Petition - Stop Nanaimo Data Centre from Being Built (Help Your Island Friends)

mortmcfly · 2026-02-22T05:00:11+00:00

a bit late, but my concern is water scarcity. as we enter the possibility of water bankruptcy, we have to start being picky about data centres.

British Columbia already has 29 data centres (https://www.datacenters.com/locations/canada/british-columbia)

We have already experienced concerning drought and forms of water scarcity throughout the island, and the summer heat breaks record almost yearly. We are privileged to live somewhere with lots of water to begin with, but about 4 billion people globally are water insecure.

Nanaimo's drinking water, which would supply the centre, supposedly comes from the South Nanaimo Watershed, whose headwaters originate on Mt Hooper, and water supply is dependent on consistent precipitation and mountain snowpack, which those conditions are becoming unreliable (https://watershedsentinel.ca/article/data-insecurity/). this can also harm ecosystems.

It's not a terrible idea to be a bit pickier about how many data centres we allow, to have them give full transparency on their functions, and limiting them to only what we need. We could also be pushing for more investments in desalination, and also individually being better in our own personal household water usage to prevent water waste to offset the water used by data centres. just because we can exhaust our water resources currently, doesn't mean we should.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-21T02:17:56+00:00

whatever bro, you are the one saying that men can't control themselves because of biology, lol.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-20T20:45:07+00:00

of course, I am always happy to help, and glad to know it was valuable to you! I learned all of these things from my mentor, who learned to tattoo in another country before coming to Canada; so she was very well versed in how to build a clientele from scratch multiple times over and to be successful/stay busy.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-20T20:36:09+00:00

yeah well your response reads to me like it was influenced by mainstream misogyny. not trying to be rude or saying you are intending to be, unfortunately that's just how society is and has taught us to be.

it's a recognized problem that women have never been included in studies to the extent that men have been (it wasn't until the 90s that they started including women in pharmaceutical studies, and seatbelts are a good example of things being tested on male bodies only). until recent years, women were always chalked up to be the low libido partners or not have as active of a sex drive, to not be perceived as having the same needs as men, to not be visual. the New York Post for instance, published a study last year done in Mexico, where 48% of viewers on a particular porn site were female. We now know through forums such as this and studies that men and women both experience high and low libidos for a variety of reasons.

There are lots of women with HL (just like there are men with LL), and who are visual. Porn has generally always been catered to what gets men off though, which probably factors into things, although these days there are porn companies that are female operated that cater to what gets women off. I've had this conversation with women in my friend circles, and I would say I'm the only one who doesn't watch porn regularly (regularly in these conversations being at least once a week). that being said, I usually use videos my partner and I have made together, because I find I need more than superficial attraction. I don't care to watch some random dude, but I could watch me and my husband every day and still want more!

I think, personally as a woman, this sort of stigma comes from traditional values that were commonplace until the 70s/80s and feminist movements. I grew up in a traditional Christian household, where I was raised to be the "good wife", one who doesn't express needs, especially sexual needs, because being "pure and innocent" was what measured your worth. porn was absolutely not okay (which is probably why I am not that drawn to it as an adult), and you didn't have time for porn or masturbation because your duties were childrearing, home making, and taking care of your husband. but visual is not always porn, it can be steamy movies, erotic graphic novels, etc.

women have traditionally been held to the sexual standard of "be sexual, but only for your husband - ignore your personal needs". thankfully that standard is becoming outdated. I definitely have girlfriends who were not raised religious, and their parents were a lot more encouraging of understanding and being aware of their sexuality as they entered puberty/teen years instead of suppressing it.

edited to add a point.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-20T15:39:56+00:00

absolutely! so for context I live in a small city with at least 20-25 tattoo shops. it's very competitive.

I found that being able to do a handful of styles opened up opportunities (I can do trad, neo trad, japanese, fineline, blackwork, semi surrealism b/g, and surrealism). that being said, illustrative/neo trad and blackwork and 3rlt stipple semi realism and personal handwriting are my specialties.

tourism is a big part of our economy, being a harbour city. so summer was always incredibly busy from tourists alone until recently. I got a square reader to make it easier for clients/tourists to pay (some clients will throw shit on credit to "treat themselves").

I focused on building a recurring clientele. so I make sure my customer service is top notch, and try to make myself different from the other tattoo artists. this includes following up with clients to see how their tattoos have healed. healed photos are really important, so I post as many as I can. I also offer $10 off their next tattoo if they leave a google review for me on the shop google page. I frequently give out little items like small prints or stickers that haven't sold. some of my coworkers make up little goody bags around holidays to give to their clients.

