#give me money so I can justify the time and effort I put into these things

[royalarchivist]

Ironmouse: Part of the reason why I love this server so much is because everybody's so nice. Everyone! Like, every single person is super nice! And it's like- it's like, genuine nice, it's not like fake niceness. [...] I've literally talked to almost everybody at least once like outside of the QSMP. We've talked on Discord, people regularly check in on me, we get in group chats and we play games like outside of the server... You don't really find that sort of connection all the time with people.

Ironmouse recently talked about her experience on QSMP, and how kind all the members are. I'm posting the entire conversation instead of cutting it up like I usually would because I really enjoyed hearing her thoughts on the server.

[ Subtitle Transcript ]

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Ironmouse: Honestly, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I did. He's so nice, he's so- he's always been super nice to me. He's been so nice, I– part of the reason why I- I love this server so much is because everybody's so nice. Everyone! Like, every single person is super nice! And it's like- it's like, genuine nice, it's not like fake niceness. You know how sometimes like– you always hear like, "Oh yeah, you know–" when–

Ironmouse: Whenever you like, join like a new thing, right? Whenever you like join like a new thing, you always worry, 'cuz you always think: "Oh, are the people gonna like me? Are they gonna be nice to me? What if- What if- you know, what if this, what if that?" But everybody like genuinely was nice when I first came by, and everybody has been so nice to me– not just in the game, but outside of the game, and–

Ironmouse: Something special about the QSMP is like... People wanna be your friend like outside of the game? Like, I've literally talked to ev– almost– almost everybody at least once like outside of the QSMP, like... We've talked on Discord, people like regularly check in on me, and like we get in group chats and like we- we play games like outside of the server, and it's just like... You don't really find that sort of connection all the time with people? You know what I mean? It's very– it's very not common when you go on like, a content creator-like server or stuff like that, you know? You'll get like one or two people that you get close to and stuff, but like... Everybody is SO nice, and everybody's been so nice to me, and I can't tell you how many people like, wished me– not just like wished me happy birthday, or like wished- said, "Oh, you know, hap- Merry Christmas!" dadadada, it's like genuinely like... Asked how I'm doing, and like talk to me, and like... Just like– I dunno, it's just like so- so- it's so wonderful. Ironmouse: Like, I get that with VShojo a lot, like– we're all like besties, and we all like talk all the time, but I feel like it's different, 'cuz like VShojo– we're VShojo, we're like– we're our own group, but this is like... You know... You don't expect this sorta thing when you get invited to like be on some- be a part of something, you know? And it's- and it's been so– it's been so wonderful and everybody's been so GENUINELY nice to me, and I- I appreciate everybody on the server so much, and they're just some of the nicest people that I've ever met ever, and it's just–

Ironmouse: It just warms my heart, and I'm just really– really like, thankful to be a part of something so great, and something so positive! Because like, everybody's so supportive! Like– the time when like, I didn't like– I- I- I had a moment where it's like I– do you guys remember in December when I- I was not around a lot? And like, I had to take breaks and all this stuff and it turns out it was like the concert stuff? They all like would message me regularly, like, we would all keep up with each other, and we would all talk. And I remember telling them about like, how much stress I was under, and like all the- all the pressures of the concert and stuff, and– and they were cheering, and- and- and they were just so... so kind to me, it was just so– so sweet, and- and you know, I was in a group chat with a- with a few people, and they were all just so excited and- and- just super nice, and- and very- very sweet, and it's just– and it's just very– I'm sorry if I'm rambling! It's just...

Ironmouse: I dunno! I- I- I just enjoy being here, and I enjoy hanging out with everybody, and... it's just nice to meet really good people. You don't really find that. You don't find that sort of thing all the time. Don't get me wrong– it's not like I haven't met a lot of good people, like– I just feel like this whole like, my whole like– Ever, like– My streaming journey, I've just been nothing but surprised at the goodness of people? Don't get me wrong– I've met assholes and sht like that, and I've met- I've encountered some people that are NOT so nice. I'll never like, talk about it or whatever because that's their thing, and I'm just gonna do my thing and I don't wanna like, you know, spread any type of stupid drama or whatever the fck, but like... I'm just always surprised about how– how incredibly nice people are, and how genuine a lot of people are, and it's... It- it's just nice, especially since like– You're used to coming from like, a certain background and a certain like, environment where it's like, you've met a lot of like fcked up mean people in your life, and you've just been around a lot of like fckery, you know? So when- when you're around stuff that's NOT fcked, it's just like, "Woah, this is crazy! Is this- is this how life is supposed to be?!" And it's just- it's just really... it's really- it's really nice. It's very nice.

Ironmouse: Yeah, it's very refreshing, that's why I- I enjoy hanging out on here, everybody's just so nice to me. And it's not just like being nice just to be on-stream, it's nice off-stream, on-stream, friendship on-stream, off-stream, it's- it's just- it's just so- it's- it's- it's wonderful. It's wonderful. And I just have to say like... man, I'm just really thankful that like... it's crazy that like I got invited to be on here and I'm just really thankful that, you know... Quackity like, reached out to me and he's- he's just been nothing but nice, everybody- everybody's just so kind. Everybody's so nice. This is something truly special.

[genericpuff]

This is stupid, but you know those new LO hoodies the Webtoon shop has? I know the font they're using. It's Eckmannpsych which is an Adobe font.

That's not the stupid part though. The dumb part is the capital H and G in the Eckmannpsych font do not match what is on the hoodies, which would obviously be on the hoodies that have Hera or Goddess on them. So, Rachel looks to have taken the time to hand draw her own H and G to match the font style for those hoodies but did not take any time to make new, better art for the merch, but instead reused ugly panels from the comic. Talk about a strange look into her priorities. She doesn't like how the G and H look on a font? She will remake those to fit what she wants. Rachel when the assignment gives her the chance to make specialized, better designs for those same merch? She can't be bothered to even try. WTF!

for the love of god-

I'm assuming and hoping they had the commercial rights to that font LMAOO But it did kind of make me go 🤨 because while I didn't know the font EXACTLY off the top of my head it still felt... weirdly out of place for something like LO? Why are these hoodies being stylized like they're from Austin Powers LOL

On another note tho, the LO merch is just like... disappointing in how bad it is for what's supposed to be WT's #1 series, which is, btw, a series with so much unique stylization that it shouldn't even be this hard to make merch for it! it just feels very "first attempt at redbubble merch", but unlike genuine first attempts at making merch (which is obviously a learning curve that I wouldn't judge anyone for being new to) this is a company that's sunk shitloads of money into LO so I don't know why they can't get better merch made?? so much of it is just the default drawings taken and slapped onto a tote bag or t-shirt, which like, yeah cool fine you're using art that's recognizable and considering the art is already made, it stands to reason that they should use it for more than just the comic. It's just disappointing to see how lazy it often is and how little effort is put into translating it onto a t-shirt/tote bag/etc. like we can't even have ONE exclusive t-shirt with a unique design that isn't just poorly copy pasted from the comic?

Case in point, those t-shirts that Rachel was advertising a while ago that were actually straight up falsely advertised. I can't find the post about it on my Tumblr (I'm pretty sure I talked about it here) so here's the IG story rundown I did on it ages ago:

Again I'd really like to have benefit of the doubt here that Rachel isn't the one making these designs, usually that's not how the merchandising process goes in these types of deals, so I'm not gonna point the finger at her. But it's just so odd to me that it happened in the first place. And this goes for a lot of LO's merch, so much of it feels cheaply made and rushed off a conveyor belt for the point of making money without much expense. Which yeah, that's a business model for sure, the goal is to profit, but like this?

