#especially because i dont think its usable Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[wiltking]

here's a little house i've been working on that went through a ton of creative changes mid-process. i've been remodeling several lots in my veronaville neighborhood, so i wanted to take a break and make something from scratch again. my idea was to make a smallish house where the front door is on the second story, but i don't have any sims living here yet, so it was a little challenging to make the interior still feel like it has a history. but i think it came out cute!

more angles under the cut.

[arolesbianism]

Thinking abt the random card au again. Why must it go so crazy hard I miss it sm

[n7punk]

where all my fellow anons bro! Quiet af in here lately damn

oh it's because tumblr changed how anons work lmao. basically, it used to be that if you didn't have a tumblr account you could send asks via anonymous, so anon was either something you selected as a current user or synonymous with "guest". i'll be honest, i didn't know that for a long time. recently, most likely to curtail harassment, tumblr disabled this, so you must have a tumblr account and be logged in to send an anonymous ask. it now truly means anonymous and not just guest. this means there is now no "guest" messaging option on tumblr. overall, i think this is a good change as far as usability/safety of the site goes, but i do know a lot of my anons were from readers who don't have tumblr accounts. if they wish to interact with me now, they either have to make one or leave a comment on ao3 (make one i promise it's fun here if you dont clown!)

probably on a connected note, ive seen an increase in comments over on ao3! especially with these last two fics. i think the change went into effect during hurricane adora maybe? i personally have my ao3 comments set so only logged-in users can comment, however (to curtail possible harassment and spam, though i havent experienced any personally, but it might be Because i have it off lol. i think ao3 is the only "social" site ive ever personally used for any length of time without seeing spam), so if you wish to interact with me beyond guest kudos, then you have to have either an ao3 or tumblr account. i implore everyone who reads fic to make an ao3 account because 1) its a great site, 2) otherwise your views dont count on works (anymore, this changed during the pandemic) so its harder to give writers the engagement dopamine which fuels many of them to write, 3) the bookmark system on the site is INCREDIBLE i promise it's worth the dive to build a collection/switch yours over.

EDIT (because i sent this too early): tomorrow's update is going to be late. either late in the day or bumped to the next day. having vision issues today so i got nothing done

[poobit]

My tumblr Year in Review (the graphic was ugly lol

I posted 6,355 times in 2022

757 posts created (12%)

5,598 posts reblogged (88%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@strangeauthor

@kindestegg (<3)

@curly-fried

@taptrial2

@laslloronas

I tagged 3,045 of my posts in 2022

#the owl house - 288 posts

#art - 238 posts

#animals - 148 posts

#video - 146 posts

#samsa´s art stuff - 140 posts

#gif - 112 posts

#insp - 101 posts

#maru - 90 posts

#death note - 82 posts

#fashion - 79 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#when deviantart tells you “take this tutorial draw a picture n well give u whats essentially a tiger shaped sticker for ur page” well then

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

it doesnt matter what game you want to play, ive just gotta live long enough to see the end of all of this.

See the full post

178 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

#4

im gonna be honest as someone with over 50 original characters across decades of my life...and as someone whos really into concept and production art...

most "how to build your original character!" advice is utterly useless because you cage the character into a superficial box of traits and trying to build some sort of proper reference for it when you have no idea what the story youre trying to tell actually needs the character for, proffesional productions literally dont work with a chart of what the character likes or dont if its not relevant to the design or the narrative shown,

thats post production shit you talk abt with your coworkers for fun or put it in a fucking booklet , stop trying to build huge reference sheets when you havent even built a basic story to follow, you are GONNA forget about it, even if the character has like a huge family tree , unless its explicitedly exposed or paced correctly, you gotta be FLEXIBLE with your characters instead of caging them to irrelevant details, or else you gonna find yourself rebuilding the same characters OVER AND OVER every 2 years because turns out the ref sheet is outdated or you got feedback and now you wasted a lot of time and energy on something that wasnt even usable !

start SIMPLE guys let a character develop through the story NOT a phamplet , i assure you , it is way more organic that way.

194 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

this one should have more

#3

My condolences to the families of the victims in Uvalde, Texas. This is another senseless tragedy , especially a direct attack on children.

230 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#2

some of you have no idea of the ripple effect that “su critical” had in the terminology and way ppl interact with “being critical of media” in tumblr and anywhere else rlly,  critical fandom blogs where not started by random white kids overthinking things and taking kids media too seriously, they were spearheaded by , first and foremost as i remember? black bloggers who were really sick of the amount of casual racism and antiblackness that was plaguing (and honestly still does) kid´s media. 

overall you can thank black bloggers in almost every niche group of topics and discussions for BUILDING the present day tumblr , the amount of racism and shadowbanning and censorship these people have gone through (and continue to go through) is fucking ridiculous to the point theres still ppl here thinking that russian tumblr psyops where an actual Real Thing and not just some scheme to delete black people´s accounts whenever they said anything against politicians or even anything political. 

654 notes - Posted January 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

4,942 notes - Posted January 1, 2022

so glad my first post of january was also my most popular lol

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[uneryx]

Renee Gets Salty About Dark Magic

This post got long, and got away from me, so I’ll tl;dr it

1. dark magic is a metaphor for consumption and materialism and is ultimately bad because it harms others unnecessarily and is not a sustainable resource

2. the elves were dicks for banishing humans but (especially if humans sucked all the magic out of the land themselves) they were kind of justified, even if it was an extreme measure

3. Eating meat is not the same as dark magic if you’re looking at things from an animistic point of view, which the elves likely do

4. it’s okay to like problematic characters and you don’t have to portray Ezran as a monstrous enfant terrible to feel okay about thinking Viren is justified in what he does.  In fact, pretty please stop doing this, everyone in all fandoms. It’s fine if you don’t like the protags but that doesn’t mean you get to say Ezran or Rayla or whoever is EVIL. It’s called Ron the Death Eater and it’s a fandom trope that has pissed me off for going on fifteen years. Deliberately misreading the text isn’t cute. Stop doing it.

5. The show isn’t over, be patient, you’ll probably get to see some comeuppance for stuff anyway. And if you don’t, there’s always fanfiction. 

6. For the love of baby adoraburrs please tag posts that go in the vein of “the writing is bad because Viren is portrayed as a classic villain/elves good humans bad/the protags aren’t held accountalbe” with “TDP CRITICAL” I would greatly appreciate it because I’m getting super annoyed with posts that deliberately misrepresent canon to uphold a favored side and it’s affecting my enjoyment of the show. Now! Actual long and discourse-heavy post under the cut!

 Ugh I don’t want to start a big ol’ argument with people because I’m still on vacation and don’t want to spend the rest of today arguing about cartoons on the internet, but this has been on the kettle for a while and I feel QUITE STRONGLY about some of these things, so just... let me express my views here and don’t come for me because I’m about to talk about religion and sociology. 

Dark Magic is a metaphor for unchecked consumption and capitalism.  1. The theory i’m seeing floating around that got my dander up is that the elves and dragons drained the western half of the continent of magic to keep magic away from humans. I think that, based on what we’ve learned from canon, this is highly unlikely and would be weaker writing than what I think actually happened. Instead, Dark magic was going on for a good solid 800 years (Rise of Elarion is 2000 years before canon) before Sol Regem faced off with Viard (1200 years before canon). The division of Xadia was another 200 years after that. Humans had a solid honking millennium of unchecked dark magic. It is quite likely that the reason the west is entirely devoid of magic, and that humans were banished there, is because they sucked all the magic out of that half themselves. Poor innocent baby humans nothing. They got a taste of power and progress and, like real world humans, let that get WAY out of control.

2. “But Lujanne eats bugs, she’s a hypocrite for saying Claudia can’t squish bugs for pancakes” I want you to go down to your local new-age/witchy bookstore and find yourself an animist that eats meat. You are going to get glared at SO HARD if you whip out the “you think animals have souls but you eat meat!” chestnut. Because here’s the thing.

Eating meat/animal products is an act of life, necessary to sustain the life of someone else. We don’t vilify wolves for eating deer. You gotta eat to live your life, and the human (or, we can assume, bipedal humanoid) diet includes a need for complex protein chains, quite often found in animal meat. 

But the reason that we find cannibalism repulsive in western society is because it’s eating another human, despite the fact that humans are made of meat. It’s eating something that we consider sentient, dignified and possessed of a soul. Of course, the taboo also derives from the fact that you can contract prion disease from consuming human meat, but people in 11th century Normandy didn’t know that.  It is quite likely, especially given what we’ve seen of magical creatures and Ezran’s ability to talk to animals, that elves view non-human/elf creatures as sentient and possessed of a soul. If that’s the case, then OF COURSE they would see dark magic as horrific.

But eating meat is not on the same level because, as we see from the assassins, death is a part of life, and sometimes necessary. I imagine that hunting and taking a creature’s life for food is an act that is done with respect. The creatures are honored or thanked before they’re eaten or turned into leather. Highly ritualized to dignify that creature’s life.  Dark magic doesn’t do that. Dark magic sucks the whole life out, without so much of a how do you do.  It’s treating a person like a thing. It’s sucking all the life and essence out of someone so you can shoot fireballs or make fluffy pancakes. Lets be real - you don’t need to do either of those things, so the creature thus died in vain. 3. “The elves are selfish bastards for hogging all the magic.” I agree. Granted, their attitudes may have cooled in the ensuing centuries. It’s a new dawn, the era of Zubeia. We might see elves getting over their uppity selves and working to help teach humans magic. We might also see the show explore that kind of prejudice as Callum learns more magic. In fact, I hope we do. However, two wrongs dont make a right.  If Japan bombs the absolute fuckshit out of Hawaii, that does not make it okay to flash-fry Nagasaki with a weapon that blights the land and its people for years and years afterward.

To the elves (who are magical creatures and therefore totally usable as spell components), that’s what dark magic is. Suddenly, haha oh fuck, the humans have a fucking NUKE that every elf and dragon in Xadia is vulnerable to.  If a weapon was devised that ONLY a certain portion of the population was affected by, you better bet your sweet bippy that people would panic and make it forbidden and illegal, and severely punish the people who created it. ESPECIALLY if those people were already marginalized. Sucks, don’t it? Doesn’t mean the writing is bad for portraying people having a realistic reaction to something that is harmful to them. The elves aren’t justified in hogging the magic, and I hope future chapters will explore that. But the elves ARE a liiiiiittle bit justified in freaking out. I hold they could’ve come up with a better solution than BANISH HUMANS, but they didn’t. Makes for interesting story conflict, doesn’t it? 4. “Humans NEED dark magic!” / “Calling dark magic a shortcut is dumb” Did they tho? Did they really? Really really? We, modern day humans, don’t NEED smart phones (which rely on several rare earth minerals and are causing untold ecological disaster in areas where they’re miend). We, modern day humans, don’t NEED coal power (which is controlled by coal companies, who keep telling us that we totally do, despite many scientists saying that renewable energy is ready to go whenever). We don’t NEED blackberries from Mexico year-round, or a whole hell of a lot of the things we have come to rely on and consider part of our every day lives. All of these things are unnecessary and shortcuts to progress.

The only - ONLY! - good, necessary thing we’ve seen in canon that dark magic was required for was using the magma titan’s heart for saving people from famine.

