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shellsweet · 1 year
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2003 TMNT 20TH ANNIVERSARY PRINTS!
(GENERAL INFORMATION)
★ Each print is 11 x 17 inches. Both Matte and Holographic finishes are $25 for either version.
★ At this time there are only 50 Matte and 50 Holographic copies. 100 in total. (There will be a 2nd pass of 100 more copies later this year.)
★ Total goal of this limited print run is 200 copies and that is it.
★ Please be courteous and keep each print order per person (If you like to order an additional print for another person upon your original order, that is allowed. Shipped together or separately.)
★ Shipping will be used primarily by the United States Postal Service. (USPS) (First class shipping for the US is $5.99, International shipping rates might vary depending where it’s going, at this point UK shipment rates for first class is roughly $18.99)
★ Prints will be inserted in a plastic sleeve, with a business card, rolled up into a poster tube for its safe journey to you. Once it is delivered, place the print in a dry and flat area with something heavy on top (books, boxes, ect) for a few days to completely flatten. (Or if you have a frame ready for it, that will flatten it out as well.)
★ Orders are going in 15 quantity batches per week, please be patient and understanding as these are being shipped out privately by myself and will need time between part time work hours and post office hours to complete your mail orders. Once prints are shipped, you will be provided with a tracking number to track your print order.
★ PAYMENTS WILL BE DONE THROUGH PAYPAL.
REQUEST FORM:
(To get you started!)
***Please sent your print inquiries to [email protected]***
Title your email as "2K3 TMNT PRINT ORDER"
NAME: (How you'd like to be addressed) + USERNAME (Include Platform)
PRINT ORDER: List which copy you would like: Matte or Holograph.
MAILING ADDRESS: Enter which mailing address works best for the print to be shipped to. Make sure there are no typos. Be sure to let me know if this is going to a US or International Address.
PAYMENT: Payments will be done through Paypal, be sure to include the email that you would like to use and be ready for further instructions.
PRINT ORDER PROCESS:
ORDER: Confirm your order based on the request form.
PAYMENT: Both print cost and shipping cost will be charged through Paypal. Once the money goes through, your order will begin being packed and prepped for shipping.
SHIPMENT: Once your print is shipped, you will have a responding email with your tracking number.
DELIVERY: Wait for your delivery and enjoy once it arrives! If you want to post pictures of your print, please feel free to tag me in any of these socials! I’d be thrilled to see your reactions!
★ Twitter: @sweetscribbler
★ Instagram: @shellsweetscribbler
★ Tumblr: @Shellsweet
If a print is damaged during transit, please notify me and send pictures of the damage. A replacement will be sent as soon as possible.
If your print gets sent back to the returning address, you will be notified and we will reconfirm your address for another shipment.
For any other questions or concerns, please send a message to [email protected]
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demonichikikomori · 1 year
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“Lemon” Cookies
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You purchased a vial of what you thought was lemon extract. Sam said that by purchasing the glittering yellow liquid from within the glass case, you would get much closer to the person you cared about most. All you had to do was use it the next time you baked something sweet and give it to them as a treat!
And so you bought it, refusing to question his display choices or the reason it needed a key to get to in the first place. The price was high, but Sam has never let you down. And maybe some of these guys would start being a little nicer to you! After all, you are the unofficial therapist on campus. You and Grim were up all night baking lemon cookies together. Well, you were the one actually working on the cookies, Grim just wanted to eat the uncooked dough lacking in the extract. You molded them into rounded heart shapes before slipping them into the oven. You had used the entire bottle in your batch of cookies that you planned to give out to those close to you. Hopefully they taste as good as they smell.
You wrapped them up in a small plastic bag, tied with the Ramshackle ribbon color. You prepared to deliver the treats with a smile on your face. You wanted to see a reaction from the person you gave them to. How his face brightened over knowing you were thinking of him when he made the heart shaped cookies.
Unfortunately, you and the resident of Twisted Wonderland you gave the cookies to had no idea that the extract you used, was a form of aphrodisiac. Why was Sam selling it? Well, he sells everything. You and the person you gave the treats to would find out very soon that your blunder had consequences. But for now…
Enjoy the tart taste of "Lemon" Cookies
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Welcome to “Lemon” Cookies! This series is inspired by the Early 2010’s fanfic community making reference to the fruit when writing Smut/NSFW content! An anon asked me a bit ago about a scenario I liked a lot and I’m an open fan when it comes to ‘darker’ themes. Pretty much, I like my smut with a spicy flavor. This is the post in question that pushed me to create this event! This event will be a one shot for the most voted character in Twisted Wonderland. This includes staff and our boys off campus. The voting will start today (01.01.23) and will end (01.14.23)! Think of it as a treat for Valentines which will be coming up towards the end of the voting period. It’s my favorite holiday after all! <3 My treat for all of you good little demons out there! <3
It is possible I will come back to this as it will be posted on Ao3 and add chapters for the other most popular students casted in. But, that will be decided as I finish the first character you all requested!
Results!
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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bNsFW6enu-iDuzXlE0VQjDPPTLp6nw66LErUC2CgqIw/edit?usp=drivesdk
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softandwigglybones · 7 months
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I finally finished it!
I present to you
A Bone By Any Other Name
by me
(for alternative ways to read:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CYiklZPN2b4Mtp2yFVOhH8iOxZ6QVvrtgtfANsOVP_Q/edit?usp=sharing
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/75608/short-stories-for-practice/chapter/1375571/a-bone-by-any-other-name)
“Now then, you know where to take these, yeah?” asked father Dimmon.
The boy he was talking to, unusually small and thin for his age, nodded fervently.
“Words, Jorgmund, use words,” father Dimmon sighed.
“Ossuary,” was all he got in reply.
Still, it was good enough. For now, at least. Certainly better than when he’s taken young Jorgmund in all those years ago.
So, with just another shake of his head, and the accompanying jiggle of his long beard, he let the boy go. Well, only after calling him back to actually pick up the box he was supposed to deliver.
The boy, Jorgmund, was fast on his feet. It didn’t take long for his short legs to carry him out of the main hall, through one empty corridor too many and out the doors into the yard behind the temple. Where he finally slowed down.
This was one of the few safe places on temple grounds, a place where he could relax. With its quiet atmosphere and nothing but a field of strange stones as far as the eye could see, it was perfect. For some reason Jorgmund never understood, the others avoided this place. But that just meant he liked it all the more, even going as far as spending as much of his time here as he could.
Well, there was one more thing here, other than the weird stones. Just a short stroll in, maybe 10 minutes at most, stood an old stone hut. It was quite small, almost decrepit looking, yet it held on strong. So strong in fact that when one stood right in front of it, one would have the feeling of a distant beast looming high above them. It was the ossuary, young Jorgmund’s destination.
Laboriously prying the huge double doors open, Jorgmund just barely managed to slip through the resulting crack before it closed shut behind him with a loud boom.
And then, there was heaven. For Jorgmund, at least. Inside the ossuary even the minor sounds of the wind finally stilled.  If the graveyard leading up to here were a delicious slice of bread, then the inside of the ossuary itself would be a gourmand garlic bread. Simply delicious.
But Jorgmund’s adventure still wasn’t over. No, before him lay a lengthy staircase leading deep down below the earth. So deep in fact that the bottom wasn’t even visible.
Jorgmund, the brave hero that he was, valiantly stepped forward. Delivery box in one hand and a torch in the other, he ventured forth into the depths.
Step by step, he descended the stairs. Led by gentle caresses of dim light and the guiding hand of silence, Jorgmund felt right at home. Welcome.
Enough so that he could focus on more than just his immediate actions for once. Things like all the murals carved into every wall, and even the ceiling, of this place. Everywhere he looked, old carvings depicting anything from heroic knights slaying vile beasts to hooded figures putting the dead to rest decorated the staircase. It all held a certain majesty in it, even with all the cracks and chips in the artwork.
That being said, even the best piece of art has a finite amount of detail, and Jorgmund had already walked this path many times before. At this point, he may as well have just been looking at some pretty pictures.
And then, he’d reached the bottom. A seemingly infinite hallway expanded before Jorgmund. Dark, and yet all the more inviting. Dark, but not abyssal. It was actually quite bright considering how far beneath the earth this was.
The only sound, the only thing, disturbing this place were Jorgmund’s footsteps. And considering his size, it was more of a gentle pitter-patter than agitating stomps.
The walls of the corridor were lined many an alcove. Hundreds, thousands even, small holes in the wall extended down the hall. Each one held a smallish pile of bones, along with some ever-burning candles. It was all those candles providing the light down here, beating back the darkness in exchange for a dim sanctity. It also provided the place with a warm glow rather than the dreary coldness one would expect from such a sombre place.
By the time Jorgmund reached the end of the tunnel, his torch had long gone out. Not that it was a problem with all the candles down here.
At the end of the ossuary was a slightly larger room with a too high ceiling. Perhaps this is why it was built so far underground. And yet, despite all the obvious grandeur this room was supposed to command, it held nothing more than a simple altar set against the far wall.
Or rather, it was supposed to be flush with the wall, with nary a gap in between. But whether through negligence during construction, the simple passage of time, or some other force, a crack formed. Like the beckoning maw of the deep abyss, it called out to Jorgmund. And not for the first time. Actually, this was only on of many such trips Jorgmund had made.
Luckily for him, the calls from behind the altar weren’t from some dark force or a devouring demon. In fact, the calls here were quite literal. If you were to put your ear as close to the gap as possible, you could even make out the barely discernible mutters of, “bones. bones. bones.” Over and over, the same thing repeated day in and day out.
For any other person, this would surely be a sign to turn back immediately. Maybe even to call an exorcist or some such too. After all, it’s only natural to be creeped out by mad murmurs.
But not Jorgmund. He’d gotten used to it long ago. Let’s not get into the specifics of how that happened though.
The point is, Jorgmund did not run away in terror, screaming. Instead, he, for whatever reason, decided to humour the creature responsible for the sounds. Perhaps he could hear something in its voice, perhaps it reminded him of something. One thing was for sure though, he was not here to deliver the package, the bones, for storage.
As Jorgmund gently put the box down and removed its covering, the noises from behind the altar stilled.
“Bones?” asked the creature in the gap. Its voice was surprisingly high-pitched for such a creature of the dark. Though as if to compensate, its voice was all the more grating.
“Mm, bones,” said Jorgmund in reply.
In a certain way, it was nice how the two, so different yet undeniably similar, had found each other. Two beings with a love for using few words.
Jorgmund reached into the box he’d carried all this way and took out a single thin bone. White as a, well, bone, it had the exact right measurements to just barely fit into the slit between the altar and the wall. As soon as he pushed it in as far as he possibly could, a different force took hold of it from the other side and pulled it even deeper where it disappeared.
What followed were some of the most haunting sounds to ever exist. Crunches and crack worse than the sound of a scraping chalkboard. It all lasted for a whole 30 seconds before silence reigned again.
“Bone?” it asked again after a moment of silence. Jorgmund obliged.
Like this, minutes passed until finally, the only pieces of bone remaining were the ones too big to pass through. And to the customary question of “Bone?” Jorgmund only replied with a shake of his head and a simple, “Outside.”
The creature in the wall only replied with silence. At last, it let out the sad, falling tones of a single “Bone.”
“Don’t be sad,” said Jorgmund. But no one answered.
The creature, whatever it was, must have scurried off somewhere. Still, Jorgmund wasn’t disheartened. He knew that by the time he returned it’d be back too.
And like that, days passed. Every now and then he’d drop by with another box of bones and feed the creature in the wall. Over time, he took up more and more responsibilities in the ossuary. With everyone else too afraid of it to volunteer for jobs involving it, he eventually became the unofficial caretaker of the ossuary. He’d wake up every day and head over to the graveyard, where he spent the vast majority of his time. Most of it inside the ossuary itself though.
