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pokemonbiologyirlthetabletop · 1 year ago

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Sandygast & Palossand

Sandygast (#769)

Thanatammos amicibilis

General Information: Sandygast are small Pokémon that inhabit beaches the world over. They have mild possession abilities and are able to manipulate unsuspecting toddlers and weaker wild Pokémon into doing their bidding—which mostly consists of adding more sand to its body. Relatively harmless.

Sandygasts are an average height of 1’8 feet (0.5) and weigh 154.3 pounds (70 kg)—this is because compacted sand is incredibly dense per cubed foot.

Habitat: Sandy beaches and other sandy habitats. Rocky beaches are not suitable, it must be sandy or silty. Clay is also no good.

Life Cycles: Sandygasts, like many ghost-type Pokémon, have mysterious origins. There’s a few schools of thought on them: 1.) random magical mutation of sand akin to how many other inanimate-object Pokémon were first born, 2.) The ill-will of deceased Pokémon who perished on the beaches became animate and gave rise to Sandygasts, 3.) folklore suggests that Sandygasts are born from the feeding frenzies of a Palossand, whom devour their victims whole and trap them in a sandy demise, and the trapped souls become Sandygasts. There may be merit to each of these suggestions, it’s hard to say.

Once a Sandygast is born (and they’re born sporadically and one at a time), it is fully independent and becomes reproductively viable as soon as it’s strong enough. It’s hard to say how long they can live for, but they are sometimes consumed by Dusknoirs and Hippowdons.

Behavior: Sandygasts are as varied as the speculations around their creation. As a flat guideline, be aware that Sandygasts are capable of possessing children (or Pokémon) who stick their arm into the Sandygast’s tunnel (its “mouth”), though the extent of this possession varies from person to person and Sandygast to Sandygast—it tends to work best on those with poor willpowers. But many do not participate in this, even when small children like to have “tests of bravery” by sticking a hand into the tunnel and seeing what happens. Many Sandygasts simply want a friend to play with, and children are excellent companions to have. Others are malevolent, but these concerns are typically on an individual basis. Unfortunately, because Sandygasts have the means to use their malevolence in unique ways and seem to have a propensity for it, parents should assume that a random wild Sandygast is malevolently intentioned. Rangers should approach with caution but an open heart—after all, many a wild Sandygast truly are just looking for a friend.

Diet: Souls—I mean, spirit energy. Like all ghost types, what the Sandygast truly feeds on is spirit energy, which is most easily acquired from souls. Luckily, there are brand name ghost-type friendly Pokémon foods available from your local specialty pet store! These tend to run higher prices than the average typing-friendly Pokémon food, but when it comes to quality, PokeBright Foods (subsidiary of Dark Moon Inc.) has got you covered! No need to worry about where that spirit energy-laced kibble comes from because PokeBright Foods personally assures that it was extracted safely and ethically! Your ghost pal will love it!

Conservation: Vulnerable.

Relationship with Humans: Sandygasts are little guys that you can find at just about any beach—well, except for the ones where they’ve been extirpated by the local Task Force and the life guards have to keep new ones from propping up. But other than that, they’re just little guys that hang out on the beach and play with children! And sometimes possess a child performing a bravery test and make it pour more sand onto its body. Normal things.

As one might imagine, Sandygasts can be a bit of a nuisance to public beaches, to the point where there are active eradication and removal efforts every year in many municipalities. Really, they don’t do much, and even the most malevolently intentioned can only get so much accomplished as a measly Sandygast. The removal of Sandygasts from public beaches is a contentious subject, with both sides having strong proponents and strong arguments. But it comes down to this: do parents want to risk exposure to malevolent Sandygasts, or is the risk minimal enough to let the Sandygasts be and let them be acclimated to humans? It’s hard to say, and the “risk to children” concern is not always as strong of an argument in this version of the real world as it would be in our version, given the whole Pokémon Exist thing and are intrinsically dangerous. Risk is a relevant notion. Still, Sandygasts find themselves at the center of a public issue on any sandy beach of a large enough city. Some municipalities let their Sandygasts be, others take great measure to remove them. Both strategies can lead to mixed results, and the circumstances of what works and doesn’t varies tremendously, but there are public health researchers trying to find through data what the best strategies are that balance the need to let Sandygasts exist in peace, and the need to keep the general population safe.

Classification: “Thanatammos” combines “Thanatos” (death) and “ammos” (sand) in Greek. The species name “Thanatammos amicibilis” means “friendly death-sand.”

Palossand (#770)

Thanatammos giganticus

General Information: Palossand is the Sand Castle Pokémon. These Pokémon are capable of manipulating adult humans to its bidding—mostly adding more sand to its body—and they are capable of growing to ginormous sizes!

A regular Palossand under normal conditions will typically be around 4’3 feet tall (1.3 M) weighing around 551.2 pounds (250 kg), but don’t let this fool you into thinking they’re tiny. A high level Palossand can and will grow to the size of houses and other buildings if left to their own devices and with the proper motivation.

Habitat: Sandy beaches and other sandy habitats, just like Sandygast. Unlike Sandygasts, they are able to exist outside of sandy ecosystems (with restrictions on their ability to grow) for a Palossand as control over every single grain of sand in its body. Outside of sandy environments though, they struggle to trap prey and feed.

Beware: There are desert ecosystems with Palossands in them. They are usually connected/near beaches where the Sandygasts develop. But there is usually more food around a beach than in a desert.

Life Cycles: Palossands are relatively rare in the grand scheme of things, since a Sandygast has to reach level 42 in order to evolve, and there is a finite amount of coastline in the world. The ones that do make it to a Palossand are dangerous, and they typically mate sporadically and infrequently. Palossand courtship is… mysterious, and admittedly not many have seen it happen. They are also fairly awful parents, who lay their singular egg and tend to just keep it buried in the sand somewhere until it hatches and the baby Sandygast fends for itself.

Behavior: Palossands may live colonially or independently. They tend not to fight with others of its kind for territory, but this is not a hard rule and territorial disputes do sometimes occur. They can be great members of a Pokémon team, but Palossands can be finicky and difficult to raise.

Diet: They eat the souls of other Pokémon (and humans) that it traps. And then the bones of their prey are kept buried beneath them. You will have to give your Palossand specialty ghost-pokemon friendly food, or let it roam outside to hunt its own prey.

Conservation: Vulnerable

Relationship with Humans: While Sandygasts are more of a general nuisance to public beaches, Palossands are a legitimate threat and the real reason there is such a contentious debate in public policy toward Sandygasts in heavily populated areas. They can and will eat small children if they have grown a taste for them or see humans as a viable food source, but it is worth noting that the Palossands that see humans as food tend to also be the ones that were either mistreated or raised in isolation from humans. Ones who grew up playing with children safely do not then go on to become Palossands who eat children. This point is especially prominent in circles that advocate for communities to keep and take care of their local Sandygasts, instead of eradicating/removing them. Again, the matter is contentious, and in places where communities do choose to keep their wild Palossand(s), there are usually signs posted around the beach to let folks know who may be scared of them.

It is firmly advised, that if you are unable to properly care for a Palossand, then give your Sandygast an Everstone because Sandygasts are manageable by moderately capable trainers, but a Palossand requires a skilled trainer and a proper food source. If you are unable to handle a Pokémon worse than your Sandygast, then do not allow it to evolve.

Classification: Palossand and Sandygast are the only ones in its taxonomic family.

Evolution: It evolves from Sandygast starting at level 42.

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Hey guess what, if you like my stuff, this is my website where you can find other Pokémon I've written on and more information about the game that I’m slowly making! Check it out! I write books sometimes too.

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nickgerlich · 2 years ago

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By The Numbers

The recent holiday season did not disappoint anyone selling online, because sales were up 3.5-percent over those of 2021, and accounted for 21.6-percent of total sales. Nearly $212 billion was exchanged for gifts, the kinds that we give to family and friends, as well as the ones we buy for ourselves.

You know. One for you, one for me. That’s how we do it.

But there is an asterisk looming large over these numbers, because they came at a time when inflation has been taking a bite out of our hind quarters, and retailers have had to rely on hefty markdowns to push inventory out the door or on to UPS trucks.  

That’s a complicated way of saying it may be difficult to determine real gains, because inflation can account for any growth simply by definition, but then you have to subtract all those markdowns. Regardless, though, online retailers are calling it a tentative win. They’re just bracing for tough sledding in 2023.  

For perspective, we must summon our memories from the COVID years (2020 and 2021) in which e-commerce had a Denali-esque spike. Customers, bored to tears and flush with cash from all those stimulus payments, did their civic duty and went shopping. And that meant we wound up buying everything we wanted or needed, as well as what we thought we might ever wish to buy.

The result is that most of us are out of the market for new things. Never mind all that inflation talk. We (and I am using the royal “we”) have pretty much everything, and our consumerist economy will have to wait until we wear holes through our shoes and pants, wear out our cameras, and otherwise consume all that we bought.

In case you did not notice, retailers have been intentionally letting their inventories grow thin. This is not so much supply chain issues as it is companies seeking to right-size inventory to be in better balance with the current reality. Say goodbye to stores bursting at the seams, at least for now.

And then there are the seriously troubled stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, known as the coupon king of retail. Ooo-wee. I went into the Amarillo store before Christmas, and although it was not one of the ones announced for closure, it looked like it was well on its way with all those empty shelves. They simply do not have the cash to buy more towels, blenders, and so forth to replace what was sold.  

This may very well also be the new reality for other retailers, including the evergreens, those whom we would never expect to be in trouble. As I have long said, inventory is the bane of a retailer’s existence. You can’t make money without it, but with too much of it you can surely sink. Funding that inventory simply exacerbates the dilemma.

Discretionary purchases are now on hold. Heck, we try to kick the can down the road on the things that are needed. Have you seen the price of eggs lately? We’re struggling to put food on the table, much less more clothing in the closet. While gasoline has dipped considerably, a silver lining on the cloud of despair, it is not enough to cover increases elsewhere. After all, if you drive 1500 miles a month at 25mpg, the current national average dip of about $1 per gallon still only adds $60 to your wallet. The grocery can take that in a heartbeat.

As a Digital Marketing prof, this is all very noteworthy to me, because we really haven’t encountered the likes of the last three years ever in recent history. These are teachable moments indeed. But I know. The economy always prevails in the long-run. It’s just that we live in the short-run, and right now, the snow is getting pretty deep for everyone.  

Happy sledding, y’all, and hang on for a tough ride just a little bit longer.

Dr “Add To Cart“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #e-commerce #online #shopping

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starseedfxofficial · 4 days ago

