#message of loss

[thegoodmorningman]

Good Morning ☝🏼✌🏼🤘🏼🤙🏼

[possessedpasm]

I think your concept for The Den is SOOO COOL!!!!!! Peace and love make more art forever :)

WOOAAAHHHWOOAHWOABWOAHOOO!!!!! Hold on let me freakout in the tags

[updatingranboo]

genloss tweet 😟

[loucifersbitch]

Lou Ferrigno Jr, the man that you are

don't mind me, I'll just be in a puddle on the floor for the rest of my life because of this 😭

(I couldn't afford a video on Cameo but the messaging was in my price range, and I'm so incredibly happy I went for it)

[opal-owl-flight]

Chat how the fuck is the sploon manga of all things motivating me to fight even harder in-game

[watkinsglen]

Review: “My Investing Journey and Learning” by Carmen Mundt

Qualifications: I’m a journalist reporting on business, economics, and defense who’s been in the industry for 7 years — the last 3 have been at, debatably, the #1 business publication in the world.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Thoughts: I cannot believe I spent 39 euros on this.

This 39 page ebook provides incredibly basic information that can all be found in this article.

First: while the ebook is about 40 pages, it probably has about 10 pages of actual information in it, interspersed with inspirational quotes from Sheryl Sandberg and Warren Buffet, with some pictures of Carmen in Monaco.

There’s about 1 page of “introduction” from Carmen that talks about her upbringing and journey to university in London. I won’t comment too much on her personal story, but an important thing to note is that she says she came from a “traditional Spanish household” where her father was the breadwinner and her mother had no access to family finances. After the 2008 crash, her family couldn’t afford to send her to college. She moved to London, applied for a student loan, and began studying finance at a university while working part time.

Carmen very, very briefly mentioned her regrets as to her mother’s inability to access higher education, work, and family financial planning; she says she’d never want to be in that position. While literally only one sentence, I think it makes it clear who the audience for this ebook is: someone who has absolutely, positively, no idea about money.

(She also very, very briefly mentions “big changes in her personal life” that made a full-time job in finance “not sustainable,” leading to her move to Monaco. This is her only reference to George.)

The rest of the book very simply explains how to make a budget, set financial goals, invest in the stock market, and mitigate risk. The information was kinda factually correct, and was written in a coherent manner. I think that’s the highest praise I can give it.

Here’s the thing: like other reviewers have called out, I am pretty certain that Carmen didn’t write anything besides the introduction. Whole sections (and indeed the entire format of the ebook) were clearly ripped from the Female Invest introductory courses. (I spent 3 hours clicking through each course so I could find direct wording comparisons to make this claim. I really wouldn’t recommend it.) I do think she edited these sections, and she interjected a few personal sentences; but I believe that’s where her involvement ended.

From an expert perspective, a lot of the information is so simplistic as to be almost incorrect. This isn’t a “first day of Econ 101” ebook — this is a “freshman year of high school home ec class” ebook. (Did anyone else’s home ec classes teach budgeting, or just me?)

Here’s an example. In a section on stocks, Carmen/Female Invest writes: “Investing in stocks allows you to support companies and causes you care about while still making a profit.”

On a basic level, this is correct. Purchasing a stock technically means you’re buying a little bit of a company, and I guess therefore supporting it. But unless a company is IPOing, you’re buying those stocks from another investor — which means your purchase has no effect on the company. So it’s a little disingenuous to claim you’re somehow helping the company. The ebook is rife with this kind of thing.

Carmen pushed in her advertising posts that the Female Invest courses were a key supplement to her book. So obviously, I had to do those too. And holy shit, they were so much worse than the ebook. Some parts were blatantly incorrect on basic information (they claim markets are open 24/7, when most are only open 9am-4:30pm on weekdays) and have some of the most patronizing metaphors I have ever read. (One of the most egregious was comparing your investment portfolio to a pizza because “stocks, bonds, and ETFs” make up different “sizes of slices to make a whole pie”. This isn’t even an accurate equivalent — maybe a calzone, pasta, and pizza make up a whole meal? I don’t even know.)

I would not recommend buying this ebook unless you, too, were barred from even thinking about a stock by your traditional father. Even then, consider free sources.

A Disclaimer on disclosures: So, after @ohblimeygeorge sent me a reddit post also reviewing Carmen’s book that mentioned ad disclosures, I decided to dive into the regulations. In the U.S., influential advertising is regulated by the FTC — in the EU, it’s regulated by the EU Commission, which I believe Carmen would qualify under since she is a Spanish citizen who lives in Monaco. First, I looked at this legal brief on content monetization business models, and concluded that that the ebook likely falls under “affiliate marketing” as Carmen likely receives a percentage of each ebook sold through her link.

