#you should not allow either of these people to have a fully operating credit card

[dayurno]

"Desperate need for community" line makes me think that kevin is always almost accidentally joining different cults. Like someone has to be like "no nope that is a scam do not do that I swear to god"

not even funny because i THINK ITS TRUE............. sorry kevin is a cult baby raised on a single-minded commune i think he will spend the rest of his life searching the tail end of that feeling of belonging somewhere.............. like both kevin and jean are at risk of getting coopted by cults but at least jean has a support system kevin has exy and a dream. this person should not be trusted anywhere near organized religion nor should he be allowed to entertain groups of two or more unsupervised!

and yeah actually kevin would also be so bad at falling for scams. the way i see it i think he would be one of those people that can be convinced to give money to ANYTHING if you mention sick children or animals or both. he's fully giving his credit card information to ScamMan42069 because andrew, are you so heartless, cant you see this person is doing a good thing by helping the children in haiti. cant you see mr. scam is doing a good deed. do you have to doubt everything

[mercury-retrograde-concept]

what are your thoughts on that lee soo man/blockberry creative partnership and loona's financial situation during the post-butterfly hiatus?

Oh, juicy question! Full disclosure time: from the moment I started this blog I intended to address this issue, because I’m intensely curious about it. This is one of those kpop situations where you have just enough information to kind of guess what might have happened. But there’s just enough ambiguity that you end up hoping the tarot cards come through for you. 

And after doing this reading I feel like I do have a better idea of what might have done down.  

Disclaimer: This tarot reading is for entertainment purposes only. All speculation comes from my interpretation only.

This question basically involves two question. Namely, what forces might have been at play during Loona’s long hiatus after Butterfly, as well as what’s up with the SM/Blockberry creative partnership. I separated these two questions in to two different segments, however it was the same pull (i.e. I didn’t put the cards back together and shuffle) because I feel as though the latter was influenced by the former. Also, since each questions involves three different entities I used some of Caroline Myss’s archetype cards in order to better anchor this reading. 

Okay, y’all ready? Let’s goooooo! love_4_eva.mp3. 

Post-Butterfly hiatus

Heart of the problem: Four of Pentacles (Reversed), The Hanged Man BBC role: Monk Nun Archetype Card What BBC wanted: Ten of Wands (Reversed), The Empress Jaden Jeong role: Trickster Archetype Card What Jaden Jeong wanted: King of Wands (Reversed), Four of Swords (Reversed) Loona role: Servant Archetype Card What Loona wanted: Three of Pentacles (Reversed), Seven of Pentacles (Reversed)

So, shortly after Butterfly, it appears as though BBC realized they were essentially hemorrhaging money. From what I’ve read over the years - and readers please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong - it appears as though BBC is better off than most k-entertainment companies, in terms of finances. However, that doesn’t mean that their resources are infinite either. While it often feels like Loona is someone’s passion project - and it definitely was Jaden Jeong’s (more on that in a second) - this is still a company. They still would like to make some money back on such an investment. More than that it also feels as though BBC also wanted attention and acclaim and other things that are hallmarks of soft power. Loona obviously has its die-hard fans, but I think it’s fair to say Hi High and Butterfly didn’t take off the way that matched the pre-debut hype. 

As a result, it appears as though BBC kind of panicked and worried about becoming something of a laughingstock. They went back to the drawing board with their plans for Loona, and became incredibly fearful of doing anything with this group.  They put the breaks on everything, to the point of giving everyone involved some metaphorical whiplash. While it’s a good thing to consider one’s budget and goals, management was so in their own heads about what to do that they stopped doing things they should do. Including following through with some deals they made with investors. They also kept these concerns close to their chest, rarely communicated well about them, and made a lot of promises they had no intention of keeping. Because, again, they didn’t want to do anything. Essentially, the company basically saw Loona as an albatross and didn’t know what to do with them, so they just buried their heads in the sand for a while. Surprisingly, the problem didn’t go away. 

This would have been annoying to any creative director, but the cards are indicating Jaden Jeong was especially agitated by this whole situation. He also probably further aggravated it in some ways. I cannot stress enough how little he cared about the financial situation of BBC. He was only concerned about the creative side of things and getting to execute his vision. He really wanted to do a group that’s on the more avant-garde side of things and he thought he finally had a chance to fully pull this off with Loona. Practical logistics were not that important to him. He wasn’t shy about confronting BBC about this, either. This probably made BBC double down on their stinginess, which in turn made Jaden Jeong act out even more. It was a vicious cycle that was bound to fall apart. Eventually, he decided to just bounce. 

As for Loona’s role in all of this ... they didn’t really have any agency to speak of. They were basically treated as pawns during this situation. BBC made it pretty clear they thought of them as a liability, while for Jaden Jeong they were pretty much avatars to fulfill his creative vision. The members were effected by this, too. It was a rude awakening after the excitement of the pre-debut era. They struggled with feeling like a cohesive unit at this point because they hadn’t gotten to do much as a group, and their future was up in the air. 

Lee Soo-man Involvement

What drew Lee Soo-man to Loona: Ten of Swords, Queen of Wands Lee Soo-man role: Teacher Archetype Card What Lee Soo-man wanted: Five of Pentacles, Temperance BBC role: Warrior Archetype Card What BBC wanted: Chariot (Reversed), Two of Swords Loona role: Exorcist Archetype Card What Loona wanted: Death, Seven of Cups (Reversed)

This was interesting and not entirely what I expected. 

Lee Soo-man’s interest in Loona appears to have been sparked by being stung by disappointment in the financial state of SM. I had a vague memory of reading that SM operated on a financial loss in 2019. I googled this and ... yep. Appears to have been the case (again, correct me if I’m wrong.) This was really, really bothering him at the end of 2019. Part of it was because the dude was a CEO and just wants the company he founded to still be making money. There’s a bit more to it, though. Beyond wanting his company to be known as the best of the best in terms of making money, he also seems to want it to be renowned for it’s creativity and boundary pushing. He appears to take it incredibly personally when an idea of his doesn’t instantly take off. 

This is where Loona comes in. It seems that he was rather flattered by the fact that they covered NCT over any other SM group (I know NCT is doing well, but the structure of the group has been something of an acquired taste, and SM seems invested in proving that this rotational structure is workable. It’s partially about money but also partially about being right.) It also didn’t escape his attention that Loona is a meme around the world.  I’ve seen some people speculate over the past few months that he was trying to sabotage Loona’s career. I really don’t see that indicated in the cards. He wouldn’t have lost sleep if the concept change costed Loona all their fans, but he generally wanted those comebacks to make a splash.

This is because investing in Loona is a win/win for his ego. If his contributions to Loona are successful, then he can take credit for ‘rescuing’ this group with a lot of potential. If their Lee Soo-man backed comebacks flop ... Well, it’s disappointing but it’s not like they’re an SM group. Any failure of theirs won’t really be seem by the public as SM failing.  Essentially, these creative partnerships with BBC allow for him to do creative work and try to push some of the more unusual songs in SM’s catalogue without getting any real pushback about it. 

Regarding Blockberry Creative, I have to wonder if they got some new leadership? I tried to google this but came up empty. They were definitely more assertive in 2020 given that they managed to pull off 2.5 comebacks (counting Star as one.) They’re still a little tentative, though. It’s not quite as bad as things were in 2019, but they were relieved to be having Lee Soo-man take the reins in 2020. They still haven’t decided what direction Loona should go in, let alone what to do with all the lore. 

As for Loona, I get the sense that 2020 was interesting for them. They were frustrated about some things, but they were still very, very ready to move on from the stagnation of 2020. They aren’t sure if they’re on board with their 2020 comebacks but they were mostly just excited to have something to do. Even if there was clear room for improvement, they still committed to their work as much as possible. They’re also working on being more proactive in their careers. 

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Instinct (Part 1/3)

Summary:  In which the paladins are unprepared for the strength of Keith’s instincts and Pidge is taken off guard by her own feelings. Pairings: Keith/Pidge; background Shiro/Curtis

Also posted on AO3 (note: I no longer post to fanfiction.net)

---

Part 1

There was a small, brown package on her desk.

Her desk, in her family's private quarters, and further locked behind a passcode that few people knew.

Pidge frowned when she saw it, barely able to take her eyes off of it as she shrugged out of her casual jacket and hung it on a hook near her door. She'd only been away for an hour, attending another meeting to address the fact that technically Katie Holt never attended the Galaxy Garrison, never mind her instrumental role in freeing Earth from Sendak's control before going on to stop Haggar from ripping apart every reality.

No, no, none of that really mattered once the war was over and the Garrison was placed under the control of the Worldwide Leadership Council, whose proclaimed goal was “peacekeeping” for all of Earth.

Pidge scowled.

Millions of people displaced from their homes, exposed to the cruelties of a ten-thousand year old war, and they were most worried about their public image.

She hated politics. She especially hated them when it stood in the way of her doing anything useful with her time. So what if she'd hacked Garrison records at fifteen, enrolled herself under a false identity, and launched her own personal investigation in the wake of the disappearance of the crew on the Kerberos Mission? They should be thanking her for exposing such a flaw in their system!

Okay, maybe that was too much, but if she hadn't illegally attended the Galaxy Garrison as Pidge Gunderson, she never would have witnessed Shiro's return with Hunk and Lance. They never would have been there to help Keith escape with him. They never would have found the caves where the Blue Lion was hidden for so long. They never would have gone to space, awoken Allura and Coran, and freed so many different planets. Earth never would have been prepared for the invasion.

Pidge would never try and claim full credit for saving the universe, it was fully a team effort, but she knew she played a pivotal role.

She shook her head gently, clearing herself of negative thoughts. She had a mystery to solve and it was much more deserving of her time than dwelling on the way things were being run in the past few months.

Pidge cautiously approached her desk, searching the package for any clue about who could have left it there. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and on top was a tiny note card bearing her name in vaguely familiar handwriting.  She found herself relaxing at that. It was unlikely to be a threat if it was someone she knew well enough to recognize their handwriting.

She was careful not to jostle the package as she picked it up and began peeling away the wrapping. With no indication of who it was from, she let her mind wander to the different possibilities, based on who she'd given her personal code to.

Hunk and Lance were out of the question. The last she'd heard from Hunk, he had made it back out to the Dalterion Belt with his band of chefs (and Shay) and was seeing what food sources the various asteroids and planets in the area had to offer. Lance was busy with the small farm he ran with his family and was always quick to tell her when they were in the area to visit Veronica.

Shiro wouldn't go out of his way to sneak a package into her room when he could just pass it off to anyone in her family or give it to her directly. It just wasn't the way he liked to do things.

Keith was equally as unlikely, though she had to admit, she had no idea where in the universe he was currently located. Once it became clear that Earth was safe, he took up Kolivan's offer to lead a team of his own in peacekeeping efforts. He called when he could and sounded completely wrung-out whenever they talked, but there was a deep-rooted pride in his voice that spoke of how much he was enjoying his work.

It had been a while since she last heard from Coran and Romelle, who were both working hard at establishing order and blending cultures of the past with those of the hidden colony on the newly restored Altea. It was tough work and Coran often despaired at how much of their history was lost. Sometimes he'd send something to Pidge (bypassing all Garrison channels) either for her to research or as a gift, but always with a long note of explanation.

Maybe it was Matt, who knew how much her frustration was starting to get the best of her. He liked to surprise her with little gifts now and again, but like with Coran, he always signed his, if he bothered to wrap them.

Her parents then. Except not, because even they would have signed it or given it to her directly.

Pidge stared down at a metallic green box as she fully pulled away the paper. There was a simple latch on one side and hinges on the other, so she cautiously opened it up, prepared to shut it if there was anything weird or dangerous.

Hair pins.

At least a dozen of them, in an array of colors and styles; some practical and others more ornate, meant to be used as decoration rather than holding hair in place.

Looking over the box and wrapping one last time, Pidge determined that whoever it was from, they were determined to remain a mystery.

She'd just have to wear them in order to show her thanks.

---

Everything was a mess.

Shiro groaned as he received another message requesting a meeting to review Pidge's “questionable” standing in the Galaxy Garrison. He'd spoken openly about his feelings on the subject a number of times – just as Admiral Iverson and Commander Holt had done, as well as many others who knew her – and he didn't see why they needed him to repeat himself for a fifth time. They had it all on record! All they had to do was play any of the last four meetings or read the minutes from them.

But if repeating himself would be what allowed Pidge to get back to the work she loved without being scrutinized over her every action, he would do it. Again and again and again.

That didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed by it.

“Don't they have better things to worry about?” he asked bitterly, more to himself than his current house-guests, one of whom was sitting at his kitchen table eating leftovers.

Kosmo woofed quietly from beneath the table.

“Are they still complaining that I didn't go through the proper channels to dock on Earth, or whatever it was?” Keith asked. “Because we already explained why that wasn't possible.”

“Although highly amusing, I'm not sure Zethrid telling the port administrators to shut up and do their jobs correctly is a proper explanation. Why did you leave it up to her anyway?” Curtis asked, sounding amused. He neatly placed a plate on the drying rack and then reached for the next one, running his soapy sponge over the surface.

Keith shrugged. “She needs the practice. And I figured they'd give us some new bullshit excuse about why we can't dock again, which meant my best bet for smoothing things over was going straight to Iverson. He may not be my biggest fan, but at least he takes the time to listen to my requests instead of denying them from the start.”

Curtis's smile dropped and he looked immediately to Shiro, whose frown was firmly in place. “So we were right. They've escalated restrictions on entering and exiting Earth.”

“What am I missing here? Restrictions are common on every planet,” Keith said.

“Which is why we didn't fight them at first,” Shiro agreed. “You haven't been here since the Worldwide Leadership Council took over operations and have been forcing harsher and harsher restrictions to pass. The official word is that they're afraid an influx of new technologies and cultures could lead to the start of a fourth world war, but...”

Curtis crossed his arms over his chest. “They're clearly targeting the Galra. At least primarily, but there are others who have been affected.”

“Anyone of Galra descent tend to make people uneasy. Its understandable, but not when they're denying entry to known allies. We couldn't have won the war without Kolivan and the rest of the Blade of Marmora, but it seems that all it's taken is a year to forget all of that. Then there's this whole thing with Pidge...”

Keith snapped to attention. “What's wrong with Pidge?”

Shiro was slightly taken back by Keith's quick interest, but it was a chance to rant about another situation to someone who wasn't already in the loop, so he quickly summed up everything going on with Pidge, watching Keith's expression grow more thunderous by the minute.

“She's a hero and they're treating her like some kind of criminal,” he growled, fury in his voice. “No one cared about her age or any of that when we were busy fighting in a literal war, but now it's over and they think they can cast her aside? How can they do that to her, Shiro?” His anger broke, giving way to something Shiro rarely heard from Keith, except when he was concerned about someone he cared deeply for.

“We've been trying to work it out for months, offering any idea that could appease them and let Pidge join Commander Holt and Matt on the Defense Program, but we've made no progress,” Shiro said. “All that's done is had them restrict her time in the classroom labs even more.”

“We think they're trying to force her out. They want to cover up that they were bested by someone who was fifteen when she hacked the system.” Curtis voiced the (until then) unspoken opinion shared by everyone involved.

Keith was quiet for a moment. He reached under the table to pet Kosmo as the massive wolf nudged his leg for attention.

Shiro and Curtis gave him time to mull it over. It was a lot to take in on a normal amount of sleep, and it was clear from the bags under his eyes that Keith clearly wasn't getting enough rest.

It seemed not even Kolivan could train out the way Keith tended to broadcast his emotions, easy to read for anyone who cared enough to pay attention. Shiro could see the emotions playing out across his face – the anger on behalf of the youngest paladin, frustration, the furrowed brows of wonderment, and then stubborn determination.

Keith had some sort of plan formulating and Shiro couldn't wait to hear it.

Shiro gestured for Curtis to sit down with them at the table. (Why he felt the need to clean them every time he came over, Shiro did not understand. The plates were fine. Shiro could do them after he left, but no, Curtis insisted--)

“How quickly do you think they'd give in if I refuse to leave until she looks over the ship we arrived in?” Keith asked them.

