#only good part of retail is that I get to witness these interactions

[pisshandkerchief]

young boy of about 6 or 7 walking past me in the infant aisle: I wanna go to Taco Bell!

boy's grandmother: I'll taco YOUR bell

boy, grumbling: taco my ASS

grandmother: hey! watch your mouth!

[maureen-corpse]

All the news that's fit to print from r/fountainpens

So, I alluded yesterday to drama about fountain pen retailers and then I promised in the notes that I might write about the drama. And by golly, I'm going to do that!

First, caveats: I am not deeply involved in r/fountainpens (I only read and never post). I have seen some people talk about a related Discord server, which I am also not a part of. I am generally not deeply involved in the fountain pen community at large. I did join Fountain Pen Network at some point but I haven't posted in years. So, I was not involved in any of the interactions I'm going to talk about, and because some things have been deleted or only talked about, I'm going to be going off of my recollections. Remember, witness testimony is not always reliable! And witness testimony of witness testimony? Goodness gracious.

Also, this may get long, so buckle up.

Now, let's get started.

This is about the Goulet Pen Company. The Goulet Pen Company (GPC or Goulet) is a Virginia-based online seller of fountain pens and related paraphernalia: ink, paper, accessories, some glass dip pens, an occasional rollerball, etc. GPC also features a lot of useful educational tools, such as videos about pens and their various types and the handy Nib Nook, where you can compare the writing of different nibs with most variables removed. Goulet isn't really unusual for this; JetPens, for example, has guides as well. English does love alliteration, though, it has to be said. Go read Beowulf.

Goulet has also been producing a podcast, or as it is more commonly known, the Goulet Pencast, for some time. The main face of the Pencast is Drew Brown (along with Brian Goulet). Now, here's the big thing: Drew is no longer with GPC. The Pencast took a brief hiatus, and people who follow it were concerned, and the most recent episode confirmed that Drew would no longer be a part of the Goulet Pen Company or the Pencast. Drew is a much beloved figure. I personally never got into the Pencast (listen, the episodes are long!), but I saw him in product videos and never saw a reason to dislike him, so I'm sure that the Pencast was a way people really got to know and love him.

Now, Brian and Rachel Goulet, in the most recent episode, did not go into detail about why Drew was no longer with GPC; they confirmed his departure and expressed their sadness. Many r/fountainpen users would like to know more, and so they began speculating. Some came up with benign or not actually that fun for subreddit drama reasons: maybe Drew just moved on. Maybe there was a dispute over pay. Maybe Drew or a family member had a health issue he needed to leave to focus on. Other things were proposed: maybe it was actually a difference of political opinion--Drew seems to lean more liberal whereas the Goulets seem to lean more conservative.

At some point, someone pointed out this portion of a Goulet newsletter that had been sent out (apparently in August):

(transcription in alt text)

I admit: To me, this reads like a pretty typical "Hi we are a small business in the southern United States so here are three vague paragraphs about our life so that this marketing material we're sending has that personal family touch" thing.

However, some redditors latched on to the bit about them being on the startup team for a new church, and that fueled some of the speculation that Drew left Goulet because of political differences.

Now, here's where the Lockening began: someone figured out what the startup church was, probably using known facts about the Goulets (their location in Virginia and the date of the first service noted by Rachel above), and they found the startup church's parent church. And they found a podcast put out by that parent church and they hurried to r/fountainpens to post screenshots of a transcript from that podcast where the speaker compares homosexuality to murder. In the sense of "glorifying sins" or whatever, not saying "killing a man is the same as fucking him." This is the kind of rhetoric I see a lot, so I don't really get surprised and appalled by it the way some folks do. Anyway, the issue then became: do the Goulets espouse these beliefs?

Well, not to worry: someone else found a statement of belief from one of the churches and posted that! (No, I don't recall if it was the parent or the startup, and sadly, I don't have a screenshot.) Anyway, yes, they weren't big on homosexuality, and they were fans of male headship of the family. So fun. There was, interestingly, a line about how complete agreement wasn't necessary for membership in the church.

We don't actually know, still, if the Goulets espouse these beliefs. They're part of the launch team for this church, but I've seen people go to pretty big extremes for churches they don't share beliefs with simply because they like a style of worship better. People put blinders on all the time for things. (Am I making excuses for the Goulets here? I don't know. Maybe I'm trying to be a North Carolinian saying something nice about Virginians for once. I still don't like how they drive.)

Someone also pointed out that fairly recently GPC did advertise products in Pride Month. I don't think it's something they do consistently and the instance someone referenced was in 2022 or something, but that's not a long time ago.

Anyway, that thread was quickly locked, and as far as I can tell, has been deleted. This has not stopped other redditors from making new threads to try and discuss the Goulet Problem further, or to decry the actions of the mods, or to recommend queer-friendly fountain pen stores. These threads are also being locked.

An added bonus is that now without that thread for easy reference--even if it's just locked that means it can't stay at the top for discussion--some people now think Brian was on a podcast saying homosexuality was identical to murder. So! It's a mess! The fountain pen users are pretty cranky. I think that's where we are now, and I think that sums it up, for the most part. I welcome corrections and additional screenshots if people have them. 🫡

And I have not even gotten into the Noodler's thing here. And you know what? I don't think I will.

[thedeluluverse]

This is my first foray into the world of drabbles but please gimme allll the feedback! 😊 I just couldn’t get this damn chair idea out of my head so hope y’all enjoy, let me know XD

Summary: You normally aren’t the type to go home with a handsome stranger from the club but today is different. Stressed with life and a long day at work, you let loose for once! But what will the morning after bring?

Pairing:  idol!Taehyung x cashier!f!reader.

Rating: PG13 ig lmao

Genre: idol!au, strangers to lovers!au, fluff,

Word Count: 1,787

Warnings: swearing, 2nd hand embarrassment, making out, some hair pulling, mentions of smutty night before, customer service job (yes that’s a warning lmao), sleepy pure bean Tae

You have been living on your own for about a year, and so far, so good until you started your new retail cashier job at a little-bit-of-everything store. It isn't the worst job ever, but it tends to attract all kinds of people in varying shades of odd, so it can be quite mentally draining in addition to all the Karens you encounter. Feeling more tired than usual, you don't even notice the tall, handsome customer walk in and head straight to the back clearance corner where the weird things you might find at a garage sale live.

Until the rest of your coworkers leave for the day, and you are alone because your dumbass manager doesn't know how to make a schedule. So, he has no other option to check out besides you. The sound of approaching shopping cart wheels alerts you to look professional. Still, you almost lose your balance once your eyes focus on this customer. Though his appearance is barely seen with a baggy hoody, baseball cap, and a mask, you can tell this is one handsome dude. The flustered sensation fades slightly once you see him place the only item in his buggy up on the counter to be scanned; a chair with more cake than most people that you threw in the back months ago. Gulping hard at the familiar object, you ask,

Y/N: *turning the chair around to find the tag to scan* “Wi..will this be all for you today, sir?"

CM: *raises an eyebrow with an amused look and chuckles* "Yeah, that's it, but you don't need to be so formal; it looks like I'm not much older than you."

Y/N: *you blush b/c omg he looked at me lmao* "Oh…okay… I didn't mean to offend you; just part of my job. *Bags up the item and places it back in the cart* "Have a nice day…well, what's your name Mr. not old."

CM: *has a fake annoyed look on his face* "Someone is quick-witted, I see… well, sadly for you, I'm not keen on revealing such personal things. Not like this, at least. See you around, Sassy." *Leaves store*

You sit back down on the bench with a hand on your heart beating out of your chest from the mere presence of that man, much less you had playful banter?? And did he just give you a nickname?? Taking a deep breath, you are energized by this interaction and start cleaning up the store so you can leave on time to meet your friends at a new club tonight. One other person comes in before closing, so you can leave work at 8 o'clock on the dot for once! Much as you try not to, you just can't help replaying that mysterious stranger in your head the whole drive home. Once you get home, you blast your upbeat boss bitch vibes playlist as you freshen up and get ready to head to the club.

Entering the club, you spot your friends, and instantly, the stresses of life fade away in the aesthetic lights and boppy music blaring through the stereo. It doesn't hurt that you feel fine as hell, either! After about 2 hours of songs and 2 shots, you sit down at the bar for a breather and some water as you were too busy for dinner, so a couple of shots don't necessarily agree with your stomach despite your attitude feeling fantastic. You close your eyes for a moment as you enjoy the crisp water going down your throat, feeling the cooling sensation all the way down. The relaxation doesn’t last long until you feel a presence beside you. This isn't odd since you are in a public space, but it has the energy of someone waiting to talk to you. Turning to your left and swiftly standing up to show you were stable to whoever was near you didn't work out according to plan. Your legs buckle as soon as you are upright, and you can feel your balance slipping from getting up too quickly as you aren't buzzed enough to be unstable. Thankfully, a solid but gentle pair of arms catch you before you hit the ground and slowly turn you to face him to ensure you are okay. Before any words are said, you recognize him as the customer from earlier today. Your eyes widen suddenly, and you are very nervous about how good you look because most men you've met in clubs have been scum. You start to dart away, but his honey-like voice pulls you back.

CM: "Hey, hey, it's okay; you're safe, alright? I was worried when you came to sit down, so I was on standby to protect you.

Y/N: *is confused* “But wh..why? You don't even know me; why do you care?" *slight pause* "Oohhh, right, you're a guy. I bet you are just trying to play the hero card to get in my pants."

CM: *frowns* “I am a guy, but everything else is wrong. Do you not recognize me from earlier? You are the same cashier, right? Sheesh, that'd be embarrassing if you weren't…."

Y/N: *astounded he recognized you* "Woah… I did, but I didn't think you'd remember me!"

CM: *chuckles and shyly rubs his neck* “I mean.. how could I not? Hard-working, funny, and beautiful, it'd be a crime to not commit you to memory."

Y/N: *bibi di nobody bo you’re a tomato* “I..well.I’m flattered.” *looks down, biting your lip, then head snaps back up with hands on your hips* "Wait… so can I know your name now?? You already know mine because of my stupid uniform name tag, so it's unfair."

CM: *tilts head in, 'You have a point'* "Fair enough, the name is Tae. Nice to formally meet you, y/n."

Y/N: *butterflies a flurry in your stomach, hearing him say your name* "Trust me…the pleasure is all mine. So I have to ask, do you really think I'm beautiful? Like, I know I look hot right now but earlier, different story. "

TAE: "I mean what I say and vice versa, gorgeous. I normally don't do this, but I've been going a little crazy since the store. Sooo, would you be okay if I.. again, it's fine if not, I just wanted to ask because..”

Before he can finish the sentence, your arms are thrown around his neck, engaging in a passionate kiss. You don't break away to breathe until about 10 minutes of your hands roaming all around each other’s bodies and through your hair without a care. Communicating wordlessly, you bolt out of there hand in hand to his car, where the makeout continues for another 5 minutes before you agree to take it to his place. You usually are never the type to have a one-night stand, but something just feels so right with this guy. You feel safe enough to let go of your worries and let something other than your vibrator give you release for once.

*TIME SKIP TO NEXT MORNING*

Waking up in a new place in a baggy Celine t-shirt, the events of last night slowly replay in your head as you goofily grin, feeling elated for the first time in a while. Looking over, you notice Tae is not in bed still. It shouldn't worry you, it's a hookup, after all, but you can tell he's not that type of guy. Curiosity getting the better of you, you wander out of the room, greeted by the cutest little fluffball of a Pomeranian. Squatting and letting it sniff you, it instantly jumps into your arms; walking into the living room, you meet Tae's shocked eyes.

TAE: "He let you pick him up? It normally takes several meetings for him to be comfortable with someone."

Y/N: *shrugs as you release the upper, excitedly panting for his dad* "I've always been good with animals, honestly. What's his name?"

TAE: *picks up the dog and kisses head* "Names Yeontan but I call him Tan for short."

You melt at all the cute you have witnessed in the last few minutes, then you stare off into space, looking shocked about something.

TAE: * waves hand in front of your face* “Hey, y/n, you okay?”