You can't even argue that it's like people criticizing LO the comic because like, as much as I'll justify what I spend my time doing here in my free time, it's true that at the end of the day I don't have to pay for LO, so really the only thing I'm doing is inflicting psychic damage to myself, it's not like my actual money is on the line LMAO That's why I stopped paying for LO ages ago and only do it when I have a specific episode I need to review (such as the midseason hiatus review series I did). At the very least, if I really want to keep reading LO but don't want to pay for it, I can just avoid FastPassing it and read it for free so I can save the coins for other series I'd rather read. The Webtoons' FP system is very fair that way.

But this is merch explicitly made to generate revenue. It is a product, front to back. You can vote with your money by not buying the thing you don't like, absolutely, but the fact that it's this poorly to begin with is just so indicative of Webtoons' business practices and so shitty for the people who genuinely enjoy this comic and are being advertised and sold shoddy merchandise that doesn't even come looking the same way it's advertised. It's really not a good look for Webtoons, Rachel, or LO that this is what they're selling to people.

Especially for what they're charging, good lord-

Like, okay, they're hoodies and they're gonna be expensive to print and ship so the higher overhead cost makes sense, but jesus christ, with the kind of merch Webtoons has already given the stamp of approval on, would it even show up in decent condition? How bright are those colors gonna be? Are they gonna strip off as soon as I throw it in the wash? I'm half-tempted to buy a hoodie for myself just to do a review on it but I can't justify dropping $75 CAD on a hoodie that only has art on the back. Maybe it's just me living in the hellish lands of Canada where we play with toy money that's the problem, but it's just not a gamble I wanna take LOL If I bought one it would probably be the Hecate or Hermes ones because they're the only ones that are at least somewhat legible and have decent character art that isn't a character looking like they need to poop LMAO

(these are literally the two worst drawings they could have chosen of these two i stg lol the only thing that would have made this worse/funnier is if it was Handsome Hades and Persephone Kidnapping a Baby LMAO)

It has me worried about what the LO figures are gonna look like when they release. Are they gonna have some creative liberty with making them chibi-fied (like a Nendoroid?) or are they gonna try and replicate the art style exactly and wind up making literal blow-up sex doll Persephone? 😭

NGL, if the figures are done well enough and don't cost an arm and a leg, I might consider buying one just for the shelf collection, but again, it depends. If Webtoons released a tarot deck with really good panels from LO (like the Tower 4 scene or Persephone sitting on the rooftop with her comb or Eros flying down into the Mortal Realm) I would buy the shit out of that. I would even just take the Major Arcana if 78 cards was too much to ask :'0 I'm not against Webtoons/Rachel trying to profit off LO merch at all, I just wish it was BETTER- (╥﹏╥)

[writer-freak]

Birthday Celebration | Valo x Gn reader

Characters: Chamber, Gekko, Yoru and Sova

Warnings: fluff, celebrating reader's birthday, gender neutral reader, maybe ooc, haven't written for Valorant in a while, English isn't my first language

A/n: Guess whose birthday it is today (March 13th), still can't believe that another year is over. I wrote a few Birthday related things for different fandoms and I will post them over the next couple days. But we are starting with a few Valorant headcanons

Comments, likes and reblogs are always appreciated and really motivate me to write more <3

Chamber

For your birthday, he would definitely consider your preferences.

If you're more introverted and prefer an intimate moment together, he would probably cook you an amazing, very fancy dinner with candles all around.

If you're more into socializing, he would likely prepare a small party with you and your close friends.

He will ensure that his schedule is cleared for you on your birthday and devote the entire day to making you feel special, ensuring you have his full attention.

He cherishes being able to spend your birthday together with you and would carefully pick out your gift.

It would probably be something more expensive that you had your eye on but never bought because you couldn't justify spending that kind of money.

He would like to make it perfect and ensure the gift is unique to you.

He would probably congratulate you first thing in the morning while serving you breakfast in bed and come to you with a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

Also, expect kisses throughout the day and generally a lot of affection.

He doesn't often have the entire day to spend with you, so he wants to fully exploit his this day.

Gekko

He would put a lot of thought and effort into planning your birthday party.

Before planning anything, he would subtly ask you about all your preferences to ensure your day is special and truly enjoyable.

He would probably throw a smaller party for you so you can spend quality time with the people most important to you.

Gekko would gift you something thoughtful and sentimental rather than extravagant.

Maybe he makes something himself and will also probably write you a handwritten letter expressing his feelings for you.

Or he would go in the direction of gifting you something that you both can enjoy together or that holds meaning for your relationship.

He would wake you up sweetly, probably with something from your favorite breakfast spot, and also a lot of cuddling.

In his birthday wishes, he would include his gratitude for having you in his life.

Gekko might also plan a surprise activity during the day that aligns with your hobbies or interests, adding just something extra 

Yoru

He would definitely throw you a big surprise party, aiming for a fun and memorable celebration.

Unlike Gekko, he probably wants to invite as many people as possible to fill your day with excitement and energy.

If you don't want a big party, he'll take you out for a cool outing.

Yoru would probably gift you something unexpected and unconventional, wanting to think out of the box for you.

Despite his playfulness, he would ensure you feel loved and appreciated on your day, giving more compliments than usual and showing a softer side when it really counts.

Sova

Sova is thoughtful when it comes to you, wanting your birthday to be meaningful and special.

Rather than an extravagant party, he would plan a more personal celebration, prioritizing spending time together and creating new memories.

He might also plan a surprise outing to a place you've always wanted to visit or organize a cozy picnic in a beautiful location

He would put a lot of thought into your present, aiming for something that reflects your interests, like a handmade item or a meaningful keepsake.

His birthday wishes would be heartfelt, expressing appreciation for you and the joy you bring into his life.

He might share personal moments you've spent together and express his gratitude.

He would make you feel loved and appreciated, showing kindness and affection throughout the day, not allowing you to lift a finger to show his love through his gestures.

Divider: @saradika-graphics

[pookieismissing09]

ok guys i never post on here but heres my take on the sturniolo space camp situation if anyone gives a fuck

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG I DONT EXPECT ANYONE TO READ EVERYTHING NO ONE WILL PROB SEE THIS ANYWAY 💀 ill prob delete this icl its just a lil rant 🥰🥰

and if u disagree with me idc im just expressing my opinions 😭 read the whole thing so i can justify myself before u start attacking me

before i say anything im not just sticking up for nick just because im a fan of the triplets. like some people are only sticking up for him because they hate to admit that he would ever lie or do anything wrong- and they’re defending him with no reasoning other than “he would never 🥺” like stfu. what im saying is that i don’t know for sure whether the ‘bee better’ guy is telling the truth, for all i know he might be chatting utter shit. but if he is telling the truth, then im saying that i understand nick lied but its not necessarily a negative thing.

so like first of all i dont see the issue with nick not being the founder of the brand. like yes i understand its ‘morally wrong’ to lie and its misinformation but i think we will live… it doesnt make any difference to the products or the people who buy them. like ik people say that they only bought it to support nick and they wouldn’t have bought it if they knew it was just some random brand, but its not just some ‘random brand’- they are still supporting nick cos he gets payed for advocating it. by purchasing the products, theyre keeping the brand afloat which means nick will get payed for being the ‘face of the brand’ and doing a good job at advertising. or in simple terms, even if nick isnt the founder of the entire brand he is still a huge part of the company and is definetly getting a fat bag from all of this. like yall are acting like you wouldnt lie if a company said they would pay you to do so- bffr we would all do what nick did.