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The Hidden Power of VWAP for GBP/CAD: Unconventional Insights and Secret Strategies Ah, the beautiful tango of GBP/CAD—a pair as full of surprises as the British weather. One moment it’s sunny with profits, the next moment, a sudden Canadian storm hits, leaving you drenched in losses. Navigating this volatile pair isn’t about waiting for favorable winds—it's about having the right instruments to forecast them. And guess what? Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) might just be the hidden gem you need to truly understand this currency pair. So sit tight, and let's deep dive into VWAP and see how this ninja tactic can change the way you look at GBP/CAD. Why Most Traders Overlook VWAP (And How You Can Avoid It) First things first—let's acknowledge a harsh truth: most Forex traders skip VWAP like a skipped leg day at the gym. Why? Well, conventional wisdom says VWAP is a stock trader's tool, more suitable for volume-intensive equities than Forex. But that's where most people get it wrong, like buying a pair of Crocs for a first date—just because they’re comfortable doesn’t mean they’re suited for all occasions. VWAP, while underappreciated in Forex, particularly shines in the GBP/CAD pair, which dances to its own rhythm, often baffling traders with its sudden swings. So, why VWAP for GBP/CAD? Think of VWAP as the measuring stick for where ‘fair value’ is amid the madness of market action. It's an average, but a special one, taking both price and volume into account, showing you not just the direction of movement, but how much conviction is behind it. In other words, it tells you whether that lovely price rally is built on a solid foundation or if it's just a house of cards propped up by flimsy volume. For a pair like GBP/CAD, where volatility is the rule rather than the exception, knowing the difference is game-changing. VWAP + GBP/CAD = A Winning Formula (If You Know the Secret Moves) Now, let's dig into the juicy part—how to use VWAP effectively with GBP/CAD. Trust me, just slapping VWAP on your charts without a plan is like trying to make gourmet risotto without any broth—you’ll end up with something no one wants to consume. Here’s where you can distinguish yourself from the masses who misuse it or ignore it entirely. 1. Spotting Reversals With VWAP: The Market's Kryptonite If there’s one thing that’s more unpredictable than GBP/CAD price action, it’s trying to gauge when your cat will decide to knock over your favorite plant—seemingly random. But VWAP can help identify reversal points in GBP/CAD with surprising accuracy. When price extends too far above the VWAP line, it often indicates overextension—think of it as a rubber band stretched to its limit. The VWAP serves as the anchor, and sooner or later, the market comes back to it. When GBP/CAD finds itself miles above VWAP with decreasing volume, it's a sign the bulls may be getting tired. Start watching for reversal signs here, like a doji or a bearish engulfing pattern. If you get confirmation, it's time to jump in with a mean-reversion trade. Think of this as trying not to be that guy at a party who starts a conversation by saying, "I also do CrossFit." You’re trying to spot when the conversation (the market) is overstretched and bring it back to a comfortable norm—that’s VWAP in a nutshell. 2. The Hidden Pattern—VWAP as Dynamic Support and Resistance VWAP is like that one trusty friend who's always got your back—in GBP/CAD, it acts as a floating point of dynamic support and resistance. Picture this: the GBP/CAD pair is bouncing around the VWAP line like an over-caffeinated squirrel. When price dips toward VWAP but fails to break below, congratulations, my friend—you've found a buying opportunity. It’s like finding that last donut in the office breakroom; it’s a sign to pounce. Use VWAP as a guide for support and resistance—a sort of invisible hand guiding price movements. GBP/CAD tends to oscillate around VWAP, particularly during key market hours. Spotting when the price uses VWAP as support can be a powerful entry signal. Combine this knowledge with a momentum indicator like RSI, and you've got yourself a hidden gem of a strategy. The Forgotten Strategy That Outsmarted the Pros—Combining VWAP with Session Times One of the biggest mistakes traders make with GBP/CAD is ignoring session times. GBP/CAD is the lovechild of London and North American market hours, meaning it’s most active when those sessions overlap. Now here’s the ninja move—plot VWAP on shorter timeframes during these overlapping hours. In these periods, VWAP becomes more effective because market volume and momentum are more aligned. When London is wrapping up and North America is just waking up, GBP/CAD often finds a burst of volatility. Plot VWAP on a 1-hour or 15-minute chart during these hours and look for price interactions. If the price starts pushing through VWAP with increased volume, you've got a solid directional move brewing—not a wishy-washy fakeout. According to Kathy Lien, a renowned Forex analyst, "Traders often get caught in market noise when trading cross pairs like GBP/CAD. Using tools like VWAP during peak session overlap helps filter out the noise and see the true market movement." (Source: ForexTraderMonthly.com). A little-known but highly effective tip that can put you on the winning side more often. The "Reversion to Mean" Scalping Strategy That Works Like a Charm Here’s another gem for you—scalping with VWAP on GBP/CAD. The trick here is not to overcomplicate things. Scalpers thrive on fast moves and tight spreads, and the GBP/CAD offers both during high-liquidity periods. Use VWAP as your mean, and look for moments where the price becomes overextended. A quick scalp back to VWAP can be your bread and butter—like snagging a discounted avocado before everyone else at the farmer’s market. GBP/CAD has these moments when prices get ahead of themselves, driven by traders chasing trends. When price pulls away from VWAP by more than a standard deviation, it's often a sign that a quick reversion trade is in play. This strategy thrives on quick moves—but keep in mind risk management is key, just like that time you didn't triple-dog-dare your friend to jump into freezing water. Don’t Fall for the Myths—VWAP is Your Secret Weapon, Not Just for Stocks Some Forex traders avoid VWAP because of myths like "it's just for stock markets." That’s the equivalent of saying, "Socks are only for running." Wrong. Sure, VWAP originated in equities, but currency pairs like GBP/CAD benefit from volume insights just as much. Forex is decentralized, but aggregated volume data still tells a useful story. The key to success here is understanding the quality of your volume—not all broker data is equal, so make sure your broker provides reliable data (hint: not the free demo version). John Bollinger, creator of the Bollinger Bands, once said, "Indicators are just tools, like those in a carpenter’s toolbox. It’s about knowing when and how to use them." (Source: FXStrategiesWeekly.com). This sentiment is especially true for VWAP—use it correctly, and it can provide significant insights, even in Forex. Take It Further: Combine VWAP with These StarseedFX Tools So, how can you enhance this strategy even further? Here’s where StarseedFX's arsenal comes into play. Try incorporating our Smart Trading Tool (https://www.starseedfx.com/smart-trading-tool/) to automatically calculate your ideal lot size as you utilize VWAP strategies. Pair this with our Trading Journal (https://www.starseedfx.com/free-trading-journal/) to log each VWAP trade, detailing whether it bounced off VWAP, stayed within a deviation, or broke above with conviction. Having this kind of transparency is invaluable in refining your trading game. Finally, join the StarseedFX community (https://www.starseedfx.com/community) to get daily analysis on GBP/CAD, including VWAP levels, emerging market trends, and expert discussions on how to approach this pair when the market turns unpredictable—which, let's face it, happens all the time. Wrap-Up: VWAP as Your Best Kept GBP/CAD Secret Navigating the tricky waters of GBP/CAD isn’t about praying for a tailwind—it's about understanding the current, reading the tides, and knowing when to sail and when to wait. VWAP is a tool that can help you find fair value in the stormy seas of Forex trading. It helps you know when to pounce on a reversion trade, when to respect dynamic support, and when to let the pair come back to you. Remember, the secret to success is not always in having the most tools—it's in knowing how to use the right ones at the right time. VWAP is a hidden gem for GBP/CAD, so dust it off and put it to work. Don’t be like the traders ignoring this gem because they think it’s only for stocks. GBP/CAD loves VWAP, and if you learn to use it well, you’ll love it too. Let us know in the comments—have you tried using VWAP with GBP/CAD before? What’s your go-to move for this currency pair? And if you want more exclusive tips like this, join the StarseedFX community where we turn theory into action. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

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foxstens · 2 years ago

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suddenly i feel a need to talk about piracy

i basically grew up with piracy, everyone does it but nobody talks about it because it’s not considered a big deal, and if you say you pay for netflix most people will look at you like you’re insane because 1. why pay and 2. why pay for /netflix/

in my family, while we have more disposable right now than like two years ago, we still definitely wouldn’t be able to afford all of the media we consume, like buying all of the music on itunes or paying for whatever service might have whichever movie or tv show my mom wants to watch, or the video games i’m currently into

like video games are fucking expensive in general but especially when you take into account that $50 is a fuckton of money here. i can go on three shopping trips with that money okay, it’s a lot. and there’s a lot of games out there, with varied prices and varied genres and i have no idea whether i’ll like any of them when i start them. in fact i end up dropping the majority of video games and visual novels and otome games i try. can you imagine buying an average of 30 of each of those a year, and then only liking say 5 of each? doesn’t sound like a good way to spend my money, of which i do not have a lot

i can’t even say i should be pickier with the things i try since i’m already so picky i hardly know what to play at any given time. you could say i should get cheaper hobbies then or something but that’s not how hobbies work

you don’t enjoy things because they’re cheap what the fuck. and even apart from that, i did have cheaper hobbies. i had a good few years when i read a lot of books, which are still expensive but cheaper than video games and the ones i wanted i wouldn’t have been able to find here anyway, i was into anime for a good while - which is just plain unavailable here

and even if i were open to paying for everything i want to play/watch/read, i’d still have to get them digitally - probably not possible unless it’s books; or i’d have to import them which includes crazy shipping prices and waiting times and the risk of something happening to the package and also.... physical storage.... space in the house... i do not have this....

honestly i feel bad for indie game developers or independent authors or whoever might get affected negatively by piracy, but usually i don’t think it’s really piracy itself that’s causing the issues. and personally i have never felt guilty about it, and i’ll probably never change my opinion on it - probably a cultural thing

and you know what, even if all the factors i’ve listed weren’t a thing and i had all the disposable income in the world, i’d still pirate unless i had a very good reason not to. since i have this philosophy of ‘why pay when you can just not’ which extends to pretty much everything that i can obtatin easily without paying and without going to jail for not paying. or something like that

#my posts #my rambles #long post #read more #genuinely tho i did not know piracy was a Big Issue #until i got into anime ironically enough #i was mindblown tbh #i didn;t even mention things like stuff going out of stock or abandonware #or a bunch of other factors #like it's so much more complicated than people want to think #but eh whatever

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modernelectronicsgadgets · 2 years ago

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How To Buy Smartphones Online

Buying smartphones online can be quite a tricky affair. There are thousands of options, varying in price and specifications. This can make it frustrating for someone who wants to buy only one smartphone. You can actually save money buying a new smartphone online, but it's important that you buy smart. The following tips will help you choose the right phone, find the best price and use some great discount websites to make sure you maximize your savings.

Research Well On The Product You Need

Buying a smartphone is not an easy task. Because there are many things that you need to consider before buying a smartphone. There are different types of phones available in the market with different features and prices. But it’s time-consuming to check all these features, price and other factors before buying a phone.

If you want to buy smartphones online, then you don’t have to worry about all these things anymore. Because when you buy smartphones online, then you can easily search for any type of phone according to your budget and requirement. You can also compare the features of different phones and compare their prices as well.

Look For The Product Reviews

The best way to buy a new smartphone is to do your research. The internet is filled with information, and there are a number of ways you can sort through it. One of the best ways is to look at product reviews from other users. You'll find that there are many websites that offer reviews on various products, including smartphones.

These online reviews can be helpful in determining which smartphone is right for you. Here are some things to look for when reading these reviews:

Look for the average rating. The average rating tells you how well the product performed over time compared with other similar products in its category. Find out what features were rated highest by other users (such as battery life), and make sure those features are important to you too.

Find out whether customers recommended the product or not. Users who give a product a 'thumbs up' are more likely to be satisfied with their purchase than those who gave it a 'thumbs down.' This doesn't mean that all positive ratings mean good products because sometimes people will give bad ratings just because they bought something they didn't need or because they're mad at their boss or something like that! But if most people say it's good then chances

Make Sure You Are Buying From A Reputed Site

Online shopping is very popular and you can find anything you want on the internet. There are many sites that offer smartphones at affordable prices. You can find new and used phones at low prices. You should always make sure that the site is a trusted one.

Here are some tips:

Check to see if there are any complaints against the site or seller on social media or forums

Make sure that they have a return policy in case you do not like the product or it is defective

Choose An Appropriate Payment Method

There are many different ways to pay for your new smartphone, and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your needs and preferences, you may want to choose a different payment method than your friends or family members.

Check For Easy Returns, Replacements And Warranty Policies

Before purchasing any product online, it’s important to check its return policy. Some companies offer 30 days money back guarantee while others do not offer any kind of refund policy at all! So, make sure to check if your preferred brand offers any returns policy before purchasing their products so that if you don’t like the product or if something goes wrong with it within the first few days after purchase then you can get your money back from them easily without any hassle!

#Buy Smartphones #Smartphone #order #online

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bobpayscash4clothes · 2 years ago

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Sell Old Clothes By Weight

Many people think that the clothes they wear are made from natural fibres like cotton or wool. But the truth is, a lot of the clothes we wear are made from synthetic materials like polyester or nylon. And these synthetic materials come from petroleum products, which means they’re not sustainable. But what if there was a way to sell clothes by weight, so that you only pay for the amount of fabric you use? This would be a more sustainable way to produce and consume clothing, as it would incentivize manufacturers to use less fabric and waste less material. In this blog post, we’ll explore the idea of selling clothes by weight, and how it could lead to more sustainable fashion.

What is Selling Clothes By Weight?

There are a few different ways to sell old clothes by weight. The most common is to charge by the pound, but some sellers may also charge by the item. Pricing clothes by the pound is a popular option for people who sell used clothing. This method is simple and straightforward – you just need to weigh the clothes and calculate the price based on the per-pound rate. Some sellers choose to price their clothes by the item instead of by weight. This can be a good option if you have a lot of smaller items, or if you have some larger items that would be too expensive to sell by the pound. No matter which method you choose, be sure to clearly advertise how you’re pricing your clothes so that customers know what to expect.

How Does It Work?

Weighing clothes is a quick and easy way to get an estimate of how much clothing you have. It’s also a great way to see how much your clothes weigh when you’re trying to sell them by weight. Here’s how it works: 1. Weigh your clothes on a scale. 2. Determine the average weight of your clothes. 3. Multiply the average weight by the number of items you have. 4. This will give you an estimated total weight for all of your clothes.

The Pros And Cons Of Selling Clothes By Weight

There are a few different ways to sell clothes, and one of them is by weight. There are pros and cons to this method that you should be aware of before making a decision. The Pros: –You can make a lot of money from selling clothes by weight. This is because you are able to get more for your clothes if they weigh more. –It is also a lot easier to sell clothes by weight than it is to sell them by piece. This is because people are always looking for a deal, and they will be more likely to buy if they know they are getting a good deal on the clothing. –Selling clothes by weight is also a great way to get rid of any unwanted or damaged items that you may have in your closet. This way, you can clear out your closet and make some extra money at the same time! The Cons: –One of the biggest cons of selling clothes by weight is that it can be very difficult to find buyers for your clothes. This is because not everyone is interested in buying clothes by weight, and it can be hard to find people who are willing to pay for this type of clothing. –Another con is that it can be hard to determine how much your clothes actually weigh. This means that you may end up overcharging or undercharging for your clothing, which could lead to problems down the road. –Lastly, selling clothes by weight can be

How To Get Started Selling Clothes By Weight

There are a few things you need to do in order to start selling clothes by weight. First, you need to find a clothing consignment store or an online marketplace that offers this type of selling option. Once you’ve found a place to sell, research the prices of similar items so you can price your clothes competitively. Next, weigh your clothes on a scale and determine the total weight. Be sure to round up or down to the nearest half-pound or pound, as most stores charge by the pound. Then, take pictures of each item of clothing you want to sell and create detailed descriptions. When listing your items for sale, be sure to include the weight and price of each item. Some stores may also require additional information such as measurements or fabric content. Once your listings are live, wait for buyers to purchase your clothes. Once an item is sold, package it up securely and ship it off to the buyer!