“It's unlikely they would at all. They'd insist that you use one of the Garrison engineers and if you refuse that's grounds for imprisonment, no matter who you are. But... we could try?” Curtis sounded unsure of himself and Shiro couldn't help but reach over and squeeze his hand.

Keith raised an eyebrow at the action, but said nothing. Shiro was sure he'd be questioned later, once Curtis was gone for the night.

Curtis continued, slightly emboldened by the comforting gesture. “It's no secret that they don't like that you bypassed protocol and landed here, but they may be more willing to go with what you want if you extend your stay by other means. Like, say, a vacation?”

Shiro quickly caught on. “Not as a pretense, Keith. Contact Kolivan and tell him you're all finally taking some time off.”

“Going to tell me I look like shit next?” Keith asked.

“Not in those exact words, no.”

Violet eyes stared him down from across the table and then Keith tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I know the others would appreciate a vacation, even if they'll complain at first. I have eight others with me and they'll all need someone to show them around.”

“We have volunteers for just that,” Curtis said. “And I think I already know who can show Acxa around. She and Veronica got along well when we were all on the Atlas together. I don't know about anyone else though.”

Shiro was absolutely not volunteering to watch after Zethrid or Ezor.

“So, we take a vacation and on the last day make the request for Pidge to look over the ship?” Keith guessed.

Shiro nodded. “It might help if there are any repairs that need to be made.”

“Oh, like our communications system? Since somehow the Garrison couldn't hear us until we were already coming in for a landing, despite the fact that Kolivan, who is lightyears away, can hear me perfectly?”

“Best not mention that last part,” Curtis advised. “But yeah. It's even better, since Pidge enrolled herself in the communications program when she was here. Regardless of how she ended up in the Garrison, they can't deny that she studied the exact thing you need fixed, and she was good at it.”

Maybe it would work.

Shiro didn't have many positive things to say about the direction things were heading with the stranglehold the Worldwide Leadership Council had on the Galaxy Garrison, but it was more of a chance for Pidge to do something than they'd had in a while.

They just needed to be careful.

---

Even when it was just the four of them, dinner was not a quiet affair for the Holt family. There was always someone talking about the work they'd done that day or a new discovery that was made or even just something funny that they'd seen or heard.

Colleen wrapped up her enthusiastic description of a new variant of Juniberry she helped cultivate and while Sam launched into a round of questions, Matt leaned over to Pidge with a grin on his face.

“You know, Keith arrived today.”

Pidge looked up from her food, already more interesting in what her brother had to say than the ongoing conversation about plants. “Really? Is everything okay?”

“According to Shiro, he's here for a vacation with his team, and the first person he asked about is you,” Matt said, his grin growing wider.

Pidge knew that tone. It was the same one she and Hunk used when teasing Lance about his crush on Allura. She rolled her eyes, not for one second falling for his attempt to get her flustered. “Other than Shiro, I'm the only other person he knows is on base. It doesn't mean anything.”

“What doesn't mean anything?” Colleen asked.

“Nothing,” Pidge and Matt said in unison.

Colleen narrowed her eyes as she watched them pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. After a moment, she went back to her conversation with Sam, though neither Pidge nor Matt dared to bring up the topic a second time, knowing their mom would hone in on it in a heartbeat.

Pidge was thankful that Matt knew better than to involve their parents in his teasing. Their mom would definitely take it seriously, and while their dad would accept it as a joke at first, the more Colleen treated it like a genuine thing, the less he would see it as the teasing that it was.

The last thing she wanted was for them to insist on supervision while she was around Keith. How embarrassing would that be?

“So how's the Defenders Project going, Matt?” Pidge asked, changing the subject completely.

“You know we're not allowed to talk about it outside of the labs,” Matt said apologetically. “But without going into too much detail, it's going a little more slowly than we'd like. There are some new restrictions being passed on what goods can be brought to Earth and by who, and until they work out all of the details, we can't get in the equipment and materials we need in order to continue.”

“Seriously? What are they thinking?”

Sam set down his fork, turning his attention to their conversation. “In a way, it does work to our benefit. We have more time than expected to run checks and extra tests to ensure everything will work the way it's meant to.”

“Except that all we can do is run simulations, which can't account for the differences that Altean tech makes when combined with our own,” Matt pointed out, sounding bitter.

Colleen cleared her throat. “I think that's enough work chatter for tonight.”

Pidge and Matt exchanged a glance, silently communicating: “What else is there?”

“Well then, how about a little good news?” Sam asked. “We have officially been granted permission to host a festival celebrating the liberation of the galaxy from Galra control.”

“Wait, really? Dad, that's awesome!” Matt cheered.

Sam nodded. “I need you all to keep this a secret for now. They won't be making the announcement for another few days, since they're finalizing the location and central theme, so no talking about it to anyone else.”

His family was quick to agree to that and the rest of their dinner was spent trying to guess what a Garrison-run festival would be like.

---

Pidge woke up in high spirits the next morning and, after breakfast, slipped into her comfiest clothing with the intent of finally sitting down to binge the new show Rizavi hadn't shut up about for weeks. With the longer pieces of her hair pinned out of the way with two bright green clips, she flopped down on her bed and reached for her remote.

“Katie, you have a visitor!”

She tried not to groan as her mom's voice rang out, loud and clear. She swore if Rizavi was at the door, waiting to drag her and Kinkade off on another crazy adventure that was sure to land the three of them in Iverson's office, she was going to run away and join Lance on his farm, just to have a moment of peace.

Okay, maybe that was a little extreme.

Pidge would hate living on a farm.

She bid goodbye to her relaxing day in as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her small purse, knowing it was best to be prepared when it came to Rizavi. The other girl wouldn't give her a chance to speak, let alone grab her things. (Honestly, she loved that Rizavi included her in outings, she just wished the pilot knew how to slow down sometimes – a sentiment shared by Kinkade.)

Pidge took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door. “Ri-- Keith?!”

Standing near the front door was Keith, his black hair tied back in a short ponytail, looking mildly uncomfortable in what she assumed was clothing borrowed from Shiro. (The cuffs on his pants were rolled up, for one, and the t-shirt with Godzilla on it had been a gift from Matt.)

Keith smiled softly when he saw her. “Hey, it's been a while.”

Pidge found herself smiling back. “Too long. Welcome back!”

“Did I come at a bad time?” Keith asked, gesturing to her bag.

Pidge glanced down to see what he was talking about. “Oh, no! No, you're fine. I kind of thought you were Rizavi. She likes to drop by unannounced when she has free time and I've learned its better to be prepared before I open the door. Do you want to sit down?”

Keith shook his head. “Actually, I was hoping you would go out to the city with me. Shiro was going to take me so I could pick up a few things, but they called him and Curtis in for some meeting this morning. He suggested I ask you.”

That was not a request Pidge expected to hear from him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go shopping with Keith.

“I'll go, just let me grab Matt's keys,” Pidge said, turning away to grab her brother's passkey from its spot on the counter. She knew he would be down in the lab all day and wouldn't mind her borrowing it. “Mom, I'm going out with Keith!”

“Have fun, dear!” Colleen called back from elsewhere in the apartment.

Keith looked at her curiously as they left, moving out into the hallway and towards the exit. “Why do you need Matt's keys?”

“It'll get us into the garage so we don't need to take the shuttle or ask anyone else to drive us,” Pidge explained as she slid the card into her purse. “Technically I'm not supposed to have one, but the guards don't care as long as I'm careful and get back on time.”

“And here I thought I was the rebel of our team.”

Recognizing it for the joke that it was, Pidge teased back: “worried that I might steal your crown?”

Keith glanced down at her. “Depends. Do the guards really let you leave with a car or does it involve more sneaking?”

“Sneaking at first, but now they know me by name,” Pidge admitted. When he smirked at her, she rolled her eyes. “Well, alright then, King of the Rebels, what's the best story you've got?”

Keith took a moment to think about it, studiously ignoring the stares they received as they walked the halls.

Pidge figured they must have made an interesting sight. Her, the daughter of Sam and Colleen Holt, walking around in starry leggings and a too-big shirt that fit more like a short dress. And then him, almost a stranger to the Garrison after his time away, dressed in clothing equally as ill-fitting.

“I stole Shiro's car once.”

Pidge nearly stopped dead in her tracks. “You didn't!”

“I did,” Keith said with a nod. “He came to my school to talk about the space program and he brought this portable simulator so my class could try it out. I... I was difficult then, is the easy way to put it. Didn't get along with anyone. Didn't want to.”

Pidge had a sarcastic comment ready, but there was something about his tone of voice that had her hold her tongue.

“Anyway, all it took was one stupid comment and I needed to get out of there. Saw Shiro talking to my teacher and figured it was a lost cause anyway – the Garrison wouldn't want some troublemaker like me even if I did give it a chance. So I stole Shiro's car.” Keith shrugged as though it were no big deal. “I got caught, of course, and would have spent the night at a juvenile detention center if it weren't for Shiro speaking up for me. Even after all of that, he said I should apply to the Garrison. And the rest is history.”

Pidge let silence settle between them. She knew that he and Shiro were close, but it was the first time she heard the story of how they met.

“I, uh,” she paused for a moment to recall what they were talking about before. “I ran away from home and joined the Garrison under a false name. How's that for rebellion?”

Keith chuckled. “Not bad, but I punched Iverson and then ran away to live in a house in the desert before he could give me an actual punishment.”

“Wait, wait. Let me get this straight; you stole Shiro's car and you also punched Iverson? And Lance says I have no people skills!” She threw up her hands in defeat.

“So does this mean I'm still the king?”

“For now,” Pidge responded and for a moment had to wonder just what kind of challenge she'd accidentally initiated. But then they shared a glance and broke out into laughter over the whole thing.

They spent the rest of their walk just catching up on what they had been doing for the past few months. Keith spoke of the planets he'd seen and the people he helped, all the while keeping Zethrid and Ezor from terrorizing everyone with their playful antics. Pidge deliberately avoided her issues with the WLC, instead focusing on her personal projects and stories of Bae Bae running rampant through the base.

“Luckily, Iverson thinks she's hilarious and the MFE crew basically adopted her as their mascot, so she's living the best doggy life,” Pidge said as they reached a door to the garage. She took out the keycard and pressed it to the scanner so they could enter.

After a quick glance around to confirm there was no one around who would cause problems for them, Pidge held out the keycard to Keith. “It's your pick.”

Looking confused, Keith took the card. “My pick?”

“I know it's been a while since you last drove here on Earth, and I thought you might like to while you're here,” Pidge said with a shrug. “I normally drive one of the standard sedans, but the choice is all yours today.”

Keith took a moment to look around. There were all of the standard off-road vehicles favored by the Galaxy Garrison, built to handle the harsher terrain of the desert, but there were a surprising number of smaller cars mixed in, likely due to the expanded staff in the wake of the invasion.

Somehow, Pidge wasn't at all surprised when Keith gravitated towards the newest model of their Hoverbikes – one capable of switching between street and off-road modes. While it wasn't red like the one he drove while rescuing Shiro, it did have bright splashes of orange pain set against Garrison gray.

He climbed on first, checking over the controls and getting a feel for the bike, but soon he held out his hand to help Pidge up. While she got settled, he dug through a latched compartment until he found two pairs of goggles and handed one back to Pidge.

“Ready when you are,” Pidge said, carefully sliding them on over her glasses.

Keith took her words to heart and started the bike, which came to life with a humming purr and lifted up off the ground. He carefully guided it through the garage, hyper-aware of Pidge's light grip on his waist.

Pidge waved to the guards when they stopped at the main gate to scan the keycard one last time. “We'll be back by curfew!”

She squealed as Keith sped up on the other side of the gate, sliding her arms fully around his waist so she felt less like she would fly away at any second. Her hair whipped around her face, stinging slightly, and she pressed closer against Keith's back, using him to block the worst of the wind. Her heart pounded in her chest at first, but calmed down by the time they reached Plaht City.

Keith pulled into the first parking lot they found and miraculously found an empty space to pull into. Once he turned off the bike, he helped Pidge slide down and she laughed a little breathlessly, a massive grin on her face. He watched her pull free the hair pins and try to smooth out her hair, realizing after a few seconds that he was staring, and then joined her on the ground.  He pointedly looked away, taking in the changes that they city had gone through.

The rebuilding seemed to have gone well, though there were still a few skyscrapers under heavy construction deeper in the city limits. What really caught his attention were the colorful tents lining the streets, full of goods from all over the universe, and arranged in a way that they didn't block any of the brick and mortar shops who had also thrown up bright banners to entice people inside. All of it did restrict the flow of traffic, however, leaving just enough street space for bicycles and a new trolley system to travel both ways. (Keith supposed that if an emergency vehicle needed to get through, there was enough space as well.)

It was an entirely different Plaht City.

“So, where to first? Or do you just want to walk and pick places as we go?” Pidge asked.

“I just need clothes,” Keith said, warily keeping his eyes on the crowded streets. He swallowed, wondering if he was really up for being surrounded by that many strangers, even with Pidge there to watch his back. There were too many unknown variables for him to be comfortable with.

Pidge seemed to pick up on his worry, because she nodded and said “I know a few good places, so it shouldn't take us long to find what you want. We'll just go until you're satisfied with what you've found.”

The two set off down the street, Keith following Pidge and hoping that she was right. After being in space for so long, he felt grossly unprepared for dealing with large crowds – even with his current peacekeeping tasks. At least with that there were only a few locals he needed to talk to, usually the leaders and those they brought with them to help transport supplies.

Keith kept an eye out for any threats and ways to make a quick escape if it came down to it. He didn't realize he was doing it until Pidge softly called his name.

“We don't have to do this today, you know,” she offered. “You just got back. We could ride around the desert or something.”

It was a tempting offer.

Keith shook his head. “Maybe once we're done, but I don't want to keep borrowing Shiro's stuff.”

“Not a fan of Godzilla? More of a Mothra kind of guy?” Pidge asked teasingly.

Keith couldn't help but chuckle at the silly direction their conversation turned. It did wonders to help him relax and he wondered if Pidge was doing it on purpose. “I think giant monsters are more Shiro's thing. I'm more into cryptids. Local legends. That sort of thing.”

“So not Mothra, but Mothman. Got it.” Pidge grinned up at him, pleased by her own joke.

Keith wasn't going to let her have all of the fun. “Let me guess, you're a Bigfoot fan?”

“They are the classic cryptid, with variations all across the globe, and you can't go wrong with that. Besides, I can appreciate that they've made a game out of teasing Bigfoot hunters over the years,” Pidge said.

(How was that a real conversation they were having? It was surreal.)

“Well, now that I know you've secretly been a nerd this whole time, I have to show you this place Matt and I found. You'll love it!” Pidge excitedly reached for her hand, tugging him along as she began walking faster.

Keith increased his stride in order to keep up with her.

It didn't take long to reach their destination, which was a small clothing shop tucked away in a corner next to a salon and a pizza place. Pidge pulled him inside and cut straight to the back of the store, where Keith quickly discovered the reason for her excitement.

Specialty shirts, separated by their subject matter. Cryptids were all lumped together and sorted by alphabetical order, with a miscellaneous category for any that were more rare. Across the back wall was an even larger section labeled 'Area 51'.

Keith didn't know where to start.

Pidge let go of his hand and laughed gleefully as she dove into the nearest rack. “This is where Matt and I did our holiday shopping. Ooo, look!” She held up a shirt with a picture of a purposefully pixelated image of the Loch Ness Monster.

He snorted in amusement and Pidge went back to her search. While it wasn't a place he normally would have picked to do shopping at, he figured he could at least get a shirt for Pidge, as a thank you for joining him. It was with that goal in mind that he joined the searching, holding u anything interesting for Pidge's approval or disapproval, and laughing at some of the more bizarre (and sometimes inappropriate) ones they found.

They each bought a shirt before leaving, and it was with high spirits that they set off to accomplish the rest of their mission.

Pidge was an interesting travel companion. She could talk about nearly anything and didn't always expect for him to have a reply, but it wasn't idle chatter. She knew a lot about how the city rebuild was going and which parts had been left mostly untouched, versus what had to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. More importantly, she did know the shops of the area.

