#Why Yes this is based off the fact that I can only draw ghost tails like they’re nagas lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

emyluwinter · 3 years

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I've seen a lot of au and I want to do something like this. But knowing my resources, I understand that I will not pull something like this. Therefore,

Creative Yuu Au!

Based on that, there is an easel in the room of Grimm and Yuu. I think that Yuu draws amazing.

What could be better than sitting in peace and quiet, away from all the hustle and bustle of college and errands from Crowley. Mixing paints or choosing the right composition. Find some vintage vintage frames for your paintings. Or even equip an entire workshop for your creativity!!

Definitely a spacious room with large windows and light floors (Light is very important when painting pictures. Therefore, often the floor is light in such workshops) Definitely ghosts helped to choose the best room for this purpose. And they are watching the process itself with sincere curiosity.

When the weather is suitable, Yuu often goes out to planer on the college grounds. Usually, the Grimm always follows Yuu like a his tail. Because she can find such beautiful landscapes that not all students have even heard about it.

Grimm is a fan of warming up and taking a nap in the sun. Sometimes he has the mood to join the art!! But he often gets tired of holding the brushes, and he literally draws with his paws.

Yuu always looks with undisguised childish delight at how Grimm is diligently trying to make a straight line. In most cases, a huge number of prints of his paws remain on the canvas.

Grimm was upset at first that he did not come out as "neat" as Yuu. But he was quickly encouraged by the words that it was "his handwriting"

After explaining the principle of painting paintings in impressionism, Grimm no longer holds brushes and simply leaves his traces on the canvas until he has enough strength.

Yuu always makes small frames for each "masterpiece of the unsurpassed Great Master and artist Grimm"

Yuu asks him to make the signature shorter.

When the days are especially calm, Yuu approaches the ghosts-employees of the college. Asking them to be models for portraits. Because students will definitely ask for payment.

Considering that ghosts are not particularly noticeable in mirrors ( Forgive my ignorance, but I do not know if ghosts are reflected. If you consider that a photo with them can only turn out on Halloween )

They burst into tears at the thought that they could see themselves after several decades. And the fact that Yuu will not take payment from them. Very often, ghosts buy their own portraits from Yuu.

In college, there was almost a serious conflict among the ghosts because of whose turn it was to be a model for Yuu.

Now the prefect of Onboro has a record scheduled for two weeks in advance.

Yuu secretly makes a "manicure" on the portrait of Rosalyn next to the teacher's room. The girl depicted in the portrait was delighted with these small changes that diversified her leisure time.

Rosalyn is now very carefully choosing the design and color for this monthly tradition. A couple of times, Yuu drew her additional earrings or flower wreaths.

Teachers are still puzzling over where this came from.

Rosalyn tells at the "manicure" all the latest news or gossip that she has heard or knows. Sometimes she asks to paint her lips with a certain shade to give Yuu air kisses when saying goodbye.

Of course, Yuu drew all her friends or senpai. And even selected certain costumes for them. Only these albums or paintings Yuu has to hide so that no one sees it, otherwise she will have to pay off the "models", She is really afraid of how they will react.

But naturally, one single person found out about it...yes, the Rook. We're talking about you. He noticed a stack of albums in Yuu backpack while she was walking with an easel and looking for the right place under a tree near the botanical garden.

Yuu was ready to fight to the death just to get her albums out of the hands of a curious hunter.

This stalker showed several Vil...to her great horror..

Yuu had to explain for two hours why she took this or that concept or shade for a sketch or a full-fledged picture. Also with details or clothing.

Vil liked this fresh look, an inexperienced person. And also Yuu has a part-time job in creating decorations for his club.

It is difficult for Yuu to remember a lot of magical information, so she often makes "visual cards" - they were informative and clearly answered the necessary questions. That soon became popular throughout the class.

Ace and Deuce often took them to exams as spurs. It became easier for Grimm to remember.

When Deuce asked Yuu to help with a magic spell.

Wel...........Yuu, to put it mildly, was "perplexed"

She is the only non-magical student in the entire college. Her knowledge of magic was only enough to answer the tests, but not in practice. Help? with a spell? Deuce? Deuce Spade are you sure you're healthy ?

Deuce had to explain to her, seeing her confused face, that he had not hit his head, and this was not a prank from Ace.

The fact is that Yuu imagination is much better and he thought that this could help. The director said that magicians are either engaged in writing or drawing in order to more clearly represent magic in their head.

Plus, Yuu can safely ask for help from others and Deuce thought that this should not be something "bad" if you need advice or a look from the outside. Even despite all his pride and stubbornness.

And so Deuce secretly began to learn how to "visualize" his magic.

At first, he broke pencils an insane number of times. His pressed too hard or even made holes in the papper.

Yuu explained that first he trains his hand by drawing in the "air above the sheet", then he also tries on paper.

Deuce at first did not even understand how you can "draw in the air", but after seeing how Yuu trains to draw a Sigil circle (a magic circle if you want) then he quickly grabbed what was what and it became easier for him to handle the tools. There was also an explanation to make the lines more even, it is necessary to use not only the hand, but the forearm, and sometimes the entire arm.

To help and choose your own style for Deuce, Yuu suggested using simple forms to start with. Circles, squares, arrows or pointers. The simplest thing that could come up.

Deuce literally started drawing a graphic instruction for the spell. With a bunch of arrows and pointers. And so Yuu came to the conclusion that Deuce strong point is fast lines, with strong pressing and sharply outlined.

On the exam, Deuce scored a phenomenal 92 points, falling just a few short of 94, due to a couple of completely stupid mistakes with pointers. He was very nervous and made mistakes when directing magic.

He was so happy and proud of himself that he promised Yuu to do everything she asked. (Usually it was about helping to carry bags of food or small harmless errands) And also did not let her out of his arms for a good 6 minutes.

Of course, he told his mother about it. Good boy.

Ace literally stopped talking to him for two hours that day out of envy and hurt pride.

For Grimm, this is the style of "cat tracks" taking a certain shape at the end. And he also learned to control not to blow out a huge flame at once. And for example, to light small candles. Over time, his fire became much more manageable. But he still has a lot to learn.

Yuu was grateful that now all the firewood in the fireplaces in Onboro does not turn into ashes in just a second.

#twst disney #twst deuce #deuce twst #deuce spade #twisted wonderland deuce #ace twst #twst ace #ace trappola #twst grim #twst grimm #twst yuu #twst mc #twst reader #Creative Yuu AU

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mellointheory · 3 years

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inhaling smoke, i just awoke

Red wakes up because he’s cold.

It’s winter in Hypixel City, and even the amount of toxins the city puts into the air doesn’t keep the weather from getting cold. Red used to live near a factory that, despite its other drawbacks, kept the air around it warm. He moved away from the factory after he lost his job at the pharmacy. Of course, at that point there wasn’t much of a factory to move away from.

He fights the urge to stay in bed, even though his blankets are thin. It’s only when a glance at his alarm clock tells him it’s 10:46 AM that he gains the motivation to get up. His hands are numb and he blows on them periodically as he gets dressed. There are stains on his palms and fingertips; skin spotted in dark purple and blue. He was working on something new before he went to bed: a recipe of his own that should give the user enhanced eyesight. He tried it last night and all it did was give everything he looked at an edge of bright orange or cyan. He still has the residual headache from it behind his eyes.

Red and white hoodie. Headphones. Bag full of enhancements--the kind that people will actually buy. A baseball bat painted with candy-cane stripes, just in case. Then it’s time for him to go to work.

He ended up in the dockyards of the city after the pharmacy incident, partially because no one would come looking for him here and partially because it was full of exactly the type of degenerates he could sell to. This was where the unwanted of the city ended up; hybrids and cyborgs who’d gone to the wrong place for their surgeries, stray creatures trying to scrape through living in alleyways. One of them ducks into a gutter as he passes; a kind of modified creature with fur and wings. It’s probably been commissioned by some rich person in the upper quarter of the city, then tossed out as soon as they got bored with their living artwork.

Red turns up the music in his headphones and shoves his hands in his hoodie pockets, trying to keep them warm. It’s snowing out here; flakes of grey slush raining down. He could almost mistake it for ash if it didn’t melt when it touched his skin.

A neon sign, its glow still noticeable despite the late morning due to the dark clouds hanging in the sky, catches his attention.

Munchy, it reads in cursive yellow text. Below it are the glass doors of what appears to be a small bar. It’s a little early for one to be open, and there’s far more patrons than he would guess from a place like this. They must serve breakfast or something. He’s not dumb enough to sell in someone else’s establishment without talking to the owner first; but this has more potential customers than anywhere else he’s passed and he’s loathe to let the chance go.

Red pushes one of the doors open with his forearm and walks inside, exhaling as warm air swirls around him. He walks up to the counter and sits down, resting his elbows on it and sliding his headphones down around his neck.

“Can I get you anything?” A blonde man in an apron turns towards him, sliding a cup of coffee across the counter to someone sitting a few seats down.

“Um, yes.” Red straightens his back, smacking his palms down on the counter. “Could I talk to the owner?”

The man squints at him through green eyes, vaguely suspiciously, then shrugs. “Sure. He’s through those doors,” a finger points at a pair of double doors at the other end of the bar.

Red spins his bar stool in the direction the blonde man directed and gets up, walking over the strip of linoleum floor between squeaky-clean booths. He pushes the indicated doors open and find what appears to be a small casino. His gaze passes over the poker and pool tables and catches on a figure behind a desk all the way at the other end of the room. He takes a step forward.

“Excuse me,” a voice at his elbow says, and he turns to see a cat.

A catboy.

The man is standing behind a counter to Red’s right, soft fur and pointed ears and huge eyes. He’s patterned like toast, is Red’s first thought. Soft, cream colored fur that shades to tan on his face and almost black on the backs of his ears. His hands that rest on the counter are delicate and covered in short fur as well, except for soft pads on his palms and fingertips. Red wonders if he has claws. His blue eyes are mostly pupil at the moment, dilated in the low lights of the empty casino.

“You need to leave your weapon here.” The cat hybrid says apologetically. He has little fangs that glint against the pink inside of his mouth when he speaks.

Red reaches up and pulls his basketball bat from where it’s strapped to his back, extending his arm full length to hand it to the other man. The cat hybrid leans forward to grab it as close to the handle as possible and Red glimpses his tail curling up behind the counter to help him keep his balance.

Coming here was a very good idea.

The thought stays even when he walks up to the desk at the other end of the casino and sees a demon sitting there.

The demon’s name is Bad and despite his initial disappointment that Red was not in fact a traveling muffin salesman, he gives Red permission to sell his enhancements in that area. Red may have glossed over all of the benefits of the various concoctions he creates, but he receives the go-ahead that he needs.

If anyone bothers you, feel free to let me or Antfrost know! The demon said cheerily as Red was on his way out. The catboy nodded in agreement, eyes staying downcast when he handed Red back his baseball bat.

Red half hopes that someone will mess with him. He waves a goodbye to the blonde man working behind the bar and hooks his headphones up over his ears again as he strides out into the cold of the street.

He sells half of the supply he packed, and only one person tries to rob him. That’s a downright phenomenal day of business, honestly. He starts to head home when he gets hungry in the late afternoon. The sun is low in the sky at this point, and that combined with the heavy cloud cover of winter has it dark enough for the street lights to be on. Its not night, but there’s a grey gloom over everything that’s only faintly dispelled by the blue-white street lamps every once in a while.

Red hums along to the music in his headphones as he walks. It’s finally stopped snowing. There’s about an inch of snow on the ground, trampled to grey slush on the street and sidewalk, and in the gutter stained various colors by whatever toxic muck runs through there. He spies a patch of untouched snow near the base of a building and squats down, pressing his forefinger into it.

The snow stains red, chemicals bleeding off of Red’s skin into the pristine whiteness. A trail of crimson trails after his finger as he drags it through the snow.

He draws a penis.

