#they wanted alibaba to stay

[crunchkind]

This is probably gonna be my next drawing or what it’s about because there acting like alibaba is there child and the others especially Sinbad at the end

NOT TO MENTION HOW THERE BICKERING LIKE SIBLINGS LIKE THEY REMIND ME OF A FAMILY DINNER AND YOUR PARENTS ARE JUST WATCHING YOU BIXKER

[unhinged-diaries]

Business Guide:

How to get started

When you have a business name in mind look up the domain name to see if it’s taken. You don’t want to spend money on an LLC just to find out that your name is taken. Thats a waste of money because you also have to pay to dissolve it.

If the name is not taken, great, don’t file an LLC yet. Go online and get a virtual business address. Why? If you’re running your business out of your home like I am, just know that it’s public information if you use your address to file your LLC. A virtual address should cost like $10-$20 a month. Use that to file your LLC.

Once you’ve filed that LLC get your Ein. That’s your Employee Identification Number. It’s your businesses tax id. It’s free to file on the IRS website. Don’t fall for the scam websites you guys.

Once you’ve gotten your EIN go to Google domains and get your website name aswell as 3-4 emails. An email for your social media accounts, an executive email for yourself, an ecomm@businessname.com for things like your business bank account, Shopify account, etc; and maybe a customer support email. I use the social email as a customer support email. All of this should be like $50/month.

Once you’ve don’t that get on Canva and make that logo bookie. Personally I paid someone on Fiverr to make mine because I’m a “soft business life” kind of girl and I’d rather pay the professionals. Thats just me though.

Once you’ve got your logo go ahead and get them social media accounts going. Instagram, tiktok, Facebook.

Alright now this is where it gets specific to clothing brands because that’s what I own.

Time to find a manufacturer. Head over to alibaba and search what kind of product you want to sell. Be sure to add “oem” if you want a manufacturer that customizes. Look for the amount of orders they’ve gotten on that product. If it says zero orders that’s ok. Some styles are new and thus haven’t been ordered yet. Check any reviews they have for other products. Also check the total revenue they’ve done. It’s on the store profile. I can’t tell you what the sweet spot is yet bc I’ve only used one manufacturer so far but I’d look for mid six figures and up if you wanna be real safe.

Chat with them and order a sample. Even if you buy from a vendor list you’ll need your own sample to make content with. I suggest buying one and first. It’s worth the wait because if you buy multiple and end up not liking them you’d have wasted money that could’ve gone into testing a different manufacturer.

Do not launch with more than 2 products. Even 2 is a stretch, wallai start with one.

This is because if you’re doing the preorder, which I suggest, you’ll be depending on customer orders to pay for the bulk order. Manufacturers do their moq by color or style. If you have too many options in your website and customers order a mix of things, you better pray you have enough money to cover the bulk for all those different styles. Stay safe and give them 1-2 options to choose from.

Pre order method is great if you don’t have a lot of cash to start with because the orders pay for themselves. Bulk orders start to wrack up. Especially if it’s a custom style or material. You don’t want to break the bank for something that might not sell.

Once you’ve gotten and approved your samples choose a launch date. 2-3 weeks before that launch dates post consistently. At least once a day but remember quality over quantity. Now don’t be tricked. Quality doesn’t mean a full cinematography. It means connecting with your audience and relating with them to a point where they’re like “this business gets it”. Either that or attaching yourself to an identity they want to have. “It girl ig influencer”, “feminine soft life babe” “clean girl Pilates princess” whatever the fuck it is embody ur as best as you can. When customers attach your product with an identity that is aspirational to them they will buy it without rationalizing. It’s why the luxury market makes so much off of ppl who can’t afford to buy it twice.

Focus on the backend

If you have a goal of getting an influx of orders and making a lot of sales, be sure that your business is structured in a way that can handle it happening at any given time. You know those tiktok businesses that get one viral video and sell out over night? That could be you but if you’re not prepared ppl are going to be upset. I suggest working backwards:

A customer service platform/inbox so that you can answer them right away with frequently asked questions.

Have stock so that you have something for customers to buy once they finally land on your website.

Have a well presenting website so that ppl don’t think you’re a scam. I’m going to do a post on this bc some of these business websites drive me fuckin nuts. Color theory ppl, color theory.

A social media page with some kind of social proof ie reviews from customers in some way shape or form. Ppl are going to be looking for what others have to say about your brand. Hire UGC creators to make videos that you can post on your page. They’re cheaper than influencers but still know how to convey the message well. You’ll have to have extra samples and items on hand to send them. Also check out their usage rights. Some will allow you to use their videos in ads but you have to pay extra and it’s only for a certain amount of time. But if they do it right, you’ll get a great return. Scared money don’t make no money.

A social media page that shows the products in movement and different lighting. I need to be able to imagine myself in the item before I buy it. Where would I wear it, how will it fit on me. Even when I’ve already ordered something I stay going back to the businesses social media page just to see the clothes again. I might even search it up to see other ppl wearing it.

Packaging

No need to go crazy with the packaging in the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, branding is important but as a beginner you may not have the money for that yet. You need to focus on spending money on what will give you the best return. Just get regular poly mailers from Amazon in your brand colors. You’ll also need:

A stack of 6x4 shipping labels

A thermal printer

A scale

When your manufacturer sends you the clothes they will most likely be in their own little bags. If not you can get those from Amazon too.

Later on you can go to alibaba and find a manufacturer to print you custom poly mailers for that extra edge. Put your logo, a cute message, and your social media handles on the bag and that’s it. Good to go.

You can also design your own thank you cards as well. I won’t be doing that.

Little things to remember

Don’t feel like you have to keep up with big brands. You don’t need to launch something every two weeks. As a matter of fact I advise against emulating super fast fashion brands. I only launch a new item once the pre ordered items have been shipped out to customers.

Be nice to your customers. You’d think this was obvious but it’s not. Some ppl are rude, ghetto, and uncouth. If you hate authority and have a smart mouth I think you should either take a customer service course or hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines to do your customer service for you because no customers = no money.

I’ll update this as I learn and grow:

12/18/2023

Influencers

Not every influencer with a mass follower base is going to be your influencer. It’s possible that you pay $5000 for an influencer with 75k followers to post your product on her page but that post makes you less than $3k. That means you’ve net negative $2k. What a fuckin waste of money.

This is why it’s important to develop a persona for your brand. What is your brand identity? Who is your target audience? What are their psychographics?

Where do currently shop? What are there favorite social media apps?What is their race? Their age? Their ethnicity? Are they in college or highschool? Do they have parents that support their lifestyle or are they hustlers? Are they concerned about price or quality more? Are they married? Do they have children? Are they environmentally conscious?

You need to embody Joe Goldberg and peer at them through their window. Acquaint yourself with every part of their life.

Also, you might not be your target demographic yet and that’s ok. The girls that shop with my brand have social lives. They go out with their friends and need outfits to wear. I don’t have a social life. The only clothes I wear are my work clothes to go to work and my robe when I’m at home.Or a sweat set and a bonnet to run errands.

Don’t think to yourself “ I would never wear that.” “I would never buy something at that price point”. That’s fine cuz someone else will. A lot of people will.

Another thing is your demographic could change once you start your business. It might be that you create content that attracts a different type of person than what you originally planned and that’s cool too. We don’t live in a perfect world. As long as they’re close enough to what you had predetermined it’s ok. Sometimes our business comes out different than we hoped but it’s just as good if not better. It’s like child. Don’t destroy its greatness trying to turn it into something it doesn’t want to be.

User generated content

Love, love, love her down. She’s that sweet spot between making content yourself and having an influencer with a large following make the content for you. UGC is a form of social proof which is something you need for an e-commerce brand especially. Ppl can’t just pop into your store and try on your stuff so they need the opinions of “regular” people to sell them on it. They want to see that person try it on, do a close up of the fabric, wear it to a social setting, etc;

What I like about UGC is that I can pick someone who fits into my brand persona to represent my brand even if I don’t. Someone that appears aspirational but still relatable. Like I said previously, you yourself might not embody your brands persona but you can pay someone who does.

A little translate for yall: I do not live in a nice apartment. My room is small, and dark, and filled with boxes. My living room has mix matched decor and I myself am not the body type I’d like to be (pls don’t hit me with body positivity babe). What I can do is pay a girl with the opposite of all those things and knows how to sell a product.

I have a girl right now that I’ve inquired to make posts for me and she’s got it all. Her rate for one video is $100 with an extra $30 for 90 days of usage in ads. $100 is the new 50 and for the return I’ll get on her, THATS A STEAL.

If you need to find a UGC creator search it up on tiktok and Twitter. Most of them have a portfolio of past work they’ve done. If you feel like they match your brands vibes, keep their info for when you’re ready.

I suggest to have a roster of them because if ppl keep seeing the same person over and over, the thought that that person is just a regular degular customer leaves their mind and you lose the magic of UGC.

Update 12/21/2023

I’ve been sick but yall ain’t paying me so it’s ok. Here’s the update.

Website

Your website is your home babe and when you’re preparing for guest you can’t have your home looking any type of way. Not only does it need to be clean but it needs to be cohesive and inviting.

You know how many times I’ve opened someone’s booking page on Instagram and I click off. Not only am I not reading through all of that small ass text but my head hurts cuz you’ve got a black font on a hot pink background.

Some of yalls websites to not comply with accessibility guidelines so pay attention to that bc you can be sued. Ppl should be able to read what you have on there without getting a headache.

Good rule of thumb is to have one primary color, and then black and white. Don’t over complicate it. Your primary color will be your logo, think twitters blue, then your secondary colors should be black and white, for your text. You might have an accent color like gold or silver, this should be used sparingly for a little dazzle.

If you’re a clothing brand like me, keep the text short and sweet. Think about it, when you go shopping on your favorite website are you bombarded with a soliloquy on how the collection came to be? And even if you are do you stop and read the whole thing? I don’t bc I don’t care. That’s what your Instagram story is for.

All I want to see is the attention grabber and a short,but convincing, tagline.

Example: Ski Resort 2023-“Stun the slopes and stand out on the ski lift with best sellers spotted at St. Moritz”

Let you images tell the rest of the story.

Don’t overwhelm them with options

Guys this is so important. The more options ppl see the less they buy or the less likely they are to buy. Why? This is the thought process.

