#Marketing Assignment Sample

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Motherhood pushes Brazilian women into informal labor market

Lack of workplace flexibility and social norms increase informality; extended daycare hours and longer paternity leave seen as potential solutions

Motherhood increases the likelihood that women will enter the informal labor market in Brazil. Rigid formal work structures and persistent social norms that assign women a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities help explain this trend. Economists argue that expanded access to childcare with extended hours and longer paternity leave could help address the issue.

Data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Contínua), compiled by Janaína Feijó of the Brazilian Institute of Economics at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), show that mothers participate less in the labor market and are more likely to work informally than childless women or men, whether or not they are fathers. The situation is even more acute for women with young children.

Among mothers, the informal employment rate—which includes domestic and private-sector workers without formal contracts, self-employed women without a business registration, and unpaid family workers—was 37.6% in Q4 2015, 38.8% in Q4 2019, and 37% in Q4 2024.

For women without children, the rate moved from 32% to 35.6%, and then to 33%. Among fathers, informality rates were 36.7%, 37.8%, and 36%, respectively, while childless men registered 36.8%, 38.8%, and 36.9%. Informality was highest among mothers with children under five, at 37.3% in late 2024, compared to 36% for those with children aged 6 to 15.

Continue reading.

[bozjabun]

Random Prompt Time:

Part of a series of prompts I was trying to finish a year ago and super Did Not. Featuring my partner's character Lissandra Kolaire and elements of future ship stuff! It is unedited because I am lazy and work is beating my ass. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“’Selfish’ and ‘selfless’ are based on perception.”

Lissandra Kolaire scowled, and slugged Rem Verin in the arm. The two had been out drinking, as they had been doing off and on since they met on the Bozjan Front. Now settled in Tural for work, the Elezen woman and her red-headed Viera friend had spent the last few nights catching up and sampling the sights, sounds, smells, and snacks that the nation had to offer. Rem had landed some weeks back after losing sight of a job in Kugane and eventually sent word to “Fix,” the name Lissandra had earned in Bozja after her skill in repairing magitek devices and turning them against their Garlean makers.

They’d shared correspondence before, kept in touch and answered questions or calls to action on occasion. They’d worked well together in Bozja, establishing a rapport shaped by combat and close-calls. Rem had been fighting far longer on the front than Lissandra or the mercenary company she’d joined up with. Still, as good as the Bruisers were, Rem was prone to wandering off - to taking assignments or trips that should’ve been team efforts and completing them alone.

Until Fix. They two of them became fast friends, each covering the other in ways neither had expected or anticipated. They were complimentary in excess, and had received no end of teasing and innuendo for it. They didn’t mind, though. They laughed it off, usually turning their attentions and ire on other members of the Bruisers.

Here in Tural, however, there were no Bruisers to turn on. They’d spent the better part of their catching up enjoying what seemed like endless amounts of alcohol and food, of lights and sounds, endless numbers of deeply attractive travelers for them to appreciate. But, as always happens when you introduce mezcal and tacos to fine company, their conversations turned from “what have you been up to” and “did you see them?” to “what do you think happens when we die” and, on the part of Lissandra, “what’s the most selfless thing you’ve ever done and what’s the most selfish?”

Rem’s answer had earned him a shot in the arm, and set him to snickering laughter. “I mean it! Look, ok, I’ve told you the story of my eye, right?” The viera ran a hand over his ever-present eyepatch, a tattered mess of cloth that really served to cover half of his face.

Lissandra nodded, stumbling alongside Rem as the two made their way down one of the market rows of Tuliyollal. “At least once, if not two or three times. You were helping those Bozjans escape… what was his name? Your ‘nemesis?’” she offered, only teasing a little as she made finger quotes in the air.

“Yeah, yeah, that. Would you say that was selfless, or selfish?” Rem moved around her in that way he was prone to, sliding just behind her to put his good eye on her left and watch her mull the question over.

It didn’t take long. “Selfless, obviously. You stood alone against a small battalion, to hear you tell it. Let the Bozjans escape out the back to safety. Fell when the temple got bombed. Fucked up your eye in the process.” Lissandra rattled off the recounted tale with practiced ease - she really had heard it four or five times by now. “How is that selfish? From what perspective?”

Rem broke into a wide, almost feral grin. “Mine, of course.”

He grabbed Lissandra’s arm and spun the Elezen woman to the side, sending them both stumbling into an alley between market stalls and a grand stone staircase. Lissandra’s back hit stone - startled, she blinked and there was Rem’s face suddenly very close to hers. “It was the most selfish thing I’d ever done. I wanted that man’s blood more than I wanted anything. I’m glad the Bozjans got away, don’t get me wrong.” His breath was hot on her ear, her nose picking up hints of the dangerously sweet mixed drinks they’d clearly had far too many off.

“But I didn’t do it for them. I did it for me.” His voice had dropped low, almost to a growl, as he pressed Lissandra into the wall.

He paused, grinning at her. Both their cheeks were flushed now, though whether from the alcohol or their sudden and intimate proximity it was hard to tell. Both of Lissandra’s eyes were locked on Rem’s singular visible one, their breathing heavy and slowly, subtly syncing.

Lissandra Kolaire narrowed her eyes, and placed her hands on either side of Rem’s face. “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” she murmured while glaring at the viera, before pulling his face up and into a long, leisurely kiss.

[noturvlentine]

im not someone to miss (pt2)

༺ ♰ ༻

Leon Kennedy x reader series

Summary [series]- after Chris Redfield has requested for your transfer from the BSAA, you’re tasked with uncovering a chain of bio-terrorist attacks alongside Leon Kennedy. Destruction, duty and your untold past brings you spiralling into an unlikely bond with your partner, as efforts are made and promises are broken.

im back! sorry I haven’t been as alive as the past two weeks, school has really caught wind of assignments but updates are coming!!!!! Bear with me while I write up the rest of my vague plans for this series and I apologise if these time skips make no sense at all!!

Please don’t copy my work anywhere else!! this will be up in ao3 too!!! -j

1.9k words

part 1

part 3

༺ ♰ ༻

Washington DC

A particular apartment block

21:00PM

2009

You arrived home to a small, tactical grade duffle bag sitting on your doormat. You half-expected them to provide you with nothing more than necessary, but seeing as STRATCOM was no BSAA, their gear had been rather sophisticated to say the least. They had given you 400 hours to gather any intel from a country in Eastern Europe, which meant you had a little over two weeks stuck with Leon in some dusty safe-house apartment with minimal contact with anyone else (not like you had anyone worth reaching out to outside of work anyway). 400 hours- thats only if things went smoothly, in which, they never do. You’d be there for a month at the minimum guarantee and you were meant to escort a contact to a private exchange of resources they managed to snatch off the black market. If the deal went smoothly then at least the government can put their pretentious, expensive lab research to use with their hands on a sample of some B.O.W strains.

You managed to drag yourself into your apartment, keys thrown onto the kitchen counter as your first thought was to pour yourself a drink and burn a cigarette. You weren’t a drinker- correction, you weren’t an alcoholic, nor were you a smoker. It’s just that there was no one here to monitor you and you easily and cowardly blamed it on your job, but instead you just seemed to have revolved around whatever harmless substance was at your disposal for the time being- amongst other things. You’d always kind of lived your domestic life on autopilot, barely putting in a second thought to whether you actually needed to change the way you lived, whether you needed other things in your existence- or someone else, but who were you kidding, a pet maybe?. You were never the type to give someone a call back either- to be fair you never really stayed, hence why a drink and a smoke followed by a warm shower was all you really desired. You slumped yourself down on the chair at your dining table, not bothered turning any overhead lights on in return, just letting the gracious moonlight escape into the room. Your fingers traced the yellow folder you’d brought home from work today, the other hand going numb from the cold condensation of a beer bottle. You sat there for a good two hours, an unwise decision seeing as you still wanted to waste away in the shower and needed to be organised for departure tomorrow. Not to say, sleep wasn’t ever on your side either.

Under the sting of your hot shower, you couldn’t help but think of how exactly you ended up here. Eight long years of anti-bioterrorist service just for Redfield to temporarily ‘discharge’ you from the BSAA for your little let down back in South America (to be fair, no one had ever decided you were discharged, but the leave and subsequent transfer had been the equivalent of that in your eyes). Was he even going to let you back in on the field with him? You weren’t about to become an office personnel in your line of work after this mission, to be honest you thought it would be the hands-on equivalent of death- to spend years in training in both the military and special operations only to end up in the chain of responsive command for an XO you didn’t quite get along with. Not to mention- having to filter through everyone’s field reports and paperwork after Redfield just hypothetically offed the industrial section of a city. Nonetheless, you were at least grateful to still be working field for the time being, it may not be alongside Chris Redfield and the BSAA, but it was still something of the equivalent. You were enjoying what might be the last comfortable shower for the next month or so (something small to deal with considering the various lengthy deployments you’d been on previously), taking time to let the sprays of water loosen your muscles. If you were completely honest, you would enjoy a permanently domestic, normal civilian life either. Something simple as a long, warm shower would become tedious once it becomes frequented and unthreatened as civilians are. Maybe the loss in commodity value was an excuse for you to work this job until death. Or maybe death came closer, and maybe you’d already accepted that.

