Too lazy to change my username but call me seong (nonbinary)

If you care about Animal Cruelty in Factory Farms, you need to get legislation passed. It must become a crime to mistreat animals in those ways, and when malfeasances occurs, the onus of responsibility for those crimes must fall upon wealthy shoulders. That, also, requires legislation. It requires regulations, and regulators.

The largest source of Microplastics is wear and tear on automobile tires. It doesn’t matter what brand of shampoo you buy. It doesn’t matter which company you support with your dollar. The issue of Public Transit is too large-scale to be handled at anything less than the municipal level.

It’s not enough to just not participate in society

If you want the world to Change, you must leverage the mechanisms of political power.

You’re probably aware of the old patent medicines- everything from harmless snake oils to very real, very dangerous concoctions of cocaine, morphine, belladonna, and alcohol that were sold without regulation by people who were more showmen than pharmacists.

And, likewise, you’re probably familiar with today’s over the counter (OTC) medications- the acetaminophen (paracetamol), ibuprofen, diphenhydramine, aspirin, loperamide, bismuth subsalysate- that you would find in the local pharmacy, drug or grocery store. 

But you might not be aware that there was a period in between these. Where there was some government regulation, some knowledge that you probably didn’t need (and didn’t want) morphine for your cough, but where the pharmacy knowledge wasn’t quite where it is today as far as making medicine relatively safe for consumers to purchase without a prescription.

Well I recently went to an antique mall with a whole section devoted to early OTC drug packaging, and found it absolutely fascinating. I did some research on what I found for you guys- hope you find it as interesting as I did!

Painkillers/Analgesics:

The first two are both marketed as “Laxative Cold Tablets” and contain a drug called “Acetanilide.” Acetanilide was first created in 1886, and first marketed under the brand name “Antifebrin” in 1887. It was one of the first non-aspirin, non-opioid painkillers/fever reducers available to consumers. Acetanilide is a prodrug of acetaminophen (AKA paracetamol, brand name Tylenol), meaning that while the chemical itself was not particularly helpful, the body would break it down into acetaminophen, which was responsible for the painkilling and fever-reducing effects.

Though effective, acetanilide and other similar acetamenophen prodrugs did have a significant drawback. Sometimes it would metabolize to a chemical called aniline along with acetaminophen (or aniline would be present in the drug all along due to defects in the production process). Aniline can be extremely toxic, causing a condition called methylglobinemia where the blood fails to adequately circulate oxygen. Due to this, once it was discovered that the metabolite acetaminophen could be synthesized and used without this risk, acetanilide was taken off the market.

The doses present in each tablet are measured in grains- typically 1 grain equals about 65mg. Instructions for such medications were usually to take 2 grains initially (130mg) and then 1 grain (65mg) every 3 hours as needed after that.

The term “laxative” appears in many different early OTC cold/pain medications. Oddly, the best I can find was that other ingredients were added to cause the laxative effect, not that bowel motility was a natural side effect of acetanilide. So basically people just really liked laxatives to the point where you could market your cold meds better if you made them laxatives as a perk…

The main painkiller in C-2223 is sodium salicylate- a chemical similar to aspirin that is used today primarily to treat acne topically (if you’ve ever read the bottle of an acne product and seen “salicylic acid” this is a salt version of that acid). It has all the same issues that aspirin does, including risk for bleeding, and reye’s syndrome in children. As such, the warning “not for children” on the bottle is very accurate.

Expectorants:

Along with sodium salicylate, C-2223 also contained potassium iodide. While most people know potassium iodide as a preventative against certain aspects of radiation sickness, it is also an expectorant, or drug that loosens mucous to make it easier to cough up. Potassium iodide is still available as an expectorant, but usually this is by prescription for chronic bronchitis and other longer-term respiratory illnesses. Today potassium iodide has largely been replaced by the expectorant guafenesin due to severe allergy concerns for some patients (those allergic to shellfish, iodine, or contrast media may have a life-threatening reaction).

Another expectorant, usually used in combination with potassium iodide was ammonium chloride. Ammonium chloride works by irritating the respiratory tract, which encourages it to shed liquid, which loosens secretions. Ammonium chloride can still be found in some some cough medicines, but tends to also irritate the stomach and intestines, causing prohibitive side effects.

Antihistamines/Ye Olde NyQuil: 

The concept of combining a painkiller, antihistamine, cough suppressant and expectorant into one convenient package for cold and flu is not new.

This tin of Tabcin was from sometime in the late 1930s. It contains the antihistamine thenylpyramine hydrochloride, the painkiller acetophenetidin, and caffeine.

Thenylpyramine hydrochloride is a very early first generation antihistamine. It has largely been replaced by doxylamine (the sedating/antihistamine part of NyQuil) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl).

