#average phone shipper be like

[omvimo]

yeah so um i saw those google pixel adds where an iphone and a google pixel are friends and yeah i made them gay and now i already made three edits of the phone lesbians and theyve taken over my life and now they are my favorite ship ever i may have issues

#make ipixel canon 2024 #average phone shipper be like #sobbing i love them so much #so couple goals tbh #ipixel #iphone x google pixel #best phones forever

[kawarikisaki]

Okay! So with the new case finished up I'm ready to talk into the void about it.

Starting with the fact that this case has made me reevaluate how strong Hakuba is.

Cause I have always thought of him as being somewhat strong, but lo and behold he can just lift a whole Kaito and keep him on his shoulder for several minutes (it was six pages, and most of it was dramatic deduction time, which is usually not particularly fast dialogue) without any signs of being encumbered by the weight. He does adjust position a few times (his hand moves between panels so either he's adjusting or he's rubbing Kaito’s ass, I'm eating well as a Hakukai shipper but I'll take the innocent explanation) but there’s no sweat, no wince, no commentary about Kaito being heavy. Like, yeah, a fireman's carry is an effective way to carry a person. However, the average person is still going to struggle to lift someone that's a similar size to themselves.

Also, while im sure his assertion that he was going to walk him to the police station was just him being cheeky and bantering... he didn't seem to have any intention to put him down any time soon. I'd like to think that he was waiting for Kaito to call him out on it then make his escape, but if Kaito hadn't he'd have probably kept it up till the deduction was done then walked over to Nakamori-keibu and said something like, "this is Kid by the way, can you handle him from here?"

Anyway... Hakuba strong actually? I have decided to think so.

Can I just say I love all the little faces they make at each other? All the bois, not just Kaito and Hakuba. Granted, the character interactions and shifting dynamics have always been my favorite part of dcmk.

But like....

Hakuba bending down to talk to Conan. Kaito looking to proud of himself when he pulls out the 'hey did you consider it could actually be suicide?' While Conan’s in the background like 'oh shit oh shit oh fuck'. Conan and Kaito both thinking they had Ran Convinced, but she was sus.

Speaking of sus, I think Hakuba figured Conan out.

Sure, that last page had him back off from it and be like, "You got in contact with Shinichi and had him help." And that explaination works but... its an explanation that just makes less sense the more you think about it.

Even if I give the benefit of doubt it doesn't make sense to do it the way Hakuba explained, because if Conan contacted Shinichi to help then why would Conan be acting as the middle man? It'd introduce unnecessary delay to have Shinichi hear what's happening via phone, then Shinichi tell Conan his response, and Conan bowtie it to Kid, and Kid say the lines. (Realistically speaking the way they actually did it should also have this problem, but adding a step like this when in theory its completely unnecessary to have Conan as the middle man beyond just contacting Shinichi is just going to imcrease the delay.)

That said I can actually kind of see how that could be a conclusion he reached from this interaction:

Hakuba, at this point, knows that Shinichi is Kid and that Conan is helping him by supplying lines, but he hasn't figured out the details. So when he notices that Conan reacts before 'Shinichi' that's him reaching that conclusion that he brings up later about Conan being so invested that he was mimicing Shinichi’s expression and attitude.

I don't think he fully believed that, though.

Looking at the information that we know he had:

1. 'Shinichi' is Kid (and also Kaito Kuroba using his real face)

2. Conan is supplying Kid with lines.

3. The lines Kid is saying are from the real Shinichi.

4. Conan gets worked up if you say something that Shinichi would be worked up about

5. Conan has gadgets. (Hakuba is at least aware of the bowtie having speaker/microphone function, bit arguments could be made that he’s aware of the voice changer and also the sleep needles from the events at sunset mansion)

6. (Bonus) In a previous case Hattori had been upset with Hakuba being the representative 'detective of the east' but was completely fine with Conan taking that role.

I think he figured out that Conan was Shinichi, but that he wasn't certain until he brought up 'the real Shinichi' during the deduction and saw Conan begin to panic. I think he had mentioned it purely to get a rise out of Conan and see how he would react, and upon getting his answer he played along and gave Conan an out to jump on because if he exposed him here he wouldn't get the answers as to how this had happened.

And I feel like this read of is is reinforced by his final lines expressing that he understands why Shinichi/Conan would help Kid for the sake of solving the mystery because it's a detective’s nature. Hakuba gets it because he’s doing the same by helping Conan get away with his deception in hopes that doing so will help him get answers to the mystery.

Thats how I've decided to view things anyway, though it is possible that im partially blinded by my hope that he continues to be relevant.

#dcmk #hakuba saguru #so glad the boy came back #and i pray for his continued existence #the pool of hope is shallow but not empty #rambling #overanalyzing

[cajon-desastre]

What a night

It was an unexpected gift, appreciated and enjoyed.

On the life of me I can assure you that I never believed that I would become part of the events of yesterday.

The rest I put behind the cut, it's too long and in case anyone wants to scroll and ignore my ramblings 😉

It all started by contacting another fan and meeting to see the atmosphere, curiosity mainly due to the fact that it was the first time that this event with Sam was held in Spain and, specifically, in Madrid, in my city. And I had another fan giving me virtual spanks if she didn't at least come look. The surprise was arriving at the building where it was going to be held and my friend telling me that she had gotten a double invitation and that I was her guest.

At that point my zen attitude went down the drain lol.🤣

During the waiting time at the entrance we observed the people who were queuing to enter, we assume that everyone had an invitation and the joy of the people was already noticeable, some came from Glasgow, London, Paris,…Honestly, I have always considered myself fan but not fanatic and it is a universe that surprised me by the amount of time and money that people can dedicate to their idol. Of course everyone is free to enjoy it in their own way.

It also gave us time to see the organization and it was disturbing to see that there were no fences, a bad thing when there are certain fans who have no limits and it could be a security problem.

In that time I also learned about the micro universe that is fan groups, their sections and their leaders. Not only was I already warned of what I was going to find, but it is worrying how these people become the "best fans" with the right to direct/say what to do and try to get noticed by all possible means. I think these women are not aware of the image they project, for me it was really creepy.

Once the gates opened, and we took up positions in the best places we could find, we had to wait a long time. The group I met with made funny comments, photos, selfies, and we watched people do the exact same thing. I saw solidarity and good gestures. Next to me was a girl with an older person who turned out to be her grandmother, because the young girl was accompanying her, the fan was her grandmother! hahaha. 🤣 The average age? The truth is that I saw everything but there were younger people than I expected, also some boys although fewer.

And we keep waiting. With the music on loop and there was nothing happening. They warned that the doors were going to be closed and people would not be able to go in or out and we stayed like that for a good half hour in which the mobile phones were on, focused on the doors waiting for the great appearance but the people from backstage were joking opening a door and then another. My phone battery was going to die if I kept waiting like that. Lack of foresight on my part because I had not expected to see myself in that situation a few hours before.

Until the master of ceremonies arrived dressed in a kilt and began to make jokes and cheer the audience. Now I know that, during that waiting time and the appearance of the emcee, Sam arrived and spent those minutes taking photos and signing the cards and books that would then be drawn at the end.

Yes, there was a raffle at the end, but I'll get to that.

And the big moment arrived and with it the madness, well, you'll be tired of watching videos of the grand entrance. Luckily for me he entered through the door closest to where he was sitting and I could see it in his full height.

And with him I also noticed two bodyguards who were part of the entourage that accompanied him to the stage.

The panel does not deserve that I tell you much more than what has been seen, it is there for those who want to see it in the usual places. Correct, funny and affable with the translator (thank goodness, I thought I wasn't going to find out anything), the interview was about what we already know or have seen in other events or interviews.

My shipper side was happy. Cait is always present in one way or another. At first he said that he practiced Spanish with her on set when he found out that he was coming to Spain (something unnecessary to say when the event was about him) and then, watching the scene at the printing press when he said that she shined . 🥰

The magical moment, for me, was when they aired the wedding clip, Jamie Fraser introducing himself to Claire with his full name. A chorus of voices recited the long Scotsman's name at once, myself included.

That was the moment, it is when you feel part of a community.

