#Personal Accessories Market Share

[cosmeticsandpersonalcaremarket]

A Dazzling Dive into the Personal Accessories Market Trends Analysis

A silent language of individual flair, and a billion-dollar industry thriving on the human love for adornment. From delicate trinkets whispered against the skin to flamboyant statement pieces that shout from the rooftops, personal accessories transcend mere functionality. They are the punctuation marks of an outfit, the final flourish that transforms the mundane into the magnificent.

But beneath the shimmering surface of this captivating market lies a complex network of trends, competition, and staggering revenue figures. Let's embark on a captivating journey into the Personal Accessories Market, unveiling its size, growth trajectory, influential players, and the glittering trends shaping its future.

Growth Drivers: The Invisible Threads Behind the Market's Tapestry:

Several invisible threads pull the personal accessories market towards continued expansion. The rising disposable income across various regions allows consumers to indulge in non-essential purchases like jewelry and handbags. Social media, the ultimate trendsetter, plays a crucial role, with influencers and celebrities setting trends and inspiring millions to emulate their looks. The growing emphasis on self-expression and individuality further fuels the demand for unique and personalized accessories. Additionally, the burgeoning online retail space has made it easier than ever for consumers to discover and purchase accessories, breaking down geographical barriers and expanding reach.

A Market Measured in Billions, Not Baubles

The global personal accessories market is a colossal entity, estimated to reach a whopping US$642.9 billion by 2028. Yes, you read that right – not millions, but billions! This staggering figure represents a CAGR of 5.2%, a steady and sustained ascent that speaks volumes about the enduring appeal of accessorizing and its deep-rooted presence across cultures and demographics.

Regional Jewels: Where the Sparkle Shines Brightest:

While the personal accessories market is a global tapestry, regional variations in size and growth paint a fascinating picture. Asia Pacific currently reigns supreme, commanding a 39.2% share in 2023. This dominance is fuelled by the burgeoning middle class in countries like China and India, coupled with a deep cultural affinity for embellishment. North America follows closely behind with a 25.7% share, its sophisticated fashion industry and penchant for statement pieces propelling it forward. Europe rounds out the top three with a 20.3% share, showcasing a rich heritage in luxury goods and timeless elegance.

Revenue Streams: Where the Jewels Hide the Gold:

The personal accessories market generates revenue through a dazzling array of channels. Traditional brick-and-mortar stores still hold a significant share, offering a curated selection and personalized service. However, the e-commerce boom has disrupted the landscape, providing wider access, competitive pricing, and convenience. Direct-to-consumer brands are also emerging as major players, leveraging social media and targeted marketing to reach specific customer segments.

Industry Major Players: The Crown Jewels of the Market:

From established luxury giants like LVMH and Kering to fast-fashion powerhouses like Zara and H&M, the personal accessories market boasts a diverse range of players. Niche brands catering to specific styles and demographics are also carving their space, offering unique designs and personalized experiences. The competitive landscape is constantly evolving, with collaborations, acquisitions, and innovative marketing strategies keeping things dynamic and exciting.

Trend Alert: Keeping Your Finger on the Fashion Pulse:

Staying ahead in the ever-changing world of personal accessories requires understanding key trends. Sustainability is a major focus, with consumers increasingly opting for eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices. Personalization is another significant trend, with brands offering custom options and bespoke pieces to cater to individual tastes. Technology is also making its mark, with smart jewelry and wearable accessories blurring the lines between fashion and function.

Unveiling the Hidden Gems: Market Research Reports as Your Guide:

Navigating the complex and dynamic personal accessories market requires access to reliable data and insightful analyses. Market research reports by organizations like Euromonitor International, Grand View Research, and Allied Market Research offer valuable resources. These reports delve into market size, growth projections, regional trends, and competitive landscapes, providing investors, brands, and entrepreneurs with the knowledge to make informed decisions.

A Glittering Future Awaits:

The personal accessories market is poised for continued growth in the coming years. With rising disposable incomes, evolving trends, and increasing online penetration, the future looks bright for this vibrant and dynamic industry. As consumers become more discerning and seek unique experiences, brands that adapt, innovate, and cater to personalized needs will stand to shine the brightest.

#Personal Accessories Market #Personal Accessories Market Research Reports #Personal Accessories Market Size #Personal Accessories Market Share #Personal Accessories industry major players #Personal Accessories Market Revenue #Personal Accessories Market Growth #Personla Accessories Market Trends Analysis

[shrimp1y]

the relationship between labels and someone's personal/social identity is kinda getting completely demented due to capitalism and social media

#krill livestream #like. whenever i see people say as a [][][] person im like. who are you talking to #it's like. self marketing. you introduce yourself as a product with certain features that makes you think of yourself #as a better fit to talk about something. or as someone worthy of being watched #the idea of like. a 'neurodivergent' community used to be vaguely about our shared struggles and social needs maybe. but now there's like #autism content. which is honestly hilarious. im making a terrible point because i love autism content. personally think the yippee creature #is amazibng and a delight. but anyways. like. labels has become internet accessories at this point #like cottagecore []core etc-core and the nuttiest thing is. labels goes out of fashion #obviously not when its disability core unfortunately im gonna be disabled for like baby. but like. how trendy it is as a topic #how marketable and consumable it is as topic. as content. changes. and its nuts to look at it at a macro level #also i have gripes with certain groups. maybe autismcore is cringe or maybe it just happens to attract all the cringe autistic people #jsyk im autistic. as an autistic person. from my silly autism experience #if you needed that to validate my personal observations #also what the fucxk is 'im gonna be disabled for like baby' oh it was supposed to be for life

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you have any headcanons or anything of the sort regarding Precipice Moirai/PreMo? I'd like to hear what your thoughts are about them!

I don't think about Premo a ton (for people who are confused, this is Idia's favorite idol group), but here's how I personally picture them:

They're sisters.

They look youngish (or "ageless") but they're actually a bazillion years old. Don't ask them about how old they are or they'll give you that smile that doesn't fully reach their eyes.

Because they're so old, they've seen sooo much and are thus easily bored. They live for listening in on drama and scandals because those can get so absurd it provides some fleeting entertainment to them.

In interviews and talk shows, they drop very archaic, outdated jokes and have refined manners of speaking. It's an odd mix of how your grandma might talk combined with modern anachronisms (slang). It's very "how do you do, fellow kids" energy.

They get along in public, but they constantly bicker and act overly competitive in private (usually over borrowed items).

They came up with a really complicated and dark “anime-esque” backstory for how their group got together. No one knows if the backstory is really true or if it’s something their marketing team came up with as part of their “lore”.

In some interpretations, the Fates are specified as Clotho (who spins the threads of fate with her spindle), Lachesis (who measures the threads of fate using a measuring tape), and Atropos (who cuts the threads of fate using shears). In other interpretations, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos represent past, present, and future respectively.

I think of each girl as being representative of one place in time. For example, the Fate representative of the present may be a carefree party goer who wants to "live in the moment", without thinking much of the consequences (the future) or her previous mistakes (the past).

I see Premo banking on these themes as motifs or image items for the corresponding idol girl (so one represents the past with her spindle, one represents the present with her measuring tape, etc.). I also headcanon that the idols have their own merch and fandom hand signals which make reference to each Fate's respective task. For example, there may be scissors on a Premo T-shirt or a scissor-like hand shape or cutting motion made to signal that you stan "Atropos" of the Fates.

Eyes are a prominent motif and are more universally associated with the group as a whole rather than an individual member. (This is because the Fates were fighting over a single eyeball in Disney's Hercules.)

It’s implied that the girls wear black, but I headcanon that most of their outfits are monochromatic, save for like maybe a few colorful accessories.

It would be cool if they also incorporated elements of Japanese mythology into their group's theme. More specifically, I love the idea of the three girls wearing a red ribbon or some slash of red on their outfits each time they perform. This would be a reference to the "red thread of fate" which permeates many east Asian cultures. It is said that this "thread of fate" connects you to someone you are destined to meet someday, someone who will change your life in some significant way. Typically this means romantically (which would fit in the culture of Japan promoting idols as "pure" and "avaliable" to their fans), but it can also be interpreted platonically. I think this makes a lot of sense given that the Fates are marketed as "three girls bound by Fate".

They blend traditional dance and attire with modern practices. It's very important to them to retain their history and culture, as well as to share it with a new generation so that they are preserved for the future.

They partner up/collaborate with organizations and programs that seek to educate others about history, such as museums and restoration projects. Again, this is because Premo truly cares about preserving history and teaching it to others.

#twst #twisted wonderland #Idia Shroud #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland headcanons #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #Premo #notes from the writing raven #question #Precipice Moirai #curiouser and curiouser

[onlyseokmins]

perfect, now spit in my mouth • h.v.c.

Pairing: chwe vernon x afab!reader

Genres: smut (minors dni!), established relationship!au, lyricist/composer!au

Warnings: swearing, lots of spitting/spit kink (😭), fingering (fem. receiving), tiny bit of praise kink ig, lil bit of degradation but it prolly breaks nonnie's heart tbh, breeding kink too uwu, mentions of male receiving oral lol, wap lmaooo, tiny bit of temp play but not really - you'll see, wee bit possession heh, reader likes to tease and vernon is extremely whipped :3

WC: 2.6k

A/N: vernon and black eye = spit kink so nothing new but i wrote it so it is smth new 🤷🏻‍♀️ ajskdfd no but 🥳 a very extremely happy belated birthday @junkissed i love u lots heh i hope u enjoy this since i had to change up my original plans and i'm so sorry it took a while 🥰 oh and this is also for the other feral dollies out there ily all

If there was one thing you loved about Vernon, it would be his awkwardness. It was what drew you to him.