Y/N: *doesn’t blink* “You…you’re…The.. as in motherfucking Kim Taehyung Tae????? I thought you looked familiar, but I wasn't sure about you looking undercover as fuck in the store and then the low lighting at the club. Holy shit… tired brain went away and immediately put the puzzle together, and I… I need to sit..”

He guides you to the couch and rubs your back, making sure you are alright but also thinking your reaction was adorable and is honestly surprised his disguise was that good. Once he feels your breathing stabilize, he kisses your temple and pats your leg as he gets up to make the two of you breakfast. As he turns around to face the stove, he notices you look like you've seen a ghost.

Y/N: “Tha..that wasn’t a gift? You actually wanted that for your own house.. oh my god, what is life...”

TAE: *follows your gaze to the ass chair he bought yesterday and looks confused* "I mean, yeah, why wouldn't I? It's unique, and I liked it so voila! What's so odd about that? Plus, it's Jimin's designated seat when he comes over because, I mean…booty and harder for him to fall out of that one, haha."

Y/N: *shakes head, trying to process* "No, I get it just..ugh, I swore nobody would know this, but here we are… that used to be mine. So the fact that our tastes are this similarly odd and you own something that my ass used to be on is just a little overwhelming since you may or not be my ult bias since I was like 15… “ *blushes and twiddles fingers nervously*

TAE: "Everything you just said made me that much giddier, and I wasn't sure that was possible… I don't mean to weird you out, but I'd like to see you again. Outside of work or the club, maybe go get boba tea and a snack this weekend if you're free?"

Shocked that this is how your life is playing out but not questioning it too long, you agree. That date leads to another and another until 6 months later, you are officially dating and the happiest you've ever been. You do a lot for and with that man, but no way in hell are you ever using that chair again or getting over the fact that he actually bought your ass chair from you and proudly displays it. He's lucky he's adorable, but even still, you wouldn't want him any other way.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Happy new year everyone 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

I know 2020 has been hard for everyone.

And I want everyone to know, suffering isn't a contest and we all suffer in different ways. But I feel I should give my year in Review. Just some things that happened to me personally.

This was an intense, and long and spiritual and emotional journey for me...

I really discovered what it meant to have community, family and what my life means to me.

But I feel I need to get this in writing cause I can remember the year with vivid detail and I will probably forget if I don't get it down.

Do I have to share this publically online to my tumblr account for a bunch of strangers to see? not really.

Do I want to?

Yes. I think so. Just from how so many people on tumblr and real life have touched me.

This is kinda long and no one needs to read this.

(idk how to do a readmore on mobile. But this is where I would add it later. No one needs to read if they don't want to.)

January/February: (and some background on the last five years of my life cause.....well. it's important.)

As people knew, I got way into Invader Zim last summer. I spent most of my waking life working a dead end job at a grocery store. I lived a sad lonely life, going straight home to a single dark studio apartment. With not many material possessions outside of games, my laptop and my tablet to my name. Half of my material loves, such as home furnishings and books were still in boxes from when I moved in. In case I ever had to move again, or get some "big screenshot or copywriter" job in the city.

....

I lived in that city in the same dead end job and apartment for five years.

No friends. No social life. I often refused to make doctor appointments or attempt to establish myself in that city. I didn't even talk to anyone in my workplace.

Work. Go online. Go to sleep.

I lived like that for five years.

I thought it was good.

Even my therapist thought I was doing well.

When I really wasn't. My main character flaw I struggle with is motivation.

I can talk to someone about very detailed plans I have to fix a problem... But I tend to never follow through.

Just because I can describe in detail how to fix my personal problems, it doesn't mean I will do it.

(I have gotten better at this but it's a major struggle)

I might have been a Zombie during the day...

But by night I was pouring my soul into my AU and my analysis.

After being so thoughly ignored or overlooked by the Naruto fandom and the Undertale fandom, I felt like I had finally found my home and was settling into a community there.

I just loved that people loved what I had to say.

Especially my AU.

It's no secret that a lot of themes in my au revolve around found family, grief, and loss.......

Fatherhood, in particular.

What it means to be a father, how much do you need to try when you mess up, how willing should a child forgive their parent, especially those that have wronged you and how much of it is factually accurate and simply a self projection of what children want their parents to be and visa versa... What amount of forgiveness and change is nessasary...is it needed?

....

It's no secret that a lot of my AU is a giant coping mechanism for my Dad's death. Espessially the falling out and growing closer with a lot of my family members throughout the years following his death. (Most of the time I keep it ambiguous to how it relates to my personal life unless I include a readmore that states so outright. I feel my au can be enjoyed by a variety of people in the fandom who don't need to know me as a person or my life story.)

My Dad passed away in 2016 in February and my family still feels the aftershocks to this day.

It's part of the reason I moved to the city, alienated myself from my family and people that loved me and refused to experience life for five years.

My entire world was Zim, and I was okay.

March: When America finally realized and started to feel the effects of the pandemic....

A lot of people got scared.

Me included.

I didn't have any streaming services or access to the news. So I only heard accounts from my mom.

I didn't understand why the store was so dead quiet and empty for a few days, then it went into mass chaos and panic in the span of two days.

It felt like Retail black friday in the worst way. Everyone was packed like sardines. Everyone was yelling. The lines at the registers bled into the clothing department.

I was witness to customers shoving others for toilet paper, being rude to cashier's and just overall unpleasantness.

At the time, I didn't even fully grasp what the pandemic was, and I feel a lot of people at the time didn't either.

I ended up absentmindedly scratching my eyebrow in front of a customer and she screamed and villanised me for it. That they didn't want groceries touched by my "unclean hands"

I ended up breaking down into tears.

The customer behind me gave me a hug and told me I was doing a great job.

But the damage was done. It was the final straw, I couldn't stop crying and I was breaking apart.

Thankfully my Boss (the one who likes me) pulled me aside and asked what's wrong.

It was then that I quit. No notice. Same day. I had to get out of there.

I was planning to move to an apartment with my sister in the summer, but my Mom offered for me to move back in with her temperarily just so I can get out of the city and away from the pandemic.

So I did.

I got scared, broke my lease a month early and quit my job of five years that gave me nothing back.

He told me, "take care of yourself and your family, I won't keep you here, do what you need to do."

So I did.

April-June:

A very eventful few months.

My mom offered for me to live at her place, but for some reason she was acting like I would live there forever. That this wasn't a temporary arrangement, and that I didn't have an apartment set up already.

This was in large part to my sister, who had lived with my mom taking advantage of her for years.

Even though my sister and I were going to move in together, I was just never sure about it cause of how she never packed her stuff or made any effort to find a job.

My mom often acted like I was lazy and not searching and was treating me like... Well, an unruly teenager instead of a woman of 29 years. She acted like I was a failure for returning home when it was her idea in the first place.

I would have just been petrified in the city.

Like usual, I retreated to my au again.... And in the spring, something eventful happened.

In may, 8th 2020:

I was invited by @rissynicole to join an invader zim discord.

Now, I've never really used discord before. I always thought it's interface is too confusing.. and I'm a member of a few other iz discords and I usually don't follow them that closely.

Rissy assured me it was different cause some friends of thiers made it and it was smaller.

Before I knew it, I was sharing memes and getting to know everyone there.

It wasn't long after I invited my partner in IZ crimes, @paketdimensioncomic who was genuinely wary of iz servers due to a bad experience with the last one they were a part of.

But soon they were sharing memes and laughing with everyone else.

My eyes were starting to open and I was able to connect to fans of my work in an interpersonal way. And I was able to discover new artists and aus I never knew about.

I was also able to meet so many others of the community and invite them to the server myself.

The moo-ping 10 server kept me sane while I was living with my judgmental mother.

Not only that, the summer was very productive for my au.

Drawing was all I did, and it was a huge break from the job as a cashier I had.

Not only that, June came, and with it, me and Ceph's first collab fic:

A result of us just going back and forth in our DMs constantly about Professor Membrane and how he changed in ETF for the better and how much we adamantly stan "trying-to-be-a-good-dad-brane" and how much of his ETF development has to be implied off screen in order for the emotional resolution in the movie to matter.

The only reason I never professed my love for Membrane as a character in the fandom before the fic dropped was.... Well....

Membrane can be a decisive character in the fandom and I was so worried people would hate me if I did an analysis on him, simply because he's not the best parent in the world. (As an understatement)

Ceph and I really encouraged each other to scream our love for the science himbo loud and proud more frequently and so often.... I actually start to see less Membrane hate posts and breakdowns then their used to be.... I like to think it's a combination of Me and Ceph's influence, along with ETF and the Quarterly's painting Membrane in a slightly more nuanced light then he was previously.

I never wrote a collab fic before and it's such a rewarding and fun and unique experience that I don't think I'll ever have again. And I love working with Ceph on our fics so much.

So much so we did it again...

July-August:

I never thought I would be one of those people who writes NSFW IZ fic... But here I am.

The Brainbrane au started.... An au of my au where Membrane and the Computer fall in love and Membrane makes him a body.

This ship was based around the idea where we joked that Membrane and Zim's Computer would have funny interactions if they ever met, under the pretense Membrane thinks Computer is Zim's parent.

Our headcanons morphed and shifted until we just full blown started shipping them.

Just because Membrane and Zim's Computer have overall REALLY entertaining chemistry.

It's a character dynamic never seen in the show or comics (yet) and I imagine thier interactions to be nothing but entertaining banter.

The fic was also born from spite... Making fun of the troupes and cliches that we found personally destestible in some questionable zadr fics.

So an angry ace and a demi-bisexual collab on a porn and end up blessing the fandom with

Compapa headcanons,

Computer being recognized as a more common used fanon character,

The ship of Brainbrane.

The fandom having a crisis of "oh God, not only are we xenophiles we're technophiles too!!!" Or "why you gotta give Zim's Computer an ass"

More android Computer designs

It was an eventful summer.

In the midst of all this, I moved into my new place, got a new job, and I was able to see my friend (who is def my platonic straight soul mate) who lives in Indiana.

She came to visit, showed me how to decorate and how to take care of my body better! Things were looking up! It was great.

September-November:

My job was at a boat store. If was approaching the fall and my hours were being severely cut.

I was getting into a rut of depression again.

I thought things were changing but the same routine I was trying to escape from was the same thing coming back.

But instead of letting it take hold, I decided I was going to do something about it... I was gonna visit a museum and go with my sister. Just... variety stimulation.

Well that didn't happen.

I talked about this shortly in my au itself...but..

My sister had a complete mental breakdown.

She stopped taking her meds, went off the deep end and was in the hospital a total of five times throughout November.

A lot of it was acting out and the perfect storm of environmental factors that made her scream and act out so she would keep going back to the hospital.

It was traumatizing for me.

I just can't explain what it's like. For her and for me to be in that position.

I'm not telling the full story and a lot of bullshit things happened I won't share here.

She got diagnosed with bipolar one and my mom expected me to be a caretaker for her.

I threatened to disown my family and move away out of state.

It was just too much for me to handle.

So much I was a nervous wreck.

I tried to pick up a second job... Cause my sister was in the mental ward so frequently and couldn't pay the bills.

But I was fired within a week cause I was so stressed I couldn't retain the basic information they were training me for.

It was an office job.

My dream.

It could have been.

I was fired from something I really wanted.

I was only there for three days.

I could not retain any information.

I was a mess.

My sister was a trigger, my mom wanted me to live with her. I couldn't live like this.... I had to get out.

I had to get out.

December:

Remember my Indiana friend?

Well the first week of December is my birthday.

My 30th to be exact.

While I did pick up a seasonal position at Target (not my first pick)

I took the first week of December off so I could spend time with her. Cause she agreed, I needed a break from this crap.

Surviving 30 years is cause to celebrate and if I had to celebrate with my sister I would have cried.

I know there was a risk traveling out of state during a pandemic...

But I needed out, I needed a friend..

And I kinda wanted to look at the place since I was considering moving there.

My friend's mom was sick so she avoided me and her daughter and got us a hotel room.