Conclusion

Selling clothes by weight is a great way to make some extra money, and it’s also a great way to declutter your closet. If you’re not sure where to start, we suggest checking out our list of the best places to sell clothes by weight. With a little bit of research, you can find the perfect place to sell your clothes and make some extra cash. Thanks for reading!

#clothes #vintage #best shoes #handbags

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withbroombefore · 3 years ago

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So I just raised my knitting prices after thinking about the math of the old ones enough that it was demoralizing, and I thought it might be useful to share how that breaks down (or maybe just validating to other crafters, since I’m pretty sure none of us are charging enough for our work). Details below the cut.

One of my standard items is a hat with a cabled band, sometimes lined with alpaca since people like soft fibers next to the skin. The new price for some of these is $75, which includes the following:

A skein of merino yarn, hand-dyed: $30 (This is not too high. I’m certain that my favorite dyers, most of whom are one- or two-person businesses, have exactly the same difficulties getting people to pay appropriately for their skill and labor. There’s a reason I pay for the hand-dyed and/or local stuff; the yarns are unique and beautiful and completely worth the price, and I like knowing that I’m supporting tiny businesses.)

Some sort of fee (Etsy takes 10% off the top for each item sold there; vendor entry fees for craft fairs often run in the several hundreds of dollars or more. I’m doing one in October with the relatively reasonable cost of $165 if I bring my own tent setup; I’ll have to sell at least six hats to even cover that, let alone pay for my time at the show or make any profit on top of that. This may or may not happen.)

Shipping, if applicable. For a hat or scarf sent within the continental US, this seems to average around $6 including packaging, though the prices seem to be rising a bit. (I list my Etsy items as having free shipping. This is not a real thing; free shipping means that the shipping is included and prices have been calculated accordingly. But people are very into the idea, so Etsy encourages you to do “free” shipping; they’re probably right from a marketing standpoint, but I also know sellers who lose money from that model. I’d rather have people understand that services cost money.)

Tools and everything else that is difficult to calculate on a per-item basis. I’m borrowing a tent for the fall show; I’ll buy one of my own ($100-$150) if I do more. I bought a nice big portable folding table (around $75). I commissioned a friend to design my banner and business cards/labels, then Staples to print them. Knitting needles and pattern books and darning needles and measuring tape and bags and scissors and everything else you need to make things and keep them organized all add up.

Time of the type that is similarly difficult to calculate. I design all my own patterns; these takes time to make and test before one can knit them consistently. Different yarns also take some trial-and-error because they knit up differently; if it’s from a local farm instead of a giant store, it won’t behave exactly like any other yarn. This is a good thing; it’s why I like finding the small fiber businesses, and why I can truthfully tell you that you’re buying a unique item. It’s also more expensive and time consuming (and fun! I like yarn shopping and designing and knitting. But it is work, at least until I give up trying to sell and just do it for fun).

Knitting time. I’m not sure exactly how long it takes me to make a hat, partly because I knit in short increments while I do other things and partly because I certain that I’m not even close to making minimum wage, so I kind of don’t want to know what I’m making per hour. Just know that it’s not enough. I tried making a living at this after college and failed spectacularly; I can only do it now because it’s a side gig and I have another full-time job.

This probably isn’t even everything. I walk to the post-office to mail orders; sometimes the line is long, and that’s another half-hour (especially because knitting mostly sells during holiday season). Getting to shows takes gas (and having a vehicle, which I fortunately do). This is all the sort of thing that should get covered by an employer in other situations, but with this type of work the only pay is from the individual item sales.

This price breakdown is one example, but the only variant is the yarn itself. Sometimes I buy from Knitpicks because I need really consistent colors that I can repeat reliably, like for the pride and mountain hats; those are $45. Sometimes I find nice wool on sale for $10-$12; I’ll line that with a more expensive alpaca (since that type of wool isn’t as soft as a merino) and price the hat at $60. My lace scarves usually take $30 worth of yarn, hand-dyed again, but way longer to knit than a hat; they’re $95 at the moment (any lower than that, and I actually get resentful while I’m knitting because of how not worth it the price is. If they don’t sell at this price or higher, I’ll stop trying to sell them). I’ve got an infinity scarf in the shop that’s marked at $125 because it’s out of a gorgeous undyed gray yarn from a local farmer; the scarf is warm and thick enough for proper cold weather, which means that it took two skeins at $30 apiece. I’d love for this to sell, since it would mean that I can justifiably keep supporting that farm (and that people value local fiber enough to pay appropriately for it).

It’s not that I don’t know these prices seem high; I certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford them for most of my working life. But expensive does not mean overpriced. And even if $75 for a hat seems like a lot, the approximately $30 (or less) that I get to keep for my work is as low as I’m willing to go. I’d never be able to do this full-time even if I wanted to; I can’t imagine anyone paying the prices I’d have to set for that to be viable (not because they shouldn’t, but handcrafts are so collectively devalued that most people won’t pay what the time and skill needed to make them is worth. Plus I suspect that most of the people who would pay if they could aren’t getting paid enough themselves to support the businesses they’d like to). I’m in a situation where I can and will just stop knitting for money entirely if it’s not worth it.

Crafts take enormous time and labor and skill. Pay for them if you can, and understand that the prices are not unreasonable even if you can’t.

#knitting #crafts #handcrafts #fiber #yarn #money

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amphtaminedreams · 4 years ago

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Why Ethical Fashion Doesn’t Need to be Boring (In the Words of a Shopping Addict): Lookbook no.14

Hi to anyone reading,

Arghhhh.

I never know how to start posts when I literally just uploaded the other week because I tend to follow the very formulaic approach of summarising what I’ve missed due to sporadic posting…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m still posting sporadically, it just so happens I’ve had more content to get up recently-sometimes lightning strikes twice, ya know, and I have a brief, if chemically fuelled, reprieve from the permanent state of exhaustion. It’s not like there isn’t stuff to talk about- the last month has seen a horrific murder and public outcry in response. There are a lot of important conversations going on about women’s safety and misogynistic violence that I really cannot do justice to in a paragraph and feelings that have been brewing for a long time that I can’t articulate yet and will not attempt to offhandedly do so in this post. Right now I just wanna say that I stand in solidarity with all those with histories of experiencing violence at the hands of men, those who aren’t here with us anymore as a result of that violence such as Sarah Everard, and those marginalised women whose stories don’t make national news. It’s very telling the way Sarah’s vigil was responded to by the same police force that have allowed mostly male anti-mask protests to go ahead with protestors unscathed, and solidarity with the women who were treated with such an unjustifiable amount of force at the vigil too.

That being said, women’s rights are something I wanted to talk about in this post, with regards to the way it ties into ethical fashion. None of us are perfect and it’s easy living in a first world country to detach yourself from the issues stemming from fast fashion, especially when you don’t have the time or money yourself to be selective about where you buy from. Don’t get me wrong, I do treat myself to some new clothes from fast fashion companies like ASOS and Urban Outfitters a few times a year so this is NOT coming from a place of preaching, but I have drastically reduced that to buying about 90% of my new clothes either second hand from Depop or charity shops or clothing stores that are upfront about their outsourcing practices. I love putting outfits together and updating my wardrobe and I don’t want to abandon that as a medium of self-expression because it does bring me joy, but to continue to update my wardrobe with the frequency I do by buying from fast fashion retailers on such a regular basis I accepted was going against the things I care about; around 80% of textile workers on poverty wages in developing countries are girls and women (opensocietyfoundations.org), and whilst fast fashion companies in the West continue to outsource manufacturing to said countries to cut costs and there is little regulation enforcing employers to pay women the same amount as men or even adhere to a minimum wage, they will continue to be forced into these roles where they are subjected to horrific working conditions, impossible production targets and frequent abuse (according to an article published in the Guardian in June 2018, 540 incidences of abuse, often of a sexual nature, were reported by women working in factories supplying the retailers GAP and H&M when they were interviewed on the subject). There is no denying that the fast fashion industry depends on and perpetuates the subjugation of women and systematically prevents them from making steps towards gender equality in their countries, be it through greater financial independence or the freedom to pursue higher education; the popular current practice by western fast fashion companies of outsourcing manufacturing to factories unhindered by workers rights and gender equality laws by association condones the sexual and physical violence that occurs as a means of punishment for not meeting targets, the exploitative pay which affords women little independence from husbands and families dominated by patriarchal values, and the long, exhausting hours which women have little choice but to take in order to avoid their contracts being terminated and to put food on the table. No, one individual completely abandoning fast fashion isn’t going to put an end to these unethical practices but if all of us make a conscious effort to reduce our consumption at least a little and make it clear why we’re doing so, we put greater pressure on fast fashion companies to act in a more responsible way. There isn’t going to be any kind of miraculous change of heart, so to force them to change we have to hit the industry and the people at the top who benefit from such practices where it really hurts: their profit.

SO, for this post I thought I would highlight some of my favourite more ethical online clothing companies to buy from; the more popular these more socially responsible brands become, the more apparent it becomes to fast fashion companies relying on an exploitative business model that how they treat their workers is of growing importance to consumers. It’s all very well and good Missguided and PLT talking about empowering women and making “girl boss” slogan tees but we need to make it clear that we’re aware of the hollowness of the gesture, and that we want less hypocritical talk and more action to actually enhance the lives of the women that work for them, not just the ones they show in their flashy offices on TV. I’ve included my favourite Depop shops too, because if you can shop second hand, that’s even better; though I like to treat myself to new clothes now and again, I’m aware that the impact the manufacturing process in general, whether or not the company acts in an ethical way with regards to their employment practices, has on the environment is more often than not detrimental. Depop has really been my saving grace this past year-if you know what you’re looking for and have the time and patience, you can find so many gems, and at this point the balance of my wardrobe is tipped firmly in the favour of the reuse and recycle approach to shopping. In the vein of reusing fashion, I thought I’d also include a mini lookbook for a cardigan I got from one of my favourite online retailers, The Ragged Priest, just as a reminder that 1). The best way to be sustainable is to rewear and 2). That with tweaks, one piece alone can give you multiple completely different outfits. Like honestly, outfit repeating doesn’t have to be a literal repeat. Sometimes it’s worth spending a little bit extra on something that looks good with everything, and making that investment into your ability to fool people that you’ve got your shit together by wearing something cool as fuck.

Quickly before I get into it, I’m aware that some ethical companies are a bit out of the average consumer’s price range, and so I wanted to sort them into price point categories which will work as follows:

£= most of their stock is £40 & under ££= most of their stock is between £40-£100 £££= most of their stock costs upwards of £100

Now, in no particular order (and starting with online retailers before moving onto Depop shops), here’s the list!

1. THE RAGGED PRIEST

PRICE POINT: ££

Using recycled fabric to construct their pieces where possible and releasing clothing in small drops designed to sell out rather than following the typical fast fashion model of outsourcing the production of vast amounts of clothing overseas, the Ragged Priest is my absolute favourite clothing brand out there. It’s *semi* affordable and because they are all about those bold, in your face, your-grandma-will-probs-think-it’s-ugly kinda pieces, just one can do SO much for your wardrobe.

I recently bought this cardigan from their The Simple Life drop and had so many outfit ideas for it that I thought I’d put a few of them together for this post just as an example of how you can take the same piece over and over again and still make it interesting, even when you don’t feel like straying too far from your personal style preferences. While we’re at it, I also wanted to use this mini lookbook to point out how fucking great Depop is! Literally everything in these outfits is from there apart from the shoes and the jewellery, the leather blazer on the right I bought a few years ago and then the top and skirt in the outfit from the far left which are both from Ebay. The shoes with that outfit are from Koi Vegan footwear-I didn’t include them in this list because I wanted to keep it consistent and focus on ethical clothing companies rather than retailers that focus on one specific thing such as shoes or jewellery, but they are my favourite place to buy shoes from and focus closely on ethical production too so definitely recommend.