Light coughs whenever you giggled at one of Seungkwan's silly jokes. Stifled clearing of his throat at the rare chance he got to speak with you. The abrupt avoidance of eye contact when he was startled by your sudden appearance while lost in his own world. And a jittery departure at times you got too near — one might think he actually disliked you.

But those close to him knew the truth. And whether Vernon acknowledged it or not, you were someone close to him. And also a person that could read the man very well.

The light brush of his trembling fingers pressing against your back when guiding you through a crowded market. A protective stance at your side in his leather jacket, eyes narrowed as if to dare anyone to mess with you. As if you needed to be guarded.

But the furrow of his eyebrows while doing it was too cute for you to complain.

Vernon's awkward behaviors happen so often that they might as well just be normal anyways. A gummy smile and the characteristic wrinkles of his nose were enough to make up for any peculiar habits around you. 

Especially after you say yes when he works up enough courage, stuttering while asking you to finally be his. Fumbling for the matching couple's bracelets he'd worked several double-shifts for in his pocket. Brown eyes sparkling and reflecting the same joy in yours even after he drops the box in a puddle. Not like you had any plans on saying no, though.

Those chocolate-colored eyes stare down at you now in wonder as Vernon holds himself above you. His left hand placed by your ear is decorated with the silver circlet holding your birthstone while wrapped around his neck, your right arm's accessory jingles with its amethyst charm. The pair of one-year anniversary gifts pierced in your earlobes sparkle in the low light of your shared bedroom, complimenting your cherished bracelets.

He's no longer as weird with you as before. As in, his fleeting touches now linger comfortably and he can almost read you just as well as you always have him.

Yet he still questions with pure wonder. As if he can't quite believe you're actually real in his arms and on his bed. Like you didn't give him the best suck of his fat cock for the hundredth time.

"You want me to what?"

"Spit in my mouth, baby. Did I stutter before?"

"N-no, I just — " 

His eyes are blown wide, mouth still hanging open from when you first posed the notion. You put your hand on the side of his face, gently stroking his cheek with your thumb.

"Sometimes you treat me too gently. You can be a little rough, you know I like it."

"What if you break?"

"I'm not that fragile, goofball."

"I know but what if you hate me?" Vernon whispers, though his eyes do not leave yours. They shine, showcasing all his vulnerabilities. "I like you so much I think I'll die if you do."

"Silly, then stop thinking so much. It's not like I'm asking you to slap me and call me a whore." You smile coyly. "Although it's not like I'd be opposed to such things." When he whines your name you laugh. "Okay, okay… a later time then."

He flops his forehead on your bare shoulder. "I can't believe you."

"Can't believe you'd write something like "I'll spit in your mouth" and not do it," you pout and he lets out a defeated sigh.

"You know most of those lyrics weren't like… literal."

"Then what's the point?"

Your boyfriend can see how your eyes flash with teasing mischief so he shrugs in an attempt to put up a strong face. "I… draw inspiration from all kinds of experiences. Before, during… our relationship."

"… What about after? Are you planning to break up with me at some point?"

"Uh, wait — "

"Omigosh, then do you plan to murder me in the near future?"

"No, what? All I meant was I write things that aren't about you, sometimes."

"I know that," you assure him in his panic. "Sooooo," you drawl out, switching gears and pushing him onto his back so you can sit on top. You're both shirtless but have your undergarments on. "If we were to fuck often in the studio, would you write more songs about me?"

"God, baby," he groans, hand flying to your hips, "do you think I'd even have the time to think with you bouncing all loud and gorgeous on my dick? What's gonna happen when I lose my studio rights?"

Pleased at how Vernon's body is so reactive — cock hardening again and twitching sensitively in his boxers at the obscene thoughts — you grind down lightly. "Then we fuck even more. All day," you lean down and whisper right in his ear, "and all night." 

"Shit, you're so dirty. So good to me. All for me."

"Of course," you swivel your hips, fingers brushing up the sides of your body, "all yours." 

His gaze follows the colors of your pretty manicured nails until they settle to cover your breasts. They still shine with saliva and feel a little sore from him worshiping them earlier. You grab at them with a light squeeze and press down harder against him, taking in every reaction. The way his eyes roll back at how much you're soaking through the thin fabric of his boxers makes you feel like a god.

"Even when "I'm on my worst behavior"."

"You are so not using my lyrics in bed."

"Hey, I did earlier 'cause they do make great dirty talk so "don't stop me now", Vernonnie." You wink when all the poor man can do is roll his eyes. "See, "how you like me now"?"

He urges you back over to your previous position. "I do love you but if you want me to spit in your mouth, I think I'm gonna have to be on top."

You simply hum, the sudden electrifying zing in the air making you quiver in anticipation. Vernon is aware of this — pinning your arms above your head, fingers rubbing reassuringly along the band of your bracelet.

"That wasn't an answer."

"That wasn't a question?" you bite back, thrilled when he squints to shield the way his gaze darkens.

"When I tell you to speak, you do."

The gasp of surprise that rises in your chest comes out as a moan. Despite his uncertainty, the commanding tone makes your head spin joyously. Heat rushes through your entire body and releases in a hot mess between your legs, soaking your panties. 

You're sure Vernon will very quickly and gleefully find out once he finishes sucking little love bites in a trail down your stomach. His warm breath lingers at your waistline, pausing until you raise your head to look at him questioningly.

"My pretty baby hasn't listened yet. Guess I'll hang out here for a bit. Thought we were done for the night anyways."

Your jaw drops as he continues to just press kisses on your tummy. "What the hell, Vern?"

"Don't you think you should behave to get what you want?"

"Don't you want to find out how wet I am for you?"

He shudders and you think you've won but he's uncharacteristically stubborn tonight, refusing to yield. "Only… only good… whores are rewarded."

You moan breathlessly. Shamelessly. Your boyfriend has barely touched you tonight besides some casual foreplay beforehand. Yet you feel zero embarrassment at how much your body aches in want for him. "I'll be a good whore for you so… please, please touch me!"

Vernon lets out a curse, hastily taking off your panties. He groans in delirium staying focused solely on your leaking pussy that's begging for him. Looking you in the eyes, he gulps to steady his resolve despite how easily distracted he is by the desperate flutter of your eyelashes.

"You really want me, baby? Think this little cunt can take me?" A choked laugh escapes his throat. "So goddamn wet for me already just like the lovely darling you are."

Your reply is cut off by a harsh sound in his throat before he spits right at your pussy. Hips bucking up at the feeling of warm liquid sliding down into your hole and only continuing to jerk upwards as he stares, not even blinking. Like a cat. Licking his lips agonizingly slow at the way you clench pitifully around nothing, his saliva mixing with your arousal.

"But not wet enough."

That's a fucking lie. You both know it. And you both don't care.

You can't help but leak more and more, threatening to leave a puddling mess all over the mattress. But he won't let that happen. You think you might burst into flames when your boyfriend's lidded eyes drag across your writhing body to meet yours, a heated fire swirling in chocolate irises as he spits into his palm without losing your gaze.

You've seen him do it before. Normally when he's about to wrap his hand around his thick cock during a mutual masturbation session when he can't use your wetness to coat him instead.

But now, he catches your dripping mess right before it falls. Smearing it with an accompaniment of saliva all over to coat your pussy lips. Fingers brush across your slit to fiddle with your clit, before spreading a shiny trail on your pelvis.

"So pretty… " Vernon mumbles, marveling at the debauched visage of your desperation. 

Your fingers pinch at your nipples, thighs trembling because his hand lays so close to your clit. Able to feel heat radiating from him paired with the cool metal of his bracelet, the slight pressure above your pubic bone causes you to whine in frustration.

"Do something, Nonnie. Anything. Please."

Begging snaps him out of his trance, back to the present moment and the end goal he has in mind. Fingers slide down tantalizingly slow to tease at your entrance — gathering up more of your arousal — before easing just as painstakingly slow inside.

Groaning at the same time you do, additional filthy and wet noises fill the room when he sets a harsh pace to drive his fingers into your pussy. Months of practice allow him to quickly find the spot to stroke that has your toes curling, body writhing with the need to grab onto something. Vernon's eyes dart to how you grab at the bedsheets in an unforgiving hold.

Nervous you might somehow tear them (definitely not the first time), he reluctantly removes his hand from your warmth. Mildly amused at the way you release your death grip only to pound a fist against the mattress, the jingle of your charm sounding sweet despite your apparent vexation.

He ignores your laser beam glare, entranced by the clear strands that stretch as he spreads his fingers. Smirking with his tongue running along his upper teeth, he turns back to you and waves the digits tauntingly.

"Open."

You obey without hesitation, granting him access to stick his fingers into your mouth. Your tongue swirls around them, more intent on reminding your boyfriend of the way you sucked him off earlier than how you taste.

