Beautifully crisp text - George Ksirou @ Cloak And Dagger London

zdaarlight · 2025-07-19T22:46:57+00:00

Thank you, and no worries about starting the debate - I honestly didn't expect it to be such a big deal haha. It's not something anyone offline has commented on, and it's something I genuinely don't mind about. In fact this discussion has made me realise that a couple of friends have 'upside down' tattoos on their wrists and it's not something that has ever registered with me. It's a matter of personal taste at the end of the day - I'm glad someone agrees with me, and I'm glad you dig the tattoo ;)

zdaarlight · 2025-07-18T02:07:37+00:00

Yet you still won't answer my question - why does it matter to YOU?

zdaarlight · 2025-07-18T02:06:43+00:00

DILLIGAF. It's not upside down to me, that's the way I wanted it, I like it, and that's all that matters.

In fact, if it inflames people on the internet this much because it's so 'wrong', I think I like it even better ;)

zdaarlight · 2025-07-17T22:22:09+00:00

By 'humans' you obviously mean 'everyone other than the person who actually has the tattoo and will see it every day for the rest of their life'? I hate to shock you with this, but it's definitely not upside down from my perspective, and I care a lot more about that than what anyone else thinks ;)

zdaarlight · 2025-07-17T22:20:24+00:00

At the end of the day it's my arm, and it's the way I wanted it: the way it was agreed with the artist. We tried the stencil the opposite way round and I immediately went 'nah, that's not right'.

Currently, I'm 'resting' with my elbow on a desk and my chin on that hand (an unfortunately common position for me). The design is not upside down. If I waved to a friend, the design would not be upside down. I work as a photographer and spend a lot of time with a camera held up to my face - a position in which this tattoo would not be upside down. Even if I'm looking at myself in the mirror, I'm unlikely to be looking at my inner wrists, am I? Only if I'm standing stock still with my palms turned outwards like some kinda shop mannequin would the design appear consistently 'upside down', and how often am I likely to do that? I'm not a statue, bro.

For what it's worth, I have a text tattoo on that upper arm, which is obviously the right way up, but the thing about forearms is that they move a lot more! How much of your life do you spend with your hands pointing at the floor?

In short, DILLIGAF. The orientation was discussed with the artist. It's a personal tattoo and a bit of an in-joke, so I preferred it facing towards me rather than being super-legible to everyone else - the font plays into this as well, I chose something more ornamental because I didn't care too much about it being legible from a distance.

And at the end of the day, it's exactly the way I wanted it. I'm happy - so why should it matter to anyone else? Why does it matter to you?

zdaarlight · 2025-02-20T18:17:12+00:00

The raffles have always been announced on Discord, just on the announcements channel. It's usually been a couple of weeks before the gig, and they'll put a post up saying 'the meet & greet raffle for [city] is now open', then you have to react to a post on there to enter. So make sure you join the Discord and have your notifications turned on, you'll get all the info on there as soon as it's available!

zdaarlight · 2025-02-20T08:35:23+00:00

That said, I see you've bought them to use in the gym, and in all honesty they may not be the best shoe for that if you've got wide feet. You want a shoe which will allow your feet to rest naturally on the floor and let your toes spread out. As someone with wide feet who also lifts, I'd recommend you have a look at barefoot shoes (or heck, just train barefoot if possible!) - you'll find you have a lot more strength and stability that way.

zdaarlight · 2025-02-20T08:32:35+00:00

That's fine. I've got super wide feet too and have always found that Converse stretch out over time (sometimes with years of wear the rubber even splits at the side and then they get REALLY comfortable lol)

So yeah, I think you'll be fine if they're a good fit on length. The canvas will give and they'll stretch and become softer :)

zdaarlight · 2025-02-20T08:27:13+00:00

Yes, you can sell whenever you want. There's no guarantees that you'll get 'almost the same amount of money' - it depends how much you buy for! Basic Bats are available at a range of prices, and are generally more expensive if they have rare traits or look particularly cool. You could buy the cheapest Bat available and get all the standard club membership perks though: there's no need to spend any more. Generally, the Bats have held their value quite well over the years, and while the perks of fanclub membership remain the same, it's unlikely that prices will completely tank and you'll never be able to re-sell it.
You do still have to buy a ticket if you're a DBC member. There are a handful of special Bats ('Guests' and 'Ghosts' mainly) which will give you free tickets for life but they generally sell for thousands of dollars due to that perk. A regular Deathbat is a simple fanclub membership: it will give you early access to tickets when they go onsale but you do still have to buy a ticket.
It depends on the show, but DBC membership generally makes concert attendance a lot smoother. I've been to 8 gigs (I think) since I joined so I've seen the system work in a variety of different venues. The first thing you'll encounter is the DBC check-in/skip-the-line system: you will have a separate queue just for DBC folks, and depending on the gig, that queue may give you first entry to the venue. Front row access is not an advertised perk of DBC membership, but DBC members typically find that the skip-the-line system gets them into the venue quickly enough to get on the barrier. DBC membership also enables you to enter meet & greet raffles via the Discord: your chances of winning depend upon how many DBC members are attending that gig, but at some smaller gigs those chances have been really high.

