#dodge journey for sale

[animeomegas]

The Quest for a Second Life - Epilogue

??? x ALPHA!READER

Summary: Having spent so long choosing their second life, the MC is finally rewarded and gets to live their second life. The only questioning remaining was... Itachi or Kakashi. GN!Dom!Alpha!Reader x Multiple Naruto Characters

Word count: 6.4k

Warnings: N-sfw content, tiny self-harm for magical blood potion purposes. All alphas have dicks, fyi.

A/N: And we're finally here! This is the end, and I hope people like it, even if you'd have preferred the other character. This has been a journey and a half, thank you so much for joining me on it. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate! I am deeply honoured to call @omeganronpa my friend, and seeing as I'm too far away to be around in person, I hope that this gets my message across as well as I had hoped 💗💓💞💖❣️

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Epilogue

James found herself lingering in the library when she knew she ought not to. She had just sent another human into their chosen pocket dimension, this time a historical romance, and she really needed to get back to her office to receive the next one. She knew this, and yet her feet refused to co-operate.

She couldn’t stop wondering after the human alpha she had recently worked with, although she wasn’t sure if humans would agree with her use of the word ‘recent’. They didn’t normally, and James had learnt that time flowed differently for humans than it did for Curators.

No, her mind was behaving badly. It was wandering off without her permission and whispering suggestions of going to check on the human alpha, even though James’ shift was still far from over.

Before she could think better of it, James turned and started walking towards the hidden backroom of the library, where books that were in current use were stored. Surely, it would be okay for her to have a little look at what that human alpha was up to. She would only linger for a little while and then she would get back to work.

She entered the backroom and scanned the shelves for the correct book. It wasn’t difficult to find, but she suddenly felt nervous. It wasn’t as if Curators weren’t allowed to watch the pocket dimensions, in fact, she knew several of her peers who did so regularly, but James had never felt the urge.

Until now.

“Just a quick peek, then I’ll greet my next human.” She opened the book and put it into viewing mode.

...

Ugh, you really shouldn’t have bought this much stuff. You juggled the shopping bags awkwardly, but persevered forwards as best as you could. It wasn’t your fault that there was a sale on today, how could you resist getting an entire bag of fresh peaches? You wondered if you could figure out how to make peach lemonade. It was the height of summer and a refreshing drink sounded like heaven right about now.

At least your new sandals were working well. They had been a gift from your parents when they returned from their business trip, and they were as cool as they were durable.

You dodged around a bush so that the branches didn’t abduct any of your shopping, grateful that you were getting used to this route now. Although you had grown up in the area, you had never really had a reason to stray this far. Of course, not until you met him.

Ugh, him. He was perfect. No, he was beyond perfect.

You had found him by chance, and the first few weeks had been a whirlwind, but you knew, more than anything, that he was perfect for you.

And there he was, in all his perfection, as you finally reached your home.

Itachi.

He was standing in the chicken run, his long, dark hair swept up out of his face in a more stringent ponytail than normal. You had helped him with it before you left, after his fringe kept getting stuck to his skin. He was wearing a pair of incredibly short shorts, and a loose T-shirt that always fell away from his chest whenever he bent over. It was a personal favourite of yours, but one that you never let him wear outside of your own home.

Itachi must have heard you, because he turned, a grin lighting up his face. You could see he had a smudge of mud on the swell of his left cheek.

Itachi was utterly stunning. He took your breath away effortlessly, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Alpha!” he called, lifting one hand up in a wave. “Look!”

It took you a moment to understand what he wanted you to look at, but you eventually realised that he wasn’t waving; he was clutching two chicken eggs.

“Amazing!” you called back, approaching the back gate, but stopping at the fence as you realised you didn’t have free hands to unlock it.

“The chickens are finally old enough to lay eggs!” Itachi was practically beaming as he exited the run. A couple of chickens attempted to make an escape, but Itachi flicked his fingers and gently knocked them back with magic. “Look!” He came right up to you now, letting you into the garden, and holding the eggs in front of your face.

“That’s brilliant, ‘tachi. Why don’t you help me get all this unpacked inside, and we can cook the eggs for some lunch. I have some peaches and lemons for lemonade, too.”

You both headed into the kitchen through the back door. You dumped everything on the table and gratefully slumped into a chair, thankful to be out of the hot sun. Itachi practically floated around the kitchen, still beaming. He unpacked what he needed and immediately started making lunch. He settled on shakshuka with the fated peach lemonade.

It was with great amusement that you watched Itachi don his cooking apron, the one you’d specially embroidered with ‘Proud Chicken Oma’.

After you had cooled down a little, you slowly unpacked the rest of the shopping, until Itachi called you over to the oven.

“I’m going to fry the eggs,” he said, sounding giddy. You had known that he wanted chickens, you did too, but the genuine joy that they gave him still surprised you. You felt so incredibly lucky that you had literally wandered into his life by accident, and that he had allowed you to stay.

“Let me watch.” You hugged him from behind and peered over his shoulder. And if you also took a quick sneaky look down his shirt while you were there, well, no one could prove it. It was probably too hot for hugs, but you couldn’t make yourself let go. You nuzzled into the area where you would one day put your bond mark, but for now lay unbroken skin.

Itachi wanted you to meet each other’s families before you properly bonded. Hopefully that day would come sooner rather than later, because having him walk around without your claim was driving you mad.

Itachi cracked the egg into the pan, and perhaps you were too much of a sappy romantic, but the lucky double yolk that it contained felt symbolic.

…

The silence was thick enough to cut. You took a sip of your tea to try and stave off the awkwardness, but it didn’t help.

You were sitting at your kitchen table with Itachi and his parents. Sasuke had been sent out to collect some eggs, most likely so Fugaku and Mikoto could talk to you alone, but even now that Sasuke was firmly outside, the silence remained heavy and oppressive.

“How long have you known each other?” Fugaku asked, finally breaking it.

“A few months, father.” Fugaku’s lips tightened and the lines around his eyes deepened. You got the vibe that he wasn’t happy with that answer. It was such a shame that Itachi cared about their opinions.

“And how did you meet?”

You cleared your throat, “Itachi found me unconscious in a snowstorm and nursed me back to health.”

There was a beat of silence, before Mikoto spoke. “Then you owe my son a life debt, you would do well to remember that.”

You were really getting the vibe that they didn’t like you. It was for that reason, that you hastened to reassure them that you had been looking after Itachi as well.

“Oh! Well, I returned the favour by giving Itachi my cloak when all his clothes were destroyed in the middle of the woods.”

Itachi immediately went red faced, and held up his hands, sputtering. Oh, whoops. That definitely sounded like you had been fucking in the woods. Of course, you had actually fucked in those woods, but that wasn’t what you meant to share with his parents of all people.

“We didn’t—It was an Amplexus plant!” Itachi explained hurriedly, his face continuing to darken. “I needed the seeds for a potion, and it got a hold of me, that’s all!”

Itachi’s panicked explanation broke the tension, as his mother started giggling, and his father sighed and put his face in his palm.

“Sasuke is our only hope,” Fugaku muttered.

It was at that moment that a squawk sounded from outside. Sasuke’s dulcet tones followed shortly afterwards.

“Try that again, you glorified rat, and I’ll burn off all your feathers, I fucking mean it, I—”

Fugaku sighed again and downed the rest of his tea like it was the alcohol he clearly needed.

…

There was no sweeter smell in the world than the one of yours and Itachi’s scents mingling together. And while you were certain many other alphas would say the same about them and their omegas, you were pretty sure you were right.

You panted onto Itachi’s neck, basically drooling. A joint heat and rut wasn’t the greatest for practical reasons, but fuck, if it wasn’t the perfect time to exchange mating bites.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Itachi slurred, hips rocking up to meet yours at every thrust. “Bite me, alpha, claim me, please!”

You groaned, knot already catching on his rim. It was getting harder and harder to control yourself. Itachi mouthed at the juncture between your shoulder and neck, the place where he would soon be placing your bite, and your self-control collapsed like a house of cards.

Your knot tied you and Itachi together, plunging you both into an orgasm. Somewhere, through the haze, your teeth managed to find their mark. You bit down just as you started filling Itachi with your cum. Itachi seized but managed to bite back.

You rode the waves together. It was the longest orgasm of your life, and by far the most powerful. Your mind was clouded with lust and emotion. Every instinct in your body was screaming, but they were all screaming different things; it was making you dizzy.

Protect him.

Make him scream.

Get him pregnant.

Hide him away.

Show him off.

Love him. Love him. Love him.

Yes, yes, you were going to love him, you did love him… And everything was going to be perfect.

…

You ran out of your joint bedroom potions lab barefoot, having abandoned your slippers in your haste.

“Itachi! There’s been an incident!”

You heard a crash from the kitchen, and quickly, Itachi came racing out to meet you in the living room.

“What is it? What’s going on?!” He scanned you from head to toe but couldn’t see an injury. He had known that you were playing with magic, and he was rightfully worried about what you had managed to do.

“It’s gone,” you said, wide eyed.

“What’s gone?!”

“My dick.”

Itachi blinked at you, processing, before his face morphed into something horrified.

“What? How can—?! What were you doing?! What do you mean gone?!” He grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you roughly. “Tell me what happened!”

“I was just playing around and then suddenly it was gone,” you explained, wringing your hands.

“What spell did you use?” Itachi asked frantically. “I can reverse it. We can figure it out!”

“I don’t know… I mean, at least I’m still alive right? It could have been worse.”

Itachi was still horrified, and you’d wager that he didn’t agree with you.

“No! I mean, yes, but we still need to fix it. Let me see!” He knelt down and started to aggressively tug down your shorts and underwear. “Maybe I can perform a reversal of—”

He managed to get the fabric down and out popped your dick, unharmed and just as it always was. Itachi blinked at it. You started cracking up, unable to hold the laughter in anymore. Itachi, realising that he’d been pranked, scowled at you.

He stood, crossing his arms and huffing. “That wasn’t funny.”

“Yes, it was,” you laughed, wiping away your tears. “You’re completely obsessed with my dick, I knew it! I’m just a glorified dildo to you, huh?”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Itachi had delightfully rosy cheeks.

“Am I? So, you don’t want to suck it?” You playfully shook your hips, wiggling your dick, playfully.

Itachi wavered. You waited patiently.

“This has nothing to do with anything,” he said, kneeling down in front of you.

“Whatever you say, darling.”

“Shut up!”

He was so much fun to tease. Hopefully, he never found out that you had the same obsession with his nipples.

…

“We do need more space, but I still want to maintain that cosy vibe, you know?”

“I agree. We could always increase the number of rooms, but still have them all be fairly small and closed off.”

You and Itachi were pouring over several sketches, trying to design your new home. You had decided to move closer to the nearest town, although you were still staying firmly in the woods because neither of you wanted to give up your private sanctuary. You also just needed more space. You needed a bigger dining table, more bedrooms, a separate potions lab, and crucially more storage space so that you didn’t come across snake eyes in the fridge when you were trying to make a sandwich.

Thankfully, with Itachi’s magic, the local builders, and the money sent from your parents, it was sure to be a smooth process.

“I think we should have a bedroom for Sasuke to use,” you said, tapping on an empty part of the proposed floorplan. “Not just a guest bedroom, but one that’s specifically his.”

Itachi nuzzled into your shoulder. “You wouldn’t mind? Because that would be amazing.”

