#Create And Sell Memberships

[reazreviewzone]

ProductDyno Review - AI-Powered Membership & Licensing Platform & Create 1-Click Digital Product

Welcome to my honest review and ProductDyno Review. Now it is easier to create and sell your digital products. Recently launched a brand new software ( Matt Garrett ) that makes sells and delivers digital products, you can create and sell digital products with jam-packed content like text, audio, video, and downloadable files with ProductDyno Review.

What is ProductDyno? ProductDyno is an AI-powered creates and sells digital products software that helps you Create and Sell Memberships, Video Courses, And Digital Products, jam-packed content like text, audio, video, and downloadable files with ProductDyno. Choose your digital product from the list, then create and edit the content of your choice, and then make the intuitive content design. You’ll be able to integrate your payment processor and create favorite marketing tools at the product level with just a few clicks. ProductDyno review has a user-friendly platform that makes it easy to create, sell, and manage all your digital products from one convenient place or dashboard. ProductDyno Review provides you with a massive opportunity.

Get access here>>

Overview – ProductDyno First, a customer optimizes the products quality or benefits the site. Who is the person who built the app? Discount price: why build the app? And who is the best choice for it? Everything. That is an ideal customers quality. Don`t worry; I covered the part for an ideal person. I think you are an idealistic reader.

Author/vendor – Matt Garrett Product –ProductDyno Launce date – 6/03/25 Create Digital Product - highly recommended Official website – VISITE HERE Front-end price - $47 Business – ok Hosting Domain – Highly recommended Instantly Create Text Into High-Quality 4k HD Video Create Instantly Book – High recommended Watch/ Create Video – Any Language Social Media Marketing – Number One passive income – ok Recurring System – OK Payment – ONE Time Local Business – High Recommend Money-Back – 30 Days Money-Back Guarantee Funnel/Tool – Automated & Done-For-You Support – Effective Niche – Any Niche of your choice

How Does ProductDyno Work?

Every app works with a few simple steps like the ProductDyno review works on 3 simple steps.

Step 1. Sing up: Every app follows the role. This is an easy step to create an account.

Step 2. Collection Your Product: Then choose your digital products with 1000 free themes.

Step 3. Customize Design & Promote: Easily customize & promote your products easily and instantly viral worldwide.

Awesome Key Features Of ProdutDyno?

Software indeed depends on some valuable features. The software will be attractive because of its features. Besides, how to work the software features smoothly or effectively in the future. Firstly, a customer consideration before purchasing this app. Therefore, an agency builds any software`s features discerningly for a client. After pricing, an agency wants honesty and satisfaction from its customers. It has responsibilities or accountability to a customer. The software boosts your earnings 10x with its awesome and interesting features, I can say obviously. I described the software beautifully below.

-Software/SAAS module: The ProducDyno review provides a software/SAAS opportunity.

-Custom Link To Product: Easily customize any link to a product and promote it.

Labeling/Branding: A member can easily promote and brand their products.

-SSL Certificates: The ProductDyno Review gives you a commercial SSL license or certificates:

Unlimited File Upload: Upload unlimited files like text, video, and PLR.

Import Members Via CSV: You can join your circle member on this site.

Connect Your Storage: Connect your storage with AI-powered tools.

Included Current Standard Themes: They provide all done-for-you themes for their members.

-Zero Monthly Cost: One-time get access and auto-updates all features.

-Reporting and Analytics Dashboard: ProductDyno review built advanced quality reporting optimized dashboard.

Why Should Use The ProductDyno?

ProductDyno Review always helps & supports you create external content and hosted on other platforms. We can customize your digital products with different themes, colors, fonts, and even language translations with ProductDyno.

1 Delivery Content: The agency helps us Create And Sell Memberships, Video Courses, And Digital Products.

2 Sell Membership: Might get more profit selling your AI Membership.

3 Coding & Plugins System: We can easily customize your digital products with different themes, colors, fonts, and even language translations.

4 Design and Customize: ProductDyno provides all features including colors, fonts, and themes with the content designer.

5 Bundle Collection: ProductDyno is packed with 50+ native integrations & connects all your favorite tools for payments, emails, webinars, and file hosting.

6 All In One: We get in one platform like create videos, and courses, customize design, free themes.

7 Auto Updates: The agency provides auto updates without any fees.

8 Money-Back Guarantee: They give a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why Is ProductDyno High Recommended?

Proven Results: Users report significant improvements in content quality, engagement, and ROI

AI-powered Smart Editor & Rewriter – Polish, rewrite, and enhance content with ProductDyno Live optimization.

One-Time Payment: No recurring fees or hidden costs.

Automate Repetitive Tasks: Set up workflows to automate tasks like email campaigns and social media posting.

Import Members Via CSV: You can join your circle members on this site.

Design and Customize: ProductDyno provides all features including colors, fonts, and themes with the content designer.

Coding & Plugins System: We can easily customize your digital products with different themes, colors, fonts, and even language translations.

Custom Link To Product: Easily customize any link to a product and promote it.

SSL Certificates: The ProductDyno Review gives you a commercial SSL license or certificates:

Why Choose ProductDyno?

Real-Time AI Web Access – Unlike most AI platforms, Workforce AI searches the live web for real-time data.

24/7 Support: Get assistance whenever you need it with round-the-clock customer support.

Multi Funnel: Promote affiliate links and products with video and text

Free Bonus: The agency gives their customer a lot of free bonus.

Custom: A member can custom CSS or third-party widgets

Free Template: The agency gives free templates to its members.

Free Commercial License - ProductDyno A free commercial license allows individuals or businesses to use, modify, and distribute software, content, or products without paying licensing fees, even for commercial purposes. Unlike personal-use-only licenses, it permits monetization, such as selling the product or incorporating it into commercial projects. Popular examples include open-source software under MIT or Apache 2.0 licenses. However, users must comply with specific terms, such as attributing the original creator or sharing modifications under the same license. Free commercial licenses foster innovation, collaboration, and accessibility, making them valuable for startups, developers, and creators seeking cost-effective solutions. Always review the license terms to ensure compliance and understand any restrictions.

Who Is ProductDyno Best For?

Affiliate Marketer: Easily promote digital products with AI tools.

List Builders: Generate a list and customize the template.

Email Marketer: Design a template for an email to a unique quality

Publisher: The ready-made template helps grow the business.

E-Come Sore Owner: Create high-quality products using their tools.

Agency: Built trust in any client of your agency.

Resale: Work with the owner of the app as a product resaler.

Money-Back Guarantee A 30-day money-back guarantee is a customer-friendly policy that allows buyers to request a full refund within 30 days of purchase if they are unsatisfied with a product or service. This policy builds trust and confidence, encouraging potential customers to purchase with minimal risk. It demonstrates the seller's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. To claim a refund, customers typically need to return the product in its original condition or cancel the service within the specified period. This guarantee is commonly used in industries like software, e-commerce, and subscription services. While it can increase sales, businesses must ensure clear terms to prevent abuse. Overall, it’s a win-win, offering customers peace of mind and businesses a competitive edge.

Get access here>>

Pros & Cons – ProductDyno The part! Any app has some pros & cons. But such an app hasnt cons or bad sites. Accordingly, I covered the part that information an agency delivered to me. I hope you dont waste your quality time reading useless articles. I tried to write a more informative or helpful article for the reader. Now, I want to start with the pros and cons of the software.

Pros: ProductDyno Review -Generate Video Course -Affiliate link -Customize theme design -Optimize tools -Free Bonus -30-day money-back guarantee -Features auto-update -List Building -Promote any product -Create agency -Local business

Cons: ProductDyno Review -Limited time offer -Internet connection -Your idea -Use opportunity

Conclusion – ProductDyno In conclusion, ProductDyno review is a must-have tool for anyone looking to streamline their workflows, create high-quality content, and grow their business. With its Exclusive Bundle Deal, you can unlock the full potential of this powerful platform at an unbeatable price. Don’t wait—get ProductDyno today and start transforming your digital marketing efforts!