“Excuse me?” A voice asks hesitantly, and Red looks up. The catboy from earlier today is standing above him, huddled in a dark green coat. Like an angel from above, back in Red’s life already. Antfrost, the demon had said his name was.

“Hi, Antfrost.” Red beams, standing up and shoving his headphones down around his neck so he can hear the man properly.

“Hi, I—didn’t catch your name.” Antfrost glances down at the penis Red drew in the snow.

“I’m Velvet, but most people call me Red.” Red sticks out a hand.

“I can see why.” Antfrost stares at the red stains on his skin, hesitates, then reaches out and clasps Red’s hand. He shakes it once, then pulls his back. His fur is like soft silk and the pads on his palms are warm enough to leave the faint ghost of his touch on Red’s skin.

“Do you sell sedatives?” Antfrost asks abruptly, shoving both his hands into his coat’s pockets. Red notices that his tail is nowhere in sight, which means it’s probably tucked away into his pants to stay warm. The thought is unbearably endearing to him.

“What kind of sedatives do you want?” Red asks, swinging his shoulder bag around in front of him and unzipping it to look through it.

“A mist or something?” Antfrost tries to peer inside the bag, although odds are that he doesn’t know what any of the potions’ colors and appearance actually mean.

“How wide of a range do you need?” Red zips his bag shut again and folds his arms.

“Big.” Antfrost’s pupils tighten to little slits, and he frowns. And now he looks dangerous, a fanged man with narrowed eyes and some goal not yet revealed to Red. It’s fascinating.

“I don’t have anything like that with me,” Red starts, and before Antfrost can open his mouth he continues, “but I can make some for you within an hour. When do you need it?”

“Tonight.” Antfrost says resolutely. “How much will it cost?”

“For you? Free.” Red turns and starts down the street again. Antfrost follows a few feet behind.

“Are you sure?” The cat hybrid asks.

“Of course I am. Your boss did me a favor, so I’ll pay it forward.” Red glances back at him. “I can make that in half an hour, if you don’t mind waiting at my place till it’s done.”

“That’s not a problem.” Ant puts his hood up. His ears make little points in the top of the fabric.

Red’s apartment is only a few minutes away, but it’s long enough for his hands to get numb. His headphones double as earmuffs, so he puts them back on as they walk to keep his ears from getting cold. He’s thankful for when they finally make it up the stairs to the small, three room apartment that he calls home.

Damn, not even the first date and Antfrost has already come home with him.

Red fumbles with his keys and unlocks the door with cold fingers, kicking it open and nodding at Antfrost to go inside. He pries the keys out of the lock and closes the door behind them, exhaling. He doesn’t have heating, but the walls and insulation make it at least a little bit warmer than outside, and as soon as he starts cooking what Antfrost has asked for, it’ll heat up in here.

The front door opens directly to the small tiled kitchen that Red uses almost exclusively for manufacturing. The counters are occupied by synthesis stands and bunsen burners, and the open cupboards are full of jars of multicolored chemicals. Red sets his bag on the ground and rolls up his hoodie sleeves, nudging his chin at Antfrost. “Can you pull the pots out of that and put them in the fridge?”

Antfrost nods, turning around from where he was ogling the liquid-filled glass on Red’s shelves. Red slips past him and reaches up, pulling down four different bottles and putting them on the counter. This is a simple recipe, it shouldn’t take him long. He starts the blue flame of the burner and holds his hands over it, letting his numbed fingers warm up.

“How large of a radius do you need this to cover?” Red swirls a vial of zolazepam hydrochloride, then checks the temperature of the flame and turns it down slightly.

“I don’t know, big?” Antfrost rests his elbows on the counter, staring at the swirls of bubbles in the depths of the liquid. “Like, small stadium sized.”

Red whistles, sloshing tiletamine into one of the vials in the synthesis stand. Some of it splashes on his fingers, adding to the stains on his skin. He doesn’t mind. Antfrost is definitely planning something very, very interesting tonight. Hopefully no one can trace the origins of the sedative back to Red. He adds a few more chemicals to another vial, caps them both, and presses a button to start the process. He puts a few pumps of nitrous oxide into the mixing chamber.

“It’s like a cock-fighting ring,” Antfrost bursts out.

“You mean a strip club?” Red raises an eyebrow.

“Wh--no.” Antfrost blinks. Pauses. Gathers his words again. He’s cute when he’s flustered. “It’s like a pit where they get genetically modded animals to fight and bet on it. They have a bunch of chimeras trapped in there.”

“So you want to get them out, huh?” Red turns a valve and watches as the two vials mix, emerald green and golden liquid swirling together.

Antfrost nods.

“Why tonight?”

“They keep them all locked up except for the fights.” Antfrost explains. His ears flatten back against his head as he speaks. “But they’ll all be out in their cages tonight. So if I can knock the entire place unconscious…”

“You can get them out.” Red finishes. “What are you gonna do with them after? Keep them in your basement?”

“Drive them to the edge of the city and let them out.” Ant’s tail has slipped free from wherever he was hiding it, and Red is so distracted by its back-and-forth swishing that he almost forgets to turn down the flame exactly when the mixture is boiling at 211° Fahrenheit.

Antfrost wants to be a hero.

Red grew up in the bowels of Hypixel City, pinching pennies like his parents taught him to. He only stayed off the streets due to an unusually high tolerance for chemicals that landed him a job at a pharmacy, mixing drugs for addicts trying to get their fix through the guise of medicine. He’s experienced with cynicism, with people busy deciding something wasn’t their problem simply because they didn’t have the strength to care. And here was this hybrid man, planning an optimistic rescue mission just because he knew animals were being hurt and it made him sad.

Kindness. Red wonders when it became something unfamiliar to him.

The liquid he’s mixed evaporates into a faint yellow mist that he splits into three different vials. He caps them and lines them up on the counter. Antfrost reaches for the one still under Red’s hand and, impulsively, he slides it farther away from the hybrid’s grasp.

“I’m coming.” Red declares. Antfrost looks up, pupils dilating and expanding to make his blue eyes suddenly seem three times bigger. Fuck, that’s cute.

“Are you sure?” He asks, screwing up his face.

“Absolutely.” Red nods.

“Can you fight at all?” Antfrost steps back and gives Red a once-over.

“I don’t carry a baseball bat around just because it makes me look sexy.” Red reminds him.

“Okay, sure,” Antfrost says doubtfully.

“When do we leave?”

Antfrost looks around for a clock on the walls, turning in a slow circle and finding none. Red shakes his sleeve back from his wrist and holds his arm out to let the hybrid read the time. It’s 5:43 in the afternoon.

“I have to get back to Bad’s bar and work.” Antfrost yanks his hood back up over his head. “But I’ll come get you around midnight, if you’re still up for it.”

Red leans against the wall to let him pass. “I will be.”

Antfrost casts a glance over his shoulder, eyes glowing faint blue from the inside of his hood. “Are you sure? You really, actually want to help?”

“Don’t have a reason not to.” Red shrugs.

There’s a long silence, then Antfrost finally says a soft thank you and leaves.

#velvetiscake #antfrost #long post #badboyhalo #ppcrew cyberpunk #mello writes

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imagineaworlds · 4 years

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When the World Stopped -- Aaron Hotchner

Written By: @desperately-bisexual

Request: None.

Warnings: Cursing. Smoking tobacco. Mentions of underage drinking. Allusion to the use and trade of drugs.

Pairing: Young!Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Word Count: 2028

When I first saw him, he was hiding behind the school with his friends, passing around a few cigarettes. While they were certainly hiding from the public eye, they weren’t exactly under cover from anyone like myself who would happen upon them. I mean, their whole operation was out in the open. They weren’t even that good at exchanging the sticks and the lighters in their palms without being obvious about it. The least they could have done was use the shed out on the far off baseball field as cover. But, nope. They were right there, sitting on a bench, lighting up for anyone to see.

I guess I shouldn’t have been exactly surprised, either. The kind of crowd he ran in wasn’t exactly breeding valedictorians. Most of them probably saw themselves winding up in prison or a grave six feet under for their ten years after high school plan. They were the kind of kids who were totally nonchalant about school and socializing. It didn’t matter what their attendance was, how well they did with their grades, or who liked them because they all felt like they had been set up for failure in life, so what was the point in trying, right? But he was the worst of them all. From what I heard in the rumor mill, he liked to smoke more than just cigarettes, and he couldn’t have given a single fuck about what would happen if he got caught with it on the school’s campus. He was probably the one who told the rest of them that they should start lighting up then and there.

As I passed by them though, trying to maintain my distance so as to not draw attention to myself, I could feel his eyes following me. There was a point where I glanced up quickly to see if he really was watching me or if I was going insane, and I could see just how out of place he suddenly looked. While all of his friends were still joking around, shoving each other, poking each other, and putting the lighters in each other’s faces, he stopped entirely to just stare at me. His mouth fell agape slightly and I saw his eyes soften. Suddenly, he didn’t look like the kind of kid who would run with that crowd— let alone run it.

“Aaron—” one of his friends laughed, shoving his shoulder back to catch his attention.

He barely wavered, moving with the impact of the hit, but his eyes stayed on mine. I slowed down ever so slightly, just to see if it was me or if something behind me caught his attention. But as I came to a slow and steady stop, he jumped up from the bench they were sitting on, and he ran over to me. His hair bounced with each step, the cigarette trapped between his teeth holding on for dear life, but his eyes were still on mine.

“Aaron!” his friends called after him.

I started walking again. I wanted nothing to do with him or the friends who were waiting for him to go back. They weren’t the kind of kids I necessarily enjoyed, and I was positive that no one would think it was a good idea for me to get caught up in a crowd like that, either. As the new kid, I had been working over time to ensure that my image stayed squeaky clean. I didn’t need students, teachers, or parents of my new friends judging me based on the simple, stupid fact that the wrong kid ran up to talk to me.

“Wait up!” I finally heard him call when I turned on my heels and nearly made a run for it.

I froze in place and screwed my eyes shut as I cursed myself for daring to look up at him in the first place. Maybe it was my fault. He had been watching me for some reason. Maybe it was because he wanted me to give him a reason to pick on me. Maybe he was going to pull a knife on me and tell me to hand over all the money I had— which wasn’t much, obviously. But him and his friends seemed like the desperate kind to steal just to get enough cash for cigarettes or booze.

I turned back on my heels so that I could face him, and maybe get the upper hand by telling him off before he could try something. “What do you want—”

“What’s your name?” he asked, pulling his cigarette out of his mouth to exhale the smoke.

I furrowed my brows. “What’s it to you?”

He smirked. “I just haven’t seen you around before, that’s all.”

“So?”

“So… You’d think that I would have noticed someone as breath taking as you before.”

I chortled. What a line. Geez, I couldn’t believe that I actually thought that this kid would try to rob me. He probably couldn’t even hurt a fly, despite the impression he was trying to give the rest of the world. Between the leather jacket, the black shades clipped to the collar of his shirt, the cigarette between his fingers, the fake diamond ear piercing, and the I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude, anyone would have guessed that this kid was a low-life, amount to nothing, soon to be high school wash out. Hell, I clearly thought that about him at first, too. But when he stared at me like that, then started talking, then smiled… I realized that he was just a kid like me. Maybe he was lost, or maybe he was just downright stupid for acting the way he did, but he was still a kid.

But that line he hit me with… I couldn’t help but laugh. This act he was putting on for the rest of the world dictated that he needed to be the kind of guy who was a douchebag and could go up to any person with the same line, and somehow get in her pants. Though, I doubt it ever really worked. It certainly wasn’t working on me. It didn’t even roll off his tongue the way he wanted, which was probably a product of the fact that he seemed to cringe himself in response to what he said. It was a douchebag line, and he knew it. He was probably just ashamed that he said it— but more so that he had to play the role that told him he needed to say it.

“I should be going,” I said to him.

“No— Wait—” he insisted, reaching out to grab my hand before I could walk away again.