It was fun! I got to swim in a salt water pool, we talked about Naruto, I showed her the iz and su art books I brought, also Computer and Membrane tea.

I also got to meet her other friends and get crunk. And her bf who is super nice and funny!

I had a super fun birthday....

Until her mom told my friend that her grandparents had covid and that was what she had. And my friend got sick within that same day.... As did I.

I owe so much to her family.

I was an entire state away...about a ten hour drive from home.... She let me stay at her house. "The covid house" we called it.

Cause everyone (except the father. He avoided everyone and booked a hotel immediately cus he was an ER doctor) had covid within a day.

I called in, the test results were positive and I had to stay with her family for ten days quarantine before I could work again.

Which would have been fine....

If my tumblr didn't log me out perminately of my old account. @dana-chan325 .... Which really sucked cause I had a constant headache and was too sick to engage with tumblr or much of the fandom. I didn't want to make a new account when my head was in a bad fog and I could barely breathe or smell.

It's not like I saw much of my friend either.... We all slept at different hours and she had more symptoms then I did.

It was just netflix, danganronpa v3 and cry.

I was miserable, but at the same time.... Not?

I really feel like God himself was the one who pulled me off from tumblr, and my living situation.

Maybe a whole extra week feeling like a bobblehead was what I needed.

It gave me some much needed clarity on my relationships with my mom and sis and friend.

Running away to Indiana was not the solution here.

Once I was better within ten days and no longer had a leave of absence, I drove home.

I am glad I fully recovered (but from how I understand it, my dear friend is still ill. I'm praying for her)

I might have gone to work a bit too soon, cause I had an asthma attack after trying to unload a single cart in the span of six hours.

My boss lectured that my speed was unacceptable, and even though I explained the covid situation and breathing problems many times, she threatened that I'd be fired if I'm that slow again.

Que the next few days of work where they put me on register.

Instantly I was sent into a panic remembering the last time I was on the register and how that panic attack caused me to quit.

I even asked if I could go back to stocking, since my breathing had improved. My boss assured me that I was put on the register cause they needed help and nothing to do with my covid thing.

Then as December concluded and the new year began, my boss said that this was the last shift for me cause my position was seasonal and they were letting a lot of people go.

I then asked why I was on the schedule for Sunday, and he told me to ignore it and I'm free to reapply for full-time.

I mean.... They can act smart about it...

But putting your general merchandise stocker onto register after she had an asthma attack and missed working the first two weeks of December due to covid.....

Not a good look.

So once again, I'm jobless once more.

Will probably continue to live with my sister for awhile.

But I do not feel as if it's a bad thing....

I met so many good people this year....

My friend's family even gave me 500 usd to cover my rent since I couldn't work for a majority of December.

I've seen evil and good from humanity this year. I've seen acts of god, good friends and what my real family means to me as well as friends I consider family.

This year really made me look back at the person in the mirror and say,

"I deserve better."

And actually worked for it this time.

Oh and after Christmas I got a horrible yeast infection that burns over most of my body currently.

Very accurate doodle to the pain I'm in right now.

(seriously my body is a fungus.)

But hey, good news, I respected myself enough to go to the doctor about it!!

So that's progress.

I really hope 2021 holds good things for me.

Thank you to the mooping 10 server for always being there and keeping me sane,

Thank you tumblr for liking my au and everything.

AND A SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU TO @evartandadam and her family for housing me and my dumb diseased ass. Everyone, she is an angel and I can't express how much she means to me. Please check out her art and buy her stuff on redbubble.

Anyways... Byebye 2020.

I look forward to what I can accomplish for myself this year.

[turqrambles]

The Five Worst Things About Digimon World

I did it.

It took 20 years but I did it.

I finally beat Digimon World for the Playstation 1, a game that has haunted me for most of my lifetime, and I did it with a Phoenixmon, the reason why I use “Turquoisephoenix” as a handle!

This is who I used to beat the game, named after an obscure Ratchet and Clank character because that’s just how I roll. The final boss battle involved a lot of Prominence Beam spamming and med recovery floppy spamming but I did it fair and square. 

Before I get into what I thought about this game as a whole - and I do have a lot of good things to say about this game since I obviously enjoyed it enough to get to the end - I gotta talk about my least favorite things about this game. In a concise, Buzzfeed-esque list because I like writing things in easy to digest chunks.

Because, like most charming yet difficult games of the late 90′s, this game is very flawed and the flaws are pretty annoying!

1. Care Mistakes

The three emojis - Smile, Cool, and Poop.

Okay. This one - my least favorite part in the game - is going to take a bit of explanation.

First off, I don’t actually hate care mistakes existing as a mechanic. I think it’s a cute, virtual pet-y way to add a different wrinkle to evolution requirements, even if I think it’s a bit counter-intuitive to have to suddenly abuse my little companion once they reach Champion just because I want them to evolve into a floating metallic ball with a chainsaw.

My problem with care mistakes is that there’s literally no way of telling many care mistakes you have on your given Digimon. 

Literally everything else in this game is concisely recorded and easily displayed on your Digimon’s stats screen. You can see how much your Digimon weighs. You can see their Happiness, their Discipline. How much Life they have left. Their Age. Even how many poops they need to make before they digivolve into a sentient pile of feces.

But Care Mistakes? Naaaaw, you just gotta remember every single thing that you did to your Digimon from the moment it evolves in your fallible human brain. What’s that? A good portion of this game involves grinding in the Green Gym and it’s really easy to make a Care Mistake there without knowing you did so because you mashed A too fast like the stat-grinding numskull that you are? Well, that’s just too fucking bad for you, then! Enjoy not getting some of the best evolutions, you piece of shit. You stooge. You moron!

This game, multiple times: You know who I hate? The player.

Care Mistakes are such an invisible mechanic that, to this day, there are many guides with misleading info about what counts as a Care Mistake and what doesn’t, which...really stinks for a game such as this where you will be using a guide pretty extensively to get the Digimon you deserve. And you know why that is? Because we don’t get any indication as to whether or not some random event counts against you when raising your Digimon.

And honestly, having one of your main mechanics of the game being entirely invisible to the player is a terrible idea. Just put a little number in my profile that says “Care Mistakes: 0″ in there. Let me know this information without guessing.

2. The Glitches

Pictured: Something that will CRASH YOUR GAME if you try it on a physical copy.

Let me start with a disclaimer that most of the glitches I’m going to complain about were added into the game when Digimon World was localized and therefore aren’t the original intent of the developers. There are certain versions of Digimon World that are more stable than others (The English PAL version is the best version to play because of this) and, if you play this game via “certain methods”, there are patches to circumvent some of the bigger problems.

That being said! Boy! Isn’t it ironic that a game where I’m exploring the digital world is plagued with so many annoying, game-ruining glitches? Especially if I’m playing this game on a physical 20-year old copy like a dunce?

“Ohhhh...so Agumon thinks that they can block the Digimon game with their big fat Digimon-blocking head, do they?!”

The NTSC version of this game has a jukebox that will crash the game if you try to use it, keeping you from ever using a bonus feature meant to be a fun little reward for completing a certain dungeon, but that’s not as heinous as the Spanish, French, German, and Italian PAL versions of this game locking a good portion of the game to players because they forgot to make the Agumon in front of Ogremon’s Fortress an object you can interact with.

So that means, if you happened to get this game in one of four lucky countries, you can’t complete the Ogremon mission, you can’t recruit Whamon, you can’t recruit Shellmon, you can’t recruit anything tied to Shellmon’s bulletin board (which means no Vademon or Skullgreymon), and you can’t go to Factorial Town and recruit Giromon, Andromon, or Numemon. Ogremon is a key part of the Digimon World storyline and causes so many different things in the game to change, meaning that it should’ve been imperative to make sure this part of the game works!

But no. Instead this one little bastard Agumon keeps most players from finishing the game, because it starves players of those PAL regions of a bunch of Prosperity points, the main source of progression in this game. That means that Mt. Infinity and the final boss is just that much harder to unlock. It’s doable, but it’s more grueling process.

This really is a problem with the translators and really highlights a lack of general care with testing this game. Why this game was allowed to be shipped with such glaring bugs is anyone’s guess, especially in an era where you couldn’t release any patches over the Internet to fix retail versions.

3. The Monochromon’s Shop Minigame

Ohhhh....this one was so close to getting the top spot. When I first wrote this draft, this was the top spot.

Monochromon was only spared of my true ire on account of the fact that it really only exists for one part of the game (rather than being a constant problem like the Care Mistakes and the Glitches are) and you can easily cheese it by sleeping in front of the store so that you can save scum your way to victory. Like a true Digital Champion!

At one point in the game, you gotta help a entrepreneur dinosaur rhino man make a profit, because he was stupid and put his convenience store in the middle of a giant canyon next to a gaping chasm. So you play a little game of haggling, where you try to ruthlessly oversell a bunch of random items to customers until you make enough of a profit that this talking dinosaur tells you that you passed his secret test of character, abandons his store, and moves into File City.

There’s just one problem with this minigame - everything is decided by RNG.

“Get the hell out of my shop”

This minigame hates you. It wants nothing but to see you fail and to waste your time. The difference in profit margins of the three items (Meat sells for 50g, Portable Potties sell for 300g, and Medicine sells for 1000g) are so stark that, if you get too many customers asking for Meat, you might as well just reset the game and start over because it will be literally impossible to meet the requirement even if you busted the customer’s proverbial balls and squeezed every last bit out of their cutesy penguin faces.

Oh! It’s also RNG as to whether or not your customers will take your asking price or storm out of the store without buying anything!

It’s all the fun of working at retail! In a video game!

4. Three on One Battles

What you see before you is a battle system that is really fun when it’s one vs. one, manageable at two vs. one, and downright unbearable at three vs. one.

The battle system works for the most part. You don’t have full control of your Digimon (and yes, you only have one Digimon with you at one time, so you can never stack the numbers in your favor) so you shout commands at it, commands that the Digimon’s AI are pretty good at following, and hope for the best as you chuck healing items at it.

It’s not the best battle system, but it’s fun. And it definitely reinforces the whole “this is a pet you’re taking care of with its own thoughts and feelings” atmosphere that this game is going for.

However, nothing can protect your Digimon from enemy fire concentrated on them, especially if you did the thing that most players do and equipped your Digimon with the most powerful attacks that also happen to have slower cast times than the faster, weaker attacks.

What then happens is your Digimon’s Health is slowly whittled away as you are powerless to stop it, watching as your digital friend is straight up bullied by enemy Digimon as they keep falling to the ground over and over and over and over again.

The one saving grace is that Friendly Fire exists in this game so that oftentimes the enemy Digimon will damage each other in their mad dash to ruin your day, but that seems more like a band-aid than an actual fix to this system.

5. Fishing Seadramon

“Hi, kid. Let me guess - you also thought you had to talk to the Tankmon in Factorial Town in order to unlock me, huh.”

This one is a lot less of a pain than the other four and it’s only a little annoying but boy...getting Seadramon kinda sucks in this game.

It took me almost a goddamn hour to catch Seadramon. One hour of gameplay devoted to catching one fish. Just like real fishing!

I will say, besides Seadramon, the fishing minigame in this game is pretty competent. It’s just that Seadramon is very elusive, showing up at only two hours in a 24 hour day, and is a very finicky fish that won’t take your bait even if you literally placed it in front of his dumb fish face.

Don’t be fooled by this screenshot. The heart just means you have the right bait. The heart means that you didn’t actually get within range of hooking him.

IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!!

Seadramon is also subject to almost as many gaming myths as the Care Mistakes are, due to how elusive he is, but that’s less to do with poor communication (the game does at least explain multiple times in multiple places how to find him) and more to do with the fact that catching him is just such a goddamn chore to do that players of this game always assume they’re doing something wrong.

When in reality, Seadramon is just a picky little bitch.

Next time I discuss Digimon World, I’ll talk about things I liked, don’t worry. I just had to get all of this negativity out before discussing the full game proper.

[annakie]

An Annotated Mass Effect Playthrough, Part Four

Wherein we make it to the Citadel, and do a lot of running around.