“Of course not. He’ll be old enough to visit on his own soon, and I want to make sure he knows he’s welcome.” You liked Sasuke and you understood why Itachi loved him so much. He was like a tiny murder kitten that loved to scratch people. It was adorable.

“We have the pup rooms, the lab…” Itachi peered down at the paper. “Is that everything?”

You hummed, considering. “I think so. Unless you want a nesting room. Although, I��ve never seen you nest before, so if you don’t want one, that’s fine.”

“Oh.” Itachi was silent for a moment. “I’ve never tried nesting before.”

You immediately wished his parents would return so you could punch them in the face. Carefully keeping all the anger below the surface so you didn’t make Itachi think you were angry with him, you brushed some hair out of his face.

“Do you want to try it? We can try together, and if you like it, we can get a little nesting space added onto the master bedroom.”

Itachi smiled, looking unsure. “Okay. I suppose we can try it.”

…

“Well, I’m not an expert, but I think I can help with a simple nest layout.” You leant back and surveyed all the materials you had for nesting. Most of it was stuff that Itachi had made, some of it was things you had made, and a couple of pieces were from a craftsperson in town, made from rarer and more difficult materials. There was more than enough for a nice nest.

You slotted the heaviest duty and flattest pillows into the corner and arranged them in a double layer before securing them together with a sheet.

“One of my old partners used to arrange the base like this. It works well.”

Itachi growled and immediately destroyed the base, stacking it in a different way. Oh, yeah, whoops. Itachi was way too possessive for you to casually be bringing up old partners.

 “You’ve had other omega partners?” he asked, still rearranging the base. His voice was carefully controlled, like he was trying to sound distracted, when in reality, his attention was fully on your answer.

“Yeah, I—” You paused, trying to retrieve the memories. It was strange… You could have sworn you had past partners but trying to grasp onto details felt like trying to catch smoke. You could see flashes of dates, gifts and physical features, but you couldn’t really make sense of it. You wondered if it was a side effect of the amnesia spell you’d had. You decided not to mention it in case Itachi got worried. “I’ve had a couple, but they didn’t go anywhere. It never felt right, y’know?”

Itachi hummed, reasonably placated.

You continued to help him with small suggestions until you recognised the signs of an omega in nest building mode. Instincts took over, and you leant back to let Itachi do it how he wanted to.

The nest was so very him, even for his first attempt. It was chaos, but organised chaos, with gentle colours and neutrals, and lots of wool.

 Itachi sat back, blinking the daze away. “Now what?”

“Now you get in it.”

“And… what’s the point? What will being in it do?” He was staring at the nest reverently, and you knew he was going to like it.

“It should help you relax.”

Itachi bit his lip, but gingerly climbed in and tried to get himself comfortable. He fiddled with a few final pieces, but once he was settled, he sighed, seeming content.

After a few moments, he looked over at you. “Do you… want to come in, too?”

You grinned, and agreed, carefully climbing in and spooning your omega.

With you there with him, Itachi curled his legs up to his chest and went boneless. His purrs were so loud that you could feel them in your chest, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He nuzzled into the pillow his head was on, basking in the soft materials.

You kept holding him but tried to remain still so as to not disturb his first nesting experience. You didn’t want to distract him from his bliss. You were honestly so shocked that he had never nested before. Had his family kept him so busy from such a young age that he had never had the time?

You made a mental note to see if you could add a nesting nook for Sasuke’s room too, seeing as he was also an omega and had probably received similar treatment. If he couldn’t have one at home, at least he could have one here.

Suddenly, Itachi stopped purring.

“Is something wrong, baby?” you cooed, gently stroking his hair. “We can fix whatever it is, I promise.”

Itachi only whined, pushing his hips back into yours. He seemed really out of it, not that that was particularly surprising. If he’d been repressing himself, knowingly or not, for his entire life, then his instincts were going to try and take over the second they could.

“What do you need, omega? Come on, tell alpha.”

Itachi pouted, whining again. He shoved his hips back harder this time, like he was making a point. Oh.

“I see.” Your mind was racing at how hot he was. “Do you want to cockwarm, honey?”

Itachi nodded, his purring starting back up again now that you were understanding him. Oh, he was just the sweetest, horniest little thing and you would set the world on fire for him.

You carefully untucked your already half-hard cock, trying to avoid knocking anything out of place. When you were free, you tugged his trousers down and easily slipped inside him.

When your hips met his skin, Itachi purred louder than he had before, melting into the nest completely. His eyes rolled back, and he was lost in the fuzziness.

Okay… so you definitely needed that nesting room.

…

You looked around your new living room proudly, savouring the ‘new’ smell. The entire house was perfect. It kept the essence of the old one, but you had so much more space. No more tripping over cauldrons in the morning, or accidentally spilling powdered bone on the carpet when you were trying to clean.

You were almost finished with the unpacking. The house still seemed pretty empty, but that was good; the house would be able to grow with you.

Itachi had scurried off into the bedroom a few minutes ago with one of the boxes, but you were still sorting through living room stuff. You peered into the nearest box. And kitchen stuff apparently. Why did you own so many wooden spoons?

“Alpha?! Can you come help me with something, please?!” Itachi called from the bedroom.

You stood up, stretching out your sore arms, and then went over to the master bedroom. You pushed open the door easily.

“What do you ne—”

Suddenly, you were reminded of the very first time you had ever walked into Itachi’s bedroom in the old house, the time where he had been half naked and in the middle of changing.

Here, he was half-naked again, but this time it looked purposeful, because Itachi was wearing lingerie.

It was a two-piece set, made out of a dark blue silk that perfectly contrasted against Itachi’s pale skin. Embroidered on it were hundreds of tiny, silver stars, creating the image of a night’s sky. Extra pieces of gauzy, see through fabric had been attached to the top piece, which hide absolutely nothing, but acted as a delightful tease. The set was clearly hand made, and damn, he was again, taking your breath away.

“Well, hello,” you cooed, feeling that stupid horny alpha grin slide onto your face. “What’s all this?”

Itachi fidgeted bashfully as you approached. “It’s a surprise, a celebration for the new house.”

“It’s a lovely surprise.” You ran your hands over his heated skin, feeling the silk with your palms. You kissed him heavily, your fingers dancing along the edge of his panties. “This is perfect for the new house, do you know why?”

“Hm? Why?” Itachi moaned, tilting his neck submissively, and giving you access to his bond mark. You nipped around the scar before answering.

“Because we still need to break in the new bed.”

…

“That will be 500 ryo, thank you.” The man handed you the requested amount and took the pouch of amethyst dust in return.

“How many enchanted apples for these?” a little boy asked, holding up a lovely bouquet of flowers. Oh yes, he was the florist’s son, you remembered.  

“Hmm,” you took the flowers and appraised them. “How about three?” The boy nodded enthusiastically and grabbed three apples before running home. These flowers would be a lovely surprise for Itachi.

“Do you have any more of the inflammation potions?” an old man asked, approaching the store. You recognised him immediately and put the flowers down, ready for a likely lengthy and completely inappropriate discussion. “They’re great for the old joints.”

“We have three left. How many would you like?”

“I’ll take the lot, thank you.” You wrapped the order up and passed it over. He handed you money in return. “Thank you. There’s a lot of downsides to getting old, but the joint pain is the worst of it in my opinion. At least I don’t have to put up with heats anymore. They’re great fun when you’re young, but when your back starts to go, well, you find yourself wishing them away.”

You hummed politely.

“This is why it’s so important for alphas to hone their skills in bed. I can’t count the number of times a young alpha has believed they don’t need to worry about sex skills because an omega in heat is so far gone that everything feels good, but one day the heats will stop, and besides, some of the best sex happens outside of heats and ruts and all that nonsense.”

You laughed, shaking your head. Why did your market stall always attract the weirdest advice and clientele?

“I’d wager you know all about that though. Has Itachi come home with any surprises lately?” You must have looked surprised, because the man winked. “Who do you think taught him how to embroider silk?”

You snorted. Of course. You made sure to slip a complimentary headache potion in as a thank you.

…

“The bedding is all fresh and clean, we bought it especially, and this blanket, I knitted it for you so you’d be warm, it can get cold out here. Oh! And also—”

“I’m fine,” Sasuke said, a slight red flush on his cheeks. “You worry too much, big brother.”

You watched from the doorway as Itachi fussed over Sasuke. Now 14, he was old enough to make the journey here on his own, and this would be the first time he was making proper use of his room. Itachi had been driving himself crazy trying to make everything perfect. You reckoned he was trying to ensure Sasuke had a good enough time that he’d want to come back.

Itachi’s face screwed up in indecision. “Maybe I should get another blanket for you, just in case.”

“Brother—” Too late. Itachi left the room to grab another blanket, leaving you and Sasuke alone. He glared at you harshly. Oh dear, here came the kitten claws.

“I know several spells that would remove all the parts needed to make sure you never touch my brother again. Just saying.” Sasuke crossed his arms and tried to look threatening. You had to try to keep your giggles under controls.

“Itachi wouldn’t like that very much,” you said lightly, remembering his reaction to your ‘I accidentally spelled my dick away’ prank. “And besides, that would be a very rude thing to do to the person hosting you.”

Sasuke growled, but you only raised an eyebrow at him.

“What’s going on?” Itachi walked in, another blanket bundled up in his arms.

You immediately snitched. “Your brother is threatening to cut my dick off.”

Itachi gasped, “Sasuke!”

Sasuke glared at you, but you only stuck your tongue out at him. You were seriously looking forward to the next week.

…

“So!” you clapped your hands together and looked eagerly around at all the potion supplies. “What potion am I learning today?”

You had been having Itachi teach you magic since you moved in, and while you were hardly a prodigy like him and his brother, you were starting to get decent at it, especially potions.

“It’s a pretty simple one, but it requires exact temperature control,” Itachi explained, pulling over a small cauldron. “We’ll need to use runes to manage that.”

“Exciting,” you murmured, trying to recall which runes would work best for temperature control. Probably the same ones that Itachi carved on your hot chocolate mugs. “What does the potion do?”

Itachi smiled, “You’ll see when we’re done.”

“Nooo, Itachi,” you whined. “I want to know now.”

“Later, I promise.” He laughed as you pouted and starting rattling off the ingredients list. “Now, help me crush the beans.”

Time passed quickly as you concentrated on following the potion recipe as best as you could. Before long, it was a blinding white and gently steaming, just as the drawing on the recipe showed.

“It’s ready,” you said proudly, closing the lid on the jar of moss. “Now will you tell me what it does?”

“It needs some blood to work,” Itachi explained. He grabbed a sharp knife and held it to his finger.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Could my blood work instead?”

Itachi laughed lightly. “That wouldn’t work; it has to be me. Don’t worry, it will only be the slightest prick.”

You weren’t happy, but you allowed it, and two drops of Itachi’s blood fell into the cauldron. It immediately started bubbling.

“What’s supposed to happen?”

“Well, it will turn one of two colours.” Itachi leaned over the cauldron and watched intently. “Gold or black.” As he spoke the potion turned to a brilliant gold and Itachi beamed.

“What does gold mean?” you asked, wishing he would just explain what this potion was already.

“Gold means that the person who donated the blood is pregnant.”

“Right, okay, and what does black mea— Hang on, what did you say?”

“I’m pregnant,” he clarified, watching your reaction.

You swallowed heavily, “What?”

Itachi giggled, “I’m not going to say it again.”

“Holy shit.” Your brain blue screened for a moment, before it rebooted, and the phrase properly sank into your brain.

