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bizarrequazar · 1 year

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GJ and ZZH Updates — April 16-22

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This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

04-16 → #GongJun and #TheRealZhangZhehan trended on Twitter.

→ Net-a-Porter posted a teaser video for their endorsement with Gong Jun.

→ Fresh posted a video of their 04-14 event that included some shots of Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted nine photos from the Go Fighting! episode. Caption: “Full of vitality and full of energy! Boss @ Gong Jun Simon has embarked on a journey of courage and is fully ready to meet #Go Fighting!# 💪🏻See you soon!”

→ 361º posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Tiffany & Co. posted four photos of Gong Jun at their 04-15 event.

→ The first episode of Go Fighting! season 9 aired. [full episode (raw)]

→ Gong Jun posted a clip from the Go Fighting! episode where he talked about his mother enrolling him in art classes as a child. [subbed clip] Caption: “As far as I know... a talent in painting does not need to be observed at all!”

04-17 → #TheRealZhangZhehan continued to trend on Twitter.

→ Gong Jun posted a commercial for Net-a-Porter, announcing his endorsement with them as well as a livestream with them on 04-20. Caption: “Travel makes every day full of freedom and change; fashion brings me infinite inspiration and possibilities. During the new journey in 2023, I met a new friend. Excited to be the face of @ NET-A-PORTER!! ... New departure, quite special.” His studio reposted this with the added caption: “Where did boss @ Gong Jun Simon go? Let’s start looking for new friends @ NET-A-PORTER!”

→ Tiffany & Co. posted a video of Gong Jun at their 04-15 event. Gong Jun reposted this with the added caption: “Dazzling, enjoy the legend together. Follow me into #蒂蒙尼皮石奇境# to witness the brilliant miracle of @ TiffanyAndCo”

→ Net-a-Porter posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun and changed their Weibo header to the same.

04-18 → Net-a-Porter posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ OK! magazine posted the three covers [1] [2] [3] of their May issue featuring Gong Jun, subtitled “Freehand Life”, “Quiet and Boundless”, and “Walking and Watching Calmly”.

→ #Gong Jun appears in the high-end villa area of Beijing to see a house# appeared on Weibo hotsearch, claiming that he was looking to purchase a 50 million RMB house. It’s heavily suspected that the hotsearch was bought as an attempted smear, aimed at his persona of having frugal spending habits. The photos the hotsearch are about were taken in March and had already been used once previously in another bought hotsearch, where it was claimed that he was meeting someone in the area.

→ BAZAAR posted a photo of Gong Jun from the Tiffany event.

04-19 → Net-a-Porter posted two photo ads featuring Gong Jun [here] and [here].

→ OK! magazine posted a video from their photoshoot with Gong Jun. Caption: “I heard that you are all waiting for [OK! 11th Anniversary Special Best Friend] @ Gong Jun Simon’s new material? Don't worry, here's a preview!”

An hour later, OK! posted their full photoshoot with Gong Jun. Caption: “Along the way, the challenges and growth in the career, the peace of mind and relaxation in daily necessities, for [OK! 11th Anniversary Special Friend] @ Gong Jun Simon, it has never been a non-existent multiple-choice question, but a 1+1 superimposed win-win situation, which is a certain possibility that can live in it. It's a balancing game, and it's fun to play” His studio reposted this with the added caption: “The reunion of boss @ Gong Jun Simon with his old friends, listening to the flow of time in the same room. Happy birthday to @ 精彩OK!” Fan Observation: There’s a possible hickey in one photo, also visible in the douyin posted later.

→ The Center for Film & TV of the Supreme People's Procuratorate made a post about a short film Li Xuezheng was involved in, giving further evidence that there is no truth to the smears against him made last month. (For info about the incident see [here] and 03-23 and 03-24)

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a video of behind the scenes footage from the OK! photoshoot. Caption: “Bathing in the sun and feeling the youth. Boss @ Gong Jun Simon walks the old house and listens to the collision between eternity and the future.” BGM is Summer Over by Dylan Sitts.

→ Gong Jun posted six of the photos from the shoot to his personal Weibo. Caption: “Old house meets old friends, happy birthday to @ 精彩OK” He also posted eight to his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “Let us be together Happy birthday to our old friend @ OK精彩!” and eight to his Instagram, caption: “HBD bro～” Fan Observations: - He edited the Weibo post at 13:14 (kadian meaning “forever”) with the only difference being to resize one photo. - It was noted that this is the May issue celebrating the magazine’s 11th anniversary. (511 kadian)

→ OK! posted another video. Caption: “The past and the present, the outside and the inside, the work and life are superimposed and juxtaposed, creating the infinite possibilities of @ Gong Jun Simon. ‘Having both’ does not necessarily stem from greed, and it is not impossible to go hand in hand. This time, let Gong Jun redefin the infinite extension of 1+1!”

→ Hogan posted two of the OK! photos, highlighting their shoes.

→ OK! posted another video of Gong Jun listening to music during the shoot. Caption: “It’s a showdown~ @ Gong Jun Simon’s private collection of playlists has been exposed! Let OK! see whose happy genes start to follow Gong Jun and move together?” BGM is Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, Twilight’s Chapter Seven by Jay Chou, and a cover of Reprise from Spirited Away.

→ The Instagram posted ten photos of “Zhang Zhehan” and a kid.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a douyin of more behind the scenes footage from the shoot. Caption: “Frame by frame, recording the afternoon memories of boss @ Gong Jun Simon.” BGM is Make It Right by BTS (feat. Lauv).

→ OK! posted another video. Caption: “There is no optimal solution in life, in the dimension of infinite extension, let’s follow @ Gong Jun Simon and walk boldly! Not too fast, maybe time will give you a satisfactory answer.”

→ OK! posted their interview with Gong Jun. [translation]

→ Net-a-Porter posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun advertising his appearance on their livestream shortly after. [full recording]

04-20 → Whalers started promoting a “concert” “Zhang Zhehan” is supposedly holding in Bangkok (see 04-10) on 05-11, with the promotional images showing prices going up to 16,000 baht ($465 USD / 3200 RMB). Tickets were said to go on sale on 04-22. Further Information / Fan Observations: - Someone who contacted the venue was told that there is an event booked for a concert on that day, but that the venue could not disclose who the event was for. - As a comparison, Suga from BTS recently had a concert with VIP tickets pricing at 6200 baht. - Some whalers posted on Weibo within hours that they had already bought plane tickets. A reminder that this is the third “live event” the brand has announced (see 22-11-16 and 02-09), with the previous two both being cancelled with no legitimate reason given (see 22-12-07 and 02-12). ([Here] is a recap thread I made this morning.)

→ WE11DONE posted two of the OK! photos, highlighting their jacket.

→ Another Zhang Sanjian “airport sighting”.

→ BesTV posted two extended clips [here] and [here] of Gong Jun from the first Go Fighting! episode.

04-21 → Tiffany & Co. posted a teaser cut of a commercial featuring Gong Jun and Elaine Zhong (his costar from Rising with the Wind). A longer cut was released on their Taobao.

→ BEAST posted a short promotional video spoken by Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a promotional image for an Earth Day activity.

→ 361º posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Tiffany & Co. posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Yang Yang, the host, posted three photos of himself and Gong Jun from the Net-a-Porter livestream. Caption: “Swipe right to see the walking dragon fruit (no wait) walking clothes hanger @ Gong Jun Simon”

04-22 → Tiffany & Co. posted their full commercial featuring Gong Jun and Elaine Zhong.

→ A music video was released for Rising with the Wind’s ending song, Three Lines of Poems to the Moon by A-Lin, focusing on Gong Jun and Elaine Zhong’s characters. [YouTube link] Gong Jun’s studio reposted this from the Rising with the Wind Weibo with the added caption, “Boss @ Gong Jun Simon (Xu Si version) sends a three-line poem. Poetry follows the heart, and the words are what they say.”

→ Deeyeo posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The World Wildlife Fund posted a promotional image for Earth Day, featuring Gong Jun and info about walruses. Gong Jun’s studio reposted this with the added caption, “From low-carbon travel to garbage sorting, your small changes may change the earth, and take action together with boss @ Gong Jun Simon to protect the earth!”

→ Tiffany & Co. posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun and Elaine Zhong.

→ The Rising with the Wind Weibo posted a new promotional still featuring Gong Jun and Elaine Zhong.

→ The Instagram posted a promotional image announcing that tickets for the “concert” had gone on sale. Addition 04-25: Ranyi Music, the “publisher” of the Zhang Sanjian music, also posted a commercial to their own Instagram. Fan Observations: - The image used is an old one that is believed to have been a real promotional image Zhang Zhehan did for the concert he was planning before 813. - The Instagram post does not include any links to further info or for purchasing. As a reminder, posting links for purchasing is one of the things that makes Instagram actually check if a reported account is a scam. - At the time of this post, the event centre’s website does not include any information for this on its upcoming events page. Additions 04-24: - Within hours, Chinese whalers were making excuses for not being able to get tickets. - Some people reported that the tickets had sold out, but going to the purchasing page showed that seats were not available (ie. reserved) rather than sold out. - The concert’s production company is partners with one of CAPA’s executive units.

→ #ZhangZhehan and #ZhangZhehanBangkokConcert trended on Twitter.

→ Gong Jun posted a video of himself in the audience at a Li Ronghao concert. Caption: “Once A Thief!* Happy!” Five minutes later he also posted two photos from the concert to his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “Once A Thief Actually shivering from the cold” *The Chinese title of the album Free Soul.

→ #Gong Jun went to Li Ronghao’s concert# trended on Weibo hotsearch. Addition 04-24: There is some question about who the person on Gong Jun’s left who filmed him is. Gong Jun was there with him and two friends, the other of whom has been identified and was sitting two seats down. Updates 04-28: - More footage, this time of the person on the left’s face, was posted by a fan showing that it was not Zhang Zhehan. - Quite a few of the accounts that were spreading this candy in Chinese fandom spaces are known plants, who were pushing it much harder than is customary for candy. - Gong Jun also confirmed during the Hogan livestream on 04-27 that he was at the concert with two university friends.

Additional Reading: → Over the course of the week, QuelleVous, Bluebird, and Flora posted a series of threads about Zhang Peichao (aka Doc Creepy), the man who has claimed since at least Feburary 2022 to be Zhang Zhehan’s therapist and who is behind some of the Zhang Sanjian essays. I’ve collected the tweets here for easier reading: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] → A reminder of events being organized for Zhang Zhehan’s birthday: Harry’s video of well wishes (submissions close on 04-25) and Bluebird’s charity drive.

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This post was last edited 2023-05-23.