(An additional disclaimer: obviously, I don’t know the details of the deal Carmen has with Female Invest, but I’d think it unlikely that she isn’t getting paid for their collaboration. She mentioned in an Instagram story under her Female Invest highlight that she “tried purchasing equity but they were already too big for what I could afford” but “did buy a bit of their crowdfunding.” Since she doesn’t have equity, i.e. doesn’t own a piece of the company, it’d be weird if she was doing this for free.)

Back on topic. I next looked at this legal brief on advertising disclosures. It states that affiliate marketing must be disclosed: “you need to make sure your audiences understand that it’s advertising.” Disclosures can include hashtags and “mentioning” advertising in the caption. Carmen has not disclosed advertising in any of her Female Invest posts, and appears to be violating this regulation. (Interestingly, her only posts that follow disclosure requirements are her Tommy posts.)

It’s apparently not uncommon. An EU Commission study showed 80% of influencers in the EU do not properly disclose ads.

So, there’s that too.

[vonix]

i videre mortuorum

[beefrobeefcal]

Not to be a bummer for all of you, but I will be quiet for the next little bit. We had to say goodbye to one of the BeefcalQuats today, and our little household is taking it hard.

Please continue to tag me in your #poor peña 2024 submissions, and I ask that you also send me the link via dm or in my asks so I don't lose track of anything.

Please hug your animal friends and family extra sweet today.

Yours,

Beefro👌🥩💜

[dirtytransmasc]

cw - minor vent/irl grief

[arionaleilani]

can ppl stop name dropping ozempic in reference to weight loss when it’s literally a diabetic medication meant to help make managing blood sugar levels easier. i am so sick of hearing ozempic be so casually connected to weight loss. non diabetics who use ozempic are improperly using diabetic medications. don’t make diabetic medications become fucking brand names for weight loss when diabetics of all types already have a hard time being taken seriously in the face of jokes about obesity and sugar

[ultram0th]

31 Days of Derek Hale

Day 04: Hypnotized

Info │ 01 │ 02 │ 03 │ 04

At Peter’s behest, Derek had begrudgingly agreed to start seeing a therapist to help him deal with some of his anger issues. At first, the werewolf was dead set against talking to some random stranger about his life, yet once he’d actually met Dr. Callahan, the therapist had somehow managed to get Derek to lower his walls. Dr. Callahan got Derek to feel extremely relaxed in his office and open up, leading to the stud to being all ears whenever the older man spoke. The therapist clearly knew his stuff, because almost overnight, Derek could feel his mood lifting and his thoughts refusing to drift towards anything that would piss him off. He would instead spend his days in an almost giddy haze, smiling happily as he went about his work and hobbies, completely unbothered. 

Derek felt like his life had changed for the better, all thanks to Dr. Callahan.

Still, every now and then, Derek would feel a little confused whenever he’d be going about his day, and tons of guys would keep staring at him. It wasn’t the fact that they were staring that was so weird, it was the fact that Derek loved them staring.

When all eyes were on him, the werewolf couldn’t help but bask in the warmth that the mens’ gazes brought him, leading to him either flexing his massive arms or unbuttoning his shirt for them.

Speaking of shirts, Derek would usually have to force himself to wear one… or really anything at all. The thought of wearing clothes was so constricting to the young man, and he loathed the idea of covering his large muscles with any sort of fabric. There were numerous times when he’d be out in public, and it would take him a good deal of time to realize that he’d been wandering around town without a shirt on, letting his plump chest muscles be on full display. After a bit of shopping, Derek had eventually changed his wardrobe so that it consisted of nothing but skintight, synthetic material that hugged his massive muscles tantalizingly. His shorts never went past mid-thigh, and he refused to wear underwear, allowing his perpetually hard cock to press against the front nonstop. And all of his shirts (a total of three since he hated to wear them) were so small that they were more like crop tops, never passing his belly button and always having the collar so low that his pecs frequently spilled out of them. Whenever he went out, Derek was sure to attract loads of lustful stares from men.

And Derek took full advantage of the lustful staring, bedding man after man.

Not a night went by when Derek wasn’t bouncing on some guy’s dick or sucking a guy off— sometimes at the same time. The werewolf was nearly insatiable now, constantly thinking about dick or drooling over a guy who would wander into his line of sight. It wouldn’t be long before Derek would approach him, flex a bit and playfully flirt, before the two would go find a private location. Or sometimes it didn’t even have to be private. There were a few times at the local gay bar where Derek would get loudly fucked on the dancefloor by a line of guys, feeling incredibly turned on by the fact that many other men were watching.