But there were also uncomfortable moments for women who do not know the limits of decorum and knowing how to be. Yelling things at Sam that would make him feel uncomfortable. The moderator had to divert the conversation on a couple of occasions. I will only put, for example, that they shouted insisting that they put on the wedding, the wedding night. Or comparing Sam to Jamie and asking how they were alike and yelling that it was her body. Sam deflected saying that was a body double.

That is the problem that I see in these meetings, the objectification and only considering it a piece of meat. And the liberties that certain fans want to take.

And as he arrived, he left, surrounded by security and with the phones taking photos and videos to save the last memory.

The doors were closed again and they wouldn't let people out…because there was going to be a raffle.

Then I understood Movistar's strategy in this event, intelligent and that made security very good. All the people were held in their places until Sam left, the same as when he arrived. Thus, complicated situations were avoided. No fences were needed at the entrance for that reason, it was never the intention to let Sam get close to people.

It may have been something that disappointed many, but it was much better that way.

And with the raffle came moments of embarrassment, because the bottle of water from which he had drunk was even raffled… anyway.🙄

The fun thing about the raffle is that there were signed books, Scottish cushions, cards with his autograph,… but do you know what really drove people crazy? The fan that he had used and he got a girl from our group hahaha.

Photos? I did a few but they weren't very good and I knew much better photos would be posted and videos too, I preferred to look at the stage and enjoy.

I will remember being able to be in the right place at the right time, thanks to the great generosity of my fan friend. Without her this would not have been possible and neither would I have been able to share my experience with you.

Will I repeat if the occasion arises again? I don't know, honestly. It has been magical because it was unique in Spain and that is why it is already special. When the time comes, if it comes, I'll think about it.

For that, thank you, thank you, thank you for doing the impossible so that I could enter the event. My little, jovial and nervous Fairy Godmother 🥰

Thank you, also to those enthusiastic girls who accompanied her and to whom I was able to put a face to several of them.

And thanks to Sam for having been encouraged to finally come to my country.

#Sam Heughan #Welcome Madrid Sam #my thoughts

[zim-commentaryquotes]

One time I saw somebody's hot take that Zim MUST be a child around Dib's age/'Irken years age equivalent' because otherwise the show would be 'problematic.' Because, the person said, having an adult infiltrate a school and pretend to be a child and be around and interact with children so much is something a gross predator would do. Which...buddy. Come on. They also claimed that the only reason people want Zim to be an adult is because they're also adults and trying to 'justify being sexually attracted to a minor-coded character,' which is at least an uno reverse I hadn't seen before in response to the 'wanting Zim to be a kid to justify shipping him with kids' thing, but...'minor-coded'? Why, because he's short and petty and sometimes a goofy little man?

Oh, really? Are we canceling ZIM now? Did ZIM do something problematic?

Yeah, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard the “short = kid” idea in this fandom, and it’s pretty shitty for a number of reasons.

1. ZIM’s culture discriminates based on height, so when people assume that ZIM must be a child because he’s short, they’re kind of disrespecting him in the same way. There are plenty of perfectly valid reasons to not respect ZIM; his height isn’t one of them.

2. Haven’t these people ever heard of dwarfism? Dwarfs do exist in reality, and they do have sex. Many little people marry and have relationships with people of average height, so implying that anyone who has a crush on someone who’s short is some kind of predator is big yikes.

3. A big part of the show’s humor is how hilariously awful ZIM is at acting like a kid. Assuming that he’s actually a kid when the whole joke of him being at school is that he’s terrible at pretending to be one is missing the joke by a country mile.

It’s also worth pointing out that ZIM’s signature high-pitched voice doesn’t sound that dissimilar from his voice actor, Richard Horvitz, whose voice is so high he’s often mistaken for his own wife on the phone. ZIM’s voice is coming out of an adult man, and while there are a lot of child characters voiced by grown men (including some of Richard Horvitz’s other characters), the man doesn’t sound all that different from ZIM when he’s just talking normally.

Also, I hate to make wild accusations, but claiming people just want to perceive ZIM as an adult to justify attraction speaks of projection to me. I don’t know if everybody making this argument is also a ZaDr shipper, but any ZaDr (or ZaGr) shipper who’s making this argument is pretty sus in my view.

Like, bruh, you’re the ones shipping children. Come on.

#invader zim #iz #jhonen vasquez

[sailorlyoko]

Odd Della Robbia headcanons

Tws for self-harm, odd's sisters, mental illness, homophobia, and homophobic grandmas

: Has ADHD

: Used to self-harm before Ulrich, Yumi, and William found out

: listens to radiohead, backstreet boys, Lou Vega, n'sync, and T.a.t.u

: His sisters, Adele and Louise tend to use him as their punching bag

: His sister, Pauline is very protective of him but doesn't really show it

: He uses jokes as a coping mechanism

: He's Italian on his mother's side of the family

: 100% Bi

: has a very high metabolism

: had a prophetic dream about crashing Laura Gautier's wedding

: He is an Ulumi shipper

: loves puns

: Sissi has feelings for him

: Looks really good in drag

: His cousins are named Alberto, Marco, Orlando, Bruno, Leone, and Lucrezia

: He has dated half of kadic academy's female students except for Yumi, Sissi, Milly, and Tamiya

: Once accidentally released 19 goats into kadic academy while the song September by earth wind and fire played on the p.a system

: Writes Ulumi fanfic

: Is also a Jerlita shipper

: Is currently dating william

: Is a little spoon

: He knew he was bi when he saw ulrich shirtless for the first time

: His rendition of all the things she said by t.a.t.u is a deadly weapon

: Can dance really well

: He dyes his hair

: might be dyslexic

: Once cussed out sissi in italian

: Is a amazing artist

: Writes fluff fics

: Theme song, All-star by smash mouth

: he is a leo

: He is icelandic on his dad's side of the family

: His aunt's a therapist

: He is the token gremlin of the group

: His grandma reacted poorly to him coming out and beat him in an attempt to make him straight

: He has depression

: He is an Esfp

: He had an emotional breakdown in William's arms after kiwi died

: His films are average at best

: He looks peaceful when he sleeps

: He is a theater kid and proud of it

: He loves phantom of the opera

: He is a grass type trainer

: once had a dream about singing opera

: His dreams are weird

: Once spiked the punch with red bull

: MUST have caffeine

: Ships Yolanda With Jim

: He is a multi-shipper

: Is often mistaken for a girl

: Sounds like teddie from persona 4

: Once played final fantasy 7

: Is a gamer

: becomes the second tallest after hitting puberty

: Has a Myspace account

: He is not a pervert despite being a ladies man

: He can't sing for his life

: had long hair in elementary school

: Has connections

: his phone case is a cat

: He read romeo and Juliet

: His worst subject is math

: Once caused a cafeteria riot

: He can speak English

: He gets pissed when you call him short

#odd della robbia #headcanon #code lyoko

[thethinkingman]

This load is a picture of why so many people leave trucking, don’t recommend it to others and refuse to get into the industry.

I loaded last Friday in Ocala Fl. Once loaded, and on the way to Orange MA, I called the site contact to confirm delivery. He was very quick to inform me it would not deliver Monday due to the customer ignoring his requests for a ship date for over a week. He couldn’t schedule a crane Friday afternoon for Monday morning. After some phone calls a decision was made for me to bring the load home and sit on it until a crane appointment is made.

I arrived home Saturday morning. Monday late afternoon I was informed the crane was scheduled for Friday morning and I needed to be there at 0800. So Wednesday morning I left home and headed to MA.

Friday I arrive on site at 0750 and was informed the crane wasn’t arriving until 0830. Sometime around 0900 the crane still wasn’t on site, but the trucks carrying the counterweights had arrived. The new ETA for the crane was 1000. In this time period I was informed that the crane was scheduled for 0800 and I wasn’t supposed to be on-site until 0900.

At 0930 the crane arrived and the three trucks supporting the crane were unloaded and the crane was set up by 1030. I back in and unchain. While doing this the rigging supervisor decided he didn’t like the lift points thinking they were to light, or not thick enough. After some pictures and a conversation with the manufacturer they decided to try lifting it. Now it’s 1130.

