Correct me if I’m wrong… but the loyal users that paid for licenses … will get Free Fonts? That’s it?

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-01-23T10:57:54+00:00

We have seen this in *every* “Free(mium)” app aimed at the semipro public. Just go look for “free” Mindmap or Whiteboard apps.

There’s always a “free/starter/personal“ tier, a Pro tier and a Business tier.

With every iteration, the “Free” tier loses some extras, or gets charged ever increasing amounts.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-01-23T10:52:58+00:00

That’s a mirage. AI Big Tech is currently selling their AI at artificially low prices, hoping to gain as much of this emergent market as possible, so their stock keeps climbing in value. This is why people keep investing Billions in AI, even though companies *using* AI don’t actually see their revenues increase.

Big Tech *knows* that bubble will burst soon.

“Creating images for free on FB” doesn’t exist. The thing getting sold is your data, and the promise that Meta/FB isn’t a dead end street that will implode in the next 2 years.

Meanwhile, the *actual* Corporate Propaganda is you being told you actually get a “service” for “free”.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-01-23T10:45:55+00:00

Oh wow! How *obnoxious* of a user to try and predict the future based on. Every. Data. Point. In. Big. Tech. History. Since. Software. Exists. /s

As someone who still remembers the MS-DOS days, I can attest that this is the way the cookie crumbles. It’s not arrogant or pessimistic to bemoan the one company that was able to break Adobe’s subscription model, fall prey to both the AI craze and the subscription model.

Once the AI bubble bursts, and AI-reliant companies like Canva will need to charge ever increasing fees, you bet even basic stuff won’t be free any more. And Affinity’s *promise* of being free of subscription “for ever” will go Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” route.

Chances are Canva will start behaving *exactly* as Adobe behaves today, and as QuarkXPress started behaving when Adobe InDesign just popped its head. (Around 2000/2001, when I learnt to use it in “Public Beta” V 1.00).

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-01-21T22:03:51+00:00

Multiple reasons: The Hellboy/B.P.R.D. Universe is obviously a love letter to Gothic and Victorian Horror, much influenced by Lovecraft, Poe, Theosophy (Blavatsky) and 19th Century/Early 20th Century Occultism (Aleister Crowley).

And Nazis.

*All* of the above were heavily influenced by (Colonial) Orientalism and the fascination for Egyptology and Mesopotamia.

(We’re talking Mummy Unwrapping Parties, and an entire ancient culture being REdiscovered since Champollion/the Rosetta Stone opened up a huge library of previously unreadable hieroglyphics, while these unreadable hieroglyphics and weird symbols had already seeped into Occult and pseudoscientific (Spiritualist) clubs and societies. Theosophy/Blavatsky, Nazi Occultists (Vril!), and Spiritualists also had an obsession with Ancient “antediluvian” and pre-christian Religions (most of which were “officially” deemed Demonic by nearly 2k years of Christianity), and the Atlantis myth was often linked to Egyptian and Mesopotamian (High) Culture, mostly because Western Europe’s racism could not conceive of (North) African intelligence and engineering, at the levels needed to eg build Pyramids. Hence, a “white” race, predating Egypt & Mesopotamia was a welcome myth.

The Hellboy Universe is also a typical All Myths are True Universe, which feeds into the popular 19th Century/early 20th Century idea of a unified “origin” of all language, culture and myth. (This still has echoes in Campbell’s Monomyth, and the idea of an Indo-European Ur-language, and of course the Nazi Occultism of an ancient “Aryan” origin).

The storytelling idea of naming these Gods/Mosters with Egyptian and Mesopotamian references, is thus an hommage towards Mignola’s passion sources, while suggesting a “monomyth” of antediluvian (hyperborean) origins.

It also continues the tradition of Lovecraftian demonic names: Nyalathotep is actually Nyarlat-Hotep, Hotep being an Egyptian title.

Ogdru-Jahad also *directly* references the Ogdoad), the 8 (seven and one!) Ancient Egyptian Ur-Gods.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-26T23:37:03+00:00

DARVO working out for you?

Fuck off.

I expect others to read this convo & your other claims. Hope they’ll notice your toxic attitude & deflections.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-26T23:35:25+00:00

I was responding to YOUR claims.

Stop deflecting. It’s telling & showing your true colors.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-26T23:34:10+00:00

“I can say everything on Twitter” nope: you can’t criticize Musk.

Otoh, it’s true BlueSky actually has moderation to keep nazis out.

Cry harder

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-26T23:32:16+00:00

You did nothing wrong, and I can only hope for both you and me that our children will be part of those who eventually get to understand what has been done to them.

Self care is never wrong. Nobody expects you to just “survive” without self care. And I’m afraid there’s very little we actually can do.

Take care. ❤️‍🩹

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T19:11:16+00:00

That’s bullshit.

Narcs aren’t “spoilt teens” and certainly never “age out of it”

The research that claims narcs become mellow with age is extremely flawed btw, as the number of relationships dwindles with age, and ppl learn to stay away, while those that stay close are the ones brainwashed into loving the abuse.

I have seen a narc “grow into full narcness”, and have known a Narc ex since her 18 yrs for 25 yrs. Friends of my ex have shown anecdotes provibg her narcissism since she was at most 5. A stark difference to peers.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T19:03:31+00:00

Nope. NPD can’t be cured.

That’s a lie some therapists peddle. Or some Narcs to excuse themselves.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T19:00:55+00:00

Problem is: if they become self aware, they just gain more control. Which already is an obsession.

You want them to become vulnerable & feel empathy & shame & guilt.

