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comradekatara · 2 days

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You have thoughs regarding Kanna & Katara's relationship?

SO MANY <- please do click on that link bc i think it’s actually one of the best posts i’ve ever made, but also my whole kanna&katara tag slaps bc it’s secretly one of my favorite relationships in the entire show. like there’s just something so fascinating to me about the way that kanna is established to have been exactly like katara when she was a kid, and yet now she embodies the repressive paradigm that forces katara to do gendered domestic labor and limits where she can go and what she can do. and also that dynamic is pretty subtle, because our last scene with kanna (in the present) is her giving katara her blessing and telling her that she gave her hope after all these years. like it’s not that she wants to be this overbearing nag who forces katara to tire herself out with chores all day, but she also knows exactly how katara thinks because she once was her, so she’s like “if she goes outside she will get IDEAS and RUN AWAY to the NORTH POLE.” and then she does. chiasmus moments!!!! clapping and cheering for chiasmus!!!!!

kanna is SUCH an important presence in katara’s life, and I think before katara learns about what kanna did and how she grew up (from yagoda, from pakku, and from hama) she kind of just takes her for granted because again, she’s just her overbearing nagging grandma who always takes sokka’s side and clearly thinks she should also act like a miserable boring adult. but what’s crazy about that is that katara is also so obviously her favorite?? like sokka is the golden child (not that katara is the scapegoat, to be clear, sokka is just The Good One to katara’s untamable rebellious spirit) but katara is still her favorite. specifically because she loves katara’s passion and drive and desire for adventure and revolution.

kanna is struggling between her desire to indulge katara in her wild fantasies and her need to keep her safe at all costs. she’s the one who tells katara the stories of the avatar in the first place. she is the one who first forms that inexorable spark within her. katara is the spitting image of kanna, in every way. she has her drive, her sense of adventure, her conviction and determination, her love, her hope, her sense of justice, her penchant for telling stories. katara gets it all from her, including her necklace. and there’s something just so undeniably lovely and poignant about that, the strength of the bond between women across multiple generations who have lost so much and struggled due to imperialist violence, but have also resisted, and fought, and passed down stories they told themselves to survive, and given each other hope.

#ariadnesweb #asks #kanna&katara #katara #kanna #analysis #ish #kanna I love you kanna you are my grandma. kanna #I will never not be irrevocably moved by the bond between grandmother and granddaughter #like. listening to your grandmothers harrowing ass stories about being a refugee genocide survivor etc etc is literally the most important #rite of passage there is..#and kanna just wants to keep her safe. she’s becoming what she fundamentally disagrees with in the interest of keeping her safe #but also she trusts sokka to keep her safe which like. wahhh… that’s a post for another time #being the favorite grandchild (and also the only girl) is such a tremendous honor it rly is #(I guess for me being the only girl is more important bc all my siblings and cousins are boys . but like)#UGHHH……. grandmothers……

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born-in-hell · 2 days

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WHY Q!BADBOYHALO IS PROBABLY FED:

SPECIAL GUEST THEORY - THE MASTERPOST

Important Information!

Hello! This post was written in january and febuary, before the workers at Quackity Studios came out with their stories. Ever since then, i haven't been following the QSMP as a server, despite still writing a fic based on it and following the situation with the workers somewhat closely. I just can't care about it as much as i did. Im posting this theory because it meant a lot to me at the time. I truly believed i was right, and that Badboyhalo would be the main antagonist. I even had the throry that the QSMP would end in a dispute between q!Fit (Madagio + The Rebellion) and q!BBH (Fed). I worked for such a long time gathering evidence for, organizing and writing this post that it just feels bad to keep it in. Today (30/4/24), another ex-admin, named Elk, released a statement, that said: "There was an odd rule where main island lore was never allowed to tie into creator-specific lore, despite creators actively wanting to involve themselves with the federation and being permitted to do so and certain creators having a HUGE influence on the overall lore.". This just erased any and all motivations i ever had to make a theory that links everything together. There was never a truly coherent story. Which makes not only this theory, but any and all theories that link the player characters to the main island lore, useless. Being honest, i just didnt want this post to go to waste, mostly because i worked a lot on it. For that, this post is very much not finished. Most texts are not fully written - my ideas are not as developed as i wish they were. And i apologize for this, i just dont have the energy to finish this. If you want to know my take on the QSMP lore, you can check out my fanfic. Despite all this, I hope you all enjoy this.

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

This is a compilation of all the evidence we have to support the Special Guest Theory.

I created this mainly to show people that don't have as much free time or are just dont have the energy to think about or remember all this why the Special Guest Theory does make sense.

This is a colaborative work, as I wouldnt be able to think about all this without these wonderful people: @lionheartedmusings @demodraws0606 @lxrd-ren @skullhalo @windchime-of-teeth

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

Where it all started: The ARG Emails

On Feb 21, Quackity Studios posted this tweet, that had an ARG puzzle.

The "special invitation" also grasps my attention, but it might be coincidental wording.

Decyphering the puzzle, it lead to a Google Doc, that had many emails.

Among them, there was this one:

[Respectful greetings, We are seeking quotes for the purchase of 1393 muffins to satisfy the extra demand of our special guest. For those who are not aware of the situation, it was pointed out that it is an obligation to share two muffins per person in the workspace to guarantee happy and productive work. We wish to receive your commercial proposals as soon as possible. We appreciate your commitment and effort in preparing your offers for evaluation. Sincerely,]

So uhm... muffins right? Who could it possiblly be referencing?

I honestly can't think of no one else besides q!Badboyhalo, even outside of the qsmp, whose brand is so intrinsically connected to this little cake things.

The number is also very specific. If every worker needs 2 muffins, why is the order an odd number? That just isn't divisible equally to everyone.