Even more time passed and slowly everyone got used to the arrangement. The few other duties he still had at the temple were dropped, leaving Jorgmund with even more free time. And with all that time on his hands, Jorgmund had even more opportunities to be with his creature-friend.
Until one day, when he was descending down the ossuary stairs, he heard a strange noise. A noise coming from much further in. It was a sort of popping and crackling sound, interspersed with much louder cracks.
Rushing down the rest of the stairs and through the long hallway, Jorgmund found himself in the altar room, beholding a peculiar scene.
The altar, various new crack lines running through it with more still forming, was ever so slowly moving. Something was pushing it away from the wall.
 Stunned into silence, Jorgmund could do nothing more than watch the events unfold. Not that he’d have to wait for long.
As soon as the altar got pushed far enough, the creature exited into the candlelight. At least, it was supposed to be the creature.
Instead, what actually came out was a long stream of a coarse, white, sandy substance that flowed out, hovered in the air for a minute and before changing shape into a vaguely quadrupedal… animal…
Its “head” looked around for a moment until it caught sight of Jorgmund. Once it did so, it immediately rushed at him. Poor Jorgmund barely had the time to flinch before it collided into him.
Or not. Right when it seemed a collision was imminent, the creature’s solid form once again transformed into a powdery material that flowed right around him. Which just left him standing there, unharmed but even more confused than before.
And as he turned around and caught sight of his little friend, a gasp escaped him.
“Is, is that you, Bone?”
The white sand the creature was apparently made out of had once again changed shape. Standing on two legs, with a torso, arms and a head, the creature just barely reached above his legs. It looked like a facsimile of a human, just the general shape with none of the details that made every human unique. It had no identifying features. Unless you count the lack of them as one. And also, the whole being bone white thing.
“Bone,” the creature’s mouth opened and the same voice that Jorgmund was so familiar with came out.
***
A couple of weeks had passed since Jorgmund properly met his creature-friend for the first time, and life was good. Good, but not perfect.
Because while the creature in the wall, which Jorgmund aptly named Bone, was no longer trapped in the wall, it certainly didn’t mean that it was free.
Yes, as sad as it was, Jorgmund realized Bone couldn’t exit the ossuary just yet. Other people, especially the others from the temple, wouldn’t think kindly of a creature risen from the bones of the dead. At best, they’d drive it out into the wilderness.
And so, Jorgmund made the difficult decision to keep Bone hidden. Every time he finished off his duties in the ossuary, he’d make sure to properly close and lock the door, ensuring nobody would get in, or out.
Fortunately, Boen itself had no desire to go out and explore. Not yet, at least. Instead, it was quite content to spend its day engorging itself on all of the bones stored in the ossuary.
Naturally, that wasn’t all that changed. Since Bone was now free, and n longer starving much of the time, their available activities drastically expanded from only Jorgmund feeding Bone. No longer was their relationship purely one-sided.
Well, mostly. A lot of the time Bone wasn’t that interested in whatever Jorgmund had in mind. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, it also couldn’t say anything other than its name.
Therefore, if you somehow happened to wander into the ossuary, you’d often find them just lounging on the floor. Bone nibbling on whatever bone was closest and Jorgmund telling it about his day. At most, Bone would sometimes reply with the usual “Bone,” “Bone?” or perhaps, very occasionally, “Bone!” And while the communication left much to be desired, it was enough for them.
So, the days passed, both of them content, if not happy. For as long as the bone reserves held, there was nothing to worry about. And the number of bones the temple had collected over the years was truly staggering.
Everything was fine and good. It should have been perfect. But then a stranger came to town.
He travelled light, with only a small travel sack on him. Along with the dark robes he wore, a deep hood hiding his face, he had a certain aura about him. Dark, but not evil. Sort of… mystical.
It didn’t take long for rumours to spread among the townsfolk. Of a wizard, a magus, a dark sorcerer that arrived under some nefarious purpose.
Fortunately for the people, none of those were quite true. At most, they contained just the barest hint of the truth. After all, how could someone expect a full wizard, let alone a magus, to just randomly visit a town in the middle of nowhere. Those were titles earned by years upon years of study! No, at most, and even this was unlikely, this stranger was a hobbyist mage with a magical inheritance.
But that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is why he was here. Or, to be even more specific, what he found as soon as he entered town.
Like any other person dabbling in the arcane arts, the newcomer was attuned to the mystical. Had a sort of sixth sense, could sense what wasn’t really there. And what he sensed at that moment intrigued him greatly. For unlike most other areas in the world, this town had an abundance of mystical energies concentrated around it. In fact, they all appeared to be congregating on one spot.
So, the mysterious stranger wandered through the streets, blind to everything other than his sixth sense. Until he found himself in front of a sprawling temple.
That is to say, sprawling in relation to the rest of the town. But seeing as this was the spot, he didn’t hesitate and entered.
Now, any professionally trained mage would have immediately pointed out his mistake. However, as he was just an independent mage with an underdeveloped mystic sense, the robed visitor incorrectly assumed the origin of all of the mystic energy must be in the temple.
As soon as the first disciple caught sight of the wandering mage, he ran off inside the temple. It didn’t take long after that for father Dimmon to appear in front of the temple. In was the least they could do when greeting a mage.
“Salutation, seer beyond the veil! What bring you to our humble abode?” Dimmon spoke as soon as the robed figure got within earshot.
For the briefest of moments, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, the mage froze. It was the first time being addressed like that. Still, a mage is a mage, no matter how untrained. Besides, if he could keep this up, the respect would undoubtedly help him in his investigation.
“Greeting to you too, wise soul,” he began. Damn, was that too much, he thought. Ah, whatever. Might as well fully commit. “Through many marches I have wandered, many rivers have I crossed and mountains conquered to reach this place. Hear ye, if thou are wise, a strange power hath descended onto tine place of dwelling! Its purpose I know not, yet a foreboding feeling grows within my spirit. Heed my words! Something must be done, lest thou people face doom!”
This, was not an appropriate response to a greeting. Not for a peasant, not for a knight and not even for a hero. And mages were no exception to that rule. At least, they should have been.
As it oft happens when someone wields supernatural powers, superstition arises in the common folk. And when a whole community doesn’t come into contact with magic for multiple generations? Well, their opinions certainly won’t be grounded in reality. So much so even that they could consider the strange stranger’s response as normal. And indeed, that is exactly what happened here.
What followed was, simply put, chaos. Everyone who happened to be nearby, which, due to eavesdropping, wasn’t a small number, panicked. Even father Dimmon couldn’t hold it together for a hot minute.
All the while, the stranger, who still hadn’t introduced himself, just stood there, awkwardly staring at the pandemonium he inadvertently caused.
I… may have gone a bit overboard, was all that was running through his mind.
It took a while for everyone to calm down. That did not mean they were no longer terrified though. No, their calm just meant actions could be undertaken to solve the issue of their supposed doom.
“Gather everyone in the Great Hall! We must decide on a course of action,” father Dimmon said.
Another, lightly more organized, flurry of activity ensued. Every single person, whether it be the lowest of initiates or the highest of priests, all were ushered into the biggest hall in the temple. Along with one extra person.
The visiting mage, now standing before a gathering of about a hundred temple caretakers, gulped. Truly, a bad situation to fid oneself in. He’d have to truly sell his grand magus persona if he wanted to leave without half the town chasing after him.
“Good people, worldly souls! I am… Kasorin Electozoon. Grand Wizard Electozoon!” Every single pair of eyes in the room was glued to him, rapt with attention. “And I’ve come to warn you of a great danger that looms above this quaint town! But fear not, for I am here! I only need to identify the source of the malicious energies surrounding your home to banish it for good. But for that I’ll need your help. I’ve narrowed the area down to somewhere withing temple grounds, but that’s as much as I can do. Worry not though, …” on and on he went, speaking complete nonsense for the better part of the next hour.
By the end of his speech, everyone was fille with grim determination. They’d do whatever it took to save their town, their friend, family and neighbours.
And Electozoon (if that is indeed his real name) … well, he was just glad nobody was suspicious of him. Perhaps some day he’d think over the consequences of his actions, but that day was to today.
Jorgmund, meanwhile, was slowly starting to panic. Not unjustifiably, he had jumped to the conclusion that it was his friend Bone who was responsible for all this. And in a community where even educated people like Dimmon were ready to believe something that, from ant other mouth, would be considered madness, he wasn’t exactly hopeful of how they’d treat Bone.
So, while everyone else began to comb through every inch of the temple, Jorgmund began to weave a plan together. Hopefully he’d have enough time. As long as they don’t check the ossuary immediately, it should all work out.
Fortunately, luck was on his side and nobody even thought to check the graveyard that day.
Like that it happened that on the very same day this all happened, right as the sun descended behind the horizon and night fell upon the world, Jorgmund’s bed was empty. Sadly, it would seem that Jorgmund’s luck had run dry, for there were also many other beds left unoccupied. A patrol had been established. As much as you can call untrained individuals walking random routes a patrol.
Still, it wasn’t nothing and would certainly make Jorgmund’s job much harder that night.
If he were under suspicions, that is. But seeing as he was just another disciple, combined with the improvised nature of the patrol, he very easily blended in as just another person doing their job. It didn’t take long for him to reach the outside.
From there, it was smooth sailing for the next while. Pretty much no one was watching the outside, so the walk to the ossuary wasn’t much different from usual. Once there, Jorgmund unlocked the door and slipped inside. The real difficulty had yet to come.
Somehow, he’d now have to explain the situation to Bone and then escort it away from town. All while remaining unnoticed.
As Jorgmund descended the many stairs in the ossuary, he wondered how to do this. Lure Bone with pieces of bone? No, it had more than enough of them in the ossuary. Try to actually explain the situation? Doubtful. Jorgmund still wasn’t sure how much Bone actually understood when he was talking to him.
He’d have to improvise, as he’d reached the bottom of the stairs.
Bone was, as usual, crouching by a pile of bones. It was still in its vaguely humanoid form, but bigger. It came as a shock to Jorgmund when, one day, he entered the ossuary to find Bone had grown. As it turns out, Bone could grow by eating more and more bones. That also led do Jorgmund properly observing it when ate, which led him to discover Bone wasn’t actually eating. Instead, it ground the bones down into a fine powder, which it then assimilated into its body.
Briefly, Bone paused its feast, but soon resumed when it saw Jorgmund. Such a sight wasn’t unfamiliar to Jorgmund. He always felt a bit of warmth in his heart when he saw that Bone found comfort in his presence.
“Bone? I need to tell you something,” Jorgmund began softly, “But I’ll need your full attention on me, alright?”
“Bone?” said Bone, its head cocked to the side.
“Listen buddy. You know how this place is a part of a temple, and how you’re not really supposed to be here?”
“Bone.”
“Well, it turns out people really don’t want you here and are sort of, um, hunting for you.”
“Bone!” exclaimed Bone, its entire body tensing.
“I know, I know,” Jorgmund tried to calm it, “but there’s not much we can do about it.”
“Bone…” its high-pitched whine made Jorgmund want to hug it.
“Still, I think I can get you out of here before they find you.” At this, Bone perked up. “But I’ll need your full cooperation on this, alright? No talking, not even making any sounds. I’ll need you to do exactly as I say and stay still. Can you do that?”
Bone stayed silent, but nodded, filled with determination. In fact, it stood up and began to walk in the direction of the door.
“Hey. Hey! Wait up buddy! That’s not the plan! Everyone would spot you like that!”
Bone paused in the middle if taking its next step, unsure. Seeing this, Jorgmund quickly took out one of the boxes he’s use to deliver bones, and opened it.
“See this? You’ll climb inside and make sure you stay very still and quiet, so that nobody even knows you’re there. Like that, I’ll carry you until it’s safe again,” Jorgmund quickly explained.
Bone sighed and approached the box. Huh, did it just make a new sound, Jorgmund thought. No time, I can think about useless stuff later.
