Hello, I am building a Gui to act as a basic launcher for routinely used apps. The functionality works fine but I want the gui to fade in with a transparent effect, going from 100% transparent to a set value over 100 loops. I know there are some fancy ways to make the animation happen that some very smart people have made but I can't debug where the problem is with mine.

windowFadeIn(transparency) { iter := 100 Loop iter { WinSetTransparent abs(round((transparency*(A_Index/iter)))), lngui.Hwnd sleep(20) } } 

The issue is when the script runs, the duration of the 'sleep' time is with 100% transparency. Then at the end of the loop the gui appears with no frames between start to finish. The above is the problem function and below is the full script so you can see it in action.

#Requires Autohotkey v2.0+ #SingleInstance #WinActivateForce /* Launcher for some common use AHK scripts Table of contents 1. Global 2. Variables 3. Functions 4. Gui Properties 5. Build Gui 6. Opening the Gui 7. Button Functions */ /* 1. Global */ global lngui_props := object() ;stores gui_props in an object ;TODO TraySetIcon("path to .ico") lngui_props.show_commands_tips := True lngui_props.query_autocomplete := True /* 2. Variables */ /* 3. Functions */ ;___properties and states reset_lngui_props(mainoff := "main") { ;return to a factory state lngui_props.state := mainoff } is_lngui_state(state) { ;check state of gui return (lngui_props.state == state) } is_lngui_on() { ;check if gui is on return ! is_lngui_state("off") } set_lngui_state(state) { ;set state of gui lngui_props.state := state } ;___Interacting with the Gui close_lngui(*) { ToolTip() reset_lngui_props("off") lngui.Destroy() } /* TODO lngui_activable() {;conditions to be met to allow the hotkey try { return !InStr(WinGetTitle("A"), "Remote Desktop") } return True } */ windowFadeIn(transparency) { iter := 100 Loop iter { WinSetTransparent abs(round((transparency*(A_Index/iter)))), lngui.Hwnd sleep(20) } } /* 4. Gui Properties */ lngui_props.title := "Launcher" reset_lngui_props("off") /* 5. Build Gui */ build_gui() { global lngui lngui := Gui() acccolor := "FFB900" ;accent color backcolor := "1d1f21" ;bg color common_text_lngui_opts := "xm w400 cc5c8c6 -E0x200" common_btn_lngui_opts := "xm w400 h70 y+20" lngui.Opt("AlwaysOnTop -SysMenu -caption +Border ") lngui.SetFont("s24", "boda") lngui.Title := lngui_props.title lngui.backColor := backcolor lngui._text := lngui.AddText(common_text_lngui_opts " c" acccolor, lngui_props.title) lngui._text.SetFont("") lngui.SetFont("s14") btn1 := lngui.AddButton(common_btn_lngui_opts " c" acccolor, "&Notepad") btn1.OnEvent("Click", Notepad) btn1.Opt("xm") btn2 := lngui.AddButton(common_btn_lngui_opts " c" acccolor, "&Spotify") btn2.OnEvent("Click", Spotify) btn2.Opt("") btn3 := lngui.AddButton(common_btn_lngui_opts " c" acccolor, "&AutoHotKey") btn3.OnEvent("Click", AHK) btn3.Opt("") btn4 := lngui.AddButton(common_btn_lngui_opts " c" acccolor, "&Remote Desktop") btn4.OnEvent("Click", Remote) btn4.Opt("") btnEnd := lngui.AddButton(common_btn_lngui_opts " c" acccolor, "&Open All") btnEnd.OnEvent("Click", RunAll) btnEnd.Opt("") lngui.OnEvent("Escape", close_lngui) reset_lngui_props("main") lngui_props.click_exit := True windowFadeIn(230) lngui.Show("autosize") } /* 6. Opening the Gui */ build_gui() /* 7. Button Functions */ runScript(path) { /* exists := DirExist(path) if exists { Run path } if not exists { close_lngui() error := MsgBox("File path not accessible, connect HDD", "Failed to Open", "4096") build_gui() } */ Run path close_lngui() } Notepad(*) { PrismMC := "C:\Users\profile\..." runScript(PrismMC) } Spotify(*) { Spotify := "C:\Users\profile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\Spotify.exe" runScript(Spotify) } AHK(*) { AHK := "C:\Users\profile\OneDrive\Desktop\scripts\" runScript(AHK) } Remote(*) { Remote := "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Remote Desktop.lnk" runScript(Remote) } RunAll(*) { Notepad Spotify AHK Remote } Suspend 0 ;re-enable hot keys 

If any of you superstars are so inclined to help a poor soul out with one more thing, I'm struggling with gui option parameters for building a dashboard. I could make it happen with HTML/CSS but I'm struggling to piece together how to use r, xm, xs, ys... to build an 'n column' by 'n row' dashboard within the gui. Specifically for the 4 buttons (btn1, btn2, btn3, btn4). It may just be the formatting of the gui but I don't understand what parameter prevents creating columns.

Hi! I am looking for someone to help me write calligraphy/ fancy font addresses on envelopes for ~30ish wedding invitations. Willing to pay like $20-30 depending on time/ supplies used, but also open to negotiation since I’ve never needed this done before. Please comment or DM if you think you can help!

Hi,
I've got some gdocs I'd like to convert to PDFs. Resumes, other stuff I've written. They're full-text, no graphics, nothing fancy, in a medium-rarity font, but the formatting does matter. Print To PDF is out, because I want a potential recipient to be able to interact with the text of the PDF.
So, Download -> PDF Document it is. The resulting PDF prints out fine, just about, but when viewed in a browser at the actual size looks dreadful. The page is tiny and the text jaggy – and under the default page-fit mode, it looks even worse. Is there a way to make the PDF output size larger (it's 8.5x11 inches in gdocs page setup). It renders on the screen markedly worse than the actual gdoc at the same zoom level, when viewed side-by-side.
I'm tempted to throw in the towel and redo the documents with an editor other than Docs, but it would be a pain, particularly for the older, larger works. Thought I'd ask here first and see if there's something blindingly obvious I'm doing wrong here.
Thanks for any help that might be on offer!

As always, CONUS, AK, HI, & PR shipping included on all. I can ship to CAN for $12 extra (up to 8 oz.). I'll ship int'l too, pls inquire. Zelle, Venmo, or CashApp preferred. If PayPal or Venmo G&S, please include the fee. Your choice of silver, gold or black atomizer. Computer printed labels with fancy font, lol. I do repurpose packing materials if still in good condition. Verifications much appreciated and always reciprocated!
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The mainstream left is as just reactionary as their counterparts, hastily rejecting individuals who don't conform to their idealized image. This gatekeeping mentality fragments the leftist community. So basically, the mainstream leftist movement at least in the west is just to prove they are more "left" than the other "leftists," rather than to organize the mass. The left often resorts to labeling and name-calling, dismissively tossing around terms without taking the time to engage in meaningful dialogue and explain their significance. This approach renders their message inaccessible to the very people they aim to mobilize, who may lack the ideological literacy due to lack to privilege and many other factors barring them from accessing leftist literature. By failing to connect the dots between their words and the underlying concepts, the left inadvertently creates a barrier to understanding, hindering their ability to effectively organize and empower the people they claim to champion. This is the reason why the mainstream leftist movement hardly every reach the target audience: the people.
The so-called leftist movement is mostly losing touch with the base: the people, the working class, the oppressed. Therefore, while they engage among themselves with theoretical monologues, they fail to connect with the people through practical dialogues. They want to create this perfect image of the "left", and anyone who doesn't really fit in that image are straight out rejected. This creates a little "leftist" bubble that just floats among many other bubbles. I call these "leftist" who have a perfectionist view of their own ideologies "unicorn leftists", and they are the reason why "utopia" is seen as an impossible idealistic paradise. So, this so-called leftist movement which undermines the significance of the relationship with the people embodies "middle-class savior complex" because of how it loses touch with the base, because of how heroism is fancied, because of how superiority complex still resides among those who wish to overthrow it.
Oblivious to the everyday struggles and conditionings of the working-class, the left fail to acknowledge the barriers that hinder the people's abilities to gain their "critical consciousness" as The Great Paulo Freire remarked. Paradoxically, the left embraces cancel culture, a tool also wielded by their ideological opponents. By prioritizing personal differences over ideological dialogue, they neglect to forge unity within their own ranks. How can the left expect the people to be united when they themselves can't find a way to unite among themselves to being with? If the left is to really organize the mass, they have to start by actually connecting with the very people they aim to organize, by inviting them to dialogue, by encouraging their struggles regardless of their manufactured ideologies. The left has to keep in mind that it is not easy to organize the people whose future has been taken away from them and replaced with a false one.
Forgive me for the weird and all-over-the-place language use here. English isn't my best. I also would like to give credits to Paulo Freire's The Pedagogy of the Oppressed for making me think about this.

I use clip studio to do comic text work over finished pages. Every time I select the text tool, it reverts to a font I wasn't using. It would be nice if the program could remember the last font I was using, which I'm sure it is capable of, but I'm still not too familiar with clipstudio. I feel like this should be a default feature, right?
I've tried to go into the subtool details, and set a default spacing and size, but the options to "save as default" are greyed out. I've read this could be a windows 10 problem. So I tried to edit those security details, and reinstalled clipstudio. But it still wont let me? It still forgets what my last selected font was., and what spacing and size I last used. It's really frustrating.
Does anyone know if there is a fix for this? It makes the whole process of putting in speech bubbles and dialogue so slow.