and the other main thing is everyone is complaining about the price all of a sudden. like if you are all protesting about how nick has nothing to do with the origin of the brand then surely he also wouldn’t be able to control the price? so according to everyone saying the lip balms are not his idea, don’t be mad at nick for the ridiculous pricing if he apparently ‘had nothing to do with it in the first place‘. and aside from that, the pricing literally had nothing to do with the fact that he lied about being the founder- it would probably cost the same either way so why are people only getting worked up about the pricing now that he is being ‘exposed’? like honestly people are just looking for excuses to say he’s a bad person like what 😭

and ik this doesnt have anything to do with spacecamp, but in general these days everyone is saying how the triplets don’t put any effort into their content anymore and only do it for the money. i think you are forgetting that youtube is their full time paying job. doing youtube as a hobby and doing it as a career are completely different- and most people find that when they pursue their hobbies as a career choice they start to enjoy it less since they feel under pressure to perform a certain way (and don’t come at me for saying that because im “babying” the triplets, piss off).

put it this way, people that have high paying jobs that sit in an office all day don’t do that type of work for their enjoyment- they only work in that environment because they want to receive a larger income instead of having an enjoyable job with a poor wage. this is exactly the same as the triplets’ situation, i doubt very much that they actually do youtube for their personal enjoyment. at the end of the day they have to pay the bills and youtube is their only job- its not always going to be fun like it used to be (both for them and for us watching).

and for all of you thinking ‘well they shouldnt be youtubers if they cant entertain people’ you have to understand that getting a different job takes time. like the whole process of finding a career, interviewing etc. and as well as that, they are probably terrified to even consider looking for another career because of their batshit crazy fans (including me 💀). like can we just cut them some slack and let them get on with their job 😭. and at the end of the day they cant just stop being youtubers, they will never be able to live their lives as regular people now that they have created their platform- i doubt they will ever do anything else bc of the fear of being recognised in public whilst they are doing a more “normal” job.

and for the love of god this is NOT me saying that the triplets are gonna quit youtube. like i said, its their full time job. im just giving my opinion on people saying they are only doing it for the money- and quite honestly they are, but is that really such a bad thing? like im sorry but they aren’t just posting for our entertainment, they need money one way or another.

also is anyone else excited for the stream later like i hope nick will say something about all this and not just stay quiet until it all blows over

i think thats all i was gonna say i cant remember but if theres more then i will say 😘😘😘 sorry i waffle alot

[davekat-sucks]

i want that anon to think about it this way: can you actually name five good non-forced canon heterosexual romances off the top of your head?

because i cant, and thats the problem, its forced *writing*. how can you expect people to write something theyve never lived through (assuming the writer is like hussie for example) when nobody seems to know how to write a story first and opts for masturbatory self insertion instead?

look at samurai jack, genndy is very creative and has great ideas, but that got ruined the moment he decided jack just NEEDED to have a love interest based on his real life dream girl. the results? a rehash of ttgl ending, but shittier.

or my life as a teenage robot, did you know jenny was supposed to end up with sheldon? her stalker who feitshized she was a robot? because the creator related way too much to him?

hell, not only western shows, remember how sasuke ended up with sakura despite never giving a shit about her the entire show and abusing her? or naruto with hinata? kishimoto said he was like naruto and his wife was like sakura multiple times, how do you think she felt when he tried to justify these endgame pairings saying hinata was his ideal woman?

its shit like that. as for me, this is my personal opinion, but why i would i want someone feel forced to give me "representation" when theyve never met someone like me and all i end up with is an offensive caricature? look at hsbc for forced cynical representation, was rosemary worth it when they are reduced to ntr fuel and character assassination? or davekat for the very same? what about johnroxy, dont you think that was forced as well? trans roxy so that now roxy can end up with dirk? isnt that forced?

i dont watch a story for representation or validation, i watch a story for entertainment, and i dont want writers to feel pressured or restricted to just tell their story at the detriment of their original ideas and setting. if i want to see something hyper specific to something i saw, then i do it myself, i dont need anybodys crumbs or disingenuous hand me dows because they see me as a checklist to get money. i want sincerity and effort. writers arent gods that need to acknowledge i exist, they are voices that tell a story, dont depend on them or put them on a pedestal, you or anybody else can become that too. tell your story because are passionate about it, and that way itll never be forced. thats just the way i see it.

True and wise words, Anon.

[sashaisready]

starting over got me effed up! 😭 your writing is so good that I can’t help myself but to be so immersed and be in the feels. Thank you for sharing us ur talent!

(Ps. Ik most people don’t like her getting back with Bucky bc of what he’s done. But I genuinely think they can make it work, if Bucky grovels and proves that he actually loves her and regrets what he did.

Bc frankly, you did a damn well job in describing her pain. Yet, I can’t help but also have some understanding with Bucky. Imagine suddenly knowing that the love of your life, the woman that he only cared about, the only person he wanted to spend his life with, was betraying you. It wasn’t even a baseless accusation. It’s not like he’s going around speculating, trying to prove that she’s a mole. He’s thrusted into these evidence that sounded real. That must have been also so painful. Yes, he let his emotions act. But I think this is also hurt bucky putting his defenses up. He’s a mobster. He shouldn’t have a vulnerability. But he did, and it’s with her. Now that vulnerability with her mixed with her supposed betrayal, he must’ve felt hurt, ashamed, and threatened all at once. So, as a response, and as mentioned, he acted as work bucky. He treated her like any other stranger, shut her out, and built walls around him. He had to. In his mind, his vulnerability with her led him to this situation. I’m not saying what he did was justified or understandable. Hell no. He should’ve acted like a proper partner that tried to hear her. See her. Not throw her out like a piece of garbage he wanted to dispose. Not shove all the gifts and money that he WANTED and WILLINGLY and INSISTINGLY gave to her, down her throat. He made her feel as if she’s nothing but trash, an inconvenience, someone that he’s wanted to get rid of. That’s POS behavior. Yes. But I kinda see where it all came from. In the end, they both hurt who they love the most, one unknowingly and the other so so purposefully.

So, I hope (as I’m not sure what happens or what will be revealed in part 2) that he will do his best to make things right. I imagine it’s her now having trust issues with him. Her heart, in battle with her mind. Whether to give him a chance or to not risk it all again. But I imagine Bucky being on his knees (metaphorically and maybe literally), bending over backwards, doing everything he can and what she wants for this second chance. To make things right, to treat her better, and to work himself to a better man that she deserves. Bc she deserves a best man. And Bucky should only strive to be that man for the rest of his life. And this time around, he’s not gonna let her go. He’s gonna listen, love, and protect her just as much as he protects himself and his business, if not more. Something he should’ve done before he lost her. And they live happily ever after 🙏🏻💙

I didn’t mean for this to be long 😭 I’m sorry I just wanted to get my thoughts out. As I mentioned, I got too into your writing 😭

This is not to put a pressure on u and demand how it actually ends. This is me putting my 2cents (which may be controversial, and which why I just sent it anonymously) so please feel free to not post/respond to this 🫶🏻 just wanted to get it out of my chest hehe if you’ve read all of it, thank you for reading my yappings. And again, thank you for putting out your wonderful work 💙

Oh my goodness what a wonderful ask! Thank you. I really appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into your analysis and I’m so pleased the story has struck a chord with you 💖

I think you’ve nailed it. Nothing excuses Bucky’s behaviour but being presented with this evidence to suggest the woman he’s in love with has betrayed him has caused him to spiral and it’s shaken everything he thought he knew. He should’ve taken a moment, but the anger and hurt took over and he flew off the handle, burning everything to the ground before he could get his head together. And reader always suspected that her love story was a little too perfect, the handsome man whisking her away from her service job and caring for her in a way she’d never experienced, so she didn’t put up much of a fight when her worst fears were confirmed and it all went wrong. I hope you like how it ends!

[psalmonesermons]

Who cares wins Part 5/5

What is the cost of caring?

Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan in

Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

What is the Cost of Caring? It may cost you time, or effort, or money plus commitment, inconvenience, and you might get covered in blood etc!

Jesus was willing to pay the price for caring for you and me!

Hebrews 12:2 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So who is your neighbour at work, at home and in other areas of life?

We might not meet someone who is physically beaten, but what about in other ways?