Once everything was ready, Jorgmund lifted the box and got on his way. The track up the stairs took a bit longer than usual, what with having to carry an entire extra person, but soon they stood in front of the ossuary doors. Well, Jorgmund stood. Bone was still in the box.
“You ready for this?” asked Jorgmund.
“Bone.”
“Alright, then hold tight and stay as quiet as you can.”
Jorgmund pushed open the heavy door, more that he normally would so that the box could pass too, and exited into the graveyard.
The night was still relatively young, but the cloud cover had dispersed, letting the moon shine through. It illuminated much of the surrounding land, its silvery light giving everything an air of mystery.
Quiet as a mouse, Jorgmund skulked through the graveyard, hiding behind tombstones, when possible, all in an effort to remain hidden. But even the world’s best sneak is but a normal person when faced with the supernatural.
Just as Jorgmund and Bone were approaching the edge of the temple grounds, where it bordered upon a thick forest, a shout reached them from behind. One sounding suspiciously like the Grand Wizard.
Jorgmund didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even pause to process what was said. He just booked it, sprinting as fast as he could into the forest.
He ran and ran, deeper and deeper into the forest until he could run no more. Exhausted, he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. Bone, who, thanks to the box’s cover having fallen during Jorgmund’s tumble, peeked out of the box, stayed silent. It was just staring at Jorgmund, a bit confused about what had happened.
Meanwhile, right outside the forest, Electozoon was cursing up a storm. Not literally.
“Damn it, I almost had it! Not that I even know what it is. Argh! Stupid boy and his stupid box!” he muttered under his breath. But being left with no other recourse, he eventually bit the bullet and entered the forest.
Electozoon was, of course, still a mage though and such trivialities like brambles, branches, mud or similar mundanities of ordinary life didn’t hinder him much at all. In fact, he even managed to receive aid from them instead, shortening his journey to just a scant few minutes.
When he finally arrived at the clearing Jorgmund was resting at, he wasn’t even winded, much less experiencing the complete exhaustion that Jorgmund was.
And as Electozoon laid his eyes upon his most coveted prize, he couldn’t quite believe what he saw.
Instead of a magical amulet, arcane ore, or any such classic treasures, what stood before him was the hulking form of a great beast. It towered more than a meter above him, its bulky form staring at him, almost as if into his very soul. But one thing terrified him more than any other. The whole of the creature was an eerie colour, like a sun-bleached bone.
Its entire body undulating, as if it didn’t have a proper shape, it spoke just one word.
“Bones.”
And then it launched itself at Electozoon. Only to be repelled by an almost translucent barrier.
“Fascinating,” Electozoon said. He couldn’t help but to remark on the intriguing creature before him.
It was only then, as Bone was bashing against his barrier with its monstrous fists that he noticed Jorgmund. Well, he noticed the body of a random boy he vaguely remembered being at the temple.
Hmm, I wonder what he was trying to do, he thought. Perhaps he’s also a mage? And this is his creation? Unlikely. Anyway, I suppose I should take care of this thing before pondering though.
Electozoon closed his eyes and began concentrating on a big spell, arms flailing about and eldritch incantations escaping his lips. All the while Bone continued to loudly pound against his barrier spell.
So loudly, in fact, that they even managed to wake up the dead tired Jorgmund. Who immediately jumped up with a panicked expression on his face, adrenaline pumping in his veins. There was only one going through his head. Is Bone safe?
Which was, admittedly, a strange thing to think. Especially since the next moment, when he saw what was actually happening, he didn’t think, “Is that human being attacked by a monster ok?”, as most people would.
No, as soon as he saw that a Wizard was casting some strange spell on poor little Bone, he became even more panicked.
He became so panicked that before he knew what he was doing, he sprinted right into the thick of it. Jorgmund, worried for the life of his only friend, positioned himself between Bone and Electozoon.
And just in time.
Electozoon uttered the last words of his incantation and crackling ball of energy materialized before him. And, still with his eyes closed, he launched it right at the bone-monster.
Which meant it first had to pass through Jorgmund. Which it promptly did. Literally.
The magical orb passed through Jorgmund without harming a single hair on him. In fact, it didn’t interact with the physical at all. It was, after all, magic. And this spell especially was a bit of an outlier.
The orb continued forth, its inevitable trajectory heading straight for Bone. Nothing could be done. Jorgmund was too slow, Bone still focused on punching and Electozoon recovering from one of the most difficult spells he could cast.
The spell impacted Bone. And left it completely intact. Instead, it entered Bone’s body, suffusing the entirety and letting off a gentle glow. But as soon as that happened, it all also played out in reverse. The glow retracted from Bone’s body until it reformed into the ball of mystical energy and shot back at Electozoon.
Except that, once again, Jorgmund stood in the way.
Just as the spell was about to collide with Jorgmund, Electozoon finally opened his eyes. And as he saw what was about to happen, he couldn’t do anything except let out an anguished scream.
“Nooooooooooooo!”
The spell hit Jorgmund and this time it also activated. It got absorbed into him, similarly to what happened to Bone. But instead of suffusing him, it entered deeper and brushed up against something, something core to Jorgmund’s existence.
And then, Jorgmund understood the purpose of the spell. It was supposed to bind one creature’s will to another, making it its magical servant. A glorified slavery spell.
At that, Jorgmund rebelled. It wasn’t the type of relationship he had with Bone, nor the kind he wanted. They were friends, not whatever this was. They provided for one another, each giving what the tother one needed.
This, this is, this is just wrong! Jorgmund shouted in his mind. And the world answered. A part of him, some deep, forgotten part of him reached out into the spell and twisted it, twisted its very purpose.
And then it was over. Barely second had passed.
“Noooooooo! What have you done!” Electozoon was still wailing.
Jorgmund ignored him though. He was much more focused on something else. At the back of his mind, he could feel a bridge. And at the other end, something precious. Someone precious. Bone.
Bone, too, suddenly had the same connection it its mind. It stopped pounding on the barrier and stood still for a moment. Then it shrunk down until it was smaller than Jorgmund and stared at him.
Jorgmund did the same.
In that moment, more than a thousand words were wordlessly exchanged between them. In no small part thanks to their magical connection.
Then, they both nodded at each other. They knew what they had to do.
***
A couple days later, Jorgmund and Bone could be seen leaving their small town as they walked side by side. Of course, Bone had to be covered by a cloak, the townsfolk would still think of it as a monster, but that was part of why they were leaving.
The other part? Well, that’s a story for another time. Suffice it to say, it’s a story of magical exploration.
@aroace-wizard @irlactualwizard @alvareus-the-sorcerer-of-seals @opalescent-apples @microwavewizard @saltedwizard @the-wizard-of-revolution @wizardgoblin @verylegalwizard @wizard-wylin-wylerian @carnivalwizard @amphibiouswizard
(poll deciding next story coming soon)
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woundedheartwithin · 1 year
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All right, folks, my ko-fi shop is set up and ready to go!  I’m still uploading products, so if you don’t see your favorite double exposure, be sure to check back later!
You can also tip me if you like my writing, my virtual photography, or just wanna help me out in general!  I’m thinking about opening commissions on my double exposures and virtual photography only, but we’ll see how the shop does first.  If that’s something you’d like to see in the future, please don’t hesitate to drop me a message.  In the meantime, if there’s any particular game you’d like to see, or any specific images from my virtual photography tag you’d be interested in purchasing a print of, feel free to let me know!
I’ll post a breakdown of why I price the way that I do under the cut, if that’s something you’re interested in seeing.  I know a lot of folks want to see exactly what they’re paying for!
So why $20?  I price all of my prints this way so that shipping is always free!  I use WHCC to fulfill all of my print orders because they can do a much better job of printing and packaging a perfect product for you than I ever could.  This ensures that the process is as efficient and cost effective as possible, and you get a beautiful, professional quality print delivered straight to your door in packaging that will keep it safe and protected.  This also ensures the lowest possible cost of shipping internationally.  They’re also just wonderful folks in general, and their customer service is second to none, not to mention the print quality is absolutely stunning, so I trust them completely with handling your orders!  Of course, if there is an issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, and I will take care of it for you.
Drop shipping through WHCC has a flat rate of $7.95 in the U.S., and $7.95 international shipping plus additional possible fees depending on the country, though none of the countries I entered into the USPS shipping calculator had any additional fees.  USPS international shipping is actually very reasonable, and because you will be getting a flat envelope, standard postage rates typically apply.  I’ve also been using USPS international shipping for years with my goat halter business, and have never seen any exorbitant rates come through on any of my orders.  
Additionally, the cost of printing your 8x10 luster print (semi-gloss) is $2.75, bringing the total overhead cost to $10.70.  Given that most of my double exposures take a minimum of three hours to complete, not including time spent in game capturing the images used in each edit, that brings my hourly compensation to $3.10, give or take, for a total profit of $9.30.  I don’t include time spent in game because, well, I’m playing a video game!  I enter photomode as the spirit moves me, often with no real idea in mind for a potential double exposure.  Usually I just stop and say something like, “Oh wow, that’s neat,” and then spend half an hour taking pictures.  It’s fun for me, and I enjoy it immensely, and that’s payment enough for that part of the process.
By and large, I consider each of my double exposures a labor of love, and I do them because I enjoy them and I want them to exist.  But, to be perfectly frank, I could use the extra income for my medical bills, so I decided maybe a print shop wouldn’t be such a bad idea, since so many folks were interested in them on Twitter.  Admittedly, I haven’t had much luck with selling my prints with my other shop, so even though I will be making less in terms of profit with ko-fi, it does seem to be a more user friendly option.  The other shop is still open if you’d prefer to purchase from there, though the shipping is not free (which I think might be some folks’ issue with it).  
Either way, thanks so much for reading and for supporting me!
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junii-moony · 1 year
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OH SHIT YOU'RE AN FE BLOG
TIME FOR MISCHIEF >:3
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o-HJc7r3Pn6ROtCMk3Dep0mKMeb4kHcoWFG7zpbibrg/edit?usp=drivesdk
thoughts?
i'm sorry...
DID YOU WRITE AN ENTIRE FIRE EMBLEM GAME?????
First off, props to you. I can barely write a poem, let alone an entire story with interesting characters and dialogue . Since I'm not much of a writer, I don't have any solid suggestions to give, but I do have thoughts! 1. i have normal feelings about laura (i know so little about this character, but that interaction with Reinhold alone sealed it) ((wish someone would tell me i'm a blight on the earth)) 2. I'm a sucker for good crit quotes, and Alastor delivers (personal favorite is "Justice will be served."). Adam as well! (all of them are great) ((i just like insane men)) (((honestly Adam as a character is great))) 3. I cannot express how I burst into laughter in the middle of class reading "Gonna rob your corpse after this." for Niall's kill quote. Beautiful, and super in-character for a thief (just like best girl Yunaka) ((hiya papaya btw!)) 4. I know it's a Fire Emblem classic but I'm glad you added Anna. (big Anna enjoyer right here) 5. Alastor is just like me fr (i too hate parties and suffering) 6. I'm just flabbergasted at how much quality you put into this. AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN DONE YET! 7. Love the idea of an "evil" group called The Flock. (oh i do have one suggestion. maybe in the early chapters before the route split, have someone say "What the flock is wrong with you?") ((since Laura gets the singular swear, this would be a good loophole!)) (((trust me this is a good idea))) That's about it really! Again I gotta give you props for this. You've taken on an extremely ambitious project that (i'm assuming) you're doing alone! That's super impressive. I look forward to seeing any future updates on this! Who knows... maybe some cool and awesome programmer might turn it into a game (with your permission of course...) Final note: To my followers who enjoy Fire Emblem, don't sleep on this! Give it a read-through! You won't be disappointed!
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game-boy-pocket · 1 year
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No Tears of the Kingdom for me until USPS delivers the damn thing, but I beat my run of Breath of the Wild tonight.
