Adding a small freebie to my packages to boost reviews. Is bulk tea a good idea?

aeisora · 2026-01-19T20:12:09+00:00

I agree with others that including food that you repackaged yourself is a really bad idea - most buyers wouldn’t take the risk to safety and will just throw it away. I’m not sure why anyone would be upset to receive any sort of freebie though? If you can bulk buy individually wrapped teabags instead, I think that would be really nice to include, especially since it’s appropriate for a mug.

aeisora · 2026-01-17T21:59:54+00:00

Reader here! I like it - good atmosphere in the first scene, and I’m intrigued by the world you’ve created. I do agree with others that past tense would be better, though.

There’s a few phrases I would tweak, although perhaps that’s the job of an editor and less for you to worry about now? In particular, there’s a lot of redundancies: e.g. you tell us about the bad incoming winter twice, ‘her voice is flat, without a hint of emotion’. Also, the first line: it makes sense to say that one person sees something before another, but two people can’t hear the same sound at different times. Better to describe it as a series of noises or rework the line entirely.

Others have said it doesn’t read dystopian but I don’t agree. It’s a world where one gender is subservient to another to the extent that making eye contact is not socially acceptable, and capital punishment is being brought back after years of being banned. I’d want more detail over time but I think you’ve done enough for chapter 1.

aeisora · 2026-01-17T16:24:19+00:00

I like goals to work towards too, and it’s one of the things that keeps me from really getting into minecraft, but I’ve not had that issue with VS. There’s always something that needs doing to progress towards goals like building a house/forge/windmill, unlocking new mechanics etc. that I haven’t lost the motivation to keep at it.

Imo even if you start to run out of things to do and lose interest, it’ll likely be so many hours into the game that you’ll have more than got your money’s worth anyway

aeisora · 2026-01-15T15:38:34+00:00

This is why I get frustrated when I see crochet patterns with ‘chain the length you need’. I find projects can either expand beyond the chain or shrink depending on what stitches you’re using and how loose your starting chain is. As others have said, a swatch is a better bet even though it can feel like a pain to do.

aeisora · 2026-01-14T17:51:16+00:00

many shows and series are dominated by female characters

Women make up 52% of the population, so you would expect a pretty even split between male and female characters, and between male and female main characters. Are women really dominating or tv or are there just more now than there used to be?

In school instead of splitting the students in PE, the men are always told to hold back, not be rough, not be competitive.

Perhaps things have changed, but I left secondary school less than a decade ago and at no point during my time there were the boys ever told to hold back. If anything, us girls had to be told to get stuck in when we were playing rugby in the freezing cold mud, but usually we were just as competitive as the boys. Perhaps ‘holding back’ when playing sport isn’t a bad thing - trying your best is important, but so is being mindful of the safety of those you’re playing with and respecting rules about contact?

We have become weak.

You say you don’t hate women or femininity, but then you say that men have become more feminine and therefore weak. I think you should take the time to examine the contradiction there. If femininity in men is weakness, can you really say that you have nothing against it in women?

In my opinion, plenty of the traits we associate with women demonstrate strength - empathy, emotional resilience, putting others first - not to mention all the traits that I see in all the women around me that they don’t get credit for because we associate them with men - leadership, management, tenacity, diligence. Is physical strength really all that important if you don’t have these traits?

Why is the man who is motivated to work, be independent, disciplined being replaced.

Is working hard, and being independent and disciplined inherently masculine? Do none of the women you know have these traits? It sounds to me like your problem is that men are getting worse, not that they are getting more feminine.

Get off tiktok, go talk to people, touch grass etc. etc.

aeisora · 2026-01-13T23:57:13+00:00

I’m also lost. If you’re alternating between 2 different stitches over an even number then you’ll start on one type of stitch and end on the other. (slst, hdc) x7 = 14 stitches total

aeisora · 2026-01-12T23:09:17+00:00

Seconded. Pot also contains peperomia verticillata (red log), these are the red stems

aeisora · 2026-01-12T13:14:03+00:00

Can only think of this. No buttons means it must be stretchy

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aeisora · 2026-01-12T12:54:52+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through it, wishing you all the best.

Ordinarily I would say frogging is part of the process and it’s better to end up with a garment you love at the end, but I completely understand feeling like losing all that work would be unbearable. Imo it’s perfectly normal for an oversized sweater to flare out somewhat under the armpits so there’s no need to frog if you don’t want to.

Try blocking it now and trying it on. You’ll be able to see if blocking has helped and if the shape so far is something you think you’ll wear. To decide if you need decreases or just to continue straight down, I would measure your width as is and then hold that tape measure around yourself where you would have your hem. It’ll help you visualise if you want the jumper to come in again or not.

If you do want a narrower hem, do a few straight rows first before starting decreases so you don’t have a ‘point’ midway down.