-> I will make a separate post detailing what i think the 1393 could be referencing.

I want to mention here that, by the way this email is written,

q!Badboyhalo's Teaser Post

Ok, so there are a coulple things to pay attention about this post. First the muffins are a clear reference to Bad (there's no arguing here, he is the muffins guy).

Second, where it was posted; unlike all the other cc teasers ─ that were posted on @/quackity4k, quackity's alt twitter account ─ this one was posted on the official Quackity Studios account, along with the arg post that is.

-> These are the other QSMP cc teasers:

Third, its the only teaser thats accompanied by "welcome to the QSMP". All the others either include something related to the cc (like a bird emoji for Jaiden), or teasing words (closer; up next).

Fourth, the milk emoji. Its curious, and out of place. It is so odd and specific that it deserved to be discussed.

Especially considering that, coincidentally, this is what Badboyhalo responded to the QSMP teaser that i'll talk about later:

Milk is often ─ surprisingly ─ a symbol commonly used with villains in media, to symbolize various things, but mostly to cause a discomfort in the audience, as milk is associated with purity and childhood. So pairing it with ruthless and cruel villains creates an unsetteling atmosphere.

-> Some reference links: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

The Teaser Video

-> click here to watch the video

The video starts off in a dimly lit room, with some boxes, and, most notably, a tv, a vcr player and a chair. A shadowy figure enters the room, and inserts a cassette on the player. A promotional video of Quesadilla Island starts playing. It shows the figure watching the video, and the scene is interrupted by a black screen with "20 years later" written. It ends with two other shadowy figures (Quackity and Slime, presumably) talking in the train that took the first group to our current Quesadilla.

The only thing that we can notice on this person, is a little white marking on both their left and right hand.

Some theorized it could be qFit, but he doesn't have the marking on his right hand.

Right side /// Left side

The only character, from the first group of islanders, who has a white marking on both hands is q!Badboyhalo.

And q!Badboyhalo being part of the fed in 2003 does also make sense in his lore; he's never mentioned where he was or what he was doing around the late 1990's and early 2000's.

Unlike fit, who was 13 in 2003. He was a child ─ he was only a bit older than q!Cellbit during the war.

This is, in my opinion, one of the most substantial evidences we have of q!Badboyhalo being involved in whatever the fed is doing.

The 2013 War

When qCellbit started researching the fed, as a child, he was forcefully exiled from Quesadilla, because he found out too much about what was going on. Maybe the tests on children (q!Baghera and the other deceased hybrids), as he says this on his letter to q!Bagi:

[...] I saw everything inside, they were doing all this beneath our very feet… it’s horrible, Bagi. You don’t deserve this, I don’t want you to have to live with these guys. So meet me on the other side of this ocean Bagi. I’ll be going now, I don’t care if I have to swim until [...]

-> You can check q!Cellbit's old diaries translated into english on this post

He ended up, somehow, in a war, where he, coincidentally, first met q!BBH.

q!Bad has stated he was in the war to overlook it.

Antoine's Comic

This comic was given it was given, from Cucurucho, specifically to q!Badboyhalo.

-> check this twitter clip of antoine's talk with cucurucho to see the full conversation

The Purgatory Puzzle

Codeflippa lead qBBH, qAypierre and qMaximus throughout the maze, into a white room with a red button. Before activating the button, this was shown to them:

-> Could the asterisks mean Badboy? or maybe Mr. Halo?

They pressed the button, and then recieved this book:

Via a warpstone, they were taken to another maze, this one with a puzzle and two pictures of cucurucho.

After going through some rooms, they found a small pillar, with Dapper's hat on top of it, as you can see here:

Why? Why was dapper's hat there?

If this is a foreshadowing to the fact that Dapper would always be the eggs that would be freed from purgatory, independently from the roulette, than why Dapper?

What makes Dapper special, or different from the other kids, that earned him this, and possibly his life?

The group found themselves in a circular room, with three die. These die, coincidentally, had the same colors as q!Badboyhalo and Dapper: black, red and white.

There was a chest, and in it, they recieved this books:

Badboyhalo was shortly after teleported into the middle of the room, so he could play the game.

He thew the die and got a 7.

He then was gifted this ticket:

Again, why q!Badboyhalo? What makes him different?

It can't be him being a demon, since Mouse and Tina were already on the island.

So what makes him so special that, not only theres a full puzzle dedicated to him (as evidenced by Dapper's hat, and qBad being the chosen one for the game), but he's the first person (not counting q!Bagi nor q!Carre) to get a ticket? He's the only islander that had to go through this puzzle to get it, the other ones were just teleported into the room. Not even q!Max or q!Pierre got tickets that day.

#qsmp #qsmp lore #qsmp theory #qsmp badboyhalo #qsmp fit #qsmp duck #qsmp purgatory #qsmp discourse #qsmp neg #qadmin situation

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 10 hours

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I think it's going to go the way all of their IG "tours" go.

why do you think they're trying to frame it differently to their other tours? it's not the first time they travelled abroad

and do you think it'll be a success in the way of half-in half-out?

In a way, it's more of a recruitment trip for them and I suspect it's a bit of do-or-die, make-or-break kind of a trip.

If you look at their prior travels, it's all been "done deal" trips, where all they really had to do was show up. The Hague, Dusseldorf, and Vancouver Invictus Games were set up before Megxit (Hague and Dusseldorf definitely, less confident on Vancouver but the timeline kinda lines up for some sort of ancillary support from the BRF) using BRF/Royal Foundation staffers and connections to make the arrangements.

(ohhhhhhh god I just actually read the IG press release (archived link) that came out this morning. Harry announced the shortlist finalists for the 2027 Invictus Games. It's Birmingham UK and Washington DC. I cannot, you guys. I cannot be waking up to the Sussexes on my local news, in my local papers, on my social media algorithms.)