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I kind of rushed through it, especially toward the end when I started looking up all the remaining shrines I had left to complete. It's not an ideal way to play unless you're a speed runner, but BOTW for me is a long con that takes well over a month to beat. I probably could have taken my time just a bit more since I knew my copy of TOTK would not be here today. But I also maybe should have started sooner...but Mario brain would not let me. I was too high off of the movie. Anyway... despite all that, I still had an amazing time.
It's not perfection but this is exactly what I needed the next Zelda game to be after I was severely disappointed with Skyward Sword. And it's what I hope Zelda continues to be, but more refined, and slowly re-integrating what worked from the old formula...
Frankly, I don't want to ever fully go back to the old formula. I don't see any reason to. I think they nailed it the very first time and have not improved on it in any meaningful way. All the 3D games that came after OOT, followed that blueprint, but they all essentially took a swing at the king and they all missed... the old formula can live on in the form of 2D Zelda, which I don't think is going anywhere. Besides Ocarina, my favorite Zelda game is the original game on the NES. And playing this game felt a lot like playing both of them for the fist time again. And being able to go where I want with an obvious intended path very much reminds me of Zelda 1.
When I first played this game, I had a gut feeling... that this would be my new favorite Zelda game for several years, but the instant they released another one that expands on the foundation of BOTW, it's going to plummet down my ranking, dethroned by it's successor. And I do hope that ends up being true... but I also hope there will still be a reason to come back to this one. If not... well I'm just glad I got to take one more adventure before Hyrule changed. Ah... on this play through, I did the main quest as soon as I could, and then the Champions Ballad as soon as I could, because my god the Master Cycle Zero is the best thing that has ever been in a Zelda. I don't use horses, but you can't get me off of Master Cycle zero for anything... it's still wild that this concept was born in Mario Kart 8 on Wii U and made it's way to canon Zelda games... did not do trial of the sword though. Fuck that. Once was enough. Got all 120 shrines because I did want to get that Wild Armor set... I don't dislike Link's new look, but to me, Link's color will always be green... and if the Tunic of the Wild is not in TOTK, I will be doing most of my adventuring in the Hylian Tunic dyed green, assuming the dye shop is still in business... if the wild set is in the game, I sure hope it's not an end game reward. I want to have stuff to do besides looking for Korok seeds in the iconic green outfit. Now what to do with myself while i'm still waiting for TOTK to arrive...
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liu-anhuaming · 1 year
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Two things:
How do you insulate your windows? (What do you use)
How are you cleaning up your spreadsheets? (Having a hard time figuring this one out)
wow this has been sitting in my inbox for at least a month 💀 sorry about that, let me make it up to you by answering your question in way more detail than you probably wanted
i insulate my windows using these special plastic sheets that you tape to the window frame. this is what i've bought the past couple years. you basically put the double sided tape on the window frame, attach the plastic, then use a hair dryer to get the plastic to shrink (i skip this step because it never really works for me, but i'm probably just doing it wrong lol). doing this adds another layer of insulation to your windows, and means cold air stays out while your lovely heated air stays in
as for the spreadsheets: i work in printing and mailing, so whenever my company wants to send out a large mailing, the first step is making sure all of the addresses are correct. this means running a spreadsheet containing all of the addresses through a program that pulls data from the usps that then tells us if the address is one that the post office can actually deliver to. the way it tells us this is by giving addresses a dpv indicator. if the address comes out with a dpv of y, then we don't have to do any more work with it; it's already fine.
the real work comes in when the dpv is d, s, or n. the link i placed above explains what these are, but for context a "secondary" means an apartment/unit number. when it comes to "failed" addresses (aka addresses that don't get marked y), we mostly get d's or s's. so when the dpv is d, we have to basically cyberstalk a person to see if we can try and find their apartment number (the ethics of this are.....not the greatest imo). other times, this means that the address with an apartment number hasn't been verified by the usps, but the address without the apartment is verified, so you might just have to delete the apartment number.
when an address comes back marked as s, that typically means there's an apartment number provided but there's still something wrong. maybe the apartment number is formatted incorrectly (e.g., just this friday i came across an address that was put in our database with as "Apt 105E", but when i looked into that building's apartment numbering system, i learned there is no such apartment, but there is an apartment 10SE, so i was able to deduce that someone probably misread an "S" and a "5")
the thing with addresses marked d or s is that, even if you can't find a corrected address, if you send it out anyway there's still a non-zero chance the usps will be able to deliver it.
when an address is marked n it's usually because there's just some ridiculous fucking typo or the zip code's +4 has been deleted and the usps doesn't have a +4 listed for these addresses which means we have to go hunt it down (which btw, if you need to find your zip's +4 the usps has a neat tool to help you find it! just a note tho: if you use it be sure to include your apartment number). these ones can also be for weird typos or conversions that happen when the spreadsheet is run through the system though.
one common error is a slash getting turned into an underscore. so there are addresses that include 1/2 but become 1_2, which the usps does not recognize as a real address, so i just have to change it back to 1/2. there's also this weird error in our database with florida addresses where they get entered as "123 street name Fl, city name, FL, zip code, USA" so i have to delete that extra "Fl" that's added after the street address. it's really annoying and i hate whoever entered all of these florida addresses into our database
there's also been countless instances where someone copy and pasted an address from our database but weren't double-checking their work and didn't copy the whole address. so they copied "23 street name", which comes back as failed, so i go to check out this person in our database just to find out their address is "123 street name" and some bozo didn't copy the first number of the address
my personal favorite dpv of n i've encountered (read: the most infuriating) is the time someone just put the street address as "Main Street". no building number whatsoever. that one really made me wanna fight someone
so once we've gone through all of the failed addresses, we can start printing the materials for the mailing and sending things out. sometimes we've got a handful of failed addresses to sort through, sometimes we've got a couple hundred. the volume usually depends on how large the mailing is
but yeah, that's the basics of what i mean when i say i'm cleaning up a spreadsheet
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cindylouwho-2 · 1 year
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RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES AND STUDIES, November 2022
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Welcome to what will likely be my last 2022 summary of the top news, studies and helpful resources for ecommerce (including Etsy), social media, marketing and SEO, compiled since my last update in October. 
The holiday shopping season is in full swing and like many of you, I need to spend the next month working for those customers, so I don’t expect to publish another news update until January. However, you can always follow me on Twitter for breaking news of importance to indie and microbusinesses, and I am also now posting short pieces on LinkedIn, so please follow or connect with me there!  Here’s a list of all the places you can find me.
Best of luck to everyone for the rest of 2022, and let’s hope that the new year brings good news for all of us. 
TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 
The top story for this edition is on Etsy Seller Protection - or more accurately, the lack of seller protection on some orders. While Etsy promises buyers they “... will receive a full refund for purchases that never arrive, arrive damaged, or do not match the listing description”, none of the literature specifies that Etsy thinks buyers deserve a refund even when tracking says the package was delivered. That is, however, what Etsy has been doing for buyers since the new program kicked in August 1 of this year. Sellers should note that if they don’t qualify for seller protection, Etsy is currently refunding the buyer out of the seller’s money, even if tracking shows the package was delivered. There is a long list of things a seller must do to qualify for protection, but the requirement shop owners are complaining about most is the complete lack of seller protection for orders over $250 USD (shipping included). Etsy has forced seller refunds on several orders that tracking shows were delivered, and even on orders still waiting for pickup at the post office. The good news is that Etsy has been refunding most of these sellers once a ticket is opened, but is warning them that this may not happen in the future. Some shop owners were told to insure all orders over $250, but of course most insurance companies will not cover packages where tracking states delivery occurred. I expect there will be some changes to the program in the new year, once Etsy analyzes the data to see how often claims are made, and for what reasons. 
Other important articles: 
Since it comes up in a lot of pieces I post, here is the definition of “marketing funnel”. 
Reminder that American sellers may be getting 1099-Ks from platforms and payment processors for this tax year. 
ETSY NEWS 
Some US Etsy sellers unable or unwilling to verify their bank accounts using Plaid have received a 70 day reprieve that allows them to sell through the holiday season. Were too many US shops going to be suspended otherwise? Or is this an Etsy admission that the technical issues were their fault? 
Etsy will once again update delivery times this holiday season if it believes there is a delay with the carrier, but it is not clear how many different carriers they are doing this for. (Previously it was only USPS.) Note they also offer digital cards on that link, which buyers can give to recipients when the present will arrive late. They put out a second notice a few weeks later, specifically stating that using the “other” option in shipping profiles is not recommended unless absolutely necessary. On that note, they have now introduced a Canada Post “regular mail” option for domestic shipping (oversized lettermail), which was never available before. 
Etsy started showing estimated delivery dates underneath listings on the search page - see my screenshot on Twitter. Even though estimated delivery dates are compulsory in most countries now, a few listings don't show them, so make sure you add dates to your shipping profiles if you want to benefit from this change. At this time of year, displaying speedy shipping can be beneficial, but it likely depends what you sell.
There are once again problems with Etsy picking up tracking in the UK, but Etsy insists this will not affect Star Seller ratings, and they have also supposedly released reserved funds from affected sales for shops with a payment reserve. 
I covered the Etsy 3rd quarter financial report, and the press release mentioned that Etsy is testing “prioritization of Star Seller listings“ in search. Strangely, that wasn't covered at all in the conference call, but sellers have spotted a few tests in the wild, including Star Sellers being used as a filter option. While that has concerned some folks, remember that reviews are already directly part of the algorithm, and Etsy says that violating “any Etsy policies” is part of the Customer and Marketplace experience score. Shipping on time and responding to Messages promptly are both Etsy policies, and were even before Etsy introduced Star Seller. Therefore, all of the Star Seller factors were already in the algorithm. Also remember that the priority placement for free shipping ended very poorly for Etsy 3 years ago, when they admitted that it reduced the conversion rate, and the stock tanked. There's no way they are going to make the same mistake again. Whatever search boosts are given to Star Sellers, they are likely to be minor, if they do become permanent. Very few elements of the algorithm have much weight these days, and it is unlikely that this will have a huge impact on ranking either.
If you use outside sites to check the feedback your buyers leave on Etsy, note that Etsy will be removing that data from its API next year, so those sites will no longer be useful for reading buyer feedback. The official date is not yet set.
Etsy has been pushing Google SEO very hard for the past few months, and the latest is this long article on optimizing your listings. This feels odd, since the company has made it very clear (through their actions) that they prefer organic Google searchers land on its Market pages instead of individual listings or even shop home pages. However, most of the recommendations will also help items rank better in Google Shopping, so maybe this is not so big of a surprise. It’s possible that the changes to Google Images in recent years - which make it more likely that listing pages will be shown as opposed to Market pages - have also spurred Etsy to aim for better listing SEO. After all, if the visitor doesn’t purchase right away, Etsy can then hit them with retargeting ads, which are part of Offsite Ads. 
Etsy garnered media coverage for its announcement of image search (currently only available on the iOS app). Engadget reported that the new feature managed to find similar pieces for sale on the site, while Techcrunch noted that other sites introduced this feature a long time ago. NBC News mentioned it in passing. 
Sellers in Mexico will have taxes withheld from their sales starting January 1, 2023, to comply with new Mexican laws. Providing Etsy with your Registro Federal de Contribuyentes (RFC) identification number will reduce the amount withheld, but note that it apparently takes some time to get an application processed, so don’t wait to apply. 
Etsy will have a new Chief Technology Officer as of January 1 2023: Rachana Kumar will take over from Mike Fisher, who is leaving the company. 
Proving once again that complaints can go viral, a TikTok video complaining about Etsy’s Offsite Ads fees picked up some media attention. Also on TikTok: complaining about buying Kmart products for sale on Etsy.
SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 
Moz has updated its Beginners’ Guide to SEO with a wonderful checklist for people new to SEO. The section will also be really useful for those who know a bit about SEO but not enough to figure out what they should be doing first. 