#Zhang Zhehan #Gong Jun #Word of Honor #woh cast #lld timeline

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jellogram · 2 years

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Cool Examples of Art Forms You Might Think Are Boring

Here's a handful of remarkable works of art forms with a reputation for being boring, stuffy, or inaccessible. These are pieces that I think give a decent introduction to the art form, showcase some interesting benefits of it, and/or that might appeal to people who have previously shrugged or turned up their nose at the genre. I was disinterested in these genres until I was blessed with enough college elective credits to delve deeper into them so here are some curated selections, almost all of them are on YouTube and the opera and ballet clips are mostly under 5 minutes. Have a look around, check out whatever sounds interesting, and feel free to link to more examples.

Silent Films

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: German expressionist horror from 1920. Very stylistically driven and massively influential. The sets alone are worth the watching, and it's essential viewing for any horror fan.

Nosferatu: Another classic horror film, very on-season for Dracula Daily readers. This and the Caligari version above are both updated to have English captions built in.

Le Voyage dans la Lune: Short film from 1902 by Georges Méliès. Méliès is widely known for being arguably the first special effects artist, and this is pretty well agreed upon as the first sci fi movie. If the first part bores you, at least check out the moon set.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed: This 1926 film is the oldest surviving feature length animated film (65 minutes) and it's absolutely stunning. It's created with silhouetted paper cut outs and took three years to make. Vimeo.

Metropolis: This one might be too long for silent film novices at 2.5 hours, but it needs at least a mention. Most lists have this film as their number one silent movie and it's not for no reason.

The Passion of Joan of Arc: This film is mostly known for its groundbreaking use of close-ups and facial expressions. I can't find a good quality version with English subtitles (let me know if you have one) so here's a short clip to show off those camera angles.

Opera

L'incoronazione di Poppea: If you want to get more into opera, why not start with a clip from an opera by the man usually credited with inventing opera. Beautiful piece of music that demonstrates the early days of the art form and a great example of a countertenor (male soprano). The singers also do an excellent job portraying how weird and messed up this relationship actually is.

Salome: To fulfill your "woman covered in blood" needs.

Sellars' Don Giovanni: A 1990 version of Mozart's 1787 masterpiece set in the 1980s in Harlem. A neat take on my personal favorite opera. The rest of the opera is available in segments on Youtube.

Cinderella: A campy 1981 version of a very catchy melody from Rossini.

Wozzeck: I have never seen a version of this that wasn't batshit insane and that's how it should be. This is a later opera from the 1920s that is meant to be atonal and bizarre. It's avant-garde, a little disturbing, and very expressionist. This is a clip from a 2016 version.

The Magic Flute Animation: More Mozart! The first three videos in this playlist are from an animated (and heavily shortened) English version of the Magic Flute. A great way to experience the story and some of the music without watching a whole opera.

The Night Queen Aria: which is from the Magic Flute. If you've only heard one aria, it's probably this one. This is, in my opinion, the best version.

Ballet

Alice in Wonderland: A clip of the tap-based Mad Tea Party scene, featuring great costumes. This performance has a lot of really neat scenes, and I'd also recommend the Middle Eastern-inspired Caterpillar scene (I mean just look at this man move).

Swan Lake coda: These two can fly. A great clip of a famous coda that demonstrates just how superhuman these dancers need to be.

Mr. Jeremy Fisher: This is the frog ballet that you've definitely seen gifs of on tumblr. I can't find the whole thing, but here's a 5 minute clip that also shows off that beautiful set.

Frankenstein: I never knew I needed this but I love it. This clip is more acting than dancing, so here's another that shows off some ballet skills.

Don Quixote: I just love the joy in this scene, and those floaty skirts are amazing. Also someone gets slapped by a fish.

Edward Scissorhands: Another interesting adaption choice. Watch the way they have to dance so that the scissors never touch her skin, that is highly unnatural for a duet and must have been very difficult to choreograph.

If there's another art form you think people should give a second look, let me know!

#this took crazy long to collect lol #I found so much good stuff once I started digging I could make five more of these #films #film history #movies #horror #opera #music #ballet #dance #performance #art #culture #royal opera house #metropolitan opera #silent films #dracula

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kevinaleja03 · 7 months

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How to Gain More TikTok Followers Organically

TikTok has taken the social media world by storm, offering a platform for creativity, entertainment, and personal expression. Whether you're an aspiring influencer, a business looking to connect with a younger audience, or simply someone who enjoys sharing their talents, gaining more TikTok followers can greatly enhance your presence on the platform. In this article, we'll explore effective strategies to grow your TikTok followers organically.

1. Create Engaging and Unique Content

The foundation of attracting followers on TikTok is creating content that stands out. Identify your niche, be it comedy, dance, cooking, or any other area of interest, and craft videos that showcase your unique style and personality. tiktok volgers TikTok users are drawn to content that entertains, educates, or inspires, so aim to offer value in each video.

2. Consistency is Key

Regularly posting content is essential to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Set a consistent posting schedule that aligns with your audience's peak activity times. This not only helps you maintain visibility but also shows your dedication to your TikTok presence.

3. Utilize Trending Hashtags

TikTok relies heavily on hashtags for content discovery. Stay updated with the latest trending hashtags in your niche or within the broader TikTok community. Incorporate these relevant hashtags into your video captions to increase your chances of appearing on users' feeds.

4. Interact with Your Audience

Engage with your followers by responding to comments, asking questions, and creating a sense of community. Interacting with your audience not only boosts your engagement but also helps you better understand what content resonates with them.

5. Collaborate with Others

Collaborations can be a powerful way to reach a broader audience. Partner with other TikTok users, especially those in your niche or with a similar follower count, to cross-promote each other's content. This can introduce your profile to a new set of potential followers.

6. Participate in Challenges

TikTok challenges are a great way to tap into trending topics and gain exposure. Participate in popular challenges that align with your content style and niche. Put your unique spin on these challenges to stand out.

7. Optimize Your Profile

Ensure that your TikTok profile is complete and appealing. Use an eye-catching profile picture, write an engaging bio, and include links to your other social media profiles or website, if applicable. A well-optimized profile can make a positive first impression on potential followers.

8. Learn from Analytics

TikTok provides valuable analytics that can help you understand your audience's preferences. Use these insights to refine your content strategy, posting schedule, and overall approach to attract and retain followers.

9. Stay Updated with TikTok Trends

TikTok is known for its rapidly evolving trends and challenges. Staying informed about what's popular and adapting your content accordingly can help you stay relevant and maintain a strong presence on the platform.

10. Be Patient and Authentic

Building a substantial TikTok following takes time and dedication. Be patient, and avoid the temptation to take shortcuts like buying followers. Authenticity is key, and genuine engagement with your audience will lead to more loyal followers in the long run.

In conclusion, the journey to gaining more TikTok followers is rooted in creating engaging content, being consistent, and actively engaging with your audience. By following these strategies and staying true to your unique style, you can organically grow your TikTok presence and enjoy the benefits of a thriving follower base.

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seance · 3 years

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THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY › loneliness and other beasts. (x)

#tuaedit #uaedit #the umbrella academy #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #edits #it's been a while so i'm not tagging anyone cause i don't wanna bother you guys ♥#if you'd like to be tagged in any of my edits please let me know #it's late and i took my time with this #i don't know how it will go notes wise probably not very well but i can't tell you i happy i am to be giffing these guys again #they just. inspire me so much there's something about them #i always try new things when it comes to them. i just visualize it and try it out #kinda happy about how it turned out #heavily inspired by the video linked in the caption #please watch it if you can cause it's just perfect #the atmosphere the music the emotions #everything is spot on #i believe loneliness is such a big part of who they are as people #they grew up together but every one was alone in a way #allison faces a burden no one else can truly understand #luther and vanya were isolated from the start with opposite methods and the same result #klaus and five literally lived different lives that changed them so deeply yet no one notices #diego struggles so much with his identity #ben is stuck between who he was who he is and who he could have been #it's such a scary existence

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trippin-over-my-fandoms · 3 years

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I’ve seen this done before but here are my modern!rdr2 social media headcanons for the Van der Linde gang.

some of these are LONG and then some are shorter. doesn’t mean I love any of them any less however. I just did my best with all of them.

* I treat the gang as family especially for my modern au

Dutch

frequently uses Facebook and has dozens of friends he doesn’t even know. like if he gets a friend request he’ll accept it. John tells him he might as well just make his page public and Arthur pleads with him to make a facebook PAGE so that his random friends will stop liking posts that Arthur tags Dutch in.

Dutch has no idea how to make a facebook page.

he also has a Twitter and a massive following at that. He’s VERIFIED.

all of his twitter posts are vague though

are they a joke? are they political? is it what he’s eating for lunch that day? literally no one knows.

Hosea

also has facebook but doesn’t use it because why does he need to look at pictures of events he was at. he only uses it to see things he didn’t partake in

also has snapchat but just to keep up with the kids

because life360 was too much to deal with for everyone

and snapchat is cool

also he can and will spam you with bitmojis

Arthur

used to use facebook a lot but stopped because he was tired of his posts getting likes from people he didn’t know and friend requests from people Dutch was friends with.

plEASE

he has a private facebook for a reason, he doesn’t want other people to know his business.

he also has an instagram but anything he posts on facebook also goes on there. it’s not aesthetic or pretty or anything and he doesn’t even caption over half his pictures.

he literally only uses social media so that his friends and family know he’s alive

has snapchat because of Hosea but barely knows how to use it

doesn’t get why everyone wants to use snapchat when teXTING AND CALLING ARE RIGHT THERE

John

the question is what doesn’t he have.

john has been trying to make it big on social media since youtube came out.

his youtube used to have videos on it but he deleted them because they were cringy and arthur liked to send them to the group text.

plays twitch games on the weekends and sometimes with Jack but he thinks most of the subscribers are there for his kid since most of his solo streams don’t do as well

has a twitter, doesn’t follow Dutch, literally envies that he’s verified.

he’s tried everything but no matter what he does nothing pans out

uses tiktok to promote twitch streams

instagram feed is mostly selfies of him but 99.9% of the time he’s wearing sunglasses and the caption is some random quote

also has facebook but only to appease Arthur and Dutch, he doesn’t even have a profile picture. Claims only boomers use it.

an avid reddit user. if he’s got problems he’ll go to reddit. claims reddit saved his life. everyone’s tired of the story so they stopped asking.

also uses snapchat more than he should and the only social platform he has more than 100 followers on.

Charles

same as arthur and has both facebook and instagram and posts the same on both except his are pleasing to look at.

they’re unintentionally aesthetic

he uses a psd on all his pictures and won’t share what it is

has monthly life updates that start with some inspirational or deep quote and then text that pushes the instagram word limit

also has a deviantart , has shared psds there before , constantly tries to convince Arthur to get it.

used to use tumblr but he forgot about it

Abigail

the definition of a facebook mom. 80% of her facebook posts are about Jack or parenting.