A lot of the complaints about sustainable energy and efforts to heal the planet as climate change become increasingly a crisis stem from the fact that doing things RIGHT, in a way that is sustainable and doesn’t strip every last resource out of our home, is that it takes time. It takes SO MUCH TIME to do things properly. Yeah, we can keep going with our coal and our gas-guzzler cars and our fracking and our rare-earth metals... but we ARE going to run out. And then what?  Dark magic is the same principle. Eventually, you’re going to run out of resources. 

5. Where I think the show is going My main beef with those (and there’s a lot of ya, so I’m not intending to single anyone out) who say that the writing is lazy for dark magic bad elfs good is that the show is not over. Wonderstorm is doing their damndest to give us the saga. And they’ve said, out right, that there WILL be books, if nothing else.

You can’t judge a story’s merits when it’s only been half told. Right now, what the show has done is it has shown us the worst and best of the elves (for example, Khessa’s purity test vs Rayla refusing to kill Ez so she doesn’t perpetuate a cycle of violence) and the worst and best of the humans (ex: Viren forcibly turning thousands of people into monsters against their will vs Viren risking his life in order to save thousands of people from famine). The show has done well to demonstrate that there is good and bad in everyone, and it’s the choices you make and the respect you show others’ autonomy that makes you a good or bad person. The dominoes are in place. The saga has only begun. Being mad that Ezran burned an army (that he likely knew from Soren was invulnerable to fire) or that Aanya shot Kasef in the face (when Opeli would have told her that Kasef conspired behind Ezran’s back to usurp the throne, which is AN ACT OF WAR btw) means you aren’t looking at the big picture. There WILL be consequences for those actions in later seasons, mark my words.

I’m sorry if you’re a Viren or Claudia stan, but they have made choices that hurt other people, and it is in no way shape or form Ezran or Callum or Rayla or ANYONE ELSE’S fault that they made the choices they did. Instead of being mad at the show for not portraying your fav as an innocent victim, be glad that you got such a wonderfully complex set of villains who, quite likely, will get a bomb-ass redemption arc. In fact, I’ll bet you anything that Viren’s walk back from the edge has already begun. The dude fucking DIED, and he’s not going to be eager to get in there and get all grabby with the power any time soon. 

That’s what good writing IS - conflict. Tension. People making morally questionable choices. We like it because every day people are hypocrites and morally questionable. You, and I, and everyone we know. Nobody’s perfect and getting cranky and painting the protagonists with the broad villain brush so you can feel good about liking a problematic fave is... some peak tumblr bullshit, tbh.  It’s okay to like characters who aren’t perfect. How fucking boring fiction would be if everyone was perfect.

Now if I can ask my mutuals to please tag their criticisms of the show that go in the vein of “the writing is bad because dark magic is portrayed so negatively/they don’t hold the protags accountable/elves good humans bad” with “TDP critical” I would greatly appreciate it. It’s getting to the degree where things are becoming very not fun and making me cranky.  Thank you, Renee out. 

[thejourneytolovefrancisrose]

i made this today and i loved it...

but in this is some updates for this blog...

sso i got really behind on updating my life and everything the second half of last year, but i will try to sum it up briefly now, even though im not sure anyone pays any attention to this tumblr lol

1: I NOW IDENTIFY AS A NON-BINARY MAN/MXN.

Since top surgery, I still get some strange feelings, way less than before, about whether this is the kind of chest I want. I have have some friends that are transmen, nonbinary and/or agender say that its very normal to have those kinds of feelings post surgery, but especially so if you don't actually feel you identify as a binary transperson. And... I had to admit to myself that all the signs pointed that way. I don't want bottom surgery and really never did. I still include the man/mxn after nonbinary because I am still heavily leaning towards that male/man side, just not in any binary definition of what i want my male/man body to look like.

I now use "they" pronouns in addition to "he/him" pronouns and will be getting the X marker on my new ID once I get everything I need for getting the ID for the state I just moved to and thats gonna be a pain in the butt since they want all kind of identification. Its got nothing to do with the gender marker though and everything to do with them making their state ids compliant so they will be usable for domestic flights and trvael to canada and mexico once they new travel laws take effect this year.

2: TOP SURGERY UPDATE

So, I know have SO MUCH MORE feeling in my chest. A bunch woke up a couple months ago and, at first, it stung and had this staticky feeling. Also, it would hurt when i would go to brush crumbs or something off my chest and I dont know if maybe I was brushing harder before since it was numb or if it was just sensitive. Certainly was a shocker the first time it happened. Its adjusted a lot now. There are still some numb spots along the sides and where they made the incision, but a lot of it is back. My nipples also no longer look all shriveled up, but the flesh is still tight. Hoping that eventually I will be able to pierce them, but I have awhile to go still since a piercer told me i should wait 2 years.

3: HRT

I went on and off hormones a lot in that last half of the year. I spent almost two months off at one time and I wasnt sure I wanted to get back on... but eventually I did. My hairline is starting to recede, but for now, i think its that normal amount that testosterone does to give you a more masculine hairline... but im keeping my eye on it. im hoping, with the new year and all, to get back in the gym soon and hope the hormones help with the body sculpting. im also just so curious about how much more body hair im gonna grow. stomach hair that started near my pubic region is creating a tower and is climbing above my belly button now. theres some hair growing around my nipples and some on my feet. how much more will sprout up???

4: NEW YEAR

So, I finished college in December and this month I turn 29. I got some stuff to figure out, but I think I want to spend a significant amount of time in the next some years working on writing and art. I went to school for education, but I have been inspired to be brave and really push myself to go for my passions, which has been writing and art forever. Im gonna look into some masters degrees about art business and publishing. Might apply for that next year, who knows. We'll see just have to wait and see.

I'll be posting my new years resolutions/goals after this and maybe some more pics/videos and stuff. 😊😊😊

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

Sanctuary-III Submission

From @aeshnidaerp!

“I think Sanctuary III is a stolen/modified Maliwan freighter barge and I think most of the modifications are internal. also that one wall that u mentioned looked Atlas? i think it's Dahl and I think that in the new dlc we might have to help ellie collect usable scrap for modifying the inside to house ppl rather than cargo. <uh i dont remember how i ended this ask so sorry that the sentences wont match up anymore. anyway thank u v much for tellin me it didn get thru!>”

(hey no problem! I got this. Editing skills ahoy!)

“[It’s possible we get/request?] help from that Supamax group [for the doors of Sanctuary-III] or whatever bc those would need to be airtight/sealable for a spaceship for like. safety reasons in case of explosions/losing part of the ship, especially since Sanctuary III seems to be home to ppl and its important that they not be put in unnecessary danger by a ship that fails safety regulations. In addition, because the inside of Sanctuary III is so specific to the inhabitants (i.e. Heatant & coolant; the directions painted on the ground; etc) it’s obv that it’s been customized by the inhabitants. Like how in Star Wars the Millenium Falcon is a base YT-1300 freighter and recognizable as such, but it’s super different in function and stuff? I think that Sanctuary III has been similarly transformed, and I hope that we get to help w that in the new dlc... <anyway thank u so much! (sorry if this is not v coherent)>”

(I love this theory, I love how it integrates the Maliwan ship being repurposed with the inhabitants customizing it and even a reference along the way, its all very borderlands. It also possible the supamax group helped Maliwan make the ship as well, but I like this idea better! The fact that most of the doors seem like airlocks with the noise they make when they’re opened really adds onto the ship being fixed up for safety reasons! I would 100% adore helping fix this ship in the bl2 DLC, it could totally explain the name: “The Fight for Sanctuary”!)

Thank you for your submission! <3 :D let me know if you need me to change/edit anything :)

[nudelipislife-boldlipisliving]

Project Pan- Winter 2018

December 2017, February 2018

I don’t know if Project Panning is a thing on tumblr, but oh well.

I have never formally done a project pan but in the past year, literally 12 months, I have acquired soooo much makeup that I really need to dwindle it down before I buy any more. 

The items i am going to list are not items that are bad, I am just decluttering through panning. Many of these items are already half used- i just want to finish them. 

Im going to list by category: 

Primer: BECCA Backlight Priming Filter. 

-I really like this primer, the finish it gives is beautiful, but I’ve stopped using it and its already ¾ used up.

Foundation: JOSIE MARAN Vibrancy Argon Oil Foundation Fluid (Dynamic, RG5)

This is the only true foundation I have that isn’t from MAC, I wanted to venture out. I bought this foundation last winter because my skin was looking really dry but its too yellow for me, i am very pink, and the coverage wasn’t what I was used to. 

Currently I have been wearing less coverage, so I’m sure I can work through this. Plu,s with winter ramping up my skin could use some support:)

In addition, I have quite a few foundation and foundation-like products that have less product, which I will be mixing in with the Josie Maran foundation to adjust the colour.

Concealer: LA Girl Pro Concealer

This can easily go into a “youtube made me buy it” post, because that was why I bought it- I got caught up into the hype. Its fine, usable, but nothing spectacular and there are other concealers. 

There is soo little of this concealer I can taste it!! 

SOOO Im going to add a supplementary concealer, 

**Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, which is also really low!!

<insert Pic, tube&jar>

This is my favourite concealer, which I will repurchase, but I also want to try the Nars Soft Matte concealer, (which I tried in a sample).

Powders: I use alot of powders to set my face, so Im not worried about working through them.

Blush: None

Bronzer: Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer (Original shade) REPRESSED

URG this one is annoying!!! I’ve been using this bronzer for nearly a year and I’m soo bored with it. Also, because bronzer is such a subtle and nuanced addition to a look, i cant justify buying another before finishing one. 

FYI I repressed the butter bronzer into 2 separate pans and I want to go through at least one.

Contour: None

Highlight: Sparkling Rose Pearl Powder MAC (Discontinued) REPRESSED

This highlighter was one of my first dedicated highlighters, before this i used eyeshadows, which I dropped and shattered the first week I got it! lols! Needless to say I repressed it. Although I’ve used it alot I dont feel like I’ve put enough of a dent into it.

 **Bonus Pic**

*I thought i’d include this image to show the size of the bronzer and highlight in comparison to each other since they came out weighing the same amount, but also to the eye shadows later in this post.

Brows: MAC Brow Mechanical Pencil, Lingering

*image taken from maccosmetics.ca, 

When I went to weigh the pencil measurement on the scale was weird. Also, although this mechanical pencil rolls up, it isnt retractable, doesn’t wind down, so i couldnt physically measure the product remaining. we ill just have to see.

This product has gone untouched for better part of the past year as I migrated to pomades and powders for my brows, so to transition it out!

Lip Liner: MAC lip liner, Barely Bare

its SOOO tiny (7cm), and I really want the satisfaction of finishing it!!

Lipstick: *Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon, Pastille

**This is retractable, so i could have measured the product within, but iv used it a total of 3 times and i didnt want to risk it breaking.

This guy is the newest lip item to my stash, I’ve only used it a couple of times and I want to actively incorporate it into my rotation, especially because Bite Beauty is food grade and tends to expire quicker than other products. My main issue with this formula is that it doesn’t last very long and I dont like reapplying. However, more of a peeve is that because the product is so smooth and hydrating it tends to move around and I don’t like worrying that my lipstick has smudged all over my face. On the other hand the Bite formula is very comfortable and my lips have been needing a break from all the long-wear liquid lippies i’ve been wearing!