2. MINGA LONDON

PRICE POINT: ££

Towards the lower end of the ££ price point, Minga is probably the closest you’re gonna get to an ethical version of the Dolls Kill Deliah’s range. Their focus on being a socially responsible business is a huge part of their ethos and their pieces are put together in Portugal, where they're based, by a small in-house team; the majority of their fabric is sourced from local Portuguese businesses and even more amazingly, they recycle the fabric of the pieces they don’t sell in new designs. They are just a generally amazing company and I wish more people knew about them because their pieces are fucking adorable and wouldn’t be out of place (or overpriced) in your local UO.

3. ELSIE & FRED

PRICE POINT: £

A small, black owned business set up by 3 siblings from Coventry, Elsie & Fred have earned themselves a reputation as a staple provider of the festival season wardrobe. Being an independently owned business, they have strict standards that their manufacturers must adhere to and a close working relationship with the owners of the two factories who oversee production in Guangzhou, China, to ensure fair wages and a safe working environment. On the environmental side of things, Elsie and Fred are working to incorporate recycled fabric into their designs as much as possible and have this year introduced compostable mailing bags.

4. HOUSE OF SUNNY

PRICE POINT: £££

Follow enough British instagram fashion influencers and you are bound to have heard of House of Sunny in 2020-snagging what is probably my all time favourite coat from there in 2019 before all the hype is a humble brag I will allow myself on the basis that I haven’t been able to afford anything since, lol. Along with kooky, one of a kind designs, being decidedly anti-fast fashion is a huge part of their branding; HoS only drop 2 collections of limited stock a year, thoroughly screen suppliers and on their website you can find a tonne of information on how they’re working to offset their environmental impact too. If you can treat yourself to a piece from there at any point, the quality of the garments truly make the price point worth it.

5. JADED LONDON

PRICE POINT: ££

Similarly to The Ragged Priest and House of Sunny, Jaded London go the route of dropping limited collections on a less frequent basis intending to sell out (particularly popular pieces are occasionally restocked) rather than needlessly manufacturing vast quantities of garments to flog for whatever they can get and cutting corners with fair employment practices to offset any losses. By employing independent staff in the manufacturing plants with which they liaise to ensure fair, dignified working conditions and also by working closely with charities such as the Trussel Trust and Stand Up to Racism, Jaded London demonstrates a level of commitment to corporate responsibility that set them apart from a lot of similar online retailers. They are at the top of their game when it comes to daring and experimental yet wearable pieces and so it’s cool that they recognise the need to conduct their business in a considerate way too.

6. THE HIPPIE SHAKE

PRICE POINT: ££

Owned by UK based bohemian queen Naomi Hession, the Hippie Shake is not only a great small independent business to support but is also the definition of slow fashion. With a limited number of opulent 70s style pieces, I have always wanted to purchase something from here. I’ve yet to do so but I’m gonna make it my mission eventually.

7. VINTAGE HEARTS

PRICE POINT: £

An affordable, gorgeous array of quirky handpicked vintage pieces that would probably take you forever to find in a charity shop or that you’d be charged a small fortune for if you found it in a high street second hand store, Vintage Hearts is where you should go if you want a timeless statement piece that may have otherwise ended up in a landfill. The added benefit of vintage clothing is that it is, by its nature, great for the environment, but you can also look fab and groovy as fuck as you do your bit for the planet<3

8. WE ARE COW

PRICE POINT: £

Offering both original vintage pieces and reworked pieces using recycled fabrics, We Are Cow has both basic branded second hand items but also handmade streetwear style original designs all for a fair price. You can tell that it’s all high quality stuff consistent with their modern, functional aesthetic and it’s clear that the team behind the shop has a real vision in mind when they’re designing.

9. OUT OF THE ORDINARY CLOTHING

PRICE POINT: £

In the words of Corrie Davis, founder of OOTO "I start with the belief that fashion will be always be worn differently by the individual that wears it. Every collection from Out of the Ordinary is different to the last but undeniably Out of the Ordinary. I champion flamboyancy and embrace the cultures I've experienced around the world, merging the two and creating popular style trends in exciting textiles, prints and techniques to bring to you something a little Out of the Ordinary." That pretty much sums up the vibrancy, vivacity and bold elegance of the brand’s aesthetic perfectly, which is reflected by Davis’ commitment to ethical manufacturing based on relationships forged between the founders and family artisans and the sourcing of fabrics from textile markets around the world. Everything you need for a boujie summer holiday in the Mediterranean-when leaving the country is finally allowed again, lol, EVERYBODY GET YOUR FUCKING VACCINE-is here.

10. WILD THING

PRICE POINT: ranges from £-£££ depending on the brand

Probs the closest thing you’ll get to an ethical ASOS, Wild Thing brings together a host of sustainable and independent clothing brands and puts them all in one place to present to us all a collection of the sickest festival style fashion out there. Whilst it’s super cool that this already exists and a slice of humble pie for myself to remind me that I am not in fact the revolutionary marketing genius I thought I was, I’m bummed to know that my idea of said ethical ASOS style website is already out there. Fingers crossed for the next grand money making scheme that comes to mind that I can use to distribute some wealth (yeah, there probably won’t be any because very few original thoughts enter my head, clearly, tehe) xoxo

11. SHOPFLUFFY

PRICE POINT: ££

I know it’s 2021 and we all kind hate the idea of girl boss feminism and the connotations of privilege and exploitation that come with it but can we bring it back when we’re talking about women who embody what it was actually all supposed to be about? Because the owner of ShopFluffy, @lulutrixabelle embodies everything good about the term. Somebody who genuinely does (cue Ramona singer voice here) empower other women through her celebration of powerful female friendship and free spirited sense of personal style that should inspire every one of us to wear whatever the fuck we want (clashing patterns and over-accessorising be damned), Lulu handmakes all the designs on her site and very much places an emphasis on slow fashion by releasing only a few collections a year which you can clearly tell a lot of painstaking effort and talent went into. ShopFluffy is on the pricier side but the adorable crocheted coords LuLu specialises in, reminiscent of carefree childhood days and picnics in meadows picturesque enough to be the backdrop of a Jacquemus runway presentation, are a bold and beautiful expression of playful femininity worthy of departing with a bit more than you’d usually spend. After all, if you are gonna spend that money on a piece of clothing, supporting an ethical, independent woman owned business clearly built on carefully honed skill, passion and authenticity is the way to go.

12. SHOPEASYTIGER

PRICE POINT: ££

It feels correct to follow up the ShopFluffy mention with ShopEasyTiger given the friendship between the former’s owner with Tigerlilly Winfield (is that not the most wonderfully storybook character sounding name of all time?), owner of Easy Tiger. Up there with my most revered style icons, Tigerlilly’s designs are as flamboyant and glamorous and daring and dramatic as her own personal style, and again, they are ethically made! If you want to get that psychedelic rock n’roll groupie that’s actually way cooler than the band itself kinda energy too, her shop is the place to start.

13. HOTTTRAMP

PRICE POINT: ££

Founded by the incredibly hot Belle_hott_tramp on Instagram, HottTramp is a collection of both handmade pieces and carefully selected vintage finds that blur the lines between 90s Courtney Love style grunge and 70s summer of love hippy that make me want to start my own all girl rock band and hire a camper van to paint black and road trip through the American desert. Given my complete lack of hand eye coordination, I’ll most likely never have the instrumental skills to do that but I never said it was a realistic fantasy, okay?

14. LAZY OAF

PRICE POINT: ££

Is it just me that always thought Lazy Oaf was within the same kind of price range as The Ragged Priest? Because it’s a lottt more expensive than I thought. That being said, if you’re going for a playful, toned down Molly Goddard kinda look, anything bright and youthful, Lazy Oaf’s clothes 100% fit that brief. You are paying more, but part of that markup is reflected in their transparency when it comes to their ethical code, which includes ensuring that statutory minimum wage laws are adhered to in the supply chain as well as that all workers are of the legal working age for their countries and that their working hours do not exceed the legal limit. They are also steadfastly committed to donating a portion of their profits to charities dedicated to improving mental wellbeing such as Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, and Young Minds, something that is hugely important to me given my own experiences and the line of work I want to go into.

15. NEVER FULLY DRESSED

PRICE POINT: ££

Similar in their aesthetic to Out of the Ordinary, Never Fully Dressed is big on colour, print, and elegance. They have both specially selected second hand pieces on offer and original designs too and the about us section of their website clearly states how passionate they are about their ethical manufacturing process, which takes place both here in the UK and in China.

16. TUNNEL VISION

PRICE POINT: ££

Offering the dreamiest, one of a kind vintage 90s pieces, Tunnel Vision could just as easily be a grunge girl band come the craft themed moodboard as it is an online retailer. If the 90s isn’t for you-I mean, I don’t wanna question anybody’s taste levels but…-they also have the option of shopping by era, which I think is a really cool feature I wish a lot of irl vintage shops would incorporate.

17. LOVE TOO TRUE

PRICE POINT: £

Everything on Love Too True is fucking gorgeousss and it is no surprise that they manufacture their garments here in London because I feel their brand totally encompasses that stereotypical 90s East End punk vibe perfectly with a shit tonne of chunky boots and show stopping plaid pieces that makes my heart ache for a riot grrrl renaissance. Yes, when it comes to feminism’s place in mainstream culture, making sure the political goals and structural changes we’re aiming for are visible to all is by far the most important, but let’s have a resurgence of the grunge girl’s armour along with that and PLEASE let’s leave athleisure in the 2010s. No more Kardashian nude leggings, I beg (I AM being lighthearted, wear whatever you want! We’re not policing women’s clothes in this neck of the woods).

18. NINE LIVES BAZAAR

PRICE POINT: £££

Eurgh. Nine Lives Bazaar. I want it ALL. Their clothes give me all the Etro, Zimmerman, Torey Burch, modernised Stevie Nicks vibes on a slightly more realistic budget, though unfortunately for me said budget just isn’t realistic enough. You would think pieces being ethically produced is just a given when it comes to clothes within this price range but that’s not necessarily the case and Nine Lives Bazaar is one of the ones you can trust to actually be considerate of their employees needs when it comes to their approach to business. To anybody who can afford to shop here, I am insanely jealous. The rest of us, for now, can just browse the website n feel the fantasy, channel a Valentina level of delusion and pretend it’s just the import taxes from Australia that’s holding us back from making a purchase.

-DEPOP SHOPS-

1. @HOUSE_OF_EROTIQUE

PRICE POINT: ££

Everything handmade and latex and form fitting to make you the baddest bitch in the room, I’ve got myself a few pieces from this shop over the past couple of years. Customer service is a bit hit or miss and there’s been times when I’ve had to wait a while for my purchases to get to me but because they’re all one of a kind and custom made to fit, it’s worth it, and when they have messed up they were kind enough to add something to my order for free.

2. @SACREDHAWK

PRICE POINT: ££

If you picture raiding the wardrobe of a biker gang, snatching the Coachella bound suitcases of the Revolve ambassadors at Palm Springs airport, and then jumbling all those clothes together, that’s probably your best bet at getting an idea of Sacred Hawk’s aesthetic. Formerly an ASOS concession, the brand is now available on Depop and is a collection of the most lavish glam grunge pieces, all vintage or reworked vintage. Some things are a bit on the pricey side but I would say they are all priced fairly considering how unique and ornate a lot of the pieces are, and I reeeeally wanna be able to say I own something from there one day.

3. @IDENTITYPARTY

PRICE POINT: £££

I struggled with how to categorise this Depop shop in terms of price point because although there are some fairly low-priced pieces, the standouts are the vintage coats which are understandably a lot more expensive-if you want to fully immerse yourself in the Almost Famous Penny Lane fantasy, you’re gonna have to fork out a little bit.

4. @RETRO_RAIL

PRICE POINT: £££

Retro_rail is of a similar vein to IdentityParty, in that the standout pieces are the vintage coats which are usually upwards of £100-if you’re looking for one-of-a-kind statement outerwear to invest in, I can’t recommend this shop enough. If you’re like me and you’re looking for something more within the £ to ££ price range, Retro Rail is still worth a browse as inspiration for the kind of styles you might wanna try and find elsewhere on Depop.

5. @5THSEASON

PRICE POINT: £

Most of the quirky vintage pieces you’ll find on offer on this Depop shop are within the £25 to £40 price range and though you’ve got coats similar to those you’ll find on Identity Party and Retro Rail and they are sill slightly more than the tops and trousers and dresses on sale etc., they are more modestly priced than the other 2 listed.

6. @DREAMERSREBELS

PRICE POINT: £££

Another v pricey one, dreamersrebels specialises in the daintiest, most whimsical 60s style co-ords I’ve ever seen. Handmade upon purchase, which in turn guarantees little textile waste, you can find the kind of pieces you’d expect to see on a 21st century incarnation of Audrey Hepburn, all the soft pastels and timeless, retro silhouettes you could possibly wish for. I mean, wishing is pretty much all I can do rn but anyone with a near minimum wage retail job knows you need something to aspire to, lol. I managed to budget enough to treat myself to a Selkie dress so I’m manifesting that same level of self-discipline to get me a dreamersrebels piece next.