Instagram is similar but also different, she’s actually a relatively successful influencer with over 1,000 followers.

all of her friends and family (who have instagram) follow her

has snapchat solely for the cute bitmojis and to send John adorable snaps of Jack playing with all the fun filters.

she also won’t take a selfie unless it’s with snapchat because she no longer trusts her own camera.

also uses pinterest and has a collaborative board with all the ladies.

but in general, on her own, she has too many boards. she uses pinterest for EVERYTHING

Sadie

bold of you to assume she uses social media.

she does just not a whole lot.

checks it once in the morning and once at night.

except pinterest because how dare Abigail get her into it. but even pinterest she only uses in downtime.

has facebook and instagram but there’s maybe only five posts.

if anything she’ll post on her story

will only snap Abigail and Arthur otherwise she doesn’t use snapchat

all of the social apps are mostly offloaded on her phone anyways

if she needs to know anything she just checks the group text which she has on do not disturb because they text way too much.

Molly

she’s verified on instagram

it’s also the only social platform she’ll use, which frustrates Dutch because he wants to be friends with her on facebook

but she’s happy with just instagram

she keeps it simple

and the main theme to her posts are fun outfits in her ever expanding closet

the other posts are usually of plants that she’s managed to grow. she’s not the best at being a plant mom but she’s still a good one to the ones she’s managed to keep alive.

the only thing she contributes to the pinterest board are her own pictures of her plants which are overly aesthetic.

Karen

started out with a normal instagram account then made a spam account which she ended up using way more often.

all of her posts are extremely chaotic

and usually reposts from her snapchat

has a reddit just to troll John

reposted his cringy youtube videos to reddit and got hundreds of upvotes

if you wanna see the most raw and chaotic videos of Arthur and John then she’s the one to follow.

also if you wanna see Abigail when she’s not all put together.

is the reason there’s so many memes in the collaborative pinterest board

Mary-Beth

has a instagram but also has a second instagram for art and book reviews

or basically anything she’d post on her tumblr

which is her second most used social

also uses facebook but only because she is an admin for one of those multifandom blogs.

also begs Arthur to get a deviantart.

uses pinterest most but only second to Abigail

literally the queen of pinterest DIYs

Micah

has twitter

as far as anyone else knows that’s all he has

maybe he has snapchat?

maybe they saw him on snapmaps once?

all he ever does with twitter though is retweet anything Dutch posts.

yet somehow he has so many followers.

Lenny

anyone who has snapchat has streaks with Lenny

even Hosea who doesn’t understand why it’s a thing

he also posts a lot on facebook but it’s mostly travel or vacation photos everyone is just a tad jealous of.

Lenny always seems to be busy but still has time for streaks with his friends.

he’s also an up and coming youtube vlogger

Sean

also has reddit to troll john

but he also legitimately uses it too.

he’s also really popular in the minecraft subreddit , don’t ask

also has twitch and also has way more subsribers than John

and a youtube which he’ll upload (overly edited) twitch streams to

everyone subscribes to him but they don’t tell John that.

also has a tiktok and is up to date on all the trends because of course he is

Kieran

got facebook when he was 10 and just never left.

literally doesn’t use any other social media

he’s not in the group text either so he has to facebook message Arthur to know what’s going on.

but he shares a lot of memes and cute pictures of animals

he used to follow Dutch but unfriended him when he was the only thing he ever had on his activity feed.

Susan

has facebook but claims she doesn’t have time to use it

Arthur knows this to not be true because she will like a lot of his posts.

she’s also guilty of liking every single picture in one post or album.

Arthur has also caught her looking at memes and using recipes she finds on there.

also part of the pinterest board but never contributes.

Trelawny

he has an account for everything

litereally

everything.

even whatsapp and linked in and kik

even tinder

the only one anyone knows about are his facebook, twitter, and instagam

but there’s no posts on any of them except twitter

he’s also verified

but for unknown reasons

any posts on his facebook are ones he’s tagged in

he’s also in a lot of facebook groups

Strauss

runs a subreddit

a paid facebook admin of several pages

the only person who actually knows this is Dutch because Strauss has told him about it

he has no online presence whatsoever out side of those.

Javier

spotify king

has over 500,000 subscribers on youtube

uses instagram but as another platform for his music

edits his own album covers

top tier playlists too

Tilly

aesthetic queen

the most put together and pleasing to look at instagram feed next to Charles.

uses pinterest a lot as inspiration and for making moodboards.

also uses tumblr to share moodboards

part of the sims global community facebook group

she keeps saying she’s going to start a youtube vlog but hasn’t yet

keeps trying to convince John to let her help him with his youtube.

she also uses twitch to play minecraft and sims

oh and she set up a minecraft server for everyone

Bill

facebook boomer

that’s it

I don’t know how else to put it

probably shares heavily republican posts

Swanson

didn’t use social media until tiktok.

he doesn’t do dances or anything but he does post weirdly obscure and chaotic videos that end up trending on more than one occasion

it’s usually drunk ramblings in his car that end up being hilarious

or videos of the others almost dying or ending up in the ER

Pearson

facebook boomer but make it cool.

also shares conservative posts but less offensive ones compared to Bill’s

likes almost every post any of his friends share

also comments on them too

Uncle

does he have social media? no one knows for sure.

yet somehow he knows what’s going on

even if nobody can find any of his social accounts or have ever seen him using one before let alone doing anything on his phone other than playing cheesy mobile games.

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jaskierswolf · 3 years

Text

Fuck Indeed - 1 of 4

Rating: E

Chapter WC: 2720

Summary: Jaskier scrolled through the terms and conditions of the website he was planning on selling his soul to. It seemed simple enough, and he really needed the money. His music career hadn’t exactly gotten off to a flying start and he was tired of sponging off his friends and they were, quite frankly, tired of him. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be allowed to sofa surf and he really needed his own space.

So, he was starting an OnlyFans account. - On AO3

CW (for whole story): 18+ only, anal sex, masturbation, exhibition kink, sex work, rimming, sex toys, talks of blow jobs, Geralt bottoms but it’s mentioned they switch, biting (but no blood), Jaskier wearing lingerie and makeup.

Jaskier scrolled through the terms and conditions of the website he was planning on selling his soul to. It seemed simple enough, and he really needed the money. His music career hadn’t exactly gotten off to a flying start and he was tired of sponging off his friends and they were, quite frankly, tired of him. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be allowed to sofa surf and he really needed his own space.

So, he was starting an OnlyFans account.

The only thing he was good at outside of his music and poetry was sex. So why not make some money off of it. He’d already done a shit ton of research on stats, marketing, and the types of audiences he was looking to attract… and yes that potentially meant that he’d spent more money than he could afford on subscriptions to porn but, well, it was an investment.

He was going to be good at this, nay, he was going to be fucking brilliant; pun intended.

He smirked as he clicked to register his account.

Phase one complete.

Phase two… commencing.

He quickly adjusted his photograph to the incredibly alluring photo he’d picked out. Essi had helped him stage a photoshoot after he’d promised to only film his videos when he was staying with Priscilla or Valdo. The photo showed him sitting backwards on a chair, stockings pulled up to his thighs and attached by turquoise lace garters. He was wearing a gorgeous matching lingerie set that was barely visible from behind the chair, a tease for the sort of content he would be putting out. He was also wearing a pair of killer heels.

Heels he absolutely couldn’t walk in yet, but they’d been so pretty and he’d always wanted to learn so he’d bought them on a whim, again more money that he didn’t have…. thank fuck for credit cards.

He wasn’t looking at the camera, his fringe covering his eyes, but he was clearly laughing at something, blood red lipstick staining his lips.

He was rather impressed with how it had turned out.

Now he just needed to get up some content. He glanced at the clock, he had probably missed the best time to post a video today, but he had a few photos from his shoot with Essi. He flicked through his camera roll until he found his second favourite, one where he was looking up just past the camera, eyes catching the light perfectly so they shone a sparkling bright blue.

Not to be narcissistic, but he looked fucking gorgeous.

He grinned and typed out a teasing caption to introduce himself, then hit post. Afterwards, he locked his phone and threw it across the room, not wanting to think about the comments and reactions.

He stared at it as it bounced on the mattress.

The only sounds were his breath and his heartbeat in his ears.

“Bollocks,” he muttered after what felt like a lifetime, and scrambled after his phone, unlocking it quickly with a few nimble taps of his finger.

If he spent the next two hours refreshing his page to see what people thought then… well, no one needed to know. It wasn’t an instant hit, but he was new and it was expected, and he was thrilled at the couple of messages he received and he already had a couple of subscribers.

He could do this, the fluttering anxiety in his stomach beginning to settle slightly as he repeated the words aloud a few times. He sighed heavily and decided to be productive. He still needed to set up his Twitter page and link it, perhaps an Instagram account as well, one that his parents didn’t have to know about, and fuck he needed to sleep.

His clock, glowing in the now dark of his room, was telling him more time had passed than he’d realised.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

He still needed to get to the studio early this morning. He’d practically begged the owner to let him record a demo, promising that it would be worth it, that he was good. Luckily for him, there had been a short break very early in the morning before any decent musician worth a damn was awake. He plugged his phone in to charge and made sure he put it down out of reach from the bed. He’d just wake up in the middle of the night and check it otherwise. He just needed to know he wasn’t terrible, was that really so bad?

“Come on, Jask,” he mumbled “you can check after you record your demo. It’s not that long.”

It felt like fucking forever.

Geralt was busy working at the garage when Yennefer messaged him. He huffed and pocketed his phone, giving his customer an apologetic hum before gesturing for them to continue. Yennefer hadn’t started the text with “Ciri!” so he could ignore it for now, that was their deal. He’d only check his texts from Yennefer at work if there was a problem with their daughter, but that never stopped her from trying. Yennefer got bored easily at work. Her mind was too brilliant and even working in a top law firm wasn’t enough to keep her mind from wondering, the monotony of paperwork getting the better of her.

It didn’t help that she had assistants to take care of the worst shit for her. Geralt wasn’t exactly sure what Yennefer did all day. He was pretty sure she just organised her minions and planned to take over the world, in between bothering him at work, of course.

He shook his head with a fond smile, as he watched the young blonde leave her precious Volkswagen Beetle behind. It was an old banged up thing, and she’d clearly bought it for the looks rather than practicality, and the engine had given out after only a month of her buying it.

“Kids,” he scoffed.

Business was business though, it brought in sorely needed cash.

Not as much as his other job… but that was a more lucrative role, one that only Yennefer knew about. He was careful to keep his face hidden, but so far he’d been lucky. No one else in his physical life knew about his OnlyFans account, probably because he was still just starting out. He’d only been at it a couple of months and he was, admittedly, not the best at having an online presence, which was why he’d begrudgingly asked Yennefer for her help.

- New kid on the block, he’s just your type.

Yennefer’s message read, blunt as ever. He rolled his eyes and clicked the link. Sure enough there was a photograph of a young brunet straddling a chair, wearing fucking lingerie. He swallowed, staring at the photograph just a little too long.

He growled and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. He should have known better than to open the link at work.