Links coming into your website (aka backlinks) are known to be great for SEO, but the search community has been divided on the value of outgoing links. Here’s a deep dive into the various opinions, the types of outgoing links you want to avoid or treat differently, and why “linking out” is ultimately good for SEO in most cases. 
Does removing low-performing pages help your website’s Google traffic? Maybe, but it isn’t necessarily required. 
Want to buy a used domain name? Here are 3 ways to check if it has a bad history.
SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site
General DeviantArt introduced a new AI art generator that uses images scraped from all over the web to understand requests - and many users of the site are not happy. 
Want to schedule posts on your social sites? Here are 4 options. 
Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta) Meta’s stock dropped $80 billion (25% of its value) after a third quarter result showing that profit was down 50%. They promptly announced they were laying off 11,000 people, with Zuckerberg admitting he thought the pandemic ecommerce boom would continue.
Instagram If you want to appear on Instagram’s Explore page, first you have to understand how the algorithm works. Remember that the page is personalized, though, so there may be some users who will never see you, due to their preferences and history. 
A list of 28 different tools you can use for Instagram marketing. Most are free or have free versions. 
LinkedIn LinkedIn came out with a report on how to produce the best content for the site, most of it assuming that creators are buying ads there.
Reddit Don’t know much about Reddit? Here are some stats that might help you understand if it is right for your business. “Reddit is the fifth most visited website in the U.S” and “82% of Gen-Z people trust Reddit when learning more about products” are two key facts.
Snapchat Snap’s revenue was up 6% in the third quarter of 2022, but it is worried that Apple’s privacy changes will hurt Snap’s usual strong ad income in the fourth quarter.
TikTok If you want to be found on TikTok, you need to understand SEO on the site. 
“TikTok Shop” allows US users to buy products directly in the TikTok app; it launched in early November. Merchants can participate by invitation only. 
TikTok is using content moderators in each country they have a significant presence in, but some countries get paid far less for the same job, and the job is quite frankly, horrific. Time calls the company out for not supporting its employees. [graphic content warning]
TikTok is accused of tracking US citizens for reasons other than ad targeting. TikTok denies the claim.
Twitter It’s impossible for me to cover everything going on with Twitter lately, but I am sure those of you who care have been keeping up. Hope to have better news soon. 
If you want to do a bit of Twitter promoting without really promoting, consider participating in the Art Advent Calendar December 1-24. Any visual creations are allowed other than NFTs and AI art, and you do not have to be a “professional” artist. Sharing other work you like on the hashtag is a good way to meet people and build community.
ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS (minus social media)
General  Pitney Bowes released a combo printer/scale/rate checker for ecommerce businesses in the US. It currently costs $269 but will eventually go up to $369.
Amazon Amazon said that the holiday season would be slower than expected, which took 20% off of the stock overnight. They also missed third quarter revenue estimates, which never helps. 
Social media posts indicate that Amazon has been cutting back on available space at its warehouses for Fulfillment by Amazon sellers. The company later said it would only affect 6% FBA sellers in the US who had a lot of stock in storage, but one seller pointed out “The problem for me (& many others) is that at an account level, it looks like I have a good amount of inventory, but at a SKU level, my best-sellers are going to suffocate.” The company is also laying off about 10,000 employees, from the retail, Alexa and human resources departments. 
Ads are everywhere on Amazon, making them one of the company’s two largest profit sources. If you didn’t like that article, the Washington Post did a similar one [gift link; should be readable by non-subscribers] just a few weeks later, with an interactive scroll showing how much of an Amazon search page was ads, and how many irrelevant results we get. 
In the continuation of a trend, Amazon is being sued in the UK under competition law. 
US shoppers can now pay with Venmo.
Amazon is testing facial recognition technology as a way of verifying seller identities. They currently use live video chat to do this instead.
eBay A huge glitch starting in mid-October meant that some eBay sellers were not charged final value fees after sales - then eBay charged them all as a lump sum weeks later. 
Sales on eBay were down 11% in the third quarter compared to 2021, but their ad revenue was up. 
An insurance company is suing eBay, claiming it should not have to pay out on policies when criminal activities are involved. This involves the civil suit by EcommerceBytes owners against eBay, regarding the cyberstalking incidents.
Poshmark Sellers can now get their Poshmark earnings faster.
Shopify Shopify had a relatively-good third quarter, although they still lost money. 
In the past few years, almost ⅔ of Shopify sites closed within 12 months. The article includes a decent analysis of this high churn rate. 
The Shop app from Shopify is currently testing a search of all Shopify sites. Will this lead to “search ads”? The company will almost certainly need to expend more effort to weed out scam sites. Also, Shopify sites may end up investing time chasing the app's algorithm in the future, which is always a double-edged sword - if you crack the code to appearing at the top of search, you can become dependent on that traffic.
If you change a page‘s URL/address on your site, customers and search engines won’t be able to find it without you doing a 301 redirect. Don’t make this mistake!
All Other Marketplaces
Depop has added promoted/boosted listings, with the 8% fee only charged when the product sells. They’re also increasing payment processing fees as of January 5, 2023, to 3.3% + $0.45 per transaction.  Note that Etsy has previously stated that Depop has been a drag on its overall earnings, so these changes are not surprising. 
All Other Website Builders Wordpress is very popular, but one of its drawbacks is security. Make sure you secure your site as well as possible.
(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 
Not sure what I mean by content marketing? This article covers it well, including why you should use it and how to get started. And by the way, content marketing and SEO should both be relied on for the best results.  
ONLINE ADVERTISING (NOT SOCIAL MEDIA OR ECOMMERCE SITES)
An economic downturn can lead businesses to change their advertising strategies and budgets.  Here are 5 mistakes you don’t want to make.
If you use Google Ads, you should also use the Google Ads Keyword Forecast Tool, which predicts what will be trending in the future.
STATS, DATA, TRACKING 
Still trying to figure out Google Analytics 4? These instructions on setting up customer reports might help. 
BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 
Black Friday and Cyber Monday broke sales records in the United States [gift link, Washington Post], with sales up from 2021 throughout the weekend. Cyber Monday was up 5.3%, to $11.3 billion. Note, however, that the numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS
Ever need to copy the text out of a photograph or other image? There are free tools for that (and some paid ones too) [soft paywall; Wired]
MISCELLANEOUS
Google settled the US location tracking claims, for $392 million USD. The company must also make these choices clearer to users.
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thefreeblog · 2 years
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So people are crazy for ITSAY and IPYTM. I seriously disliked them (hate is a step too far) mostly because I couldn't stand Teh's character, like, at all. If you enjoyed them, can you help me figure out what I'm missing and why everyone loved them so much??
Hello there. Thanks for the ask lovely.
I am in mid of watching IPTYM but finished ITSAY.
Just a couple of minutes of watching the first episode I realised its going to be good. It's not a run of the mill kind of BL you would usually expect. You could say it is a real life portrayal of queer coming of age story. It is hard hitting and ugly.
Now these kind of stories don't usually make for rewatches and for the same reason might not appeal to everyone.
The USP of this BL( I would not call it a BL actually, it comes under thought provoking media more than anything else) is its characters and their actual real life struggles. Nothing is sugar coated in this one.
So If you didn't like Teh's character, then I can see why you didn't like it. Because the story is essentially about Teh and Oh-Aew growing up and how it impacts the other.
Teh usually is indecisive but when he takes decisions they are spectacularly wrong. But I think the story does a good job of showing the consequences of his decisions.
I might sound repetitive but believe it or not it is how it happens in real life. Teh and Oh-Aew come from different type of families, that also has an impact on how they are or what they do. Teh's mother is traditional, she heavily depends on the concept of the man of the family. This could have impacted how Teh sees accepting himself as queer would not be manly enough for his mother.
I have seen internalised homophobia in real life and let's just say it's not pretty. Loving a person who does not accept themselves (queer or not) is just a lost cause and it's depicted so beautifully through Oh-Aew.
For me I don't mind complex characters(that's a lie I actually love them) and Teh is extremely complex but quite sensitive. And that's where he comes of as not caring or selfish may be. He is fighting his internal daemons. For whole life he is compared to his elder brother (who is so good by the way) and when he sees his best friend also becoming a competition for him it was natural how he reacted. But all this is not overly dramatic or sensational, it's so true to how it would happen in my or your family. Most of Teh's insecurities stem from the comparison to his elder brother, but despite that he is the one who he talks to. Which was such a good storytelling choice.
I think you have to be open to the concept that, not always the lead characters would be text book perfect, that's not how it works in real life. In the real world people are scared, selfish, stupid, sometimes dry. Not everyone is courageous enough to be themselves and that's all right.
What matters is the journey and whether they learn from it.
Other than story itself, ITSAY delivers on all other departments as well. The cinematography is absolute best I have ever seen. The actor duo has depths. Editing and back ground music stand out. I loved the little call backs of various things like the coconut smell or the back itching or the bra colour, absolutely genius script. There is lots of symbolism going on as well. Like the underwater scene, or the tutoring etc.
May be this is the reason it's favourite for many people. But then it also comes down to your personal preferences and what you like to watch. Though I liked it, I don't think I would rewatch it. Atleast not in near future. After I finished ITSAY I didn't immediately start IPYTM because I knew it's gonna be similar and more realistic as they step in the real world as a couple. For me it depends on my mood what I watch at that time.
Currently I don't want to see people cry so IPYTM is on hold lolzz.
So yeah I can totally see why you don't like it or not particularly a fan of it.
Anyways this became too long sorry for that. But hope this answers your question somewhat.
Let me know what kind of BLs you like? What are you enjoying currently?
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onlyfansmanagement · 2 months
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Mastering the Art of OnlyFans Marketing: Strategies for Content Creators
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In recent years, OnlyFans has emerged as a revolutionary platform for content creators to monetize their work directly from their audience. However, success on OnlyFans isn't just about creating great content; it's also about effectively marketing yourself to attract and retain subscribers. Let's explore some unique strategies for mastering the art of onlyfans marketing.
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Monitor and Analyze Performance: Keep track of your marketing efforts and analyze the performance of different strategies to see what's working and what's not. Pay attention to metrics like subscriber growth, engagement rates, and conversion rates to refine your approach and optimize your marketing efforts over time.
Stay Authentic and Consistent: Authenticity is key to building trust and loyalty with your audience. Stay true to your brand and values, and consistently deliver on your promises. Building a successful OnlyFans presence takes time and dedication, so stay patient and persistent in your marketing efforts.
In conclusion, mastering the art of OnlyFans marketing requires a combination of creativity, authenticity, and strategic planning. By defining your brand, engaging with your audience, offering value-added content, and leveraging various marketing channels, you can attract and retain subscribers and unlock the full potential of this dynamic platform.
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Guy Montgomery has put his 2023 stand-up show on YouTube, and I enjoyed it a lot:
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I think I liked it better than the only other stand-up show I've seen by him, which was Guy Mongomery By Name, Guy Montgomery By Nature. I liked that ones too, but I think this one was stronger overall. It did reuse a few jokes, but I think the ones it reused were the best ones. And the new stuff was similar in a lot of ways - both shows had the basic structure of a first half with weird quirky and sometimes vaguely surreal observations on things like semantics, and a second half with a lot of stories about his life as a stepfather. Both shows were good. It think this one was better.
I enjoyed it all but liked the first half better than the second. The second half felt more conventional - stories about his girlfriend and his stepkid - even though he did, accurately, point out that you don't see step-parenting represented in pop culture much and he was trying to change that a bit by writing stand-up routines about it. It's a mildly interesting USP, and kids do, in fact, say the darndest things. But still, I liked the really weird observations better than what are basically parenthood stories.
