#again as always there are other layers

[sollucets]

wrote a whole long post that didn't make sense because i'm a fic writer not a meta writer and the point comes down to this: sand and ray are both Such Bad Liars

they have honest faces. nobody, in-universe or in the audience, is ever really fooled when they pretend things are other than they are.

when sand is hurt you can tell, it's in every line of his body. ray is expressive and straightforward but hides his hurt a little better, not because he's better at lying but because the hurt hardly ever goes away.

ray can see sand freezing up and looking upset when he's called a friend or not prioritized, he can see the lie, but it doesn't matter compared to what sand's actually saying and what it'll mean if it's (not) true. he's gotten a lesson recently about pushing. and sand, i think, can see ray caring but he can't imagine it could be enough, that he could matter the most or be a priority. when ray calls sand a whore it's the only lie he told that night and sand knows it

when they hurt each other sand lies and pulls away and ray can tell, and similarly ray lies and pulls away and sand can tell, and theyre stuck in limbo because of it. awful. hate it. 10000 more just like it please

#again as always there are other layers #ray pulls back out of self-loathing (less of me will always be better for the other person) and a sort of clumsy kindness and fear #sand lies out of wounded pride and longing for something he can only get through pretending and out of self-preservation and out of fear #sand is sometimes so honest it hurts (and when he is you can see ray falling in real time) #and ray lies too now and again to try to keep people from seeing just how bad it's got #also to be clear this applies to sand's girlboss gaslight manipulation moment too #like he's better at it than regular lying because he's had time to prepare but ray still sees straight through it #just bc ray ends up telling mew anyway doesn't mean he can't see sand's ulterior motives from a mile off #this is very melodramatic of me i know but like. this is how i have to get my shit out they are rotating in my brain 24/7 #i am actually also writing fic in another tab as we speak im literally overflowing constantly thinking about them #rowan chatter #re: only friends

[moe-broey]

Got inspired to revisit this FEH comic redraw I did when it first dropped! Specifically these panels:

Ended up freestyling that second Xane though LMFAOO he is just so impish to me...

If you wanna get Old Art Jumpscared I'll also include the original sketch under cut!

AAAAAAAAA JUMPSACRE AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!

In a way though, I'm glad that I dropped it and picked it up again later... like I feel like this isn't even from that long ago (guy who has no sense of the passage of time voice), but the characterization and even design of Moe is so different. The Scrunch and :< face were game changers for it LMFAOOO (also just making it autisticer 👍)

Beyond that I think everyone looks a lot better and closer to how I envision them, esp Loki!

#fire emblem #feh #please do not the moe. it doesn't like it :( #TRIED. to capture that really pretty hair gradient that's in loki's mythic but idk if i got it #i am really satisfied w the little changes i made to xane's pallette though! his halloween alt is just. So Red LMFAO #WHICH. UNDERSTANDABLE. that is his signature color. i feel like just a few changes pull it together more though #which does tempt me to do a full body art of him...... but don't hold me to it LMFAO #ALSO DAMN....... moe interactions with other charas that aren't the askr siblings/unofficial extended family....... #like in universe it probably happens frequently/casually but. it's rare for me to actually draw it LMFAOO #i just.... always have the askr siblings on my mind....... #also i am just deeply in love w alfonse here like. this WAS the initial pose i was imagining when i first drew this #i ended up cropping it so much though. wasn't as skilled in Drawing Really Small yet #also just. i feel like there's more layers here w the updated moe characterization like. he's not just In Too Deep for the summoner #he knows it really doesn't like that (being touched ESP without warning/permission). #like beyond his own feelings he has a reason to be so intensely protective. which i'm also sure #is what he tells himself. #they just have a really funny dynamic. that i hope shines through every now and again! 😅 #fe alfonse #fe xane #fe loki #moe tag #summoner oc #my art #my comics

[itspileofgoodthings]

my life is a very slow process of everyone around me telling me not to be anxious and me fighting them all tooth and nail while inching towards more stable mental health.