“Omg the stuff on this website is so cute! Let me go through their catalog and add to my cart as I go”

5 minutes of scrolling

“Ok I have too many things in my cart let me just save to a wishlist instead”

Another 5 minutes of scrolling

“Ok I’ll just stop here and go back to my cart and decide what I’m going to get rn”

Goes to cart

Spends 10 minutes deciding what she’s gonna get bc there’s so many good options

Takes 10 items out of her cart and only buys two basics bc she knows those are less likely to disappoint.

And scene

That is if she didn’t leave after the second five minutes of scrolling. Nowadays five minutes on a non stimulating website is a lot, don’t let it take that long.

Obviously this also depends on the customers budget. Some people have the money to just buy everything in their cart (I wish- one day), but most are just window shopper you hope to convert with your nice styles, images, and prices. Don’t make it harder for people to give you their money.

I have more but I’m tired of writing so I’ll update yall tmrw.

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread] Night 76: Smile

It's been a while, lmao. I did some fandom jumping, was pretty busy, too, but this chapter was dragging behind me, like, come on, last chapter of the arc! Part of the reason I'm back here is bc I'm kinda getting to the part in this Final Arc rewrite where it'd be fucking nice to have some background info on a few characters. I mean, I know stuff in theory, but I also know myself enough to expect random changes during the actual writing process & it'd be a fucking pain if I wrote one version of events in flashbacks, and then went somewhere else in the actual prequel.

ANYWAY, chapter.

Bro, I love some of the final chapters of the arcs titles, especially Smile and Welcome Home (Magnostadt Arc), like, they just stayed in my brain. Why must you hurt me this way, Ohtaka.

I don't recall posting covers of chaptera too often, but this one is just so fucking sweet, man. And sad. It just... really does it for me, y'know? Smiling after everything that's just happened, but also it feels like a promise, especially after Cassim just fucking died like that (I will never recover) - now the three of them are a family. ;;

On a semi-related note, it's kind of what makes it difficult for me to ship any of them with each other. Even excluding Aladdin's age (not that Ohtaka has issues with such things, and boy will you hear it from me, but that's for later), I mentally familyzoned them. Interestingly, I'm more flexible with Cassim and Alibaba, though over time I also grew to prefer to view them as siblings. Like, I had a few CassAli AUs in the past, but I think I also wrote too much of Alibaba perceiving Cassim as his brother to come up with new ones. Now it'd just feel weird.

I'm still waiting for Silk for Steel update, tho.

Also, shoutout to me bc I thought: it's been a while, I'll check quick what I wrote about the previous chapter to kinda regain some context (yes, only now), and, yep, tears in my eyes. It happesn every time.

Ok, chapter.

I was going to ignore him, but, fine, you get a pic. He looks fucking exhausted. And no surprises here, tbh. He was using his magoi in battle and also got a little impaled, too.

Is he, really?

I'm still mad at Al-Thamen resolution or the lack of it. Like, bro, look at this pic, it's so messed up? What the hell? Right after Sinbad says that the fight isn't over, we get this, and, like, yeah, there's a shitton of these guys left here.

I miss Al-Thamen being threatening.

Is it the first time First-Class Singularity is used referring to Sinbad? I might be wrong, but if not first, then one of the first ones.

On a different note, I kinda chuckled, seeing that they refer to Alibaba as Aladdin's immature candidate to be the king, I mean, immature, and yet him and Aladdin managed to change the Flow. Imagine what they can do once they do mature? <3

Can I please get some details, Ohtaka? You mean similar situations as in Kings changing the Flow? What do you mean by that? But on the other hand, kinda makes me think about the Final Arc & the argument that everybody can see a little bit of destiny/change it. Heh.

Side-effect of taking a break from the manga reread is that I'm wondering if it's the first time we have that "Father" mentioned or not. Honest with ya, on my first read I definitely didn't pay attention to this, lmao.

Also, sick art.

Welcome back to my God I love Alibaba. I love kind characters. Of course he didn't want anybody to die, but something about the fact that he says "they surely still had many things they wanted to do", it's so... humanizing. Not of Alibaba (tho him, too), but of these people who died, who we know nothing about - they were just background characters, after all. But to Alibaba they were people who had their own lives and hopes and dreams. They had a meaning just because they existed.

It feels so... contrasting to Hakuryuu. He had no consideration for his own people, he just used them as means to an end, literally brainwashing them in an extremely painful ways that I very much did NOT forget, until they became nothing but puppets full of anger. Feels weirdly ironic, or maybe even metaphorical that he himself was a slave to his own anger, and so he turned those around him into his image. Ha.

Ugh, this smile is so sweet and gentle.

Anise! Wish we knew more of you : (

I'll save you the Rashid salt this time.

This entire page deserves to be there, imo. It's... beautiful.

"The flow never stops, it'll endlessly protect and be the ally of us, the living... that's why although a person's death is a tragic thing... It's no a farewell."

It... actually remind me a little about Avatar: the Last Airbender, specifically this quote "You have indeed felt a great loss, but love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love. Let the pain flow away."

I'm ignoring the other ones, I was always like, hah, seeing how Rashid is disappointed in them.

Tho still, shoutout to the guy who left his kids' in the care of his wife, and then was disappointed they didn't turn out how he wanted them to.

Bitch I'm sad

*squints* what is this expression

: ' )

Oh, hi, Morgiana.

As much as I complain about Magi's trio being actually a duo + Morgiana, I'll give a point here. It was pretty sweet that as the spirits were leaving, she run up to them.

Welp, that's the end of the chapter.

I checked the next chapter just in case, and, yeah. The anime has some stuff happen here, as in, Kou is close or something & there's some scene on the ship iirc, regarding leaving Balbadd... I complain about the anime a lot - and I will keep doing that - but I think it was a pretty good decision (idk about the execution, I don't remember). Jumping from Night 76 to Night 77 feels kinda weird. I legit had to take a second & check if I didn't miss some chapter.

Maybe Kou was mentioned sometime earlier & I just don't remember, but still. This really is the last pic of the chapter, and suddenly we're in Sindria.

Damn Ohtaka and her stupid timeskips.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group J Round 3: #J4 vs #J7

#J4: Kids conquering dungeons to change the world

#J7: Lecherous young man gets engaged to an alien princess

Details and poll under the cut!

#J4: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Summary:

A Magi is a magician whose inclination toward magic is so immense that they can be said to shape the world. With their significant influence, each Magi chooses a worthy candidate to become a king, then helps them conquer strange labyrinths called "Dungeons" and acquire the power of mythical djinns within. Above all else, the Magi supervises their elected representative as they build a country that might one day bring the world to its knees.

Aladdin is a young Magi wandering the world in search of his true self. However, his journey is not a lonely one, as he is accompanied by his friend and mentor Ugo—a djinn he summons using his flute. On his travels, Aladdin also befriends Alibaba Saluja and guides him to a nearby Dungeon. With this newfound friendship, they begin an epic adventure across the world, witnessing various irregularities that seem more frequent than ever.

Propaganda 1:

Imagine characters from Arabian Nights/1001 Nights coming to life in an anime. Even though it is loosely inspired off of the tales, it is a unique time and place from most anime settings. It has action, humor, and deep concepts. One of my favorite parts about Magi is how well-developed the background characters are.

Propaganda 2:

This anime has a lot of philosophical takes on what fate is. Basically, is everything that happened to you caused by a force you can’t control or is it what you make of it? Is there something or rather someone pulling the strings on what should or shouldn’t be? Is the person you are because you were lucky or unlucky to be born in the wealthy family or not? Why are things the way they are? Why was I dealt with a shitty hand in life? Is it because I’ll never amount to anything, or is something doing this to me? Why are we here just to suffer kind of deal, but you know not the meme version, the really sad and real version. Then you have the side of the people who may have not had the best life, but found a way out of it. Why do some people get to feel the light when you went through the same thing, but still lost and in the dark?

Trigger Warnings: Partial nudity and slavery. One of the mains is a slave in the beginning, but the other two mains help free her from that.

#J7: Urusei Yatsura (2022)

Summary:

When aliens known as the Oni threaten to invade the Earth, they promise to leave under one condition—a randomly-chosen human must win a one-on-one game of tag against Lum, the beautiful daughter of the Oni leader. The “lucky” person selected happens to be the lustful and unlucky high-schooler Ataru Moroboshi. Given 10 days to attempt to grab Lum’s horns, Ataru realizes how impossible the challenge is as he is faced with Lum’s extraterrestrial powers.

Motivated by a promise of marriage from his childhood friend Shinobu Miyake, Ataru manages to catch Lum off guard. He mistakenly grabs hold of her bikini top first, but he eventually achieves his true goal. Although the game is over, Lum misunderstands that she is the one whom Ataru wants to marry, and she decides to move in with him. The poor student constantly tries to shake off the clingy Lum while doing his best to reconcile with his desired fiancée. After Ataru's heroic feat results in such a disastrous outcome, it is questionable whether luck will ever be on his side.

Propaganda:

This anime is actually a reboot; the original came out in the 80s. It honestly does the manga justice compared to the 80s anime. I absolutely love the animation, it really does stick to Rumiko Takahashi’s art style. Though the pacing is a bit different, overall it stays true to its manga counterpart. (It’s honestly too bad the series isn’t very popular in the west, it’s a great comedy/harem type show. And the thing is, it’s not your traditional harem where “the basic guy gets all the girls” which makes the show so much more enjoyable.) Everything about this show really captures the essence of the series. It’s able to be funny while still having its more serious moments. I just really love Urusei Yatsura, it’s so good.

Trigger Warnings: The art style is very colorful and could cause eyestrain

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[ashipiko]

NOW INTRODUCING...

—ASHI TAMADAI! ☆

Ashi Tamadai, part of the reborn Terugumi troupe! Often known as the youngest and most excitable member, the 14 year old always comes in with a splash!

TABLE OF CONTENTS—

1. Basic Info

2. Backstory/Introduction Writing

3. Trivia

4. Relationships (More may be added in future!)

5. Gallery

MORE UNDER CUT!