OTO & Pricing – ProductDyno

Front-End Price Starter Plan ($49)

. Import members via CSV . Link custom domains to products or collections .Software/SAAS licensing module .mport members via CSV .White labeling/branding removal .Complimentary SSL certificates

OTO1: VIP Platinum Upgrade ($967)

.Each DFY White Label Membership includes: .Hosting, Customization & Integrations .Monetization & Licensing .Student, Customer & Member Management .Personalized Certifications .Progress Tracking & Member Engagement Tools .Drip Content & Schedule Releases .Sell Digital Products .Create Checkout Pages .Create Landing Pages

OTO2: DFY Addon Bundle ($499)

.High-Ticket Course Creation .Affiliate Marketing & Sales Funnels .Email Marketing & List Building .Includes TWO Premium Add-Ons! .Downsell 1: Pro Plus+ Plan .ALL Features from Your Starter Plan, PLUS .These DFY memberships cover: .How They Are Distributed:

OTO3: AI Creator Suite Free Trial -$99/year

.AICS Now Covers Sub-Accounts – Works across all sub-accounts (NEW) .Marketing Automation – AI-powered sales video scripts, social media content, and content calendars .Sales Page & Email Writing – AI-powered content & promotions .Instant Course Creation – Push-button course generation

OTO 4 - VIP Platinum $997

.Each DFY White Label Membership includes: .Exclusive VIP Platinum BONUSES ($7,000+ Value!) .Hosting, Customization & Integrations .Monetization & Licensing .Advanced Marketing & Engagement Tools .Full Learning Management System (LMS) .ProductDyno VIP Platinum – The Ultimate Digital Product & Membership Platform .One-Time Payment for Lifetime Access

OTO 5 - DFY ADD ON BUNDLE:($499

.VIP Platinum members will receive 3 white-label memberships included. .These DFY memberships cover: .How They Are Distributed:

OTO 6 - AI Creator Suite Free Trial -$99/year

.Marketing Automation – AI-powered sales video scripts, social media content, and content calendars .Sales Page & Email Writing – AI-powered content & promotions .nstant Course Creation – Push-button course generation rent-

Free Bonus – ProductDyno There is a customer who gets a free valuable bonus from the agency. An agency wants to convenience their client, or they want to hold customers. Where do you get the free valuable bonus? But the agency gifts you a valuable bonus of a thousand dollars. The last word is that a customer can boost her earnings 10x with the app. Let`s see, what is the valuable bonus from the company.

1 Bonus - Membership Mavericks Course ($499+ Value) Get the Bonus and Membership Mavericks, you'll unlock the exact methods used by the most successful membership site. If you want to generate consistent, predictable income, this course is your roadmap instantly.

2 Bonus - Rapid Digital Products Course ($499+ Value) If you want selling digital products is one of the fastest ways to build an online business—but if you know what works. This course helps you through the entire process, from idea to execution, so you can churn out high-demand digital products in a few seconds.

3 Bonus - Digital Publishing Mastery Course ($499+ Value) This exclusive training reveals the same strategies that have helped PromoteLabs generate over $10M in digital product sales worldwide or in your selected place. You’ll discover how to launch, market, create video, design, use ready theme, and scale your digital products with high-converting funnels, automation strategies, and advanced audience growth techniques & more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Thousand of questions in a customer's mind. The app be good or bad? Have they a money-back guarantee? Have a bonus? Etc. I cleared your dude of mind. Particularly, a new customer has dude too much. Because they are a smart person of the current generation, generally, they don`t want to waste their valuable time. Ok, no problem, I clear dude questions of your mind. I covered some important questions that help customers buy the app or take the service. IS THERE A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE? Yes, we offer a money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the app within [specific time frame, e.g., 30 days], you can request a full refund. Please refer to our refund policy for more details.

WHY DO I INVEST IN THE APP? Investing in the app provides you with a powerful tool to [state the purpose of the app, e.g., streamline your business, improve productivity, or enhance user engagement]. It is designed to save you time, reduce costs, and deliver a high return on investment through its innovative features and user-friendly interface.

DO I NEED ANY TECH SKILLS? No, you don’t need any technical skills to use the app. It is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, making it accessible for users of all experience levels. However, if you have any questions, our support team is always available to assist you.

DO YOU PROVIDE ANY SUPPORT? Yes, we provide comprehensive support to ensure you have the best experience with the app. Our support team is available [state availability, e.g., 24/7 or during business hours] via [support channels, e.g., email, live chat, or phone]. Additionally, we offer a detailed knowledge base and tutorials to help you get started.

WILL YOU AUTO-UPDATE THE APP FEATURES? Yes, the app will automatically update to ensure you always have access to the latest features, security patches, and improvements. You don’t need to worry about manually updating the app—we handle everything for you to provide a seamless experience.

Affiliate disclaimer Thank you for reading my honest review. My honest opinion is shared in the review. An affiliate disclaimer is a statement to inform audiences that a company or individual may earn a commission or other compensation if they purchase products or services through links on their website, blog, social media, or other platforms. This disclaimer is essential for maintaining transparency and complying with legal requirements, such as those set by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States. It ensures readers or viewers know of any potential bias or financial incentive behind recommendations. Typically, the disclaimer is placed prominently, either at the beginning or end of content and clearly states the nature of the affiliate relationship. For example, "This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission if you purchase through my links at no extra cost." This builds trust with the audience while protecting the content creator from legal issues.

[theambitiouswoman]

15 ways to diversify your income & take control of your financial future:

1. Start a side hustle

💻 Freelancing: Offer services like writing, graphic design or virtual assistance

📦 E-commerce: Sell products on platforms like Etsy, Shopify, Amazon

📸 Content creation: Monetize social media through brand partnerships or affiliate marketing

2. Invest in assets

🏡 Real estate: Buy rental properties or invest in REITs

📈 Stocks and bonds: Build a diversified investment portfolio

💎 Crypto or precious metals: Explore alternative investments

3. Create passive income

📚 Digital products: Write an eBook, create an online course or sell templates

🎥 YouTube channel: Earn through ad revenue, sponsorships, and memberships

📊 Affiliate marketing: Partner with brands to earn a commission on referrals

4. Start a business

👗 Product based business: Create and sell your own brand of beauty, fashion or wellness products

🛠️ Service based business: Start consulting, coaching, or offering niche services

5. Build Your personal brand

💼 Public speaking: Get paid for sharing your expertise

🎤 Podcasting: Monetize through sponsorships or exclusive content

6. Invest in education

📖 Upskill: Learn high demand skills that increase your earning potential

👩‍🏫 Teach: Offer paid workshops or mentoring programs

[bitchesgetriches]

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Saving Money and Being Frugal

We’re all in this together. Don’t give up.

On food and groceries:

How to Shop for Groceries like a Boss

Why Name Brand Products Are Beneath You: The Honor and Glory of Buying Generic

If You Don’t Eat Leftovers I Don’t Even Want to Know You

You Are above Bottled Water, You Elegant Land Mermaid

You Should Learn To Cook. Here’s Why.

On entertainment and socializing:

The Frugal Introvert’s Guide to the Weekend

7 Totally Reasonable Ways To Save Money on Cheap Entertainment 

Take Pride in Being a Cheap Date

The Library Is a Magical Place and You Should Fucking Go There

Your Library Lets You Stream Audiobooks and eBooks FOR FREEEEEEE!

What’s the Effect of Social Media on Your Finances?

You Won’t Regret Your Frugal 20s

On health:

How to Pay Hospital Bills When You’re Flat Broke

Run With Me if You Want to Save: How Exercising Will Save You Money

Our Master List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics

Why You Probably Don’t Need That Gym Membership

How to Get DIRT CHEAP Pet Medication, Without a Prescription 

On other big expenses:

Businesses Will Happily Give You HUGE Discounts if You Ask This Magic Question

Understand the Hidden Costs of Travel and Avoid Them Like the Plague

Other People’s Weddings Don’t Have to Make You Broke

You Deserve Cheap, Fake Jewelry… Just Like Coco Chanel

3 Times I Was Damn Grateful for My Emergency Fund (and Side Income) 

When (and How) to Try Refinancing or Consolidating Student Loans

The Real Story of How I Paid Off My Mortgage Early in 4 Years 

Season 2, Episode 2: “I’m Not Ready to Buy a House—But How Do I *Get Ready* to Get Ready?”