At this point we had to cancel a load we were supposed to pick up in PA going to GA that payed very well. Due to the shipper having a 1400 cut off time we had to cancel before the crane was set up. The next load has a 1600 cutoff in North Plainfield NJ which is 4.5 hours from where I was sitting. By the time I was unloaded, took pictures, sent in paperwork and got traffick and parked cars moved it was 1200 when I left. Being the traffic hell hole the north east is on a Friday afternoon I ran into the inevitable heavy traffic and was not going to make the next pickup by 1600. Now it doesn’t load until Monday morning and delivers in Iowa Wednesday morning.

So now a load that was supposed to load Friday and deliver Monday allowing us to get loaded so I could be home for Thanksgiving is postponed until Monday and delivering Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Thus I will be on the road for Thanksgiving this year. Hopefully we can get reloaded so I’m not sitting through the holiday weekend.

Now the problem. In trucking when there are delays like this you can get compensation for downtime, but not nearly the same amount you would make running under a load. The time I spent home at the beginning of the week payed me about half my average earning potential. The wait time Friday probably won’t be payed by the broker and absolutely will not be paid by the crane service. The 5 hours waiting to load in Florida, we were only paid for 2 of those hours. The weekend I’m spending sitting in Bordentown NJ is not paid and the neither the crane crew that caused us to miss two loads not the contractors on site will pay for the down time and missed loads. Now two weeks of earning for myself and my company have been ruined. Finally no one will compensate the driver for being stuck on the road half the country away from home on a major holiday.

So ask yourself this, in an industry that touches everything at least once from raw material to delivery to where you buy it, and is so vital to our way of life and national security, why would anyone want to get into this career?

#trucker #trucking #truckdriver #cdl #bluecollar #supplychain #transportation #freightbroker #truckingcompany #holiday

[kumarshivam]

How To Choose A Shipping Partner For Your Business

Standard shipping is also known as the average shipping service. This means it falls between the more expensive trackable mail options and the slower overnight express delivery. This is usually accompanied by a reasonable delivery time and a tracking system that allows you to see where the package is and when it will be delivered after dispatch. Standard delivery time depends on your location.

It is basically the cheapest shipping service available from a courier. Business owners like this shipping option because it is the most cost-effective option, and hence gives you the highest returns.

Business owners or shippers with regular shipping needs, choose this type of shipping option. Hence almost all the shipping companies around Australia provide standard shipping.

With so many freight forwarding companies to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your business.  Here we will discuss some tips that will help you to find the best shipping partner for standard delivery in Australia.

Consider the following factors before choosing a shipping partner for your business

Cost

When considering your shipping partner, you may find that there are significant differences in the prices you receive. Choosing a more expensive company does not mean you will get value for money, and choosing a cheaper company may mean the same service. When comparing shipping costs, check what you're getting, and ask companies if they can offer a better price.

It's important to take the necessary steps to ensure you're getting the best value for money. Always compare shipping prices.

Range of services

Check whether the shipping company offers the specific services you need. To ensure this, you should clarify your requirements with your courier. Dimensions, weight, and price of the product. Be clear about how many items you are sending and how often.

Reliability

An affordable courier might be useless if they don't deliver on time or deliver the wrong product. A reliable shipping company creates positive reactions towards your company, and allow you to concentrate on other traits of your business, thus helping your business grow further.

Customer support

Customer service is the most essential factor when selecting a shipping partner, it becomes mandatory when choosing a shipping partner for standard delivery in Australia. You need to choose a shipping partner who will update you on your shipment status in transit. Good shipping should update you on any service disruption that could delay your shipment. Your shipping partner should offer the following:

24/7 live support

Over-the-phone support

Email support

Reputation

The wrong partner will cost you more money and damage your company's reputation too. Therefore, it is very important to check the reputation and the standard of services of the shipping company that you will choose. Therefore, choose a reliable service with a good reputation in the market.

Experience

Shipping companies have to go through various complex processes. They face unpleasant incidents, adverse natural conditions, and many other things that hinder the shipping journey. Shipping companies must be experienced enough to manage these conditions and reach the customer safely. So, check their experience before choosing one.

Client reviews

Client reviews confirm whether the service claimed by the shipping is true or not. Hence, it is best to ask the shipping company for their customer references. You can also spend time reading online reviews to find out what others think about the performance and service level of the shipping company. One or two negative comments are usually ok because it is impossible to satisfy all. But if there is a trend of negative reviews, you should take your business elsewhere.

Tech-enabled

Some shipping companies offer shipping software that makes things easier for the shipping process and saves time. The right software can help you avoid mistakes like mislabeling your delivery, choosing the wrong portion, or forgetting to add an item to your order. This will also help you choose the smallest possible box for each order and avoid wasting money on unnecessary shipping.

 Tracking facility

A tracking facility is the most essential feature that everyone should check while choosing a courier company. This ensures that both you and your customers can easily track the product out for delivery. Notifications are set up to let your customers know when a package arrives and where it is. Tracking is a mandatory feature when choosing a shipping partner for standard delivery in Australia.

The ability to scale your business

Choosing a delivery partner denotes a long-term business relationship. Having a partner with a similar vision and core value is essential for a long-term partnership. Therefore, check their key values ​​for the correctness and only then refine them.

Concluding thoughts

If your business needs affordable standard delivery in Australia, Freight Save is the best choice nationwide. Freight Save members can access discount rates through their high accounts and volumes and reduce hundreds of annual delivery costs. They offer standard and reliable standard packages across the country and work for their members to ensure the highest quality in local and international package delivery services.

#standard delivery in australia

[quasarplatform]

Investing in digital technology, processes, and systems drives value to your business

Investing in digital platforms is critical to any supply chain’s future success.  The rapid impacts of global events, shrinking labor markets and shipper demand for low-cost shipping makes automation, connection, optimization and end-to-end transparency critical to supply chain ecosystems.  

In it’s their article on why digital supply chains are so important Deloitte University Press says:

Beyond these business improvements, there are real financial benefits to digitizing your supply chain.  In it’s their 2021 study of 1,601 supply chain executives that are ahead of the curve on supply chain excellence, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) highlights that corporations that have “Digital Supply Chain Champions” have seen a 7.7% increase in revenue and a 6.8% decrease in cost.  That’s a 14.5% improvement in profitability.  The ROI value is greater than two2 times on average.  In comparison, digital novices achieve a 3.6% increase in revenue and a 3.3% decrease in cost.  The payback period for investments into advance supply chain capabilities is 1.8 years.

Supply Chain 247 conducted a recent survey of all of the benefits of supply chain digitization., The top seven business benefits measured by survey respondents were:

More than 45% of respondents expressed satisfaction overall, and 68.7% of companies that implemented digital technologies realized a return on investment in under two 2 years.

Along with technology investment comes changes to business processes. The concept of end-to-end supply chain management is limited by the technology that is available today. Today business processes have a linear flow, in the future a digital supply chain system will act like a hub, acquiring, processing and displaying data to multiple business stakeholders at once, acting like a control tower with everyone accessing the same information simultaneously.

“I am super passionate about digitizing the supply chain because this is what drives value and profitability to organizations. I truly believe that it’s the reason why companies like Amazon are so prolific are basically taking the world by storm because that have one of the most automated supply chains in the world. Their ability to use technology to get to the where they have gotten is the reason why they’re so successful. I also see some these older supply chains that haven’t really adopted new technology, and aren’t really thinking about it, or who have decisions makers who don’t understand the value that is can create. And so for me, this is a monumental opportunity to educate executives on the importance of this transformation.”

— CORRIE BANKS, QUASAR PLATFORM GM

These changes to how we work are going to require a different type of thinking.  With faster supply chain data, decisions and reactions will be quicker enabling supply chain managers to head issues off before they happen and the integration between all the parties to the supply chain will reduce the number of phone calls, emails, texts and issues that we’re managing.  Transparency across multiple business lines will inform shippers, vendors, and customers of supply chain impacts.  This accelerated communication and visibility will enable more collaboration and reduce communication bottlenecks, translating into higher supply chain performance.