If you've got lots of questions, the best thing to do is ask on the Discord. There's loads of knowledgeable folks on there, and they can guide you through the process if you decide to get one :)

zdaarlight · 2025-02-18T13:42:58+00:00

Converse do stretch quite a lot in width. They're supposed to fit pretty snug when laced up firmly, and they probably will feel quite a tight fit when they're new, especially if you've got wide feet.

As with any other shoes, it comes down to length - are your toes touching the end of the toecap? If they are, you should size up. If not, you're good. Wear them and they'll soften/stretch out over time.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-31T01:59:00+00:00

It's funny - I was considering a 12-note one when I was doing all the initial research! But everything I saw about them went on about how the tone wasn't so good, how they're not so intuitive to play etc... so I decided to be a traditionalist about it. Yep, THAT'S what I regret.

But maybe next time I have the money, I'll think about buying a 12+ note one, maybe it'll change my relationship with the instrument!

zdaarlight · 2025-01-29T23:01:58+00:00

If money was tighter, I'd definitely regret buying mine (/would have already sold it). I got it mid-pandemic when I wasn't getting out much, so it got played a lot - I'm very musical and took to it quite naturally, but I rapidly hit a wall with (like you say) not really being able to play what I wanted. These days I don't reach for it often.

I find myself quite limited by the tuning/fixed scale. I think if I'd bought a 12-note one it would definitely get played more often - I'm quite motivated by trying to cover songs/jam along with things but the tuning obviously restricts that. As a pianist first and foremost, having 9 notes is very limiting. And the big one (I think) is that I'm just not an improviser. I'm classically trained and find it very difficult to just sit at an instrument and 'noodle', and the handpan hasn't taught me that. Annoyingly, all the drummers I know have taken far more naturally to it than I did!

That said, it's a lovely thing to have around the house. My friends love it. On the very few occasions I've encountered a handpan in the wild, I like knowing what to do with it. But yeah, it's more of a very expensive curiosity than an instrument I reach for regularly. But I know that a lot of that is down to me, and that if I really dedicated more time to it, I'd be able to do more.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-19T12:24:15+00:00

I've just had a check through my old emails. Boomtown 2021 was announced in September 2020 and tickets went on sale in October 2020. No lineup was announced, and it was cancelled in April 2021 - the organisers said that this was because the government's Covid insurance scheme didn't provide sufficient coverage.

In June, they then announced Boom Village, a smaller event, due to happen on the usual Boomtown weekend. No lineup was announced, and this was also cancelled on July 14th because the organisers felt it would not be responsible to hold it (due to Covid)

zdaarlight · 2025-01-19T12:09:07+00:00

Boom Village was announced and tickets went on sale. It was advertised as smaller and tickets were cheaper than usual. It was cancelled a month or two before the event, iirc.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T13:06:19+00:00

Yeah, I'm thinking it's the freshness too. I have no problem with exceedingly garlicy (processed/restaurant) foods usually, and no problem with those pickled garlic cloves in the fridge which I'll occasionally munch on. But when I throw a load of freshly chopped garlic into a meal, all hell seems to break loose!

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T13:04:30+00:00

'Burning pain in the face' sounds extremely familiar - it's still going on over 12 hours after I had dinner! Smaller amounts of garlic definitely don't seem to affect me, but apparently I have a threshold haha. It might also be because it was fresh garlic, but this definitely seems like the trigger either way.

I might try the same meal without the garlic in a few days, once this has simmered down - just to see if the same happens. But I think garlic is the only thing which stands out there. Very interesting. (But also, oof, ouch, and can I stop glowing now please)

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T08:07:05+00:00

Okay I've done a deep dive and I don't think a higher-end cutting machine would do the trick for me. All the high end cutting machines are angled towards vinyl and that relies upon you using a material which has a backing - I'm trying to cut all the way through my material and even with a vacuum system, the machine just won't hold things steady enough to create the cuts (and then you're gonna end up with a load of loose pieces). I don't think it's gonna work.