The Most Impactful Financial Decision I’ve Ever Made… and Why I Don’t Recommend It

On buying secondhand and trading:

Almost Everything Can Be Purchased Secondhand

I Am a Craigslist Samurai and so Can You: How to Sell Used Stuff Online

The Delicate Art of the Friend Trade

On giving gifts and charitable donations:

How Can I Tame My Family’s Crazy Gift-Giving Expectations?

In Defense of Shameless Regifting

Make Sure Your Donations Have the Biggest Impact by Ruthlessly Judging Charities

The Anti-Consumerist Gift Guide: I Have No Gift to Bring, Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

How to Spot a Charitable Scam

Ask the Bitches: How Do I Say “No” When a Loved One Asks for Money… Again? 

On resisting temptation:

How to Insulate Yourself From Advertisements

Making Decisions Under Stress: The Siren Song of Chocolate Cake

The Magically Frugal Power of Patience

6 Proven Tactics for Avoiding Emotional Impulse Spending

On minimalism and buying less:

Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool

Everything I Know About Minimalism I Learned from the Zombie Apocalypse

Slay Your Financial Vampires

The Subscription Box Craze and the Mindlessness of Wasteful Spending

On saving money:

How To Start Small by Saving Small

Not Every Savings Account Is Created Equal

The Unexpected Benefits (and Downsides) of Money Challenges

Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone—Try the Spending Tracker System Instead

From HYSAs to CDs, Here’s How to Level Up Your Financial Savings

Season 2, Episode 10: “Which Is Smarter: Getting a Loan? or Saving up to Pay Cash?”

The Magic of Unclaimed Property: How I Made $1,900 in 10 Minutes by Being a Disorganized Mess

We will periodically update this list with newer articles. And by “periodically” I mean “when we remember that it’s something we forgot to do for four months.”

Bitches Get Riches: setting realistic expectations since 2017!

Start saving right heckin’ now!

If you want to start small with your savings, consider signing up for an Acorns account! They round up your every purchase to the nearest dollar and save and invest the change for you. We like them so much we’ve generously allowed them to sponsor us with this affiliate link:

Start investing today with Acorns

[potpzine]

🦢 🩸 🎼 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! and more importantly, HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE!!!!! 

⚡️ our fan zine, NOT JUST SONGS, is available NOW for digital purchase and physical pre-order on Etsy!!

over 50 artists came together to create 94 full color pages of art, writing, cosplay and more (plus some snazzy bonus merch!) to celebrate this incredible, weird, beautiful film!

🎸 All profits from zine sales will support the Girls Rock Camp Alliance, “an international membership network of youth-centered arts and social justice organizations.”

✨ NOTE - our shop has two listings: one for the physical zine copies and merch (bundled with a PDF download of the zine) and one for just the PDF download. for our highest-tier bundle, the Phantom has SLASHED the price, with a $70 value for only $45 PLUS free U.S. shipping!

sell your soul to rock n’ roll TODAY! buy this amazing collaboration, support a good cause, and celebrate a dream that never ends!! 🦢💕

[masakayami]

Masaka _can read comic books.

"Hello everyone, this is Masaka!

This time, I've created two functional CCs inspired by two of my favorite shoujo mangas: Maid Sama! and Yumeiro Patissiere.

This is the standard version, and I'm still working on the exclusive membership edition—so stay tuned!" "I've been busy creating new CCs lately, so I haven't been updating much. I'll be sharing some of the paid items I made in China here—hope you all enjoy and support them! Thank you~"

"Test Version 1.113"

⚠"This item needs to be found in Build Mode."

Thank you all for your support! 🙇‍♀ Firstly, thank you so much for enjoying my artwork. Please adhere to my conditions: selling or reselling my works is strictly forbidden; they are meant exclusively for individual use and any commercial endeavors are not permitted. Modifying my grids and textures is not allowed in any form. You may change their colors, but you must indicate the original creator. --- masakaSims4

 首先，非常感谢您喜欢我的作品，但请您遵守我的条款：禁止盗卖和转售我的作品，仅供个人用途，拒绝一切商业用途 禁止对我的网格和贴图进行二次修改。我可以重新着色，但必须标注作者 -------------------------------------------------------------------masakaSims4

[reasonsforhope]

Seven thousand more UAW members just walked off the job, expanding the strike to two more plants. Twenty-five thousand autoworkers are now on strike, and the walkout could continue to escalate if the Big Three don’t budge in negotiations.

[UAW president Shawn] Fain announced that Stellantis would be spared this time. The union had been expected to strike all three companies, but, said Region 1 director LaShawn English, three minutes before Fain was scheduled to go on Facebook Live, the UAW received frantic emails from company representatives.

[Note: Love that for the UAW. Also laughing so hard. Three minutes before the next round of strikes were annouced!!]

According to Fain, Stellantis made “significant progress” on cost-of-living allowances, the right not to cross a picket line, and the right to strike over product commitments and plant closures. “We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues,” Fain said...

“See You Next Week — Maybe?”

“These guys wanted to go out a long time ago,” said Cody Zaremba, a Local 602 member at the Lansing GM plant after the news broke that his plant would be joining the strike. “We’re ready. Everybody, truly, I believe, in the entire membership. They’re one with what’s going on.”

Five thousand workers at thirty-eight parts distribution centers across twenty-one states have been on strike since last Friday [September 22, 2023], along with thirteen thousand at three assembly plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri who walked out on September 15. (See a map of all struck facilities here.) ...

The UAW is now calling on community supporters to organize small teams to canvass dealerships that sell and repair Big Three cars and trucks. On Tuesday, the union issued a canvassing tool kit with instructions, flyers, press releases, and talking points.

In negotiations with Ford and GM, autoworkers have clinched some important gains. Among them is an agreement by both companies to end at least one of the many tiers in current contracts, putting workers at certain parts plants back on the same wage scale as assembly workers. The top rate for Big Three assembly workers is currently around $32...

Ford was spared in last week’s escalation, because bargainers there had made further progress on gains for workers.

But today, the UAW once again called out workers at Ford and GM, putting some muscle behind its bold demands — a big wage boost, a shorter workweek, elimination of tiers, cost-of-living adjustments tied to inflation, protection from plant closures, conversion of temps to permanent employees, and the restoration of retiree health care and benefit-defined pensions to all workers.

-via Jacobin, September 29, 2023. Article continues below.

Keep Them Guessing

This year, for the first time in recent history, the union has played the three auto companies against each other with its strike strategy, departing from the union’s tradition of choosing one target company and patterning an agreement at the other two.

The stand-up strike strategy draws inspiration from an approach known as CHAOS (Create Havoc Around Our System), first deployed in 1993 by Alaska Airlines flight attendants, who announced they would be striking random flights. Although they struck only seven flights in a two-month period, Alaska had to send scabs on every plane, just in case. The unpredictability drew enormous media attention and drove management up the wall. Meanwhile the union was able to conserve its strength and minimize risk.

The companies miscalculated where the UAW was going to strike first, stockpiling engines and shipping them cross-country to the wrong facilities. Autoworkers relished the self-inflicted supply chain chaos on UAW Facebook groups and other social media platforms.

Nonstrikers’ morale on the factory floor has gotten a boost from rank and filers organizing to refuse voluntary overtime. With support both from Fain and the reform caucus Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), workers have been encouraging each other to “Eight and Skate,” meaning to turn down extra work and decline to do management any favors.

Majority Public Support

A majority of Americans support the UAW strikers, and the Big Three have taken a PR hit since the strike began, according to a new survey conducted by the business intelligence firm Caliber.