When his skin met mine, we both froze, staring at my wrist and the grip he had around it. I could feel that I had stopped breathing, yet I couldn’t seem to remember how to inhale. I knew that I needed to breathe eventually, but with his hand on me, I wasn’t sure if I could. There was something about his touch. It didn’t scare me, like I thought it would. It didn’t make me want to scream out for help or to tuck tail and run. In fact, it made me want to stay. Somehow, it made me want to listen to all of his cheesy pick up lines, to give him the chance to make one stick— just as long as he was still touching me. The world felt quiet when he held me like that. It was such an innocent touch, yet, for some reason, it made the reality around us disappear long enough for me to look back up at him and realize that he was just as taken aback as I was. Where he once had an asshole-type smirk, he was now biting his bottom lip, trying to focus on finding his breath again.

My eyes searched his for a moment. I took note of how dark they were. Besides the vivid brown irises, his pupils were dilated to the point I thought that I could get lost in their black abyss. Then I panicked when I actually started to get lost. I pulled my hand away from him in an instant and tried to play it cool by using my palms to flatten out my skirt.

“Who are you?” he asked again, this time more sincere.

I looked at him through my lashes. “Y/N.”

“Y/N… what?”

“It’s a small town. You’ll find out eventually… Aaron.” It felt weird to say his name when I didn’t know him. It felt like whispering the same of a ghost. “I’ll see you around.”

“Wait—” he stopped me again. I rolled my eyes and tapped my foot against the sidewalk impatiently. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Not whatever it is you’re doing.” I glanced over his shoulder to see his friends still lighting up while watching us intently. “Like I said, I’ll see you around, Aaron.”

“Hotchner.”

I raised a brow. “What?”

“My last name is Hotchner. Now you have to tell me yours.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to any such terms.”

“You’re right. You didn’t. Will you at least agree to letting me take you to a movie tonight?”

I chuckled. “Why? So that you can try to shove your tongue down my throat for two hours? I’ll pass, Aaron Hotchner.” I made a step to the side to try and escape our conversation, but he caught me again, and I felt the world disappear once more. “Will you ever let me leave?”

“Only if you say yes.”

“You don’t even know me.”

He shrugged. “I’d like to. That’s the whole point, right? And, well… trying to stick my tongue down your throat for two hours is just an added bonus.” He laughed, returning to his douchebag persona as he let go of me. I gagged. “I’m kidding!”

“Hotch!” his female friend called from the bench.

He shooed them with a waving hand behind his back. “Listen, Y/N,” he let my name roll off his tongue, “I’d really like to take you to a movie tonight. No tongue involved. Say yes, and if you like it, maybe you’ll consider telling me your last name. Say yes, and you hate it, you can say ‘I told you so’ and never see me again. Say no, and you'll just sit at home all night, asking yourself why you couldn’t think or breathe when I do this…” His pinkie lightly ran over my wrist, sending a shiver up my spine. Damn him. “What do you say?”

I sucked in a deep breath as his touch retreated. He was right, unfortunately. If I said no— which, I really wanted to— then I’d just be moping around, wondering why the hell I looked at him, why he came running over, why he seemed to be interested in learning my name, and why the hell the world seemed to stop every time he touched me. But, like I said, I had worked too hard to get where I was with people’s impressions of me to throw it all away for a night of answers. Aaron Hotchner was bad news… He really was. He was exactly the kind of person I should’ve been staying away from. Yet, his eyes seemed to capture me again long enough to practically hypnotize me into nodding and whispering, “Yes.”

Hotch, as his friends called him, grinned ear to ear at my response. He fixed his posture, standing up taller than before. He bit down gently on his cigarette, breathing in a hefty amount of smoke. With his hands now free, he brushed his hair back out of his face, then winked at me. From behind his cigarette, he mumbled, “I’ll pick you up at six.”

“You don’t know where I live,” I rolled my eyes and bit back a smile. “I’ll meet you there at six.”

He grabbed his cigarette again. “Fair enough.” He exhaled carefully, pushing the smoke up into his nose… seductively. “I’ll see you then. Y/N.”

I nodded. “See you then. Aaron Hotchner.”

And the world caught up to reality again as he turned to run back to his friends.

criminal minds family: @peggy1999 @gorgeousdarkangel @marvelismylifffe @alex--awesome--22 @oceaneblu

#criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds imagines #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner imagines

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ruensroad · 4 years

Text

The Ghost Boys

A silly AU with the Junior Quartet that sits in my Psychic Dective AU, believe it or not, though in the future quite a ways. Featuring ghost hunter chaos boys, Empath!Jin Ling, and Fairy being the best emotional support doggo.

For @this-solaris-life because she’s been having a rough couple of days. Hope this makes you smile! --- “I want it known, for the record, that this is a terrible idea,” Jingyi said the moment the red lights of his friends’ cameras turned on, so they and the world at large would know he was the only voice of reason in this whole fiasco. Of course, he was ignored, as he usually was, which probably meant they were going to die.

No one ever listened to the smart one in horror movies, after all. And maybe this wasn’t exactly a horror movie, but it was close enough!

“Alright Ghosties, listen up,” Jin Ling huffed at his camera, as though Jingyi wasn’t currently whining at his back, flawless as ever, “do not try this at home, or do not do it alone if you do it anyway. And remember, safety first. Always protect your dog’s feet if you bring them along.”

Jingyi sighed as the camera panned to him, or rather to Fairy, who was happily leaning into the hug Jingyi was giving him. The huge husky’s tail wagged and he lifted a paw when Jin Ling wiggled his fingers, which had a proper shoe-booty on it.

“Keep your ghost hunting dogs safe,” Jin Ling ordered, all seriousness, and Jingyi pouted up at him.

“What about your ghost hunting boyfriends?” he demanded, already fighting a chill, and it wasn’t just from the cold. This place was seven levels of creepy and it was just the outside.

Jin Ling’s expression was all coolness, a front Jingyi knew for the camera given his warm eyes were downright laughing at him. Rude. “Eh. You can be ghost food.”

Yuan quickly lifted his own camera and stepped between them, running over Jingyi’s squawk of outrage with a soft laugh. “No one will be ghost food,” he reassured, before beaming at their unseen audience. “Hello Ghosties! Today we’re in Hong Kong to film an abandoned Love Hotel.”

He tilted his camera to pan behind him while Zizhen’s followed him too, as it usually did, the man’s eyes soft and content over his fluffy scarf. “It was built in a housing boom during the eighties, but abandoned in 2003. Lots of interesting stories about this place too…”

As he rattled off a few, filming the discreet outside of the building, Jingyi moved over to Jin Ling with Fairy in tow, shuddering as a breeze blew over the back of his neck.

“We’re not going to die, right?” he asked, needing reassurance. The perks of dating an Empath, he’d found, were that said boyfriend could feel out all ghosts and warn him beforehand. Even if he used this power for evil teasing more often than not, it was still a valuable skill to have and Jingyi leaned on it every time he agreed to do this insanity with the rest of them.

Jin Ling considered that. “Well, it won’t be ghosts that kill us if we do,” he said, because he was a demon, and Jingyi swatted his arm, cracking his cool exterior with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I got my pepper spray.”

“And I got the dog with fangs,” Jingyi said, struggling for some calm. He knelt down to muss the dog’s squishy cheeks, which did nothing to make the dog seem frightening. “You’ll protect me, right Fairy? You’re the best boy. You won’t let anyone hurt me!”

Fairy wiggled in agreement, wagging his tail so hard his whole butt moved too. Jingyi laughed, feeling slightly better, and for a blessed moment cooed at Fairy and pretended he was not about to walk into a death trap because he was obviously an idiot.

It didn’t last nearly long enough before Jin Ling was calling them all to order and holding open a break in the chain link fence they’d found to get in. Yuan ducked in first, followed by Zizhen, who finally moved his camera off of him to film a broken window; then it was Fairy’s turn to pull Jingyi along, followed by Jin Ling, who set a comforting hand on his lower back as he passed by.

“They said a woman hung herself from the third floor banister,” Yuan said as Jin Ling tried the door handle. “I think that’s a great place to try our spirit box.”

Zizhen hummed a little, considering that, as the door creaked open in an ominous scream. “Do we know why she hung herself?” he asked Yuan, doe eyed. “Was it a broken heart?”

“You will make a love story out of everything, won’t you?” Jingyi asked, appalled, and Zizhen just shrugged a helpless shoulder.

“It’s romantic, though.”

“Guys,” Jin Ling sighed, drawing them back to focus, and pulled his breathing mask out of his hoodie. “Safety first. Masks on, I can already smell the mold.”

It was another blessed pause, where Jingyi could pretend he wasn’t about to enter some apocalyptic nightmare. He pulled on the breathing mask, then knelt down to slip on Fairy’s. He gave Jin Ling the thumbs up when he was certain Fairy was having no trouble breathing through it.

“Remember, everyone,” Zizhen said, turning his camera on himself as he adjusted his scarf around his mask, “mold is no joke. If you’re going to be as crazy as us, you need to be as smart as us too.”

“How is this smart?” Jingyi scoffed, ignored as Jin Ling led the way inside. He wanted nothing more than to hide behind his boyfriend’s confident back, but he’d been put in charge of Fairy and Yuan’s spot was always after Jin Ling so they could watch for glass and nails on the floor. He had to settle for sighing and doing his best not to jump at every tiny noise, which was much harder in practice than he’d like.

Already the floor was creaking under their feet and his mind flashed to horror movies all over again. “We’re going to die.”

“We’re not going to die,” Jin Ling sighed from the front and panned his camera slowly around the front atrium. “Maybe lost, though. This place is huge, so stick close to me.”

“It must have been so pretty when it was in business,” Zizhen gushed, gooey-eyed already over a heart-shaped archway. “And didn’t you say something about themed rooms, A-Yuan?”

“I did!” Yuan grinned in excitement, eager as always to share the facts he’d researched. “I’m not sure what all is still here, but I know they had an ‘under the sea’ love suite, as well as one based on Camelot.”

Okay, so that was kind of cool. Still, “I would not sleep in a room with a suit of armor watching me,” Jingyi shuddered. “No thank you.”

“Agreed,” Jin Ling said, nose wrinkled in distaste. “Armor is such a ghost magnet. You’d have so many eyes on you while you slept. Disgusting.”

“It’s because of the iron, right?” Yuan asked, curious, and Jin Ling nodded.

“Metal is a conduit, no matter what type,” Jin Ling said, shrugging a shoulder as he pointed his camera up the stairs. “It draws in energy, so it’s easier for a spiritual imprint to remain on it.”

“Like fingerprints,” Zizhen hummed and slowly turned down a long hall. “Do we want to check this one out? Or just look upstairs?”

“The energy down here is more residual,” Jin Ling told him and started up. “We won’t get anything more than a few standard bumps in the night. The good stuff is up here.”

“I am more than okay with standard bumps,” Jingyi lamented as he was more or less pulled up the steps by Fairy. “What’s wrong with lame noises? It’s still creepy.”

“Come on, Jingyi, you know the viewers want the really good stuff,” Yuan laughed, though sweetly as though to soothe him. It only had him more on guard. “And I’m curious about a few spots that actually have stories attached to them.”

“That’s worse,” Jingyi sighed, then squeaked as something above them slammed. He was instantly behind Yuan and squishing Fairy close with a hand. “Oh no, oh fuck, I’m not ready, no, no.”

“You’re never ready,” Jin Ling pointed out, already hurrying towards the sound like an idiot. Yuan, ultimate traitor, hurried after him, which had Fairy tugging Jingyi along. Zizhen, unconcerned, followed at a more sedate pace, getting them all into a clear shot.

“Hey, another heart arch!” he said when he’d caught up and peeked into the room that it led to. “Do you think this room was a heart theme?”

He asked this of Jin Ling, who stood the best chance of feeling out the truth of the past out of all of them, Empathy and all that. Even with the room in obvious, vandalized shambles, he took it in with a slow sweep of his camera and his eyes focusing hard.