List of Posts: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

So right away, we meet Udina and the Council, way to throw us right into it.  

It’s a brief introduction and gives us an idea what Humanity is up against and who is representing us.  Basically, we’re supposed to get the idea that it’s a lot of bureaucratic bullshit, I guess.

This is also the first time we see Asari and Salarians, and they’re in reddish-brown and white, which really isn’t the best look.

Bioware continues to push the story forward.  We get enough to know that Udina is kind of an ass, and the Council isn’t going to just trust what some guy says even if he is the representative for billions of people.

And finally, after this, we’re set free.

The Citadel I think is one of the coolest locations in like almost any game I’ve ever played.  They do a great job of both making it feel huge, but also accessible.  Enough bridges to get across to places you need to get to, and after you walk somewhere once, Citadel Rapid Transit is great.  I still choose to take elevators about 80% of the time even when I can CRT somewhere, just because I like the squad conversations and news updates. There’s a shorter elevator rides mod that helps, too.

There’s so much to do and see, and having one of the main areas just be such an awesome combination of scifi futurism and lush greenery + water is both trippy and breathtaking.  I think, especially with the updated graphics mods/settings, the Presidium especially holds up fairly well.  I mean it definitely feels more populated and modern in ME3 but, I just consider this to be more of a residential / professional area of the Presidium and most of what we see in ME3 is a more retail section.

It’d be annoying to be a groundskeeper here, though.  Lots of green areas that you’d really need to climb to, or garden on a steep slant. :p

I always found it interesting that the natural first place to head to is into the ambassador’s office next door, where we find some friendly aliens, and one not-so-friendly one.  But honestly, this is a great place to find out the different ways other species view humanity, and how there’s apparently tiers of respect given to various species.

I always kind of hoped the Elcor would feature more prominently into the world in future games, but at least we got Hamlet.  I have SO MANY QUESTIONS about how Elcor like... do things?  We never see it but you have to assume that their hands have opposable thumbs and they’re able to stand on two legs, right?  I want to see what an Elcor ship looks like and Dakuna specifically.  Give us more elcor, Bioware!

BTW, the Mass Effect: Annihilation (aka the book that was supposed to be based on the Quarian Ark DLC that never happened in Andromeda) is totally worth reading just for the elcor character in it.  It’s also probably the best of the Mass Effect books, in my opinion.

Din Korlack’s got a point though, they not only have to share an office, but their view isn’t nearly as good as the human’s.  This is especially bullshit for the volus, who could stand on that railing and probably STILL wouldn’t have a view.

I love how Mass Effect 2 takes her from a completely forgettable character to making me think  “Sorry you’re gonna die in a few weeks, your mom’s really gonna miss you.” every time I see her.

PALIN DESERVED BETTER.

I don’t remember which ME3 mod it is, maybe the Spectre Expansion Mod or maybe EGM, but thank you whichever modder it was who made Palin’s story and death more clear in ME3.  Sorry Udina got you killed.

Also, it was good to get a dissenting opinion on Spectres from him.

Avina is such a good, optional way to get more loredump.  Yes, you can again ask them about Spectres if you want to hear about them again.  But I liked that each Avina terminal taught you a little more about whatever you were nearby, and the state of the galaxy in general and since they were programmed to be information dumps, it felt more natural to get information this way.

Don’t these people have jobs?

I love the Krogan statue, and the Avina terminal nearby telling you about it.  But now every time I see it, all I can picture is Grunt and his buddies climbing it.  So good.

Managed to get a clean shot of the crew without the UI in the elevator, thanks Flycam!  You have about a half a second to get this shot though, because the camera is stationary while the elevator is not.

Oh hell-lo Pailin, who is your charming-looking friend there?

This entire conversation needs to be longer. It’s a nice, quick introduction to Garrus, but, well, let’s spend a little more time with the main characters!!

I mean how can you not just not immediately love that?  Hey remember how bad Garrus’ face texture used to be?  Thanks, modders.

I just really love the Citadel tower.  Absolutely beautiful and atmospheric.

SO the thing is, if you can pretend that Saren isn’t, you know, already half Reaperized, 100% the Council is right to not just go throwing one of their longer-term agents in jail because Shepard had a bad dream and a random dockworker said the guy who killed Saren looked like this.

Honestly though, this and OH A GOOD CHUNK OF MASS EFFECT 2 would be so much easier if Shepard wore a bodycam. :p

Also, I wonder who took the dockworker’s testimony?  Did Kaidan run back real quick while Shepard was sleeping?

This was an embarrassment for humanity, and I agree with Udina that we needed more to go on before making demands of the council.  The council is right to not convict based off a bad dream Shepard had.  Go get some real proof!  Also, do a bunch of sidequests!

And scan some Keepers for this shady guy!

Which is actually good quest design, because you really have to go to every nook and cranny in the Citadel to find them all, though it would have been nice if they showed up on the minimap.   Really gets you to explore and get to know the area like the back of your hand.

This time around, I forgot to grab the one outside Dr. Michele’s office and had to hunt for it before heading up to grab the last one at the docks.

Thank you, though, Barla Von, for telling us all about the Shadow Broker and telling us about Wrex.  See u in ME3.

Bioware please give us diverse-suited volus in a remaster.  Maybe I’m reusing a pic of Din Korlack, you’ll never know! :p

Thanks, texture modders, for really highlighting what the end of the hanar’s noses look like. 

The hanar are another species I wish we got more of throughout the series.  They are probably the most alien of all the aliens we interact with.   I mean, at least we got Blasto.  I’d really love to visit Kahje someday.  I know it’s in the comics, but you know, in-game.

Annnd let’s go visit Sha'ira.

I have very mixed feelings about Sha'ira.  On one hand, she’s clearly very respected, is probably making bank, in control of her own destiny etc.  On the other hand, she’s probably the asari we have the second most interaction with in this game after Liara, and after just seeing Benezia’s boob-tastic clothing and then heading to Chora’s Den soon to see the dancing asari we’re getting a very slanted view of the species.  I think Bioware course corrects in later games but oof this is such a dude-fantasy alien species in ME1 it hurts.  Especially since Liara is almost a born-sexy-yesterday trope.

Also... don’t touch me if I don’t wanna be touched. =\

Noveria advertisements... that just say Noveria.  I guess this is effective marketing in 2148.

Look how great those shadows from the tree are... actual definition in shadow... wow.

Raise your hand if you’ve missed this conversation in a playthrough before and reloaded like an hour or more past to make sure you get it.

It’s one of those little moments that they didn’t have to put in.  Just a little conversation reflecting on humans and humanity, and our place in the world, and showcasing Ash’s wit and Kaidan’s adorkableness.  Also making sure you appreciate all the work that went into this particular view.  It’s a pause in the action and all the things you have going on, and it’s so great for characterization and making you feel a part of the world.  

Speaking of the view... I decided to flycam it.  Warning, I spoil some of the “magic” below.

Pretty quickly, you see that the arms are actual objects, untextured on the non-visible side.

I decided to head for the closest line of “cars” on the bottom center-left to see what those “cars” looked like.

Flycam feels pretty fast when you’re trying to frame a specific shot just right... but when you need to travel a great distance, it feels verrry slow.

It took me probably close to five minutes of traveling to make it all the way there.

What I discovered was... a few of the buildings are real, the rest are a very good painting.

This is how far away the citadel is from the rest of the map. That grid would be that entire view from outside Dr. Michele’s office all the way to the edge of the shops on the other side, plus some extra.

So both the building that those “cars” (the string of white lights) are coming from and going to are... on the painting.  Neither one are physical objects.

Made some gifs.

You can see the lights moving at a mostly-downward angle, while it looks like they’re just heading south when standing on the Citadel.  Also you can see other lights moving farther up the map.

And here you can see the lights “disappearing behind a building” but they’re really just hitting an invisible wall, the dark angle of that building is just a part of the wall painting.   

Looking up from the wall...

So that was a fun distraction.

Emily Wong deserved:

Better.

An entire shirt.

A mention in ME3 after she gave her life on social media defending Earth against the reapers while keeping her cool reporting on the invasion the day before ME3′s release.

That day before launch though... was amazing.  Bioware did such a great job on social media with the reaper invasion happening on twitter.  I loved that lots of fans got into it, too, posting photoshops and their own reaper invasion stories.  I remember being at work that day but not actually working very much.  A few friends and I had a google hangout going on to report in on anything we saw happening on social media and keep up with it and to be very hyped together online.  

We reblogged a bunch of it on fuckyeahbioware starting about here and working backwards through numbers.  

One of the ME3 mods, and again, sorry, don’t remember which, does give Emily a nice tribute through an email.  She deserves it.

Okay that’s enough for this post!  Will try to finish up the Citadel next time!

[sonofdysonsphere]

Flawless Recollection of Heartfelt Descent

Good Christmas evening to @ahiijny ! I am your first @touhousecretsanta  I hope you have enjoyed the process and enjoy the gift to follow! I know some people are quite busy this time of year (I work retail so its certainly busy for me) but I have always found the challenge of working and then writing terrible but fullfilling. Hopefully things have gone smoothly for you! I have chosen Hieda no Akyuu and Kosuzu Motoori from your wishlist, two characters I had to research more on (and I still think I was off a little, but thems the breaks) which you may find in the future to be the funnest part of this whole event. You can find your gift below the read more or at my AO3

I am possibly looking at an accompanying gift, we shall see if that plays out, but for now, please enjoy Flawless Recollection of Heartfelt Descent

The first incident came during an exuberant spring, as compulsive wildflowers spread unabated from a lack of supernatural events during a prosaic winter. Blooming like danmaku patterns of overzealous fairies or the frenzied jailbreak of ethereal spirits when a certain servant of the spectral other side gets lazy, the blossoms had made much headway, liberating mountains and valleys and roadways from the previous grey. Within the human village, a small handful of it's members had been boastfully sharing their attempts at a new type of “ice” wine crafted from naturally frozen fruits procured with impeccable timing, pressed immaculately, and processed without impunity.

Hieda no Akyuu, recognized while walking down the main thoroughfare, was offered a taste. Sweet, strong, and as immediate as a frost at the behest of a sudden cold front, Akyuu would later note that this first attempt at the alcohol in the history of Gensokyo was inspired. The feeling after even a few fingers was unmistakable, a flush to the cheeks like the rising of mist off of a hot spring, a noticeable rush to the chest, and a creeping tingle in the extremities.

“How was it young Lady?” One of the older villagers asked her.

“A real treat.” Even Akyuu's breath seemed immediately grazed with the wine's flavour as she gave thanks and continued on to her destination, the turnip laden book renting store where her dear friend, Kosuzu Motoori, worked.

The inside was dim, but cozy, with the familiar silhouette of her treasured acquaintance sitting at a sturdy lantern lit desk covered in organized piles of books. An aura not all welcoming was emanating from the bibliophile, likely the symptom of a demonic book becoming the latest fixation of her quenchless curiosity.

Regardless, Akyuu approached without reservation.

“The villagers have taken that article about wine you shared with them last year to heart.” Placing her hand on Kosuzu's shoulder, Akyuu was surprised at the reactionary jump from the contact.

“Oh, it's just you Akyuu.” Was the eventual reply after a suitable amount of recovery time. While tired at first glance, Kosuzu quickly perked up at the sight of her welcome but unexpected guest.

“I thought we talked about welcoming me like that.” Akyuu smiled despite the harmless slight.

“Right, I'm sorry.” A second was given to consider. “You mentioned something about wine?”

It was obvious her friend was distracted but Akyuu pressed onward with the subject nevertheless.

“The villagers were showing off the fruits of their labour on the street earlier, it was delicious.”

“They had dropped off a bottle yesterday, I'm not sure where they put it though...”

Akyuu eyed a familiar looking bottle at the end of the otherwise organized desk.

“Right, I'll get some cups.” Sighing from fatigue, Kosuzu finally noticed the wine before leaving the room to retrieve two large glasses. Watching her friend return, the purple haired historian had taken a seat at the desk before observing the wine cascade to freedom, or rather, out of the wine bottle, into the glasses.  