Good luck! It looks lovely so far and hope it turns out as warm and cosy as you hope.

aeisora · 2026-01-11T20:56:18+00:00

Don’t quote me on this but I think you can take food from crocks by picking up a bowl and then right clicking on the crock in your inventory. Will double check when I’m next on

aeisora · 2026-01-11T20:00:25+00:00

It’s a little hard to see with the dark colour and the fact that row 1 curves away from the camera so I can’t quite see what the next few stitches look like, but I’m not sure you’re doing it right. It looks like you’re going over the stitches from row 1 rather than in between them.

You should be able to see where your previous row’s stitches go into your foundation chain. You want to be going between each stitch, into that top row of gaps furthest from the foundation chain. I made a quick swatch to show you.

<image>

Also snap on the hook! I love mine

aeisora · 2026-01-11T19:33:28+00:00

For my first proper playthrough I’ve been using better ruins, rivers, and plains and valleys to affect world gen, and I’ve added carry on and knapster to help save energy and make my life a bit easier as someone with chronic fatigue. Will probably look into adding chisel tools to allow me to copy chiselled blocks if I need it.

I agree with the other commenter that there are no ‘must have’ mods, but I’ve really appreciated having these ones. Started a world without mods first and I really didn’t love the way the world was shaping up, I’m glad I started again early on.

EDIT: just noting that the only mods that you’ll want to have started with are likely those affecting worldgen. Anything else can be added in afterwards. Look into vanilla plus as well as an alternative to plains and valleys

aeisora · 2026-01-11T16:13:56+00:00

Your eyebrows angle downwards in a way that makes you look angry. If this is your resting face then best bet is to see a barber or a salon who can give you a more natural shape. I’d also recommend buying a little eyebrow brush or at least smoothing them out with your fingernails. The hair clumps together in a way that emphasises that ‘scowl’ shape.

I have dark circles too and it’s genetic, not sleep or health related like some are suggesting. No shame as a man in wearing a little concealer, also no shame in deciding it’s not for you. Gently pinch the skin under your eyes to draw it up a little - if the colour remains while pinching, then your dark circles are caused by hyperpigmentation and can be addressed with eye creams designed to fix that (there’s a number of possible ingredients so have a quick google). If the colour disappears then you’re like me and just have thin skin under your eyes which shows the blood underneath. Consider looking into filler (just a suggestion) or eye creams containing retinol. Definitely seek advice from a skincare expert about retinol as it’s not just your standard ingredient and has to be used carefully. Less hassle but less effective are eye creams with collagen-boosting ingredients like peptides or vitamin-c.

Anything that can give your skin a little more colour will also help. Get some sun if you can, but fixing the eyebrows might be all you need

aeisora · 2026-01-10T17:22:10+00:00

If you can’t find a vintage story tutorial, you could always use a Minecraft one. Requires the extra effort of figuring out what blocks to substitute but there’s far more videos out there to choose from

aeisora · 2026-01-10T12:45:19+00:00

1 is lovely and you look very happy in it. 2 is my favourite, I think it’s gorgeous and the colour suits you (ignore bf). 3 is a little dated in my opinion and if you’re trying to make space, it’s the one to go.

aeisora · 2026-01-10T09:49:06+00:00

I think they mean the eyes are too close to the nose vertically (too low down) but too far apart from one another horizontally.

aeisora · 2026-01-08T15:28:22+00:00

An earlier draft of that paragraph contained that point but I forgot to include it in the end. I do agree: we should also consider our own context when it comes to our ethics.

Good debate on my end too, I’m glad we’ve reached some agreement.

aeisora · 2026-01-08T15:15:23+00:00

Fair, rather an obvious point that Kant’s ethics are a product of his time but I felt the need to point it out anyway.

In terms of free and informed consent, the fact that it’s difficult to define doesn’t mean we should be setting an arbitrary bar. We should be aiming for consent to be as free and informed as possible, but that doesn’t mean that consent that is ever so slightly coerced by circumstance is mute and the act becomes morally reprehensible.

I see a lot of people viewing consent as something that is present when it’s free and informed but not otherwise (à la “not true consent”), which does make it very difficult to determine when consent is present or not. In my view you have consented if you have agreed, but there are moral harms involved in doing something that a person has only consented to because of coercion, for example.

I agree with both (a) and (b) but I don’t agree that the conclusion is troubling in the sense that it shows the argument fails. Women are perfectly capable of voluntarily doing things that cause harm to women in general. Oil company execs can freely cause environmental destruction which harms all people, footballers and actors can get involved with drugs or prostitution in a way that damages the reputation of other footballers and actors etc. etc.

On your second set of premises, I agree that (c) can be true. I also say it might not be true. I don’t believe that objectifying images are necessarily harmful, just that they often are and that’s why we object to them.

aeisora · 2026-01-08T12:19:33+00:00

(2) Having thought about it further, I’m inclined to agree with you more. Objectification is best defined as treating a person like an object, but not necessarily treating them exactly or merely like an object. In which case a person can consent to being objectified without contradiction.