7. @AWKWARDPHASE

PRICE POINT: £

Very affordable vintage pieces that range from cutesy mid-century style dresses and coats to grungy 90s jackets, perfectly styled and presented too in a way that will have you wanting to order something for yourself to replicate that modern spin on old staples and give them a second life.

8. @EVIEHALLOWS

PRICE POINT: £

Another Depop shop where the clothes are styled so well, it’ll have you thinking you can make anything from a floral 1950s housewife style cardigan to a lycra jumpsuit look very intentionally on trend.

9. @JAHOOLI

PRICE POINT: £

There’s also Jahooli, which I will just say ticks all the same boxes as the other two aforementioned stores to avoid repeating myself.

10. @LOVELYANDLOVELESS

PRICE POINT: £

In terms of price, I would put Lovely and Loveless into the same category as Jahooli, Awkward Phase and Evie Hallows, the difference being that the clothes available are more on the dainty, classically feminine side. People who have a Pinterest board dedicated to the cottagecore or light academia aesthetic (whew, the gen Z is showing), this one’s for you.

11. @CHLOESTJOHN

PRICE POINT: £

Finally, we have the ChloeStJohn Depop shop and it’s definitely a good one to end on; picture the wardrobe of Carrie Bradshaw if she’d lived in Camden instead of New York in the 90s and hung out with a slightly edgier crew than Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha and there you have it, the vibe of the pieces on offer. Does it belong to a girl who probs lives near Primrose Hill and has access to all the boujiest second hand clothes shops available which she most likely routinely raids to resell on Depop? Potentially, but hopefully not because I am very here for this whole red wine in one hand and a cigarette in another back when people were allowed to smoke inside bars aesthetic. I’m sorry that the gen Z part of me once again jumped out in such an aggressive fashion with that last sentence, but I know you know what I mean.

And that’s everything!

I did wanna close off the post with a reminder of how nuanced a discussion this is-having the time and money to be more conscious about your ethical footprint when you’re buying clothes is in itself a privilege; fashion shouldn’t be an interest reserved for only those who have the means to pay extra or spend time scouring the internet. It’s also important to be aware of the lack of size inclusivity-a lot of the “trendy” sustainable fashion brands tend to not stock anything larger than a size 14 and attempt to deflect attention away from this by categorising clothes as either XS, S, M, or L, which is in itself a bit of a pisstake considering that 12-14 is the average clothing size here for women in the UK, and so in no way large. Shopping from Depop and Ebay is hard too when so many brands fail to understand how to fit a non-straight size body which in turn necessitates trying stuff on before you buy it, something that isn’t possible when you’re shopping second hand. A lot of Depop shops fail to offer returns and even with those who do, chasing up that return can be a time-consuming and generally all round frustrating process.

Basically, when we’re having these kinds of discussions it’s important to consider everyone’s situations and avoid sitting on some kind of high horse. I feel like things have become even more complicated lately- with the recent closure of once popular high street stores such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge, it has got me thinking a lot about just how many people’s income here in the UK is dependent on fast fashion retailers too and their popularity. The job scarcity resulting from these kind of closures, which are often all that is available to a lot of people with the demands of the job market seemingly becoming more and more impossible each day even for those who have been in higher education, is clearly an issue when the kind of support you can expect from the government as someone out of work is so woefully inadequate and likely to become even more so as the conservatives push for further cuts to UC and PIP. The past year has really shown us just how shaky the ground that an intensely capitalist society stands on is and how quickly everything can go tits up when we don’t invest in a safety net for those who are struggling. People seem to have realised more than ever the extent to which those whose jobs we deem “low-skilled” are actually the backbone of society, and yet even here, whilst the situation may not be quite as desperate as it is elsewhere, we still haven’t seen pay rises that reflect that. Turns out all the clapping WAS an empty gesture, who’d have thought it (for fuck’s sake)? Fair wages really are a global issue that starts with paying people enough for them to comfortably live on and in time should lead to a shift in consciousness away from the concept of profit before everything else and towards an equal playing field for everyone, something we should take every opportunity to speak up about and demand from our “leaders”, however shit a job so many of those leaders do. It’s frustrating how the focus on making ethical purchasing choices is so often on the overconsumption of things that women historically are more actively interested in such as clothes and accessories and make up when the reality is that the wealth of every industry titan on this planet, NOT just the ones who dominate the fast fashion sphere, depends on them continuing to get away with exploiting people-we should be looking at how we can show our dissatisfaction in all areas. Maybe I’m perpetuating that with this post, since a lot of the online retailers I mentioned only sell women’s clothing, but that being said, I’m not about to do men’s work for them, lol-they should make the effort, if possible, to research into sustainable clothing alternatives too.

Anyway, that’s the end of this post! If you read to the end, thank you so much! If I’ve made any errors in my research or there are more sustainable clothing brands that I could’ve mentioned, feel free to inbox me them too, and I can add them to this post if Tumblr allows. It’s usually a little bitch when it comes to editing long posts but I’ll try my best:) Again, thanks for reading! And if you are, I hope you are safe and well!

Lauren x

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popatochisssp · 4 years ago

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Hello Poppy! I hope you slept well! Here is the reminder you requested to create a mob au hc post like the cowboy post. Have a wonderful day!

Thank you, it’s finally time! I’m gonna put it under a cut immediately because having twenty skeletons makes every post with all of them automatically a long one!

Full disclaimer-- none of the boys are bosses, that falls on the monarch(s) of their universes... but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own roles to play~

(Warnings: mentions of crime, drugs, violence, sex, brief sexism [probably not the way you’d think] and ableism, plus all the usual mob-tropes I may have forgotten to mention)

Sans (Undertale): He’s a...humble purveyor of items, quality goods produced economically in order to pass those savings on to the crafty consumer who might not want to pay full, exorbitant price for ‘name-brand’ luxuries... Yeah, he’s the ‘you wanna buy a watch?’ guy and he spends most of his days (strategically) wandering around the city looking for customers to hock knockoff, lookalike watches, wallets and bags to. The fuzz know him by name but can never seem to find anything to hold him on, so he’s mostly just a harmless nuisance to be shooed along elsewhere if there’s been any complaints. (He’s real good at making friendly conversation with the law enforcement and keeping all eyes on him, and frankly, if there were any real shady business going on somewhere nearby... well, the cops certainly wouldn’t know about it, too busy hustling him along down the street, now would they?)

Papyrus (Undertale): An upstanding citizen, unlike his brother who’s always in some little trouble with the law or other. He is gainfully employed at a fitness center, and he commutes there by car, because paid for his license to operate one and practiced his driving skills and saved up until he could afford a very beautiful, shiny car of his own! It’s a very nice vehicle...so nice, even, that he doesn’t like to drive it for...recreational outings with friends, in case the paint might get scuffed. That’s why his friends let him borrow their cars when they go out, and let him drive very fast (but safely!) all over the city, even at strange hours or by ‘suspicious’ locations. He’s certainly never seen anything suspicious going on, he just waits outside, and if he happens to keep a First Aid kit in his glove-box, that’s just taking precautions, isn’t it? Accidents happen, you know! (He’s the best getaway driver in town and he knows it, but plausible deniability--the less he ‘knows,’ the better.)

Sky (Underswap Sans): Just your average, ordinary businessman, running a nice little bar for average, ordinary folks of all kinds. Well... he co-owns the place with a buddy of his, Grillby, but Grillbz is a free spirit and a real man about town, so really most of the ‘running’ is down to him. And he loves it! So many people (monsters and humans) to meet and chat with and serve... human food and alcohol, of course. Monster food and alcohol isn’t legalized yet to serve to humans, and a black mark like that against his little establishment would be just awful. He adheres fully to the rules and regulations set forth by human governmental agencies, no magic in anything he passes across the counter, skeleton’s honor! ...Total bullshit, obviously-- he’s running a speakeasy for humans who want to partake in a little monster food or booze, because it’s not harmful to humans and that makes it an even stupider regulation than prohibition was. Grillby taught him most of the menu and cooks on the rare occasions he’s in, while Sky handles the liquid menu and keeps an eye-socket out for snitches and inspectors trying to catch him in the act. He’s never missed a rat yet.

Paps (Underswap Papyrus): He works at his brother’s place. In the back. Only part-time, though, Sky’s got it mostly buttoned up there, so Paps has a lot of leisure time to wander around the city, hit up his favorite joints, chat with friends--and strangers that can become friends, he’s a friendly sorta guy. And if he’s ever seen sharing a cigarette or two with one of those friends, of course it’ll be a totally normal tobacco cigarette, and no exchange of money or anything else incriminating about the interaction. ...Doggo is the one that does the deals, he’s got the Dog Treat supply and a client base that’s steadily starting to include humans--but since Dog Treats are classed as Monster Consumables and illegal to distribute to humans, in spite of being non-addictive, only mildly affective, and non-irritant to lungs, things get a little more convoluted. Paps hits up Doggo at Muffet’s (a wholly monster establishment) for the Dog Treats and a client list, ‘refurbishes’ the Treats to resemble cigarettes, and then meets up with anybody who prepaid for their order real casual-like to fence ‘em. He gets a little cut of the profits, and a discount when he’s picking up for pleasure instead of business--like a (slightly) more illegal girl scout cookie racket.

Jasper (Underfell Sans): Him? He’s just an average joe in all respects. He’s got a little auto shop, spends his days tuning up cars and bikes and such as the like, and most evenings out having fun with anybody else who’s out looking to have a good time--food and drink and maybe a little gambling, but small games, low stakes, for charity, yanno? Nothing illegal, he’d freely assure anyone concerned about the law. Yep, he’s a perfectly normal, law-abiding citizen...as far as anyone can tell. If he does a little work on the side, when specifically requested to, by perhaps one of his monarchs or one of the parties they’d approved to ask for his...services... Well, he’s certainly too quick and clean about it to leave any hard evidence behind, and he’s always far away from...whatever may have happened...with too many witnesses all in agreement that he was there and couldn’t have been anywhere else, unless he could somehow make it across town in the blink of an eye. (His side-gig is as a hitman. He keeps his shortcut ability very tightly under wraps to make for perfect alibis, and takes his targets out with magic bullets which he can disappear afterwards. If he’s ever somehow implicated in anything, he’s happy to point out to the nice officers that he doesn’t even own a weapon. They’re free to look, but all they’ll find is a set of knuckledusters he keeps on his person, purely for protection--and look how shiny the brass is, never even been used, officers! Guess they’ve got nothing on him, after all...)

Pyre (Underfell Papyrus): A law-abiding citizen. He must be--surely one can’t get more law-abiding than a lawyer...right? He actually does keep his (lack of) nose clean, but studying the convoluted mess that is human law doesn’t leave time for much else--even when your studies are funded by royalty and you’re given everything you need to open up your own practice as soon as you’ve passed the bar. Still, his skill and knowledge in arguing the law is very valuable and his services are in high demand, so he’s well-compensated for his chosen career and lives his life outside of it both comfortably and legally. His clients...are innocent until proven guilty and it would be an extreme failing of his duty to give any of them anything less than his best in the courtroom, regardless of their character, their associations, and what they happen to have been accused of. (Yeah, he’s a mob lawyer, used almost exclusively by Asgore and Toriel to protect them and anyone they send to him and all of their collective...interests. He respects the law, but values justice above it, so in spite of having a lot of clients who are definitely criminals in one way or another, he has no trouble sleeping at night.)

Mal (Swapfell Sans): He’s an accountant, nothing more, nothing less. ...For Toriel, of course, so he’s paid well for his services. And he has quite a head for numbers and figures, so he plays the stock market and does quite well there, too, smart investments and reading the writing on the wall, and all that. It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his very healthy finances and his lavish lifestyle--fur coats, fine suits, fancy cars, shiny gold pocket-watches-- it’s all expensive and almost over the top, but hey, he is the money-man and all the numbers check out. It seems that he’s just very good at handling and investing his capital, it’s no wonder the monster-queen herself hired him on... (He is, of course, running several money laundering schemes at any given time, taking all the less-than-legally-obtained money earned by constituents of the [former] Empire and layering it through official channels to make it look legal in such a convoluted, complex web that it doesn’t raise any significant red flags. He’s got his claws in a lot of pies, and he takes what he needs off the top to live a little luxuriously, with Toriel’s knowledge and permission-- a perk for the necessary service he provides.) Whatever else may be true, it’s a simple fact that he’s very, very good at his job.

Rus (Swapfell Papyrus): With the lucrative career his brother has, the lucky SOB doesn’t have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to, but he’s using the safety net to pursue his passion in art. Subjective as it is, it’s hard to say if he’s really any good, but people seem to like what he produces well-enough--not a household name, but people passionate about the subject might recognize his work and his pieces sell with at least moderate success. For all that it’s probably not going to make him famous or rich(er than his brother), he’s dedicated to his craft and regularly makes bulk purchases of his supplies, canvas and reams of paper and paint and ink and the like, to keep up his steady work and art sales. He seems like an altogether normal and down-to-earth sort of guy, nothing suspicious about him at all. (He’s a counterfeiter and works in tandem with his brother--they even hit a Bureau together to lift a set of plates for the one and only active crime he was involved in--and his art is just a really good cover for why he needs so much ink and paper and other supplies on a regular basis. He does love and care about his art career, that part’s not fake, but he’s also got a good eye-socket for detail and steady hands to replicate it, and if fake human money that looks really real can help monsters, he doesn’t really see why he shouldn’t.)

