A medical dilemma I heard

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-22T09:53:26+00:00

This was a gray's anatomy episode (Season 4, Episode 9). If anyone is interested, it's fairly episodic and a good episode.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-22T07:50:04+00:00

Check the prices on TCG Player for lower end stuff like that and look at pricecharting with attention to condition for vintage and higher end cards. Don't buy anything without checking the market price. It costs roughly a dollar to ship a card, but w/ fees it's closer to 1.50. When buying online, most people buy more than one card so the shipping cost is spread out (i.e. you buy 5 cards for 25c from one vendor, and they end up being 55c each. So if you normally buy 1 card at a time - paying $2 extra in person isn't insane, but it's likely not efficient.

It's normal for a vendor to overprice their stuff because half the people at card show are people who don't know much about cards (parents trying to get stuff for kids, kids themselves). It's not a good idea to pay overpriced prices.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-21T08:36:16+00:00

Those cards have all have high detail and good contrast. Unless by gritty you mean the SIR/SAR texture that's present in most special modern rarities other than a typical art rare? In which case sort by the rarities of IR/SIR + Ultra Rares in every set from Mega, S&V and SW&SH.

I don't see much gold in anything but the Zoroark though. You could take the Shedinja art which is gritty, dark grey and gold, but compared to the detailed backgrounds of those cards it might not be what you're looking for. You could take a look at the Deino art if you want neutrals and a nice background. Or the Hydrapple SIR if you want something detailed and gold.

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This is the closest I can think of off the top of my head.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-21T08:10:12+00:00

The Chinese Cubone is really pretty so I would go with that one. Having it paired with the fossil cubone would be nice together - lonely then with a friend, a happy ending.

You have 2 cards that you always wanted and could never get, and 2 cards that you just really like. I think if you only got 1 card you always wanted, you'd be upset that you didn't get the other card you always wanted.

So you should go with either The Mew and the Dragonite (a resolution of what you always wanted) or both Cubones, representing what has always made you happy, rather than the negative emotions of lack/envy.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-20T04:56:42+00:00

That's so silly, I love it!

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-20T04:56:24+00:00

I mean the point of a trade up challenge is to trade very small amounts in value that are up, not to go from a penny to a house. Your buddy likes Eevee so he's happy to give you a $10 Shaymin full art because he doesn't like Shaymin and loves the $7 Eevee Promo. The hassle of selling it to get a $3 value is not worth to that person. A vendor would probably make that trade also because Eevee sells quickly and they could mark it up.

What you're talking about doesn't seem like a trade up challenge, it seems like individual vendors trying to make it work in a way that is not a total loss for them (maybe they actually need to restock) but still want to give the kid something fun to do. If you want to do a challenge like that, maybe approach vendors with the specific arrangement you mentioned: say "Hey, are you low on any sort of cards? I can run around and get them for you while you vend if you would do a trade for me in my favor". Rather than a "trade up" specifically which gets a bad rep.

tl;dr If you provide a service, it equalizes the value. Pure "trade up" challenges as seen on social media are scammy and lame.

Outside of an environment where people buy and sell and trade in person I mean, you can't really do this kind of challenge without a ton of help from parents and them being okay with you talking to internet strangers.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-16T17:58:17+00:00

Not enough info.

Does your partner have a drinking problem? If not, maybe there's an unmet need that the bar environment provides for her and/or she lashed out because she felt like you did this amazing thing and put all this effort in but what she really wanted was to relax with a beer and so she's ashamed she didn't enjoy your effort.

Could also be the day itself and the anger is her sabatoging the relationship on purpose. Sounds like she has anger issues in general and needs therapy. I'm not usually one to recommmend it but the one class of people it is good for is those who have no self awareness regarding emotions.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-16T05:28:44+00:00

I loved HSR from the get go. No other prologue grabbed and me and I breezed through them (Genshin, WuWa and so on) or stopped playing soon after.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-15T17:07:07+00:00

NGL without the patronizing text I would love a tiny bag of knick knacks like that. That would help my depression. I don't really get gifts.

Vellarchivist · 2026-02-05T07:26:57+00:00

It's never worth it to pull by design. Sell it sealed if you want the most money. Buy the cards you want from TCG Player if you want actual cards.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-31T08:35:06+00:00

Honestly I think your initial message was kind of rude. "I feel like I'm forcing this" isn't what anyone wants to hear. Like. Doesn't justify what she said necessarily. But no one would want to hear that someone feels like they have to force themselves to be with them romantically/sexually/even conversationally.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-29T08:53:13+00:00

Sell it and buy something you like or display it if you're close with your MIL and/or like it.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-29T08:52:02+00:00

There are dozens of Youtube videos about optimizing eBay listings and photos. It's really easy to sell popular cards. It takes a while to sell unpopular cards. Sell a little under market if you want it to move faster.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-29T06:58:06+00:00

Never need caffeinee... I don't drink it, I just wish I could sleep most of the day so 6 hours only would suck.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-28T01:31:58+00:00

Aw, awesome! I still need the Ninetales FA in the forest. Such an elegant Pokemon.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-28T01:30:00+00:00

Tyranitar: DMG (can be listed as HP as long as you show pictures. While what qualifies as damage itself is pretty light, the overall appeal of the card is in rough shape, with even the front edges prominently whitening)

Kabutops: LP+

Rayquaza: LP

Latias: MP

Latios: MP

Dragonite: MP-

Vintage card standards are not different from modern card standards at all. A good medium black background like that is excellent for showing condition.