How can you show a duty of care to your family, church family, work colleagues, strangers etc?

What is the cost of not caring?

Dare to care!

Jesus says to you and me today “Go and do likewise.”

Prayer; Lord give us hearts that are willing to care and to share like you and make us willing to go the extra mile to show your care to those in need who become our neighbours.

Amen

[saucymincks]

GIFT-GIVING TIPS AND REMINDERS NO ONE ASKED FOR

Hello, my name is Caro and I fuckin' love giving people gifts. This year, we're all doing the "shit shit money is tight oh no" thing, a lot of us have to buy things for people we don't know super well, etc. so here are a few ways to make cheap/generic/last-minute gifts a little more special!

WRAP THE GIFT I know this might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised. Get some cheap wrapping paper and scotch tape and wrap it up! Or, if you're like me and hate wrapping gifts, grab a gift bag AND TISSUE PAPER. Don't just throw the thing in the bag and call it a day, a little puff of tissue paper makes it look like you gave a shit. Plus, the gift wrap is a great way to add a personal touch - you can use someone's favorite color, it can be cute or pretty or funny, whatever you want it to be. There are all sorts of creative ways to wrap gifts, too - I've seen part of the gift itself used as the wrapper, like when I received a book wrapped in a scarf and tied with a hair wrap!

REMOVE THE PRICE TAG Either cut the price tag off or, if it's printed directly onto the gift in any way, scratch it out with a pen or sharpie. It's not entirely about hiding what something costs (though there are reasons to do that) so much as it's about making it seem like you put any effort whatsoever into this. I've received $5 bargain bin gifts that were thoughtful and wonderful! But when you receive a $5 bargain bin gift that has the big red sticker on it and is unwrapped, it kinda feels like a "fuck you". I've also received expensive gifts and felt guilty/inadequate when I saw the price tag. That's not the energy you want when you're giving a gift. PERSONALIZE IT Even if you're giving something generic, you can personalize it at least a little most of the time. I'll use bath stuff as an example - we often think of that as a general "buy this for whoever" kind of thing, and it totally can be, but it's also easy to make bath stuff thoughtful! If I'm buying for my mom vs. my best friend, the vibes will be very different. My mom is more of a sunshiney organicy type, so she'd get light floral/herbal/citrus scents in colors like pink, light green, cream, etc. My best friend is basically if Morticia Addams and Tia Dalma had a baby, so she's getting things in purple, black, gold, forest green, with heavier scents like you'd associate with incense and the woods. They're both getting a candle, a bar of soap, and a sheet mask, but those items are personalized to their tastes and vibes.

IT'S OKAY TO ASK If you honestly don't know what to get someone, you can ask! And you don't have to phrase it like "what do you want me to buy for you" because that might make them feel weird! A more tactful way to ask what someone might want as a gift that doesn't make them feel as pressured to have the "right" answer is to ask them "is there anything you've had your eye on that you haven't been able to justify getting for yourself", or "is there anything I can help you replenish that you might need", or "what sort of things are you trying to keep on hand these days", or something along those lines. Ask them what they're watching or listening to these days, ask them what they're enjoying as hobbies, ask them where they like eating, etc. All of these questions can spark a ton of ideas!

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU Some people really struggle when the person they're shopping for just wants practical or "boring" stuff, but remember: giving a gift is about giving a gift, not about receiving points. If someone says all they want is socks and a grocery store gift card, give them those things. If someone is overloaded with stuff, consider gifting them an experience or a subscription (I'm giving both my parents the gift of "pick a night, pick a theme, I'm your personal chef, you get to hang out and watch movies while I continue to hand you food until you say stop" this year). Don't buy loud stuff for little kids unless the parents are okay with it. Consider the person you're shopping for rather than how the gift will make you appear. If you're really hung up on the whole "paying your electricity bill for a month isn't a gift", "cleaning supplies aren't a gift", "underwear isn't a gift" thing, get them something indulgent in addition to the thing they're asking for.

GO ONE STEP FURTHER I have a friend who is BIG into Pokemon. I don't know a dingdang thing about Pokemon. I could very easily give him a Pikachu plushie and call it a day, and he'd be delighted by it, but you know what's a little more creative and fun? Doing some research and finding something a little more out of the box and unexpected. Which is how I stumbled across a bunch of Pokemon-themed cocktail recipes, and how I stumbled across the idea of making little cocktail kits in small mason jars with dried fruit and sugar cubes and stuff like that and pairing them with airplane bottles of liquor, which is how I gave that friend a gift that made him go "BITCH THIS IS SO CUTE, I'M GONNA MAKE THESE JIGGLYPUFF JELLO SHOTS TONIGHT" at the top of his lungs one year. Plus, he still has and still uses those jars after about a decade! It didn't cost me a ton of money, I was able to DIY most of it, and it was cute and personal. There are a lot of ways to do something a little unexpected and create a gift that's not going to set you back a ton but that has a ton of heart and love put into it.

CONSIDER A BUNCH OF TINY THINGS I...love tiny things. I love knickknacks. I love stuff and tchotchkes. I love opening a box or a bag and finding SO MANY LITTLE THINGS IN THERE. If you know someone like that, oh my god, shop for them like that, trust me, it's so much fun. Sometimes it's hard to come up with one big concrete item to give someone, so maybe...don't! One of the nicest gifts I ever got was literally a box of a bunch of little things that reflected me as a person. There was a mini bottle of a bourbon, a couple of jars of spices, a pair of fingerless gloves, some stickers, a box of shabbos candles (I am forever forgetting to replenish my supply and having to light random candles on Fridays), all sorts of random but personal stuff. Each item on its own was inexpensive and simple, but when it was all put together, it added up to an incredibly thoughtful mixture of practical, indulgent, and just plain fun!

YOU CAN REGIFT BUT YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL ABOUT IT, BUDDY Look...it happens. We receive a thing we can't use/don't like/already own. Someone else might like it. We give it away. But please, please, please be strategic about regifting. I've regifted things plenty of times, but the trick is to keep it outside the circle so the person who originally gave it to you doesn't see you blatantly passing it along. There's honestly nothing inherently bad or wrong about regifting, in my opinion, but there can be hurt feelings attached to it for many people, so it's a good idea to try and avoid that. Also, if the item is personalized in any way...most of the time, regifting is not gonna work. Use your head here!

This is all I can think of at the moment but if y'all have other advice please feel free to add. Gifts don't have to be a "feed the capitalist machine" thing - they can be (and should be) an opportunity to give a loved one a tangible reminder that they are cared for, a chance to give someone a little treat to make their day and by extension their life better and happier. Gifts also should not be something that causes you stress and shame and frustration! Gifts should be JOYFUL for everyone involved. Now go out there and don't forget to buy tissue paper.

[vihattu-thethoroughbredofsin]

Sorry if I'm bothering you. I came across your blog and it's rare for me to find someone critical of idw (I feel the same). Can you tell some of the problems you have with them? It's okay if you don't want to. Just happy to know I'm not the only one (My friends are huge fans of idw).

Hello, kindred spirit! I'm sorry that I'm not answering the question so quickly!

Well, it's nice to know that someone is also unhappy with IDW and wants to know more about it! Get ready, this will be the opening of Pandora's Box.

Out of a million of my claims, I will try to build a constructive list.

1. IDW does not build lore of the universe. They didn't have enough for this for 17 years or whatever they wrote comics. What kind of innovations, adequately embedded in lore, do we have? What lore did we get? No, we don't really know anything, neither the origin of transformers, nor what's going on in the universe, the rules change at the click of your fingers.

A couple of egregious examples.

Explanation of female transformers. Experienced IDW authors for 3 or about as many retcons could not explain it all, which is why the whole fandom got mad, tired and asks not to explain anything at all, so as not to see idiocy anymore. That is, they give the authors the right to be lazy, but more on that later.