The strange creature draws its weapon, and every Florb in the room freezes. We've all seen just what this terrifying device is capable of firsthand when it used it to slay the Grobulan pirates who had boarded our vessel. It was a massacre, their screams still echo in my mind. I could do nought but watch in bloodied horror as their bodies simply detonated in a shower of blue fluid. And the noise... the horrible horrible noise. One would expect a weapon of such terrifying power to be matched by an equally powerful roar, but this one's report is far more fluidchilling. Almost silent, except for a high pitched whine as its motors spin to unfathomable speeds within fractions of a second- delivering its lethal payload at a fraction the speed of sound itself yet despite this, the projectile is almost entirely silent. At least until impact. Never did I think a soft 'plink' could instill such fear within me. But when it is accompanied by such death... how could it not? And the plink was only when it missed and struck a nearby object instead! I dare not describe the noise of a direct hit, suffice to say it is the stuff of nightmare.
At the least, it certainly appears fearsome. Ergonomically designed, seeming to my eyes to be tailored to the creature's unique physical composition. One end is flaired into a flat shape which it braces against what it has informed me during my earlier medical operation to be its 'shoulder'. No doubt to handle the certainly vicious recoil such a mortifying tool must produce- though it gives no physical signs of such recoil during firing, I can only assume its physical strength must be beyond measure. The main body of the weapon is as black as the void, which makes its surface difficult for my eyes to truly discern- not that I believe my mind could handle whatever arcane horrors must make up its mechanical composition. What is all too easy to see, however, is the other end of it. Bright orange, as the surface of a lower main sequence star- appropriate, given its sheer power. One could liken it to the force of a star itself, and though such a likening would yet be metaphorical I could think of a few who may yet truly believe it if they bore witness to its effect.
"Take me back. Now." The room's translator intoned with mechanical apathy. It was a rushed job, and certainly imperfect- intonations and inflections are always the most difficult thing to encode into a translator so sometimes when a new one pops up it doesn't know what to do with it and just goes flat. This is the first time it's used this particular tone, but we all knew exactly what it intended, given that it now points the weapon of our salvation against us. As the captain pleaded with it to reconsider her offer, I thought back to how this mess began...
I am aboard the FLB Bright Future. An exploratory vessel plying the deepest reaches of unexplored space on a mission to discover valid hyperlane anchor points. Ours is a most vital task, for without the anchors, travel on the scale necessary to support intragalactic infrastructure was simply impossible. And without such infrastructure, new sources of valuable chemical resources could not be tapped to support the growth of the Florbus Combine. It is a long mission, as traveling without a hyperlane is a task of many years even with the most powerful warp engine. Folding spacetime from within the bubble is a monumental and extremely energy intensive task, which is why we need the anchors. With an exorbitantly large external structure, a self-stable bubble can be formed with relative ease around other objects, and from there a smaller engine can focus instead on pushing it- though the bubble will break on its own eventually, which limits how far a given vessel can travel, and cannot be broken from within; thus necessitating a different anchor at the destination. Further still spacetime bubbles of any sort are extremely sensitive to gravitational forces, which makes sense of course as gravity is essentially a fluctuation within spacetime itself. Thus, the 'hyperlane' was born. Areas of the galaxy where such fluctuations are either weak enough to be ignored, or predictable enough to be utilized for ever faster travel.
And so, the task of exploratory vessels such as the Bright Future is twofold. To ply the depths of unexplored space, analyzing the gravitational patterns and identifying prime locations for Hyperlane anchors. Far enough away from the next nearest to be cost effective, as simply building an anchor in every single star system is out of the question, but close enough to minimize the risks of unwary vessels overestimating their distance and ending up trapped in the depths of the void. Though most vessels do have a warp engine, most commercial organizations rely upon the anchors so greatly that such engines are often only barely strong enough to guide a bubble formed by an anchor. It is rare for a non-specialized vessel to be capable of self-bubbled travel, especially since such an engine is often extremely expensive to fabricate and to power. Nearly 90% of the Bright Future's fusion drive is dedicated to the task, necessitating minimal life support functions and stasis pods when in use.
I am the lead medical officer of the FLB Bright Future, Plorp Ruffaloo. Yes, yes, hold your awe. I am well aware of the nobility of my name, but I care little for such things. I refuse to ride upon my father's coat-tentacles, which is why I volunteered for such a common position instead of seeking the employment of cutting edge research facilities. Besides, I always felt that the best research is that done outside of a stuffy and controlled laboratory. Science is exploration, of a sort, if one is not adventurous in their pursuit of it than any discovery they make is bound to be pedestrian or extraordinarily slow to achieve. Out here, I get to study the anatomies of new and exciting creatures discovered upon the worlds we encounter. The array of life is truly astonishing.
Which is why I am currently utterly flabbergasted at the sight before me. Never in my days have I encountered a creature so... perplexing. Preliminary examination reveals that it's body is, astoundingly, supported by some kind of rigid internal structure, not unlike the hollow structures inside of Freeanas, that my medical scanning equipment cannot penetrate. However, by my reckoning I would need a vessel-grade device to create rays powerful enough to examine the internal structure of these supports, it is as if the thing is made of some manner of rock or crystal! What on Florbulus could drive such an adaptation? I do understand that the gravity of the world upon which it was discovered is significantly higher than average for life bearing planets, but surely this is too much?
"What could these creatures being doing, to necessitate such internal durability..." I mused to myself. I jumped when Hark Manyfred responded, I had forgotten he was here still, "From what I saw, doc, fighting a war."
My cephalus paled. A war? So then the long-distance scanners were true? This is an intelligent species? I suppose I should have gathered from the relatively obvious artificial accoutrement it came with but, well, I was more focused on the gaping wound in one of its limbs at the time. When lieutenant Manyfred brought the creature in, it appeared to have been struck by some kind of object- a small piece of lead, which was astonishingly almost flattened. For such a material to deform so severely, whatever sent it flying must have been extraordinarily powerful. I struggled greatly to perform surgery, even the creature's flesh seems to be supernaturally durable. I had to make use of a laser cutter typically reserved for cutting through military armor just to create an opening large enough to fit extraction tools through. It took the strength of I and all three of my attending to ply the object free from its form- as it appeared to have been lodged inside one of those very dense supporting structures.
As I recalled this, it all suddenly made sense. A high gravity planet, intelligent, with extremely dense internal structures, and fighting a war. This is a soldier! Heavily augmented with some kind of organic implant. The lead must be... dear gods, a weapon? Fashioned specifically to tear through flesh with ease, if its saw-blade shape is anything to go by. Or perhaps... could the lead have deformed after impact with the structure, rather than having been shaped? If that was the case then its original shape... some kind of pointed volume? Aerodynamic... it was FIRED*? They use lead projectiles as a weapon? I must make a report of this, the captain will want to-*
"Ugh... my head..." IT SPEAKS? Actually, wait, that must be the translator. The ship is equipped with embedded translators in each room to save the burden of carrying a computational box on the person, though the fact that its working already must mean...
"Dr. Tryn? I take it you have already deciphered their language?" I call over my communication device.
"Yes, Dr. Ruffaloo," Dr. Tryn began, he is the ship's communications officer, a Freeana, and also an expert in xenolinguistics for exactly this situation- first contact, "Once we entered orbit I had discovered that the strange EM waves were, in fact, not due to the local star. But rather artificial constructions! A massive communications network scaling the entire planet, though nowhere beyond it except for what appear to be a handful of very small orbital outpo-"
"Yes, yes, Dr. Tryn. I understand you're excited. But if you truly wish to study their language more, I believe you would have better luck speaking with our guest," I know him too well, and frankly was not eager to handle initial outreach with a patient who had just awoken from such a horrendous wound. I did not need to keep my device on to know that his assistants were plugging their auditory cavities to protect themselves from his excited shrill.
In barely 2 minutes, Dr. Tryn burst through the doorway in an exhausted huff. Thankfully the patient didn't seem to take notice of where exactly it was just yet, its oculars have yet to unshield themselves. I prepared to greet my colleague but he seemed disinterested in me, as I should expect.
"Arghcke Thee Awoken?" I heard, which caused me to realize that I was actually awake and not at home in bed. Fuck. I've gotta get up, that asshole could still be- "OW!" Shit, the gunshot, I must-
Where the hell am I. I'm pretty sure I was just at an airsoft field, in the middle of a match when some psycho brought his dad's real fucking gun instead. Bastard even painted the damned thing's barrel and made sure to hide it. What the fuck was he thinking? But right now I'm looking at... a... what the hell is it? It looks like a cross between a fish and a bird. It's got feathers, and what looks like a beak. But then its shiny, and has big 'ol fish eyes and weird looking neck-gill thingies, like Abraham from Hellboy. Next to it is.. an Octopus? But its huge*, like three times the size of a person. And also wearing a doctor's outfit. What the actual-*
Ow. I'm reminded that I was just shot in the leg. Even the slightest movement hurts like hell, but when I looked down I couldn't see an entry wound. Or any blood for that matter, nor did it feel like I had shards of thigh bone stabbing me from the inside. It was just... really sore.
"Me Cogitates Its Wakefulness, Medical Officer Tryn," The Octopus spoke. It spoke. Holy shit these are aliens. Holy shit. Fuck. Uh, oh no? Oh yes? I don't know, actually. I mean, they don't seem like the 'take me to your leader and prepare for anal probing' type... They apparently even bothered to fix my leg and, presumably, save me from that gun toting maniac. Looking around I see they even brought my stuff with me, though it's locked up in some kind of transparent locker. Not that an airsoft M4 would be particularly useful against an advanced alien species. Their words are weird, but the fact that I can hear anything even remotely coherent means they have some kind of translation thingy going on. Though either its really bad or they do just have a strange manner of speaking. Is... no way is this actually first contact? That would explain the crappy translation, at least, it would mean they've had hardly any time at all to decipher my language. I should try...
"Uh, yes? I am awake. Uh, hi?" I make my best attempt at a greeting, but they all jump back when I raise my hand in a lazy wave. Oh yeah, first contact, shit. Can't make any sudden movements, in fact they probably- OH JESUS THAT'S A SHARK. YEP. THAT IS A GOD DAMN SHARK PERSON RIGHT THERE.
Ohkay. Ohkay. Calm down. Aliens. Yes. Just aliens, maybe its a nice shark person? Maybe he's a doctor- no. He's definitely got some kind of weapon. Vaguely gun shaped, but strangely very round like a banana. But with a lightshow on the side of it. A laser maybe? Anyways, yes, he must be the guard. Makes sense. New species, no clue what they're capable of. Far as they know I got retractable claws or acid spit or something. No sudden moves, or King Shark over there might rip me in half or... distingrate me with that fancy gun, I guess.
The bird-fish, I think the Octopus called it Medical Officer Tryn? But the Octopus is the one wearing the outfit... ohhh bad translation, right. Medical Officer is probably an attempt to translate Doctor? Which means the bird-fish is a Doctor, but not necessarily a medical one. Or maybe he is and doctor's just dress like that and the Octopus back there is a nurse or something. Anyways, the Doctor seemed to fiddle with something in the wall, and then spoke again, "There, that should be better. I always forget to account for the more common bands. Now, I would ask if you are awake again, but I think that much is obvious. Greetings! I am Doctor Ooliueaette Trynishidianafore. But my colleagues often refer to me a Dr. Tryn, I am the communications officer. This is Doctor Plorp Ruffaloo our shipboard medical professional, and the one behind you is lieutenant Hark Manyfred, the on who retrieved you from your endangered state. We are currently aboard the FLB Bright Future, which is a spacefaring exploratory vessel under the command of the Florbus Combine. I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of exploring the rudimentary communications systems of your world, and discovered quite the interesting stock of conceptual fictions! I've not yet poured through them all, but I believe you are well familiar with most civilized structural concepts."
The bird-fi, er, Dr. Tryn seemed... happy? I couldn't be too sure, whatever is doing the translation appears to be attempting to mimic tone and inflections but, well, I guess its still a bit too new at this. In any case, I think the doctor here is excited. Also the Shark guy is the one that saved me? Cool. Wait, he said he looked through our 'rudimentary communications systems'? Oh dear god no, he's seen the internet. This could be bad.
"Listen, uh, what you saw on the internet, just know that it alot of, uh, well not really true stuff. I mean, its not the best image of humanity-" I began, when the doctor interrupted me
"Oh! Don't worry too much! As I said I've yet to pour through most of what I recovered, and when I performed my initial sweep I had yet to fully flesh out the translations. Currently I only have saved information related to a few keywords. This isn't my first first contact, you know! I'm well aware of how.. shall we say, odd some species' public communications networks can be. To protect myself from whatever horrors may have been conjured by nascent- what did you say, humanity? I was very conservative in my retrievals. In any case, there will always be time later to do a more thorough exploration when sufficient context has been gained."
Oh thank god. I raised a hand to my chest, only to notice that it was incredibly easy. Far too easy, in fact. As if I weighed almost nothing...
Oh day! What a joyous day! First contact! It has been so many years since the last one, I had begun to lose hope that I would see another in what time I have left. I could not help but sing a joyous song on the way, though for the sake of our new guest I had to restrain myself before entering. There is no telling if they are sensitive to sound, I would not want to accidentally deafen a brand new species! I am so very pleased to know that the translation is working correctly, it won't be long before it's heard every possible phoneme and intonation. Perhaps in just a few days we'll be able to converse as if we shared the same native tongue!
Not to mention, they are remarkably calm! Normally first contact can be a rather hectic affair, filled with songs of fear or anger. But not this one! It seems I was correct in my observation that his people have long since theorized spaceflight, and even the possibility of alien species. I was afraid for a moment that the fictions I'd discovered were obscure resources known to only a few, or perhaps they are and he is one of those few. In any case, this is looking to be a very smooth first contact! Those are the best, as it gives me the greatest amount of time to converse for the sake of improving the translator and truly exploring the depths of their culture and history in the most engaging way possible: conversation!
"Now! What do your people call you- actually, first, do your people also utilize individual-specific names, or titles?" A beginners question, but an all-too-important one. A great deal of cultural differences can arise from something so seemingly small as the usage of names.
"Ugh, yes, we have names. Mine's Duncan. Duncan Euler, no not that- oh, you... probably wouldn't know who Euler was. Anyways, yeah. That's my name." It spoke, the words did come off a little flat in the translator but I could hear the subtle variations that the translator couldn't overwrite! Wonderful! Their species seems to make use of intonations and inflections, and the name, two names, a first and last. Just like most species, lending further creedence to Metacognitive Binomial theory. I'll have to make a note of that later, for now...
"And what is it you do, Duncan Euler? I mean to say, your profession or trade? For what societal purpose do you serve?" Another quite important question, by knowing the station of the subject we know what their perspective of their own society might be. Naturally you cannot learn all there is to know from a single individual, especially in more fracturous societies where so little as a place of birth can be the difference between ancestral hatred or familial piety.
"I believe he is a soldier, Dr. Tryn," Dr. Ruffaloo spoke up, which does annoy me somewhat. I understand his desire to hasten things stems from his people's general anxiety towards prolonged contact, but seriously! Long, drawn out conversations are the best. He should know how rude he is being!
Duncan spoke up now, thankfully, "Actually, no, I-"
BOOM. The entire vessel is suddenly rocked by what sounds like some kind of explosion. I and the others are tossed to a far wall with agonizing force, I feel as several of my hollow bones shatter from the impact. The pain is excrutiating. It cannot end like this! I had too much to live for! I wasn't... done... talking......
----
Fuck. That was loud, and painful. Not really in the "oh no all my bones broke" sort of way, but more like tripping on something and then faceplanting sort of way. Except I fell backwards, into the wall, and although I didn't feel anything break, that doesn't mean nothing did. At the very least I'm gonna have one hell of a bruise on my back. This, at least, confirmed my suspicions. I bounced off that wall like a superball, gravity on this ship is really weak. Walking is going to be a bitch and a half. Though given the explosion I don't think walking is going to be my main worry, what hell is happening?
"HULL BREACH DETECTED," A drone of a voice rang out, must be some kind of ship board AI? "SEALING CABINS. SEAL SUCCESSFUL. REPRESURR-" BOOM. Another explosion, but smaller this time- I was able to catch myself just fine. I look over to where the other are and- oh god. Dr. Tryn is... jesus. Like a bird that flew into a window at full speed. I guess.. I mean he does look like a bird, so I guess he had hollow bones. Which means that first explosion must have... I'm gonna be sick. He seemed so nice, too. Thankfully the Sharkman and the Octopus seemed to have taken that a little better, squishy bodies I guess probably helps with shock absorption.
"INTERNAL BREACH DETECTED. INTRUDERS DETECTED. RED ALERT. RED ALERT. INTRUDERS-"
I get the point, and immediately begin shutting out the AI voice. Of course this happens. Textbook sci-fi. First contact interrupted by some kind of violent enemy. What is it? Soldiers? Don't tell me they came out here as explorers in the middle of some kind of Galactic warzone? No, that doctor seemed far too smart for these aliens to be naive. Must be Pirates, or maybe Mercenaries of some kind. The only question then, is why? What value could an Exploration ship hold for Pirates? Well, stupid question I guess. He also said "under the command of the Florbus Combine". Military ship. Military ships have military weapons. Of course pirates would want something like that if they got a chance, and I guess these ones decided a first-fucking-contact was theirs.
I go for the locker with my stuff, I doubt an airsoft gun is going to be helpful against space-age technology but you never know. Maybe I can use it to make a distracting noise, or maybe they won't be able to tell it isn't a real weapon and I can do some kind of bluff with it. Worst case, it's heavy- real metal. I liked the heft, and I'm sure a pirate's face probably won't. The Octopus and the Sharkman seemed to still be recovering, I guess it hit them a bit harder than I thought. But I didn't have any kind of medical expertise, especially for alien anatomy, so I didn't really bother to check on them. I smashed the glass window of the locker they put my stuff in- wasn't about to bother fiddling with some kind of locking mechanism and risk activating something.
It... didn't hurt? Its not actually glass, just some kind of thick transparent film. Really easy to break through, in fact. Tore like some kind of gel. Eh, whatever. Got my airsoft gun, wielding it as seriously as I could so any pirate that saw me might think its real and think twice before starting a gunfight. I glanced over at the Octopus, I think its name was Dr. Ruffaloo? Funny name. Its color changed, it was a shade of blue before but now its a sort of maroon color. Its.. I think those are its eyes, are locked on me. I guess it saw me get my stuff, was it really that surprising though? It wasn't exactly made of anything- oh dear god.
Light gravity, weak security locker. Someone fucking died from that toss. Is... is this a space orcs thing? Am I some kind of like, monster beast to these people? Noooo, no way. That mother fucker over there is a SHARK for fucks sake and bit like a tank to boot, ain't NO WAY I'm stronger than him. It must not have been a secure locker, I mean what kind of security locker is fucking transparent? Yes, that's it. Doc Oc over there is just scared cuz my little act is a bit too good- he did say he thought I was a soldier, so to him I'm a trained killer getting ready for my morning commute. The fake military fatigues certainly help, I think. I call out to King Shark, er, Hark Manyfred I think his name was?
"Hey, Big Guy get up. Alexa up there said we got intruders. I don't know what that disco banana you got does, but if its what I think it is we're gonna have to throw a party for the uninvited guests."
He just groaned, then looked up at me confused. Too much metaphor I guess, translator must've garbled it.
"Pick up your weapon and get ready for a fight." I corrected.
He just nodded, and seemed to take a similar stance as mine. Good, glad to know 'lieutenant' wasn't a mistranslation. At least someone here is professionally trained.
-----
I could scarcely believe my oculars. This, 'Duncan' individual just tore through a security locker as if it were made of primitive writing scrap. Not to mention the detonation, he was thrown to the wall as all of us and stood up from it like nothing happened. Even lieutenant Hark was rendered unconscious for a few moments, my brain has no functions for losing consciousness so I was sharply aware of everything that transpired. Dr. Tryn even... he... he may have been an annoying colleague, but he was a good friend. What am I going to tell his mate? I... I have to avoid thinking about it, for now. Right now we have bigger problems. If those intruders were willing to toss the vessel that fiercely, our lives are certainly the least of their concerns. Dr. Tryn was far from the only Freeana on the ship, and there's no telling how much more viscious the impact was in other parts of the vessel.
The creature, or rather, Duncan, spoke something but the Translator failed. That impact must have jumbled it a bit. What it said next, however, was crystal clear- redundant computer must have come online.
"Pick up your weapon and get ready for a fight," It said. So it IS a soldier, I knew it. Then that strange device it holds must be a weapon of some kind. Dear lord... don't tell me it fires lead projectiles like the one I extracted from it? I must warn him, if he fires something like that aboard this ship it could rip a hole to the void, or puncture a vital fuel reserve. The ship has systems for handling such occurences, but they can only do so much- especially if other events have already activated them.
I began, "Please! Do not use that weapon aboard this vessel! Such a heavy projectile will surely-"
"Oh, uh, yeah, don't worry about it. It's not real. Just a toy." It said. A toy? So... it isn't a soldier? Oh no... this is not good. That leaves Hark as the only one here capable of defending himself, and if a firefight breaks out in my medical facility it could severely damage the equipment and leave me unable to treat the wounded.
"Lieutenant! You must fight outside of this chamber! If any of my equipment is damaged in a fight, it could turn out poorly for us all!" He simply grunts and nods at me. Grobulan fighting instinct must have kicked in already, he cannot speak. It likely takes all of his willpower just to avoid turning on us- but it is precisely his extreme degree of self control that earned him his position upon this vessel, and indeed in the Florban military in general despite his people's reputation. In fact, if my suspicion is correct, Grobulan pirates tend to be very keen on explosive weaponry when it comes to naval combat. For exactly the reason that it turns the insides of any vessel struck into a bloody mess, perfect for activating their instincts and turning them into some of the most terrifying fighters in the galaxy when they inevitably board. And judging from the screams coming from the hallway, I'd say my suspicions are terribly, terribly correct.
We're all going to die.
-End of Part 1-
Part 2