EYESHADOWS!!!!

Eye shadows are hard to quantify because eye looks are the most varying for me but there are shadows that i have hit MAJOR pan that I want to finish them. 

I’m going to address them left to right

*MAC Cranberry- <untouched for years, want to use it more& get it out>

*MAC Frost White- this shadow has been one of my staple colours for years, I have repurchased it countless times over the past decade of makeup use. However since iv ventured out further into makeup this guy has gotten left by the say side.

MAC Antiqued- <untouched for years, want to use it more& get it out>

*35OM Morphe Palette, the first shade in the palette. I used to use this shadow to set the concealer and as the colour on the first third of my lid when i did all matte eye looks, but i stopped using the palette. Ideally ill include one morphe shadow in each product pan to work through.

MAC Satin Taupe- <untouched for years, want to use it more& get it out> as you can notice this shade it cool rather than warm, which  started gravitating to wards but i want to got back to cool tones every once in a while. 

*MAC**blush** Baby Don’t Go- this shade was actually my introduction to contouring. I used it to the point where it was unusable, so I repressed it into 2 empty eyeshadow pans. Currently Ive been using it as a transition shade.

*MAC Amber Lights- Amber lights is one of my most repurchased items ever! 

I am going to try to group them into quads so that they’re wearable and ideally interchangeable. 

BB

P.S.; I started writing and DOING the project pan on DEC 13, im already bored😭 , though i think its more bc of the rigidity than the actual products.

[inthedusksynria]

Alright; rambling time mostly talking abt my Thoughts on what to do rn with orbs, feel free to give advice/thoughts. Scroll fast if on mobile bc holy HE C K this is getting super long

so options

I had 450 orbs (*proud look*) and i was guarding for this banner, thinking the mythic would be Anankos or Formottis and especially an anima hero, which i need a lot since naga is frankly almost useless and any defense loss hurts your gut. I spent 70 orbs and i got one hrid and one yune. Then i stopped myself because i felt guilty on spending orbs. (its...wild that when you go through an intense hoarding period that shit like 380 orbs becomes in your eyes super little)

Of this banner, i would only summon in red( DC fodder and Eliwood, who i dont have and am emotionally invested, Eirika, who i already have tho would hurt a lot to get pitybroken)) and green (Thrasir(Anima hero) and BunnyVeronica(G Duel Flier for Reyson, who is +7; Yune, would again, hurt to get because i already had her with perfect IVs and i just got one more of her))

Like, intellectually, by both looking at the options and the calendar of returning legendary/mythic heroes(*blows kiss to reddit user who compiled it*) this IS a great banner to try for thrasir, since the next time she is in, she will color share with gunthra, AND  atm Bunny Veronica has a widly highly coveted skill that could help a lot my arena team (i am in tier 20.5). And it is a great time to try for Eliwood since DC fodder. 

Eliwood will return in january (no one knows yet who will color share with him)

And watching the lines of thrasir and thinking of her story, i do like her, her art and voice lines are stunning and  i highly prefer her to Duma(who i dislike the art a L O T and his niche and usability is powercrept and i also dont like his character...)

However: 

a) I know i would get very very pissed alá my newfound renewed hatred for hector that wouldnt let me get Naga if i got pitybroken in trying for eliwood by eirika, and , after a time, hrid

b) i am starting to get on the fence on veronica because shoud i really justify using my orbs for just for duel skill? Yune also doesnt help a lot since i have yune AND sothis, so i pratically lose nothing on defense loss even if my team gets all killed

c)Everyone is talking on the possibility of Lif and Hel being BOTH mythic heroes. And i like them both far more than Thrasir( Hel bc i love Hel, and Lif bc Kozaki has my entire being with his art and.because the story of him is very very cool and i am highly enjoying (that cutscene?? METAL KILLED ME HOLY SHIT) meanwhile the story barely cares that Thrasir exists and like... the only like...piece of even a character thrasir got was last week) So..i like them both far more and should they end uo being mythic heroes... i would end up needing a lot of orbs for them both 

c.2) The problem with them as well is that Hel would be a dark mythic according to speculation which i have TOO MUCH of, and Lif kit would be complicated considering his weapon effect. The good news would be that people are theorizing he would be an Astra hero. Bad news however if he is light i will have even less justification to get him, because Eir is like...... the AR Savior

d) Halloween banner; Halloween ( and Festivals and Bride/Grooms) are the only seasonals i like, and i am considering the possibility of someone i love ending up as a alt. (i am.... listen... thinking on Lyon getting a Halloween alt because Lute is gonna get a refine; rein and berkut, villians/antags, got one, and he scored high on the CYL3)

e) New heroes banner; same thing, i am also scared of a banner of people i love ending up releasing. (For the record: Fates banners, SS banners, RD banners and a Morph elibe banner) 

f) Also the possibility of a legendary hero i like

ehhhhhhhhhh like idk i want grails and i like thrasir and eliwood and this banner is great for both of them; but idk what to do. I am scared on ending up on a saving circle and never summoning.

Yet after spending 70 orbs, i felt a LOT of guilty; something i didnt experienced when i went batshit on the fallen banner or the brave banner or when i went feral for L!Azura and basically drove me to 0 orbs. I think its a sight i might not be as invested in this...

Idk man... i really want grails because a lot of my favs are grail units; yet Legendary banners are fricking traps, that are never kind to me... and i yeah.

Like....i am considering waiting until the last day of the banner to see if we get any info on the halloween banner units.... but i am scared i might end up not suceeding because of my poor impulse control... and if we do get info then i will think on the units of the new heroes banner and arrrggg

i really really hope we get info on them... 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i just idk... i need an anima hero but at the same time? Mythics/Legendarys are huge investments man... but i have a shitton of favs on grails.... but i also have to think on new heroes and stuff...

AAAAAAA WHY COULDNT THEY JUST BE IN A 3 HEROES BANNER WHILE ALSO BEING MYTHIC HEROES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[dianaagron]

hello darkness my old friend i’ve come back on tumblr once again (after like one month of not uploading anything or reblogging or answering messages for that matter because im a shit person who is actually very busy)

once upon a time this was called the your fave crack edits maker watched the thing earlier review but let’s be honest im not editing a flying fuck lately so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  (here are part 1, part 2 AND part 3 tho)

warnings: i talk like a sailor, i haven’t been in touch with the fandom or with the whole franchise for like months and if you’re not that interested in the actual plot of the thing and you’re just watching out of love for the characters, there’s a 99% chance i’m even more disinterested than you (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:·ﾟ✧

basically if you’re looking for in-depth analysis and metas yo this ain’t the post for you my friend

good luck reading lmao

it’s a truth universally acknowledged that if a tri movie is coming out, tumblr user dianaagron (clara for friends) won’t know about it until the day after, when she’ll wake up and check twitter after 84 years of not logging in and realize that yesterday was the day. actually, this time i remembered the episodes were out the same day they were released, but still it was because of good ol’ twitter, because with all the mess that’s going on with me (part of the reason why i’m never here) even if i happened to check at the beginning of the week when soushitsu was coming out, i still managed to completely forget about it in the span of a fucking day. also, i’m fucking pissed because i’ve always watched the thing after downloading the various episodes because that way i have all my stuff and i can go back and easily find caps and other stuff like that but nope not this time because i can’t fucking find a single torrent and i’m refusing to download subbed episodes because a) it’s gonna take so long to direct download something and b) what use are subbed episodes when i know i’d be replacing them with unsubbed ones as soon as i can find working dls (this is a cry of help: tell me where i can download the episodes, im dying, thank you)

one thing to take into account: i was extra pissed for various reasons yesterday night when i watched the first two episodes, so i’m not really sure if that’s why, compared to the shit that i had to deal with in real life, the episodes (in the contrary to all expectations) weren’t bad at all. truth is i actually liked this installment? INCREDIBLE, I KNOW. of course it had its nonsense moments and parts that made me roll my eyes (im buying pizza for everyone who can guess which were those moments) and other negative parts, but i really preferred movie 4 to movie 3. i’m guessing this is an unpopular opinion because i remember everyone was so happy with kokuhaku back in the day and i was the only soul going like lmao i didnt even cry but idk, i liked this one, it wasn’t bad. btw, i said i’m guessing mine could be an unpopular opinion because i’m writing this sorry excuse of a review before reading anything else cause i don’t want to be influenced :)))))

(save me ive written 500 words on nothing) (meanwhile i finally found torrent links) (and i had to pause the review because i ended up going out yesterday night so this is me talking one day later from what you’ve read before)

once again, i feel like nothing happened in the course of these four new episodes. now, i know i’m extremely slow when it comes to get plot points and all that (not because i’m that stupid, thank you very much, but because of my attention span varies from 1 second to 2 and a half so it’s hard for me to recall what happened in the previous installments unless i go and rewatch all of them - thing i won’t ever do because this girl right here is lazy as fuuuck) but if you sit down and think about what was revealed, you get close to nothing lmao.

winning points of the movie (for me):

not too many extreme closeups like in the previous installment. it flowed better, the animation quality wasn’t as terrible as it was in the previous four episodes (im saying this just by quickly looking at the caps i took - while in the other i had so many ugly caps here they all look presentable and usable) (i say this from the point of you of someone who makes edits of course, i dont have the knowledge of an animator lmao), the majority of the shots with mimi, which are the ones that i pay the most attention to, are super pretty, but also those with taichi’s!!! his design was super on point, i have many caps im probably gonna insert later of just him looking hella attractive, and sora!!! omg sora was so fucking beautiful in these episodes i was so :)))) yay for nice designs, they make me happy.

the lack of you know who for basically two episodes. it was so good, so nice, so calming. i was loving life and life was loving me.  