You can say that it's really "everything is complicated and explanations are not needed, female characters have the right to exist!". They have, that's not the point.

This problem is solved simply — there is no need to explain the female characters, you need to explain why Cybertronians, in principle, have a humanoid form. That's all, any explanation from this point justifies both female and male, and androgynous, and any other, as well as all kinds of genders. As an example, Primus has seen enough of the variety of organics and made his creations roughly similar. All. I had to sit for 10 minutes to come up with this, and this is not the most brilliant idea. The IDW authors had 17 years, they didn't come up with anything.

Another example is Conjunx Endura. I understand perfectly well that the authors of the comics wanted to appeal to the fan base writing fanfiction. But you need to be able to do it correctly. You can't just take a phenomenon invented by fans and shove it into an official work without any explanation of this phenomenon inside the lore. Especially since many fanfiction writers do it! You can find works with such beautiful and logical explanations that it seems ingenious. But the IDW authors are above any explanation. And yes, there are not always explanations in fanfiction, but we compare non-professional writers who post their works on the Internet for free with experienced authors of an official work that is sold for money. Who should put more effort into their work?

I'll just explain. For us humans, romantic love seems obvious, but it's not a particularly common evolutionary invention. If an intelligent species evolved from some elephants or killer whales, then the priority would not be a pair, but a kinship relationship. There are a bunch of animal species that don't create pairs at all. So how and for what purposes does such a phenomenon as Conjunx Endura exist in the society of transformers? They do not breed in pairs, they do not have any very harsh living conditions where a partner can help with survival. Something from Primus? Some kind of "power of love"? Who knows, the authors don't care, the fans of couples are happy and draw tons of art and write tons of fanfiction, and they don't need more. And I understand that in the original very first cartoon we were shown that Cybertronians know how to love. But this is a cartoon for children, of course there will be no details, these comics are designed for an older audience who can understand complex explanations.

Age-related burnout is something like a disease ending the life of a transformer. What do we know about it? After what time does it come? For what reason? What is it like? And why should the reader know this, it is there and that's it.

Similarly, for all IDW's love of violent scenes and cutting transformers into pieces, we don't really have a single image that normally shows the anatomical structure of a Cybertronian. They didn't even bother to come up with names for body parts. When I needed to find names for the most basic body parts, I found about 10 fan interpretations for each and 0 official ones! I'll repeat it. THEY HAD 17 YEARS TO DO IT!

About changing bodies and genders to more suitable ones. Again, it is too directly written off from humans, although we are talking about alien robots. Humans have biological and socio-cultural reasons for this. How does it work for transformers? Different types of sparks were canceled by the retcon, so it is impossible to talk about some kind of accordance. Just fashion or aesthetic preferences? Well, that's something. But why, according to this logic, we were not shown examples where transformers change their alt-mod, because they felt that it would be right? No, it's too difficult, because the reader is too stupid and will not understand the allegories or signs of alien psychology of another intelligent species. Again, I'm not against it, but while it's clear how it works for humans, everything here works on the principle of "because".

And these are the biggest examples, but with the little things and everything else, it's about the same. These comics don't build the world, you don't want to dive into it, because almost nothing is known about it, except for a short period before and during the war. It's unclear how it works.

2. The authors obviously like Decepticons and don't particularly like Autobots. And they try very hard to hide it behind the so-called "gray morality". The authors tried so hard to suggest that the Decepticons are not so bad, but at the same time, because of the rule of coolness, they left their actions far beyond the point of no return, when the arch of redemption can no longer work in the work.

I will explain this with the most striking examples.

Megatron. How the authors protected him with all their might. The fact is that the authors adored Megatron so much that they tried to give him everything at once. Megatron must be a cool destroyer who staged genocide on Cybertron and on other planets. But at the same time, he should personify a "misunderstood hero who fought for a just cause." Megatron throws from extreme to extreme. Then he orders to kill all living beings in the universe, and then he changes on the move and decides not to kill anyone at all, doing absolutely nothing to save his comrades. (Time of MTMTE and Lost Light events). He defected to the Autobots only out of self-hatred, and not because of regrets about his actions. He never says that he feels sorry for the murdered Cybertronians or the inhabitants of other planets.

And the authors are trying to emphasize this, then through Rodimus, who almost licked him and promoted the point of view that Megatron (the leader of the Decepticons) is not responsible for everything that has happened in the last 4 million years. Or through Whirl, who began to blame himself that it was because of him that Megatron started all this, as if Megatron could not think on his own.

But apparently the authors didn't have enough of that, so they introduced a Functionist Universe to show how bad it would be for Cybertronians without a revolution. After all, screens instead of heads are much worse than the genocide of their own kind and the deaths of countless living beings on other planets.

I am sure that even the authors introduced Holomatter technology to draw a hot humanization of Megatron. You just compare his drawing and the drawing of others.

The authors had 2 options — not to make Megatron a monster so that it all worked, or not to follow the path of his justification. For such an image that turned out, the only redemption is death, any textbook of screenwriting skill will say that. What did we get? An inarticulate, unsatisfying ending where we don't even know if he was executed or not for all his crimes that he didn't really atone for. In general, it is very interesting to send a galactic criminal essentially on a cruise initially instead of a normal punishment. The inhabitants of the affected worlds especially liked it, I'm sure.

Starscream. Of course, they could not ignore the audience's favorite. How not to give your beloved Starscream the crown and the status of ruler. Despite the fact that before that we were shown him as an incompetent leader who brought the Decepticons to an incomprehensible extent in the absence of Megatron, but no one on the planet remembered this when he became ruler. No one in the galaxy was unhappy that the second in command and accomplice of the intergalactic genocide became the ruler. Because the authors wanted a Starscream in the crown, which in the end did nothing but argue with Windblade, and then in the end unexpectedly committed a heroic act during the fight with Unicron. What led to this? Nothing really, it's just that the authors love Starscream, why explain.

It's about the same with Soundwave.

Thundercracker. The kindest Decepticon. Who was not happy with Megatron's actions, but still obeyed them, whined to himself, and only at some point the authors remembered that they needed to make him good. And one act was enough to declare him so. And even humans accepted his residence on Earth, which should not be, since his one act is not enough for everyone to take and forget who he served and what he did before. But add a dog, and everyone will stop paying attention to it, because it's all so cute.

Well, just look at all the "positive decepticons" who still hate organics, who do not particularly repent for their actions, but the authors present them to us as "good guys".

And what about the Autobots? And now they are partly defenders of an unfair regime.

About what was done with Prowl and Star Saber (here is my post about it) I can only keep silent. As far as I know, the comic book author at least hated Star Saber, so he made him like this.

It would seem that here it is grayness, there are no good and bad. But, as we have seen, the "good" Decepticons are not as gray and good as they are presented. But they showed us good Autobots, right? We'll see.

Tailgate is at first a good autobot, who, because of his strength, has become some kind of hysterical, driven by momentary inadequate emotions.

Rewind is a good one, we won't pay attention to the fact that he used Chromedome as a tool, in fact he didn't love him, chasing after his previous partner, but we will perceive these two as a good couple. Yes, by the way, the beloved fan couple and the representation proudly called by the authors do not really demonstrate a bit of a good relationship, only use and disrespect for the feelings of the partner.

Rodimus is a good one, although he is an infantile egoist who, after a moment of enlightenment, returned to his previous behavior, and treated everyone badly except our beloved Megatron.

And really good characters like Skids can be killed and forget about their existence.

But we have a bad Getaway, which could be an excellent example of gray morality, since he was initially right, but the authors could not allow this, so they turned him into a caricature villain and killed him.

I really can't think of a single character that was enjoyable. Not necessarily morally clean, but at least not disgusted. Maybe this is just my opinion, but I hate almost everyone in this line of comics.