Your mind skipped to Leon, or rather what he was doing, then to what he’d think of you once he knew you too well (or if he ever will). After all, two weeks is a long time to be stuck with someone on your tail, in the same safe house flat, going over the same shit and waiting for something life threatening to occur. You’d feared that when you’d first gravitated towards the BSAA, scared that you were going to let someone in (arguably, you’d always defended Chris as your bond came from the sentimental value of your jobs) and that they were going to come to the inevitable realisation that you were both fucked and would soon wound up dead on the field somewhere. That was definitely something harder for others to compute, as you’d accepted your death ages ago and were only ever waiting for people the catch up, hence why you’d think Leon would actually hate you.

South America

BSAA outstation

14:00PM

December 2008

‘Fuck! Goddamn it!’ Chris throws his fist into the crumbly stone pillar to his right. ‘We are sending in backup immediately-‘

‘Redfield that is not of your command, we’re not taking that risk-‘ petty, for anyone to want to argue with Chris Redfield. He’s always been full charged if not spewing out electricity by the second in the heat of the moment, head and heart. There was no negotiation. He knew first hand how shitty it was to go into a mission without support, albeit you did have ‘support’, yes- but it was a matter of if the goddamn CO would agree.

‘I’m not asking. That is one of our best agents tied up in there and you’re not gonna find another.’ To anyone else that tone alone would have them pissing their pants running under Redfield’s control, maybe this was why everyone was always cleaning up after him.

‘I’m going in.’ He mumbled, a stern one, signalling to his team to pack it forwards beyond their assigned parameters.

‘Patch me through.’ The next thing you know, your name is repeated frantically over the comms. Redfield’s voice is stern, searching, worrisome, but stern in his best I-am-your-captain commandment way. As his voice became more desperate you managed to free a hand for the radio.

‘Chris you better turn the fuck around.’ You groaned through your teeth, dropping down to your knees behind a collapsed brick wall. There was currently a wave of bioterrorist minions on your six and a massive B.O.W making its way through the maze of collapses infrastructure ready to pull you head off your neck the moment you’re seen in the line of fire. They had dogs two, all three parties together would be more than the current BSAA deployment had issued in the area and the next few surrounding countries. It amazes you how much terrorism groups can out number the fucking military, how many people are willing to sign themselves up to suicide compared to those who enlist in the army. They’re probably not cowards like the rest of the world that’s for sure.

‘I can get you my final intel order but if you fucking surpass that parameter-‘

‘I am not leaving you out there.’

‘I’m dead! I’m fucking dead Chris!’

The line goes silent, you can hear him thinking over the static of the radio. He had no purpose in sending rescue, you were a valuable asset, but the job was finished and there was enough evidence for the FBC to deploy troops to other locations and carry out necessary protocols to prevent whole countries from collapsing. The South American sun was starting to get its way with you, there was dust thickening through the air and you could hear firing in the near distance, which was enough for you to pull yourself up from you current location. Shots fired, straight your way and heard through the radio. You were scrambling for shelter around this abandonment of a city block, you shad two magazines left which you knew wouldn’t last for nearly enough time before an evac squad gets here.

Washington DC

Joint Base Andrews

12:30PM

2009

The pilot had just announced takeoff over the PA system. You watched the runway shrink into small grey veins over patchy land as the plane gained altitude. You could also see Leon’s impulsive leg tapping in your peripheral vision, his eyes settled in examining your body language as you pretended not to notice. His arms were crossed, disinterested by anything outside or in the cabin as his mind was purely focused on figuring you out. Out of annoyance, you turn your head, dropping your hand which was once propping your chin up, onto the armrest by the window.

‘What?’ You blinked at Leon.

‘Nothing, you look tired.’ He simply shrugs. Well that’s little to say for someone who’s been peeling your complexion apart for the past five minutes. You don’t respond, dropping your gaze to his bouncing leg, which stops upon your eyes settling on it. Your hand was now wrapped tightly around the bulge of the armrest, fingers slowly digging into the fabric and picking at the seams. Something about Leon’s all-too-understanding way of looking at you just didn’t sit right. He wasn’t one to remind you of your troubles but in every way, he did, and you can’t blame him for that. A faint rustling sound traveled towards you as he shifted in his seat, now more relaxed as his head hung back towards the headrest, still arms crossed and looking at you softly. Oh how you wished a little turbulence would break up this awkward exchange, you couldn’t argue that there was anything interesting other than fogs of cloud infecting your view.

Three hours into the flight and it was approaching night across the time zones. You’d irresponsibly gone through two glasses of rum and coke to ease your nerves, to which earned you a scoff and hum of amusement from Leon. Thought he was insistent on getting more than three words out of you, there was nothing he could do about your isolated bitterness and he figured that you’d melt along with time. You watched as the sky had lost its sunset, turning into an inevitable, cartoonish night.

‘Get some sleep will you?’

No answer, you pouted and went back to staring out the window. The emptiness plagued the entire sky and all that could be seen was the annoying red eye on the wing of the plane. Leon pushed his following words back into his throat, and left it at that for the rest of the evening before your subsequent arrival. You watched as he quietly dozed off for the next two hours, leaving you with a sense of peripheral comfort.

AN: this chapter is a little slow i know, it’s getting there. I’m also trying to keep my formatting consistent but I’m not sure how well that’s working atm 😂

[wantsnuggles]

☁️ Clay x pop troll reader (fem) _p.2

Happy holidays everyone. ⛄❄️🌲

Will have sections inspired by trolls' holidays special.

Request:

Hello! I'd like to request fluff Clay x fem pop troll reader from pop village. Maybe he met her when they came back from rescue mission and he is jealous because reader befriended Floyd and he thinks he doesn't have a chance but on the other hand he wants his brother to be happy after everything he got trough, even though it hurts him, maybe he went to Viva for advice or just to cry (I think he is quite emotional - he is in the sad book club after all). But the reader secretly has a crush on him and Floyd is encouraging her to confess to Clay

Previously in p.1:

“Well I mean, all the newer pods are already assigned. But I have an extra room in my pod. It's got bunk beds for when my little sisters visit. Two of you to stay in there if Branch’s place is getting too tight for all five of you.” I shrugged. I could have sworn the bunker was huge though.

“ Great! Floyd, Clay your staying with…..y/n right?” John looked at me. Basically handing me the troll that lived in my head rent free.

“Well just let me get these fabrics to Satin and then I can show you around my pod.”

Readers p.o.v

After making the weekly delivery to the twins. I joined a crowd entering the market on my route home. Seeing it is always a highlight of my week. Amazed at how a place conjured from the royals minds just mere months after the rock world tour. Become the heart and melting pot of trollstopia so quickly. Buzzing with life each morning. Which comes In handy when you run a quilt booth 😉.

Vibrant patchwork, Beautiful ribbons, and elaborate embroidery greets arriving trolls' eyes. Followed by sweetness and spice filling noses. Sizzling of food and clacking of pots and pans close in on the ears soon after. Heading deeper in I'm finally awarded with soft pillows, plush blankets, and further dazzling color. Different bedding and material from all types of  troll cultures surrounded me at every turn.

While walking around I'm greeted by a mint green country troll,” Howdy darlin’ what can I help ya with.”

“Well…I have guests staying with me for a prolonged? I believe amount of time. So I want to make him- I mean them! Feel welcome and comfortable.” I blushed, waving my hands frantically in front of me.

“Ohh tryin’ to catch yourself a fella huh? Don't worry darlin’ ya secrets soft with an ol’ troll like me” he said with a full belly laugh. “Why don't ya take a look ‘round the stand. Let me know if ya need any help.”

Wandering around the stand I found myself in a labyrinth of blankets and fabric samples. Each clearly hand stitched and loving crafted. Finding bedding for Floyd was easy. A soft lightweight but warming material would be perfect for him. Everyone knew about him being locked away in the diamond bottle by Velvet and Veneer. Branch made sure to let me since then he developed claustrophobia and hated heavy things on top of him. And with the troll gift swap approaching the weather is starting to chill. So this type of blanket would be great material for both situations.

Clay was another story however. After putting Floyd's pillow and blanket in my basket. My eyes began to wonder over the different blankets. Questions flowed through my head.

When a bright orange one caught my eye.What's his favorite color? What if it's too bright?

A super fluffy baby blue blanket.

Does he have texture sensitivity? I don't like Sherpa cause it always feels like it sticks and grabs onto my skin! What if he doesn't like fluffy textures?