Slate (Horrortale Sans): He’s...been through a lot. All monsters have, really, but he was hit kind of especially hard and... Whatever Gerson, or Undyne, or whoever’s running things now up on the Surface are getting involved in...he doesn’t really want any part of it. He gets regular stipends for some unspecified ‘service’ he performed for the Queen, Underground, and while no human (alive) knows what that was, it’s apparently enough to live off of relatively comfortably without being employed himself. He has a nice little place with his brother on the outskirts of the city and he lives there quietly, peacefully. He rarely goes into town, just the occasional walkabout, stopping at restaurants or scoping out the architecture. (Part of his one concession to being left out of whatever illegal, mob-type business may or may not be going on: he needs a good mental map of the city and at least a few landmarks that he’ll definitely remember, because he’s the emergency evac should...anything...go especially south. The house phone doesn’t ring too often in the middle of the night, but when it does, he needs to know where he needs to be, and quick.)

Papy (Horrortale Papyrus): He’s, ah... not involved in any ‘business’ either, but he does spend a little more time out of the house, at the local hospital. He was allowed to make a study of human medicine and become a nurse by Very Special Exception--mostly due to some friends (or at least one) in high places, and some very backwards human attitudes about parts that constitute a ‘man’ and how a skeleton without any parts could perhaps be allowed into nursing--and he’s proven himself a valuable member of staff and even made friends with all of his coworkers. He’s happy at his job, and with his life, and returns home to his quiet, peaceful house every night with a smile. (He has a go-bag ready by the phone for those late night calls, though, full of healing items and medical equipment he may have subtly nicked from the hospital, just so he has everything he needs to treat a monster or a friendly human that may have gotten hurt...somehow...and for reasons they have no need to specify, can’t risk going to a doctor.)

Ash (Undergloom Sans): Just a poor street musician...or at least, that’s what most people figure, ‘cause he doesn’t dress too well and the trombone he plays while sitting out on the sidewalk looks like it’s probably the nicest thing he owns. He gets a couple bucks from time to time, but rarely any second glances, and that... That works in his favor. You’d be surprised how much people talk about when they think nobody’s listening (or at least...nobody important) and he can pick up a lot of interesting information of what’s going on in the city just by setting up in the right spot and waiting for folks to talk business. He’s pretty quiet when he’s not tooting the ol’ horn and great at blending into the background, and that’s made him the guy to go to when you want to know something--like how much somebody else knows, or if there are any plans in place for say, a raid or a sting or some kind. (Law enforcement is the worst about keeping proprietary information ‘proprietary’ when they think their only audience is some nobody monster bum sleeping on a bench...) He’s also got something of a whole information network going on with the actual homeless people in the city, since he gives great tips about places who are hiring or somewhere to get a meal or a bed for the night and he always gives his earnings from busking to those who need it more than him. He’s paid for the service he provides and he’s got a home to go back to, it just seems right that the music-money goes to help somebody else.

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He works as a nanny for the Queen! Not too long ago, she might’ve opted to just stay home and look after her newly adopted child herself, while Asgore handled business with the humans, but... They’re freshly split now, and Toriel wants to be just as involved in things as Asgore as much as she wants to s l o w l y ease into being a full-time mother again. Yrus is the solution, already fond of little Frisk and a very warm and trustworthy soul who stayed bright even in the gloom of the Underground. He happily takes the job when asked and splits his time between supervising and caring for Frisk, and tutoring them in all the important subjects (math, history, magic, et cetera). He finds he has a passion for teaching and thinks he might go into that someday, when Frisk is older and Toriel has a little more time and confidence to no longer need him as a buffer. (Whatever it is, specifically, that takes up so much of Toriel’s time and keeps her out so late that he sometimes has to wait around well past Frisk’s bedtime for her to come back and ask after them... Yrus couldn’t fathom a guess and isn’t going to ask any questions. That would definitely be out of his scope as a simple child-minder and even if he knew anything, it would be an extreme violation of the family’s privacy for him to tell tales, which he’s happy to point out to anyone with a lot of questions for somebody so close to two of the Dreemurrs.)

Brick (Horrorfell Sans): He’s on his brother’s payroll. It seemed like the best way to kill two birds with one stone: he’s a big, scary-looking wall of bone who isn’t well suited to a regular-joe sorta job, and his bro’s a very high-profile guy who needs somebody big and scary-looking to stand next to him and be a deterrent. Nepotism, maybe, but they’ve been looking after each other their whole lives already and it’s something Brick knows he can do--he’d do it for free, but if King thinks it’s better (and safer) to have it as his job description, he’s probably right, so Brick’ll take the paycheck for it. King’s also very likely the only one who could stop him if he...lost control...somewhere out and about, so sticking close to him makes Brick feel better and hey, maybe they’re actually killing three birds with this stone of an arrangement. Still, he mostly just goes about town with King, standing around and watching his back and staring people down when he needs to while his brother carries on with his conversations and business. He hardly ever has to do anymore than that...almost never. (One of his favorite places to go is a little hole-in-the-wall craft shop, where King always pretends to take longer than he needs so Brick can peruse the yarn and try to pick up a little sign language from the nice old deaf lady who owns the place.)

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Yes, yes, he’s very high profile--he did lead monsterkind for a time, getting everyone up to the Surface and settled there--but he’s since stepped down. He’s retired, and anything his successor may be involved in... surely, he couldn’t say. He and Toriel are barely in contact and the money he receives from her on the regular is a gift of goodwill, mostly for medical expenses (his leg, and his brother’s...well). All he does these days is collect for a charity, a pet project of his, Monster Reparations. Lots of people give such generous donations when he goes around to ask for them, maybe impressed a little by his fame, but he can’t feel too terribly about using it for such a worthy cause... (It’s a thinly veiled protection racket and the people and businesses who buy into it tend not to fall victim to ‘mysterious’ criminal activity. Toriel may be officially calling the shots now, but King, as the monster who put her back there, is in a very unique position of power in having her ear, an unofficial underboss totally off the books. Some ‘donate’ more than necessary when he comes collecting, hoping to earn preferential treatment, and sometimes they get it and sometimes they don’t--it’s entirely down to King’s opinion of them personally. ...The old woman who runs the craft store pays about half the going rate, and the immigrant who imports the miniature trees he likes gets a heavy discount, too. The deli-owner he overheard hurling discriminatory epithets at a customer, however, pays triple. You get the idea.)

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a researcher. Highly confidential, he’s sworn to secrecy and even mentioning that he’s being funded by Elder King Shroomba is pushing the boundaries of what he’s allowed to talk about. Still, he has his own facility, and several assistants, monster volunteers and sometimes human ones--but they have to sign papers swearing not to talk about what goes on in the lab, too. From what they are allowed to say, the gist is just that it didn’t seem like anything sinister was going on; not even a blood-draw... Merc seems pretty happy to leave at the end of every day, though, and whenever it comes up, he talks very fondly about being able to finish the project. (He’s researching DT, specifically how it can be used to enhance monster physiology and make them more resistant to damage from intent. Merc’s misadventure with DT destabilized him, but from 1HP he’s now more durable than ever, and his second attempt with his brother had less dramatic but still noticeable and successful results. The king wants that safety net for more monsters, especially ones who are on the front lines of...potentially less than legal dealings...who could really be at risk. Merc is reluctant, but with the stipulation of informed, willing volunteers for DT extraction and infusion, he can’t bring himself to turn down the resources and funding to research his own condition and bring the possibility of being normal again ever closer. He still has a hard time with the idea of ‘enhancing’ monsters, but the fact that it’s at least being done safely, willingly, and with a whole team behind it this time helps a lot.)

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He’s in a wheelchair but not letting it keep him down, and he’s running a modest little newspaper stand on the corner--papers and magazines and cheap books--nothing all that special but boy, what an inspiration, good for him that he’s got a job and can run the place by himself! All kinds come and go from his stand, and sometimes he closes it up for a little bit in the middle of the day to take a...er...roll, with some people who must be friends of his, but he’s never gone too long, so nobody says anything to the poor guy about the inconvenience. He’s a dedicated businessman, or trying to be; won’t even let people help him with those heavy-looking boxes of deliveries he gets, and for a fella with no legs, he seems to be doing his best! (...The whole thing is a low-key smuggling operation and he is making bank off it. There’s a system of code-words in place related to the publications he sells for a ‘customer’ to indicate whether they’re buying or selling, and what--magic consumables, stolen/hot items, imported goods, the works--and where and when they want things to go down. There’s even hidden compartments in his custom-built wheelchair for some of the riskier stuff, because he knows no cop in their right mind would force a guy with no legs out of his chair just to search it with witnesses around. And that’s presuming any law enforcement were to even catch wise to his set-up, which he kind of doubts: he’s sly and subtle and even if he weren’t, he knows people see the chair before they see him. Why not take advantage of that?)

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He makes his living as a boxer, and a subsequent minor celebrity. Pretty much any match he’s in is an exhibition match--not just a monster, not just a little guy (...relatively), but a short skeleton monster who’s blind, wow! You don’t see that every day, that’s a spectacle! Plenty of ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s in the packed stands every night the sightless skeleton scrapper is in the ring and nobody can figure out how he bobs and weaves so well that he hardly ever gets hit. He loses some matches, that’s to be expected, even for a ‘normal’ fighter, but hey, people love an underdog story, so when he wins, it’s an uproar every time. (For his part, Pitch hates most of his ‘fans’ who think of him the same way they probably think of a silly little dog who learned a funny trick, but the fame in general, and the thrill of the fight... Those are enough to keep him in the ring. Just... maybe not quite enough to keep him fighting clean. He’s as dirty as sportsmen come and he and a few other monsters regularly play his own odds with the bookies: he’ll subtly use magic to cheat and stay in longer, or go down when he could easily keep fighting, whatever’s more profitable with the over/under from match to match. If he’s going to be a circus act doing what he loves, he may as well get hazard pay for his dignity... and y’know, a couple of idiots who think being able to fight is a ‘trick’ because you’re blind aren’t nearly so annoying when you’re being driven away from them in a luxury car, to your expensive house in the hills decked out with all the amenities.)

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s got a place he looks after, keeps things running. Just a small joint, nothing fancy, a little cabaret variety show type place--singing, dancing, drinks on tap, that kinda thing. After dark, some of the...performances... might get a little more risqué, stuff that titillates like burlesque and striptease, but rest assured, his permits are all in order and everything’s on the up and up. Nothing illegal whatsoever going on here, just a bit of singing and dancing and everybody having a good time. (Most of the performers are sex workers--monsters, but some humans too--and patrons can negotiate private shows or off-the-clock ‘meetings’ at their discretion. Nemo opts to not know too much of the details of what his dancers do when he’s not looking, for legal reasons, but he makes sure they have a safe place to do it, are paid for their services, and don’t have repeat problem-patrons if any slip through. Being one of the gentlemen running such an establishment in the city that doesn’t happen to touch or steal from or mistreat the performers, his place is the place to get hired if that’s your line of work. He’s mostly just happy to be able to provide the job security and the job safety for a group that really seems to catch a lot of hell up here on the Surface just for how they make their money.)

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): He’s a busy guy, bouncing around from place to place, job to job... Being so scattered, you might think he’d be having money troubles by now, but while he may not be the type to stick with one thing and stay there for a good few years, nobody who knows him would say he’s unreliable--he’s the type of guy that you can give him a call anytime and if you need help, he’ll be right over, and he’ll get the job done well, too! Of course he lives with his fancypants brother, and the King and Queen probably spot him a loan or two now and then, since they’re friendly, so all in all, no one really wonders how he makes enough money to live so comfortably. The answer’s right there in their face...isn’t it? (Yes and no. He is the kind of guy you can call anytime to get a job done, and he will do it well, but the money he gets from Asgore and Toriel is less of a ‘loan’ and more of a ‘payment for services rendered.’ He’s a cleaner, the guy you call to make things go away, things that aren’t supposed to be there: stains, papers, weapons, evidence... He’ll get rid of it for you, and if you need a convincing coverup or an alibi for...whatever it is that you weren’t there doing, he’ll take care of that, too. If somebody’s calling him up for his special brand of help, they probably just want to put it all behind them and forget all about that nasty business. He’s happy to facilitate--after all, what are friends for?)

