#They fulfilled the thing keeping them here

[mayakern]

Things are bad right now.

As many of you know, way back in 2020 we weren’t sure if our business was gonna make it. Our factory was already on break for Lunar New Year–a month-long holiday for many businesses in the area–and with the announcement of COVID19, everything shut down indefinitely. We knew immediately we were in for a bad time. Despite our fears, our sales grew so far beyond anything we ever expected, to the point where we had to hire two employees just to keep up with demand! 

Unfortunately, even after our factory reopened, our problems were not over. Their quality drastically declined almost immediately, to the point that a significant amount of our  fabric would literally fall apart in transit between the factory and our office. Because of this, we discovered that our sales rep had no idea what she was doing and knew nothing about the factory she was representing, so when we told her the fabric was garbage her response was “👍 factory said it’s good!” At the beginning, only roughly 10% of our new product was defective and we were able to sell the affected items with a reasonable discount. By the end of our relationship with that factory, 40% of our midi skirts and 70% of our miniskirts were defective, some affected so severely that they practically fell apart when touched. And still, our rep said everything was fine and there were no problems and the fabric composition had not changed.

So in 2022 we changed factories. We hired Ash to handle this since I was way too busy managing fulfillment to do the amount of research and communication necessary to find us a factory that met our criteria. Finding clothing factories that can make clothing over a size 2-3X is significantly more difficult than one that can’t because it often requires larger and more expensive machinery. But Ash did it: she got us set up with a new factory that has excellent certifications for both their labor practices and their methods for textile production, that delivers consistent, high quality sewing on well made fabric that can be printed without suffering loss in detail–and she was armored with the knowledge for what makes a quality garment so she could check them if they tried to screw us on quality. Their minimum orders were way higher than our previous factory’s, so we decided to focus on ordering more units of fewer designs. We ordered way too much our first round–some of those designs were in stock until the 2024 blowout sale! But it worked out, and slowly we had a warehouse full of stuff to sell.

Fast forward to 2024, business is slowing down between the economy being bad and what seemed to be a general skirt fatigue amongst our customers. We tried expanding into shirts, which would’ve been successful if our minimums were lower. In the late spring we realized we were in trouble if we didn’t make drastic changes and we ultimately decided to end in-house fulfillment and transfer to a third party fulfillment center that would support domestic shipping in Canada and eventually the UK, EU, and Australia. In order to make that transition affordable we drastically discounted everything and that sale was super successful! We were able to begin shipping from the fulfillment center with an almost clean slate, even if it did mean having to close the store for almost two months and thereby missing out on two very important months of sales.

Unfortunately, we were stupid. We continued to order new designs on an every other month schedule instead of switching to an every month schedule, forgetting that having a backstock in a variety of designs is what previously helped us float between orders and now we quite literally didn’t have enough inventory to match the sales we made for last year’s holiday sale.

That brings us to now.

We’re a little stuck. We have a round of skirts in production (yay!) but they won’t get here until February (boo!). To get back on that monthly cycle we would need to order the next round of skirts right now, but we can’t pay for production until that next round of skirts gets here; if the current sale goes well, it’s paying payroll, not production. We are currently in the very difficult, horrible situation of not having enough money for next month’s payroll unless we are somehow able to make significant sales with our very sparse inventory.

We’re scrappy and we do our best to adapt to disasters and I’m sure we’ll find a way to adapt to this one as well, it’ll just take us some time to get there. Basically we’re going to be okay eventually–hopefully later this year–but in the meantime if we seem frantic, now you know why. 

If you’re been considering trying out our viscose shirts but haven’t been able to justify paying full price, they’re on clearance PLUS half off right now! That’s $9-$15 for the viscose tops, and other tops on clearance are $20-$45. Some of the shirts we’re having a LOT of trouble selling are now priced below cost to help us recoup some of the money we spent making them.

Any amount of support helps right now. Sharing posts, telling your friends, buying a $9 shirt–all of it helps. If our clothing isn’t your thing, we also have a Patreon you can support for as little as $1 a month. https://www.patreon.com/mayakern

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great rest of your day and that 2025 is a brighter, kinder year for us all.

[giggle-guru]

I’m like totally super subtle with my hints right? Anyways, here it is lovelies! A little Alastor munching on a sensitive little Vox’s stomach. This was a quick lil fun thing I wanted to do, and some of you requested it soooo…mwah! Hopefully you all enjoy it. I’m going to give you all more food soon too, hehe. The inspo is hiiiiittttiiiiing!