#I know it’s not true but sometimes I feel like if I didn’t have anxiety I would not suffer at all #which. again. is false #but there’s a lot of things I don’t want in this life and a lot of things I am not scared of and a lot of things I just accept #and like. It’s FINE #but all my suffering from anxiety stays in one fixed flame of sheer agony #and it’s hard because I don’t shake like a chihuahua in the corner of my bedroom #unable to move or function #I’m always doing things and functioning and joking at parties and (generally) saying the right thing #but it’s all located in one corner in the middle of my mind attacking my ability to make judgments and live with my decisions peacefully #like an unseen wound #and the distance i feel it puts between me and other people #is one of the most painful things #just several sheets of frosted glass between me and them #and sometimes the worst it gets is when I can bear it without breaking down and so I just do and I just keep functioning #and the cold just creeps in and everything goes kind of numb! #tbh now that I think about it this might be why I often think of myself as a person with no desires or ambitions or dreams #or impetus or forward motion or anything #because I DO want things and have opinions and the exist in flashes. But also they’re buried deep under several layers of protective apathy #so they’re not stable. I drop them many times. forget them ignore them imagine that they aren’t there. I’m sorry I’m rambling I’m FINE #actually when I talk about it that’s how you know I’m doing okay with it #when I can’t talk about it and am half-heartedly going through the motions #that’s the problem #anyway whew. thanks for listening sorry for all the self-reflection etc. etc. etc.

[the-sage-libriomancer]

i think when talking about Shigure, it's important to note that he was constantly operating under the assumption that the curse would eventually break on its own. he saw Kureno's curse break with no outside interference, and he's spent enough time with Akito to know that her hold on the curse is greatly weakened. in Shigure's mind, the curse was on its way out: it could break in twenty years, or ten, or maybe even as little as five. his efforts are just a way to speed up the process so he can be with Akito quicker (and to save the other zodiac members but that's not really his big priority). so while he 100% took the most selfish route by catering to his own plans instead of helping the other zodiacs survive the curse, his personal justification was likely "it will eventually break anyway so all of the zodiacs will be freed regardless of my interference" instead of just "i don't care about the other zodiacs so they can go ahead and rot."

#real talk i don't think shigure would've put up with half of akito's shit if there wasn't a failsafe built in #he may be a selfish jerk but he's not an outright monster #if it looked like the curse was going to be a lifelong thing he would've stepped in more to help #but the time limit on the curse allowed him to justify standing back and watching #bc it would've been over soon anyway so what did it matter if he played his games in the meantime? #and again. that's selfish and cowardly behavior #hence why shigure is so frustrating bc there's always a seed of good in his actions that's wrapped up in so many shitty layers #but i firmly believe shigure does care ab the other zodiacs and wouldn't have abandoned them to a fully-powered curse #fruits basket #shigure sohma #sage speaketh #analysis #edited for your convenience #(<-capitalized the names)

[icewindandboringhorror]