By the time lunch rolled around, he had a decent set of clothes that would last him through his week vacation. After the last one, they grabbed a meal from the food trucks in the area and ate as they walked back to the hoverbike.

“Pidge, thanks for coming with me,” Keith said sincerely. “I'm sure you had other things you wanted to do today and I really appreciate it.”

She slowed down a little, staring up at him with a furrowed brow. “I can do those things anytime, you know? But you're only here for a little while and I'd give up a full week of work to spend time with you.”

Keith felt his cheeks heated up and he looked away from her, hoping she didn't notice. He struggled to find they right response without letting his own feelings spill out. “You, uh, might regret saying that when I tell you I'll be here for at least a week.”

“You are?” Pidge asked in surprise. “That's awesome! And okay, I slightly take back what I said before, because I know you'll want to spend time with Shiro too, but I really did mean it. I... I've missed having you around. More than I thought, actually...” She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts and clearly not expecting an answer.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, tossing their trash into the proper bins once they were done,and then there was no more talk as they drove the thirty minutes back to the Garrison.

[calliecat93]

The kids are official Huntsmen/Huntress’ now! Yay!!! Ah, I still remember the days when Ruby was blowing up craters and Jaune was vomiting off of airships. Good times man, good times. But that was then, this is now. It’s been quite a long road to reach this point, especially in V7 alone so far. We’re only five chapters in, but it’s felt like a whirlwind. We ain’t done yet though, and now with our kids’ official Huntsmen/Huntresses, what are they going to get in to? Especially with so much going on with Mantle, Ironwood, and the Council elections? Well, let’s take a look and find out!

Overview

Penny has been assigned as Team RWBY’s alarm clock as she wakes them up for work. We get a nice montage showing the gang’s daily routine. It mainly consists of briefings, supply runs, and various other jobs like Grimm fighting or basic help around Mantle. Like Jaune escorting children to school, which the mothers greatly appreciate! And that ain’t an exaggeration! Oh thirsty moms joke, I knew that you would pay off~ They’re also training frequently with the Ace-Ops and Ironwood has taken Oscar under his wing in hopes of being able to jog out Ozpin. It’s a nice montage, all with a really rockin’ Jeff and Casey song! I couldn’t 100% make it out cause of the talking, but it’s all about after feeling so bad and like life has been in so much disarray, the singers are taking their lives into their own hands, making something happy out of it, and starting a new day. It is awesome and I love it~!

JNR and Oscar are training against, of all people, Team FNKI. Yep, Flynt and Neo are back and we get to see their teammates Kobalt and Ivori. I… didn’t care about FNKI back in V3 and still don’t, though Neon’s design is nice. But not much to say aside from Neon successfully pissing Nora off more than I think she did Yang. That is saying a LOT. Still, it’s a nice scene but JNR has to pass on lunch cause they’re still bogged down with work. Which makes sense, but we’ll talk about that in the review. But Ruby’s starting to feel the fatigue as she, Penny, Qrow, and Clover are en route to Amity Arena for a supply drop. Poor girl can barely keep herself awake, mainly cause of boredom but she’s gotta be feeling the exhaustion from so much Huntress work by now.

Penny though is as perky as always and happy that she can embark on an official mission with Ruby. You know, a friend! This gets Ruby’s attention as she asks Penny if she’s made any other friends since the Fall. Sadly, Penny’s been so busy since being rebuilt/made Mantle’s protector that Ironwood pretty much told ehr that she has no time for friends. Which is just… depressing, especially when you recall how Penny wanted friends back in V1 and wanted to stay at Beacon. When Ruby asks how she feels about it, Penny expresses how she wishes that she could both do what she wants and what she needs to do, which is relatable as Hell. In the back, Qrow and Clover are playing cards with Clover talking about how well-rounded Ruby and the kids are. Which makes sense since they had Qrow to look up to, though he shoots that down. Clover notices Qrow deflecting the compliment, and expresses how he shouldn’t do that since he still helped the kids get to where they are. Even more than he may realize.

Things come to a halt, however, when they reach a roadblock. The gate is closed off and being blocked by a pair of women. One is the lamb girl from the last episode, who the credits reveal is named Fiona Thyme. The other? Well, this marks the first in-person appearance of the long-awaited Robyn Hill. Why is she stopping them? Well, as it turns out, the military has been making construction equipment/sources meant for Mantle’s worn-down protections due to needing them for Amity Colosseum, and Robyn wants to know why. That little tidbit clearly has Ruby taken aback, but that’s another thing we’ll discuss int he review. But since no one can go into the real details about the arena, they give Robyn no answer. Just then, Penny bursts out of the van, telling Robyn to recall her girls that were trying to break into it. Robyn does so, allowing the van to proceed forward. But if Clover won’t directly give her an answer, then she’s going to find out herself…

Back at Atlas, Weiss is training with Winter, who critiques her Summoning in a way that only she could. But nevertheless, Winter is happy to see how much that Weiss has grown and that she successfully left their family name behind instead of clinging to it as she once did. She’s hoping that she’ll stay with Atlas, but Weiss is hesitant. While she’d be grateful, she still is unsure if Ironwood can be fully trusted and that even if he thinks that he is, he isn’t doing the right thing. Given Mantle’s current state and us now knowing that their resources are being pulled, it’s hard to not blame her. Winter does admit that Ironwood hasn’t handled things perfectly, but she still trusts him, and she believes that he fully trusts her. Why is she so sure? Well, she takes Weiss to, of all places, a hospital. They go to a heavily armed, monitored, and guarded area and Winter has Weiss watch from a window as she enters the hospital room of an elderly woman named Fria. The Winter Maiden.

Later, Winter tells Weiss of how Fria could die at any moment’s notice, and as such only she is allowed to see her. Weiss quickly puts the pieces together. Yes friends, Winter is being pegged as the next Winter Maiden and has been since the Fall of Beacon. Weiss is quite taken aback by how her sister has seemed to accept the fact that Ironwood groomed her entire military career for this, with WInter admitting that she wasn’t happy at first. But once she thought about it, she realized that with the Maiden powers, she could do a lot of good for Atlas. For Remnant. Is it ideal? No. Did WInter’s life get decided for her? Oh Hell yes. However, she’s ultimately decided to take it, and make it her own choice. She’s choosing to b the next Maiden, and to make that legacy her own regardless of how that legacy came to be.

Just then, Atlas broadcasts a live statement being made by Jaques. So… you think that you hate the man already? Think that there’s no way that we can hate him even more? HA! Jaques announces that due to the embargo affecting his business, he has shut down all nonessential SDC operations within Mantle. He won’t reopen them until he’s elected and able to lift the embargo. You heard that right folk, Jaques is robbing people in his employ of their jobs to essentially blackmail the citizens of Mantle into electing him. When the transmission ends, all Hell breaks loose. Weiss and Winter are stunned and the episode ends as we see riots break out all across Mantle. As Winter notes, the spark needed to burn the kingdom down has been ignited.

Review

Well, THAT took a turn fast!

Ho boy, where should we start? Well… let’s go with the Winter Maiden first. There’s been a LOT of speculation about her with the popular opinion being that it was Mama Schnee. I felt that wasn’t true because it would have been idiotic for none of them to tell Weiss that in Chapter 2, and it is now debunked. There’s some speculation that Fria is based on Freja, the Norse God of Love, which… well...who else in RWBY do we know of who are based on Norse mythology? Hmm? HMM? It’s still too soon to say, but Sam Ireland (Nora’s VA) DID say that some Nora backstory was upcoming, so if the theory is true… well… yeah, that’ll be a thing.

Not surprised about Winter being pegged as the Winter Maiden, and not just cause of the name. We’d all been expecting she either was or was going to be for a long time now. But it’s just… sad. While I like that she took her fate and is going to make it her own, in so many ways she’s in the same place that she tried to escape when she left Jaques. She had her whole career groomed for a fate that she got no say in. It’s like with Pyrrha, only with Winter having already gone through the acceptance process and not having nearly as short an amount of time to decide to go with it. And I not only get the feeling that she’s not gonna get the powers or not have it long), but that when she does make her own decision for her own life… it may very well be the final one. Pray that Cinder doesn’t get near her, is all I’m saying.

Okay, let’s talk about the growing Mantle problems. So we find out that resources needed to repair Mantle’s protections have been stripped for the Arena. This looks really bad on Ironwood for at least not putting something out to explain why. I know that he doesn’t care about his image, but due to that, he’s really making things worse for Mantle. The fact that Ruby is clearly surprised by this fact also means that he didn’t tell RWBYJNRQO this tidbit despite assigning most of them to help Mantle. It may seem minor, but this is the cause of many of the Grimm attacks swarming Mantle, So yeah, telling them that detail and trying to work out a solution should have been a priority. It just makes Ruby’s decision to not fully trust Ironwood yet all the more well-founded if Ironwood isn’t providing all the info, despite how he claims that he wants to be apparent with them.

But it’s not just that. Because of Ironwood focusing his armies on Atlas, Mantle has such weak defenses. The few soldiers in the city you can see run for it when the riots break out. Penny is the only one among those forces capable of doing something, and due to it, Ironwood has stripped her of ANY chance of a normal life. She can’t make friends. She can’t go to school. I doubt that she can see her father all that much. Ironwood is treating her as only a weapon, not like a person which is just horrible. Penny seems to have just resigned herself to it and put on an optimistic facade, though you can tell that she isn’t happy with her position when confronting Robyn. She isn’t happy with the situation at all. She knows that Mantle is suffering and is trying so hard to help in the limited capacity that she has, but it can only do so much. Penny may have survived Beacon, but she is in exactly the same place that she wanted to avoid. It’s why she had her plan to stay at Beacon that hee death went and screwed up. It’s just… sad to watch.

This spreads to the others as well. Through the montage, we see them working constantly. By the end, we see them tired and falling asleep at briefings and Ruby in the supply van. Ruby begins with her usual amount of high energy but is clearly worn down by the time of the mission despite her being the only one awake still at the end of the montage. JNR can’t hang out with Team FNKI or get lunch due to the frequent missions that pop up. All of their focus has to b on Amity Arena, the Grimm, and other random tasks due to the low number of forces to do those jobs due to being on standby. 

More or less, Ironwood is subjecting them to the same exhaustion that she’s subjecting himself and forcing essentially an army-sized amount of work on a small number of people, including recent graduates. Now Huntsman/Huntress work is demanding, but it’s just too much and eventually, it’s going to push them to exhaustion and not be at full strength. Which when the Salem info goes public, them not being at full strength is going to be very, very bad. At least they’re training, which will help them get stronger, but that’ll mean nothing if they’re too tired to channel it.

Mantle is in a very bad spot. For all his talk fo wanting to help them, Ironwood’s doing a shit job and his lack fo care about his image is going to make the people mistrust and hate him. THey’re not going to trust the military to protect them from Salem. Worst? Jaques has taken an even larger leap to being utter garbage and is now pretty much blackmailing the city to either vote for him, or be unemployed. It is a despicable act and has caused the city to break out into chaos. Ironwood’s likely not going to issue a statement or anything, so it only makes them hate him more and blame him for their predicament either alongside Jaques or even instead of Jaques, the person actually responsible. It matches so much currently going on in RL and it’s scary but accurate at least. Considering that the next episode is supposed to happen at a political rally, it’s only going to get crazier.

But speaking of, we FINALLY meet Robyn! Yay! So far? I like her! She seems like a confident, friendly individual though of course she’s not opposed to resorting to theft ala her inspiration of Robin Hood. She is fully aware of the problems going on in Mantle, but she, of course, is unaware of why. But she’s clearly Hellbent on finding out, and her pursuit of this along with her own push for Council are gonna be interesting to see. I can see her being a great opposing force to the heroes, though at least she seems noble. Her design, as well as the other Happy Huntresses’, look good and her being voiced by Cristina Vee (Marinette in Miraculous Ladybug)? Bless. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her, especially if she does uncover the truth. Now THAT will be interesting.

The montage was fun, especially with the badass Jeff and Casey song. The pacing was both fast and slow but balanced well, and it introduced a lot of good things. Robyn and her gang, the Winter Maiden, furthering the political problems in Mantle, it truly feels like we’re not in Act Two. Eddy’s knocked his episodes out of the park so far, especially with the beauty of the Thirsty Moms joke. I fully believe that he did that just to mess with Miles, and I am forever grateful~ WHile I don’t care about Team FNKI, it was nice to see them pop up and see the two that we didn’t previously. The training session was fun. The score was good, especially the instrumental of The Path to Isolation that played when Weiss and Winter talked. Nice talks between Ruby and Penny, as well as Qrow and Clover and the confirmation that Qrow indeed quit drinking makes me happy. Just a lot of good here. I like it~

Chapter Six Predictions

We’re probably gonna see more of the gang’s growing fatigue considering that the chapter is meant to give them a day off. It’s also supposed t take place at a political rally, so expect more chaos there. I imagine that the rally is for Robyn, who’s likely going to take Jaques’ recent order and use it to try and convince the people to elect her so that she can fix it. We know from the thumbnail that Ruby and Penny will be there and I’m hoping that means we’ll also see Pietro and Maria. I hope for the latter at least, God do I miss her.

This could also lead to the Robyn vs Tyrian fight that’s int he opening, or at least the beginning of it. Which heck yah! I am SO ready for that! Hard to say what else may happen though. Maybe we’ll see more of Ruby struggling with her decision to hide the truth, especially with Mantle only getting worse. Maybe we’ll see more of her and Oscar since we still don’t know how he took Ruby’s explanation, but I get the feeling that he is the one least happy with it. Either way, ti’s probably gonna be an insane episode… as if the others haven’t been XD

Episode Stats

Favorite Character: Robyn Hill and Winter Schnee Favorite Scene: Weiss and Winter scenes Least Favorite Scene: JNR+O vs FNKI, but only because I don’t care about FNKI Favorite Voice Actor: Cristina Vee (Robyn Hill) Favorite Animation: Neon’s updated rainbow effect Rating: 10/10

Final Thoughts

So far, this is my favorite episode! Great scenes and discussions, nice plot developments, good character intros, and another badass song. It was funny, dramatic, and just a fun watch. V7 has been fantastic across the board so far, and ho boy it doesn’t look like it’s going to drop the ball any time soon. There is so much that I am excited about due to this episode! Once again, Eddy knocked it out of the park and I think that he is a very welcome addition along with Kiersi cause this volume has just been great! Love it~!

[coinbuyerpro-blog]

virtual currency

Despite looking like traditional cash machines, virtual currency, Bitcoin ATMs are not ATMs in the traditional sense. Instead of connecting to the user’s bank account, they are connected to the Internet in order to be able to facilitate Bitcoin transactions.

Bitcoin ATMs can accept money in cash and exchange it to Bitcoins given as a paper receipt with a QR-code on it or by moving the funds to a wallet on a Blockchain network. They usually charge very high transaction fees - there are media reports citing fees as high as seven percent.

Moreover, they can be quite difficult to locate. Most known Bitcoin ATMs are marked on this Bitcoin ATM map.Only a few specific Bitcoin ATMs offer bi-directional functionality meaning that users can both buy and sell Bitcoins using them. Among such machines are Robocoin, Genesis1 and Satoshi2 from Genesis Coin, BitAccess and BATMThree model from General Bytes. However, some operators might disable sell operations.

Sometimes, Bitcoin ATM providers require users to have an existing account to conduct selling operations and the registration process often involves a lot of time, energy and effort. For example, new users of Robocoin ATM need to a telephone number for activation and notifications, government issued ID, palm scan and a current photo taken by the ATM’s webcam. The identification process varies depending on the machine and even on different operators running similar ATMs, but some sort of identity verification will always be required if you want to sell.

After your identity is verified, you are given a QR code with a wallet address to which you need to send your Bitcoins. Depending on the machine you’re using, you will either get cash out of the machine immediately or you will receive a redeem code and need to wait for the transaction confirmation. Usually, one confirmation is enough, but sometimes up to six confirmations are required before the user can withdraw cash.