At Quasar (QUick Analytics for Shipping And Rail) we believe that end to end visibility for railcars when they are on and offline the rail network is critical to creating supply chain fluidity.  The tracking systems in the rail industry today cover the Class I network, but a rail supply chain includes many partners, the shipper, the Class I, perhaps a short line or a port, and the destination customer.  We also see that more granular, real-time data enables our customers to identify and troubleshoot issues in the supply chain with customers, transportation partners, or interchange locations.  All of these areas are currently difficult to track with the current technology, leading to  

At Quasar Platform, our customers are experiencing reductions in administration, reduced cycle times, end-to-end visibility of supply chain performance, and bottlenecks.  These benefits are reducing demurrage, improving supply chain fluidity, and enabling our customers to ship more with fewer assets.  Within a few months of implementation our customers have more visibility to their inbound pipelines, dwell, and cycle times than ever before.  This insight is shifting our customers from transactionally managing their supply chain to managing continuous improvement initiatives and optimizing the supply chain.  This shift in focus over the long term will enable our customers to achieve a 4 x return on investment.  For more information on our products that can give you a 400% return, click here

[azucanela]

chapter iv

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows.

warnings: mentions of blood. violence. injuries. cursing. 

word count: 2k

[series masterlist] [wattpad] [ao3]

THIS HAS TO BE A DREAM. Y/N really doesn’t want to be dealing with this right now, this is literally the last thing she wants to be dealing with right now. She has half the mind to just disappear into the shadows using Telen’s quirk, seeing as she hadn’t returned it yet. 

‘Returned’ probably isn’t the best way to put it, after all he can still use his quirk but… she’s never really had a different way to explain it. But, Y/N is capable of using his quirk until she’s returned it to him, meaning his pain is hers and so is his quirk for the time being. Not that it matters right now, because she’s currently staring down Bakugou, who looks just as shocked as she does. 

“What are you doing here?” She finally asks, scowling. 

In response, Bakugou is rolling his eyes, allowing the door to shut behind him. “You don’t own this café,” he grumbles out.

That was actually incorrect, Y/N had bought the set of buildings on this street to make sure that the café wouldn’t go out of business, she was sentimental in that manner Meaning she technically had authorization to kick him out, something Bakugou seems to catch onto as his eyes narrow at her, “of course you do.” 

Y/N scoffs, looking away from him, “only legally. I have too much respect for Rosalyn to tell her what to do with her business.” She waves him off, “they’re getting something from the back, you’ll have to wait.” Y/N finds that she’s wishing she had a little bit less respect for Rosalyn, because maybe then she would have the guts to kick Bakugou out.

Bakugou says nothing, simply eyeing Y/N as he moves to grab a bag of chips from the stand, awkwardly standing by the cash register he waited for them to return. Of course, Y/N had a feeling they wouldn’t be returning anytime soon at this point. She wouldn’t be shocked if Lily had done something to make this happen, all to torture Y/N.

Although Lorelai might consider this the perfect time to apologize, Y/N finds it her personal hell. And she’s fairly sure Bakugou has the same sentiments as she begins to tap her foot rhythmically against the floor. The space is silent aside from that, and Y/N almost wishes a stranger would come in and end her misery.

A sudden pain courses through her, and Y/N’s brows furrow as her mouth gapes open slightly, hand coming to her stomach, though her thoughts are interrupted as Bakugou snaps, “could you quit tapping your damn foot?”

And Y/N does stop, but not because he asked, instead to say, “you can always leave.” There’s a sarcastic smile on her face as she glances at him, preparing to continue tapping her foot despite the throbbing that had appeared in her leg as well. 

If Y/N had to guess, something had happened to Telen. But that wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary in hero work, and given how high profile Hawks’ agency was, they had a healer on call. She had no doubt that whatever injury he’d somehow sustained, he would be fine. And yet, Y/N can’t help the frown that washes over her, a certain fear and anxiety that definitely doesn’t belong to her suddenly drowning her senses. 

Y/N is about to make a phone call when she hears Bakugou, “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

She’s about to make some sort of witty comment in response, only to see that he’s looking outside, where the presence of paparazzi has become apparent. Though they hadn’t started their mobs yet, any trained Pro Hero was well aware when they were being followed. Despite attempts to hide, Y/N could easily see that there were several people hidden throughout the area, trying to catch pictures of the famed Y/N L/N and Bakugou Katsuki together.

They were probably hoping the pair would start arguing, maybe even get into a physical fight knowing Bakugou. Though, if that did happen, Y/N was fairly sure Lorelai would have her head. 

That and the fact that the shippers on Twitter were going to love this. But Y/N certainly wasn’t, scoffing as she came to a stand, “did they follow you here?” Her tone is accusatory, she knows that. But if Y/N is honest, she has no shame being upfront about her emotions with Bakugou, not anymore. 

He glares at her once more in response, placing his order down more roughly than necessary, “obviously not. If anything it was you they followed here.”

Y/N comes to a stand, inhaling deeply as she reminds herself that she and Bakugou are currently the stars of the show that is the media. Everyone who's anyone, and anybody that’s a nobody wants to bear witness to their interactions if it means advancing their career. And Y/N has no intent of further damaging her reputation, or giving the media the easy way out.

Though she wouldn’t mind putting an additional dent in Bakugou’s already horrid reputation, there were bigger things than that. And at the end of the day, they were stuck together for the time being, until things died down that is.

So, Y/N finds herself heading over to the counter with her items in hand– discarding them behind the register to make sure that Lily would hold onto them for her— before looking to Bakugou, “we need to leave, now.”

Bakugou is frowning, eyes falling on his order, but he simply nods as he returns his gaze to Y/N, “and how do you suppose we do that?”

While she’s grateful he elected not to argue— probably because he’s well-aware of his own dwindling reputation and wants to salvage whatever he can, like the selfish bastard he is— Y/N finds herself narrowing her eyes at him, simply turning around and gesturing for him to follow her, “come with me.”

“What, we can’t just go out the front door?” 

She’s not shocked by his proposition, though Y/N is also aware that Bakugou isn’t a fool. He may be impulsive at times, and extremely confrontational to a fault, but he was not an idiot. Even if he seemed to be just some annoying brute.

Y/N glances back at Bakugou, looking to him incredulously, “the moment we step outside, we will be bombarded with questions.” A bitter laugh escapes her, “and we both know how you’ll probably respond to that.”

“Oh so this is my fault?” He asks, taking a few steps closer. 

Bringing a hand to her temple, Y/N looks up to him, “we don’t have time for this.” Comes her response, “either you come with me, or I leave without you.”

With that, Y/N turns on her heel, hand shoved into her pocket as she pulls out a set of keys and begins to flip through them in search of the right one. She can feel Bakugou’s eyes on her as she finally finds the right key, the one that leads to the hallway behind the second staff door. Most people don't have access because if you take a wrong turn you’ll end up in the studio apartment of the owners. But, if you continue down the hallway, there’s an exit into the alleyway that Y/N intended to take.

Finally, she pushes the door open. Y/N doesn’t bother to look back as she steps inside the hallway, dimly lit, in fact some of the lights are even flickering. But she can see the bright red ‘EXIT’ sign not too far away. 

Y/N doesn’t hear the door click shut, and with a sigh she turns back to see Bakugou had planted his foot in the door, kicking it open while his hands remained shoved into his pockets. Wordlessly, he stepped inside, and Y/N simply returned her gaze to the exit.

Until another spike of pain coursed through her. Her steps falter, though Y/N manages to catch herself on the wall, hand planted firmly there as she inhales deeply. 

To be fair, the average person would’ve passed out from the pain by now, and Y/N didn’t have her hero suit to help cushion the blows of pain nor was she necessarily prepared for sudden pain— she wasn’t in battle. Though her pain tolerance is high enough that it's manageable.

Bakugou seems to notice, no— he definitely notices. Looking to her pensively as he pauses behind her, Y/N doesn’t want to meet his eyes as she huffs, pushing off the wall. “Let’s go.” 

He says nothing, and Y/N is grateful as they continue down the hall.