Anyway, this is the first time that Harry has really had to work to recruit hosts for Invictus Games. He started last year with a mini-trip to Japan but my feeling is Japan gave a big fat NO because they didn't send anyone to compete in Dusseldorf and then almost right away Harry started love-bombing Nigeria. First by becoming their groupies at IG. Then sending period products and school supplies to Nigerian schools. Now having negotiated a trip. (And these trips don't just pop up at the last minute; this is something that's been in the works for quite some time, especially since the military seems to be involved.)

Now consider this article from The Express, which reports that at least 2,000 veterans have quit/left Invictus Games because they're unhappy it's turned into the Harry-and-Meghan-Fauxyal-Tour. 2,000 is a HUGE number...especially considering that just 513 veterans competed in Dusseldorf IG. (Each of the Games has about 500 athletes. That's not a sustainable business model. For comparison: the 2022 Warrior Games had 300 athletes participating from 3 countries - the US, Canada, and Ukraine.)

And remember the essay I wrote a couple weeks ago about how Invictus Games had to be thinking about cutting Harry loose because he doesn't really do anything for them? (I honestly can't find it tonight. If anyone has a link, can you please share it? I thought I tagged that post but it's not coming up.)

So both of those things coming together - having to recruit for IG hosts now and blood in the IG water over veterans complaining about the Sussexes - means that Harry really needs the Nigeria trip to go well if he wants to keep Invictus Games. So he's got to actually work on this trip, and so does Meghan, so they're defaulting back to royal protocols hoping that the protocols are enough to woo and lovebomb people. I think what they're trying to do is say "if we come, this is all the attention and all the media that we'll bring with us, now imagine how much more attention and coverage you'll get over the next 5 years when you're an Invictus Games host."

It is kinda half in/half out, especially since it looks like government officials and Defense officials are involved in the trip (and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Harry rolls up with his medals again). But it feels more like desperation to me. They made their bed four years ago abusing and using Invictus Games because they could, only now Invictus Games has come to collect and is demanding they make good on Harry's role as Patron.

From a lot of the recent news coverage - Harry's leaks to the Express about pulling out of the anniversary service, Invictus Games now clapping back about how the veterans don't want Harry involved anymore, all the hype about their groundbreaking royal/anti-royal trip to Nigeria, and the confirmation that the Nigeria trip is expressly because of Invictus Games - there's definitely something happening behind closed doors at Invictus Games that seems to be making the Sussexes very nervous if they're now pivoting back to royal cosplay.

And also let's not forget the rumor that Mike Tindall has been asked to be an ambassador for Invictus Games in a role that might supplant Harry.

And not only that, I also feel like Harry and Meghan think that if the Nigeria trip goes well and it's a success and they come away with a deal for 2029 Invictus Games or having reversed their popularity slide, they can use it to shoehorn half in/half out from Charles by being able to point to this and say "see? We can do this. Look at what you're missing. You need us."

I'm not sure if it will be a success. The Sussexes often get in the way of their own selves when they really need things to go well and this trip is rife with potential for that. From the security concerns to military cosplay to appearance of it being an official visit on Charles's behalf to Diana cosplays to the goverment/Nigerian military involvement to just their personalities and mannerisms, it won't take much for something to go wrong. It'll take everything for the trip to go well.

On the one hand, I hope it works. I know how much Invictus Games means to Harry and I think he really derives some kind of true joy from being able to provide these services and opportunities to his fellow veterans and soldiers. But on the other hand, I hope it goes wrong ten ways to Sunday so Charles has no choice but to step in and remind everyone - Sussexes and the Commonwealth alike - that there's no half in/half out without his approval and they do not have it, no matter what the Sussexes pretend otherwise.

#sussexes #brf #invictus games

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pleasetiemyshoelaces · 13 hours

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To the people who reported Lily’s blog, please don’t do that. There were over half a dozen links I had waiting to archive that I can’t now. If her deletion is anything like Courtney’s that means everything but reposts are going to be gone now.

While it’s true that people have been archiving Lily for years, we can’t capture everything. Not to mention that a lot of what she posts seems inncous until more context comes out later. Lily’s archive was a valuable search tool, and now it’s very likely gone for good.

It may be funny now, but you may have just done Lily a huge favor without realizing it.

Lily said it was reported but that doesnt mean it actually was, and Onion/Gallade pointed out some very interesting points

Sucky Boi is gone (sucky had to have been a whole other blog because you cant send asks to yourself from your side blog) Pokemadhouse is gone Her fanart page is gone

and she didnt provide the reason tumblr would have given her for terminating her account. SO all signs point to LILY nuking shit herself

and in case you didnt know. Getting her long standing tool of manipulating and grooming minors taken down WAS the fucking goal. Sure we would all love to see her charged and if i can i will do so, but other than that, her tucking tail and running is the best we can do for now.

Tumblr is where she does the most damage now, tumblr is where she even had an audience left to groom It being gone is a GOOD THING, that means the "following" she had procured on that account over the years its been up is GONE, and she will never hit the kind of relevancy to get that back

Yall NEED to learn what a win is when its staring you in the face. We dont need a world where lily continues to post the shit she does, we dont need a world where all the is just a click or two away from finding because thats the same as it just being up in the first place.

Shes losing her platforms, her following is dwindling down to the sycophants, and you will NEVER tear the sycophants away. She has to push them away herself.

#courtney orchard #courtney peet #lily orchard #lily peet

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ultrainfinitepit · 1 day

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Hello!! I return with more pin making questions :]

In my first ask you mentioned that you'd be willing to go into detail about your favorite social medias, and as I have basically only used Tumblr that would be super useful!

