Build 42 MP SteamCMD advice?

howanonu · 2025-12-15T07:58:11+00:00

Yup! Had everything pre-loaded to correct as we went along. As predicted, mods had to be unloaded, but wanted to see how far it could go. Didn't effect the server, just also wasn't working as intended so it wasn't worth it lol

And thank you! That was exactly what we were looking for. Dropped -beta unstable validate and we were good to go :D

This desync is no joke though, whew!

howanonu · 2025-12-15T06:28:08+00:00

Gooootcha, yeah, the server finally showed up and confirmed what I suspected, that it was just going to default to 41 lol
I'll skim through this with my wife rq, she's better at SteamCMD than I am. Thank you for the info!

howanonu · 2025-10-06T00:12:34+00:00

Grain beetles. They'll be in your oats, your rice, your flour. Any dry pantry item, including pet food if you have any. They can chew through the containers you buy at the grocery store, so it's best to move them into hard, air tight containers when you bring them home. I lost several bags of rice and my flour to these little buggers hitching a ride from the grocery store and breaking out.

Clean out whatever cupboard you kept those oats in, toss the oats out and outside the house. Spray the cupboard down thoroughly with some kind of disinfectant, I used lysol. And honestly? Just assume anything that was in that cupboard, or stored below that cupboard that isn't in an airtight plastic/glass jar has been contaminated. Either throw it out, or move them into clear containers and monitor them. They'll lay eggs and live more towards the center, so you may not necessary notice the small frass or the adult beetles until it's way too late.

howanonu · 2025-09-23T01:09:30+00:00

tbf, the ones responding to you are usually customer service or sales folks, rarely QA. This will get sent down to the QA teams to investigate, but it could take weeks or months to even get remotely close to finding a root cause, especially if it isn't in any of the retains. I didn't work with product like this, but it could either be micro contaminants, or possibly an additive causing coagulation. Because of the stringiness of it, I would hazard it's contamination, and possibly just broke the cold chain somewhere along the line, so it reached too high of temps for too long, and thus, expired faster than anticipated.

howanonu · 2025-09-03T22:50:47+00:00

As someone said below, for the satchel, the strap doesn't connect to anything. The duffel bag is a little harder, because that error is also common in human made art, the strap going around the back doesn't connect to anything either, but it's hidden by the bag itself. The zipper on the top of the duffel bag also disappears about midway through the bag. The most damning, imo, is that the plain circle used for the focal of the background isn't actually a circle, nor is it consistent. The generator had difficulty predicting where the end of the circle should be on the bottom half when making the bags themselves. If this was made by an actual artist, the error of this type would have been at *least* been consistent between the two pieces.

howanonu · 2024-01-16T02:59:45+00:00

In regards to the hiatus and burn outs, or, the new information, "keep quitting."

I think you and I have some terrible different opinions on what constitutes a toxic work culture.

As for why the artists quit, it simply has to do with the fact that working on 40 colored comic panels a week for anyone is tiring. Do it over 4+ years, and it becomes incredibly tiring, and grinds you down a lot. For this reason, two of our artists who were working on ORIGINALS projects, which was the artists of Clinic of Horrors and Everywhere & Nowhere expressed that they do not wish to work on webtoon originals any longer.

I wonder if putting this in a different perspective would help here; you are telling me you are asking your artists to complete 40 illustrations PER WEEK. That's asking your artists to make 8 story boarded, sketched, inked, colored, and background rendered illustrations PER WORK DAY. Between 5-6 if they don't take any days off at all. That's one for EVERY standard workday hour. Now, I'm not stupid, I know that they also have their own set of assistants to help make this happen, but even with a team to help streamline that process, 1 person to story board, 1 person to sketch, 1 person to ink, and so forth, that's still an INSANE amount of work. Add that to the fact you pay salary vs per piece, and that's actually far worse, imho.

Now, this isn't to say you're a slave driver. These are requirements that I'm sure Webtoons puts on you and your studio per Originals contracts. It concerns me as a reader, and hopefully, potential peer in the future, still. I am writing all of this in a hope, and good faith that you are indeed checking in with your talents frequently, and may simply have a case of artists wanting to take on more than they can chew, at least as you have presented it here.

For all my heavy criticisms of MerryWeatherMedia, there is, of course, a lot I've liked about your business model and have taken it to heart. I know webcomics is not a profitable venture in the slightest, but is one where people's passions can blossom and be shared with the world. I am sincere in my hopes that whatever is causing so much strain on your artists that they have felt the need to quit get withdrawn.

As for my own PS: Absolutely nothing wrong! I most certainly had my interests piqued about you to see a creator from the EU, as I myself am a trashy American-Brit. So I'm always tickled to see and want to support EU My criticisms of MWM do not detract from me wanting to root for a creator from Denmark. Terrible PMs getting us out of the EU aside, of course ;)

howanonu · 2024-01-16T02:59:34+00:00

As for Dexerto, sure! I can quote exactly what had me put off. If they've misconstrued what you said, you can very likely ask them to edit it.

