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ialwaysknewyouwerepunk · 3 years

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fine line - a close reading

gonna cry bc i’m at the end, gonna cry bc it’s fine line.

(x x x)

want to give the same disclaimer as with lights up: this song is so layered, so multi-faceted, that i could never hope to give an exhaustive analysis. due to its vagueness and openness for interpretation, i assume that everyone, just like me, has their own ideas about it and has attached importance to it in ways that no one else’s words can or should alter. this song means the world to me for reasons that aren’t necessarily in this post, and that’s how it is with art that touches us deeply. i’ve tried my best to pull it apart, lay it bare, spread it open, if you will, so it’s almost as free as it can be for you all to form your own opinion on it. in the synthesis i will make my own conclusions, but feel free to ignore that if yours are totally different. i’m just one set of brain and heart taking in fine line and projecting whatever i think is right onto it. alright, let’s go

fine line, track 12

sung in falsetto

live version at the form: first verse not sung in falsetto - after first chorus goes into falsetto - like “thinking of her” has summoned her

Put a price on emotion

pouring emotions into the art you create: how much is genuine / how much do you show - line between being authentic to your audience and giving away too much, wanting to keep things to yourself and not feeling truthful with what you’ve written

exploits of the industry: lay your soul bare - or the exact opposite, some pretend emotion - to score that hit

I'm looking for something to buy

cynical. emotions aren’t genuine, right? where can i go buy some?

～ lights up themes. fake life, industry, being a sell-out

You've got my devotion

But man, I can hate you sometimes

“you” = career, music, Harry Styles™. devoted to the craft, to the job, all the ups and downs of it, despite the hardships it brings

“man” is deliberate: can be seen as an offhand interjection, like “man, that’s rough”, but nothing is casually placed in this song. “man” is: The Man, the heads in the industry, the people pulling the strings. The man in Harry, the man he’s been in the media all these years, the part he’s played/had to play, the man that’s in him

⟶ “hate you”: hate for industry shit, self-hate created by having to play pretend (～ only angel analysis, the persona of the Bukowski womaniser)

“sometimes” - it’s not fucked up all the time

“you” could also be a lover, but the sudden “hate” there then would be for that person, which is absent in any other song about them, doesn’t make any sense

I don't want to fight you

And I don't want to sleep in the dirt

like there’s a choice to me made, but he doesn’t want to make it: either I fight this “you” or I sleep in the dirt

“you” as the industry: if he doesn’t fight them, he might end up being a beggar, lose all his self-worth bc he gave in to everything they asked/told him to do

“you” as himself: fight your instincts, part of who you are/the persona. if he doesn’t fight to figure himself out, though, he fears he’ll also lose

“sleep in the dirt” as a sense of rejection, as well

We'll get the drinks in

So I'll get to thinking of her

drinks to cope - falling, only angel, from the dining table - or to be braver and confront emotions better - tbsl

who is “we”? who is “her”?

narrative of “you” as “lover” further disproven: if “I” and the lover get together over drinks and “I” starts thinking of “her”?

⟷ “her” could be the lover, but then who is “you”? the industry? some other person, besides that lover, harry is devoted to? multiple lovers, all of a sudden? no.

⟶ “I” and “you” are all harry, that get to thinking of “her” because she is in daydreams with him. the narrative that harry is fighting a part of him, the persona he has (had) to play bc of industry limits, makes most sense. that persona is within him now, and part of his work, but all of him, “we”, is begging to come into the light - of which she is a huge part

We'll be a fine line

balancing act. let everything coexist but pay attention that those lines don’t get crossed the wrong way. what we are, what i am, is a fine line between what makes us go under and what lets us thrive

we will be: determination to fulfil this prophecy, statement of fact “we always will be”

“we’ll be a fine line”: other way of interpreting it is that on both sides of that line is what entails “we”, all that is harry. what merges on that fine line is where it’s just right, when harry is fully himself in every way

“fine line” can also be an echo of criticism, bigotry, in the style of: it’s a fine line between being simply flamboyant and queer, between dressing like that and people thinking you’re a transvestite or summat (cause we wouldn’t want that, now, would we) - “we’ll be a fine line” could be owning all of it. putting himself in the middle of all those messy lines, as someone queer without a category

Test of my patience

patience with himself - kindness to self - took a long time to figure shit out and it was a challenge

waiting for change: industry and its allowances/openness

There's things that we'll never know

my favorite line

“we” = harry / harry and company / us in general, all of us listening

～ tpwk “i don’t need all the answers”: deep sense of acceptance

peace to be found in accepting this!!

You sunshine, you temptress

“sunshine” - as in all the love songs (blue skies, sunflowers, summer days…): lover - possible that there are multiple “you”s in this song?

sunshine could ofc also be directed at the temptress, still

female “temptress” - “i’ll get to thinking of her” - she - it’s tempting for harry to think of her all the time, to lose himself in the “her” in him

other interpretation for “temptress”: woman he knows with negative influence in his life - resemblance to woman “you flower, you feast”, so echo of Bukowski ～ only angel, kiwi (my sunshine, my love, who is involved with this temptress…)

My hand’s at risk, I fold

⟷ tpwk “dropping into the deep end”

not showing his cards just yet / forfeits

anxious to show all of him, to take the chance, with all the risks and consequences involved

Crisp trepidation

I’ll try to shake this soon

nervousness, anxiety - about (not) taking (enough) chances, (not) laying himself bare (release of the album that reveals much more than before)

“crisp” fresh, this feeling is unfamiliar - change is coming “soon”

sense of agency: I can get rid of this feeling by my own volition and make these changes - hesitant, insecure: “try”

wants to be braver. he’s not going back, but still needs to calmly coax himself further and further into the light, out into the open (“we’ll be alright”)

Spreading you open

Is the only way of knowing you

(can anyone else hear “spread thin” like a whisper under “spreading”? or am i imagining things.)

“you” is back - the only way of knowing “you” is to spread them open - the physical

to spread someone open - very literal, don’t need to paint the picture, or to lay bare, to lay it all out

⟶ “you” as himself - the only way of knowing who i am is by doing this: writing this album, performing these songs, letting others listen in and form their own interpretations, let this world grow where i’m laid bare and OPEN and exist as this person who has issues, who is angry, who doesn’t know who he is a lot of the time, but is still so happy to be here - let it spread and let it all circle back to me so i can grow deeper into myself

We'll be a fine line

We'll be alright

“we” = h & self, h & lover, h & fans

collectiveness from tpwk

(notes on a piano sounding like drops, like he’s emerged from the water and dripping dry)

SYNTHESIS

Everything about this song is plural. Personal pronouns are all over the place. I, you, her, we. The sound is incredibly layered, with Harry’s own voice echoing through its verses like he’s singing to himself in an empty cave. Meanings can be attached to every word like it’s a wax tablet used too many times. What Harry has said in interviews for once holds pretty true to the actual meaning, in my opinion.

“It felt like it described to me the process of making it and how the album felt in terms of the different kinds of songs on it.” (Capital FM)

This can mean a lot of things, and I think it means all of the things, of course. It means Fine Line is a summary of all of his emotions he visited on the album, of the things he’s laid bare. And it means that the actual process was also described, as one that can be frustrating and challenging, with added industry shit.

Harry has expressed straightforward gratefulness to his label for "leaving (him) alone” while making the album and that speaks volumes. This time, he had the chance to make his art without the constant interference of a label, which meant he could weave in criticism as well. “Put a price on emotion” is first and foremost a critique on the industry. It’s the first line of the song, setting the tone for the interpretation of this song is about the risks I took while making this album. It involves criticism on an industry that creates such an atmosphere that only a certain type of music and artist breaks through or can be successful, that limits people in their personal expression. Convinces them that it’s better that way. That it’s better to hide who they love because the general public won’t accept them. That it’s better to create a song about a fake emotion than be honest. Harry loves writing songs and being on stage, but it’s taken a while for him to be fully comfortable there as a solo artist and bloom into the person that could make Fine Line. He loves his career, but it’s also limited his freedom in ways beyond our comprehension, and it’s exploited him to the point where he didn’t know who he was, in ways that have clearly taken a toll on his mental wellbeing. To a point where he finishes this album reassuring himself, most of all, that everything will be alright.

That process of making Fine Line obviously includes Harry confronting emotions he hadn’t before. He has stated that he experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows while making it. There are things he hates, he was fighting but doesn’t want to (anymore), uncertainties he was trying to figure out but had to accept he couldn’t, risks he still doesn’t know he can take without shaking. At the centre of it all is this sense of “knowing you.” The different personal pronouns in the song paint a fractured picture, which is ultimately deliberate. That the “you” Harry is devoted to and can hate sometimes doesn’t line up with “her,” that the end focus does seem to be this “you” that is mentioned in the same breath as “man” and “temptress,” forming the “we” together with “I”.

After having songs like Lights Up, She, Falling and even TPWK, one of the central themes on the album has undoubtedly been self-discovery, in all its pain and glory. There are no female pronouns on the album besides, obviously, in She, and then here, in Fine Line. She is about a man living with a woman “just in his head”, who “sleeps in his bed while he plays pretend.” It is very clearly a trans narrative, the story of someone struggling to put into words what they’re experiencing in terms of gender. To a point that they fantasise about running away. Fine Line brings the ideas of knowing what it all means, which Lights Up kicks off (“do you know who you are?”), Falling deepens (“what am I now?”) and Treat People With Kindness turns on its head (“I don’t need all the answers”), together. Harry is still doubtful, and the questions asked earlier in the album haven’t disappeared, but he has accepted that “some things we’ll never know.” His aim, however, is still “knowing you.”

To have Fine Line, as the summary of these emotions of self-growth and self-discovery, echo that one female pronoun, speaks volumes. It is a direct reference to She, to that story about gender. “Her” in this song refers to “she (who) lives in daydreams with (him).” The one who still only fully comes out when they’ve had a drink. The one he’s still working to include in who he is, as he tries to figure out who he is, all of it. The song where he sings in falsetto, just like on Fine Line. Of which he sang the first verse an octave lower live at the forum, switching between those voices, those perspectives. That’s also why “you” in this song is also Harry to me. We get this fractured sense of self, this “I” and “you” conversing over a drink, this “you” Harry is devoted to and wants to figure out. “You” and “I” form “we” and all of them are Harry. The lines are blurry on purpose, there is no way to figure out where “you” ends and “I” begins.