HOW THEY HANDLED THE TAIORATO!!!! if you know me or if you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know this already, but i’m saying this in case i have new readers (HI) or, y’know, to swipe some dust off: i’m not the biggest fan of the main three. that comes from the fact that michi is my otp and i love taishiro probably too much for my own sanity, so i tend to be on the taichi/koushiro/mimi & yamato/sora/jyou side of things (which is like, super unpopular because if it’s not taiorato then it’s yamichi, so you get why my life is a constant struggle). anyway, thing is that i actually loved the interactions between the three? it was light and it felt super real, it could easily be relatable. it was also clear to me that taichi’s and yamato’s roles in sora’s life were blatantly different and i also loved to see how the two of them while being in the same situation reacted differently, but i’m gonna touch this topic later. overall tho, good job on the dynamic between those three. im clapping my hands, i wasn’t excited about it when the movie poster came out five months ago but i’m so happy that they made me love the parts with taichi, yamato and sora.

it wasn’t heavy on fight scenes. i know. I KNOW. but as i’ve said, i’m not the average digimon fan so i’m happy with my bonds developing and less fights and all that stuff :))))

meiko exceeding all expectations and NOT CRYING for all four episodes. such sorcery. 

on the other hand tho

y’all, who the fuck is that ygdradude? am i supposed to know? did i miss a focal point? am i that disinterested in the plot to miss a fucking focal point????

also what the fuck was that part with i dont know his name, the teacher, with the white space shit and the talk about libra. what is libra, who is libra, what the hell, what the fuck

pedo gennai dear lord i felt so fucking uncomfortable 

remember when i said meiko didn’t cry? she didn’t cry because they replaced her with her partner and made meicoomon whine for 3/4 of the movie instead 

the opening scene ????????????????  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ artistic choice ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

the fact that they basically wasted half an episode (the last one) on three evolutions. they really need to cut down the timing of those, for real

i can’t think of anything else rn 

they could’ve kept meiko away for other three episodes if it was me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

then again they could’ve just kept meiko away from tri in general if it was me

warning: i have 98 screenshots ready to use, i’m gonna try to cut some stuff because that’s too many, but here we go 

they were pulling some hikari shit right here (as well as some charlie chaplin sorcery for the whole sequence)

that’s what i’m saying

OKAY LISTEN, that fucking egg with the circular thing under it made me highkey hope for some sort of magic shit happening and bringing the 02 kids back because it looks like a digimental egg or however those things were called. like my hope was so highkey that i fucking ended up dreaming the night between me watching the first two episodes and the latter two that miyako was back. unfair. i hated it. i want my kids back. 

taichi being handsome: exhibit A

mimi being beautiful: exhibit A

sora being incredibly pretty yet sad: exhibit A (i told you guys the design was extra better compared to the last movie) 

random caps taken merely for the fact that taichi and mimi were next to each other looking aesthetically pleasing to the eye  (also do you ever cry about the skin tone difference between these two because i tend to do that a lot) 

i can’t stand them hahahahah

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) frankly they could’ve shown yamato in the next scene so that way the foreshadowing would’ve been blunt and people wouldn’t still be bitching. or maybe they would anyway lmao. also look at the girls being all pretty together im so :))))

just pretty mimi and taichi + koushiro talking i was :)))) i love them all i love my kids, especially kou when he goes on about his tea

and i also FINALLY appreciated a koumi scene!!!! it happened!!!!! honestly, as i’ve said, i’m not entirely sure if it was because i was facing so much rl shit right before i watched the thing or what, but this time i was just enjoying what tri had to offer me without caring too much about other stuff like “ugh they’re pushing the fanservice with ship baits” and such. this was just plain cute, mimi was terribly in character, koushiro as well, and it was just the kind of interaction that i love. i love my kids pt. 2974521248 like, of course i would’ve loved for mimi to feed one to taichi, but i’m still somehow sane and i know they’ll never show something like that in canon? but still, it’s nice cause i know how differently from koushiro taichi would’ve reacted in a setting like this and i just can use it in my fanon world. goodbye.

this is why i’m team taichi, yamato

taichi being handsome: exhibit B

JUST IMAGINE HIM LOOKING AT MIMI LIKE THAT BEFORE THEY KISS IM SO ??????????? im gonna make a manip just wait for it

AH YES The Interaction™ also known as one of my fave parts of the movie lmao but it’s so nice whenever mimi talks it’s taichi the first one to answer im happy goodbye

cutie patootie be looking at his cute patoote

legit thought palmon was going to transform into sailor palmoon or something

why so ugly good lord

AAAHHHHHH!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS!!!! THIS THING RIGHT HERE!!!!  let me put it into context in case you don’t remember: this was taichi asking his LEGIT CANON BEST FRIEND IZUMI KOUSHIRO TO NOT PUSH HIMSELF TOO MUCH AND REST. can anything be as beautiful as this? this made my heart defrost, im alive, y’all need to reevaluate your “taichi and yamato are bffs” business because. of. this. right. here. (im slamming my fist on the table, in case you were wondering) 

hikari being smug af with takeru tho, that gave me life as well. also jyourato sitting next to each other <33333

AND THE SISTER IN LAWS <3333333 under a blanket that it’s so mimi’s 

penis shot

taichi you fool...

a word on the so called triangle that of a triangle it has nothing but whatever: it was clear to me that yamato and taichi hold two very different spots in sora’s life, while both being important to her. there are multiple times when we see yamato trying to make taichi break the ice and talk to sora, and that’s because he is her best friend, so he should be the one who is supposed to know how to make her feel better at all times. another thing i noticed was how it was yamato to be the most sensitive to sora (unsurprisingly so): you see it especially when taichi is busy with agumon and he’s still monitoring sora, worried

here

and of course this whole exchange was beautiful, and i don’t have much else to add. truly iconic. 

[insert penis joke here]

can we please take a moment to appreciate sora and mimi? they are so important

DA BACKHUG DOE guess who also watches kdramas lmao

minute 18 of episode 2 say goodbye to all your dreams of greatness 

CRYING HE’S SO PRECIOUS I LOVE HIM SO MUCH imagine him holding a baby 

i’m too lazy to go back and take another screenshot, but jyou with both palmon and patamon holding onto him was something else

🙄  🙄  🙄  even here mere expression makes me 🙄  but at least she wasn’t crying

i wasn’t

actually, as studies say, mimi is, in fact, a libra

why you know who tho when we all know it was sora who was supposed to be in the picture

why you know who pt. 2 

GET OFF THE RAILS YOU FUCKING FUCKS IS2G THEY FUCKING WAITED UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT TO GET OFF LIKE YAMATO AND KOUSHIRO U PRICKS IF YOU DON’T SEE THE OTHER TWO MOVING WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING, A HAND FROM THE SKY? THE TEA TO BE SERVED????

the fluff tho

the contrast between hikari being the calm one and having accepted the situation vs taichi still being unsure and lost was nicely done by making her facing the light and him staying in the shadows, good job with the cinematography im clapping my hands

F U C K I N G  W H Y  no, but seriously, i was already uncomfortable before with him being on top of her but this just just like yikes to a whole new level like i just don’t get it???? was it necessary???? just ew

i love mimi and the lowkey koukari pass it on

who the fuck is ygdrasil tho

ah yes, chosen children be so fit, they be running from huge monsters wanting to kill them off, they be escaping just with their two legs. incredible. 

digimon au: cruise OR digimon au: titanic (spoiler: meiko is jack) 

tag urself im jyou speaking the words of wisdom

takeru was cute here

weird lighting aka good luck to those who gif these scenes lmao

teach me this choreography guys don’t keep it to urselves 

this was some weird shit right here let me tell you

ah yes again with the superhuman strength, surviving after a fucking huge machine slams you repeatedly against a mountain or smth like that

ur the one saying it gennai get a fucking grip 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! MY JYOURA HEART, JYOU BEING DASHINGGGG how can they not believe him when he says he has a girlfriend i mean have you seen the dude? he’s going to be a doctor, he can fucking catch a girl falling from 20 meters up in the sky i meAN 

THE REAL HIGHLIGHT OF THE MOVIE. GALS BEING PALS. (for real tho, i felt so blessed? it’s in moments like these that i just feel all the love for this anime, im so :)))))) )

and jyou comforting sora as welllllll~~~~

and that’s it with the pics you guys!!! a couple of further points

if they didn’t waste half an episode on three evolutions, they could’ve just gone further with the plot, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

im not saying meiko grew on me, because i still want her out, but i can deal with her if he doesn’t cry as much as he did in the first three installments 

what’s up with that ygdradude and libra talk is my question

they still need to address the 02 kids mystery and i need my babies back 

the triangle is not, in fact, a triangle

i love my kids 

and the episodes weren’t bad, come on. they went a little further with the plot by showing that the chick whose name i don’t remember had a partner that died and so that was the reason for the reboot, so they did give some answers, and at least the pacing of this movie was faster than in the previous one. 

also, as i’ve said, idk what’s the popular opinion but i loved sora’s arc, it was nicely done and i don’t have anything to bitch about (except for meiko’s unnecessary presence). i felt for her and i wanted to wrap a blanket around her and just give her all the love.

and that’s it i think? 

im blocking out the memories of the scenes with gennai because im feeling super uncomfortable whenever i do

we’re talking first kiss between wang so and hae soo in scarlet heart levels of uncomfortable

the ending sequence was so cute <3333 especially sora and piyomon, they were my faves closely followed by taichi and agumon

and im done

thank you for reading

i’ll probably go back to my hibernation now 

ily all 

if you got to this point i’m truly buying you a pizza 

and let’s not forget the winning screencap, you can use it every day at every hour, every moment in your life

[burgermiester]

Why Brom is the best Armored Unit in Radiant Dawn

First off, “best armored unit” is not the most auspicious title.  Its pretty rare for a Fire Emblem game to have worthwhile armor knights.  As a general rule, mounted units and fliers reach the enemies first and get the bulk of the kills/exp/functionality, unarmored foot units come next and get the scraps, and armor knights are left with the crumbs.  Radiant Dawn is not an exception in this regard, for the most part.  At least in Radiant Dawn there do exist chapters where your armor knights are useful because of “scenario” style chapters and occasional limited units to choose from. So instead of comparing the armors to each other in terms of stats and raw number of chapters they are available in, I think its more important to look at how many chapters they are in where they can contribute meaningfully and how much they do contribute, starting with the man of the hour:

Brom:

Brom has part 2.  I could probably stop typing right here but I dont know when to quit so I will continue.  2-1 has only Brom, Nephenee, and Heather.  Heather cant do much to most of the enemies on any difficulty, Nephenee cant really touch the enemy armors, including the boss, and on hard I dont even think she can do enough damage to feasibly take him on so that makes Brom your only option for the boss, and the best option to take on most enemies. That right there would be enough for me to call Brom the best armor in the game, because being the best unit in one chapter (and on hard being the only unit capable of beating the chapter)>being available but not worth using in a dozen others.  But it doesnt end there, in 2-2 hes one of the most capable and certainly tankiest fighters and you will probably have him leading the march through the dark cave, and you especially will on the turns where Mordecai is untransformed.  Lucia can get more kills but you have to be a bit cautious since a few lances or lucky other hits will put her down.  Brom gets to actually be a tank and do it well in the situation where it makes the most sense to have a tank (in cramped fog of war.)  Last, hes got 2-E.  Now, theres lots of ways to cheese this map as well as take it head-on, but even the cheesy strats involve blocking one of the two sides with Brom.  So hes not as crucial as in the other two chapters, but he still is absolutely contributing.  

Meg:

Poor Meg.  Shes got horrible bases, growths that clash with her class caps, and is stuck in the dawn brigade where shes competing with too many other growth units with too few exp to spread between them.  The chapters where youd want an armor, 3-6, 3-12 and 3-13, dont really beg for you to train her since Nolan, Jill and even Aran if you are dying for a tank all get you through those chapters more easily (and shell probably not have the defense to really tank 3-6).  I probably didnt even need to write this part, we all know ultimately unimpressive Meg’s combat capabilities are, even if it can be a lot of fun to use her for novelty’s sake.  

Tauroneo:

Brom has 3 chapters he can really contribute in, while Tauroneo has only 2*, yet one of those chapters is 3-13, which for many is the hardest chapter in the game.   That being said, like most defense chapters its very easy to beat it cheaply, so its hard for me to rate Tauroneo all that highly just for this chapter.  But even if you are cheesing it you will probably want to use Tauroneo, so I would consider him contributing as much in 3-13 as Brom in 2-E, even if thats perhaps a bit too generous considering other units can be trained up to plug important gaps whereas Brom is in a more preset role so hes always going to be necessary for a gap or 2.  In his only other chapter, 3-12, he unfortunately starts far on the left when youd want him on the right, and it takes a few turns for him to join the fight, although when hes there he kicks ass. But in any case, 3-12 can be beaten pretty much entirely by the ally units so any contributions are not that impressive.

