Harp the Wigglytuff @wigglytuffitout@computerfairi.es

@InspectorCaracal ....neon rainbow animals ARE pretty good though, so i can't fault that logic in the least

i will let you know in my travels if i find some neon animal vomit collar pins, since those are getting more popular and with a lot of cute variety in designs lately (like pictured) and also seem like a thing that is potentially Your Brand, As My Brain Has Arbitrarily Decreed

@InspectorCaracal also since i mentioned it, it's a pretty baller necklace that i feel may be on brand for you somehow

here's the same thing on aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32690374860.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.42c629b0hvJO8S&algo_pvid=66ca9a4d-bffe-4136-b9aa-ceee2fc14903&algo_expid=66ca9a4d-bffe-4136-b9aa-ceee2fc14903-0&btsid=46302a03-aca2-4b71-ab88-1bfe814b1828&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4,searchweb201603_52 (which honestly i've been using more of lately bc i'm ok with paying a bit more for not using spoons to go hunt down stuff in a different language then use a shopping service etc)

@InspectorCaracal HONESTLY! like omg, it's BEGGING for a self-promo. "it's so cute isn't it? i have the link up on my patreon - for just a buck, you can get access to it and all my posts, where i scope out some choice cute shit for you to buy and even have tips on how to shop on taobao!" IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH EASIER! AND BETTER!

like are you doing a capitalism or ain'tcha here, omg

oh oh oh and the kicker i just realized

since you have to use a shopping service, and they require the URL to do that, it's not actually a case of digging through browsing history with great difficulty.

it's about the same difficulty as looking up a past order on amazon, a la "oh yeah i've really enjoyed this bodywash i got, let me link you the exact one". at *most*.

honestly not an amount of effort you should expect $10 on patreon for imho, lol

@Sapphicgiraffic@snouts.online woah shit, we actually joined at around the same time

this is deeply surprising to me mostly because you seem like you've known exactly how to use mastodon for like. at least five years

@InspectorCaracal also it's petty but i actually kinda find it an enjoyable puzzle LOL, teasing out the autotranslate follies (for some reason "item" is "baby" and please, chrome, never change. never change that i love it. SEE ALL BABY.), chasing down leads on what you want, then finally returning victorious...

idk i think it scratches some deep primal hunter-gatherer itch, except instead of mammoth it's a cute purse l m a o

@InspectorCaracal example: i have a lot of necklaces i love and have worn a lot. cheap costume jewelry, yeah. but i mean, sometimes the heart wants what it wants and what the heart wants is a t-rex skeleton necklace.

most of them were one yuan specials.

using the current conversion rate, which i think is not as favorable to me as it once was since the dollar has been weakened, that is: fourteen cents.

even saying i spent another fourteen cents in shipping, that's way under other prices LOL

@InspectorCaracal mainly the struggle is overcoming the language barrier to find what you want to buy. hence why it's so important in lolita fashion circles to just... share. share stores that are good, share the right search terms to look up, stuff like that.

it also sounds like it's going to be incredibly expensive, but honestly... even if you just say "shipping this to me is going to take 50% of my total", you can still get absolute fucking steals because you are your own middleman lol

@InspectorCaracal and so if you're not in mainland china, you'll have to use a shopping service. these range in experience and price from the full white glove treatment of "personally email one of our staff a list of what you'd like, and we will converse with you and do all the rest of the work" to "we've automated shit and you don't have to speak to a real person if you don't wanna". see https://www.sweetdisabled.com/sweetdisabled/guide-shopping-on-taobao-with-yoybuy to plug my own writing lmfao

it looks intimidating but is actually not so much

@InspectorCaracal taobao is a big online storefront in china!

it's sort of like the ebay marketplace, or aliexpress shops, in that there are many different little storefronts and taobao is the bazaar they all are located in, so to speak.

it is... AMAZING for getting specialty items cheap, ESPECIALLY if you are looking at fashions or interests outside of normal western ones (like lolita fashion, ball jointed doll clothes, etc).

the main catch is that taobao sellers are largely China-only >

like i know capitalism isn't very popular around here and for good reason, but sometimes i just get rather FOR GOD'S SAKE IF YOU'RE DOING THIS, DO IT WITH AT LEAST THE BARE MINIMUM OF TRYING TO DO IT RIGHT

also there is no need to be rude to people asking a question you should expect (and in fact did expect, thus your policy)

either that or this person on twitter is actually the Dick's Last Resort of kawaii tat, who knows

like if it's just an excuse, don't pull this backhanded catty run-around. also it shouldn't exactly be a shocker if you show off something cool you bought for cheap, your audience might go "oh wow! where'd you get it?"

however if this person's already posted the info on patreon... then there's no need for a catty run-around! that's a potential customer! for god's sake! sell them shit! sell them the shit you have already made! the content you have produced! INSTEAD OF INSULTING THEM!

like, i may be coming from a very western lolita fashion point of view here - which is that taobao is the thing we all tangle with from time to time, and because we are all passionate about the fashion, we're happy to exchange information

if the idea is that you're trying to discourage the pain in the ass that is delving through your browsing history - fair dues. but just say that instead of "bitch sign up for my patreon, smh you guys expect shit for free?"

i am like unreasonably offended at shit a friend spotted on bird hellsite

i get that nobody is owed your time, and your time is money. however, if you show off "look at what i got on taobao for only 4 dollars!!!", you should probably expect people asking where you got it

and if your gig is using your patreon to show off the work you've done finding cool shit on taobao - for god's sake market yourself better than being rude to people interested in your product

listen it's a great painting technically and has many other merits but every time i see this particular version of Ophelia from Hamlet i crack the fuck up

i mean look at her face

that is not "the sweet release of death overtakes me". that is "oh.. my FUCKING god. bruh. BRUH. are you FUCKING KIDDING ME, hamlet? are you kidding me, hammie-wammie? just tossed in a bath bomb!! ohhh my god. okay, you've got the three minutes it'll take me to get out of here before i wreck your shit. fuck."

as for how my shoulder is feeling and my general vibe for this morning, please see attached picture for a summary

@InspectorCaracal ok that IS valid because i would bring up the research i've done in getting there, complete with references to medieval literature explaining carefully how i've already put in symbolism about his quasi-redemption that is the crux of the story being akin to the split between ysengrim the wolf and reynard the fox and i've done art already yonks ago and wait where is everyone going -

@InspectorCaracal nah that one's easy, one and done in krayt dragon

yes i have thought extensively about this

yes it does come up in the abominably long fic i'm writing slowly at some point

@InspectorCaracal THE FMAB ONE IS SO GOOD and the rest are just so applicable to so many situations they are good to have handy