Gray medium length blanket. Is it too dull? What if it comes off as uncaring? Like I didn't try.

“Ma'am, if I may be so bold. If you fancy this fella. All ya gotta do is choose with ya heart. No present is perfect. Any good troll worth your time will appreciate the effort ya put in.” The country stopped me. “ If it helps me and my partner Hickory just finished this piece. Nothin fancy but it'll keep em’ warm.”

Looking at the blanket shown to me. Soft textured fabric rubbed the palm of my hand as I followed the weighted stitching on the borders edge. “this will do just fine, Thank you.” I tried voicing positive, apparently it didn't meet my facial expression however.

“ Little lady, if I my? You run a quilt booth right? Just on yonder side of the market.” pointing his thumb right.

“Yes I do, I was actually debating on just getting over stock from my stand. But one of the guests has issues with claustrophobia. And……well you've guest my issue with the other. I'm just indecisive? I guess,” hugging Floyd’s blanket to my chest, “ I just don't know if he'd like any old quilt I've made.”

“Pardon my trollish ma’am. But that's just a ol’ load of sugarcane! I've seen y’er work. My dear it's a talent if ever I saw one.” gesturing his hand around his own stand, “ I wouldn't even call these quilt's with such belitt’in words. Yes I love mine and my loved ones work. I believe each stitch holds a meaning, each quilt a story. But your work littleone, those quilts are something else.”

“Well, I…..thank you. But if I'm gonna give him something I made I want it to be ... .better? Amazing?.....”

“Perfect?” He looked at me with a raised eyebrow,

“How about this? You take this blanket for the fella y’er wanna empress so much. And come back when you know what he likes better. Me and my partner will get you set up with some new fabrics.Ya know the annual holiday gift exchange is just a little over a month away.” winking at me, the mint green troll handed me the blanket once again and sent me on my way.

Clay's p.o.v

“ I can’t believe you convinced her to let us stay! Whhyyyyyy? I would have talked to her eventually!” I protested as my brothers pushed me toward y/n’s pod. This was insane! I haven't even had a full conversation with this troll and yet I'm moving into her residence! And with my brother?! “ Why does Floyd need to be here again? No offense…”

“ None taken. I don't know why either.’ Floyd rolled his eyes. “ I mean y/n seems like a nice enough troll from what Poppy said. So why do we have to still use plan Beta code pink. We already know she'll be good to Clay if they were to get together. Plus Viva agrees they are perfect for each other.”

“Look my dear sweet sweet naive little brothers. You don't romance like I do! I mean look at when we were younger, You guys were helpless with the fangirls!” John Dory laughed.

“Um excuse me!” Bruce joined the conversation. “Last time I checked. Branch snagged the Queen of Pop without your help. And I'm the only one of us with kids! Not to mention my tall soulmate was one of those fangirls thank you very much!”

“Also as far as I'm aware. You're the only one that's been consistently single since the band broke up!” Branch added,” I'm sure Clay can handle himself just fine.” Looking at John while grabbing my shoulder with reassurance.

Once we arrived at the pod. No one seemed to be home. John knocked on the door a few more times. While Branch checked for a light through the windows.

“Maybe she's still with the twins. We can always come back!” I said. Turning around only to met the gaze of the same brilliant eyes that took my breath away a few weeks prior.

Just like before my mind went blank, cheeks flushing. I couldn't focus on anything but her. How her eyes shone, reflecting the late morning sun. How the wind blows her hair oh so slightly against her ear causing it to twitch. And her lips move like she's talking …wait she's TALKING!

“H..H-HI!” I screamed out, causing her to jump. Suddenly I'm pulled back and Branch steps in front of me.

“ Sorry about him. Some trolls take more time to be fully awake than others. Am I right?” He joked. “ Um anyways we were checking to see if you were home so Clay and Floyd could get settled.”

“ Oh I wasn't expecting you guys till later.” Y/n looked shocked. Shaking her head she looked past me towards Floyd. “ Well let me get these inside and I can show you two around.”

Readers p.o.v

One thing I wasn't expecting was the boys to already be at my pod. Seeing John Dory knocking on the front door and Branch lurking around my back window was definitely a surprise.

Then I had to go and run right into the troll living in my thoughts rent free for over a month. For Bergen sake! I couldn't even focus when he looked at me. My legs felt weak right away. My mind went blank just like before and blood rushed into my face. Only for a loud noise to push me out of the unfocused state as fast as I entered it.

When I was able to pay attention again. Branch was in front of me with Clay looking from behind his shoulder. I found myself getting drawn in his bright blue eyes and dopey grin. He seemed almost nervous, but also excited, and zoned out?

Nope! Not doing that again. I shake my head trying to focus. No y/n not again today just…just look at anyone but him….. concentrate what Branch was saying…

“ Um anyways we were checking to see if you were home so Clay and Floyd could get settled.”

FLOYD! Yes just look at Floyd for now 😅 but for the love of trolldom just quit staring at Clay! You weirdo!

“Well let me get these inside and I can show you two around.” I laughed trying not to sound awkward leading the brothers inside. “ So for right now you guys will have to bunk together. Quite literally, I have a bunk bed in my spare room. But I'm planning on moving my sewing studio out of the pod soon hopefully..Sooo ya now might be able to get your own space.”

“Oh no, that's alright. We wouldn't want to impose. Plus we used to have bunk beds at our grandma's.” Floyd followed me through the entryway.

“Well let me give you guys the grand tour.” As I walked deeper into my pod. The group entered the living area.

”So my pod has an open layout like most. In this area is the living room/kitchen. I have a downstairs bathroom in a connecting flower bud to the left just over that way,” I gestured. “ While the two bedrooms, library, and my current sewing studio area are upstairs. It's not the biggest pod that's for sure but it's home.”

“Why don't you guys follow me upstairs and you can put your things away.”

Clay's p.o.v

As we followed y/n around she showed us her living area and kitchen. Where to find that bathroom. Even leading to showing us the bedrooms.

“So now to wrap up the tour upstairs. The door over here on the right is my room. Next to it is my sewing studio.” Y/n spoke, knocking me out of my downward spiral.”Straight down hall is my little library. Which you guys can use anytime. While the door on the left is your guys room.”

Opening the door showed a pale yellow almost white room with paintings of cartoonish pods from the village lining the floor paneling. Two decent size bunk beds stood up against the opposing wall. With a large dresser by the headspace. And what looked to be a closet on the left.

Following behind Floyd as the last one in my hand rested on the door frame while I looked around the room. Running my thumb over the two rows of notches made in the wood. Each inches apart marking higher and higher. Darkened and aged towards the bottom of the frame with the lightest looking ones reaching just below my shoulder.

Readers p.o.v

“So this will be your guys room. I know it's not much. Used to be used for when my little sisters stayed over. But they don't seem to have much time themselves nowadays with being preteens and all.” I laughed, running my hand over that back of neck.

“ Hey I've been there done that it's hard being the oldest sibling. Sadly I didn't get to experience the wonders of pre-teen hood with all my little bros. But I can tell you one thing,” John Dory looked at me.”I wouldn't trade what I was able to experience in the younger years with them for anything.”

Pulling me in close by my shoulder,” now let me tell ya I've got some stories about them when they were little. Like this one time we made a pillow fort and Clay used his fun-derwaer as a flag-”

“Ok that's enough of that!” Bruce started throwing a hand over John’s mouth.”Y/n it was so nice to get a tour. Your home is amazing. I'll have to give you my wife Brandy’s number next time. She'd love to get in contact with who painted the cute houses on the lower wall. Been looking for something like that for the nursery.” Pushing his brother's out of the room.

Leaving just Clay, Floyd, and me in the room alone.

“Well that was interesting…so um I guess we'll just get our stuff out if that's ok.” Floyd asked.

“Sure you guys are welcome to make yourselves at home. Oh! By the way, John’s pillow fort story reminded me. I got you guys some bedding. Well blankets mostly.”

I handed both of them the pillows and blankets from the market. “ Floyd, I know you're claustrophobic. So I made sure to get you a lightweight but warm and breathable material.” Looking over at Clay,” I wasn't sure if you had any aversions of any kind I needed to be aware of. So I tried to get a blanket with the fabric that wasn't too extreme in either direction of stiffness or fluffiness. I know it's not anything super exciting but it should keep you warm since it's getting colder.”

Both of them thanked me, with Floyd setting up the upper bunk. “ I do have one question before I leave you to get settled. What is fun-derwear?” 

The only response I got was Floyd falling off the top bunk snorting. While Clay froze up seeming to stare in the distance. While an uproar of grouped laughter and croaking rose from downstairs followed by rushing feet and a slammed door.

Clay's p.o.v

“I'm going to kill him!”

“Come on man, that's our brother. So I'm not helping you hide the body!” Floyd cackled once again. Looking over the railing down at me.

“Nope! John Dory is not my brother. He is a dead man!”