But that smile haunted him for the rest of the day, making every second drag, the world turning to a haze and every movement felt like he was wading through mud. He wanted to get home.

He wanted to know more about this Dandelion.

“Fuck,” he groaned, pressing his fingers to his forehead, hoping it would push the thoughts of the man from his mind.

It didn’t.

By the time he got back to his house he felt like he was on fire, his skin crawling, restless, burning. He showered as quickly as he could, just about managing to wash all the conditioner from his hair before stalking back to his room and firing up his laptop. He groaned as he finally had a chance to stalk Dandelion’s page.

The second photograph was even better than the first, bright blue eyes searing into his mind, and the smile of a fucking angel. He looked young, mid-twenties, only a few years younger than Geralt probably, and he was exactly the sort of man he would do well on this goddamn site. He looked charismatic, easy on the eye, definitely flirty judging by the cheeky grin on his face, and he was probably excellent at the marketing side of things.

Geralt glanced at his subscribers and cursed. Dandelion hadn’t even uploaded a video yet but his follower count was crawling up faster than Geralt’s ever had.

And that made him… angry?

Jealous perhaps, but there was a bitterness growing in his heart now.

He had to do better. He couldn’t allow this man to overtake him. He just couldn’t.

He growled and shut his laptop with a snap, pulling out his phone with more force than necessary. Yennefer would know what to do. She was good at this sort of thing. He just hoped that he didn’t need to explain himself. It was pathetic and irrational but… he wanted to win.

Jaskier stumbled upon the White Wolf’s page purely by accident. He’d been looking for inspiration before filming his first video. He knew what he wanted to film but he was tired and wasn’t really sure he was in the mood for it, so he began to scroll. He’d unsubscribed from a lot of accounts to save money but the silver-haired Adonis had caught his attention.

The leather strapped around his otherwise bare torso helped. Jaskier was weak for a man in leather.

Before he knew what he was doing, Jaskier was putting in his details to subscribe, sending off a silent apology to his bank account.

The White Wolf was the silent brooding type, never quite revealing his face, but that wasn’t uncommon. His long hair fell down past the man’s pecs, curling at the ends just above the black leather straps. Chest hairs trailed down the man’s torso, the photo cropped before revealing anything else. Jaskier let out a low whimper at the thought of what might be revealed.

He groaned and scrambled for his bottle of lube before letting out a curse.

He had a video to shoot.

He didn’t have time to jerk off to this god’s account. He grumbled and got changed into the turquoise lingerie from the photoshoot. He had decided to use the photos as a teaser for his first video, creating some continuity and helping to create a brand that he could build on. He hummed happily as he pulled up the stockings, they felt soft against his skin, bringing a fragility to his otherwise muscular frame.

Not quite as muscular as Wolf’s.

What wouldn’t he give to lick the lines of those abs?

Once he was dressed, he pulled out his makeup bag. He wasn’t quite as skilled with eyeliner as Essi yet so he settle for a smudged black look before adding the red to his lips. He gave himself a once over in the mirror, flashing a smile. It wasn’t perfect but it was only his first video. He’d get more practice as he worked. After one final check of the lighting in his room – well, his temporary room thanks to darling Priscilla – he made sure he had lube nearby. With shaking hands, he set up the camera and clicked record. He would edit both the start and the end of the video later.

He sighed and then let a seductive smile grace his lips as he winked at the camera, kneeling on the bed.

“Hello darling,” he purred in a low voice “I am so happy you could join me.”

He pictured the chiseled torso of his Wolf, mind filling in the blanks of his face, square jaw, soft warm brown eyes, perhaps stubble on his cheek. He felt the warmth of arousal pool in his core at that thought, his cock filling out in the lacy underwear. Definitely stubble then. He wanted to feel the scratch against his cheek, his neck… his arse.

His fingers had drifted down his chest and were toying with the hem of his panties without him even realising it. His eyes fluttered open as he remembered his audience.

“Oops,” he breathed “forgot where I was for a moment there, sweetheart. You don’t mind, do you?”

He paused.

It felt right.

God, he had no idea that he was doing, but the idea of people on the other end of that camera, watching him. Fuck, he hadn’t known he’d be into that. He palmed himself through the thin fabric, letting out a slightly exaggerated moan so the camera would pick it up.

He wondered if Wolf would see this, would he get hard watching Jaskier touching himself… would he touch his own cock?

Jaskier’s breath hitched and he bit his lip. He locked eyes with the camera as he let out a sigh. “I’ve just been feeling so lonely, it won’t take much tonight, just the thought of you.”

The words felt awkward, stunted but it was only his first video and blood was flowing away from his brain right now, making improv difficult. He’d need a script for next time.

“It’s my first video so I wanted to get dressed up, do you like it?” a pause “It feels so soft against my skin.”

His other hand reached up to stroke his nipples through the lace. He tilted his head back and rolled his hips forward to his cock brushed against his own hand, another moan escaping his lips, playing it up for the camera. “Shall I keep them on?” he asked the camera, voice huskier than he was expecting. Fuck this was affecting him more than he imagined.

He swallowed, and licked his lips, fingers pulling down his panties to reveal the tip of his cock already leaking onto the brightly coloured lace. “I might ruin them… but I think you’d like that…”

Would Wolf like that… watching Jaskier cum all over the pretty panties.

Jaskier whined, smearing the precum over his hand and then down the length of his cock under the lace. The touch sent waves of pleasure through his whole body, and he let out a low curse. His eyes fell shut as he slowly stroked himself, taking his time, teasing himself. He pictured his Wolf pulling the straps of his bra down off his shoulders, pressing kisses into his neck, biting on his shoulders as he touched him. God he really needed to watch his videos, if he could pull such vivid images of the man from just one photograph.

“Fuck, that feels so good…” he gasped, struggling to keep his movements slow. He forced his eyes open to look at the camera. He could only imagine how he looked right now, eyes dark, cheeks flushed, lips red from where he’d been biting them, one hand working on his cock, the other pinching at his nipples through sinfully see-through fabric.

“I want you to touch me so bad,” he gasped “would you fuck me, if I ask?”

He swallowed, imagining Wolf’s hands on his hips, pressing bruises into his skin… spreading his cheeks apart… fingers dripping with lube, ready to stretch him. He bit his lip again, almost hard enough to draw blood. He hadn’t noticed he was fucking into his own hand, thighs burning as he knelt on the fresh silk sheets. He was close, too close… not what he’d meant for this video but it was too late now… he couldn’t hold back.

He gripped his cock harder, stroking faster, the underwear pushed down by his efforts.

“I. I can’t…” he stammered through the haze “I need, please…”

He almost sobbed, begging his unseen audience. “Please.”

He pinched roughly on his nipple, the sharp pain tipping him over the edge, and he came all over his hand with a wordless cry.

He struggled not to collapse onto the bed, but he did rest back on his ankles as he gasped for breath. “Fuck,” he whispered hoarsely… surprised by the intensity of his orgasm. He glanced up at the camera with a smirk, flicking his tongue out to lick his lips. “Until next time, darling.”

He winked at the camera and then crawled forward so he could turn it off. Once that was done, he fell back on the bed with a contented sigh before remembering the state of his pants. He grimaced and reluctantly got up to go shower, the thought of the White Wolf still lingering in his mind.

________

Taglist (18+): @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde @slythnerd @hailhailsatan @thecomfortofoldstorries @gelos @moonysourenza @frances-the-red @honeysuckletook @elliestormfound @sleepy-thief @artistsfuneral @kittynannygaming @stinastar @fontegagrilledcheese @baka-yu @anythinggoesfandoms @veritasrose @trickstermoose67 @nonegenderleftpain @kueble @justjess94 @kozkaboi @wherethewordsare Let me know if you want to be added for this story or in general!

#the witcher #geraskier #onlyfans au #enemies to lovers #geralt of rivia #Jaskier #geralt/jaskier #unrequited enemies #wolfie's witcher writing

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shintorikhazumi · 3 years

Text

“Diana.”

A/N: To be honest, I had wanted this to be a Diana-centric fic, from Diana’s perspective. I struggled to find a concept, and had a little help from a friend who sent me a random generator. (Thanks, Kate :>) And when I thought I’d just choose from a randomly generated idea, I came across this video on youtube which was actually a compilation of a tiktok series of the story of two neighbors. Of course, I changed bits of it, and obv the end so if you think you know what the source vid is, dw. I won’t hurt y’all like that ;-; And I’ll just link it at the bottom so no plot spoilers for those who don’t know what it is. Eyyyy.

This fic has a few song recs for y’all to listen to if you haven’t heard them already, lol. ;)

I had been looking for something... “emotional” for Diana’s bday fic. And I think... this works. At least for me, it does. It’s not from Diana’s perspective, but... I think this works. So without further ado, Happy birthday Diana and...

oh, thank you to @tracedinairlwa for some help with the music :> that y’all will see later in the fic :’>. Without further ado,

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

It all started with a sunset and a few familiar notes from a piano.

No, it isn’t Akko’s piano. Her piano has been sitting in a corner of her room, collecting dust- untouched for months. And that is just the thing. Unless her piano has somehow become cursed and has decided to ghostly play on its own, then there had to be some other source.

The source of that gentle sound, Akko eventually pinpoints, is her apartment wall- or more accurately, what lies beyond that separator.

As she sits on her couch, admiring the expressive tones, her mind has decided that it wants to capture this special moment, and keep it stored lest she never experiences it again.

Making a quick dash for her bedroom, she opens her bedside drawer and fishes for her old camera from her university days in film club, back when she was an actual student of the Arts and all that creative jazz. She has tried to maintain it, but being under lockdown allows her few chances of seeing the outside world, and the few corners of her home don’t exactly spark ‘inspiration’ for any project.

Dusting the device off gently, she takes it back to the living room, placing it on her coffee table facing herself. She clicks the record button, thinking of making an introduction; but she quickly abandons that idea as she realizes it may take away from the sounds she wants to ring more apparent on tape.

Maybe she can just edit a few captions later on her laptop. Yes. That sounds good.

So she sits.

And the notes kept playing.

[Video Diary(?) Diary? Is this a Diary? Day... Day 1. I hope it’s only Day 1. I hope there’s a day 2. And a three... and a five.

So anyway, Akko here. And uh... I got a new neighbor, I think. He/she plays the piano. I do too (kinda. Haven’t done that in a while, hehe).

I don’t know why I recorded this... this must seem like I’m being a creep, but... They just... played Chariot’s Melancholy from my favorite show and... it felt sadder than usual. The sound felt sorrowful. I don’t know...

I’m... moved.]

//-//-//-//-//

She does not know what compels her today, to slip that message under her neighbors door; but before she can even think about her actions, they’d already been done.

A simple, “can you please play ‘Ease My Mind’ by Ben Platt, maybe?” haphazardly scrawled on a piece of notebook paper is delivered with the anxious feelings of an interaction-craving Akko, starved of a social life since all this pandemic misfortune began.