“Definitely red, is what I’m feeling,” he said after a moment. “So a heart theme wouldn’t be a big stretch.”

Zizhen sighed happily and made eyes at Yuan, because of course he did. “Romantic.”

“I think a flower room would be nice,” Yuan mused, smiling back at Zizhen, and Jingyi felt the urge to smack their heads together because they were going to die, this was no time to be gooey!

“Is there a flower room?” Zizhen asked, excited.

Jin Ling considered that. “Third floor, second room.”

“Oh hell yes.”

“If you two make out in a ghost love hotel and consider it romantic to be surrounded by spirits and mold, I will disown you both,” Jingyi threatened, though his voice jumped at the end when another bang echoed above. He immediately squished Fairy’s head into his leg again. “Fuck… how could you even be thinking of romance when we are clearly about to die.”

“I mean… it is a Love Hotel,” Zizhen wiggled his eyebrows, charming Yuan into a round of sweet laughter. Jingyi needed new, less insane friends stat. “And for a good chunk of our viewers, it’s close to Valentine’s Day. Romance is in the air.”

“So is death!” Jingyi waved his arm out at all the wreckage. “And mold! And shit, what was that noise?”

He squished in behind Jin Ling and under the hood of his jacket, whimpering as what sounded like footsteps creaked up the next flight of stairs. “We’re going up there, aren’t we.”

“Not a residual haunting,” Jin Ling agreed, a grin in his voice, and immediately left Jingyi without a hiding place as he charged up the stairs. “There’s something up here!”

Yuan was hot on his heels, as were Zizhen and Fairy, who whined when Jingyi didn’t move fast enough. Swallowing hard, he followed them all up to the infamous third floor and immediately felt far too cold. And watched. With nothing but black ruins behind him, he felt like he was being followed, and quickly reclaimed his spot in the group.

“I don’t like this,” he said and lifted his arm to Zizhen’s camera, pulling back his sleeve. “All my hair is standing up, you see that?”

“Mine too,” Zizhen agreed, though looked far less worried about it than he should. Jingyi maybe mimed strangling him when the camera turned away.

Jin Ling, meanwhile, was edging around a fallen post to get to a door, this one with peeling, off-yellow paint around the rim. “It came from in here,” he told Yuan, who immediately gasped out some facts about the room while Jin Ling slipped inside.

There was a beat of quiet, save for Yuan telling the viewers about the room - 32 - which had been the room where the woman had stayed that had hung herself, before a low curse startled them all quiet. Then Jin Ling was hurrying back out, blushing hard, and quickly dusted himself off, like whatever energy in there was contagious.

“That… nope,” was all he said, and despite the chills and feeling threatened, Jingyi started to cackle, because for all his cool guy routine in front of the camera, Jin Ling was also easily flustered, and that wide eyed look was hilarious.

“Spirits still in love in there?” Zizhen asked, laughing too. Even Yuan was covering his mouth and shaking in silent mirth.

“Something like that,” Jin Ling muttered and glared when Jingyi busted up even harder.

“Oh my gods. Only you would walk into a ghost love session!” he wheezed. Fucking karma. “That’s what you get for trying to kill us on the regular.”

“You come willingly!” Jin Ling sputtered and smacked him in the stomach when he got close enough. Jingyi doubled over, losing his grip on Fairy’s leash, and kept on laughing. At least until the creaking started behind him, and given he had a good view of everyone's shoes, a creaking that should very much not be happening.

“There’s something behind me, isn’t there,” he whimpered, feeling a full body shiver shoot from his toes to his head.

“Yup,” Jin Ling said, smug bastard, and immediately he shrieked. It said far too much about him that Jin Ling’s arms were already up and ready before he started climbing his boyfriend like some rich housewife would jump onto a stool to flee from a mouse. Fuck.

“Oh my gods, get it off, get it off!”

The treachery didn’t stop with Yuan, it seemed, because now Zizhen was laughing at him too. He flipped them both off, but refused to detach from Jin Ling until the creaking stopped.

“That is not how it works,” Jin Ling sighed, all long suffering, and obediently stayed still until Jingyi was willing to let go. Well, willing was perhaps a stretch. He would stay in Jin Ling’s arms forever if he could, but that would mean being stuck in this place even longer, and that would never do.

“I don’t care, keep them away from me,” Jingyi ordered and wrapped Jin Ling’s arm around his shoulders, pouting there. Zizhen had already grabbed Fairy’s leash and handed it to Yuan with minimal kissing of his gloved hands, which meant he could stay here as long as he wanted and Jin Ling could just put up with it.

Amazingly, he seemed agreeable to the unspoken plan, arm tightening around him in a soft squeeze. “I will always keep them away from you,” he promised, warm and almost sweet, and Jingyi could believe it, even in this terrible place. He’d believe anything Jin Ling said when his boyfriend looked at him like that.

“Well good, because if I die I’m haunting you forever,” Jingyi pouted and wrapped his arms around Jin Ling’s middle to anchor himself there when they moved on to the next room. “And into the next life if I have to.”

A soft sigh, but a smile followed that, and he grinned despite himself.

“Noted.”

#ruenwrites #jinyi #psychic detectives au #ghost hunters au #junior trio #plus zizhen!#this was too much fun #lan jingyi #jin ling #ouyang zizhen #wen yuan #lan yuan #lan sizhui

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alteriius · 5 years

Text

With Great Patience

FANDOM: Final Fantasy XV PAIRING: Prompto/Ignis WORD COUNT: 1,340 LINKS: AO3 | PF | KOFI

SUMMARY: “Nonsense. You stopped Noct from complaining this afternoon about the veggies I snuck into our meals the night before.”

“Dude, I shot him.”

“I'm waiting for the right moment.”

It's a bullocks excuse and they’re both painfully aware of that fact. Only one person had remained oblivious to his affections and that was the man in question—and this road trip was doing him few favors where hiding it was concerned.

Much of the fault for that lie with Gladio and Noct, both of whom had evidently commissioned themselves to force a confession out of him. But their determination wouldn’t sway him. It couldn’t. Admitting to his unrequited crush wasn’t high on his list of priorities nor should it be on anyone else’s, especially considering what this journey was about.

“Specs, we've been counting. You've had at least three chances to say something.”

“Must you exaggerate?”

“Hell yeah, if it gets you to talk to him.”

Ignis can't help but roll his eyes at the prince’s antics, though the fault lie with him for not foreseeing this. After all, Prompto was Noctis’s best friend; it was only natural that he would try and persuade him to tell Prompto. Ignis couldn’t confidently say why he pushed so hard or what had possessed Gladio to join him, as he wasn’t arrogant enough to assume that Prompto felt the same, based on the actions of others.

“We talk daily, thank you very much,” Ignis says, though the half-hearted glare tells him what he already knew: That's not what Noct was referring to. He wasn’t referring to asking him what he wanted for dinner; he didn’t mean taking a moment to remind Prompto to take his medication or whipping him up something when he’d forgotten. “I know what you mean, Noct, but I think it's a touch inappropriate to—”

“Woah, I heard my name, what's up?”

“Iggy’s talking about you behind your back,” Noctis says, gesturing towards him with a lazy wave and his eyebrows arch upwards as he watches Prompto’s mouth fall open in what can only be described as mock offence, touching a hand to his chest with a familiar over dramatic flare.

“I beg your pardon, I did no such thing.”

“Then why, Igncmuffin, did I hear my name?” Prompto asks and it takes him a moment—just a single, unfortunate moment—before he realizes what Prompto’s referring to. Gods, this is the man he so dearly loves, that he loves for reasons too numerous to count, that he adores for things exactly like this. “I heard you, dude, don't lie. Unless you know someone more inappropriate than me.”

“Maybe he does,” Noctis suggests, but he can tell they're toying with him, playing a game not unlike monkey in the middle that makes him wonder for a brief moment if Prompto wasn’t privy to the intentions of Gladiolus and Noctis.

That was impossible, wasn’t it? He’d hid it rather well, hadn’t he?

“Sounds fake, dude. Nobody knows how to kill a mood better than me.”

Kill a mood, Prompto says, as if that weren't as far from the truth as possible. He's never known Prompto to do anything but set alight the room like he carries the sun on his back wherever he goes.

“So what's up?” Prompto says, turning his attention to him while wearing a smile that's frustrating in its beauty—a beauty that Prompto so often refuses to see. Astrals, how many times has he fought off the urge to emphasize that Prompto’s opinion of himself is factually incorrect by all standards?

“I… was just wondering if you'd like green soup curry tonight.”

It’s a poor distraction, if he’s ever been made to make one—and he’s fashioned plenty for the sole purpose of drawing attention away from his inappropriate interest in Prompto. Ignis sees Noctis’s displeasure in the way his head falls back, eyes settling on the ceiling as a quiet curse leaves his lips.

That's to be expected. Ignis would be frustrated, too, were their roles reversed.

“Oh, dude, really? You gotta ask?” Prompto says, laughter on his lips that eases the tension in Ignis’s shoulders, even if there was an edge of suspicion in his voice. Something about the mere sound of it is calming and leaves a ghost of a smile on his face as he pushes his glasses up further on his nose.

“I never know when you might get something of a wild hair.”

“Hell yeah I want green soup curry, but, uh, what did I do to get my favorite dish? Gotta know so I can do it more often.”

The subtle upward tilt of his lips becomes more apparent, smile widening at Prompto’s incorrect assumption that he needed any kind of reason to spoil him with a meal he loved. In all honesty, he was being a touch biased, but there was nothing new about that.

“Not at all. It’s simply your turn,” Ignis says, though it’s an obvious lie that he can only pray that Prompto won’t catch, that the constant threat of peril during the day would distract him long enough to forget that they’d had Noctis’s favorite meal last night. Tonight was supposed to be his pick—and his pick was, more often than not, to lavish Prompto in the only way he feasibly could, given their situation.

“Seriously? Already? I thought tonight was your night?” Blast.

Ignis doesn’t miss the way Noct’s scowl morphs into a smirk and it’s a self-imposed challenge to not scold him for it in front of the others. It would certainly be his undoing, if he chose to. While Prompto played the part of a fool rather well, he was far above what little most gave him credit and he was certain to put two and two together if he acted out.

Of course, that was assuming he didn’t already know.

That leaves him with precious few options and he’s forced to embrace the one he absolutely wishes he didn’t have to: He has to tell the truth.

“As it stands, Prompto,” he says, licking dry lips and feeling as though his face were burning with color from the intensity of Prompto’s gaze. “I’d much rather you enjoy your favorite.”

Violet blue eyes shift away from Ignis, searching the ground for a moment as if there were something of note in the rock beneath their feet besides markings they couldn’t make heads or tails of.

“Oh, um…” he starts, glancing up to match Ignis’s gaze, to flash a smile that extends from ear to ear with freckles hidden beneath the familiar bright red dusting of embarrassment. “Thanks, Iggy… Don’t think I did anything to earn it, but…”

“Nonsense. You stopped Noct from complaining this afternoon about the veggies I snuck into our meals the night before.”

There's a laugh that chimes like bells in the open air and it leaves Ignis’s heart feeling so full that he was reminded of the long held hope that his feelings weren’t as unrequited as he tried to convince himself they were.

“Dude, I shot him.”

This time, it’s Noct’s head that shoots up, mouth falling open as his eyebrows shoot up to hide behind his bangs as he glances between the both of them. When his eyes settle on Prompto, he says, “You said that was an MT!”

“Correction: Gladio made that claim. We simply decided to keep our mouths shut. The needs of the many, Your Highness.”

Noctis almost looks cross the minute the words are out of his mouth. He’s almost glaring at Prompto in a way that Ignis knows will give away the minute Prompto flashes one of his familiar grins at him—ah, yes, there it is now.

Laughter fills the air as Noctis wrestles Prompto to the ground, to tickle him into submission for this act of treason. Later, he would no doubt find a more appropriate way to demand an apology for the friendly fire, but on this fine evening, Ignis was simply glad that Noctis had found offence in this revelation.