“Look man, I know it was embarrassing. But hey you know one good thing you got outta embarrassing situation at your expense.”

“And what would that be!” I flung myself over on my back looking up at him.

“ You got to see the troll you like smiling.” With a knowing tone Floyd turned the lights off and wished me night.

For hours I lay there trying to sleep. But I couldn't. Thoughts filled my head like every night. Of things I need Todo, where I'm needed the next day. How I'll make up for the lost time with my family.

But now? New thoughts are added to that list. Of y/n, of her laugh, of her smile. If she could see me the same way I see her.

Unable to silence the thoughts I tried to redirect to the area around me.

Breath in…breath out…breath in…breath out

Go through today's events. What do you remember best?

The space around me was cozy and warm. Just entering the pod you could drain out all the noise from outside. Leaving it claim and quiet. A hard thing to come by I've found out since moving to trollstopia. I love being with my brothers again. But being in the bunker kinda drove me up a wall! But just like when I look into her eyes. When I entered her pod, her home. Everything stilled, she really did manage to make her own world here.

With my brothers here, nervousness still seemed to find me. Every time we made eye contact, it was responded with a wiggled eyebrow, a wink, a bumped elbow to the ribs………a nudge in her direction………that I wasn't sure I was ready……or brave…….or even …good enough for.

My thoughts spiral once more.

Was I good enough? I mean yea I helped Viva run the putt putt trolls. But we basically lost contact with the world for 20 years! It didn't help that we were just kids basically building a new world from the remains of an old putt putt course. Didn't leave much time for working healthy romance to develop.

Ughhh tonights gonna take forever!

Readers p.o.v

Time has flown by fast in the following few weeks. I sold more quilts every morning at the market. Eventually found the mint country troll's name was funny enough how said troll greeted most others,

‘Howdy’. That little discovery happened when his partner and significant other Hickory

(a country/yodeling troll) asked me to help paint a new sign for their stall as a Trolls-mas gift. With it saying H&H bedding and fabrics. I thought the idea was so loving I just couldn't turn it down. In return they were nice enough to help me make a quilt for Clay. Since queen Poppy decided to switch up the annual gift swap this year. With personally hand picking the people swapping this year! And who would've guessed? I was giving him.

The guys seemed to settle in well enough. All the brothers and our friends had their busy days. John Dory has been making up for lost time with his family. Branch helped Poppy keep trollstopia running. Bruce visits when he can from the island. Viva got most of the putt putt trolls settled, some even chose to visit other tribes.

I try to help both Floyd and Clay feel at home. In-between working and sewing the quilt for Clay's gift.

Though he seems to find a way to wander off with wide eyes or frantically waving his arms running away. when I try to get close or spend time together. Especially if it's just us saying something about his book club, or helping Viva…..again…

Leading me to spending more time with Floyd. Not long after moving in I discovered we both like books. Though preferring different genres. He loves stories ranging from fantastical tales and heroic action of devotion to homey stories. While I'm more into tragic dramas, and crafting diy articles.

Like most days, this one ended no differently. Floyd and I ended up reading in the small library in my pod. Though I'd barely call it that. Seeing though it may have several book cases. It still pales in comparison to my mom's library.

However, try as I may. This day didn't end with my mind finding comfort in a fictional tragic romance. Feeling as if I was stuck in one myself. I couldn't seem to get sucked into the pages like time passed. Only the consistent ticking of the clock overhead fills my mind.

Tik..tik..tik…tik….

The pattern counted as my knuckles drew white. Holding the book so tight. I fear its spine might crack.

“Are you ok?” Floyd asked. Look up from his story across the room. I fidget in the window nook not quite meeting his eyes.

“You could say something is bugging me. But I'm not sure if….I can talk to you about him…Ah it!” Still unable to meet his gaze.

“Oh I think I know what's going on here.” Floyd closes his book, setting it aside. Making his way to me with a smirk, head lowered so I meet his eyes,

” Tell me, does he? I mean it. Know it's bugging you?” He's right in front of me now.

“Well…no…yes. I don't know! I guess it's more of avoiding then bugging!” I blurt out. Shrinking away slightly.

“Hmmm. That would make it hard to talk about huh? I mean an it that can avoid a person is quite the conundrum!” He raised his eyebrow looking at me with a pointed expression.

“Ok so it might be a he ok?!” Giving in.

“Well, what type of troll is he? He must be something amazing to capture your attention.” Floyd sat next to me at this point.

“Well he's hard to describe in detail.” Shyly looking down. Floyd put his hand over mine still clutching onto the book's spine. Reassuring me to take my time and that I'm in a safe space without saying a word.

“I..he's just amazing. He's sweet and kind. He loves his family. Puts others first even when he barely has time for his own passions.” leaving out that he always seemed unwilling to make time for me …..

“Go on…”

“I don't even know how to describe his personality honestly. There's just so much!”

Looking at me Floyd tells me this.” Well you seem to really like this troll. So why not tell me the type of guy you're into that seems to match closest to him.”

“Ok………to start off with kind, sincere, and can be really silly! ….but also knows when to take things seriously.”

“You know y/n if I knew this troll. And I am not saying I do. I mean whoever could he be?!” looking at me with sassy and knowing side eyes while looking at his nails.”I would guess that he'd be into a certain type of troll who would like a similar sad/tragic book  genre as him. And just so happens to have a knack for sewing.”

“Well If this so-called troll did like said other troll back……..why does he always run away to spend time with Viva- i mean another girl. When said troll asks to hangout or even tries to talk to him.”

“Maybe the same reason a certain y/c troll gets flustered and stutters when that same guy is near?”

“Wait your saying the reason he's been running off is he's nervous and scared?”

“I think so, but maybe that's something you have to talk to my brother about, huh?”

Floyd's p.o.v

“Que toffee meme from Star vs the forces of evil

‘SURPRISE!!’”

As I dropped into the bunker. Desperate voices and panicking echoed off the walls. Clay once again left Y/n hanging mid conversation. If one was generous enough to even call it that.

“What do I do? Every time she looks at me I freeze. I-i…..I don't know how to talk to her…..this is helpless.” Putting his face on his hands Clay seemed to give up.

“Cheer up buddy.”

“Yes bro you got this…”

“Just wait a minute, do you know how long it took me and Poppy to officially get together!” all our brothers tried to help all at once.

“ Ok! This really isn't going anywhere.” I spoke out. Kneeling down next to my older brother.”You're the only one who can do this man. I don't mean to sound blunt. But right now you're standing in your own way. She's been trying to reach out. We've all seen it. You just gotta stop running away.”

“And how do I do that when she makes me spaz out every time she's near me?”

That's what led to the plan. Of proving Y/n liked Clay back. With that knowledge he'd finally be able to get through a full conversation with her. Or at least be in the same room without freaking it zoning out.

It was supposed to be simple! Really it was. I would end up hanging out with Y/n in silence while reading like we normally end up doing. And while Clay listened through the door, I'd asked y/n what seemed to be bugging her lately. Leading to her telling me about Clay and thus Clay hearing and getting the reassurance he needs to make the first move.

Sadly things don't always work as there planned however.

As I ran back to the bunker later in the evening after talking to y/n. I expected to hear Clay’ happy voice. Instead panic and trying reassurance greeted me once again.

Our brothers, Poppy and even Viva surrounded Clay. Who seemed to be shaking. Worry filled me as I neared.

” Hey man you ok?” Putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I mean you were there man. She admitted she likes you! Just gotta take that next step. no reason to zone out or run away now right?”

Everyone stilled in silence as Clay stood up shrugging me off his shoulder. Our brothers looked at me with an unreadable expression. “ You’d know all about not running away right? Oh wait no you wouldn't.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hey guys let's not do this now ok? Clay why don't you take a breather-”

“ No Branch! He wants to know so I'm gonna tell him.” Clay walked in my direction. With tense looking brothers looking at me behind him.

Clay's p.o.v

LATE! I was late to the plan. To hear Floyd asking y/n. I rushed as quietly as possible into the pod and up the stairs to the library door. Which was already creaked open for the plan.

A tightness in my chest had been there all day. Growing tighter and tighter as the evening neared to the time when both of them normally read in the library. Finally being there, about to look through the door to get my answer. The truth of how y/n felt about me. Almost seemed to make the tightness almost tangible. More of a touchable not knot.

Peering through the slither of an open door. The knot pulled tighter. They were already talking. He asked her what type of troll she was into…..

“Ok………to start off with kind, sincere, and can be really silly! …”

Silly…she was into silly, sincere and fun guys. Fun….that description just never seems to leave me alone. Always lurking around a corner.

The knot pulled too tight and finally snapped. I ran. I ran as far as I could. Puffs of cold breathless clouds leaving my mouth. Flashes of what id just seen flooded my mind as I continued running.

Crack! I stepped on a twig….Floyd's hand laid on top of hers.