“It's rather strong, you may have poured too much.” Her eyes on her drinking partner, Akyuu waited for Kosuzu to try the wine for the first time. The initial attempt was made rather quickly after the warning, finishing with a large exhale and a moment savouring the after taste. Akyuu's gaze remained on the red haired scholar, witnessing her bask in the experience. Kosuzu's eyes glowing from elation as the identical effects of light intoxication swept away her lethargy, returning the energy Akyuu loved to see in her cherished companion, the lamp light highlighting from a profile a thoughtful and pleasant smile that caused the warmth in her chest to grow.

“You're right, it is quite potent but the flavour is exquisite.” Warm and pleasant in tone was the matching feedback, however no response was received for Kosuzu's agreement.

“Akyuu?” Hearing her name brought her to realize she had been staring and Akyuu's face moved to a smile to hide her embarrassed apprehension. Why had she spent so much time staring? It wasn't necessary to assess her friend's enjoyment of the wine that closely, nor to watch the light cradle her face so intently, nor the sheer elation of helping her friend rise out of her stupor to be so plainly palpable. So why?

“Yeah, it's really great isn't it?”

* * *

The second incident occurred months later, long after Akyuu's mind had settled her sudden fount of unknown feelings for her friend as a once off occurrence, and during the period where heat addled brains either locked themselves away for summer benders or went off the rails and caused incidents. The golden fields and  enduring forests were drier than processed flour so naturally it was the perfect time of year to set off fireworks. Kosuzu had even provided a demon book to Mamizou Futatsuiwa pertaining to 'living' fireworks, as if to declare the process already too safe. Regardless, the festival the evening around the fireworks promised to be a rather poignant event and Akyuu had dressed in a wonderfully fashioned blue kimono patterned with elegant wheat stocks.

Once again greeted by villagers, complete with tasteful compliments, while walking through the centre of town, Akyuu approached the location where she had planned to meet Kosuzu, unaware and unprepared for something far more dangerous than animate fireworks.

Hair down save for a single side braid with a yellow hairband to keep it out of her face, Kosuzu wore a crimson kimono accented by bold vertical stripes of gold and grasped a matching bag. Somewhere between the way the garb interacted with her friend's frame, the fresh hairstyle, and the flawless capturing of the late dusk sunlight in a manner that could only be likened to an ancient ritual sealing the demon it was specifically designed for, the sight was enough to stop Akyuu dead in her tracks.

“There you are! I was waiting!” Cheerfully elated in cadence, Kosuzu's voice brought Akyuu into agonizing awareness of her own turmoil.

“Sorry, it took some time to find this and put it on.” Masterfully internalizing her struggle, Akyuu found the sound of her own voice to be somewhat distant, as if someone in another room spoke for her.

“It looks really good on you!”

“Thank you, yours is also very nice.”

Why was this happening?

“Thanks, but we should hurry, the fireworks are starting soon!” Kosuzu grabbing Akyuu's hand to lead her away contained all the paragon of two bowls made by different pottery masters stacking up perfectly.

However, Akyuu knew history better than anyone. Countless happenings and events of emergent love leading to tragedy, decimating peoples and relations, and while she was familiar with the events of others experiencing its wrath, it was still unbeknownst to her even after so many lives. Thus she concluded this heavenly joyousness must be a foreshadowing falsehood, though she could not abate it.

Led around the festivals food stands and activities, Akyuu was helpless against the frightening realization that she would remember this entire experience with unfettered clarity. The enhanced taste of the food when enjoyed with dear company. The conversation so engrossing but still feeling worlds away. The laughter and smiles of her friend illuminated by paper lantern light clarifying the yearning in Akyuu's heart into an emotion too grand and all encompassing to possibly fathom beyond the addictively soft texture of Kosuzu's hand in hers. The long anticipated fireworks above the crowd where the two friends, with hands still paired, eventually stood would long be regarded as a once in a lifetime event. Grand figures of fire danmaku battled, danced with wild abandon to the beat of each explosion, and eventually, fell in love as tenderly as only flames could.

Hieda no Akyuu, Historian of Gensokyo with the ability to recall events perfectly, would have to take their word for it, having spent the entire event watching the colours reflect off of Kosuzu's face, the purple haired historian was too afraid to look away and too afraid not to. Truly any unfounded concern about possible wildfires caused by the fireworks show was dwarfed by the terror of the fire burning in Akyuu's heart, which she feared would consume the cherished friendship between her and Kosuzu.

* * *

The third incident happened once the land of Gensokyo had surrendered to a permanent canopy of grey above and a slop of a mess on pathways and roads below, preparing it's denizens for eventual winter to cast its lethargic spell once more. The frigid rain that frequently fell during the season was making its presence felt while Hieda no Akyuu made her way through the muted human village to Suzunaan. The past few months had been unkind to her, stricken with fear of her own thoughts, Akyuu had likewise made as few trips as possible to see her friend Kosuzu, unable to cope with the upheaval inside her when in proximity. This had been the theme since the summer festival, but today Akyuu had realized she could not go on avoiding the problem any longer. However, her bravery had only gotten her as far as the door to the book lender.

“Oh it's just you Akyuu.” Kosuzu had heard something outside and gone to investigate, but her attempt to casually rise a response out of Akyuu was unsuccessful. “You should come in out of the rain.”

The pair stepped through the doorway of Suzunaan, the monochromatic daylight pouring in through the open door. Akyuu struggled to speak up, working to remember the talking points she had prepared now that she was in front of Kosuzu.

“What's been bothering you?” The pure concern in her voice made it more difficult to speak up. “You've been weird since the summer festival.”

“If it's something I did-”

“I'm in love with you.”

That was not the order of things Akyuu had decided on.

A shocked silence hung between them as seconds did their best impressions of years.

“But I'm afraid that these feelings will destroy everything between us. I know I only have a bit longer before-” Now it was Akyuu's turn to be cut off.

“I love you too.”

The shocked silence returned like it had never left as both woman began processing the connotations of the matching confessions made.

“I think I started feeling this way around spring, when you came by and stopped me from working so hard at deciphering books.”

Akyuu felt a welling in her throat.

“But I definitely loved you by the time of the summer festival. I tried to say something but...” Kosuzu looked genuinely embarrassed. “I couldn't work up the courage.”

“There are only a few years before my next reincarnation cycle...”

“Then love me again when you reincarnate.”

“That won't be for a hundred years.” Akyuu laughed at the cheerful absurdity of the woman she loved.

“I could live that long.” Tears unknown were gathering in Akyuu's eyes as Kosuzu insisted, but she laughed again. “I could! I would just be very old unless...”

Akyuu didn't feel particularly good at where her love's train of thought went.

“I told you that would cause you a great deal of problems.”

“Only while I wait for you.”

Akyuu still wasn't convinced this wouldn't end poorly for them.

Kosuzu sighed impatiently before declaring:

“Your memory is perfect, so I need you to stand there and witness me proving to you that the feelings between us are worth it.”

Akyuu did as she was told, eyes taking in the sight of her affection before her.

Kosuzu stepped closer, eyes not leaving Akyuu's, with both hands entwining hers with all the determined purpose of a vine climbing a garden wall. Their proximity brought the familiar scent of each to the other with new romantic context. The grey world could not touch the fully coloured form of Kosuzu Motoori in Akyuu's eyes, so close that if she just leaned forward...

Warmth pressed against Akyuu's lips and spread throughout her rain chilled body.

The historical accounts of love were grossly inaccurate as some sudden fall. Akyuu now knew it as more of a series of tumbles, an emotional maneuver she looked forward to repeating with her beloved Kosuzu.

[proptech5-blog]

Mobile Applications For Company - The power Is within the Push

Build-apps

Imagining about launching a Cell Application for your company? Otherwise now, when?

Now's enough time to ride this wave of option.

We all know as Business people and Business Owners that in an effort to continue to be competitive in the present market, you would like to place your company to benefit from rising developments. Cellular Marketing and advertising will not be during the future, it truly is NOW!

Proptech

Did you know data present mobile people have their cellular phone or cell equipment inside three feet of them 23 several hours per day? Just give thought to the chance you have prior to deciding to to possess Your enterprise in your purchasers or potential customers cell system 23 hrs on a daily basis / three hundred and sixty five days away from the yr? Given that my good friends is what I get in touch with Chance! I do not know almost every other marketing medium which includes a similar electricity to right away obtain the interest for the goal market place.

What would you feel the standard response or open fee is currently with email marketing? Except if you do have a tremendous responsive and active list, you will only see 4% - 9% open fees in just the very first 24-48 hours of you pushing the ship button. Mobile force or textual content messages are found and opened 97% of your time inside the 1st 4 minutes. Now that is impressive! Just think of your personal cell conduct, or heck just look around you.

Shopper expectation is usually that every single "Brand" has an app they are able to download and accessibility on their own mobile unit.

We have been normally requested the problem, "Why must I have a mobile app?" Here are only several explanations why you need to have 1:

Builds client loyalty. Anyone likes to experience a part of one thing special, so make consumers really feel like VIPs by presenting discount rates, coupon codes, and promotions just for utilizing and downloading the app. Results in a viral buzz. Really encourage consumers to employ the cellular app to swiftly inform all in their mates with regards to the organization utilizing the built-in sharing abilities of Fb, Twitter, LinkedIn, your blog, SMS, and Electronic mail. Increase client lists. A cell app can collect names and e mail addresses from directly within the app and easily export them into the top rated email advertising campaign products and services for use in more e-mail. Get prompt feedback. Cell apps allow for buyers to leave feed-back on supporter walls, share photographs, and deliver comments in the range of how.

Exactly what is an App? An App is an application which has to generally be downloaded and set up with a cellular system, as an alternative to currently being rendered within just a browser. People pay a visit to device-specific portals this kind of as Apple's Application Shop, plus the Android Google Participate in Industry so that you can obtain and download applications for any presented running system. An app offers an interactive engagement with end users and is effective more just like a pc software than the usual internet site.

The app might pull content material and knowledge within the Net, in comparable manner to your web-site, or it may download the content material making sure that it could be accessed with no an online link.

It is actually anticipated that by mid-2012 more and more people will probably be accessing the online world on their own mobile gadgets than on PC's. With that in your mind, it are unable to be emphasised sufficient the importance of obtaining one's business or assistance witnessed appropriately across all of the distinctive cellular platforms in any other case you may eliminate small business.

What improved way for your personal business to remain in touch along with your shoppers than with all your possess personalized cell software!

Would you have clientele and clients you would like to converse and stay in touch with? If that is so, what's the best strategy to do that and get responsive final results? The distinct decision is through Cell Apps.

I've set alongside one another my best ten tips to make certain your app accomplishment:

1. Determine your Aim

Are you looking for profits, brand recognition, social media engagement or to stay in frequent call and in front of your clientele and prospective clients?