“Eighty-seven percent of respondents told us they were aware of the strike,” Caliber CEO Shahar Silbershatz told the Intercept. “It’s clear the strike is not just causing commercial repercussions, but reputational repercussions as well.”

These reputational repercussions will only worsen...

"We Can Unmake It"

Fain didn't pull any punches in his speech... “That’s what’s different about working-class people. Whether we’re building cars or trucks or running parts distribution centers; whether we’re writing movies or performing TV shows... we do the heavy lifting. We do the real work. Not the CEOs, not the executives.

"And though we don’t know it, that’s what power is. We have the power. The world is of our making. The economy is of our making. This industry is of our making.

“And as we’ve shown, when we withhold our labor, we can unmake it.”

-via Jacobin, September 29, 2023

[clonehighdoublehelix]

I'll SELL OUT OR DIE TRYING!

I've set up an official Ko-Fi page so you can easily fork over your money! Aren't you lucky!! If you dig the Clone High: Double Helix comic, you can show it by donating a dollar a month as a DOUBLE HELIX BOOSTER and receive a symbolic thumbs-up from me.

For just $5 a month get all Double Helix updates early; comics and art shared with members of this tier as soon as they're completed!

At the time I'm posting this, there are three updates you can read right now!

And for you big spenders; Be immortalised in the form of an original Clonesona to be displayed on the blog as a premium supporter, plus early access to all comics, WIP art and exclusive updates.

And if you need another monthly subscription like you need a full frontal lobotomy (which is to say; it's something to consider in the future maybe) you can always tip me the price of a cup of coffee, dealers choice! And finally, do you like those fun little icons I created for the membership tiers? Well, I made them available along with other designs I thought some of you die-hards may enjoy on stickers, shirts or other print-on-demand products via my official TeePublic page!

Baffle your friends by explaining that you're wearing merch of a fan-made comic based on a reboot of a cancelled show from the early '00s.

Boring Disclaimer Stuff after the break:

I wasn't planning to have any kind of money involved with this project but since I began this project my main extra-curricular focus, the animation studio I worked at for the past 6 years has downsized.

Thankfully, I'm not in a position where I'm financially struggling to support myself, so any donations should be made only as a way of showing your support for the project.

And it should go without saying that you, dear reader, have zero obligation to contribute. Everyone is totally at liberty to continue enjoying the comic with or without a donation, it exists solely for those willing and able. And to the kind folks who do wish to contribute, don't give anything you can't afford. I cannot stress that enough! I donate to several creators through Patreon, Substack etc. and have had to pause or cancel donations when my finances were strained, so I expect any subscribers of mine will exercise the same financial prudence.

I've done my best to think of perks that don't create a ton of extra work on my end but still make a regular donation worthwhile. As for me, I'm going to keep working on the comic regardless and hope to be pleasantly surprised the day someone throws a few spare bucks my way. Okay, shameless self-promotion over. Back to our regularly scheduled clone-based entertainment.

[rottenpumpkin13]

The not so hidden truth about red leather is that Genesis, in a jealous snit, started his own fan club after he found out Sephiroth had his own “silver singles or whatever!” Ironically, his decision to create his own fan club out of spite spiraled to Angeal fans deciding to make a fan club dedicated to him, as it was unfair that Sephiroth and Genesis had one. Eventually, even Zack gets his own “puppy love, or dog walkers anonymous,” and Genesis keeps on feeding his group different gossip about the others to try to make him look better and make his group look the best. People begin joining his group just for workout pics of the others and fun facts.

I think it's believable that Shinra would find a way to profit from something like this. I mean, they're already exploiting everything else they can, why not turn their fan followings into a marketing opportunity? Imagine the PR department getting wind of Genesis' jealousy-fueled hobby and turning it into a full-blown campaign. Selling fan club memberships, merchandise, and exclusive "behind-the-scenes" content for all of them …….. wait a damn minute that's canon.

Angeal: I've been hearing a few rumors floating around... you know anything about that, Genesis?

Genesis: Oh, of course. I've been feeding the fan clubs some interesting facts. Like how Zack can't tell left from right without drawing L's on his hands.

Angeal: That's not true. ….anymore.

Genesis: Or how you spend your free time teaching dangerous sword techniques to children, acquiring a small army.

Angeal: That's definitely not true!

Genesis: Or that time I single-handedly saved a village from a wild beast by reciting Loveless so beautifully that it shocked the creature into submission?

Angeal: That's not true! That never happened! Genesis, you can't keep lying like this.

*Sephiroth walks up to them*

Sephiroth Why did I just hear a rumor from Kunsel that I use Masamune as a back-scratcher?

Angeal: See, Genesis? You can't spread rumors like that! You're only hurting your friends with these lies. How do you think it makes Sephiroth feel when he—

*Sephiroth uses Masamune to scratch his back*

Angeal:

Sephiroth: It's no longer a rumor. I'll be doing this every day from now on.

[swp2023]

SWP Account

TW: transphobia, transmisogyny, SA, gaslighting/manipulation, general trotskyist bullshit

I first joined the SWP as a minor during the Honor Oak demos. When I attended one of the protests for the first time in May 2023, I knew fairly little about the British left and its intricacies. I joined at a time when I was incredibly vulnerable - I was an isolated trans teenager with a poor home and school life and few friends. I initially joined SUTR but was soon syphoned into the SWP and became a formal member around 1.5 months in. After four months I was lucky enough to meet people outside of the party, find my own systems of support, and start drifting away from them. At the beginning of October I formally left the party and rescinded my membership. I essentially speedran the process. I know that I am not the first to come forward about their experiences in the SWP, and that my account won’t be as horrific or traumatic as others’. But the more I sit with the memories of spending time in the SWP, the more frustrated and angry I become with how poorly I was treated, especially as a trans teenager. A while ago, I compiled a list of everything I could recall about being in the party and its impact on me, and I’m hoping sharing it will draw more awareness to the extent that the Socialist Workers Party hasn’t changed and actively poses a threat to young activists. 

Structural/Functional Problems

Most people are aware of the SWP’s overt focus on recruitment, but within the party it’s even worse than it looks from the outside. Recruitment processes target those new to activism, especially young women and queer people. On multiple occasions, SWP leaflets were purposefully plastered outside my secondary school and other schools in the area. Once you’re involved with the party in any capacity, there’s a lot of pressure to ensure you formally join - if you’re not a member, within a month you’ll have membership papers being shoved in your face constantly. The worst instance of this was when I attended Marxism over the summer while I was in quite a bad place. I ended up having a breakdown in a corner of SOAS, and someone walked up to me when I was visibly upset and somehow tried to use it as a recruitment opportunity. Although far from the worst of their faults, the recruitment means the party is incredibly stagnant and frankly, boring. The same meetings repeat over and over, the same discussions are held, conferences are repetitive and demos are attended only for the purposes of recruiting or selling papers. 

The general attitude towards other, non-SWP activists is extremely condescending and patronising, especially in both formal and informal discussions of anarchism and grassroots organising. I consistently heard anarchists being reduced to a violent, ineffective group of rag tag young un’s who don’t know what they’re doing. I think it must have been in their handbook to describe anarchism as “grabbing 15 of your mates and beating up fascists”, because I heard that exact phrasing used at least twice. The belief that the SWP’s unwritten values and structures are the only correct ones runs deeply, and since I was a teenager my age was often used to dismiss my actions as immature or naive. I was told I was being pretentious for wearing a mask at demos - I’d been doxxed before and was looking out for my safety but apparently this made me appear “hostile and unwelcoming”. 

I can’t emphasise enough how much everyone in the SWP is treated as disposable unless you work for them. They don’t care about arrestee support, accountability, or building safe environments. I was a trans teenager so I looked good for their party, but ultimately they couldn’t care less what I had to say and I was often shut down or told my ideas weren’t appropriate. The SWP consistently seizes the politics of individuals’ marginalised identities to create a more appealing facade, while also discarding the same individuals as soon as they are no longer politically convenient. 