“You sunshine, you temptress” is the most enigmatic line in that respect, and to me blurs those lines even more between the pronouns. “You” is suddenly also identified by a female noun. And no this isn’t about some kind of love triangle. “Sunshine” aligns with all the odes to his lover in the rest of the album. So what does that mean? That there are multiple “you”s in this song, meaning that Harry is addressing both his lover and a temptress? So “her” he’ll get to thinking of, the only other female pronoun used in the song, is identified as a temptress, but tempting to do what? To take risks? And no I won’t forget the “man, I can hate you sometimes,” where "man” is not a casual interjection but an identifier of “you.”

Or is it an echo of “the light” from Golden’s “bring me back to the light” and Light’s Up’s “step into the light”? So that the “sunshine” symbolises being in the clear, being out of the darkness running through his heart, the darkness caused by not knowing who you are. “You sunshine,” you beacon of light. “You temptress,” risk-taker and source of anxiety. You, one I need to spread open to figure out, to know about, source of happiness and despair, one I’m devoted to but also hate. You, man, you, temptress. You there, in the mirror looking back at me.

All of you, and myself included, we’ll be a fine line. And we’ll be alright.

This song is about all of that. The self in art, the self on its own, the other, the journey, the chances, the fears, the passion. Hope. Reassurance. Confidence. And, most importantly, that everything will be alright in the end.

read all my lyric analyses here

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bookwyrminspiration · 3 years

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(pyro here! i feel like this is...very ramble-y and i apologize if this doesn't make sense, and no obligation to post if it all feels like i'm just going in circles or for any other reason)

this could just be me, but i find keeper to be so interesting in so many ways but mostly because of how little actual good guys and bad guys there are, if that makes sense? it doesn't seem like it on the surface, and the story seems rather clear-cut if you don't think about it too hard, but there's no character or group in the series that's completely perfect and hasn't done anything wrong ever, iirc? like, the council is very obviously not too pressed over whether their actions are morally right and they're the government of a species that's supposedly all about being righteous, and neither are the black swan nor neverseen, which i find really interesting to look at, especially when the protagonists start to realize these things and question them, outwardly or inwardly.

and even any developed individual characters aren't clear-cut. yes, sophie is our protagonist, but she's also an arsonist that frequently breaks the laws of her world and has nearly started a war by breaking a treated because she was curios as to what was in an ogre king's mind. linh is- well, she's the token nice asian girl, but she also flooded an entire city, twice, and has most definitely killed people. dex may not have done anything really wrong, but he still created the ability restrictor, a device that put his best friend through days/weeks of torment, all because he was happy to recieve attention from the council. and that's just three of the main characters.

and i'm under the impression you really don't care about the council (which is fine and totally valid!) but it's still so interesting how the three important characters from there follow this as well. oralie was revealed to be sophie's mother meaning she committed treason and should probably be in exile, kenric was actively hiding important information from oralie (and knew about her being sophie's mother and therefor was a willing accomplice to treason and should also be in exile), and bronte has gotten...better(?) in the later books? maybe?

i suppose im wishing that shannon will deliver on this in the future, but im not really getting my hopes up. sophie is very interesting, but the books have always framed her actions as the right ones to take, no matter how terrible the consequences could've been, and they definitely frame the rest of the "good guys" as, well, good people who do good things, which isn't exactly true in most cases. i just...i guess i find it really interesting. i'd also be interested to hear your thoughts on this! on the surface, keeper really does seem like a rather basic series, but it's cool how if you dig even just a little deeper you start getting messy.

hello pyro !! nothing to apologize for, I love rambling! and you are in luck because I happen to have so many thoughts about everything all of the time.

and I agree with you! When you first think of keeper—or at least when I do—I seems very black and white, even bland at times in terms of the interest of the characters and the aspects of their world. Especially when you’re an older reader and have since read more adult books with more complex characters. Which is common. Because these are middle grade series and there’s more limitations of what topics authors can reasonably cover. They’re being careful. Because their audience are young and impressionable and despite their best efforts may be influenced subconsciously. So they have to lay things out more clearly, explaining that actions are bad when adult readers can put that together themselves.

(I know there are a lot of younger people in this fandom so let me clarify: I am not saying you are incapable of critical thought. However, thorough analysis becomes easier with experience, and adults and older readers will often have more experience with this than you. We’ve also had more time to figure out our own opinions and morals. This is not meant to put you down, just remind you that there are inevitable differences between us).

Back to what you were saying, pyro, despite its appearance, when you take a closer look there’s actually not a lot of black and white—or at least not as much as you’d think. I know there’s a canon line where Sophie says something like “the Black Swan were…the good guys?” (paraphrased from the first book). Which makes sense because at this point in time she’s twelve, where it makes sense for her to have that very black and white mindset. Good and bad. Pleasant and unpleasant. it’s a very all nothing mindset, which I know I also had at that age. But as she’s grown older in the series, she’s thinking about things from a more mixed perspective. She’s bargaining with herself and deciding what’s worth what and if the consequences are worth the risks, making decisions she likely would’ve condemned earlier in her life. Like setting the storehouse on fire. That’s a very loaded and controversial decision from her. It’s neither good nor bad. It accomplishes something she wants—sending the Neverseen scrambling and setting them back—and she decided that was worth the consequences—burning potential information and doing something that might’ve been previously against her morals. It’s not the “right” decision to make. It’s just the decision she makes.

We see this a lot with Black Swan too. I’m actually going to bring their oath into this: “I will do everything in my power to help my world.” It seems simple and straightforward at first, but thinking about it, there’s no qualifications for what “help” means. And there’s no limit on what they’ll do, just that they’ll do it if they’re capable. This leaves it open for a lot of morally questionable decisions, like creating Sophie. Did creating Sophie help their world? She’s already started to make positive changes (like at Exillium) and she’s not done yet, so you could say yes she’s helping. And they were capable of bringing her into existence. So they did. It was in their power and it helped, so they did. Despite using Emma’s body, despite forcing Sophie into this situation.

with the Neverseen, they seem more like misguided anti-heroes (if I’m using that term right), doing “bad” things for “good” reasons. Fintan is making these bold statements and undermining the council, actions viewed as negative, to try and highlight the unfair discrimination in their system and reform it—a motive one could consider reasonable and positive.

as for the council, the most notable event this applies to is Sophie’s ability restrictor in Everblaze. This was not supported by everyone else, actively hurting out main protagonist, but their reasoning was generally sound. Sophie had already broken several laws at this point as was causing unrest in their society, the one they’re supposed to govern. And she’d used her abilities yet again to go against those rules, this time with incredible serious consequences. So if she refuses to listen, what do you do? Take away those abilities. Keep her from hurting this society further. There are more specific examples of this, like Oralie and Kenric’s cache, but this is getting long so i can talk about those later if you’d like /g

part of what is intriguing about these characters is how they’re not so black and white on the surface despite the world seeming to be so easily divided into good and bad, so it’s fascinating to talk about how those parts are actually displayed. You brought up a lot of really good topics and I love talking about this!! /g

if you’d like me to expand on any specific part more or have more thoughts of your own to share, you’re more than welcome to send another ask <33

#I kinda zoned out there just talking about the characters #so I don’t remember everything I said #but damn do I have So Many Thoughts #character analysis my beloved #pyro you’re incredible #I love you /p #if you’re comfortable with that #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fandom #kotlc character analysis #long post #quil’s queries #nonsie #anonymous #pyrokinetic-loser

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hayleysstark · 5 years

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GIVE US THE INTENSE ANALYSIS ON MERLIN AND KILGHARRAH YEEEES

may i just say, i am very glad you asked but i really don’t think you’re going to be, by the end of this. do you know how many Thoughts™️ i have had about one very stupid warlock and one very cryptic dragon???? do you????? do you know????? i could turn this into a fucking,,,,,, PowerPoint presentation if i cared to except i don’t and also i would never inflict PowerPoint on my followers, i love you guys far too much for that, i’m sorry for even suggesting it honestly

i AM sorry in advance for how long this is going to be, though, i’ll try to just reference key points, such as,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The Dragon’s Call

I legitimately don’t even know where to start with this, to tell you the truth - there is just so much to talk about here, and I’m honestly a bit overwhelmed - but I think, most of all, it’s incredibly important to note how easily, how effortlessly, Kilgharrah handles Merlin here.

We don’t know yet how much Kilgharrah truly knows about Merlin as a person - all he ever mentions, in this interaction at least, is the destiny Merlin shares with Arthur - but Merlin gives himself away all too easily. There is such earnest desperation and hope on his face when Kilgharrah talks of fate. He lays bare the thing he wants more than anything else in the world–a purpose for himself and his power–and Kilgharrah immediately seizes this advantage. He dangles a “great destiny” in front of Merlin like a horse with a carrot, but he neglects the details and the specifics in favor of the big picture.

The only true instruction Merlin receives from Kilgharrah in this scene is “protect Arthur”. There’s some stuff about Albion, and freedom for sorcerers, of course, but Kilgharrah leaves it all a bit fuzzy, a bit scrambled. Clearly, he has plenty more to say on the subject, but he deliberately holds back. Like he’s going to clear it all up, yes, of course, but not tonight, no, maybe next time he sees Merlin.

And that’s exactly what he wants.

I know Kilgharrah’s cryptic, confusing, usually not-very-helpful advice is sort of treated a bit like a running joke, by the fandom and the series itself, but just think, for even a second, about the implications of it.

Kilgharrah does not intend to tell Merlin everything he needs to know to fulfill the prophecy. Kilgharrah does not intend to tell Merlin even a fraction of everything he needs to know. Kilgharrah wants to keep Merlin coming back for more. Kilgharrah needs Merlin. Kilgharrah needs to earn Merlin’s trust. Kilgharrah needs to establish a relationship with Merlin if he’s ever going to get free of his prison.

At this point in time, Kilgharrah does not care about Merlin. Kilgharrah does not care, even, about destiny, or Albion. Merlin is merely a means to an end, and so Kilgharrah treats him as such - gives him the bare minimum, gives him the slightest taste of what he wants, and pretends he’s doing Merlin an enormous favor the whole way through.