Itachi was pregnant. Pregnant. As in, there would shortly be a baby, your baby, and his baby.

“I love you,” you blurted out, wide eyed. “We are going to need so much baby stuff.”

Itachi laughed, tearing up. “We’ll figure it out.”

…

“You can do it, Daiki! Come on baby, walk to appa!” You were crouched on the floor, arms open and ready.

Daiki gave a little pup whine, but still tried, toddling over on unstable steps. He managed to get three good steps in before he fell into your arms.  You caught him easily.

“Whoo! Look at that! You’re such a clever pup, isn’t that right?” You lifted up your baby and blew a raspberry on his stomach, dissolving him into giggles. Daiki did some proud wiggles as you put him back down, glancing over at Itachi for positive attention as well.

Itachi smiled, eyes glazed with sickness, from his position laying on the sofa. “Good job, baby.”

Daiki squealed, grinning and shoving a fist into his mouth.

Itachi was watching you both, even though he was unwell. This was the first time that he was properly ill since Daiki was born, and he was nervous about it. You had quickly learnt that Itachi had very low expectations of your parenting abilities. You tried your best not to take it personally, understanding that alpha parents in his family weren’t normally the most hands on, but it did sting sometimes. You were doing your best to prove him wrong.

Was it easy for you to do all the cooking, cleaning, childcare, and caring for Itachi at the same time? No.

But was it something you were happy to do while your partner recovered? Of course.

Speaking of caring for Itachi, you probably needed to resoak the flannel on his forehead. You shuffled over, keeping an eye on Daiki, and gently lifted the cloth. Like you’d expected, it felt warm to the touch.

You resoaked the flannel in the bowl of ice water and wringed it out before gently wiping down Itachi’s face.

“How are you feeling?” you asked softly, dabbing around his neck.

“I’m okay.” Itachi sighed and sent you a weak smile. “How are you—”

“Oma! Oma!” Daiki had crawled over to you both and grabbed a fistful of Itachi’s top to pull himself into a standing position. “Oma!”

“Careful, darling.” You unwrapped Daiki’s hands from Itachi’s top and supported him up yourself. He seemed to realise that something was wrong, because he blinked at you and Itachi, and curled in on himself unsurely.

“Oma?” he asked, bottom lip wobbling.

“Oma is poorly, but he’s okay,” you said softly, smoothing down Daiki’s hair. He looked unsure, but he eventually nodded and patted Itachi gently on the arm. Itachi took his hand and covered it in kisses, and Daiki finally relaxed.

Suddenly, from the kitchen, you heard the sound of dinner boiling over.

“Oh! Come on Daiki, we have to go and save dinner!” You stood up, picking up your pup as you did.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to do something?” Itachi asked, sitting up slightly.

“Rest.” You stared him into submission, and Itachi reluctantly laid back down. “I can handle everything, trust me.”

Itachi still wasn’t comfortable relinquishing control, but you’d get there. For now, you had a sick omega and a needy pup to tend to.

…

You pottered around the kitchen, putting away the washing up, while Sasuke diligently took notes on spellcrafting at the kitchen table. You were used to him being around by this point, as he had moved in five months ago to take a magical apprenticeship under Itachi. As you understood it, his parents had encouraged him to stay in their village for his apprenticeship, but Sasuke had insisted that Itachi teach him.

Thankfully he had mellowed out a lot, and now when he threatened to cut off your dick, he was only joking.

At least you hoped he was joking.

Itachi was out today manning the stall in town, which meant you were holding down the fort and looking after Daiki.

The pup in question was currently playing in the garden with Sasuke’s cat, who was just as prickly as him, but had a soft spot for Daiki. At four years old, you were okay to let him play alone as long as he didn’t leave the fenced in section, and you could see him from the kitchen window.

Sasuke sighed, putting down his pen to rub at his temples.

“Having trouble with the spellcraft?”

“No.” He gave you no other information, so you decided to pour him a glass of orange juice as a peace offering and sit down with him. Clearly something was weighing on the teenager.

“Is something wrong, Sasuke?”

“No.” It was a predictable Sasuke response that you didn’t buy for even a second.

You knew that he’d need a bit more prying. “Are you sure?”

Sasuke hesitated. You remained entirely silent as he battled with himself, knowing that any amount of encouragement would only cause him to clam up. Eventually, he spoke, his words coming out slowly. “My father sent me a message.”

“I see.”

“He wants me to come back home, now. He said he’s found me another teacher.”

You nodded, and carefully kept judgement out of your words. “And how does that make you feel?” Sasuke shrugged, playing with the pencil. “You know that you’re always, always welcome here, Sasuke, never doubt that. Even if you decide to stop studying under Itachi, you can always stay here or visit as often as you want.”

Sasuke’s shoulders relaxed and you knew you’d hit the nail on the head. “Okay.”

“Do you want me to tell your father that you’re extending your apprenticeship here?” Sasuke nodded, looked relieved. You gave him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder, and he relaxed even further.

“Thanks,” he muttered, sipping his orange juice.

“Of course; you’re family.”

Outside, the chickens started squawking, which was your cue to go and grab Daiki, so you left Sasuke at the table and went out into the garden. “Daiki, what did I say about messing with the chickens?”

But it wasn’t Daiki, it was Itachi getting home that had set them all off. He was carrying multiple bags on his shoulders, and he looked incredibly winded. You ran over to grab the bags.

“Are you okay? Come on in.” Itachi panted and followed you inside. He looked completely exhausted; even Sasuke jumped up to help when he saw the state that his brother was in.

“What happened?” Sasuke demanded.

“Nothing, nothing, I’m just winded from the walk.”

“Bullshit!” Sasuke swore, putting a hand on his brother’s forehead. “You shouldn’t be this tired from a thirty-minute walk.”

“Sasuke, don’t swear,” Itachi reprimanded. “I’m just tired, nothing more.”

You raised an eyebrow, grabbing him a glass of water, but making sure he knew that you didn’t believe him. Itachi took the glass gratefully and downed the whole thing.

When it became clear that neither you nor Sasuke would be letting the issue go, Itachi sagged down in his chair.

“It’s nothing, really,” he insisted. “I think—Well, I’m pretty sure I’m tired because—”

“Because?”

“Because I’m pregnant,” he blurted out, looking to you bashfully. “I’m sorry, I was going to tell you soon, I just hadn’t decided how yet.”

“Wha—Really? That’s amazing!” All your previous suspicions were forgotten, and you hugged Itachi tightly, feeling giddy at the amazing news.

Sasuke sent you a suspicious glare, but he had long since made peace with the fact that you and Itachi were having sex as long as he was able to live in denial about it.

You laughed gleefully and covered Itachi’s face with kisses as he giggled. “I guess it’s only me on market duty for the next year then, huh?”

You filled up his glass again. Now that you knew he was pregnant, your instincts were going to remain in ‘overly doting’ mode for the foreseeable future.

“Actually, I was thinking…” Sasuke awkwardly trailed off, scuffing his feet on the ground. “Maybe I could take over some stuff with the market stall. We could open it more days a week then, and you could spend more time on parent duty or whatever. I mean, I still need to study, but I have some free time, and it would bring in some more money.”

You grinned, ruffling Sasuke’s hair. His sheepish expression melted into a petulant pout. “That’s an amazing idea! Seeing as you’re going to be around for at least another six months, it makes a lot of sense! I’ll take you with me a few times until you’re confident doing it alone, okay?”

He rolled his eyes, “It’s not hard.”

Itachi, pregnant and probably incredibly hormonal, burst into tears at the idea that Sasuke living with you would be a more permanent thing.

Sasuke, completely allergic to feelings, promptly fled the room with the excuse that he had to practice a potion, leaving you to delicately wipe Itachi’s tears away.

“I’m happy,” Itachi sobbed into your neck. “I’m so happy.”

“Me too, baby, me too.”

You were incredibly lucky to be able to say that and deeply and truly mean it.

…

James watched as the human alpha built a home with their children, their mate, their mate’s brother, their mate’s brother’s cat, and seven… turkeys? Something like that, James couldn’t quite remember the word for those tiny creatures.

The human was happy, and bizarrely, that made James feel happy too. The weird burning in her chest subsided, and she was able to close ‘Potions and Magic and Sex, Oh My!’, knowing that her human made the right choice.

It was with a light heart that James left the library to guide more humans, knowing that her human alpha was happy.

If you asked her, the human alpha had more than earnt a happy second life.

[sturmovik]

Elden Ring: my new player experience so far

I finally picked up Elden Ring on sale after all these years. I knew it would be difficult for me as a casual gamer who's never played a FromSoft game before but I've been itching to try it out for years now. Here's what's happened to me so far:

(some early game spoilers btw. for those who want to visualize, my Tarnished is a Vagabond Knight that kinda looks like Saoirse Ronan)

The First Hour:

I struggled hard with the PC controls. Eventually managed to limp my way into a cave where I killed an angry dog man after dying to it like 3 times (skill issue + i'm not comfy with the controls yet). Only after all that did I rest at a grace site outdoors. That's when Melina appeared and said "You suck. Here's a horse."

Wandering:

I spend some time going around aimlessly, killing whatever small fry I run into to get my level up as much as possible. I was feeling confident so I decided to challenge the Tree Sentinel. I was most comfortable using the halberd and I read he drops a good one. As expected, I died multiple times. Eventually, Renna appeared and said "You suck. Here, use summons" (i still couldnt beat the tree sentinel)

WTF:

For the next 2 or so hours I accomplish nothing except killing more small mobs. At one of the ruin sites I massacre some unarmed... people(?) and then deal with some giant rats. A player message said the chest was a trap but I love Frieren and I know she wouldn't let that silly message stop her.

It was a teleport trap to some godsforsaken mine in a hellish death zone. Surprisingly I only died 3 times before I successfully escaped. During those three attempts I followed a phantom I saw jumping up so I also jumped up and followed that path upward (i'm in a mine, and the exits to mines are upwards duh), managing to juke the big monsters and kill one of the smaller ones that got in my way. I made it to a gate which I assumed was the escape/entrance route. I did it. Now I can get away on Torrent with some runes to spare!

To my horror, the gate opened to an isolated chamber, and a health bar appeared on screen with the words "FALLINGSTAR BEAST." I could only watch helplessly while my character was locked in an animation pushing the gate open to meet certain death. Fuck it, we ball. (there's no happy ending here, I suck at this game lol)

Turns out all I had to do was run downstairs a bit to get away.

The Erdtree:

I think there was grace in the mine but I didn't use it because I wanted to see where I ended up. I surveyed the red hellscape before me, and thought, "yeah this sucks I'm going back Limgrave." I mounted Torrent and began taking the scenic route back to greener pastures.

That's when I noticed that the Erdtree was much closer than before. So I decided to go for it. Let's head to the big tree and become Elden Lord! We fell off a cliff and died.

At this point, I have accomplished nothing but the multiplication of my own pain and suffering. Waking at the nearest site of grace, Melina appeared once again and spoke thus: "You're an idiot. Welcome to the Roundtable."

-- In summary, I feel like one of those absolute loser main characters in a fantasy/isekai anime that's stuck killing rats in some ungodly corner of the world trying to build up skills and power to eventually kill God. Idk if I'll ever get there because so far I am horrible at learning attack patterns and can't seem to time movement/dodging to save my life but so far the journey has been hilarious and I want to keep going.