More misc. daily life pictures and such

#image commentary in tags once again since they don't allow captions anymore and I feel weird using the alt text for that -- #1 & 2 - Very bright pretty looking sky ! #2. HUGE icicle that looked like you could kill someone with it or something.. Pulled from near a gutter on the side of a building #3. & 4 & 5 - various images from a silly party I had where I pretended to be some elf king turning like 204 years old lol (also not like #a REAL party. Only my roommates were there really and we're all in the same household bubble. #just to clarify. I would never dare have a large party anyway given #my hermitous nature but on top of that.. didn't want there to be some implication that I'm having a Party while covid is still ongoing lol. #NEVER.. But I do love dressing up as some fantasy character so much.. The only thing that could ever bring a true hermit wizard #to engage with others socially is the prospect of connecting it somehow to fantasy worlds and costumes lol. One must simply dress up #as a silly 200 year old man from time to time and pretend you've never seen a balloon before in your life. etc. #6. bapy boye... feets #7. The main food that I made for the elderly elf man 'party'. which was a Deconstructed Beef Wellington (kind of as ajoke since I watch s #o many silly cooking competition shows and they always make stuff 'deconstructed' at the last minute when under time limits or whatever.) #I've wanted to make beef wellington a few times but Ithink to do it well I'd need like..an actual kitchen and a lot of time and #an oven that fully works to bake things and etc. etc. So I thought this would be an easier method. A thick steak cut round to kind of mimi #c the round tenderloin or whatever it is in a wellington. instead of the puff pastry being wrapped around - I just did star shaped cut outs #of pastry and baked them and put them on top (to go with the star theme). instead of mushroom duxelles being wrapped around in pastry #its in a little circle under the steak. and instead of mustard being brushed onto the meat I made a mustard gravy sauce type of thing #Then of course asparagus on the side.. my favorite... Though I know some wellington #also has a layer of prosciutto I think. or I saw one person use crepes. I didn't feel it was necessary to incorporate that too lol #8. bapy son helping me do a giant puzzle that took me hours and I had no idea it was actually that large of a puzzle #until I started putting it together and for some reason it made me stressed by the end instead of relaxed lol.. puzzle fatigue #photo diary

[elisfalling]

I want to find/make a friendship like I did when I was in high school - stay up late texting all the time, playing 20 questions and talking about anything and everything sort of friendship.

Like slumber parties, secrets, and FaceTiming while doing your hair. Just being able to just be yourself and let go with them.

#I have always had that with my husband for as long as we’ve known each other #but I am desperate for the feeling in another friend as well #why do adult relationships have so so so many layers of meaningless conversation #and asking personal questions and talking about intimate things is like a social no no for adult friendships like what is this? #i want slumber parties and secrets again #please braid my hair and watch movies with me

[hella1975]

assigning a character the highest honour like *adds go home by julien baker to their playlist*

#and by honour i mean pointing at them like TRAUMATISED! TRAUMATISED! TRAUMATISED! #like yeah relating to this song is a red flag actually. yeah it's one of the most personal songs in the world to me #and i actively am not allowed to listen to it some days bc it makes me significantly worse #even if im in a GOOD mood because of the layers upon layers of emotions ive associated with it #yeah i literally wont even blorbo post to this song even if it's accurate to a character because it's so personal #so they have to be REALLY FUCKING SPECIAL AND FUCKED IN THE HEAD to get this honour. enter touya #i made him a playlist im going crazy like yeah actually of course i was always gonna be weird about him #like he's got fire themes. he's got body horror. he just wanted to be good. he's ethel cain coded. he's georgia coded #he's got mommy AND daddy AND sibling issues. he's the only other character ive let even come close to mary on a cross #he's a waiting room girlie. he's an archer girlie. im tearing my hair the fuck out of my scalp #why does the first character ive latched onto this hard since CHUUYA have to be from mha of all things #like that's embarassing for me im embarassed to be here. and yet #touya todoroki #the thing that makes me sick about touya is yes the abuse he went through via his quirk and his dad etc etc #but also bc sekota peak happened when he was 13 right? and he's 24 now? that's 11 years unaccounted for #like ik it's confirmed his burns put him in a coma for 3 years and all for one and the dr guy just stapled his stubborn self together #which is something else i will YELL MY HEAD OFF ABOUT WHAT THE FUCKKKKK HE WAS A CHILD STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT #but im pretty sure it's confirmed that after 3 years he goes off again on his own? which still leaves him as a teenager? #like he straight up burns himself alive at 13 wakes up at 16 and reappears at 24 with dyed hair and piercings and a bad attitude #and im not supposed to wonder? or get upset? like i absolutely am leaning into the 'he was on the streets' angle bc i hate myself #and that's devastating and also what alternative is there logically like he has NOTHING #no home no money no name that he can feasibly use not even an appearance that will warrant anything but more cruelty #so youve got this child on the streets with injuries that absolutely cause insane amounts of pain daily he's literally STAPLED together #and he's completely alone and the only thing getting him through is this growing hatred and rage #like id set all my plans around killing the guy that put me there too actually just to fucking get me out of bed in the morning #I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM. WHERE WAS HE FOR THE PAST DECADE. HORIKOSHI PLEASE #I WANNA GO HOME IM SICK THERES MORE WHISKEY THAN BLOOD IN MY VEINS MORE TAR THAN AIR IN MY LUNGS #PIERCE MY SKIN NEEDLES TO WORN OUT RAGS THE FOLDS IN MY ARMS THE SICKENING BLACK AND I HAVENT BEEN TAKING MY MEDS #I KNOW MY BODY IS JUST DIRTY CLOTHES IM TIRED OF WASHING MY HANDS GOD I WANT TO GO HOME