Perhaps Kilgharrah expects Merlin to jump at this chance - after all, great destinies bring much glory - but that’s absolutely not the case, and, as Merlin gets blunter and blunter about his doubts and reluctance, Kilgharrah takes away all other options.

Kilgharrah tells Merlin that the prophecy is not something he can cast off or leave behind. It’s not something he can outrun. As a matter of fact, their very next interaction in Valiant has a similar exchange.

Kilgharrah cuts off Merlin’s escape routes. Kilgharrah wants to trap Merlin. Kilgharrah wants Merlin to feel trapped, fettered, bound to something he doesn’t even want. Kilgharrah does not want Merlin to have a choice, so Kilgharrah denies him this choice right from the start. Kilgharrah teaches Merlin that he does not get to say no.

And it only gets worse as S1 drags on. Nearly all of their earliest interactions follow the same pattern, every single time: Kilgharrah never gives Merlin the whole truth, and Kilgharrah never forgets to make Merlin feel special.

And it works. It absolutely horrified me to sit through S1 at certain points - the pattern of malicious manipulation stood out to me so starkly, I couldn’t think how other people could even stomach it, to be honest. And even worse, you have to watch the hero wander right into the lions’ den, lay docilely down, and wait for the inevitable, because that manipulation fucking worked.

By as early as The Mark of Nimeuh, Merlin is clearly very at ease with Kilgharrah, visibly relaxed and even content in the caves with him. And it’s a horrific thing to see. If you recognize the pattern, if you recognize the way Kilgharrah draws Merlin in, it truly is a horrific thing to see.

And it only gets worse.

By The Beginning of the End, Merlin has started to take his destiny seriously–so seriously, he calls Arthur’s death “unthinkable”, so seriously that Kilgharrah advises him to kill a child, and Merlin actually takes the time to step back and consider it. This is where the true scope of Kilgharrah’s manipulation can best be seen, especially by the viewers who didn’t notice it, or just didn’t actively look for it in or after The Dragon’s Call.

As in The Dragon’s Call and Valiant, Kilgharrah cuts off Merlin’s escape routes. Kilgharrah traps Merlin. But it’s not like The Dragon’s Call, and it’s not like Valiant, not really, because this time, Kilgharrah is nowhere near as straightforward about it. He does not outright tell Merlin “you have no choice”–as a matter of fact, he is very quick to emphasize how much of a choice Merlin truly has.

And how, if Merlin dares to make the wrong one, it’s going to be all his fault.

Again, this is where the full extent of Kilgharrah’s machinations fully comes to light. For all but Merlin.

Because Merlin continues to trust Kilgharrah right up until

Le Morte d’Arthur

The term “emotional rollercoaster” is, in all honesty, a very weak way to describe this episode, but it’s the best I’ve got, so that’ll have to do. So, to make sure I don’t just fuck off right here, rewatch this one, and cry literal buckets, the way I’d really like to, I’ll just jump right on in. (I already have this whole episode memorized by heart anyway.)

If the casual way Kilgharrah sent Merlin off on an actual suicide mission - in absolutely every sense of the term - wasn’t enough to tip Merlin off that the cryptic lizard under the castle couldn’t be trusted, well, don’t worry, because the rest of the episode certainly does that.

This is the moment when Merlin finally starts to see through Kilgharrah’s pretty words, this is the moment when Merlin finally starts to see the web Kilgharrah has woven all around him, and it is done absolutely brilliantly.

Kilgharrah has grown so confident–so complacent, even–in his control over Merlin, he makes no attempt, at any point, to mask his true intentions.

And Merlin never wondered, not even once, if Kilgharrah might have an ulterior motive, a deeper reason, to see Arthur succeed, to see the prophecy come to fruition. Merlin never suspected Kilgharrah of treachery or deceit.

At first glance, this line is flat, unimaginative, unoriginal - you see it in every stereotypical fantasy series when the hero suffers a betrayal - but if you go back through S1 and you really pay attention to what’s led up to this, and damn, that line cuts deep. Because it’s true. It’s the truth. Merlin really believed Kilgharrah wanted the best for him.

Merlin really believed Kilgharrah was his friend.

Because Kilgharrah played him like a goddamned fiddle.

And even now, Kilgharrah thinks he can pull Merlin right back under his thumb, he truly thinks he’s still got a hold on Merlin, however small.

When Kilgharrah sees he’s lost the emotional advantage he had over Merlin, he immediately finds another angle to work with - the magical connections he and Merlin share. And it backfires spectacularly.

This is the first moment we see Kilgharrah truly fail. And this is the first moment we see Kilgharrah lose all control, and lash out in wild fury.

This was not a calculated move. This was not part of the plan. This was not the way Kilgharrah wanted things to go from here. This is raw, uncontrolled, unrestrained rage. This does not fit into the grand scheme Kilgharrah has cooked up over all those years in the dark, this is something far more primal than that. This is an emotional reaction in the deepest sense of the term, and it’s Merlin who dragged such an extreme response out of him.

But unlike in previous episodes, Merlin doesn’t come back and resolve it all. Things stay sour between them for–well, several weeks, actually, that’s my best guess, because we see in The Curse of Cornelius Sigan, Merlin’s outright refusal, at first, to return to Kilgharrah.

Gaius eventually convinces Merlin to mend fences with the dragon - Camelot will fall if he doesn’t, which certainly gives Merlin an incentive - but Kilgharrah’s help comes at a steep price now.

It’s clear Kilgharrah has realized he doesn’t need to play Merlin anymore. He doesn’t need to hide what he really wants, and he certainly doesn’t need to do anything special to keep Merlin coming back to him. Merlin needs him. Merlin will come back so long as he still has a prince to protect. So Kilgharrah, with this newfound sort of freedom, goes to the opposite extreme. He tears Merlin down for the smallest thing, he criticizes Merlin for every last little failure, he sneers at Merlin’s resolute hold to his own morality, he blames and belittles Merlin, he is needlessly and openly cruel to Merlin at absolutely every opportunity.

In The Nightmare Begins, we see he refuses to help Merlin with Morgana, he insists Morgana is not to be trusted and he calls Merlin a fool for his attempts to help her with her magic.

And, in The Witch’s Quickening, Kilgharrah reproaches Merlin for his failures with both Mordred and Morgana. (That’s honestly just a constant throughout S2 - Merlin does something, Kilgharrah tears him apart for it, Merlin defends himself and his decisions, Kilgharrah reminds Merlin of his promise to set him free, Merlin swears he will, and so on and so forth. I really don’t think we need to touch on every single interaction between them in S2, as many of them are largely the same.)

But a few key points here…..

The Fires of Idirsholas

Anyone notice how every season finale, with the exception of S4, marks a major turning point in Merlin and Kilgharrah’s relationship??? Because I fucking do. anyways, quick aside before we get into the more serious stuff

Merlin knows Kilgharrah well enough to know the dragon’s just fucking around, and honestly, that makes me so happy. one of them might be a scaly asshole and the other might be a magical bastard, but goddamn, their relationship still has its moments.

So this scene is,,,,,,,,,, honestly really important, I’ll just stick a bunch of screenshots in right here and dissect it as I go

Merlin acts rashly here, there’s definitely no doubt about that, but honest to God, this is one impulsive decision where you just can’t blame him at all. Kilgharrah has backed him completely into a corner–and, in keeping with his new attitude toward Merlin in S2, Kilgharrah doesn’t bother with subtlety, Kilgharrah doesn’t even try and rely on manipulation to get Merlin exactly where he wants him to be.

It seems overt threats and brute force are the tools Kilgharrah has turned to, since he lost his command over Merlin in S1.

As we can see here, Kilgharrah does not bother to try and lightly nudge Merlin down the “right” path–why would he bother to be kind if he doesn’t absolutely have to be, after all? This is just the most complete turnaround from The Beginning of the End, and it’s absolutely astounding how smoothly, how neatly, the change in Kilgharrah comes about.

But, as we all know, the overt threats and brute force actually work. Merlin does exactly as Kilgharrah wants - he poisons Morgana, he steals a sword from the Knights of Medhir, and he frees Kilgharrah (anyone else remember the fUCKING MAGIC STAIRS THAT LITERALLY DIDN’T EXIST UNTIL MERLIN NEEDED THEM Or nah just me?? maybe Merlin magicked them up with his phenomenal cosmic powers i dunno either way i fucking hate it)

And this string of Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! decisions leads us to……

The Last Dragonlord

There’s a lot of ground to cover in this episode, honestly, but for now, let’s focus on how Kilgharrah knew Balinor.

Let’s break that shit down, because it’s really fucking important, actually. Kilgharrah knew Balinor. To that end, he must have known Merlin. Maybe he knew Merlin’s ancestry right from the start, maybe he sensed it, even, through the telepathic connection he established with Merlin in The Dragon’s Call, or maybe, the moment he laid eyes on Merlin, he simply saw so much of Balinor there, and he put it all together, but however he worked it out, Kilgharrah knew Balinor, and Kilgharrah knew Merlin must be Balinor’s son.

And Kilgharrah deliberately withheld this from Merlin.

And Kilgharrah rarely makes a move without reason. Kilgharrah has always got some sort of plan, some sort of scheme, some kind of angle to work, and that’s exactly what he has right here.

Because, God knows, if Merlin ever met Balinor, if Merlin ever learned about dragonlords, if Merlin ever had any knowledge of the magical world Kilgharrah did not personally hand to him, it would give Merlin an advantage. However small, this knowledge would give Merlin an advantage.

And Kilgharrah cannot let him have that.

i previously touched pretty heavily on this episode, and what it means for Merlin and Kilgharrah’s relationship here, so i’ll just reiterate briefly ~

Ever since Le Morte d’Arthur, Merlin and Kilgharrah’s relationship has headed for something serious, something major–if all the bits of S2 weren’t enough to foreshadow that, Merlin’s final promise to free Kilgharrah in The Fires of Idirsholas certainly did–and that incredible tension finally comes to a head here. When Merlin discovers his own latent dragonlord abilities. When Merlin “finds the voice” that he and Kilgharrah share. When Merlin realizes Kilgharrah’s soul and his are “brothers”.