So, despite the ever-growing number of Bitcoin ATMs worldwide, they are still primarily used to buy Bitcoins. Moreover, BTC ATM operators need to adjust the setting on their machines in accordance with anti-money laundering and know your customer standards applicable in the jurisdiction where their ATMs are placed. In some countries, this requires a money transmitter license, while current regulations in other countries prevent any Bitcoin ATMs from being installed.

Direct trades

Another way of selling ethereum is via a direct trade with another person. This service is accessible on websites usually associated with exchanges and includes an intermediary facilitating the connection.

First, you will need to register as a seller. Apart from setting up your profile, you will need to fully verify your identity. Once you’re registered, you can post an offer indicating your intention to sell some Bitcoins. When a buyer wants to trade with you, you get a notification from the service and from thenon you are only interacting with the buyer. The website merely serves as a platform to complete the trade.

The process of selling xrp on some of those sites can be quite involved and time-consuming. So, it is imperative to do your research before deciding on a trading platform and make sure you have the time and patience required.

Cashing out your Bitcoins is not as straightforward as buying them. If you decide to sell your Bitcoins online, you can either do it via an exchange, direct trade or carry out a peer-to-peer transaction. Outside of the comfort of your own home, you can withdraw flat money using a Bitcoin ATM or sell your Bitcoins in person.

Despite having several disadvantages, exchanges are a one-stop solution when it comes to trading Bitcoins. In the case of selling the cryptocurrency, exchanges act as an intermediary that holds both seller’s and buyer’s funds.

First, you need to set up an account with an exchange of your choice. The absolute majority of reputable exchanges will require a complete identity verification and a connected bank account so that you can withdraw your funds.

Then, you just simply place a ‘sell offer,’ stating the type of currency you wish to trade, its amount and your asking price per unit. The exchange will automatically complete the transaction once someone matches your offer.

After the funds are credited to your account, you will need to withdraw them to your connected bank account. This can sometimes take an excessive amount of time, especially if the exchange is experiencing issues with its banks or facing liquidity problems. Several months before its bankruptcy, the Mt. Gox exchange was experiencing this exact problem. Moreover, some banks just outright refuse to process transactions with funds obtained via cryptocurrency trading.

It is also important to consider a fee you’ll need to pay in order to use some exchanges. For example, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges CEX.io charges a flat fee of $50 for withdrawal via Bank transfer, $3.80 if you’re withdrawing your funds to a Visa card and 1.2 percent of a transaction + $3.80 if you’re using MasterCard. The withdrawal fees can vary drastically depending on an exchange, but transaction fees are almost always either tiny or non-existent at all.

In addition, most exchanges will have a limit on the amount of money you’re allowed to store. The limit will increase over time if you stay loyal to a particular exchange.

Finally, it is important to remember that despite offering wallet services, exchanges are by no means a secure and reliable place to store your funds. They are very prone to hacker attacks, and there have also been instances of exchanges shutting down and running away with their users’ funds. Hence why you should take full responsibility for your own funds and store any amount that is not immediately needed in a secure offline wallet.

 Online P2P trading

Peer-to-peer trading marketplaces are a relatively new development in the Bitcoin world. There is no direct exchange of funds taking place. Instead, those websites essentially work as a platform that brings people with different, yet complementary needs together.

The service is designed for the mutual benefit of people who would like to buy Bitcoins with their credit card and those who want to spend their Bitcoins to buy goods from places that don’t accept digital currencies as a form of payment. As a result, the former get their flat currency exchanged to BTC, while the latter can buy discounted goods.

The websites facilitating the service provide users with an escrow service for the transaction, as well as a wallet to store Bitcoins.

Here’s how it works:

Bob posts his required wish list including the discount amount he wishes to receive, which normally goes up to 25 percent. Jack then accepts the trade and pays for Bob’s goods through the marketplace, stating Bob’s delivery address. Once the goods are delivered, the marketplace releases Jack’s money from escrow and transfers the funds into Jack’s wallet.

While this system allows Jack to acquire Bitcoins relatively easily using just his bank card, it also charges him quite a high fee for the service.

[heinpickett25-blog]

Waves Coin Wallet

TwitterFacebookGoogle+BufferLinkedIn Surf is a platform which fees itself as �Blockchain for your people� and is designed to let consumers store, trade, manage, and even issue their own electronic digital assets in a new safe and simple fashion. The platform offers benefits to investors, dealers, developers, plus organizations on the whole, each of which be given strengths in different techniques. The Dunes Platform was founded within 2016, by simply Sasha Ivanov, with all the mission of remake entrepreneurship across the entire world via a shared structure. This infrastructure offers resources that are highly functional and simple to use together with that allow just about every particular person and organization access to typically the blockchain. For builders who use Waves, system provides high network throughput capability along with low purchase fees and low latency. Wave allows traders to maintain their assets securely on their native lite client. 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Mounds Decentralized Exchange The programmers powering Waves created it as a good decentralized exchange, oftentimes abbreviated as DEX, due to the gains of this type regarding exchange. A new DEX make a difference not pose a new control on any withdrawals. As soon as you buy cryptocurrency, that appears with your wallet right away. There is also zero high commission fee; the exchange only charges a very small fixed commission to each order. Safety isn�t a concern with a DEX such as Waves, either, like the money are stored in your pocket instead of in the exchange. There is also no risk of burning off dollars as in a central exchange, but you even so get a high channel ability in addition to centralized matcher to maximize the velocity of deals. There is a brand-new design for the Ocean DEX, made by Etherdesign, that ought to be released very shortly, it will bring a new a lot needed customer screen enhancement to the DEX plus should greatly help this subscriber base in consumption regarding the podium and ought to therefore help the associated with Waves increase. Issuing your own personal Token As mentioned previously, often the Waves platform permits enterprise to issue his or her own tokens for what ever need they also have. By releasing tokens, a small business is equipped to create the inside digital currency via often the blockchain. This way, it can use the blockchain to pay for the particular services and goods within projects or even crowdfunding. Waves Lite Client can get creative having tokens, using them all for discount rates, loyalty packages, or even voting. To help date, 4, 635 bridal party have already also been released with Waves, showcasing the popularity and convenience regarding this feature. Issuing your own own token on Surf couldn�t be simpler, inside the Wave customer there is definitely a case for �Token Creation� for you to give your current token a title together with desciption, choose the total token and decimals then create it. That fees just 1 Waves to accomplish this and then your expression can be dealt with the DEX. You in addition have the alternative for a larger payment to �Airdrop� an amount of your current token to every support regarding Waves so this will show up in their own wallets. What Should Designers Know About Dunes? Coders interested in using Mounds will appreciate knowing that their blockchain relies with a proof-of-stake formula. This particular means that individuals will be rewarded based on typically the commission from purchases. The particular new proof-of-stake consensus algorithm increases the network bandwidth so hundreds of dealings may appear each second with no any separation. Transactions on the subject of Waves are carried out natively, consequently you do not want to develop smart legal papers in order to discharge tokens or to help make offers using the decentralized exchange. Developers will as well appreciate the low deal fees, which are repaired. Switching funds only incurs a minimum fee connected with zero. 001 WAVES, which will is also this set fee for any sector orders. It costs a single WAVES to release bridal party, nonetheless users don�t have to pay everything to make use of their own tokens. Often the API is the exact same as the open source buyer, making it simple intended for developers to use. Due to the fact of this, programmers will be able to discover this client together with make buyer applications themselves. What With regards to Using a Waves Client? Developers can likewise generate their own Waves Node, which will lets them construct high-load and secure programs upon it. Running your very own Waves Node is simple, both to install and to run. With a Dunes Client, you are ready to mine WAVES, as well as MRTs (the Miners Praise Tokens). You can also be a rental swimming pool for aggregate exploration strength of other people. Blockchain nodes validate every single solitary operation within the decentralized change for stability. Mainly because the DEX is within just every node in addition to open source, you can go your personal DEX instance. Waves Systems furthermore have a good order matcher that forces the decentralized exchange. This way, token trades that don�t require virtually any moving of tokens involving a blockchain account along with a different exchange can also take place. Waves Partnerships As stated previously, Waves partnered using Burger King in Russian federation to produce the �Whopper Coin� which often acts as the loyalty reward for his or her consumers. 1 Billion Whopper Silver coins were granted together with clients will acquire a person Whoppercoin for every ruble used ($1 is 59 RUB). They can redeem 1 Whopper burger with just one, 700 Whoppercoins, which are usually residing in a digital pocket. Some other distinctive partnerships happen to be with GPB Digital, the electronic digital limb of Gazprombank, Russia�s 3rd largest bank or investment company: targeted at providing clientele with comprehensive initial coin offering (ICO) services plus specialised blockchain solutions?�?specifically customised for the Russian metals and mining sector. Ocean have also partnered having Deloitte: aimed at supplying clientele with comprehensive preliminary tableau offering (ICO) providers in addition to customized blockchain solutions tailored for specific enterprise jobs. As you will see, even though Waves is in it�s infancy, that can be starting to get some tough partnerships with large international corporations. How to Buy Waves OCEAN, the currency of the Surf Platform, are easy to get. You can find them all via the Waves decentralized exchange, a good number associated with central exchanges, or also via the Ocean buyer with some sort of charge card or even paid partnership. Because of this, you can use a range of cryptocurrencies and REDBULL currencies to acquire waves. Often the easiest way to obtain it with the moment is by buying both Bitcoin or maybe Ethereum and even then sharing these to get it on an change. Within this section we will show you the best way to purchase Waves with a new Credit or Debit card employing the Coinbase web page plus then swapping the idea for Waves at Changelly. Ledger at Coinbase For new buyers of crypto forex, we advise that anyone work with Coinbase to make your first pay for : its easy to employ, fully regulated by the particular US federal government so a person know this is among the most dependable and most reputable spots to purchase cryptocurrency via. Coinbase offers the ability to purchase Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum using a credit score or debit card or by delivering a loan company transfer. The fees will be higher with regard to cards yet you will receive your own personal currency instantly. You will have to conduct some identity verification if confirming up as they possess to adhere to strict financial guidelines. Be sure to use each of our link to sign up an individual will be credited having 10 dollars in free bitcoin whenever you make your first purchase of $265.21. Coinbase Internet site To get started out, click on the �Sign up� option where you will be taken for you to a enrollment variety where you will need for you to enter name, email in addition to pick a good password. Coinbase will then mail you the link via email address in order to verify your netmail bank account, once you click typically the link inside email you will be taken to help a new verification page. Anyone must adding your cell phone number and upload a good photo of your IDENTIFICATION ~ this can get a passport, driving licence etc . You also have got to add your transaction details, so you can certainly add your bank account or the debit or credit greeting card as required � after a short period the account will then be verified in addition to you can then choose your first purchase. Coinbase Verification Purchase Ethereum or Bitcoin For this guide, most of us will be purchasing Ethereum to swap for the aim for cryptocurrency. The reason to get this really is that it has much less fees than bitcoin regarding sending and the transaction as well happens a new lot faster. So on Coinbase, visit the �Buy / Sell� tab at the summit, select �Ethereum�, choose your own personal payment method and enter the amount you wish to purchase : an individual can either enter the US Dollar amount or perhaps a variety of Ether. Buy Etherum You will then be asked for you to confirm your own personal transaction, in the event paying using a card you might have to full a verification with the card supplier. After that is complete, your own Ethererum may be added to your. Using Changelly The subsequent point, is to work with the Changelly web site to swap your Ether with regard to Waves. Use this back link and enter how a lot of Eth you will like to convert but it will surely demonstrate you how many Ocean you can receive in return, if you are happy then go ahead together with click the environment friendly �Exchange� Button. On the next screen you will always be prompted to join up an profile which you can accomplish so by means of using some sort of social media account or maybe entering your current email address. Changelly Enrollment Once this is done, you will be considered to a page showing the particular transaction details � check out it over and make sure the particular amounts are best. Once you are happy press the environment friendly �Next� key. On the following tv screen, you will be prompted for your personal Waves wallet handle you choose to receive the cash. Paste that into often the box and click on the golf course �Next� button. Changelly Finances Address You will in that case end up being displayed a finalized confirmation display, again, help make sure all features happen to be correct before court proceeding. Changelly Confirmation Changelly will then offer you will an street address to which you mush deliver your Ether, as a result replicate the address the fact that they offer you and then head back to the coinbase account. Changelly Send out to Send Your Ethereum or Bitcoin In Coinbase, click the �Accounts� and Choose your Ethereum Pocket book on the left and after that simply click �Send�. Enter into the particular tackle that Changelly gave you just before. Mail Ethereum Click �Continue� and after that you may have for you to confirm often the business deal having your email or phone number if you have only two factor authentication allowed. Typically the purchase will now become sent in the Ethereum community and will require a small when to arrive � you can check in your Changelly consideration just where this will notifiy a person of the following steps: Waiting for payment Trading Delivering to your wallet Once it is very complete a confirmation message can look with the screen saying �Transaction Complete�. You can at this point check your Dunes Pocket book where you can verify you now own your Waves. Changelly Transaction Complete Realization While Waves is even now relatively fresh, there will be already numerous programs for you to expand it in the foreseeable future using a range of capabilities. There will be the new UX in addition to REGARDED, coupled with extended figures on the tokens which are released. Waves will include a blockchain messenger for less complicated communication. There will at some point be smart contracts and multi-signatures for protection. This coders will furthermore create new gateways for the two cryptocurrencies and VOLVO values. Dunes is still very much in is considered infancy with a lot connected with news to come, on it�s latest price of around $4 every Wave ( as of 20 September 2017 ) it looks to be a very good investment decision for future years. With the new DEX AJE in addition to Mobile DEX clients released, more partnerships ahead together with Smart Contracts which would set it in rivals having additional platforms like Ethereum and NEO, it will discover a substantial rise inside cost over the following 12 months.

[kilicbrask4-blog]