*he can also contribute in the first map of 1-6, but you really want to be training Nolan and Jill and any other DB baby in part 1 so its a bit of a waste to let him get these easy kills, especially when its not that hard to beat the chapter without him.

Gatrie:

Finally, we have Gatrie.  Hes the guy that I have little doubt gamefaqs guides and tierers in general will call the best armor knight in the game.  And before I get to the real meat of Gatrie’s usefulness by my standards, I feel I must make a brief aside to address the general idea of usefulness and why Gatrie is cited as better than Brom, which is to say raw availability, bases and growths and starting level, and usable weapons/rank.  Brom actually has one chapter of availability more than Gatrie, but for the most part they are nearly the same.  Brom joins at level 2 and Gatrie 10, but in my experience using both sensibly and not giving either of them favoritism or anti-favoritism by the time they are in a party together Brom is close to level 10 and Gatrie to 13-15, so its not a big difference there, and if you look at their average stats on SF youll see its really not a big difference in stats at those levels, or indeed at any level. The only important stats Gatrie excels over Brom in is speed and strength, and its only by a point or two, so they are both doubling or not doubling or getting doubled by pretty much the exact same enemies.   And in actual damage Brom will be outperforming Gatrie because hes using axes, which more than make up for the couple points of str to outperform Gatrie with his weaker lances.  When taking all that into account I dont see either of them being significantly better than the other in a statoff, and since I still am saying that “how useful are they in the chapters where its worth using them?” is much more important than “how useful would they be if I forced myself to use them?” lets put this aside and go back to where Gatrie is uniquely useful.

So what does Gatrie do that only Gatrie can do? Well, hes got 2 chapters, 3-P and 3-1.  In 3-1 Gatrie is fantastic.  Its a small fog of war map with chokepoints and a time limit.  Gatrie excels at heading up the left path through the grass towards the boss, especially with Shinon at his back shooting from behind and through the fence, giving the enemies the old thunder and lightning maneuver while the more mobile members of the GM sweep around to clear out the rest of the map.  Its a bit like Brom’s contributions in 2-2 but I would say slightly better.  In 2-2 Brom is great, but you could potentially take the dark very slowly with just Lucia or any other character of your choosing if you desired, but in 3-1 theres a time limit so its all hands on deck, everyone has to help and Gatrie has a convenient spot he excels at.  Sadly, 3-P is not nearly as good for Gatrie.  Its textbook armor knight curse map design.  The enemies are all on one path, your more mobile units, in this case everyone else, will reach and kill enemies before Gatrie arrives.  He might as well not even exist.  

And speaking of might as well not even existing; the rest of the game.  From 3-3 onward Brom and Gatrie have identical availability, and its really not worth using either of them.  Just like 3-P, time and time again the poor armors just cant reach fighting before its over.  3-5 is a defense chapter where either of them might contribute but in the entire series 3-5 is perhaps the easiest defense chapter to play offensively, so thats not really an opportunity for them to be useful.  Plenty of chapters have reinforcements from behind that they could potentially fight, but to the question “why not instead of using armors just keep training all high movement units who can either finish chapters before reinforcements become an issue or run back and kill reinforcements and return to the main fight quickly” there is no objective answer in favor of armor knights.  If you were to ask yourself “I am determined to use one of the armor knights in every single chapter despite the fact that using no armor knight would be a better choice, so which one should I choose?” The answer might be Gatrie or it might be too close to call.  If you were to ask yourself the much more practical question “which units should I use?” the answer in regards to this subject at least, is, “however many deployment slots you have, Brom and Gatrie are equally unworthy of filling them.”  There are always better units to choose from than either of them.  They are comrades in obsolescence.

The Very Short Version:

When it comes to a class thats overall not worth using like Armors in a game with as strange of a structure as Radiant Dawn, comparing their usefulness is about looking at where each of them is actually worth using and how well they perform.  Meg has nothing, Tauroneo has two chapters where hes good, Gatrie has one chapter where hes great, and Brom has one chapter where hes good, one where hes great, and one where hes indispensable.  

[topicprinter]

Hey folks,​I'm unable to copy-paste the entire article somehow.I thought about sharing this with you. Here's the intro and article if it seems interesting._______________________________________If you are an early-stage founder, and looking for some dos and donts. This blog post is for you.I have launched two startups in my entrepreneurial career so far. I have had 1 failed startup and another one is doing ‘Okay’ in revenues. Now as a Head of Growth at another startup, I grew the company profitably as a bootstrapped startup at 40% month-over-month in revenues in the last 13 months, I think I learnt a lesson or two about it. Therefore, I am sharing some insights with you.My story Okay, l'll be honest. I was a wantrepreneur. I fancied companies going public, and people minting money and showing it off on TechCrunch.I thought entrepreneurship was about doing good business, something in tech, innovating, and then getting a big pay off day. Shoot! But I was wrong.Actually, entrepreneurship is about solving problems. It’s about the journey, not the end. The idea of starting an independent business and being your own boss, and has a sort of glory associated with,  were the reasons I wanted to start my own thing.The fact that you have no boss -- it’s a lie. You always have investors or customers to answer to. Back when I was starting, I had an idea related to crowd shipping, like an Uber for long-distance awkward items. You can look at this video to understand my first idea more. I saw Uber and AirBnB doing well and figured this was my chance. The timing felt right and crowd shipping was in demand. I did my research and I felt like this would hit off. But it didn’t. It failed. I was in a market that was not in English, it was German. I didn’t know the real behavior, how it is gonna turn out.Anyway, starting a startup is like playing a new game. You probably suck at it the first time, and then each time you’ll progress. Very few people make it in the first go (this is a reality). Similarly, an artist’s first drawing is terrible, a writer’s first story is subpar, a software engineer’s first code is full of bugs. No one hits the jackpot on their first try, not if it's worthwhile. So don’t be too hard on yourself.You should always be open to learning and growing with the focus of getting better at it.It’s about the journey, not the end (some famous guy must have said it, I don't remember who).1) Passion-founder fit, then everything elseEntrepreneurship is all about passion. You need to love solving problems, and you need to love what you do.I’ll give my own example: one of my startups (ECOMPLY) was about GDPR Compliance. It should have hit off. I had found a market, investment, and attention. But what I didn’t have was passion for privacy. I had been so focused on the idea of a startup that I didn’t think about why I’m doing what I’m doing. So I had to let that go too.Follow your passion. Not someone else’s.There are 3 steps you need to focus on when deciding your startup product:Product-Founder FitHow well does your startup fit YOU? The better it fits, the more likely you are to succeed.Product-Market FitHow well does your startup satisfy strong market demand? This is the first step to building a successful venture in which the company meets early adopters, gathers feedback and gauges interest in its product.Market/Product-Channel FitWhen you find a channel that consistently brings leads for you. You can find more info about product-channel here.A good example of product-founder-passion fit is below by Sahil (who is a successful founder of Gumroad).2) Product validationMost people, first and second-time founders, often make this mistake and I did it too. I didn’t validate my product enough.To validate your product is to provide assurance that it meets the needs of the customers and other stakeholders. It often involves acceptance and suitability with external customers. You need to talk to people, you need to listen to the market. This should be your priority.It’s as simple as making a landing page and using it to talk to people. These people are potential customers and they are how you’re going to validate your business.Sometimes, you can validate with a simple slide deck, showing ads, sending cold emails, and much more.I validated my idea by having a Facebook group for my crowdshipping idea, and it was still not enough. I had 600+ members in it and still it was not enough.3) Make it mean somethingDon’t go after fads. Just don’t do it.Let's take ECOMPLY as an example again. It’s still going decently but we started pursuing GDPR because it was in back then. We focused our energy on the idea but didn’t think about whether there was an actual need for it. Even if it’s popular, make your product stand out by attaching a meaning to it. Things with meaning are earnest and being earnest goes a long way in business.ECOMPLY is not a bad business, it was simply too reliant on external triggers like fines by authorities or complaints by an end user.Don’t go after recent fad like AI or Blockchain, focus on the problem on how to solve it. 4) Do things that don’t scale initially (as Paul Graham said)This is the most common issue I find, especially when I consult my prospects at Userpilot. Many entrepreneurs are thinking about scaling onboarding, sales, email automation, and much more. Sure, get those startup programs but do not think about scaling right away until things are getting out of control.Yazan, Userpilot’s co-founder, he did early sales himself with me for at least first 400 demos. We learned so much from our early users. Similarly, Superhuman is onboarding users personally, to learn from their users. Focus on learning. Doing things that don’t scale is the most beautiful part of startup phases.Don’t start sending bulk emails. The only thing that should be automatic is your user onboarding emails. Everything else, you need to put manual effort in. Talk to your users, give your users the founder’s attention. Some resources on doing things that don’t scale:Paul Graham’s adviceThis won’t scale5) Have monetary goals early onThe best way to understand if your users are here to stay is if they start paying you. If your product is a B2C one, then focus on usability; how many people are using how many features? This gives you information whether people are actually interested in using your product or services. If you are a B2B product, focus on getting 1st customer, then 10, and then 100. Have a monthly/quarterly goal.Your first fee can be a small one but do make sure to charge them. A lot of people don’t ask for money upfront when they really should. If your user finds your product valuable, they will pay for it.Having monetary goals will keep you focused.Full article with examples: My 13 startup mistakes that you should avoidLooking forward to engaging with you in the comments below.

[kansascityhappenings]

Joe’s Weather Blog: We’re going to need a bigger shovel-maybe (WED-2/13)

Happy Wednesday! The good news is that we’ve got a breezy and milder day heading this way with highs into the 50s. Get out…enjoy it…do whatever…but get out of the house because regardless of how much snow we get from these systems that are coming through over the next week…it’s going to get cold. Thursday will be the transition day…and we’re into the cold on Friday with alternating snow chances and sticking snow likely. As I mentioned yesterday we won’t get blasted by the full-on effects of each potential storm but at least one get us…and the one that I’m most concerned about at this point is the one for Friday afternoon>evening.

Forecast:

Today: Lots of high clouds around…turning windy in the afternoon with highs 50-55° or so. Winds possibly gusting to near 30 MPH

Tonight: Milder with fair skies and lows well into the 30s

Thursday: A cold front will move through with variable clouds. The timing of the front appears to be near or after lunch. Highs may reach about 50° (colder north>warmer south) before dropping into the 20s in the evening with teens as wind chills.

Friday: Snow developing with accumulations likely. Highs 20-25°

Discussion:

First of all…as usual thanks for reading the weather blog. Yesterday it was the #1 item on our web page which is always humbling. It still amazes me the comments on FB I get about this “outlet” for me. So many mention that they learn about the weather and like the whys and whatfors about these storms…set-ups…whatever. A darn weather blog. Still amazes me.

Onwards.

Won’t bother with today or tomorrow as that is pretty straight-forward. The issue for Thursday is when the cold air is injected into KC from the north. My thought is sometime around or after lunch with the 50° weather turning into 30° weather by the time evening rush is done with…and colder with the wind chills.  There could be a few sprinkles with this but not much is expected rain-wise.