Oh, no, Merlin doesn’t forgive Kilgharrah here–and that’s what most powerful about it, in all honesty, it really just wouldn’t have packed the same punch, if Merlin had truly buried the hatchet here. But he doesn’t. The hard edges of his anger soften, he sees revenge is a pathetic and pointless thing to try and exact from Kilgharrah, and he sees he has laid unnecessary and unfair blame on Kilgharrah. But he doesn’t forgive Kilgharrah. Not at all.

And Kilgharrah doesn’t forgive Merlin.

Kilgharrah comes to respect Merlin. Up until now, Kilgharrah has seen Merlin as little more than a child–foolish and naive and entirely dependent on others, too easily tricked, too easy to take advantage of, too quick to trust, too quick to love, too quick to give his heart away–and while that perspective isn’t necessarily unfair, it’s not the whole picture, either. Merlin isn’t just a child. Merlin isn’t just foolish and naive and gullible.

And for the first time, Kilgharrah really sees that. Kilgharrah has believed, up until right this moment, that Merlin’s heart, Merlin’s compassion, Merlin’s love, would lead him to his death, to Arthur’s death, to the fall of Camelot, to the failure of the prophecy. Kilgharrah didn’t truly believe Merlin could achieve his destiny. Not until right now.

Because, for the first time, Merlin’s heart, Merlin’s compassion, Merlin’s love, serves Kilgharrah.

Merlin shows Kilgharrah mercy (and commands him to “do the same to others”) and in the face of such an unexpected and undeserved kindness, Kilgharrah finally sees Merlin in his entirety.

And Kilgharrah comes to respect Merlin.

Something fundamental has shifted between them. Something has changed here tonight, and it’s immediately obvious right from their very first scene together in S3.

If that - and the gentle, almost sweet way Kilgharrah cares for Merlin here - didn’t already indicate a serious shift in their dynamic, the rest of it certainly does.

If The Last Dragonlord wasn’t a thing, do you really think Kilgharrah would ever have said Merlin “showed great courage” when he followed his heart? Yeah. Neither do I. Oh, and then Kilgharrah allows Merlin to ride upon his back all the way to Camelot.

What a blatant change from S2, don’t you think? But the conflict between Merlin and Kilgharrah isn’t entirely over. With two such obstinate, contrary personalities, it’s almost inevitable, to tell the truth.

But The Crystal Cave is, I think, the first true example of how Merlin, rather than Kilgharrah, holds all the power in their relationship now.

In S1, Kilgharrah convinced Merlin he did not get to say no.

In S3, Merlin proves Kilgharrah truly does not get to say no. Kilgharrah has absolutely no choice in this, Kilgharrah has absolutely no power or control or command here. It all lies with Merlin. And Merlin is so damned out of line.

Don’t misunderstand me. It’s wonderful that Merlin has finally learned how to handle himself around Kilgharrah. He has finally learned how to stand on his own and stick to his guns, he has finally proven Kilgharrah cannot lead him around blindly as in S1.

But Merlin is out of line here. Merlin does mistreat Kilgharrah here. Merlin does abuse his power here. And that’s not okay.

Kilgharrah isn’t the sole “bad guy” in this dynamic, and Merlin is not his helpless, defenseless victim. It’s not so simple as all that. The minute the power is placed in Merlin’s hands, he uses it. He is every bit as cruel to Kilgharrah as Kilgharrah has ever been to him.

(something very interesting to note here: Merlin waits to see what Kilgharrah will do. He’s already given his orders, there is little more Kilgharrah can do, but Merlin is genuinely curious to see if a dragon can truly shake off his control. As we see in Kilgharrah’s acquiescence mere moments later, he cannot. this has nothing to do with anything, I just really like the little detail.)

Kilgharrah and Merlin never resolve this conflict, but the next time they get together, in The Coming of Arthur, things appear to be back to normal. There’s no lasting anger on either side. Kilgharrah even proclaims his loyalty to Merlin, and lets Merlin ride upon his back again.

In The Darkest Hour, the year’s gap has clearly only served to strengthen Merlin and Kilgharrah’s relationship even further.

Kilgharrah’s confession here is powerful enough all on its own, but the soft, sorrowful way he says it really plays up how much he would truly miss Merlin, were he to lose him now. Even Kilgharrah in S3 hadn’t yet developed enough–or, in truth, softened enough–to grieve Merlin as he does here.

And yet, for all of that, Kilgharrah’s character stays mostly the same, right up until the end of the series. Yes, he has come to care about Merlin now - he doesn’t even try to deny it - and yet, he still cares for himself and his own plans more.

And he makes that pretty clear in Aithusa.

To be fair to Kilgharrah, Merlin’s hesitation here is merely that - a hesitation. He is going to go after the egg. He is going to rescue Aithusa. He’s already made up his mind. He just needs a little push, and Kilgharrah’s intention here is simply to provide him with that push.

But guilt didn’t need to be that push. Guilt shouldn’t have been that push. The inherent malice in a mention of Merlin’s father felt cruel. Like a step backward for Kilgharrah and his growth. Like he hadn’t changed at all since S1.

And it felt right! Kilgharrah shouldn’t have to change the very essence of who he is, as a character, as a person, to prove how much he has grown. He has grown! By leaps and bounds, he has grown, and this is not an erasure of that growth, this is a reminder that all that growth will not turn him into a pure or wholesome or unproblematic character.

If you really need a further demonstration of Kilgharrah’s development over the course of the series, just look at his reaction when he hears Aithusa’s egg is still out there somewhere.

This is not an act. This is real. Kilgharrah is overjoyed at the idea that he will not have to be alone any longer, and it astounds me, still, how truly open with Merlin he is here, how freely he expresses himself. Even as late as S3, Kilgharrah takes care to cloak and conceal his emotions even from his dragonlord, and to see him so candid is honestly a bit of a shock.

Kilgharrah has come to trust Merlin enough to be honest with him, to be open with him. For that alone, this moment is one of the most important the two share over the course of the series.

also, this episode is my personal favorite from S4, so have a rare glimpse of Merlin and Kilgharrah being happy together:

We don’t see much of Kilgharrah from here on out - in fact, we don’t see him in S4 at all after this - except his brief appearance in The Sword in the Stone ((which was hella rad, by the way, don’t ever piss one Merlin Emrys off or he will just call up a fucking dragon to rain down literal hellfire on you i guess)) - but the times we do see him are very important!

The Kindness of Strangers

Raise your hand if this episode just utterly wrecked you, because,,,,,,,,,, uh,,,,,,, yeah,,,,,,,, as the kids say,,,,,,,, “big same”,,,,,,,,,,

Merlin and Kilgharrah’s time together is actually very short, in this episode, but all the more poignant and impactful for that. It’s clear right from the first moment Merlin opens his mouth that the dynamic between the two of them has evolved yet again. Aithusa definitely planted the seeds for this new and stronger relationship, but it’s only here we get to see those seeds truly blossom.

So, yes, there are definite echoes of Aithusa here–Kilgharrah is honest, he’s candid, he’s open with his emotions, but unlike in Aithusa, he’s much freer with his affection for Merlin. Sure, he’s certainly had his moments (The Darkest Hour jumps readily to mind) but even so, he’s never been quite this quick to confess how much he’s truly come to care for Merlin.

And it’s a rare thing, really, to see Merlin so relaxed around Kilgharrah. It’s taken the two of them a long time to grow so comfortable with each other, and it’s wonderful to finally get to see it!

………oh, yeah, and then there’s this

So this is kind of branded into my memory (listen, I was already braced for Arthur’s death, okay, I did not expect to lose Kilgharrah, too, and if you think I didn’t cry literal buckets after this episode, you are fucking WRONG) but the bits that really stick out?

“What will I do without you?” “It is the cycle of life–no more, no less.”

The two of them have really just come such a long way, haven’t they? Remember in S1, when Merlin was merely a means to an end for Kilgharrah? Remember in S2, when Kilgharrah was nothing more than a necessary evil to Merlin?

Now, Merlin cannot imagine his life without Kilgharrah and now, Kilgharrah tries to ease Merlin’s grief and sorrow in any way he can.

Which, actually, is the exact same thing he does in

The Diamond of the Day

Kilgharrah has just seen Merlin fail, in the worst and most enormous way possible. Destiny has finally come to fruition, and Emrys himself was not strong enough to stop it.

And yet, Kilgharrah - who, in the past, has never hesitated to point out all the ways Merlin went wrong, no matter how Merlin feels in the moment - offers nothing but comfort, and the first glimmers of hope for the future.

A little hard to believe, isn’t it, that this is the same dragon we met in S1. damn it’s been literal years and i’m STILL shook over the drastic change in the two of them.

Though the core of the characters remain largely consistent, the two of them truly just shape each other so much as the series goes on.

Merlin would not be the person he is in S5 without Kilgharrah, and Kilgharrah would not be the person he is in S5 without Merlin.

thanks for coming to my TED talk ~

#merlin #bbc merlin #ask #anonymous

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lordsicheng · 6 years

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Mini Chart Analysis: Wanna One’s Lai Guanlin

Hey everyone! I decided to make a very short analysis on Guanlin’s personal planets for his birthday so I hope you guys enjoy.

Disclaimer: Take note that not everything may be accurate, as lifestyle and personal preferences also play a big part in our lives. So take the whole post with a grain of salt as I would likely be generalizing most of these as well, since my knowledge is still not as good as most who have learned astrology for more than a year or years. I hope I can give you guys an idea on how precious our baby Linlin is like from the stars that aligned for his day of birth <3

Name: Lai Guanlin

Birthdate: September 23, 2001

Birthplace: Taipei City, Taiwan

Another disclaimer oops: Before I get into things further with this, there’s been quite a debate on whether he is a Virgo or a Libra. Take note that he was born where half of the timezones around the globe have already transitioned to exactly to the 23rd (in this case, Taiwan’s timezone has already advanced in time compared to the other side of the globe), so other parts of the earth may still have been on the 22nd (we do need his birth time). So, for short, he is a Libra. And no, cusps aren’t real. If you, personally, were told to be born on the cusp where you have traits on either sun signs, look in your birth chart if you think so as there are tons of aspects that also attribute to this rather than saying you were born “on the cusp”.