Lack of Accountability

From the beginning, it was clear that there were zero helpful routes for complaints or conflict resolution. I asked multiple times at meetings what their explicit process was for dealing with internal issues, and at best I got an off-hand mention to the central committee. Mostly I was shut down right away and told it wasn’t the right time to ask - a better time never became apparent. There is zero transparency and it didn’t take me too long to realise that I had no faith in anyone in the party to protect me or listen to me if something went south. You’ll hear them talk about their “disputes committee”, which was established as a response to the Comrade Delta coverup, but despite all the time I spent in the party I still have no idea who’s in this committee, how to access it, or whether it’s ever successfully resolved a dispute. 

No one talks about the coverup. This isn’t too surprising but every time I tried to ask about it, I was met with the same awkward dismissal. It’s creepy how everyone who’s been in the party for a while feeds you the same “that was a long time ago and we’ve changed and learned from it” schtick. Even a month in the party would be enough to show you that this isn’t true. The process of covering up the reputational damage from Comrade Delta is very much still active and the more time you spend around them, the more subtly intrinsic it becomes to everything you do. I was walking with a paid member of the SWP and watched him slap an SWP “trans rights now” sticker over one that read “the SWP protects rapists in their party”. No organisation that��s suitably addressed its failures should feel so threatened by the reminder of them. 

More widely, there are never any internal criticisms of the party. When I was in, I was in deep. I went to their weekly meetings, their organising meetings, their conferences - I went to fucking marxism. Not once did I hear a natural critique arise, there’s a complete lack of self awareness. It isn’t an environment where you’d feel comfortable expressing criticisms, and this has led to an echo chamber of sorts in which many members are incapable of conceiving themselves or the party as imperfect. It’s a dangerous amount of self-assuredness and this attitude allows for a culture of racism and bigotry to underlie the party’s supposedly anti-racist fronts - microaggressions don’t get called out, racism gets excused especially in the predominantly white spaces. There aren’t any attempts to actually foster anti-racist mindsets or incorporate it into how they organise, it’s largely just for external presentation and again, recruitment. 

Any issues that do get brought up are met with absurd amounts of gaslighting and guilt tripping. The party runs on guilt and censorship. If you ask too many questions people start acting cold or frame your comment as needlessly confrontational. Even now, I still struggle to process a lot of what happened because I was constantly told it was normal, that I was overreacting, that because I was relatively new to activism I didn’t know what I was talking about. 

Transphobia and Transmisogyny

As I’ve mentioned, my main involvement in the party was based around my identity as a trans youth, but there was very little regard for my safety as it pertained to this. For instance, without any warning a parcel was sent to my house with my chosen name on it. This put me in a bad situation because my parents hated the thought of me going by another name, I had to lie and endure my home life temporarily getting much worse. When I brought it up with someone I trusted in the SWP, it was dismissed without so much as an apology for putting me in a dangerous situation. I spoke to another trans ex-member about this and they told me about going through the exact same thing a few years back - the SWP doesn’t learn or change. 

There is consistent, blatant transphobia in the party. There were too many occurrences to list out here, but it’s so profoundly endemic to the party that I spent a considerable amount of time feeling uncomfortable and objectified. I had someone tell me they wouldn’t use they/them pronouns because “it’s too hard”. I was constantly misgendered, and although it was sometimes a careless mistake it was often very clearly intentionally weaponised. Almost every time it happened there was someone in the room who knew me well enough to know what my pronouns were and correct the mistake, but that never happened. No one stood up for me. 

There’s explicit transmisogyny. In addition to being generally misgendered and sexualised, trans women are often referred to with they/them pronouns and as a “person”. There was a trans woman quite deeply involved with the party who I spoke with a few times, she often got dismissed when she contributed at conferences and one time, a cis dude fully stood up and started talking over her while the chair of the meeting allowed it to happen. 

Contrary to what the SWP would have you believe, there just aren’t many trans people in the party. Certainly not a proportionate amount when compared to the wider left, which isn’t surprising once you’ve experienced being trans in there - there aren’t any attempts to make you feel any less isolated, ostracised, or used. There are, however, plenty of cis people who think that just because they’ve attended a trans demo or two they know more about the experiences of trans people than we do. 

I want to note that all the transphobia I experienced and witnessed took place while London branches of the SWP were spending their time at HO trans rights demos, handing out their placards, using it for recruitment, and taking credit for the work that was mainly being done by grassroots activists. Transphobia is just one example of how hollow their ideals are. 

Non-Existent Consent Culture

When I was sitting in a conference at SOAS, a man I didn’t know sat next to me and ran his hand down my back while we were talking, and then repeatedly tried to scoot closer to me when I moved away. 

A different time, someone tried to get me to sit close enough to them so that our legs were touching. 

Both of these incidents were extremely creepy and uncomfortable, and just to be clear: I was visibly/openly a minor during both. 

In general, physical contact is heavily normalised and sort of expected. There was always an expectation that you’d hug people, that you were okay with being patted on the back or having an arm around your shoulders or whatever. I always felt uncomfortable with this and although some people were fine with it and people’s intentions weren’t always harmful, there’s just generally zero consent culture and most times I wouldn’t have felt comfortable saying no. 

When I was in a transition phase of technically still being in the SWP but trying to spend as little time around them as possible, one of them came up to me at a demo (where, for the record, I’d just been through quite a traumatic incident - not that it should have to matter) and tried to pull me in for a hug without asking. When I flinched away without saying anything other than “hi”, she later commented to a comrade that I was being rude. The persistent entitlement to my body and my consent was disgusting. 

Exit Process

When I started spending less time with the SWP and more time with anarchists and antifascists, they were semi-aware of it so I got lots of calls and messages purporting to be “checking in”, but the undertone was very much “why aren’t you standing with us at demos anymore”. No one ever checked in on me when I was properly in the party. One of the calls was particularly lengthy and pretty much summed up to “we feel like you’re drifting away, we really miss you and you’re our comrade” - more guilt tripping. The feeling that I was trapped because I was constantly being contacted and approached at demos was bad enough to make me actively suicidal. 

The final breaking point for me was a conversation that happened in the South London SWP group chat that had reached an intolerable level of censorship. Someone, very politely, complained about how the branch had made a commitment to doing hybrid meetings but consistently struggled to actually have working tech/mics/etc. They also suggested a possible solution. They got shut down with a curt “our main focus has to be in the room rather than on our phones”, a comment that rightfully got called out as being explicitly ableist, especially since the following messages implied that attending online was insufficient or lazy. This conversation was concerning enough, but the original person then got told they “sounded harsh” (they didn’t - I’ve seen more lively conversations in my extended family’s whatsapp group), and was explicitly told to delete their message. I finally had a good answer to what happens when you criticise anything the SWP does, and this was a fairly mild criticism too. 

Then, a comrade I know very gently expressed their support for the original person - literally just said that they agreed with them and didn’t think they were being harsh. This comrade (also a teen) got two separate DMs telling them that they “misunderstood” what was happening and to delete their message as well. The hierarchies and power structures within the SWP are so obviously corrupt, and this whole incident just made that much more clear to me. 

I sent a final message on this chat, calling out the patterns of behaviour I’d noticed and advising people to do what I had - take a step back and look at who actually gets listened to in the party, at the corruption that’s so deeply rooted in it. Then I left that chat. The next day I was removed from every SWP-related chat I was in - fine by me, I was done. I did get sent one DM telling me that I had misread the situation, was overreacting, etc. It was incredibly infantilizing and blamed the fact that I’d been associating with other people as the reason I’d formed these opinions - clearly the SWP was reliant on my isolation. 

I was out of the chats but I did get the aforementioned comrade to update me on the aftermath, which was mostly damage control. The upcoming conference got plugged, people talked shit about me for being immature and overreacting. I’ve got screenshots of this incident in particular but I honestly don’t think they’re too worth sharing. I firmly believe that painting the bigger picture of the party and how and why it operates like this is much more important. 