OK now the elephant in the room. I think by now everybody knows about the snow potential over the next week. 3 storms through next Wednesday. As I mentioned yesterday I’m not in the mindset that ALL three give us crazy amounts of snow. Last night there was a rather significant change, in at least one model, for the weekend system and the one next TUE>WED.

So to try and simplify things…let’s refer to Friday’s system as storm #1…Saturday night’s system as storm #2 and then the TUE>WED AM system as storm #3. I still worry that we may be vulnerable to other “things” beyond that but IF I start talking about that possibility I’ll need security guards in the grocery store (kidding not kidding)

So my confidence level about the 3 storms is “somewhat” strongest for what’s ahead of us…storm #1. Storm #2 and #2 I have less confidence about…especially #3 at this point because…well it’s about a week away. Storm #2 is somewhat problematic as well…I think we’ll get something from that…but I’m not sure if we get the “big one” from that.

Then there is storm #1 (the one due in Friday).

I want to show you some of the data from the newest weather satellite that became “operational” just yesterday. It’s the GOES 17 satellite that is more focused on the western part of the country and the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

  Pretty shots…but there are issues with the satellite. There are some problems with the equipment up there and in particular with a cooling fan. Remember this satellite is way up there…some 22,000 miles up…the Space Station is 254 miles up…so it’s not as if we can send maintenance up there. They’ve come up with some workarounds, which is still amazing to me for something that is orbiting the Earth and so far away…but for several hours each day during certain times of the year when the sun heats up the satellite too much…pictures won’t be usable. Regardless there is still a LOT of good data coming down the pipeline towards us.

So with that said…Storm #1 is still off the western US…off the coast of CA.

It’s that mass of clouds on the far right hand side…hopefully when daylight comes the US borders will become more evident.

That storm right now at least is in a few pieces (yellow flag in my mind) and when it comes ashore in CA tomorrow afternoon and crosses into the Rockies Friday morning…we’ll see what kind of shape it’s in.

That yellow flag is one of the problems I have with this set-up right now. The storm is going to be a fast mover it appears when it gets into the Plains and I’m still not sure how well put together it’s going to be when it flies through KS on Friday afternoon. Let’s go up to about 18,000 feet and show you the 3 storms. The one is KS is storm #1. The map shows areas of “vorticity”. These areas are where the atmosphere shows cyclonic tendencies and ahead of these features you  get “lift” (good for precipitation) and behind the features you get sinking air (good for clearing). These areas have varying intensity…big storms generate lots of lift…weaker ones…less lift.

Here is wayyyy more information than you want to know about the above map.

So the rough idea of a “transition zone” between rising air…lift…and sinking air…is the axis location of the “U” dips in the above map. With me so far? Notice as well the size of the “U” dip. For storm #1 it’s not overly “dippy” compared to storm #2…do you see that.

Less “dippy” storms tend to move fast. So the time that we’re in the “favorable” zone of lift is shorter than when the dips are deeper in size. Still with me?

Now that is up there at around 18,000 feet. We have to look at the entire atmosphere though as well. That smaller dip will be bringing some decent moisture with it and tapping into some sub-tropical moisture coming up from western TX…and that moisture will be one of the keys for us to get significant snow. IF that moisture isn’t as impressive or it gets pushed a bit farther east or south of here…we may NOT have a big snowstorm in KC on Friday. Nuisance snows yes…I think that’s unavoidable at this point (nuisance meaning 1-4″ or so) …it could be a sign that the wave is moving too fast or isn’t strong enough and this has to be at least looked at right now and NOT discounted at this point.

Then there is the matter of a building southwards area of high pressure…this is the cold air maker for us…BUT it’s also a dry air maker too. So the feed in the lower part of the atmosphere is of drier air…and that too can chew on what falls for awhile. Too much dry air and decent snowmakers can turn into blah snow makers. I may be making too much of a deal on this BUT it’s in the back of my mind as well.

Right now I think the odds of all this happening and ALL of this just turning into a “nuisance event” is around 55% and 55% should NOT be discounted at this point.

If you want something more significant (meaning in my weather head…4″ or more) you would like to see that moisture source be 1) real and 2) have that wave a bit more focused and “sharper”. That helps maximize the lift a bit more…that lift then works in concert with the moisture coming northbound…and as a result you get more impressive swaths of snow moving through the area.

There are some so-so favorable jet stream dynamics at play with this as well…for conciseness I won’t get into that right now. Not the greatest set-up and I’ve seen better over the years.

The new data slows the onset of sticking snow to the afternoon Friday. That makes sense and I can see how the dry air flow from the north is sort of working against the snow as it tries to come eastbound. However I also see how the snow out west is coming together better later in the morning and that snow would then come along the I-70 corridor in the afternoon…the issue remains how well it holds together as it comes eastbound along I-70.

You can see the conundrum. Dry air…sort of a disjointed broken up wave moving through the Plains…lift in the atmosphere that isn’t exactly super focused and a snow window that may be only around 6-8 hours or so…and some of that may be chewed on by the dry air.

This is the reason why we want to hold off on how much snow will fall from this. I know many are seeing all sorts of numbers on their various apps and with other sources…last night I mentioned that there was potential of over 4″ on Friday. That is still there certainly BUT I’m not sure how much over 4″ we will get at this point and that’s why I don’t want to do any snow maps yet with more precise information.

Trust me I know you want all the answers but for those who DON”T want a ton of snow…consider the early data today a better trend for your side. I don’t want to throw a 4-8″ amount out there at this point because my confidence isn’t there for something like that right now. The dry air scenario chewing at the snow because the wave coming in is sort of a mess needs to be factored into the equation. IF that dry air is “less” dry and IF the wave is better put together then yes over 4″ is VERY doable…again though lets try as we can to keep the horses in the barn for a bit longer.

There is still all sorts of potential with these 3 storms…and I won’t be surprised by some significant snow on the ground in a weeks time but let’s try and deal with them one at a time.

Takeaways from this…

Snow arrives after lunch Friday and sticks right away

The evening rush hour may be a mess

A LOT of schools are NOT in session anyway because of in-service conference days ahead of the 3 day weekend anyway

The dry air seeping southwards may “chew” on the snow as it comes eastbound

The wave needs to be better organized with more focus to tap into the moisture trying to come northwards and also to act as a better “tug” on that moisture

The weekend system bears some watching as well as does the one next week. Still WAYYYY to early to worry about forecast accumulations with that one.

OK that’s it for now. I’ll get an afternoon update out on FB by 3PM or so.

Our feature photo comes from ‎Sharon Griff Holloway‎ outside of Trenton, MO

Michelle and Karli will have more information as the day moves long on FOX 4.

Joe

    from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/13/joes-weather-blog-were-going-to-need-a-bigger-shovel-maybe-wed-2-13/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/joes-weather-blog-were-going-to-need-a-bigger-shovel-maybe-wed-2-13/

[themoneybuff-blog]

Which New Car Would You Buy?

Last week via email, reader David Hatch asked: If you were going to buy a new car, what would you get do you think? I wrote a short email replythen decide this topic is worth a deeper dive (of only for my own personal edification). You see, Kim and I have been talking about cars lately. Mine is fifteen years old and hers is over twenty. Although both are running fine, we realize that well have to replace one (or both) of them in the near future. When we do, what will we buy? What kind of new car is right for Kim? What kind of car is right for me? Lets start by looking at the cars Ive owned in the past. Every Car Ive Ever Owned I am not a car guy. Even though I can appreciate nice cars, I dont have any desire to own them. Im not sure why. Maybe its because my parents never had nice cars when I was a kid. They had practical, serviceable vehicles that got the job done. During my 33 years of driving, Ive owned five cars. In high school, I inherited my fathers 1980 Datsun 310 GX. I drove that little red beast until it died during my senior year of college. I had a lot of fun with the Datsun, but I treated it poorly. The best part about this car was that I could perform a lot of the maintenance myself even though I dont have much mechanical knowledge. (Driven from March 1985 to March 1991 six years.) After the Datsun died, Dad bought me a $1000 Ford Tempo as a college graduation present. It was a POS from the start. I drove it for less than six months before giving up on it. (Driven from March 1991 to September 1991 six months.) When I landed my first job (which turned out to be the worst job I ever had), I also bought my first new car: a 1992 Geo Storm. Naturally, I bought it on creditbefore Id even received a paycheck. I loved that $12,000 car the entire time I owned it. (Driven from September 1991 to December 2000 9.25 years.) On 01 December 2000, a semi sideswiped my Geo Storm on the freeway during morning traffic. The car spun 360+ degrees before striking an overpass guardrail, deploying the airbag. The car was totalled; fortunately, I wasnt hurt.

After the accident, I purchased a brand-new 2001 Ford Focus from a friend who worked at a local dealership. I paid $15,000. I hated that car from Day One. It was awful. (I should have read the Consumer Reports reviews before buying; I would have steered clear!) I bought that vehicle with a loan too. (Driven from December 2000 to April 2009 8.25 years.) In 2009, after years of dreaming about it, I realized I could afford to buy a used Mini Cooper. By this point, Id been writing GRS for three years, so I put my own advice into practice. I shopped around. I bought used. I paid $15,000 cash. Ive owned that 2004 Mini Cooper for more than nine years now. In fact, as of this month, its the car Ive owned longest in my lifetime.