PHASE 0

Hailey walked across campus to the Wharton Duct Library and noticed another student walking in the same direction wearing a white top with an iguana on front.
"I like your shirt," Hailey said. The girl smiled at her.
"Thanks, I have a pet iguana back home. His name is Crest," she said. "My name is Abby Cess."
"Nice to meet you," Hailey said. "I'm Hailey, Hailey Tosis."
"How's dorm life treating you?" Abby asked as they continued their walk.
"Alright. I'm really excited that the Buy-N-Bolt just off campus has all my favorite snacks," Hailey said, unzipping her bag and showing off how it was filled with bubble gum & dr pepper & fudge donuts & kit kats & oreos & sour twizzlers & tootsie roll & twinkies.
"Nice. They have my favorite too!" Abby said, slipping a small box out of her back pocket. A pack of Marlbolo Scope. Hailey smiled with temptation.

EVENT NOTE...Whisper Only

For this event, you can only submit WHISPERS. No Teeth Actions can occur. No Cavities will be given this phase, but if the comment count doesn't reach equal to 5 comments per living Tooth, Hailey won't be able to resist her cigarette tomorrow.
This event is OPTIONAL. Failure to submit a whisper will NOT result in any strikes.

Meta

• ACTIVITY FORM LINK (there is a few minute delay for the form to update)
• COUNTDOWN LINK

All Discord Roles have been assigned, all private sub invites have been granted, all easter egg info has been handed out. If you should have gotten any of the above, please reach out.
DON'T FORGET TO MAKE YOUR DISCORD CONFESSIONAL CHANNEL!

After giving up on using short videos to promote our video podcast almost 2 months ago, I decided to instead double down on YouTube as a distribution channel. Since then, we’ve seen a 30% increase in subs last month, thanks to our efforts to improve video quality, particularly the thumbnails.
As the YouTube guru Ali Abdaal points out, the 3 most important parts of a video that noobs like myself often overlook are:

• thumbnail
• title
• the first 30 seconds of the video

Out of the three, thumbnail is the most intimidating because I can't draw a stick figure to save my life. But anyways, here are the four stages of our thumbnail redesign journey and what I’ve learned along the way:
The v0
We’ve actually been on YouTube since our podcast’s inception three years ago. We used our publishing platform's auto-repurposing feature, as you can imagine, it’s pretty basic - just an audio track with a static image of our logo.
screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/BcNyhaW
The v1
After a hiatus, about a year ago we started recording the podcast in video mode instead of audio-only. At this point, we started using custom thumbnails based on the guest’s picture - still looks like a potato but moving in the right direction.
screenshot: https://imgur.com/zLR77js
Around this time we needed to use a background remover - after trying a few different options, I’ve found this site to have the best value - free, no size limit and good enough results: https://img-cut.aishoot.co/cut)
The prettier v1
After our podcast's rebrand, we introduced a new color palette that's easier on the eyes. We also stole an idea from our friends at metacastapp, adding headshots from our recording sessions to make the thumbnail more lively. However, as my co-host Ronak pointed out, our videos still looked like a presentation deck from college. 😂😂🤡
screenshot: https://imgur.com/xd0sK4S
At this stage, Canva was a nice tool to get comfortable with for quickly iterating on these
Today
After deciding to take YouTube more seriously, we researched what fancy podcasters in our niche (software engineering/tech) do. Surprisingly, many well-known podcasts with hundreds of episodes haven't made a serious effort on YouTube, resulting in meager view counts.
After broadening my search, I discovered two channels that excel at adapting podcasts to YouTube:

• Diary of a CEO
• Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal

Their styles differ, but it was clear what we needed to change.