If nothing else, it meant he got away from telling Prompto how he felt.

At least for the moment.

#final fantasy xv #ffxv #Prompto Argentum #ignis scientia #promnis #allen writes.

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werank · 5 years

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17 Ways to Improve Your SEO in 2019

Today you’re going to learn EXACTLY how to improve your site’s SEO.

In fact, these 17 techniques helped grow my site’s organic traffic by 21.30% in 3 months:

The best part?

Everything here is working GREAT right now.

1. Get More Organic Traffic With “Snippet Bait”

2. Improve Dwell Time With This Simple Step

3. Find Low-Competition Keywords With “Ghost Posts”

4. Use Sitelinks to Boost Your Organic CTR

5. Want More Links? Be The Source

6. Target Keywords With BIG Commercial Intent

7. Grab More SERP Real Estate With YouTube Videos

8. Rank for “Topic + Statistics” Keywords

9. Optimize Old Content For User Intent

10. Content Partnerships

11. Repurpose Content Into Different Formats

12. Double Down On Broken Link Building

13. Find Backlink Opportunities With “Link Intersect”

14. Target Brand New Keywords

15. Use Concept Visuals

16. Use Industry Glossaries for Keyword Ideas

17. Get Backlinks From Content Curators

Bonus #1: Find Question Keywords With Question DB

Bonus #2: Rank For Brand Name Terms

1. Get More Organic Traffic With “Snippet Bait”

Over the last few weeks I’ve got my site to rank in 41 different Featured Snippets.

Like this:

And this:

My secret?

A new strategy called “Snippet Bait”.

Here’s how it works:

First, find a keyword that you already rank for.

Why is this important?

According to Ahrefs, 99.58% of Featured Snippets come from the first page results.

So if you’re on page 2, you have pretty much zero chance of getting in a Featured Snippet.

For example, here’s a page from my site that was ranking on page 1.

Next, look at the Featured Snippet at the top of the SERPs:

And identify what TYPE of Featured Snippet you’re looking at:

Definition Snippet (“What is content marketing?”)

List Snippet (“Top 10 Content Marketing Tools”)

Table Snippet (“Content Marketing Tool Prices”)

Finally, add a snippet of content to your page that’s designed to fit inside that Featured Snippet box.

(This is the “Snippet Bait”)

For example, I wanted to get in the Featured Snippet for the keyword “nofollow links”.

So I wrote a little section that would fit PERFECTLY inside of a Featured Snippet box:

And it worked! About 2 weeks later, the section I wrote was at the top of the search results.

Nice.

2. Improve Dwell Time With This Simple Step

Is Dwell Time a Google ranking factor?

In my opinion: YES.

After all, if someone quickly bounces from your page, it sends a clear message to Google: people hate that page.

And they’ll quickly downrank it:

The question is:

How do you prevent people from bouncing?

Embed videos on your page.

For example, I recently compared my bounce rate for a sample of pages with and without a video.

And pages with video had an 11.2% better bounce rate than pages without a video:

That’s why I embed videos in almost every new post that I write.

Sometimes I make the video an entire step or tip:

Or as a way for people to learn more about a specific topic:

Which leads us to…

3. Find Low-Competition Keywords With “Ghost Posts”

Here’s the truth:

Most “Keyword Competition” scores are WAY off.

That’s because most of them focus 100% on one metric: backlinks.

Are backlinks important?

Heck yeah!

But backlinks are only one piece of the puzzle. First page rankings are also based on:

Organic click-through-rate

Search Intent

Page speed

Mobile-friendliness

Lots more

That’s why I now ignore most keyword competition scores.

Instead, I use “Ghost Posts”.

For example:

A few months back I wanted to rank for the keyword: “Free SEO Tools”.

According to Ahrefs, this keyword is “Super Hard” to rank for:

Instead of giving up, I decided to test this keyword’s difficulty with a new technique: The Ghost Post.

Specifically, I whipped up a quick post and published it on the 4th page of my blog feed.

In other words: I didn’t promote the post in any way (hence the name: “Ghost Post”).

To my surprise, I cracked the first page for long tail versions of my keyword (like “best free SEO tools”) within a week or so:

And I even started to pop in and out of page 1 for my target keyword.

That’s when I decided to promote the post on social media:

And give the content a much-needed upgrade.

As it turns out, this “Super Hard” keyword was ridiculously easy to rank for.

In fact, I now rank #1 for that keyword:

Even though my page has WAY fewer backlinks than the other first page results:

(Note: I’m not bashing Ahrefs’s Keyword Difficulty score. I’m just showing you another way to figure out keyword difficulty).

With that, it’s time for…

4. Use Sitelinks to Boost Your Organic CTR

Last year I decided to make Organic CTR a top priority.

But I quickly ran into a problem:

Besides optimizing your title and description for clicks, how can you push more people to click on your result?

Sitelinks.

You probably already have sitelinks underneath your result when you search for your brand in Google.

As it turns out, you can ALSO get sitelinks on all sorts of pages… from blog posts to ecommerce category pages.

And these sitelinks can make a BIG dent in your click-through-rate.

How do you get sitelinks?

A table of contents.

For example, when I published this post, I added a table of contents with “jump links” to each tip.

And once my page cracked the top 5, Google hooked me up with sitelinks.

As you can see, these sitelinks REALLY help my result stand out.

In fact, sitelinks are one of the reasons my page has a 14.9% CTR.

5. Want More Links? Be The Source

Here’s the deal:

People don’t link to “great content”.

They link to sources.

For example, I published this guide to the Google Search Console last year.

And I’m not afraid to say that it qualifies as “great content”.

The post is full of actionable tips:

It even has a custom design:

Despite being a very solid piece of content, it only has 159 referring domain links:

On the other hand, check out this voice search study I published around the same time:

Most people would also call this post “great content”.

But this piece of content has 764 referring domain links:

(That’s 79% more backlinks than my GSC guide).

What’s going on here?

Well, my Google Search Console guide isn’t that easy for someone to link to.

Unless you’re writing about the GSC and want to send someone to a resource to “learn more”, there’s no compelling reason to link to my guide.

On the other hand, my voice search study gives bloggers and journalists data that they can EASILY reference.

Which has led to hundreds of high-quality backlinks.

6. Target Keywords With BIG Commercial Intent

When I first got started with keyword research I’d focus 100% on search volume.

If a keyword got a bunch of searches, I’d say: “that’s good enough for me!”.

Not anymore.

Today, I put A LOT of weight on commercial intent.

(In other words: how much are Google Ads advertisers spending on those clicks?)

For example, I recently started targeting keywords like “link building services”.

This keyword doesn’t get that many searches:

But with a CPC of $25.00, I know that the traffic is made up of legit buyers:

(Fun fact: I published this page as a “Ghost Post”. As it turns out, “link building services” is MUCH less competitive than most tools claim)

7. Grab More SERP Real Estate With YouTube Videos

Found an AWESOME keyword that converts well for you?

Get bonus traffic from that term with a YouTube video.

For example, this post is targeting the keyword “how to get more traffic”.

Unfortunately, I’m stuck in the #4 spot.

To make matters worse, I’m cramped below 3 video results.

(But I’m working on it

)

In the meantime, I decided to create a video on that topic.

And because I optimized my video the right way, it takes up valuable real estate at the top of Google’s search results:

Want to see how I optimized that video? Check out this quick tutorial:

8. Rank for “Topic + Statistics” Keywords

This is the dirty little secret that lots of sites use to get LOTS of backlinks on autopilot.

For example, Student Loan Hero has over 21.1K links to its “US Student Loan Statistics” page:

Here’s how they did it (and why this approach works so well):

First, they identified a topic that bloggers and journalists tend to write about.

(In this case, stats about student loan debt)

Then, they created a page that curated stats from different sources.

Finally, they optimized that page around the keyword: “Student Loan Debt Statistics”.

Which now ranks on the first page for that term:

Why does this work so well?

Think about it:

Who searches for “Topic + Statistics” keywords?

Journalists!

Specifically, journalists looking for stats to include in their articles.

And when you rank for that term, you’re going to get linked to like there’s no tomorrow.

Very cool.

9. Optimize Old Content For User Intent

I’ve talked about matching your content to search intent before.

But the bottom line is this:

If your site isn’t what searchers want, Google won’t rank it.

(No matter how many links you have)

For example, I first published this post in 2015:

As you can probably guess, my target keyword for that page was “SEO Campaign”.

And I quickly carved out a spot on the middle of the first page of Google.

So far so good.

But one day my rankings and organic traffic started to drop.

This wasn’t a super high-priority keyword. So I just kind of ignored the problem and hoped it would go away.

It didn’t.

That’s when I realized that my content was a HORRIBLE fit for user intent.

Specifically, my post didn’t outline an SEO campaign. Instead, I talked about a single strategy (“Guestographics”):

So I went back to the drawing board. And I rewrote the post from scratch.

This time, I made sure to publish something that someone searching for “SEO campaign” would love.

Sure enough, the new version of the post now ranks #1 for that term:

10. Content Partnerships

I’m a BIG fan of Content Partnerships.

Why?

Because it makes your content promotion twice as powerful.

Think about it:

When you publish something on your site, you send as many people as you can to your post.

But you’re only one person (or company). So your reach is pretty limited.

But when you partner with someone else, BOTH of you send people to your new content:

Which doubles the amount of eyeballs, links and social media shares that you get.

For example, earlier this year I partnered with BuzzSumo to create this content marketing study.

And because we both promoted it to our audiences, it got A TON of traffic:

11. Repurpose Content Into Different Formats

Last year I realized that I was making a HUGE mistake.

The mistake?

Every time I sat down to write a new blog post, email newsletter or video script… I was starting from scratch.

Which meant it would sometimes take me 14 days to finish a single blog post.

That’s when I realized something…

I already had TONS of content on my YouTube channel. Content that people loved.

So I decided to base my next blog post on a popular video from my channel: a video about getting more YouTube subscribers.

It took some time to turn my video into a blog post.

But it was 10x faster than starting with a blank Google Doc.

The best part?

My post did GREAT.

That post brings in 15,701 search engine visitors per month.

And it currently ranks in the top 3 for my target keyword:

Pretty cool.

12. Double Down On Broken Link Building

I already published a guide to Broken Link Building.

So I’m not going to go over the process again here.

Instead, I’m going to show how I used Broken Link Building to get this sweet backlink:

First, I looked for a piece of content on my site that I KNEW people would want to link to. And I chose this CRO guide:

Next, I found a site that wrote about content marketing. And popped their homepage URL into Ahrefs.

And clicked on “Outgoing Links” → “Broken links”:

Which showed me all of that site’s broken external links:

Once I found a broken link that was similar to my guide, I reached out to the person that runs their blog. I let them know about their broken link and offered my content as a replacement:

And because I added value with my outreach, they happily linked to me:

That’s all there is to it.

13. Find Backlink Opportunities With “Link Intersect”

It’s no secret that reverse engineering is a GREAT link building strategy.

But it’s not perfect.

After all, let’s say you find a site that just linked to your competitor.

You have no idea if that site linked to them because they have an existing relationship, they just sent an awesome outreach email… or a million other reasons.

But when you look at who links to MULTIPLE competitors, it takes a lot of the guesswork out of the equation.

(After all, what are the odds that the site has a great relationship with three different sites?).

That’s where Link Intersect comes into play.

To use it, fire up good ol’ Ahrefs and enter three domains into their Link Intersect tool:

And make sure to put your site in the “But doesn’t link to” field:

And voila!

You’ll see everyone that links to these 3 sites… but doesn’t link to you.

And if your site publishes better content than your competitors, there’s a really good chance these peeps will link to you too.

14. Target Brand New Keywords

Want to find popular, low-competition keywords?

Of course you do

Question is:

How?!

Target NEW keywords.

I’ll explain…

Most keywords are competitive for the simple reason that there are LOTS of sites trying to rank for them.

But when you target new terms, you’re competing with fewer people.