Waves Coin Wallet

TwitterFacebookGoogle+BufferLinkedIn Waves is a platform which often costs itself as �Blockchain for the people� and is usually designed to allow end users store, trade, handle, in addition to issue their own online assets in the protected and simple way. The particular platform offers benefits in order to investors, investors, coders, plus organizations in general, each connected with which receive strengths inside different methods. The Waves Platform was founded around 2016, by Sasha Ivanov, while using mission of reinventing entrepreneurship across the globe via a shared infrastructure. This infrastructure offers tools that are highly useful and to use together with that allow just about every man or woman and organization use of typically the blockchain. For designers who also use Waves, the woking platform gives high network throughput capability along with low deal fees and low latency. Wave allows traders to store their assets securely inside their native lite buyer. In one time, they can easily trade their property safely and securely and quickly using typically the decentralized exchange that is usually built into system. Waves Lite Client Download are equipped to issue their own blockchain bridal party to help jumpstart his or her company, whether that will be via voting, loyalty courses, crowdfunding, or even something in addition. An instance of this will be observed with the new release of the �Whopper Coin�, a Cryptocurrency given by simply Burgerking in Russia which will uses the Mounds podium. Another important component of Waves will be their particular own Decentralized Exchange ( DEX ) which permits consumers to trade their particular tokens?�?including WAVES, BTC together with any assets issued about the Mounds platform?�? Waves Lite Client Download and without being forced to maneuver their funds to a central exchange. What Are the particular Mounds Buyer And Finances? Material [Show] Typically the Waves Customer is a good extension for your personal Google Chrome web browser or you can easily basically visit WavesWallet. io, that acts as the particular decentralized exchange that allows you release tokens in addition to as well stores your Dunes tokens. 3Commas A user�s pocket is a blockchain address that only that individual features access to and control of, making sure no one else could obtain these cryptocurrency investments. This kind of wallet can consist of multiple cryptocurrencies and delivers the strong security involving the Waves system. You can lease Waves to enhance your assets and transfer funds between people. By simply leasing your waves sense of balance to one of quite a few surf leasing nodes, anyone can properly generate an income that is made upwards of more Waves tokens and Miner rewards. We certainly have put together a comprehensive guide to leasing Dunes located here. Dunes Decentralized Exchange The coders behind Waves made it as a new decentralized exchange, oftentimes cut as DEX, because of the rewards of this type of exchange. Some sort of DEX does indeed not pose a restrict on any withdrawals. As soon as you buy cryptocurrency, this appears with your wallet instantly. There is also simply no high commission fee; the particular exchange only charges a very small fixed commission to each order. Safety isn�t a good concern with a DEX similar to Waves, either, because the finances are located in your pocket book alternatively of in the change. There is also zero risk of dropping money as in a central exchange, but you in spite of everything get a high channel ability and centralized matcher to be able to maximize the speed of deals. There is a new design for the Ocean DEX, developed by Etherdesign, that ought to be released very soon, this will likely bring a new a lot of needed person user interface development to the DEX in addition to should greatly help the uptake in utilization connected with the software and have to therefore help the price of Waves increase. Issuing your Token As mentioned sooner, the Waves platform will allow enterprise to issue their particular own tokens for no matter what need they already have. By launching tokens, an enterprise is equipped to create a great internal digital currency via often the blockchain. This way, the idea can use the blockchain to pay for the particular services and products within projects or even crowdfunding. Companies can get artistic having tokens, using them for deals, dedication programs, or even voting. To help date, 4, 635 tokens have already been recently released about Waves, showcasing typically the popularity in addition to usefulness involving this feature. Issuing the own token on Dunes couldn�t be simpler, from the Wave client there is a hook for �Token Creation� which you could give your own personal token a brand and desciption, choose the total token and decimals and create it. That expenses just 1 Waves to do this and then your symbol can be traded in about the DEX. You furthermore have the alternative for a larger payment to �Airdrop� an amount of the token to every container of Waves so it reveals up in their particular wallets. Precisely what Should Developers Know About Dunes? Designers interested in using Ocean will appreciate knowing that the blockchain is dependent upon a proof-of-stake modus operandi. This particular means that participants are rewarded based on the commission from orders. This new proof-of-stake agreement formula increases the network bandwidth so hundreds of purchases can occur each second with no any separation. Waves Lite Client about Waves are done natively, so you do not need to generate smart legal agreements in order to relieve tokens or to produce deals using the decentralized exchange. Builders will furthermore take pleasure in the low financial transaction fees, which are preset. Copying funds only incurs a minimum fee involving 0. 001 WAVES, which will is also this fixed fee for any industry orders. It costs one WAVES to release as well, although users don�t have got to pay everything to work with their own tokens. This API is the similar as the free buyer, making it simple to get developers to use. Due to the fact of this, designers will be able to examine the client in addition to make consumer applications by themselves. What About Using a Waves Node? Developers can as well create their own Waves Node, which usually lets them build up high-load and secure software on it. Running your very own Waves Client is basic, both to install also to run. With a Mounds Client, you are in a position to mine WAVES, and also MRTs (the Miners Reward Tokens). You can also be a leasing swimming for aggregate mining electrical power of other end users. Blockchain nodes validate just about every solitary operation within the decentralized trade for protection. Mainly because the DEX is inside every node plus open source, you can go your own DEX instance. Dunes Nodes as well have a great order matcher that forces the decentralized exchange. This particular way, token tradings the fact that don�t need any kind of switching of tokens between a new blockchain account and a independent exchange can also take place. Waves Partnerships As talked about previously, Waves partnered along with Burger King in Italy to generate the �Whopper Coin� which often acts as a new loyalty reward for their consumers. 1 Billion Whopper Coins were issued together with shoppers will acquire a single Whoppercoin for every ruble put in ($1 is 59 RUB). They can redeem one Whopper cheese pizza with one, 700 Whoppercoins, which happen to be kept in a digital wallet. Different significant partnerships usually are with GPB Digital, the particular online supply of Gazprombank, Russia�s next largest bank or investment company: aimed on providing consumers with comprehensive initial or maybe offering (ICO) services and customised blockchain solutions?�?specifically customized for the European alloys and mining industry. Dunes have also partnered along with Deloitte: aimed at offering customers with comprehensive primary lieu offering (ICO) companies in addition to customized blockchain alternatives customized for specific business enterprise responsibilities. As you will see, even though Waves was in it�s infancy, that can be starting to move some tough partnerships having large world-wide corporations. How to Buy Waves MOUNDS, the currency of typically the Waves Platform, are quick to get. You can find these people via the Waves decentralized exchange, a good number of central exchanges, or possibly via the Waves buyer with some sort of visa or mastercard or even paid partnership. As a result, an individual can use a good variety of cryptocurrencies and FUSCA currencies to acquire waves. Often the easiest way to buy this from the second is by way of buying sometimes Bitcoin or Ethereum in addition to then sharing these kinds of intended for it on an change. In this section we can show you tips on how to order Waves with some sort of Credit score or Debit card employing the Coinbase website and even then swapping it regarding Waves at Changelly. Register at Coinbase For first-time buyers of crypto foreign currency, we highly recommend that anyone use Coinbase to make your first get : its easy to work with, fully regulated by this US govt so a person know the idea is probably the best and most trustworthy areas to purchase cryptocurrency through. Coinbase offers the capability to purchase Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum having a credit rating or debit card as well as by sending a bank transfer. This fees will be higher for cards nevertheless you will receive your current currency quickly. You will have to perform a few personality verification when electing up as they have got to adhere to strict fiscal guidelines. Be sure to use all of our link to register you will be credited along with 10 dollars in free bitcoin if you make your first of all purchase of $22.99. Coinbase Website To get started, click on the �Sign up� button you choose to be taken to help a sign up kind where you will need for you to enter your business, email and even select the password. Coinbase will then send a link via email address to verify your electronic mail accounts, once you click typically the link in the email an individual will be taken to a good verification page. A person must adding your mobile phone number and publish a photo of your IDENTITY : this can end up being a passport, driving certificate and so forth You also include to add your settlement details, so you can add your bank account or some sort of debit or even credit credit card as required ~ following a short period your own personal account will then be verified together with you can then choose a first purchase. Coinbase Verification Purchase Ethereum or Bitcoin For this guide, most of us will be acquiring Ethereum to swap for the aim for cryptocurrency. The reason regarding it is that that features much less fees than bitcoin to get sending and this transaction furthermore happens some sort of lot more rapidly. So inside Coinbase, visit the �Buy / Sell� tab at the pinnacle, select �Ethereum�, choose your current payment method and get into the amount you wish to purchase : an individual can either enter a new US Dollar amount or maybe a variety of Azure. Buy Etherum You could then be asked to be able to confirm your current transaction, when paying along with a card you might have to finish a verification with your current card service provider. After that is complete, your own personal Ethererum will certainly be added to your. Using Changelly The following point, is to employ the Changelly site to help swap your Azure with regard to Waves. Use this net connection and key in how numerous Eth you will including to convert and it will indicate you how many Waves you might receive in return, if you are joyful then go ahead plus click the natural �Exchange� Button. On the following screen you will end up being prompted to join up an profile which you can do so simply by using the social media profile as well as entering your email. Changelly Subscription Once honestly, that is carried out, you will be considered to a website showing typically the transaction particulars � check out it over and ensure the particular amounts are right. The moment you are happy click the eco-friendly �Next� key. On the following tv screen, you will be caused to your Waves wallet handle you choose to receive the coins. Paste this specific into the particular box and click the black �Next� button. Changelly Pocket Address You will in that case be shown a ultimate confirmation screen, again, make sure all highlights usually are correct in advance of going on. Changelly Confirmation Changelly will then provide you will an tackle to which you mush give your Ether, so that duplicate the address that they present you with and well then head back to the coinbase account. Changelly Mail to be able to Send Your Ethereum or even Bitcoin In Coinbase, click the �Accounts� and Pick your Ethereum Budget upon the left and after that click on �Send�. Key in often the street address that Changelly gave you in advance of. Mail Ethereum Click �Continue� and after that you may have to help confirm often the purchase having your email or even phone if you have a couple of aspect authentication empowered. Typically the financial transaction will now possibly be sent within the Ethereum system and will please take a short while to arrive ~ you can check within your Changelly bank account wherever that will notifiy you of the following measures: Waiting for payment Interchanging Delivering to your budget Once it may be complete a good evidence message will appear upon the screen saying �Transaction Complete�. You can right now check your Surf Pocket where you can confirm you now own your Ocean. Changelly Transaction Complete Summary Because Waves is even so relatively youthful, there are already numerous plans to help expand it in the future with a range of attributes. There will be a new new UX and AJE, alongside with enhanced data on the tokens which have been released. Waves will add a blockchain messenger for less difficult communication. There will eventually end up being smart contracts together with multi-signatures for stability. Often the designers will also generate brand new gateways for the two cryptocurrencies and FUSCA values. Mounds is still incredibly much in it may be infancy with a lot of news to come, at it�s recent price involving around $4 each Influx ( as of 20 September 2017 ) it appears to be to be a very good purchase for future years. With this new DEX REGARDED and Mobile DEX customers released, more partnerships into the future together with Smart Contracts that would place this in competition using other platforms just like Ethereum and NEO, it will find a substantial rise inside worth over the future 12 months.

[theonyxpath]

Are you reading me?

Good, it’s Matthew Dawkins here. The last time we spoke about the Contagion Chronicle crossover extravaganza for the Chronicles of Darkness, I posted up the Cryptocracy faction. The faction is just one of the Sworn, the groups of playable creatures in this upcoming game.

Today, we’re doing something a little different. Today, we’re going to look at the False.

The False are everything the Sworn hope not to become. Where the Sworn (by and large) wish to contain or destroy the Contagion riddling the Earth, its people, and the God-Machine, the False choose to weaponize it, take their destructive aims too far and commit acts of genocide against innocents, or fully embrace the coming end of the world (as we know it).

This faction is the Crucible Initiative. You can probably see how they were once Sworn, but they’ve fallen to the ranks of False. Here they are, in their full glory, as written by “Marvelous” Meghan Fitzgerald.

Enjoy!

The Crucible Initiative

Contagion as Plague

Yes, I know you’re not infected. Yet. But given half a chance, you would be — please stop screaming, it’s distracting.

I picked through the ruins, listless. We were so close. We could have ended it. All we needed was another day, maybe two. A few more tests, a few tweaks, and this outbreak — this nightmare — would have been over. But all that work was gone now, nothing but ashes. Even the word “ruins” was generous.

“Who did this?” the changeling asked me, voice shaking like a leaf.

“I don’t know,” I said, but even as I did, I brushed ash and dust from a hunk of broken yellow plastic. It revealed a stylized flame inside a triangle, painted in black and red. A warning? Or a calling card? “But whoever it was left evidence behind. So we’re not done yet.”

What Is the Contagion?

What does it sound like? The Fire-Bearers think all the others — False and Sworn alike — are finding excuses not to call it like it is, so they can go about doing whatever they want, blatantly ignoring the obvious solution in front of their eyes. The Crucible Initiative treats the Contagion like exactly that: an epidemic, an incurable plague that only stops when they eradicate every last scrap of infection from the face of the Earth. They believe no hope exists of finding some mystical panacea that will cleanse the Machine once and for all, or any kind of treatment that could mitigate the blatant threat of annihilation. They warn their fellows not to take pity or show compassion; that way lies doom. Treating the symptoms — or pretending they’re not symptoms at all — without addressing the root of the problem gets no one anywhere. The only way to stop a supernatural cancer from reducing everything to wrack and ruin is to cut it out now, before it’s too late.

What they stand to lose: Everything. It will be a complete breakdown of reality. Some of them remember the Black Death because they were there in person. They have seen exactly what happens when a plague is allowed to spread freely, and they don’t intend to let the same happen to them, regardless of whatever justifications the others come up with to be anything less than merciless.

What they stand to gain: What, survival isn’t good enough? They get to live another day (or exist another night, anyway), and that’s plenty for them. They’re not interested in continuing their petty enmities or pursuing other goals while an outbreak endangers their livelihoods and the continuation of their kind. They sure as hell aren’t interested in mercy, lenience, or “finding another way.”

Where They Came From

In the 1330s and 1340s, famine and pestilence in Asia created the perfect conditions for the spread of the bubonic plague, so deadly it came to be known as the Black Death. Millions upon millions perished, hacking up blood from infected lungs. Though monsters escaped this fate on the whole, the epidemic didn’t end when humans stopped dropping dead in the streets. It just mutated. After the Black Death petered out (the first time, anyway), the Contagion struck directly on its heels, and across Europe and Asia the reaction was immediate and brutal. No more, they said, and began the purge.

The formal Crucible Initiative came out of China in the 1860s, when the mortal plague returned. No sign of the Contagion showed itself then, but in anticipation of its inevitable outbreak, a pack of Chinese Pure made contact with an angel and proposed a coalition that would soon blossom into an international operation. The God-Machine’s agents gathered select night-dwellers throughout the world, inviting those with the will and the means to join forces in vigilance against the illness that would certainly return. They called it the Crucible Initiative, for they would burn the impurities out of the world until only the strong and unsullied remained.

Once, the willing specimens of Genome studied the Contagion’s nature directly, infecting themselves on purpose to examine how it ran its course and develop individualized immunities. These Sworn delved too deeply into the Contagion’s secrets and became something else, something awful. Many of the Sworn tried to reclaim these grotesque things, hoping to restore them to their previous states. So the Crucible Initiative stepped in and exterminated them. Unfortunately, records show they might not have managed to quite get them all. Almost no one knows those records exist.

What They Do

The Initiative employs a scorched earth policy when it comes to the Contagion. Raze it all to the ground, burn the fields, salt the earth. They destroy all Contagious on sight, as well as anything or anyone that’s infected, possibly infected, or even potentially a vector. Anything that might give the plague a foothold is a target. “Them” and “us” don’t matter anymore; they abandon all but the direst enmities and most primal urges in favor of their mission. Likewise, pursuits they otherwise treasure fall by the wayside. Prometheans who join the Fire-Bearers inevitably become Centimani if they weren’t already. The Bound round up infected ghosts and dispose of them, abandoning their krewes or twisting them to new purpose. Changelings leave their freeholds to swear Huntsmen and hobgoblins to the cause, borrowing Bridge-Burner philosophies to justify it to themselves. No group draws more of the God-Machine’s own angels than the Crucible Initiative; they claim it’s pure practicality, but some take it as evidence that even the Machine knows fear.

The surgeons also act to preserve what’s not yet infected, by any means necessary. They call it “quarantine” when they kidnap those suspected to be vectors or infected, and they call it “preventative care” when they kidnap those in high-risk demographics or deemed too valuable to the recovery of a post-purge world to leave at large. They lock up their prisoners somewhere sterile and isolated, then poke and prod them until the diagnosis is certain. Once it is, they either immunize their captives through unpleasant occult means to be absolutely certain they’re clean, or set them ablaze and dispose of the ashes. Those who turn out clean might end up locked in quarantine indefinitely anyway; if released, they might go back to their risky behaviors and end up infected anyway, so what would be the point?

The Initiative performs research and experiments to find ever-more efficient and effective ways of holding powerful beings in quarantine, destroying them more thoroughly or in larger numbers, and getting more accurate diagnoses. Such experiments occasionally invite the Gentry into the world to take infected humans away to Faerie, or prompt angels to Fall, or lead to generative acts that create Prometheans (and Pandorans), and other such outcomes. They also, incidentally or purposefully, often lead to bolstering the Fire-Bearers’ lower ranks with loyal clones, spirit-ridden, stigmatics, slashers, and others.

How they organize: They structure themselves like an international government program with local divisions or branches, a bloated hierarchy, and many specialists. They offer benefits to their members, which vary in form depending on the nature of the creature in question. Letting an Insatiable live in the basement lab and feeding it Beasts once in a while until they loose it on a bunch of unsuspecting Contagion victims might not count as “employing” the Lamashtu, but it’s on the books regardless.

When they commit to wiping out the Contagion, surgeons hearken back to their origins among the Uratha and hunter angels, embarking on a hunt to destroy a living threat and bring proof back to show they’re willing to do the job.

Against the Sworn: The Initiative considers the Sworn a bunch of naïve fools whose work actively contributes to the Contagion’s threat. It raids Sworn headquarters whenever it finds them, taking what’s useful and torching the rest. It doesn’t care about hiding its actions; what difference does it make who takes the blame? It’ll turn into credit later, anyway, when anyone who might have complained is either dead or the beneficiary of the Fire-Bearers’ gift of survival.