[ducktracy]

What’s your favorite Patrick design?

my answer is unsurprising but i promise i’m answer if this with as much objectivity as i can, and answering as a fan of cartoons and what appeals to my sensibilities: BUT! his design in The Patrick Star Show.

i think it just brings such a great aesthetic balance and COMMUNICATES a lot about his character too! i think the inverted theming is clever with his shorts being opaque purple and his shirt green with flowers (as opposed to the green trunks and purple flowers). likewise, it makes me think back to his appearances in the earliest days—the same guy who asks SpongeBob if Sandy is putting on airs would absolutely wear a Hawaiian button up. it’s leisurely and loose, a bit “zany” even to match his endearingly off-color personality, but there’s a sort of prestige to it too! or, at least, as much prestige that can be found in a Hawaiian button up. and i feel like that prestige matches a guy who misinterprets “a hat full of air” as “putting on airs”. he looks like such a buddy, y’know? like someone who gives you that advice that you probably shouldn’t be listening to, but just has such a naturally warm conviction that its hard not to.

as for general art style.. it’s funny, i don’t have a major preference! i gravitate towards his earlier appearances in S1, but i do that with all characters… the show(s) in recent seasons have been really great at capturing a nice balance between some reserved cute charm and fun energy. i’m really not too picky because Patrick’s not too picky! i will say i do tend to gravitate to a style that has slightly bigger/taller eyes and a taller forehead… i tend not to be a fan of The Tooth, but especially when i was first starting out i could understand why it was such a crutch.

alternate, much shorter and more facetious answer: shout-out to the handful of you who remember when this was my profile pic back in early 2019!

#i’ve become so used to seeing him with a shirt—whether from TPSS or my time on Kamp Koral—that to see him in his regular design with #just the trunks always catches me by surprise #i think TPSS design has become my mental default but i mean. i’m staring at it 40 hours a week (sometimes more!) so DUH #i love Patrick. can i just say i love Patrick #SpongeBob and Plankton remain my favorites and even growing up i never had any strong feelings about him #but now he’s almost like. not even a friend but almost like a brother. he has such a brother energy to me. maybe that’s me mentally #projecting myself into Squidina’s role since i have my own older brother but a brother is a good way to describe him #i’m concerned with getting all of these characters right because its my JOB and just who i am but i do find myself really straining to do #Patrick justice and really getting deep into his mindset when i can. more so than other characters #i love him. he’s another character (like again all of these characters) who has a deceptive amount of layers #i enjoy deciphering his mental gymnastics and try to really give him more depth when i can #anonymous #asks

[talentforlying]

father grimaldi: forgive me, lord, for i have sinned. constantine: — understatement of the bloody century, that is. father grimaldi: the chapel is closed to the public! who are you? how did you get in here . . .? constantine: did you know vatican city has the highest per-capita crime rate of any nation state in the world? i'd have thought a touch of breaking and entering's pretty much par for the course around here.

so #1, an undeniable slay.