BASIC INFO:

Ashi Tamadai (アシ たまだい)

Troupe: Terugumi

Age: 14 (as of year 1 of Terugumi, year 2 of MANKAI)

Height: 157cm

Birthday: June 5

Blood Type: AB

Occupation: 3rd Year at Kazunari’s Junior High (1st Year at Ouka High in Act 3)

Motif rock: Floral Agate

Color: Salmon #FF9175

Hobbies: Drawing, rapping, doing whatever she feels like

Favorite Food: Spam Masubi

Least favorite food: Beans of any kind

Family: Father, Mother, Older Sister (11 Years Older), Older Brother (8 Years Older)

Strengths: Energetic, multitalented, charismatic

Weaknesses: Stubborn, worries too much on if she’s being annoying

CV: Sato Hinata

BACKSTORY:

Ashi’s always been the younger sister. Always at least 8 years younger than her immediate family, babied by all her cousins, and often treated as the youngest in school friend groups. Due to her age, of course. A birthday like June 5th didn’t help, finally catching up to other kids at the end of the school year. Everyone around her was older, and that always set her in the role of the youngest.

It was like tradition. Something you’re unable to break— “Would you mind babysitting Ashi while I’m gone?”, “Are you sure you can stay home by yourself?”, “Here, let me get this for you.”— An unbreakable curse. No matter what she did, how she tried to prove herself, it would just result in her being seen as stupid or incompetent, and she’d be back in the high chair.

It gets old at some point.

One day, she visited her cousin Kazunari Miyoshi, and heard of his debut in the new MANKAI company. Ashi wanted to show all her support to her favorite cousin, of course, so she bought a ticket as soon as she could. She sat in her seat, within in the sea of observers, and didn’t expect much except an outstanding performance. But that play— seeing Kazunari as Aladdin, alongside Tenma Sumeragi as Alibaba— it opened her eyes.

Seeing the star actor, known for his cool roles, acting in a comedy was such a breath of fresh air. Seeing her cousin, who she knew was more that what met the eye, say his thanks to the audience in such a genuine tone...

It helped her realize that acting was a way to escape from your usual persona and try something new. To branch out to different aspects. To be someone other than yourself. A chance to prove that you were more than what met the eye.

Ashi wanted that. More than anything.

Once she left the theater, she immediately started on her new journey. To find people who accepted her for who she truly is, and to see past what she seems to be. To find people who want to know her, to find a group where she feels she really belongs.

She found that auditioning for troupes around her area was the best way to go about it. If Kazunari can do it, why can’t she? So every week she visited a new troupe, giving her best, most dynamic audition to the directors. Sometimes she’d make the cut, but it didn’t matter anyways. Because again and again, she was merely casted as the background comedy character. The one you kill off, laugh over, and don’t bother to think about.

But MANKAI’s Summer Troupe plays helped her through all the failures, and every play and character she admired grew her passion for acting more and more. Seeing every actor’s happy face as they bowed and said heartfelt thanks for their standing ovation only made her dreams more powerful.

One day, she wishes she can become the shining star who blows everyone away.

One day, she wishes she can be something other than just a kid.

One day, she wishes she can prove herself to the world.

“Excuse me, I’d like to audition!”

TRIVIA:

—Ashi’s cousins to Kazunari! She’s the second youngest within her two families, with Futaba trailing behind just a little.

—She’s bilingual, knowing both Japanese and English (due to English being her first, she writes her name in English for her signature, left of her name on the introduction page).

—Ashi was born and raised in North America. However, her mom’s side of the family lived in Japan, so they would visit Japan every Summer for a long period, allowing her keep in touch with both areas. At age 12, she decided to stay in Japan permanently with her brother, who decided to stay for business reasons. She wanted to stay so that she could seek out more theater troupes along Veludo Way. In the story, her family is often mentioned as being overseas, so her older brother acts as her guardian. When she moves into the troupe, he enlists Kazunari to keep an eye on her when he can’t.

—Ashi’s two catchphrases are “Super Hype!/Hypesies!” and “Tehepero!” (referenced to in her doodle, top right of the introduction page).

—Ashi’s a part of a troupe called “Terugumi”, a reborn troupe (much like MANKAI) that’s one of the many acting troupes along Veludo. When the Terugumi story begins, it takes place after Act 2, before Act 3.

—She genuinely can’t stay awake past 12. Ashi becomes a completely different version of herself and loses all her energy, always having to hold onto someone. Kazunari brings up the memory of when they were younger, when Ashi survived off a churro at a theme park, confident she was going to make it till closing, before she passed out an hour before the park closed.

—She’s often the “little sister” with everyone she hangs out with. Ashi mainly hangs out with Kazunari, Tenma, Banri, and Azami. They all see a part of themselves in her, which leads to them getting attached easily.

—In Year 1 of MANKAI, Azami actually saved Ashi from getting jumped when she ended up lost, going the wrong way. Ever since he saved her and simply gave her his name, she always has an eye open for her “knight in shining armor”, asking around for a guy who she calls “Azami, the dark haired cutie”. She eventually gives up once she can’t find him at her junior high, but has a small sliver of hope.

—When she finds Azami again, she immediately wants to befriend him and get to know him, causing them to become fast friends and besties.

—She’s a hopeless romantic (runs in the family!)

—She raps often with Homare and Azami. They have a group chat that they barely use, and every once in a while she pops in to ask for a rhyme.

—Ashi is hilariously bad at freestyle, and runs out of rhymes quickly, but when given a solid set of lyrics she sings them super smooth.

—Ashi uses Kazunari’s nicknames for almost all of the members. The only weird exception is Juza, who she refers to as “Hyodo”. No one knows why, but it’s assumed by most that it’s due to Banri’s influence. She switches between nicknames and not-nicknames for Kazu, Tenten and Azamin. Banri’s the only one who she calls fully by name.

—She’s terrified of Chikage.

—Being called a “kid” is the biggest insult and middle finger you can give her. In her mind, being called a kid is like being called stupid, incompetent, pathetic, and everything in between. She thinks this because it was often used as a derogatory term when growing up.

—Despite being straight, she happens to attract a LOT of girls. She has a fan club a short while after she starts attending Terugumi (which is mostly girls), and girls at school have tried to pursue her at school as well. She dreads having to let them down, and feels like her charisma can be a curse at times. (“Ehh... Sometimes I wish the chocolates I get on V-Day were given by a bunch of guys instead...”)

RELATIONSHIPS (WITH MANKAI):

KAZUNARI

“Ashi, your latest inste post was super adorbs! ♪”

“Thanks Kazu! Learnt all my tricks from the expert~”

From a first glance, the cousin relationship seems more like a twin one, as they’re both excitable inste obsessed artists who can’t stop talking. But overtime, it becomes apparent that Kazunari watches over Ashi with a careful eye— They’re awfully close. It’s due to the fact that Kazunari sees a part of him in his little cousin, when they draw together in his dorm room, or when they have late night talks over the phone. His older brother instincts can’t help but kick in when he interacts with her.

He enjoys watching her grow and experience new things, especially since he can see her so much more now due to them being in local troupes. Kazunari can’t help but get a little overprotective at times, though. She’s his favorite little cuz, after all!

“Kazu! Mind hanging out with me at the mall today?”

“Bet, let’s do it! Hey, it’ll really help with my charming older bro image, don’tcha think?!”

TENMA

“Tenma… Would you mind buying this kpop album for me…? I’ll promise I’ll pay you back!”

“Sigh, what else should I expect from you at this point…”

The relationship between the two cocky O-High kids doesn’t really bloom (get it) until Kazunari mentions a resemblance between the two. At first, Tenma’s insanely confused. How could you compare him, a worldwide actor, to some 14 year old?! It takes a little clearing up to make him nod his head and quietly agree.

Kazunari notes that both of them are people who put up a strong and tough front, but in reality are just a couple of scaredy cat sheltered kids without a good idea of fun. After a couple indirect conversations, Kazunari decides to get them to start hanging out. Tenma at first is absolutely bewildered at her hyperness (more than Natsugumi, somehow) and finds it hard to talk to “kids these days”, and Ashi freaks over hanging with a celeb, but Tenma loosens up after she shares her admiration for the actor.

At some point, Tenma has to agree and say that he does see a little bit of himself in her too. He doesn’t know when— but the initial annoying feeling she gives turns into something sweet. Watching horror movies with her becomes comforting, and hiding in the blankets doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.

”O-Oi, Ashi, who turned off the lights?!”

“I-I dunno! But I’m totally fighting whoever it is! For more banger movies from Tenma Sumeragi to come! COME AT ME!”

BANRI

”Hey Ashi, you think you’re finally old enough to fist fight me?”

“Oh-Ho! You are ON!”

At first meet, Banri calls Ashi a little kid. It ends up in a fistfight in the MANKAI lounge, which has to be broken up by both Natsugumi and Akigumi. A great way to start a friendship, isn’t it?

It’s through riling up Ashi that Banri finds out she’s also a thrill seeker who’s looking for something new. Not to mention, multi-talented, just like him. It’s rare that you ever find a kid like that, and even rarer that you find a kid as fun as Ashi. Through this little banter relationship, Banri starts taking Ashi out to do different activities— Wood carving, arcades, shooting arrows— Anything new in attempts to give them a thrill. It’s through all the challenges that the yells of “YOU SUCK!” turn into laughs, even if insults still trail behind.

It’s refreshing to meet someone with the same struggles who’s willing to solve them with you. Banri doesn’t know when, but at some point it feels like he has two sisters instead of one. And Ashi can’t help but feel like she’s gained another older brother. NEO finally has a secret weapon to rival Taruchi.

“...Ashi, did you notice that Itaru’s streams have been mentioning someone named ‘Lil NEO’?”

“NOOOO! Don’t tell me I have to be associated with you on social media now...!”

AZAMI

“Hey Azamin, I found this unused eyeshadow palette at my house! You think you can use it?”

“Pfft. Is this your way of trying to get me to do your makeup again?”

Azami and Ashi are both the youngest members within their companies, and it’s definitely something they bond over often. They both have issues and hate being referred to as a kid, so during their makeup sessions, where Azami, the pro makeup artist, happily does makeup for Ashi, the pretty one who doesn’t know anything outside of skin care, they often rant and talk about annoyances within their troupes. Ashi finds it comforting that someone’s willing to listen to her seriously, and Azami finds it comforting that there’s someone else who feels the same way as him. Due to this, Ashi often comes by for Azami to test out new makeup products, since she always trusts in him and his magical skills.