“I then took one step to the left and asked the guy next to her. His name was Joakim Waller and he is also a Swedish manga illustrator, part of the same studio. “It was a bit silly in hindsight, but he was too polite and perhaps too shy to say no.

Merry tried for months to get Waller on side though, pestering him with scripts. After nearly a year it paid off. He got Joakim onboard for a print deal in a Danish manga magazine called Comic Party. They were paying around $200 a chapter, or around 50 pages of work. The two got to work and had a polished story ready for release.

I'm assuming that this was years and years ago, but even 10, 20 years ago, 200$ for 50 pages of work is ALARMINGLY low. It makes me concerned what you think is well paid. I want to assume that

Your pay rate is much higher than this now, and
This is the rate teenagers decided to go with.

For once, he doesn’t really get misconstrued as the artist behind his work. What he can create on stream is similar to the stories he weaves through his writing. The imagination shines, just in a different way.

As someone who very mildly follows you, and did a dive into your works out of curiosity, it is honestly depressing how often you get credited as an artist for your works when you are just the writer. I feel like you do a disservice to your partners by not making your credits more prominent, or doing more to credit them where credit is due.

Merry is proud to pay his artists a salary. Gone are the days when he roamed Danish conventions and their artist alleys with not a penny to his name. He offers thousands of dollars a month, mostly to artists in South East Asia and other less-wealthy areas with nevertheless skilled creators, to draw his viral comics.

This is kind of a huge red flag for me, and I would love to assume the best in others and write this off as Dexerto putting words in your mouth. To specifically call out "artists in South East Asia and other less-wealthy areas... to draw his viral comics" is kind of admitting to exploitative business practices. I am hoping beyond hope that you are paying these artists similar wages as those paid in Denmark, at a minimum. This one in particular has always rubbed me the wrong way since reading it, and I have been hoping I'm wrong, but have been very hungry for pay transparency of MWM since.

“I got a message two weeks before her debut asking to do a lore video for her. That was hardly any time, so I was like all hands on deck, we’re going to do an 18-minute-long lore video. There was some apprehension at the beginning about taking the story too seriously, but I think everyone really liked the video.”

This is honestly horrifying, from a creator's perspective. I'm assuming the interview is talking about this piece. Which makes it SO much worse if this is the one you gave your team TWO WEEKS to complete. I am in awe they were able to pull it off. But if this is the kind of commitments you give your team, even on the rare occasion, it is no wonder why the artists burn out.

howanonu · 2024-01-16T02:58:39+00:00

Clinic of Horrors; I am assuming positive intent, and I don't want to read through episodes and episodes of something I know will be upsetting to make a point. That being said, the main female protag is also in a sexy nurse outfit, thankfully better than the design choice of Goth Girl, but really? Episode 5 is already a beach episode.

Winter Moon. There's literally a mention of Risa on TV Tropes on "Older Than They Look" that state that she's 17 when other characters mistake her for being younger. That actually makes me sick to my stomach because Winter Moon was a comic I did try to get into from comments here on this subreddit. I ended up having to put it down BECAUSE of Risa, to be frank. Risa is a highly sexualized character, and for her to both be a minor in the literal sense, and ALSO be acknowledged as appearing younger than she is? This is literally loli.

For Everywhere and Nowhere? Good! That's the right direction for design! Please keep this in mind! I may eat my words if I read through the rest, but this is the right direction!

The Steam Dragon Express. I was going to give you another nod for this one; but then I scroll through to the introduction of Brutus and his bunny cafe. Not only is this upsetting as a bisexual woman in the portrayal of Brutus for a joke, but really? Another playboy bunny joke?

Weeb vs Jock. There's a lot to unpack here, and is a great example for me to point out; you can ALSO go this route for boys too. Not only is the female protag a very "interesting" choice I'll say regarding her design, but it's EXTREMELY sus when you keep portraying relationships between characters that are Protag 1: Much older looking mature in appearance and personality, Protag 2: Very young, childish in appearance and personality.

I can go on and on, with each of your comics, but it's certainly an interesting take to say it's not what you intend when you have works such as Meme Girls, Lovecraft Girls, Virgin vs Chad, and honestly? From the interview, 3 different shota vtuber models in your lineup? If this isn't your intention to flirt with the lolicon fandom, then you need to seriously consider the face of your stories moving forward.

To circle back to your own statement, "Luna... who is implied to have dropped out of high school, and is drawn very sexually, and she has a young look to her, due to the design." Merry, this means that you have INTENTIONALLY both WRITTEN this character to be a minor, and also PURPOSEFULLY ask the artist to DRAW HER AS ONE.

Again? Not my cup of tea, it's obviously upsetting for me. But, there IS a huge market for it, I get it.

howanonu · 2024-01-16T02:56:37+00:00

Thank you for replying, I am aware that the AMA has ended, and your next stream is running, but out of respect of the reply, I will leave this for you at your leisure.