(decided to post here cuz r/EldenRing automatically deletes this there. I read the rules and dont seem to be breaking any of them, even tagged spoilers and all. so fuck 'em. wassup tumblr)

[remembertheplunge]

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

October 16, 1992

3 years ago tonight , October 16, 1989, we stood at the silent, invisible threshold of violent change. I had just purchased the Crow table and the large lavender vase from the Crow House estate sale.. I lived in the  Keller Street house and Dad was siting at the table working on class work. It was a Monday evening. That Saturday Night, October 14 had been the Dive Club abalone feed. We’d all come over to my house after, Mom and Dad  including Gene Trimble. The Crow table at that time was out in the garage. Chase had helped me bring it over in his little truck. It was a different world. I had no thoughts of moving from Keller Street. I was still in my first year of home ownership. I had yet to do a Murder trial. I drove the 1984 Dodge Charger. I had just paid it off I think. I was in Hand To Hand. I had been since August. I don’t know if I was matched. I earned substantially less than I do now. My house payment was substantially less than it is now. I had never been tested for AIDS. The magic of San Fransisco journeys was in full swing. I was open for wonder there. I journaled nightly as I do now. I enjoyed traveling journal integration as I do now. Alan Watts lectures on KPFA Sunday’s was probably my religious hour. Dad did not have cancer.

And then the earthquake hit. 

And all the shaking cried out for a peace, a resting, a calm to reorganize. So now I sit in this new world. I’m less confused. I’m less complex. I’m calmer. Tonight I am not terribly depressed as I have been traditionally work week Friday nights. I am here with you now.

Earthquakes can be friends. They can shake you into awakening.

End of this part of the entry.

Notes: 8/22/2024

The Loma Prieta quake hit at 5:04pm Tuesday October 17, 1989. The epicenter was near Santa Cruz, California.  Although I was in Modesto, California about 120 mile East of the epicenter, the floor began to roll and things were falling off the shelves in the grocery store that I was in when it hit.

Parts of downtown Santa Cruz were destroyed. An East Bay upper level of a freeway pancaked into the lower level. There was extensive damage in some areas of San Fransisco. Part of the upper level of the bay bridge collapsed into the lower level at rush hour on a Tuesday. 

The Crow house was an elegant old Victorian that sat across from the jail in downtown Modesto. I bought the antique round table and accompanying chairs just before the earth quake hit, along with the lavender large vase. I was afraid that the quake might have caused the vase to fall and shatter back at home. But, on arrival home, it was OK.

By 1992, I had done my first Murder Trial. My Dad must have tested positive for prostate cancer by then. Alan Watts was a philosopher  who died in 1973. His lectures used to play at 4:30pm Sundays on KPFA radio. They contained deep truths for me. I still love to listen to Alan Watts lectures on You tube. I still journal every night. And I still love the wonder of my San Francisco journal journeys.

Hand to Hand was an organization I volunteered for in which we would match up with people with AIDS and help them through their illness and death. The Modesto version of Hand to Hand was called the Stanislaus County Aids Project.

I sold my house on Keller Street and bought another house on Woodcrest Way in Modesto in 1991.

[midautumngame]

Meet the Monkey King! The arrogant trickster, Sūn Wù Kōng is a NEW boss being added to the game! His arena is small, making for a more intense fight where you can't just run away. This cocky trickster originating from Journey to the West fights with his iconic extendable staff, giving him incredible reach and making his attacks very difficult to dodge.

Biome 4 is coming Sept 27th to Midautumn which is currently on sale for 20% off on Steam and Itch as part of GDoCExpo 2023!

[unclevladscorner]

Kickstarter is LIVE

The kickstarter for my book- Sword of the Voivode- is live and will run until February 29th.

The synopsis:

Cyril Valentin believed he'd left his old life behind when he ran away so he could live freely as a New Man. When a former suitor attempts to murder the entire ruling family of Vodomeria- including Cyril- he must choose whether to return to the safety of self imposed exile or journey home to face both his would-be murderer and his estranged family.

Concerned for his young half brother, Cyril undertakes the journey into the heart of his homeland with his lover Daumantas- an ogre with secrets of his own. Dodging agents of the rival house Zhupensken, the two men have their fledgling romance tested as they navigate a realm in disarray as well as the secrets they've been keeping from one another. In order to restore peace to the realm, Cyril must come to terms with his past as the Dueling Princess of Vodomeria and face the men who saw him as a prize to be won.

Can Cyril set aside his complex feelings and locate his family before the Zhupensken agents that wish to do them harm? Will his relationship with Daumantas endure as both men reveal hidden sides of themselves?

The Sword of the Voivode is the first book in the Heirs of Finndrigair series and is an adult Fantasy novel about a transgender adult confronting his complex past and familial estrangement in order to forge a better future for himself and those around him.

What I'm trying to achieve: I want to have this book fully finished by June of this year. The only thing holding me back is monetary. This is where the Kickstarter speeds up the timetable- it helps me cover the various costs at the end part of this process, AND you get the book before the rest of the public!

Why did I write this book?

I really like more action-y fantasy, and there just isn't much in that vein right now with queer characters as the main protagonists. I'd also like to see more trans characters in a wider array of books... But in this case, it means WRITING those books myself!

I've also managed to assemble an all trans team for the book! So I'm not the only transgender person benefiting from it's completion and sale. Gabriel Hargrave is an incredible writer in his own right, and N.A. Melamed is an incredibly talented artist who will make a cover that far surpasses anything I could do on my own! Supporting the campaign means supporting them as well!

[cyphyree]

Giorno 2, 3, 9,and 15

Hell yeah, the lil guy himself!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I love how the narrator states that Giorno's heart became a righteous one, but whatever that means is incredibly subjective. Sure, I like to think that he tries his best to do good, but we hardly get to really see what his goals really are. Can we trust that he actually wants to ban the drug trade aimed at vulnerable people, or did he say so because he's deduced that he could manipulate Bucciaratti that way? That's something I've seen being debated a lot, especially since the manga didn't have that anime scene where The Gangster is specifically against drug trading with children (therefore implying that Giorno adopted the same belief). He also just has no qualms about killing an enemy before he's met them properly (like Sale), because hey this is the mafia, they're going to kill you if you don't kill them first. Even in the enemy rush that's Stardust Crusaders, most enemies just have to get bonked hard enough to take a nap.

But listen, maybe it's because I'm biased or whatever, but even from a more objective lens, Giorno seems to care deeply even if he can't show it. I keep thinking specifically about the part where he talks to Bucciaratti in the car to Rome, and how distraught he seems. You can argue that his pride was hurt because GE failed and he was about to lose a strong ally, and I mean maybe that's part of it. But it's during the solitary and quiet moments that we see Giorno as himself a little bit more, and coincidentally those are my favourite canon moments of him.

He also just let cats walk all over him at the docks and doesn't bother to do anything about it. So there's that.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

We could've gotten a cool 1 v 1 battle between pre-GER Giorno and Daivolo, BUT WE DIDN'T and I'm so sad about it. His dad got to destroy half of Cairo with Jotaro, this just isn't fair. I want to see what a life-bringer vs time-skip fight looks like. Maybe Giorno's doing that to distract Diavolo while everyone else was chasing after Chariot Requiem, you know?

What if Diavolo thinks he can stand-rush Giorno's vine shield during the time skip, but when time resumed he gets pummeled via attack reflection.

What if Giorno distracted Diavolo with a giant tree growing, which Diavolo dodges via time skip, only to get skunk-sprayed in the face.

What if he slips on a banana that turns into a gun.

We were robbed of self-proclaimed time lord mafia boss getting decked by a 15-year-old flower boy in the most looney tune ways possible.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Eh......... I feel like that's more up to him. I'd probably be nervous because I don't like to bother people in general, but I think we'd mostly likely keep to ourselves most of the time anyway. Maybe share infodumps sometimes, I don't know.

It might just be a security concern if I keep bumping into enemy stand users and gang members though.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

I don't have one, to be honest. I like the symbolic duality that he and Fugo has, but I've never felt super strongly about Giorno being attracted to anyone romantically.

I do think he has very deep bonds with his friends though. I just like the idea of him trying to maintain relationships with what's left of the team. It would be hard because of power imbalances, the journey's aftermath, and the consequences of Giorno's actions. Maybe he grows up never being close to anyone, platonically or otherwise. But there's still the possibility that, after years of ostracization and neglect, maybe he'll finally have a family.

[call-sign-foxtrot]

A Neo-liberalistic Nihilistic Manifesto

Economic Policy meets Existential Despair

In this grim guide, we'll delve into the depths of neoliberalistic nihilism and explore the realities of navigating the market-driven hellscape. In this journey through the corners of capitalism, where the only certainty is uncertainty, and the only currency is cold, hard cash. History? A meaningless series of market fluctuations. Morality? A subjective construct hindering your consumption choices. Truth? Fungible and for sale to the highest bidder.

Step 1: Embrace the Market Abyss

In this wild west of capitalism, the invisible hand of the market reigns supreme, guiding through the chaos of supply and demand like a blindfolded stumbling through a minefield. Forget about regulations or ethical dilemmas – profit is the only compass you need. The market will definitely reward your...gestures vaguely...audacity with untold riches (or bankruptcy, but hey, it's all meaningless anyway). But in this world, failure is but a temporary setback, a stepping stone on the path to greater success. After all, what does it matter if we lose it all, if the game is all that matters?

Step 2: Find Meaning in Materialism

In this world devoid of inherent meaning, material possessions become our gods. So go ahead, splurge on that designer handbag or the latest iPhone – they're the closest thing to existential fulfilment money can buy. With each purchase, we are not only filling the void within, but also contributing to the great capitalist machine that powers our world. And in doing so, we are becoming the ultimate consumers, the apex predators of the consumerist jungle. Just ignore the sense of emptiness that creeps in when you realize that no amount of consumerism can fill the void within. So why not treat yourself to that dopamine rush you get from scoring those limited-edition drops? It's basically the same feeling as finding true happiness, only slightly less sustainable and much more expensive.

Step 3: Exploit, Exploit, Exploit

In the pursuit of profit, nothing is off-limits. Exploit cheap labor in developing countries? Check. Dodge taxes like a like a ship vanishing into fog? Double check. Destroy the environment faster than you can say "climate change is real"? Triple check. In the grand scheme of things, morals are just roadblocks on the way to wealth. "This all sounds so...unethical." And you're right. It is. But in the world of business, morals are just a luxury that only the weak can afford. So, if you want to make it to the top, you'd better be prepared to leave your conscience at the door. Who needs a clear conscience when you have a yacht? Or a private jet? Or a mansion on a hill?

Step 4: Rinse and Repeat

Congratulations, you're now a card-carrying member of the neoliberalistic nihilist club! But remember, the journey is never truly over. As you navigate the waters of late-stage capitalism, always keep one eye on the bottom line and the other on the abyss. Who knows, maybe one day you'll achieve true enlightenment – or at least a slightly bigger offshore bank account. Perhaps we will find the freedom we so desperately crave – or perhaps, more likely, we will find nothing at all.

Step 5: Await the End

Now all that remains is to await the inevitable collapse – the final unraveling of civilization as we know it. Embrace the pain, the anguish, the existential despair – for in the depths of suffering lies the only semblance of truth we will ever know. Let it wash over you like a tidal wave, drowning out the hollow echoes of consumerism and capitalist excess. For in the end, it is our suffering that defines us – not our fleeting moments of happiness or success.