Script is below the cut! :)

[Visual Note: Vox is within his office, watching over his countless screens as usual when Alastor enters. Alastor and Vox currently have a…confusing relationship, to say the least. Though both of them maintain that mask of hatred between one another, they can often be found together behind closed doors.]

[Audio Note: Electronics humming, Alastor’s footsteps echoing]

Vox: [fake irritation] What the- What are you doing here Alastor? Don’t you have some outdated radio show to host?

Alastor: [cheerful] Vox, my dear technicolor friend! I thought I’d drop by and see how the future’s most “advanced” demon spends his time. [mock gasp] Oh, look at all these buttons! I wonder…what would happen if I press this-

Vox: [panic] Don’t touch that! [sigh] Just stay out of the way. I’m busy right now.

Alastor: [chuckling] Busy? With what? Oh, let me guess… updating your software? Recharging your batteries? How utterly riveting.

[Audio Note: Footsteps as Alastor approaches the chair Vox resides in.]

Vox: [suspicious] What are you up to?

Alastor: [grinning] Oh, nothing, nothing. Though, I must say, I am feeling a little…peckish.

Vox: [raised brow] Yeah? Well, sorry but I don’t keep organs lying around for you whenever you stumble in here. Go find some sinner or something.

Alastor: [grinning wider] It appears you have misunderstood my proposal.

Vox: [confusion] Proposal? What are you on about?

Alastor: Vox, Vox, Vox. You are so wonderfully oblivious. You see, I’m not talking about consuming anything physical. As much as I would love to…

Vox: [defensive] Whatever you’re planning, knock it off. I don’t have time for your riddles- Hey! What are you doing?!

[Visual Note: Alastor pounces, forcing Vox off of the chair and causing a tussle between them until Alastor is successfully on top of him.]

[Audio Note: Tussling, grunting]

Alastor: [grinning more maniacally] There we are. I’m afraid you know exactly what I require of you now, hmm? You see, I don’t desire to feed off the skin and screams of another individual. As much as it pains me to admit, I have a desire for…you.

Vox: [flustered, stuttering] M-Me? What are you on about?

Alastor: [humming, continuing and ignoring Vox’s confusion] Alas, I couldn’t fathom the consequences of properly making you my next meal. So instead I have come up with an alternative method to satisfy such desires…

Vox: [flushing] O-Oh yeah? What would that be?

[Visual Note: Alastor begins to ride Vox’s shirt up, licking his lips.]

Alastor: [simple] This.

[Visual Note: Alastor leans down, and begins slowly and gently biting at his stomach.]

Vox: [stammering] Al-! Watch it, I’m-

Alastor: [murmuring against his skin] Ticklish? I came to that conclusion long ago. I figured that indulging in your hysterical laughter would be fulfilling enough. And what better way to appease the hunger than feast upon your laughter instead?

Vox: [forcing back giggles, not actively fighting against it] Alastor! G-Get off me, this is absurd!

Alastor: [practically purring] But isn’t absurdity the spice of our existence, dear Vox? Now then, stop holding back those satisfying giggles of yours. I like it far more when my prey is vocal.

[Visual Note: Alastor continues nibbling on Vox’s exposed stomach.]

Vox: [giggling now] Y-You piece of shit! I should have known you’d come in here to be a pain in my ass!

Alastor: [chuckling softly] Oh, Vox, your laughter is music to my ears. Do you think it’s possible to broadcast this? I’m sure the masses would adore hearing the mighty Vox reduced to such… delightful helplessness.

Vox: [trying to sound threatening through laughter] I swear, Alastor, if you even think about recording this I’ll-

Alastor: [mocking concern] You’ll what, my electrifying friend? Crash like a poorly coded program? I must say this is absolutely delightful! Now then, I’ve been craving some ribs…

[Visual Note: Alastor moves Vox’s shirt higher, nibbling along his ribs.]

Vox: [shrieking laughter] Damn it, Al! Stop! You’re the worst!

Alastor: [grinning wider] The worst? Oh, Vox, you flatter me! Now then, be a good meal and shriek a little louder for me.

Vox: [still laughing] If you don’t stop this nonsense, I’m— [gasps for air between giggles] —I’m going to shut down every single radio frequency in Hell! Let’s see how much you laugh then, you sadistic bastard!