#2, how long do we think he was sitting in the confessional booth waiting for the guy to wake up from ellie's fake vision quest. like an hour? checking his light, practicing his Big Reveal Pose TM? he probably brought a book with him and just shoved it underneath the seat cushion when it was time to show off.

#3, knowing how intensely he studied & continues to study in order to teach himself magic at such an absurdly advanced level without any teachers to formally guide him? and how that level of dedication would absolutely carry over into researching a mark / making sure he had every corner of a confidence scheme nailed down pat? i like to imagine that the day before this meeting was spent with his severely under-caffeinated ass parked at a public library computer, squinting at articles for 'most important things to know about vatican city before you travel' or 'top 10 little-known facts about vatican city' and using the back of his boarding pass to take notes on what would be the best throwaway line to blow off all the usual questions with.

also, he probably woke up still in his travel clothes less than two hours before this scene and had to hustle to get suited up in time for his Dramatic Apparition. the demon blood was boiling so bad in that chapel that it was giving him a killer migraine. he didn't get breakfast so his stomach was growling the ENTIRE time. but all that meant was he had plenty of room to eat UP the runway and that's EXACTLY what the fuck he did.i'm

#( ooc. ) OUT OF CIGS. #always torn in half between 'john is a freaky little weirdo who just Knows Things and Picks Up Vibes and it usually works for him' #and 'john is the most Normal Dude in the whole london occult scene he just works w/ magic like a grad student prepping for finals week' #and you know what? the answer is always 'Both. Both is good.' #also on the one hand i'm truly obsessed with the idea of john just?? Always having a bunch of weird trivia available w/ his eidetic memory #like he read about the apostolic palace once in a book when he was with the peace convoy and his brain latched onto it forever #and it just Happens to become convenient later on and this happens VERY often and no one ever really knows how he does it #but there is a real real charm in considering that he's still Just A Guy beneath all the layers of false confidence and mysticism #still someone who had to work to get to where he is now and who will always have to work to Maintain as well #i like the mental image of him pacing around his temporary digs with index cards and drilling all the necessary details for the scam #or him and ellie getting blasted the night before and dramatically playing out their Big Final Confrontation to iron out all the beats #you just Know they were laughing til they cried workshopping shit like 'MY OLD ADVERSARY! WE MEET AGAIN!' and 'DO YOUR WORST HELLSPAWN!' #still trying to keep straight faces the day of the fake fight while drastically improvising to try and throw each other off their game #idk!!! i always enjoy the Strange and Off-Putting things about him but all of the Really Really Human stuff is also just. so so precious #we always get to see The Myth The Legend as shaped by the errors of The Man. but especially in later years actually SEEING The Man gets rar #all this to say that for every perfectly executed and properly horrifying loom out of the shadows with a glimmer of his freaky glowing eyes #there is always at LEAST half an hour or more practicing angles + expressions + mood lighting in the mirror going on behind the scenes #and that is very very special to me!!!! #( headcanons. ) I'M JUST LIKE THE BASTARDS I'VE HATED ALL ME LIFE. #( visage. ) AND I'M A BASTARD. #sched.

[supercantaloupe]

Favorite recipe of all time?

i don't have a specific favorite per se especially because so many of the "recipes" i grew up with and thus became my favorites aren't really defined/written recipes at all but are stuff that i or my mom or whomever would put together by familiarity. stuff like my family's version of latkes and matzo ball soup and pirozhki. also it would be impossible for me to pick a specific favorite since i'm the kind of guy who is very much into trying out lots of different recipes and dishes.

at the same time there are a few actual written recipes for stuff that i absolutely swear by, namely baking recipes because i'm not nearly enough of a Baker to be able to confidently bake a cake or whatever without written measurements, times, and temperatures as a guide. the two dessert favorites i'll mention here for the purposes of the ask are my no-bake pumpkin pie and this gingerbread layer cake recipe by cooks illustrated/america's test kitchen (sorry if it ends up paywalled). historically both myself and my mom (from whom i learned to bake) have been really good at pie (that pumpkin pie recipe is so good the two of us alone will devour it in three days flat) but not too successful at cakes; that gingerbread layer cake is the tastiest and most successful layer cake i've ever made and even people who aren't that into cake have told me they love it