It doesn't matter if that pleases him or not. Because soon he's pulling his fingers away, not leaving you empty for long. Stripping down, he's back hovering over you before you can whine. Holding his cock with one hand, he taps it teasingly against your cunt only to lose reason and throw his head back at the incredibly loud, wet slapping noises. Quickly returning his focus to not miss the droplets that spray out to coat both of your thighs as he does it.

"Want me to fuck this tight little hole?"

"Mhm, of course."

"Whose pretty pussy is this?"

"Belongs to you, baby."

He spits again so it lands right where the head of his cock spreads apart your pussy lips upon its entrance. You might've told him to save his saliva to spit in your mouth but you're too blissed out by the whole insane situation. 

"Arms around me, love." Vernon's freed hand lands to cage you between his arms as he slides in with more ease than expected, filling you up completely that it knocks the wind out of both of your lungs. "So fucking wet for me, ah."

Your inner walls pulse and contract around his cock as usual, yet it's a different feeling than normal. Rather than tightening so hard around him that he can barely breathe, it's more of a slick suction that makes his head spin. His cock is quite literally drowning in your pussy. If he thought the sounds of fingering you were filthy, the amplification of wet slaps as his hips snap furiously is somehow even impossibly filthier.

"'m not gonna last long." Your boyfriend would probably feel pathetic for the lack of stamina but the scratches along his shoulder blades inform him that you're just as far gone. "Gonna fill you up, nice and full just like you like it, baby."

As your mouth opens in a reciprocating moan, Vernon finally does what you desire. He spits, proud of his perfect aim into your mouth. You swallow without being told, eyes rolling back in delight and carving crescent moon shapes into his skin. That's all it takes for you to cum, shaking as you cling to him.

"More," you pant out, "do it again. Please!"

If he could speak, he would tell you how absolutely gorgeous you are. Instead, he does as asked, in awe of how readily you take every piece of him. You already have his heart, his soul, and his love. He's given his release after you've begged him to fuck you raw — and well, now you've taken his spit. 

Gee, how romantic.

Vernon's pace hastens, intent to give you all of his cum before overstimulation sets in. Your legs wrap around him, reading his mind — or more like your body instinctively craves to be filled. He chants your name like a mantra before giving in and spilling inside, shuddering as his hips have no choice but to press tightly against you with the aid of your rather cute koala grasp.

"Fuck, you're so hot."

He buries his head inside the crook of your neck, laying his whole body weight on yours and refusing to budge. You hum, letting your head clear as your hands run up and down across the marks you left on his back.

"Told you I wouldn't break."

"Hm, do you still love me?"

You let out a huff of air, feeling his lips curl up. "Adore you, you idiot. My love is as strong as my trust in you."

"What would I do without you?"

"Said you would die."

"I would," Vernon affirms with conviction, "what would I do without anyone's mouth to spit into."

You feel absolutely no remorse delivering a light slap on his ass. "And now maybe you won't."

"Hey! You promised!"

His jolt upwards causes you both to grunt, a reminder that he's buried inside of you still. Testingly, you clench gently around him and he groans in protest.

"So, you'll do it from now on?"

He shrugs. "If that's what you want. You know I'll do anything for you."

Of course. That's another thing you love so much about him so much.

"Perfect, now spit in my mouth again, baby."

You take the opportunity when he cocks his head to the side to tug him down, fingers playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck. He melts against you when your lips press against one another, readily opening his mouth when your tongue prods for entrance, now understanding what you mean.

After a long, lazy makeout session causes you to part for air, you brush your nose against his. "I don't know what you were so concerned about when we swap spit all the time."

Your name falls out of his mouth in a flustered stutter before you shut him up again with another smooch. As you giggle against his mouth, Vernon presses harder into the kiss — whether out of embarrassment or revenge — you aren't sure but you relish it. Enjoying the intimate moment with the love of your life.

onlyseokmins: January 2023 ©

Taglist: @joshibambi @pandorashbox @rubyscoups @woozluv @darlingvernon @charcharfairy @httpswonwoosglasses @yeosayang @buffhoshi @horanghae8star @noraehey @misssugarlips @onlymingyus @tinkerbell460 @aceofvernons @dejavernon

#ez.creates #svt smut #seventeen smut #kpop smut #vernon smut #vernon hansol chwe smut #svthub #june 🌞 #ez.mootz #svt.smut

[epickiya722]

Can I ask your opinion on answer from this :

https://www.tumblr.com/gojuo/742796780522061824/is-satosugu-a-queerbaiting-ship?source=share?

Yes, you can!

The only thing I agree with the post is that SatoSugu isn't queerbaiting. Other than that, I don't particularly agree with anything else at all.

SatoSugu would have been queerbaiting if the ship had been promised to be canon and used as a marketing tool. Gege, from my knowledge, never said anything about making them an actual couple by the end of the series. At most, Gege wrote characters that do have this relationship that can be interpreted as romantic if one chooses. They do have a lot of romantic undertones, but it's more so for telling a story than just "I need readers".

And saying the fandom is queerbaiting using SatoSugu is... odd.

The fandom can't make the marketing decisions of what happens with JJK. Now, a person can lie and say "oh, SatoSugu kissed in episode whatever", but that doesn't mean they're queerbaiting. They're just lying.

Now, yes, we indeed have a lot of merchandise with Satoru and Suguru, but we gotta take in consideration as to what season we just finished.

The Hidden Inventory Arc which centers around the two and the Shibuya Incident Arc which most of what happened was because of those two. (Satoru getting locked up because he saw Suguru's face, MY GUY WAS TRICKED!!)

And it's not like we don't get merchandise of other characters.

Honestly, the answer of that ask just sounds mean-spirited. "(Majority) stsg shippers are just annoying as fuck because they genuinely believe their ship is canon, try to force their headcanons and misinterpretations of the material down everyone's throats, and send death threats to anyone who dares to ship Gojo with literally anyone else."

As done every other shipper, let's not kid ourselves now.

For anyone who seen my BNHA posts about ships, you know that I believe any shipper is capable of doing this. Now I don't doubt that a SatoSugu could do this. But there have been other shippers who have attacked SatoSugu shippers for the same reasons.

Hell, I just had someone try to make my NobaMaki and ShokoHime post about YutaMaki and I didn't mention his ass in that post. Like, damn, let the girls have the spotlight. Yuta ain't all that for you to throw him onto every single thing where he's not mentioned. (I like Yuta, folks, calm down.)

Also, I don't see a problem with a SatoSugu shippers believing their ship is canon. If they want to, let them. If you don't like it, skip along.

Another thing they said is how just because Gege doesn't do fanservice of his female characters doesn't mean he's above being misogynistic.

Okay, we got to stop throwing that word around.

I don't know how Gege personally and I won't say Gege (okay, has Gege actually confirmed their gender?) can't be misogynistic.

But using the writing material as an example is just kinda getting played out.

(I also dislike the JJK - Naruto comparison in general, it's gotten to the point that's a pet peeve of mine.)

The thing with the female characters here is that they feel like characters, not added accessories. Hell, some of the male characters actually feel more like an accessory to the story than some of the female ones.

Gege isn't afraid to write a complex character like Mei Mei. Nobara isn't written to be some generic love interest and chase some guy. Instead, she got her own morals, goals and even a whole backstory that we did get some insight on before Shibuya. We haven't see Nobara in a while, but remember what happened to her? Yeah, we probably won't see her for a while.

Hell, we haven't seen or heard anything about TODO AOI since Shibuya, but Nobara has been shown to be thought about by Yuji and Megumi.

Maki is more developed than Toge, a male character we haven't seen since when.

Uro was only in a few chapters but she was more entertaining during her fight against Ryu and Yuta than Ryu was. And she didn't die!

You know sometimes a fandom will say a creator is misogynistic for killing off a female character as if it's illegal for her to die because SHE IS STILL PART OF THE CAST and as if more male characters haven't been killed. And died in lame ways. And some of those male characters, again, didn't get the development female characters did.

No two female characters feel the same, that's just me.

The OP talked about how Shoko and how Gege should have developed her more. "Had he given Shoko the same care and love he's given to the boys, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Because that would mean that the fujos would have to engage with her character and her dynamic with other characters in a meaningful way."

Shoko isn't like Suguru and Satoru though. Out if the three, she was the most "stable".

Also, the reason we didn't get a lot of her during that arc is because she was often isolated because of her technique. Shoko herself is a victim due to how things are ran. She was isolated from her friends very often and later years, we see she has eyebags. She barely is getting sleep.

And the thing is... Gege does acknowledge her relationship with the SatoSugu even later in the manga.

She herself comments that when Suguru left, Satoru wasn't alone. She was there.

Of course, Suguru and Satoru were closer. They had to spend a lot of time together. When they started to drift, that's when things definitely went downhill.

I have seen many SatoSugu shippers actually acknowledge Shoko's existence more than anyone else (besides actual Shoko fans). And they often include her being close to SatoSugu and even include her romantically with the two. (Here for it.) She'll sometimes be the one to give advice, expected, but sometimes in fics and whatnot she is written as a person than just a tool to push SatoSugu together. I have seen people draw fanart of her being involved with the situation with the Hasaba Twins.

I have yet to see a SatoSugu shipper actually hate her and deny her existence.