Especially when they reconnect a year or two after Azami saves Ashi, Ashi can’t help but admire and fawn over Azami. “You’re so cool, Azamin! You can fight, do makeup, AND slay in every way?! You’re amazing!”, are things she says often. Azami gets a little flustered at how touchy and affectionate she is, but he can’t help but soften up after a while. Hugs are okay. Hugs are good. It feels nice gaining one from someone who looks up to you so much.

Despite their different aesthetics, the two really aren’t that different. As they hang out more and more, walking home from school, hanging out at the dorms, going to cafes, they quickly become best friends and always enjoy each others company. Ah, well, maybe they enjoy each others company a little more than they’d like to admit.

“Azami, your skills are for REAL magic! Like, you’re insane when you’re holding a brush like that...!”

“...Magic, huh? Heh. Thanks, Ashi.”

GALLERY:

[prxttybxybxstxrd]

‘Pleasured Awakening’ + REVERSE

Oral, in Alibaba's eyes, is an act of service. Something to be received by one lesser than or equal to ones self. A sign of submission and resignation. A right and privilege reserved usually and only for men. An almost iron-clad, immovable rule of not just his own, but, in his mind, in nature. But, as they say, there was an exception to every single rule and with this woman who had called him forth, this wicked soul as heartless he, would prove to be one of those few.

It was a game for them. The moment they'd entered into a contract, the die had been cast and, in his eyes, this woman was woefully unprepared for what Alibaba could bring to the table. The womanizing and sexual prowess of the One True Cassanova. The mind and reality altering powers of his mere existence as the 1001 Nights. His sheer patience and deceptive cunning hidden behind a facade of pleasantness and innocence to disarm and seduce. All tools that had brought countless proud women to their knees, surrendering their bodies to him, their wealth, all they were just for a taste. And if this Alter Ego had his way, his new 'master' would be no different.

The game he was playing was simple really. He'd hold back. Test her will, her resolve. Teasing, touching, playing but never truly giving her his all. He'd not even given her his name yet, giving her the false title of 'Caster'. One thrust, as it was, and it'd be over and she'd be broken least her will prove sufficient enough to resist him for however long she could. If she wanted him, truly, he would make her beg for him as she threw away her pride. It was why he chose to break one of his rules and descend beneath the luxurious silken sheets of his master, down between her legs, to dine upon the pale supple skin of her thighs and the veritable feast that was her womanhood.

Delicate fingers would spread open her legs as Vladina slumbered, careful not to make too sudden a movement as to rouse her just yet. Loathing of women as he was, he knew how to touch them. How to make them feel and arouse them. Such was his nature, part of his core as Giacomo Cassanova. Digits trailing along that soft skin of her inner thighs, feathery kisses planted slowly upward towards the true goal and true prize. Faint pink stains would mark his trail onward until the disgustingly sweet goal was before him.

His breath was no doubt warm against her skin. His fingers slowly spreading her open, exposing everything from her most intimate depths to the pearlescent nub of her clitoris to him. He'd put his silver tongue to use there first. Tongue gently lapping at it first, teasing it. Lightly swirling about before lips were pressed forward and a gentle suction was applied. Even with this sort of care though there was little reason to believe the Mage would stay asleep for too long now. Not with the esteemed skilled tongue of this truly awful young man giving to her a service reserved only for men.

[denial-permanente]

Hi,

First of all, I want to thank you and Tom for the interesting real life chastity blog.

Different than many other blogs that are based on men’s chastity fantasies. This doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying them 😊.

We are a couple in our mid 50’s and this year we are happily married for 35 years. We are young at mind and fully enjoy life as it is supposed to be.

Since my childhood I have affection for bondage and other kinky stuff in contrary of my wife.

However, she knows my kinks and all those years she does efforts to understand this and she helps me out to fore fill my needs.

In the mid 90’s we watched on national a TV show regarding special fetish and taboos. There was an interview with Mr Walter Goethals of Carrara design experimenting with male chastity devices.

At that moment I also knew that chastity was something for me.

With internet more information on male chastity became available. When the CB6000 came out I purchased one and started to experiment with It. Sometimes I was locked for 3 weeks. However, the plastic case in 2 longitude parts gave me painful issues.

To make a longs story short, over several years we ordered several chastity cages and finally I have this cheap metal case from Alibaba that works fine, together with an anti-pull-out ring.

Our sex life is/was always good and I liked to experiment with new techniques to please my wife. Already since more than 30 years I don’t cum if my wife doesn’t cum first.

Since my wife likes penetration and likes to give me HJ and BJ, it was not always easy for her when I was locked. Sometimes she taught I didn’t like her or that I wasn’t happy with her performances. So we talked many times on the subject and the last 4 years she locked me for 2-3 weeks with some long term intervals. But as you mention in your blog, once you tried chastity, it stays in the mind and you want to go back being locked.

Since last year both our children are out house, and so we have more time for us.

Last January my wife had the NY party at work and I was alone at home. So I put myself in strict self-bondage with a sensory deprivation hood, chastity cage eo.

I texted my wife in advance not to be scared when she came home during the night. This was not the first time I did that, but she is always afraid that an accident would happen.

That night she came home relaxed, reacted positive and again understood my needs. We made love and she came from orally, and I didn’t cum😊.

From that night I’m locked up day and night.

However, she decided to unlock me twice to make love. I stayed unlocked during the night what result in a good night sleep (*).

My wife holds the key, and the spare key is in a sealed envelope in case of emergency.

Now since last week I found your Tumblr blog and I love it. Both the point of view from you both. I couldn’t agree more.

Furthermore, it helped me to introduce my wife to keep me locked longer then before and if she agrees permanently.

Since my wife doesn’t really like to go on Tumblr, I copy-paste your Q&A in a word document so my wife could read about your lifestyle as a chastity couple and the advantage of it if we/she implemented in our marriage.

It is now 27 days that I’m locked and, I hope that it is the first 27 days of a permanent chastity, fully managed by my wife.

In the meantime, I ordered a Vixskin and harness together with a t° regulated water heater. 😊

If my wife can enjoy the Vixskin we can go for the Vixskin-X, but this is not yet available in the EU. If I order it from the US with tax and import duty this become +/- 500$

This all said I have a question for you both, but particularly for Tom.

During the day I have no issues wearing the cage, but during the night it is sometimes terrible when I get an erection, which is normal. This always result in stretching the skin below my cage ring and makes me wake up several times during the night.

Before I go to sleep, I always use anti chafe cream to allow movement for the skin in the cage, but still.

When I wake up, I can concentrate to make him soft again.

The problem is that I don’t have a good night sleep with negative results during daytime.

Any idea how I can get over this issue?

Tank you and keep up the good work.

Regards

B

Wow, there is a lot to comment on here. 😅

First I am glad that you and your wife really talk about this. Too many times we get questions or messages from men who just push this on their wives and the wife has no idea what to do with all of this. But it seems that you and your wife talk about this.

I hope that you talked to her about using the Vixskin before you ordered it. I am pretty sure there are stores over there where you can get it cheaper than ordering from the US. I'll let my husband answer the rest of this. 🔐

~

Tom here. My wife is correct; lovehoney.co.uk sells Vixskin products (and other nice items. I've been there and am happy to give a shout out).

Unfortunately, the only thing that will help you adapt to wearing the cage is to keep wearing the cage. It may take a couple of months wearing it overnight to allow your body to get used to those erections in the middle of the night.

Make sure that you use good lube around the cuff ring to keep your skin from "burning" (it's really stretching). Also, I do not know what cage you have, but one that is smaller inside, that is, a more narrow diameter, will prevent your penis from expanding. That will help.

Note that I am not recommending those nub cages. You may have to try several different designs to find one that is comfortable for you.

[morimakesfanart]

Dead End 01 -SP Ch04

This is am early draft of ch04 from Sindria's Prophet. 

It is very different from the final version

*Angst

*CW-suicide attempt mentioned

I hadn't slept well. I knew what was coming so I couldn't stay in bed. I ate a quick breakfast, and went to check on Aladdin. Sure enough, Alibaba had already left to start the coup. I waited to give him more time before I'd go see Sinbad. I had decided to not change things, but I couldn't stop myself from wanting to help somehow.

I knocked on the door. Ja'far opened it after Sinbad agreed to let me in.

I got straight to the point. "As soon as your allies get here, you need to head to the palace with them." I could see the nerves growing on his face as Sinbad figured out the implications of my words. "Alibaba has stormed the palace. He will defeat the man that turned into the elephant monster the other night while Morgiana holds off the everyone else. Once in the throne room, Alibaba will win over all of the guards there, and the coup with be successful. However, the Kou Princess will appear, and Alibaba will need your support." I hesitated for a moment. "Do not take the stage from him. Alibaba won't give an inch to the Princess."

The current picked up.

For a few moments they both just watched me. Sinbad regained composure. "Is there anything else you're willing to tell me?"

News of Alibaba's actions would reach us soon. I looked back at the door. "Before Aladdin wakes up, his condition will get worse for a bit. Oh, and..." I fully faced my exit. "You'll want to bring medics with you to the palace. You will be getting your metal vessels back later today." I started towards the door. If I wouldn't prevent things than maybe I could help save some of those affected.

"Mori." Sinbad sounded serious yet soft.

I stopped.

"Thank you for the warnings."

It didn't take long to start hearing tells of Alibaba's battle to the throne room and growing support outside the palace. More people hurried there to see the change happening in their country.

A dark laugh escaped me. "You won't want to thank me when today is over." I opened the door. "Just know that I'm sorry."

---

A part of me wanted to watch everything in person, but I knew I'd only get in the way. I could feel it in the flow.

Fear clenched my muscles into knots.

I went to my room and moved some furniture in front of my door. I didn't want to worry about someone taking advantage of the commotion when the fighting really starts -like in the manga.

Sinbad would be rushing to the palace soon if he hadn't already. I knew he'd be questioning Alibaba's reasoning as he went, and probably questioning mine as well. 'Was this really something he shouldn't prevent? So much so that I wouldn't tell him about all of this in advanced? He could have prevented this!' At least I imagined he'd have such thoughts as he rushed to fix the situation with diplomacy.

I saw a bright light shine from a tower in the city. No doubt Ugo was summoning Aladdin and Judar's Rukh -at least trying to. After the light died down the people quieted, but only for a bit. I hoped that the negotiations were going as well as they did in the original. And hopefully, Sinbad would still be impressed by Alibaba's decision, and actions.