As you can tell, when I buy a car, I tend to drive it for a long time. I rarely (if ever) get the new car itch. I wish I could say this was because Im rational about my car-buying decisions, but thats not it. Im just not a car guy. (Computers, though? Well, I want to upgrade my computer every year. I am a computer guy.) But David didnt ask about the cars Ive owned in the past. He asked what car Id buy new. What Kim and I Own Now Kim and I have been thinking about this question for a couple of years now. Neither of us is eager to buy a new vehicle, but from a pragmatic perspective, were both going to have to do so relatively soon. I currently own the afore-mentioned 2004 Mini Cooper (with roughly 150,000 miles) and a 2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.Kim owns a 1997 Honda Accord (with roughly 240,000 miles) and a 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle. Both of our cars run about like youd expect. Kims is very reliable and never has major maintenance issues. It also has air conditioning that works. (The Mini has a coolant leak that Im unwilling to pay to have fixed, so we no longer use it for long summer trips.) Ive had to spend a few thousand to repair the Mini over the past couple of years, but its running fine at this moment. Ive been setting aside $600 per month in my car fund, Kim told me the other day. Before our RV trip, she was saving for a new car, but she cashed out that money to help pay for our travels. I have about $12,000 saved now. Thats not enough for a new car especially not for a Tesla Model 3 but its a start. You plan to sell your Honda to the girls at some point, right? I asked. We know two sisters who should be getting their licenses soon. Kim has promised them they can have her Honda for $500. Yep, Kim said. Thats the plan. But should I do that if I dont have enough saved to pay cash for a new car? Thats a tough question, I said. You could always drive my Mini Cooper to work. I dont use it much during the week. And for about half the year, I could ride my motorcycle instead. Im not sure what Id do during the winter. Well, are you still thinking about buying a beater pickup? Kim asked. Since moving to our country cottage last summer, weve come to realize that our lives would be much easier if we had something that would let us haul lumber and ladders and dirt and gravel and plants and furniture and so on. Im hoping to find a small pickup that runs well priced at a few thousand dollars. Yes, I still think the pickup is a good idea, I said. And that could certainly be my winter ride. I guess we dont have to make any decision yet, Kim said. We dont have to decide anything until one the girls learns how to drive. What Kind of Car Would I Buy? Although I spend most of my road time in vehicles that are fifteen or twenty years old, this year Ive had a lot of exposure to modern cars. During both my trip to Florida in January and my trip around the Southeast in April, I rented a car. Ive spent four weeks of 2018 essentially test-driving modern mid-sized sedans. They all feel like theyre from the future. (I think I had a Nissan Versa for one trip and a Hyundai Elantra for the other.) Ill admit: I like some of the new features. Back-up cameras are kind of cool. Sound systems that automatically pair with your phone are awesome. I like the whole keyless thing, too. (The other night, Kim pointed out that her car was so old that we still have to hand-crank the windows!) While visiting Nashville in April, a friend gave me a ride in his new $150,000 Mercedes. Holy cats! The interior of that thing was like the U.S.S. Enterprise (the fancy Picard-era Enterprise, not the utilitarian Kirk-era Enterprise). I have no desire to own a luxury automobile, but I can certainly appreciate the design touches. If Kim were to buy a new car, shed buy the Tesla Model 3. Shes a fan of electric vehicles. If she cant afford a Tesla when it comes time to buy a new car, I suspect shell end up with a Honda or Toyota hybrid. (Im not sure, though. I havent asked her.) She just wants a comfortable, reliable car to get to and from work, and for us to use on long road trips. Me? Well, Ive delayed answering this question for more than 1000 words because I dont really know which car Id buy if I had to buy a new car. Lets think it through together. I prefer smaller cars. I have zero desire to own a modern truck or SUV. I dont want a minivan. I dont want a large sedan. I like vehicles with small footprints. Theyre easier to park, fuel efficient, and generally more agile.I like something a little sporty. Im not a fast driver, but I do like to be able to accelerate now and then, either to overtake another car or to enjoy twisty country roads.I want a car with ample cargo space. As I mentioned earlier, I haul stuff all the time, so I want a vehicle that lets me carry stuff from the hardware store. Itd also be nice if I could transport a kayak or two. (Believe it or not the Mini has decent cargo room. It certainly has more usable cargo space than Kims Accord.) Based on this, Id focus my search on three classes of vehicles: compact pickup trucks, compact cars, and subcompact cars. Unfortunately, compact pickup trucks are a dying breed. Yes, Ford is bringing back the Ranger in a few months, but currently there are only five options in this category. The only one that gets good reviews is the Honda Ridgeline, and that costs $30,000 or more. There arent many options in the world of subcompact cars, either. Most of those options also get poor reviews (and low customer satisfaction scores). There are plenty of choices in the world of compact cars, however, and at prices that dont scare me. Both the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius are highly-rated and affordable. That said, if I bought a compact car, Id probably pursue a Mazda 3 or Hyundai Elantra. Plus, Id have to consider the modern Mini Cooper. (My ex-wifes boyfriend is a mechanic and fellow Mini fan. Hes warned me that newer Minis are both larger and less reliable, so Im skeptical that Id choose a Mini again. But I do love mine.)

The Bottom Line So, which new car would I purchase? Honestly, I dont know. I dont want to buy a new car, and I hope I dont have to make this sort of decision for many years. Having said that, I am absolutely in the market for a beat-up but reliable pickup preferably a compact pickup. Something like this seems perfect:

As a wildcard, I suppose a used Subaru Outback might be a smart choice for me also. (Actually, a Subaru Outback would be an excellent choice for our current lifestyle.) The older I get, the more I view vehicles as tools. Theyre not status symbols for me. I dont get an adrenaline rush from a souped-up sports car. Right now, I want a car that runs reliably, allows me to haul stuff, and doesnt take up a lot of space. Thats it. (Except when we take long road trips which happens two or three times each year I dont care about comfort.) Realistically speaking, heres what I expect will happen: One of the girls will get her license in the next year. Kim will sell the Honda to her for $500.Kim and I will pool money to buy her a new car. It wont be the Tesla Model 3 that she wants so badly. Itll be a Subaru Outback or a hybrid Toyota or Honda.I will continue to drive the Mini Cooper until it is well and truly dead. At that time or perhaps before Ill buy a beater pickup for use around the homestead. (Yes, we may end up having three cars at some point but only for a little while.) What about you? If you had to buy a new car, what would you buy? Why? What features are important to you? Are there certain makes or models that you prefer? Refuse to consider? And based on what Ive told you here, what kind of car would you recommend for me? https://www.getrichslowly.org/which-new-car/

[themoneybuff-blog]

Which New Car Would You Buy?

Last week via email, reader David Hatch asked: If you were going to buy a new car, what would you get do you think? I wrote a short email replythen decide this topic is worth a deeper dive (of only for my own personal edification). You see, Kim and I have been talking about cars lately. Mine is fifteen years old and hers is over twenty. Although both are running fine, we realize that well have to replace one (or both) of them in the near future. When we do, what will we buy? What kind of new car is right for Kim? What kind of car is right for me? Lets start by looking at the cars Ive owned in the past. Every Car Ive Ever Owned I am not a car guy. Even though I can appreciate nice cars, I dont have any desire to own them. Im not sure why. Maybe its because my parents never had nice cars when I was a kid. They had practical, serviceable vehicles that got the job done. During my 33 years of driving, Ive owned five cars. In high school, I inherited my fathers 1980 Datsun 310 GX. I drove that little red beast until it died during my senior year of college. I had a lot of fun with the Datsun, but I treated it poorly. The best part about this car was that I could perform a lot of the maintenance myself even though I dont have much mechanical knowledge. (Driven from March 1985 to March 1991 six years.) After the Datsun died, Dad bought me a $1000 Ford Tempo as a college graduation present. It was a POS from the start. I drove it for less than six months before giving up on it. (Driven from March 1991 to September 1991 six months.) When I landed my first job (which turned out to be the worst job I ever had), I also bought my first new car: a 1992 Geo Storm. Naturally, I bought it on creditbefore Id even received a paycheck. I loved that $12,000 car the entire time I owned it. (Driven from September 1991 to December 2000 9.25 years.) On 01 December 2000, a semi sideswiped my Geo Storm on the freeway during morning traffic. The car spun 360+ degrees before striking an overpass guardrail, deploying the airbag. The car was totalled; fortunately, I wasnt hurt.

After the accident, I purchased a brand-new 2001 Ford Focus from a friend who worked at a local dealership. I paid $15,000. I hated that car from Day One. It was awful. (I should have read the Consumer Reports reviews before buying; I would have steered clear!) I bought that vehicle with a loan too. (Driven from December 2000 to April 2009 8.25 years.) In 2009, after years of dreaming about it, I realized I could afford to buy a used Mini Cooper. By this point, Id been writing GRS for three years, so I put my own advice into practice. I shopped around. I bought used. I paid $15,000 cash. Ive owned that 2004 Mini Cooper for more than nine years now. In fact, as of this month, its the car Ive owned longest in my lifetime.

As you can tell, when I buy a car, I tend to drive it for a long time. I rarely (if ever) get the new car itch. I wish I could say this was because Im rational about my car-buying decisions, but thats not it. Im just not a car guy. (Computers, though? Well, I want to upgrade my computer every year. I am a computer guy.) But David didnt ask about the cars Ive owned in the past. He asked what car Id buy new. What Kim and I Own Now Kim and I have been thinking about this question for a couple of years now. Neither of us is eager to buy a new vehicle, but from a pragmatic perspective, were both going to have to do so relatively soon. I currently own the afore-mentioned 2004 Mini Cooper (with roughly 150,000 miles) and a 2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.Kim owns a 1997 Honda Accord (with roughly 240,000 miles) and a 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle. Both of our cars run about like youd expect. Kims is very reliable and never has major maintenance issues. It also has air conditioning that works. (The Mini has a coolant leak that Im unwilling to pay to have fixed, so we no longer use it for long summer trips.) Ive had to spend a few thousand to repair the Mini over the past couple of years, but its running fine at this moment. Ive been setting aside $600 per month in my car fund, Kim told me the other day. Before our RV trip, she was saving for a new car, but she cashed out that money to help pay for our travels. I have about $12,000 saved now. Thats not enough for a new car especially not for a Tesla Model 3 but its a start. You plan to sell your Honda to the girls at some point, right? I asked. We know two sisters who should be getting their licenses soon. Kim has promised them they can have her Honda for $500. Yep, Kim said. Thats the plan. But should I do that if I dont have enough saved to pay cash for a new car? Thats a tough question, I said. You could always drive my Mini Cooper to work. I dont use it much during the week. And for about half the year, I could ride my motorcycle instead. Im not sure what Id do during the winter. Well, are you still thinking about buying a beater pickup? Kim asked. Since moving to our country cottage last summer, weve come to realize that our lives would be much easier if we had something that would let us haul lumber and ladders and dirt and gravel and plants and furniture and so on. Im hoping to find a small pickup that runs well priced at a few thousand dollars. Yes, I still think the pickup is a good idea, I said. And that could certainly be my winter ride. I guess we dont have to make any decision yet, Kim said. We dont have to decide anything until one the girls learns how to drive. What Kind of Car Would I Buy? Although I spend most of my road time in vehicles that are fifteen or twenty years old, this year Ive had a lot of exposure to modern cars. During both my trip to Florida in January and my trip around the Southeast in April, I rented a car. Ive spent four weeks of 2018 essentially test-driving modern mid-sized sedans. They all feel like theyre from the future. (I think I had a Nissan Versa for one trip and a Hyundai Elantra for the other.) Ill admit: I like some of the new features. Back-up cameras are kind of cool. Sound systems that automatically pair with your phone are awesome. I like the whole keyless thing, too. (The other night, Kim pointed out that her car was so old that we still have to hand-crank the windows!) While visiting Nashville in April, a friend gave me a ride in his new $150,000 Mercedes. Holy cats! The interior of that thing was like the U.S.S. Enterprise (the fancy Picard-era Enterprise, not the utilitarian Kirk-era Enterprise). I have no desire to own a luxury automobile, but I can certainly appreciate the design touches. If Kim were to buy a new car, shed buy the Tesla Model 3. Shes a fan of electric vehicles. If she cant afford a Tesla when it comes time to buy a new car, I suspect shell end up with a Honda or Toyota hybrid. (Im not sure, though. I havent asked her.) She just wants a comfortable, reliable car to get to and from work, and for us to use on long road trips. Me? Well, Ive delayed answering this question for more than 1000 words because I dont really know which car Id buy if I had to buy a new car. Lets think it through together. I prefer smaller cars. I have zero desire to own a modern truck or SUV. I dont want a minivan. I dont want a large sedan. I like vehicles with small footprints. Theyre easier to park, fuel efficient, and generally more agile.I like something a little sporty. Im not a fast driver, but I do like to be able to accelerate now and then, either to overtake another car or to enjoy twisty country roads.I want a car with ample cargo space. As I mentioned earlier, I haul stuff all the time, so I want a vehicle that lets me carry stuff from the hardware store. Itd also be nice if I could transport a kayak or two. (Believe it or not the Mini has decent cargo room. It certainly has more usable cargo space than Kims Accord.) Based on this, Id focus my search on three classes of vehicles: compact pickup trucks, compact cars, and subcompact cars. Unfortunately, compact pickup trucks are a dying breed. Yes, Ford is bringing back the Ranger in a few months, but currently there are only five options in this category. The only one that gets good reviews is the Honda Ridgeline, and that costs $30,000 or more. There arent many options in the world of subcompact cars, either. Most of those options also get poor reviews (and low customer satisfaction scores). There are plenty of choices in the world of compact cars, however, and at prices that dont scare me. Both the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius are highly-rated and affordable. That said, if I bought a compact car, Id probably pursue a Mazda 3 or Hyundai Elantra. Plus, Id have to consider the modern Mini Cooper. (My ex-wifes boyfriend is a mechanic and fellow Mini fan. Hes warned me that newer Minis are both larger and less reliable, so Im skeptical that Id choose a Mini again. But I do love mine.)