I’d say I made it very clear that I wanted nothing more to do with the SWP and its members, but to this day I still have issues with them at demos. I’ve had people come up to me and try to touch me in various ways - hugs, back pats, etc - that I’ve expressed I’m uncomfortable with. There’s someone who winks at me. The general attitude towards me seems to be either glaring me down when I walk by (I don’t mind this honestly), or being overly nice as if I hadn’t been groomed into their cult (this is considerably worse).

I think this summarises it pretty well. It’s not everything - some stuff is hard to talk about, some would involve revealing info about me that I need to be private, and honestly my brain has defensively blocked out a lot of the time I spent around the SWP, so I’m still remembering stuff out of the blue. But please listen to me, listen to everyone else who’s been through their pipeline and made it out the other end. They aren’t just an annoyance with boring placards, they hurt people. They prey on young queers and women and don’t actually give a shit about anyone. Kick them out of your demos, kick them out of your circles, and also - try to get people out! I owe my life to the anarchists who were like “hey, we see you’re in there and you probably don’t want to be - you can hang out with us”. Most of the people the SWP recruits are sucked in before they have a chance to form other networks, and it’s hard as fuck to leave a party when all your activism takes place within it and you’ve got nowhere else to go. The Socialist Workers Party is broken beyond repair and needs to be dissolved, and I would encourage its current membership to resign. Thanks for reading. 

[askmerriauthor]

I said the game demands microtransactions, not that it requires them. That's not just me being pedantic about wording, but rather a big indication of how the developers designed the game to work. Pokemon Sleep doesn't want you to play for free and is designed to make playing-without-paying a worse experience.

Like many free-to-play games out there, they operate on the idea of monetizing convenience and "fear of missing out" (FOMO). Such games will either create a problem in order to sell you a solution, or rely on a rotating/limited availability of enviable items to encourage impulse buying to avoid losing the chance to have the item. Pokemon Sleep does both of these.

Despite Pokemon Sleep being presented as a passive "something in the background while you sleep" kind of novelty, that's not the actual gameplay at all. The game actually wants you to be extremely active and paying a lot of attention to it non-stop, along with encouraging you to get others involved as well. Up to 500 potential invitations with a 50 individual approval list of contacts, specifically, and the system "helpfully" lets you link to your Google, Apple, or Facebook accounts in order to facilitate that and further scoop up lots of personal data for advertising.

The basic gameplay cycle of Pokemon Sleep is that you have a 7-day period in which you can power up your Snorlax as much as possible, with a higher power score equaling a greater variety of visiting Pokemon for you to catch. Visiting Pokemon will appear in a variety of sleeping types, of which there are at least 415 to collect (with individual Pokemon having multiple sleeping types). These Pokemon can also be "befriended" by giving them a sufficient number of items, which means they'll then join your team and help you boost Snorlax's power score over time. You can further boost Snorlax's score by feeding it, which the game encourages you to do three times per day within a given time window. Your Helper Pokemon will supply you with ingredients to make meals for Snorlax at different intervals, and the meals you make have different potencies based on the ingredients used.

So, to summarize, you have a limited period in which to get a number as big as it can be, with various randomized factors able to improve the rate of progression, before it all resets and you're back to square one.

Yes, you absolutely can play this game without spending any money. But the game itself is designed in a way that urges you to spend money at every turn. Every element of gameplay is improved if you spend money, and will actively degrade in effectiveness and quality if you don't. Remember how you can befriend Pokemon to help you out with getting Snorlax's score up? That's faster and easier if you spend money. Those same Helpers who gather ingredients for you? They lose Energy (an arbitrary limit put in place by the game system) the longer they're around, and become worse at gathering ingredients the less Energy they have. But, good for you! You can just buy more Energy for them! Rather, you have to make two purchases - the Energy-restoring item only gives back 50% of their Energy, so you need to buy two in order to max them out again. And you can just buy a box of random ingredients too! How convenient! And if you really want to get the most out of sleeping, you can buy the monthly auto-renewing (until you manually cancel it through Google or Apple, not the game app itself) Premium Membership! Which literally makes your sleep more valuable than the same - or even higher quality - sleep of people who aren't Premium members! But you better buy fast, because all of these items for sale are on a rotating schedule and will swap out of the shop at different 15 or 30-day intervals. You wouldn't want to miss your chance, would you?

A core facet of microtransaction pricing is that it's intentionally and carefully designed to never be enough. You'll always be in a position where you need to buy just a little more than the minimum, and it always comes out at odd numbers that never fit exactly where they need to in order to maximize your purchase, and are priced in unorthodox values specifically to trick the buyer's brain into thinking it's a better deal than it is. With that in mind, it pays to look at the minimum and maximum amounts the game wants to try and charge you since that gives a good idea of their intended range of interaction with your wallet, and how far a given amount of paid microtransactions will take you. Because, remember, such games are built around the idea of NEVER giving you enough. They ALWAYS want you to be in a state of wanting a little more and being tempted to dish over some more cash for it.

In Pokemon Sleep's case? The minimum buy-in for "Diamonds" - their premium microtransaction currency - is 60 Diamonds for $1.19. Their maximum? 7000 Diamonds for $97.99. So what this says outright is that the game is designed in such a way that it expects 7000 Diamonds to NOT BE ENOUGH to maintain a player's best experience. Because, again, such games will NEVER give you a value sufficient enough to deter the need for further purchases. This is a game that wants players to spend $100 multiple times over throughout the lifespan of their interest in the game. Will the majority of players do this? No. There's absolutely going to be a number of whales who will, especially among influencers and content creators on social media who make their own career off these sort of things. But what Pokemon Sleep is relying on is that there will be a far greater abundance of players who think "Oh, it's just a dollar..." or 'Oh, this item is going away... it's not even $5, so why not?" on a very regular basis.

And I haven't even touched on the overt security/privacy issues and the personal info scraping the app has potential for as well. So, yeah, I'm just going to go ahead and sleep on Pokemon Sleep.

[roamingbadger]

Uh, Hello.

Unsure if this is appropriate tumblr etiquette, but i found your tags under a quote from an old book about women and reading. They said:

"i am showing great restraint in these tags by not talking about how women were once stewardesses of beer#just wanted you all to know#hyperfixation tag rant AVOIDED"

And honestly, I really would love to hear this rant, if you have time and motivation.

OMG, I think this is my favorite ask I've ever received, and Anon, you have completely made my evening. My week. My month, even!! Thank you!

I decided to put my rant under the cut for the sake of the dash:

So, this hyperfixation began for me when I was doing research for a short story. In the course of my research, I read this book called Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women's Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 by Judith Bennett. Most of my knowledge on the subject comes from this book, so it's important to start with a gigantic disclaimer that it's only one book, it's only about England, and I'm probably misremembering stuff, and if so, I apologize!

But the summary of the book does a good job of telling you about the basic premise:

Women brewed and sold most of the ale consumed in medieval England, but after 1350, men slowly took over the trade. By 1600, most brewers in London were male, and men also dominated the trade in many towns and villages. This book asks how, when, and why brewing ceased to be women's work and instead became a job for men. Employing a wide variety of sources and methods, Bennett vividly describes how brewsters (that is, female brewers) gradually left the trade. She also offers a compelling account of the endurance of patriarchy during this time of dramatic change.

So basically ale and beer were considered such household necessities that they fell under the purview of the women of the house, along with things like meat, butter, bread, etc. Some women were held in high renown for their ale such that they could sell it to other households, or to single men who didn't know how to brew their own, and make a profit from it. Some of *those* women might have even been good enough at it to set it up as a larger business. And there was a word for them--"brewsters" means female brewers.

The book covers a lot of ground, everything from brewers' guild membership (which could include women, but often turned into "guys' clubs"), to control over property and therefore water supply (which was the single biggest factor to creating good ale and beer at the time, and which also meant that a lot of single women or widows who no longer owned their property could no longer brew their beer). Even the fictional depiction of Brewsters as being drunken, immoral women (think the busty barmaid stereotype that persists today) was used to push them out of the trade. And especially as ale and beer became more popular, and therefore profitable--men started to perpetuate the misbelief that it was "men's work." But for centuries, it had been perfected by women first!