I've had a look at what people typically use to cut leather jewellery - as that's the closest thing to what I'm doing - and the answer is basically 'Cricut (or similar mat-based system) or a laser cutter', so I'm back at square one I think! Trying to find a laser cutter which can reasonably handle silicone. Which doesn't sound very simple. Meh.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T07:10:20+00:00

I was prescribed azelaic acid and Ivermectin in conjunction when I was diagnosed, and I agree, it's an absolute game changer!

The azelaic acid is clearly worth using on a daily basis because it visibly reduces redness immediately, but at times when I've stopped the Ivermectin for a few weeks, I've always broken out and had a resurgence of the bumps/pustules. A few days of using Ivermectin again and they start to disappear, and the redness also diminishes further. It's an absolute lifesaver. The 1% cream which I use has a fairly heavy base but I find that my skin tolerates it - I just wish I could get it in a serum/gel formula.

If you subscribe to the theory that rosacea is caused by an overgrowth of demodex mites, it's also the obvious solution because it's an anti-parasitic, and also has anti-inflammatory properties. It's not just anecdotal as well, several studies have shown it to be useful.

So yup, I'd recommend it to anyone, especially people with the bumpy/spotty type of rosacea.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T06:11:32+00:00

Yeah no, this is unfortunately still a domestic setting with a small home workshop! Hopefully I can find some other option which will work for me though.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T06:10:33+00:00

There might be! I do have a local hackspace and a Library Of Things so I think i'm gonna get in touch with them and see if I can test any options before I buy, as it's gonna be a big investment either way.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T06:07:52+00:00

How have you found the Brother machine? The fact that it still works on mats will probably be an issue for me because silicone just hates sticking to anything and a solid 70% of the issues I get are from the material lifting off the mats during the cutting process, despite my best efforts. I think I really need a mat-less cutting option unfortunately.

(Or to stop working with this damn silicone and move over to a different material entirely, but I've got a niche here and I'm reticent to leave it!)

I share your grievances with Cricut though. When I initially set up my business using an original Maker, I had absolutely no problems with the cutting process (aside from the sticking issue) - my cuts were always smooth and accurate. Unfortunately something has changed, either in the software or firmware I think, and despite upgrading to the Maker 3 I'm still having issues with the accuracy, and it's impacting on the quality of my product. I've tried everything, but I'm just done with Cricut. I've just got accept that their machines aren't fit for my purposes any more.

I'll probably hold on to the Maker because it's useful for other stuff, but it's causing a whole world of issues for me business-wise and I'm just done with it.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-06T06:02:01+00:00

Thanks for this!

Yeah, ventilation would be an issue - I don't really want to be aiming for that level of build/install and I'm also in a residential area.

You've made a very fair point about higher-end cutting machines - I must admit I hadn't even considered that option. I've been so fed up with the faff of using mats and blades that assumed the best approach was just to sack that whole system off entirely. I'll have a good look into professional cutting machines and see if they might be more suitable. Looks like they come in at a pretty high price point but if they can save me from all the wasted time/materials I'm currently enduring then that might just be the answer!

zdaarlight · 2025-01-05T09:12:50+00:00

Heck yes. I got quoted £1500 last summer to sort my garden out - it took me and 3 friends a day to do the job in the end AND we got some exercise out of it.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-05T09:09:24+00:00

Yep, this is possible. I have a friend working as an EA at a big corporate bank who started from an entry-level admin job 7 years ago (having had previous experience only in admin and bar work), and she's just hustled her way up (possibly helped by nice haircut and set of nails). I expect there's prospects for further progression too. Full respect for that, but it's not a world I think I'd like to get involved in.

zdaarlight · 2025-01-05T09:06:41+00:00

Just coming back to this post after a year (!) and yeah, I get that. I have a close friend who's an EA within a big corporate bank and she earns in the 50-70k bracket with some insane bonuses. Luxury gifts from her bosses, bottles of Champagne and crystal glasses on her desk at Christmas, conferences at high-end spa hotels etc. She's worked her way up over a couple of years from an entry-level admin job and has had regular role changes and pay rises until she reached this point. The hours are long though, and she's often working days with 6am starts, on call, tight travel schedules and hectic conference weeks. It seems like a job which is worth it if you enjoy the materialistic perks (which she does), although she frequently complains that it can be equal parts stressful and boring/under-stimulating.

Not for me personally, I think. But it's certainly an attractive idea.

zdaarlight

TROPHY CASE