3. Authors hate human characters. It's simple, the whole storyline is on the Earth. Humans are stupid and evil bastards who thoughtlessly fell for the Decepticons' trick, fought against the Autobots and tortured them. Yes, humans can do terrible things and most likely would have done something about it, but it feels like there was no place for humans in the vaunted "gray morality". Even if the authors have a teenager's brain with all this "humans suck!", they could try to make a good story. What did Spike do to deserve such a character portrayal? By being annoying in a cartoon? That's not an excuse.

4. Terribly boring MTMTE and Lost Light, a soap opera at its worst. Most of this sprawling plot could be spent on really interesting things.

5. The ending. No comments. The only plus is that it's finally over.

6. Reboot is just boring.

7. Shattered Glass — thanks them for remembering, but it doesn't even match the original, either in the image of the characters or in the plot. The plot is so-so.

8. Last Bot Standing is just some nonsense with an incomprehensible morality, an incomprehensible premise and some crazy image of random characters.

And all this is only a small part of my claims, which I was able to quickly recall.

You can say, and many will say, that this is unfair, because other works on transformers are no better and suffer from the same problems. And I will agree. But there is one detail.

Most fans do not put other works on the pedestal of the best media on transformers. Therefore, I have no complaints about other comics from Marvel or Dreamwave, because they are treated adequately. But there is such a rush around IDW that I'm tired of seeing endless proposing to put every character and every solution from these comics into new comics/cartoons/movies/games. I understand that compared to other works, these comics seem cool, but they have a lot of problems that should not be repeated. You need to come to something new, and not take the most popular and think that this is the key to success. Earthspark is going down this path, and it doesn't look good anymore. But if everything is covered with a sad Megatron and blue flowers, then everything is fine. And this is not so.

Perhaps not everything was bad, the beginning was promising and even interesting, but all this quickly turned into some kind of nonsense, fanservice and fulfillment of the wishes of the authors. In the end, I'm glad that their license was taken away from them, and I hope that the following authors will not rely on these comics in the future.

I don't like IDW for the reasons outlined above, but I hate these comics for the way the fandom treats them.

Thank you for wanting to hear me and perhaps listening to what I would like to convey.

[yellingart]

I've been seeing a lott of discourse recently around adopt your pet vs shop from responsable breeders and I won't rest my head until I give my two cents on it-

First, this obviously excludes people who need their animal for their job or in their life, in which said animal has to perform a set of very specific tasks (herding dogs, police dogs, service animals, etc). I'm only talking about pets.

I see a lot of people defending buying from reputable breeders as a better option to adoption because they don't want to put up with the unpredicted beheavour that might come with an adopted pet, or that they dont find in shelters the kind of animal that would suit their household and while I undersstand wanting to find an animal that suits your household these arguments irk me in a very specific way.

Like these people think of getting an animal as a right, as if they needed to get an animal to justify being picky. Sometimes its just aesthetics sometimes it's beheavours, I don't care, I think is about time people stop feeling entittled to have pets. Maybe if you cant find a good suit for your household in a shelter then you should also consider that it might not be the right time for you to have an animal.

And this goes for any situation, even people that defend "I'm alergic to dogs so I NEED a portuguese water dog because theyre hypoallergenic" I get that!!!! but as heartbreaking as it is you don't NEED it you WANT IT!!! there's a difference!! you'll be fine not owning a dog if you aren't in a situation to own a dog!!!!!! It gets to a point in which it is lowkey ridiculous the lenghts people will go to justify their selfish desire to own a certain kind of dog.

I won't go after anybody who decide to buy (from responsible breeders) if they so desire to do that, you do you, if you're ok with it then so be it but I think it is about time we start calling things for what they are, nobody needs a pet bad enough to justify not even wanting to give a chance to shelters first.

I can't bring myself to justify buying, even less buying without even giving a chance to shelters, however I understand this is my personal choice and as long as people is responsible I have nothing to saay about it. But I'd like more people to consider owning animals is NOT and will NEVER be something you need bad enough to justify being so nitpicky about their characteristics unless youre in a field of work that requires working animals or need a service animal with you for medical reasons.

So now that it is clear that it isnt a need,it is a want, a desire, I hope thats enough to make people understand that theres no excuse, no possible excuse, not the money, the time, the effort, the energy, nothing justifies doing less than everything you can to ensure youre obtaining that animal from the most ethical place possible. And that might not always be a shelter, because I am aware not every animal is "adoptable", theres a lot of animals, fish, reptiles, birds, that aren't adoptable but it still isnt an excuse to not do everything you can to ensure youre getting that animal from an ethical place. Because you'll be fine wothout it. You dont need to run. It isn't your "only option". Do your research. Check yourself. Consider option 2, 3, 4, 5. Nothing justifies cutting corners.

Hopefully this will make sense, idk!

Thats all I wanted to say really

[crimsonmonsoon]

I am considering dropping Miracle Box as a project.

I am very sorry to say that, especially since recently it’s been gaining more attention now that the first book is complete. And especially since I just posted the first chapter of the New York special, but I feel like maybe it is not the best idea to peruse such a project that gives nothing in reward.

I wish I had just wrapped up the story in the first fic but I hadn’t planned on it and purposely left loose ends to branch into the future fics following it. But I didn’t.

Now for those of you who care I figure I ought to explain why this is a thought going through my head:

Miracle Box was something I was passionate about but it was always fueled by anger for the show and as it went on it started feeling less like an mlb rewrite and more like a angry pit of violence and conflict and angst because I was just putting EVERYTHING into it. It is a hefty project that would have four books if you count the New York special, and even an additional fifth one if I did the Shang Hai one too. But I am not getting paid to write this. Book one on its own was 40k words longer than the book I wrote that I’m supposed to actually make money for.

Fanfiction for me has always been about practicing my writing skills before I put them into something real. But the style of writing I had to use for miracle box followed a storyline as if being told by a TV series, as that would fit it. I am fully capable of doing that, in fact, that’s what I’m majoring in. But as a book? It just looks sloppy. And what I mean by this is having scenes told by characters who aren’t the main characters, perspectives switching in the middle or abruptly after a scene, pacing focusing strictly on one or two characters who aren’t the main protagonists (in this case my Alya arc), having flashbacks told by no one simply to just show them for the reader, etc. That works for building comics and TV series and movies. Not for a book written the way I write. It feels like I’m ripping myself apart when I do that and that was for a majority of Miracle Box.

MLB as a show is just a mess. I can’t even get through season five it is painful to watch. I’m cringing at everything and the scenes people fantasize over are giving me second hand embarrassment for some reason. I don’t connect to the fandom that well and it’s so much easier for me to talk about literally anything else. My blog is centered on miraculous but in reality, mlb is like… one of my least favorite pieces of media, I can’t stand it, I don’t understand it. I would rather be able to have my blog focus on marvel or Atla or anime or literally anything BUT miraculous.

And lastly, this is more private but I feel like I need to share it to justify wanting to skimp out on this project, I’m dealing with a considerable amount of physical pain right now. I don’t want to explain what’s going on but just know that doing things like sitting up for over 30 minutes causes me way too much physical distress. I power through it all the time anyways but if I’m going to be writing I don’t want to waist my efforts on a fanfiction but rather finish editing my second book so I can get it published.

Basically I’m depressed :’)

I don’t know what to do with Miracke Box it kinda feels like I’m abandoning a child on the street. So to serve it Justice I might make a series of videos talking about how the story was going to go and the lore of all the things I created because there is still SO MUCH to unpack with it.

Anyways. This post was only for my followers but I doubt many people will find it who isn’t a follower anyways but if you are that stranger, what’s up, you should buy my book, Land of Armonia, on Amazon.

[wromwood]

The Fazbear Frights graphic novels are bad and you shouldn't buy them. Click the read more to learn why.