Sun in Libra, Moon in Sagittarius

Born under the sun sign of Libra, he displays a very charming aura to those around him that can be quite magnetic

A lover of peace and harmony

He values how important the people around him are and may tend to often put them first

Sociable, gracious, quite a level-headed young man with very good manners

Loves to please people and be of help to them whenever they need him

Has objective judgment, likes to weigh in all the options when he can

Very polite, does not like to rush others for his sake

This can go either way as he tends to be the laid-back type which can cause slight laziness and chooses the easier paths

A very common trait is that he may be quite indecisive as I’ve said from above, he likes to weigh in options, so it’d take time for him to decide on anything

His moon sign shows how capable he is of wanting to expand his learning abilities

An example is him being able to go to a different country at such a young age, being able to learn a language rather quickly than most as it shows his interest of being an entertainer

Finds traveling as something he’d need for “peace of mind” and comfort

Back on how he loves to learn, he may often find the need to want to learn different kinds of things all at once

It could be learning others’ culture, tradition, etc.

Optimistic, cheers people on all the time even if he chooses to stay on the sidelines just to give them enough spotlight

Risk taker

Along with his sun, he values every friendship he makes and makes it a point that they’re important to him

Now the con for both is that he may come off slightly tactless out of carelessness

Again, might show detachment at times and may come off “unemotional” when not in the mood / not having things his way

Doesn’t like to complicate things as they can be / already are

But for the most part, his sun and moon are sextile, so he finds both his ego and emotions are much in harmony

His Sagittarius moon helps his Libra sun to become more honest, straightforward, and not sugarcoat things if they’re not right

Even though both his sun and moon are very sociable signs, he also likes to keep his downtime to himself and likes to be alone often as he finds this relaxing and finds that he is able to rest properly from socializing (example: Wanna One Go: Zero Base)

Excitable and wants freedom of any kind

With both signs being quite sociable, I can see how people find him as quite admirable and very kind

Also likely quick-witted (Sagittarius)

Definitely is able to adapt to different environments rather quickly as well

Honestly, he’d be the best-best friend anyone could have!

Mercury in Libra

Those with Mercury in the sign of Libra tend to focus on justice rather than going on bias

Strong-willed minds but also prefers to be in sync with others

In comparison to the other air signs (Aquarius and Gemini), Mercury in Libras are more of the old-fashioned as they tend to not like “breaking the rules”

Likes the thought of individualism, but also rather sticks to the norm for their own

In Guanlin’s case, he tries to make sure he doesn’t get into any conflict even if it runs around him

Likes to keep things more balanced more than anything (take a shot for every time I say balance)

However, his mercury sign gives him the opportunity to be able to speak in proper manner and based on facts, rather than dilly dallying on different sources (very much heightened by his Sagittarius moon)

May often seem gullible but doesn’t back down on trying to know the truth

Yes, those with Libra Mercury also have a distinct voice-- especially their laugh. In his case, he has a unique laugh and is quite noticeable

A peacemaker and is very agreeable

However this can be quite conflicting as he is a people-pleaser, so he might forget his own views and thoughts for the sake of others’ own

Again, indecisive

Tends to procrastinate, may find some information very useful but then useless the next

Nice. Maybe a little too nice for his own good.

However, he definitely knows how to work a charm when speaking (or even performing)

He has a mindset of wanting to put the wrong things into right at all times

With his moon sign, he will make a very good speaker. Possibly a very good humanitarian speaker in the future for example

Venus in Virgo

I was quite surprised to see him being a having a Virgo venus tbh

More than anything, he likes to be of service to those around him

Finds beauty when it’s made through hard work

Devotes his time and what he can offer to make things as clean-cut as possible

Also, this is common, but he can rather view things critically in that manner (especially himself)

Always values cleanliness and tends to be quite a perfectionist

But on top of that, he will stay loyal and giving towards friendships

In terms of style, he prefers to keep himself on the simple side but often adds flair like unique accessories (we see he often wears white / caps, etc)

Now, when in love: he takes his time

No, not because he has high standards, but he just wants to focus on himself first before liking anyone / pursuing them

Does not like to rush things, at all

Rather shy and conscious when in love

Sensitive

But again, what he finds beautiful in someone is the simplicity and down-to-earth manners they have

Prefers his future partner to rather wear clothes simply, but he’d find elegance as well for ones who have really good style (Libra placements)

He’d want someone who was caring and definitely ones who know how to take care of themselves

With regards to him liking a noona, this shows honestly-- he looks for someone just as mature in personality but also slightly cutesy as if he wants to take care of them

Even the smallest acts of service makes his heart flutter; taking out the trash, cleaning up, cooking for him-- he’d find this very likeable within someone

However, one of the only cons I could make is that he may often be nitpicky to his future partner

Might often point out the smallest changes they have too

Along with that, he might try to overidealize them / tries to think of the domestic sides of relationships (example: he might prefer a very traditional home in the future and you’d want to have more of an extravagant one)

I’d say he’s very much the type to take his time before going in a relationship because he wants to be sure if they’re able to handle his personality

Yes, in the future he might date often, but once he’s set with one person then he’d give his utmost loyalty more than anything

I’ll be making a separate post on how he is like when in love (along with the other members) so stay tuned mwah

Mars in Capricorn

Wooh!

Underneath that soft and lovely boy is a strong-willed and hardworking young man

His mars sign gives him the capability of doing things strategically, puts things into action if he is sure of it

Very patient and mature, probably one of the reasons he was able to strive hard while living in Korea as he is from Taiwan-- he has the strong will to do work in a harsh industry at a very young age

Also might show how intimidating he can be to others as well

His ambitions are up high, he knows what he’s definitely doing

Together with his other traits, I’d say he’d definitely make a great leader

Persistent, if he somehow fails into doing something, he doesn’t get mad and just coolly moves on into doing another one (Capricorn is a cardinal sign; so is Libra as he is able to quickly adapt from one thing to another)

Achievement is his biggest wealth

With his Venus sign, he could definitely go into works and businesses that has something to do with the environment-- he can run a farm, maybe even run a greenhouse full of plants of his own in the future

However, it may sometimes show he can be cold and rather “work-oriented” by others

Often, very often, might boast with their achievements without even trying to

Also slightly, ever so slightly, might tend to spend into luxuries quite often

But those with this type of mars sign are just as fun as any other signs, just that they’re rather straightforward

In terms of anger, he throws out witty comments and button-pushing ones that show he’s quite heated

Along with his Libra placements, it can take time for him to get to or show how angry he can be but he cannot stand anything that causes disrespect to himself and anyone he loves

Literally hates disrespect and unprofessional manners overall

Might get finicky with people who don’t value their work or ones who just half-ass things

Also, much in conflict with his Libra placements, he can get irritable when things don’t go his way

Would not like it if anyone questions his strategies in a negative manner as if they don’t believe in him

Hates, hates being humiliated

But because of his sun and moon signs, it can take quite a while to anger him-- just don’t ever, ever, test his patience as you’ll see the very dark side of his anger (Sagittarius + Capricorn placements make one of the scariest people in terms of anger)

Best way is for him to commit into doing something for the long run especially in hobbies-- could be sports (recommended), gardening, designing, etc. He’s definitely an all-rounder with his Mars sign

His personal placements show a very kind, sociable, well-mannered and hardworking individual who isn’t afraid to take any challenges that come his way. Guanlin may be young, but he definitely knows the way up to his goals. I see a very bright future ahead of him, this is really just the beginning for him as we all can see he has achieved so much in so little time!

Happy birthday to our lovely maknae!

#wanna one #wannaone #lai guanlin #lai kuanlin #wanna one scenarios #wanna one imagines #lai guanlin scenarios #lai guanlin imagines #kpop astrology #wanna one astrology

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dynohub · 5 years

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The basic problem with Basic Income

For the last few years the cool people and the media that serve them have been bandying about the idea of a "Basic Income." This is, as you probably know, the idea that if we were decent human beings the government would guarantee everyone in the country, regardless of whether they were employed or not, a yearly income. It's appealing because it's simple and straightforward with the potential to address so much of what's wrong with out culture — not just in terms of money but maybe even intangibles like self-worth. Wouldn't it be great if we eliminated poverty AND suicide in one bold and simple stroke of policy?

There's two big problems: one, the idea can't survive even the simplest back-of-the-napkin math and two, the idea as currently understood is so amorphous that any two people you hear talking about it are generally not talking about the same program. At all. Let me break down each of these points.

1. The arithmetic

We're not mathematicians here, so let's keep this as simple as possible and see what a super-simple Basic Income program might cost. There's about 325,000,000 (325 million) people in the U.S. Let's say we decide we're going to give each of them $10,000. $325m * 10k = $3.25 TRILLION dollars. How much is $3.25 trillion? That's this: $3,250,000,000,000. That's (roughly) the same size as the entire budget of the Federal government. Like, the same as the cost of our insanely huge military, medicaid, medicare, the rest of our crappy health system, social security, roads and infrastructure, the farm bill, federal prisons, pork barrel projects, and everything else all put together. The whole enchilada. If you got rid of everything the government does, you could afford to give everyone $10k. That ten grand in your pocket is probably going to feel super useful when you're driving around desperately looking for an interstate highway you can use, or when Canada invades.

Short of doubling (or tripling, or more!) the size of the Federal government (and therefore everyone's taxes), there's no way around this problem. You could give everyone less (a lot less) but then you're not actually talking about a Basic Income. Most people would intuitively think of an "income" as an amount you could live on. I don't think most people would consider even $10k enough to live on, and less that that is nothing like an "income."

The arithmetic above describes Universal Basic Income (UBI), which is "universal" because every person in the country would receive money. Conservatives like this idea because it's more money in their pocket, (possibly with the perceived benefit of eliminating the entire government!) Besides giving away a lot less than an "income" the only other way we could afford a program like this is to make it not universal.

2. Basic Income means different things to different people — that's why so many people like it

The idea of Basic Income is often described as having "bipartisan" support — there are both conservatives and progressives who think this is a neat idea. The real reason it has "bipartisan" support is because people are generally confused and talking about (at least) two radically different things (since, as established above, nobody is actually going to pay for real universal basic income). Generally, the program conservatives are imagining is universal without being an income. And the program progressives imagine is an income without being universal. These are two completely different ideas that are at odds with each other, but for some reason both are being called "basic income."