It’s a short walk to the actual exit, but Y/N’s head is pounding so she doesn’t really notice anything out of the ordinary until Bakugou’s arm comes to stop her. She bumps into it, frowning as she looks up to him ready to speak in protest, to yell at him for touching her— though there's no skin to skin contact so she doesn’t really have much to worry about yet. 

Until she realizes blood is coming from under the door. Evidently, she had a lot to worry about.

Y/N looks up to Bakugou, offering him a nod that he returns. A silent communication between the pair which brings Bakugou to press his separate hand against the door, brows drawing together before he rapidly pushes the door open and the pair steps out into the alley.

And there lies the body of Pro Hero Telen. Y/N recognizes him instantly, and it makes sense given how badly her body is throbbing with pain. 

Her mouth gapes open, but Y/N is no fool as her back meets Bakugou’s, each of them surveying the area for the hero’s attacker. 

But there’s no one to be found. 

Y/N looks back to Bakugou, who simply nods, prompting Y/N to drop to her knees despite the blood that begins to seep through her clothes. Eyes falling on Telen as a hand comes to his chest. Nobody has ever died while Y/N was using their power, and if Y/N had to guess, Telen was still alive. There was no need for her to check for a pulse, simple as that. 

“He’s alive. Call for backup.”

When Bakugou doesn’t reply, Y/N turns, and she can see the explosions sparking in his palms but there are no enemies nearby. But Y/N recognizes the look on his face, the frustration, the anger. But he’s not angry with anyone other than himself right now. 

“Bakugou.” She repeats, an attempt to pull him out of his thoughts. They don’t have time to be distracted right now. While the attacker clearly isn’t around right now, there was a possibility he’d return. Not that Y/N was too worried, if they had any sense of bloodlust, she’d notice them.

He inhales sharply, simply nodding stiffly once more before pulling out his phone. But all Bakugou can think about is the fact that the Stain Copycat was here, and they’d targeted a member of Hawks’ Agency. The Number 2 Hero. Which meant whoever it was, they were getting bolder, and even worse, two of the best upcoming Pro Heroes were just next door and they hadn’t even noticed.

Even if the new Hero Killer had failed to finish the job, it didn’t matter. This would be a sign to all. A bad one. A message even. It felt as though this copycat was mocking him with every move. 

The only thing that Y/N can think about, is how dark this alley is, how easy it should’ve been for Telen to escape from his attacker. Which can only mean one of two things, the perpetrator had done something to prevent Telen from escaping into the shadows. Or, it was someone he trusted enough that he hadn’t felt the need to. Not until it was too late, that is. 

This was a problem. A big problem.

note: short but eventful chapter? and look at me go, updating on an actual schedule thats a first!

#this is not the end series #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou katsuki x you #bakugo katsuki x you #katsuki x you #bakugo x you #bakugou x you #katsuki bakugou x you #katsuki bakugo x you #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha x you #mha x you #bakugou katsuki series

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Hey, Little Songbird

Chapter 11 - AO3

D-Day.

M. Devereux, the history professor, was handing back their projects, finally graded. Felix, of course, knew that his and Marinette’s deserved nothing less than a perfect score.

What grades other people got… well, that was their own business. If they decided to share that information with the class, then he’d take pleasure in it.

He and Marinette received their own before certain other people. He flipped open the professional black binder to reveal their perfect score on the cover page. Marinette’s smile was blinding and Felix found it hard to breath for a second as a soft smile that only existed around his mother began to form on his lips.

“What!?” A screech flung from the front of the class. His smile morphed into a smirk as Rossi stared at M. Devereux with horrified eyes. “How did we get a failure!?”  

“If you have any questions about your results, I will address them after class, Mlle. Rossi.”

“B-But we used Lila’s notes!” Cesaire replied unable to stop a glance at those in the back. In her hands, clear for everyone to see, was the rose-imbedded binder Felix had ‘lost’ the week previous. “It should have been perfect!”

“After class.”

Rossi shot a glare at them—pathetic, she thought she still had a chance—and burst into a symphony of fake tears. “I-I knew I shouldn’t have let Marinette look at our project! She probably swapped the contents of our binder when I wasn’t looking!”

The class turned back to look at them, but M. Devereux would have no accusations of plagiarism in his class. “While it is possible someone could have switched your assignment, it is because both you and Mlle. Cesaire’s names were only on the title page of your assignment. M. Graham de Vanily and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng’s names were on each page in the header, as the formatting instructions required.” His eyes narrowed. “Please refrain from shouting in my classroom.”

“T-Then!” Rossi’s voice cracked unpleasantly, “They must have re-typed the assignment!”

Felix rolled his eyes. “That’s too much work.”

Marinette nodded, then frowned. “Hey… isn’t that the binder you lost last week?” She asked, her voice the perfect picture of innocence, drawing the class’s attention to the rather memorable piece of leather. “The one you reported to lost and found but never heard back from?”

“Yes, I think it is. Why do you both have it?”

Rossi snatched the binder from Cesaire’s arms, clutching it to her chest. “No it’s not! It must be a different one!”

One of the other classmates spoke up—a blond one, the Princess Fragrance girl. “But it has the same rose on it!” By holding it against her chest, Rossi revealed the memorable rose backing to the world. “I remember it because I thought it was so pretty!”

“Y-Yeah, that’s why I bought one just like it!” Rossi’s smile was flawless.

Felix cocked an eyebrow. “You bought a hundred-euro binder that looks exactly like the one that went missing?” Some strain. He shrugged. “Sure, I’ll buy it… if you can provide the receipt.”

“Huh?”

“The receipt, Rossi.” Felix dug around in his back for his receipt pouch and pulled out the one for the binder; it was ready at the front just for this purpose. “I have my own, for my binder. Provide yours, and I won’t report you for stealing.”

“I bought it online,” came the swift lie.

“Then show proof of purchase on your phone,” Marinette quickly rebutted.

“Not that she can,” Felix added. “Since this store doesn’t sell it’s more expensive items online, only in person.” He grinned, watching as the rusty gears in Rossi’s head began to smoke from the pressure. “So how’d you manage to do that?”

“It’s not from the same store, obviously.”

“So another store just so happened to be carrying the exact same handmade binder?” he snorted. “Just tell us the truth, Rossi; some of us want to go to lunch.”

“I… I…” Her eyes were darting around the room, meeting friendly and unfriendly gazes alike when she suddenly burst into tears. “I’m sorry!” she wailed. “I found the binder in lost and found! It, it was so pretty, and I didn’t know it was yours, Felix! Please forgive me!”

The few hostile classmates seemed to be on the brink of doing so, but before Felix could interject, Marinette said, “So you stole it from lost and found? How is that much better?”

“That’s not the same, Marinette,” Adrien said, narrowing his eyes at her. So he would defend the liar and not his own cousin’s stolen property? How shameful… and utterly expected. “It was just lost and found. If it was important to Felix, he wouldn’t have lost it, would he?”

“I’ve found Markov in lost and found; are you saying that he’s not important?” The Gamer boy’s jaw dropped, before he leveled a glare at Adrien. “And Alix’s skates, and Nathaniel’s sketchbook, and Rose’s perfumes. Are you saying those aren’t important?”

“No!”

“Then why isn’t it important when it’s your cousin’s things?”

“That’s enough!” M. Devereux spoke above her voice. “Students, you are dismissed for lunch. Mlle. Cesaire, Mlle. Rossi, stay. We have something to speak about.” The students hesitated, unsure. “I want this classroom empty now.”

Felix and Marinette escaped in the max exodus, Felix gloating inwardly at the scowl Rossi shot him. It felt good to irritate her. They separated from the class to head towards the bakery.

As soon as they were out of sight, Mariette let out a little giggle. “They didn’t even check it!”

“Shows their average intelligence then, though I wasn’t really expecting them too. I did insinuate that the project was complete, after all. And who proofreads the assignment they stole?” It was a bit tedious, go through their own assignment and altering the dates and names so that only half the timeline was correct, but he considered it well worth the effort.

“So that’s what you two did.” They stopped and turned. Adrien had been following them, a stern scowl on his face. Felix felt Marinette falter at his side. “You deliberately made them fail.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say deliberately.” Felix quickly shielded her with his body. “It was more of a happy accident that they didn’t check. My real plan was to use the binder from the start.” No one buys a binder like that unless they wanted it to be remembered, after all.