#both the pumpkin pie and the gingerbread cake are admittedly a LOT of time and effort to put together. #the pie maybe less so if you use a can of pumpkin like a sane person but i'm extra as hell and like to use a whole pumpkin #that i cook and puree myself which adds a bunch more time and effort to the process #but i think it's fun and i love pumpkins so for me it's worth it. #if anyone really wants i can share that recipe at some point it's really good. and again if you use a can of pumpkin it's pretty doable #the cake on the other hand is pretty involved. cakes are hard. i don't recommend that for an inexperienced baker. #but WOW it is worth the effort. i love a layer cake every now and then but never make them cause they never get eaten and go to waste #but that cake is the exception it always disappears #i haven't made it in years. i should make it again this year for the holidays i think #and the pumpkin pie recipe. honestly i'll make that whenever the fuck i want. it is not a fall exclusive to me #it's so fucking good. especially with orange whipped cream #the only change i make to the gingerbread cake recipe is adding some of the spices into the frosting as well cause i like the flavor #and don't mind the speckled look #but if you want a pure white finish you can just skip that #sasha answers #anon

[aeide-thea]

have vaguely been thinking it might be good for me to try running again ever (my deeply beloathed) but since whenever the fuck the last time was that i engaged in it at all i seem to have misplaced basically all my winter running gear and also acquired Convictions abt polyester &c, which is making it difficult to figure out how to outfit myself :/

#also leggings give me crises now but that part is solvable by just layering shorts over top #anyway probably (as always) merino is the answer but it's like #can't believe i have to spend Actual Money to outfit myself 4 an activity i don't even really want 2 be doing lol #(like there IS exercise i enjoy it's just never historically been running) #(except for the one freak period where crew had gotten me SO fit it actually felt good. this will not happen again.) #that said i made an actual list of necessary garments and prooooooobably i could get away with just a heavy midlayer at first #other things on the wishlist (raglan-sleeved baselayer‚ possibly some kind of running vest??) but like #unless i actually do this more than‚ like‚ once it's absolutely not worth the investment #so we'll see #exercise cw #anyway forgive the deeply boring post—it's just helpful in thinking through things to write them out

[orcelito]

Honestly tho as a writer I live and breathe hurt/comfort (probably bc there's smth wrong with me lol), to the point where it's just a Given in anything I write. And I kinda assume that's gonna b the case with others too??

But then. Romcom. With some angst, but overall just relationship shenanigans. Oh the potentials that were not realized

#speculation nation #there was one point where i was like 'omg hes alluding to some vague thing that is Off but wont say what' #and 'omg this arc would be a perfect tie-in for the tragedy of his parents. is he acting off bc the anniversary is coming up?' #and. no. no it was just the relationship angst. #god i really have a love-hate relationship with this kind of genre. like it's fun and simple just. ykno. romcom! #except like 95% of the conflict is just 'he cant feel the same way i do 🥺' despite all evidence to the contrary #as a reader that is just . so frustrating lmao. probably bc i myself cant rly relate??? #ive always been an observer. getting Vibes from people. & ive never been so into someone to b blinded as to how they feel about me #it's kinda really fuckin obvious when ppl are Interested. so i just do not understand or relate to the core conflict of this. #always been the case where i prefer a mountain of angst with the core characters able to cling to each other for stability #not a 100% rule. but it's for that reason that i'll never have stupid miscommunication conflicts in my writing #miscommunication as a reasonable manifestation of Issues? sure! absolutely. #but i kinda Really hate the trope of like 'omg i heard just a part of what he was saying and jumped to conclusions that tear everything up' #not that that was present in the fic ive been reading but it's certainly not an uncommon trope. #im more exacting in my angst. digging into what really makes them Tick. what makes them Hurt. #peeling back their layers until we get to see their sad pathetic cores #and then i will patch them back up again. give them a pat on the head. as if that will fix the trauma. #relationship angst is so overdone and boring. i need me some actual relevant tangible and Dangerous angst #angst that makes you wonder if they'll make it out of this alive. now THAT'S what im all about babey