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): Like his brother, he gets on well with the King and Queen. (They both feel like they’ve known the monarchs much longer than they actually have...somehow...) But in any case, unlike his brother, Aster is very well-organized and thoughtful, so he’s a natural choice as an...advisor, of sorts, when monsters surfaced and it was...decided that perhaps there would be some...activities and...ways of doing things that...should remain unknown to the humans. Not unknown to Aster: he keeps track of everything, reminding the monarchs of little details they may have forgotten, pointing out things they may not have noticed, making educated suggestions for courses of action with likely positive outcomes based on past experiences... He’s the linchpin between Asgore and Toriel that makes them terrifyingly more efficient than they would be without him, a consigliere-equivalent who certainly isn’t a boss himself, but he has the bosses’ trust and their ears and that makes him a person of great interest. But...no one can get anything useful out of him: he’s loyal, above all, and much as he values truth, he also realizes that perhaps not everyone deserves to know the full truth of everything, especially not those who might use that truth to bring some sort of harm or misfortune to his friends...or to monsterkind at large. ...And trying to directly seize his extensive notes on the private and personal business-doings of the Dreemurrs is an even more doomed endeavor--he writes them all in a strange jumble of symbols that no one’s ever seen, and the code-breakers never have it long enough to decipher anything useful before its back in his hands, reclaimed quite speedily after unlawful seizure of private property containing confidential information. Lots of well-meaning law enforcement have their sights set on him as some sort of criminal white whale, but the simile is all too accurate-- they’ll never catch him, and even if they do, there’ll be nothing to hold him on. He simply has too many friends (and family members) in very high, very useful places.

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phroyd · 3 years ago

Text

I’m not going to pretend that I know how to interpret the jobs and inflation data of the past few months. My view is that this is still an economy warped by the pandemic, and that the dynamics are so strange and so unstable that it will be some time before we know its true state. But the reaction to the early numbers and anecdotes has revealed something deeper and more constant in our politics.

The American economy runs on poverty, or at least the constant threat of it. Americans like their goods cheap and their services plentiful and the two of them, together, require a sprawling labor force willing to work tough jobs at crummy wages. On the right, the barest glimmer of worker power is treated as a policy emergency, and the whip of poverty, not the lure of higher wages, is the appropriate response.Reports that low-wage employers were having trouble filling open jobs sent Republican policymakers into a tizzy and led at least 25 Republican governors — and one Democratic governor — to announce plans to cut off expanded unemployment benefits early. Chipotle said that it would increase prices by about 4 percent to cover the cost of higher wages, prompting the National Republican Congressional Committee to issue a blistering response: “Democrats’ socialist stimulus bill caused a labor shortage, and now burrito lovers everywhere are footing the bill.” The Trumpist outlet The Federalist complained, “Restaurants have had to bribe current and prospective workers with fatter paychecks to lure them off their backsides and back to work.”But it’s not just the right. The financial press, the cable news squawkers and even many on the center-left greet news of labor shortages and price increases with an alarm they rarely bring to the ongoing agonies of poverty or low-wage toil.

As it happened, just as I was watching Republican governors try to immiserate low-wage workers who weren’t yet jumping at the chance to return to poorly ventilated kitchens for $9 an hour, I was sent “A Guaranteed Income for the 21st Century,” a plan that seeks to make poverty a thing of the past. The proposal, developed by Naomi Zewde, Kyle Strickland, Kelly Capatosto, Ari Glogower and Darrick Hamilton for the New School’s Institute on Race and Political Economy, would guarantee a $12,500 annual income for every adult and a $4,500 allowance for every child. It’s what wonks call a “negative income tax” plan — unlike a universal basic income, it phases out as households rise into the middle class.

“With poverty, to address it, you just eliminate it,” Hamilton told me. “You give people enough resources so they’re not poor.” Simple, but not cheap. The team estimates that its proposal would cost $876 billion annually. To give a sense of scale, total federal spending in 2019 was about $4.4 trillion, with $1 trillion of that financing Social Security payments and another $1.1 trillion support Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Beyond writing that the plan “would require new sources of revenue, additional borrowing or trade-offs with other government funding priorities,” Hamilton and his co-authors don’t say how they’d pay for it, and in our conversation, Hamilton was cagey. “There are many ways in which it can be paid for and deficit spending itself is not bad unless there are certain conditions,” he said. I’m less blasé about financing a program that would increase federal spending by almost 20 percent, but at the same time, it’s clearly possible. Even if the entire thing was funded by taxes, it would only bring America’s tax burden to roughly the average of our peer nations.

I suspect the real political problem for a guaranteed income isn’t the costs, but the benefits. A policy like this would give workers the power to make real choices. They could say no to a job they didn’t want, or quit one that exploited them. They could, and would, demand better wages, or take time off to attend school or simply to rest. When we spoke, Hamilton tried to sell it to me as a truer form of capitalism. “People can’t reap the returns of their effort without some baseline level of resources,” he said. “If you lack basic necessities with regards to economic well-being, you have no agency. You’re dictated to by others or live in a miserable state.”

But those in the economy with the power to do the dictating profit from the desperation of low-wage workers. One man’s misery is another man’s quick and affordable at-home lunch delivery. “It is a fact that when we pay workers less and don’t have social insurance programs that, say, cover Uber and Lyft drivers, we are able to consume goods and services at lower prices,” Hilary Hoynes, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, where she also co-directs the Opportunity Lab, told me.

This is the conversation about poverty that we don’t like to have: We discuss the poor as a pity or a blight, but we rarely admit that America’s high rate of poverty is a policy choice, and there are reasons we choose it over and over again. We typically frame those reasons as questions of fairness (“Why should I have to pay for someone else’s laziness?”) or tough-minded paternalism (“Work is good for people, and if they can live on the dole, they would”). But there’s more to it than that.

It is true, of course, that some might use a guaranteed income to play video games or melt into Netflix. But why are they the center of this conversation? We know full well that America is full of hardworking people who are kept poor by very low wages and harsh circumstance. We know many who want a job can’t find one, and many of the jobs people can find are cruel in ways that would appall anyone sitting comfortably behind a desk. We know the absence of child care and affordable housing and decent public transit makes work, to say nothing of advancement, impossible for many. We know people lose jobs they value because of mental illness or physical disability or other factors beyond their control. We are not so naïve as to believe near-poverty and joblessness to be a comfortable condition or an attractive choice.

Most Americans don’t think of themselves as benefiting from the poverty of others, and I don’t think objections to a guaranteed income would manifest as arguments in favor of impoverishment. Instead, we would see much of what we’re seeing now, only magnified: Fears of inflation, lectures about how the government is subsidizing indolence, paeans to the character-building qualities of low-wage labor, worries that the economy will be strangled by taxes or deficits, anger that Uber and Lyft rides have gotten more expensive, sympathy for the struggling employers who can’t fill open roles rather than for the workers who had good reason not to take those jobs. These would reflect not America’s love of poverty but opposition to the inconveniences that would accompany its elimination.

Nor would these costs be merely imagined. Inflation would be a real risk, as prices often rise when wages rise, and some small businesses would shutter if they had to pay their workers more. There are services many of us enjoy now that would become rarer or costlier if workers had more bargaining power. We’d see more investments in automation and possibly in outsourcing. The truth of our politics lies in the risks we refuse to accept, and it is rising worker power, not continued poverty, that we treat as intolerable. You can see it happening right now, driven by policies far smaller and with effects far more modest than a guaranteed income.

Hamilton, to his credit, was honest about these trade-offs. “Progressives don’t like to talk about this,” he told me. “They want this kumbaya moment. They want to say equity is great for everyone when it’s not. We need to shift our values. The capitalist class stands to lose from this policy, that’s unambiguous. They will have better resourced workers they can’t exploit through wages. Their consumer products and services would be more expensive.”

For the most part, America finds the money to pay for the things it values. In recent decades, and despite deep gridlock in Washington, we have spent trillions of dollars on wars in the Middle East and tax cuts for the wealthy. We have also spent trillions of dollars on health insurance subsidies and coronavirus relief. It is in our power to wipe out poverty. It simply isn’t among our priorities.

“Ultimately, it’s about us as a society saying these privileges and luxuries and comforts that folks in the middle class — or however we describe these economic classes — have, how much are they worth to us?” Jamila Michener, co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity, told me. “And are they worth certain levels of deprivation or suffering or even just inequality among people who are living often very different lives from us? That’s a question we often don’t even ask ourselves.”

But we should.

Phroyd

#capitalism #economics #poverty #slavery

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nickgerlich · 19 days ago

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By The Tank

Today is Election Day. You would have to be a cave dweller not to know this. Even the rest of the world knows what’s going on here today, because whomever is elected has huge implications for international policy.

I’m not going to dive into the pros and cons of political parties and candidates. You can do that in your private time. I do, though, want to discuss one of the most contentious issues of this campaign, a product each of us (presumably) uses on a regular basis. And that is gasoline.

As of the end of October, Texas had the lowest gas prices in the nation, averaging $2.68 per gallon. Nationally, the average price is $3.09, with California, Hawaii, and Washington leading the nation with more than $4 a gallon. A couple of days ago, I was in Plainview Texas and refueled at Walmart, where it was $2.33. Deduct 10 cents for my Walmart+ discount, and I got gas for only $2.23. Not bad. That’s cheap traveling.

As is the norm, gas prices have dropped considerably since summer, because demand has decreased, and more expensive summer blends are no longer required. Yet some have used gas prices as a political hot potato, primarily because during COVID gas prices dipped to as low as $1.30. That’s a pretty bad comparison, and anyone who can think critically can see right through the argument. But that doesn’t stop some people.

A few more facts: The current price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate is $71.62, helping push down the price of gas. And since oil is a global commodity, one whose price is determined by market forces as well as a certain Middle Eastern cartel, there’s nothing any President can do to affect the price of gas, aside from relaxing federal gas taxes or releasing massive amounts of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That’s a card every President since the 70s has played, but it is not a wise one, because that reserve must be replenished.

Oh, and the US is the world’s largest producer of oil, with a 20% share, producing 19.4 million barrels a day last year. Cries of “Drill, baby, drill” are probably going to fall flat with the oil companies as long as the price per barrel is so cheap, because there is little incentive. Why risk prices going even lower?

But here is my question for you as you make your way to the polls (or perhaps you are one of the 78 million who voted early): Do you find yourself consuming more gas now that prices are cheaper?

I am betting the answer is no, unless you are one to say to your spouse or SO, “Hey honey, gas is cheap. Let’s go for a long drive.” No, you have just gone about your business, because it is hard to consume more of something that cannot be stored at home. Yeah, maybe a few 5-gallon gas cans, but that’s it.

Perishables are another item, unless you freeze or can food. Clothes and shoes can be stockpiled until you need them, like I did with a recent sale on trail runners. I know I will need them someday. Other items, like furniture, would be foolish to buy just because they’re cheaper, unless you need a new sofa or bed.

What are you doing, though, with the money you are saving on gas? Indulge in a PSL at Starbucks? Go out to eat? Depending on where you live, your savings per fill-up will likely range between $15 and $30, a nice little bonus to have in your wallet or bank account. It’s yours to do with as you please.

As for me, October spun out of control and I did very little driving, only 1100 miles. About half of that was driving back and forth to the Canyon to hike. I figure I saved about $40 compared to summer prices here, which is enough for three lunches at the Thai place across from campus. I’ll take it. She knows what I like.

All of which helps illustrate my point that many of the things we regularly consume have a pretty vertical demand curve. We’ll pay for it whatever the price, but if the price goes down, we’ll just keep doing what we have been doing. It’s kind of like being at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Sure, you can keep eating, but you’ll just get sick. The law of diminishing returns sets in, and you can’t—I mean shouldn’t—keep consuming. The same goes for gasoline.

Now if a barrel of oil shot up to $300 and the price of gas hit $10, then we would be looking for long-term solutions, like getting a hybrid, moving closer to work and school, etc. But until then, we just deal with it. Maybe we cut out the PSL when prices are high, but add them back when prices drop. It’s a fixed-sum game, because our savings and available credit are not infinite.

Just something to think about on this Election Day, with anything and everything having become planks in one or the other’s campaign platform. Vote wisely, and remember this: Regardless of who wins today, that person is our President, a person to whom we owe our unceasing allegiance.

That’s the American way. Full stop.