In the first half he kept reminding me a bit of Sam Campbell, the way he kept slowing down and speeding up throughout sentences, and putting hard emphasis near the end of points. However, it's happened to me several times lately that I thought two comedians had the same accent, only to be told they just had a vaguely similar speaking style. I genuinely cannot tell whether there are actual similarities between the way Guy Montgomery and Sam Campbell deliver their stand-up lines, or whether this is just that thing happening in reverse, where I hear two people who sound alike due to similar accents and then assume it's actually because of similar speaking styles (do not try to tell me they have different accents, I have Kiwi and Aussie friends who for years have told me there's a difference but I am convinced this claim is a massive prank that everyone is pulling on me). It can't be just the accent though, because I definitely don't think all Kiwi/Aussie comedians sound like Sam Campbell. Tom Ballard doesn't sound anything like Sam Campbell.
So, he might talk like Sam Campbell and he might also not talk anything like Sam Campbell, I don't know, my auditory processing skills are probably not good enough for me to be as big a fan as I am of stand-up comedy. But whatever he was doing, it was really funny. I liked the way he'd say something offbeat and then just let you have a second to figure out what it means and why it's funny, while he just stands there being offbeat and quirky instead of explaining every bit of everything. "Offbeat" is probably the correct word to describe a lot of his observations. A word that can be really annoying, and by rights I almost feel like he should have been annoying (the material about what letters are the best sounds really annoying, on paper), but I found his delivery so captivating that he got me on board.
I don't want to spoil it (so genuinely, spoiler alert if you're planning to watch the show so want to stop reading before I get into specifics), but he did some crowd work that consisted entirely of asking who here is a teenager and when someone said yes, very casually asking "Are you worried about how hot it is?" (after not having previously mentioned climate change in the show, which I think is crucial, it was the rapid shift in tone from fun crowd calls to that), and that might be the hardest a stand-up bit has made me laugh in 2024 so far (at least, out of all the bits that I heard for the first time in 2024, which I say to leave out some shows that I've heard tweaked versions of in 2024 but had heard in 2023, though as I write this I'm realizing it might not beat the best of Mark Watson's stuff from his 2024 Access Festival show, I've had a pretty good 2024 for stand-up so far). It's definitely worth a watch since it's free on YouTube.
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Hamms Beer Waiter Bear Born IN The Land Of Sky Blue Water Flannel Shirt
Welcome to the land of the of the sky blue waters! This Hamm's Bear Flannel Shirt delivers handsome, versatile style starting with this flannel button up shirt in super soft fabric! The Hamm’s Beer Bear, Sascha, the mascot for Hamm’s Beer Flannel Shirt is perfect for the Hamm’s Beer Lover or the Hamm’s Beer Collector! Sascha was a cartoon mascot used in television production and print advertisements for Hamm’s beer. The animated character was the first of its kind in the beer industry which makes this soft flannel shirt perfect for the Hamm's Bear Fan!
This long sleeve flannel shirt offers a collar, button front closure, long sleeves with button cuffs, two (2) button flap chest pockets and reinforced seams with a supper soft finish.
This Flannel does come in 3 different colors, light blue, gray and brown and blue. Depending on the size you order and what is in stock will be the one you will receive, if there is a certain color, please email us once your order is placed, include your order number and the color that you are wanting, we will do our best to ensure that you receive your color. To email us [email protected] or contact us at 763-210-8880
SIZING: These shirts vary, many are unisex and come in men's sizing. They can be worn by both men & women. Ordering your normal t-shirt size is recommended for a regular fit. Going 1 size up works well for a baggy/oversized fit. Women's or Children's Specific sizing will be noted on the photo/variation options selected. If you are needing a 4XLarge, please reach out to us to see if we do have a 4XLarge available. You can either message us or email us at [email protected]
FABRIC: All these shirts are made of cotton or a cotton/poly blend, 55% cotton, and 45% viscose. Measurements and thickness vary slightly by brand.
Care instructions: Turn item inside out, machine wash cold, no bleach, no softener. Do not dry clean. Do not iron. Air dry is recommended.
Due to different picture lighting settings the actual color might vary a bit from the pictures.
All items are created or designed by Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations. We also print and heat press our items using our professional, commercial grade heat press! Each design is made with High Quality, Heat Transfer Vinyl.
WEDDINGS: We do take custom orders for weddings! If you are interested in ordering a large group of shirts, please message me directly to set up a custom order. It is recommended that wedding orders be placed at least 2 months in advance so that we have enough time to create, ship, and exchange any shirts that do not fit.
After a package leaves my hands with the post office, Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations is not held responsible. Current Turnaround Time due to upcoming Holidays - 1-5 Business Days. While we always use priority shipping options, once shipped we cannot guarantee delivery due to the backlog current being experienced USPS/UPS/FedEx. If you have a strict deadline, please message me when ordering so that I can note any rush requests. Ownership of packages turned over to USPS transfers to the Buyer. We are not responsible for lost, held, damaged packages or delayed packages, once your package(s) leaves our Shop it is completely out of our control. Thank you for understanding!
Thank you so much for supporting our "small Granny & Grandpa's Shop", we truly appreciate YOU!
Please visit www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com/shop to view more of our creations!
LET’S GET SOCIAL & BE FRIENDS! Like, Tag & Follow us for Our new Creations, Inspiration & Giveaways!
website/ www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com/shop
facebook.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GrandpaHandmadecreations/
instagram.com/ https://www.instagram.com/grannyandgrandpacustomcreation/
pinterest.com/https://www.pinterest.com/grannyscustomcreations
#flannelshirt - #grannygrandpascustomcreations - #hamms
Welcome to the land of the of the sky blue waters! This Hamm's Bear Flannel Shirt delivers handsome, versatile style starting with this flannel button up shirt in super soft fabric! The Hamm’s Beer Bear, Sascha, the mascot for Hamm’s Beer Flannel Shirt is perfect for the Hamm’s Beer Lover or the Hamm’s Beer Collector! Sascha was a cartoon mascot used in television production and print advertisements for Hamm’s beer. The animated character was the first of its kind in the beer industry which makes this soft flannel shirt perfect for the Hamm's Bear Fan!
This long sleeve flannel shirt offers a collar, button front closure, long sleeves with button cuffs, two (2) button flap chest pockets and reinforced seams with a supper soft finish.
This Flannel does come in 3 different colors, light blue, gray and brown and blue. Depending on the size you order and what is in stock will be the one you will receive, if there is a certain color, please email us once your order is placed, include your order number and the color that you are wanting, we will do our best to ensure that you receive your color. To email us [email protected] or contact us at 763-210-8880
SIZING: These shirts vary, many are unisex and come in men's sizing. They can be worn by both men & women. Ordering your normal t-shirt size is recommended for a regular fit. Going 1 size up works well for a baggy/oversized fit. Women's or Children's Specific sizing will be noted on the photo/variation options selected. If you are needing a 4XLarge, please reach out to us to see if we do have a 4XLarge available. You can either message us or email us at [email protected]
FABRIC: All these shirts are made of cotton or a cotton/poly blend, 55% cotton, and 45% viscose. Measurements and thickness vary slightly by brand.
Care instructions: Turn item inside out, machine wash cold, no bleach, no softener. Do not dry clean. Do not iron. Air dry is recommended.
Due to different picture lighting settings the actual color might vary a bit from the pictures.
All items are created or designed by Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations. We also print and heat press our items using our professional, commercial grade heat press! Each design is made with High Quality, Heat Transfer Vinyl.
After a package leaves my hands with the post office, Granny & Grandpa's Custom Creations is not held responsible. Current Turnaround Time due to upcoming Holidays - 1-5 Business Days. While we always use priority shipping options, once shipped we cannot guarantee delivery due to the backlog current being experienced USPS/UPS/FedEx. If you have a strict deadline, please message me when ordering so that I can note any rush requests. Ownership of packages turned over to USPS transfers to the Buyer. We are not responsible for lost, held, damaged packages or delayed packages, once your package(s) leaves our Shop it is completely out of our control. Thank you for understanding!
Thank you so much for supporting our "small Granny & Grandpa's Shop", we truly appreciate YOU!
Please visit www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com/shop to view more of our creations!
LET’S GET SOCIAL & BE FRIENDS! Like, Tag & Follow us for Our new Creations, Inspiration & Giveaways!
website/ www.grannygrandpascustomcreations.com/shop
facebook.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GrandpaHandmadecreations/
instagram.com/ https://www.instagram.com/grannyandgrandpacustomcreation/
pinterest.com/https://www.pinterest.com/grannyscustomcreations
#flannelshirt - #grannygrandpascustomcreations - #hamms
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bokksu-vs-sakuraco · 6 months
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Sakuraco Box #3 Review: Kyoto Leaves
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Ah, Kyoto. Gliss and I actually visited Kyoto earlier in the year. We only stayed for a couple of days there, but in that time we went to the huge sweets floor (Isetan Department Food Floor) under Kyoto Station at least 3 times. Highly recommend.
Theme: Kyoto's Crimson Leaves
Arrived: October 26
# of Unique Snacks: 13 + 1 tea
Household Item: Brocade flower dish
Shipping Info:
Received Email - Oct 15
Shipment arrived in the US - Oct 17
Shipment made it to USPS - Oct 25
Delivered - Oct 26
Ok, to the box.
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Yeah I probably don't need to say any more about that. Maybe I wasn't gentle enough peeling it off this time.
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What I will say though is that they changed the sealing sticker! I do like this one better than the clear seal they used before. Although you might notice that it looks like there are two stickers, one on top of the other.. And peeling back one revealed
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Which kind of made me raise an eyebrow, but it probably just means that for some reason they had to open and reseal the box in their facility.
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I actual hit the image upload limit in this blog so I'll omit a picture of the back of the postcard this time. Although maybe starting next time I'll cut down on the outer box pictures. Anyway, this month's household good is... the Brocade Flower Dish!
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Microwave and dishwasher safe. It's a bit bigger than the plate from last month and feels a bit more substantial overall (whereas the plate was comparatively thin and light). When I saw the images online I wasn't hugely enticed - it looked somewhat brittle in their pictures - but I actually like this a lot now that I have it.
Let's move on to the snacks.
A quick comment, but one thing I've noticed is that white chocolate strawberries used to be an exclusive to the Bokksu Seasons of Japan box, which is why I was very surprised last month to see Sakuraco include white chocolate strawberries as well. (Maybe they recently scored a contract with the white chocolate fruits manufacturer? Unless I missed that Sakuraco actually has had white chocolate fruit before.) In any case, that's why seeing these White Chocolate Fruits: Banana, caught my attention.
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These were really good, actually. Taking a bite, it had a somewhat crunchy texture that melts in your mouth, with a flavor like a homemade banana smoothie. And yet, by the time you swallow, it feels like you just ate a piece of banana. I think I liked this more than the white chocolate strawberry because of how the texture adds to the experience of eating it, complementing the flavors and making the snack more memorable.
At this point, I became somewhat curious what that unlabeled, opaque package in the lower left was...
And it turned out to be the Soba Cookie.
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From the name, it sounds like it might be savory but was basically like a vanilla cookie except it was very gently sweetened, letting other, subtle flavors stand out more. It had a nice texture and the right amount of crunch.
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This helix looking thing — the Hinerinpon — also caught my eye. That is, a fried, savory arare. I'm not sure how they did it but it's pretty fun to look at.
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I wouldn't say the flavor was anything particularly special (a rice cracker flavor similar to other snacks we've already tried), but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
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Hm. So, this one looked a little broken, and when I took it out of the package, I could confirm...
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It was pretty broken. It turns out this is this month's surprise snack, the Lemon Vinegar Arare. The name is really accurate and would probably be enough for anyone familiar with arare to know what to expect. It had some pretty strong lemon & spice seasoning on the outside while tasting more like standard rice puff on the inside.
Now one snack that I really wanted to try were these Matcha Cream Cookies.
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That was the nice one. The second one also came a little broken but still kept itself basically together.
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A bit of crunch on the outside (with that egg roll flavor) and on the inside, matcha cream with it's gentle flavor and slight bitterness. It really wasn't very sweet - the roll was definitely sweeter than the cream and I'm here for it. The creaminess of the filling paired very well with the shell.