I'll tell you a person I often do see get ignored when it comes to SatoSugu. And that's Yaga. A male character. It's not all the time he gets ignored by the fandom, but he's more ignored than Shoko, I'll tell you that.

This is gonna sound mean, probably, but I don't think that question should be asked about anything pertaining to SatoSugu given the post is tagged "anti". Interesting as it is to see someone else's POV who doesn't ship SatoSugu, I just... eh...

#kiya answers #kiya answers questions #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #satosugu #gojo satoru #geto suguru #satoru gojo #suguru geto

[barbielore]

The History of Midge

I fully intended to do a breakdown of the history of Midge as soon as I started this blog but it has occurred to me that I just... never did.

Midge was originally introduced in 1963, ostensibly to make the Barbie line a little less sexy and a little more down-to-earth.

As you can see, Midge was marketed pretty similarly to Allan (He's Ken's buddy! Ken's clothes fit him!). Midge and Allan were new characters in the line, but the clothes and accessories you already owned for Ken and Barbie were still compatible.

Midge was discontinued later in the 60's. For a while she was usurped as Barbie's best friend by PJ, a made-up, fashionable blonde character.

I am picking up some vibes that perhaps PJ, Ken and Barbie were more than friends, if you catch my drift.

But PJ was discontinued again and in the 1980s, Midge made a triumphant return as a part of the California Barbie line.

But Midge had her sights set on something more. See, Midge had been seeing someone.

So it was only a matter of time before wedding bells were ringing.

For some reason, Allan has changed his name to Alan for the wedding. There is some inconsistency over whether Allan and Alan are the same person, or perhaps whether Midge split up from Ken's buddy Allan only to wed a similar-looking man named Alan. I like to belive that Barbie's best friend and Ken's buddy are now sharing each other's clothes instead of Barbie's and Ken's.

And sharing their clothes it seems like they were, for a year later a Barbie booklet advertised that they now had twins together. No dolls were released to reflect this, but it was mentioned in an official Barbie product so can be assumed to be canon.

A few years later came the release that everyone seems to remember - the Happy Family line. Alan and Midge wanted to expand their family, so now Midge was with child again.

This was a wildly controversial set, and yet Mattel did it twice. There were a lot of reasons given for why it was so controversial that Midge was pregnant - that it's age-inappropriate to sell a doll to children that depicts pregnancy, that Midge was not depicted wearing a wedding ring, among others. (Later releases gave Midge her wedding ring back.) The doll was famously pulled from Wal-Mart shelves.

Just briefly I need to note this - Alan and their son Ryan was sold separately, as a father-son picnic. But I have serious problems with that. Didn't they have twins? What happened to Ryan's twin sister? Or does Ryan have two older twin siblings that are not being mentioned? Mattel, I need answers here.

By the way, Midge and Alan's infant daughter from the controversial doll was named Nikki, and they subsequently had another baby released as part of the "Happy Family Neighbourhood" line. Their youngest was named Cassandra, but was originally referred to as "baby" on the doll releases so it was a surprise whether she was a boy or a girl.

Unlike the previous Happy Family set which only depicted Midge, Nikki, Baby Doctor Barbie, and Alan and Ryan, there were additional characters as part of the Happy Family Neighborhood set, including proud grandparents.

It's so unusual to see older dolls in the Barbie line so this is super interesting to me!

#barbie #barbie lore #barbie history #midge #allan

[justplainwhump]

So you want to be a BBU writer...

Congratulations, you are one. The idea of the shared BBU multiverse is, that all takes at the core concepts are valid; there is no canon, and the same time, everything can be canon for your story!

Is there something everyone agrees on?

Probably not; but here are some things I consider widely accepted/canon:

- The setting is dystopian, somewhere between present and near future; in a society similar to ours but with (even) more power in the hands of corporations.

- In several countries, there is a "pet industry", a legalised concept of serfdom/ slavery that allows to own other humans as so called pets, (usually) in a household.

- The term "Pet" is more focused on the ownership and companionship aspects; in most BBU stories the pets are considered less than free people, but aren't actually treated like animals.

- The law states that these people have signed up voluntarily and have been compensated for it. Sometimes though, rich people or corporations go against the law.

- The whole process, from signing up to marketing and sales is in the hands of influential corporations

- Biggest of these, usually, is WRU; there is no canon on what the letters stand for. (It was a tumblr inside joke that makes absolutely no sense in-universe, but the acronym stuck). Some writers create other companies with different methods or focus.

- Pets are classified according to 'designations'; at the core there are Domestics (household chores), Platonics (companionship, nannies, caretakers...) and Romantics (different sort of companionship, including... bedroom chores), plus combinations. Guard Dog (protection) has made it into many stories as a fourth designation. This isn't the limit, though; there are also writers with Object designations, more involved 'service' concepts, 'Chewtoys' and several more.

- Pets are identified by number codes, usually six digits, every writer has a different system behind them. As an abbreviation, handlers tend to use the last three digits. This number is also tattooed on them as a bar code, often on the wrist.

- Somewhere during the training process, trainees are made to forget their entire past and also certain skill sets that pets aren't meant to have. Owners can specify certain things they want to be erased or remembered. Usually, this is handwaved by writers; there's advanced drugs and neurological stimulation involved. The process and the drug administered for the memory loss is often referred to as "The Drip".

- Often, Pets are made illiterate to make them more dependent on their owners

- Often, Pets are made to wear collars and consider these "safe". There's a lot of themes around "safety" taught to pets to keep them contained.

- There are standardised sets of numbered positions the trainees are taught; extra positions can be added on request

- There are also a lot of memorised rules and phrases from training the pets are made to repeat and will sometimes in their everyday life

- Training involves all sort of torture, mostly psychological, drugs, isolation, shock collars and shock batons and serious gaslighting

- Often, training facilities are described as uniform and white and designed like mazes; trainees at facilities wear a 'uniform' of a white shirt and black shorts

- Pets are usually terrified of the memories of their training; including especially "white rooms"

- The term "Respect" spoken by a person with authority will make the pet fall to their knees instantly and await further instruction

- Pets are shipped in a box, which is the idea that spawned the whole universe; usually in a human sized crate with some accessories added. They're also called boxies, box boys/box babes/... because of that.

- Unwanted or stubborn pets are sent back to WRU for "refurb", trained again and sold with big discounts; it's used as a threat and most pets are horribly afraid of this

- In the outside world, there are movements to help runaway pets or even fight the system overall; usually called "pet lib"

- Pet lib runs safehouses where they take in runaways and work on deconditioning

There are more posts like this out these, some more extensive, some very similar; a very good one here. This is the set of things I consider most basic for my own writing, at least.

I've reblogged some more posts and discussions on @bbu-on-the-side as well, so feel free to look around, use whatever you like, and discard the rest.

Also, new (and old) BBU writers always feel free to tag @bbu-on-the-side should you ever do an intro. I'll share them there.

*Edit- I've also started an archive on established tropes and the existing writing for it, here!

#bbu #bbu worldbuilding

[daisynik7]

Hello, I hope you've been doing well! When you have the time, could you please write about Nanami with a s/o who's creative and kind of hippiesque? I'm making that a word now haha but this is very much a self insert and I felt comfortable enough to ask you ☺

I've been tapping into my creative side more lately and even experimented with clay for the first time! I typically alternate between writing and sewing, sometimes I doodle. When it comes to clothes and just overall aesthetic - think thrifting, knick knacks, flowly/light fabrics, and things like that. I'm tempted to call it romantic but idk about that lol. Anyway, here's flowers and tea for you 💐🍵💓

p.s.: the idea of making him a bag for his work things 😭

Author’s Note: Hello friend! I’m so sorry this took SO LONG to complete, I know it’s been months since you requested, so I appreciate your patience on this! I hope you enjoy this little drabble!

Nanami wasn’t always reserved and rigid. Growing up and joining the workforce unfortunately led him to this mundane lifestyle, often following the same routines day-by-day, with little-to-no color in his life. He often reminisces about his high school days, when he used to sneak off from class to listen to punk rock music with his best friend Yu Haibara, who always used to radiate bright energy, enough to warm even Nanami. When his friend passed away, it seemed that the void he left would never be filled again.

That is, until he meets you. 

You are vastly different from Nanami, but that’s what he loves so much about you. Where he lacks in creativity, you do more to cover the both of you. Most of your décor and accessories are homemade, crafted from your very own hands. The pieces displayed on the walls of your shared apartment are all original artworks. Watercolors, acrylics, charcoal, pen and ink. You like to experience with different medias, creating a variety of scenes, depending on an image that captivates you that day. Flowers you see on your daily walks to the park, a golden sunset you watch together on the beach, Nanami sitting on the couch resting his eyes after a long week at work. It’s simple in the grand scheme of things, but when it’s captured forever on canvas or paper, it becomes something special. 

It takes a while for Nanami to get used to being the main focus in your artwork. He’s never liked standing out. When you show him one of your first sketches of him just standing in the kitchen, he’s surprised. Not only at your talent, but at how accurately you were able to portray his personality with a couple strokes of your pencil. That’s when he knows he should appreciate this for all that it’s worth.