Alastor: [mock horror] My, my, such threats from someone in such a vulnerable position! And yet, despite all your bravado, here you are, helpless beneath me. Quite the amusing juxtaposition, wouldn’t you agree?

[Visual Note: Alastor trails lower once more, lightly nibbling along Vox’s torso and adding his tongue for good measure.]

Vox: [gasping for air between laughs] A-Alastor… I can’t- [laughs uncontrollably] I c-can’t take it!

Alastor: [grinning widely] Oh, but I must insist. You see, this hunger of mine is not easily sated. Your laughter, so infectious and sweet, it feeds me more than any other indulgence could.

Vox: [desperate, laughing] Y-You sick bastard...!

Alastor: [humming in satisfaction] I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. But my dear friend, you truly are a delicious source of entertainment. Don’t stop now! I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!

[Visual Note: Alastor continues to move down Vox’s body, now gently biting along his exposed hips, teasing with his sharp teeth as Vox thrashes beneath him.]

Vox: [panting, laughing through the words] I—can’t do this, Al! I—I swear, I’m going to... I’m going to—[laughs harder] lose it!

Alastor: [laughing with him, savoring each of Vox’s reactions] Lose it? Oh, I think you already have, my dear Vox. You’re completely at my mercy now. I wonder if you’ll ever laugh like this again. [playful] What do you think, hmm?

Vox: [weakly, still laughing] I—I swear I’ll make you regret thist—[gasps] when I finally get my hands on you!

Alastor: [mocking shock] Oh, how threatening! I do hope that one day, you’ll get the chance. But for now, your giggles are far too delicious to stop.

Vox: [voice breaking] Hahaha... A-Alastor, I can’t... I can’t do this anymore… Please...

Alastor: [mock complaining] Oh, Vox, you’ve lasted far longer than I thought. But I guess my hunger has been settled…for the time being.

[Visual Note: Alastor reluctantly stands to leave Vox panting on the floor. He brushes his shoulders, acting as if it was the most casual thing in the world.]

Vox: [residual giggling] You are such a prick.

Alastor: [cheerfully] Well, that was simply delightful! I must say, you’re quite the feast for the ears, dear Vox. Shall we schedule our next session? I would assume such needs will come up once more…

Vox: [groaning, still catching his breath] You’re lucky I’m too tired to kill you right now.

Alastor: [mock bowing] I’ll take that as a yes! Until next time!

[Visual Note: Alastor’s footsteps retreat as Vox attempts to recover.]

[Audio Note: Vox muttered curses, footsteps.]

[mama-qwerty]

Okay. So. This post got me thinking.

I've seen a lot of people upset because movie!Knuckles isn't all single-focused guardian for the Master Emerald. "That's his people's heirloom, his quest finally fulfilled, why does he keep just leaving it unattended? Why isn't he more interested in guarding it and keeping it safe?"

Step back, Qwerty's gonna think too hard again.

Back when Knuckles was just a boy and lost everyone he loved, that quest was the only thing he could focus on, because that had been what his tribe focused on for as long as he could remember. That was their driving factor. To get the Emerald, return it to their people, return it to where it belonged, and then they'd have their honor again and be able to breathe a sigh of relief as they move on from the atrocities that happened all those generations ago.

It was like the entire echidna race was in a holding pattern of sorts--a constant state of waiting, of anticipation. "When we get the Master Emerald back, everything will be as it should be. Then we can resume our lives and put this war behind us."

Let's go with the assumption that maybe some echidna, long ago, did go a little power mad and actually used the ME in the way the mural at the owl temple claimed. That this echidna maybe pulled a double cross, or was simply too tempted by the power of the ME to resist its pull. He went all super soldier, and the owls had to stop him.

It could be that the echidna were one of the armies that set out to stop this souped-up warrior. But the owls got to him first, removed the ME, and then kept it. OR, the echidna were being threatened by another race, and this warrior deemed it necessary to go to extreme measures to keep his clan safe. The end result is the same--the owls took it upon themselves to remove the ME, fighting any other echidna who tried to get it back.

The echidna don't want it back because they strive for the power, but because it was a sacred talisman their people created, for whatever reason, and one individual used for (possibly) nefarious purposes. It held special meaning to them, and they wanted it back for those reasons.

This is the quest that spurred them on for generations. This is the focus the entire race had. So this is what Knuckles focused on, once his tribe fell. It wasn't the Emerald itself that Knuckles wanted, it was what it represented. The closure it brought his people, the knowledge that their spirits can now rest knowing that honor has been restored.