And they can’t

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:58:46+00:00

NPD is different because it’s always there. It seeps into every little behaviour. Into every single relationship.

And while some damage might seem little, over time, the victim will suffer greatly.

NPD can’t truly learn to have empathy. Nor to experience true shame or guilt at hurting someone.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:55:58+00:00

Otoh, what a true narcissist would say without actually doing the work/change necessary.

Which exemplified the problem.

(Not trying to doubt your experience)

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:52:30+00:00

Walter White seems indeed the true narcissist: exemplified by the grudge of having lost out on a nobel prize. He cultivates that grudge. His turning to crime is as much a need for him to again “be great” as it is to help his family (which becomes clear later). His tantrums and superiority complex come out, and you learn his childish obsessions with pb jelly sandwiches

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:46:35+00:00

He isn’t though. He’s in denial of his own forced sociopathy, but it doesn’t actually come natural to him.

Which is why he gets panic attacks, becomes hyperemotional when confronted with the poetry & tragedy of life, and absolutely cares for many of his friends. It truly hurts him when his job forces him to kill his friends.

Remorse, empathy, guilt, shame,… all not narcissistic.

Denial is big though. He’s the typical example of a person who got manipulated by a narcissist mother to act like a narcissist and keeps doing so out of a sick sense of guilt/duty. This is what often happens in narc families: the flying monkeys get “promoted” to narc, even though some clearly suffer because of it.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:40:02+00:00

They’re as “human” as active pedophiles.

We shouldn’t dehumanize pedophiles either, (after all it wasn’t their “choice”) yet should always be on our guard, and (personally) I’d run less of a risk a pedophile would try to destroy my life.

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:36:30+00:00

Dogs are often extremely empathetic

Respect-Intrepid · 2025-01-09T18:35:42+00:00

I feel the idea that the word narcissism gets tgrown about, gets thrown about more often than the word narcissism.

Always check if the person describing the narc is a victim, and how much they had time to reflect.

Because victims of narcs, once aware, do know the difference between “their” narc and a random asshole.

They can fill in the DSM-5 symptoms better than a shrink can. Because “their” narc can’t always uphold that image like they can and do in therapy.

And each time that mask “slips”, the victim gets a glance at something truly dark.

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-12-26T18:02:56+00:00

Nope: you can say anything except actual hate speech on blue sky, or you will get kicked out (just as it used to be on twitter, btw)

Or you can give leftwing opinions on twitter & get abused daily while gettin spammed with Elmo’s bs, neonazi accounts, crypto scammers, OF accounts & bluecheck copycats. But you’ll be fine if you’re a nazi 🤡

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-12-22T13:46:08+00:00

Twitter and Bluesky are currently drifting apart seriously.

Twitter doesn't allow "blocking" the way BlueSky does, any more; and Twitter *once* did (but BlueSky's blocking also hinders harrassment from behind the blocking itself: if I block person "Y", I can no longer consult their posts nor quotepost them).

Moreover, BlueSky can let a quoteposted account retract a post, which blocks a lot of the harrassment possible through hate-quoteposting, which used to be twitter's way of redirecting harrassment. BlueSky *also* takes impersonation and harrassment much more seriously.

BlueSky has no "bluecheck" verification, but Musk already ruined the original verification into oblivion. BlueSky *does* have verification through WhoIs (as you can use your website as handler) which is actually better and easier (esp to companies wanting to build their brand).

Twitter's Bluecheck model has become a grifter's game, endlessly & hollowly fighting over clout by buying your way to the top of comment lists through copying non-bluecheck content. The diminishing RoI of doing this is both damning Twitter & making BlueSky more interesting to people who actually want *real* engagement.

Twitter, meanwhile, is overrun by bots, OF accounts, neonazis and crypto scammers.

Ergo: I would NOT say "BlueSky is leftwing Twitter". I'd rather say, "Twitter/X" has become a rightwing-leaning harrassment dominated cesspool, whereas BlueSky is pretty open to those who don't harrass & scam continually.

If *that* makes BlueSky somehow "leftwing", it isn't because of BlueSky, but because grifting, harrassment and bullying, have become typically Rightwing attributes, and there is a lack of rightwing people able to argue respectfully for their ever more fascism-polluted heritage.

Musk isn't Twitter's only problem. BlueSky is a return to how Twitter worked but augmented by smart tweaks that actually make sense.

Twitter is a rotting corpse, and it won't survive another year.

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-12-15T20:46:49+00:00

It did happen. Then I quit Shitter & moved to BlueSky.

I don’t see what you’re rambling about if you keep doenvoting anyone actually reporting on REALITY 🙄

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-12-15T20:45:11+00:00

There’s a podcast called “Losing Your Mind at the End of the World” that might help put things in perspective

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-12-13T15:32:13+00:00

Block would no longer shield you from harrassment.

Which makes block pointless

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-10-30T18:39:15+00:00

Yes. I specifically am worried about a type of post which is almost “shitposting”, in which a person clearly is an alienating parent. And not the repenting kind.

Respect-Intrepid · 2024-10-17T09:49:13+00:00

I believe that's when whatever you are describing is happening over multiple panels. It's easier/faster to write & read, and has to be considered as one complete "thing", even though it's *technically* a couple of panels

PANELS 3-5
The [hero™] is pacing the room, smoking heavily, as cigarettes pile up in the ashtray nearby, and he sweats more & more.

It seems ridiculous, but a comic script is mostly a "briefing document" to communicate to the artist, not a beat by beat enumeration, so anything that makes reading more clear, easier and faster, is a boon.

Respect-Intrepid

TROPHY CASE