His outfits soon become accessorized by your crafts. A knitted red scarf he uses when it’s cold out, with a beanie to match. Sewn mittens for his hands, keeping him warm throughout the train ride to work. He even replaces his briefcase with the bag you crochet for him, insisting that it’s perfect for all his belongings, even if there are a few places on it where his papers stick out. He gets used to the little trinkets and figurines you collect from various flea markets or thrift shops. Half the closet is his muted natural colors while yours is a rainbow that brings him joy every morning he has to get dressed for work. 

Nanami absolutely loves how much of you bleeds into him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. His daily routine now sparks with something special, all thanks to you.  

#nanami kento #kento nanami #nanami #nanami fluff #nanami drabble #nanami drabbles #nanami imagine #nanami x reader #nanami x you #nanami kento x you #nanami kento x reader #kento nanami x you #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami fluff #nanami kento fluff

[ziseviolet]

Secondly, I have heard that as traditional fashion gets more and more popular, there is an increasing amount of fake/knockoff clothes sold online, is there a way to distinguish between them, so we can buy hanfu from official brands and support the designers and dressmakers for their hard work.

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

Yes, that's correct -- knockoffs (known as 山寨/shanzhai in Chinese) have long been, and still are, a huge problem for hanfu vendors. It's often difficult and confusing to tell the difference between original hanfu and shanzhai hanfu.

I highly encourage everyone to do some research before buying hanfu to make sure that your purchase goes towards supporting the original brand/designer, as opposed to a counterfeiter. Without that financial support, it's very likely for original brands and designers to close shop, especially in the extremely competitive hanfu market.

Based on personal observation, below are some red flags that may signify that a hanfu shop or item is a knockoff - or at least not from the original brand/designer. Note that these refer mainly to Taobao shops because Taobao is the platform I'm most familiar with:

Examine the merchandise. Shops that offer an assortment of non-hanfu related products (e.g. mainstream contemporary fashion, household items) in addition to hanfu, are usually not original hanfu brands. Authentic hanfu brands typically only sell hanfu and related items such as modified hanfu & hanyuansu, hanfu accessories, and occasionally other types of Chinese clothing (e.g. qipao/cheongsam, Qing dynasty-style clothing).

Examine the photos. If a shanzhai shop doesn't outright steal product photos from the original brand, it may retake photos of the clothes using different models. These models and photos are usually very generic and low-effort. Original hanfu brands typically put more creativity and effort into styling models and designing photoshoots for promotional photos.

Examine the prices. If a hanfu's price seems too good to be true, it usually is. It's likely to be a knockoff - or at least of lower quality than expected. This isn't always the case, as some original hanfu are hugely discounted, and some knockoffs inflate their prices. However, you get what you pay for, and I'd avoid super cheap hanfu if you want to ensure authenticity.

More tips from @bamboocounting: "you can check the storefront to see if the store has been running for a time that matches when it’s founded, for older famous stores, and check the number of reviews for some more popular items (like Shisanyu regularly has hundreds of reviews for some sets)."

In addition, @fouryearsofshades mentioned here that there's an official account on WeChat called 汉服安莉 that can be used to check if a shop is authentic. My dms are also open if you need assistance with checking whether something is authentic - I'll do what I can to help ^^

If anyone has additional advice, please share!

Hope this helps!

(Hanfu photo via)

#hanfu #store #taobao #hanfu recommendations #reference #ask #reply #chinese fashion #chinese clothing #china

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Wait, is it true the writers said Marinette and Gabriel are meant to represent individual creative spirit versus corporate greed?

Taken from the writer's commentary on the final two episodes

In the next scene, we can see Marinette taking the miraculous that have been standardised and industrialised by Gabriel and putting them back in shape. The writers specify that this is a parabole about craftsmanship vs industrial production. The miraculous will now be adapted to every person, but we can’t see what they look like just yet! In this new world, the powers are all shared, among people who they trust and know will work for the common good. They joke that the "Avengers" shot at the end with all the heroes is something they’d been dreaming of.

There's also that bit from her confrontation with Gabriel where he randomly acts like he's The God of Fashion (taken from S5E20):

Gabriel: I don't think you understand, child, so let me put things differently. Life is like fashion. You think you have a choice, but all you have is the illusion of choice. And I decide what choices are given to you. Marinette: You're wrong! (Shows Gabriel her sketchbook.) Fashion is about listening to people, it's about understanding who they are, what excites them and creating the clothes that will help them express their inner world. Help them connect with others and make their dreams come true. Gabriel:(Laughs and takes her sketchbook, then browses its pages.) No, that's not fashion. That's making dresses for your dolls. Fashion is a product, a marketing strategy, an industry that relies on uninterrupted trend renewal that forces you to either throw away everything you have and buy more or, worse, to be out of fashion. Thanks to the clothes I create, the celebrities who wear them, the advertisements I design and the Alliance rings that broadcast them, I create an idyllic vision. A perfection that everyone aspires to achieve, while keeping it just out of their grasp. You finally understand the difference, don't you? You listen to people's desires and create what they want. Somehow, people make you. Whereas I create people's desires. They buy what I decide to buy. They think what I want them to think. I'm the one who makes people. You think you love Adrien, but you're just under the spell of this world I've created. A world where Adrien is the star, shining high above. A world where you're just part of the crowd below looking up at him. (Shuts the sketchbook.) That is why nothing can ever happen between you two.

So, yeah, this is apparently supposed to be them talking about some kind of central theme of individual creators vs mass production? The problem is that it basically comes out of nowhere. If the writers really wanted to have this be some sort of message, then they needed to establish this a lot sooner because Marinette has had no issues with his fashion company nor has anyone else.

An example of a way to do this would be to have Marinette win the hat competition in season one, Adrien models it in season two, and then give us a series of episodes where Marinette gets to learn about the production process for her hat. She gets to see it mass produced and then gets to learn how fast fashion works and, by the end, she's no longer a fan of the fashion industry even though she still loves fashion. It would be a much better environmental message then the nonsense we've been given, too.

But the show didn't give us anything like that. We've never seen a single Gabriel brand product save for the stuff Adrien wears and the alliance rings, which are phones more than fashion accessories, so it makes sense that they'd have a uniform look. Even if phones were made to order, you wouldn't see much variety in the base product save for color. The customization on a phone is the background and the alliance lets you customize your "background" (aka your Adrien, Lila, or Kagami) as we saw in Jubilation when Socqueline was showing off her alliance.

Side note: I realized that Jubilation takes place before I started writing mini episode reviews, so I wanted to make a quick note of how creepy it is that you can customize your alliance avatar given who the avatars are. Gabriel and Tomoe seriously took their 14-year-olds and told people of all ages to treat them like dolls, which is extra creepy given how many fans Adrien has. That has some messed up in-universe implications that make me shudder. What were the writers thinking?

#ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt

[swanhurrem]

Chapter 5:

Embry Call x FemReader (no use of y/n).

Sumary: You were best friends with Embry, Jacob and Quil. And you saw how each one of them walked away from you. What will happen when out of nowhere they try to fix their relationship?

A/N: Hello, again sorry to have disappeared. This chapter can be a bit boring but don't worry, for the next one it changes and there is an interesting appearance of Embry. Thank you for all the love you give to the fic💗💗

Twilight Masterlist.

Imprint Masterlist (this serie).

<Chapter 4 | Chapter 6>

Despite trying to keep your tears from falling and wiping them away every time they did, Chris noticed your anguish anyway, being such an attentive person it was to be expected. When he asked you what had happened, you told him the truth; that you had not ended your relationship with that old friend well and the wound was still fresh.

"Okay, we're going to Seattle," Chris said after a few minutes as he started the car.

You were so focused on wiping away your tears in the car mirror that you were sure you had misheard "Wha-what did you say?"

"We'll go to your house and mine to get some things and then we'll drive to Seattle," he said simply, his gaze focused on the road.

You were frowning in utter bewilderment and all he did was drive home. "Why would we go to Seattle?" you asked puzzled

"Have you ever been there? It's great; the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the Big Wheel, you'll love that I'm sure"

"Christopher, we can't go to Seattle, are you crazy?" you were completely turned towards him now, Chris just had a smile on his face.

"Why not? It's Thursday, our teachers will be missing tomorrow, we have Saturday and Sunday and if we want until Monday, we're going to have fun"

You looked at him stupefied, but you had to admit that the idea wasn't so unpleasant, a change of air would be welcome and Seattle wasn't far from Forks, just a few hours.

He began to smile at you when he noticed that your silence meant that you were beginning to think about the idea and every so often that he took his eyes off the road, he would stare at you while you heard him whisper "come on" and "it will be fun", as if it were the voice of your conscience trying to dissuade you from accepting and in the end you did.

_____________________________________

You picked up from your house two backpacks that you used to use for school; one full of the most necessary things like clothes and cleaning accessories, while the other only had your camera, your cell phone charger and the remaining space was for whatever you bought there in Seattle. Your father asked you a couple of questions about where you were going and when he was satisfied enough, he just told you to always keep your cell phone on to keep in touch.

Chris did the same, only when he left his house he had a full bag of snacks and drinks for the road in his hand, leaving them in the back seat as soon as he got in.

He had tuned into a radio that was playing the latest hits of that year while you made fun of the ridiculous number of groups he was a part of; volleyball, basketball, debate, etc.