Disclaimer: This is Satire. Repeat: "There is only the market, and the market is good..." (except when it isn't, but hey, that's the thrill of the gamble, right?).

[wanderfulescapes]

Tips to find the lowest airline tickets 💻🌅How to avoid mistakes when booking cheap tickets 🎫 🛫

Planning a trip is always exhilarating, but the excitement can quickly give way to stress when it comes time to book flights and transportation. With varying ticket prices, seemingly endless fees, and complex booking platforms, sorting through travel ticket options can be overwhelming. Where do you even begin to find an affordable fare without spending hours searching every airline website? When is the best time to purchase airfare or train tickets for the lowest possible price? What factors into pricing and availability? In this guide, I'll walk through the key considerations for booking both domestic and international travel tickets. You'll learn insider tips on finding deals, dodging extra fees, timing your purchase, and maximizing flexibility. With strategic planning and research, you can master travel ticketing and lock in the best value seats for your next big journey or quick getaway. Let's explore how to take control of travel booking and make ticketing a breeze, not a burden.

Here are some tips on when plane tickets tend to be cheapest:

- Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are generally when airlines release sales and cheaper seats. Set fare alerts for midweek mornings.

- Tickets are usually cheapest 1-3 months in advance of travel dates, when airlines are trying to fill seats. Avoid buying last-minute.

- Flying on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays tends to be cheaper than high-demand days like Friday and Sunday. Flexibility helps.

- Traveling during shoulder seasons when weather is transitioning (spring/fall) is cheaper than summer and winter peak times.

- Red eye and early morning flights are often cheaper than midday and evening. An inconvenience for savings!

- Holiday periods like Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving lead to price spikes. Avoid traveling a few days before/after major holidays.

-If you're open to it, check if there are alternate airports near your destination. Sometimes flying into a nearby city and then taking a short train or bus ride to your final destination can save you money.

Protip: consider looking for tickets in incognito mood to see the real prices of tickets. Otherwise, the price will go up everytime you visit the same site.

Being flexible on dates, willing to take red eyes, flying midweek, and searching extensively can lead to great flight deals. Signing up for price alerts and newsletters from airlines can help find the cheapest tickets.

[f-shipping]

How Warehouse Management Services Elevate Shipping Efficiency

Within the bustling domain of shipping, proficiency is the bedrock on which victory is built. Behind the scenes, a noiseless orchestrator guarantees that this effectiveness rules supreme—warehouse management services. These unsung heroes are the planners of synchronized supply chains, real-time overhauls, and consistent arrangement handling, all of which contribute to raising shipping proficiency in unused states. In this article, we dive into the advantageous relationship between distribution center administration administrations and shipping operations, disclosing how their interconnection changes the coordination scene, decreases travel times, and minimizes costs. 

The Move of Synchronized Supply Chains 

Imagine an ensemble where each note is played in ideal agreement, making a showstopper of sound. Additionally, distribution center administration choreographs the components of shipping operations into a synchronized supply chain move. By closely checking stock levels, following arrange statuses, and encouraging consistent communication between stockrooms and shipping centers, these administrations dispense with disturbances and bottlenecks, resulting in an agreeable stream of merchandise from beginning to end. 

Real-Time Stock Upgrades: The Pulse of Accuracy 

Within the fast-paced world of shipping, each diminutive tower Usually, real-time stock overhauls are the pulse of proficiency. Warehouse management services gives shipping companies a digital window into their inventory's status, advertising a bird's-eye view of stock levels, area, and development. This real-time perceivability enables companies to make educated choices, designate assets wisely, and react instantly to changing requests, guaranteeing that items are continuously prepared to set out on their journey. 

The Craftsmanship of Consistent Arrange Handling 

Arrange preparing is the foundation of shipping, and warehouse services refine it to a craftsmanship frame. These administrations consistently coordinated demands with stock accessibility, guaranteeing that items in stock were advertised for sale. This integration amplifies the advance, robotizing the picking, pressing, and dispatching of forms. The result isn't fair speedier fulfillment, but moreover a lessening in mistakes as human intercession is minimized, driving to enchanted clients and reinforced validity. 

Exact Request Determining: Precious Stone Ball of Effectiveness 

One of the privileged insights behind proficient shipping lies in expecting requests. Warehouse management services tackle the control of exact request estimating, permitting shipping companies to remain one step ahead. By analyzing authentic information, showcase patterns, and even outside variables, these administrations offer insights into what clients will need and when they'll need it. Equipped with this prescient ability, shipping companies like Focal Shipping can optimize stock levels, allocate assets effectively, and dodge pointless over abundances or stockouts. 

Diminished Travel Times: The Domino Impact of Productivity 

Time is cash, particularly in shipping. Warehouse administrations set off a domino impact that diminishes travel times and opens up productivity. With synchronized supply chains, real-time stock upgrades, and streamlined order handling, items move consistently from distribution center racks to shipping vehicles. Diminished travel times decipher speedier conveyances, increased client fulfillment, and the potential for taking a toll on investment funds as fewer assets are spent holding stock. 

Fetched Minimization: A Byproduct of Optimized Operations 

Effectiveness and fetched minimization are kindred spirits. Warehouse services use the control to cut costs through optimized operations. By guaranteeing that the correct items are promptly accessible and abundance stock is minimized, these administrations decrease capacity costs and dispose of the need for crisis shipments due to stockouts. The result may be a leaner, more resource-efficient operation that straightforwardly impacts the bottom line. 

Ideal Space Utilization: 

Maximizing every inch of effectiveness in shipping operations goes hand in hand with ideal space utilization. Warehouse management services play a significant part in guaranteeing that distribution center space is utilized to its fullest potential. Through clever stock following and capacity optimization methodologies, these administrations offer assistance to shipping companies in avoiding overloading or underutilizing distribution center capacity. This results in a more organized and streamlined capacity format, diminishing the need for extra capacity space and contributing to general fetched reserve funds. 

Effective Returns Administration: Closing the Circle 

Within the world of shipping, returns are an unavoidable perspective. Warehouse administration like Focal Shipping expand their effectiveness in return administration, closing the circle on the shipping cycle. These administrations encourage smooth and effective return preparation, guaranteeing that returned items are expeditiously restocked, repaired, or arranged as vital. By minimizing the time items spend in limbo, shipping companies can keep up stock precision and swiftly return things to saleable status. 

Administrative Compliance: Exploring Complexities with Ease 

Navigating the regulatory scene could be a critical aspect of shipping operations, particularly when managing assorted markets. Warehouse management services lend a helping hand by consolidating administrative compliance into their forms. This includes guaranteeing that items are stored and transported according to particular controls, such as temperature-sensitive merchandise or dangerous materials. By keeping up compliance, shipping companies not only dodge potential punishments but also construct notoriety for reliability and polished skill. 

Improved Client Bits of Knowledge: Fueling Key Choices 

Client bits of knowledge are priceless for forming trade procedures and offerings. Warehouse administration contributes to improved client knowledge through information collection and examination. By following arranged designs, inclinations, and input, these administrations give shipping companies a more profound understanding of client behavior. This understanding can direct stocking choices, item collections, and indeed promoting campaigns, resulting in more focused and successful procedures that reverberate with clients. 

Within the energetic world of shipping, where time is of the substance and client fulfillment rules are incomparable, Warehouse management services emerge as the unsung heroes of effectiveness. Through synchronized supply chains, real-time stock overhauls, and precise request forecasting, these administrations bridge the gap between coordination and client desires. They change shipping operations into well-organized endeavors, guaranteeing that items move consistently from distribution center to client, eventually delivering not just merchandise but uncommon encounters.

[kylesmediamunchies]

My Thoughts On: CrossCode

As Steam’s 2023 Summer Sale rolled around, I was itching to grab at least one game before the sale came to a close. I had heard of CrossCode from a YouTube video a while ago and kept it in the back of my mind until a sale rolled around. After weighing up any other potential games I’d like to grab instead, I settled on CrossCode. Lo and behold, I was beyond pleasantly surprised with my experience and enjoyed it more than I imagined I would. I wouldn’t hesitate to call it one of my favourite games I’ve played this year, which says a lot considering I had just spent an ungodly amount of hours in Tears of the Kingdom just a couple of months ago.

Crosscode is an Action RPG developed by Radical Fish Games. Originally a hobby project, CrossCode was successfully funded on IndieGogo and fully released in 2018, following a 3-year tenure in early access. In 2021, the game would receive a paid DLC, adding a significant amount of post-game content. This lengthy development time has resulted in an extremely polished product that has clearly had so much love, dedication and care put into it. I’ve tried to keep this little write-up extremely light on spoilers in case a wandering soul finds their way here and decides to play the game themselves.

CrossCode is set in a sort of faux-MMO. Games about games aren’t rare nowadays but CrossCode’s take is well executed. The setting can be difficult to explain in summary, and is easier to get the jist of when playing the game yourself, but I’ll try my hand. CrossCode takes place in CrossWorlds, an MMO that exists in the far future. Instead of traditional MMOs as we understand them, CrossWorlds is not in fact virtual. CrossWorlds itself takes place on a terraformed moon and players don headgear, much like virtual reality headsets that we know today, allowing them to control their characters, called avatars.  A great deal of effort was put into maintaining the illusion of a highly populated MMO world. The protagonist, Lea, is a player logged into this game herself. Your party members are in-universe players and behave as such. You’ll see other players running about the world and chatting about the game and the experiences they’ve had within it. This MMO-based world allows the game to toy around with genre convention, engage in meta humour, subvert player expectations and tell a story that is entirely unique to the setting.

CrossCode’s visuals are a clear homage to the art found in SNES classics. Player and party sprites are cute and charming, but appropriately readable. Effects for powerful abilities are striking and flashy, while sprites for large and dangerous boss monsters ooze with menacing detail. Spritework for the game’s numerous locales is delightfully vibrant, a particular favourite of mine being Sapphire Ridge. Pictured below is Autumn’s Rise, the game’s first major area.

I heavily enjoyed CrossCode’s soundtrack, composed by Deniz Akbulut. Battle themes are upbeat and electric, matching the pace and energy of the game’s combat. Dungeon themes on the opposite end, are moody, thought-provoking tracks, acting as appropriate backdrops to the game’s unrelenting puzzles. Tense story beats have appropriate tracks that set the mood wonderfully. Particular favourites of mine are Autumn’s Rise and Lea!. Autumn’s Rise is the track for the game’s introductory area of the same name. It is welcoming and upbeat, with a palpable air of discovery and excitement, serving as the perfect introduction to CrossCode’s journey. Lea!, as its name implies, is the protagonist's main theme. A calming and pleasant track that finds its motif used in several other places in the game’s OST. Keep a keen ear out!