She is sure she no longer knows how to string a proper introduction together after nearly a year of being by her lonesome.

This is about to change however. Starting today.

Maybe.

She counts down the hours ‘til sunset.

[Day 2! Yey! So uh... I kind of... went on the attack- no! I didn’t attack anyone! I just... You know how I have a new neighbor that plays the piano? I sent that neighbor a note.

And you might think that’s all fine and cute, but... I’ve never even met my neighbor... but...

I love his/her music. So much.

And I told them. On the note, of course. Duh, Akko.

I asked them to play ease my mind and... they did.

As you can hear in the video... I guess it was a yes. :>

...They eased my mind...

-Akko]

//-//-//-//-//

She wants to try something today.

She has been thinking about it the past few days after continually being blessed with such beautiful music. Music that had attracted her like moth to a flame. The piano’s daily sunset singing compels her to come reunite with her own.

She had wiped it clean earlier in the morning and now sits awkwardly on the bench, punching down a random note here and there.

What a nostalgic tone.

The C major scale then the G. She plays it. A few arpeggios to warm up. F sharp major doesn’t sound too good, with her fingers tangling up as she traverses the scale. What was the fingering supposed to be like again? Right. Start with the fourth and second finger on the left and right hand respectively.

That sounds much better.

She hums a few tunes, choosing from a playlist arranged in her mind. She settles on something gentle and sweet. A Yiruma song. Just to get the feeling back in her hands.

A river flows as notes along the plain that is her silent room, adorning the quiet flourishes and curves, bringing color to her atmosphere.

She misses this. This tingle in her heart as music fills up her entire soul, not allowing her to think of anything else but this exact moment.

Yes.

This... This is nice.

And Akko plays until the sunset comes.

She can’t wait for it to come.

[Day 6. I... I haven’t played the piano in a while, and I’m a little rusty. But brave ol’ Akko here thought it’d be great to ask for a duet from the virtuoso across the drywall, haha. I left a note...

And I though we had something going. I was excited... I said that they could play once I stopped my part, but... did they forget? Or I guess they didn’t hear me.

It’s okay... I can try again tomorrow.

I hope. Tomorrow...

-This has been Akko.]

//-//-//-//-//

She excitedly videos this weekend ‘meet-up’.

Akko still doesn’t know who lives across the wall, but she sure knows his or her favorite songs by now, hearing it daily at the same sunset hours.

She admires the music, as usual, but this time it’s different. This time, they had sent her a note. An apology for missing out last time.

They request a duet with her, to make up for it. Of course, Akko accepts. And now she starts it off, praying and hoping her sound is heard through the barrier that keeps their music apart.

She ends her part of the duet, waiting in the most agonizing few seconds of silence. She briefly worries that her neighbor had forgotten their proposition; or maybe they couldn’t hear her once more.

It’s fine, she thinks... It’s okay. She scratches her cheek, wondering if she should hold on until next time again-

There it is. That beautiful sound, so personal to the one living across the wall. A sound of emotion that could only belong to whoever it was living there.

Akko had never heard anyone else play the way her neighbor did.

She laughs, she feels herself tear up a little. It hurts so sweet in her chest. It’s a fizzy, bubbling excitement. It’s a stretched-out joy across her cheeks.

A success!

A beautiful one, indeed.

[Day 8: Akko here. My wish came true. I... got to play with my neighbor! Yay!

... Maybe I should go meet them now...]

//-//-//-//-//

They do it again.

Akko excitedly bounces in her warmed piano seat, listening to her neighbor go first this time around. She listens intently. Once the wall music stops, she starts. This was their agreement, their deal.

The river’s flow stills a moment, and that’s Akko’s cue to pick up the current’s pace once more.

She plays with shy gusto, caressing the keys in a way that shows how she’s fallen in love again. With the piano? With music? Yes. With- ...

Love, huh. It’s such perfect timing too.

Today is Valentine’s day.

Akko doesn’t know whether or not her neighbor has anyone special in her life like that, but if they share the same situation, all alone in their apartments, locked in by the pandemic, she just wants them to know she receives the message their music is trying to get across to one another.

Her heart feels it. It translates it.

It cherishes it.

[Day 13.

Dear Neighbor,

I just... wanted to share the words we’ve exchanged, not through any verbal means, but through the sounds that reverberate against the very foundations of our connected homes. Thank you for this message.

I know that music is... our way of simply saying

“I don’t know who you are ... But I’m here. You’re not Alone.” This is for you too.

-Sincerely, Akko.]

//-//-//-//-//

It is a challenge.

For Akko or for her neighbor, she doesn’t know. What she does know is that tomorrow is going to be the big day! She’s finally going to see the face behind the songs that have embraced her tenderly throughout the lonely struggle she hadn’t realized had weighed down on her so heavily.

The interactions they’ve had, the conversations, they brighten up her everyday, and Akko is somewhat afraid she’s gotten attached; addicted- if you will- to this unique bond she’s formed with another she has never actually met.

Her mind strays from her current piece, body autopiloting a song called, “Mind Conductor” that both of them just so happen to like, apparently. Another fact that makes Akko feel all giddy as they seem to share a taste in other media outside of music.

She feels herself vibrate with nerves and excitement.

It’s tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day.

[We’re Finally Meeting.

Tomorrow.]

//-//-//-//-//

Akko tells a story.

She’s met her neighbor, not knowing what to expect. Despite having a lack of said expectations, she could confidently say it was better than anything she could have anticipated.

She rolls up the sleeves of her flannel shirt, readying herself to write the melodious response to the already playing tune in the background of her video.

Though she tries to listen intently, waiting for her turn, she is distracted. She knows she is.

After meeting someone as wonderful as her neighbor.

Blonde hair and blue eyes invade her recall, flashes of a soft smile and calm voice playing over and over in her head.

Her neighbor is the most gorgeous woman she’s ever met. Breath-taking. Akko says this with utmost objectivity as her lungs struggle to function after first meeting the lady.

Hailing from Scotland, the twenty-five-year-old had introduced herself to Akko. They exchanged a few pleasantries, some questions and information.

Akko had asked how she’d never known she had such a talented neighbor, to which the response was an admission from the woman that she had just moved in and was only staying in the adjacent apartment temporarily while awaiting for a relative to come for her after selling their old house back in their hometown.

Her mother... rests. Having had a certain heart disease for a while, her immune system had proven very susceptible to the pandemic reaper that had claimed her life for its tallied count. She never knew her father, it seemed.

Akko’s heart breaks as she remembers these things.

“All I have left is the piano.”

That’s what she’d said to her earlier.

Akko’s fingers glide across the keys, playing her role in this drama for two.

“I play at sunset because my mother came home at that time from work... she was always stressed.

...I wanted to be of help to her. I was happy she loved it. As I grew up, it became a habit.”

Akko fumbles with a few keys, making a slight mistake. She hopes her neighbor can forgive her for being so distracted at the moment, and right after they’d finally met too.

“Thank you, Miss-”

“Akko is fine.”

“Thank you, Akko. You’re playing has, in truth, kept me motivated and less lonely.”

Akko remembers having promised before their parting to their respective units that she would keep playing with her until she moves out.

Akko blushes upon remembering the stunning smile she was offered afterwards.

Her neighbor had been camera shy and so Akko didn’t get the opportunity for a picture. She hopes for the best in the future. She’ll try again if ever the lovely lady was ready.

They have time, anyway.

They do.

[Day 20, folks! Akko here, writing another video caption entry, Diary, thing... haha. The song playing right now in the video is gorgeous right? It’s... her favorite song. It’s called, ‘In case you don’t live forever’. She said it keeps her loser to her mother. It keeps her in her heart.

She plays so beautifully...

She’s just as beautiful. She’s amazing.

She’s... a special soul.

I feel goosebumps.

I’m glad. For her. Her music doesn’t sound as sorrowful as when I first heard it. It’s still every bit as emotional, though. I could cry. Really, I could...

...I’m so happy she’s healing.

It’s a process, but... I’ll be here. I’ll be here for her.

I’ll be here for you,

“Diana.”]

//-//-//-//-//

There are times when Akko thinks she’d like to get to know her neighbor more, a little more chatting, a few more minutes talking.

However, it always seems as though there’s this unspoken rule. This... ‘don’t-get-too-close’, ‘don’t-ask-more-than-you-should’. It’s like a boundary that keeps Akko from learning more, discovering more.

Neither of them purposely meet-up outside their closed doors either, this lockdown and what-not all up in their face.

They see each other around the building sometimes, wave a hand, shake a plastic bag of groceries, but building protocols don’t really allow loitering in the halls, and Akko feels she’d be crossing a line in inviting the girl over, and she doesn’t see herself getting invited instead either.

Despite this longing, she isn’t all too dissatisfied with the current standing of their relationship. Peculiar as it may be, she rather likes this.

A relationship built on a communication based on raw emotion delivered through their music.

If Akko ponders it deeply, it’s quite an intimate relationship, what they have. Thoughts and feelings in their purest form- unspoken, but not hidden.

She might not know too much about Diana. She may not know much of her past, or even her present, or general objective facts about the woman.

But what Akko does feel she knows is Diana’s heart.

And Akko knows its utterly beautiful.

//-//-//-//-//

Moonlight Sonata has never felt so sad to her; its sounds reflecting something they both felt, Akko believed.

Akko feels her heart clench and ache in her chest, her face a little hot and her palms sweating.

Only a week left before the clock strikes twelve and the magic is broken.

Diana is finally moving out.

It is... their final duet.

How unfortunate.

Akko sighs, thinking about the pain she’ll feel later as she edits this portion of the video. Compared to the happy tones and build ups of all the others, this... is something she doesn’t know if she can do.

Maybe she can ask Amanda for a favor this time around?

She’s actually shown some of her closest friends her video logs, and they all had sent kind messages to Akko’s new friend, who in turn, felt worlds and worlds happier.

Akko feels happy as well.

Diana’s joy is contagious. It shows through her expressive music that gives away the feelings her face doesn’t show.

Speaking of Diana’s face... she still hasn’t agreed on showing her face on camera. Akko supposes it’s still too early. Maybe before she leaves? Oh Akko hopes so. She wants to have something to look at physically to remember Diana by. Not that she’d ever forget.

Still, a little memory help never hurt anyone.

Diana’s turn comes in smoothly through the wall, Akko unable to keep her smile from forming.

She’s going to miss this. The playing; the sometimes awkward, but unconventionally amazing duets; the letters shoved underneath door; and the very rare hallway meet-up where Akko can only smile at Diana as they exchange a literal word or two.

Akko reminisces.

The past... two months now, have been amazing. Incredible. Life-changing. Akko wonders what the future has in store for them both after they part.

Maybe they could meet again. Someday. Somehow. Somewhere.

Akko knows she’ll keep playing still. At the same time, on a weekend, as the sunsets. For Diana. She’s promised she’ll keep making the video logs. She’ll send them over to her so that they can still keep this music alive in some way.