More and more people flocked to the palace to hear of the outcome. There was no way to stop human curiosity, and of course, the results here would affect the rest of their lives.

The current felt stronger. I couldn't deny that these were the same waves that Sinbad felt.

And then I saw that dreaded procession.

The fog troop was coming with Cassim at it's helm. There was so much black Rukh that I could see them. I knew if I had warned Sinbad, then potentially Banker and the other dark magicians could have been prevented from helping. And maybe some of the casualties could be prevented. But if I was unable to prevent Sinbad from rewriting the Rukh with his own will...

I covered the window.

In stories, characters are always forced to watch when someone risks their life, or people die due to their decisions. The stories seemed to say it was the more honorable or noble thing to do. But I wasn't about to traumatize myself more than I already was for the sake of noble aesthetics. I only had about five years left to try to change the ending -less if I wanted to prevent it completely- and I'd need to limit my traumatic experiences if I was going to have a chance of achieving any of it.

The black Rukh were filling the city, some had even entered the room. There was so much that even regular people could see them.

One of the black Rukh landed on me. Tears started streaming down my face and sharp pain cut through my stomach. Back home I was the type that couldn't enter certain types of haunted locations because I could feel the pain of the ghosts trapped there. Hospitals were some of the worst. Some ghosts would attach themselves to me to leave their spot and I would be stuck with them until I could convince them to move on.

(CW)

Was my Rukh black? That would explain why they were circling me. When I was a young teen, I had nearly succeeded in taking my own life. I was better enough to count now, but maybe it had made my Rukh black. Of course, if my Rukh was black it was probably because I didn't pass through the Sacred Palace when I was Isekaied, but I wasn't thinking about that.

"I'm so sorry you died that way." I sobbed. "You don't deserve this."

Spirit Magic might be the only known way to directly affect Rukh type but I wanted to try something. "If you want you can try passing through me. Since I'm still alive maybe I can help."

The Ruhk vanished. I couldn't tell if it entered me or if I just couldn't see it any more.

More Black Rukh landed on me and repeated the process. I hoped whatever I was doing was helping them. At least, I could convince myself I was doing something useful.

I could hear the screams, crashing, and destruction from my room. Should I go and try to help the wounded even though I'd be risking my life? Was I actually thinking about the future or was I just a coward who avoided making a decision?

A sound pierced through me to my bones. I couldn't see the source, but I knew in my heart that it was the sound of Cassim merging with the dark Djinn.

I moved the furniture not blocking the door in front of the window to try to muffle the sound. It worked a little, but it blocked the remaining light from getting in my room more than the sound.

It was clear that the amount of black Rukh I was engaging with wasn't enough to change fate, but I hoped it was doing something. How could I have actually allowed this to happen? Sure the future was important, but why did I have so little faith in myself to change it?

Why did the the shift in the flow have to remind me that I didn't have plot armor?

How much would I cry before the day was over? What about after? Was there any normal person who could sympathize with someone who knowingly let others die like this? Was this similar to how the singularities felt?

David became self righteous because of his knowledge of the path of fate. Now that I was here, would the same happen to me? If I had a power of my own maybe I could have helped. If only I had been stronger. Maybe I should have told Sinba -

**C r A c K**

The distinctive sounds of thunder and lightning boomed through the space. Sinbad had gotten his metal vessels back. It was almost a shame I didn't get to see his Djinn Equip in person, but I didn't deserve such a gift after what I'd done.

If everything was following the script, that meant Cassim was dead, and the battle was over.

The room was quiet and no new Rukh appeared. I unbarricaded my door but didn't bother with revealing the window.

All this because Alibaba needed to absorb Cassim's Rukh, Judar needed to receive that "gift" from Aladdin, and Aladdin needed to get Solomon's Wisdom. Was it worth it?

The flow of the Rukh change with the battle over. I could finally help. I grabbed as much supplies as I thought I could carry and started making rounds.

The city was a mess. Crying filled the air. Many were still in shock and mourning their dead in the streets. There were still some injured unattended. I could help those people.

My body had been screaming in pain from the stress and fear all day, but that pain was gone. Even the pain from the Ruhk that landed on me was just a memory. Fear and stress were meaningless during times like this; my mind cleared as I got to work.

I was tying on a splint for someone when Aladdin called the Rukh to descend to their loved ones. The morale raised for many.

I kept working. There was no one in the great flow to visit me anyway.

A few others started helping me treat the wounded.

I had only been bandaging people for about an hour when I felt the current beginning to pick up again. And this time it was moving towards me. It wasn't just moving towards my location, whatever was causing the shift in the flow was aiming for me specifically.

I opened the door on my own before they even had a chance to knock. I couldn't look up to make eye contact out of guilt.

As soon as I finished helping the person I was working on, I excused myself from the rest of the medics, and bolted for my room. I had a promise to keep after all.

---

The whole day I had heard footsteps running back and forth, but somehow I could tell that the current set of steps were heading towards me. The pit of my stomach and bones felt icy. There was no point in trying to run away or hide when that man was the one chasing you.

Sinbad clasped both of my shoulders. "You knew about the dark Djinn!!" I was forced backwards and he staggered into the room with me. The current came rushing in with him.

I hadn't had time to light candles, and had left my window blocked earlier, so the only source of light was coming from the door behind him. His face was cast in shadow, but I could still make out the rage and betrayal on his face when I stumbled backwards.

I caught the vague sound of Ja'far telling him not to push himself.

Sinbad was so close I could smell the blood, dirt and sweat on him. That was my fault. Sure it was originally what was going to happen, but I could have stopped it. His pain was my fault through my omission.

"Why didn't you say anything?!"

Did it have to be Sinbad yelling at me? He had been my comfort character, and now he was towering over me and shoving my sins in my face. I was scared. I tried to be brave. "If I told you any of the details then you would have prevented it, and I couldn't let you-"

"Of course I would!! Are you with them?! You promised you'd explain! So explain!" The current was filling the room.

How much was okay to say? "When I said today needed to happen I meant it. Aladdin needed that new power, and Alibaba needed to take in his friend's Rukh. In a few years there's going to be a war that will trigger a worse dark spot than the one that formed in First Sindria." Sinbad's grip tightened on my shoulders, but he didn't scare me. "Aladdin and Alibaba will be among the first responders, and their help will be key to destroying the dark spot. And only a few more years after that, there will be an even greater threat. Only those with altered Rukh will be able to fight it! Today's events will lead to more than just Alibaba having their Rukh altered so they can help. I didn't want to do this! I hate that I couldn't find a way out of this!" I knew that I could potentially force those fates faster if I said the wrong thing, but there was also no way to prevent either if I said nothing.

Sinbad and the others were saying something but I couldn't hear them over my own heart beat. His grip lighten on me. His trust deserved a more thorough explanation.

"Al Thamen's agenda was written by a powerful sorcerer that could read fate. Just like most of them, he does not have a body of his own but he's still trapped in a pocket dimension. David wants to break into this world and a specific different dimension connected to it." My voice shook.

Ja'far tried to sum up my implications. "So then we just have to prevent him from-"

I laughed. "'You can't out run what's already here.'" It was a quote from Homestuck, but it worked just as well to describe the situation with David. "He gained a door to this world 10 years ago, and is now just waiting." I could feel the room stiffen. "During the fall of First Sindria he connected to that massive influx of black Rukh, and can enter through it. In a few years the leader of Al Thamen will notice and work with his current vessel to realize his goal."

Saying it out loud made tears form in my eyes. I wasn't talking about something that happened to a character; it was the world I was living in. Was David listening through Sinbad right now? I could feel the waves around me but not what they meant.

Sinbad's voice was commanding. "Where is his vessel now?"

"Even if I told you, it's not something that can be destroyed so easily." There was no way Sinbad would commit suicide, so he could figure it out for himself.

His eyes were like molten gold even in the dark as he tried to find the information I was withholding. "Why won't you tell us where?"

I was scared of answering, but it didn't make my blood run cold. Every moment I spent with Sinbad made me less scared that he would fulfill the same fate. It was still possible, but there were more possibilities now. The flow was changing.

"Because ... when you learned where he is and some other information, you were the one to activate the spell and destroy the world." I felt one tear fall.

"What? Why would I do such a thing??" Sinbad's grip on my shoulders tightened.

"Sin is doing everything he can to bring about peace!” Ja'far defended.

I put up my hands to calm them. "For the past 15 years, you have been fighting, and growing your power and influence. Sindria and the Seven Seas Alliance hold more power than 2 of the oldest and largest Empires this world has ever seen. Only an idiot would think you won't eventually become the person that stands at the top."

The waves around me urged me to continue. "When you have no more power to gain, and you reached your goal of peace, what do you do? Find a new ambition to work towards? Spend all your time maintaining the status quoe? Or do you continue doing what you've always done?" I shrugged and put my hands back down. "The answer is obvious. Upon learning that there was a way to reach other dimensions and worlds you took it. You wanted to bring your vision of equality to other dimensions." It was twisting the facts a bit, but not entirely wrong. What he had wanted was to imbue his will on the Rukh to achieve his goal of peace eternally, then he wanted to kill the gods above him to bring everyone to the same level.

The fact that they believed everything I said astounded me. I had just said that Sinbad would be the one to destroy the world. Even in the dark, I could see in his eyes the growing realization that I was right -that given the opportunity he would do anything to broadened his horizons and influence- and the silence of his generals was proof they agreed.

Sinbad's waves were swirling around me. My head was swimming. I didn't want him to hate me but it felt inevitable after telling him what type of person he'd become. Another tear fell.

"Those that fight against the spell, talk to you and make you realize there are other options, but it's too late. David will be there keeping the spell active. He is a cruel person who cannot see outside of himself and the fate he dedicated his life to. You sacrifice your life and take David down with you."

David was probably listening in. Even though letting him know that I know was dangerous, I felt like I had reached a check-mate. Sinbad now knew where David and fate would lead him if he didn't change his ways. I could feel the waves radiating out of Sinbad. He would choose a different fate. I could only hope it would be a better one.

I might not like the many of the decisions he made in the original but I liked Sinbad. He was kind at his core even when he became corrupted by pain and greed. That kindness was why he became a comfort character for me.