Acetophenetidin is yet another acetaminophen prodrug- with a twist. Acetophenetidin has a major side effect of being a negative inotrope. Negative inotropes decrease the strength of the heart’s contractions, and so need to be packaged with a positive inotrope (something that strengthens heart muscle contractions), like the caffeine present in this preparation in order to be useful and not cause really serious problems. The caffeine may also have helped counter some of the sedating effect from the thenylpyramine.

Rahnous capsules, meanwhile, go all out. Pyrilamine as an antihistamine (this was taken off the market in the 1970s due to demonstrated risk of liver cancer in rats), acetophenetidin as a painkiller, belladonna as a positive inotrope, extract of lobelia as an expectorant (lobelia, fun fact, contains a drug extremely similar to nicotine), sodium salicylate as another painkiller, camphor (either as another expectorant or positive inotrope, possibly a stimulant to mitigate the sedation from the antihistamine), and magnesium oxide as, you guessed it, a laxative.

I will be saying this as someone who’s done her fair share of research in marketing (and well— these are some of the most basic ideas— common knowledge if you will)

It is important now more than ever that we boycott this game. This is because the article made the point that Valko’s return will be determined by market data (also content quality and long-term planning) —Quote from article below

If we genuinely want to increase the chances of Valko returning, the strongest message we can send is through our engagement—or, in this case, our lack of it. Avoid downloading, playing, or spending money on the game until meaningful changes are made.

—

Quote from the article: “Whether Ao Yin will be reinstated should be determined by Papergames based on content quality, market data, and long-term planning. However, the continued growth of overseas petitions has provided a noteworthy signal: when a character can generate signatures, creative works, charitable activities, and offline actions in multiple countries and regions, re-examining and product validation of them is not merely a response to public opinion, but may also be a repricing of global user needs and existing content investment.”

The article itself recognizes that the growing number of overseas petitions, fan creations, charity efforts, and offline events is a meaningful signal, demonstrating social proof. It shows that this is more than just some wave of online complaints (like the trolls had done) and that there is a real and dedicated global community that cares about this character, along with creative liberty. It gives us the idea that reconsidering putting Valko back could also be a way for Papergames to acknowledge what players value and make the most of the investment— that would be an even bigger loss altogether if they decide not to put him in— already put into the character.

That is why boycotting matters. If the company is looking at market data (which they will— they use observable consumer behavior as signals of demand) to make its decisions, then our actions become part of that data. Continued spending and engagement, from a market data stand point (so in the case where we don’t look at the overall engagement, donations, and everything this community has done together for Valko) can make it seem like we the players are satisfied, while stepping back shows that the situation has had a real impact on the community and shows Valko’s brand equity, aswell as the fact that he isn’t just important for the game as a whole, but also has significant revenue potential and bringing him back would bring in a lot of profit— showing his revenue potential, covering over the original investment costs and restore engagement from those of us who have stepped away from the game.

FAQ:

Q: Shouldn’t we support PPG and spend money? What if something happens to the game?

A: Papergames is a large company, and a temporary boycott from players is not going to suddenly cause the game to collapse. Taking a step back for a few weeks is a way to show how much this issue matters to the community, not a way to harm the game.

Continuing to spend and log in as usual sends the message that players are still satisfied and doesn’t show any clear evidence of the possibility of a revenue and potential profit increase if Valko were to be brought back. A short-term pause in spending and engagement allows the company to see the decrease in player retention and an increase in “lost players” (as per the data would show regarding the many people who have stopped logging in). It shows that there is a real impact and that the community’s concerns deserve attention. The goal is not to damage the game; the goal is to provide clear consumer feedback. Boycotting gives them statistical data of spending before and after Valko’s cancellation, which would then prove his value to the game and the profit that would come from bringing him back.

Q: What if my main’s card reruns during this time?

A: The best decision would be to still boycott. I understand how difficult it may be to have to skip a card for your main and stay logged out, especially if you’ve been wanting to get it. However, spending engagement time and money into the game during this period still sends a message through market data that everything is fine and doesn’t impact player retention analytics. They do not get statistical data of whether or not Valko impacts the game.

I’d also like to add— in the most non-biased or directed way possible and as a Rafayel main— that none of the love interests would support engaging in the game during this time, especially considering what has been done to creative liberty, the developers, creatives in general, and Valko by the toxic players and if change is possible if we boycott.

Think about it. The love interests themselves would eventually be affected in the long run if Valko were to remain gone, as the original story, creative vision, and foundation and plannings of the game that made it the game we know and love would disappear, which would then impact the future of the game. The game could possibly have an eventual ending or be scrapped— as player attachment and engagement levels continue to decrease (it would not be the fault of of the boycott, but would happen because it would fail to be the game that it had always been), which means your love interest may not have anymore content and would disappear into the void. All the love interests have a sort of connection. When one is affected, all six are affected. Which means with Valko gone, the other five would eventually meet an end as the game stops functioning.