//-//-//-//-//

[Day 62.

Hi, Diana. It’s me, Akko.

I... wrote you a song...? Or well, I started to... I’m not quite done yet, hihi. Got a little too ambitious and all... thought I could add some other instruments besides our- the piano... aha..haha...

When you first told me your story, I started picturing it out. A life dyed with all the colors of the spectrum. From the vivids to the grays, it was such a lovely imagery in my minds eye. A painting I could not get out of my head.

And so this song is... yeah. That.

A story.

A story about this wonderful twenty-five-year-old woman who so happened to move next door to this uninspired artist. She’d lost her mother to a stupid virus, and she’d never known her father. Her house got sold, and she had only one distant relative she knew of left.

She spends her days along in a box of white walls and empty silence. That is, until the sun decides to rest for the day, and it sends its golden rays of energy to the girl and to her piano that she thought to be her sole companion in this tragedy.

She plays her favorite songs, filling the emptiness with her own emotions; making the intangible manifest itself and cause a dumb girl next door to one day slip a scratch of paper underneath her door, asking for a song.

A note with a request... and with a message that she’d heard her feelings- her loneliness; and that she’d never let her be alone anymore.

And that’s how they became friends, huh, Diana?

Two pianos, Two people, and a wall that keeps them apart.

They didn’t know who was playing on the other side. But did it matter?

In this dreary, blackened time of the world,

‘You can be the light of somebody else’ darkness, so keep shining.’.

Dear Diana,

In case my playing isn’t as emotionally expressive as yours, I hope you at least know this now. Through this video.

That you were, and are... my light.

-Akko.

P.S. I hope I finish the song and give it to you before you leave.]

//-//-//-//-//

She feels herself hyperventilating, her vision bleary. She can barely stand. She feels like vomiting, and dying, and screaming all at once.

Her anxieties run rampant all over the room.

If this keeps up, she may as well hurt herself beyond help.

She trudges over to the one thing that could ground her at the moment.

The piano.

Her hands are shaky as they do multiple attempts to turn on the keyboard, hitting the wrong buttons and turning the volume knob up too loud that when Akko accidentally leans against the keyboard, hand pressing down on many keys, the sound almost blows up her eardrums.

She curses, smashing a hand against those same keys, the cluster of notes echoing through her apartment walls.

“aaaaAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!!”

She allows the scream to tear out of her throat; emotions, wild horses finally released into the open.

“AGH! AGGHHHH!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH”

She falls face first onto the keys, now ignoring the loudness of their noise, momentarily thinking it would be better to allow her ears to bleed out so she’d never hear a thing again.

She wants something, anything, to drown out the pain she feels right now.

...

She sobs against the keys, head lifting as she apologizes to her piano, wiping off the tears that are quickly replaced by fresh ones.

Akko gives up and plays a note. Then two.

Then she’s playing ‘you’ll be in my heart’ and she’s crying more.

She lets herself cry as she plays.

Today, she was supposed to see Diana off. She had left a final note the day before yesterday, asking if she could do so. Help Diana carry her things, maybe swap numbers, and just... maybe keep this connection going for years to come.

Last night, she’d said good night at Diana’s door.

The girl gave her the sweetest smile, an almost unnoticeable blush on her features.

Oh, but Akko noticed anyway.

Of course, she would. With how shamelessly she stared at Diana at that moment.

Diana laughed, stepping closer and patted Akko on the cheek- kissed her there- before turning about to shut the door, along with the lights Akko saw go off from underneath it.

She was excited for the morning.

But when morning came... Diana was gone.

Akko had been thrown into confusion and a frantic state that she’d bolted all around, searching for signs or a left behind message.

Nothing.

She had then run down to ask the land lady, and that’s where she’d found out.

The heart disease Diana’s mother had was hereditary.

Diana had had an attack, and with an emergency alerting device, she’d been able to contact her only family, and had been taken to the hospital.

That was good.

That gave Akko relief and joy.

...so why is she despairing now?

...She didn’t know.

No, not the reason for her despair. She knows that.

The reason she was in this state is because she didn’t know.

She didn’t know what had happened.

She didn’t know Diana had suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night.

She didn’t know where she was, or where whoever took her.

She didn’t know that Diana had that heart disease too.

She didn’t know because she never got to ask.

She never got to learn more, know more.

... Did she not know Diana then?

Her mind taunts her, her heart hurts her.

She doesn’t know a lot about Diana. Not as much as she thinks.

That’s what they tell her.

For all the emotions they’d exchanged through music, that was the extent of it. Had Akko been too presumptuous in thinking she’d known Diana so deeply because of what they’d shared?

When in reality she may as well be a random stranger playing her show tunes and disturbing her neighbors.

Akko almost believes it.

But no... no. She can’t do that. She can’t assume those things. Not about their connection. Not about Diana.

Because Diana had told her once upon a song that she- that Akko had been her light. Her comfort. Akko believes in Diana. So she believes these feelings as well.

Yet these feelings of her own were so conflicting, so daunting. They battle in her mind, questioning and justifying every little thing. All things relating to Diana. Diana and... Diana.

Akko coughs out a few more sobs, throat incredibly dry.

She stops playing for a moment, dragging herself to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Then she goes back to the piano.

She... doesn’t feel like playing again.

What should she play anyway?

What song does she want to play? What song... Song... Song... Diana... What was Diana’s favorite song?

Diana? Song? A song for Diana? A song about-

Akko falls off her piano bench as she scrambles for her coffee table, sighing in relief as the papers for her composition are still there.

With shaky hands, she takes the sheets and a pencil and brings them over to the piano.

And she writes a few notes, then a few bars.

Diana.

Who is Diana.

What does Akko not know about her. Her other struggles? Her sickness? Her trials and her fears? Her past?

That melody... sounded too sad for a parting gift. Akko doesn’t want Diana to feel more sorrow when she moves out...

Then....

What does Akko know? About Diana?

“Diana is...”

Expressive, emotional.

Diana is intelligent, an intellectual.

Diana is sincere and sweet.

Diana is talented and tasteful in music.

Diana is... her neighbor, her... new friend,

....Akko’s... what?

What was she to Akko?

“You are my light.”

-Akko ends up writing as a title.

But that’s a little too embarrassing to give to someone who was just your neighbor and a new friend... right?

And maybe it didn’t exactly represent the whole thing Akko had written.

So she erases it, biting her pencil as she tries to come up with a new name, a new caption for this creation.

What could it be. That describes Diana in her entirety; her life, her struggles, her joys.

Who is she? Who is Akko’s neighbor?

Akko scratches her head in frustration, wracking her brains even more.

With a sigh, she replies to herself aloud, the simplest, somewhat plain, and stupidly obvious answer.

“Well, she’s Diana.”

And it clicks.

That she is.

She is Diana.

And Akko throws on a jacket, a mask, and some shoes and thinks no more.

//-//-//-//-//

[Dear Diana,

I know very little about you

But you’ve changed my life.

Really you have.

You gave me back my passion, and a little bit more of that even. Maybe aroused a new passion within me.

I’d say, “You’ll be in my heart”, but that sounds too much of a farewell, to be honest.

And I’d rather not say goodbye just yet.

Not like this.

Music... Is a powerful thing. Despite the rampaging emotions I’d felt as I found out what had happened to you today, I- I kept playing. It grounded me. It helped me.

Diana, you once told me I was your light.

And you know I’ve told you already. That you’ve been MINE.

Diana. This video might look incredibly shaky and chaotic.

But please forgive me for that, and know that it is because I’m running with all my might to find out where you are. I got a hint for the hospital you might have been taken too.

It kinda seems like I’m a stalker now, huh?

I’m sorry. I just... I-

I can’t say goodbye to you....

Not just yet...

I still... have a song for you.

So... wait for me?”]

//-//-//-//-//

Eyes blink, bright white melting into color. They scan the room, looking for hints to identify her location.

Her body aches, her chest hurts. Her throat is parched. Her head is throbbing.

What is that annoying beeping sound-

Ah. Of course.

The hospital.

Again.

She hates it. She hates the smell of antiseptic and sterile sheets. She hates the taste of badly prepared hospital meals, and too-dry food.

The water has this strange quality to it when you’re in the hospital.

She knows this well.

She hates that she does.

She sighs, sinking into her pillows. At least those are comfortable.

Ugh.

What bad timing, really. For an attack.

She was supposed to move out today. She was supposed to meet with her aunt- who actually has probably met up with her by now, seeing as Diana is in a hospital and her usual alert device seems to be charging within reach beside her. Also she sees Daryl’s purse on the seat.

Maybe the woman had gone out temporarily for something important.

That was fine.

It just meant Diana was left alone again. If only for a short while.

...Alone, huh.

These past two months, she hadn’t been that.

All because of one girl, one Atsuko Kagari that she’d met by chance through a piano and through a wall. The sound quite literally carrying over through a wall.

Diana can’t believe she used to be so skeptical of thin-walled living spaces, wondering how people kept their privacy.

Now, however, she feels blessed that that was the case.

Else she’d never have met... her light.

That’s right.

When everything, her vision, her hopes, her heart had steadily been dying out, through her dim came a glow. That glow was the connection she’d found through her neighbor across a wall.

It had surprised her the first time she realized someone was playing alongside her one sunset session, months ago. She would have thought it creepy had the person’s music been any less captivating.

There were just so many colors in the music, there was just so much warmth. It sounded a little rough, a few hinges rusty at first; but it came along after a few pseudo duets, and then Diana had found these duets to be a staple in her life.

Then she met Akko for the first time, and more warmth and color came into her life.

Diana found herself enjoying the musical conversations they had, intrigued by thoughts that they were actually able to communicate in that way and understand one another to that extent, no words attached.

And she enjoyed these nonverbal bonding moments.

But when they actually wrote to one another, or when they’d have their short greetings when they’d meet up in the hall, Diana found herself wanting to draw even closer, to get to know Akko even more.

And when Akko asked if she could do the same, Diana had found it so easy to open up.

She’d loved to know even more about the girl.

But how would she do it now?

They didn’t have the chance to exchange numbers, and Diana was probably moving as soon as she left the hospital. Her things were already being shipped to her new home, after all. There wasn’t much reason to return to her apartment, really.

“Idiot. Stupid, Diana. Not asking her sooner. What are you supposed to do no-”

Two knocks on her door.

It doesn’t open right away. It doesn’t seem to open at all.

Diana deduces it’s not a doctor or nurse then. And it might not be Daryl either because the woman would have already called the attending nurse to open the door already.

So then, who could it be?

Diana tries not to let her mind wander and get her hopes up, because there is no way- just no way- it’s who she hopes it will be.

The door opens, and her breath is unexpectedly bated- and she releases it, seeing it’s just the janitor.

Trying not to let disappointment leak into her tone, she greets him a good mor-

“I’m glad... I was right.... hah... hah... You’re here... Diana.”