The tears I had been holding back began to fall and I shut my eyes -I could barely see anyway. "More than anything else, I don't want to watch you become someone you hate. You're waves are literally changing right in front of me but I still don't know if it can be avoided!" I knew Sinbad didn't agree with David, but language is power; there was no way he wasn't influenced by him.

The pressure on my left shoulder was gone, and my tears were being wiped away on that side. "You can feel my waves?" Any quieter and I would have thought I was hearing things.

I gave a half hearted attempt to shake him off; I couldn't accept a kind gesture from him. I didn't deserve it. "How could I not when they're aimed right at me?"

He had stopped wiping my tears but cupped my cheek instead. The warmth of his hand was more comforting than I could fight against. I found myself leaning into that warmth despite myself.

That's right; Sinbad could feel the waves of fate, and had so much influence over them that with his greed he became like a god before his death. How was I supposed influence him enough to save him? "I read your life so many times trying to figure how to change it! How can I prove that the ends don't justify the means when I just let people die so others can be saved in the fut-!”

I couldn't speak.

There was suddenly a soft warm pressure keeping my mouth closed and I was overwhelmed by the waves. I felt like I was under water -floating. This wave brought a strange sense of peace with it.

I didn't dare open my eyes. I didn't want to believe what I was feeling when I realized it wasn't one of his hands covering my mouth.

To add insult to injury my dumb ass didn't even try to fight it; I didn't want to fight it, and it wasn't from fear. But there had to be a better way to get my attention.

((This is the first illustration I ever made for SP. I liked it so much I

Since I couldn't speak I was calming down, or maybe my adrenaline was dying. I was a bit disgusted with myself for playing that trope straight. I couldn't believe he had shut me up that way -it was Sinbad, but still- and in front of his generals no less!

Ja'far and Masrur yelled something, and I felt Sinbad's bangs tickle my face as he stood up right and I was able to talk again.

I opened my eyes, and the complaint I wanted to say got caught in my throat when I caught his expression.

He looked as shocked as I felt. I could barely see him in the dark of the room, but there was something else in his expression that I couldn't understand, or maybe just like the kiss, I didn't want to believe what I was seeing.

His hand caressed my cheek as it slipped off. It was only then that I noticed how much his hands were trembling. Of course he was exhausted. He had been badly injured fighting the dark Djinn, and used up a lot of magoi.

Sinbad leaned towards me again and closed his eyes, but he definitely wasn't aiming to lock lips again. His other hand slipped off of my shoulder as he fell on top of me. I managed to catch him and not crumple under his weight. I'd carried 6ft(183cm) tall men before so I wasn't unused to our size difference. They were twinks though. Sinbad's muscle put him outside of the range I could deal with for long. I knew I was out of shape, but, dang, he was heavy as dead weight.

Ja'far and Masrur took him off my hands -literally. On their way out Ja'far let me know that we'd "have to continue this conversation later" like it wasn't obvious, and apologized on Sinbad's behalf for his behavior towards the end.

After that I passed out from all the emotions and sudden lack of adrenaline.

((You can see which parts I was able to save and reuse in the final version. :3

The end got kinda rambly and preachy, huh? A lot of the dead end chapters have moments like that where they devolve into grief letters.

I want to post the ch5 and maybe ch6 from this Dead End too, but I'm stuck between 2 drafts from the ch5: Draft11(more violent) or Draft13(less violent). Where ch4 has Mori basically venting and processing my feelings about Sinbad to Sinbad, ch5 is the same but for Ja'far. Parts of ch5 were used in the start of final version of ch24. Also, the fears that lead Mori to act the way they did with Ja'far in ch19 are what happens in the Dead End of ch5. If you guys could let me know which version you're more interested in, I'd really appreciate it.))

[arcplaysgames]

gurl me too the fuck

okay the next palace is really starting to get on my tits so lets stop and catch up and gloat about how i'm right about everything (i.e. am able to pick up on obvious narrative tells and extrapolate blah blah)

Ran into Kasumi and got lunch. Apparently she totally bombed her gym conference because she's still working to get over the very recent loss of her sister. Like, she says it was this past Spring she died and I'm like wow uh that's. really recent for you to be acting all plucky and optimistic.

So that kind of explains her severe Stepford Smiler vibes, goddamn. I'm certain that the recent loss of her sister definitely won't come up again in a traumatic way that reveals she's been plastering on a happy face to cover her pain, nope.

POINTS AND LAUGHS

stay mad, phuckboy.

Do you think Matt Mercer ever has to ask for a shot of whiskey before straight-facing lines like this or is he such a professional he just powers through?

Everyone tries to go see the summer fireworks but it's hard to see them in a crowd, the tall buildings are in the way, and then it starts raining.

Sucks. Poor Ann, you looked so nice, Ann!

One, sad boy hour is every hour when you are Reverie Vantas the Fifth.

Two, Ryuji can you fucking locate the brake pedal in your vehicle and apply some pressure, goddamn.

I'm prob not gonna show EVERY screencap of it because there are SO MANY but a third of the things Ryuji says are along the lines of wanting to be famous and dramatic, and it's a repeated refrain so much that I can only imagine that's going to be important later. But it chafes so fucking hard in the meantime.

I actually hate the Phansite and the entire concept of the Thieves being famous. I think they should be working silently, not for the fanfare. Not actively seeking out targets (which would lead to overeager mistakes) but waiting to build a case and then striking when the situation is dire enough to warrant their intervention, because the level of power they have over people is tantamount to an ego death and should be treated as such with the needed gravity.

Obviously there are mitigating factors, like how the very presence of a Palace indicates a severe situation, but also: I hate the current MO so much, I hate unilateral action without oversight.

(Hi, yes, I was Team Tony for the five minutes I cared about Marvel. Fuck Captain America.)

Every glimpse the game gives me Sojiro's secret daughter makes me pull my chair in and sit up straight, lmao.

also why do ppl wear their headphones like that, ain't that heavy on the ears

So there's a lot going on so summary: Medjed, which is basically Anonymous in MegaTenland, has threatened the Thieves and calls them fake prophets of justice and says Japan needs to drop the idol worship. wait i thought japan loved idol wor--

fucking crying laughing. IF YUSUKE HAS ONE FAN I AM ONE OF THEM, IF HE HAS NO FANS I AM DEAD.

So while Medjed is making threats against the Thieves, "another" hacker reaches out to Reverie and is like "I will help you with Medjed but you have to steal someone's heart, her name is Futaba Sakura."

So: Sojiro's daughter is named Futaba Sakura, she is setting up her own heart-theft, and I believe she is also Medjed and the entire plot is a set-up to make the Thieves do what she wants.

I don't have proof of the second half of that yet but I am pretty confident in it.

An unmarked envelope for Reverie shows up but thankfully Adachi is still probably in prison somewhere so its a blank calling card like the Thieves tend to use.

"Alibaba" is like "that's what you need, right, a calling card?" And Reverie informs them he needs the targets name. Alibaba reluctantly says its Futaba Sakura. Because Alibaba is Futaba Sakura, obvsly.

Going to Sojiro for deets doesn't go well.

BUT EVEN FUCKING WORSE

Sae wants info on someone named Wakaba, and when Sojiro says no she threatens to pull his custody of Futaba from him until he yields.

And then smiles and says she'll be back for coffee.

Wow, so its just the whole Nijima family, huh? Do what they demand or they will fuck you over aggressively and then pretend like it ain't no thing.

Meanwhile, Akechi is laying the groundwork to blame the mental shutdown cases on the Thieves, which is just fabulous. You need a haircut, Beige Boy.

THEN HE SHOWS UP TO BE VAGUELY INTIMIDATING TO THE TEAM AND BE ALL WINKY AGAIN. If this boy has not already done a murder before, he will have done a murder by the end of the game and we just gotta make sure it doesn't end up being Reverie.

LE BACKSTORY: Sojiro and Futaba's mother Wakaba were friends for a long time. Wakaba was a single mother (the game takes a moment to gasp about this to remind us This Is Frowned Upon) raising Futaba. It's obvious Sojiro was incredibly fond of her. When she died suddenly, Sojiro adopted Futaba and raised her.

She's always been a reclusive genius type but lately Futaba's been losing it, talking about hearing her mother and hearing voices. She blames herself for her mother's death though we don't know why.

Sojiro is doing his best with the situation but mostly is trying to give Futaba a place she feels safe.

8C

Sojiro I'm sorry I made fun of your hat, you're a really good dude. Don't worry, we will use the power of demonic smartphone apps to help your daughter.

THERE IS ALSO A SMALL THREAD BUILDING UP AROUND MORGANA. When Reverie and the team go to investigate Futaba, Morgana gets left behind in the commotion and they don't notice until later.

There is this small wind up happening with either the Thieves not appreciating Morgana enough (which: agreed) or maybe with so many people joining the team and everyone kind of up to speed on how the Metaverse works, Morgana is beginning to feel his importance slipping? Maybe he's afraid without some kind of usefulness, some kind of leverage, no one will be motivated to help him look for his memories.

Which is absurd, I would drop literally any party member for Morgana.

The team goes and asks Futaba for her keywords to get into her Palace. She's fully nonverbal but talks via chat and says she's going to die here, it's her tomb.

Off to the Palace!

[babymagi]

I FORGOT TO POST ABOUT THIS HERE WELP

I went to the Ren Faire last weekend as Alibaba!

Yes I know that the Renaissance Faire usually sports medival garb and the dark ages only happened after the fall of Rome so it's not accurate blah blah blah shut the fuck up I paid money for this outfit and I wanted to wear it 😋

It was so much fun, me and my irl friend @yamraihasgirlfriend ended up staying basically from opening til close lol! I actually got recognized as Alibaba a total of 5 (ish) times

Ate a lot of really good food and overall was a 10/10 experience, save for parts of my costume falling down at random parts of the day lmao

[reasoningdaily]

As the technology landscape continues to evolve rapidly, it's more important than ever to keep up with the latest advancements and acquire new skills to stay competitive in the professional world.

With cutting-edge technologies such as ChatGPT, Dall E, Google's Bard, and many more, the possibilities for enhancing our personal and professional lives are endless. However, accessing the full potential of these technologies is not as simple as merely possessing them. It's like having a key to Alibaba's cave, but you must utter the right words to unlock all the knowledge and wealth.