And it was that focus that helped him feel as though he wasn't all alone. He was doing this for his people, not for himself.

Everything he went through to get it is unimportant. The trials, the pain, the hardships. All secondary to that goal.

And now he has it. His quest is over. His people can rest.

But what does he do now that he's not carrying the honor of his entire race on his shoulders? He has no interest in using the ME, it's a relic of his ancestors. In some ways, a bitter reminder of what happened. It's because of this rock that he's alone. That his people are gone. That so many died.

All for this rock.

It's possible Knux has a love/hate relationship with the ME. It was so important to his people, and held a special significance to them, but it's also the reason they're gone. He personally holds no desire to use it, nor does he tie it to his own honor. Right now, he may be feeling so far removed from his people, he could see himself as a separate entity. An echidna in name, but their heritage and culture is all but lost to him. He lost his tribe when he was so young, he likely doesn't remember hardly anything about the echidna way of life.

So, here's the last of the echidna. His quest fulfilled, his people's honor restored. The holding pattern is done. While he will continue to watch over the ME, he does it more out of obligation now, because he is the last of his kind who is able to do so.

But it's not where his heart is.

He's found a new tribe now. People who care about him. People who fight to protect him, who welcome him into their home, who show him that his fighting prowess and warrior status aren't why they love him. And, as we've seen in Sonic 3, his protective instincts are still there, still strong as ever.

He just has a different focus on what . . . who deserves that dedicated protection. And he will take his role as their protector extremely seriously.

[zylian]

yknow what im not over? the fallout of pangi subz red + woogie and vi from the start of s4 going through seasons (rambling ->)

it felt like a background plot tbh as it was never openly addressed but after that mega day 1 team these guys were so distraught about the other

subz felt abandoned after red and pangi were so focused on getting 20 hearts for themselves it barely felt like a team as he got attacked

vi betrayed the whole team giving 8 of his hearts away to turn the tides of the end fight, than vocalizing his hurt to subz for how vicious red and pangi were with hurting everyone

subz betrayed pangi by helping pangis enemies countless of times and when pangi asked red to do something about it he brushed it off

subz gave pangi 3 egaps(?) during the end fight to not hurt the other during it as they were not on good terms but never addressed it

red asked subz why he's left them and subz explained he left him, how he was used to fight (when he was a pacifist btw) and how heart hungry they both were

red pushed past it and said if subz didn't fight he wouldn't be fulfilling his role as a teammate despite being a pacifist to which subz basically said is that all his worth is

subz keeps being on the opposing end of pangi, pangi keeps telling red to do something as his teammate but red is so paralyzed not wanting to hurt subz and being pangi's teammate

somewhere in here pangi takes subz on date, calls him a b*tch, subz dumps him, pangi runs after him playing the broken disk on the nether roof so they are on this weird floating line of hurt/silly

these two are still enemies throughout, pangi who's been trying to get zam back cause he killed his goat finds out zam got close to subz making pangi more distraught but can't do much as red wouldn't help him

there feud keeps going, if they hurt the other it kinda makes sense since they had a clanky team fallout/betrayal with lingering feelings

look at the way red is so wary of dragging subz into his plans in s6, making sure its his choice, even in s5 red almost dragged subz into the phantoms thing and subz had to put his foot down with only helping as a "teammate" to red

pangi getting targeted by red when given the chance and red never helping pangi left them on not so good terms

they've all got that "for themselves" mindset now and hurt in their hearts

the way people close to pangi distance themselves to not get him hurt but than subz murders pangi cause they have a past yknow and they can still talk it out cause its a them issue not anyone else's

theres many underlying meanings and biases that play out with these characters and it makes me so curious cause Ls peeps can't ever get over their past, its always some character growth with how the hatred is valid yet they still are comfortable enough to talk

[ciderjacks]

Everytime someone describes AAA killing off the coven as a “mistake” an angel dies

[rexonalapis]

it is very telling that average genshin players cannot comprehend seeing an actual mature, qualified leader that is actually good at taking her job seriously after meeting archons who either is still childish, clowning whimsically, or straight up incompetent.

[lunarharp]

figured i'd do this again..bit early i guess..