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We have a returning friend here. Thanks again to @Tsukana for commenting that last month I got this jelly instead of the September peach jelly! It really cleared up my confusion.
It turns out that these Adzuki Pear Jelly are actually supposed to split into two layers.
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Surprisingly, I think this jelly is the sweetest thing I've had so far by a lot, an impression I didn't really get in the last box, maybe because everything else was so sweet this wasn't as sweet in comparison? Although it was still very enjoyable, of course.
Tea interlude
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Now, I just wanted to point out that the tea instructions are more detailed this month! That's nice. It's also nice that I have two tea bags, each making 240ml (or about 1 cup) of tea. I bet Gliss will go 'UGH' when she sees this ha. [Note from Glissando: It is very annoying yes. 😐]
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I'm still no tea expert so I can't say much besides it had a bit of a roasted grain flavor but also that herbal tea flavor? No bitterness though, and I thought it paired well well the snacks.
Back to the snacks...
This Momiji* Cookie looked similar to a cookie we got back in the Osaka box 2 months ago (except this time we only have 1), so I was expecting it to be the same flavor, but actually this one was a little bit different. It was a bit smaller, ever so slightly sweeter but not too sweet, and had a slightly more satisfying crunch/texture.
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(*Momiji refers to Japanese maple leaves. Source: booklet.)
These hearts are the Heart Wasanbon** Senbei.
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(**Wasanbon refers to Japanese sugar. Source: booklet.)
The senbei was pretty light, like a rice cracker with just a bit of sweetness dusted on the outside.
I was eyeing these Sansho*** Arare because they look pretty unique, kind of like squid if you know what dish I'm talking about.
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(***Sansho refers to domestic Japanese pepper. Source: booklet.)
The first one I had was alright, a cracker with some soy sauce and pepper? I couldn't quite articulate all my thoughts on the flavor, so I went for a second one which ended up being... *yikes*!! I'm not sure how much pepper congregated onto that one but the pepper was way too strong and it numbed my tongue for a solid 10 minutes. It was that kind of numbness you get from eating a non-ripe persimmon or from some types of spicy dishes. That was a bit much for me and this is probably the first snack that I didn't want to finish because... *yikes* Maybe it would be unique and enjoyable for other people though.
These Nikki Yatsuhashi came a little broken too, but I didn't particularly mind because I feel like it made it easier to share.
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They were sweet with a strong cinnamon taste. Enough that you kind of get a gingerbread impression, but the texture is different: it's hard, thin and kind of sticks to your teeth after chewing.
Yuzu Dorayaki
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Similar to the pancake from the previous month, but this one was a bit more moist maybe, and it had a white bean paste filling. I felt like over all, the bean paste and cake went together pretty well. Not too heavy, but still a bit rich.
We actually got another filled pancake snack, the Uji Koicha Bouchée. (below, on the right).
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The cake on this one was puffier and a bit more dry, with a matcha cream filling. I'm not really saying anything much about the yuzu or matcha flavor because at this point in my snack tasting, my tongue was still kind of numb from the Sansho Arare and I probably wasn't picking up the nuance of the flavors that well? Like I had a hard time detecting the matcha at all, but that's probably not on the snack itself. [Note from Glissando: I would not take that bet. These cake filling snacks show up often in Bokksu and the fillings almost always have trouble coming through in flavor.]
Asobi Arare
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A bag of assorted rice crackers. The light one was sweet and salty, the dark one to it's right is covered in seaweed, the one below that one was more puffed while the others were more like thin crackers, etc. It was pretty fun to taste them and pick out their differences in flavor.
Candy bowl! Specifically, the traditional handmade Kyoto candies, Kyo no Ame.
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I'm not a candy person but they looked so well made. Here's a close up of one.
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The yellow one (ginger flavored I think) even has little sesame seeds in it. I ended up having the one in the picture above and at first it just tasted like a fruit lollypop, but then I'm sitting here typing this with it still in my mouth and it suddenly starts tasting a bit salty and tangy (??). Here I was thinking that they didn't really do anything with the flavor, and I stand corrected. That was actually a pretty fun surprise.
Alright, something new.
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This time we'll also be counting grams of food provided, which could help with our comparison of food quantity. It won't be the only thing we take into consideration (the different types, variety of flavors, sweet salty ratio, etc) when comparing quantity but I think it might help to have. A quick comment though, on the bottom row of the nutrition sheet above I'm seeing a "Sakura Kompeito" listed on there, which wasn't in the box and also isn't in the booklet? So maybe that was a mix up with the bonus snacks and they meant to put the Lemon Vinegar Arare on mine.
Anyway, after doing some counting... It looks like this box has the following stats:
Grams of food: 384g. This is not including the Lemon Vinegar Arare (although that snack was very light). The tea bags were 3g each. Sweet-Salty ratio: 8 sweet, 4 salty, and 2 that I don't really feel like belong in either category.
While it still looks like there were a lot of sweets in this box, many of them weren't 'too sweet' for me. Which I actually really appreciate. As you probably know by now (or maybe you don't), I'm really not a huge fan of things that are too sweet, and last box was *very* sweet. I like how this time they took a step back and let some other flavors shine.
Another noteworthy thing is that it felt like there were a lot of bite sized things this box. So maybe more variety but less quantity for individual snacks, which I didn't mind. Partly because some of these flavors were already familiar to me so I didn't particularly mind only having like one cookie.
Ok that's all for now. Half way point in our 6 month subscriptions!
Have a good one.
—June
0 notes
vrankup · 9 months
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Decoding Ad Copy: The Art of Captivating Your Audience|vrankup|
Hey there, marketing maestros and curious minds! Ever wondered how those short and snappy lines you see in ads work their magic? Yep, we're diving into the world of ad copy – those cunningly crafted words that can turn a casual glance into an engaged click. Get ready to unlock the secrets of ad copy, from its nitty-gritty to its mind-bending significance. So, grab that virtual notepad, and let's roll!
Ad Copy Unveiled: The What and Why
First things first, let's strip this down. Ad copy – it's what jazzes up those ads you see plastered across the digital realm. It's the words that buddy up with the visuals, giving them meaning, purpose, and oh-so-much allure. Whether it's an attention-grabbing banner, a sneaky search engine ad, a cool social media post, or even that email nudging you to click, ad copy is the glue that holds it all together.
But why does it matter, you ask? Think of ad copy as your digital sales pitch, but delivered with a zing. In our fast-paced, blink-and-you-miss-it world, grabbing attention is half the battle won. Ad copy's got your back on that. It's like the Sherlock Holmes of marketing – it deduces the essence of your product or service and shouts it out in a few snappy words. And when it's done right, it can boost your click-through rates, conversions, and the overall "oh yeah, I gotta check this out" vibe.
Deconstructing the Magic: What Makes Killer Ad Copy
So, what's the secret sauce? Let's break it down:a
Clarity Reigns Supreme: Ad copy is like a clear stream – no muddy waters here. Keep it simple, cut the jargon, and make sure even your grandma gets it. Complex sentences? Ain't nobody got time for that!
Whispering Sweet Value: What's your thingamajig's USP? Highlight those sparkly benefits and features. Tell folks why they should be jumping on your bandwagon instead of the other guys.
Hello, Emotions: Humans are emotional critters. Stir those feelings with your words. Create a bond, a connection. Make them smile, nod in agreement, or even shed a tear (happy ones, preferably).
CTA Groove: Every ad copy needs a dance partner – the Call to Action (CTA). It's like the grand finale of a fireworks show – it tells your audience what to do next. "Shop Now," "Get Yours," and "Sign Up" – make it compelling.
Stay Relevant, Yo: Know your peeps. Your ad copy should feel like it's whispering directly into their ears. Different strokes for different folks, and all that jazz.
Snip Snip, Be Concise: Ad copy's like Twitter – you're limited by space. Every word's gotta earn its keep. Trim that fat, folks!
The ABCs of A/B Testing: You ain't no one-trick pony. Test different ad copies. See which one tickles your audience's fancy more. Adapt, evolve, conquer!
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digital marketing agency in Dwarka
Mastering the Art: Tips to Craft Stellar Ad Copy
Alright, time for the good stuff – tips to unleash your inner ad copy maestro:
Know Your Gang: You're like a detective, gathering intel. Understand your audience – their quirks, preferences, pain points. Your ad copy should speak their language.
Benefits Rule, Features Drool: Features are cool, but benefits rule the school. Tell 'em how your thingamajig's gonna make their lives better. Make 'em dream, make 'em believe.
Power Words Are Power: Some words pack a punch – "exclusive," "limited-time," "free," "guaranteed." These words tug at heartstrings and purse strings. Use 'em wisely.
Tick Tock – Urgency Talks: Nothing gets folks moving like a ticking clock. "Hurry," "Last Chance," "Limited Stock" – it's like giving your ad copy a caffeine boost.
Honesty's the Best Policy: Authenticity's the name of the game. Be real, be honest. Don't spin tales taller than a skyscraper. Trust is your BFF.
Platform Party: Different platforms, different rules. Your ad copy should be a chameleon, adapting to each platform's quirks and audience vibes.
Curiosity Killed the Cat (In a Good Way): A sprinkle of mystery goes a long way. Raise a question, tease 'em a little – make 'em want more.
Wrapping It Up with a Snazzy Bow
Ad copy – it's not just words; it's a gateway to your audience's heart (and wallet). From those tantalizing banners to those cunning email teasers, ad copy's the Robin to your product's Batman. With its power-packed components – clarity, value, emotions, CTA, relevance, and conciseness – it's the ultimate weapon in your marketing arsenal.
Remember, you're not stuck in one gear. A/B testing your superhero sidekick. Experiment, tweak, and find the combo that makes your audience go "Wow, gotta click that!" So, fellow word wizards, go forth and conquer the realm of ad copy. Craft those lines that'll echo in the minds of your audience, creating connections, and sparking action. Your keyboard is your wand, and the digital world is your canvas – it's time to paint with words, my friends!
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articlesub410 · 10 months
Text
Tote bag
Welcome, friends!  Thank you for visiting Finchley!  My name is Nicole and I live in Los Angeles, California.  I love spending time with my husband and two sons, who always inspire me!! My love of art and being creative started in New York City, where I went to NYU to study art. It developed further in London, where I was an art educator for over 10 years.
Being creative, doodling, and letting my imagination run wild has always been a part of me.  Having been born and raised in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii has inspired my strong love of nature, color, and pattern.  Hawaii is always in my heart.
​If you would like to see more of my designs or would like to collaborate on a project, please email me at [email protected]
​I look forward to connecting with you!
Thank you for visiting and shopping at Finchley. Following are the terms and conditions that constitute our Shipping Policy.