"You're even part of the group that's in charge of taking care of the greenhouse" you said as he stopped behind some cars that were waiting to pay the toll.

"Someone has to take care of those plants" he replied as he counted the money in his hand.

"Okay that's right, I give you that. Who else is in the group with you?"

Chris looked at you letting out a sigh, you were sitting in the passenger seat amused waiting for his answer.

You pushed it with your hand "Come on, who?"

"Alice Cullen" he blurted out.

You laughed at that, not to make fun of her or anything, but it was funny that Chris, who was afraid of the Cullens, would spend an hour straight every Friday with one of them.

He waited until he paid to answer you "Don't laugh, she's nicer than I expected"

"Of course it is, they all are" you said remembering the thousands of times you shared the odd class with them, Jasper seemed to be the most withdrawn but Alice was always there to make the time more enjoyable.

"But they are strange" he answered. Little by little your laughter faded and a comfortable silence settled in both of us. The road was normally dark except for the truck coming up behind you, considering it was a long weekend for no one but you and Chris, it was understandable that the road was empty.

You had taken from the glove compartment one of the gums that he had given you earlier, when you heard him speak again "Did I ever tell you... the story of my great-grandmother?"

You said no and while he was still looking straight ahead, he spoke again "She was...pretty normal; she lived all her life in Alaska until she married my great-grandfather and they both started living in Forks. "They lived a quiet life until the Cullens moved to Forks and she just…freaked out.” His brows were knitted and his grip on the wheel softened, his eyes darting down the road like someone trying to search their memories.

"The Cullens?" you asked softly. He seemed really nervous and you didn't want to pester him with questions, but considering that this was a topic he brought up himself, it didn't seem like you were prying.

"She said that she already knew them, that she had been to Rosalie and Emmett's wedding many years ago in Alaska, she swore it was them and she just shut herself in her house until she died. She wouldn't even go out to the backyard of our house and I was the one who spent the most time with her"

"That's why you fear them" you declared realizing, you never knew where his dislike for the Cullens came from but you certainly hadn't expected that reason. Her great-grandmother had passed on all her fears to him.

"She used to tell me to be careful, that they won't hurt me as long as I'm out of their way. It gets worse with Edward, when I'm sitting with you and my attention drifts to them and memories of my great-grandmother invade my mind, He looks at me like he knows I'm thinking of them. It's like he knows everything about me and I can't understand why" he finished with a broken voice.

You didn't know what to say to that statement, how to make him feel better, maybe there wasn't even a way. So you simply rested your hand on his shoulder, stroking it there slowly with your thumb. He smiled at you and turned the music up higher, making him escape the stormy memories of him.

Taglist:

@ xmysec0ndself

@ ravenclaw-hoe

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list 💗

_________

Buy me a coffee.

#embry call #embry call x reader #twilight #twilight wolf pack #wolfpack #quil ateara #jacob black

[accountsend]

Business Development in a Competitive Market: Strategies to Stay Ahead

In today's dynamic business landscape, thriving amidst fierce competition necessitates a strategic roadmap fueled by innovation, strategic thinking, and decisive action. This comprehensive guide serves as your compass, unveiling an array of meticulously tailored strategies designed not just to help you navigate the complexities but also to position your business as a torchbearer in a competitive market.

DOWNLOAD THE INFOGRAPHIC HERE

1. Understand Your Unique Value Proposition

In a world brimming with choices, establishing a distinct identity is paramount. This section delves into the intricacies of B2B Database Leads and B2B Lead Generation, unraveling the process of crafting a Unique Value Proposition (UVP) that resonates. By pinpointing your unique strengths and communicating them effectively, you forge a connection with your target audience that goes beyond transactional engagement.

2. Leverage Data Analysis

In an era where data is the cornerstone of decision-making, interpreting insights is a competitive advantage. Exploring Sales Leads and B2B Sales trends, this segment underscores the power of data analysis. By deciphering patterns, uncovering market shifts, and discerning consumer behaviors, you empower your business with the foresight needed to pivot proactively and capture emerging opportunities.

3. Prioritize Customer Satisfaction

Loyalty isn't just earned; it's cultivated through exceptional experiences. This part immerses you in the world of Sales Prospecting and B2B Database Leads, emphasizing the role of customer satisfaction. By anticipating needs, delivering prompt resolutions, and personalizing interactions, you foster a base of loyal customers who not only return but also advocate for your brand.

4. Invest in Technology

Technology isn't an accessory; it's the engine driving modern business. This chapter, interweaving Business Development and Sales Funnel strategies, magnifies the impact of technology investments. From streamlining operations to enhancing customer engagement, technological innovation is the catalyst for improved efficiency, customer delight, and strategic growth.

5. Engage in Strategic Partnerships

Collaboration isn't just a concept; it's a gateway to exponential progress. Venturing into B2B Lead Generation and AccountSend strategies, this section illuminates the art of forming strategic partnerships. By aligning with entities that complement your strengths and expand your reach, you embark on a journey of shared growth, propelling each other toward collective success.

6. Nurture a Strong Company Culture

Company culture isn't just for the office; it extends to every customer interaction. This segment dives into the subtleties of Sales Prospecting and B2B Database Leads, highlighting the significance of a robust company culture. A culture that champions innovation, values diversity, and empowers employees becomes the secret ingredient to attracting top talent and fostering exceptional customer experiences.

7. Adopt Agile Business Practices

Agility isn't just a buzzword; it's a competitive necessity. This part immerses you in the core of Business Development and B2B Sales, emphasizing the power of adaptability. By embracing flexible strategies, swift course corrections, and rapid responses to market shifts, you ensure your business remains poised to seize opportunities, even in the face of uncertainty.

8. Innovate Constantly

Innovation isn't sporadic; it's a perpetual journey. Navigating Sales Funnel dynamics and B2B Sales strategies, this section spotlights the importance of ongoing innovation. Whether through breakthrough products, iterative improvements, or ingenious solutions to challenges, a commitment to innovation becomes the lifeblood of your brand's growth and resilience.

9. Enhance Your Online Presence

In the digital realm, your online presence is your storefront. This part delves into Sales Prospecting and B2B Database Leads, emphasizing the role of a robust online presence. From an engaging website to active social media engagement, your digital footprint becomes the canvas on which you engage, educate, and forge connections with your audience.

10. Invest in Continuous Learning and Development

In a landscape where change is constant, learning is your compass. This final chapter, rooted in Business Development and Sales Leads, underscores the value of continuous growth. By fostering a culture of learning, you equip yourself and your team with the tools needed to decipher trends, refine strategies, and navigate the evolving landscape with confidence.

In the intricate tapestry of business, thriving is more than an aspiration; it's a science that marries B2B Lead Generation, Sales Prospecting, and Business Development. This guide empowers you to take the reins, lead with insight, and emerge as a frontrunner in the competitive race, armed with strategic prowess, innovative spirit, and an unwavering commitment to progress.

#AccountSend #B2BLeadGeneration #B2B #LeadGeneration #B2BSales #SalesLeads #B2BDatabases #BusinessDevelopment #SalesFunnel #SalesProspecting #BusinessOwner #Youtube

[jennkitty]

Today on Rufflechat: Connie of Atelier Pierrot made a post detailing the work put into making plus sized releases. For those unaware they are the International Marketing Manager for the brand and has worked to bring out the new plus sized items. I’m reposting it here to make it a bit easier to reference later outside of fb. This will be a long read!!

✨Inside look at small business manufacturing in Japan✨

Japanese brands' manufacturing processes are usually quite mysterious, and I think there are lots of misconceptions overseas, especially when it comes to plus size releases.

Although there's some points I can't go into too much detail for, as the person leading the plus size releases for a Japanese brand I have done a lot of research and have a lot of stats to facilitate the development of these releases.

This will be quite long, and with a lot of interacting factors but I've tried to break it up into sections to make it more manageable for people with no executive function (like me).

⭐ General release size

The first thing to understand is - Japanese brands are all small businesses. They are not huge companies making 1000 of each dress. Typically, even the "big" brands are making 200-300 of each release, across all colourways. Popular releases will sometimes be larger scale. (AP is an exception, but their manufacturing process is very different and they're generally an anomaly in lolita - but still a small business that is at risk if just one of their releases is enough of a flop. They've also said that they have no interest in doing plus size releases, and they have a sufficiently large market in China currently that they don't need to take the financial risk of starting plus size).

⭐ Plus size market size

Within this general market, the plus size market is actually incredibly small, and most overseas lolitas completely overestimate the size.

(For reference, in Japan Bust 100cm, Waist 80cm would be considered L/XL. Anything above this is definitely plus size. Remember that when a Japanese brand uses the term "plus size", they are likely to be referring to Japanese plus size which makes up the majority of their market).

For releases that have a plus size version, the plus size sales make up about 15-30% of all sales. Typically, it's 22-25%. This is the same for both Meta and AtePie (with overall sales numbers being comparative).

Say there's 300 items across colourways for a release (Meta's "regular" size and AtePie's Size 1), proportionally, it might have 75-100 items for all plus size pieces, across all sizes.

I've tried to show these ratios with the graph shared on this main post, but have not said the exact sales numbers. It's worth noting that the Douceur Cutsew had a particularly good sales ratio for plus size, and the Bustle Corset JSK is currently in progress, ending 7/21. The number of plus size sales will increase a little until then, but so will the Size 1.