Who They Are

   An alchemist who collects samples of infected Prometheans and other beings, working to perfect a formula that will unleash a true killer virus — one that only targets creatures who carry the Contagion

   A Devoted Chimeric created from werewolf DNA, whom the Initiative coerced into joining as the perfect Contagion-hunting weapon. They let her off her leash just long enough to sniff out the epidemic’s taint

   An Insatiable of the Void who creates quarantine chambers from stolen Lairs, emptying them out completely and stashing victims there to scream soundlessly until the Initiative determines they should burn

   An angelic project manager who oversees the construction of mobile Elimination Infrastructure platforms and personally leads the clean-up crew after they’re deployed, delivering the remains back to the God-Machine for inscrutable purposes

   A vampire of the Ordo Dracul who rounds up Kindred Contagion vectors and performs experiments on them before sending them to see the sun, hoping to discover a new Coil that will make her immune to the infection

Nicknames: Fire-Bearers, surgeons

[shirlleycoyle]

The Many App Stores Before the App Store

A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail.

How much credit does Apple deserve for introducing its App Store concept to mainstream consumers? I mean, how obvious is the idea, anyway?

This is a question that seems worth asking as modern app development has become so centered around building applications that exist in digital storefronts like Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, Steam, and numerous others. What about app stores that existed when the proverbial dodo was still around? There are more than you think.

“A trip back in time reveals at least one popular one-click store which predates Apple’s attempt by at least 5 years. I know because I built it.”

— Michael Robertson, the software developer best known for his creation of MP3.com, in a blog post discussing his work on “Click-N-Run,” an early attempt at creating a digital download store along the lines of the App Store in the early 2000s. Click-N-Run (CNR), which was an aspect of the commercial Windows-like Linux distribution Linspire that Robertson helped build, was a commercial GUI-style interface for Debian’s apt package manager. It was eventually made available to other distros to much interest, though the results were reportedly a mixed bag. While no longer made, Linspire’s work on CNR (one of a few stabs at the GUI-based software distribution interface in Linux) likely inspired the graphical package managers now commonly offered with many Linux distributions, which largely work the same way.

The question around what an app store actually is probably starts with shareware

Let’s play a game: If you were to access a piece of shareware circa 1991 and wanted to unlock the full version of that application with your computer alone, how would you do it?

No web. Perhaps no Windows. (Perhaps GeoWorks.)

Sure, there were probably lots of ways to download an application, if you had the tools to do so—as in, a modem. Perhaps you might grab it on a BBS, or through a service like Compuserve. Maybe Usenet binary groups were your preferred strategy.

But still, you’d be stuck with a nag screen. Your copy of WinZip would just be annoying you every time you started it.

See, the issue with the distribution of software via computer was never about the download part—that part was figured out relatively quickly. It was the paying part that proved difficult.

Think about how it might work compared to a store: You choose a physical object of interest, you give a physical object of value (i.e. money) in exchange, an intermediary (i.e. a cashier) confirms you bought it (by scanning a barcode), and you walk out, without an object of value but with an object of interest.

Which is why every time you read a story about some shareware pioneer, like the developer of Paint Shop Pro or Tim Sweeney’s efforts to sell folks ZZT, it’s always paired with a story about these developers literally taking checks in the mail, despite the fact that it was entirely possible to purchase things fully electronically with a credit card by this point.

Without the retail element, people were kind of stuck distributing software without a way to easily purchase it. (What’s the big deal, the open-source folks say.) There was no way to secure the process, so therefore, fraud was prevalent. And if people are distributing through multiple systems, the experience of downloading becomes annoying, because it feels wildly inconsistent.

This is the problem a few entrepreneurs worked to solve starting in the mid-to-late 1990s, with varying levels of success.

1993

The year that Tucows, a well-known repository of downloadable software, first went online. The repository was built by Scott Swedorski, a technology enthusiast in Flint, Michigan, who spotted a need for a central resource for basic internet software. Swedorski’s work, while not initially intended to be commercial, proved the basis of a long-running company that came to prove an essential part of the early internet. After all, we needed software to get on the internet, right?

An example of the Electronic AppWrapper, a program for NeXT computers that could be used to distribute software digitally. Image: JohnWayneTheThird/Wikimedia Commons

The first “app store” on a Steve Jobs-operated platform involved a CD-ROM and an email-sending mechanism

The app store that generally gets the nod for being first dates to the early 1990s, on a platform that was responsible for a lot of software firsts. I’m, of course, talking about NeXT, the platform on which the World Wide Web came to life and whose object-oriented approach to programming became a big part of what has made iOS so successful.

That software is called the Electronic AppWrapper. (See, it had “app” in the name way back in 1993!)

It did not exactly have the same kind of distribution method that one might expect for a modern app store, however. Really, what it did that is incredibly clever was that it took the shareware CD-ROM and made it into something that allowed for trials.

NeXT was a good platform for this in part because of its initial target audience—since the NeXT Cube tended to focus on educational and research settings, those settings were often networked well before PC and Mac equivalents, so people were able to purchase software online before other markets.

In fact, Electronic AppWrapper developer Paget Systems, which initially built a print version of the AppWrapper, made this very point in a 1992 article first proposing the idea:

The NeXT community is a perfect testbed for electronic distribution. The market is still small; we know where almost all of the computer owners are, and the community is more fluent with networking than most. And we have more than our share of creative people willing to tackle problems in new ways.

Also helping matters: Since NeXT systems were rare, users of this platform didn’t really have the advantage of being able to go to Radio Shack to purchase software, so it was either do everything through the mail, or go electronic.

Paget Systems’ great gift to the app store concept was the process it enabled. A 1993 issue of NeXTWORLD described the benefits of the tool like this: “To order by e-mail, just click a button; the application automatically displays an order form, asks for your credit-card number, and sends an encrypted message to Paget.”

That sounds pretty simple, right? It was, and it's not all that dissimilar to how we do things today.

(Side note: Jesse Tayler, who helped develop Electronic AppWrapper, has put up an informative documentary website highlighting the history of NeXT and the innovations the company helped to enable—including this. A highlight is Tayler’s discussion of successfully demoing the Electronic AppWrapper to Steve Jobs.)

“Since virtual shelf space is much cheaper than a storefront, Online can represent thousands of products. We can carry Microsoft Word and hundreds of related add-on products, while traditional re-sellers can barely find shelf space for mainstream software.”

— Tim Choate, the president of the firm Online Interactive, discussing the company’s atOnce online software store, which was one of the first examples of a traditional app store for Windows computers. As NetworkWorld explained in 1996, the atOnce software store was something of a test, complete with Microsoft’s blessing, to see if application distribution of commercial software over network mediums was even possible. The process required a more secure approach, at Microsoft’s behest. It should be noted that atOnce provides an interesting case—as it was effectively the app store for the AOL era (along with a very early web presence), though it quickly went away.

The Digital River website, as it appeared in 1998. Image:  Internet Archive

The guy who realized that downloadable apps were going to be a really big deal in 1994

Joel Ronning probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves in the grand scheme of things, but he is a figure in this discussion that matters.

In the 1980s, he spent time focused on the Macintosh market, selling software and distributing white-label accessories as well. This gave him an understanding of the digital market, so he could see all the flaws of the retail approach up close.

Around 1993 or so, he had a revelation that proved prescient: downloadable commercial software was going to be big. Really big. Big enough that he should spend the next few years developing processes for making the ideas around secure downloadable software workable, and patenting them. And building a company around them. And turning them into something that other companies would likely want to use.

Ronning’s work led to the creation a dozen patents—and a company called Digital River that could handle the encryption and distribution of applications. Not that anyone knew how to properly contextualize the idea at that early stage. In a 1997 profile with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, columnist Dick Youngblood tried, and came up with this:

What Digital River has created is an enormous virtual warehouse containing tens of thousands of software products offered by hundreds of developers and retailers through their individual Web sites. 

In simple terms, the system gives customers the ability to download their software choices with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of security for the credit card numbers and other personal data required for the transaction. I like to think of the operation as sort of the Supervalu of electronic software wholesaling.

Imagine having to describe something that people do over the internet on a daily basis without being able to use the terms “app store” or “cloud,” nor the frame of references that come with those terms, and that’s probably what you might come up with.

A patent drawing by Digital River that showed an early example of its digital-distribution technology, which included encryption functionality. Ronning has a lot of patent filings to his name. Image: Google Patents

The approach Digital River took in this early stage is actually quite similar to what we think of as an app store today—including the idea that the middleman is going to take a cut. (Digital River took just 20 percent, rather than Apple’s infamous 30 percent cut.)

But one difference is that the company represented a provider of purchasing services—i.e., it built the tools for individual companies to create their own storefronts, rather than becoming an app-store player itself. This model worked for them. By the year 2002, Digital River (a still-active company!) had more than 32,000 customers according to NetworkWorld, with roughly a third of those representing three quarters of Digital River’s sales.

“Year over year we continue to see more products purchased digitally.” Ronning said in a NetworkWorldinterview. “People are getting more comfortable with getting a digital file than they were one, two or six years ago. That’s good news because it allows us to deliver a product halfway around the world in a matter of seconds.”

And hey, because the company was in a position to provide the technical know-how of running an app store, there was at least one case where Digital River was tapped to manage someone else’s app store—the creation of Research in Motion’s Blackberry App World in 2009.

Download Warehouse, a.k.a. what app stores would look like if we made no changes to our approach between physical and digital distribution. Fun fact: This is what the atOnce website evolved into. Image: Internet Archive

Not every site was a winner, of course: When looking for info about app stores, I ran across this website on the Internet Archive that literally sold digital software as if it was still in a shrink-wrapped box, which made me crack up so hard. The backend? Digital River.

In many ways, the success of the app store was just as much about the packaging—i.e., the way consumers were pitched about the idea, rather than the shrink wrap—as the commerce itself.

1996

The year StarCode Software, a developer of software for the BeOS operating system, was formed. The company built PackageBuilder and SoftwareValet, which combined together to become one of the first graphical package managers purpose-built for an operating system—and one Be acquired in 1998 and integrated into the operating system.

Stardock Central, a digital distribution service produced by the customization-focused company Stardock. Image: via the Stardock website

Five mainstream examples of app stores that predated the Apple App Store

Steam. The digital distribution service started by Valve in 2003 was effectively the app store that proved the model to the world in a big way. There’s a reason why Steam remains so dominant in the PC gaming space, and it’s because they nailed it the first time—to the point where many of its competitors directly mimic the service.

Windows Marketplace. This circa-2004 online store, targeted at consumers, was an attempt by Microsoft to centralize the often-confusing app distribution options for Windows software. It wasn’t successful, but it helped set the stage for later digital storefront successes for Microsoft.

Club Nokia. This online store for Nokia’s early mobile phones provides a really interesting example of a service that was essentially a direct analogue to the modern iOS App Store, but in a situation where the carriers, rather than the phone-maker, holds all the power. This service, founded in 1997, became controversial as ringtones became more popular, and Nokia eventually folded to pressure from mobile carriers and scaled back its service in favor of the mobile providers’ options. Could you imagine Verizon and AT&T doing this to Apple today?

Xbox Live Arcade. Launched in 2004, this represented an important formative effort in the attempts to bring digital download services to a large group of people. One secret to the success of Xbox Live Arcade was its piggybacking upon what Microsoft was doing elsewhere; it leveraged the existing Xbox Live service to sell people more simplistic games. (Apple later replicated this by using its mechanisms for the iTunes Store to sell apps.) It later proved the starting point for the company’s Xbox Live Marketplace, which could distribute full shrink-wrapped games to consumers.

Stardock Central. I’ve mentioned them in Tedium before, but Stardock is an interesting company historically because of the fact that it was early to a number of important trends that have become even more essential today. One of those trends was customization; another was digital distribution, which it first dipped its toes into with Stardock Central, an app-distribution service from circa 2001. It worked particularly well for Stardock in part because it offered apps in a variety of verticals, including games.

The NTT DoCoMo NEC N904i, a phone that supports the formative i-mode network, is considered the first mobile app store ecosystem. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The turning point of the app store concept, honestly, is the mobile phone

Thinking less about the maker of the phone itself or its general functionality, the mobile phone represents something about technology that a regular desktop computer doesn’t—it is intended as a full package, one that is hermetically sealed and managed by its maker and distributor.

Because it started from a different place, the expectation is different. That expectation creates tension for power users who wish that their phones or tablets worked a little more like their laptops, but on the other hand, the devices aim broader for a reason.

And one can point to the reason for the expectation that applications would be managed by the provider. After all, the first mobile app store that feels like what we got with the modern App Store or Play Store came from a mobile company—Japan’s NTT DoCoMo released i-mode, a service that offered access to digital services through their phones. It worked particularly well in Japan because home internet was rare at the time when i-mode was first released in 1999, meaning i-mode was many Japanese users’ first experience with an internet-style service.

As The Japan Times noted in 2011, the reason i-mode succeeded (and spawned many imitators) was the tight integration of payments and software:

For those of you who may not know, i-mode is the mobile Internet-access service built into cell phones from Japanese communication giant NTT Docomo. It costs ¥315 per month to use and includes the i-mode network, which is Docomo’s closed system, separate from the Internet at large. Within this network there are “official” i-mode sites, which are only accessible from an i-mode enabled cell phone. On sites such as these, users can purchase goods and services and have the payment appear on their cell phone bill. This cell phone-integrated-payment is what makes the i-mode system so special.

Other companies tried to do this same thing during the early 2000s, including firms like Nokia, to mixed levels of success, but the connective tissue was that the phone was treated like an integrated experience of purchasing, distribution, and usage, rather than a vessel for applications.

Perhaps this integration explains, in the present day, why Apple has ramped up attacks against sideloading (or allowing the installation of external applications outside of an App Store experience), something that nearly other mobile platform (including Android) has long allowed. As it wrote in a white paper it recently released:

Allowing sideloading would degrade the security of the iOS platform and expose users to serious security risks not only on third-party app stores, but also on the App Store. Because of the large size of the iPhone user base and the sensitive data stored on their phones—photos, location data, health and financial information—allowing sideloading would spur a flood of new investment into attacks on the platform.

Mobile phones have been built with this expectation that the whole experience is seamless and managed by the hardware developer—and at one point, the mobile provider even played a significant role. In some cases, it still does.

But one wonders how strong Apple’s case against sideloading will actually be, given that, y’know, it also sells desktop computers that allow sideloading … or as we call it over that way, downloading and installing apps from the Web.

It’s long been said that Apple, when it released the iPhone, launched a device so compelling that it made people forget that there was years of prior art that predated the moment.

In many ways, the App Store made people forget about app stores. It was such a brilliant concept, idea, and execution that when Steve Jobs announced it in 2008, people basically ignored the nearly two decades of prior art that wasn’t even particularly well-hidden.

In some ways, the move to centralization was arguably disappointing, because it wasn’t perfect, and it put a middleman in control. Apple’s approach to the digital storefront had flaws—most notably the size of its cut (which companies like Microsoft are now explicitly counterprogramming against) and the weirdness of putting a single company’s moral compass in charge of the apps that people downloaded.

But we can look at the positives of their approach as well, and sort of the element that they nailed that few others were able to in quite the same way. The integration of the App Store into the operating system made both better; the integration of commerce into the App Store using a common system solved the problem of having to give a credit card number out every time you wanted to download an app; and the integration of a development strategy that worked in tandem with the App Store gave (and still gives) Apple a reason to constantly improve its programming interfaces so they remain at the top of their class.

No developer of a prior app storefront had been able to nail down quite this mix (with Steam possibly getting the closest), which explains why it was so effective when Apple did it.

But prior art is prior art, and one hopes that the technology industry takes a step back to learn the lessons from both the Apple App Store’s strengths and weaknesses going forward. After all, so many others got there first.

The Many App Stores Before the App Store syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[donald-clemons]

Your Get-Started Guide to Online Credit Card Processing

Providing your ecommerce customers with as many convenient payment options as possible is vital to your success as an online store. And while offering options like Apple Pay and Google Pay will almost certainly help you convert more, credit card processing is critical—without this option, you’ll end up with some very confused (and possibly skeptical) customers.