As Business owners and Organization Proprietors it is really effortless for us to acquire distracted and become overcome with all our duties and in any other case wonderful concepts. Ensure when establishing your cellular marketing strategy that it aligns with all your core concept, and resonates along with your viewing viewers.

two. Combine Social Sharing Capabilities

We all know and realize the strength of social engagement, and social sharing features of our information and facts. All of your social web pages could be built-in into your Cell Application that will insure and improve your manufacturer recognition.

three. Maintain Your Application and its content material around date

Just as critical as updating a weblog, your application should be up to date with appropriate and engaging material. You would like to keep the end user engaged, or simply as immediately because they downloaded your app, they're able to get rid of it.

four. Integrate interactive and occasions capabilities

Deliver up-to-date specifics of all of your current business enterprise activities and specials by generating an events calendar. Irrespective of whether you carry out dwell activities or digital gatherings on the internet, you'll desire to retain your new customers engaged and in-the-know of what you are doing, wherever you happen to be accomplishing it, and exactly how they will take part. We're social creatures by nature, and want this facts readily available at our fingertips..literally!

five. Build Loyalty / VIP Applications

You can desire to incentivize your subscribers, and give them a reason not merely to obtain your app, but to also retain it on their own cell gadget. It's very easy to develop Loyalty or VIP systems, and also your clientele and prospective clients will Love you for it.

six. Build a successful Cell Advertising Method

It's not if you create it they're going to occur... You'll need to prepare your internet marketing plan just before the launch of one's new App during the Application Merchants. This tends to consist of, but is definitely not limited to:

Make certain to send an email notification in your subscribers with URL links towards the Apple and Android (Google Engage in) Marketplaces. In order that they can down load it. You should not ignore to incentivize them in certain way for doing so! Generate QR Codes that website link directly to your App (QR Codes are 2-dimensional black and white squares that contains a url or specifically coded concept that your phone's digital camera along with QR Scanner Application will decode in your case.) Social Network promotions... oh this can be an incredible instrument!!! Key phrase investigation in your Application is simply as significant as for your personal web-site. As you create your App, or have got a developer do it for yourself, determine what your search phrases will probably be as well as the description to your Application. These are generally each particularly essential because they are two of the a lot more permanent characteristics of your respective Application and may quickly aid you in creating new customers and leads when done properly.

seven. Develop Raving Followers

It's very critical to generate a possibility for your App users to experience as if they may be element of your neighborhood. Recall the Social Sharing feature? Perfectly that is just as significant. Let's say at your future function, you gave your Application users the power to upload their pics from your party, as well as write on the Application fan wall? We've found it time and time once more on Social networking sites how critical this is, in actual fact it's a ought to!

8. Track your progress with in-App Analytics

You would like to make certain you've got a approach to monitor the downloads of your respective App inside the Application Stores/Markets. Monitoring the quantity of downloads is vital as you put together for potential promotions, in addition as revenue streams from marketing options. The greater downloads you've got, the more worthwhile you're to advertising and marketing associates. This is certainly a terrific way to aid monetize your application!

nine. Of course... The facility IS inside the Force!!!!

This is the most important characteristic of all... Push Notifications! This really is really similar to sending out an e mail notification, but is far a lot more productive. Don't forget you can use a 97% open level inside of the primary couple of minutes of sending it. You may send out notices instantly, or routine them to head out on the particular working day, and time you set.

The thrust notification will show up with a cellular system the same as a text information would. These are generally delivered to everyone who has downloaded your app on their own mobile product. They are really displayed on smartphones and iPads/Tablets. The information will be shown over the residence screen in the cell phone or pill practically the instant you push "Send".

One particular word of warning though... Never more than make use of the Push Notification feature. This can be interpreted at SPAM, so make sure you don't abuse it. Deal with your new App Subscribers similar to you'd your e-mail listing and provide worth to start with, then produce the hunger and need on your services plus the gross sales will normally observe.

10. Endorse, Promote, Endorse!

When your Application is accomplished and printed while in the Application Retailers, you might need to receive chaotic marketing your new advertising and marketing tool! Your application will not obtain itself to other cellular gadgets, therefore you will need to become proactive in the marketing and advertising and promotion of your respective new Application. Now could be time for getting in front of opportunity clientele and shoppers.

Enroll the assistance of selling partners to promote your new App, and yes even your friends and family, and most importantly really don't forget about your existing customer base. They are currently your RAVING Fans!

In order for your Application to be successful and provide you a terrific new approach to sector for your audience, it's essential to be prepared to keep to the ways shown previously mentioned.

Do not overlook the golden rule of selling: Folks purchase from People today, and those they Know, Like and Believe in! Getting a cellular application to your business can help expand your "Brand!"

Isn't it the perfect time to share your expertise and arrive at your mobile consumers before your levels of competition? It's your duty to create it quick for them to connect with you!

[yooniegalaxy]

Okay, so this is going to be fun. So the preface behind this is that V got a few asks about this and then I went and straight up threw in my two cents... and in return got these asks. Instead of fuming about it and just keyboard warrior-ing back at the person ( using person as a very loose term at this point ) I decided to take a step back and deal with this rationally.

Trigger Warnings // Abuse, Assault, R*pe and Predatory Men Mentions. Public Masturbation. I will tag appropriately.

I apologize, in advance, for the length. I also haven’t proofread this because at some point I just didn’t care enough to re-read. Yes, I did cite things. Don’t @ me about it.

Alright, so this is very bold of you to assume that you know anything about my culture as it is. There are more than just that one reason as to why Korean women/girls aren’t dating ( which is also very bold of you to assume ). There is a great divide in everything. South Korea is a very patriarchal society, so of course there are privileges to being a man. But that can literally be said any where in the world. The world is intrinsically male oriented, despite having various matriarchal societies.

If we are talking about Korean women in general, there are a lot of reasons why they don’t date aside from the inherent fear. It is literally the fact that everyone pays attention to their careers first. School is a very large part of Korean Society, as well as a lot of other Asian Countries. Education is the first and foremost for a lot people, which often pushes the bounds of women when do decide to date, if at all.

“It says so in an article“, is not a great defense, especially since the only article I could find about this was a CNN article ( feel free to read it here ). While well researched, it is under the lens of a University study for a “Gender and Culture“ class taught at Sejong University. They do go into statistics about economic strain and what percentage of age groups are single and may not be dating.

I pulled this from the article, “[a] growing number of South Koreans are shunning romantic relationships amid economic hardships and societal problems.“ This, in and of itself, counteracts your broad strokes claim. The fact of the matter is that you clearly don’t understand how expensive it is to date anyone or live in Korean society. Even going out with friends is awful, I find, because we are always drinking and heading to the next bar or the next and you’re no fun unless you go to all of the bars. If you ditch, you are literally called no fun and you can kiss your social life goodbye.

South Korean Culture is very much about group dynamics and it is social suicide not to hang out when asked unless you have a VERY good reason. This brings me to, “[t]he country's overall unemployment rate last year rose to its highest level in 17 years, at 3.8%. The youth unemployment rate was far higher, at 10.8% for those aged 15 to 29.” This is basically the fact of the matter, dating and socializing unless you are getting funded by your parents, is EXPENSIVE. Even when you are out of University and starting your first job, if you are even hired. If you aren’t, you will be working any form of shop job, construction, retail or food and service. 

Side note: minimum wage in South Korea is 7530 won/hr, or like 6-ish USD, but not a lot of places even pay that. They pay under that.

Yes, in the light of a lot of Korean scandals and lot of word of mouth about x boyfriend or y abuse incident, many people are put off by the idea of dating. But I feel like this is the case everywhere and not just South Korea. You could even say that it is taken less lightly elsewhere in the world than it is in South Korea.

You also have to realize that this article is literally just talking about Korean Women dating Korean Men. There are a plenty of other races that live in South Korea that are ex-pats, are studying abroad or are teaching abroad ( as they don’t really like hiring people of Asian Heritage to teach English, especially ). A lot of South Koreans hire a lot of foreign specialists for jobs due to the high specializations in some fields. So Korean Women might not be dating Korean Men, but they are still dating.

This is not a “not all men” statement because I will never make that statement. “Not all men” is such a stupid statement because it is inherently bias. 

Korean dating culture isn’t dead. People still date. People still count their relationships in days and have cute anniversaries. People are allowed not to feel safe. I don’t feel safe and I live in a country where I am allotted freedom and yet I still look over my shoulder because off the gender that I was born as. 

CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE AT THE DOOR. 

Please don’t ignore the fact that you are generalizing a whole population to suit your own arguments and needs. You are literally doing yourself, and everyone you are generalizing, a disservice.

Honestly, no. Claiming you are right is actually a rather sad way to try and win an argument when someone hasn’t responded. My country isn’t “full of predators”. If anything all of my experiences in the United States ( and other countries though I will only give one example ) sort of tells me otherwise. I, personally, have a lot of stories of where I have felt unsafe in countries outside of Asia.

NEW YORK CITY ( tw: male public masturbation, aggression )

I was about nineteen at the time of this incident. I am, by no means, a person who is uneducated or idealistic in anyway. I was raised a realist, someone who wasn’t exactly sheltered from the storm, despite growing up in a traditional family. I made a lot of mistakes as a kid but I learned from.

In New York, I was with one other person. She was around my age and we were exploring the city together and I believe we were going to a conference at the time? I was studying Film at the time and she was a good friend of mine going to New York Film Academy. We hopped on the subway because literally the only way to get around the city unless you want to be stuck in traffic. What I experienced on the train was varying degrees of traumatic but I laugh about it now?

We were chased off the subway four or five stops before we actually wanted to get by a guy literally masturbating directly in view of us. There weren’t that many people on the subway car and he was making DIRECT eye contact with us while were talking about the film we were shooting for class. He was literally dirty talking at us and his advances became more bold until he literally chased us off the subway when we tried to leave.

He couldn’t have been more than I want to say thirty or forty and he was white male privilege. He was wearing a decently fitted suit with shined loafers so, clearly not just a homeless man on the street.

He chased us up to street leave with his dick out, ejaculating at our shoes as we tried to climb the stairs and told us we were ungrateful and deserved it. This happened on three separate occasions in a span of a week, different men.

I was much younger than most people that this happens to on a regular basis in the US. Tell me how “my country” as you call it is full of predators when this is what I was subjected to as a person that, at the time, is older than a solid chunk of the frequenters of this site.

Not only that but I have never felt the need to check my drink as much as I do in a western country as I do in an Asian one. I have been to frat parties and have been witness to college r*pe culture, to where I have been made witness to various friends being roofied because they don’t check their drinks. I was taught as a kid not to leave your drink lying around and if you did, you didn’t drink from it ( I should point out that I grew up both in Seoul and in Canada ).

I don’t feel safe in any country for the fact that I AM A WOMAN and not because of any racial bias that I might have. I don’t have the privilege of walking wherever I like without being cat called fully clothed, not showing any skin or figure. I constantly look over my shoulder when I see a shadow, this is not one country’s problem, it is every country.

Like I said, I was at work and would rather not get fired for interacting with someone that doesn’t take my priority because they wish to remain anonymous and not have educated argument. Rather you would like to anonymously bash a whole nation in which you are NOT apart of. Not that I particularly like my job, it kind of just pays the bills.

[art-of-manliness]