When conservative thinkers talk about Basic Income, they imagine the program replacing virtually all other social safety-net programs (welfare, food stamps, medicaid, maybe medicare and social security too, if they have to). Instead of your medicaid coverage, you would get a check for, say, $1000. Ideally, for conservatives, it is a "universal" variation on this — we eliminate all social safety-net programs and everyone gets a check for $1000, or whatever piddling amount. Which is, if you think about it, taking resources away from low-income people (by eliminating the social programs that served them) and giving those resources to wealthier people in the form of cash — it's government redistribution upwards. Obviously this would never be supported by any person who believes the government has even the vaguest obligation to help people struggling with poverty.

What if we didn't give money to everyone, what if we just guaranteed it to people who don't have a job or fall below a certain income threshold? Well, then what we are talking about is a "means-tested" program — a program you have to show you qualify for because of your lack of means. We've been successfully using programs like this for decades in the form food stamps or welfare payments. Progressives love the idea of means-tested cash payments, because there's a lot of research that shows giving people unrestricted cash is a good way to help them out of poverty. In the progressive vision, this Basic Income program is added on top of other social safety-net programs. And really, it is a terrific idea for an effective new safety-net program that should seriously be considered. There's just one issue, it's expensive. I'm not going to do the math on this because the variables get complicated fast, but it's going to be very, very expensive, something like the equivalent of the cost of all the other safety-net programs we currently have, combined. No person a hair to the right of center or further over will ever support actual legislation for an expensive new safety-net program that only serves people without a job.

You can slice the idea of a Basic Income 10 ways or a hundred ways. The problems are glaringly obvious, you don't need some complex language of critical theory to tear it apart. If you need a drier, more in-depth and scholarly analysis to be convinced check out this paper. The Basic Income concept is really terrific model of a complete non-starter. So the real mystery is: why are so many people talking about it like it's a real thing that could happen?

I actually believe the fact that Basic Income keeps being discussed in the media reveals just how broken the media is. Journalists are not trained to raise critical arguments, they are trained to consult with experts, check that expert's opinion with another expert "on the other side," and then cover the story in a "balanced" way. A little common sense critical thinking, a little math on the back of an envelope, or 5 minutes reading Wikipedia might make it obvious that the entire issue the experts are weighing in on has little more real-world credibility than late-night undergrad pothead far-outings, but you'll never hear a journalist ask an expert to explain why this topic just doesn't pass the common-sense sniff-test. Because of this, any topic where the left and right could both potentially benefit ends up lacking any voice to point out that the whole subject has no clothes. And it happens all the time: it's why you rarely see critical perspectives on the farm bill, and nobody mentions that being a police officer isn't actually a dangerous job (unless you count the risk of car crashes). It's why nobody questioned the wisdom of doctors prescribing opioids for pain ("the 5th vital sign"? Really? Am I the only person who thought that just reeked of drug-company propaganda?) And it's why we've put more than 2 million people behind bars before anyone thought to ask if that might be such a good idea.

Raising critical questions on these topics doesn't require months-long careful investigative journalism (not that there's anything wrong with that). It just takes someone with common-sense and a willingness to raise practical, and obvious questions about the flaws in these topics, rather than globbing on to the hype. The media shouldn't be finding balanced coverage on these things, they should be tearing that shit apart.

The knowledge of experts is important, but the media's consistent knee-jerk "let's see what the experts on the other side think" technique, and basic ignorance of how to apply common-sense criticisms — or to at least bring in the voices of those with common-sense — is regularly undermining both the purpose of the media, and healthy outcomes for our society. Basic Income is an idea that might never get off the drawing board just because it's so completely impractical. But unless someone is talking about new solutions to the huge and obvious problems with the idea, let's put it aside, and start looking for the next idiotic idea being pushed by drug companies or weapons manufacturers and stop them before we end up throwing another class of innocent victims on the pyre.

#basic income #universal basic income #journalism #media #opioids

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analysis-by-vaylon · 7 years

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The question of genre in Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

In this post, I’ll be discussing the importance of genre in Star vs. the Forces of Evil -- in particular, demonstrating how the series tips its hand as to what its genre is, and why understanding the genre of the series is important.

This post is possible in part thanks to two users from the Star vs. the Forces of Evil subreddit who directed my attention to the episode “By the Book”: /u/ElHijodelQuesoDragon and /u/Pedrogi. Their names link to their respective posts; without their observations, I would have overlooked some otherwise crucial lines of dialogue.

As I mentioned before, the reason I have these analysis posts is because there’s an incredible outpouring of love, effort, and creativity that goes into the show's production, from directing to writing to storyboarding, and I believe that our duty, as an audience, is to fully explore the wealth of significance that the series creators have given to us -- it would just be a damn shame not to -- and, as a critic, I feel obligated to illuminate that significance so that all of us, including myself, can come away from the work having realized more meaning in it.

Now back to the topic at hand: genre.

My old Shakespeare professor would say that, when trying to understand an unfamiliar piece of literature, the very first thing we ought to do is determine its genre. The genre of a piece of literature informs everything about it: its language, tone, conventions, effects, audience expectations, ending -- all of it. If knowing a work's genre is the first step toward understanding it, then what genre is Star vs. the Forces of Evil?

The series itself draws attention to genre in the episode "By the Book," in the "romantic comedy" or Twilight parody scene:

Marco: "Glossaryck, you'll miss the whole movie if you stay in there. I thought you liked romantic comedies."

Glossaryck: "Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah. I've seen this one before, and the squid lady dies in the end."

Many people take this scene -- just check the YouTube comments for yourself -- to be foreshadowing: the film's characters, they claim, are analogues for Star and Marco. In other words, because Squid Lady and Werewolf Man can't be together, Star and Marco won't be together, either. Admittedly, this theory could be right, and this scene could indeed be the series meta-commentating on itself; I've seen some convincing arguments of this. On the other hand, I think we should seriously consider the possibility that the Twilight parody is actually misdirection. Why do I think that?

Simple: the film shown is not a romantic comedy at all!

If Squid Lady dies at the end -- if the story is about her and Werewolf Man being kept apart forever not only by society but by death -- then the Twilight parody isn't a romantic comedy, it's a tragedy.

Before going into further detail about that scene in particular, I’d like to discuss each of the genres -- that is, romance, tragedy, and comedy -- and their definitions, both modern and classical: some of their meanings have changed over time. The use of these words -- and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, if nothing else, is very conscious of what words it’s using -- reveals some interesting things about the series.

Romance is a genre whose meaning has shifted radically over the years. There's medieval romance, historical romance, Renaissance romance, and modern romance -- you can find a useful glossary to these terms here. Famous literary examples include The Song of Roland, The Tempest, and Don Quixote. Interestingly, every single one of the definitions of romance fits the series: it's an episodic tale about a particular warrior, who is in fact part of a much larger chronicle of warriors, as she rescues fair maidens and confronts supernatural challenges on exciting, wild adventures while simultaneously developing passionate feelings about someone. Check, check, check, and check; the show is most definitely a romance in every sense of the word.

A tragedy, in terms of classical drama, is a play that ends in catastrophe -- usually death and destruction, whether of people or an entire society. Lovers are kept from being together, families are torn apart, and entire ways of life are destroyed. Famous literary examples include the Illiad, Hamlet, and Death of a Salesman. The meaning has stayed fairly consistent over time.

A comedy, in terms of classical drama, is a play that ends happily. Sometimes they were amusing (i.e., comic), while at other times they could be quite serious -- but they always end happily. For Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers, this happy ending usually meant that the play ended with marriage: that is, with two different things coming together in harmony. Famous literary examples include the Odyssey, Much Ado About Nothing, and Harvey. Over time, the meaning of the word comedy has shifted in sense so that now, in modern usage, it means any amusing work. The series is certainly funny -- but is it a comedy in a classical sense?

That’s the central question of this particular analysis: is Star vs. the Forces of Evil tragedy or comedy? If you believe it’s tragedy, then you might take Squid Lady and Werewolf Man’s plight at face value as straightforward foreshadowing: like them, Star and Marco come from two different worlds, and, because of that, they can never be together.

I think the clue here, however, is that Marco calls the Twilight parody a romantic comedy when it clearly isn’t. This is the equivalent of the writers sending up a warning flag to the audience and shouting, “Hey! Pay attention!” Pay attention to what? The rest of the episode itself, actually: “By the Book” contains subtle but convincing evidence that the show is, in fact, a comedy in the classical sense -- and that therefore will end with Marco and Star being together.

Remember how I said that Renaissance comedies end with two different things coming together in harmony? Star and Marco are those two different things: Mewni and Earth, respectively. Star is quite literally an otherworldly being -- a magic-wielding, winged fairy -- and Marco is an ordinary Earthling. That the two of them should meet and fall in love is a tale as old as storytelling itself, replete with stories of gods, goddesses, and other supernatural entities falling in love with mortals -- just open any book of Greek myths for an example.

Sound far-fetched? Maybe at first -- but “By the Book” subtly reinforces, throughout the episode, the theme of two different things coming together:

Warnicorns are a mixture of something cute -- a unicorn -- and something meant for actual battle, but it isn't until Star reads from the book that she manages to cast the spell correctly and combine the two attributes.

Similarly, there's Star's cotton candy cloud which drops spaghetti and meatballs down on Marco -- again, the contrast reinforcing the notion that her magic isn't working right; in other words, in order for two different things to come together appropriately, she needs to do things by the book.

Even the Incantationdance itself is an example of harmonious union, since an incantation uses spoken language, and a dance uses body language, yet somehow it all works together when performed.

"Earth eleven o'clock or Mewni eleven o'clock?" "They're the same, Star."

Squid Lady and Werewolf Man, as previously mentioned.

The popcorn-candy mix. Sweet and salty working together!

Finally, the most important example of the harmonious union theme is, believe it or not, the Boom Nuggets and the soda stolen by Glossaryck. There's an urban legend that Pop Rocks (i.e., "Boom Nuggets") and soda pop together can kill you, and "By the Book" playfully references it. Interestingly, Glossaryck instead uses the (allegedly) deadly combination to "rocket [him]self from a trash compactor" and "save the day" -- a creative if unusual metaphor reinforcing the theme of the harmonious union of two different things which normally would be in opposition. Crazy, right? But it works: Glossaryck turns what might have been a tragedy (Pop Rocks and soda together kill people!) into a comedy (Pop Rocks and soda together can ... save the day!).