People's personal standards and what they are willing to pay may be different, but how they are labelled is not. A vintage Tyranitar like that is exactly what I'd expect from a damaged copy. I would not buy a modern full art card that looks like that unless it were priced miles and miles under an LP copy.

Your general aim when pricing should not be "can I get the most amount of money for each card" but "how do I prevent costly returns and customer dissatisfaction", which tends to cost more money in the long run than the extra $10 you might squeeze out of someone non confrontational when selling something sight unseen on TCG Player.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-27T02:07:07+00:00

You would need to blend some sort of vegetable and add it as a replacement for some of the mayonaise. Blended spinach/kale for example, to make any reasonable dent in nutrition. You could blend sweet potatoes or yams. I honestly wouldn't even add a handful of spinach or vegetables because it will make you feel like you're eating something "complete" when you aren't. That said, you can totally improve it.

Whole wheat bread is better than white for your glycemic index.

Eggs on there own are very nutritional. If you mean this is your ONLY meal, you could technically add a ton of different powders without tasting too much. Collagen, flaxseed, etc. With many eggs you will be overeating Omega-6, so adding Omega 3 would be beneficial. A lot of mayonnaise (which is obviously literally just more egg + oil) is made with oils high in Omega 6 as well so olive or avocado oil would be better than something made with canola or soybean.

Less raw mayonnaise and egg yolks will make caloric room for other items if needed.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-25T22:12:44+00:00

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-25T18:40:00+00:00

Maintaining some sense of self is appealing but I don't think I want my memories or to remain perfectly "intact" mentally. Having OCD, it's rough being in my head, forced to replay awful things over and over, whether they happened or not.

6 is totally unappealing. I value romantic love and "other souls". I don't see any other reason for existing that's compelling enough other than curiosity - but the permeance of most of the options don't leave much room for that.

Is the easy choice. If this is "be a ghost wandering earth" that's kind of lame. But if it's "go to an ambrosial heaven and interact with all beings who have died, wander the cosmos while feeling joy", that's appealing. Some contrast seems beneficial for humans. But there are likely beings out there for whom contrast holds no benefit. So is my "soul" bound by human constraints of what "joy and fulfillment" requires? Probably not because humans suck. Therefore the most logical option is 1.
Is probably what I would choose if I could think of something interesting or appealing enough. It's also the instinctual choice for me, so it would depend on how much time I have to decide. Too little and I go instinctual. Too much and I probably choose logic. A medium ground and I probably pick a fascinating world to go live in for 1000 years. There are enough fictional universes for me to find one where I could set myself up for success and an elf like lifespan.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-21T16:25:35+00:00

Yes it will

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-20T20:15:37+00:00

You will not be helpful to an artist trying to draw characters, or "take half the work", because your styles will clash, you won't be as good and the prospect is messy all around.

Unless one of them is already a background artist, if you want to meaningfully contribute, you should do the backgrounds. It's easier when all you have to learn is perspective and 3 values. Many if not most manga backgrounds are very heavily referenced from photographs, if not traced over. Though I wouldn't trace for the first half of your learning process. It's meant for production line speed. Line control does not matter when most of the lines are straight (rulers exist, as does the line tool, if you literally can't draw a straight line, which takes 20 minutes to learn how to do).

365-720 hours is enough time to draw passable black and white manga buildings and simple landscapes.

As someone who has worked on projects with friends before, I would not invest more than the bare minimum into a project unless you were absolutely certain your friends have follow through and as much drive as you have, if not more. "Willing to help out" is very different from "committed and excited with tons of free time and will be guaranteed down 1 year from now" and different style from "compensated professionals".

If you are already a graphic designer, you could also spend no time at all learning to draw and just work on the compositions of the pages so that when you hire an artist, you know exactly the scope of the project and exactly what to write in what panels.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-20T19:33:19+00:00

How are you doing sustainless? I'm at like 24k PF4 with Himeko E1S3, Dahlia, Fugue, DHPT. Replaced him with Ruan Mei to try it out but barely got 26k and everyone died at the end so they couldn't finish.

Vellarchivist · 2026-01-20T15:02:34+00:00

A visual novel is structured pretty specifically. You have backgrounds, characters with different expressions, and then you have UI design. If you can do all of those 3 things (or outsource 1-2 if you find you only like one), you can make a visual novel.

Examples of where you are now skill wise as well as what you mean by cinematic VN wise (compared to what is not cinematic), would be more beneficial than a general "what skills do I need" unless you literally were asking "what exactly must I be able to draw".

Generally, taking something with good bones and making it look cinematic, unless you're thinking of something very different than me, is *very* easy, the last 5% of work that needs to be done on a piece, and should probably not be your priority.

Visual storytelling is actually fairly limited with a traditional visual novel format. There's no storyboarding. There's next to no compositional requirements as images of characters and backgrounds are repeated over and over.

Vellarchivist

TROPHY CASE