• Guests' faces need to be much larger
• Text should have much bigger fonts and be aligned to one side
• Font style should be readable, not just fun (while we didn’t have comic sans 🤡, it was tough to read)
• Quotes in thumbnails shouldn't repeat the title (a lost opportunity for a second hook)
• For SEO in the description, instead of spammy hashtags, use very fine grained chapters to both help viewers jump around and improve SEO (DOAC videos have up to 40 chapters for a 2 hour video 😱 but I think this is very smart)

screenshot: https://imgur.com/8KFkReH
I ended up building two small tools to speed up this process:

• “interesting frame picker”: now that we use image of the guest from the actual recording, I needed to find frames of the video that had interesting facial expressions but not blurry. This sometimes took up to 15 mins to create, traversing the video a few frames at a time. So I created a small tool that loops through frames of the video while applying an open source facial-emotion-detector and a blurriness threshold to extract good candidates
• segment generator: to generate the fine grained chapters, I made a LLM prompt to extract the starting timestamp, chapter title and an interesting quote for context as a draft for me to edit.

hope this helps fellow beginners and if you have pro-tips i'd love to hear them :D

1. ILLIT - Magnetic: 2.388.047 (KR)
2. Aespa - SuperNova: 2.139.577 (KR)
3. Aespa - Armageddon: 1.954,788 (KR)
4. NewJeans - How Sweet: 1.578.756 (KR)
5. BabyMonster - SHEESH: 1.379.686 (KR)
6. Bini - Salamin, Salamin: 1.083.360 (PH)
7. Bini - Pantropiko: 1.007.394 (PH)
8. TLC - No Scrubs: 921.309 (US)
9. LE SSERAFIM - Smart: 895.346 ↑ (KR)
10. Aespa - Drama: 887.801 ↑ (KR)
11. NewJeans - Bubble Gum: 873.157 ↓ (KR)
12. XG - Woke UP: 854.929 (JP)
13. NewJeans - SUPER SHY: 740.140 (KR)
14. LE SSERAFIM - Perfect Night: 676.029 (KR)
15. LE SSERAFIM - EASY: 662.648 (KR)
16. BabyMonster - Like That: 618.442 (KR)
17. Blackpink - Pink Venom: 610.205 (KR)
Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ep9NvEwC9gmDm2oRxvyX1
Fonte: https://x.com/GirlGrouProject/status/1799080639330701443

YouTube Advice for Creators under 10,000 Subscribers that are struggling… also might apply to anyone under 100K.
This will help you not only grow an audience but make time if you work a full-time job, prioritize the right tools, and that matters most and least.
**IGNORE this advice if you only want to do YouTube as a fun hobby, in which case stop worrying about growth and make whatever you want...
This is an extremely long post with several sections covering MAKING CONTENT FIRST and how to improve the quality of whatever you make, then it will get more deeply into audience growth and strategy later on...
If you want to grow your audience, and you are a working class creator (works 40+ hours and may or ma not have a family, or is a full-time student), then you can't prioritize "Quality over Quantity"...
Now before you stop reading, lets breakdown why.
LACK OF TIME FREEDOM AND RESOURCES.
You need to be getting out 1-2 videos per week, not just to post anything or to post garbage to check a box, but to gain valuable experience and to become a FASTER video editor overall. Aim for at least 100 videos a year, this will become important later in the STRATEGY SECTION.
SPEED is your greatest ally in growth, along side PATIENCE.
When your limitation is scraps of time and scraps of energy you need SPEED and FOCUS to be able to grow as a content creator.
Plan your videos in advance, and your videos need to focus on ONE AUDIENCE.
ONE AUDIENCE, ONE CHANNEL.
Otherwise you spread yourself too thin, the grass grows greener where you water it.
Each video can't take more than 5-10 hours to turn around for now. If you get some free time like a vacation or time off or a holiday, you can make a "banger" video a few times a year that you pour 20-40 hours into.
But this should wait until you have more experience and resources. The YouTubers you admire have 40 hours a week to do nothing but make content and can hire other people.
You can't expect to close that gap with your scraps of spare time and energy after being exhausted at the job all week. You have to do what you can with what you have, until you can do better. And that's okay.
Don't try to OVER EDIT and be fancy when you are starting out as a creator. Edit enough to eliminate distractions and to enhance the best parts and most important parts of a video.
Instead put more thought into the IDEA/TOPIC and who it appeals to. Focus on SCRIPTING, STRUCTURE, and STORYTELLING.
FOR FAST EDITING learn a program that you can grow with, iMovie is TOO LIMITING and takes longer to basic task than it should, its main appeal is that it is FREE.
For Fast Editing, use Adobe Rush or Capcut.
If you want something FREE but really good that can compete with BIG YOUTUBERS and has almost no limitations use DaVinci Resolve.
I am an Adobe power user and have been for 20+ years so I use Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects and Adobe Audition for my editing workflow, and have made several tutorials on it.
The editing techniques you should prioritize:

• COLOR CORRECTION
• CORRECTING AUDIO
• CUTTING AND VIDEO TRACK LAYERING
  
• ADDING BACKGROUND MUSIC
  
• ADDING B-ROLL
  
• ADDING TRANSITIONS
  
• AUDIO MIXING AND EQ
  
• COLOR GRADING
  
• MOTION GRAPHICS
  

If you can learn these then you can move on to the following:

• SPEED RAMPING (TIMELAPSE/SLOWMO)
• MULTI-CAM EDITING
• GREEN SCREEN EDITING

Aside from specific special effects or techniques from individual Big YouTubers or Films, these are the only editing techniques the majority of creators will need to know to make their content.
I also recommend learning them in more or less this order of priority, as it will apply to most content.
Beyond that, focus on your PERFORMANCE, PERSONALITY, and PRODUCTION QUALITY.
Good Audio Matters, but so does your on camera delivery. Learn to deliver on camera with confidence and pay attention to your body language, posture, facial expressions, tonality, inflection, speech patterns.
You can improve all of this for FREE and it will cost you $0 and make any video 10X better, just by being a better on-camera personality and working on being a better performer.
If you can either do Toastmasters to learn public speaking, do open mic nights to practice and gain confidence, or look into paying for improv classes.
For production quality, the most important investments even if you're going to use the camera on your phone, are AUDIO and then LIGHTING.
You'll want to buy lighting because then you can control when you film, if you only use natural lighting the window for your ability to film is more limited and you may not have the energy just because the timing was good for the daylight hours.
For Affordable Lighting the best and most reasonable brands are Neweer, Aputure and Godox.
If you don't wear glasses get an $80 Ring Light
If you where glasses avoid ring lights and panel lights and get a COB light from Aputure or Godox Instead for $150-$200. When you can move to a 2x to 3x light setup or use a 1 light setup with a lantern diffuser or dome. Position the light slightly above you and directly in front of you.
If you have to use panel lights and you ear glasses, light from the sides. If you need to film in front a whiteboard for any reason, also light from the sides.
For Audio You want to get a microphone as close to as possible. There are good wireless mics that plug into phones for under $30. Don't avoid getting a dedicated microphone.
If filming at a desk use a podcast mic from Shure or Elgato. These are under $200 but will be one of your best investments.
For Cameras and Lenses, the LENS CONTROLS THE LOOK OF VIDEOS. Remember this rule from now on.
The "cinematic" look with blurry background (depth of field) is a result of "Fast Lenses" lenses capable of a F/1.2, F/1.4, F/1.8, F/2.0 or F/2.8 aperture, sometimes called F STOP.
This allows you or the subject to be in focus and the background to be blurry. This is the "Big YouTuber Look" in videos you admire.
It can be faked with some modern smartphones, but its better with a real camera.
The most affordable cameras to produce this look that change lenses and are decent are the Sony ZVe10 and the Sony a6700. If you want something for under $700 that doesn't have interchangable lenses but can still achieve this look get the Sony ZV1F or the Sony ZV1.
These are your most affordable "Vlog Style" cameras that have a flip out screen and have audio jack inputs for microphones, and have all the modern features a content creator needs.
For camera lenses the most affordable prime lenses (no zoom) for talking head videos with blurry background look are going to be the 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm. For small rooms and the most options including streaming, you will want the 24mm lens.
Vlogger Matt D'avella uses the 24mm look in his videos.
If you like close up shots the 35mm and 50mm are the most flattering. For vloggers the 20mm is best overall.
When you can afford it the most versatile lenses for YouTubers are the f/2.8 16-35mm lens and the f/2.8 24-70mm.
CONTENT STRATEGY
This is the part most of you came for but strategy won't help poorly made content... and even if it could that would be at the audiences expense and unfair to viewers.
Content Strategy revolves around VIEWS, , SUBSCRIBERS, AND MONETIZATION. These are your main YouTube Metrics.
Views = Value to Viewer Subscribers = Support/Status Monetization = Money
Put another way
Views = Traffic Subscribers = Trust Monetization = Transaction
To get to 1,000 Subscribers you generally need to target getting your first 100,000 views from LONG FORM CONTENT.
None of what we discuss here will apply to Short Form Creators.
Usually I tell Creators that for getting 1000 Subscribers and 4000 watch hours in 12 months their target should be to make 100 videos, and average 1000 lifetime views per upload with an average view duration of about 3 minutes. 4000 Watch Hours is 240,000 Minutes, so 300,000 minutes (5000 hours) will give them a safety margin.
100 videos is 2 uploads per week for a whole year, and so it makes math easy and the goal obtainable.
10 Get to 10,000 Subscribers we have to be more aggressive and the goal is not necessarily to go from 0 to 10,000 in one year, if you have a lot of limitations on time and resources and have not learned video production and editing thoroughly.
Realistically your first year of content creation will be struggling to get out 1 video per week, and it will probably not be focused an intentional content, and will be expression.
For most of you the best thing would be to make a "throw away" YouTube channel where you can post everything you're passionate about and get it out of your system so you can not feel stifled and free up your mind. That channel is not about growth. Its about learning.
Most your favorite creators didn't grow until their 2nd or 3rd YouTube channel because they needed to experiment with expression and get some skills under their belt before they could focus on pleasing an audience.
The Strategy for someone FOCUSING on GROWTH and trying to grow to 10,000 subscribers using the 1% rule is to try to get their first 1 MILLION channel views without going viral, and using only LONG FORM CONTENT.
If you wanted to try to achieve this in a year, the goal would be to make 100-150 videos in a year with an average of 8000-10,000 views across these videos.
The most practical way to do that is to focus on ONE AUDIENCE. When we say "niche down" we really don't mean "one topic" so much as ONLY TOPICS THIS ONE GROUP CARES ABOUT.
You can think of this as picking your table at lunch. Are you sitting with the Goth Kids, The Jocks the Chess Club, the Cheerleaders? These groups all have different interest, priorities, preferences and culture.
You would struggle in appeasing and uniting all of them.
For getting Views, you have to know what people give attention to, and attention isn't gained by video editing, its retained by it...
So attention is gained by TOPIC, TITLE, THUMBNAIL, TIMING/TREND.
This is what communicates and demonstrates VALUE FOR THE VIEWER.
We will disqualify you from attention if you're covering a TOPIC we don't care about, it doesn't matter how good the video is.
The TITLE communicates the topic and that and TIMING decide if its MORE RELEVANT TO US than other videos fighting for our attention at the moment.
THUMBNAILS are who you get us to look your way and PAY ATTENTION to you. Dress to Impress.
The Framework I teach my coaching clients for thumbnails is the VIBES Framework:
VISUALLY ATTRACTIVE AT A GLANCE INTERESTING AT A GLANCE BOLD COLORS, CONTRAST AND TEXT EYE CATCHING ELEMENTS SOCIAL PROOF/ STATUS
A thumbnail should have all or most of these elements and you can see MOST thumbnails that get views on YouTube tend to have some of these in common.
The exception(s) to this don't negate the rule (and by rule we mean common pattern or trend), so please stop bringing them up, since it won't apply to you.
Titles are not supposed to be "SEO FRIENDLY" its TOPICS that would be SEO Friendly, this is a common point of confusion.
And SEO or Search Friendly Content isn't really for those of you who want to be entertainers, it is for those of you in niches like tech, beauty, finance, podcasting, product reviewers, tv show reviewers, reaction channels, or those making tutorial content, or covering news/poltiics.
You can worry about it less or not at all if you are an entertainment based YouTuber doing vlogs, pranks, gameplay, storytelling, spectacle, etc..
In general TITLES should be about what the Viewer will value and identify with.
One common method I teach is "Ambition vs Anxiety" Framing. The thing you want be true, or the thing you are afraid is true. Sometimes both in the same title.
Example: "97% of YouTube Channels Fail: How to Succeed as a Small YouTuber".
This video has 93,000 Views.
It frames an anxiety trigger "failure" but also teases and ambition trigger "success" but also uses a very eye catching data point...
The hook at the beginning of the video cites several pieces of data to support the claim in the title.
Titles that use emotional triggers will get more clicks and thumbnails that tell a story in a glace without giving away the whole video but can illustrate the main IDEA, will be a winning combination for a creator.
For this reason you need to focus on the IDEA/TOPIC, and the THUMBNAIL and TITLE combo, before you make the video, it can't be an after thought you spend 5 minutes on.
Should you use templates?
For most of you need templates because you're bad typography (choosing and arranging fonts properly) and bad a color theory and design and don't know what a good layout is and how to make those decisions.
Templates where you can swap out your custom photos and rewrite the text, at least mean that instead of a "unique" thumbnail that is bad, you can have a generic thumbnail that is acceptable.
It is better for you to wear a school uniform and then stand out with a scarf or a pin or a hat... and be just above generic...
Than to be original and have it be tacky, ugly, and be avoided.
So while I understand the logic on custom thumbnails being better. its only better if it comes out looking good.
Good Looking and Generic > Unique and Ugly.
For most of you this already solves a lot of the problem, unless you don't even know what to make or who your audience/niche should be.
For figuring this out I have made several videos and live streams you can watch that explain these things in detail and I do suggest you actually sit through them when you have time.
But a short answer is that you should do the following:
Something you are passionate about but only if you're good at it or can be become good at it reasonably fast. The exception is if you're going to document a journey.
Whatever you pick you should be able to prove that it has a large enough audience.
The way you do this is identify if there are several channels with 100K to 1M subscribers doing this type of content.
IF NOT, and you are determined to build the niche yourself, you can, but don't cry about how hard it is or how slow and painful it is.
You're trying to build an oasis in a desert at that point, and you probably don't have the experience, expertise, resources or support to pull that off... so be self aware.
You want to also consider your own reality and situation, if you want to do this as a career and not a hobby you need to consider if your niche has good money in it and a variety of monetization opportunities.
Are there a lot of sponsors in this niche? IF you struggle to find creators doing sponsored content, and can't name 5-10 sponsors for this sort of content, then it will be very difficult to go full-time.
If you can't think something you can sell to the audience in this niche, you will be beholden to how many views you can get for Adsense and how many brands are willing to work with you... and how long you can stay relevant.
This is why its important to decide if you are going to be a hobby creator, who will go full-time if you're fortunate enough to happen to grow, or if you are building a career as a creator intentionally and are trying to grow and monetize sustainably long-term.
What are you passionate about? What are you good at? What has an audience? What makes money?
It should qualify to check all 4 of those boxes.
Look up my video on IKIGAI.
SUBSCRIBERS?
How to do we turn viewers into subscribers on long form content?
We go off of the 1% rule here which is why for 1000 subscribers you need 100,000 views, and for 10,000 you need 1 Million views and for 100,000 you need 10M views (on average).
Some niches like gaming, are much harder to convert viewers to subscribers and have a Viewer to Subscriber Conversion rate of .3% or .5% instead of the general 1%.
This is a far more important success metric than "view to subscriber ratio on each upload".
Do subscribers matter?
To the ALGORITHM? NO. It doesn't particularly help distribution in a "meaningful way", its marginal.
For most of you reading this if you have viewers at all 50% to 80% of your views on all videos are from NON-SUBSCRIBERS.
Don't be sad about this, as it means you have great growth potential to convert those people.
It just means that we have to accept that in an ALGORITHM driven platform "audience loyalty" is a luxury, since platforms distribute content to viewers based on whats good for the platform, not whats good for the creator...
Its highly likely your subscribers aren't always given the opportunity to even know when you are uploading...
Which is why Creators who upload on a scheduled day and or time and stream on a scheduled day or time, tend to have higher audience loyalty from Returning Viewers in their analytics.
To turn viewers into Subscribers is where HIGH QUALITY content and HIGH EFFORT content can come into play.
If you are a working class creator with limited time, you need to make videos of ACCEPTABLE QUALITY, and this means the audio has to be good, and the editing should focus on accuracy and eliminating distractions.
Here PERSONALITY AND PERFORMANCE are your chance to stand out and shine.
You have to build LIKE AND TRUST with anyone who gives your video a chance.
When you can't out compete on the highest quality in your niche, win on consistency.
If you can make acceptable quality content that only improves a little with every single upload, if you can upload 3-5 times a week and go live once a week, in a niche where the most popular creators only upload 1-2 times per week, you can feed the audience that is HUNGRY FOR MORE.
You content be comes supplemental and support content, for people who aren't satisfied with ONLY what they get from the largest Creators.
You could also position as the alternative point of view to the most popular creators in a niche.
The main thing is to create a QUALITY EXPERIENCE, we will keep coming back to whoever provides a good time, and we will also support someone what we feel provided us VALUE.
The content in terms of production and editing doesn't have to be over the top, if it is acceptable but the PERSONALITY AND PERFORMANCE of the creator are GREAT then we can easily support them and subscribe to them and share their content.
For growth also remember the value of community. If you're small, you should REPLY TO EVERY SINGLE COMMENT and be thoughtful.
Here are also 4 things the ALGORITHM can't do anything about that help growth:

• SCHEUDLE
• SEARCH
• SHARES
• SHOUTOUTS

If you're benefiting from these, then the algorithm would have to quite literally shadow ban you for you not grow.
You need to consider NON ALGORITHM EVENTS in your growth strategy and not always "Let YouTube Take the Wheel".
Is there more to growth and content strategy than this? YES.
Is there information here that doesn't apply to your situation? YES.
Does this work for every single creator if they follow it without exception? NO.
Does that matter. NO.
This information, has the highest overall probability of solving most of your issues when it comes to not growing as a content creator.
For most of you... not growing boils down to a HARSH TRUTH that is pretty brutal.
You don't want to server an audience, you want to please yourself with what you are posting, and be validated for it...
Because you are looking for an audience and attention validate you for being you, because you likely haven't experienced that before or enough... and you desperately want to feel seen...
This is human and normal, so I'm not putting you down for it, even if that is what it feels like.
But the BLUNT TRUTH as brutal as it is, will be that NONE OF THAT is the problem of the viewer, and they likely don't care... and that is reflected in the growth you are not getting.
My compromise if for you to SERVE AN AUDIENCE ON YOUTUBE...
And then express yourself on INSTAGRAM/TIKTOK an ask your YouTube audience to support you there where you can post whatever you want, whenever you want and not niche down, and just have people support you no matter what.
As for those of you who want to go full-time, most full-time creators, make their money from sponsors and not Adsense.
Do sponsored content but also UGC (reference my live stream about this for a full guide) and get 3-5x brands that you can work with for a minimum of $1000-$3000 a month each depending on what they need from you.
If you can do that with long-term 12 month contracts you can make a Ful-time living as a content creator.
For early monetization use the Amazon Influencer Program and it's affiliate links and make sure to use these with the YouTube community tab. This is underrated for making money.
YouTube can be a full-time income if you approach it intentionally and strategically.
Treat it with the respect of a real job, because trust me it is TAXED the same as one (actually more due to 15% self employment tax in America)
Keep in mind you also have to make 30% more than your job … because you have to cover your taxes but also pay for private healthcare coverage.
I can make a post about full-time YouTube and healthcare coverage, taxes and insurance coverage for your gear and media insurance if anyone is really interested in that.
I hope you find this helpful.
I will try to reply to questions.