The Bottom Line So, which new car would I purchase? Honestly, I dont know. I dont want to buy a new car, and I hope I dont have to make this sort of decision for many years. Having said that, I am absolutely in the market for a beat-up but reliable pickup preferably a compact pickup. Something like this seems perfect:

As a wildcard, I suppose a used Subaru Outback might be a smart choice for me also. (Actually, a Subaru Outback would be an excellent choice for our current lifestyle.) The older I get, the more I view vehicles as tools. Theyre not status symbols for me. I dont get an adrenaline rush from a souped-up sports car. Right now, I want a car that runs reliably, allows me to haul stuff, and doesnt take up a lot of space. Thats it. (Except when we take long road trips which happens two or three times each year I dont care about comfort.) Realistically speaking, heres what I expect will happen: One of the girls will get her license in the next year. Kim will sell the Honda to her for $500.Kim and I will pool money to buy her a new car. It wont be the Tesla Model 3 that she wants so badly. Itll be a Subaru Outback or a hybrid Toyota or Honda.I will continue to drive the Mini Cooper until it is well and truly dead. At that time or perhaps before Ill buy a beater pickup for use around the homestead. (Yes, we may end up having three cars at some point but only for a little while.) What about you? If you had to buy a new car, what would you buy? Why? What features are important to you? Are there certain makes or models that you prefer? Refuse to consider? And based on what Ive told you here, what kind of car would you recommend for me? https://www.getrichslowly.org/which-new-car/

[themoneybuff-blog]

Which New Car Would You Buy?

Last week via email, reader David Hatch asked: If you were going to buy a new car, what would you get do you think? I wrote a short email replythen decide this topic is worth a deeper dive (of only for my own personal edification). You see, Kim and I have been talking about cars lately. Mine is fifteen years old and hers is over twenty. Although both are running fine, we realize that well have to replace one (or both) of them in the near future. When we do, what will we buy? What kind of new car is right for Kim? What kind of car is right for me? Lets start by looking at the cars Ive owned in the past. Every Car Ive Ever Owned I am not a car guy. Even though I can appreciate nice cars, I dont have any desire to own them. Im not sure why. Maybe its because my parents never had nice cars when I was a kid. They had practical, serviceable vehicles that got the job done. During my 33 years of driving, Ive owned five cars. In high school, I inherited my fathers 1980 Datsun 310 GX. I drove that little red beast until it died during my senior year of college. I had a lot of fun with the Datsun, but I treated it poorly. The best part about this car was that I could perform a lot of the maintenance myself even though I dont have much mechanical knowledge. (Driven from March 1985 to March 1991 six years.) After the Datsun died, Dad bought me a $1000 Ford Tempo as a college graduation present. It was a POS from the start. I drove it for less than six months before giving up on it. (Driven from March 1991 to September 1991 six months.) When I landed my first job (which turned out to be the worst job I ever had), I also bought my first new car: a 1992 Geo Storm. Naturally, I bought it on creditbefore Id even received a paycheck. I loved that $12,000 car the entire time I owned it. (Driven from September 1991 to December 2000 9.25 years.) On 01 December 2000, a semi sideswiped my Geo Storm on the freeway during morning traffic. The car spun 360+ degrees before striking an overpass guardrail, deploying the airbag. The car was totalled; fortunately, I wasnt hurt.

After the accident, I purchased a brand-new 2001 Ford Focus from a friend who worked at a local dealership. I paid $15,000. I hated that car from Day One. It was awful. (I should have read the Consumer Reports reviews before buying; I would have steered clear!) I bought that vehicle with a loan too. (Driven from December 2000 to April 2009 8.25 years.) In 2009, after years of dreaming about it, I realized I could afford to buy a used Mini Cooper. By this point, Id been writing GRS for three years, so I put my own advice into practice. I shopped around. I bought used. I paid $15,000 cash. Ive owned that 2004 Mini Cooper for more than nine years now. In fact, as of this month, its the car Ive owned longest in my lifetime.

As you can tell, when I buy a car, I tend to drive it for a long time. I rarely (if ever) get the new car itch. I wish I could say this was because Im rational about my car-buying decisions, but thats not it. Im just not a car guy. (Computers, though? Well, I want to upgrade my computer every year. I am a computer guy.) But David didnt ask about the cars Ive owned in the past. He asked what car Id buy new. What Kim and I Own Now Kim and I have been thinking about this question for a couple of years now. Neither of us is eager to buy a new vehicle, but from a pragmatic perspective, were both going to have to do so relatively soon. I currently own the afore-mentioned 2004 Mini Cooper (with roughly 150,000 miles) and a 2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.Kim owns a 1997 Honda Accord (with roughly 240,000 miles) and a 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle. Both of our cars run about like youd expect. Kims is very reliable and never has major maintenance issues. It also has air conditioning that works. (The Mini has a coolant leak that Im unwilling to pay to have fixed, so we no longer use it for long summer trips.) Ive had to spend a few thousand to repair the Mini over the past couple of years, but its running fine at this moment. Ive been setting aside $600 per month in my car fund, Kim told me the other day. Before our RV trip, she was saving for a new car, but she cashed out that money to help pay for our travels. I have about $12,000 saved now. Thats not enough for a new car especially not for a Tesla Model 3 but its a start. You plan to sell your Honda to the girls at some point, right? I asked. We know two sisters who should be getting their licenses soon. Kim has promised them they can have her Honda for $500. Yep, Kim said. Thats the plan. But should I do that if I dont have enough saved to pay cash for a new car? Thats a tough question, I said. You could always drive my Mini Cooper to work. I dont use it much during the week. And for about half the year, I could ride my motorcycle instead. Im not sure what Id do during the winter. Well, are you still thinking about buying a beater pickup? Kim asked. Since moving to our country cottage last summer, weve come to realize that our lives would be much easier if we had something that would let us haul lumber and ladders and dirt and gravel and plants and furniture and so on. Im hoping to find a small pickup that runs well priced at a few thousand dollars. Yes, I still think the pickup is a good idea, I said. And that could certainly be my winter ride. I guess we dont have to make any decision yet, Kim said. We dont have to decide anything until one the girls learns how to drive. What Kind of Car Would I Buy? Although I spend most of my road time in vehicles that are fifteen or twenty years old, this year Ive had a lot of exposure to modern cars. During both my trip to Florida in January and my trip around the Southeast in April, I rented a car. Ive spent four weeks of 2018 essentially test-driving modern mid-sized sedans. They all feel like theyre from the future. (I think I had a Nissan Versa for one trip and a Hyundai Elantra for the other.) Ill admit: I like some of the new features. Back-up cameras are kind of cool. Sound systems that automatically pair with your phone are awesome. I like the whole keyless thing, too. (The other night, Kim pointed out that her car was so old that we still have to hand-crank the windows!) While visiting Nashville in April, a friend gave me a ride in his new $150,000 Mercedes. Holy cats! The interior of that thing was like the U.S.S. Enterprise (the fancy Picard-era Enterprise, not the utilitarian Kirk-era Enterprise). I have no desire to own a luxury automobile, but I can certainly appreciate the design touches. If Kim were to buy a new car, shed buy the Tesla Model 3. Shes a fan of electric vehicles. If she cant afford a Tesla when it comes time to buy a new car, I suspect shell end up with a Honda or Toyota hybrid. (Im not sure, though. I havent asked her.) She just wants a comfortable, reliable car to get to and from work, and for us to use on long road trips. Me? Well, Ive delayed answering this question for more than 1000 words because I dont really know which car Id buy if I had to buy a new car. Lets think it through together. I prefer smaller cars. I have zero desire to own a modern truck or SUV. I dont want a minivan. I dont want a large sedan. I like vehicles with small footprints. Theyre easier to park, fuel efficient, and generally more agile.I like something a little sporty. Im not a fast driver, but I do like to be able to accelerate now and then, either to overtake another car or to enjoy twisty country roads.I want a car with ample cargo space. As I mentioned earlier, I haul stuff all the time, so I want a vehicle that lets me carry stuff from the hardware store. Itd also be nice if I could transport a kayak or two. (Believe it or not the Mini has decent cargo room. It certainly has more usable cargo space than Kims Accord.) Based on this, Id focus my search on three classes of vehicles: compact pickup trucks, compact cars, and subcompact cars. Unfortunately, compact pickup trucks are a dying breed. Yes, Ford is bringing back the Ranger in a few months, but currently there are only five options in this category. The only one that gets good reviews is the Honda Ridgeline, and that costs $30,000 or more. There arent many options in the world of subcompact cars, either. Most of those options also get poor reviews (and low customer satisfaction scores). There are plenty of choices in the world of compact cars, however, and at prices that dont scare me. Both the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius are highly-rated and affordable. That said, if I bought a compact car, Id probably pursue a Mazda 3 or Hyundai Elantra. Plus, Id have to consider the modern Mini Cooper. (My ex-wifes boyfriend is a mechanic and fellow Mini fan. Hes warned me that newer Minis are both larger and less reliable, so Im skeptical that Id choose a Mini again. But I do love mine.)

The Bottom Line So, which new car would I purchase? Honestly, I dont know. I dont want to buy a new car, and I hope I dont have to make this sort of decision for many years. Having said that, I am absolutely in the market for a beat-up but reliable pickup preferably a compact pickup. Something like this seems perfect:

As a wildcard, I suppose a used Subaru Outback might be a smart choice for me also. (Actually, a Subaru Outback would be an excellent choice for our current lifestyle.) The older I get, the more I view vehicles as tools. Theyre not status symbols for me. I dont get an adrenaline rush from a souped-up sports car. Right now, I want a car that runs reliably, allows me to haul stuff, and doesnt take up a lot of space. Thats it. (Except when we take long road trips which happens two or three times each year I dont care about comfort.) Realistically speaking, heres what I expect will happen: One of the girls will get her license in the next year. Kim will sell the Honda to her for $500.Kim and I will pool money to buy her a new car. It wont be the Tesla Model 3 that she wants so badly. Itll be a Subaru Outback or a hybrid Toyota or Honda.I will continue to drive the Mini Cooper until it is well and truly dead. At that time or perhaps before Ill buy a beater pickup for use around the homestead. (Yes, we may end up having three cars at some point but only for a little while.) What about you? If you had to buy a new car, what would you buy? Why? What features are important to you? Are there certain makes or models that you prefer? Refuse to consider? And based on what Ive told you here, what kind of car would you recommend for me? https://www.getrichslowly.org/which-new-car/