Oh, and one last thing, in case you still aren't convinced: Greek comedies originated in festivals celebrating Dionysus. They involved revelry, music, merriment, and dancing and singing.

So let's say all of this is right, and "By the Book" is pointing to evidence that Star vs. the Forces of Evil is, in fact, both a romance and a comedy (in both classical and modern usages of the words) -- what does it mean? Why is it important? Well, I believe that people have the wrong idea about the Twilight parody scene: instead of foreshadowing that Star and Marco won’t be together, it actually foreshadows that the series will indeed end happily: that air and earth, normally opposing forces, will be wedded in harmony -- cleaved together, if you will -- and Glossaryck, as demonstrated by this episode, will be the catalyst that causes that to happen. (The phrase “by the book” itself has some interesting connotations as well, but those might be left for another day.)

To sum up: I believe the Twilight parody in “By the Book” is the best indication yet that Star and Marco are destined to be together and will, in fact, be married by the time the series ends -- and as far as romantic comedies are concerned, that's about as by the book as you can get.

#star vs the forces of evil #analysis #genre #by the book #romance

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sandrajscott · 4 years

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5 Free SEO Tools for 2020 that You Can Use to Analyze Your Website

Every small business owner thinks about SEO, many try it, and every one who tries to do it for themselves looks for Free SEO Tools.

That’s why I put this short list together. With this list of tools, you’ll be able to get started and make some progress on your SEO journey.

These are free tools, a couple of them are extensions that run on Google Chrome, and if you’re not using Chrome, you should be.

1. SEO Meta in 1 Click

The first tool is a Chrome extension called SEO Meta in 1 Click. There are more thorough and comprehensive SEO analysis extensions out there, but for the small business owner, I think this is the best.

The interface is simpler, the data is easier to access, and when you’re learning everything on the fly, you need something that keeps all the pertinent details right in front of you so you can access it quickly and easily.

I’m including a screenshot of what it looks like when you drop down the extension bar, with a couple of pointers of the first places to go. This extension will help you keep your title tags, meta description, header tag, and ALT tags on images straight.

We are entering the world of the semantic web in a complete way very soon, but these tags still matter. I believe they will always matter, but they are lessening in importance in the world of the semantic web and the BERT update.

That said, there’s no reason not to do proper structure on your on page assets.

2. Google Search Console

The second free SEO tool is Google Search Console.

Search Console is a free tool offered by Google that gives you a very direct and fairly simple analysis of the search traffic going to your website.

It’s a massive amount of data, but not as complex as Google Analytics, which is more of a traffic analysis tool, but still useful for SEO (we talk about it next). I have several tutorial videos on how to use Search Console in the most beneficial way for your business, but I will touch on a few high points here.

First, is the rankings. Seems obvious, right? You need to know where each page is ranked. The next part gets a little more complex, but it’s arguably more important. That’s Impressions.

Impressions tell you where opportunities lie within the pages that are getting clicked on or not getting clicked on on your website. When you see a fairly low ranking with higher-than-average Impressions, that’s an opportunity.

I go into that deeper in this tutorial video, but suffice it to say that if you see an out of balance relationship between Impressions and ranking, you have most likely an opportunity in front of you.

The next high point with Search Console is to analyze page position month-over-month, then over three and six-month periods. This will help you understand the up and down movement of particular pages on your website.

Once you have more than 20 or 30 pieces of content developed, this will become a normal part of your life, and might even drive you a little crazy! It’s normal, though. Don’t let it stress you out.

Here’s why.

As people search for relevant topics to their keyword queries, the click rate on those queries cause the pages to rise in ranking. They will also get more clicks. Pages that rank for Christmas subjects are going to have very high-ranking and very high traffic during Christmas time, but later on after the holidays, they will not sustain that level of traffic, and their rankings will go down a little bit as a result.

The important thing is this: instead of focusing on your ranking going up and down, focus on WHY that’s happening. This is Search Behavior, Prospect behavior, and ultimately customer behavior if you do your job right.

That’s all I’ll say about Search Console right now.

3. Google Analytics

Third on the list is Google Analytics. We’ve already said that Google Analytics is not primarily a search engine optimization tool, but the data it gives you will help you improve your search marketing.

It is much more complex, and much more difficult to get usable data from, especially if you are a novice to the platform. If you have not used Google Analytics a lot, I would primarily focus on three main areas.

General Dashboard on Google Analytics

The first is the general dashboard, along with month-over-month analysis. A very easy thing you can do is to go to the top right where the calendar is specify a 30-day period, then click on the “compared to” box, and it will automatically populate the previous 30-day period.

For instance, if you specify 30-day, it will compare it to a 30-day previously, so from the end of April to the beginning of April will be compared to the end of March to the beginning of March.

That’s great, but what’s even better, if you specify three month, it will automatically compare the previous three-month period to the current.

You can really get some good overview analysis of the traffic on your website bye using this simple part of this very complex tool.

Filters

The next part to focus on is the platform filters that Google Analytics offers. After specifying a time, you can click on these filters for mobile, direct versus new visitor, and many more, and once these are click, they will separate the the data out into different subsets of visitors to your website.

Understanding the difference between the mobile visitor and the desktop visitor is critically important for the success of your business.

Different business verticals are going to operate differently with him these definitional set. For instance, and engineering firm will almost certainly have mainly desktop visitors, wow a hair salon or a barbershop would have primarily mobile visitors.

This is just one of many comparisons, and it has to do with what the surgery is doing when they are looking at the website. You must understand your customers. There is no greater challenge for today’s business owner, and Google Analytics helps you understand the mobile visitors to your website.

The last place I’ll focus on with his tool is Behavior Flow.

Behavior Flow

Behavior Flow shows you the page that a visitor came in on, and then we’ll show you the pictures they went to, to 12 steps deep. It’s not a comprehensive showing of the traffic on your website, and once you get over about a hundred and fifty pages, it’s less and less granular.

The reason is in the way Google Analytics truncates the data or the page count in the bottom set of the pages. All of that data is somewhat obfuscated and not as readily available.

That said, the new business owner with 20 to 50 pages will do just fine with it.

By the time you outgrow it, your search marketing will be producing enough revenue to justify a good paid tool that would give you more data.

Behavior Flow is very straightforward, it shows you visitors from one page to the next, and it will show you how people bounce around and your website so that you can better understand what assets you need on those pages to get them the information they need when they are on that page.

4. FatRank

The the 4th tool is a simple little rank checker that I really liked called FatRank.

When you’re analyzing your site for SEO, many times all you need is just a quick, down and dirty understanding of where your page ranks. There’s not really a fast way to do this without a non-paid checker. There are paid tools that work really great and give you a lot more data, but usually I don’t need it.

What I’m looking for to understand where my page ranks, and that’s really all I need. I’m on a page, I need to know where it ranks. It’s that simple.

Enter FatRank.

FatRank is a lightweight, straightforward rank checker.

It doesn’t matter what age you are on, if it’s indexed in Google, FatRank will tell you where it is ranked, and it is very accurate. I’ve been using the tool for about five years, I have yet to find it to render an inaccurate ranking.

In fact, I’ve been surprised many times to check a ranking on a client site that we’re optimizing, have it return as ranking on page one, and not known it.

I went to check it, thinking that FatRank must have been wrong this time, only to find out that yes indeed, we had put that customers site on page one! Those are great surprises to get.

This is another free Chrome extension, and the only trouble you will really run into is if you try to use it to check a lot of pages. You will get blocked by Google, and you’ll have to just wait a little while to be able to check more. But honestly, if you’re checking that many pages, you just need to turn back to Search Console.

Of course, if you’re doing ranking of competitor sites, or outlier sites, or research sites, then you need to use something like SEMRush or another one of the high-dollar paid tools. These platforms will give you a raft of data, for more than you ever thought possible, and honestly, if you were a small business owner, it’s probably more than you can digest.

I like FatRank because it’s easy, fast, accurate, and sitting right there in my extension tray anytime I want to use it.

5. Google Search

The last SEO Tool I’ll talk about might surprise you, but it’s Google Search itself.

Searching terms on Google will actually tell you far more than you probably thought that it would.

For instance, if I search Free SEO Tools, Google is going to return a certain set of information that it finds relevant.

That right there tells me a lot about how Google thinks about this term, but what we all must understand is that Google thinks this way because users have told it to think this way.

That’s important, because it’s those users you were trying to reach. When I broaden my search, and remove local geotags like Dallas or Austin, I get a much broader search return, and I’m more apt to get 2 pieces of information that are highly valuable.

First, the “People Also Asked” box. This is what Google uses to “throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks” in a sense, to see if you wanted something different than your search, but what it is seeing others search on what they feel like might be related terms.

The second is the “Related Searches” section at the bottom of the page. This gives you up to 8 terms Google definitely sees as related. You can usually find some nuggets you didn’t expect in that group.

Summary

If you’re trying to SEO your website on your own, or doing keyword research or perform an SEO audit of your website on your own, you should be using these 5 tools. Seriously, try them.

Worst case, you find that you don’t like them and discard them. But I think you’ll find that their usefulness far outweighs anything you don’t like.

The post 5 Free SEO Tools for 2020 that You Can Use to Analyze Your Website appeared first on Frontburner Marketing.

from Frontburner Marketing https://frontburnermarketing.net/5-free-seo-tools-2020-you-can-use-to-analyze-your-website/ from Frontburner Marketing https://frontburnermarketing.tumblr.com/post/616298671937585152

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frontburnermarketing · 4 years

Text

5 Free SEO Tools for 2020 that You Can Use to Analyze Your Website

Every small business owner thinks about SEO, many try it, and every one who tries to do it for themselves looks for Free SEO Tools.

That’s why I put this short list together. With this list of tools, you’ll be able to get started and make some progress on your SEO journey.

These are free tools, a couple of them are extensions that run on Google Chrome, and if you’re not using Chrome, you should be.

1. SEO Meta in 1 Click

That said, there’s no reason not to do proper structure on your on page assets.

2. Google Search Console

The second free SEO tool is Google Search Console.

Search Console is a free tool offered by Google that gives you a very direct and fairly simple analysis of the search traffic going to your website.

First, is the rankings. Seems obvious, right? You need to know where each page is ranked. The next part gets a little more complex, but it’s arguably more important. That’s Impressions.