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shop-korea · 10 months
Text
ITZY “BET ON ME” M/V @ITZY
youtube
DEAR - HARVARD - LAW
LET's - END - DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE - FASTER - IN
USA - WORLDWIDE - TOO
CALLING - THEM
LIBERTY - HOMES
WRITING - CHILDREN's - BOOKS
PEN - NAMES - MANY - LIKE YES
MANY - WRITERS
TITLE - 'A - GIRL - NAMED -
LIBERTY'
ANIMATED - STORY - FOR
CIHLDREN - A - REDHEAD
BASED - ON - 'PIPPI LONGSTOCKING' - USA
THUS - LIBERTY - HOMES
THERE - WILL - B - A - DAY
ALWAYS - FIRED - UNEMPLOYED
WON'T - B - ABLE - 2 - PAY THEIR
PROPERTY - TAXES - SO - THEN
HOMELESS - 'FOR - REALS'
THUS - MOSO - BAMBOO
LIKE - PODS
I - WILL - B - DESIGNING THIS
ALSO - 'LIBERTY - HOMES'
SW 2 ST - AND - SW 3 ST
SW NORTH RIVER DR - WHERE
I - AM - TAXPAYERS - PAY - FOR
SIDEWALKS - AND - THESE YES
HOMELESS - WITH - TENTS - FL
TRIED - 2 - MURDER - HARRASS
HURT - BADGER - 8TH - 'CRUEL
AND - UNUSUAL - PUNISHMENT
INFLICTED' - EVERY - 5 DAYS EA
MONTH - 2 - GET - MORE THAN
MINIMUM - WAGE - OVER - $150
THOUSAND - EACH - HUGE YES
WHITE - TRUCKS - WITH MIAMI
POLICE - EVERY - 7A - 2 - LET
THEM - KNOW - WILL - KILL
THEM - FINALLY - WITH YES
MIAMI - POLICE
HARVARD - LAW
SOS - SOS - SOS
THUS - WHAT - WE'RE - YES
CREATING - AND - WILL HAI
B - INTRODUCED - IN TOKYO
THOUGH - EXTREMELY HIGH
PAID - THEIR - YOUNG - MEN
AND - WOMEN - HAVE HUGE
BILLS - WHEN - FIRED - THEY'VE
KNIFED - THEIR - THROATS - AS
WOMEN - BILLS - CAN'T B PAID
WHY - TOKYO - HOTELS - R - SO
CHEAP - WHERE - I - HOMELESS
NOW - DELIVERED - BY SPECIAL
TRUCK - 2 - FLOORS
HDG - FREE - APP - 2 - APPLY
TONGUES - ONLY
SING - IN - TONGUES
2 FLOORS - MOSO - BAMBOO
WHITE - OUTSIDE - LIKE THE
PREVIOIUS - PHOTO - INSIDE
ALL - FURNITURE - BRAND
NEW - ALL - BAMBOO YES
MADE - SEE - THE - CUTEST
WHITE - SOFA - THIS - TIME
INSIDE - IT - MADE - OF YES
BAMBOO - THEN STRONGER
BUT - MINIATURE - THUS ITS
THIS - 2 - FLOORS - SO - ME
CAN - SEE - MIAMI - RIVER
LOT 17 - WILL - B - ISSUED
CRIMINAL - CHARGES FOR
NEVER - CLEANED - EVER
THEIR - PARKING - LOT AND
LOTS - OF - BROKEN - BEER
GLASSES - TRASH - THROWN
YET - THEY - CONTINUE - AS
PARKING - BY - PHONE
$1.49 - RESIDENTS - 1 HR
$0.70 - FOR - 30 MIN
YOU - GET - WHAT - U - PAID
FOR - THEREFORE - THEY
HAVE - 2 - SURRENDER THEIR
PARKING LOT 17
RED PANDA - FOOD - TRUCKS
24/7 - HOLIDAYS
GIGANTIC - NY - PIZZA
$1.00 - TAX - INCLUDED
0 CAL - SODAS - FRUIT
JUICES - $0.25
REMOVING - FENCES - BUT
SHOWING - MIAMI - RIVER
NO - MORE - PARKING BUT
TABLES - AND - 500 MPH
CAN - B - HANDLED - BY
SPECIAL - UMBRELLAS
CHANGING - FENCE - 2
WELL - ON - SIDEWALK
NEW - SIDEWALK - BY - YES
MACHINES - MOSO BAMBOO
INSTEAD - OF - UGLY - TREES
FLOODING - ABSORBED THEN
ON - NEW - SIDEWALK
LIBERTH - 2 FLOOR - HOMES
MINIATURE - HOUSES - YES
MADE - BY - MOSO BAMBOO
PAINTED - WHITE - AND YES
OTHER - COLORS - DEPENDING
WHAT - SIDEWALK - APP - WILL
TELL - U - DESIGN - CHOICES
EACH - 2 - FLOOR - HAS - YES
A - NAME - MINE - WILL - BE
'LIBERTY'
OTHERS - 'PURSUIT'
'HAPPY' - 'LIFE' - OTHERS
AN - ADDRESS - OBTAINED
BY - HARVARD - LAW - YES
LIKE - RV - DESIGNED - BUT
SOLAR - HOMES - SO - FREE
ELECTRICITY - BUT - WE'RE
RELEASING - WATER MAKER
2 PARTS - HYDROGEN OXYGEN
FOR - SHOWER - KITCHEN AND
TOILETS - AND - WHAT - COMES
OUT - EVAPORATED - SO - WITH
NO - WASTE - MINIATURE - YES
WHITE - SOFA - WHITE - WALLS
NON- BREAKABLE - WINDOWS
WE - SEE - OUT - NO ONE CAN
SEE - INSIDE - EDGE - HAS YES
CLEAR - BUT - SHADED INSIDE
SMALL - NOT - LONG - ADULT
AND - KIDS - SCOOTER - AND
IN - THERE - WHERE - THEY'VE
PLUGGED - 2 - RECHARG NEXT
2 - IT - USPS - MAILBOX - BUT
LOCKABLE - HUGE - INSIDE AS
2 - RECEIVE - MAGAZINES YES
PERFECT - AND - PACKAGES
INSIDE - WILL - SHOW - TRUE
ANIMATED - WHAT's - INSIDE
ONE - CLICK - APP - AND THE
LIKE - PC - WILL - SHOW THE
INSIDE - OF - MAILBOX USPS
SHOWER - BOTTOM - FLOOR
KITCHEN - BOOK CASE - AND
FULL - KITCHEN - OVEN AND
MICROWAVEABLE - SOUND
PROOFED - NON-FLAMMABLE
SPECIAL - SUBSTANCE PUT IN
MOSO - BAMBOO - SO - CAN'T
B - BURNT - BED - ABOVE NICE
SMALL - STAIRS - COMPUTER
ROOM - TOKYO - PROVIDING
WI FI - AND - GADGET - SO WE
HAVE - WI FI - EVERYWHERE
WE - GO - NO - MORE - PLANS
NEEDED - AND - WE - CAN
TRAVEL - WORLDWIDE YES
FREE - WI FI - ALL - OVER
THE - WORLD - ALSO - SO
NO - MORE - EXPENSE
FREE - 2 - FLOOR - YES
MINIATURE - HOUSES
MADE - BY - MOSO BAMBOO
ALL - MINIATURE - BUT - ALL
MADE - BY - MOSO BAMBOO
FULLY - FURNISHED - THIS IS
DELIVERED - BY - SPECIAL
TRUCK - AND - CAN HANDLE
500 MPH - WINDS - BETTER
THAN - TENT - WHERE THEY
KILL - OCCUPANTS - AND FL
STEAL - TENT - AND THINGS
DOOR - OPEN - 2 - THE SIDES
APP - 2 C - IN - FRONT - OF
DOOR - AND - PEOPLE ON
STREETS - HIDDEN CAMERA
THEN - U - CAN - GO - OUT
PREPARED - MORE - THAN
ENOUGH - SPACE - 4 - YES
WALKERS - THERE - DRIUNKS
2 - AND - FR - OF - THE WHARF
WE'RE - BUYING - THAT PLACE
BUYING - BOX VAULT - ALSO 2
RED - PANDA - INN - 2 - YES
CONTROL - SURROUNDINGS
BOOTING - OUT - THE OTHER
PARKING - SPACE - 4 - TRUE
EMPLOYEES - ONLY - YES - 2
THUS - WE - SOLVED - THE
200 MPH - WINDS - COMING
POLICE - LIKE - 2 - GIVE - TO
EMERGENCY - HOUSING
RELIGIOUS - ORGANIZATIONS
ILLEGAL - CAMERAS - 2 - SEE
GIRLS - WITHOUT - BRAS - AS
THEY - SLEEP - VIDEO - TRUE
VOYEARISM - AND - ILLEGAL
SEARCH - 2 - AND - FRO - YOU
MUST - B - THERE - B 4 - 6:30P
OR - HOMELESS - U - CAN'T
STAY - 8A - 4P - WEEKDAYS
U - CAN'T - HAVE - SHOWER
THOSE - TOILETS - 3 MEALS
DAILY - REAL - SMALL - AND
DON'T - ENCOURAGE - SHORTS
SLEEVELESS - RELIGIOUS
WEIRDOS - WHO - DON'T FEED
CATS - DOVES - BIRDS - MORE
WE'RE - CLOSING - MANY - IN
FUTURE - SHOWER - TOILETS
5 MIN - RELIGIOUS - PERVERTS
75 % - OF - INCOME - SSI - THAT
IS - ILLEGAL - MONEY - ORDERS
BLANK - REAL - ILLEGAL STUFF
SO - LIBERTY - MINIATURE
HOUSES - 2 FLOORS - THUS
NO - PROPERTY - TAXES BUT
EACH - HOUSE - HAS - A - YES
FOREVER - PERMIT - THERE
PROVIDED - BY - HARVARD
LAW - SO - WON'T - B - YES
BOTHERED - BY - ANYONE
3 EXITS - L AND R AND THE
FRONT - ALL - SIDEWAYS
HOW - OPENS - ALL FREE
WATER - ELECTRICITY THE
REFRIGERATOR - SOLAR &
WATER - MAKER - THUS NO
BILLS - INCLUDING - BUSINESS
RESIDENTIAL - PROPERTY TAX
SO - FREE - 2 - LIVE - THERE
YES - FOREVER - AND - TRUE
APPROVED - HEIRS - OF THE
PLACE - ALL - SPEAKS - IN
TONGJES - HDG - BANKS
HDG - LIBERTY - HOMES
HOMES - WITH - NAMES
LEGAL - ADDRESS GIVEN
USPS - LOCKED - MAILBOX
THEN WE - HAVE ADDRESS
HDG - WILL - PROVIDE FOR
KIA - TRAINING - 2 - GET - A
FLORIDA - TEXAS - DRIVER's
LICENSE - SO - WE - ALL YES
HAVE - ID - INCLUDES - WE
GIVE - FREE - US PASSPORTS
ALL - REQUIRED - INCLUDING
EYES - REGISTERED - WE GIVE
ALL - ID's - FREE - SSN - VOTER
NATURALIZED - ALL - ID - YES
WE - NOW - WILL - GIVE - FREE
REGISTER - INCLUDING - DEBIT
CREDIT - CARDS - STOLEN - WE
ISSUE - NEW - ONES - AND - WE
WILL - REGISTER - AGAIN - ALL
INFO - 4 - DIRECT - DEPOSITS
INCLUDING - SOCIAL SECURITY
SO - NEW - CHECKING - NEW
CARDS - EASY - PEASY - THUS
HARVARD - LAW - THIS - OUR
PROPOSAL - 2 - END - THESE
MURDERS - TORTURE - TRUE
ABUSE - OF - THE HOMELESS
I'M - HARRASSED - YELLED BY
MR KIM - MOST - LIKELY - HE's
NORTH - KOREAN - AN - OLD
PRUNE - PROSTITUTE - WHO
TOPLESS - 2 - GET - FOOD &
DRINKS - WHAT - A - WEIRDO
THUS - HARVARD - LAW
TOKYO - MALE - SCIENTISTS
CREATING - 2 FLOOR - TRUE
WONDER - 4 - DELI VERY - 2
50 STATES - AND - TOKYO
SEOUL - MAKATI - MANILA
TAX FREE - HONG KONG AS
PODS - DELIVERED - 2 - US
HARVARD - LAW
GIVE - LEGAL - PERMITS
WE - NEED - 2 - TALK YES
OUR - 2 FLOOR - FURNISHED
MINIATURE - HOUSES 4 THE
SIDEWALKS - NEW YORK - 2
WITHSTANDS - 500 MPH
WINDS - WILL - CLEAN THE
SNOW - SURROUNDING AND
ABOVE - AUTO - JESUS - YES
IS - LORD - HARVARD - GIVE
US - NEW - ADDRESS - ALSO
LOCKED - MAILBOX - 4 USPS
'IN - GOD - WE - TRUST' - YES
HARVARD - LAW - LET's TALK
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