So, now whenever guys act like women don't know shit about beer, it's interesting to me to imagine the expert brewster in her medieval kitchen, grinding her grain by hand, mixing it with boiling water, and letting it fill with the wild yeast that was already in the air because of all the bread baking and other activities around the hearth. Voila! Delicious ale.

All this being said, I know that monks in Continental Europe are also given credit for being early brewers, and I don't know as much about that particular tradition, so like I said before, this is just looking at the history of England. However, it's not a stretch to imagine that this trend might have mirrored similar changes throughout other parts of Europe at the time. I would love to learn more about brewing in other parts of the world, too, but I haven't had the time to go down that path yet.

I hope this has scratched the itch a little bit, and again, thank you SO much for giving me the chance to talk about this. I literally had so much fun. If anyone else is interested in such things, PLEASE do interact! :D

[lesbiancarat]

you know what makes me the most mad is that in 2020 there were so many people saying that this would be good for seventeen's careers, it would give them more money and more opportunities to promote, especially in the west. and i'll be honest, i didn't care about that then and i don't care about it now. what a lot of people failed to realize at the time is that, even if things end up being fine for seventeen, doesn't mean the same is true of the fans

of course I want seventeen to do well. but i'll be honest, i only care about them doing well insofar as it means they're well off enough financially to be stable and support themselves and their families, and to be popular enough that they can keep making music for a long time. anything above that i could take or leave, and if taking it means having a shitty fandom experience, i'd rather leave it. and i don't want to create a false dichotomy here, i'm not someone who believes that success is synonymous with having an unhealthy fandom. but i'm tired of kpop fans acting like the fans' interests, OUR interests, are always the same as our artists' interests

and the truth is, the fandom experience over the last 4 years HAS gotten worse. merch has gotten vastly more expensive, we're constantly being advertised to about it, even though half the merch is crap anyway. albums have gotten more expensive without necessarily being higher quality, and you have to pay a membership fee just for the chance of getting presale, or the CHANCE to get access to a special event attached to a concert you already paid tickets for

money aside, there's also the fact that going seventeen and other seventeen contents on youtube NEVER used to have midroll ads, now it's not unusual to have 3 or more midroll ads in a single video. they also seem to fail to understand aspects of seventeen's brand, the caratbong V3 was such a fail because it felt like it aligned more the "hybe brand" of being sleek, black, and modern, while completely disregarding the seventeen brand of rq&s

there have also genuinely been so many more fandom wars in caratland since the hybe acquisition, there was a noticeable difference immediately after the announcement, and it has not died down. this is obviously not intentional on hybe's part, and i'm not going to blame this on any one fandom, because carats have also been more combative since that time. but i do see the hybe acquisition as a clear cause, because it forced fandoms that were not used to it to share space. it made fandoms more aware of each other's presence, and that's always going to create tension. and it exacerbated any pre-existing tensions between fandoms

in a similar vein, there's been more discourse within the fandom since the hybe acquisition too. over the last several years, every comeback there's been discourse about how much influence hybe did or didn't have over the music, the concept, the merch, whether the acquisition was worth it or if it was the end of the world. regardless of where you stand on each of those things, you can't deny how many fandom arguments there have been over the last 4 years purely centered around hybe. you can't deny that hybe is much more devisive

and yes, before hybe, fandom wars existed. despite carats' "peaceful" reputation it did happen. there were times pre-hybe that carats weren't satisfied with the merch, like the time they tried to sell replicas of seventeens rings. there was sometimes even discourse about how much pledis had meddled with woozi's vision of their music. but trust me as someone who was in the fandom pre-hybe, that these things have become so much more prevalent since after the acquisition

there's also the fact that under hybe, us fans have far less influence than we did with pledis. with pledis we were able to successfully scare them into not releasing the ring replicas, we were able to successfully boycott the getting closer MV when pledis wanted to start uploading seventeen's MVs to the pledis channel instead of the seventeen channel, which had more subscribers. tell me, how many decisions have been made under hybe that made carats angry, and among those, how many were carats able to successfully convince hybe to change their approach on? because personally i can't think of one. hybe has many other lucrative streams of revenue. they aren't scared by threats

and now here we are with seventeen collaborating with an artist none of us asked for, who stands against the values that many of us hold, and we're expected to just support it anyway? because it's seventeen?

tl;dr the fandom experience of carats has gotten worse overall since the hybe acquisition, and carats should be angry about it, regardless of if seventeen themselves seem to be doing well

[black-rabbit-razumikhin]

Raz Reads Les Mis (XX)

Marius - Friends of the A B C

This chapter was incredibly fun, and introduced a cast that could carry the rest of this book

But I don't want them to because I want to see Valjean again

We meet the original Dead Poets Society, or at least the political French version of them

Their membership being comprised of Enjolras, Combeferre, Prouvaire, Feuilly, Courfeyrac, Bahorel, Lesgle, Joly and Gran

taire

Enjolras is our natural leader, our beauty, our pillar of everything the Friends of the A B C aspire to, the logic, the backbone

Combeferre is the water to Enjolras' fire, the philosophy to his logic, the balance to his passion

Prouvaire (or Jehan) loves love, he is the soft romantic, he will bring flowers to a first date

Feuilly is an orphan and lives of hard work for low pay, obsessed with international relations and adopting the people of France when there was nobody there to adopt him

Courfeyrac is the exact same character as Tholomyes, but I beg to disagree - I have a hit on Tholomyes, I'd be friends with Courfeyrac

Hugo creates a trilogy of Enjolras, Combeferre and Courfeyrac; Enjolras the chief, Combeferre the guide, Courfeyrac the centre

Bahorel's whole personality is that he never wants to be a lawyer and sees even the law school as a carrier of infectious disease

Lesgle (called Bousseut) is berated for a whole page for being bald at 25 - this is just ergonomical for French summers, leave him alone

Joly is our medic, who is also a hypochondriac and if he were around today he'd run a witchcraft Tumblr

Grantaire is apparently ugly and in love with Enjolras and compared to both Patroclus and Hephaestion

I have opinions on Enjolras and Grantaire

But I will treat them as platonic (and not unrequited pining) and a metaphor until evidence suggests otherwise

And I think Courfeyrac is my favourite, from these descriptions at least - the irony

This is the group that Marius stumbles upon, all because he and Bousseut share a law class together that Marius didn't attend

Courfeyrac meets Bousseut and Marius while they are talking together at a cafe and Marius is introduced to the rest of the Friends

Courfeyrac calls him "a pupil" when he learns of Marius' political ideology - a little too pro-Napoleon for the Friends, but Courfeyrac's whole intro screams "I can fix him"

The Friends are drinking and Grantiare is rambling about 100 different topics, making the sort of sense that someone drunk will, the sort that they probably don't realise themselves doing

Somehow, through fate, the conversation turns to Waterloo

Waterloo! Marius knows Waterloo

The impassioned, naieve child talks with so much pride of how much he adores and respects Napoleon

The Friends are shocked into silence

But Enjolras is there to lead him out of the darkness of the woods

Poor Marius is confused for where his beliefs now lie, but the pupil will soon learn

Rent becomes due for his hotel, which Courfeyrac offers to pay, but Marius insists on doing himself

"Yeah I'll just sell my clothes and learn English and German and I'll be fine"

His principles even stop him from accepting financial aid from his aunt

And thus is how the life of Marius begins

This chapter was great! I really enjoyed meeting all the Friends and seeing their unique personalities and viewpoints all start to blend into one unified group. @pilferingapples is your url lifted from Grantaire's rant perhaps? I can just imagine him drunk and jovial and telling the Friends anything and everything that comes into his mind. He and Enjolras seem like the perfect opposites to bookend the society of the Friends with. And I want to know how Marius fares! Does his mind change? Is he accepted? Does he manage to find his way in the world?

[cornkernelle]

THE GIANT OTTER LONG POST --------------------------------------

A bunch of lore and art for Otto, and his past as a monster hunter of the Mustelid Guild. He is from a long bloodline of Giant Otters, which grow much larger than the average cookie.