Which means you can often rocket your way to the top of the search results.

For example, last summer I created a guide optimized around the growing term “Voice Search”:

Because the term “Voice Search” was relatively new (especially compared to old school keywords in my niche like “link building”), my guide cracked the bottom of the first page within a week.

And it currently ranks on the first page of Google for that term:

15. Use Concept Visuals

This is a way to get high-quality backlinks WITHOUT having to grind with outreach.

In fact, I’ve used this approach to get links like this:

And this:

All without sending a single outreach email.

With that, here are the steps:

First, create an AWESOME visual that helps people understand a tricky concept or idea.

This can be a graph, chart, visualization or table.

Here’s an example:

Next, feature that visual in your content.

And if the right person sees your visual, they’ll use it on their site:

Rinse and repeat for every post that you publish.

Pro Tip: Focus on creating visuals for NEW topics. That way, you’ll be one of the few sites with a high-quality visual of that topic.

16. Use Industry Glossaries for Keyword Ideas

Want some creative keyword ideas?

Check out industry glossaries.

For example, this nutrition glossary covers 100+ different terms:

You can either straight up copy these keywords into a spreadsheet.

Or use them as seed keywords and pop them into a keyword research tool.

Either way, glossaries are an AWESOME way to find new keyword ideas.

Pro Tip: Pop the glossary URL into the Google Keyword Planner for a mega list of keyword ideas:

17. Get Backlinks From Content Curators

Most people struggle with outreach because they send garbage like this:

There’s a lot wrong with this outreach email.

But the biggest issue is that I don’t have a place on my site where a link to their content makes sense.

So I hit “Delete”.

That person would have had a lot more luck reaching out to a Content Curator.

Content Curators are just like they sound: people that curate their industry’s best stuff.

For example, you might have seen the SEO Marketing Hub that I created a few months back:

Well, because I got my content in front of Content Curators, I was able to get a handful of links to my site like this:

No arm twisting required.

Bonus #1: Find Question Keywords With Question DB

QuestionDB is like Answer the Public.

But in my opinion it’s actually a little bit better.

Why?

First of all, it’s MUCH easier to use.

Unlike Answer the Public, with crazy charts and images of some bearded dude, the questions are laid out in a simple table.

And because QuestionDB focuses on questions that people ask on Reddit, you can find keyword and topic ideas that most other tools won’t show you.

Bonus #2: Rank For Brand Name Terms

Low competition.

High volume.

Great CPC.

I’m talking about brand name terms.

For example, look at these two keywords:

That’s right: Mailchimp gets searched for 280x more than “email marketing software”.

And it’s the same story with most categories:

The brand gets WAY more searches than the topic or category.

(The one big downside of targeting brand names is that you’ll never rank #1. But it can still be totally worth it)

That’s why I’ve started to publish content designed to rank for brand names.

For example, I have this BuzzStream review post on my site.

Not only does my page rank for “BuzzStream Review”:

But it also ranks high up on the first page for the popular brand keyword “BuzzStream”.

Now It’s Your Turn…

Now I want to turn it over to you:

Which of the 17 SEO strategies from today’s post are you going to try first?

Are you going to target brand keywords?

Or maybe you want to try Snippet Bait.

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.

[Read More …] Source: SEO News

The post 17 Ways to Improve Your SEO in 2019 appeared first on WeRank Digital Marketing Agency.

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comicteaparty · 5 years

Text

January 3rd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on January 3rd, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST. The chat focused on Princess Pups by Lindsay Hornsby.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Princess Pups by Lindsay Hornsby~! (https://tapas.io/series/Princess-Pups)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite strip in the comic so far and why?

one strip i really enjoyed myself was this one https://tapas.io/episode/295876 where the pups are having a debate. partly just cause of how quickly the debate devolved, and partly cause i loved how cute it was that the judging pups got to have cake and cookies and were basically the ultimate winners.

although my all time favorite is definitely the valentines strip https://tapas.io/episode/284778. this one just hurt my heart with the cuteness and i think sends such a positive message about how maybe the jerks around us also just didnt get their own valentines and are lashing out in jealousy. and i love the princess pups for putting kindness before revenge.

in terms of comedy, to lighten things up from that last one, there's also this strip https://tapas.io/episode/812585 that i enjoyed. partly cause i always love Pug Pups shenanigans of just basically wanting to eat anything and everything. but also because i like the irony that nope the eclipse was just a giant cookie thing in the sky. although maybe theyll figure it out when it takes a while to disappear

L Hornsby

Hiya, I draw Princess Pups and I'm glad you like it @RebelVampire !

RebelVampire

thank you for coming, @L Hornsby ~!

related to pug pup https://tapas.io/episode/499353 i super loved pug pups idea of a horror story is that the fridge is empty. XD but another good strip just cause they once again didnt scorn the ghost. just said come on ghost, join our party. which i mean is a sign theyre great party throwers cause basically anyone is a potential guest.

L Hornsby

They especially love having a party with someone else who enjoys candy

(even if they are a ghost)

RebelVampire

which now made me overthink wondering if the ghost cant actually eat it and it just passes through them. XD although i doubt pug pup would complain about that. can just follow the trail and eat all those candies

L Hornsby

The ghost probably enjoys at least being around candies and cookies I hadn't considered if it could eat it though. Makes me think about Slimer from GhostBusters going after a buffet

RebelVampire

lol. mysteries for another day probably. more important they have a good, fun experience

L Hornsby

Yeah!

RebelVampire

https://tapas.io/episode/266696 another strip i thought was hilarious. the princess pups making all these elaborate plans to get their food back. meanwhile the cats basically self sabotage by beating each other up and having a slap fight. which tbf is very accurate to cats since they dont like food competition XD

L Hornsby

The Commando Cats sometimes work together, but usually don't

RebelVampire

wait theyre called the commando cats? XD thats great

L Hornsby

Yeah Since the Pups don't talk, it doesn't get brought up in the comics unless I'm putting a note under the comic

I wanted something sort of opposite of "Princess Pups" but with cats and I also wanted them to wear hats instead of crowns

RebelVampire

i do enjoy their hats

QUESTION 2. Which of the Princess Pups is your favorite insofar? What about this pup makes you like them? Of the strips so far, what has been your favorite story to have this pup in it? What about their role in the strip made it enjoyable for you? In regards to your favorite pup, which pup do you love to see them interact with and why? What pup(s) do you feel your favorite should interact with more? Lastly, are there any minor recurring characters you enjoy seeing? Who are they and what about them do you like?

despite where my answers may have lead one to believe, my favorite pup is actually Scruffy Pup. I love her overall design and how it suits her messy personality in general, to start with. I especially just love her eyes though. Sometimes about them just makes her have the cutest facial expressions to me. As far as strips with her in it, I really liked Goat World https://tapas.io/episode/516356. partly cause i enjoyed just how plain enthusiastic she was about going to goat world. things go awry, and in the end the goats that she loved betrayed her by trying to eat all her stuff. which i mean is sad, but also hilarious just cause goats just be doin goat things.

as for interactions, im not sure i really have a preference. although i would like to see scruffy pup and pug pup interact more in the future. cause pug pup is my 2nd favorite and i feel the messiest pup + the eatiest pup could result in the best of pup shenanigans

L Hornsby

I drew Goat World due to a visit to a petting zoo where the goats kept trying to take my map, my backpack, and a piece of thread from my shirt

Scruffy Pup and Pug Pup definitely are the messiest and hungriest of the pups for sure though!

RebelVampire

lol omg. that sounds like quite the experience and reminds me why i dont really go to petting zoos

since pug pup is my second favorite, i will also answer these questions for pug pup. i really enjoy pug pup because she basically the most chill. like that whole pizza party story arch. pug pup didnt care what was on the pizza. she just wanted to eat it. and i think that makes her adorable. her immense single minded focus. i dont really have a fave strip in this case cause i generally like all of pug pup's roles in any strips. i think in general she alone provides a ton of the comedy moments for the comic. XD

in terms of minor characters, i love the commando cats. partly out of my biased love for cats, but i also just love both their cute hats and the fact that theyre super cat like in how they react. like theyre the antagonists more by cat nature rather than this over the top manner you usually see in things.

L Hornsby

They're a mix of a few cats I've had growing up / currently. Cats can be really grumpy and fight each other, but can also be cuddle friends, but then go back to smacking each other XD

RebelVampire

yes that is definitely accurate to cats

mathtans

Hello dere. Only had a chance to read the origin so far this week, but wanted to say I'm impressed at how much gets conveyed without dialogue balloons.

L Hornsby

Pug Pup might be one of my most favorite to draw, but also least favorite because sometimes I forget to color her mouth markings, and I feel silly when that happens

mathtans

Also, I love the term "cloud meeples".

L Hornsby

Thanks @mathtans ! The comic I'd been doing previous to Princess Pups involved a very chatty six year old, so I wanted to try to keep this one very pantomime

RebelVampire

speaking of hte origin story, i love teacup pup had to have official princess pup papers that fluff pup scrutinized thoroughly XD

mathtans

Scanning the backlog here. Yep, that seems accurate to cats, though I admit I'm a cat person.

Teacup pup is precious. Vacuum sucks.

I'm reading through more now. I wonder if they make the charts themselves, or use the wands to do it.

RebelVampire

i actually wondered if the vacuum was accurate to dogs. like i know cats consider them their mortal enemies. but ive never owned a dog to know if they too fear the monster vacuum(edited)

L Hornsby

Sometimes they make things by hand (paw), sometimes TeaCup Pup will use Magics

Oh man, my dog can't stand the vacuum. My dog growing up couldn't stand it either.

King Vacuum is based on this awful vacuum my mom had when I was a kid that weighed probably 50 pounds and was super annoying to use. It was called a Kirby Vacuum (not as cool as Kirby from Kirby's Dream Land)

mathtans

Maybe in the sequel they fight a roomba.

L Hornsby

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDAwWDMwMA==/z/u4IAAOSwxH1UB0PB/$_35.JPG?set_id=2 this is totally that vacuum

mathtans

Reminds me of the vacuum from "littlest toaster" for some reason.

RebelVampire

we still have a kirby vacuum in my house. XD it is very annoying to use and i support it being the ultimate vacuum enemy

mathtans

"Magic" is too funny.

RebelVampire

as in the strip, math?

cause if you mean the strip, i do wonder how long it was before corgi pup noticed the tail XD

mathtans

The strip I got to, yes. Very "bunny".

OMG, all the feels for that Valentine one, you're right Rebel.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. The strips offer a lot of variety in terms of set-up. Which of the strips did you feel was most relatable as far as the behavior of dogs go? What about that strip makes it this way to you? Of all the strips, which strip played out in a way that you didn’t expect and potentially made you laugh or aww at it? Why did it catch you off guard, and what made the twist likeable? Many of the strips also have positive messages within them. Which strip left the most impact on you in terms of endearment or positive messages behind it? What about the strip left this impact?

next time the pups face a vacuum they can join forces with the commando cats. and together they can win against the roomba army.

mathtans

I don't know much about dog behaviour. I had a newspaper route for 7 years and got bitten once, so mostly I avoid them.

L Hornsby

That's too bad

mathtans

It would be interesting to see the dogs and cats against a common enemy.

L Hornsby

That's true.

mathtans

I didn't expect the 'piff' into the cloud at the bottom of the slide, that was amusing.

RebelVampire

https://tapas.io/episode/334958 that was probably the strip i found probably reflected dog behavior the most. also qualifies as one where i didnt expect the twist. i legit thought they were gonna make a nice garden.

and then they didnt

although poor scruffy pup

missed out on dirt rolling

mathtans

Dog gonnit.

RebelVampire

oh no the puns have begun XD

L Hornsby

If the Princess Pups did more than just bark and make dog noises, there would be A Lot More Puns

RebelVampire

they can just write a dog pun book

send the commando cats a free copy

mathtans

The "silent movie" aspect is pretty cool though.