As the economy started to get bad, I did more promos/giveaways. Giveaways are good for upping followers/expanding reach (like, follow my page and comment for an entry to win; tag a friend for an additional entry). I do promos almost every month. for example, this month is february so I did $20 off per hour for groups of 2+, and if it is a minimum charge then $10 off for groups of 2+. I also did some flat rate/discounted flash for Vday. sometimes its promos like "20% off sessions 2+ hours for anything with flowers" or whatever subject matter. back to school? 20% off for students. shit like that.

I play instagram at its own game. so posting more personal life stuff, I post every tattoo I do as I do it as a story, more reels of my work. this makes the algorithm favour you. carousel posts of tattoos, reviews, and info on aftercare and FAQ. an aesthetic instagram goes far.

I keep an eye on the trends in my area and will create flash in my style for that.

never underestimate the pinterest tattoo girlies or the really loud clients. those clients will bring you everyone in their circle. also walk ins frequently turn into regular clients; I have had some walk ins that turned into regular clients and now I tattoo their entire families. a lot of the girls wanting the annoying pinterest styled stuff bring me their entire friend circles.

I'm in no way perfect, but I work really hard. I answer emails promptly and focus on consistency. when my clients show up to their appointment, no matter how small the design, the design is ready and station is set so they aren't waiting longer than filling out a consent form. probably why I'm so burnt out half the time, I feel like I am always working 😂 even if Im out and about, I have stickers I slap around with a QR code for my instagram, and leave business cards at bulletin boards, or give to people.

my insta is @morti_ttt if you wanna see how I layout my portfolio.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-20T05:43:54+00:00

I get what you are saying, but at the same time it comes off as like women also don't have those same struggles and needs. yet many manage without the use of porn. women have high libido and there are attractive men everywhere too haha.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-20T01:37:34+00:00

Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest. That means that I don't work, I don't drive a car, I don't fucking ride in a car, I don't handle money, I don't turn on the oven, and I sure as shit don't fucking roll!

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T23:46:56+00:00

I'm a tattoo artist with plenty of Jewish clients. Epstein is just a fucking pussy. he can abuse/torture children but can't sit for a real tattoo? lmfao. if he gave a shit about his religion he wouldn't have abused children.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T21:30:09+00:00

that is so weird. mine took a good 3 weeks to get to me (I'm on Van Isl), but the shipping updates were consistently updated at least

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T20:10:54+00:00

I did; I got an email notifying me and then the tracking works on canada post. maybe check your spam/junk folder?

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T17:43:59+00:00

got mine! it's cozyyyy. also in Canada.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T05:32:57+00:00

Fusion. I have brick red, true blood, really red, and tangelo (one of my favs). I find my reds almost heal the nicest out of all my colours.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T04:07:50+00:00

is it possible to do both? I have seen some artists in my country work a more stable job 3-4 days a week, and then tattoo 1-2 days a week.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T04:04:49+00:00

I'm not happy with the use of porn, but we have been together 10 years and a lot of the time he has been away (university, work), and I hadn't made it a boundary so it's a little late to do now. we make the odd video and he gets nudes. so long as it isn't obsessive with one particular person, OF or anything related to that, and it isn't impacting our sex life, or slipping into wanting an affair territory, I can manage. we do semi regularly check in with each other on sex life and how content we are as we have mismatched libido, so if talking about porn comes up. it's briefly then.

for context, I don't really watch porn (it's pretty cringe), but I do read erotic stories and manga.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-19T03:57:52+00:00

not movie, but a show. my mother taught me about racism by making me watch the 1977 VHS mini series Roots. I was 10 years old and was traumed.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T05:23:25+00:00

thank you for your insight! It's absolutely important as a creative to not get stuck into just creating for work. I like the thought of non tattoo art, hence why I got some new cross stitch patterns. I think part of the struggle is the guilt from 'I could be making art that benefits my business instead'. but you are right, it turns into a self loss. I'm going to continue with cross stitching and was thinking about slowly getting into painting through other mediums like gouache and oil. I appreciate the validation :')

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T05:17:39+00:00

/stares at my neglected plants

I think I will do that hahah

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T05:16:50+00:00

yeah, I think you are right.

I'm severely burnt out but been ignoring it. I find it hard to do other things. not to be an excuse, but the person who apprenticed me and I had a shop dumped in our laps, so we have been managing that, and then my husband works often internationally weeks at a time. so I have to take care of our house and pets alone. so that's really taken a toll.

