Kereminde

Not if you make it with the same custard you'd use to make french toast.

I may not be an artist, but... I definitely understand this.

(I have minis which need painting!)

Can we get her to decry the use of dihydrogen monoxide while we're at it?

I am really confused how people are surprised you don't like Clan Wolf. Or think that it's some sort of deficiency to just go "yeah, no, not interested" instead of an angry rant.

Red: "I'm just not interested."
Randoms: "But you have to be!"
Red: "... no, no I do not."

It's okay, those stories are just a social construct after all.

I mean, you've SEEN the man's taste in decorative elements right?

(Evalia: "Do I need to help your muse focus on the task at hand? I'm sure we can find an arrangement which will be useful.")

This thread sums up why "it's complicated" isn't necessarily a dodge...

He also bankrupted casinos. Plural.

I have problems believing people alive through the 80s and 90s forgot all about his nonsense... but apparently there were enough.

... I must have watched an *entirely* different campaign.

The message seemed to be "you can't let THOSE PEOPLE be in charge". Groceries? Economy? Two small points in a sea of others, but the primary one was always very clear:

"We are going to make THEM pay."

I think they knew. I mean, he made it abundantly clear any time he was near a microphone. Or posting on social media. Trump never stopped letting it be known his administration was going to go after anyone and everyone he didn't like.

The voters just didn't expect it to hurt them as much as it did.

Inevitable?

To tap into recent pop culture and memes:
"So was Thanos. He still lost."

For the cultured:
“We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings." (Ursula K. Le Guin)

While also claiming their opponents would be the ones who were making it an issue. Obsessed with it even!

... like... no?

One: You do not have to extend decency towards those who do not practice it back. Just like giving tolerance.

Two: People who sold the public on those black sites on the grounds "they'll only be used on bad people" don't deserve decency either. Not when it's so *very* easy to redefine 'bad people'.

I have a suspicion the goal WAS indeed to move it to individual charges exactly in order to go "oh hey, multiple charges of the same amounts, obvious fraud".

Having had to make a fraud claim once 20 years back I was informed it was NOT something they had to do anything about. Thank you, we'll keep an eye on it. Yes, your money is gone, you won't be reimbursed, good day to you.

As I said in another fork of this thread: it's not about what they say it is.

But the kicker? It's less than $10/mo.
I spend more than that for FF14 (which I don't play because time is precious and I scrape it for other games I can play at my own schedule).

It's not about what they say it is, it's about stomping out *specific* things.

I mean, there was already a "you have three charges from Patreon on your account within seven days".

One of them is supporting development of a mobile game getting revived. One of them is supporting a creator with $1/mo. And the last is for a writer I enjoy and have called a friend for years.

They don't know who I got it for, I just got a notice I needed to call my card and approve the sale. This was also not a credit card, this was my bank card.

It may be their business how I spend what is technically "their money". It is NOT their business how I spend what I earn.

Full. Stop.

I'm tired of my *friends* not being able to enjoy things.
I'm tired of being afraid for them, not myself or my family.

And I'm increasingly tired of having to go "yeah, I'm an American, but-"

So, yeah. Had to answer questions for why I bought $100 in games over the weekend - which were gifts for my sis-in-law and her kids to enjoy.
Because "Super Mario Galaxy" is a massive threat to moral guardians.

(Mild addendum: If you're one of the few friends I still talk to who do use it... just... just don't tell me about it? If you come at me swinging over this opinion, I *will* cut you loose. If you keep quiet about it, there is literally no way I could know you're doing that. But... I hope you stop.)

This would not be the first time.

If it's acting, there are tons of talented people you could ask nicely to help.
If it's art, someone can be paid to draw it better. And probably without obvious errors.
If it's writing, someone can be paid to write it. Even badly.

- If you're specifically elevating comments which spin some flavor of "AI is the future, get used to it" statements? It's transparent WHICH of the above you are. And I'll block your ass on sight. (I have made peace with leaving behind friends who unapologetically shoved it in my inbox.)

This left me with two notes:
- If your excuse for using GenAI is "I can't afford real work unless you subscribe to my channel", that's either not trying hard enough or grifting. (Or not trying hard enough to grift.) I'm sure you could find someone to badly voice-act, and still make it funny.

Having to literally stare at a picture and go "is this AI generated or not?" for a full hour before not being sure because it was so minimalist I couldn't tell...

(Heck, I had a YT short slip past me this weekend.)

I really hate how this shit has made me paranoid about what I consume and pass on.

I'll admit it. I'm a bit fearful of seven. Seven eight nine, that's all I'm saying.

(G'kar agrees with this.)