It would also be wonderful if you'd be willing to talk about your experiences with the different shopfronts that you've used, but I understand if you can't due to partnership stuff.

And the last question for now, Newsletters! How did you go about setting one up/what program you use/how long does it take to write an update/etc.

Thank you so much!! You're awesome!!!

Hi again :)) sure I can answer this, this is going to be a very long post so I'll put my answers under the cut.

Same disclaimer as last time that all this is just what has worked for me or what I've personally observed, that doesn't mean this is all objectively correct or factual. Others will have different mileage or find other things that work even better.

Social Media

The three platforms I prefer the most are Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter.

General recommendations:

Respond to people's comments, even with something as simple as a "thank you" for a compliment. This will help build engagement and foster a good relationship with your audience.

Take nice product photos: keep your pin in focus with a nice background and good lighting. Often you only get one chance for your product to leave a good impression!

Pick only a few social media profiles to manage. Don't stretch yourself too thin such that you can't engage with your audience on all your social media.

Tumblr

Posts have a long but sporadic lifespan thanks to the queue (sporadic means, they will exhibit random bursts of activity). And you can post large image sets and long text posts with links, for this reason it is my favorite platform.

Getting a following on Tumblr is largely luck-based. Users rebel against posts being pushed into their feed by the recommendation algorithm or boosts. Users find posts via other users and not so much the tags, although the tagging system is leagues better than Instagram's (which no longer shows most recent posts and only shows popular posts).

On Tumblr I get the most traffic from:

Responses to user submissions - for example, drawing people's angel requests.

Tag yourself posts

Silly or cute doodles and comics - especially if people can overlay their fandom darlings onto these posts.

Compilations of Pride-related designs, particularly of popular flags

I have noticed over the years, people do not reblog as much as in the past, so it's harder to get your posts noticed.

Instagram

In my opinion this is the easiest platform to grow an audience on. Instagram has a very predictable set of criteria for showing your posts to other users, through personal experience it is something like this:

Post once a day.

Post one Reel a day.

No more than three Story shares.

If you deviate from this for too long, or post too many times in a day, Instagram will deprioritize showing your posts to other users. This schedule can be a lot, so if possible I recommend having a buffer of saved up posts and Reels.

Instagram users are pickier about what they like to see. I recommend keeping your profile looking neat and professional; WIPs don't seem to do well there. Instagram users like illustrations and heavily-visual posts; they do not respond well to slides with text on them unless it is a tutorial or tag-yourself post.

Some users like to put memes or other silly images at the end of their posts. I personally don't do this, but I've been told the reason for it is: people share the silly images and that gains more traffic for the post even if they are not sharing the main content.

On Instagram I get the most traffic from:

Fanart of recently popular characters

Tag yourself posts

Pride-related art for popular flags

Cute, colorful illustrated creatures

Anything that asks for audience feedback in the comments. More comments means more engagement, which means it's bumped up in the algorithm.

Hosting monthly art challenges such as Angeltober

Bare chested men

And I have noticed DTIYS challenges are popular and a great way for people to find your profile, although I haven't hosted one of these yet.

Tags on Instagram appear to matter less than in the past, but I still think they are worth using. Try to tag for the content in your post (such as "#biblically accurate angel") instead of using tags for artists or small businesses (such as "#smallbusinessstrong"). Everyone else is using these tags so you have lots of competition, but no one is trawling through those tags so you have less engagement from them. Users are looking for specifically the content they like, they don't care who is posting it.

Twitter

The most arcane out of these three platforms. Getting noticed on Twitter seems to be largely luck-based as well. I had my Twitter profile for a while with little traffic on it until I started posting the new Pride Angels, then it blew up. Hashtags are pretty useless on Twitter and I didn't have many followers before then so I'm not sure why those got popular at that time.

On Twitter I get the most traffic from:

Pride-related art for popular flags

Other relatable art such as for astrological signs

Dishonorable Mention: TikTok

I have a TikTok but I just use it to crosspost my Instagram Reels. I do not have many followers on TikTok, I do not put effort into it, and I dislike the interface. That being said, I have heard from other creators it is way easier than Instagram to grow on if you are willing to make videos and post every day.

A note on blacklisted words

On Twitter, Instagram, and possibly Tumblr too: words like "shop" "link" "commission" etc. may cause your post to be deprioritized. This is because social media platforms do not want you going off of them to some other site to spend money elsewhere. That's why you'll notice people censoring these words ("shop" to "sh0p").

Personally I dislike doing this, it just makes me feel silly, so I don't bother. But I will admit, it hurts my posts. So this is something to keep in mind if you want to do shop promotion on social media.

Shops

The shops I run are, in the order of making them:

Redbubble

The lowest possible barrier to entry for a merch artist: they literally do everything from production to shipping for you, and all you do is provide the artwork. The trade-off is that it's very hard to make any significant money from Redbubble (I make maybe a few cents at most from each sale), and you have no control over the quality of the products.

Etsy

My referral link here.

While Etsy can be imposing at first, it is probably the easiest out of all the marketplaces to start out on. There is a lot of information to fill out to get started, so take it slow so you don't get overwhelmed. It does get easier after the first listing. Once you make one listing you can just keep duplicating and changing it a little so you don't have to keep making listings from scratch.

Etsy claims you need ten listings in your shop before you open it, but you can ignore that.

Once you've gotten started, there's lots of little tricks to learn such as letter mail shipping, all about VAT, improving listings, sections, and so on that I could go into more detail on if anyone is interested. For now I'll just focus on the platform itself.