Curious as to what other people would do in my situation. (I’ve never posted on here so I’m sorry if this post is formatted wrong.) My friend and I are women in our early twenties. My friend’s boyfriend is 28 and my boyfriend is 26. Let’s refer to my friend as Anna, her boyfriend as Jack, and my boyfriend as John. John and I are both Americans, but our fathers are from different Arab countries. Meaning we are half Arab, I know this seems weird to mention, but it’s relevant. Anna has always been super outgoing, bubbly, and she loves to hang out with people. We had been hanging out pretty frequently, about once or twice a week, but John and I ended up moving 4 and a half hours North of my hometown for school. Because of this I wasn’t able to see Anna as often, but I still make trips to visit her and my family when I’m able. I usually go to my hometown twice a month. There have been times where I went just to see Anna because my family was on vacation. I have lived here for 10 months and Anna hasn’t visited me once. Flash back to January of this year Anna meets Jack and they start dating. John and I are super excited for her because she’s always gushing to us about how great he is and he honestly sounds like a good guy that has his shit together. She tells me that she wants us to go on a double date. John and I agree and tell her we’re looking forward to it and we will hang out with them next time we come to town. I let Anna pick the restaurant, she picks a Middle Eastern restaurant that we frequent because she loves hookah and she wants Jack to try it. We get to the restaurant, but it’s raining so we have to sit inside. This is a bit of a bummer because (IMO) one of the best parts of going to a restaurant with hookah is being able to sit outside and relax. Plus it can sometimes get a bit stuffy because you have a bunch of people smoking hookah in an enclosed space. Anyways we introduce ourselves then we sit down. One of the first things Jack does is chuckle and say to Anna “it’s funny how my friends took us to a nice fancy place and your friends took us to a place like this.” I found this statement amusing because the “fancy place” he was talking about was a cafe that I introduced Anna to, anyways I digress. The whole time we are there John is trying his hardest to strike up a conversation with Jack, but Jack is shooting down pretty much everything he says. Anna had told us lots of things about Jack so John would try to bring up some of the things Anna mentioned, but Jack was super dismissive. For example John said, “I heard that you like this video game, my friends really like it and have told me I should try it out. What do you like about it?” And Jack would reply like this, “I actually don’t play video games because they are childish and they are only for immature people.” Each time myself or John tried to speak to Jack he would look annoyed and shit on whatever it was we were talking about. When the hookah my friend ordered had arrived she asked Jack to try it and instead simply declining he said something along the lines of, “I don’t do stupid stuff like that. That’s for people that have nothing better to do.” Bear in mind, John and I did not pick the restaurant nor did we order the hookah. John and I both got the vibe that this guy really didn’t like us and it kind of felt like he looked down at us. Fast forward a few months and I start seeing Anna less and less. Then a month before my birthday I go to visit her. I tell Anna that I won’t be able to come to town around my birthday because of finals, but she is more than welcome to come to town and stay at my place. As we are hanging out Anna gets a call from Jack saying he wants to hang out, so we go to meet up with him and his friends. Jack is somewhat dismissive of my existence but his friends are nice enough. I find out that they all live near me. After that Anna and I head back to her place. Anna and I get to talking and we decide that the next time her and Jack go to visit his friends she’s gonna come to my place and hang out with me since I’m roughly 30 minutes away from his friends place. A few days later Anna tells me that Jacks friends are having a bbq and they are going to their house the weekend before my birthday so we schedule to hang out then. Anna told me, “if I’m driving then Jack won’t have a say in the matter.” Since she wasn’t sure if she or Jack would be driving we came up with two plans. The first one was on whatever day that worked best with her and Jacks plans her and I would pick a place to meet up at and have a meal or coffee. The second plan was that I would pick her up then we would pick a place to go and get a meal or coffee. Anna had told me she wanted to spend time with me since it was so close to my birthday. Fast forward to the weekend that Anna comes to town, she tells me that she’ll either be able to hang out on Friday or Saturday. I ended up keeping my weekend completely open for her incase she was suddenly able to hang out. I didn’t end up hearing from Anna until Saturday Evening. That’s when Anna tells me she wants to get brunch with me before she heads back home. Then she asks me if Jack and his friends can come with as well. I already felt uncomfortable and I didn’t want to be a bitch so I caved in and said it was fine. I began to look up restaurants that were between my place and Jacks friends place. As I was doing that I got a text from Anna informing me that Jacks friends had already picked out a restaurant and that’s where we were going. I felt really uncomfortable because I don’t know these people and I already felt like Jack disliked me. I tried to cancel, but Anna told me she really wanted to see me especially since I wasn’t doing anything else for my birthday. Because of traffic it ended up being a 50 minute drive for me to get to this restaurant which was apparently 8 minutes away from Jacks friends house. So we didn’t even meet in the middle. The wait was pretty long and we ended up having to wait even longer because more of Jacks friends decided to join us last minute. Look, I can appreciate good breakfast food… this food was not good. Thankfully it was cheap. The whole time everyone was chatting about how they had such a great weekend and the new inside jokes they had and I just sat there awkwardly. I would try to chat with Anna and the others, but I felt like I was an annoyance whenever I tried to join the conversation. The only person that didn’t brush me off was Anna and one of Jacks friends. We ended up finishing our meals split the checks and that was that. I think I felt weird about the situation because Anna and I had originally planned for it to be my birthday meal but then it turned into breakfast with her bf and his buddies. Like I would’ve been fine with that if my initial expectation wasn’t that I was going to celebrate my birthday with my best friend. Anyways few weeks go by and I see a cute trend on the internet where girls are making friendship bracelets that match their eyes. I sent a video of that trend to Anna and told her that we should do that bc it’s cute and fun. She liked the idea. We ended up planning a day to hang out, she wants to go to the hookah place again. The original plan was that Anna, her mom, John and I would go get dinner there and hang out because Anna wanted to get hookah. Anna and I were texting today and I asked her if she would be down to make the friendship bracelets with me when I come to town this weekend. I guess she misunderstood me because she told me it was such a cute double date idea and she can’t wait for us to make bracelets with out bf’s. She also informed me that Jack would be joining us. Also she has been to Jacks friends house at least twice and both times she hasn’t really made an effort to hang out with me despite the fact that they are 30 to 40 min away depending on traffic. Which I know sounds like a lot, but I have made the 4 and a half hour drive to see her multiple times. Another thing I’ve noticed is Anna has been making weird comments about me in regards to me being Arab. I don’t like to talk politics with my friends, but Anna knows that I have family members that have been killed by a certain controversial government in the Middle East. And ever since she started dating Jack she’s been making weird comments acting like I’m some sort of aggressive person. For example when I visited her last we we’re getting brunch and their was an older gentleman near us that was wearing a Star of David necklace. I didn’t say anything nor did I have any problem with it because why would I. But Anna spotted the guy and said something like, “uh oh, don’t go and beat that guy up. Should I go protect him?” Which don’t get me wrong I love a good Arab joke, I mean I make them all the time. I just feel like she’s been acting kind of weird about me and John being Arab, which is a new thing. I know that Anna is still in the honeymoon phase and I want what’s best for her. I just want to know what others would do in my situation because I don’t want to come across as rude or mean. I want Anna to be happy, but I don’t want to be around Jack every single time her and I hang out. I just feel heavily judged by him.

The Context:

/clevercomebacks is a sub for screenshots of, well, clever comebacks
Jason Schreier is a video game journalist who currently works for Bloomberg.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a 2024 third-person shooter developed by Rocksteady. It is a spin-off of the acclaimed Arkham series of Batman games. The game received mixed reviews, with many singling out gameplay mechanics, live-service format, and the handling of certain characters.
The game has also been criticized by some for its connections to a company called Sweet Baby, Inc, or “SBI.” SBI is a consulting firm that partners with video game developers to craft stories that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. The firm and the games it consults on have often become targets online.
Schreier has written an in-depth post-mortem on the game and promoted it on Twitter. A user objects to the lack of discussion of the “woke tone” of the game or SBI in his article. Jason responds that his article is an account of what “actually happened.”
A user posts a screenshot of this exchange to /clevercomebacks and this is the stage on which our drama is set.

The Drama:

Someone objects to being called a whiner:

The fuck? Suicide squad didn’t fail because it was woke God conservatives love whining

Yeah, just like the left whines whenever there are not enough non-binary characters in movies or games or whatever. Or when they whine because of “cultural appropriation”. Or when they literally bawl and sob about pronouns. The whining is non-binary my friend, it can go either side.

Cultural appropriation? Maybe.
The other two? I knows a bunch of non binary people and I have never heard them complaing about either of those things.

The non binary people that you know… that’s anecdotal. So, what about instead the non binary people that I know, which complain?
Or, if that does even matter, the giant push from all sides to “update” the language to the new fancy trend of the inclusive language?

I don't see any issue with inclusive language. It's not hard and barely affects the story. Are you saying we shouldn't do the bare minimum for our fellow humans? Oh no! You heard "they" instead of "she" what a nightmare!

[Continued:]

You don’t see any issue, but I do. Btw, I don’t want to superimpose any law to keep the language as it was, but you probably would to change it instead.
I’m libertarian on that front, so I don’t think language rules should be superimposed with force.

Nah you can say anything you want. But if my any of my friends asks me to call them something I'll do it. And out of respect for them I try to take pronouns into account when I'm talking. But hey I try to be a nice inclusive fellow. You are welcome to be exclusive. See where that gets ya.
no one is imposing laws on language beyond not allowing you to harass people

no one is imposing laws on language beyond the ones that do

l o l

you can't understand that the comments before mine add context to it? oof

You can't understand that you made a claim and within the same sentence contradicted yourself? Yikes.

[Continued:]

not being able to understand context is just a sign of low intelligence, pretending to not understand it is a sign of being dishonest.
i don't argue with retards or liars, go try to bait someone else.

Things continue when the same user objects to people objecting to their objection:

I don't why you became determined to prove the person you're replying too right but here we are.

I don’t know… what? I have an opinion different from his. I guess Reddit should be a place of discussion, but if you want I can leave you guys into your echo chamber. Not a problem.

Dude, that's just lame. You can have an opinion. No one is saying you can't, but you're literally posting it publicly for people to see and have opinions on. I swear this "Oh, so you're mad cause I got an opinion" is just the "What? So I don't have freedom of speech anymore?" Argument all over again.
And sometimes your opinion is dumb and I feel no problem calling it out as such. Don't like it? Fine, retreat like you just said you are. Go to your echo chamber where everyone agrees with you and do more whining.
If you can't handle people giving your shit when you give other's shit then don't give other people shit.

I’m posting my opinion because I’m interested in having a discussion, since it’s a slow day at work.
Who said that I don’t have freedom of speech? I’m speaking my thoughts freely.
And the fact that my opinion is dumb is… roll of drums… an opinion!

You completely misunderstood what I meant by freedom of speech. In the past, when cornered (mostly by popular opinion) people would cry freedom of speech as a defensive against criticism, claiming that they had the right to say what they did but in doing so trying to claim others don't have the right to respond with their own freedom and should just let them talk without commentary.
Saying "So I'm not allowed to have a different opinion?" Is the same bullshit. No one is saying you can't. I'm saying I'm allowed to say your opinion is, in my opinion, whining about a non-issue that just makes you look worse as well as being an attempt to say "Both sides bad" which is pointless deflection that doesn't offer anything of substance to any conversation.

[Continued:]

Who the heck ever said “I’m not allowed to have a different opinion”?
I responded to the guy that asked “why you’re determined to prove the person you replied to… etc”, so he basically asked: “why do you state your opinion?” and I answered “because I have a different opinion etc.”

Jesus fuck. This is just nonsense and arguing schematics and nit picking at this point. Hell, you can't even decide if it's opinion or fact.
I've said what I wanted to say and since you can't seem to grasp basic concepts there's no point to talking to you. Please learn to understand stuff better and communicate better. I mean that. You are horrible at basic levels of discussions and understanding.
If you want to argue when you're obviously in the wrong that's fine but I know I ain't going to convince you and have better things to do. Like watch paint dry, grass grow or literally nothing.
Internet babble and rage aside, I do genuinely hope you learn from this. If only learning that when you say "Fuck this shit I'm out" you should stick with it if only for your own health.

Someone objects to the word “chud”:

These chuds are so desperate to be a victim of some grand conspiracy.

The chuds are people who bought the game and are defending it.

No one cares about this mid ass game but these whiny dweebs who are so desperate to be a victim act like there’s some grand conspiracy being fought in these online culture wars.
No, you chuds are a very small percentage of the actual people disappointed in this game.
How dare they enjoy a game you didn't.

Sweet Baby Inc isnt a conspiracy, we already know they exist and how they ruin games

SBI didn't ruin the game with a horrendous UI or battle passes and MTX? SBI didn't write in the Batman being shot bit that riled everyone up? Stop listening to all the right wing grifters when they offer you an easy boogeyman.
They're just writing consultants you goober.

What exactly does chud even mean?? The only time I’ve ever heard it was terminally online leftists describing terminally online incels and rightoids.

Says someone who speaks like a terminally online dweeb. A chud is a whiny basement dwelling cretin who constantly whines about culture wars and pretending to be a victim of some conspiracy to erase their identity

Someone objects to others’ poor pattern recognition:

Pattern recognition bad

What pattern?

SBI involvement w game devs

That means what?

SBI involvement w game devs leads to underwhelming product releases

[Continued:]

Can you list all the games they are involved?

No but a Brazilian dude did on steam and got banned for it, there was alot of Drama regarding SBI and their DEI policies.
I bet there are tons of videos coverin this "issue"
I already touched on some of the issues when I replied to another person who commented on this thread (its just 2 people replying) feel welcomed to read it

So you dont know? How do you see pattern without knowing what they are involved with?

Ohhh i see the type of conversation you are looking for...
Yeah i know of a few games they were involved with and the issues are the same, DEI policies.

A few is not a pattern.