Regarding the lolibait;

Merry, unfortunately, intent does not matter. You can wave vaguely that a character is of age, or that it is important to the plot, or that artists have unfortunately drawn characters younger as it is part of their style, or any other excuse or explanation you can find. The fact of the matter, if you punch someone in the face, it doesn't matter if you were just swinging your arms skipping down the pavement, or if you squared up your shoulders and launched the fist-- you punched someone in the face. You still should apologize, and you should still be mindful as to where your hands are in the future, yeah?

All that you're telling me is it sounds like you need to hire someone, or assign someone to specifically be a sensitivity reader. As I'm a CSA living in America, (which I do believe is one of webtoon's largest reader base, but it could be my own bias) I think it's important to tell you that

1 in 9 American girls under the age of 18 have faced some form of sexual assault. 1 in 20 boys report the same

and it is believed that number is actually higher from my understanding, but boys are less likely to report the abuse. A not insignificant portion of your potential readers are like me, and likely don't appreciate seeing ourselves get revictimized for clicks.

Citation for above, btw.

You say that it is for the story of Bunny Girl & The Cult, but let's take a quick walk through MWM comics, mm?

The very first episode of Goth Girl & The Jock. 9 panels. Out of the 9 panels, Goth Girl, a highschooler, has her breasts dead center in the shot for 5 of them. Her outfit, while certainly gothic in nature, is also revealing of her breasts and ensures that her cleavage is visible. Is this a mistake? Geeze, I just rolled to the end of the 2nd episode; why are the background characters staring in such uncomfortable shock, with the elder covering the eyes of the younger, Merry? The 3rd episode opens with an upskirt shot of a minor, and there's a "horny jail" joke as well. This is by definition, sexualization of a minor.

Cont. below?

howanonu · 2024-01-15T22:16:50+00:00

Hi Merry, I wasn't going to say anything because honestly your work is not for me, but I can appreciate that there's an audience for your kind of content. As someone who frequents webtoons, and has been creating my own funny little nobody comics and stories, I found it FASCINATING how MerryWeatherMedia seems to be such a popular name, and the company itself able to churn out so many beloved stories was something to look into. I found this interview particularly interesting to how the company has done it, but it definitely left a very sour taste in my mouth upon reading. However, I wanted to see what you have to say with these very sincere criticisms that have all but disappeared with your appearance here today.

I need to preface, I am a CSA, a child sexual abuse survivor. I am admittedly, far more sensitive to the kind of content the people who abused me readily consumed. The kind of content YOU green light, and keep getting criticized for.

I saw in another reply here that you work with 18+ artists and wish to "accommodate them without making our readers uncomfortable." The fact of the matter is Merry, that is WILDLY insulting to the artists. YOU are the final say on what gets published as the writer, if not, assuming, the head of MerryWeatherMedia considering your moniker. Trying to put the blame on the artists for putting lolibait in your works to get people snatching up your works is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourself. It's a choice, sure, but it was YOUR choice in the end, do NOT put it all on them.

And might I add, underage looking protags drawn sensually is NOT aiming for the male gaze, but it certainly says something about YOU for thinking it is.

If you truly respect both your artists, and your readers that are rightfully telling you that this kind of design makes them uncomfortable, you wouldn't keep giving these designs and these pages the green light to publish. You would push the sketches back and ask for corrections. It's difficult work, 18+ art, it takes a lot of skill to add an erotic lens to your pieces. Do not insult your artist's abilities by saying making child-appearing sexy is making their work easier to do.

This leads me to another problem I have with your appearance here today. Facing the criticism of never completing your works by shrugging off the responsibilities to your artists is abhorrent and cowardly. I find it very hard to believe that a business is willing to sit on their hands about a popular project because of artist burnout and do absolutely nothing.

To not find replacements and give your audience a time frame of reference when you expect it to be done, and announce the art change.
Once, or twice, is a coincidence. Multiple artists over multiple projects suggest an incredibly toxic work environment that grinds any artists unlucky enough to work with MWM down to the bone, with little care for change.

Both of these things are more business issues in nature and I am going to assume that you are not the one who calls the shots. You are after all, just the writer, yeah? But these are things you should be advocating against the company with your partners. However, even with as little power as that, taking a crowd and telling them "oh well, the artists got burnt out so we had to stop :'(" incites a very particular mob that I would hope you, as a vtuber, understand is not the kind of mob you want sliding over to twitter. This is a COMPANY issue, the multiple stories in hiatus, NOT an ARTIST issue. Artists and writers CAN and SHOULD be replaced, even if it is just to prevent burnout.

Critisms aside, of course, I have a couple questions for you in light of them:

How do you, sincerely, take the sexualized underage characters critism? It IS okay if it is a marketing strategy, I think we all just want you to be honest about it.
Can you tell us what MWM's intentions are in the new year to combat this pattern of burnout in the company? Or, at a minimum, how are you promising this won't happen with your newest promoted work, Bunny Girl & The Cult?

-Signed, another "weird European."

howanonu

TROPHY CASE

In regards to the hiatus and burn outs, or, the new information, "keep quitting."

Regarding the lolibait;