[confetti-cat]

For the ask meme: 18, 24, 39!! ^^

18. Do you play video games?

I do! I'm not a very gamer-y gamer, but if a game has a good story and characters I love, and/or is just lots of fun, it's easy for me to get invested. Some of my favorites over the years have been Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (just... the sheer themes of "finding beauty in the midst of tragedy" and love in that game 😭), Stardew Valley (breaking: local girl who lives on farm sometimes forgets she should go outside and actually produce actual farm products for actual money), LEGO Lord of the Rings (childhood classic, still hilarious), and honestly way too many lemonade stand-type business games. Bonus points if the latter involve a creative aspect, like building a zoo or making pizzas.

24. What have you learned about yourself?

Something I've noticed about myself that's helped a lot is that even if I don't feel like doing something that's good for me, if I push myself to do it, I'll feel a lot better in the end. I used to mostly avoid social situations if I had the chance—but I noticed that when I did go, nine times out of ten I had fun, and I could tell I was learning how to hold enjoyable conversations and getting more comfortable with hanging out with people. Kind of basic adulting stuff, but it made a huge difference in my self-confidence, and it helped me to feel a lot better about myself in general!

39: Are there wise words you live by?

The first quote that came to mind is one of my favorite Bible verses! “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8, KJV) I've always loved things that have those traits, so it's encouraging to be reminded that it's good to focus on them.

The second is one of my all-time favorite stories, about the Boy and the Starfish. According to the Wikipedia rabbit hole I just fell down, it was originally a much longer piece called The Star Thrower—but the version I remember is one I read in a shortened/adapted form years ago. It tells of an old man who was walking along a beach where the tide had washed in thousands of starfish, which were now stranded for miles on the hot sand. He felt sorrowful that such a thing would happen to them, but knew he couldn't save all the starfish, so he kept walking. He came upon a boy who was frantically throwing starfish back into the water.

"There are so many; you can't possibly save them all," the man reasoned. "Or even enough to make a difference. What does throwing them back matter?"

The boy paused with a starfish in his hands. He looked at it, then smiled. "It matters to this one," he said, hurling the starfish back into the sea.

I loved the reminder that if something matters to even one person, it does make a difference, and it's worth it.

[themyscirah]

This is technically a Diana's age poll but I framed it partially around Julia's rescue because that's the event I need to contextualize and whether or not Diana is a thing yet is p important for my purposes. I would keep the Pérez run and postcrisis continuity in mind when answering this bc that's when this is relevant but I'd keep in mind that even though Diana is very young there (like early 20s) we don't know I don't think if she ages differently as a child (esp as a themysciran AND being made from clay) and in some versions she is older than she looks and was made earlier

Edit: I accidentally logic-ed this out in the tags lol 🤦‍♀️but feel free to still vote however you want. Going to publish this anyway bc I think I made some good points later in my tags

[dbphantom]

you know if you guys voted for stretch armstrong i probably would have shut up a lot sooner tonight

[malikselfindulgence]

Morshid and Marek have a symbiotic relationship except instead of either of them gaining anything useful they r actively pouring toxic chemicals through the other's bloodstream

[shima-draws]

How do you feel about Ash Ketchum (aka World Champion) retiring from the anime soon?

Very bittersweet :’) On one hand it’s really difficult letting go of a core piece of my childhood, on the other I think we’ve seen p much everything there is to see from Ash’s journey and it’s at a very good stopping point now, so I’m comfortable with his story ending here.

I’m actually very excited to see which direction they go in with the SV anime, and since I absolutely adore SV’s story I really hope they adapt all of that in the new season. It sucks we won’t be able to experience that with Ash but that boy’s been carrying us long enough, I think it’s time he finally gets some rest

[cryptidize]

rrrrGRGRGRHH i HATE seeing that so many people push for their art to be as real as possible, where's the character, where's the charm?!?!??!? WHERE are the funny little guys?!?!? Where's the abstraction? Where's the impossible feelings channeled into your work?!?! Where are the new and creative ways for representing plants, people, cities? Why aren't people pushing their art to new levels? Showing us their souls?

im gonna start foaming at the mouth, reblog this with your abstract or stylized art (funny cartoons are welcome! I just don't want realism rn, it's killing me)

[we-re-always-alright]

any time I see people tying minor world events to economics I’m like. that’s not how economics works. I know you want it to be how it works so you can blame someone. but that’s not how it works in any country or global economy.

[gojoest]

had beef with one of my coworkers today 😍

[thepandalion]

I have a fic idea and I dont know if I want to write it or not send help