One user’s friends have objections:

How weird... I've got many friends who play games, and am in many gaming community. If I go around and ask them why they dislike the game, I get two answer "The story sucks and it is so woke I want to vomit." Now when I push back I get "the problem is not having queer people but to have them only for the sake of representation and having them ruin the story." But yeah, none of it ever happened, right? This sub is pathetic. It's supposed to be a comeback place an you all praise a guy who literally said "nuh uh, it didn't happened" just because y'all are politically biased. Pathetic

Your chud friends think the same as you? Stop the presses lol.

Not only my friends. That's the point. Sorry you dont want to look the reality in the face, but it's not just in the game. It's in the movie, culture, politics. Not only that, I'm queer myself and most of my friends are, and most of the group I am in is welcoming to that. But even those group and those friends also are completely turned off by false representation for the sake of scoring brownie points.
Bad representation is bad. Representation for the sake of it is toxic. If you pull yourself out of the bubble that is Reddit you might see it.

Lemme guess. You are a bisexual man?

Lemme guess, you are about to be a queer bashing person while also saying you support them?
Let me guess, I'm not gay enough for you? I don't suck enough cock to be considered queer?
I don't get enough weird look for you when I kiss my boyfriend in public? I didn't get enough backlash when I came out for you? Are you really about to gatekeep being queer like that?
You are just proving my point about wokeness and the problem it is. The fact that you even ask that question is pathetic and you should be ashamed of yourself.

[Continued:]

So you are a bisexual man got it. Lol

Yep, and you are a bigot.

Bi men never beating allegations lol

Yeah. Please keep showing how bigoted you are. You are the literal representation of the cancer in the queer movement. You are literally judging me only on the fact of my gender and sexual orientation. But please, keep telling yourself you are a good person. One day you will believe it

Yep. That is a bi man.

[Continued:]

So, do I need to say it a third time? Yes I'm a bi man. I never hide it, and I never did in my life either. Hence why I often get in conversation with bigot like you who think themselves being a good person.
So, since you want to judge on sexual orientation and sex, tell me what are you? What are you to be able to judge me like that? You must be sooooo queer to be able to judge if someone is queer enough or not?

Dude relax. I just guessed you are a bi man. No need to overthink.

No no, continue. I've seen your kind many time. Don't back away now.
"I've just guessed you are a bi man"
No, you tried to invalidate what I've said by saying "must be a bi man." It was obvious. You're not the first trying to do that
Now are you gonna try to deny it and back off with your tail between your legs, or you are gonna say what you are so we can have an honest conversation?

Yep. Still a bi man.

Yep, still a bigot.

[Continued:]

Bye bi man

One user objects to the sub:

They should rename this subreddit liberal comebacks

Yet here you are.

Not for long

Still too long
Yep nothing you say is clever. Actually all you say is "master write me a script and I say what master tells me to say".

Only if you rename yourself Maga wannabe.

That makes no sense lol I don’t have to like trump to complain about stuff not making sense in video games

Makes exactly as much sense as what you’re asking for. Sit down and let those with a functional understanding of logic and cause and effect handle things.

Of course you had to say "sit down", you are obviously better and smarter than that person in every way. /s for the rest of us.

[Continued:]

No he's not, you're just worse

The same user who objected above and announced their departure, pops back up again to continue their objections:

Not clever, wrong. Token diversity characters, pushing for reparations bullshit, pride flags in a game? The point of the game is for action and a suicide squad story, not a political message

Here’s an idea: Diversity characters don’t bother people, who don’t have issues with minorities and they might help people from those minorities relate to the game. And pride flags are a part of real world, so why shouldn’t they be in games? Are you against soda cans in games as well?

First off, race swapping deadshot should bother you, and it’s annoying af when there’s real life advertising or political agendas in games or movies.

You don’t get art without messages.
What tangible impact does deadshot’s skin colour have on the story?

Does it not bother you when they change things solely because of a political agenda?

[…]

No one will ever love you, and they're right for that.

Projecting already this early in the morning? Sad.

The Flairs:

• “Redditors when they read something twice: 😡😭🤯”
  
• “And the fact that my opinion is dumb is… roll of drums… an opinion!”
  
• “I blame myself for writing a comment that triggered you so much”
  
• “Bye bi man”
  

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Greetings, smelly fam! Tis I, the decant h'eau, back with my biggest round of decant reviews yet. Feminine frag fans rejoice, because I have some good ones here for you. Big thanks to Honest Ayyb for his enduring professionalism and personal attention to my order. The personalized label on the box made my day :)
This batch has been so fun to test. I found some real loves, and my first, dare I say, HATE from Montagne. Unless stated otherwise, I have not smelled the inspiration fragrances, so I am judging these on their own merit.
About me: 29, prefer to present androgynous. I gravitate towards unisex fragrances, but will wear whatever my nose likes. My workday incorporates both office and classroom environments. Seeking fragrances primarily to boost my mood and add personal flair to my wardrobe.
Let's get into some fragrances!
Parfum de Cerise: I have indeed smelled Tom Ford's Lost Cherry, and right off the bat, this is better. It's better blended and more vibrant; Lost Cherry can come off a bit dull and one-dimensional to me. However, it is still close enough to qualify as a convincing substitute, imo. The opening on this one is a little wild, but the dry down is simply divine. It's a deep, rich cherry with a woody base and a hint of smoke. It doesn't smell medicinal to me, which I know is a big concern for cherry notes. It's not too sweet either, which is always my worry when I go in for the fruitier frags. I didn't have any trouble wearing this on a warm spring day, but I already know that this is going to be amazing for cool weather. Decent projection and good lasting power; I can smell it on me throughout the day, and I don't have to try too hard to smell it. I think that this is unisex, despite varying opinions on the matter. I certainly don't think this is feminine, per se, but I get why some men would feel it's not for them. It's a best-seller for a reason, though, and if you haven't tried it yet, you should. On my to-buy list, can't wait to bust this out for the fall!
Afternoon Dive: In my testing notes for AD, I wrote, "Shut up. Shut the fuck up. How is so simple but SO GOOD???" Picture this: you're dressed in white linen, staying at a seaside villa. You take your breakfast out on the balcony. You peel an orange, and consume its flesh. Below, the Mediterranean laps against the rocks, and a warm, gentle breeze carries a up hint of salt spray to caress your face. That's what this smells like. It's an amazingly natural-smelling orange. I was worried that the marine accord would be giving fragrance flap (you know, those paper flaps in magazines that give you a "sample" of fragrance but always smell kind of off and chemically), but nay, none of that weird, sharp, synthetic designer BS here. D&G Light Blue WISHES it was this good. I agree with others that this is 50/50 unisex, and likely to be a safe buy and easy wear for absolutely anyone. This is certainly not what your typical, MEN'S COLOGNE smells like... but I wish it was! I wish more men wore fragrance like this, especially in warm weather. Wear this if you're trying to get gobbled up, hehe. There is tremendous beauty in a simple thing done well, and Afternoon Dive is the living proof. The hype is deserved. If you don't have this yet, snatch it up when it comes back in stock.
Lyra: I want to eat this. The image it brings to mind is of a lemon cake with butter cream frosting. The citrus is stronger in the beginning, and the vanilla is more prominent in the dry down. It's a light and fluffy vanilla, not deep and rich or boozy. I can also detect a little sprinkle of cinnamon. I don't perceive any licorice, which is a little disappointing to me. I was hoping that it would smell like Italian pastries, which often pair citrus fruits with anise (which smells and tastes similar to licorice), but alas. It's still a delightful, delicious fragrance, and a win in my book. As far as performance goes, I got good lasting power out of this one, noticeable but not too loud, with a nice little scent trail. The Montagne website says this is unisex, but I think most will find this feminine-leaning. Not too heavy. Though it is a sweet gourmand, I think this could work for warmer weather. A good choice for those who like to smell like dessert. This would not be a go-to fragrance for me, but it's the kind of thing I might like to wear when I'm in the mood for something fun and flirtatious. I will get around to buying it, I'm sure.
Pogi: I'm just going to say it: I deeply dislike this one. The opening is pretty harsh; it's giving old-school department store fragrance. And y'all... I can get down with a vintage-esque powdery, soapy fragrance, but this is VERY powdery and soapy. I'm reminded of 90s baby powder-like fragrances, such as Kenzo Flower. It's not bad in the air, but if I lean in to sniff it, ugh, absolute nausea. Fruity floral notes halfway save it on the dry down. After an hour or so, it's okay, but very much not for me. Quite feminine to my nose. You may like this if you are looking to indulge in 90s nostalgia, or if you really love a powder bomb. Be conservative with your sprays, though, because it projects and lasts a long time.
Eau Rose: Ahhhh... I love this. It's beautiful. You get that rose for sure, but it's supported by the woody, slightly smoky and resinous base, with the vetiver bringing in an herbaceous, earthy accord. The cumin is present, but it's just here to give some spice, not stank, which is a common complaint for the OG. Trust me, you won't smell like tacos or BO. Truthfully, it kind of reminds me of men's deodorant, but in the best possible way. And with the rose in there, it's almost like... a very beautiful woman wearing her man's deodorant. Ladies, if you've ever done that, you'll know what a unique experience it is; comforting, because it reminds you of what it feels like being close to him, but also a bit sexy and rebellious. Personally, I think this is unisex, but in a different way than Afternoon Dive. Those who are most comfortable with a straightforwardly masculine or straightforwardly feminine fragrance may not like this, but for those of us who like to play around in the middle, it's heavenly. I want to wear this all the time. It's taking all of my willpower not to order this RIGHT NOW but I'm trying to wait for the next sub discount code to take effect.
London: Wow, this one is difficult to describe, but I just can't stop smelling it. When I first apply it, the first thing that hits me is the leather, followed by a fruity sweetness. I definitely get the vanilla and raspberry. There's also something about it that reminds me of Axe body spray... but in a good way, if you can imagine such a thing. I wonder if it might be the oud or cypress that causes this effect for me, but I'm not experienced enough with either of these notes to say for sure. Let me know if you know! It's hard for me to really pick out any of the other notes, but the overall effect reminds me of wearing a leather jacket on a rainy day, and stepping into a pastry shop to dry off and have a snack. Sexy in a cozy sort of way. It strikes me as a nighttime fragrance, best for going out or date night. Probably not the best choice for the heat of summer, but a real stunner for cool weather. This is yet another in this batch that I feel some women might find too masculine, but some men might find too feminine. Right up my alley. Intend to purchase.
Cashmere Rose: I have smelled Carmina, but only on paper. My memory of that fragrance suggests that Cashmere Rose is pretty similar, but I haven't had a chance to go back to the Creed counter and test it on skin to make sure. This is a cherry rose fragrance, and it's different from any cherry or rose I've ever smelled before. In another comment, I described my first impression thusly: "a bougie, black cherry & rosewater sucker. Something handcrafted by a cheerfully crunchy yet surprisingly wealthy woman and sold on her Etsy shop "as a hobby". It's not sugary sweet, because of course she's only using organic, all natural ingredients, but it has the mild sweetness of say, real fruit juice. A bit soft and powdery, but not reminiscent of makeup, and a nice, resinous, woody base. Very interesting, and very unique. I don't have anything else like this." Good lasting power: it sticks with you in a subtle way. Kind of transparent and ethereal, it floats around you like a halo, and you get stronger whiffs of it when you move. It could work all year round, but something about it feels destined for spring. I think most will perceive this as feminine, but if you're a man who likes Initio's Atomic Rose, you may like this one too. This truly does feel like a luxury fragrance, and I would expect nothing less from a Creed-inspired scent. Another for the to-buy list.
Cashmere Flower: I like this one, but it's not particularly special imo. It's kind of soapy like Pogi, but in a more manageable way. Learn from my mistakes and do not assume that there is a cashmere note in here, because there isn't. Reading is fundamental, I have no one to blame but myself. But no matter, it's still a nice fragrance. It has a pretty floral, soapy/powdery drydown. Soft and comforting. Like being fresh out of the shower after using a fancy shampoo and body wash. Not too loud, you get a nice little scent bubble that lasts through the day. This is an easy wear, and would be good for a chill, relaxing day at home or could function well as an office scent. Gently feminine to my nose, but it's so unobtrusive that anyone who smells it on a man will simply assume that he has recently bathed and used a good-quality soap. All in all, it smells good, it's safe, but not terribly exciting.
Rich Santal: Why don't people talk about this one more? It's so lovely and unexpectedly delicious. A bit powdery, but there's also a richness and a bit of spiciness to it with a warm, vanillic base. Kind of cozy, but not in a wintery, hot drinks by the fireside way. More like the way it feels to lay on a blanket on the hot sand after you've been swimming in the ocean. Fittingly, the combination of sandalwood and coconut makes this a bit beachy, but I think this will wear well throughout spring and summer, maybe even into the fall as the weather transitions into the cooler temps. It doesn't come off like sunscreen to me, but all the suncreens I've ever worn just smell vaguely of chemicals, so ymmv. I'm impressed with the lasting power on this; I wore this to an outdoor festival where I got super sweaty from dancing around in the hot sun, but I could still smell it on me when I got home 6 hours later. I find this pretty unisex, but again, it's one of those that may be challenging for someone who is seeking a straightforwardly masculine or feminine frag. This is a wonderful little gem, and I'm excited to bring it into my collection. If you're into sandalwood but thought Eau Santal was too dilly or too overbearing, try this.
Moi: The last decant I ordered is Moi, but I actually already have the full bottle of this one. It was my very first Montagne purchase, and it's what introduced me to the brand in the first place. I saw a stray Instagram comment that recommended Moi as a better-performing, more affordable version of the pre-reformulation Glossier You, and at that moment, my fate was sealed. I never smelled the pre-reformulation You, but I do like Moi better than the current version. They're still fairly similar; I have done a side-by-side comparison, and the biggest difference is that You leans heavier into the pink pepper, and Moi actually lasts through my workday. However, I don't think it's very obvious in the air, it only becomes apparent to me close to the skin. The fragrance itself is incredibly likeable; it mainly reminds me of clean, shower-fresh skin, without coming across soapy or floral as Cashmere Flower does. Like You, Moi is a little chameleon of a fragrance. My spouse is not into fragrance, but he kindly allowed me test Moi on him, and it definitely smells different on him than it does on me. On me, it's softer, sweeter, and airier; an easy, gentle musk that reminds me vaguely of my mother's face powder. But on him, it's spicier, deeper, and warmer. Obviously, skin chemistry plays a role in how all fragrances are perceived, but if you had told me that it was a completely different scent, I would have believed you. I think this would be a safe blind-buy for most, regardless of gender. It's such an easy reach; comforting, cozy, and intimate. On days when I don't know what to wear, I wear this. I ordered a decant because I love it so much that I wanted to share it with a coworker who was on the fence about buying You due to the price, and she was similarly impressed! Whenever I finish my bottle, I will definitely repurchase.
Thanks for reading my reviews! I find myself wishing I wasn't so happy with most of these; my to-buy list is getting agonizingly long lol. I officially have too many tiny bottles in my house, so I'm going to take a little break from decant testing while I finish them off or trade them away. My next three to purchase are Afternoon Dive, Eau Rose, and Rich Santal, so I'll be ready and waiting to pounce once the discount code goes live.
When I'm ready to test more decants, I'm most anxious to get my hands on the following: Azonto God of Firey Japanese Plum Galilean 683 Imaginary Summer Song Torino 2021 Cannoli Eau Guaic Feu Rouge Palisade Cacti Garden
I'd also be open to buying partial bottles of those, so let me know if you have something for me. Or, let me know if you think there's something else I should try. That's all, over and out!