And Diana really shouldn’t just assume things such as being wrong, and that maybe her neighbor was a creep two months back.

Because now her neighbor, all frazzled, sweaty, and out of breath, is right there in front of her, a bunch of papers crumpled in one hand as the other is held over her heart, trying to calm herself.

“You... hah... didn’t let m-me... Sa-ha-y goodbye... so... you’re not allowed... to leave me waiting in silence and never respond...” Akko huffs. “There’s no more wall preventing you from using words now.”

Her breathing finally slows, and she manages to look up.

“I still have a song for you, after all.”

Diana doesn’t realize, nor does she feel the tears flowing down her face.

Akko doesn’t either.

“L-Let me know what you think... It’s my first song and all...” She becomes this shy blushing school girl as she approaches Diana’s bedside, awkwardly handing over the worn pieces of paper, all wrinkled up from whatever adventure Akko had been on prior to arriving here. “... then maybe we could play a duet again or something...”

She mumbles it so quietly Diana almost didn’t catch it.

She smiles.

She doesn’t think about the reality that was supposed to occur today had she not been taken to the hospital.

Virtual duets aren’t really her thing. She much prefers hearing sound in person, in real-time. She prefers the ability to adapt and adjust to play alongside someone; to feel expression and emotion first hand; to experience a duet in full.

So it’s a simple reply that she has ready, along with a smile on her face as she takes Akko’s hand in hers.

“I’d love that.”

//-//-//-//-//

Diana has told her many times that it’s thanks to her that she was able to recover as quickly as she did, and be out of the hospital in only a week.

Akko sheepishly denies that every time.

They’re both just glad things seem to settle to be alright now.

Diana leans her head against Akko’s shoulder as they share a pair of earphones, listening to the composition play on the latter’s laptop.

“I love it.”

“I know. You’ve told me that the past 4 months, everyday.”

“And I will continue to.”

Akko tries her best to hide the smile that had grown on her face, but it’s impossible. It comes out in laughs and a few soft tears, and she rubs her head against Diana’s.

“You have all the time to, it seems.”

“Yes, and I won’t waste it.” Diana quips, turning her head up to look at Akko with the tenderest of smiles. “Care to play?”

Akko simply smiles, before wrapping Diana up in a hug so deep, and warm, and tender. Without a word, she stands them both up, walking them over to two keyboards now positioned side-by-side.

They take seat. With eyes meeting, and a small nod, they begin.

They don’t need words to figure out the rhythm they’ll fall into, or what they should do, or who plays what part for today.

Akko’s colors seep out, her warmth embedded in her music. Diana’s expressive emotions tell Akko all she needs to know, and they play in harmony.

Together, they tell a story.

A story that began with a sunset and a few familiar notes from a piano.

A story about its music and what lay beyond a wall.

A story once called, “Diana”.

Now,

“Diana and Akko”.

A/N: .... Hrmmm... I didn’t like how i ended it, tbh,,, hahaha. I just... lost my thought process now. I’m tired and lost.

Anyway.

Based off this story

The follow-up to this won’t be now, or anytime too soon. Or tbh, I could just end it like this. But there’s this ache in my heart that wants to know what happens next as well. Or more things such as how Diana ended up staying. But well,

...who knows.

Bye for now.

~Shintori Khazumi

#diakko #dianakko #lwa #Little Witch Academia #diana bday fic #sorry it's sloppy #fanfic #diana cavendish #kagari atsuko

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yuuri-nsane · 3 years

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do you ever think about YOI's main ending song.... like from whose perspective it is, or like, the way it links into the op..... i just can't stop thinking about "you're so beautiful tonight / you had me spellbound / you could've stopped an hourglass / take my breath away" being juxtaposed with the slow settle on viktor's insta post at a festival... i can't figure out if it's like the op where it's divided between yuuri and viktor in verses? would love your thoughts if you have any!!

oh my god i actually completely overlooked that! i've never actually searched up the lyrics for you only live once, so i haven't really looked into it! but having brought it up now and doing some cool overanalysing- i thought it was super interesting...

you're so beautiful tonight / you had me spellbound / you could've stopped an hourglass / take my breath away

personally, i see these lyrics as being interchangeable between yuuri and viktor. the whole "wow" factor of the song - it's a possible reference to the way yuuri admired viktor as a kid, and continued to do so as an adult,,, someone who truly inspired him

whereas it could also reference what happened at sochi from viktors pov

^i do strongly believe it's most likely sochi, because although the lyrics portray a general sense of awe, which applies to yuuri for viktor and vice versa, the word "tonight" really resonates with me. to me, it emphasises the moment,, the fact that it [sochi] happened on the one (o n e) night - and it heavily affected viktor afterwards.

in fact. the whole song, evokes a sense of "you stood out. you were different. you inspired me". and if that doesn't scream viktor nikiforov flying halfway across the globe to coach someone who drunkenly danced with him for a single night, after seeing the same person skate one of his routines, i don't know what will.

i think though, that there are undertones referring to the both of them in the entirety of the song. like i said before, it's definitely interchangeable. the way that viktor feels for yuuri - it's mutual. do i need to pull up a pic of yuuri's viktor-poster-covered room

looking back, the op stressed the feeling of building yourself back up after times of hardships; achieving your dreams, whilst simultaneously learning to believe in yourself. with the way that the first verse of the op was from yuuri's single perspective and the second part after that was viktors, i think the ending implies the same thing, but instead, it's watching someone else stand up after being knocked down, and being motivated, driven, to do the same.

"I was born to shine"/ your struggles told me, all the while shining.

i won't shun the wounds i got trying to shine / you taught me that / all the while shining

it's no secret that viktor was extremely unhappy post series. the theories of him being depressed, and wanting to retire? viktor stopped being so passionate about the ice. he wasn't able to surprise people anymore. he stopped loving it. he got bored, and lonely and sad.

but then he meets yuuri. beautiful, lovely yuuri, who made him feel more alive than he's ever felt in years. yuuri is what keeps him going, inspires him - even if it's not to skate or stay on the ice, it's yuuri who makes viktor not want to give up. it's yuuri that makes him feel passionate. it's no longer the ice.

viktor knows that yuuri has a hard time believing in himself. that yuuri is scared of failure and disappointment.

he knows first hand the struggles that yuuri deals with almost 24/7, yet how persistent and unwavering his will is.

he also knows that yuuri has the potential to be the best, to maybe be better than himself. that leaked video of yuuri skating viktors routine to a point shows this. yuuri is talented. but why hasn't he ever seen this? competed against yuuri? yuuri could give him a run for his money - with the way he imitated the skate of the most decorated skater in the century. his skate. he wants to get yuuri to that point of reaching that damned potential. he wants to make it work, and is willing to put the effort in, for yuuri and for himself.

knowing yuuri - so beautiful and hard-working, viktor is in awe.

when you're sad and hard time / we believe in you / oh i'm just dreaming of the day / thunderous applause / roar so loudly that all our hard work will pay off! / "you were born to shine" / you taught me that / all the while shining

the yoi series focuses on yuuri transforming from a "dozen a dime" skater to one that got second place, silver, in the grand prix. yuuri had a hard time believing in himself, believing he could really skate - until viktor came into his life. viktor who popped up from russia, in his family's onsen completely naked. we don't know about sochi until episode 10. 10. and still, what we only know is from their cut short convo about it, the credits and heavy speculation. yuuri has no recollection of it. none of it comes from his pov. but it is essential to the plot. it's the entire catalyst. it makes sense to implicate it, to reflect it in some part of the show.

and the perfect place to do that? the ending.* the focus shifts from yuuri's journey and viktors anchoring presence, to the other way around. the way we delve deeper into it, and find that not everything is so one-sided.

yoi is a love story. and every love story, no matter how small or grand, has two or more interests. two, or more, povs. ep 10 (*which is near the end of the first season), the op and the ending demonstrates this, albeit subtly.

also, the general message of the op is to make a mark. to make history. the ending seems to highlight that, except with a more exaggerated stance. "you only live once." you have one chance, just one, to do this. viktors got it all. fame, money, success. he's done it already - he's made history. he has a title and people know him. but what about love? what about true happiness? has he found them yet? the emotional stability? i think the song in a way, validates viktors constant attempt to attain this - his goal isn't to make history anymore. he's achieved this. his goal is... well - it's something, or someone, else entirely. he was inspired and wants to keep trying.

with that, the part you mentioned about the credits slowing down on a post of viktor at a festival (caption: Nakasu in Japan! Everything is really great and delicious! #Nakasu #Japan #ramen) is another significant piece to the puzzle!

i think the screencap/post itself was sort of foreshadowing the obvious part that alchohol and intoxication plays in viktor and yuuri relationship (or at least it's being the whole catalyst of it),,

but also, it might be another important part of the story we'll see soon. i don't know whether viktors taken the photo himself (which is most likely), or he's pulling someone along who is taking the photo themselves. even then, we really don't know much about it apart from that viktors drunk (he has a glass in hand, is unkempt, blushing, seems carefree). We also know that it's in nakasu (which is a real place in japan) because of the caption. (it's a night district with loads of clubs, karaoke parlors, arcades etc.)

with that, there isn't a lot i can think to propose, other than the foreshadowing theory and that we might get front row seats to drunk viktor having Fun in later seasons.... (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) and maybe some drunk bonding time with yuuri pt2

ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

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pop-punklouis · 4 years

Note

Random fun question: what do you think the boys post on their close friends insta stories

ah random fun questions!! i love this

Harry: posts aesthetic and artsy things. fashion. punny jokes. his favorite silly t-shirt collection. Louis doing mostly anything. but the captions are always super dramatic recollections of his day that aren’t exactly diary entries but 100% way more than anyone really cares to know lmfao. tons of hand shots of his nails when they get re-done, and then the massacre on louis’ hands when he’s tried to do his nails. Clifford photos!

Louis: wikipedia deep-dives he’s gone down recently. embarrassing photos of his friends. music recommendations. too many selfies of him after just waking up. flexing his new fits. puzzles him and harry have worked on for days and either failed to finish or finally finished and are documentation of celebration. (unfavorable outcomes are captioned blaming clifford for eating the last puzzle piece). drunk karaoke with harry and the lads. and the. his IG stories are always up close zooms of harry doing anything and harry getting more and more irritated throughout the day. Clifford photos!

Niall: I get this vibe that niall posts a lot of selfies with think pieces underneath them. he also documents all his cooking and the trying of new recipes but always goes back to his tried and true chicken breasts. videos where he’s pranking his friends. captions on weird noises he’s heard during the night with a story thread linked to his profile of all the paranormal updates. the journey of him and some buds watching every nicholas cage or keanu reeves film known to man. sock collection! up close snaps of trump’s toupee falling off. space facts and updates. astrology nerd

Liam: I get the feeling liam also posts a lot of dog photos. i can see him buying clothes and costumes for bruce (?) and trying them on. he also tries a lot of hacks when he’s home for too long. of course he has tons of videos of his workout routine. then he posts emo hours selfies in bed at like 2 AM before deleting them before morning. funny parodies he’s thought of and recorded. soundcloud trap beats on his computer. snaps of facetime calls between him and the others. i can see him also posting inspirational stuff— quotes or just photos of himself with captions like “wishing everyone a happy thursday! remember, we’re all in this together. love to you all. always!”