CrossCode’s moment-to-moment gameplay is extremely polished, with Lea being incredibly responsive and easy to control. Lea's base arsenal consists of a chargeable, bouncing projectile and a melee combo, as well as a dodge and guard. The depth of this combat system can be found in the game’s skill tree and element system. Its skill tree allows players to upgrade certain attributes and unlock stronger forms of Lea’s four base abilities named combat arts. These combat arts make use of an ‘SP’ meter, with stronger arts requiring more SP to use. SP slowly restores on its own, but does so even faster when dealing damage to enemies. This motivates the player to stay active in combat, always building up SP in order to continually throw out powerful offensive or defensive abilities. Elemental modes allow Lea to swap between a number of elements on the fly, altering her current stats and damage type. Each element offers an entirely new set of combat arts, resulting in a large amount of options at Lea’s disposal at any moment during a fight. This also makes unlocking each of the game’s elements exciting, as each element introduces further variety in both combat and puzzle solving. Combat itself is fast and frenetic, requiring quick thinking and understanding of both enemy attacks and weaknesses to come out on top. Enemy encounters specifically were a highlight, with each enemy type having unique behaviours and their own individual strategies in order to take them down. This ranges from attacking them during an indicated phase of vulnerability, attacking a specific part of their body or building up a stagger meter by attacking with an element the enemy is weak to (and many more!). CrossCode also offers numerous pieces of equipment that offer certain modifiers to Lea’s skillset that allows the player to further specialise and build to their tastes. However, seeking out specific pieces of gear can require some extended material grinding. I generally ignored extensive trading and only picked up gear that I already had the materials for regardless, but after finishing the main story and picking out select pieces of gear I wanted to craft in order to tackle some post-game content, I did have to spend some time running around to grind out the necessary materials.

CrossCode's dungeons wear the game’s 2D Zelda inspiration on its sleeve, with large, labyrinthine structures, featuring puzzles, enemies, locked doors and a final 'boss' key the player must collect to face the temple's last challenge. CrossCode does a phenomenal job at introducing a temple's major mechanics and continuously building on them as the temple progresses. What goes from a single, simple interaction will eventually become an entire web of puzzle elements that weave together to create a challenging, but satisfying experience. Many puzzles will require tight and consistent execution beyond figuring out the solution. A temple's primary puzzle mechanics will also be used in enemy rooms, as well as the temple's boss, wrapping the experience up with a nice little bow. The amount of unique and varied interactions present in CrossCode’s dungeons is staggering, especially considering that Lea’s primary method of solving puzzles is solely through the use of her bouncing, ranged projectile. Admittedly, while I feel CrossCode's temples are very well executed in terms of their design, I did find myself fatigued at times. Dungeons are long and involved, and the ever-increasing complexity of a dungeon's puzzles often left me tired. Although  I may be partly to blame since I was playing such large bursts, I’d probably feel different had I taken the game slower! Still, I never felt the puzzles themselves to be poorly designed. CrossCode has a certain ‘language’ to its puzzle design that made it easy for me to get the idea of what a room was asking of me. This didn’t mean I solved each puzzle with any semblance of swiftness, but upon entering a room and getting past the initial shock of, “Wow that’s a lot of things”, scanning the room and the puzzle elements it contains made my brain begin churning with various ideas. Following this, I enjoyed experimenting with what was available in a room, slowly putting together what the puzzle’s final solution may be. This concludes with solving the puzzle itself, which as mentioned previously, is an execution test, requiring me to put my potential solution to work with well-timed and precisely-aimed projectiles. I fell into this engaging loop of ‘scan’, ‘experiment’ and then ‘solve’, feeling very satisfied after each room I cleared. Besides the puzzles themselves, the developers included visual aids like floor markings to be a subtle guiding hand for a player. I’ve only done a single playthrough, but I look forward to running the dungeons once more with the experience I’ve now garnered. Related to puzzles, CrossCode offers accessibility options that allow the player to tune puzzle speed to their liking. While I never found myself making use of this feature, it is appreciated for players that have difficulty with or aren’t interested in its puzzle gameplay.

The rest of CrossCode’s gameplay is found in exploring its vast locales. Areas consist of many rooms filled to the brim with enemies and collectibles. Players can blast away flora for materials and hop across terrain. The game offers many chests which contain valuables outside the player's reach that require platforming across an area’s geography to reach higher up ledges. Also littered across these areas are numerous mini-puzzles. While not as substantial as their dungeon counterparts, they offer a distraction from combat and platforming, often leading the way to chests and opening up shortcuts to make navigation simpler. One of my few qualms with CrossCode is found here. The game’s isometric perspective means judging heights and distance for jumps can be unintuitive. By the latter half, I found myself ignoring some of the more deviously placed chests because I just didn’t have the patience to seek out one specific ledge I needed to climb up and then fall off three times on the way to the chest by misjudging my jumps.  

Much like any RPG, CrossCode features a bevy of sidequests alongside its main content. RPGs regularly fall subject to menial and tedious sidequests and I was happy to find that CrossCode’s were generally enjoyable. This isn’t to say the game is free from the usual affair of “Bring me 7 yum-yum apples”, but several sidequests offer entirely unique content and interesting spins on existing mechanics, especially further into the game. They’re still rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but I found them worth playing through for the extra dialogue involving Lea and her current party, on top of the extra bits of gameplay they provide.

CrossCode's protagonist, Lea, is subject to much praise. Silent protagonists are not at all uncommon in games, especially RPGs, characterised by, of course, their silence. Usually, the intent is for the silent protagonist to act as a sort of vessel for the player to interact with the game and make what they will of their experience with its world and characters. This does not mean silent protagonists are entirely devoid of character, there'll usually be some tidbits of information and personality that the player can come to learn. For the most part, though, the silent protagonist’s fellow party members will usually do the heavy-lifting in terms of dialogue. CrossCode's Lea approaches the trope differently in that her silence is an important aspect of her character and underpins many of the interactions she has with those around her. Upon awakening, Lea learns that she is incapable of speaking due to her avatar's speech control module malfunctioning. Exceptions lie in a few ‘hard-coded’ words she has available to her, like the simple and iconic, “Hi!”. While she may not have much in the way of words, she is extremely expressive, owing to the game’s numerous, vibrant portrait sprites, each beaming with personality and charm. The game is rather dialogue heavy, and Lea will be meeting and starting up conversation with many characters on her journey. She is incredibly reactive and will regularly make her thoughts known through body language and expression. For example, exasperation when tasked to do something trivial, joy when greeting a friend and a palpable smugness when she succeeds. She is motivated, friendly and competitive, with a slight ego and an occasional knack for tomfoolery. Furthermore, Lea’s limited vocabulary results in her needing to be creative in the way she uses the words she has available to her. As a whole, Lea is a phenomenal protagonist that makes CrossCode all the more memorable and compelling.

As for the game’s other characters, CrossCode is an a unique position in that your traditional RPG party members are other players within CrossCode’s MMO setting. This results in party interaction that is intended to mimic that of banter between friends during an online play session. While travelling around the game world, party members will comment on the design of an area you’ve found yourselves in, the absurdity of the enemies you’re fighting and much more. To further cement the online party experience, party members, of course, lead real lives outside of the game and will mention goings-on in their days. Some may even need to log-out of the game after a long play session, leaving Lea to her own devices. Much like Lea, there are an abundance of portrait sprites for each party member, with an equivalent amount of care and detail put into each. In combat, party members are AI controlled, running about and fighting enemies independently. This lack of control and the way in which the AI for party members functions holds up the illusion of party members being players themselves. I enjoyed that as Lea’s skillset grows ever-larger, her party members will follow suit, choosing upgrades for themselves and purchasing their own new equipment. The party system and the way characters interact during exploration are effective in evoking that feeling of forging connections through online gaming and running through vast virtual words with newfound friends.

I’d prefer to keep thoughts on the game’s narrative to a minimum but as mentioned earlier. It is rather slow to start, but uses this time to get the player accustomed to its unorthodox setting and allow time for Lea to come into her own and forge bonds with others. I found myself eager and excited for major story beats, which the game certainly delivers. There is a particularly stellar extended story sequence that has still stuck with me weeks after completing the game. I did find the game to have some pacing issues, more particularly in a section with minimal story content and three large dungeons back-to-back. The player is able to complete side-quests and the like between these dungeons, but it is a rather long stretch and I did find myself yearning for a more substantial reprieve from the barrage of puzzles. However, this section of the game followed rather heavy and extensive story content so it is effective in allowing the player, and Lea, to decompress.

I would recommend CrossCode to anyone that enjoys smooth, fast-paced top-down combat and tough, execution-based puzzles on top of an intriguing narrative with fun characters and exciting story beats. It saddens me that it has fallen off the wayside in the wider indie gaming sphere. I feel it truly does deserve to be heralded in the same light as its more well-known indie contemporaries. CrossCode is a phenomenal first outing for Radical Fish Games and I’m looking forward to their next title, currently in development under the name of Project Terra.

[starseedfxofficial]