How to Negotiate the Best Deal on a New or Used Car

Along with a house and a college education, a car is often one of the most expensive things you’ll ever purchase. Unlike with college tuition (which you can’t negotiate at all), or a house (which you typically negotiate through a real estate agent), haggling over the price of a car requires in-the-moment, face-to-face interaction. The experience can certainly be a stress- and anxiety-ridden one; most of us don’t practice our negotiating skills on a regular basis, and certainly not with car salesmen, who are often really good at their job. Adding to the anxiety begotten by a lack of experience, is the fact that customers typically only possess the haziest idea of how car dealerships actually make money. This puts them at a true strategic disadvantage. Knowledge is power, so today we’ll walk you through how car dealerships turn a profit, how this understanding can help empower you in the transaction, and the key strategies for negotiating the best deal on a new or used vehicle. How Car Dealerships Make Money A customer wants to pay as little money as possible for their new ride; a car salesman wants to make as much money as possible on the customer’s purchase. To ensure you’re engaging on an even playing field with the dealership, you need to know exactly how they make a profit. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll know where there’s more wiggle room in the negotiation and where there’s not; where there’s flexibility in the deal and where the salesman is going to put more pressure. So let’s break it down. A car dealership makes most of its money from 4 things: * Sale of new cars. You might think dealerships make most of their money from these shiny showroom centerpieces, but you’d be wrong. Dealers often sell new cars for close to their invoice price, i.e., what they paid the manufacturer for it. Their only profit then, comes from what’s called “dealer holdbacks,” which the manufacturer pays the dealer upon sale of a car. These holdbacks are typically 2-3% of the car’s invoice or sticker price (the MSRP — Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price); so on a $25,000 vehicle, that’s $500-$750. The manufacturer might also offer the dealer other bonuses or incentives. The dealer will only net this cash, however, if they didn’t sell the car to the consumer for a similar amount of money below its invoice price. For that reason, dealerships actually often lose money on the sale of new cars, hoping they’ll make up for the loss in the other revenue-generating categories listed below. * Sale of used cars. Dealerships often make more money on used cars than new, because there’s a bigger differential between what they bought the car for as a trade-in (or at an auction) and what they retail it for to the consumer. There’s also more wiggle room on the retail price, as the value of used cars varies by year, condition, location, etc., whereas new cars all have the same MSRP. Even though the dealer has to invest in giving a trade-in a tune-up/clean-up, they can still make several thousand (though the profit can also be much lower), simply depending on what they paid on the trade-in and how deep of a discount they’re willing to offer the customer. * Finance and Insurance. You probably think of a dealership’s finance department as kind of an afterthought, an encore to the closing of the big deal on the car itself. But in fact, dealerships make almost 37% of their gross profits from F&I products — financing, warranties, etc. It’s a very important source of their income. * Service and Parts. The service sector of a dealership is where it actually makes the majority of its money — about 44% of gross profits, to be exact. In other words, car dealerships, on average, make less than 20% of their money on the actual sale of cars. Now that you know the breakdown, let’s put this knowledge to use when negotiating a deal on a new or used vehicle.   How to Get the Best Deal on a New or Used Car Car salesmen will often try to put the price of the car itself together with the cost of financing/warranties/add-ons/trade-in/ect., so that the bundle deal obscures the price you’re paying for each “product.” But you want to not only break out each cost, but intentionally negotiate all of them. How to Get the Best Deal on the Price of the Car Itself Obviously this is the biggest nut; by successfully negotiating down the purchase price of your vehicle, you can potentially save yourself thousands of dollars. Do your homework, and lots of it. Since it’s such a large purchase that will impact your daily life for so many years, you owe it to yourself to do a lot of research. This article isn’t about which car to buy — you need to figure that out yourself, and you should do that first. Using Consumer Reports (along with your budget) can help you determine which makes and models to go with, and which cars tend to be good value buys. Once you’ve figured out what you want to buy, use Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book for pricing information. They’ll give you detailed info based not only on year, make, and model, but also condition, mileage, etc. Also keep in mind your location; just like everything else, cost of living impacts car prices. Vehicles are cheaper in the Midwest than on the coasts, especially when it comes to used cars. Walk into the dealer knowing what other people have paid for the car you want, its invoice price, its MSRP, and your “walk away price”: the most you’re willing to spend. Play it cool. Even if you’re taking your dream car out for a test drive, don’t act all moony over it. The salesman will know he’s got leverage in the deal and fan the flame of your emotions, so that you stop thinking so rationally about the purchase. Act nonchalant; point out things you don’t like about the car — “It’s nice, but this isn’t the color or trim package I was looking for.” Let the salesman make the first move. Even with online searches and sticker prices listed on cars, those numbers are rarely ever final. They’re basically a starting point, and everyone involved knows that. So a salesman will probably ask something like “What kind of budget do you have?” or “What were you looking to spend on this vehicle?” Once you throw out a number, though, you can’t go any lower than that, even if a lower price may have been on the table. So follow Rule #1 of negotiating: make the other guy spit out the first number. If the salesman asks you to name a price first, ask in return, “Well, what’s the very best we can get this car for?” (Bone up on your general negotiating skills by listening to Brett’s interview with former FBI negotiator Chris Voss.)  Know how much you can ask for off. The big question with negotiating a car purchase is how much you can reasonably ask off the retail price. It varies according to whether you’re buying a new or used car: * New. As explained above, a salesman isn’t busting your balls when he says he can’t go too low below the MSRP of a new car; he’s really not going to make much money if he does. It’s reasonable to ask for 5% off the invoice price. He’ll probably counter back, and you’ll end up somewhere between the invoice price and the sticker price. * Used. With used cars, there can be more wiggle room. Throw out something like 20% off. You’re probably not going to get that, but it’s a good place to start negotiating up from. Be prepared to work your way through multiple offers and counteroffers, and don’t be afraid of “offending” the salesman with your asks. Who cares? You won’t even remember his name a couple years from now. You’re both there to make a deal, and if you do, you’ll both benefit. Shop multiple dealers. Don’t be afraid to use the tactic of mentioning that you can get a better deal down the street. Just be sure you can back up that claim. Play the dealers/lots against each other and see who wants your business more. Focus on the total cost, not the payment amount. The salesman might show you a worksheet which lists a monthly payment. By extending the length of the loan 6, 7, even 8 years out, the monthly payment can be shrunk to fit your budget, and the car can seem more affordable than it is. But a long-term loan will simply accumulate more interest over time, and end up costing you big-time money. So just focus on the actual price of the car. If you have a trade-in, don’t mention it until the end. If you’re trading in a vehicle, you’ll want to have done your homework on that too to determine what you can expect to get for it. But you don’t want to mention the fact you’ll be trading in your old vehicle right off the bat. Reason being? You don’t want the trade-in value to make it look like the new car actually costs less, which the sales guy will inevitably try to do by sneaking that in as a line item on a cost sheet. And a salesman can offer you a sweet deal on the trade-in, which can distract you from the fact he’s offering a not-so-sweet deal on the new car you’re looking to purchase. If the salesman asks if you’ll be doing a trade-in early on, defer that discussion by saying something like “Yes, I have a vehicle to trade in, but I’d like to nail down the price of the new car before getting into that.” The same thing goes for other rebates and offers that may be on the table — these should be treated as bonuses, on top of the “normal” deal you would have negotiated on the car anyway; don’t let these bonuses become the discount. Know ALL the numbers, and ask about the “out-the-door” or “off-the-lot” price. When presented with a price, be sure it’s detailed and includes all the fees and extras. You want to be sure you’re seeing what’s called the “out-the-door” or “off-the-lot” price — how much it’s going to cost to drive the vehicle off the lot and into your garage. It’s often a different number from the sticker price. Consider other negotiating fodder. If the price is stuck — the sales guy really can’t come down any more than he already has, and it’s still a bit higher than you wanted — consider negotiating other items that can help offset some of that cost. At this point you can bring up your trade-in, and try to negotiate it higher than what they first offered. You can also negotiate special features (leather seats, towing package, etc.) or a maintenance package — have them throw in a year or two of oil changes (although be realistic about how willing you are to drive to the dealership maintenance shop for this, rather than your neighborhood Jiffy Lube) — or perhaps the spendy 30K, 60K, or 90K servicing. Most things about the transaction are negotiable — you just can’t be afraid to ask. Don’t be afraid to walk away. Always keep in mind that you are in charge of this transaction. You can’t be forced into buying a car, even though it can sort of feel like that after an hour or two of negotiating. If you can’t arrive at a mutually agreeable deal, walk away; the salesman may suddenly decide he can meet your price after all, or he may follow up with you later if they’re having a special sale. If not, it just may not be the vehicle, or the dealership, for you. What About No-Haggle Pricing? Knowing how uncomfortable the negotiating process is for many consumers, a lot of dealers and speciality lots now advertise “no-haggle pricing.” In theory, this means the sticker price is the price you pay for the car — no need to sweat it out with a pushy salesman. Is it really no-haggle though? And are prices inflated for this convenience? In general, that advertising claim does indeed bear out. They really won’t negotiate on the sale price of the vehicle. If they did allow wiggle room, word would get out, and they’d no longer be able to claim that they were a no-haggle lot. Is it worth it though? That depends, of course, on the prices! Since you’ve done your homework, you know how much you want to spend, and what a good deal is. If you can find a good deal at a no-haggle lot, and not have to worry about the negotiation process to boot — great! If you can’t find a good deal, head to another lot, and see if they can beat whatever the no-haggle guys are offering. Know, too, that only the car’s sticker price is non-negotiable. Loan rates, maintenance packages, trade-in value, and car upgrades are still negotiable. For some folks, taking the headache out of negotiating will be worth a small price difference. For others, who like the little bit of battle involved and want to save every penny possible, it surely won’t be. Ultimately, it just comes down to the price of the car. How to Get the Best Deal on Financing and Add-Ons As mentioned, most people think that haggling over the price of the car itself is the only “real” part of making the deal, and that all that paperwork business you do in the back afterwards is just the anti-climatic wrap-up. Once the price of the car is settled, you can kind of relax, right? Wrong. As explained above, car dealerships make a significant portion of their profits from financing, warranties, and other add-ons. Therefore, the dealer may actually put more pressure on you to sign up for these financial products, than they did in trying to get you to buy the car. So stay alert when you step out of the shiny showroom and into the dealer’s fluorescent-lit offices. If needing a loan, consider getting it from an outside provider. Just like everything else in this process, the interest rate the dealer offers you on a loan is negotiable. If you secure approval for a loan from a bank first, you can negotiate that rate as well, use it as leverage with the dealer’s finance guy, and ultimately go with whichever is better. Keep in mind that if a dealer knows you’re not going to be financing through them, they’ll be less generous when negotiating the price of the car itself. So best not to reveal this information until after you’ve shaken hands on that part of the deal. Don’t buy ANY add-ons. In addition to being sold on signing up for the dealership’s financing plan, you’ll also get the spiel about a million different “crucial” add-ons like warranties and various protections for your new car — from undercoating that protects its underside, to seat protection which guards against spills, to free windshield replacement (which most insurances cover, sometimes even on an annual basis). As a general rule, don’t buy any of these. If anything is really important to you, it can often be found elsewhere for cheaper. The financing person will probably make it seem like the end of the world if you don’t buy these things. Remember, that’s basically their entire job, and they’re probably good at it. Don’t take their bait. It will be awkward, but just keep saying you’re not interested. With this part of the transaction, as with the process as whole, stand your ground, informed consumer! The post How to Negotiate the Best Deal on a New or Used Car appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/Qq0bZj

[wernerhaggai]

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[dsfsposts]

WHAT IS CORRUGATED CARDBOARD AND WHY IS IT ESSENTIAL FOR SHIPPING GOODS?

Did you know that approximately 95% of all products in North America are shipped in corrugated cardboard containers?

In fact, corrugated boxes are such an essential part of our supply chain, that packaging manufacturers were able to continue operations through the COVID shutdowns as essential business entities.

Corrugated cardboard is very durable by design and consists of multiple layers: an outside liner, an inside liner, and a fluted layer between the two. The three layers are glued together to create corrugated cardboard.

Also referred to as corrugated fiberboard, the material offers significant advantages over other options when it comes to shipping.

The Advantages of Corrugated Cartons for Shipping

Plain and simple, corrugated cardboard boxes provide the right level of protection for goods in transit.

Shipping cartons can go through a lot from the warehouse to their final destination. Corrugated packages are designed to survive bad weather, bumpy roads, sudden temperature changes, or rough handling–all while keeping products safely intact.

While no corrugated package is completely indestructible, the materials and makeup of these containers are more likely to protect your products in transit.

Your customers are more likely to be happy when products arrive in top condition. If customers receive a damaged or broken item, they will be unhappy. And we all know that unhappy customers are less likely to make a repeat purchase.

Even though corrugated cardboard packaging is very sturdy, it is also lightweight. This can help keep shipping costs down.

Corrugated boxes can be fashioned into a variety of shapes, allowing your company more control over the kind of unboxing experience your consumers will have when your products arrive. This is especially important for e-commerce businesses that ship consumer goods.

And finally, corrugated cardboard boxes are constructed of renewably-sourced materials. Since they are made mostly from trees, a renewable resource, this kind of packaging is very easy to recycle. When recycled properly, corrugated cardboard packaging is processed into paper products and even new boxes.

What’s also great about corrugated cardboard is its multi-use properties. Thanks to the material’s durability, many corrugated packages can be reused multiple times before they even hit the recycle bin.

The sustainability of corrugated cardboard is also what makes this material very affordable.