I like that Etsy has a marketplace search, as a customer it is really nice to use. I like that it has one big cart for all the items I am looking at, and that it has a favorites system. I also like as a customer how each shop is uniform; I know exactly how to search through each shop and what format to expect. I do enjoy artists' custom shops but, sometimes their interfaces are tough to navigate.

Etsy is reasonably good at showing your items to people, which is the number one reason I recommend it for beginners. Just make sure to put effort into your listings such as tagging them, adding nice photos, and videos.

They have protection features built-in such as covering refunds if an item is delivered but the customer claims to not have received it. Etsy also enables international shipping with VAT which is great for EU/UK customers. My biggest gripe with Etsy is the fees, which I've already complained about.

Gumroad

Not much to say about Gumroad really. I only use it to list digital items such as PDFs of my lineart. I think it's saved me a few inquiries from people looking for my art for tattoos. Since all that art is for free on social media anyway, I don't charge for purchases on Gumroad. That's just a personal choice though.

Mercari

Not much to say about Mercari either. I use it to list pins from my personal collection, though I've seen a handful of pin makers use it for the pins they've created. I think the Mercari listing creation is atrocious: they like to recommend titles for your items when you upload new images, and will overwrite existing titles.

I've been considering moving away from Mercari, they recently switched their fee model so now buyers pay fees instead of sellers. This means while sellers can lower their prices, buyers get sticker shock and then ask for discounts on top of already-discounted items. I'm only on there because it's the most popular place for second-hand pin selling.

Shopify

So far I've really enjoyed Shopify. The setup was nightmarishly hard, not to turn anyone off of it but it took me literal months. You can import your listings from Etsy to Shopify but then you have to redo all the SKUs, link up photos to variants, and so on. If you have a ton of listings like me it takes a while. If you only have a few it is more worth it or, might even be worth starting out on if you can do sufficient promotion.

The major advantage of Etsy over Shopify is the marketplace feature: if you don't need the help of Etsy to promote your items then Shopify might be the better option to start out on.

I like that Shopify has significantly lower fees vs. Etsy. However, they do payouts differently and in a way I dislike. Etsy will deduct your shipping fees before calculating your payout balance, while Shopify will payout your balance and then charge you for shipping as part of your monthly bill. So you need to make sure to set aside some of your funds always to cover the Shopify shipping charge.

Additionally, to enable certain integrations or features you will need to pay for them monthly, which can add up. To sync my inventory between Shopify, Etsy, and Faire I use Trunk Inventory, which charges me a monthly $60 fee. That's in addition to the monthly Shopify fee.

Faire

I actually hate Faire despite using it. I was going to use Tundra but Faire drove them out of business (lawsuit pending). Now Faire is the only game in town for wholesale so I'm forced to use them, not that it's done me much good since I haven't had any sales there.

I can rant for ages about Faire's horrendous fees and outdated product import. But if you're a beginner you don't have to worry about wholesale selling, so I'll leave that discussion for another time. If anyone wants to hear more from me about Faire they can send another ask.

My stockists

It's quite hard to give honest reviews of my stockists here, since they might see them so, I'll just share my Linktree for them and you all can investigate on your own and inquire privately.

Newsletter

I used to use Tinyletter but it shut down, so now I use Email Octopus. Here's a referral link, and you can check out my newsletter sign up page here.

Email Octopus doesn't have a newsletter archive, and the interface is more complicated than Tinyletter's, which I dislike; but I like it better than Tinyletter's replacement Mailchimp.

You can try these out for yourself and see which you like better, it really is personal preference. All newsletter services are essentially the same: all you need is a sign up page, a way to store emails, and an ability to send a newsletter to them.

To get people to sign up for your newsletter, I personally recommend always offering it as a choice. For example, if you run a pin campaign, send an update where you share a link to your newsletter to your backers so they have the option to sign up. Do not export their emails and add them to your newsletter without a choice. I have been on the receiving end of this as a backer/customer and it makes me feel bad: it's extra emails in my inbox I didn't agree to and it feels like the creator misusing my information even if technically they are not. As a fellow creator I totally get why others might do this, it's an effective way to get lots of new newsletter signups at once. I just don't personally like it.

Shopify has a built-in newsletter feature you can use as well if you make a Shopify storefront. From your dashboard you can go to Marketing > Create campaign.

I like to send out a shortened newsletter via Shopify. Usually what I do is copy my full newsletter from Email Octopus to Shopify, and remove any bits not directly related to my Shopify, such as news on crowdfunding campaigns.

Writing your newsletter

Writing a newsletter doesn't take much time, and I think it should be a low effort task. In fact, if you make it too long people will not read it.

Throughout the month leading up to a shop update I will update my newsletter with whatever new items are ready, taking only a few minutes here and there. I include a few photos and I make sure to link to the items once they are listed (truncated example below).

I will also alert people to any sales or other special offers, news about stockists, and crowdfunding campaigns: anything a potential buyer would be interested in.

I have seen other artists share much longer newsletters with impressive graphics, sections on their art process, personal updates - but for myself I usually skip over that stuff in my inbox, so I don't do it as a creator. For others it might be worth the effort!

Final Thoughts

If you read all this, thank you! I know this was a very long post. I hope it helps at least one of you. I won't keep you much longer: you can find links to everything I mentioned in my Linktree and if you have more questions you can send an ask.

One day I'd like to make a tutorial series for making and selling merch, so this was useful as a draft for that. I would also include manufacturer reviews. If that's something you'd like to see someday you can let me know.