https://minimalfreaks.co/2024/06/best-new-organic-house-may-2024/

1. Erich Von Kollar – Sentimiento (Original Mix) 07:06 122bpm 8B
2. Riyoon – Revolt (Original Mix) 07:55 105bpm 7A
3. Agassi – To My Beat (Original Mix) 06:30 120bpm 11B
4. Pambouk – Power of Imagination (Intro Edit) 07:24 154bpm 10A
5. Da Iguana, Walass – Miercoles (Original Mix) 04:54 98bpm 6A
6. makeke – Yea But Naa… (Original Mix) 07:48 102bpm 4A
7. Arnas D, Deividas Bagdanov – Poema (Extended Mix) 05:56 120bpm 8A
8. SHARE (NL) – Bubbles (Original Mix) 05:58 122bpm 4A
9. re os – REO MATSUMOTO – Nico (Original Mix) 06:27 117bpm 5A
10. Mizology – Elenna feat. Mohamed Dawod (Original) 05:30 102bpm 9A
11. Hraach – Reality Shifting (Original Mix) 05:37 120bpm 3B
12. M.O.S. – Night Owls (Original Mix) 07:17 123bpm 8B
13. Nyvs – Sirko (Original Mix) 08:08 92bpm 6A
14. D-Nox, DJ Zombi – Sanctuary of Love (Extended Mix) 07:22 125bpm 10A
15. Oovsha – Conscience (Original Mix) 06:12 120bpm 2B
16. Carlos Luna – Oasis (Extended Mix) 07:00 121bpm 10B
17. Winson – Nemty (Original Mix) 07:39 122bpm 6A
18. Menori – Sirenas (Original Mix) 07:56 119bpm 5A
19. Ghenwa Nemnom – Gaia (Original Mix) 05:44 120bpm 7A
20. Alex Konstantinov – Birdland (Extended Mix) 08:16 123bpm 11A
21. Donz – Anael (Original Mix) 07:53 122bpm 5A
22. Ashed Lion – Be Hypnotized (Original Mix) 06:12 106bpm 12B
23. Santa Bárbara – Science Class (Original Mix) 07:28 105bpm 10B
24. Artic White – Libera (Original Mix) 07:37 122bpm 3B
25. Robert R. Hardy – Fresh Air Flow (Original Mix) 08:40 120bpm 1B
26. DJ Pantelis – Khalesma (Original Mix) 05:55 104bpm 2A
27. Manu Zain – Thoughtfulness (Prelude) (Original Mix) 01:46 129bpm 5B
28. Loveclub, Domingo + – Ascention (Original Mix) 10:13 122bpm 7A
29. Jean Vayat – Changes feat. Mohsen Neshom (Original Mix) 06:34 118bpm 10B
30. t-Zhuk – Rukimi (Original Mix) 06:35 122bpm 6B
31. MD (AR) – Thinking of You (Original Mix) 07:24 91bpm 2A
32. Anonimat, Soulmac – Brainwash feat. Sensitive (It) (Original Mix) 07:21 122bpm 4A
33. Kyotto – The Distance (Original Mix) 07:52 122bpm 7B
34. Fulltone – Alba (Original Mix) 08:57 122bpm 8B
35. Eric Sharp, BOSA, MonsterLuna – Give Me Feels (Original Mix) 06:05 122bpm 11A
36. Julian Liander – Sukuru (Extended Mix) 05:28 120bpm 4A
37. Ben Monday – Droplets of Love (Original Mix) 07:17 123bpm 9A
38. Timboletti – Kava (Original Mix) 06:33 119bpm 12A
39. Catching Flies – Tides [Infinity] (Original Mix) 04:15 123bpm 10B
40. Noble Spirits – Masawa (Original Mix) 07:09 119bpm 8A
41. Cafe De Anatolia, Eren Dutlu, Ayanbeyan – Dunia (Original Mix) 09:38 129bpm 7A
42. Hermetics – El Cordón Dorado (Original Mix) 07:51 123bpm 6B
43. Luca Bacchetti, Ness (CAN) – The Truth (Original Mix) 07:16 121bpm 2A
44. Estray – Abrete Corazon (Original Mix) 07:22 105bpm 5A
45. Obbie – Queen V (Original Mix) 07:25 123bpm 8A
46. Arina Mur – Heaven Can Wait (Original Mix) 07:41 123bpm 1B
47. Sydney Seymour – Maxwell (Original Mix) 06:35 112bpm 5A
48. Andy Bros – Lights of Dawn (Original Mix) 06:02 123bpm 8A
49. Geopard Tourist, Dalma Puskas – Desert Rebels (Original Mix) 05:08 120bpm 9B
50. Altaya – Merci G’alert (Original Mix) 08:02 120bpm 8B
51. P1lgr1ms – Ocean (Original Mix) 06:18 123bpm 7A
52. Nora En Pure – Infinite Memories (Extended Mix) 05:59 121bpm 7A
53. Ilias Katelanos, Plecta – Althea (Original Mix) 06:50 122bpm 10B
54. Kon Faber – Elevate (Original Mix) 05:52 122bpm 1A
55. Ali Farahani – Mr. Hekayati feat. Sam Vafaei (Extended Mix) 07:19 112bpm 6A
56. PFENNINGERxORTNER – What Have You Done? feat. Modulaar, Egloff (Original Mix) 07:35 89bpm 5B
57. Y.LOH – Pasa (Original Mix) 05:47 120bpm 9A
58. Alessio Serra – Tears (Original Mix) 06:56 120bpm 5A
59. Death on the Balcony – Forever For Me (Extended Mix) 08:52 123bpm 8B
60. Khaaron – Tiki Taka (Original Mix) 08:18 116bpm 6A
61. Veronika Fleyta – Do What Is Right (Extended Mix) 06:36 76bpm 10B
62. Slow Hearts – Mandarine (Original Mix) 08:33 121bpm 9B
63. Fernando Olaya – Felicità (Original Mix) 07:42 122bpm 10B
64. Nhar – Follow Me (Original Mix) 06:41 91bpm 9A
65. Leon Lobato, Waxman (CA) – Distant Horizons (Original Mix) 06:28 120bpm 3A
66. Alej Ch – Floating (Extended Mix) 06:37 122bpm 11B
67. Sarkis Mikael, Rasi Z – Delicia feat. Zababa (Original Mix) 07:21 123bpm 11A
68. Memo Rex – Vulcan (Original Mix) 05:48 122bpm 9B
69. VINKHEL – On The Heights (Original Mix) 06:26 122bpm 9A
70. Stephan Pokorny, LADS – A Million Faces (Original Mix) 07:35 123bpm 9B
71. Adrian Font – The Edge (Original Mix) 07:46 120bpm 4B

Experience beautiful MFK right here! MFK bottles
As always, CONUS, AK, HI, & PR shipping included on all. I can ship to CAN for $12 extra (up to 8 oz.) I'll ship int'l too, inquire. Zelle, Venmo, or CashApp preferred. If PP or Venmo G&S, please include the fee. 5ml std glass atomizer, 10ml your choice of silver, gold, or black. I do repurpose packing materials if still in good condition. Computer printed labels with fancy font too, lol!
Verifications much appreciated and always reciprocated! Atomizers
Please see my other posts for many other popular, hard-to-find, and discontinued DESIGNER and NICHE decants including my extensive TOM FORD offerings.
Baccarat Rouge 540 EDP b.c. 21109
5ml // $19 ------ 10ml // $30
Gentle Fluidity Gold EDP b.c. 21200
5ml // $18 ------ 10ml // $28
Gentle Fluidity Silver EDP b.c. 22287
5ml // $18 ------ 10ml // $28
Grand Soir EDP b.c. 20300
5ml // $18 ------ 10ml // $28
Oud Satin Mood EDP b.c. 17139
5ml // $19 ------ 10ml // $30

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