my foam! @ellarem - Tumblr Blog

iwtv1976

I like volcanoes because there’s nothing you can do about it.

the problem with employment is it gives you money to purchase video games but it takes away your time to play video games. Mao spoke of this

the-quasar-hero

Man who hates the very concept of life and all living beings: I should design portal websites for colleges and job applications

dogpuppy

#more like him in corporate spaces please

hinamie

are these what the kids are calling *checks notes* magical girls?

#wha

intactics

[pushing my glasses up with an air of unwarranted superiority and gesturing toward a painting without a minotaur] the Minotaur is implied.

trashyvolty

🐍🌷 the garden of earthly delights 🌷🐍

edit : thank you for all of the nice tags and love on this one 😭❤️

#ace attorney

klaasje

really good text from my sister in law

expressions-of-nature

Waihou Stream, New Zealand by fate atc

weepingchoir

Brits live in 3 Sadness Stroll and Americans live in 958571995720&5 Northeast E West

whosname

[id. A twitter post by @/Bennieeexyz Jury duty letter came addressed to my cat. Not a mistake. "Felix Martinez" - that's his full name according to his vet records. My last name. His first name. Somehow he's a registered voter now. Called the county clerk. Me: My cat got summoned for jury duty. Clerk: Is the name correct on the summons? Me: Yes, but he's a cat. Clerk: Is Felix Martinez a legal resident of this county? Me: He's a legal cat. Clerk: Sir, if the name matches our records, he needs to appear or file an exemption. Me: He can't file anything. He has paws. Clerk: You can file on his behalf. Me: Under what exemption? There's no box for "is a cat." Clerk: (pause) Check "unable to serve due to medical reasons." Me: What's the medical reason? Clerk: He's a cat. Me: That's not a medical condition. Clerk: It is if it prevents him from serving. Sent in the form. Got rejected two weeks later. "Insufficient documentation. Please provide medical professional's statement." Took the letter to my vet. Me: I need you to write that my cat can't do jury duty. Vet: Why is your cat summoned for jury duty? Me: Excellent question. No good answer. Vet: This is the weirdest request I've gotten. Me: Can you just write that he's medically unfit to serve? Vet: On what grounds? Me: He's a cat. Vet: (started typing) "Patient is unable to serve due to species-related limitations including inability to speak, read, or comprehend legal proceedings." Me: Perfect. Sent it in. Got another rejection. "Summons is mandatory. Failure to appear will result in contempt of court." My roommate thought this was hilarious. Roommate: Felix is going to jail. Me: This is serious. Roommate: Bring him to court. See what happens. Decided that was actually the only option left. Day of jury duty, put Felix in his carrier. Brought the entire paper trail of rejection letters. Checked in at the courthouse. Clerk: Name? Me: Felix Martinez. Clerk: (looked at the cat carrier) Is that Felix? Me: Yes. Clerk: (long stare) He's a cat. Me: I've been saying that for six weeks. Clerk: Why didn't you file an exemption? Me: I filed three. All rejected. Showed her the letters. She read through them, expression shifting from confusion to disbelief. Clerk: Someone rejected the veterinary documentation? Me: Twice. Clerk: (called her supervisor over) You need to see this. Supervisor read everything. Looked at Felix. Looked at me. Supervisor: How did a cat get registered to vote? Me: You tell me. Supervisor: This is a data error. Me: Took you six weeks to figure that out. They dismissed Felix immediately. Apologized for the inconvenience. Supervisor: We'll remove him from the voter registry. Me: Appreciate it. Supervisor: (pause) Out of curiosity, how would he have voted? Me: Probably whatever party supports universal treats. Got a formal apology letter a week later and a voter registration card. For me this time. Apparently I wasn't registered, but my cat was. Roommate: Felix committed voter fraud. Me: Felix committed nothing. He's innocent. Roommate: That's what they all say. Felix is sleeping on the jury summons now. Fitting end to his legal career. end id]

ot3

highkey i do think we need to start making convention artists feel shame for selling blind box merch lines. it's a completely anti-consumer anti-art way of trying to bring your bottom line up. just because we can't stop corporations from using the incentive structures of gambling for profit doesn't mean we should be chill with our peers doing the same

tromlui

Not to get into another discourse right after the other but I don’t think independent artists should be held responsible for market trends they have no control over nor should they be obligated to sacrifice their source of income for the sake of maintaining moral superiority over the major companies who are actually the problem.

And I say this as someone who hates pretty much all forms of blind bags.

ot3

There is literally nobody to hold responsible for this trend except for the artist themselves. Convention or event artist alleys and artists independent storefronts are not part of the same Market that general retailers are, and by their nature cater to niche specialty audiences. They are insulated and insular. The fact that they are independent means that they and they alone are 100% ethically responsible for every business decision they make. as a collective, within their specific communities, they are responsible for establishing the norms of what business practices are acceptable in their sphere and what isn't. I guarantee you there was no external pressure for anyone selling a blind box to start doing it; it's a decision they made after seeing one of their peers do it and deciding to give it a try.

Imagine trying to make the argument "I don’t think independent artists should be held responsible for market trends they have no control over nor should they be obligated to sacrifice their source of income for the sake of maintaining moral superiority" in defense of selling merchandise with AI generated images within these same communities. you would get laughed out of the room and then blacklisted by all of your peers. Because not capitulating to market trends and taking a moral stance about what kind of art you feel comfortable producing and selling is totally an option here, and something that happens all the time. It just seems it's much easier to have a sense of ethics when it comes to things that infringe on their interests, rather than their customers'.

There is just no real reason to believe that the deciding factor in whether a given artist will be able to cover their basic living expenses comes down to offering blind box or gacha style merch lines vs offering those exact same products for sale by specific choice. And I don't think "but everyone is doing it and I could use some money" is an acceptable defense for predatory business practices.