#ask #tutorial

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eluxcastar · 2 days

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Begging for some romantic Pierro x readers if that’s okay !! 😭💕

Domestic fluff with Pierro

── ୨୧：pierro x reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: brainless domestic fluff because yes

୨୧﹑genre :: fluff

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, they're married because I said so, soft pierro (also because I said so), pierro is so quality time love language, neither of them know how to cook either, not proofread

୨୧﹑words :: 1.5k

ok something more chill to write. this has actually been on my mind cause I love this man sm Idk why I've got two Pierro posts back to back but this turned out way cuter than I originally thought?? maybe I just really like domestic fluff but the only thing able to interrupt that was the thought that reader is probably a dilf and/or milf and I can get behind that

side note reader would go GREAT in the little rumours fatuus pass around ruu and I were talking about because like. the instructor??? the jester's MARRIED to the instructor??? can you imagine being a fatuu in training and learning that your instructor is married to THE guy in the fatui

Entrusting you with training new recruits was a good idea. It's a place where you are not restless but not in so much danger Pierro would worry. With subtlety and perhaps a little tapping into his knack for deceit, you had been stationed somewhere close and where he needed to travel regularly for unrelated business, usually to pass through, but the detour to see you is always a plus.

He likes to see you working hard, especially if you clearly enjoy your work. He also likes that you take a break when he appears to spend some time with him before he goes.

Pierro is always mindful that you have a job, much like him, and that it is of equal importance within the sphere it affects as his job is to the Fatui as a whole. If not for the two of you, the Fatui would suffer tremendously. In his mind, you're even a little more important. Your job is to weed out the weakest links into administrative duties and help the strong flourish. Without you, trainees would never get put in increasingly dangerous situations with someone strong to back them up and keep them comfortably on their feet rather than vastly out of their depth.

Besides, the Fatui would never turn down the capable people you can produce with your methods.

Pierro seldom sees that training in operation, save for when he first arrives and just before he leaves. You spend the time he's there with him, settled inside where it's a little warmer and where you share whatever he brought for you to enjoy. For some reason, Pierro feels the need to bring you gifts whenever he visits, little things he saw that made him think of you or food he knows you enjoy but can't get your hands on out where you're stationed. He almost stockpiles them in a way and gathers them all just before he leaves.

There are a few rare times of year when all of your students are shipped off to their respective sectors of the Fatui. During that special little time, you return to your home where your husband is always waiting patiently for your return so that you can begin to interrupt his work days and bring him lunch when he tries to get away with not taking breaks.

Whenever you show up, he does almost the exact same thing you do. He drops everything to be with you, even just to talk for fifteen minutes to check up on him when you're back in Zapolyarny Palace on unrelated business that so happens to include a trip to wherever he might be on such occasion. Most of the time, that means finding him in his office where you'll waltz right in regardless of if someone's in there and who that is. If you're feeling generous, you might even kindly wait until they leave to press a kiss to his cheek and ask how his day is.

Some people's first reactions to finding out the two of you are married are…interesting. Even your students are in the dark until they start panicking because suddenly the infamous Jester is at their instructor's doorstep unannounced, and his subjectively endearing case of resting bitch face never helps that seem like a good thing.

Of course, there are the people who are used to it and positively despise it—mainly because it means they have to be on their best behaviour—but it's hard to pay them much mind when you are caught up spending what little time you can together before he inevitably has to leave. The simple truth is that caring about who is suddenly in a bad mood takes up too much of your precious time that could be better spent waving a pita pocket in his face, coaxing him to try just a few bites of it before he turns his nose up at it.

Besides, anyone who decides to interrupt your little lunch sessions is not getting through their conversation without it being interrupted by you stealing his attention a few times while the other person is still talking in the background. You'll be patient if he asks, but more often than not, the boring trifles of others can wait until he's heard what you have to whisper in his ear.

More often than not, he is a shell of himself because, around others, he is reserved and colder than in private when only you can see his slight smiles and the softening of his eyes at the sight of you. Once you return home, he behaves like you haven't been tending to training reports all day because, as long as you're loitering around Zapolyarny, that's probably what you're there for. Compiling your notes into a readable fashion for whatever miserable souls have to subject themselves to sorting through them is, unfortunately, a necessary contrast to the fun you have actually teaching. Despite being subject to many more inconveniences on your off days, he would rather make sure you're taken care of than let you take care of him, though he allows you to return the favour to a degree.

You hate it, and it's taxing, he will reason, as if he isn't annoyed by half of his duties either. Unfortunately, he manages to be just a little bit more persuasive than you. For better or for worse, you will be the closest to spoiled he can manage, even if it means sweeping you off your feet only to put you back down the moment his back makes him regret that. One day, he always swears he will be able to pick you up so that he can quickly get you out of any danger you might find yourself in if need be. Today, however, is still not that day.

Most of your time after work is spent making whatever you will call dinner that night, as you both pour over whatever recipe you choose and try to make something that tastes good when you're not on the verge of starvation. Neither of you are exactly in positions that allow that. Still, the experience of making the food is what matters. The taste means nothing in comparison to listening to him behind you, chopping the vegetables to add to the soup you're absently stirring while he asks some probably commonplace question about the recipe as if you're supposed to have the answer. At the same time, you talk about your respective days and exaggerate the details to sound more interesting.

At the end of it, you're met with edible food. Perhaps objectively, it isn't the best, and never in a million years could either of you work as chefs if this whole Fatui career doesn't work out, but it's made with love. What matters is that you made it together with the time you set aside for each other. Though cooking together can be entertaining, the two of you struggling to feed yourselves for upwards of an hour is not the pinnacle of relaxation when most of your focus is on not burning down your house and him not cutting himself trying to slice onions at a snail's pace.

Mediocre food and a night in are so familiar and comfortable by now, pushing work aside for some future version of yourselves to deal with, though the stories of your students and their endeavours make it in, as do those of the many characters Pierro deals with in a day. Those sources of entertainment can slip past every now and then while you laugh over the strange ideas of rookie fatuus trying to figure out the ropes.