Here’s why.

That’s all I’ll say about Search Console right now.

3. Google Analytics

General Dashboard on Google Analytics

For instance, if you specify 30-day, it will compare it to a 30-day previously, so from the end of April to the beginning of April will be compared to the end of March to the beginning of March.

That’s great, but what’s even better, if you specify three month, it will automatically compare the previous three-month period to the current.

You can really get some good overview analysis of the traffic on your website bye using this simple part of this very complex tool.

Filters

Understanding the difference between the mobile visitor and the desktop visitor is critically important for the success of your business.

The last place I’ll focus on with his tool is Behavior Flow.

Behavior Flow

The reason is in the way Google Analytics truncates the data or the page count in the bottom set of the pages. All of that data is somewhat obfuscated and not as readily available.

That said, the new business owner with 20 to 50 pages will do just fine with it.

By the time you outgrow it, your search marketing will be producing enough revenue to justify a good paid tool that would give you more data.

4. FatRank

The the 4th tool is a simple little rank checker that I really liked called FatRank.

What I’m looking for to understand where my page ranks, and that’s really all I need. I’m on a page, I need to know where it ranks. It’s that simple.

Enter FatRank.

FatRank is a lightweight, straightforward rank checker.

In fact, I’ve been surprised many times to check a ranking on a client site that we’re optimizing, have it return as ranking on page one, and not known it.

I went to check it, thinking that FatRank must have been wrong this time, only to find out that yes indeed, we had put that customers site on page one! Those are great surprises to get.

I like FatRank because it’s easy, fast, accurate, and sitting right there in my extension tray anytime I want to use it.

5. Google Search

The last SEO Tool I’ll talk about might surprise you, but it’s Google Search itself.

Searching terms on Google will actually tell you far more than you probably thought that it would.

For instance, if I search Free SEO Tools, Google is going to return a certain set of information that it finds relevant.

That right there tells me a lot about how Google thinks about this term, but what we all must understand is that Google thinks this way because users have told it to think this way.

Summary

If you’re trying to SEO your website on your own, or doing keyword research or perform an SEO audit of your website on your own, you should be using these 5 tools. Seriously, try them.

Worst case, you find that you don’t like them and discard them. But I think you’ll find that their usefulness far outweighs anything you don’t like.

The post 5 Free SEO Tools for 2020 that You Can Use to Analyze Your Website appeared first on Frontburner Marketing.

from Frontburner Marketing https://frontburnermarketing.net/5-free-seo-tools-2020-you-can-use-to-analyze-your-website/

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kellykperez · 5 years

Text

Why a well-crafted SEO strategy is imperative for the holidays

Whether your business is in the B2B space or consumer goods, the holiday season presents some unique SEO opportunities to capitalize on, and important pitfalls to avoid.

Ecommerce, brick and mortar retail stores, and even B2B businesses can experience unique opportunities by being visible in search at a time when people are actively shopping, researching, and getting caught up on work. The holidays are a time when there is a huge uptick in SEO activity, including purchasing through ecommerce and in-person at retail stores.

SEO strategy and content planning as we approach 2019

Much has changed in the SEO space over the past years, but the message from search engines like Google has not changed all that much. The name of the game is still to create better content and a better experience on your website for users, based on specific user search intent.

When forming your SEO strategy for the holidays you need to identify the problems your customers will be looking to solve, and how you can present the best solution. Here are the steps you should take in forming your SEO content strategy for the holidays.

1. Keyword research

Perform an exhaustive analysis of the keywords being used by your customers when they are searching for your products or services. Consider the specific issues your customers might have during the holidays related to your business. Visit competitor sites to identify the keywords they are targeting; Screaming Frog is a great tool to crawl a website and pull meta-data for all accessible pages. Use SEMrush to see current ranking terms for your website as well as competitors.

You can use a variety of SEO tools to perform keyword research including: Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Moz, Wordstream, and a variety of others. Identify all variations and organize into broad groups. Once you have created broad keyword groups (and even during research), it’s a good idea to check intent by examining search results for your chosen terms. Make sure the results line up with the subject matter and type of content that makes sense for your business.

2. Competitive SEO research

Once you have identified the keywords you are looking to rank for, take the time to examine the web pages that are dominating the search results. What about them is done well, where are they falling short? What types and depths of content are being showcased? Is it short informational videos explaining how to diagnose a home-improvement problem (like a broken garbage disposal at a holiday party), an extensive written blog post on fixing the issue, or is it a directory filled with local repair specialists?

You will want to fit in with what is already there as much as possible. You might write the one blog post that outranks all the ecommerce product pages, but this is less likely. The goal is to understand the intent of your audience and present the best solution possible. Google search results pages are your best resource here, the SERPs offer powerful data and insights into the intent and search behavior of your audience.

3. Content planning

If you have completed thorough keyword and competitor research, you should have some ideas on the types of content you want to create in order to outperform the competition. Focus on providing better information, easier and more straightforward solutions, and plenty of details so the user gets everything they need without leaving the page.

Organize content so it is easy to digest visually; use bullet points, simple charts, images, and videos. Keep text short enough to scan, with plenty of headings and sub sections so users can easily find the information they want. Lastly, research questions that your audience is asking related to the keywords you are targeting. Including questions with thorough and accurate explanations within your content is a good way to target voice search and rich snippets.

Ecommerce SEO during the holidays

If you sell products online through ecommerce, the holidays should already be on your radar and you likely have already been forming a strategy to maximize sales. SEO is still one of the biggest drivers of traffic and online sales across the board, so a well-crafted SEO strategy should be central to your overall digital strategy.

It’s still the same SEO

The rules for SEO don’t change with the season, so the same rules you follow the rest of the year still apply. The big difference is the stakes, and during the holidays the stakes are very high for many ecommerce stores. There are some things you can do to research seasonal SEO trends in order to create a strategy that capitalizes on the very best opportunities. If you can get access to monthly search volume for your target keywords (instead of just monthly average searches) you can plan ahead and target terms that you know are big during the holidays. Google Trends is also a great resource for identifying these kinds of seasonal SEO fluctuations across various keywords and topics.

In-person retail sales

While many brick & mortar retail businesses may not think about digital presence and SEO during the holidays, this is a major mistake to avoid. Lots of businesses don’t sell online and still depend on SEO visibility to drive foot traffic and in-person sales. If you are a business that gets lots of foot traffic during the holidays, you will want to make sure your local SEO listings are accurate, visible, and provide all credibility factors possible so that you’re the destination of choice for holiday shoppers who need what you’re selling.

Local SEO listing management

Make sure you have claimed your Google My Business page, that it is filled out as much as possible and has updated information and pictures. Make sure your important product/service categories are listed wherever possible, and there is a link to your website (if you have one). Lastly, make sure your name, address, phone number, and hours are accurate! If you stay open later during the holidays, you better make sure your listing doesn’t say you’re closed. You can use free audits from tools like Yext & Moz Local to check your local listings and get a list of other local directory sites you will want to claim and update your business listings on (most can be done for free with a little extra research). Although, be aware you may receive a sales call after using Yext as your info may be passed to their sales team. Both are solid services for managing local listings, and for the price Bright Local is another great option.

SEO for B2B businesses during the holidays

B2B businesses are the last type you might expect to have big SEO opportunities during the holidays, but you would be wrong! Although many B2B businesses are pretty dead during the holidays, the key stakeholders, c-suite executives, and other senior management personnel are often using this time to catch up on work initiatives and other high priority tasks they couldn’t fit in before the break.

Businesses opportunities from SEO can definitely materialize around the holidays. While search volume goes down for many B2B business topics, there are also amazing opportunities that can pop up from people filling out online forms or leaving messages during the holiday break. If you can get ahead with your SEO plan and be visible in the right spots when this time hits, you might find that your competition is out to lunch when the big opportunity you have been waiting for arrives as a result of your SEO strategy.

Tax write-offs

Another big consideration around the holidays is how businesses can lower their tax liability, SEO is a great investment around this time. The truth is that if you are waiting till the holidays to develop your SEO strategy, you’re unlikely to be successful. The good news is you have a huge opportunity to get ahead for next year!

Many businesses put off SEO investment until the new year because of annual budgets and the previous year’s planning. End of the year is a great time to get ahead and gives you an advantage over competitors who kickstart new SEO programs after the new year (of which there are always a ton). There is a great deal of SEO work that requires heavy research and planning in the initial phases and making these big investments at the end of the year can get you a few months ahead of the competition.

The holidays are a great time to take advantage of increased activity and purchase behavior, but it’s critical that you plan ahead and cover your bases. If you dedicate the proper time and resources into developing a well-crafted SEO strategy, you can capitalize on some significant opportunities during the holidays and reap huge rewards.

Chris Rodgers is CEO of Colorado SEO Pros.

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018-seo-strategy-holidays from Rising Phoenix SEO http://risingphoenixseo.blogspot.com/2018/11/why-well-crafted-seo-strategy-is.html

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bambiguertinus · 5 years

Text

Why a well-crafted SEO strategy is imperative for the holidays

Whether your business is in the B2B space or consumer goods, the holiday season presents some unique SEO opportunities to capitalize on, and important pitfalls to avoid.

SEO strategy and content planning as we approach 2019

1. Keyword research

2. Competitive SEO research

3. Content planning

Ecommerce SEO during the holidays

It’s still the same SEO

In-person retail sales

Local SEO listing management

SEO for B2B businesses during the holidays

Tax write-offs

Chris Rodgers is CEO of Colorado SEO Pros.

from Digtal Marketing News https://searchenginewatch.com/2018-seo-strategy-holidays

0 notes

sheilalmartinia · 5 years

Text

Why a well-crafted SEO strategy is imperative for the holidays

Whether your business is in the B2B space or consumer goods, the holiday season presents some unique SEO opportunities to capitalize on, and important pitfalls to avoid.

SEO strategy and content planning as we approach 2019

1. Keyword research

2. Competitive SEO research

3. Content planning

Ecommerce SEO during the holidays

It’s still the same SEO

In-person retail sales

Local SEO listing management

SEO for B2B businesses during the holidays

Tax write-offs

Chris Rodgers is CEO of Colorado SEO Pros.

from Search Engine Watch https://searchenginewatch.com/2018-seo-strategy-holidays

0 notes