[icewindandboringhorror]

mentally ill people who for whatever reason end up wearing the same exact clothing so many days in a row that it begins to disintegrate and will still not stop wearing it until it’s literally just scraps of fabric VS. those weird shitty rich people who ‘’can’t be seen in the same outfit twice’’ human dichotomy 

#poast brought to you by my pants that are missing an entire leg and completely open in the back and the front almost #to the point they could not really be considered pants anymore (I wear lots of layers so i have shorts under them but lol) #I tore them again sitting down and it made me introspect about when it's time to throw clothes out and how everyone has different standards #and etc. Like how some people will get stains on clothing and just throw it away #.where others will keep wearing stained stuff if they have an attachment to it. etc. etc. #or like One hole in jeans is okay but 20 holes is Crossing A Line - unless they were made that way as a fashion trend #which then made me think about those people who like.. change clothes multiple times a day and never want to rewear stuff #and just have a constant stream of fast fashion etc. Anyway. not a real dichotomy. just being silly. i like to think about humans behaviors #brggghghb.. still not being very productive as I just keep having flare up after flare up of various chronic issues I have so I'm feeling #sick like every few days but always for different reasons. As if something has increased the general inflammation in my entire body #and its just bopping around making different things worse here and there. but I'm not sure of any underlying cause. #theorectially could always be stress since I am often stressed but I don't feel stressed more than usual. I have no infection markers #on blood tests and my covid tests so far have been negative. I guess my body just felt like 'hey happy new year. would you like.. uhm... #some... Problems.. as a treat? OuO'' #I mean I'm lucky at this point that I don't have a condition that makes me completely bedridden or something and am grateful for that but #having so many smaller issues in the background overlapping all the time can be ehxausting and make it feel like a larger issue #because you just never get a break. once one problem clears up it's another. etc. modifying diet. supplements. doctors. new issue. new modif #ications. new doctors. new this #new that. etc. For my body to reach some sort of non-inflammed stable state I feel like I'm going to have to just be suspended in a gladd #*glass antigravity chamber for 3 years eating nothing but basic gruel and iv liquids. something so bland and so untriggering of anything #that literally nothing can be inflammed or etc. lol.. Though I'd probably still somehow have joint pain even with nogravity. #ANYWAY... I did finally edit a new sims video. for the few of you that follow my sims youtube. I have costumes totally ready to post I just #literally havent had the energy to queue up the photos. STILL WORKING ON EVIL WORLDBULDING SLIDESHOW task of epic proportions #. other videos. other stuff. I've had to spend some time on social stuff since I really ned to get started finding friends in the potential #places I'd like to move so I know people when I get there. as it takes me like years to trust someone. but hjgh... I am so like. inherently #unrelatable to the average person. at least the avg people on friend making sites and stuff. I even made a perosnal compatibility quiz #but again.. thats something most people don't do lol... ''buhh just text snapchat me & get to know me through conversation why should i take #a 15 minute quiz up front?'' shut up. i woudl LOVE to take a custom compatibility quiz before talking to someone. its efficent. you will nev #er get it. that is a positive to me. if only anyone else did that. if only. (I'm being jokingly rude. its perfectly reaosnable for people to #have different standards and communication styles. etc. etc. lol) ANYWAY.. tldr me sleepy and feel bad no productive wehh

[themightythornicus]

Golly I can’t wait for spring I’m so bummed

#woof #despite my best efforts the sad always gets me right after new years #and then it snows and I’m expecting it to become spring right after it melts but NO I have a whole other month and a half of this shit #climate change or not I fucking hate winter #I just want to bask in the sun again without needing 73728263 layers just to be slightly less uncomfortable #springtime would fix me

[thymewayster]

Really good Twitter thread originally about Elon Musk and Twitter, but also applies to Netflix and a lot of other corporations.