Splash! My foot landed in a puddle……he looked at her with half lidded eyes.

Thump! I tripped over the welcome Matt at the bunkers entrance………the way he met her gaze sideways with a smirk.

Sincere, silly, and fun. The words haunted my mind, I wasn't having fun. But Floyd…. Floyd was sincere…Floyd could be silly….. Floyd was FUN!

She didn't like me……

“ I was there, Floyd. I saw! I saw how you looked at her. How close you were. So no you wouldn't know about running away would you?” I pushed Floyd away walking closer,”no you just held her hand while she told you she likes you! Sincere, silly, fun. That's how she described the guy she likes right.”

Everything was heated. Rapid breathing left my nose.” How she described you....”

“No Clay you misunderstood. Did you even stay for the whole conversation like planned-”

“ No I understand perfectly ... .I mean no wonder she didn't even look at me at all during the tour of her pod!”

“Man, you really are idiotic.”

“Not helping Floyd!” John yelled holding me back.

“ Man, the reason she didn't look at you was cause she kept zoning out and was embarrassed!” Floyd dodged me lunging at him.”She reacts the same way you do when you look at her! She just got brave and tried time and time again just for you to ditch or avoid her.”

“Then why did she stop trying! Huh? Why keep running and spending time with you…”

“Because, you kept running off to Viva. She thought you liked her!”

“Wait…..you mean….I …I really did mess things up….”

Looking up at my younger brother. My eyes began stinging as tears welled up and rolled down my cheeks. “I'm so sorry” choked out my tightening throat.

For hours my brothers and I hugged each other. Talking with each other Ironing out any issues. Every held grudge, every little grievance left over from childhood. It all became settled that night. Though I still have so much to make up for with Floyd. He really was right. I was being idiotic.

Readers p.o.v

Yawning, I stretched out. The cool morning air woke me up as all my joints popped. Staying up all night to finish Clay's gift might not have been the best decision. Regarding the bags under my eyes. However looking back at the quilt. I didn't regret it.

Over the past weeks Clay finally seemed to come around. Helping me at the stand, mainly with finances and budgeting with fabric. We were almost joined at the hip.

I still remember our first real conversation. I was in the library, reading like I do every evening. But this time was accompanied with a different troll.

“I'm sorry if I'm bugging you right now ..but can we talk?” Looking nervous Clay sat down next to me in the window book nook.

“You ….you could never bug me.” I stuttered out.

“Look I know I haven't really been…. present…available. No, that's not the right word. Um open?” Seeing creases formed between his bunched eyebrows.

I put my hand over his. Patting it to draw his attention out of his head. Looking at me I give a shy smile. Hopefully giving him the right message. I am here for you. You can take your time. But I already understand what you're trying to say.

It must have worked because we both seemed to click after that. Each night we would read in the library, seated next to each other in the window nook. Different from spending time with Floyd. Silently reading across the room. Just existing in the same space. Was replaced with longing side glaces, slight numbing of a leg, butterflies in stomaches, and brushing of hands as we handed one another tissues when the story becomes too much.

Trolls-mas and the annual gift exchange came in went. The cold breeze chilled us both. Twinkling light reflected his cool blue eyes.

“So I go you”

“It's not much here” We both put our gifts out to each other.

Laughing together, Clay gently put his on over my present for him. Pushing it down ever so slightly. ” I would actually like you to open your first. It's not much, or super extra as some other exchanges I've seen other people get tonight. But I put alot of thought and…..love….in it.” As I took the box both out faces flooded with red.

“Poppy helped me wrap it obviously.” He chuckled. Inside the box was a few different embroidered corner page book marks. Tears filled the corners of my eye.

“ Di-did you…they're beautiful..”

“Yea, each is hand stitched. Your friend Howdy taught me a few things for it.”

“Ok. Ok. Before I go balling my eyes out anymore. I need to give you my gift.” Laughing more as I wiped my eyes.

Clay’s p.o.v

Opening the box carefully. I was amazed to see a clearly carefully hang stitch quilt. The thought, the time she must put in……she's truly something else…

“Guess our minds went in a similar direction.” She joked.

Gripping the blanket tight I moved forward before my mind could over think for once. I grabbed y/n by the waist pulling her to me. Brushing my lips against her. Nerves and mind finally catching up caused me to pull back slightly.

Expecting to see mad or shocked eye is not what greeted me when I looked back at her. No her eye shine bright under the thinking lights above. Deeper than that was something I hadn't seen before.

She liked like she was gonna eat me!

Readers p.o.v

He..kissed…me

AND THEN PULLED AWAY!!!???

Oh Hell no boy!

Looking at the almost shaking green troll in front of me.”oh no you don't” grabbing him by the chin, bringing him to my level.”and don't think I'm letting you go again anytime soon.” Smirking I joined our lips agian.

I'm not sure if it was the hooting and hollering from our friends and family around us. Or just holly holiday spirit that possed me with such boldness. But I dipped him. Grabbed his waist and deepened our kiss.

“I was foolish to be to scared to talk to you about this sooner…I love you y/n.” Clay said, rubbing his hand over my cheek.

The time after that went by fast. I helped Clay with the sad book club. Floyd moved back to the bunker. On weekends we spent time with his brothers, my sister and mom for family dinners. Heck we even took a vacation for me to meet his nieces and nephews. Though Bruce insists I'm already there aunt.

But as I sit in our window nook. Claying laying in my lap with the quilt I gift him wrapped around us. I could help but think our little world was perfect. But with my sewing studio…….we finally have room to expand our little family one day...

[businessnews01]

Laundry Soap Wholesale: Cost-Effective Cleaning Solutions

Fundraising can often feel like a challenging task, requiring significant effort with uncertain results. However, one of the most effective and hassle-free ways to raise funds is through an easy laundry soap fundraiser. Instead of selling typical fundraiser items like chocolates or wrapping paper, organizations can offer a product that every household uses—laundry detergent!

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[gregdotorg]

while skeeting about the death of TGV designer and color picker Jacques Cooper, artist Aurélian Vret posted this image of the approved color sample for TGV Orange, known as SNCF 435, which is on exhibit at the Cité du Train in Mulhouse.

Only after posting this to my own blog did I learn from Vret about the complicated political and ideological implications of TGV Orange and its selection process in 1977. There had been extensive debate over what color the TGV should be. One option was pink, in homage to Francois Mitterand (somehow). It was viewed as anti-socialist, an encroachment of US-style marketing and branding for a signature public work.

TBQH part of the reason I'm so entranced with this monochrome tablet is because I made some myself. In 2011 The Dutch government announced Rijkshuisstijl, a big rebranding project that assigned five shades of blue to the state, each referencing a different quality of Dutch light and sky. Ministries were assigned official monochrome identities from a palette selected, it was explained, from Dutch Golden Age painting. I made some paintings using Rijksoverheid Rood [above], which in some lights—but not Dutch light—looks kind of orange.

[topazadine]

Mistakes I Made When Self-Pubbing My First Book (Part 2: Presentation Edition)

"Don't judge a book by its cover" is utter bullshit because that is the #1 thing people do when purchasing a book.

This is the typical process someone will take when clicking on a book listing (though not everyone will do it in this order):

Look at the cover

Read the blurb

Check the reviews

Read a sample

Decide to download

Personally, I check the reviews before I look at the blurb if the cover has caught my attention, but I know many other people read the blurb first.

So you need to have these things locked down. I, being an idiot, did not have these things locked down before I decided to publish 9 Years Yearning. Let us examine my failures.

Making my own shitty cover instead of paying an artist

Now, a caveat.

A lot of self-pubbed writers are excellent graphic designers and really take the time to make a beautiful cover before they publish.

I'm not talking about these supernaturally blessed individuals who can do both. They have my utmost respect.

I'm talking about me, a person who has no design skills and can't draw for shit.

Here is the progression of my book cover.

The first one was made by me using an Unsplash stock photo on Canva. It's boring.

We can tell it's taking place in some rural area (Mongolia-ish, given that this is a photo of Mongolia), but what the hell else do we know about it? We don't see the characters or anything. It very much looks like your typical self-pub cover that the writer spent five minutes on. Shoddy and unprofessional.

The second one was purchased on Fiverr for like $50. It's cute, to be sure, and I'm not knocking the artist because they did exactly what they promised they would do. But it still doesn't tell us much about the story itself. Would do better for like a worldbuilding grimoire or something because it doesn't give us many details.

And now the third one is, in my opinion, absolutely gorgeous, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. It captures the mood of the setting, shows the characters, and demonstrates that this is a fantasy novel through the fonts and character design.

The artist is Katarina on Fiverr, who will be doing the rest of my series as well. She truly understood the assignment and I am incredibly grateful to her. Katarina is also LOVELY to work with, so if you have a fantasy novel in the pipeline, you should really consider working with her.

My book sales took off significantly after I introduced the third cover. Not phenomenal, of course (why is not Katarina's fault), but definitely way better than before.