Recently I learned that my local library has some more of the graphic novel adaptations of the Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights books. (I read the first of these adaptations earlier this year, also thanks to the local library. Shoutout to libraries for letting me read FNaF books without worrying about giving Scott Cawthon my money) I read the original stories when they were first published a couple years ago, which already made me curious as to how they were continuing to be adapted into comic form.

My other reason for checking out the second and third graphic novel adaptations was because of the fact I'd read the first. It was BAD.

For context, I've also read the graphic novel adaptation of the novel trilogy (also thanks to my local library). That adaptation also has its artistic quirks and faults, but even the adaptation of the first book The Silver Eyes (which I consider the worst) is still decent. The art style improves from the second to the third books, which gave me the expectation that this would continue with the Fazbear Frights adaptations.

Nope. Nope it doesn't. I don't have any pictures of the first FF adaptation, but trust me: it's shoddy. It's not horrendous, and they use different art styles in each of the three stories, but they're neither good comics nor good adaptations. My best theory is that these books have to be rushed out with little communication between the different stages of development.

My proof? Evidence from the second book.

All of the stories in the second book have some form of wonky art through them, just like the first. I won't dwell too much on this aspect, but will show one example for context.

Look at those ARMS. THE HANDS.

There are so many more examples than just this that we don't have time for. (Also, I returned the book) Panels have weird and unusual framing, there are word bubble inconsistencies, weird looking background characters, inappropriate expressions for the character's emotions...

Like. Stylistic freedom aside, seeing multiple aspects of this in a book that I was supposed to have paid $15 for (again, thank you local library) doesn't feel right. I would totally accept this from an amateur webcomic, one that was either free or "low-cost" (I'd still appreciate the time and effort put into it), but from a professionally published book for a popular franchise? I feel justified in asking for better quality.

*

But now we move onto something else... directly going against clearly stated story details.

This is an example from the second story in volume 2, "Room for One More." As you can see here, the character asks for a specific breakfast order. And this detail is important to the character and story. But what we see next is...

A totally different breakfast being made. Ok, maybe this is just a weird time passing panel, I thought. Until...

If you look at his plate, it's the breakfast from the stove! And yet the dialogue shows he's supposed to be eating his original order.

Here's an example from the third story, "The New Kid."

Big red pickup truck, he says. You won't be able to miss it, he says.

I THINK YOU COULD MISS IT.

This lack of attention to detail isn't even confined to the art. Here's a picture of the back cover blurb:

That first sentence about Oscar? That's not from the first story in this volume, "Fetch." That sentence is for "Out of Stock," the third story in the first volume of the FF graphic novels.

As I've mentioned before, my reluctance to give Scott Cawthon my money has kept me from truly engaging with the FNaF franchise like I used to. But I'm still surprised that there are this many mistakes in an aspect of the franchise like this. This is a franchise built on detail. In the games, novel series, and short story books, details are CRUCIAL, especially for fans. Fans depend on detail to tell what the hell is going on in the lore. Details are FNaF's bread and butter.

I almost wish there was a way to see these errors as intentional. That there's meaning being the apparent lack of consistency and effort. Sadly, I think this is merely due to quickly churning out more books for profit, at the expense of the time and communication between the different artists involved.

Anyway, rant over. Enjoy your lives and don't buy these graphic novels!

[theletmeliveproject]

The Positives of Parenthood That I Won't Miss, Part 1: Vicariously Feeding My Inner Child

There is a lot of content out there about the negatives of parenthood and things that put people off of parenthood. I think this gives people outside the community the wrong idea that all of our aversion is circumstantial. In reality for people who are inherently childfree by choice, it's not just about not wanting the negatives but also having no interest in the positives.

This is a series of positive aspects of parenthood that are of no interest to me as an inherently childfree person.

One aspect of parenthood that parents seem to find enjoyable as the ability to live vicariously through their children and doing things that they miss from their own childhood such as buying/playing with toys, watching cartoons and putting effort into celebrating national holidays such as Halloween or Christmas.

Whilst I don't doubt that watching someone go through life stages that you have left behind can bring back nostalgia, I don't personally believe that becoming an adult means having to give up all the colour from life.

As a society we expect that adults will give up everything that has previously made them happy in favour of work and new age-appropriate hobbies. Spending hundreds on a Lego set is seen as a waste whereas at one point in time spending your wages every night at the pub after work instead was seen as a regular adult activity. I believe this mindset comes from the circumstances in which many of our predecessors came into adulthood: war, economic depression, political unrest and poverty, and for many people these issues are still a reality in our modern day. In circumstances like this it's hard to justify "frivolity" or "happiness for happiness' sake". Why would you spend your money collecting merchandise from your favourite film series when your family doesn't have enough to eat? How could you waste hours rewatching old cartoons when you have to work eight or more hours a day to keep your dependents alive? There is also the question as well of evolving taste, the possibility that many adults simply and truly don't enjoy their childhood hobbies anymore, and when someone has been through trauma this too can dramatically shift someone's personality and perception of the world. In a way, many people may find that having children allows them to shamelessly revisit their inner child who was lost and potentially even heal them.

However, as a childfree by choice person who lives in relatively comfortable circumstances, I don't feel I will miss out on this because I am not actively denying myself or my inner child the chance to enjoy things and heal. I watch shows that I enjoy regardless of age rating, I have more disposable income to spend on things that make me happy, regardless of if they have a functional purpose in my life and doing the work to heal my inner child before having children has allowed me to see that having children just to be able to give them everything I never had, is not a healthy reason to be a parent. Nor is doing those things so you can inadvertently give yourself those things too.

Instead of using a child as a means for your own healing and happiness, I think we should all first try and undo this societal conditioning that tells us that being an adult is inherently about seriousness and suffering. It is possible to find a balance between the responsibilities that come with age and fulfilling the mental and emotional needs we have as human beings.

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[xaren-jo]

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had a falling out with a friend yesterday over her continuous shitting on cis people (among other things). supposedly they are the enemy and are oppressing us simply by existing. yes, even those who are just living their lives and minding their own business - cuz if you're not directly helping an oppressed group, you're participating in their oppression indirectly somehow (???). it's cishets and cishets only who came up with all things queerphobic in the first place; if one of our own perpetuates that crap, it's still the cishets' fault, the poor dear is just traumatized and lashing out. as for cis allies who do put their lives on the line for us - their efforts don't mean shit, because they're an outlier, and cis people "as a class" are still the oppressor anyway, so her hatred is justified.

and when i point out to her that appointing a broad, diverse group of people as the enemy helps no one, least of all herself, that's just me being purposefully obtuse and/or a traitor to my own people. and if i keep disagreeing with her, it's only to piss her off and to attack her.

and she's a radfem, so i knew what i was getting into from the start, but this is still just so frustrating. she's such a bright, passionate young woman. how can she be such an ass.

we had both legally transitioned at nearly the same time, pretty much in parallel but in different directions, and we supported each other as we navigated that whole ordeal. it hurts because i understand why she's so angry and why she's so scared, but she just. won't. listen. living with this hatred is hurting her, but she clings to it like a it's a damn lifeline. because being a hateful little gremlin and an anxious mess is the only appropriate/possible response to the current situation, i suppose. silly old me, what do i know.

