavia after World War II. It begins by providing a brief overview of the history of cooperatives in Yugoslavia, which dates back to the mid-19th century. The article then discusses the role of cooperatives in the economic development of Yugoslavia after World War II.

Cooperatives played an important role in the economic development of Yugoslavia after World War II. They helped to increase agricultural production, raise the standard of living in rural areas, and promote economic development. The article discusses the different types of agricultural cooperatives that existed in Yugoslavia, as well as the different levels of cooperative organizations.

The article also discusses the role of the state in supporting agricultural cooperatives. The state provided cooperatives with land, machinery, materials, and credit, and also helped to organize and protect them. This support was essential for the success of cooperatives, and helped to ensure that they played a significant role in the economic development of Yugoslavia.

The article concludes by discussing the future of agricultural cooperatives in Yugoslavia. The author argues that cooperatives have the potential to continue to play a significant role in the economic development of Yugoslavia. However, he also argues that there are some challenges that need to be addressed in order for cooperatives to be successful in the future.

Here are some of the key points from the article:

Cooperatives have a long history in Yugoslavia, dating back to the mid-19th century.

Cooperatives played an important role in the economic development of Yugoslavia after World War II.

The state provided significant support to agricultural cooperatives in Yugoslavia.

There are some challenges that need to be addressed in order for cooperatives to be successful in the future.

[feministdragon]

okay so what I've learned today was that social and political solutions that we are still embracing today as innovations were already tried within 50 years of the introduction of the Market Economy.

Like, wtf. Retail co-ops, producer cooperatives (think Mondragon or the french salt cooperative Le Guérandais), syndicalism as described in Ursula K. LeGuin's book The Dispossessed. These ideas are not new, or even recent. People thought of them right away, when they realized the bind they were in with the totalizing ideological culture of the Market Economy taking over their lives.

The most successful at putting these concepts into practice at the time was Owenism, a social movement that embraced the machine age as a means of creating a society of material wealth and social/political equality.

The Great Transformation, Karl Polyani p.167-170

archive.org/details/greattransformat0000unse_v5l0/page/170

[creekfiend]

Kuzu: I get the impression that the vampire interview is about if everybody from your local queer scene was immortal and you couldn’t get away from them. This is an effective vampire premise because unlike most, it fills me with genuine horror

Pip: yeah vampire interview is like "what if there were genuinely so few of you that if you wanted to be around anyone who you could even slightly relate to you would have to be in a bullshit theater cult in France." absolutely chilling to imagine, thanks