I could have gotten more sales if I had presented a good cover during the first 30 days of publishing, when Amazon gives new releases a little boost to help them along. Because I designed a shitty cover, I lost all of that extra marketing power. People were seeing my book, but they weren't clicking because they assumed self-pub = terrible. (Rightly so. A lot of self-pubbed books are terrible.)

But really, I was just a cheapskate. I figured I could just make my own cover and people would magically be attracted to it somehow, which was dumb of me. So I wasted a lot of time when I could have been making sales. I wasn't taking marketing seriously.

So, my tips to other self-pub writers:

If you're not capable of designing your own great cover, then work with an artist. Make sure the artist works in your specific genre, because there are different rules for each genre. Get comp images of other book covers you like to show the artist, or make a mockup (I'll show you one in a second). Very dark covers don't tend to sell well, especially ones in blues and greens. Even if you have a dark romance, try to lighten it up a bit. Fonts are incredibly important because they "prime" the reader to guess what kind of mood the story has. Don't clutter up the cover. Have two focus points, the most important text, and that's it.

For my second book, Pride Before a Fall, I provided Katarina with an incredibly shitty mockup of what I wanted (again, I am not an artist), as well as a ZIP file of the character, their clothing, the horse colorations, and so on.

This made it go much much faster because we weren't constantly messaging back and forth for edits. I only needed her to tweak two things: the clothes Orrinir was wearing and Erix's coloration (Horse 2 in the mockup).

Katrina put some of her own artistic vision into it, of course, but the spirit of what I was trying to show was absolutely there. I vastly prefer her version.

I'll be doing this with the third book as well, which has a slightly different vibe. I have the image in my head, and I just need to figure out how to put it on the page so she can make it better!

Writing a ~mysterious~ blurb

When I first published 9 Years Yearning, I had the same blurb for it as I have on the splash page for The Eirenic Verses:

Uileac Korviridi, student at the Bremish War Academy, expects to focus on his studies and protect his little sister - not fall in love with Orrinir Relickim, the hotheaded infantryman who can't seem to leave him alone.

Which is fine for a list of all the different books in the ten-part series. It is now included in the series list in the back matter for the second book, too.

But it doesn't really tell readers much about what they can expect from the book except that there's a boy, his little sister, and another guy.

It's too vague, too short, and too confusing. Most people would not click on something like that because they have no clue what to expect.

I also didn't need to include the name of the country; you need to avoid throwing too many fantasy names at readers right away or they start to shut down.

The blurb for 9 Years Yearning went through a lot of changes until its current iteration:

Uileac Korviridi, orphaned at age 11 during a raid on the family farm, cherishes the happy memories of living with his late parents. Fond reminiscences are all he has to comfort him in the stern confines of the War Academy, where young boys are trained to protect their besieged nation from a powerful enemy. Even as he forces enthusiasm for his military studies, he must balance his loyalty to his little sister, Cerie, who is training at the High Poetry Society to become a magical wordsmith. In contrast to Uileac's bucolic past, Orrinir Relickim is a former Future Boy: one given up to the War Academy by neglectful parents before enrolling in training. His life has been typified by invisibility, making him desperate to gain attention from anyone - especially Uileac. The two start as resentful quasi-enemies: Uileac despises Orrinir's success in their studies, while Orrinir resents Uileac's happy childhood and delicate looks. However, as they understand one another better, they cannot resist this pull they don't yet understand. What follows is a tale of teenage longing, with all the awkwardness and miscommunication it entails. Set in a sweeping world with poetry magic, 9 Years Yearning offers a brief glimpse into a beautiful country besieged by its enemies, constricted by a mountain range made with words. With lush descriptions, deep emotion, and lyrical prose, this novella sets the stage for grander conflicts in the 10-part Eirenic Verses series. Dive into a world where poetry makes power, seen through the eyes of two young men preparing for war.

It's probably not perfect, but it does have most of the components of a good blurb:

Quickly explains the main character's backstory, goals, and motivations.

Introduces the love interest and his backstory.

Explains the primary conflict without giving away too much.

Tells us what the vibe of the story is (teenagers growing up and being awkward).

Mentions one of the special things about the setting (High Poetry) but also makes it clear that this is not the primary focus (or it would have been put up front more). Readers can tell that it's going to be a background element that will probably be discussed in further detail later on in the series.

Discusses the themes, settings, and what readers can expect from the prose.

Tells readers that this is the beginning of a series.

Note that I did not include any review quotes. That's kind of controversial, but honestly? I don't pay attention to those when reading a blurb unless I immediately recognize the quoted person's name.

Since I don't have a big name reviewing my novel, I'm not going to include opinions from people no one knows. I also know that people can pay to get those quotes and they're not always genuine; they're cherry-picked.

The blurb is crucial for getting readers who like your cover to spend money on the book. You must show that you're a great writer and provide them details about what they can expect. A highly polished, engaging blurb that is descriptive but not spoilery will intrigue people.

Not making enough graphics and visuals

People like visual advertisements more than they like giant walls of text.

It's why advertisers moved away from things like this ....

To things like this ....

Of course, 1920s magazines were not printed in full color, so they couldn't have the bright vibrant reds of the 2020s ads, but the layout is what is important.

Current advertisements don't have a lot of text because humans are visual creatures. Great book advertisements are the same.

Now, obviously I do not have the budget or star power of these authors and marketing agencies, but that doesn't mean I can't do something what I do have. Which is access to Canva and my book covers.

But I did not do that with my first book. I didn't do any visuals at all. Instead, I just threw the link around everywhere and expected people to click on it. Which is pretty dumb tbh. Of course no one's going to click on a random link that you didn't explain anything about! We've all been Rickrolled at least once!

And then I got no sales and was sad about it and realized I was dumb to do that.

I am fixing that with Pride Before a Fall. I changed all my socials to have a banner for my book, including just a few words.

Excellent, marketing agency quality? No, of course not. But it's something visual anyway. It's clear that I put some thought into it, that I have a professional cover, and I'm pretty clear with what I want you to do: preorder the fucking thing by January 1st.

And again, I'm picking up some preorders already. I expect that as I continue to produce more visuals, I'll get more preorders. And, of course, my upcoming ARC campaign will help too.

I have seen some artists do little videos for their books which look pretty interesting. I will likely do this when I'm a bit further along in the series by working with a visual artist, but I'm not quite there yet. Soon, though.

So that is part two of my series on my failures. Part 3 will go into depth about the importance of reviews and how not to go about getting them.

And if you made it this far, maybe you'll consider buying my book, which is somehow good despite all my failures!

Please do not forget to leave a review! It's essential, as I will explain in Part 3. And I have heard that those who leave reviews for self-pubbed authors are more likely to find a really nice crunchy leaf on their next walk. mmm mcrunnchyy

[penniesblogs]

Feathered Folk Update #4

You can now find my store at FeatheredFolkCo on Etsy, and my TikTok and Instagram pages @/featheredfolkco.

As you know, I've been working on setting up a small etsy shop where I can sell cards featuring my own illustrations of Australian native birds. As per my last post, I've actually finished setting up the shop, and have begun to work on some social media marketing. Though I'll be taking a break, this project has been quite the personal learning experience. This project has shown me just how much work is actually involved in setting up even a very small online store like this.

Before making my last update, I had been experimenting with prototypes for the cards. by getting samples printed at Officeworks.

Above is an image of my two samples. Both are printed on 200 gsm paper, with the left being on off-white with a glossy coat, and the right on uncoated plain white paper. I ultimately wasn't happy with either print. I liked the look of the illustration on the left print, with the gloss coat and off-white tone, but the coating also made it so that the inside was difficult to write in. Ink didn't dry properly, and it was difficult to use pencil. I felt that this really just defeated the purpose of a greeting card. The right hand card didn't have this problem, but it was also too flimsy.

I decided eventually to print at 300 gsm, with uncoated white paper, even though the cost of printing was slightly higher. I also reformatted the information on the back, as I felt there was something off about the design.

In the end, this is what I ended up with:

Below is my initial etsy store listing, with the description, which I made at the end of last week after I received my final prints. There were some additional, unexpected costs, such as a $20 store fee and a 30 cent listing fee that I had to pay, on top of the cost of printing the cards. It also took a little while to find the time to process the identity checks when updating the shop.

I had only uploaded images of the digital designs, and eventually felt that this was an inadequate representation of the product, especially for a public-facing post. I later took the product photos that can be seen previously, and added them to the listing, including an image of the cards in their packaging.

I also went on to create some social media marketing for the listing.