It is softer and sweeter than anything else in your day, draped over his lap like a tired housecat while he reads you a book you found on the shelf you thought might be interesting. He'll rest the book on your stomach and somehow always manage to spot you reaching to touch his cheek or brush his hair out of his face out of the corner of his eye.

It also happens to be one of the only things the two of you do that you could call soothing, save for a bath together or falling asleep like that. Even better, falling asleep in your bed where you should be and where you'll inevitably steal all the blankets and force him to cuddle up to you for warmth.

Getting to wake up to see you so peaceful and safe is as good a reason as any to get up in the morning, though it certainly will not be the thing prizing him out of bed anytime soon when the option to stay right there by your side is so much more appealing.

#♡ — anon visit.#✦ — headcanons.#✦ — fluff.#pierro #pierro x reader #genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader

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theshatteredsilhouette · 3 months

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Lament for Vax’ildan

This is genuinely one of my favourite pieces I’ve ever done and I’m still not over it. I love Vax and his story so much, and I wanted to capture a bit of the eeriness of being a token of a god.

Prints here!

✨inspired by Lament for Icarus by Herbert James Draper

✨painted in procreate on ipad pro/do not repost

#oop reposting because I have a print shop now #and the first post does not have that link #but also I love this piece so muchhhhh #critical role #critical role fanart #vaxildan #vax'ildan #vox machina #liam o'brien #cr1 #legend of vox machina #tlovm #raven queen #matron of ravens

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leverage-ot3 · 1 month

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silly episode idea but hear me out

okay well the first part isn’t silly! so the episode is based around a con they are doing where a polyam triad wants to get married and have been writing to senators and stuff for years but nothing has happened. maybe there is a time element that leeway has to happen soon (not sure what that would be yet, maybe someone is sick???)

(obviously polycules aren’t only and are often more than just a closed three-person system, but I’m saying triad right now bc I feel like that would be an easier and more ‘socially acceptable’ gateway into more accepting legislation for diverse relationship dynamics)

the leverage crew, of course, can’t outright change the public perception of poly marriage, but they can use the ‘enemy’s’ tactics against them and slip stuff into legislation without people noticing like they do. it’s slimy and it’s not a permanent fix, but it’s a start, and it gives people the opportunity to see poly marriage in action and that it isn’t as terrifying or pearl-clutching-inducing as they think it would be. there’s a long way to go, but the seeds of change have been sown and they will make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible

this is one of the cases that they will monitor on the back burner over time. some cons can finish within a few hours (the bottle job), and some things they will follow over time and make adjustments when needed- amplify voices and expose corrupt politicians etc

and then it’s just after 3/4 of the way through but the con has been finished? what is going on? this is where the silliness comes in

the camera turns to the ot3 and…

hardison, pulling out three individualized rings: I know it’s not legal yet, and we have the necklaces, but I think rings would be a nice touch

eliot, pulling out an intricately carved box that also has three self-handcrafted rings: dammit hardison (with feeling and tenderness, and damp eyes)

parker, pulling out three very stolen rings from her pocket: does this mean we’re getting triple married if we all have three rings???

harry pops into the conversation (practically vibrating) excitedly just casually mentioning that he’s a notary and would be honored to marry them to each other if they wanted to

(they do)

wait, did I say silly? I meant unwaveringly tender and heartwarming

#this started out as a funny proposal headcanon but it just turned into sweet and cute #I had a version where eliot proposed first and then hardison went to get his but parker pickpocketed him #but this is more sweet #I know she loves pickpocketing but I feel like she wouldn’t take that moment away from him if she thinks it matters that much that way #but also. have you considered it would be hilarious #and omg they have such a good wedding!!! so many people invited!!! sophie has a ball organizing it #(hardison and eliot get veto power of course. parker does too but she only really cares about the cake. as long as she has her boys and her #family she’ll be happy with whatever the wedding looks like. eliot though has Thoughts on catering & hardison stresses about color schemes)#breanna and harry kick their feet and giggle like schoolgirls they are SO HAPPY the ot3 gets their moment #they have been (quietly) (unsuccessfully) shipping them for forever this is VINDICATION #I should link the post about who is invited to the ot3 wedding (list ever expanding)#I’m literally posting this at midnight but I didn’t want to schedule or queue it. I want it out now. instant gratification babey #eliot spencer #parker #alec hardison #leverage ot3 #parker x hardison x eliot #leverage #leverage redemption #episode ideas #fic ideas #I know I’ve written a proposal post/ficlet before but I was too lazy to find it #polyamory #ot3 marriage #marriage #weddings #harry wilson #thiefsome #hitter hacker thief #mine

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griffin-ktb · 7 months

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Always thinking about him 🧐😳✨

+ a more recent bonus doodle

#why does the fierce diety have to be so MAJESTIC???#also I made the first one last year and just? forgot to post it anywhere??#even tho it’s my favorite thing I’ve made lol #my magnum opus fr #fierce diety link #majoras mask #oot link #mm link #legend of zelda #loz #zelda #my art <3

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casiavium · 7 months

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spirit that doesn't need sleep is still tired. can he ever escape

#technically they would need to sleep because ghirahim's purple is from tirelessly serving demise #also they do breathe (see ghirahim final battle) and those were two big things in the fic that change for link #im so inconsistent sorry lol. I also need him to already have met the water dragon but he gets turned before he finishes the first silent #realm so in canon he hasn't met her yet but. for plot reasons I am ignoring that #skyward sword #cherryart #sword spirit link #does he have a tag? I don't think I've drawn/posted about him enough to give him a tag #also changed his hair some! it's more faceted now. ghirahim and fi are smooth but Link is cut like a gem