These technologies can be likened to a parrot, capable of reciting the perfect poem for you, but only if you give the right instructions. While the parrot doesn't truly understand the meaning of the words it recites, it has listened to the entire lexicon of human language, enabling it to produce the right combination of words for the right context.

What is prompt engineering?

Prompt engineering is the process of crafting input instructions for generative AI engines, such as ChatGPT and Dall E, to generate more accurate and precise outputs. The primary purpose of prompt engineering is to help these AI engines produce desired outputs by providing them with specific and relevant input instructions.

Prompt engineering enhances the accuracy and relevance of the outputs generated by these AI engines.

Without proper prompts, the outputs generated can be very generic, often not aligned with the desired output. However, with a well-crafted prompt, the AI engine can produce outputs that closely match the intended output. This makes prompt engineering an essential skill for anyone looking to leverage the potential of generative AI engines.

Real-world use case - Let us write a cover letter for a job application

Generic prompt

The default option that most of us use is to go to ChatGPT and ask the following question: "Give me a short cover letter for the position of product manager."

As someone for whom English is a second language, ChatGPT provides an excellent starting point for the cover letter for my job application. Although the output is good, it is not entirely usable, and I will have to edit it and incorporate my experience and qualifications before sending it. It is also quite generic and lacks excitement.

A more specific prompt

Let us see the effects of providing a detailed and specific prompt to ChatGPT. I included specific details such as my qualifications, experience, and the job description in my prompt. I also explicitly instructed the AI engine not to fabricate any information.

The cover letter generated by ChatGPT is impressive. It contains highly specific and detailed information relevant to the company and the position requirements. It is nearly usable as-is, with only minimal modifications needed.

Although the cover letter is pretty usable, it still sounds generic. Let us see if we can improve it.

Fine-tuning the prompt

Do you see the difference in outputs based on the prompts?

That, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of prompt engineering.

10 tips for creating a perfect prompt

Crafting suitable prompts is a skill that can be improved with practice, much like any other skill.

To help you develop this skill, here are 10 tips for creating a perfect prompt:

1. Master English

The most critical skill to master is English since it is the primary language used in most AI models and datasets, and the only way to interact with these models is by using English.

2. Determine the purpose of your prompt

Consider what you want to achieve with your prompt and what response you hope to generate.

3. Identify the target audience

Think about whom you are addressing with your prompt and the tone, style, and level of language that would be most appropriate.

4. Be specific and avoid ambiguity

Provide as much specific information as possible to help the AI engine understand the context of the request. Ensure that your prompt is clear and unambiguous to avoid confusion or irrelevant responses.

5. Use natural language

Write your prompt in natural language to improve the AI engine's understanding of the context and intent behind the request.

6. Consider the length of the prompt

Keep your prompt concise and to the point without compromising on important details.

7. Be mindful of the limitations of the AI engine

Understand the limitations of ChatGPT and the training data it uses to avoid unreasonable expectations.

8. Use appropriate keywords and phrases

Use keywords and phrases that are relevant to the request and will help the AI engine provide an accurate response.

9. Proofread your prompt

Ensure that your prompt is free of spelling and grammar errors that could affect the AI engine's understanding of the request. This is where your knowledge of English comes in. You can also use tools like Grammarly etc to correct your English.

10. Give follow-up instructions to refine your prompt

ChatGPT remembers the conversation (to a limit), so you can give it follow-up instructions to refine the output.

Resources for crafting suitable prompts

Here are some tools and online resources to help you craft a suitable prompt.

1. A community-driven collection of prompts for various use cases

2. An app that uses a BART model trained on the above data. In this app, you give a persona, and it will suggest a prompt for you https://huggingface.co/spaces/merve/ChatGPT-prompt-generator

3. Some tips to create prompts for AI art generators like Dall E, Mid Journey, Night Cafe, and so on https://pub.towardsai.net/design-your-ai-art-generator-prompt-using-chatgpt-7a3dfddf6f76

4. There is also a marketplace where you can buy and sell prompts for various use cases https://promptbase.com/

Conclusion

In conclusion, prompt engineering has become a crucial skill for developers and managers who want to leverage the full potential of all the new AI-powered products being launched nowadays.

Crafting a suitable prompt requires understanding the AI engines, their training data, and the user's needs.

Effective prompts are specific and unambiguous and use natural English to avoid producing generic responses.

As AI-powered products become more pervasive in the professional world, the ability to write good prompts is becoming a must-have skill to stay competitive.

By mastering prompt engineering, professionals can gain a competitive edge in their industries and contribute to the ongoing evolution of AI technology.

[illitstration]

How Blue Lock Characters would go to sleep/ what they’d wear

List: Isagi, Bachira, kunigami, Rin, Shidou, Nagi&Reo

‼️NOT PROOFREAD 🚨 A little bit not safe for work but overall acceptable( skip Shidou if you want)

Isagi:

-He’d wear a classic Christmas pyjama set( It’s almost Christmas!)

-Brotha would have his sweet little World Cup dreams tightly clinging on his scented pillows

-When he can’t fall asleep he’d study for his tests for the next week( A+ student)

-Bro would stay in a few position and wake up happily from his dreams (the vintage ahh old tiny clocks)

Bachira:

-He’d slam on a goofy ahh Alibaba bee costume

-Sleeps at 9:00 PM bcs he’s a good child

-Bro would flip 180 degrees in his goofy costume close his eyes and have a long chat with his homies “the monster”

-When he wakes up, he would be drooling as that streak of saliva drips down his face to his collarbones 

-His mother( very cool painter) would wake him up and jokingly ask why he wore the costume to sleep

“Nah I just felt like it” .. “Oh ok , Meguru go eat breakfast soon!”

End of story

Kunigami:

-Y’all all know after he returned from the wild card session he went into his depressed arc( mega personality change)

I think Kunigami would wear a black silk t shirt with “ emo kid “ in bold white letters on it

The pants would be dominantly black and white checker pieces (idk what it’s called)

Kunigami would go to bed at 12:30PM thinking about how to crush whoever sent him to his depression arc

Then after thinking about it he’d start raging and clenching his fists

Then he calms himself down and snoozes to sleep 

Rin:

-My guy probably wouldn’t care much about what he went to sleep w but still would wear something

Black t shirt and Joe boxer shorts( white with three buttons in the middle)

Lays on his back angrily thinking about the lovely speech his sweet, kind, loving and gentle brother said to him that night 

He practically sweats from thinking about it and to forget it he plays his favorite horror games 

Has a pillow between his legs intensely starting at his pc with black and golden headphones on

His face is still expressionless despite the jump scares and gore 

This continues until 4:00AM and he falls asleep with his head on his arms and legs curled

The pc turns itself off and his headphones are slanted . His bangs fall to the middle of his forehead as the morning light gleams on his face

Shidou:

-heh you’d NEVER guess what this man would wear 🙃

-is it a rainbow Fortnite pyjama? NO!!

This cute little cockroach would proudly wear a thin shirt with Saes face printed on it( shamelessly)

He then outrageously  slips on his Sae boxers with the shade of his hair on it

Bro is imagining sus things w Sae as hugging bro by the waist

Then touching bros collarbones then neck and putting his face on his back

He’d give him back- - - -  and tie my bro to the bed and have his intrusive thoughts take over

Poor guy just got violated in every single way possible ( brotha regretted giving him his phone number and leaves limping ) 

Then massaging his back and laying on top of him in that sus ahh pose 💀💀💀( He imagines these scenarios for hours)

Bye this is getting non safe for work I ain’t gonna mention more 💀. My sincere apologies for this informal, filthy and inappropriate behaviours writing. 

Reo & Nagi:

Reos the rich rich guy ( billions worth of jpy assets)

He’d buy a lion button ultra thin delulu pyjama and force NAGI to wear it

NAGI reluctantly agrees and Reo helps him put it on it

Reos bed is a mega king sized luxury bed decorated with gold and diamond with a beaming chandelier and 2 pillows….

He’d drag Nagi with him 

Bonus💿🫧📎:

Pov- Saes expensive ahh rose gold ultra soft silk bathrobe

** I finished this at 11:00PM .🎐📎💗

———————————————————————-

Thanks for reading, please don’t mind the informal jot notes. Have a great day! 🙂

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread] Night 74: Something Sublime

Bro, my heart is not ready. But let's go.

1 - I was like "man, Cassim's just living his worst life ever, and then my brain was like, yeah, that's kinda the point..."

2 - Once again, Cassim contributed to Alibaba living that kind of life. And "you [...] wanted to lead a legitimate life" is bullshit. Alibaba had offered to help Cassim & his troupe, it was Cassim who told him not to. And Alibaba listened. But it's not like Alibaba's been actually all that concerned about staying pure and shit.

It's a huge theme for Alibaba, tbh, just people assuming things about him. I'm especially thinking aboout Cassim and Hakuryuu, but you could probably add Sinbad if you really wanted. They have this idea of Alibaba, who is a pure and naive child, and they look down on him, and in hindsight, it makes sense that there's envy involved. Why were they treated differently by fate? Why was it Alibaba who was allowed to remain innocent? This happy-go-lucky idiot? They really delude themselves into believing all that stuff, too lost in their self-hatred and despair to actually confront the reality of them being just plainly fucking wrong about it.

A small reminder that this is something that happens not that long after Cassim had killed his father, and, yeah, I know I kinda criticize the guy a lot, but I can't fully blame him. At least for the feelings. Like, yeah, no shit he needed Alibaba to stay that pure child, a beam of light, Alibaba and Mariam, really. If they were gone, if the world destroyed that light, then what was the point of that world in the first place? It was just awful, end of story. Why keep living in it?

Whether either of them had realized that, Alibaba was giving Cassim hope, especially after Anise and Mariam had died. Hope that there were still good things in this world.

But just as he needed Alibaba to remian that innocent child, he also needed Alibaba to fall. He needed him to fall, because he fell, and if Alibaba went through the same hell as he did but didn't turn out like him, then that means... Cassim could've, too. It meant Cassim was right to hate himself, that there was always something wrong with him.

And he created that narrative in his head to justify giving up on himself. It was easier, after all, than to keep trying over and over again.

But you know who kept trying? Alibaba. Cassim thinks the slums (or any other tragedies in his life) didn't influence him in any way, but that's wrong. Alibaba is extremely insecure & he hates himself, too, but not to the point of giving up completely.