He initially wasn't a monster hunter at all. For most of his early adult life, he lived in solitude on his own boat. A cookie with a deep love of the sea and it's riches. Thanked her for all of his catches, and it's welcoming depths. He had his first encounter with a monster during a fishing trip, and had successfully killed it. Not wanting to waste the living being, he took what he could from it and cooked it. Then, it all clicked, and his exotic tastes came to be. He continued to hunt monsters to cook, looking for new ways to eat and process them as he went along. The Mustelid Guild saw him and his thick durable fur as an asset, and offered him a membership. He was able to sell the non-edible parts of his catches to them for a profit, and so he accepted. His main weapon is a collection of rocks (different kinds, illustration shows one type) that he uses to bludgeon and break thick skin and armor.

Any dough underneath that fur was either calloused or highly scarred, the nastiest one being on his back. It was from the only sea creature he was hurt by, who still continues to lurk under the waves to this day. It's acidic fluids burnt all the hair on his behind. He takes pride in his cooking and creating dishes from sea beasts. It's the thing he talks about the most to cookies. Ask him to feed you, and he will gladly give you a sharing.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Now that we're familiar with Otto, I can share the most exciting part of his past. He has connections with Ventresca, who turned out to be a next-generation monster hunter. (owned by @limboraptor)

Ventresca used to live in the Lower City of the Crème Republic, fighting to survive in an impoverished community. He always wanted to be a monster hunter, and at some point met Otto.

Despite Otto's initial annoyance at the young cookie, he eventually ends up mentoring him and taking him under his wing. Teaching all that he could. When Ventresca was older and Otter had retired, he passed down his harpoon gun. "Tin Cannon" or "Metal Canary", known for it's quick piercing shot.

Now as an old man, he doesn't hunt monsters on his own. Instead, he owns the Crab Claw and is an active buyer and manufacturer for all things monster-product related from food to tools. It's a good excuse to see his fry, too, since he buys what he uses from active monster hunters.

[instrumentastrology]

New Years Resolutions

Flute: Your year is now monochromatic! Congratulations. Pick a color, or spin a wheel to spice it up. You can only wear, eat, and touch things of that color! Go on, you've earned that pink Mendini Flute.

Oboe: You have entered your soothsayer era. You now exclusively speak in rhymes and riddles. Buy a robe and grow out your hair to really commit to the bit. Drape your reedmaking supplies conspicuously around yourself for that extra bit of authenticity.

Clarinet: Start applying to reality TV shows - really insist on making the clarinet your entire personality. The Bachelor/ette would be a good place to start, particularly if you stand up the last person standing for your instrument - but I'm not telling you how to live your life.

Bassoon: World's largest ball of twine? Boring. Time to start the world's largest ball of reed thread. Sell tickets under the table and use it to fund your ridiculously expensive hobby.

Saxophone: It's time to reinvent yourself. Who will you be? What will you become? Mortuary Scientist? Squirrel Whisperer? Nurse? What will you sacrifice? Burn all of your material possessions and start over. Give your name to the fae. No takesies-backsies.

Trumpet: It's time to start that gym membership you've been thinking about. Not because there's anything wrong with your body - no. Your body is perfect. You're perfect, you silly creature. But everyone's past catches up to them if they don't stop running from it, so you'd better be ready.

Horn: Learn a new language, to appease the old, green owl god. Select the most obscure one you can find. The weight of its continued existence now rests in your hands. This is your burden to carry for having superior aural skills.

Trombone: Start a cult. What could possibly go wrong?

Euph/Baritone/Tuba: Turn the world upside down and break the status quo. Write a new piece of music, giving all of the glory to the low brass and reeds for once. The flutes get the bass line. Make every rhythm needlessly complicated for no reason, and demand that the editor not fix it. It wasn't a mistake. Make the others suffered as you have.

Percussion: Collect every pencil left on the floor after rehearsal. If your group is good about that, resort to theft. They'll never expect it from you. Create a new..." addition" to the percussion family with your collection. Interpret that as you see fit.

Violin: Join a new niche hobby. But only something that you're good at right away, or it won't be fun. The smaller the hobby, the more likely you are to claw your way to the top. Success at all costs.

Viola: Create short-form videos on the internet in which you take on the persona of an entirely new person who time-travels and does not play the viola. Build a following. Once achieved, pull the rug out from under everyone and tell them you were a violist all along.

Cello: You broke an item when you were a small child. You might not remember what it was - but the ghosts do. They've been biding their time, waiting to exact their revenge. You'd better study up and figure out how to best prepare for that.

Double Bass: Saving money will be critical for you this year. Big instrument = big debt. Look on the bright side, gigs are often plentiful for someone of your caliber, and if the mob comes for you, you'll probably fit in the case...

Piano: You should really get outside more, you've been looking a little pale lately and the vampire rumors have started. If those rumors are true and the outside is indeed dangerous, then bring the outside in with a few new plants at the windows.

[the-selfinsert]

Jackpot Masterpost!

So, you've come to learn about the wealthiest, the most dastardly, the most devilishly handsome and wonderfully evil fellow in all the multiverse? My friend, you're in luck. Right here is where you can find all the relevant information in regards to him! (Co-creator is and all art by @written-in-the-stars135)

Home AU(s): Undertale, Negativetale

Backstory - Jackpot originally comes from a King Mettaton neutral route ending. One day, missing Alphys, he goes into her lab to reminisce. There he finds her research on alternate timelines, and learns of her Determination experiments. Upon learning this, he begins to obsess over her unfinished work, learning more and more about the nature of alternate timelines, determination, and how they interacted

Eventually, he decides in a fit of longing for how things used to be to direct all the kingdom's resources towards creating a machine that would be able to reset the world and bring it back to before the human fell.

All goes smoothly right up until the machine is activated, where its activation caused an accident that destroyed his home timeline, completely erasing it and sending him flying across universes. This is how he landed in Negativetale after the events of that universe's story, with no memories.

Without his memories, he wandered aimlessly for a while, before letting old instincts kick in. Influenced and inspired by his surroundings, he created a casino, and slowly began to spread his influence throughout the Underground, becoming a criminal overlord who ruled the Underground with an iron fist.

Eventually, this catches the attention of Nightmare, who sees a large opportunity. He offers to help Jackpot expand from where he's at already, and into the wider multiverse, offering him an empty timeline (Not dissimilar to the Omega Timeline before Core Frisk appeared in it) and the resources to get started and build a new casino there, in addition to giving him the ability to traverse universes on his own. Jackpot gladly accepted, and their partnership began.

Relationships - Business Partners with Nightmare, his one and only equal. Enemies with Core Frisk (And he's a petty bitch about it too). The person he hates the most.

Fun facts: The central casino has its own unique set of playing cards distinct from the traditional ones. The traditional symbols are replaced with Apples, Souls, Determination Stars, and Crowns (In the design of the casino's brand). All basic cards come in yellow and black.

All face cards are replaced with Jackpot in various name appropriate outfits, save for the joker card, which instead depicts a dejected looking Core Frisk (Again, he's a petty bitch)

He and his subordinates use gem-studded chips to signal membership to each other, and to entice new recruits by implying there's great wealth in it for them.

Jackpot, much like Core (And done in no small part to spite them) will take in survivors of devastated AUs and bring them in to work at the central casino, often forcing them to sign contracts that turn them into indentured servants with a massive debt to pay off in exchange for rescuing them

He does in fact sell insurance against Error and other such disasters to your AU, if yours is valid, you will have a rescue team sent. Only applies to those who pay, not for the AU itself (unless he's got a reason to try and mess with someone that strong)

Jackpot x Nightmare ship name is Nightlife LMAO (Not canon strictly speaking, but consider it an officially endorsed crack ship)

Extras (Other details and ideas about him that I felt shouldn't be put here)

The places you can read about him:

Where Nightmare has a business meeting with Jackpot

In which Jackpot develops completely normal levels of dislike about Core

And remember, if there's anything you want to know, asks are always welcome!