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muninnhuginn · 9 months

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Glancing at the Qian Jin-Xiao Li duo then at the Lu Guang-Cheng Xiaoshi one and realising that from what we know Qian Jin was originally the by-the-book type and even now is incredibly careful and thorough. Meanwhile, Xiao Li went along with the photo shop trio despite knowing how unbelievable it all seemed and was willing to arrange Lu Guang's safety in a less traditional way

Qian Jin especially in the past is much more aligned with Lu Guang personality-wise whilst the more flexible and intuition-based Xiao Li is more aligned with Cheng Xiaoshi

#for future reference I wrote this post s2e4 so we'll see if this holds up down the line #I'm not sure yet how far to read into this in terms of other things: is qian jin keeping secrets in the same way lu guang is?#does xiao li have as big a weakness when it comes to acting on emotions as cxs? is qj-xl's split in the present an omen for lg-cxs?#but I do think the duos are aligned enough to reflect onto each other. and I hope that the show uses that to its full potential #link click #link click spoilers #shiguang daili ren spoilers #shiguang daili ren #oh. also. I find it interesting how both qj and cxs have faced loss in different ways and yet reacted so differently #Ik it's not been confirmed yet if lg has also gone through loss but if/when whatever's going on with him is confirmed I'd love to compare #qj is still careful/particular now but perhaps less by the book and definitely willing to dabble in illegal stuff he didn't as a cop #but in a way that comes off as ends justifies the means. His personality hasn't changed as much as it seems at first glance #he's just willing to bend his morals more to achieve his aims (does he think there may be a way to save his wife still?)#is it intentional he seems to be estranged from xl now he's into this side of things? if it were lg I'd say he'd push him away to protect #but he's not. so I don't want to ascribe that to him (yet)

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piningprecussionist · 1 month

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I keep watching in mild disappointment as the notes on it keep going up, but in lieu of a response from the OP over on twitter- this post is a repost, yall. You can find the original here (again, on twitter,) if you want to show the artist some love for their work.

#i think i might have seen something about CREDITED reposting on their profile- but I think it was about using their art as pfps?#either way they do not link back to the op or have any sort of description indicating it isn't their art. just the signature the artist lef #(which. i didnt see at first; i went and fucking reverse search that shit. bc i am blind without my glasses apparently 😑)#no shame to the people who didn't realize or anything. it was in the queue at one point before I realized!#but yeah it's really cute art and I wish it was posted either w the credit or by the op over here so I could feel good abt reblogging it--#tentatively i am putting this in the same tags I guess? hh. why must i be such an anxious creature...#kim pine #ramona flowers #knives chau #scott pilgrim #scott pilgrim vs the world #but yeah maybe. dont circulate the post. i dont feel good abt that personally. i mean i cant force you or anything but as an artist it does #+ make me a little sad to watch this lol #txt #ooc #sorry make that intense disappointment. the notes have gone up even higher since then. murder.

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compacflt · 9 months

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I've read the original version of WWGATTAI and I was wondering why you later decided to have Pete sleep around during their "break up" or rocky patch. I think in the first version he just flirts with others but later tells Ice that he'd burst into flames if he actually slept with anyone else. Did you see it as cheating or did you see it as them being in a very real separation that both were aware of?

oh shit someone who read the original shitty version 😭😭😭😭😭😭 okay thanks for sticking with me that long firstly

okay—that part of the story was the first part i ever wrote (besides the epilogue which was actually first) so i just didn’t know how it would play out, so there’s that—I didn’t think through the consequences of ice’s betrayal at ALL so that’s the whole reason why i went back and edited it

Secondly, (see here for another post about this), no, I don’t think of it as cheating. they weren’t in a relationship (like they Were but they also weren’t). they were in a situationship that got out of hand. if ice is jealous/butthurt about maverick sleeping around then he is coping & seething and should be made fun of

thirdly, mavericks an unrealistically handsome single guy in his early forties who may have just wasted the last decade of his life on a man who betrayed him/his family & basically dumped him & left him, so not unexpected that he would retaliate by sleeping with other people.

fourthly, as maverick says above, “it’s a distraction,” “[it’s someone who is] not you. I just can’t seem to shake you. I don’t know what else to do.” he feels like he is out of options & he himself is too cowardly to break things off with ice so he’s waiting for ice to break things off with him. him sleeping around = a.) satisfying a physical need that ice used to fulfill before he left b.) shopping around for other people c.) retaliating for ice’s betrayal d.) trying to provoke ice into breaking up with him e.) attempting to distract himself from how much he misses ice

#‘he even bags a captain once’ seems implausible actually. don’t listen to me.#mav fails to understand that it does not occur to ice to be jealous because ice was not aware they were exclusive in the first place #check out the post i linked #thanks for the ask! ❤️ i think of the original wwgattai and shiver with cringe so thanks for sticking with me #shit sometimes i think of the current wwgattai and shiver with cringe #the mortifying ordeal of posting writing to the internet #but thanks for hanging around ❤️❤️❤️#means a lot to me #pete maverick mitchell #tom iceman kazansky #icemav #asks #edts notes #maszlows hierarchy of needs but it’s mav trying to fulfill himself thru casual sex at age 42 #never too late when you look like early 2000s tom cruise #the breakup section of debriefing is 2x as long as it should be bc of the rewrites #like it is a little tortured i freely admit #but at a certain point i was gonna have a psychotic break if i kept rewriting that whole section #> ok have i impressed upon you that mav is mad even after ice comes home momentarily? ✅#> ok is it fully 2 months after i said i would post the edits? ✅#> ok fuck it it’s done full send #the lcdr he sleeps with is NOT in his chain of command btw #actually maybe she is that wouldn’t be ooc for mav ngl #guy who canonically wolfishly pursued his program instructor

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