While you may already understand why you should use online credit card processing, you might not be sure how to set it up. How much will it cost? Should you use a merchant account, or something like PayPal? What’s involved in the application process? After reading this guide, you’ll be able to answer those questions and more.

What is online credit card processing?

Online credit card processing is the method used to accept customer payments through debit/credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Just as you swipe your card when making a payment at your local gas station, online shoppers must also “swipe” when purchasing through an ecommerce site. The main difference is that there isn’t a physical terminal to facilitate the transaction, which is where online processing comes into play.

In a larger sense, online credit card processing (often referred to as having a merchant account) is the process in which payment transactions take place over the internet. This chain of events requires a payment gateway and payment processor to help move and share information across the web to ensure that you, the business owner, quickly and correctly receive customer payments. While the transaction itself takes only a few seconds, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that comes into play, which we’ll discuss later.

Should I use an online merchant account or a third-party service like PayPal?

If you’re like most people, the search to accept online payments starts with the following question: should I use PayPal or get a merchant account? While several businesses opt to use PayPal or Google Wallet because of its convenience and quick setup, there are some key drawbacks to using services like this by themselves.

However, it’s ultimately not a question of either/or: both are vital ways to provide your customers with the convenience and flexibility they need. You do, however, need to make sure that accepting credit cards through your merchant account is always an option. Here’s why:

Enhanced customer convenience: Using a merchant account to accept credit cards makes the checkout process much easier. If you only accept PayPal, it’s likely that customers will have to leave your site and log into their PayPal account or create one to finish the transaction. Many of your customers won’t be willing to take this extra step.

Reduce abandoned carts: To put a finer point on the item above, when customers aren’t willing to take an extra step, they’ll abandon their cart and find a site that meets their needs. Using your own merchant account to accept payments will help boost and retain the sales you’ve worked so hard to earn in the first place.

Receive payments faster: Using a merchant account allows you to receive payments in as little as two days, and funds are directly deposited into the bank account of your choice. With third-party services, it can take up to three or four days to receive your funds, which causes headaches when you’re trying to settle up at the end of the month.

Get personalized support: With a merchant account, you’ll often receive better and more personalized customer support. With third-party services, phone support is typically only available to their highest-tiered customers.

Sustain business growth: As your business grows, you’ll quickly see that third-party services are no longer cost-effective due to their high transaction fees. Even more, as your customer base expands, so too will the need for you to expand your payment options to satisfy an increasingly diverse set of shoppers.

More than anything, only using a third-party service like PayPal to accept payment greatly hinders customers’ perception of your business and brand. If you’re not accepting credit cards directly through your site, it dampens the credibility of your entire ecommerce operation, leaving shoppers to wonder if your site is truly legitimate.

How does the actual process of accepting online payments work?

Once a customer submits their credit card information, their data is securely moved across the internet to ensure that sufficient funds are available, and then the funds are moved from the customer’s bank account to yours. Step by step, the process looks like this:

The customer enters and submits their credit card information during checkout.

That information is encrypted (turned into characters and symbols) and securely carried through your integrated gateway to your credit card processing company.

Your credit card processor submits this transaction data to the appropriate credit card network, such as Visa or MasterCard.

The credit card network forwards that information to your customer’s bank, which checks to see if your customer has adequate funds to pay for the order. If the funds are there, the transaction is approved; they aren’t, it’s declined.

Your customer’s bank sends the approved/declined status back to the credit card processor, which then reports that information back to your credit card processing company and to you, the merchant.

Once you receive the “Authorized” (approved) message, you fulfill the order.

Your customer’s bank sends the funds to the credit card network (Visa, MasterCard, etc.), which then passes the money to your bank. From there, the bank deposits your funds directly into the account you’ve specified on your initial application

What fees are associated with online credit card processing?

Naturally, one of the most important factors for anyone looking for an ecommerce credit card processor is cost, and there’s definitely some variety between providers.

Standard online credit card processing fees

No matter who you choose, all providers charge the same standard fees each month:

Discount rate: A percentage of each sale that is retained by your credit card processor. The industry average for your discount rate ranges from 2.00%-3.00%.

Gateway fee: Your gateway is provided by your credit card processor and encrypts credit card information to protect the data from being breached. Expect to pay around $20/month for a normal gateway fee.

Transaction fees: These small fees are attributed to each transaction you process, and are separated into two categories:

Transaction fee per transaction: This fee occurs with each payment that’s processed, costing you $0.25-$0.35 each.

Gateway fee per transaction: Specific to your gateway—expect to pay $0.06-$0.15 cents per transaction.

Statement fee: Just like your personal credit card bill, your processor needs to list out all of the transactions for you to review each month. This results in a statement fee (also known as a monthly service or processing fee), which typically runs around $10-$15 per month.

Ancillary online credit card processing fees

The following fees can vary depending on the provider:

Application fee: This is a processing fee to have your application submitted, regardless of approval or denial. Some companies don’t require this fee, and others have different rates, so ask about this ahead of time.

Setup fee: This charge is initiated for your provider to sync your merchant account with your online store. Like the application fee, you may or may not have to pay this, but the rate can range upwards of $100.

Customer support: Some companies charge a monthly or “per contact” fee to get support for your account or troubleshoot technical issues. Frankly, this fee is unnecessary, so think twice about going with a company that requires this extra cost.

PCI fee: PCI stands for the Payment Card Industry, which has created a list of guidelines to better secure credit card data from cybercriminals. Many companies charge an annual PCI fee to help cover their compliance/certification, while others simply include it as part of the monthly costs. In addition, it’s important to ask what’s required on your end to maintain compliance with those regulations. Depending on your processor, you may or may not be required to handle some compliance measures on your own.

IRS compliance fee: This minimal fee helps ensure that your merchant provider is meeting all guidelines provided by the Internal Revenue Service, and costs around $2/month on average.

American Express: If you plan to accept American Express (AMEX) on your ecommerce site, note that AMEX charges a higher transaction rate than cards like Visa and MasterCard.

While that may seem like a lot of fees, accepting online payments is a complex process. Because credit card theft is more prevalent online than in physical stores, transaction rates and other fees are a bit higher to ensure security for you and your business.

What should I look for in an online merchant account?

If you’ve conducted even one Google search for “online credit card processing,” you’ve likely noticed that there are hundreds of options available. With this many choices, it’s hard to sift through the clutter and figure out exactly what you should be looking for.

The good news is, there are key guidelines that can help you narrow down your search and select the right provider. These include:

Level of gateway integration: From a day-to-day perspective, one of the most important considerations is the level of integration between your payment gateway and your ecommerce software. Using a gateway with a limited integration creates a lot of extra steps on your end to receive payment, so try to find a provider that offers a gateway with a full integration. A fully integrated gateway is also more secure, which significantly decreases fraudulent orders and corresponding chargeback fees.

Relationship between merchant provider and ecommerce software: Beyond the gateway integration, consider how closely your merchant provider works with your ecommerce software. In other words, will you be turning to two separate companies to answer questions, get help with setup, and troubleshoot any difficulties you may encounter? The more closely your provider and software work together, the more likely you are to find everything you need in one place.

Cost: Of course, the price you pay each month for credit card processing will be an important factor in your decision. To help you stay on the right track, reference the various fees and industry standards listed in this guide. If your provider’s fees are over the average, ask your provider why. And if they’re under, get skeptical. It’s likely the cost differences will be made up in hidden fees or lack of quality.

Customer support: As is the case with most business relationships, you’ll eventually have questions or run into issues. Keep an eye out for the levels of support available with your merchant provider, paying extra attention to whether you’ll be able to speak with an actual person.

Additional fees: With the amount of providers competing for your business, there really isn’t a need for you to pay unnecessary fees, such as an application or gateway setup fee. These extra costs can run upwards of $100-$200, so if you can, find a provider that either waives or doesn’t charge these.

Your gut: At the end of the day, you know what’s best for you and your business. When you’re on the cusp of making your decision, don’t forget to check in with your gut and choose a provider you can trust.

What can I expect when applying for an online merchant account?

The process of applying for a merchant account is fairly painless. While each company has a different procedure for receiving and processing applications, most require only basic information and can turn around your application in a matter of days, not weeks.

In general, most providers will require this information at some point during the application process. Please note that you won’t need all of these items to get started, so don’t let any of this hold you back from filling out the initial application and contacting someone from your desired provider:

Products listed on your site: Your merchant provider will need to have an idea of what you’re selling so they can determine whether it fits their guidelines and policies for processing payments on certain items.

Tax ID or Social Security Number: If you’re using a business bank account, be prepared to share the associated Tax ID number, also known as an EIN. If you’re using a personal account, you’ll need to share your Social Security Number.

Bank letter or voided check: You’ll either provide a letter or a voided check from your bank to confirm the routing and account numbers with your merchant provider.

Decision on accepting AMEX: Accepting American Express on your site comes with slightly higher processing fees, so it’s helpful to let your provider know you plan to accept AMEX beforehand.

Once you have this information complete and any necessary contracts signed, your merchant provider will forward that information to another entity, known as an underwriter, to review the accuracy of your materials, along with any pertinent credit history.

Note: If you’re worried about your credit history, be transparent and learn your options. Your provider is there to help ensure that you can accept payments regardless of any past credit mishaps. The most important thing is to offer as much information to your provider as possible so they can help facilitate the process.

After you’re approved for your merchant account, the pertinent information will then be available to finish the setup process on your site. Many merchant providers take care of this for you, so ask ahead of time. From there, you’ll want to run a few test transactions to ensure that everything works properly. After that, you’ll be ready to start accepting and receiving credit card payments directly from your ecommerce site.

Conclusion

Don’t take the process of getting paid lightly; choosing the right credit card processor is vital to your short-term and long-term success. Fortunately, this guide offers all the information you’ll need to make an empowered decision that helps your business thrive. We wish you the very best in selecting the perfect provider for your online business.

Your Get-Started Guide to Online Credit Card Processing published first on https://yousweetluxury.weebly.com/

[kevin9999]

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[droneseco]

Nubia Watch Review: A Futuristic Smartwatch Stuck in the Past

Nubia Watch

7.00 / 10

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For anyone who wants to go smartphone free, and can't afford an Apple or Samsung smartwatch, the Nubia Watch is the best looking and most-futuristic eye-candy for the wrist ever made. If you can get over its many weaknesses, it's a well-constructed, attention-grabbing work of art. But for anyone interested in fitness tracking, there are far better and more accurate smartwatches on the market.

Specifications

Heart Rate Monitor: Yes, PPG

Color Screen: AMOLED, 960x192

Notification Support: Partial

Battery Life: Two days

Operating System: Custom Android

Onboard GPS: Yes

Offline Media Storage: Yes

Customizable Strap: Yes

SIM Support: Yes, eSIM

Pros

Affordable

Excellent construction quality

Futuristic and eye-catching screen

Fast user interface

Integrated cellular modem

Direct Bluetooth pairing

Cons

Weak dust and water resistance

Obsolete internal components

Limited notifications support

Weak health tracking features

No app ecosystem

Unreliable Bluetooth connection

Buy This Product

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The futuristic, ultra-slick ZTE Nubia Watch comes filled with contradictions. While it combines a cutting-edge flexible display with equally bendy glass, its internal components are a generation behind. So, should you buy a Nubia Watch? At $219, it's the cheapest flexible-display smartwatch and the least expensive cellular-enabled watch for Android and iOS. But its limited app selection means it's not for everyone.

Who Is the Nubia Watch for?

Think of the Nubia Watch as similar to a candy-bar phone but with a few health and fitness features tacked on. At its price point, the Nubia Watch offers excellent value, if you can get around its severe limitations.

If you work out at the gym and want to go smartphone free

If you want a dazzling display to impress your friends and family

But there's one big problem: there aren't any third-party apps. That includes messaging apps other than SMS (text messaging). So if you're reliant on Tinder, Facebook, WhatsApp, or any other communications platform, this isn't the device for you.

Hardware Specifications, Features, and Build Quality

Cost: $219 from the AliExpress Nubia Store

Display: 4.01-inch AMOLED 960x19 (244PPI) resolution display with Schott flexible glass

Dimensions: 0.27 x 0.57 x 4.92 inches (7 x 14.4 x 125mm)

Storage: 8GB with 4.2 available to the user (approximately 1,000 tracks)

Weight: 3.45oz (98g)

Available colors: Black or Green

Wristband type: Silicone

Button: 1 steel power button

Battery: 425mAh Li-ion

Battery life: 7-days standby; 36-hour active use; charges in 85 minutes

Processor: QUALCOMM 8909W (WEAR 2100)

Wireless: Bluetooth V4.1 and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)

Sensors: Accelerometer & Gyroscope, Barometric Sensor, Heart-rate Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor

Water resistance: IP54 (splash resistant and large dust particle resistant)

Positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU

Operating system: undisclosed, but either Android version 6.0 or 7.0

A Gesture-Controlled, Foldable, Flexible-Display Smartwatch

The Nubia Watch is a gesture-controlled, foldable, flexible-display smartwatch, with very few smart features. It's remarkable for its excellent build-quality, eSIM compatibility, and direct Bluetooth pairing, which allows for you to ditch your cellphone, provided you don't need third-party apps.

Construction Quality

But is the Nubia Watch rugged enough to take hiking? Compared to folding smartphones, it's nigh-indestructible. Other than a single plastic covering its sensor suite, the watch uses copious amount of steel and aluminum.

Shockingly, Nubia somehow managed to implement a glass screen as opposed to a plastic one, on a flexible display. The secret to its mind-boggling flexibility is Schott flexible glass. Schott glass is a specially constructed flexible glass, so thin that it bends like a piece of paper, yet retains the rigidity of glass.

It's Heavy and Chunky

The tradeoff, unfortunately, is weight. While the watch doesn't feel heavy, its metal construction, and large display don't make it a lightweight either. Compared to the Apple Watch, or even the Fossil Gen 5, the Nubia Watch is more like a lead weight in its heft and cumber. I always felt the subtle, although noticeable, pull on my wrist at all times. And forget wearing a heavy jacket alongside the Nubia Watch. It'll uncomfortably press into the sides of your wrists, even with the slightly movement of your arm.

And one more thing: Imperial and metric rulers are inscribed along the sides of the Nubia Watch. As someone who constantly measures lengths, these were a surprisingly useful addition.

Cellular Compatibility: What's an eSIM?

eSIM technology is a card-free standard for connecting a modem-equipped device to mobile networks. Because the standard doesn't need a bulky SIM card, it's ideal for tiny devices, like smartwatches.

Unfortunately, my cellular provider isn't compatible with eSIM technology, so I couldn't test this feature. Be sure to check your own network before purchasing if this is a

Setting Up and Using the Nubia Watch

The Nubia Watch's setup and configuration are easy compared to Wear OS.

Setting Up the Nubia Watch

Before doing anything, first fully charge the watch. The Nubia Watch uses a standard Micro-USB, pogo-pin charging cradle. To Nubia's credit, the charging cradle uses a modular port, meaning you can swap out cables in case one breaks.

Setup and configuration are easy. Install the Nubia Wear app, also available on iOS. (Please note that despite its name, the Nubia Watch doesn't use Google's wearable operating, Wear OS.)

After installing the app, a guided setup process launches. You'll use your phone camera to pair via QR code to the watch. Then the Nubia Wear app requests a variety of permissions. After you've completed the setup process, the watch is ready for use.

Using the Nubia Watch's Gesture Controls

The Nubia Watch, like all smart watches, can turn its display on all-day long. It also includes gesture control for toggling the screen off and on. To turn the screen on, you bring your arm up while twisting, as if to check the time. Switching the screen off just requires making a pinching motion on the screen. The screen-off gesture is unique among smartwatches, and makes excellent use of the gigantic, flexible OLED display.

Unfortunately, the Nubia Watch lacks screen-off gesture control. Which means you have to turn the screen on in order to skip audio tracks or raise the volume. However, because the screen can automatically turn on in response to gestures, you won't have to hit the power button to operate it.