“But you still let them turn in a false assignment.”

“That they stole. They didn’t have to steal it. They didn’t have to turn in work that wasn’t theirs. They chose this outcome.” Felix tapped his chin. “Or rather, Rossi chose this.”

“They couldn’t choose anything, they didn’t know anything! Lila was probably just… worried about her grade. If anything, you two should have helped her!”

“If she needed help, she should have met with the teacher. Not steal another person’s assignment. If you must, think of it as a prank. Or karma.”

“It’s not karma when you make other people suffer for her actions!” Adrien snapped. “Now Lila’s probably going to get akumatized again!”

“And how is that our problem? We’re kids, we don’t have to deal with akumas.”

Adrien’s argument seemed to stumble, his eyes growing wide. “C-Chat Noir will have to! I’m just trying to keep down the amount of work the heroes face! Although—” Adrien’s eyes gained a rather cruel glint to them— “You wouldn’t know much about that, would you. In fact, if I remember right, you make their jobs harder.”

Felix failed to hide a wince at the thought of the triple akuma he caused. But before he could return fire, Marinette spoke up from behind him, though her voice was too low to hear.

Adrien frowned. “What was that?”

“I said—” Marinette brushed past Felix, her eyes shining wetly with rage. “That’s a LOW BLOW, Adrien Agreste!!” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Before you leave, I have made a spotify playlist for this fic. You can find it here. Feel free to leave suggestions for the playlist, as it is mostly musical songs at this point (I even surpassed my hatred of Dear Evan Hanson to put a few of those songs on it, so I need suggestions, please). Thank you!

Taglist: @graduatedmelon @novicevoice @dur55 @kris-pines04 @18-fandoms-unite-08 @moonlightstar64 @bee-a-garbage-shipper @sol-o-shade @kittyotakunoir666 @tinyterror333 @allieoftheenemy @marichat00 @xgxmxtx @two-faced-biatch @feliciakainzofspades @evil-cricket @emilytopaz @spicybelladonna @chocolateherringtacofan @user00000003 @wannajointhecrabcult @happymonster-pants @duquesapincarrasca @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen

#felinette #hey little songbird #lila salt #adrien salt #ml salt #miraculous fanfic #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #felix graham de vanily #adrien agreste #lila rossi #alya cesaire #oc teacher character #mlb #ml fanfic

[degrassi-fanatic]

Hey babie,would you like to write some hotchreid fic about "choose reid over haley",like after hotch divorce,he always deny his feelings about reid,but when some unsub mentions about "the one you most care about is in danger ",he try to save reid but the one exactly in danger is haley.And after these there will be hurt/comfort thing and happy ending...I don’t know if I’m asking too much ,just wanna say I enjoy your hotchreid fics so much.Anyway wish you have a good day!!Love you!!

thank you for sending an ask !!! ily 

i changed up the prompt a bit because i personally do think, even as a hotchreid shipper, that hotch cared a lot about haley and loved her till the end. so i replaced haley in this prompt with kate joyner instead

hope you like it !!

Having just returned from their latest crime scene, Hotch wracks his brain around for any theories on their latest unsub as he steps out of the driver’s side of the SUV. 

The BAU team had been sent out to the FBI Office in New York at the request of Agent Kate Joyner to assist with a case involving the abduction and subsequent murder of federal agents. Their unsub somehow managed to pluck highly intelligent and capable agents off the street and lure them away to a secondary location where he would riddle them with bullets, only to bring their corpses back to the city and leave them strung up in areas with high foot traffic; all without being seen. 

It was no surprise that Kate had decided to amass as many resources as possible, she had even created an FBI-NYPD task force. This case was going nowhere and their volume of victims was only increasing as time went on. 

He knows he’s not the only one desperately hoping that they’ll get any sort of lead soon. 

As Hotch makes his way towards the glass doors of the New York FBI office, he feels his cellphone vibrate in the pocket of his suit jacket. Without looking at the caller ID, he assumes it’s one of his team members and accepts the call.

Before he can greet whoever it is on the other line, a gravelly voice begins speaking, one he does not recognize.

“Agent Hotchner.” the unknown man says. 

“Yes, who is this?”

“Oh, me?” he asks flippantly, “Who I am doesn’t matter right now. It’s what I have, or rather who I have.”

In the middle of the sidewalk just outside the office, Hotch stops in his tracks; ignoring all the passive aggressive looks sent his way as people wade around him and the occasional shove against his shoulder. 

“Excuse me?”

“Did you really think you could come after me and not suffer the consequences?” the man sneers through the phone, “You’re going to regret coming to New York.”

“Who do you have?” he asks, not caring for any of the vague threats the man was sending his way. 

“The one you care for the most.”

His stomach drops and immediately, Hotch tries to remember the last time he called Reid, the last time he saw him, and for some reason both instances seem so long ago that he wonders if Reid hasn’t already been shot yet. 

“Goodbye, Agent Hotchner.” the man says.

And with that, he hangs up and the call ends. 

For a moment, his feet stay planted where they are against the pavement and he cannot move. 

Then, it feels as though someone has dragged his head under freezing water and he begins racing into the office; darting past everyone as he makes his way towards the board room where they had been instructed to use as their home base. 

As he makes it to the door, his eyes survey the room frantically as he checks to see if anyone else is missing; Rossi is arguing with Prentiss over something trivial, JJ is flipping through case files with Morgan, Garcia has her laptop opened in front of her and is typing away, and…

Reid.

Reid is there, staring at the crime scene board as he pushes his thumb between his lips in deep thought. 

“Spencer!” he calls out as he rushes over to him, garnering the attention of everyone in the room.

He watches Reid twist around to look at him, a confused expression spreading across the features of his face. The only expression only grows as Hotch rushes over to him, dragging him into a tight hug. It’s a tad bit awkward at first as Reid’s arms are squished between their chests and his whole body has grown stiff but he cannot bring himself to care about that because he has Reid warm and alive in his arms. 

It only gets better once Reid retracts his arms from between them to wrap around Hotch’s back as he returns the embrace.

Reid was okay, he realizes as he pushes his face into Reid’s hair, ignoring the tickling sensation caused by his tousled tufts.

He was fine. 

“I thought you were… Thank God that you’re alright.” he says breathlessly as he pulls away, “But, the unsub, he said on the phone that—”

Wait, if Reid wasn’t the one the unsub had abducted, then who was? It couldn’t have been anyone from his team since they were all here and accounted for. Perhaps, the man had gotten a hold of the wrong agent’s phone number or maybe he had simply…

Oh no, Hotch thinks as dread pools somewhere deep inside of him.

“Where’s Kate?” 

“We thought she was with you.” 

It had taken them a couple of gruelling hours but eventually they had managed to figure out where their unsub, who they discovered to be thirty-three year old Peter Samuels, was holding Kate captive. Although Samuels was clearly a man with an above average level of intelligence, he was clearly lacking when it came to fighting and was overpowered by Prentiss and Morgan within minutes. 

In the end, Kate was alright. A bit bruised and a little worse for wear than Hotch would have preferred but she was alive and that’s what mattered. He was still rather reluctant leaving her so soon after such a traumatic event and would have stayed in New York for a bit longer but Kate had all but shooed him off, stating that she didn’t need him coddling her for her entire leave. 

Now, the team is back on board the jet and well on their way back home. It’s dark outside the windows and the cabin lights have been dimmed. The team, with the exception of Reid and Hotch, are fast asleep in their own seats; the exhaustion of the last couple of days finally catching up to them. 

Hotch fishes his cellphone out of his pocket and pulls up Kate’s contact information; she never explicitly stated if texting was considered coddling. 

“Is Agent Joyner going to be alright?” Reid whispers from beside him, in an effort to not wake the others.

“Yeah,” he answers as he finishes sending a message, “It’s going to take some time but she’ll recover.”

“That’s good.” Reid murmurs. 

Hotch makes a soft noise in agreement as he tucks in his cellphone back into his pocket. Shifting around in his seat as quietly as he can, he attempts to get into a comfortable position so he too can rest up before they land; he ends up sinking into his chair with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Reid pipes up again. 