Dr “With Liberty And Justice For All” Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #gas price #election day

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gravesightings · 4 years ago

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tmi: rescue - chromeskull & thomas

If your requests are open, could you please do a protecting/saving hc for jesse+ any other slashers? Also how they would comfort their s/o? Sorry to bother, thank you. -requested by anonymous.

chromeskull

jesse has a serious attitude problem so naturally he’s got more enemies than friends. this man is a full-time asshole, part-time mass murderer.

very paranoid. he’ll keep you away from his work as much as he can—afraid of history repeating itself. you would know about his work from the beginning but he’ll spare you the grisly details.

trust issues would be his downfall. jesse just doesn’t trust anybody else to keep an eye on you while he’s out. he would be the type to install hidden cameras all over his home and plant a tracker on you without your permission.

even though he’s gone great lengths to keep you away from it, the bloodshed will inevitably follow. one of his many foes would just decide one day that kidnapping you would be the best way to get back at him.

they would do it when he’s out on another massacre—much too busy to keep track of his beloved sitting pretty back at home. jesse would only notice when you had stopped responding to his texts. (he’d be very strict with your response times for this exact reason.) all hell will break loose when he finds out you’ve been abducted.

how would he protect you?

have you seen him? this man is both extremely dangerous and extremely violent. he’s virtually never unarmed (yes, even when he’s sleeping. he has a hidden gun compartment at his bedside.) but he can still do a lot of damage with his bare hands.

again, lots of hidden cameras. this man is paranoid to the bone. he’s constantly watching his back. (and for good reason!) now that he has you, he can no longer afford taking any risks. be mad at him all you want for planting a tracker on you without your permission. it’s a small price to pay for your safety.

since he doesn’t trust anybody else to “babysit” you, he’s going to teach you how to shoot a gun. don’t try to talk him out of this because it’s not going to work. either you learn how to shoot or he’s going to teach you the most effective ways to cause damage. (which is arguably much worse in comparison.)

all brawn? oh honey, you’re sorely mistaken. let him give you a quick breakdown of all the major arteries of the head and neck. after all, what use is all of his brute strength when he doesn’t know how to use it? jesse is not only book smart, he’s also very good at improvising.

how would he save you?

your captors are going to have a very horrible time. he’s not going to grant them the mercy of dying quickly. it won’t be difficult to find you since he’s got you tracked, after all. it’s only a matter of executing the perfect ambush.

he’s going to save the best for last: the person who had the audacity to try and take you away from him. everybody else will be in pieces, he’ll make sure of it. (and he’ll make sure they see it with their own eyes too.)

if it’s too much mess to clean up he’ll just have the place torched and be done with it. your captor would live a little longer but they’re going to wish they had died just as quickly as everybody else. jesse is going to toy with them until he’s satisfied.

would he comfort you?

jesse would waste no time getting you out of there once he has the captor in his possession. once home, he’ll clean you up nice and patch you up himself if you have any injuries.

if you’re left a little disturbed from the ordeal, he’ll do his best to comfort you. don’t expect him to fully be there for you – he’ll be so consumed with rage he might not have the capacity to think about anything else. in his mind, he was careless enough to let this happen to you.

too focused in his own plans for revenge to comfort you properly. he might even spend more time torturing your captor than comforting you. after he’s done with them, only then will he give you his full attention.

thought you were spoiled before? get ready to be spoiled until you're absolutely sick of it. while jesse is not clingy by any means, after this incident he’ll have you glued onto him 24/7.

also expect him to be fully invested in teaching you how to protect yourself. previously he was only keen on teaching you self-defense only as a last resort but after the attempted abduction he’s decided that it’s much too risky. congrats! you’re now being taught how to kill by the shadiest people imaginable. he’s paid good money for this, so you better be compliant.

thomas hewitt

tommy doesn’t spend time with other people outside of his family. on the off-chance that he does, it’s very likely they won’t be alive for very long. why bother socializing? it’s not like he can talk. besides, all they do is call him names and insult him anyways.

now that he has you, he’s convinced himself he no longer needs anyone else in his life. just you and the family.

he doesn’t go out of his way to make friends but he isn’t one to pick fights either. tommy only goes for suspicious people: ones that snoop around the property or threaten to hurt his loved ones. other than that it’s always hoyt’s call.

no matter how accepted you are in the family, you’re not allowed to go far from the property without permission. it’s not like there’s not much to see out there anyways. since there’s little to no people around, the only real danger is the victims hoyt brings in.

maybe a very crafty bunch—ones that know exactly when and how to play along. unfortunately they’d also be smart enough to notice that you stick out like a sore thumb. prepare to be “saved” from the hewitts by a bunch of kind strangers. (oh no!! not stockholm syndrome!)

how would he protect you?

while not violent in nature, tommy’s one of the most intimidating slashers. just being around the guy is enough to deter the average joe so most of the time he doesn’t actually need to do much.

won’t go for the chainsaw right away. since he’s a large man, he usually just wrangles people away from you if need be. tommy doesn’t like killing in front of you either, worried it’ll send you into hysterics. you’re not scared of him now but maybe you’ll change your mind later on.

BIG soft spot for you. very attentive to your needs. he doesn’t get social cues but body language? an expert. immediately notices if you’re feeling down or if you’ve gotten injured somehow. virtually impossible to keep a secret from him. (also partly because he likes keeping a close eye on you.)

once you fall in place with everybody else’s chores, tommy’s going to take mental note of your schedule. you’d be up a little later than him in the morning to help luda mae in the kitchen, then maybe go for a morning walk. usually you’d be back in three minutes tops. the first time you took longer to get back he panicked and went out looking for you. ...oh.. turns out you had stopped to admire the sky. nervously scoots back to the basement in hopes you hadn’t seen him stalking you.

how would he save you?

initially he’d be too upset to even think properly - assuming you’d finally decided to just up and leave when the opportunity presented itself. there’s a lot of doubt in his heart. no, they’ve taken you against your will. you couldn’t have possibly gotten sick of him, haven’t you?

tommy would be on auto-pilot the entire time. hoyt would have to take over, seeing that tommy would be too nervous about the whole thing. one thing’s for sure though: he sees red when he finally spots you, needing to physically stop himself from lunging at your captors.

again, it’s hoyt’s call. no matter how crafty they may be though, there’s no outsmarting being shot by a trigger-happy old man. (much less a very angry thomas.)

tommy might actually lose control for once. if you somehow got hurt by your captors, accidental or not, he’s going to reduce them to paste. tommy’s outburst would undoubtedly shock everyone. you won’t even hear a peep from hoyt about “wasting the meat.”

would he comfort you?

it’s all give-and-take with tommy. the kind of person to put others before himself so comforting you is top priority. also the type to blame himself; he should’ve paid more attention, double-checked their restraints, etc.

this man has been raised well so expect a lot of pampering once he’s gotten himself together. he can’t talk but he’ll coo at you and won’t let you go until he’s sure you’re okay. very very gentle with you. while he's normally not one to initiate, he’ll be more confident around you. lots of cuddling and forehead kisses.

extremely paranoid from this point on. depending on the severity of the incident, tommy might take it to the extremes. (i.e. keeping you locked in his room.) it’ll take him a long time before he’s even comfortable not seeing you. overcompensates with the affection.

it’s all very confusing for thomas. hates locking you up but.. what if someone tries to take you again? he sees how eagerly you lean against his touch but at the same time it feels so... wrong. a lot of mixed feelings. depending on how much he trusts you, he might stay like this for a while. (a few days max, with some pleading and a lot of TLC)

#my writing #slashers #tmi #tmi: rescue #chromeskull #jesse cromeans #thomas hewitt #slasher x reader #slasher x you #self ship #reader insert #requests #god i love this #might do a fic on this in the future

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tlbodine · 3 years ago

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Things That Do (And Don’t) Sell Books (in my experience)

I’ve just finished reading this book:

I am both amused and a bit disheartened to have read the whole thing and discovered that I knew pretty much everything in it. Amused, because I guess I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge over the years. Disheartened, because it clearly has not led to me becoming the break-away success I always dreamed of. Ah well. Live and learn.

I’m all about transparency in this business, so I wanted to talk honestly for a while about book marketing and what I’ve experienced in terms of what does and does not seem to work. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so chime in with your own experiences!

Branding and Audience

The first third of Burke’s book is dedicated to this aspect, and it’s an important marketing step that’s easy to overlook. The idea is basically that you can’t market a product unless it has a brand identity. To create your brand, you need to do the following:

Identify the audience who you are trying to reach with your work, or who would be most receptive to what you’re writing

Identify your dreams and goals so you have a clear picture in mind of what you want to accomplish

Figure out how to position yourself in such a way that you a.) stand out from the competition but b.) people can still relate to and understand at a glance

Find a way to communicate your brand consistently in terms of the language used, your aesthetic, the way you act online, and so forth.

When it comes to brand-building as an author, I think I’ve got a bit of a corner nailed down. I at least hope to be perceived as someone level-headed, thoughtful, generally positive/empathetic and humanist, but also critical and looking deeper into the meanings of things -- all of which are traits I personally possess and which are baked in to the work I do. In support of that branding, I curate my activity online as best I can: I post things that are of a certain horror aesthetic that I feel overlaps with my own interests/style; I give writing advice and boost people in the community where I can; I wade into discourse selectively and thoughtfully; I give media reviews and analysis that I think would be interesting to like-minded people.

The “identify the audience” part is much harder for me. I’m still honestly not sure who my ideal reader is, or where exactly to go to find my audience. At this point I’m kind of scattering crumbs of myself out into the wind and hoping it will attract people who will, in turn, be interested in the work that I do (and both willing and able to support it financially).

Things I’ve Done With Varying Degrees of Success:

Aforementioned blogging activities. I have slowly but steadily grown my following her on tumblr and other social media sites as well as my author newsletter on substack, but it’s not clear to what extent that following translates into book sales. My writing advice posts vastly out-perform all of my other content, but I haven’t seen compelling evidence that the people interested in my writing advice are especially interested in my fiction -- it seems to be two separate groups, with maybe a sliver of overlap.

Content marketing with more short fiction. This seems like it should be the safest, surest way to find more readers, but it’s time-consuming and discouraging because of the discoverability cycle. My horror flash fiction posts don’t get nearly as many notes as my advice posts. My attempts to get into the big anthologies that pop up have so far amounted to little, although I do need to write more. It’s just that coming up with new ideas and writing them all the time is a lot of work, and if it’s not paying off maybe I’m still better off dedicating that work to my novels.

Sending ARCs to book bloggers/reviewers/booktube etc. I sent out dozens, if not hundreds, of these and got next to no response. I do think part of the problem is that, at the time, I had no Twitter presence, and -- like it or not -- there seems to be a bit of cliqueishness to this aspect of the book world. Now that I’ve spent more time on Twitter ingratiating myself with the horror community, I suspect I’ll have a somewhat easier job securing blurbs and reviews at least from the people in my extended social circle. But I won’t know until I try it again. *I also know I would have greater success with this if I’d been sending paperback ARCs instead of digital. I didn’t, because the cost of buying more author copies + shipping was prohibitive.

Author Newsletter. I maintain mine in conjunction with my Patreon account. I send a monthly news round-up, making a point of shouting out both industry news and the milestones/achievements of others in the community as well as providing what I hope to be value-added or interesting content (in the form of blog posts my patrons vote on). It does OK. I average a couple of new sign-ups per month this way and tend to hover around a 25% open rate, which isn’t terrible. But it’s not great, either, and I won’t know for sure whether any of those opens will actually yield sales at any point.

Interpersonal relationships/community building. Hands down the most successful “marketing” thing I’ve ever done is make friends with people. My writing discord group is small but very close-knit and interacting with them is one of the genuine highlights of my day. I didn’t really make it with mercenary intentions of selling books, but it has directly resulted in sales. Similarly, there are a handful of authors from Twitter and Wattpad that I’ve developed genuine friendships with, and we buy each other’s books and support one another. This whole community aspect is extremely rewarding and I’d do it whether or not it sold books, but it’s also not exactly easy to scale. I can only maintain genuine friendships with so many people.

Posting in reading groups. The books that allow self-promo are so saturated with it that nobody pays any attention. The good groups do not allow self-promo, unless it’s in the form of getting down in the comments and recommending a book on a per-person basis to people looking for a specific thing, and only then if you’re not being spammy. Again, this is time-consuming. You could spend your entire life in these groups, hand-selling books to these people, and maybe picking up a few sales. They do seem like a good place to identify trends, though, so they’re good for market research if not direct selling.

Things I Have Not Done, But Which I Suspect Would Sell Books

Paid promotions. The golden ticket for book sales still seems to be landing a BookBub promo. If you’re unfamiliar, this is where you price your book at 99 cents or free and then pay bookbub to include it in their deals newsletter. Bookbub is very popular and moves a lot of copies. Ideally, you want to set it up so that your cheap book is the first in a series, and people snap that up and then come back to read the rest. This requires you to have written a series. Also bookbub is expensive because these are premium ads. We’re talking hundreds of dollars for one ad. There are other book promos that are cheaper but don’t have the same buy-through rate.

Ads on facebook/amazon. I’m only dimly familiar with the ins and outs of these ads. They can be relatively cheap, but the amount of visibility they have is tied to your budget -- so the more you can spend on a campaign, the better your performance will be.

Calling bookstores/libraries and asking them to order. I should do this. I have not done this purely because I am a coward.

I am not certain what more I can do to promote my books without spending money.

I understand the “spend money to make money” concept, but I also understand the “I have a limited budget and cannot spend it willy nilly on things that still might not actually pay off, especially considering how expensive self-publishing is when you want to do it right.”

...This post ended up in a much more bitter place than I meant for it to. Sorry. I’ll check in if I remember additional points that could be successful strategies.

#writing #publishing #writing advice #publishing advice #writeblr #long post

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