Full thread. Text transcription under cut.

John Bull @garius

One of the things I occasionally get paid to do by companies/execs is to tell them why everything seemed to SUDDENLY go wrong, and subs/readers dropped like a stone. So, with everything going on at Twitter rn, time for a thread about the Trust Thermocline /1

So: what's a thermocline?

Well large bodies of water are made of layers of differing temperatures. Like a layer cake. The top bit is where all the the waves happen and has a gradually decreasing temperature. Then SUDDENLY there's a point where it gets super-cold.

That suddenly is important. There's reasons for it (Science!) but it's just a good metaphor. Indeed you may also be interested in the "Thermocline of Truth" which a project management term for how things on a RAG board all suddenly go from amber to red.

But I digress. The Trust Thermocline is something that, over (many) years of digital, I have seen both digital and regular content publishers hit time and time again. Despite warnings (at least when I've worked there). And it has a similar effect. You have lots of users then suddenly... nope. And this does effect print publications as much as trendy digital media companies. They'll be flying along making loads of money, with lots of users/readers, rolling out new products that get bought. Or events. Or Sub-brands.

And then SUDDENLY those people just abandon them. Often it's not even to "new" competitor products, but stuff they thought were already not a threat. Nor is there lots of obvious dissatisfaction reported from sales and marketing (other than general grumbling). Nor is it a general drift away, it's just a sudden big slide. So why does this happen? As I explain to these people and places, it's because they breached the Trust Thermocline.

I ask them if they'd been increasing prices. Changed service offerings. Modified the product.

The answer is normally: "yes, but not much. And everyone still paid" Then I ask if they did that the year before. Did they increase prices last year? Change the offering? Modify the product?

Again: "yes, but not much."

The answer is normally: "yes, but not much. And everyone still paid." "And the year before?"

"Yes but not much. And everyone still paid."

Well, you get the idea. And here is where the Trust Thermocline kicks in. Because too many people see service use as always following an arc. They think that as long as usage is ticking up, they can do what they like to cost and product.

And (critically) that they can just react when the curve flattens But with a lot of CONTENT products (inc social media) that's not actually how it works. Because it doesn't account for sunk-cost lock-in.

Users and readers will stick to what they know, and use, well beyond the point where they START to lose trust in it. And you won't see that. But they'll only MOVE when they hit the Trust Thermocline. The point where their lack of trust in the product to meet their needs, and the emotional investment they'd made in it, have finally been outweighed by the physical and emotional effort required to abandon it. At this point, I normally get asked something like:

"So if we undo the last few changes and drop the price, we get them back?"

And then I have to break the news that nope: that's not how it works.

Because you're past the Thermocline now. You can't make them trust you again.

#netflix #twitter #economics #corporations #social media

[ihaventsleptinweekz]

My dreams have been so cool lately

#We went to the underworld!!!!! The underworld in my dreams is this reoccurring place that acts as a second dimension to our world that you c #I've only had a dream about it once before today but it was fun as hell to see it again #I brought like 3 of my friends with me and had to give them the rundown on not looking anything in the eyes or eating anything #No going to the bathroom because you'll be there for years without knowing it #Basically don't do anything you wouldn't do with a faerie- no deals no food no following people or animals etc #It was a very fun dream- though I did nearly loose a couple friends #Not sure why the bathroom of all things is where every minute equals a year in the real world #Anyway #We also went to the underworld beaches- which are stacked on top of each other to create this waterfall-like layers of beaches? Idk #But we went to the top one because the top beach is always empty and just chilled #insomniac ramblez