“Sure.” he mumbles back. 

“Why did you think I was the one Samuels took?” 

For a brief moment, Hotch considers feigning sleep but, then Reid is gently shaking his arm to gather his attention once more. 

“Hotch?” he whispers, “Aaron?”

“It’s something he said on the phone.” he admits quietly, “He said he took the one I cared for the most.”

“Oh.”

The hand on his bicep falls away and the absence of it feels like a gaping wound. 

Right away, Hotch is opening his eyes and sitting up right. 

“I’m sorry.” he says frantically, “I know this is inappropriate and you’re probably uncomfortable—”

Oh God, why did Hotch say that? Maybe he could blame it on a lack of sleep? Or he could say he misspoke somehow?

“No, wait, listen—” 

He wouldn’t fault Reid if he wanted to file a complaint against him for inappropriate advances or some other form of misconduct. Any formal punishment was far better than the torture he would endure if the rest of the team learned that he was preying on their youngest member. 

“I completely understand if you want to file a complaint—”

“Hotch, that’s the last thing—”

Now, Reid will most likely want to transfer out of the BAU. Who wouldn’t after learning their boss had more-than platonic feelings for them? No, he couldn’t do that to Reid. He knows how much the BAU means to the other man; he’ll be the one to leave. 

“It probably disturbs you to be on the receiving end of my feelings.” Hotch says “I know I’m old and I’m not enjoyable to be around and that I come with far too much—”

Before he can get another word out, he feels a pair of hands fly to both sides of Hotch’s face, followed by a pair of lips slotting between his own. 

It takes a second for his brain and body to realize what’s going on but, once he does, he reels Reid in closer; practically pulling the other man into his lap. 

Far too soon for his liking, however, Reid pulls his mouth away. 

“Hmm?” Hotch hums questioningly, his eyes still closed. 

“I care for you too.” Reid whispers. 

“That’s nice.”

“That’s all you have to say?” he questions, his breath fanning out over Hotch’s mouth.

“Sorry, my brain is coming back online.”

Hotch hears him let out a soft laugh and that alone is incentive enough to finally open his eyes again. He’s greeted by the sight of Reid smiling in the feeble lighting of the cabin, his lips glistening with spit and a faint flush across his cheeks that is almost undetectable with how dark it is. 

“Well, when it does,” Reid says fondly, “Tell it to ask me out on a date.”

“Will do.”

#criminal minds #~ask~ #~fic~ #hotchreid

[softlinkglobal]

Warranting Strategies to Ensure Growth in Your Logistics and Freight Forwarding Business

The estimated size of the global logistics industry ranges from $8 trillion to $12 trillion annually. Armstrong & Associates Inc. is forecasting the total global logistics costs to continue to grow at a more than 5% compounded annual growth rate through 2023.

As Logisticians and Freight Forwarders, you have to look for innovative strategies to match the demand while staying competitive. Here we jot down some of the growth strategies that you can implement for destined success.

AUTOMATION IN DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS

Make technology your friend for the greater gains in your business. The industry players who adopted freight & logistics technology early on did not feel the jolt of the Covid-19 pandemic. Couple freight software technology with your business functions to experience the power of automation. Among the things that a freight forwarding ERP can do for you include: 

Reduce the redundant data entry

Handle auto tax calculation

Auto Reminders for Outstanding payments

Generating Bill of Entry, Bill of Lading, E-invoicing, and other documents

EVERYBODY ON THE DECK OF DATA AND INFORMATION

Disparate systems are the major reasons for delays in operation. Operational and Functional Information in traditional Logistics offices sits on systems that are old, slow, and incapable of data exchange. 

The result of readily-available data provides pathways of clear communication both within the organization and to external stakeholders. Logistics Management Software allows real-time access to a centralized database so you can turn delays into speedy operations. Another significant advantage of real-time and in-sync data availability is faster decision-making.

SCALING UP AND DOWN

Cloud-based Freight Forwarder solutions give your customers access to your services all the time. Being web-based, the Logistics Software can be accessed via an Internet-enabled browser from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone app. Cloud Logistics solutions also give you the flexibility to add modules like Warehouse, Transport, Accounts, Sales, and Service as the need arises. 

Based on how you want to grow, you may choose the Cloud-hosted pay-as-you-go model and be relieved of acquiring any hardware at all. 

If you are a Forwarder who likes to be in control of your hardware and network infrastructure, Logi-Sys also offers on-premise installation.

GIVE MORE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

On average, it takes a shipper a couple of days to receive a complete quotation from a Freight Forwarder. To add to this excruciating delay, your potential leads have to follow up by phone or email to obtain the quotation. This puts off many shippers as there are much quicker and convenient ways to do this.

Freight Solutions like Logi-Sys provide stand-alone and integrated portals for shippers via self-logins for:

Requesting shipping quotations

Confirming and booking of actual Shipment and Container 

Submit and upload import and export compliance documents

Track and Trace shipments

Empower your customers by providing them information faster and also the visibility of all progress.

Up Your Game Against The Increased Competition by prepping for perceived trends ahead of time makes your business resilient. Logi-Sys developed by Softlink carries a legacy of over two-decade of domain knowledge & experience in Digitalizing Logistics & Freight Forwarding industry.

Implement Logi-Sys now!

#Logistics Management Software #Logistics Software #Logi-Sys

[a-ndreey]

@fredrerica thank you for tagging me! <3

Name 3 ships in any order: aaaaa I'm not a big shipper so idk, let's see... I'd day Raskolnikov/Razumichin from crime and punishment, Emily and the Outsider from dishonored 2 (don't judge me, a couples years ago i read the most beautiful fanfiction ever and i was sold on) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from -you don't say- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead

Last song: baby metal by Cor Veleno

Last movie: The Heaters! Loved loved loved the outifts and winona, but the rest was pretty average imo, i think i like the musical better

Currently reading: EVERYTHING, i need to read like 8-10 different books for an exam I'm having early this july -i love it but it's kind of a lot. I'm gonna say that the last book i touched was the brothers Karamazov? Maybe? Either that or Camus's The Rebel

Currently watching: nothing really, i usually lack the attention span required to follow anything longer than a couple minutes - I guess i *could* watch a series but i want to fully appreciate the work behind the final product, and it's not that likely if I'm on the phone all the time

Currently consuming: oxygen. Lots of it. Yummy! Also coffee, because your girl here didn't got much sleep last night

Food I'm craving right now: pomegranates! With lemon and sugar. I love it, it's simply delicious

And now for the 9 people I'd like to knoe more about I'm tagging: @rododaktvlos @sturm-und-drunk @butwewereanempire @evilbi @janiedean @breath-and-scialla @blogitalianissimo @brucetwinksteen @gattigioviani

[marketing-expert24]

What are the challenges e-commerce companies face?

1) An absence of online identity verification

By: www.developermosarrof.com

When a visitor goes to an e-commerce website and signs up, the portal is unaware of the customer, bar the information they entered. Whether the customer information is genuine or not remains questionable. Cash-On-Delivery (COD) purchases using an invalid or fake phone numbers or addresses can lead to huge revenue losses.

So how can this be solved?

By taking the proper steps to verify the customer’s information.

First of all, look out for signs of suspicious activity. This could take the form of particularly high value or large orders, Identify fake phone numbers and email addresses, check whether zip codes match with the state/city. Send a verification link when a customer signs up, via text message or email, to validate the customer is genuine. With COD purchases, an automated call could even dial out to the customer, asking them to validate the delivery address.

2) Delivering an omnichannel customer experience

In today's world, customers can reach out through any number of touch-points. They may visit your website, contact your agent, leave a message on your social media page, shop from your store or contact you through a live chat or a messaging platform.

According to ecomdash, “Any business that isn’t moving toward an omnichannel retailing strategy will likely be left behind by its online savvy competitors.”

So how can this be addressed?

Make sure to equip your team with the right technology.

Up to date, visual engagement tools enable your organization to serve customers across all touchpoints, channels, and journeys.

Identify the key channels.