Master Scenario Analysis & Balance to Outperform the Forex Market The Trading Secret Hidden in Plain Sight: Mastering Scenario Analysis & Your Current Account Balance Picture this: You're standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green, and suddenly it hits you. Not a car, thankfully, but an idea — trading isn't that different from crossing the street. It’s all about timing, understanding the situation, and making decisions based on the likely outcomes. That’s where scenario analysis and your current account balance come into play. The combination of these two tools is like having a trusty guide who can predict every possible traffic light change on your journey—just in case you need to dodge a trading mistake akin to buying that leopard-print shirt that’s now gathering dust in your closet. But here's where the real magic happens: Scenario analysis isn't just about understanding where you are; it's about pre-empting where you could go. Your current account balance is the heartbeat of your trading decisions, and understanding it is key to successful scenario analysis. Let's dive into the lesser-known strategies, myths, and secrets that can transform how you approach Forex trading. Why Most Traders Get It Wrong (And How You Can Avoid It) Scenario analysis is often misunderstood. Most traders think it's just about predicting what might happen—but that’s only scratching the surface. The truth? It's about layering probabilities, hidden patterns, and evaluating multiple potential scenarios based on your current account balance, with one key goal: preserving and multiplying your capital. Now, here’s where traders slip up: they assume every scenario analysis ends in profit, like predicting every single cliffhanger on a Netflix series. But if we learned anything from bad sitcom plot twists, it's that not everything goes as expected. That’s why scenario analysis is less about absolute predictions and more about dynamic risk management. The Forgotten Strategy That Outsmarted the Pros Here's something the trading gurus won't tell you—your current account balance is more than just a number. It’s a tool for determining your leverage, the buffer for unexpected market shifts, and a benchmark to assess whether you're biting off more than you can chew. A healthy current account balance keeps your trades afloat when the seas get rough. Think of it as a flotation device in a pool—sure, you can swim without it, but if the waves start coming (like, say, during high volatility events), you'd be glad you held onto it. When combined with scenario analysis, your current account balance helps you decide when to hold steady, when to dive deep, and when to float on the surface. It's all about evaluating the "what ifs" and setting yourself up for success, even if one or two predictions miss the mark. Predict Market Moves with Ninja-Like Precision If you want to truly master scenario analysis, you need to think like a ninja—nimble, adaptable, and always a few steps ahead. Picture yourself eyeing different scenarios, each with its own probability of success. But you’re not making wild guesses—you're assessing everything, including economic indicators, geopolitical events, and (of course) your current account balance. By practicing scenario analysis regularly, you can develop a sixth sense for identifying opportunities that others miss. You might spot a hidden trend, a currency pair reacting to news in a way that hints at a larger movement, or a pattern no one else is seeing—something like sensing when that sale at your favorite store isn’t actually that great because they’re just recycling last season’s stock. To help with this, tools like our Smart Trading Tool provide automated insights that can guide you. It calculates lot sizes, manages orders, and gives you that extra ninja star to throw when others are still fumbling around. The One Simple Trick That Can Change Your Trading Mindset Here's a piece of trading wisdom that's as valuable as it is unconventional: It's not about winning every trade—it's about understanding how each potential outcome could affect your current account balance. This isn't about being "right" all the time. It’s about understanding which outcomes hurt the least and provide the most opportunities for growth. Imagine each trade is like a different dish in a buffet—some are tasty, some not so much, but you don't have to love every dish for the whole experience to be satisfying. Scenario analysis helps you decide which dishes to try and which to pass. By focusing on your current account balance, you ensure you’re not overstuffing your plate and risking a stomach ache later. Hidden Patterns and Insider Knowledge for Strategic Advantage Let’s talk insider knowledge. One lesser-known secret in Forex trading is understanding how market sentiment—the invisible force driving market psychology—affects the possible scenarios you lay out. Insider traders (and no, I don't mean anything illegal) understand that sentiment indicators, like Commitment of Traders (COT) reports, can add a new layer of depth to scenario analysis. Incorporating sentiment with your current account balance as your "boundary condition" allows you to understand not just the direction, but also the conviction behind that direction. You might discover that, while the market is moving up, there's not much weight behind that move—kind of like realizing everyone’s just following the crowd into that new movie, even though the trailer looked terrible. Combining this insider knowledge with real-time news updates from our Forex News gives you a strategic advantage that few traders utilize effectively. Avoiding Pitfalls with Scenario Analysis & Current Account Balance Remember that feeling when you accidentally hit the "sell" button instead of "buy" and the trade drops faster than your hopes during a bad date? Yeah, let's avoid that. Scenario analysis, coupled with a good understanding of your current account balance, isn’t just about predicting what’s next—it’s about protecting yourself when things don't go as planned. For example, scenario analysis allows you to determine how much to risk in each trade, and your current account balance determines how much you can afford to lose while still being in the game. Just like in a game of poker, you don’t want to go all-in unless you’re comfortable losing—or unless you have aces up your sleeve (a.k.a. an emergency fund). How to Apply Scenario Analysis to Supercharge Your Trades - Identify Multiple Scenarios: Start by identifying 2-3 potential outcomes for each trade. What's the best-case scenario? The worst? And the one in between? - Assign Probabilities: Based on your research, news, and sentiment indicators, assign probabilities to each scenario. This is where your experience as a trader really pays off—gut feel combined with data-driven analysis. - Evaluate Impact on Current Account Balance: How would each scenario impact your account balance? If the worst-case outcome means wiping out half your account, that’s your cue to step back and rethink. - Adjust and Adapt: Don’t marry your scenarios. Markets are like toddlers—they change their mood every five minutes. Be prepared to adjust as the situation unfolds. How We Can Help You To make your scenario analysis even more effective, consider leveraging some of our services: - Free Trading Plan: This plan helps you set goals and manage risks tailored to your current account balance. - Forex Education: Learn more about these advanced methodologies and little-known techniques that most traders overlook. - Community Membership: Join a community of like-minded traders who provide daily alerts, analysis, and live trading insights. By using these tools and services, you’re not just trading—you’re strategizing, planning, and using scenario analysis like an insider, ensuring that your current account balance isn’t just another number on a screen, but your guide to smarter decisions. It's Not Magic, It's Mastery Trading is like juggling flaming swords—with enough practice, you stop getting burned (as much). Scenario analysis and understanding your current account balance are crucial in managing risk and identifying opportunities. They won't make you invincible, but they’ll sure keep you out of the lion's den more often than not. So, the next time you’re stuck at a trading crossroad, think of your current account balance as your trusty GPS and scenario analysis as the road signs. The destination might change, but with the right tools, you’ll get there eventually—and hopefully, without any bad sitcom twists along the way. If you’ve got a funny scenario of your own, a trading blunder that’s too good not to share, or if you just want to test out some ninja tactics, drop a comment below—I’d love to hear about it (and help you avoid it next time). —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

[finishinglinepress]

FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: Beyond Expectations by Cada McCoy

On SALE: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/beyond-expectations-by-cada-mccoy/

Beyond Expectations inspires and heartens when a child, who once fretted bedtime monsters, strikes out to find many great and wonderous things; offers a breath-holding moment as spring fledglings teeter on the edge of their first precarious flight; affirms an aging community’s wry world-wisdom, underscoring the unaltering lines of human nature’s playbook. Even when expectations become reality-dimmed, unforeseen lessons and unimagined gratitude, often tinged with humor, frequently emerge. This collection was inspired by an observant and sage #mother of a past generation who resolutely overcame her own society’s presumptions, proving that #life always holds #promises well beyond our #expectations. #poetry #childhood #life #journey

Always bouyed and kept afloat by words during careers as librarian, publications editor, independent bookstore owner, these days Cada McCoycan be found in Upstate South Carolina casting her lines into poetry’s tidal streams. What finds the hook is always beyond her most delighted expectations.

PRAISE FOR Beyond Expectations by Cada McCoy

Observant, curious, ever-attentive to detail, Cada McCoy writes with sparkling precision. Her Beyond Expectations broaches the essential choices we all must make in the time we are given.

—Arthur McMaster, author of The Whole Picture Show

Here is a long-needed fresh voice of formalism perfectly rendered. Each syllable is expertly chosen, as is its rhyming pair. Somehow working within the scaffolding of poetic forms–and that tight economy of language that carries into the free verse pieces in Beyond Expectations as well–McCoy’s creations find the seemingly ironic freedom of writing with attention to structure and the deliberate intention to delight. These poems show us truths about our world, crafted into what Frost called “the best words in the best order.” Brava to this innovative new voice in verse.

—Ashley Crout, four-time Pushcart Prize nominee, recipient of awards from The Academy of American Poets and The Poetry Foundation and a poetry grant from The Astraea Foundation, with work appearing in publications including Michigan Quarterly Review, New Orleans Review, Atticus Review and Dodging the Rain.

Cada McCoy’s poetry is a delicious indulgence best spooned, sipped and slurped like simmering stew. These are get-under-the-skin, stick-to-the-bone kind of poems!

The pith, the pitch, the perspective. Perfection!

—Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, editor, teacher and award-winning author

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems #childhood #life #motherhood #mothers #wisdom

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/beyond-expectations-by-cada-mccoy/

[boldlycrookedsheep]

“From Humble Beginnings to Leading Brand: The Saga of La Sasse”

La Sasse is a name that resonates with quality and innovation, but it didn't start that way. The story of this brand is one of grit, determination, and a sprinkle of good fortune. It’s a tale where the seeds of passion blossomed into a thriving enterprise. Let’s dive into the journey of La Sasse, from its origins to its status as a leading brand in today’s market.

The Early Days water

Back in the day, La Sasse was just an idea born in a small kitchen. Founded by Sarah and Mark Sasse, this couple had a dream—a dream to create products that would elevate everyday experiences. With minimal resources but abundant enthusiasm, they began crafting their first offerings at home. These initial products were simple yet effective solutions for common problems.

Can you picture it? A cluttered kitchen filled with pots, pans, and the delightful aroma of trial and error! Friends were the first testers. Word spread quickly about these innovative creations. Soon enough, their small venture transformed from check it out hobby to serious business.

Growth Through Innovation

As demand increased, so did their need for innovation. The couple realized early on that staying stagnant was not an option if they wanted to grow. They researched trends, listened to customer feedback, and embraced change like old friends.

One pivotal moment came when they launched their eco-friendly product line. With increasing awareness around sustainability in consumer choices, La Sasse tapped into this water growing trend. Their commitment to environmentally friendly practices set them apart from competitors. It wasn’t just about making sales; it was about making a difference.

According to a study by Nielsen, 73% of consumers are willing to change their consumption habits to reduce environmental impact. La Sasse caught on early, aligning their values with those of conscientious buyers.

Building the Brand

The next chapter in La Sasse's saga involved branding efforts that resonated with the public's heartstrings. Their logo was designed not just as an identifier but as a symbol of quality and care. Every product carried the essence of what Sarah and Mark stood for: integrity and innovation.

In addition to aesthetics, marketing played a crucial role in their rise to fame. Social media became their partner in crime—an avenue where they could engage directly with customers. User-generated content flooded their feeds; happy customers proudly showcased how La Sasse improved their lives.

And let's be honest—their packaging? It turned heads! Bright colors combined with clever designs made each item irresistible on the shelves.

Challenges Along the Way

Of course, there were bumps along this rocky road of success. Scaling up production while maintaining quality is no walk in the park. There were days when inventory levels dipped unexpectedly or suppliers failed to deliver on time.

But Sarah and Mark approached these hurdles like seasoned athletes dodging traffic—quickly and skillfully! They learned valuable lessons during tough times; adaptability became part of their DNA.

One memorable challenge occurred during a major product launch when unexpected supply chain issues threatened deadlines. Instead of panicking, they communicated transparently with customers about delays while offering discounts for future purchases—a move that built trust rather than eroded it.

Community Conn

[ks-group-zirakpur]

What to Look for in a Real Estate Company When Buying Your First Home

Buying your first home is thrilling yet daunting, and the real estate company you choose can make all the difference. If you're searching in regions like Mohali or Zirakpur, picking a trustworthy real estate firm that aligns with your needs is crucial. But with so many options, how do you decide which is right for you? Here are some essential tips to help you navigate through the real estate companies in Mohali and find your dream home.

Reputation Matters

First things first, delve into the reputation of the real estate company. A company with a solid track record of satisfying customers will likely treat your interests with the seriousness they deserve. Check online reviews, ask for references, and speak to recent clients to get a genuine feel of their experience. A reputable company won’t just be interested in closing a deal; they’ll be committed to finding you a home that meets your needs.

Local Knowledge is Key

The best real estate companies have deep knowledge of the local market. This means they understand everything from the best neighbourhoods and schools to the subtleties of local planning regulations. For instance, when eyeing properties like Zirakpur luxury apartments, a locally knowledgeable agent can provide insights into future urban developments that might affect your investment. Ask your agent about recent sales in the area and their thoughts on market trends to test their local expertise.

Transparency

Transparency in dealings is a non-negotiable trait. Your real estate agent should be upfront about costs, including their fees and any other expenses in buying a home. They should also be clear about their role and what you can expect throughout the buying process. Consider it a red flag if an agent seems to dodge questions or needs fee clarification.

Communication Skills

Excellent communication is critical. The right real estate company will keep you informed every step of the way, providing regular updates and being available to answer your questions. They should be easy to reach and quick to respond. Remember, a good agent listens to your needs and communicates in a way that makes you feel valued and understood.

Adaptability and Problem-Solving Skills

Issues can arise unexpectedly, from last-minute paperwork glitches to negotiation hurdles. An effective real estate company doesn't just react to problems; it anticipates and resolves them swiftly. Look for a team with a knack for problem-solving, flexibility, and creativity in overcoming challenges. They should be adept at negotiating deals that work in your favour while ensuring that all parties are satisfied. 

Conclusion

As you consider real estate companies in Mohali or explore options like Zirakpur luxury apartments, remember to look for a company that offers more than just properties. Choose one that provides a supportive, transparent, and knowledgeable partnership. This will not only make the process smoother but also more enjoyable. With the right company by your side, your journey to finding the perfect first home will be exciting and successful.

[vatt-world]

ss

Opening Image – (Arthur's Apartment)

bill is getting ready for his day job as a party clown, 

parkour run

Subway Train – Day

Summary: Bill rides the subway toward New York City, 

Summary: Bill receives a call from his boss, interrupting his focus on acting.

Scene: Bill checks his phone, seeing his boss's name flash across the screen. 