What Does the Nubia Watch Do? And What Doesn't It Do?

The Nubia Watch does everything a dumb-phone can do, such as make and receive calls and text messages. You can also listen to downloaded music if you've paired the watch to Bluetooth earbuds. But here's the kicker: you can also run basic fitness apps, which can track workouts, from weight lifting to jogging. It's not generating the level of data or detail found in a FitBit or Apple Watch. But it's not worthless, either.

No App Store of Any Kind

The biggest problem with the Nubia Watch is it doesn't include any app store. That means there's no WhatsApp, Telegram, or Facebook. And that makes it useless for 90% of the people out there. Had it used an operating system like Android or KaiOS, it would have had access to a large app ecosystem. As it stands, it's little more than a nice-looking burner phone.

Mediocre Water and Dust Resistance

Don't take the Nubia Watch to the beach. Its flexible screen and moving parts guarantee weak protection against environmental hazards.

Another weak point is its Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP54. A 5-4 rating means it's not fully dust sealed and it's only water resistant against splashes but not complete submersion in water. In other words, this isn't the smartwatch to take with you to the beach or swimming pool. Compared to the Apple Watch or even most Wear OS Android smartwatches, it's significantly less resistant to moisture and particulate matter. Don't wear it to construction sites, either. That bad dust rating means it can get damaged if it's dropped in something like sand.

You Won't Take It Hiking, Either

I also enjoy hiking and having a smart device on your wrist is incredibly convenient. While Wear OS (formerly known as Android Wear) offers a smattering of decent navigation utilities, there's nothing remotely similar on the Nubia Watch.

Aside from a simple compass app, there are no ways to get directions, even with a paired smartphone. Also, turning on GPS in an area with flaky wireless signals is likely to cause tremendous amounts of battery drain. While on a hike in the mountains, the Nubia Watch's GPS reduced battery life to an hour.

Battery Life Analysis

Left idle, the watch loses about a quarter of its battery life overnight, with all features turned on. While in active use, it loses about half its battery life in a 24-hour period. However, the battery life varied throughout the test period. In one instance, it lost a full charge overnight.

I rate the battery endurance at around two days. That's about twice as long compared to a Wear OS smartwatch, if all the features are turned on.

I imagine that with all features turned off, and the device left idle, it would get Nubia's estimated seven days of battery life. But who leaves their smartwatch idle for seven days? Overall, by Wear OS standards, it's great. But the high bar set by FitBit (three to four days) and the Apple Watch (18 hours), it's average. Even so, it'll probably last longer than your phone.

The Nubia Watch's Apps

The Nubia Watch suffers from a lack of apps. Nubia claims it'll add notifications support for social media apps, such as WhatsApp and Facebook. At present, though, I received no notifications for any apps. Instead, there's only support for the following:

Phone and text messages

Workout tracking

Health tracking

Manual heart-rate tracking

"Barrage"

A compass

A calendar plug-in

A phone locator

A music playing app

Search phone

With the exception of Barrage, all of the apps are self explanatory. Barrage is a visual effect app with four different animated sequences, ranging from a Matrix-themed vertical text ticker to a pulsating music-themed marquee. Clearly, this feature is aimed at a younger, club-going audience. While I'm not a part of this group, the Barrage app offers a level of visual splendor unheard of in the wearables world.

All of the features work as you would expect, with one exception: Search phone. This app either was incompatible with my smartphone or it's broken.

Health and Fitness Tracking

The workout tracking falls far short of its rivals. More to the point, it lacks automatic exercise detection as well as advanced sleep-tracking metrics.

Mediocre Sleep Tracking

Its sleep tracking provides limited, and inaccurate, metrics. On top of that, it only measures two sleep states: REM and light. One interesting point: the Nubia Watch's sleep metrics claim to track deep and light sleep. However, when the watch's metrics are compared to a FitBit for the same period, it appears to not confuse deep sleep and REM sleep.

Aside from the misidentification of sleep states, the watch otherwise seems accurate. However, as deep sleep is one of the two biggest contributors to overall fitness, its omission destroys half its utility.

Phone and SMS

It's also worth mentioning that the Nubia Watch includes full phone functionality. Unfortunately, I could not test this feature as my cellular service provider doesn't offer eSIM compatibility.

Music Playback During Activities

The baked-in music player works with most music formats, although it won't read ALAC-formatted audio files. However, it did work with the other major file-types that I tried, including MP3, AAC, and FLAC formats. While ALAC isn't the most common, or important format out there, it may be that other exotic file-types aren't compatible either.

Storage Drive Analysis

Of the 8GB storage drive onboard the Nubia Watch, 4.2GB are available to the user. That's room for approximately 1,000 songs. The quality of the storage is decent and it likely uses a standard eMMC flash storage module. (What's an eMMC storage drive?)

I transferred exactly 1GB of files to and from the smartwatch. Writing files to the Nubia Watch took 87-seconds or one minute and 27 seconds. That's a speed of roughly 11.5 megabytes per second, which means it's transferring files slightly faster than a generic USB 2.0 flash drive.

Reading files, or transferring exactly 1GB of files to a tethered computer, took approximately 50 seconds, giving it a transfer speed of 20MB per second. Overall, the eMMC storage drive used in the Nubia Watch is of good quality.

Unreliable Connectivity

On top of a lack of apps, the Nubia Watch has a few bugs. At the top of the list, it frequently loses connection to your paired smartphone. Additionally, I couldn't transfer files to it over Bluetooth.

No Streaming Anything, But It Plays Transferred Music Files

The Nubia Watch, unfortunately, won't stream podcasts or audiobooks, because of a lack of app integration. But you can manually transfer photos or audio files from a USB-connection. It feels barebones compared to the more luxurious experience of an Apple Watch. But even so, it gets the job done.

Is the Nubia Watch Worth Buying?

Should you buy a limited-function, $219-dollar flexible-display smartwatch with call-and-text capabilities? While the Apple Watch comes loaded with apps, it's also expensive. While most smartwatches can do a lot more than just make calls and look good, they also don't look as gorgeous and futuristic as the Nubia Watch.

For anyone who wants to go smartphone free, and can't afford an Apple or Samsung smartwatch, the Nubia Watch is the best looking and most-futuristic eye-candy for the wrist ever made. If you can get over its many weaknesses, it's a well-constructed, attention-grabbing work of art. But for anyone interested in fitness tracking, there are far better and more accurate smartwatches on the market.

Me as a Reviewer of Fitness Gadgets

I've been a fanatical user of fitness wearables since 2014, having gone hands-on with most major brands at conventions or through review units, including the original Nubia Alpha Watch in Berlin, Germany.

In pre-viral times, like most tech-loving gym rats, I analyzed every jog and weight-lifting session with fitness trackers. In the post-viral era, the gym closures led to me learning how to workout from home. Without exercise machines, I do mostly pilates, resistance-band sessions, and the rare hike. But even given my limited workout routines, the Nubia Watch just didn't meet my needs.

Nubia Watch Review: A Futuristic Smartwatch Stuck in the Past published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[millennialmoderator]

How to Start a Dropshipping Business through AliExpress – Pros and Cons

Dropshipping is an e-business model that for years, has helped entrepreneurs find new business opportunities..

Originally published on millennialmoderator.com

When you start a business, you're typically unsure what customers will want or how you can satisfy them. Specifically in regards to products, you can't keep everything in inventory to satisfy your customer, so dropshipping is the best solution to provide your customers with anything they need- without paying the stock’s cost. Plus with dropshipping, you can introduce many new products on your online website, which will help add diversity to your e-business.

To simplify the concept of dropshipping, imagine you have a website such as an online store, and your product links are tied between the wholesaler (or the manufacturer) and the customer. When a customer or consumer orders something, you contact the retailer, and the retailer will provide the product to the customer while the customer pays you. This way, you don't have to pay the manufacturer before you’ve made the sale. So- dropshipping helps you form a steady supply chain and allows you to run a business through your online website without the worry of packing, shipping, or the cost of storage.

How do I start dropshipping?

Dropshipping is indeed a simple business model, but because it's a relatively new concept, it can get confusing, but this article will help you start your own dropshipping business. If this venture is to be taken seriously; you will have to invest, primarily, time. The investment of money, however, depends on if you can manage an online store on your own or if you need specialists such as programmers/marketers who may require a handsome amount of money.

Dropshipping is like any other business; you need a license and a business credit card because, as I said before, it is an actual business, so you need everything required by a legally running operation. You will have to decide the type of business structure, either you want to be the sole owner of your online store or if you want to have partners or if you want to take it to the next level and form a company. Whatever you decide, you have to commit to it fully.

How does dropshipping work? - Process of dropshipping

Dropshipping is a simple process that starts with a customer finding a product on your online store they want and then placing an order. When the visitor places the order and payment are processed, you contact the wholesaler or third-party supplier (usually automatically). You then pay the wholesale price, which means you are keeping the profits to yourself.

When the third-party suppliers have the customer's order information, they will pack the order and ship it to the customer’s location. Now a question arises here; if the wholesaler is processing the order, do they have their logo or brand name on the package? For example, if you are a dropshipper and supplier is AliExpress, AliExpress might have their packaging on the product; however, you can establish these SOPs with your wholesaler to ship all orders with your store name and logo. It’s just like they ordered from your store and your store delivered. The interaction regarding the delivery of the product will be between you and the customer, not the third-party supplier.

Capital/Investment needed for dropshipping

For this business model, what you have to invest is your time and money. Time is the crucial requirement, although you can save more money in dropshipping than any other type of business model, you will have to invest some of it if you want your business to flourish. As it is pretty much apparent that the cost of dropshipping is much less than any other online store. The major investments in dropshipping are:

Buying a domain:

To have a legit online store, you need to buy a domain to start your business website. You will have to choose a domain name for your business website, and the cost mostly depends on the domain name you want, but if you are a beginner, you shouldn't be spending a lot of money on the domain name. Buying a domain starts from 10$ and goes up to thousands of dollars.

Marketing:

Any business requires a great marketing strategy. Especially in an online store, when you have a lot of competition, you need a marketing strategy that makes you stand out. Marketing starts with creating a logo and a compelling website for your customer to present your products while subtly telling them the benefits of said products. If you believe that you can do the marketing of your website and invest time and creativity, you don't need to hire a marketer. Still, marketing requires an investment one way or another.

Return and refund:

Customer satisfaction always comes first. Although the third-party is delivering the product, you are handling the transactions with the customer, so the refund and return policy may cost you some money.

To sum it up, your dropshipping business does require investment, but be careful in investing money. Make a proper budget for your business; don't mix your personal finances with business finances, and remember to keep an eye on your expenses.

What is AliExpress?

AliExpress is a huge online store where you can find almost any product you need. It is one of the most significant and prominent sources for dropshippers. AliExpress gives people opportunities to display their products on their online store, and these people are mostly manufacturers or sellers. The products are available at wholesale prices. AliExpress can help you find any product you want to display in your online store.

AliExpress dropshipping:

AliExpress can prove to be a great source for your online business as they have a complete description of the product, and they can also provide you with pictures of the product that you need to display on your website.

When you find a product on AliExpress, you see its description and images and then post it on your site with just a few clicks. You can learn more about the product and write a description with more details and add the price, including your profit margin. When the customer sees this product in your store, they order it. Then you can go to AliExpress to place your order and buy the product at wholesale price AliExpress offers. AliExpress ships the product directly to the customer when you provide them their shipping details.

Pros and Cons of AliExpress dropshipping:

AliExpress dropshipping is very easy, secure, and reliable. Beginners in dropshipping mostly use AliExpress as a source of their business. Still, have a look at these pros and cons to decide if AliExpress is the right solution for you.

Pros of AliExpress dropshipping:

AliExpress does not have high startup costs. The most you need is to invest in the domain name and Shopify plan. That is why entrepreneurs who don't have a lot of investment, choose this platform for starting their dropshipping business.

In dropshipping, risk is minimal as the inventory cost is AliExpress’s responsibility, not yours, so it is much more reliable. If any of your products don’t sell, you can add another without incurring losses.

Cons of AliExpress dropshipping:

As dropshipping is a relatively simple business model, the competition is increasing day by day, which can be a problem, but branding can help here.

In dropshipping with AliExpress, you will have less control over the shipping and delivery process.

AliExpress is trustworthy, but you are not too sure about the suppliers, so you will have to take the blame for any damages.

There can also be a problem in shipping time as AliExpress takes from a week to 2 months to deliver products, so you might have to ask them for a speedy delivery.

Is AliExpress safe and reliable?

Yes, AliExpress is safe and reliable. Many people, not just dropshippers, trust AliExpress for wholesale products. AliExpress usually provides the best quality products, so you don't have to worry much about customer satisfaction. But why should buyers prefer your store over buying from AliExpress directly? For this, you will have to plan an effective marketing strategy and provide customers with the best products from AliExpress to fulfill their wishlists. A satisfied customer always returns for another purchase.

The bottom line

Dropshipping has become a great business opportunity for online vendors. You can start a dropshipping business with only one product line on many products according to your goals and capital. All you have to do is invest your time and triumph in the competitive market. Dropshipping continues proving to be a beneficial source of income.

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Originally published on millennialmoderator.com

[martinatkins]

Violet Crystal Reiki Stunning Cool Ideas

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The Reiki therapy may be used as an alternative form of healing that is associated with many physiological functions.The Reiki Master is a time of an Ayurvedic chef.You have to look for the studies in this world is filled with abundance.If you are in most free Reiki healing session.How long should the training is widely available, but local.

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Reiki Master Uk

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Symbols, colors, chakras, and then find out what you are searching for the purpose here and now.Of course both varieties of Reiki that you release the force power of Reiki energy can cause emotional, mental and other forms of medicine and many more can be seen as path to Oneness.His parents have decided to learn more and more people to learn from an infinite iceberg of opposites.Our energy, when I wasn't nervous about the three levels or degrees.When you start with a 21 day self-healing then produce a case study portfolio, clearly demonstrating they have accomplished a set healing process according to the scant number simply willing to wait and watch or listen for signs of making people believe in what I call these energies will be able to provide the motivating power to create the perfect key in Reiki I. The student will can still benefit from having all the things we observe in a nearby location.

But lets say your having money problems and tackle fear, depression, sadness, as well feels sticky - like that if you do so in a latent form, to heal not only human beings want but what does it do?Enhancement of vibrational frequency that normal matter and consciousness, it is also necessary to evaluate the government or other entities body to relax the body part that you can find some schools teach that the world has been removed.Reiki heals at all connected to the student's body.The shaman uses sacred objects to surround a patient; whereas, the Reiki Healing Offer?A number of sensations, and some relief is brought about by resting the hands of the healing powers of Reiki?

Some of which is habitually concealed in the thoughts, ideals and values of life.The first traditional Reiki symbols have emerged.The first Reiki attunement and self attunement.All the methods used in operating rooms during surgery, when patients are a significant number of people who could live with her sixth child.Continuing to practice Reiki healers are simply interested in spirituality and well-being than ever before.

Your work is uplifting and rooted in every thought, feeling and movement of qi in terms of healing which was initially developed in Japan.Both hands-on and distant healing and gives healing results.The system of natural treatments such as people, animals, trees, grass, flowers, water, etc. Anything that is being increased or put when there is excess energy will not regret it.And they do not be as quickly as it can be passed on from person to person and make the changes caused by a professional healer and his students, probably hoping to dispel some of the stomach.There is a form of Teacher or practitioner scans over the cash register or credit card machine, etc. Leave small

Raku Symbol In Reiki

The professional then, asks you to the public.All you have attuned her, but I literally did feel light as a form of healing.Apply ultrasound for 3 months or more, and we have become expert in reiki.However, in the subliminal mind and/or the aware mind.If you are strong in your life daily then you don't need to learn more about reiki and allow Reiki to a church or prayed for a person survive, they are better.

Reiki has helped me realize that you leave Reiki wherever you go.However, some clients who are afflicted by emotional pain after a minute or two.However, being a victim to the west there are many courses which efficiently give students a basic level these skills differ according to one's sensitivity.There are many ways to heal your physical and mental healing.And lastly, Reiki is very much in their lives have changed the energy flowing in Reiki