i got it into my head that i have to help her because she's younger than me, and she's trying to do good for the community, and she's broke and hurt and has suicidal tendencies, but fff. i just can't do this anymore. i feel like crap almost every time we talk. the hatred and the fear just keep spilling out of her to land onto my head. it's like i'm a dumping ground or a fuckin outhouse or something. "oh, men are at the root of all evil, they just suck fundamentally because they're men - not trans men tho, and def not you, you're cool :)", "am i passing??? fuck, i have so much internalized transphobia. how's my woman voice??? i feel like i'm never gonna be a "real" woman, i need this and this surgery", "all sex work is rape, are you in support of rape???", "it's been five whole minutes, why aren't you answering me, i feel like we barely talk anymore :(", "i'm anxious, i'm terrified, i can't get out of the house. i'm taking a break from arguing with terrible people on the internet, it's been taking a toll on me - oh wait, nevermind, i'm back to arguing with terrible people on the internet, because SOMEONE HAS TO", she keeps telling me, day after day and week after week, nothing seems to change, "i want to kill myself right now - what do i want you to do with this information? i don't know, i guess i just want some support", "i remember you told me you feel like you're being used for your money and it makes you feel like crap, i feel so bad about this, but could you lend me some money???", and after i had just told her that i was kinda struggling financially at the moment - "oh, you're so boujee, you should give me money, hehehe :P", "i know this comes off as manipulative and i feel so bad about this, but i'm gonna do/say it anyway, please forgive me", and she begins to cry. "i got it into my head that you will save me - can you please save me?" - springing that shit on me in a public place, during a smoke break at a support group we both regularly attend, girl, wtf. how am i even supposed to respond to that. "let's drop the g and the l, this is a gay exclusionary support group - hehehe, jk, i just mean the cis gays of course :P i'm just mirroring the shit that gays say about us, it's fine", and now she's a moderator of said support group. just great.

AND forwarding me a bunch of articles and videos of trans people getting bashed (including one such video of herself), with no warning, because she's been gathering evidence to make her case for immigration, and she thought she should get it all in one place, that one place being my dms - i got so upset i was close to tears, i walked around in a daze for a week. AND THEN a week or so later forwarding me a bunch of transphobic death threats she's been getting, with, again, zero warning??? not the kind of light recreational reading i've been looking for, fuck you very much.

and again, this is frustrating because she's not a bad person, but damn. she's toxic. it feels like i'm a shitty friend, abandoning her for being inconvenient, but. fuck. i can't anymore. fuck it.

[amenide]

I was schooled in a French school and we learned about laïc government and that religion is a private matter. I was also taught that religion should only be spiritual. Nothing spiritually good ever came from a religion taking arms. Only materialistic gain, which go against any actual religion.

This... whole situation...

It is frighteningly too easy for humans to dissociate other humans from those they consider humans too.

Like, I learned that why people usually have a hard time to kill, like they say the frist time is the hardest but then it's get easier and easier, it is because we still see the other person as a uman, as the same as us, as us. And as living being, our instinc by default go against hurting ourself.

But this? The issue here is that those are bombardment. The soldiers who oull the trigger don't see no human among the buildings and landscape of Gaza. Their superior give them coordinate and they just obey and shot.

I do not believe that the majority of them, if they had gone there on foot with guns, would have been able to look at those kids in the eyes and shot as easily as they bombarded them.

Seeing their small and frigile bodies, earing their screem and beg and cry.

I do not believe they would have been able to put a bullet into the numerous babies that were raised there.

I do not believe... I don't want to believe they are actually aware of what they are doing.

Like children following the bigger bully to beak another kids leg.

Some day, they will watch back at what happened. People will remind them of what they did. This is the era of internet so the Israeli government can't stop them from knowing the truth.

I... don't know where I am going with this.

I am just so mad and frustrated.

I had heard of "reasons" why some country (usa) support Israel. I heard it was because they needed a good military spot to watch over the oil in the region, against the other country close by who just hate their guts.

I have been wondering. Would the middle wast be the same as today if the Occident actually put all the possible effort to us as less oil as possible and transition as fast as possible to renewable energy?

Some shit is happening with Venezuela because of oil I heard.

More and more, I fear the future dystopia of cyberpunk fictions is inevitable.

...

One more thing that scares me and that I learned from the Ukrainian president: humans are very adaptable creatures.

They can adapt to most environments and situation for their own survival.

I witnessed it, I lived it, going through it.

I am becoming numb to the suffering of others.

It's true it is happening I countries over 5000 km from my own.

It's true I have my own problems I need to focus on.

It true my country isn't actively involved internationally.

It true I don't even have to money to have a bank account capable of donating.

Many many reason that can explain or justify why I cpuld go on my days ignoring others' sufferings.

I dont even know them.

But still... there is something in me that can't help but be angry, frustrated, eager to comit violence and be so fucking sad.

So fucking frustrated. So fucking useless. So fucking helpless. Powerless.

These past few days, the only thing I saw about this war were text I could easily ignore.

Buy this forced me to put faces on numbers.

I want to cry. I wish I could cry for them. But I have no tears.

Just anger.

-

Thank you for reading my rants. I don't really know what I am expecting g from this.

I just wanted to says something and be heard. Somehow, maybe.

I might delete this in a week anyway.

[bearpillowmonster]

I heard that FF7RR didn't perform as well as Remake and at first I was sad but then I starting thinking about it. The PS4 came out and not enough units were made but eventually they caught up and everyone seemed to have one but this generation, the same thing happened, that's their own fault, they underestimated on purpose and it got a reputation again that it's a scalped console.

While certainly desirable, a lot of people couldn't find these and when they finally became available, they shrugged at the price. PS4 was 400, PS5 is 500, it's a hundred dollar difference and yet we're still here 3, wait, it's been almost 4 now, 4 years since it's launch! It's more than half way through its life cycle if we go by PS4 dates. 6 is pretty standard. Not to mention, after the first three years, Sony is known for coming out with a revision to their console.

The PS4 Pro, the PS2 and PS3 slims, it's expected and with the coming of those, there were price drops, first 50 after the first 2 years then 100 when it actually released and it took the spot of how much that initial console cost. We're already past that point now so I suppose the decision between a digital and physical version is considered the different version right at the get-go. People wait for these things to go on sale. They wait for a game that they really want.

Me? Spider-Man 2 and FF7R2 just dropped within the past 6 months and those are the two games that I'd get. There's a ton of games that I'd try but those are two that I was really looking forward to, does that justify uh, 500+70+70=640 plus tax?

I for one have waited so long that I decided to wait until the PS6. And Sony must know that the PS5 sales didn't go as planned, I mean, it's three years in and they release the brand new Resident Evil 4 remake on both consoles. 50 million consoles sold is huge but when you have over double that with PS4 which was still had higher sales at the landmark the PS5 is at right now.

I support new consoles, new technology but absurdly priced technology just doesn't cut it for me, I don't normally give in and I want FF7RR more than any other game right now because it looks like KH4 is out of reach for the time being and I know a lot of people are the same way, "I want to play it but I don't have a PS5". There's certainly a demand for that game, but one factor is that some people wanted the idea of a remake but got a franchise (which I personally don't mind but still)

I'm not always blaming the industry because the price of everything is up right now and really, that puts a damper on absolutely everything, nobody can go out and have fun. I make it a point to only go out maybe one day of the week and do something because any more than that is spending too much money. It's sad and it's stupid. My siblings are growing up in this, first covid then the economy which when I ask them what they want to do, they have no idea what they 'can' do because they don't know what's out there. Then when I decide for them, they don't know how to act, they don't know how to treat an arcade because we can't afford to go to them all the time, let alone find one. They're indecisive about getting a toy because for one, they see the price, which they shouldn't have to worry about but when they ask for something expensive and all they know is the excuse that it's too much then they start being conscious of it and then they don't know how to treat it because they know that may be the one big thing they get and aren't sure whether to use that ticket. Then me, I go into stores and don't buy anything, I gawk "Oh, that's new" because I spent the money to drive here but everything I see is overpriced and or a lot of effort to get aka I have to stand in line for 20 minutes because they don't have self checkout and they don't pay enough employees to have more than two registers open at a time and by the time I get there, I change my mind and regret my potential purchase.

The middle class has been eliminated and a majority of its people have been pushed into being poor. Sidetracked. It's not the game, it's the console, it's not the console, it's the price. And the games also cost more. Ok, bye.