Though I had plans to create and upload a number of TikToks and instagram reels, the prospects of creating multiple short-form videos, in addition to the work of designing and prototyping the cards, became a little strenuous. I had a lot of time constraints between juggling work and three other uni assignments - two of which were due on the same date as this one will be. I was also limited in what I could do, by the wait times for all of the print orders. Though I will consider this short-form video content, and will hold onto the TikTok account, I decided to try to work with what I had just for this assignment. I created two slideshow posts for instagram using the product photos I had taken. One announced the release of the cards on etsy, and the other listed the designs featured in the pack. I also added the posts to my instagram story.

Additionally, I made an announcement on this tumblr account here, making use of more widely-seen hashtags that would allow me to not only organise my post in my blog archive, but also let the post be seen more widely. I tried to do that on this post as well. I also uploaded a notice on the BCM discord to reach a more local audience.

Though I didn't make any sales in this time span, I did manage to get some engagement with my store in the form of shop visits and views. I believe most of these came from word of mouth. I also gained two 'admirers' in the short time I had the shop up and running, who are people on etsy that follow my shop for updates.

[dukeceitbrainrot]

Assigned dukeceit-stan by the random-sample candy given at the weekend markets.

[yngai]

How benevolent or malicious do you believe Ada is or should be portrayed?

with ada it's not a matter of quantifying her benevolence or malice, she doesn't think in good or evil, right & wrong, every action taken is weighed between assumed risk & desired outcome, ada rarely acts on impulse & when she's forced into a split-second decision it's always by outside factors throwing wrenches into her schemes (wesker giving the kill order on leon to krauser after she consistently delays carrying it out herself & argues for leon's irrelevance to her mission, not out of love, but because her true purpose in spain requires leon's survival & success up until the epilogue of the play she has set up) . she doesn't place herself on any kind of scale of morality like other resident evil characters do because to her that is a fallacy, all there is preservation, of the self & of the system which perpetuates the very threat other protagonists have dedicated their life to fighting against .

it's a delicious irony that satiates her nihilistic worldview .

ada doesn't believe the world is able to change (which stems from her own political background & apprehension towards hong kong's transfer of sovereignty to the chinese mainland), there is too much power & influence invested in keeping things as they are for her or anyone else, be they an individual or not, to make a dent . all anyone can ever do is delay the inevitable & the fact 'the good guys' are reactive, rather than proactive, is further proof to her . they spring into action always during the beginning or middle of an outbreak & rarely if ever manage to prevent these incidents from occurring (even ada denying wesker a live dominant plaga sample & los illumindos' facilities & research only forces him to settle for a dead one recovered from krauser's corpse, & with tricell's resources he has a new plaga out on the market in under five years . it's the closest thing to a victory over wesker she gets) . the BSAA, the DSO, terrasave, they're first-responders who are so very corruptible by the governmental & international authorities they serve, & they would all meld together in her mind if not for her work requiring accounting for each as potential threats or partners depending on her assignment . she has moles & contacts in all three, weak links she has scouted out to pay off or blackmail for their operational information & the fact they so easily betray their employers tells her that overall belief in the success of their mission wanes at a steady rate .

while she will often take on risk to perform what is a morally commendable action (saving claire, leon, sherry & several civilians in lanshiang, putting herself in the crosshairs of people like wesker or simmons either through outright betrayal or simply denying them access to the services she provides), it's usually from a position where any adverse effects to her person are either minimal or can be minimized (dropping someone a rocket launcher is the easiest thing in the world, brad vickers could do it, same with providing sniper support or covering fire from the comfort of a helicopter . betraying wesker was part of a larger operation carried out by their mutual employer) . she is often framed high above the people to whom she offers aid for this reason, sometimes as a cover for the identity of their mysterious benefactor, sometimes as a coincidence & it's become very amusing to her how much of an operational hazard its become for her to help people ( '[sigh] time to save the day again' / 'i'm beginning to feel like your personal bodyguard, mr. kennedy' ) . there might be a selfless streak hidden somewhere within but she frames it as another notch on her belt, lives saved to feed her ego .

this all to speak of my portrayal & my interpretation of ada has she has been presented throughout ressie's admittedly spotty canon, while i do wish for her character to be written more consistently (& i do think the remakes succeed in keeping her so despite the massive shift in her presentation between 2 & 4, even if they're missing the context for her changing from RE4's supplemental material), obviously other people are free to reach different conclusions based on the same information, i'm not the real ada wong, or anything .

[nostalgiachan]

A Change of Attire

Fifth Prompt: Who is the companion that is most like a sibling and why?

Vague Act Three spoilers

Summary: Shadowheart's in the market for an image change, and asks Vier for some color advice. (995 words)

---

“Honestly? I liked the bangs,” Vier replied as she watched Shadowheart fussing over her hair in a mirror borrowed from Astarion (which Vier would be sure to apologize for later). “I don’t think they were severe at all, they brought attention to your eyes. Don’t get me wrong, the fringe is certainly cute, but you’re always having to brush it aside, aren’t you? Seems a bit of a hassle.”

“Well, when I consider bringing the bangs back, I promise you’ll be the first to know,” Shadowheart playfully huffed as she stepped back from the mirror. “But I didn’t ask you over to my tent for hair opinions.”

“What opinions did you require, then?” Vier asked, crossing her legs atop the barrel on which she sat. Shadowheart reached into her rucksack and produced a tall, but slightly thin book emblazoned with the logo of the Forge of the Nine - Dammon’s armor shop. With a flick of pinky and thumb, she opened the book and set it in Vier’s lap; the pages contained rows upon rows of drawings, each depicting the same featureless humanoid body wearing the same set of armor, but each armor had a unique color scheme.

Shadowheart explained, “I figured since we were all in the market for new gear, now would be as good a time as any to try wearing something that wasn’t purple or gray or black. But since that’s about all I’ve worn for as long as I can remember, I don’t know what would actually look good on me.”

Suddenly, something between a chuckle and a sigh escaped her lips. “Honestly, it sounds silly now that I’m saying it aloud. We’re about to come to blows with just about every villain this side of the Chionthar, and I’m worried about aesthetics. Lady of Sorrows guide–” She came to a sharp halt as the words nearly escaped her. A bad habit she’d need to reckon with in the coming days. 

Vier quickly spoke up, all the better to keep Shadowheart from dwelling too long on the slip. “While yes, we obviously have some pressing matters to attend to, there’s no harm in taking a moment for something comparatively trivial. And I do mean ‘comparatively’, because this is something pretty major for you - for anyone, really. Not to get melodramatic, but you’re figuring out who you are, who you want to be, and choosing clothing is a deceptively simple way of doing that. You want colors that make you feel like you, that tell the world ‘Look out, evil-doers! Shadowheart’s here and she’s feeling confident!”

A snort rocketed from Shadowheart’s nose, and she quickly tried to stifle the sound. It was exactly what Vier wanted to hear. “Only problem here is I’m in the same boat as you,” Vier continued. “I mean, by now you’ve probably noticed that if it’s not dyed pale blue, silver, or white, I don’t care to wear it.”

“You are the most brightly-colored Drow I’ve ever seen, yes,” said Shadowheart. “But regardless, I still trust your taste. So take a look through those, see if anything catches your eye.”

Vier acquiesced, poring over the sample drawings in the book. A wide array of color schemes awaited her, ranging from understated earthen tones to the gaudiest of gold. There was a very lovely image of the armor rendered with pale blue for the cloth and soft silver for the metal, but while that absolutely fit Vier’s preferences, she wasn’t sure Shadowheart was quite ready to look like a bright noontime sky. She needed something that was close to her existing preference for dark colors, but just different enough to make Shadowheart feel like something was new.

That was when her gaze was met by the sample listed as “Gorgeous Maroon”.  The cloth, as the name described, was colored with a bold maroon ink, but the metal was a pale pink, sweet but not coquettish. Vier didn’t consider herself well-versed in artistic critique, but she found herself assigning meaning to these colors. Maroon was not too far off from Shadowheart’s beloved purple in tone, dark and heavy, but it was a warmer color, while the pink was soft and gentle. Combined, they reminded her of what she’d come to learn of Shadowheart over their journey together, the woman she truly was rather than the woman Shar demanded her to be. 

Shadowheart cared for others far more than she ever let on. She may have tried to bury it beneath contrarianism and coldness, but her heart was truly kind. And when push came to shove, no matter what punishment Shar had in store for her, she was consistently drawn to doing the right thing, even if Vier had to nudge her along the path once or twice. Dark, warm, kind, bright, that was Shadowheart to her.

“How about this one here, then?” Vier finally answered, pointing to the maroon set. As she looked it over, Shadowheart quirked an eyebrow.

“Hmm…I can’t remember the last time I wore pink, if ever,” she said, “Not sure it’s my color, but that maroon’s pretty nice. Well, I suppose if that’s our illustrious leader’s decision, I’ll consider it, at the very least.”