All in all, Derek’s life had done a complete one-eighty for the best, and Derek had Dr. Callahan to thank for that. Every night when he’d go to bed and place his headphones on over his ears to listen to the tapes his therapist had made just for him, he’d dreamily smile and be extremely thankful that he’d listened to Peter and had attended Dr. Callahan’s hypno therapy sessions.

“You’re a dumb muscleslut,” Dr. Callahan’s quiet voice murmured underneath the soothing wave sounds of the relaxation session Derek listened to. “All you’re made for is showing off your muscles and fucking. You’re just a dumb muscleslut…"

[Base Photo Source: https://musclegrowth.net/gallery/image/82061-megagrowthspurtrthumbjpgf2c25a65f23b8b63dad53f5ebde6d4fejpg/?context=new]

[thegoodmorningman]

Good Morning Memes Created By The Good Morning Man For The Internet

Good Morning!!! Always Smile!!!

[applesandbannas747]

Hey I feel weird coming in the tag to ask this but I can’t tell if I’ve been ghosted…

Has anyone who commissioned Johannah the Mad in December 2023 gotten their comm from her? And furthermore, has anyone commissioned since then and received their art?

I know she’s incredibly busy and a hurricane hit close to her over the summer, and I consider myself a really chill and patient person when commissioning artists, but at this point I don’t know if she’s not getting my messages, too busy for everyone, or intentionally ignoring me. I’d like to know if other people are having the same experience so I can figure out if it’s a me thing or not

[laurents-secret-diary]

Can we see any of your drawings you may have had for the side characters please??? 👉👈

I only got a couple so far! I think I'm gonna do Nicaise next

[an-na-ko]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my cat of 16 years a few weeks ago. He was a stray that gradually became OK with being a house cat, and he was so loved. I hadn't been able to cry for him (my meds make crying a near impossible thing) until I read your comic. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

(I hope you don't mind a masterpost of replies! I know pet loss is extremely difficult for a lot of people, and I didn't want to fill up people's dashes with each reply, but know that each message means so much to me. We all love in such profound ways and losing our little companions hurts to a degree that is immeasurable.)

For the anons above, thank you for such a heartfelt message! One of the things that helped me through the worst of my grief was seeing other people who talked about their pet loss too. It made me feel so much less alone, especially in thoughts that echoed mine, but it also helped me see things in perspectives I've never considered.

I posted this comic in hopes that someone out there who needed it would feel seen and understood, and that it would maybe help process their loss. So it really means a lot to me to see that my comic has helped, in whatever way it could. I'm so sorry that we all understand this feeling, but I hope you never feel alone in missing the little lives that mean so much to you.

For anon above, I can't imagine how difficult that is. Lyra was a surrender, but it was very obvious from how well-loved, affectionate, and well-looked-after she was that her previous family had loved her.

I hope you don't feel like you failed your girl; there are circumstances that no one can control no matter what. Cats (and most pets in general) have an amazing ability that, despite language barriers, seem to know how much you love them, just as easily as we know how much they love us even if they can't say it. Your girl knows you love her. I don't fully know her circumstances or yours, but I truly hope you find that closure. 🫂

I haven't met a lot of people with cats named Lyra! I hope it didn't bother you too much to read such a painful comic about a cat with the same name, haha. I hope your little Lyra is healthy and happy, and please give her a little kiss for me! 🤍

thank you anons for reading my comic despite the heavy content, for connecting with it the way you did, and for the kind words! 🫂 I truly wasn't sure if anyone would want to read such a painful, raw comic about loss, but these messages really brighten my day. I hope your days are bright as well.

[eminentzayn]

i would have loved to have grown old with you in this lifetime, liam.

however, it wasn't meant to be.

to remedy that, i vow to tell my future children about you. i will tell them about that little boy from wolverhampton who auditioned for x factor, was rejected, but knew that he destined for more. how you tried again and was put in a boyband in 2010. i will tell them how you rose from the bottom of the stairs to the top of the world. i will tell them how you conquered the world alongside your brothers.

you will live on in the stories we tell the next generation. no one will ever forget who you were, liam. your legacy will live on. we will make sure of it.

someday, when remembering you is no longer painful, i aspire to be able to look at this period of my life with fondness. despite this pain of losing you, i realized the impact that you 5 boys have made in my life. i've always said you guys saved my life but losing you has put that statement into perspective. i firmly believe that i wouldn't be where i am today had i not clicked on those "funny moments of one direction" compilations on youtube. you changed the trajectory of my personhood and made me believe that there was more to aspire for.

if there is such a thing as reincarnation, i fervently pray that i be reincarnated alongside you. i hope in that lifetime, i get to see you grow old and achieve what you deserve-- the success that you never got to see in this lifetime.

see you in our next life, liam. in that lifetime, i pray that you finally win.