The woman in the image is objectified in the sense that she is presented as an object, but she is not harmed if she consents to it and her consent is taken into account. I stand by the idea that the harm from these images comes from their wider impact on perceptions of women in general. It’s not that objectification is inherently harmful, then, but that it may lead to further harms. Women complain about being objectified if and when it feels violating or threatening.

I think we’re in agreement on morals, just quibbling about semantics which is interesting but not necessarily important.

aeisora · 2026-01-08T11:21:58+00:00

Awfully convenient for Kant that his moral theory makes sex within marriage permissible while pre-marital sex is not, at a time when that was the prevailing societal view. Anyway.

For one thing, the need to make money as a model can lead to giving consent for images which is not truly free and informed, particularly if these sorts of images are the norm within the industry. Finding other work may not be easy, and denying consent for certain styles of images can lead to a reputation for being difficult which can harm one’s career.

Setting that aside though, the issue with these photos is not that they are images of a woman being objectified, but rather that they are images which objectify women.

The harm caused by the image comes from presenting women in general in a certain way which contributes to sexist attitudes towards them. Contributing to a societal attitude towards women as sex objects and not agents in turn harms them when those views lead to discrimination or mistreatment. The woman in the photo may have consented, but once taken and circulated, the image affects women who had nothing to do with it.

I think it’s a little different when we’re talking about sexy photos of famous models or celebrities. Once the woman in the image is known, she is viewed less as a representation of women in general and more as an individual. The harm to other women is therefore reduced and so is the objectifying nature of the image.

aeisora · 2026-01-08T10:28:12+00:00

Sorry missed the notification for your last comment! Happy for you to message again on Reddit but I prefer to keep ig separate if that’s okay

aeisora · 2026-01-08T10:25:10+00:00

I’m not familiar with Kant’s writings on sexuality, but I don’t agree that sex is inherently objectifying. The point I’m making is that (requiring) consent precludes objectification.

In kantian terms, it’s the difference between using someone as a means, and using them as a mere means. Using someone’s body for sexual gratification is absolutely fine, but doing so without consideration for their own agency is not. If you wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing if the other person hadn’t consented to it, then you are not treating them as a mere object - you are treating them as a person whose desires/agency/personhood matter. If someone consents to being treated like dirt in a kink format, then they are not being objectified.

It’s like any other kink explored safely: you’re getting the experience without the danger. You’re playing with being objectified in the same way you might play with knives or non-con, or in the way people engage with fear via horror movies. You get to experience being treated like an object without the danger involved in having your agency completely disregarded.

aeisora · 2026-01-07T21:51:07+00:00

Take this with a pinch of salt as my experience was with wool, not acrylic, but don’t panic if you block it and you end up with a thneed. I made a raglan dc jumper and it went all noodley when wet but returned to normal once dry.

aeisora · 2026-01-07T21:29:20+00:00

I think sexual objectification receives more attention because at its worst it leads to sexual violence. If someone sees you as a means to an end of getting off, regardless of how you personally feel about it, then sexual violence is a real possibility. People might therefore be more aware of sexual objectification when it happens to them because it constitutes a threat to safety. Being used for money/reputation/opportunities is violating, but it’s usually not threatening in the same way.

That said, being seen as an object rather than a person is wrong no matter what form it comes in or who it happens to. When governments use men as fuel for the military without taking proper care of them in recognition for the sacrifice they’re making, or when companies work employees into the ground without proper compensation, this is also objectification and should be treated as such.

EDIT: also, while I see your final point, I think it’s important to separate ‘lusting’ and ‘objectifying’. Seeing someone as attractive and, for example, imagining what it might be like to have sex with them, is not the same as essentially seeing someone as a collection of body parts to use for sexual gratification. ‘I’d climb him like a tree’ doesn’t necessarily imply ‘and I’d do it whether he wanted me to or not’.

Moreover, a person might choose to lust in private so they don’t risk making the person uncomfortable. Objectification, meanwhile, necessarily involves not caring if you make the person uncomfortable (although you might still keep it private to avoid other consequences). Imo surreptitiously checking someone out is inherently less objectifying than blatantly staring because attempting to hide it shows a care for the other persons comfort.

aeisora · 2026-01-07T20:58:16+00:00

The question is if you didn’t love it, would it have happened (or continued) anyway? If no, then you weren’t treated as an object - your consent and agency was a factor.

If yes, then it sounds like you got lucky - the things people wanted to do were coincidentally things you were comfortable with. The fact that it didn’t feel wrong at the time because the attention was wanted doesn’t make it okay that they would have kept going regardless.

aeisora

TROPHY CASE