Though her tone was as playfully flippant as ever, Vier could tell from the look in Shadowheart’s eye that she was very well considering it. She may have even been thrilled with her pick. Of course, she also opened the floor to the rest of their companions - suggestions ranged from the reasonable to the deeply unreasonable to “Chk! We have little time for vanity…but if you must, silver is always the correct choice.” But in the end, it seemed Vier had been on the money. The next day, as Dammon presented Shadowheart with her new maroon-and-pink plate, she looked as chuffed as she possibly could, no matter how she tried to temper it.

“As I thought, it’s not quite my color,” she said. “But I think it might grow on me.”

[businessresearchreportss]

Key Concepts in Frozen Shoulder Clinical Trials

When exploring and understanding Frozen Shoulder Syndrome (FSS) clinical trials, several key concepts are important to consider. These concepts provide insights into the design, implementation, and outcomes of clinical trials related to FSS.

To know more about the leading sponsors in the Frozen Shoulder Syndrome clinical trials market, download a free report sample

Here are some key concepts:

Study Phases:

Clinical trials are often conducted in phases, with each phase serving a specific purpose. Phase 1 focuses on safety, Phase 2 on efficacy, Phase 3 on effectiveness and safety in a larger population, and Phase 4 involves post-marketing surveillance. Understanding the phase of a trial helps assess its developmental stage.

Intervention Types:

Trials may involve different types of interventions, such as medications, physical therapies, surgical procedures, or a combination of these. Understanding the nature of the intervention is crucial to evaluating its potential effectiveness for treating FSS.

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs):

RCTs are considered the gold standard in clinical research. In these trials, participants are randomly assigned to different groups, with one group receiving the experimental treatment and another serving as a control. RCTs help establish causation and reduce bias.

Placebo-Controlled Trials:

Some trials involve a placebo group, where participants receive an inactive substance. This helps researchers assess the true impact of the intervention by comparing it to a group that does not receive the treatment.

Blinding:

Trials may be single-blind (participants are unaware of their treatment group) or double-blind (both participants and researchers are unaware). Blinding helps minimize bias in reporting and assessing outcomes.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:

Trials have specific criteria for participant eligibility. Inclusion criteria define characteristics participants must have, and exclusion criteria specify factors that disqualify individuals. Understanding these criteria is essential for determining eligibility.

Primary and Secondary Endpoints:

Primary endpoints are the main outcomes the trial aims to measure, often related to efficacy. Secondary endpoints provide additional information. These endpoints guide the assessment of the intervention's impact.

Safety Monitoring:

Trials include safety monitoring to identify and assess adverse events. Robust safety measures are essential to ensure participant well-being.

Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs):

PROs capture data directly from participants about their health status and treatment experiences. They can provide insights into the impact of FSS and the effectiveness of interventions from the patient's perspective.

Crossover Design:

Some trials use a crossover design, where participants switch from one treatment to another during the course of the study. This design helps control for individual variability.

Statistical Significance:

Statistical analysis is crucial for determining whether observed differences between groups are likely due to the intervention or occurred by chance. Results are considered statistically significant if the probability of their occurrence by chance is low.

Informed Consent:

Informed consent is a fundamental ethical requirement. Participants must be fully informed about the trial's objectives, procedures, potential risks, and benefits before providing their consent to participate.

Understanding these key concepts will enhance your ability to critically evaluate FSS clinical trials and interpret their findings. Always consult with healthcare professionals and researchers for personalized advice and insights.

[rhondarossano]

Weekly Market Trip

We have settled into a bit of a routine for now. It will be changing as soon as all the approvals for me to teach music at the school are in place. At present, the days are quiet, and we have definitely simplified our lives.

This past Sunday, World Mission Sunday, was a change from our usual Sunday practice. We generally leave the house about 8:50 am to arrive at Sacred Heart Church for 9:30 Mass. After Mass, we walk to the market to get our fruits and veggies for the week, and we arrive home around noon for lunch and football or baseball via Sportsurge.net. A VPN is essential for keeping up with the Saints and Tigers.

Only one Mass was celebrated throughout all the villages last Sunday at Sacred Heart Arena. We arrived around 9:20 to visit the booths sponsored by the eight village congregations. We learned a lot of the history of Catholicism in the area. Some of the presentations also included exceptionally yummy food. (I took my samples home for lunch.) Mass began at 11:00 am and was mostly in Spanish. At the end, we participated in a very warm send off of Father Ben. He is going to spend a month in Guatemala with his family and then will go to his mission assignment in Cuba.

Afterward, we walked to the market and purchased bananas (8 for $1 BZ, that is $0.50 USD), mangoes, avocados, star fruit, one HUGE carrot, a pineapple, an eggplant, and onion, spending $12BZ-$6 USD. I am quite grateful that produce is always fresh and inexpensive here; we love our organic fruits and veggies!

We are going to be growing our own produce. We have 6 avocado, 2 mango, and 2 date palm trees planted; all of these were started from seed by neighbors or just came up in the yard from the pits being tossed out. We also have 6 pineapple crowns rooting on the back porch. Those should be ready to plant in a couple of months. I guess our produce bill will be a lot less in 4-5 years!

I want to leave you with a short video of our latest guest. He was quite pretty; the video doesn't do him justice. He just decided to pop into the gym one morning and had difficulty finding his way out.

Tliltocatl epicureanum aka Belize Black Tarantula

[billytheblackdog]

Academic Help!

Hello tumblr Beings!

Billy is asking for a favour of you all (please help!). I'm currently undertaking an academic marketing exercise where I need to create a marketing plan for a product or service and I've chosen this hellsite as the object of my focus.

Purely academically (I stress, this is not happening, please don't come for me tumblr!), would any of you be interested in attending community events where you can pick up tumblr merch and meet fellow bloggers in person, sort of a combined market/social event?

If you do choose to respond, please note that the results will be used as part of an academic assignment, and will be purely anonymous with no blogs being mentioned by name.

I know there have been events in the past, so even if you don't want to respond to this poll, please do send me tumblr history and the sheer tumblr nonsense that occurred because of these.

Please consider reblogging this to get as wider a sample as possible.

Thank you for your help guys.

[peter-pett]

Statistics for the Curious: Understanding Key Statistical Concepts for Non-Math Majors

Why Statistics Matter

Before delving into specific concepts, let's understand why statistics are relevant in various fields:

Data Interpretation: Statistics help us make sense of large datasets, allowing us to draw meaningful conclusions.

Decision Making: In business, healthcare, social sciences, and more, data-driven decisions are crucial for success.

Research: Whether you're conducting scientific research or a market analysis, statistics play a key role in drawing reliable conclusions.

Key Statistical Concepts for Non-Math Majors

Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics:

Descriptive statistics involve organizing and summarizing data to describe its main features. Common descriptive measures include mean (average), median (middle value), and mode (most frequent value).

Inferential statistics go beyond description and involve making predictions or inferences about a population based on a sample of data.

Probability:

Probability is the likelihood of an event occurring. It is expressed as a number between 0 (impossible) and 1 (certain). Understanding probability helps in making decisions in uncertain situations.

Normal Distribution:

The normal distribution, often referred to as a bell curve, is a common pattern in data. Many natural phenomena, like human height or exam scores, follow this distribution. It's characterized by a symmetrical shape.

Sampling and Sampling Methods:

Sampling involves selecting a subset (sample) from a larger group (population). Common sampling methods include random sampling, stratified sampling, and convenience sampling.

Hypothesis Testing:

Hypothesis testing is a method used to determine if there's a significant difference between two or more groups or conditions. It involves formulating a hypothesis, collecting data, and using statistical tests to make conclusions.

Confidence Intervals:

Confidence intervals provide a range of values within which a population parameter is likely to fall. For example, a 95% confidence interval for the average height of a population might be 160-170 cm.

Statistical Significance:

Statistical significance indicates whether an observed effect or difference in data is likely to be genuine or if it could have occurred by chance. It's commonly used in research to validate findings.

Correlation vs. Causation:

Correlation is a statistical relationship between two variables. However, it doesn't imply causation, meaning that just because two variables are correlated doesn't mean one causes the other.

Regression Analysis:

Regression analysis explores the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. It's used for prediction and understanding relationships in data.

The Role of SpeedyPaper

Statistics coursework and assignments can be challenging, especially for non-math majors. Here's how SpeedyPaper can assist:

Statistical Analysis: Our team of experts can assist with statistical analysis, including running tests and interpreting results.

Data Interpretation: We can help you understand and interpret data, ensuring you draw meaningful conclusions.

Custom Papers: Need a research paper or essay on a statistical topic? We offer custom writing services tailored to your needs.

Conclusion: Embracing Statistics with Confidence

Statistics is a valuable tool for making informed decisions and understanding the world around us. By grasping these key statistical concepts and seeking support when needed, you can approach statistical challenges with confidence. For academic guidance, case study assistance, and support in your educational journey, consider exploring the services offered by PaperCoach. They are dedicated to helping learners excel and gain a deeper understanding of the world through case studies. Visit us at PaperCoach to learn more about how we can support your academic and professional endeavors.