None of the LIs would want that outcome. They also would not support the harmful treatment that the fake players have given Valko, the team, the players, the game after everything that it has done, along with the disrespect to creative liberty and the ungrateful entitlement that they have shown, being rewarded and would find the behavior and actions despicable. After everything the game has provided to its community, rewarding entitlement and negativity would go against the appreciation and respect that the developers and creative team deserve.

Protecting creative freedom means protecting the stories and characters that made people love the game in the first place, as well as the people behind it.

I know the boycotting is difficult and it is hard to let go of a card you’ve been waiting for, but cards— even if we’re a little impatient— will always continue to return through reruns. However, this movement will not have another chance to make the same impact. The love interests would want us to do this. For them, for the development team, for the sake of creative liberty, and for everything that was done wrong and every extremely messed up and disrespectful thing said or done to everyone involved (including us as players and Valko himself)

Remember: If Papergames is using player behavior and revenue data to make decisions, then our actions are what they will see.

Q: I’ll boycott, but is there anything else we can do?

A: Of course! Boycotting the game gives the company statistics on their market data. On top of this, there are other things we can keep doing to show our dedication.

You can continue sharing accurate information about Valko’s situation, participate in discussions respectfully, use his tags, make posts to keep him trending, support and make fan creations, and help others understand why this movement exists. Petitions, creative works, and community efforts are very important because they show PPG and Infold that this isn’t just a temporary reaction and that it reflects a genuine connection that players have with the character.

It’s also important to keep conversations respectful.

The goal is not to attack developers, other players, or the game itself.

The goal is to show that players care about the characters and the creative decisions behind the game, and that they want those voices to be considered.

—

Overall, every action and every person taking action counts. We need to show Papergames and Infold that taking Valko away has caused serious damage to their revenue and that bringing him back, as seen through the compared market data from before his cancellation and every single thing that we have done and achieved together as a community, will increase revenue.

Bringing Valko back would acknowledge us— the players who have continued to support him— and also show the company that listening to global user demand (something they should’ve been doing) can lead to renewed engagement, stronger player trust, and future success.

It is important for us to continue boycotting the game for the sake of showing the comparable, landslide-of-a-difference in market data from before his cancellation and after.

We got this, LADies! We’ve come so far in the last two weeks, it feels unreal. Show them the effect of Valko’s removal in general and on the revenue and the potential profit increase that will come with his return! Let’s continue fighting— we’re stronger than ever! Take care of yourselves and do whatever you can to continue helping throughout the movement. We’re doing so well and I am proud of us!

Love you all <333

This is a man who is VIOLENTLY aware that when it comes to conservatives, he is a Muslim first, a Brown Man second, an Immigrant third, a Socialist fourth, and a human a very distant fifth, if considered at all. He was also a young adult during the Obama Years and will have seen Republicans rip Obama to shreds for wearing a tan suit instead of a dark one and use literally ANY excuse they could to try and degrade his image.

Also the further you move toward the poles the more pronounced the difference between the length of day and night is. Worst part of a far-north (or south) heatwave is it doesn’t get dark long enough for meaningful cooling.

Text of tweet under the cut because it is loooong.

But... Stochastic Parrots.

If we want to have nice things, decentralization is essential, and if we want to decentralize, we need to have our eyes on things that are beyond the scope of the current Big Tech narrative.

Hi everyone! Last year an artist approached me and hired me to write a full guidebook (over 30K words) for this new oracle deck. The 100 cards span several broad concepts and address dozens of deities including angels and demons, Irish deities, Norse deities, Kemetic deities, and more! I highly recommend picking one up as a tool for guidance or gnosis if you want to get working more broadly with various pantheons. Also, each card corresponds to a self care task, so you can draw for guidance on that as well.

DM me if you want to purchase one. Right now I'm selling them for $65 plus shipping (which should be about $10 to anywhere in the continental U.S., slightly more for overseas.)

IT'S CALLED A BOQUILA TRIOFOLIOLATA AND IT'S FUCKING WITH MY BRAIN

IT APPARENTLY CAN MIMIC OTHER PLANTS AND AT FIRST I WAS LIKE "oh cool man it must take it's genetic code and copy it or feel the roots or something like that!! :3"

AND THEN I READ AN ARTICLE ON IT AND THESE FUCKING PARAGRAPHS HIT ME LIKE A BUS

LIKE READ THIS SHIT

for any address to twitter you can replace the “x.com” with “nitter.net” and you will be able to browse as if you have an account. Lifesaver.