Scene: Bill practices a Shakespeare monologue in his parked truck before being interrupted by his boss, who reminds him to stay focused on work.

Scene: Bill with Co-Worker About Dating

Street Clown Job – (Street Corner)

Arthur works as a sign spinner for a "Going Out of Business" sale. 

Ignoring Pat’s Call – Day

Scene: Bill ignores a call from his friend Pat as he rushes to an audition.

Scene: Bill rushes through the city, dodging pedestrians and narrowly avoiding a cyclist as he hurries to make it to the audition.

Audition – Day

Scene: Bill auditions but flops, reinforcing his ongoing struggle in the acting world.

Meeting Joe – Day

.

Times Square Joy – Day

Scene: Bill dances

Hit with a Ball – Day

Scene: Bill gets hit by a ball while distracted

Therapy Session – (Social Services Office)

Arthur attends a therapy session with his social worker. 

Bill and Roommate Bond – Night

Scene: Bill and his roommate bond over auditions, discussing their shared ambitions and frustrations.

Bill and Father – Night

Scene: Bill visits his father, and they share a heartfelt moment that offers Bill perspective on his journey.

Second Audition – Day

Scene: A montage of Bill auditioning at different offices, facing various levels of success,

Arthur loves a actor/producer

father tells him he has open auditions

Catalyst (12)

Arthur uploads a funny monologue

Bill Meets Amy – Day

Scene: Bill reconnects with Amy, an old friend from his acting class, in a chance encounter. 

amy says she is working on hindi musical and bill offers to help her...

Debate (12-25)

Roommate’s Offer – Night

Scene: Bill’s roommate suggests quitting acting and joining him in the advertising industry. 

Bill at a Party – Night

Scene: Bill attends a lively party with his co-worker

Brief Co-Worker Conversation – Night (at the Party)

Scene: At the party, Bill has a lighthearted conversation with a co-worker about acting and work life. 

Watching TV: Arthur fantasizes about being on a popular talk show 

Mother’s Obsession: Arthur’s mother writes letters to a powerful figure from her past, hoping to reconnect, believing he will save them.

Break into Two (25-30)

Anita’s Introduction – University Park – Day

Scene: Anita, with a bright energy, vlogs at University Park, 

Fun and Games (30-50) – Small Wins and Setbacks

Anita and Bill Meet at Brooklyn Promenade – Day (Win)

Bill's Boss Berates Him – Day (Setback)

Scene: At work, Bill’s boss berates him for a mistake, his words harsh and critical. 

Arthur discusses about the producer to his roommate

Quiet Meal with Father – Night (Win)

Scene: Bill sits with his father over a quiet dinner. His father offers words of encouragement

Bill Finds Business Documents – Night (Setback)

Scene: Late at night, Bill stumbles upon old business documents related to his father’s financial troubles. As he scans through them, he sees a link to Wayne, a former business partner. 

producer looks at the funny monologue .. and makes it viral

Bill Trains Martial Arts – Dojo – Day (Win)

Scene: Bill practices martial arts at the dojo, focusing intensely on sharpening his skills. 

Bill and Roommate Casual Conversation – Apartment – Day

NEW SCENE

Bill Confides in Roommate – Apartment – Night (Help Offered)

Casual Conversation with Co-Worker – Day (Win)

Bill Drives His Truck – Day (Setback)

Scene: Bill drives his truck through the city, his mind racing with thoughts of his life choices.

Confronting the Powerful Figure: Arthur visits the wealthy man his mother has been writing to, leading to a confrontation that shatters his view of himself.

First Fight with Jack – Dojo – Day (Setback)

Scene: Bill spars with Jack at the dojo, but he’s outmatched. Jack easily defeats him, bruising Bill’s ego. 

Therapist Shutdown: The funding for Arthur’s therapy and medication gets cut, leaving him without support and deepening his mental spiral.

Mantra from Master Kang – Dojo – Day (Win)

Scene: After the fight, Master Kang pulls Bill aside and gives him a mantra, designed to help him develop focus and discipline. 

Riverside Reflection – Riverside Park – Day (Mixed)

Scene: Bill and Pat sit by the riverside, reflecting on their frustrations with the acting industry. 

Bill Practices the Mantra – Night (Win, but with Doubt)

Scene: At night, Bill sits in his apartment, practicing meditation using the mantra from Master Kang. 

Roommate Helps Bill Prepare for Audition – Apartment – Day (Support)

Scene: Bill’s roommate helps him rehearse lines for an upcoming audition, providing feedback and encouragement. 

Bill and Amy Catch Up – Coffee Shop – Day (Win)

Scene: Bill and Amy meet at a cozy coffee shop, where they catch up on each other’s lives. 

Bill Shows Amy the Theater – Small Theater – Day (Win)

Scene: Bill takes Amy to a small theater where he’s planning to perform his solo show. 

Bill Fired After Gun Incident – Boss’s Office – Day (Setback)

Scene: Bill stands in his boss’s office, his face pale as his boss berates him.

Drowning Sorrows at the Bar – Night (Setback)

Scene: Bill sits at a dimly lit bar, nursing a drink as the weight of his failed auditions, breakup, and job loss hangs heavy over him. 

Street Fight – Night (Setback)

Scene: Walking home from the bar, Bill bumps into a group of strangers, and a confrontation quickly escalates. 

Bill Returns Home Battered – Night (Mixed)

Anita and Bill Discuss Careers – Café – Day (Setback)

Midpoint (50) – Significant Loss

Bill’s Injury and Anita Pulls Away – Dojo – Day Scene: Determined to redeem himself, Bill challenges Jack to another sparring match at the dojo. However, the fight doesn’t go as planned, and Bill suffers a serious injury, taking a brutal blow to his ribs. 

Bill Prepares for Solo Show – Theater – Night (Win)

Scene: Despite his injury, Bill pushes forward with preparations for his solo show. 

the producer says he loves to him

Bad Guys Close In (52-65) – Strengthened Transition

Bill’s Obsession – Apartment – Night (Transition Point)

Scene: Bill becomes consumed by his mantra practice, locking himself in his apartment, obsessively focusing on improving his mental and physical strength. 

Bill Reflects on Injury and Anita’s Distance – Apartment – Night (Personal Consequences)

Scene: Alone in his apartment, Bill reflects on his injury, the growing distance between him and Anita, and the toll his obsession is taking on him. Just as he starts to process these feelings, there’s a sudden knock at the door. Wayne’s thugs have come for him, signaling that Bill’s conflicts are no longer just personal—they are external and dangerous.

he gets a phone call

Arthur tells his friend about the invitation

Arthur is excited to meet his idol.. he prepares

Bill’s Growing Obsession – Apartment – Night (Internal Conflict)

Scene: Back at home, Bill becomes obsessed with mastering his fire immunity. 

Bill and Anita Argue – NYC Street – Night (Emotional Conflict Deepens)

All Is Lost (65) – Deepened Emotional Weight

Bill and Anita’s Major Fight – NYC Street – Night

Break into Three (67-70)

Bill Intensifies Training – Dojo – Night

 Arthur’s mother falls ill, and Arthur is forced to take care of her full-time.

 The police investigate Arthur’s connection to the murders but fail to take him seriously.

Roommate Offers Help Again – Apartment – Night (Emotional Support)

 Arthur devises a plan to confront the powerful man again in a public space, hoping to expose the truth.

: Arthur’s attempt to expose the powerful man backfires, and he is humiliated publicly.

Finale (70-75) – Personal and External Showdown

Bill Confronts Wayne – Abandoned Warehouse – Day (Climactic Showdown)

Scene: Bill confronts Wayne in a tense showdown at an abandoned warehouse. This climactic moment marks the resolution of both the external conflict and Bill’s personal journey toward strength and self-belief.

Bill Performs His Solo Show – Theater – Night (Personal Growth)

Scene: In a packed theater, Bill steps into the spotlight to perform his solo show. 

 Arthur devises a plan to appear on the talk show, planning to make a statement in front of the entire city.

 Arthur practices for his talk show appearance, readying himself for the final confrontation.

Arthur arrives at the talk show, fully transformed into the Joker.

Arthur warns the talk show host on live TV, completing his descent into villainy.

Roommate UPLOADS Bill’s Solo Show – Theater – Night (Support)

Bill with Amy – Promenade – Night (Support System Solidified)

Bill Visits His Father – Father’s House – Day (Resolution)

Scene: Bill visits his father at home, excitedly sharing the news of his success. 

Bill Thanks Master Kang – Dojo – Day (Gratitude)

Scene: Bill returns to the dojo to thank Master Kang for guiding him through his most difficult moments.

[mediatechgroup]

AI-Powered Menu Optimization: Boosting Profits and Customer Satisfaction

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Welcome to the Future: AI-Powered Menu Optimization

Managing a restaurant often feels like juggling flaming torches when costs can change suddenly and finding reliable staff is as tricky as perfecting a soufflé. But there’s a beacon of hope: AI menu optimization. For us restaurant owners, it’s a true game-changer. By embracing this technology, we’re not only staying current, but we’re maximizing our menu potential, boosting profits, and keeping customers satisfied. Here at Media & Technology Group, LLC, we’ve witnessed firsthand how AI brings positive changes by reducing expenses and increasing profits.

What is AI Menu Optimization?

You might be wondering, what is AI menu optimization all about? It’s the use of smart algorithms that look at sales data, customer likes, and market trends. By doing so, we can customize our menu to focus on what works best. We gain insights for promoting dishes, setting prices, and designing menu layouts for the best results. It’s all about using data strategically to make smart decisions.

Benefits of AI Menu Optimization

Thinking about why AI menu optimization is a wise choice? Here’s some food for thought:

Cost Control: AI predicts ingredient costs, helping us dodge unexpected price jumps.

Labor Management: With less time spent on menu planning, staff can concentrate more on giving great service.

Enhanced Customer Experience: Understanding customer favorites lets us adjust our menu to keep them returning.

How Does It Work?

AI menu optimization might sound tricky, but it's like having a super-smart assistant that never takes a break. Here's the easy breakdown:

1. Data Collection

The journey begins with collecting data—from sales figures to customer reviews. We at Media & Technology Group, LLC suggest using automated systems for efficient data gathering.

2. Analysis

Once we have the data, AI analyzes it for patterns and trends. Whether it's spotting a favorite dish or ideal serving time, AI often discovers surprising insights.

3. Implementation

Then, we put these insights into action. Maybe it means adding a new dish, tweaking prices, or redesigning the menu. The main goal is to use this information to keep improving the menu and operations.

Real-Life Success Stories

We’ve seen AI-powered menu optimization work wonders. One of our clients, a lively family-run restaurant, cut food waste by 30% with this technology. They identified underperforming dishes and refined their menu. Another client boosted lunch traffic by adjusting prices based on AI insights.

Start Your AI Journey

Wondering where to begin? Media & Technology Group, LLC is here to help you adopt AI that fits your needs. We offer consulting and technical management, so you can welcome AI without any hassle. Our services, including Artificial Intelligence Implementation and Marketing Automation, equip us to support you throughout your AI adventure.

Conclusion: Menu Success with AI

As restaurant owners, we’re always on the lookout for ways to lead the pack. AI menu optimization provides a modern, practical answer to age-old challenges. By teaming up with experts like Media & Technology Group, LLC, you're not just keeping pace with technology; you’re making a wise investment in your restaurant’s future. Why wait? Dive into AI and watch as your restaurant’s success—and customer satisfaction—reaches