sunflower loves

FLY is a story about a boy who gets a second chance. Help his story take flight June 9th 11am EST on Kickstarter. Thank you for being the wind beneath my wings I hope this story lifts the world to a brighter place.

In 2021, Swarovski (the company that makes the very sparkly crystals you see in certain jewelry, on figure-skaters' twinkliest outfits, on red carpet dresses), decided they didn't want the grubby fingers of small-time jewelers, clothing designers and costumers and crafters on their shiny beads and rhinestones anymore. They decided to limit their sales to "luxury" and couture creators, not girls who sell stuff on Etsy. The tenor of their press release on the subject was snide and insulting. Resellers (like your favorite bead shop) would no longer be allowed to carry their product; the average Jane on the street would not be able to purchase them. You could only get them if you had an authorized business agreement that bound you to very strict brand behavior. And those of us who still had good stock of the crystals would no longer be "permitted" to use the brand's name in our listings for sale.

Every bead shop and craft supply place and many, many small clothing makers--wedding shops, prom and dancing dress suppliers, the sort of salt of the Earth mom and pop time machines of shops that are the backbone of the field--scrambled to find something that could replace them. The last of the stock dwindled quickly, all of us grabbing what we could get while there was any chance of it, and then it was gone and we no longer had any access.

I was Big Pissed about it at the time. It was just so goddamn stuck-up, when wholesalers and indie jewelers had made them so much money, when some people I knew--when *I!*--had been brand-loyal for decades. But with no recourse, everyone pivoted fairly quickly, most of us to Preciosa Crystals. Those are Czech, quite sparkly, and considerably less expensive than Swarovski. The faceting method they use is different, but not worse; any differences are hardly noticeable when you're seeing them as a hundred pinpoints of light.

Well, out of nowhere, Swarovski just dropped this: https://www.harmanbeads.com/swarovski-brand-policy-update

"Effective June 1, 2026, Swarovski updated the distribution and brand usage policies introduced in 2021. Businesses may now purchase Swarovski Crystals without signing a Brand Control Agreement, and Authorized Distribution Partners may once again sell Swarovski Crystals to resellers, including bead stores and online retailers. Businesses may also use the Swarovski brand name when following Swarovski’s Proper Use Guidelines. Designers, manufacturers, artists, brands, retailers, and resellers are now eligible to purchase Swarovski Crystals through authorized distribution channels."

They want us back. A lot of the companies who could have kept a brand relationship with them also have swapped to Preciosa, over the last half-decade, in solidarity with indie creators and out of a sour awareness that it could be them, next. And it doesn't hurt that Preciosa was able to expand their line quite a bit now that everyone who wanted sparkle had no choice but to go to them.

And I'm not seeing nearly anyone who intends to return. The feeling is, "Y'all told us to fuck off! Off we fucked! And now, that's what you can do, too!" I'm seeing a lot of "How many of us did you stab in the back?" comments from the people whose money they're hoping to attract.

However that's not really the case, at least not when it comes to the sort of vitiams in a multiviatim.

The main difference is that "women's" multiviatims have iron in them to help make up for presumed monthly bloodloss. And "men's" multiviatims will sometimes have antioxidants that /could/ help with prostate health.

If you don't experience a menstrual cycle that features uterine shedding and consist monthly bleeding, then you shouldn't take multiviatims that are marketed as "women's", becouse if you use them longterm you'll end up suffering from secondary iron overload which can cause liver, heart, and pancreas damage.

To my knowledge, the antioxidants in "men's" multivaitims are not harmful to people who don't have a prostate. It's also might be good to remember that trans men on Testosterone for at least a year do develop prostate tissue (it's just not in the same spot). That being said, the antioxidants in men's vitiams aren't medically proven or assessed by the FDA as being beneficial to the prostate tissue - and what studies that do exist certainly don't include transmasculine people in testing, so really it's more 🤷 🤷 🤷

Anyway, basically:

If you're postmenopausal, if you're on T and it has stopped your menstrual cycle, or if you have a condition that makes it so you don't bleed every month, or if you're a trans woman or otherwise transfem then you probably don't want to be taking multiviatims that are marketed towards women, to avoid secondary iron overload.

And if you're on T but you still have a consistent menstrual cycle, you /might/ want to take multiviatims that are marketed towards women to make up for the iron loss during uterine shedding. Though this probably is only necessary if you are a heavy bleeder or someone who bleeds more days then the average.

Now - if you're transfem and having to take multivaitims marketed as "men's" makes you dysphoric, or if you're transmasc and having to take multiviatims marketed as "women's" makes you dyphoria, of it your transneutral and hate any gendered marketing in general. There is good news.

Adult multiviatims, which are marketed as just "for adults" provide a good baseline amount of vitiams that every person needs regardless of gender, with no iron and none of the antioxidants that are sometimes added to men's vitiams.

Simple Pride Reminder

I've been doing some stupid simple comics so please excuse the laziness of this

Winter’s Chill - Part 3