RebelVampire

yeah i think it works well cause theyre all very expressive and the scenarios have that right blend of simplicity where the stories are always understandable and relateable

mathtans

Actually, if it counts, some of the author comments at the end give me unexpected laughs too. (How DO they get a pool in the clouds?)

Yeah, expressions are great. Some of the posing in particular is fun to read.

RebelVampire

ya know im not gonna question a pool in the clouds cause tbh the beginning made me wonder if they were in doggie heaven since cloud imagery usually equals heaven XD

so i will always be thankful its not

and they just live in the clouds

L Hornsby

LOL oh no, I hadn't thought of that

mathtans

Pug Pup seems so amusingly clueless. Might be my fave, which is weird, because I'm not a fan of the wrinkly look in real life.

I was wondering if they were angels or something initially too. Like would they be visiting earth and seeing humans or something.

L Hornsby

Nah, they just live in the clouds and occasionally slide down rainbows to visit the ground

mathtans

Now alien meeples. Meeples is the best word.

L Hornsby

It really is!

RebelVampire

im glad im not the only one who thought the dead angel thing. XD cause that would be a morbid start.

mathtans

Constantly amazed at how much gets conveyed without dialogue in these strips. So good.

Like the no cookie stuff in the space sequence.

Or the ghost encounter and telling stories.

RebelVampire

this is another strip i think had a twist in that i overguessed. https://tapas.io/episode/616509 cause when the dinosaur leg went missing i was like "nah it couldnt be this is gonna be some doggie profiling." but then nope, it was my favorite pup being super obvious about it. which also surprised me cause totally thought pug pup would be the bone thief if it was anyone.

mathtans

Or for that matter, Santa and the goat.

Heh, nice parody of the venus oyster shell painting in that one.

RebelVampire

i questioned corgi pup's choice of gift. i wasnt sure if scruffy pup would still even like goats after the goat world incident XD

and then the goat tried to eat scruffy pup, the nightmares relived O_O

mathtans

I like the one just before that, with the fly needing it's own book. Would not have called that.

Goats are tricky. Like elves.

L Hornsby

Corgi Pup assumed that Scruffy Pup's love of goats hadn't wavered after such and experience at Goat World. But Corgi Pup probably should have examined closer to see that it was a Baby Krampus she was buying instead

RebelVampire

i did like the fly needing its own book. also made me aww just cause i love when the pups are being precious like that and putting kindness first. truly model princesses

mathtans

I hate getting a krampus in my legus.

RebelVampire

at least santa saved the day

mathtans

Yis, very precious attitudes.

RebelVampire

another strip i loved that had a twist was https://tapas.io/episode/833602

like i assumed pug pup would defy the odds and catch something

did not expect it to be scruffy pup XD

and those looks of surprise are priceless XD

mathtans

I'm learning about pineapples.

RebelVampire

haha

i thought it was super lucky teacup pup was the one to get the pineapple

so she could cheat and use the wand

cause idk how the other pups wouldve managed XD

QUESTION 4. The Princess Pups have met with two other pup groups: the CowPoke Pups and the Space Pups. Which of these other groups interested you the most and why? Whether your favorite group, which about each story line did you like? What other groups do you think the Princess Pups might meet? In terms of future stories, do you think we will see the CowPoke Pups or Space Pups again? If so, in what manner might we see them? In general, what shenanigans do you think the Princess Pups will get up to in the future?

i liked both groups, but i think im gonna side with the space pups just cause they had fun things like the ability to turn off gravity. and no gravity makes for some fun parties where you can do lots and lots of things.

mathtans

Huh, I don't think I even clued in that she was the only one with a wand.

RebelVampire

yes it was her prize for defeating king vacuum and being the brave one

mathtans

Space Pups also had alien meeples.

Rebel - I thought it was just her official graduation gift or something, like the others had them in reserve without occasion to use them.

L Hornsby

Oh man, I looked up so many images of Pineapples and how they grow for that Pizza Party story

mathtans

I was wondering how much research was necessary. Ever decide, 'heck with it, they're getting broccoli'?

L Hornsby

TeaCup Pup was passed the mantle of holding The Wand by Fluf Pup after the origin story @mathtans

How DOES broccoli grow?

mathtans

I thought it was just heads in the ground like cauliflower but now I'm not sure. O.o

L Hornsby

It grows up and is quite green lol

still has leafy things around it like the Pineapples

mathtans

Still reading during the chat. I like how the unconventional topping of a cupcake helped save the day.

L Hornsby

I did like drawing the Alien Meeples a lot

RebelVampire

broccoli is a weird looking plant ill say. although would probably have been easier than pineapple. but then again idk how many pups would want broccoli on the pizza. not that i think pug pup would complain. i just assume pug pup will eat anything edible. maybe some not edible things

i really liked in the cowpoke pups storyline where they had to catch up to a moving train and jump on. it felt very epically western and made me admire how cool and brave the pups are.

mathtans

Yeah, pug doesn't seem too fussy.

Also, the Space Pups returned to create an eclipse, that was an unexpected guest starring role.

L Hornsby

The Solar Eclipse in 2017 was sooooooo cool! And it totally looked like a giant sandwich cookie to me

RebelVampire

its kind of a shame the space pups didnt invite the princess pups again to eat the sandwich cookie

i kind of hope we see the space pups again as the call the princess pups needing help on a space mission

ultimate space adventure

L Hornsby

They'll probably show up again

mathtans

I kinda remember that eclipse, aye.

Hm, are there also pups that live in the sea? Mer-Pups?

L Hornsby

The Space Pups are based on my dog Hannah and her brother Walter. We adopted Hannah and someone else adopted Walter a few days later

There might be Mer-Pups?

RebelVampire

omg

i totally support mer pups

that would adorable

and cool undersea parties can be had

with colorful coral

L Hornsby

The Pups might end up going back in time first. I'm a sucker for drawing dinosaurs

mathtans

Oooh, time travel is always fun. Hopefully they don't go for the bones of the live dinosaurs.

I've reached the Go West part.

RebelVampire

that also sounds awesome. can just picture them running from the trex. then making friends. all sitting around having cookies together

L Hornsby

Prehistoric cookies

or maybe just dinosaur shaped ones

RebelVampire

thatd also be cute. endear the dinosaurs to them by making cookie self portraits.

i wonder if there are secret agent pups

who go around everywhere wearing sunglasses

L Hornsby

maybe?

mathtans

(Sorry, little one was fussing, had to run off for a moment.)

Just wanted to say before the end, the goat eyes are interestingly unique, makes it easy to tell them apart from the rest of the animals.

RebelVampire

https://tapas.io/episode/1197013 i really love this vulture train dude with the hat btw. i actually hope we see the vultures again cause they had such great expressive and evil faces

mathtans

Those vultures are pretty petty.

L Hornsby

Vultures are both cute and terrifying in real life

And the same with goats. I wanted to use Actual Goat Eyes because they're SO WEIRD

mathtans

Oh hey, caught up just in time. I like the one balloon falling down.

Goats + Pineapples = wha?

RebelVampire

as we draw to a close, i just want to say the comic was really nice and a great way to start off the year i think. there were just so many heartwarming moments and i loved the immense kindness the pups always showed despite adversity

L Hornsby

A Goat Pineapple?!?

mathtans

Pineapple with slanty eyes.

Agreed, Rebel.

L Hornsby

Aw, thanks guys! I don't have a huge following so it was good to hear from some readers!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Lindsay Hornsby, as well, for making Princess Pups. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Lindsay Hornsby’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/Princess-Pups

Lindsay Hornsby’s Gumroad Shop: https://gumroad.com/fizzlebit

Lindsay Hornsby’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fizzlebit

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Chasing Little Lights by Evelyn Shi. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, January 10th, from 5PM to 7PM PST for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: http://www.cllcomic.com/

Comic’s Tapas Mirror: https://tapas.io/series/cll

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic bookclub #webcomic book club #comic tea party #ctp #princess pups #lindsay hornsby

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Bookshelf Briefs 6/4/19

Black Clover, Vol. 15 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – The tournament arc wraps up, and the winning team is not really a surprise—Asta may be the hero, but he’s not ready to be a winner just yet. That said, he does get to be a Royal Knight because he showed off his skills—along with Noelle and Luck. This means they get to fight against the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Meanwhile, back at the Black Bulls HQ, a new enemy appears, and almost everyone is away except for the most socially awkward of the group. Fortunately, we meet a new member of the group who’s a … ghost? House? Whatever he is, the fight that follows is visually very, very clever. Black Clover is still Jump‘s answer to Fairy Tail, but it’s almost standing on its own by now. – Sean Gaffney

Kino’s Journey, Vol. 2 | By Iruka Shiomiya, based on the novels by Keiishi Sigsawa | Vertical Comics – A word of warning as we get into Kino proper: it’s not the subtlest series in the world. It has a message, and you are going to get that message. This is not to say that I did not very much enjoy this dark little volume, but this is very much a case of “well, it can’t get more horrifying than it already is—oh wait, yes, it can.” At first we see a city with one survivor in it, and learn how majority rule led to its extinction. Then we see a city which is filled with peace—provided you don’t live in the village outside its borders. Kino and Hermes travel through this, making occasional pointed comments but mostly acting as observers who want to get the hell away. Very good. – Sean Gaffney

Love in Focus, Vol. 2 | By Yoko Nogiri | Kodansha Comics – The most interesting thing to me about this volume is seeing Kei instantly regret telling Mitsuru to back off at the cliffhanger to last volume, as it pretty much wasn’t needed at the time, and eventually has the opposite effect. The group goes off to a vacation home for a good portion of the volume, and we see Mitsuru and Mako get closer, as well as some flashbacks that show off how Mako is not merely dense when it comes to romance, but danger in general—seeing her hanging off a ledge to get a good shot was mind-boggling. I was a bit disappointed with the Saionji subplot, which cried out for “they’re a guy” as the answer, but no, it was “they’re married to my brother.” This is still pretty good. – Sean Gaffney

Love in Focus, Vol. 2 | By Yoko Nogiri | Kodansha Comics – I was annoyed with Kei for his possessiveness in the first volume, which renders me even more impressed that Nogiri-sensei manages to flesh him out into a sympathetic character in this one. By having him experience another spate of panic over how close Mako and Amemura seem to be getting, followed by another impulsive declaration (this time telling Mako that he likes her), his warning Amemura away in the previous volume is revealed to be another instance of this same behavior rather than any kind of entitled assholery. Indeed, this volume establishes how very important Mako is to Kei and how he has loved her for a really long time. I thought her ending up with Amemura was a foregone conclusion, but now I’m not so sure. Once again, I end up liking one of Nogiri’s works more than I initially thought I would. – Michelle Smith

Popocomi, Vol. 1 | Published by Eriko Obayashi | Popotame – Between Mejiro and Ikebukuro in Tokyo is an art gallery and bookshop called Popotame, described as “a place full of unique things hard to find anywhere else” by its manager Eriko Obayashi. One of Popotame’s projects is Popocomi, an anthology series featuring artists, illustrators, and designers who also release independent manga. For the 2019 Toronto Comic Arts Festival, fourteen manga published in the original Popocomi collections were selected to be released in English. I found the resulting anthology to be consistently delightful as well as occasionally surreal. And since it’s titled Popocomi 1, I’m hopeful that more will be translated in the future. The volume doesn’t really have an overarching theme or subject, although space and/or aliens happen to be present in a fair number of the stories. The style and tone of the short manga vary as well, but that range is one of the reasons the collection is so satisfying. – Ash Brown

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 3 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – This series isn’t We Never Learn, where you can at least rely on each of the girls being geniuses at something. These five are genuinely not very good at studying or test-taking—which is a problem given that their father sets mid-terms as a drop-dead date—if they don’t pass, Futaro stops being their tutor. This despite the fact that he’s making serious inroads—not in their grades, but getting to know each of them better. There may also be some mysterious past going on here, as Nino briefly wonders why she recognizes a blond guy from a photo—my money’s on our hero, frankly. Will they bond further on a camping trip? Now that they can actually go… This is cute. – Sean Gaffney