Find out which channels are most important to your customers. Customer support staff should contact customers via their preferred channels, phone, email, live chat, video call, online help centers or in-app messaging. Integrate and optimize those channels, adding personalized messages and offering one-to-one interaction with live chat or video calling.

Maintain the context.

Direct the conversations based on a user’s previous response. Keep a track of customer conversations using parameters like user profile. This way, you can always respond contextually, irrespective of the channels they used.

Looking for ways to engage your customers and offer consistent support across digital channels? Request a demo to see how Acquire's platform can help you.

3) Competitor Analysis

“You can’t look at the competition and say you’re going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you’re going to do it differently.” – Steve Jobs

In a competitive environment, others will offer the same products and services as you. Unless you have a strategy to differentiates yourself, it is difficult to survive.

So how can this be mitigated against?

Conduct thorough research into competitors.

Place emphasis on developing a strategy enabling you to shine brighter than your competitors. Use social media platforms and blogs for promoting products. Invest in promotional offers to help create more web presence and therefore more customers.

“Businesses with customer loyalty programs, on average, are 88% more profitable than those who do not.”

Carry out research, find which products are more in demand. Remove outdated items. Customer services that go above and beyond provide a route to staying ahead of your competitors.

4) Stuck in at the old-school way of approach to selling

The reason many e-commerce companies find online selling so difficult is that they are, ironically, stuck in the past. Most of them lack the necessary insight into customer behavior and buying patterns, data which can help them thrive in the current e-commerce environment.

So how can this data be leveraged?

Offer products in prominent marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, etc.

These e-commerce sites already have an existing network of buyers so pitching and branding your product becomes relatively easy.

Segment visitors. -

Visitor segmentation allows e-commerce companies to identify and communicate with visitors based on their customer journey, past conversations, geographical location, browsing behavior, referral page, and much more.

In turn, e-commerce companies can anticipate customer needs, offering them a personalized service, such as  ( free delivery or promo codes ), creating a more efficient stream of conversions.

5) Shopping cart abandonment

Shopping cart abandonment is a huge issue. Even e-commerce giants are not immune to this problem.

For instance, when brick and mortar heavyweight Nordstrom started an e-commerce portal, they witnessed big losses from abandoned carts. The tedious and bug-filled checkout process was causing customers to flee in their droves.

Nordstrom had to come up with a new checkout design, turning it into a two-step process.

So how can this be addressed?

Consider redesigning your shopping cart, making sure there are no bugs or an unnecessarily long and frustrating form filling process.

live chat solutions reduce shopping cart abandonment instances. Combining this with features such as visitor segmentation, it is possible to proactively reach out to customers during key stages of their journey, providing the opportunity to engage with customers who would otherwise drop out without purchasing. Visual tools can help address customer queries during the checkout process.

6) Maintaining customer loyalty

Even with the best-designed website out there, without customer trust and loyalty, the business is bound to struggle.

Creating new customers and then maintaining them requires a massive effort. One of the reasons e-commerce companies in particular face a challenge in building customer trust and loyalty is the seller and buyer don’t know each other. Nor can they see each other. Thus, the customer is robbed of the senses they would normally rely on in face to face transactions. This can only be made up for through time and effort. Across multiple transactions, eventually, the company can build this trust and loyalty.

So how can this be harnessed?

“Customer service is what you and your organization provide. Customer loyalty is the result of the service.” – Shep Hyken

You must make sure the customer is satisfied with the whole process, from ordering online to shipping. Plenty of online retailers may be selling the same product, so you must identify competitive advantage and nurture your customer service accordingly.

Increase trust with visitors by:

Displaying your address, phone number, pictures of staff, customer testimonials, and credibility badges on your website.

Add a live chat option to the website.

Create blogs, they help build trust. Make customer service a priority over profit. Remember, it’s easier to maintain an existing customer than to find a new one.

Create loyalty programs. The points can’t be transferred to other companies, so the customer will have to purchase from you.

7) The headache of product return and refund

A survey by comScore and UPS, showed 63% of American consumers check the return policy before making a purchase and 48% would shop more with retailers offering hassle-free returns. e-consumers are clearly conscious of return and refund policies.

When a product is returned, whether due to a dissatisfied customer or damaged product, the business suffers a heavy loss in shipment and reputation. Logistic and shipping costs have always been problematic to e-commerce sellers delivering their product for free.

How can this be taken into account?

Return and refund are also part of great customer service, .

It would be a big mistake to forget that. The best thing you can do is build a strong returns policy. Consider the following when designing it:

Be transparent. Never hide your policy.

Use plain English, understandable to everyone. Not all your customers will be clued up with the terminology.

Try avoiding phrases like, “you must” ‘’and “you are required”, which may seem harsh and put off potential customers.

Outline what they can expect from you. Provide different options for payments and shipping.

Educate staff about your return policy, so they can assist customers effectively.

Be prepared to face the cost of your mistakes. If the product is shipped wrong, take extra effort to keep the customer happy.

8) The struggle of competing on price and shipping

Online merchants frequently compete on price. Plenty of sellers list the same products on their sites, but the prices may be different. They are vying to increase their market share by selling the product.

Price competition particularly affects small e-commerce businesses, as mid-sized and large competitors can often offer products for less. Combine this with free shipping, and smaller companies simply can’t afford to compete on price.

Online sellers like Amazon and Walmart generally have shipping amenities distributed across the country. Their warehouses allow orders to be shipped from the closest facility. Approximately 60% of orders come from the same area as the customer. As they are shipped from nearby warehouses, the cost of distribution decreases and the order arrives in a day or two.

Ultimately every online shopper expects free and fast shipping. And all that at a low price.

how can this be combatted?

To survive in a competitive market, e-commerce companies need to distribute their inventory to fulfillment warehouses, become extremely resourceful shippers, or find some unique products to minimize this problem. Ultimately every online shopper expects free and fast shipping at the lowest price.  

9) Competing against retailers and manufacturers

Many online stores bulk buy products wholesale from manufacturers or distributors, selling them with retail online. This is the basic business model for online stores.

Unfortunately, due in part to e-commerce's low barrier to entry, product manufacturers and retailers start selling directly to consumers.

The same company that sells your products may also be your competitor. For example, ABC Garments sells to not just your online marketplace, but also directly to consumers on its website. Even some of the manufacturers create distributors, making the scenario worse.

So how can this be solved?

Stopping manufacturers selling products directly to customers may not be possible, but there are a few tactics to minimize the problem.

Give priority to manufacturers less likely to sell directly to customers.

Offer the product at a lower price or with additional benefits to increase sales.

Restrict the manufacturer from selling the product directly to customers by setting this out in the contract. It will be not possible for every manufacturer, but you can work with smaller manufacturers.

10) A problem of data security

Security issues can lead to nightmare scenarios. Fraudsters post spam and attack the web host server, infecting the websites with viruses. They can potentially gain access to confidential data about your customer’s phone numbers, card details, etc.

So how can this situation be avoided?

Manage your own servers.

Do not use common FTP to transfer files, as they are “Overall the web is sloppy, but an online store can’t afford to be.” -Paul Graham, YC

If the consumer wants anything, they will first start searching on the internet when a consumer wants something, their first port of call is the internet. Although eCommerce E-commerce transactions have increased grown at a crazy pace at an incredible rate since its birth, the competition to place your product on the top and to make a steady sale has also increased and so has the competition to make the best use of it.

The last word:

Surviving in the E-commerce competition, which is no less than is war. Surviving it requires outstanding strategies. If you don't want to struggle, then give extra place efforts on you into every aspect of the business. You must be prepared for challenges and strive for growth at every stage of your business., and ultimately, this will provide you with the best possible chance it will have a better chance to bloom flourish.

If any developer copies files in an open Wi-Fi network, passwords and other confidential data can be stolen. By constantly updating the shopping cart, you can minimize the risk of stolen data. Most content management systems store their data in the database. Developers should take backups at regular intervals retrieving the data if stolen.

And remember…

The e-commerce industry is at war. Surviving it requires outstanding strategies to solve the common ecommerce problems. Place effort into every aspect of the business. Be prepared for challenges and strive for growth at every stage of your business. Ultimately, this will provide you with the best possible chance to flouris.

#business #ecommerce #dropshiping #shopify