How Cosmetics Boxes Help Your Brand

Every woman wants to look attractive and beautiful. For this purpose, a variety of cosmetic products are used. Cosmetics, itself is a symbol of beauty. Therefore its packaging should be such that which complements the product. Every day, a number of cosmetic brands are introduced in the market offering a wide range of cosmetic products at more competitive prices. It becomes extremely difficult for the customers to choose among a number of alternates. Packaging plays an important role in this regard. The brands which succeed in creating perfectly designed cosmetics boxes for their product range wins the race. As the packaging box is the first thing with which customers get interacted. So the custom printed boxes should be attractive enough to grasp the attention of the customers at first sight. Moreover, your display packaging plays an imperative role in promoting your brand and making it recognizable for the customers. Below are some of the ways how cosmetics boxes help your brand:

Protect The Products

Using cosmetics boxes for your product range is the best way to protect your products from any damage. When a product is shipped, the chance of damage increases due to various reasons like mishandling, carelessness, stacking or the vehicle may get accident etc. Using perfume boxes for your products reduces the risk of potential hazards. They keep the delicate items safe during transportation, storage, shipment or when placed on retail shelves. Cosmetic are the things which every woman prefer to try before purchase. Cosmetics boxes at TheCustomboxes provide the products from accidental damage, fall or mishandling by the users. They are designed from highly durable cardboard material. It acts as moisture resistant and saves the content from humidity, sunlight or changes in temperature. This increases the useful life of the product. Only if a company ensures safe delivery of its products to the customers, he is able to compete in the market.

Speed Up Decision Making Process

Designing the cosmetic display packaging in an attractive manner is a great way to speed up the decision making process. Heavily promoting the product on media is not only the way to boost up the sales. Rather packaging is a thing which creates a great difference. Well designed custom printed boxes create a positive impact on the minds of the customers thus stimulating their purchase behavior. As it’s a matter of just a few seconds, so customers do not have time to evaluate the pros and cons of a product when they shop. Therefore, cosmetic packaging should be such that it puts a valuable first impression on the customers and speeds up the decision making process.

Attracts The Customers

Shoppers are influenced by the cosmetics boxes which look attractive and different from others. Customers always prefer something innovative. A packaging which creates a great shelf impact has the ability to attract a heap of customers. Color plays an important role in this aspect. Different colors create a different psychological impact on the minds of the customers. Therefore, before finalizing a color for your brand, make an analysis that who are your target customers and which influence them the most. Customers never give a second chance to the cosmetic packaging which looks unattractive. So it’s one time chance to win the race. Many of the brands have changed their cosmetic packaging to attractive gift boxes to fascinate the customers. It’s a useful tactic which proves highly significant.

What is the Future of Food Box

On Monday, March 22, the USDA held a 12-hour listening session to hear feedback from the public about the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The program was created almost a year ago at the peak of the pandemic lockdown. It was designed to quickly move surplus commodities from farmers to consumers in need and hopefully support some idled workers and distribution systems in the process. The goals were broad, and the rules were loose.

There were many criticisms that the rules were too loose and the cost was too high, and about four months in, the USDA put more structure into place around the program. At that point, the program seemed to shift the balance more toward providing food for people in need rather than supporting farmers or the supply chain. The USDA was providing direct payments to farmers and the media had stopped reporting on crops being plowed under and milk being dumped. Yet, there was plenty of footage of cars lined up for miles to receive the food box. That shift to helping consumers, and the earlier criticisms, led the USDA to focus more on cost per box in the later rounds of the program.

The Truth About Paper Bags

These days, when you hear the question, “Paper or plastic?” the answer is an almost instinctive “Paper!” We all know that plastic is terrible for the environment, and that plastic bags, in particular, are clogging up our oceans, choking our wildlife and generally wreaking havoc on the world.

Because of this, and because the paper bag industry has positioned itself as the solution for decades now, we rarely stop to ask a critical question: Is paper actually that much better?

The truth is, no, it’s not. Paper does a lot of damage to the Earth as well, and every time we unthinkingly grab a few bags at the checkout stand, we contribute to that damage. It’s time to learn the truth about paper bag, so we can start making better choices today.

Because the answer to “Paper or plastic?” should actually be “Neither … I brought my own.”

Not That Much Better Than Plastic

Paper bags just seem friendlier to the environment, right? They don’t have that slick petroleum look like plastic bags do; they’re a cheerful kraft color; they fold up neatly to stack in your cupboard for next time (assuming they didn’t get destroyed this time).

But research, such as this report, makes clear that plastic really doesn’t have much on plastic. To wit:

It doesn’t break down any faster than plastic in landfills. That’s because, while paper breaks down much faster under ideal conditions, landfills are not ideal conditions. The lack of light, air and oxygen means pretty much nothing decomposes, so paper and plastic are destined to spend equal amounts of time there.

Gift paper bags are bigger than plastic, which means they take up more space in landfills. They’re recycled at a higher rate, which mitigates that fact, but that still means they still have a greater per-bag impact on landfills.

It takes four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag, as compared to plastic, and the raw materials have to come from trees, a natural resource that is otherwise carbon-fixing. Making paper bags not only adds waste to the world, it kills one of our greatest tools for fighting pollution.

Paper bags generate 70 more air pollutants than plastic.

They generate 50 times more water pollutants than plastic.

It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a plastic bag than it does a paper bag.

Shopping paper bags are very thick, so shipping them costs more fuel per bag.

This report is admittedly biased toward plastic (and reusable bags), but if this is starting to sound like a vote for plastic bags, think again. Plastic leaches chemicals into our oceans and waterways, breaks into small pieces and accumulates in the stomachs of baby birds, strangles fish and collects into great seafaring clumps that become islands and continent-sized garbage patches. The point isn’t that plastic is good; it’s that our unwavering assumption that paper’s okay is wrong.

Here are a few more reasons not to trust that paper bag’s cheerful, eco-friendly-looking fa?ade.

[unixcommerce]

UX Design Doesn’t End With Your Website

User experience design is something that most of us associate with websites. But why isn’t it something we extend beyond the website?

Here’s why I ask this:

As a consumer, it’s so rare that your only interaction with a brand is through its website. Take an ecommerce site, for example. You buy a product from it, and then what happens?

You get a confirmation email;

You get another email when the package ships;

You might get another email or SMS notification when the package is delivered;

You retrieve the package and open it;

You open up your purchase and use it.

These are all an extension of that initial user experience on the site. If there’s just one hiccup along the way, it could easily erode the trust and happiness you felt after quickly finding and buying what you needed on the site.

So, what I’d like to do today is look at 10 areas where UX design should extend beyond the website to ensure that the frictionless experience started there remains untarnished.

Extending UX Design Beyond the Website

As a web designer, you might be thinking that this part of the user experience doesn’t fall under the umbrella of your responsibilities. And you may be right about that.

For brands to truly be successful and profitable, someone needs to carefully examine the bigger picture and ensure that the user experience is flawless no matter how far away from the site it is. At the very least, you should share the UX research and strategy you do for a client’s site so their team can ensure it carries over to other areas of the business.

Here are some things to think about:

1. Mobile App

It’s not uncommon for websites to have mobile app counterparts these days. The layout doesn’t need to be identical since mobile users tend to behave differently than those on desktop.

That said, an app shouldn’t force users accustomed to the desktop experience to re-learn how to navigate or engage with the brand. So, the branding, UI design, speed, security, and navigation all need to be on par with what’s already been established in terms of usability.

2. Email

Most websites have a direct connection to email. For example, blog newsletters, purchase confirmation emails, and lead generation follow-ups all start on the website.

Consumers are well aware that when they hand over their email address, they will receive an email in return. In many cases, those emails are welcomed when they’re done right. But if something feels off, that bridge could easily burn between brand and consumer.

To preserve the UX, emails should come with the following:

The same branding and visual style as the website;

A personalized subject line, greeting, or offer;

Consistent messaging as the site, especially when it comes to the CTA.

Another thing to remember is that email isn’t the time to inject dark patterns into the experience. So, the “Unsubscribe” option should be in an easy-to-spot area and a sharply contrasting font color.

3. Social Media

Social media is another channel that’s commonly connected to a website. While you can’t control the aesthetics of social media websites themselves, the visuals and messaging in posts need to be on-brand.

That means that things like memes and emojis — which are popular means of communication on social — should only be used if they’re normally part of the brand identity. If not, you’ll need to find other ways to communicate engagingly.

Another part of the user experience to think about is customer support. Social media is a lot like going into a store. If someone has an issue with what they bought or the service they received, there will be many people around to witness the complaint. Social media only amplifies that — so the quality of customer care needs to be consistent with how the brand handles it everywhere else.

4. SMS

Not every brand will need to be connected to customers via text messaging. eCommerce companies, news sites, and personal services providers likely will, though.

However a brand uses SMS, the same UX guidelines apply here as they do across all other channels:

Keep messages concise;

Make sure they’re relevant and valuable;

Use branded messaging and design;

Don’t abuse the privilege and send too many;

Make it easy to opt out.

Basically, if you can’t make it a valuable extension of the brand’s offering, don’t use it.

5. Phone

Any website that publishes its phone number should expect to receive calls from prospects and customers. While there’s nothing to design here visually, the experience of getting on the phone with a company should be consistent with what they experience elsewhere.

One way to do this is to design an easy-to-follow routing system. It should be simple for callers to figure out which number to choose. What’s more, there should be no endless loops. If a caller has exhausted the options, they should be immediately directed to a representative.

Another way to ensure consistency is to adhere to a script — that goes for call centers for enterprises as well as the local lawyer’s office. Every caller should be greeted with the same tone and handled in the same manner (depending on the situation, of course).

6. Ads

There are a lot of places where brands can advertise these days:

Google search;

Social media;

Ad networks;

TV;

Radio;

Podcasts;

Blogs;

Billboards;

Direct mail.

When designing an ad campaign, there should be consistent messaging, aesthetics (when relevant), and CTAs presented. If branding isn’t consistent from ad to ad, there may be a delay in consumers recognizing the brand or its offer. Or, worse, not recognizing it at all.

7. Packaging

For brands that sell products, you have to think about how the packaging will impact the user experience. There are two types of packages to consider, too.

The first is the product’s own packaging. Branding should be clear as day and consistent with the site they bought it from.

It should also be easy to open. There’s nothing more frustrating than finally getting your purchase, only to realize you need tools to get it out of the packaging.

You also have to think about packaging for products that get shipped.

The product should fit well within the packaging. A too-roomy package will feel downright wasteful. So will excessive bubble wrap and paper filler.

Having a shipping label present in the package is also important. If the website makes it easy to make a purchase, the package should offer a convenient way to return the product if they’re not happy.

8. Product

The product itself has to align with the expectations set by the website.

Take the example of a SaaS. You’ve built an awesome landing page and mobile app store page to promote it. It looks great, it loads fast, and it’s easy to get around. But if the SaaS itself is ugly, disorganized, slow, or otherwise just clunky, all of the work you did to market it will end up being just false advertising.

So, make sure the expectations set before and during purchase naturally carry over to the experience with the product.

9. Business Exterior

For brick-and-mortar companies, the business’s exterior matters just as much as what happens inside it.

The most obvious thing to focus on is the aesthetics of the building. Does it look attractive? Is it in a safe area? Is there clear signage around it? Is it easy to find?

But you also have to think about user experiences that take place outside of the building. For example, there’s now a rise in curbside pickup. There are tons of things that can affect how happy the customer is with the experience — like if the pickup area is hard to find, there are never enough spots or the associates who deliver the orders always seem to be in a foul mood.

The business’s exterior should always set a good impression for what takes place inside.

10. Business Interior

Here are some things to think about when it comes to “designing” business interiors for a good UX:

Decor;

Layout;

Signage;

Furnishings;

Product discoverability;

Availability (of products or people);

Quality of customer service;

Checkout process.

It doesn’t matter what the company does — whether it’s a large retailer like Walmart or your own freelance design business. If a business’s establishment doesn’t look good, operate flawlessly, or provide a good person-to-person experience, it’s going to be very hard to get people to return.

So, all those things you do to design a streamlined website journey should be applied to a bricks-and-mortar business’s interior.

Wrapping Up

Depending on the types of companies you build sites for, some of the channels and suggestions above might not be relevant. Hopefully, this has got you thinking about other ways you (and your clients) can extend the UX design and strategy from the website.

If you can maintain the high-quality user experience from channel to channel, your clients’ brands will get more business, grow their profitability, and see a rise in loyalty, too.

  Featured image via Pexels.

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