Doing small-size runs (less than 50 pieces per size) is incredibly costly, which I'll go into more detail for later.

⭐ Differences in Japanese Vs overseas buying practices.

Although of course they still buy some items secondhand, Japanese lolitas are FAR more likely to buy new and support the brands they love. However, most overseas lolitas tend to buy secondhand, or very rarely new direct from Japanese brands (even for accessories).

This obviously doesn't mesh well with the plus size manufacturing system, which has to be MTO due to the small market and risks of production.

Generally, when Japanese customers request an item be rereleased/made in a new colour etc, typically 80% of people requesting will actually purchase. When overseas lolitas make item requests, typically 30% will purchase. This obviously has a huge impact on each market's buying power, and is something that has to be considered when releasing items.

The influence of overseas customers is much less strong/reliable. However, the plus size market is largely overseas, making up about 80-95% of plus size purchases (regardless of brand). As you can imagine, this combined with the lower amount of overseas customers buying new means that the actual demand for plus size releases is very small.

(Actual demand = people who actually buy the items, not just a desire to have them made)

⭐ Plus size actual demand

As you might have noticed, Meta has stopped doing their Plus Plus size releases due to insufficient demand. Atelier Pierrot plus size releases (especially size 3 and 4) are currently under review, based on previous plus size sales.

I am really pushing to find solutions to continue plus size releases, but short of putting the manufacturer or brand at risk, there's very little extra that me or AtePie can do.

Japanese brands absolutely should not put themselves at financial risk for any release just for the sake of it being made, especially if there's insufficient support.

In general, the solution is - customers who want to see more of certain releases should support these releases by purchasing new, especially for plus size where the Japanese market cannot be relied on to bolster the sales. This is actually how I've been able to propose more purple releases with AtePie recently! Purple is relatively popular in Japan, but people really love it overseas!

If people don't order plus size items new, they simply will not be manufactured.

It's very unlikely to find the size that you'd need secondhand, especially in the colourway you like best, if only a small amount were ordered in the first place.

⭐ Manufacturing process and costs (general)

During the manufacturing process, the item is first designed (and print, if applicable), fabric, trim and colourways are chosen, measurements/pattern is modelled and decided. A sample is made (in the real fabric, to determine how it drapes etc). Adjustments are made to the sample and if necessary another sample is made. Brands will typically try to avoid making the second sample wherever possible because it's very expensive, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Then, the pricing is determined and if it's a general release the number of each item to be released is decided. Colourways are released in different numbers based on demand. As a gothic brand, Atelier Pierrot produces more of the black colourway of each item.

The price is determined by the overhead manufacturing costs, material/trim costs, pattern making, shipping of materials/products, among other things.

The sample commission and pattern cutting are the most costly parts of item development. Designers really don't make much at all and work long hours - for many of the "big" brands it still works out as approximately minimum wage, which is about 1000 yen per hour in Japan.

If the main designer is also the brand owner (e.g AtePie, Sheglit), of course they make more money but they still aren't millionaires by any stretch of the imagination.

Lolita is a passion project for many of the people involved, which is why brands may just stop if people get burnt out/lose that passion (Boz).

⭐ Manufacturing process and costs (plus size)

Plus size releases follow this same general process. However, multiple sizing means that multiple samples must be made. Samples must be made in all colours and all sizes to make sure that they come out as expected. For reference, the current AtePie Bustle Corset JSK samples were:

Size 2 - black x white, purple

Size 3 - navy, bordeaux

Size 4 - purple, black

These additional samples add a huge amount of cost (usually it's 200-300k yen for main piece samples in each size, but this varies). If an item is rereleased in the same fabric, another sample wouldn't be necessary. Items released in another fabric would need another sample.

Having small runs of less than 50 of each Plus Size sizing increases the cost per item.

Another additional cost is adjusting the patterns to fit plus size bodies. AtePie adjusts all measurements, not just bust and waist (shoulder width, arm circumference, arm scye, bodice length, skirt circumference etc). Most Japanese brands and manufactures aren't familiar with how to adjust patterns for plus sizing (especially Western plus size), so this stage often has to be outsourced, which is more costly. As time goes on, the measurement range would become more familiar and require less work/lower costs each time (which could be passed on to the customers). However, this could only happen with long term plus size production.

However, plus size dresses are always going to cost more than the size 1 to manufacture. I'm sure a lot of people are aware that the material cost is significantly higher. If a waist circumference is 20cm larger, to have proportional gathering it usually requires ~60cm extra fabric. Adding gathered chiffon on top means an additional 180cm of fabric. These material costs quickly add up.

A cost that many people aren't aware of is the "pattern cutting cost". Most Size 1 lolita releases fit on a single pattern sheet, to be cut out onto fabric by the manufacturer. However, plus size releases have larger measurements and usually require two or more pattern sheets (for main pieces). This is paid by sheet, meaning that this stage of the manufacturing process costs 2-3x as much as Size 1 for every single item made.

To avoid these additional costs raising the price of plus size pieces too much, AtePie absorbs a lot of these extra costs. However, this of course means that the profit margin is much lower despite all the extra difficulties/hard work involved, which is a strain for a small business (which all lolita brands are).

AtePie Size 1 and Plus Size Blooming Rose Corsets were the same price because we just absorbed all extra costs. The Douceur Cutsew had less than 1000 yen price difference (due to much higher manufacture costs), but most was still absorbed. The Bustle Corset JSK has a larger price difference because it's an incredibly expensive piece to produce (difference in volume of fabric due to all the ruffles, requires 2-3 pattern sheets to be cut, more QC costs etc), but AtePie is still trying to absorb as much of the costs as possible.

We absolutely will not force the plus size manufacturer to absorb these extra costs because we do not want to put them at risk of closing.

If Japanese brands were to spread these extra plus size costs to the Size 1/"Regular" size, it would alienate the Japanese market and greatly affect sales, which is really not possible when Japanese customers still make up the vast majority of customers

⭐ Quality control issues

It can be hard to find manufacturers that are capable of making lolita pieces. Lolita is much harder to make than regular fashion pieces, with lots of unique details and construction techniques. Brands really try to hold onto long term partnerships with specific manufacturers to minimise mistakes, but they still sometimes happen.

A common mistake is the skirt circumference, especially the lining - often the manufacturer can't believe that there'd be so much VOLUME to the skirt and make a mistake with the measurement. This is often at the initial sampling stage, but sometimes it's the occasional stock item and caught during the Quality Control stage.

Whenever possible, these are returned and corrected to minimise waste. If it's not possible to correct something, they may be sold as B Grade items.

AtePie works with a few different manufacturers for different types of items. For the one of the main manufacturers, we've been working with them for more than 30 years and they have a very good understanding of our designs, but mistakes are occasionally made still.

Manufacture in China usually has a much higher number of mistakes/QC issues, so although it's cheaper than Japanese manufacture it involves a lot more QC, and sometimes expensive/time consuming shipping back to be fixed.

These problems are all exacerbated by adding plus size releases. Manufacturers are unfamiliar with the larger measurements and more likely to get confused/make mistakes. It's more common to have mixed measurements (e.g. the bust is Size 3 but the hem circumference is Size 2). This adds a much longer QC period to make sure defective items aren't sent to customers, which is also costly in terms of labour.

This is why it's so vital that AtePie works to support the manufacturer capable of doing plus size releases without adding additional financial strain to them. We really really want the manufacturer to be able to continue making plus size pieces.

⭐Risk for brands and manufacturers

Meta almost became bankrupt when they started doing plus size releases, and their current manufacturing system is not really sustainable or ideal for the future of plus size releases. Often doing plus size releases is a huge financial risk both for manufacturers and the brand involved.

As mentioned before, manufacturers that can do plus size are very rare in Japan. If one of the very few places that can do plus size closes down, it is highly unlikely it reopen. The current manufacturer in Japan that can do plus size pieces is currently in a very weak financial position due to a former contract with a (non lolita) brand doing plus size. If it is forced to close, it'll be a HUGE blow to plus size availablity in Japan (again, not just lolita).

⭐ Summary

As you can see, the plus size market is really not big at all, and on top of that it's financially risky for lolita brands to get involved with.

AtePie (and mostly me as the person in charge) are working really hard to try to make releases more accessible, but it is done out of passion for lolita and not because it's a lucrative market. If there is sufficient support, over time it may become easier to release plus size items more often, and with very little/no price difference (this is my goal!)

However, this is a goal that is entirely dependent on overseas customer support.

Buying new from lolita brands is the best way to show the brand where the market might exist and encourage more of the items you want to see. Supporting AtePie plus size releases will also allow us to in turn support the plus size manufacturer and hopefully allow them to continue making plus size pieces (not only lolita) into the future.

Even though this is a hugely long explanation, I've still barely covered the basics. I hope it was still informative for people!