But at the same time, Cassim isn't completely wrong. Fate set him up for failure by giving him that scum of a father, who abused him until he disappeared, while Alibaba had a loving mother who kept him safe. Cassim was severly traumatized, and it was something that never healed. He was a fucking child.

Like, bro, I have so many thoughts about it all, I just struggle to convey it right now. It's such a mess that cannot be perceived as good-vs-evil dilema, bc it's not. It's too complicated for that. You can see where everybody's coming from, and even though you can't condone Cassim's actions,you can at least understand why it happened. What led him to that place. And you can't fucking blame Alibaba for not doing more, because he was a goddamn child, too.

Two victims of circumstances, too young for any of this and living in a world that just didn't care about them. It was always going to end in tragedy.

It is unfair. It's extremely, extremely unfair.

Fucking sick. Cassim's feelings are just that overhelming.

I've already said it. But Cassim's perspective on things is just like that.

And by GOD it's fucking cathartic to se Alibaba fight back. Because

That's exactly what it is. Cassim just assuming things about Alibaba, and then getting mad about it. It'd be different if he was actually mad at Alibaba, but he isn't. He's mad at his image of him, and Alibaba has every right to be furious. Especially right now, after hearing all that cruel shit, and after all the other things Cassim had done to him. To realize that all of this happened not becaues there was something wrong with him, but because Cassim had put him on some weird pedestal he also wanted to throw him off of. Like, bro.

This looks kind of funny, ngl.

I can't fucking believe I'm already starting to tear up. Idk man, just look at Cassim's face when Alibaba says there's no need for that between them. It's like his anger is evaporating.

And all it does is leave soul-deep exhaustion.

This fucking imagery. God.

Bro

I was busy being sad, but my brain decided to point out that it looks like Alibaba is eating himself. I just can't.

So, uh, fun fact, since I worked out my issues with dissociation, it turns out I tear up pretty damn easily.

Anyway, I'm fucking just

Bro, I can't do this man. And also, Alibaba isn't stupid, he's actually pretty damn perceptive, but he just doesn't always... do much about it. Admitting it and confronting... It's horrifying. After all if he admits it, he risks their already shaky friendship, he also risks outing himself as "too different". He never belongs anywhere, too royal for the slums, and too much of a slum kid for the royalty. No place accepts him fully, and he knows it, at least on some level, so he clings to what he can even if it means running away from the issue. Becaues he can't risk it. He hates being alone.

I know I've made this point several times, but tbh, it's such a intrinsic part of who Alibaba is that it just keeps on being relevant.

Back to depression k

Bro. You can't fucking do this to me. Sorrowful as shit.

Yeah. And, like, there's nothing wrong with being different. That's just how it is.

This what could've been always gets me, but I'll give the anime props when it's deserved, bc I feel like it hits harder.

Idk man, I just. I always end up crying for this dumb bitch

[labexio]

Master Coding Skills with LabEx: Your Gateway to Tech Excellence

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Comprehensive Skill Trees: With structured skill trees, learners can progress systematically from foundational concepts to advanced techniques in various programming languages and technologies. Whether you're exploring Linux commands, mastering Python network scans, or practicing Docker commands, LabEx has skill trees for every interest.

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Beginner-Friendly Environment: LabEx understands the challenges beginners face. The platform features step-by-step tutorials, easy-to-navigate interfaces, and beginner-friendly challenges to help new learners gain confidence and develop essential coding skills.

Courses and Tools on LabEx

LabEx provides a diverse range of tools and courses tailored for learners with various goals:

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Whether you want to build dynamic websites, create robust backend systems, or dive into cloud computing, LabEx equips you with the skills to thrive in the tech world. Start your journey today and transform your passion for technology into a rewarding career with LabEx.

[lace-m0nster]

hello!!

ive been in a big debate with myself over where to post as a blog?! i like dreamwidths very old school feel and the community on neocities but i think maybe ive come to the conclusion that tumblr is still best ^^" so here is a little blog post!

lately ive been super obsessed with fetishwear which is kind of ironic bc im very asexual (^◇^；) when i get obsessed with a physical thing i go kind of crazy trying to find cool pieces so last night i stayed up scouring ebay and taobao for stuff! i even downloaded alibaba bc i wanted to see if i could find some really tacky stuff but tacky stuff is hard to find these days （；_・）

ive always been really fascinated by latex wear and have a little collection of german latex fetish magazines, but omg the cheap pvc/vinyl stuff you can find on sketchy websites just speaks to me so much! especially when theres synthetic lace too!

like these two dresses omg!! amazing!!

i can imagine them getting foggy from body heat tho which sucks, but i think i will try to sew something similar! i just have to find a fabric (plastic?) that wouldnt get unbearably hot ^^"

i think its super interesting pushing the boundaries for what everyday fashion can be tho! some years ago i started wearing halloween costumes as my everyday clothes but the more i become unhinged with my fashion choices, the more i feel like i could rock this too! im really just trying to truly dress however i want and for me that means wearing the most tacky stuff i can find and whats more tacky than brightly colored, over the top, plastic dresses?

i just realized while writing this, that ive been working with the concept of "sexy" a lot with my sewing and clothing choices lately. its funny because being sexualized is the scariest thing i know and i work quite hard to be as unappealing as possible in the way i dress, but ive become very fond of raunchy shirts and stuff like that. maybe i like it because its so extreme it also desexualizes itself in a way?

maybe i overthink fashion, but i think its fun to consider what i wear and why and make a statement out of it. it makes me feel like a walking art installation ☆⌒(*＾-°)v

anyway.......... lmk if theres some weird thing you think is a cool everyday fashion item!! costume glasses, skii boots ect hehe~

bye byeeeeee (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ

[starseedfxofficial]

China’s New Tax Moves: How Traders Can Gain an Edge Hidden Forex Insights: China's Tax Shifts & Market Trends Picture this: You're finally ready to make that big trade. You've got your caffeine fix, your charts ready, and your favorite "lucky socks" on. But then, bam! News out of China hits like realizing you just ordered a size too small online—you're caught off guard. Well, consider this your heads-up, because today we're diving deep into China's latest economic moves, their market impact, and how you can turn this into your advantage. Let's break it down with insights that will help you stay ahead. The Hidden Tax Shift and Its Forex Impact China's Ministry of Finance just threw a bit of a curveball: they announced a reduction in the export tax rebate rate for key products—like refined oil, photovoltaics, and select non-metallic minerals—from 13% to 9% starting in December 2024. Plus, they’re completely cutting the rebate for aluminum, copper, and some chemically modified oils. Why should you care? Because these subtle tax shifts could affect Chinese exporters’ competitiveness globally, and when competitiveness shifts, guess what? Currency flows shift too. From a trader's perspective, this tax change isn't just policy jargon—it's a ripple that could turn into a wave in the Forex market. Fewer rebates mean costlier exports, which could weaken China's economic edge, pressuring the yuan. Savvy traders know this might lead to opportunities in pairs involving CNY, like the USD/CNH. You can thank me later when you catch that trend before everyone else does. PBoC's Cash Splash: A Market Game Changer? While we're still reeling from the tax announcements, the People's Bank of China (PBoC) stepped in with a mind-boggling CNY 981 billion injection through 7-day reverse repos—the largest since early 2020! Let me break that down for you: this isn't just a lot of cash; it's the kind of cash injection that suggests Beijing is very serious about stabilizing things. It's not just about counteracting maturing loans and tax payments. What we're really seeing is an attempt to prevent liquidity issues from spilling over into wider economic chaos. For Forex traders, this injection is the equivalent of a "calm the heck down" signal—meaning any pressure on the yuan might be momentary. The key takeaway? Don't be too quick to short CNY right now—the PBoC’s got its game face on. Alibaba's Bond Rumblings: What’s in It for You? Next up, Alibaba is reportedly considering a USD 5 billion bond offering. The real story here isn't just the bond itself, but what it says about the broader Chinese financial market. Alibaba could be trying to raise USD amid uncertainty in the Chinese economy—which, if true, means they're not alone in feeling the pressure. The dollar needs from major Chinese corporations like Alibaba often correlate with upward demand for USD/CNH, at least in the short term. Think of it as the financial world’s equivalent of buying more lifeboats—a hedge against choppy economic waters. If Alibaba pushes through with this, expect some capital outflows to put pressure on the yuan. Hong Kong's Growth Revision: Small Detail, Big Implications Hong Kong revised its GDP forecast for 2024 to 2.5%, down from the previous range of 2.5-3.0%. It sounds minor, but it's like noticing your trading journal prediction was a little too optimistic—not a disaster, but certainly a call to reassess. The cut reflects the ongoing struggles facing HK’s post-pandemic economy and could signal broader weakness in the region, with spill-over effects for those trading Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) pairs. Hidden Opportunity Alert: Pair this with the latest updates from China's economic recovery and those planning to go long HKD might want to look twice. When the GDP forecast is narrowed, it might just be the nudge to reconsider expectations. Japanese Minister Hints at FX Intervention Meanwhile, Japan's Finance Minister Kato didn't mince words—he mentioned that they’d take "appropriate action" against excessive FX moves, pointing directly at the one-sided, sharp swings we've seen lately. That’s Japanese-central-bank-speak for "watch out for intervention," so if you've been loving the yen’s volatility, maybe brace yourself for some smoother waters. FX intervention is all about sending a clear signal to markets—one the Bank of Japan loves to deliver. If we see any sharp and sudden appreciation or depreciation of JPY, it's a good bet they're stepping in. Think of it as putting a "speed bump" in front of a speeding car—slows it down, but it’s still moving. As a trader, prepare your yen strategy accordingly. The ride might get less bumpy but still worth a thrill. How Can You Trade This? So, what’s the play? With tax rebates tightening and PBoC liquidity injections, we’re seeing a classic push-pull on the yuan. Keep a close eye on export competitiveness metrics and the broader signals from China’s domestic demand health—they’re crucial in deciding if CNY strength can be sustained or not. As for the yen, tread carefully but consider those intervention zones as opportunity spots for scalping. Don’t forget, Forex isn’t about predicting what’s going to happen; it’s about preparing for the most probable scenarios and staying flexible. If you’re itching for more insights or need advanced strategies to navigate these waters, check out our resources over at StarseedFX. With all these developments, you’re gonna need every edge you can get. Stay nimble, stay sharp—and maybe double-check your shoe sizes next time. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated   Read the full article