Ran and the Gray World, Vol. 3 | By Aki Irie | Viz Media – This is so gorgeous and well-drawn that I am almost tempted to continue to read it despite the fact that I spent the entire time screaming at the pages in rage and anger. But not quite. From the dream-sequence first chapter, where Ran tries to rescue Otaro from his bugs and he rewards her by trying to sexually assault her, to a chapter where Ran’s brother, who seems to be in heat, cannot keep it in his pants (and does not seem to get how much Sango likes him), to the final chapters, where Ran (upset at Sango being “taken away” by Jin), runs off to live with Otaro, who still doesn’t know how young she really is and thus this turns into a cavalcade of NOPE. This series, in the end, really makes me wish the author was drawing something else. (Which they are!) – Sean Gaffney

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 10 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – Rumors have been spreading about Richard’s body and Buckingham is determined to learn the truth. Before he can do so, Edward suddenly dies, setting off a whole lot of Woodville scheming for the throne. Richard is determined to defend the Plantagenet line, but when Buckingham literally lays bare his secret, Richard finally admits that he wants the crown for himself. By the end of the volume, Richard and Buckingham have embarked on a twisted sexual relationship and Richard is installed as regent, with only the princes standing between him and the throne. We’re heading into the most infamous part of Richard III’s history and I eagerly anticipate seeing what Kanno does with it. Coldly ambitious Richard is a sight to see, too. Such a great series! – Michelle Smith

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 6 | By Maybe | Yen Press – Is this book about saving the kingdom and getting stronger, or is it about which girl gets to have her virginity taken by Satou? Honestly, it can’t quite make up its mind, and I sort of which it would lean one way or the other. The girl on the cover is NOT a new Ring Princess, but instead Hime’s little sister, who stayed behind to learn magic while Hime was off in another world, and is here to teach it to her big sister like it or not. There’s definitely need for it, sa the evil Abyss King also has a bunch of rings that make him stronger, and now I wonder if there will be EVIL ring princesses. Meanwhile, Satou and Hime… still aren’t getting any. But they’re close. For a harem manga, this is decent. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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joshmspicer · 6 years

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Ask me! I’ll answer honestly

Nabbed from @nachosforfree

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? I’m okay where I am, maybe a smidge taller. 2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not) A Charizard, but one that’s lovable and thinks it’s a dog while aware of its tail. 3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? Not really 4: What was your favorite video game growing up? Pokemon Crystal 5: What three things/people do you think of most each day: Wrestling stuff, what I’m gonna do going forward in life, and how much of a liar I am. 6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say? “Be aware of being unable to hear him. It’s okay, you’re not the only one. If he gets mad, stay calm about it.” 7: What is your opinion on Disney remakes? Fuck it, I already sold my soul to them long ago. 8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic] Dunno, don’t feel like looking those up. Sorry. 9: Are you ticklish? [Oh god, I don’t wanna say yes, then I’ll get tickled, but if I say no then they might get suspicious and tickle me anyway so I don’t know.] 10: Are you allergic to anything? Failure...but not really 11: What’s your sexuality? A human 12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa? Cocoa 13: Are you a cat or dog person? Cat, but still love dogs 14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson? Elf 15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber? Right now it’s probably Everglow 16: How tall are you? 5′ 9″ 17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? Officially to Joshua Meredith Spicer, but probably something like Joshua Meredith Crumpton-Spicer to keep the Crumpton name going 18: How much do you weigh? 220 lbs.-ish 19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? Yes 20: Do you like space or the ocean more? Space 21: Are you religious? Yes 22: Pet peeves? What does my pet peeve? 23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]? Noc 24: Favorite constellation? Stars 25: Favorite star? Brian Blessed 26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls? I like vagina-jointed dolls 27: Any phobias or fears? Advanced darkness, being completely alone, the undying pressure of living my goals but settling and giving up and making my mom disappointed. I don’t know why, my mom means nothing to me beyond a base level of love and care, but she just won’t shut the fuck up. 28: Do you think global warming is real? Of fucking course. If you don’t you’re well and truly an idiot. 29: Do you believe in reincarnation? Yes 30: Favorite movie? Christopher Robin 31: Do you get scared easily? Jumpscared usually 32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime? 6 orange cats, one was officially ours named Festus. Keeshound named Hunter. Calico cat named Callie that we saved from the vet. Black cat named Borus. Husky named Rory/Aurora that we red to get eight puppies. We kept three of them named Stitches (mom tried to eat her at birth but my mum saved her), Tiki/Tikitus (dumb as fuck, and I do mean dumb as fuck, the guy was a literal moose), and Brutus (most loving dog ever but will force his love on you god dammit.) Two terriers named Sophie and Charlie that my mom kind of adopted from her current husband. 33: Blog rate? $75 a night for a double 34: What is a color that calms you? Couldn’t say 35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? California, Vancouver, Toronto 36: Where were you born? Mason City, Iowa

37: What is your eye color? Blue 38: Introvert or extrovert? Intro by design, extro when needed 39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs? Yes 40: Hugs or kisses? Sure 41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now? My sister 42: Who is someone you love deeply? My sister who is the only relative I trust wholeheartedly 43: Any piercings you want? No 44: Do you like tattoos and piercings? I can 45: Do you smoke or have you eiver done so? No and no 46: Talk about your crush, if you have one! God she’s so amazing. Big dork but a hell of a smile. So shy when she does’t need to be. 47: What is a sound you really hate? When a tree falls in the woods. 48: A sound you really love? I dunno 49: Can you do a backflip? No 50: Can you do the splits? Poorly 51: Favorite actor and/or actress? Ryan Reynolds and Emily Blunt 52: Favorite movie? Christopher Robin, didn’t we already--yeah, #30 53: How are you feeling right now? Alright 54: What color would you like your hair to be right now? I’m okay 55: When did you feel happiest? Couldn’t tell ya 56: Something that calms you down? Can’t think of anything right now 57: Have any mental disorders? None that are diagnosed 58: What does your URL mean? Name I came up with when I first joined the internet. An OC brother of Jack Spicer from Xiaolin Showdown that I used on an old XS RP board. 59: What three words describe you the most? Kind, empathetic, stubborn 60: Do you believe in evolution? In some ways yes 61: What makes you unfollow a blog? If they’re too hamfisted in their belief/opinion to the point that it contradicts something so blatantly that they don’t realize it OR if they blatantly post a cheating/NTR fic/art with no remorse or with enjoyment. 62: What makes you follow a blog? Fun opinions, great art 63: Favorite kind of person: Someone who appreciates you for who you are and won’t judge you for your interests or dislikes. Kind and sweet, trustworthy, able to talk to. 64: Favorite animal(s): Cats, dogs, foxes 65: Name three of your favorite blogs. Nah 66: Favorite emoticon: Nah 67: Favorite meme: Right now it’s still surprised Pikachu. All time it’s probably the flagging ref 68: What is your MBTI personality type? Dunno 69: What is your star sign? Cancer 70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? No 71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most? T-shirt, jeans, converse rip-offs, white socks, and my blue Menards jacket 72: Post a selfie or two? Yeah sure, see down at the bottom. 73: Do you have platform shoes? No 74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself? This question is always asked and I never know what the fuck to post. 75: Can you do a front flip? No 76: Do you like birds? All but geese and Pidgey 77: Do you like to swim? Not particulary 78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you? Swimming 79: Something you wish didn’t exist: Teeth diseases 80: Some thing you wish did exist: All my hopes and dreams 81: Piercings you have? None 82: Something you really enjoy doing: Sitting here at the computer and coming up with film plots and characters that will probably never be made. 83: Favorite person to talk to: My sister or Dawn 84: What was your first impression of Tumblr? Good site in concept with a nice structure that holds up when it works but shit-tier communication from the top down and a tendency to break 85: How many followers do you have? 200+ 86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? Maybe if I actually gave a shit about a mile I would but the mile was the stupidest fucking thing in gym class 87: Do your socks always match? Yes 88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely? No 89: What are your birthstones? Ruby 90: If you were an animal, which one would you be? A house cat 91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be? Dunno 92: A store you hate? Salvation Army 93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? None 94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? Fly 95: Do you like to wear camo? Not really 96: Winter or summer? Summer 97: How long can you hold your breath for? Dunno 98: Least favorite person? My mom’s husband 99: Someone you look up to: Dunno 100: A store you love? Hot Topic or Video Games Etc. 101: Favorite type of shoes Tennis shoes, converse 102: Where do you live? Denver, CO 103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why? No 104: What is your favorite mineral or gem? Not particularly 105: Do you drink milk? Yes, I’m grown up 106: Do you like bugs? Eh 107: Do you like spiders? No 108: Something you get paranoid about? The weight of pressure ever expanding on me 109: Can you draw: Not well. I can doodle decently. 110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked? Nothing I can think of 111: A question you hate being asked? “What was that? Why can’t you slow down? Why can’t you speak up” 112: Ever been bitten by a spider? Maybe once 113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach? Yes 114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days? Cloudy 115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now: Couldn’t tell ya 116: Favorite cloud type: Blonde, long-ass sword 117: What color do you wish the sky was? Warm orange/yellow 118: Do you have freckles? Yes 119: Favorite thing about a person: Their laugh (usually), their voice 120: Fruits or vegetables? Fruits 121: Something you want to do right now: Nothing forever 122: Is the ocean or sky prettier? Ocean 123: Sweet or sour foods? Sweet 124: Bright or dim lights? Bright 125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature? Maybe 126: Something you hate about Tumblr: @staff 127: Something you love about Tumblr: Everything else 128: What do you think about the least? All the friends I’ve left behind 129: What would you want written on your tombstone? “This bitch empty. I’m ash so let the world turn to me.” 130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now? Myself 131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself? I can give advice and feel emotion for anybody but lack the ability to practice what I preach. 132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures? No 133: Computer or TV? Computer 134: Do you like roller coasters? Yeah sure 135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness? Only when I’m cramped and already have a headache 136: Are your ears lobed or attached? Lobed 137: Do you believe in karma? Yes 138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are? I’ve been told I’m a 7 by a gay guy when I was in high school and wasn’t fat or hairy. I’d say maybe a 5 now-a-days. 139: What nicknames do you have/have had? McLovin, Toad/Toadman, Crumpton 140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? Yes 141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? Yes 142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others? Good with what they know of me 143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help? Receiving gifts, giving help 144: What makes you angry When people can’t hear me despite speaking clear as possible. When people go through my shit without my express permission. When people disobey people’s trust and relationships. 145: How many languages do you speak fluently? English. Really wanna learn Japanese. 146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? Females for the most part but I’m coming around to males 147: Are you androgynous? No 148: Favorite physical thing about yourself: My hair when it’s not bed-ridden 149: Favorite thing about your personality: Empathy boiiii 150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. Dawn, my sister, Caroline 151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? Post-WW2 152: Do you like BuzzFeed? Neutral 153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? I time warped to the future and decided I’m good. 154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? Not really 155: Do you like to play with others’ hair? Never tried 156: What embarrasses you? My stutter. My internet past, much to my chagrin. My likes and interests to somebody new. 157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious: Introducing my likes and interests to somebody new. 158: Biggest lie you have ever told: “Yes I’ve totally been going to football practice for the last two months.” “Yes I’ve totally been going to school for the last two months.” 159: How many people are you following? A lot 160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)? A lot 161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)? None on purpose 162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)? Not a lot 163: Last time you cried and why: Infinity War on its third rewatch because Peter 164: Do you have long or short hair? Longer 165: Longest your hair has ever been: Probably now 166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religon? It gives me hope that everything will be okay when I die. It also gives me hope that people can be good. There are bad people within this sect, yes, but there are good people out there. Genuinely good people. I’ve met them. 167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? Not really 168: Do you like to wear makeup? No 169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? No 170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? Mostly

#jmsanswers

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