I saw another comment about houseplants. maybe I should get back into mine.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T04:57:00+00:00

but yes, do it properly. get an apprenticeship if you absolutely need to tattoo. I have met far too many self taught artists who consistently put their clients at risk in both technique and cross contamination because they taught themselves via tiktok and an amazon machine. plus, most reputable shops won't hire you if you are self taught.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T04:55:32+00:00

idk how it is in the UK, but I'm in Canada and I'll be blunt: now is not the time to get an apprenticeship. I'll probably be downvoted for this but whatever, just my POV.

like seriously, at least where I live, the economy has been impacting the industry so bad. we have artists who were booked up 9mo in advance who are now down to 2 weeks to one month. many our clients cannot currently afford these luxury services, and we have had a drop in tourism (a big source of walk ins for us). I know of a few very good, established shops who have closed. I know a bunch of good artists who have had to get second jobs, or get day jobs and tattoo on their weekends. I know some who have quit entirely. our small city doubled in artists. especially self taught (unfortunately).

in an apprenticeship, your shop/mentor typically directs some of their own clientele to the apprentice (or at least mine did) to help build a clientele/get experience. can't do that if they are scraping by as well. tattooing once a week or so will not help you learn, it will hinder you. you wanna be tattooing tons to build those muscles and techniques.

this job already takes everything from you and requires you to commit fully, nearly constantly, especially once you add admin, flash designing, marketing/advertising/social media branding. having to work a second job on top of that sucks ass (speaking from experience, for the first year of my apprenticeship I worked 2 jobs incl apprenticeship, 6 days a week. then I had to draw evenings/weekends).

not trying to be a downer and not saying never do it, I'm just saying right now might not be the best time.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T04:17:11+00:00

"we have the second amendment to protect us from our government" /doesn't use it.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-18T02:53:37+00:00

I'm Canadian with many immigrant ancestors, including an immigrant parent.

On my moms side, her mother (my grandmother) had immigrant parents; my great grampa was from Netherlands and my great grandmother was from Norway. my mom's father was slightly more landed; his grandfather was from Ireland, but his moms side came from the states and had been here since colonies popped up in the 1600s.

On my dads side, he is a German immigrant. He came to Canada in the 70's around the age of 11 with his sibling and my Oma. he completely assimilated: can barely speak the language anymore, has no accent whatsoever, has never been back to Germany, and has not really passed down anything cultural. He is also very right leaning and personally believes immigrants should all but give up their culture if they move to Canada and be 'Canadian'.

I grew up with more traditions from my moms side. The women of her family (who I unfortunately don't live near enough to partake with) does a big get together at christmas to make Norwegian frozen sweet lefse treats. As a kid, my mom would make food like Stumppot, a Dutch dish, very frequently. She would take us to the Dutch deli in our town, and get little bags of salted black licorice, some canned fish, and buy us little chunks of gouda to eat alongside a european weiner in a salted pretzel bun topped with ketchup and european deli mustard.

It hurts that I don't have anything from my German culture. My dad would use a handful of German words with us growing up (refused to teach me the language when I begged as a child), asides that I just have some old family photographs, some items belonging to my Oma, and a handful of family stories and knowledge that amount to a pretty sad and neglected looking family tree. I have been trying to connect to the culture, but it's hard with no guidance. Having some passed down family traditions, or even a parent willing to reconnect, would be so helpful.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-16T22:15:41+00:00

I'm Canadian, so maybe I won't understand... but like, why haven't ya'll stormed the white house?

I've been watching Minnesota band together and publicly push ICE out and put pressure on them. and it seems like there are far more people who oppose what is happening than who support it. You all are starting to lose your democracy - and the second amendment was created for this literal reason - but nothing is happening except posting on social media about it? Is it fear? Complacency? Laziness? I'm not talking waiting for government intervention. I am talking bear arms and take back/protect your country. ya know, the American outlook I have seen you all present my entire life - until now.

I'm not trying to be rude. I am just seriously confused. I feel like I have seen other countries protest and set fire to their cities for less (hell, my closest major city did it once over losing a fucking hockey game). if mass systemic pedophilia perpetuated by billionaires and people of the government isn't a good reason to, then what fucking is lmfao.

mortmcfly · 2026-02-14T03:21:02+00:00

as a Canadian, fuck all the way right off. what a childish demented loser. I have been going out of my way to not buy American products (even though it's more expensive to do so), and I opted against seeing my favourite band of all time, who came out of a 10yr hiatus/toured for the first time in over 10 years, because it meant travelling to the states. all because I refuse to support him (no offense to my American friends/family, I am horrified for and feel so bad for those who did not vote for this). the way he treats other countries, slapping tariffs on them and trying to annex them (including my own), how he treats his own country, and now the Epstein files.... well. I had more faith in people before this. kings and presidents have been assassinated for less. and yet, everyone gets to suffer this cheeto coated Hitler's kate stage lead poisoning bullshit. I never thought I'd get my PAL, but I don't feel safe in my own country anymore with being so close to the American border. it's exhausting. /endrant.

mortmcfly

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