#Rufflechat #Lolita #Lolita fashion #egl community #egl fashion #Atelier Pierrot #plus sizing #plus size Lolita

[myaphelion]

“He’s Just Ken”: An Analysis of Plastic Professionals

so the barbie movie posters led me down a rabbit hole that i’m thrilled to share with y’all. i wondered... is ken really “just ken”? what are his careers like, as opposed to the eternal, ever-working barbie? and how is ken gendered in opposition to and in company with the plastic princess?

part one: career statistics, or, grind on my mind

the era i chose to focus on for this was 1980-2000. this is for a couple reasons--it’s the barbie era i’m most familiar with, it has a good amount of documentation, and most importantly, ken is present throughout all 20 years. if i focused on the earlier years of barbie, ken doesn’t show up until partway through; if i focused on the 2000s-2020s, say, ken is missing for a good handful of those years as well. in addition, these 20 years were the ones where barbie’s jobs became more of a focus; the early barbie years were far more focused on the fashion dream, and it was in the early 80s that the “we girls can do anything” slogan showed that mattel was pushing the brand to be about career and life goals, too.

let’s take a look at the charts...

these are the approximate numbers of barbie dolls released every year from 1980-2000, along with which dolls had a career and which dolls did not. i was a little loose with the data; “ballerina” counts as a career, while “princess” does not. in addition, i counted any doll named Barbie; this includes barbies who are of different ethnicities. barbie’s friends like kira and siblings like stacey did not count.

looking at this chart, it’s pretty clear that dolls without careers outnumber the ones with them. however, this is the case for most playline dolls, and one must also take into account the amount of collector’s releases that naturally tend more towards designer fashion instead. 1998 is an interesting year because there was a line of NBA basketball barbies released; this jacked up the career number significantly. sports is absolutely a job!

now, let’s have a look at ken:

less ken dolls are released yearly. this is just a fact. as much as it’s a joke, ken really is a barbie accessory, and he has been for a long time. he’s no gi joe with his own line--he’s meant to be barbie’s boyfriend, not really his own person. what’s interesting, however, is the proportion of ken dolls with careers vs. barbie dolls. even taking into account the fact less ken dolls are released, more ken dolls have careers than barbie dolls.

here, let me show you some pie charts for a better idea:

“this still isn’t a fair comparison!” i hear you cry. i get it! i understand! it was very bizarre for me to see this, too. proportionally, 6% isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it’s still... weird to see ken having a greater number of dolls with careers than barbie.

which led me to look at the second part of this analysis.

part two: gender roles, or, i am a girl like you

barbie and ken are heavily gendered in a societally-’appropriate’ fashion. this is obvious from the brand’s marketing, from the girl toys aisle being named the ‘pink aisle’ in honour of the famed ‘barbie pink’, from how much the barbie line focuses on fashion and style. but... the careers barbie and ken have. how much are these gendered, exactly?

n.b.: i’m trans and queer so the next few categories might seem weird to some, but i grew up in a ciscentric society with a ciscentric view of gender roles, so here we are.

i divided the job categories into three types: traditionally masculine jobs: things like the army, an astronaut, a doctor. if your first image when you think of the job is a man, it goes here. traditionally feminine jobs: things like a skater, a ballerina, a teacher. same as above--if you think of a woman first, it goes here. gender neutral jobs: this might be a hazy category, but jobs like singer/rock star, veterinarian, and movie star go here. these jobs are less or entirely ungendered in north american society, and therefore one might think of a man or woman equally.

charts again!

(i totally changed the fem jobs to pink because well. it’s barbie)

this is where things got interesting for me. barbie and ken both have a very high percentage of traditionally masculine jobs. It’s less surprising that ken has more neutral-leaning jobs than feminine, and barbie has more feminine than neutral, but the amount of traditionally masculine jobs barbie herself has surprised me. despite knowing full well how many jobs barbie has had over the years, it still surprised me that jobs like paratrooper and doctor dominated over jobs like fashion designer and ballet dancer.

part three: conclusions, or, there’s nothing we can’t do

so what can we draw from this?

firstly: ken may be an accessory, but he isn’t really just ken. proportionally, he has about the same number of jobs as barbie per release, if not more. he’s not the himbo hanging off barbie’s arm we’ve all been led to believe he is by the memes and jokes, even if it is still funny to call him barbie’s trophy husband/boyfriend. he might be ‘just ken’, but ‘just ken’ is as capable as barbie is on his best days.

secondly: barbie herself is not as highly gendered in terms of workplace environments as one might think. she’s a legally blonde type; she might be pink and pretty, but that doesn’t mean she’s to be underestimated. mattel has given her a higher percentage of traditionally masculine jobs than might be usual for a playline doll directed at girls, and i genuinely have to applaud them for that. barbie is for every girl, even the ones who don’t have traditionally feminine interests.

thirdly: they better use this info in the barbie movie

references and works used

Sarasohn-Kahn, Jane, and Jane Sarasohn-Kahn. Contemporary Barbie Dolls: 1980 and Beyond. Antique Trader Books, 1998.

Toy Sisters. Toy Sisters: "Pink Aisle" Toy Guides, 11 Sept. 2022, https://www.toysisters.com/.

#barbie #barbie dolls #barbie movie #toy essay #jesus this took a bit

[alliluyevas]

☕️ american girl historicals hehe

trying to format an opinion that i haven't already shared on here. okay I'm going to talk a little bit about Claudie who I think is the most intriguing of the recently released historicals to me.

First off: I think Claudie's doll is adorable, I love her curls and I think her new face mold looks very sweet and friendly. I know the new dolls with painted-on eyelashes are controversial and I have mixed feelings overall but I think it looks cute on Claudie. I also think her meet outfit is cute, especially the dress, and it's not as Aggressively Modern as some of the Beforever and current meet outfits on the other girls.

I'm also a big fan of Claudie's PJ set (love the bunny slippers) and her jazz dress. I think they're very cute and fun and while I'm not an expert on 1920s fashion or the Harlem Renaissance they don't feel like...glaringly obviously not period like, for instance, all of Sam's Beforever collection. At this point, I am quite pleased with Claudie's outfits.

(Although, one thing I'd like to point out that is sort of a semi-critique. These feel quite flattering and glamorous to me, not quite enough to stretch credulity for a nine-year-old character, and the meet dress is def simpler, and since Claudie is interested in performing it makes sense for her to be drawn towards glitzy stuff, but I would like to see her have maybe like a simpler and more childish set available, like a play dress or something.)

My final critique is reserved for the Harlem's Fashion Row outfits. Positives: these are very beautiful and I like that AG did a collab with modern African-American high fashion designers. That being said, as a historical doll purist, these are DEFINITELY not what a nine year old girl in 1922 Harlem would have been wearing. Claudie is a fourth grader, not a showgirl, and while these are beautiful I do wish that there were more options for dressed-down or believably everyday choices.

I also wish Claudie had more lower price point accessories, she has the bakery set but it's huge and more than 200 dollars. I wish they started making the lunchboxes that used to go with the girls' school sets again, I love miniature food but again the bakery set is so wildly expensive.

I also would have to examine the clothing more closely in person to determine construction quality, which I feel like has been more of an issue in more recent AG collections, and I'm not a huge fan of switching to largely synthetic fabrics, so I think I'd like to take a look at these sets in person. However, aside from my previously mentioned complaint that Claudie's collection is very glam and not as historical/everyday, I overall really like her/her collection. If I was to purchase one of the historical dolls they currently produce, it would probably be her (though I also quite like Rebecca).

I also think they undermarketed Claudie--they didn't even release an AG catalogue with her on the cover, which I think is pretty standard for new released historicals, and I worry about her getting overshadowed by the 90s twin dolls. I hope they keep marketing her and release some more accessories and more everyday clothing!

#i like claudie but given my issues with the current AG trends i'm kind of like do i really want to spend the money on a new doll or would i #rather save my money for possibly getting secondhand clothes for my existing dolls and a fuller collection for them #or a vintage josefina i love josefina and she's my fave doll that i dont already have #but also claudie is so cute and i do want to support her so ag will stop cranking out interchangeable blonde white late 20th cent dolls

[tom--22--felton]

I’ve just came back from London. Going there fairly often … I’m no Londoner but if you need tips, Anon … hit me up. 😂 Best place to stay (in my opinion) is Paddington. It’s so central and super convenient. Always depends on your budget, where to stay and what to book. I’d recommend Greenwich (to visit not to stay) too, such a lovely place. If you like musicals and theatre, grab a ticket for one of the shows in the Westend. There’s a special app where you can get super cheap tickets. Follow secret.london on Instagram too, they have amazing tips. Lots of history & art … many museums are free, so go check that out. You need to go for Afternoon Tea in one of the fancy hotels because DELICIOUS. All the lovely markets too, great fachion, art, accessories and FOOD. Visit Hampstead. Harrod’s (plus Food Halls) is a must too. If you’ve hot a bit of time, venture outside of London as well. Visit Bath or Oxford, Brighton, Cambridge, Windsor (Castle). Amazing (free) view over London on the Horizon 22. Neasden Temple is cool. Visit Strawberry Hill House. St. Dunstan in the East (for some Dark Academy or Hogwarts after the war vibes). 😂 The Tulip Stairs are beautiful, the Fitzrovia Chapel as well. AND SO MUCH MORE. Have fun in my favourite city. 🫶🏻

OMG anon, thank you so much for sharing! I hope it will be helpful to the person who asked about this, and I'm totally getting the vibe just by reading :)

#anonymous ask t22f #off topic t22f