Zayn: All his doodles and graffiti. the animals on the farm. riding horses. feeding the chickens. experimental music he’s been dabbling in. i don’t know why but i feel like zayn loves candles so probably boomerangs of candles burning. baking. new ink he’s got. i feel like he does a lot of IG lives just rambling and then doing tours of home improvements he’s done like painting a feature wall. more heavily filtered selfies. pictures of him and his family. youtube spirals he’s went down like watching a hermit crab crawl inside a bigger shell. those IG story fill-in-the-blanks. also music recs. sky shots.

#this was so fun!#grey

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usaffiliates-blog · 5 years

Text

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Now, there are two factors that go into accessibility.

Namely:

• The first factor is that anyone can access it. In other words, don’t lock your content down behind passwords, don’t make people join your list to get it, and don’t put it on a platform that’s only available to a minority of your audience.

For example: Don’t put a video into a format that can’t be accessed without special software. Instead, stick to major formats (like .MP4) and put it on YouTube where it’s accessible to everyone.

• The second factor is that it doesn’t take long to access it. You may have an idea for the coolest- ever 45-minute video. But you know what? Most people are going to take one look at the length and decide they don’t have time to watch it. So keep the content short so that someone can view, read or otherwise consume the entire thing within just a few minutes.

That’s the first factor. Pretty simple, right? Now here’s another...

Factor 2: Share-ability

Here’s a simple truth: people are more likely to share your content when it’s easy to share.

Obviously, this overlaps with the previous factor in that content needs to be easy-to-access in order for it to be easily shared. However, we can take this all a step further with these tips:

• Put your content on a viral platform. Facebook is one of the best examples here because the platform was designed for sharing content. All people have to do is click the “share” button. It doesn’t get much easier than that to share content.

TIP: Whenever possible, put the viral content directly on Facebook, rather than linking to your website. Content that you upload to Facebook is easier to share than content that you’re linking to offsite.

• Install “share” buttons. Let’s suppose you have some sort of content that you can’t upload directly to Facebook and other viral platforms.

One example might be a smartphone app. In this case, you’d still advertise and promote the app on viral platforms, except people would need to come to your site to download the app. When they arrive, they should see “share” buttons so they can post about your app on Facebook, tweet about it, or even directly email their friends.

Now here’s a pro tip for when you want really good results: create a call to action. This means you specifically tell people to share your content (and, when necessary, you tell them how to do it).

For example:

“Share this post if you agree with it.”

“If you love this video, just imagine how much your friends will love it. Click here to share it with them now.”

“Amaze your friends by sharing this with them now.”

Next factor...

Factor 3: Consume-ability

Psst, here’s a little secret...

People are a bit lazy. They don’t want to have to “work” to consume your viral content. And that’s why you should put it in a format that makes it easy to understand and easy to consume.

Here are the best and most popular viral formats:

Video. All people have to do is click the play button, and then sit back to watch your video. Easy peasy.

Infographic. This format is eye-catching attractive, which is a bonus. It’s also easy to consume since the words tend to be fairly sparse since the graphics tell much of the story. In other words, it’s easy to consume since people can absorb the message in a short amount of time.

Other graphics. This might be a funny meme, or it might be an inspirational quote with a photo in the background. Either way, someone can glance it and within seconds be laughing, or be disgusted, or be otherwise moved by the graphical content.

So what about articles?

Oh sure, they go viral all the time. But I’m willing to bet that most the content you’ve seen shared over the years came in a different format, such as photos, videos or infographics. Those other formats are easy to consume, easy to access and easy to share – which makes them a great choice for a viral campaign.

Now if you’re absolutely dead-set on sharing content via a text-based format (like a blog post or a report), then keep these tips in mind:

Make it easy to read. Don’t try to impress anyone with your $100 words. Make the content accessible by making it easy-to-read for your audience.

Insert plenty of white space. Don’t put up a wall of text, as that will drive users to the “back” button.

Instead, use bulleted lists like this one to create more white space. Also, use short sentences and short paragraphs for easy readability.

Break up text with graphics. These draw the eye back into the content and make a nice visual aid to reinforce your point.

Pro Tip: If your article relies heavily on graphics, then making an infographic may be the better option.

So here’s the bottom line...

Imagine that your audience members are the absolute laziest people on the planet. They don’t want to work too hard to get your message. What is the best format? If you can create a video, infographic or other graphics, you’re golden.

Next up...

Factor 4: Novelty

It’s scientifically proven that your brain loves new stuff, especially when compared to familiar stuff. That’s why so many refer to the “learner brain,” as your brain actually rewards you when you see something new. Your brain wants you to actively seek out new stuff.

Let me explain...

If you put something familiar in front of a person, the brain goes “meh.” That’s just a lukewarm response as far as synaptic connections go.

Now put something novel in front of the brain, and a part of the midbrain – which is the reward and pleasure center-- lights up like a Christmas tree.

Not only that, but this midbrain releases dopamine, which creates a very pleasurable feeling. You can kind of get high and hooked on this neurotransmitter, which is exactly what your brain wants. It wants you to seek out new stuff, and every time you do it gives you a rush of ultra-pleasurable dopamine.

So imagine this for a moment...

You put something unique in front of your prospects, and their brain is going to give them a mini-rush of good feelings. Now that they have a good feeling, they want to share this feeling. Bam, they hit the share button.

But here’s a problem...

How do you create something novel, when it seems like there is nothing new under the sun?

Thing is, you don’t have to create something completely and 100% unique. All you have to do is take something old and give it a new twist.

Let me give you an example...

Have you ever seen those popular memes that go around the internet? Take the “Grumpy Cat” meme.

It’s often the same exact photo of Grumpy Cat – and yet what happens is that someone adds a new caption to the photo, and the meme goes viral again.

See how that works? The photo is old, but the caption is new... and it still goes viral.

Another example...

Have you ever seen those lists, such as “Seven surprising things you can do with ____?” (Where the blank is some common household thing, like dryer sheets, dishwashing soap, or coffee grounds.)

Obviously, people know what to do with dryer sheets – put ‘em in your dryer.

But what these lists do is offer people new ways to use these items, which is very novel. And that’s what makes a person’s brain light up.

So the point is, it’s cool if you can come up with something totally novel. That will really light up your viewer’s brain. But if not, look for a way to put a new twist on something old.

Factor 5: Arouses Emotion

Now, this is a big factor. Huge. Because in order for you to get anyone to take any kind of action, you generally need to push their emotional buttons.

Think about it...

What do all great novels have in common?

That’s right, they create an emotional response in people.

This is why people eagerly finish the books, they’re sad when they’re done with it, and they discuss the book with others. Generally, this happens when they’ve connected emotionally with a character.

Copywriters and salespeople know their income depends on evoking emotion. That’s because many people make the buying decision based on emotion, and then justify their purchase with logic. Read just about any sales letter, and you’ll see the copywriter pushing the emotional buttons like crazy.

Point is, if you’re looking to create a successful viral campaign, then your content needs to make your viewers feel something. You need to evoke a strong emotional response.

Now, if you take a look around – such as content like the nightly news – you might be persuaded into thinking that you need to evoke a negative emotion.

Nope, that’s not true. While certain strong negative emotions (like disgust) can and do go viral, researchers have discovered that the biggest viral pieces tend to evoke positive emotions. These emotions include:

• Surprise

• Delight

• Joy

Think about some of the big viral pieces you’ve seen, and I think you’ll agree that you need to hit the positive emotional buttons. For example:

That inspirational quote? Maybe it created hope, joy, and excitement.

That prank video? Surprise and amusement. Now here’s something to consider...

Find a way to connect an old idea to a new emotion. You can do this by finding an unexplored angle.

This does two things. First, you created something novel. And as you already know, your viewer’s brain is going to lap this up like a kitten drinking milk.

Secondly, an unexpected tie creates surprise and interest, both of which are strong emotions. Now you’re well on your way to creating viral content.

Let me give you an example...

Often times we see videos online about how humans have abused animals. Some of these videos go viral because people are outraged and disgusted (those are negative emotions, but they are strong emotions). Sometimes the videos offer hope, which helps them go viral.

So picture this...

Recently I ran into a video showing a man on a pier trying to capture a pelican by the foot. I was already starting to feel outraged by this man who harassing a defenseless creature. I watched in horror as he made the catch – and then his friend helped him hold the bird still.

What happened next surprised me...

These two guys carefully and gently removed fishing lines and hooks from the bird’s mouth. Then they released the bird to the applause of the bystanders on the pier.

My heart swelled. I felt joy. I felt hopeful. And yeah, you can bet I was thoroughly surprised when this video turned out to be so heartwarming, despite looking like it was going to be about a man teasing wildlife.

You know what I did next? I hit the share button.

So, you can see how this example hits several major emotional buttons. One of the strongest is when you can surprise people – make them think the video is going to be about one thing, and turn it into something else. This is particularly effective if people think the video is going to be about something bad (such as animal abuse) and it turns out to be just the opposite.

TIP: Your viral content will backfire if you give the impression that a video is about something good, and then it turns out to be about something bad. People will feel disgusted – at YOU. They’ll feel

betrayed. So if you use this psychological trick, be sure to use it the right way (by turning a seemingly bad situation into a good one).

Next factor...

Factor 6: Enjoy-ability

This is an exceedingly simple factor, but it certainly comes into play big time with viral content.

Here’s the scoop: when people enjoy your content, they want to share it with others so that they’ll enjoy it too.

You can think of this factor as the “ice cream cone” of viral content. Eating an ice cream cone is enjoyable, right? But eating an ice cream cone with your best pals is even better. A shared experience makes a good experience even better.

So that’s what is at play here. On the one hand, people want to share their joy with others. In some cases, people share content with their friends so that they can discuss that content. (E.G.,

“Dude, you have to see this video and tell me what you think about it.”)

And sometimes, people share content they think others will enjoy because sharing raises their status.

That’s actually the next factor. Take a look...

Factor 7: Ego

Sure, there are a few purely altruistic people who share content solely for the purpose of spreading joy, education or something else positive with others.

But then there’s the rest of your audience. Before these folks share any content, they think about how sharing will affect their status in a community or among their circle of friends. That’s right, sharing can be an act of narcissism or even outright ego-stroking.

So let’s take a look at two of these ego factors that may come into play when someone is considering sharing your content:

1) Identity building

2) Status building.

Take a look...

Identity Building

The idea here is that people share content that supports their worldview and builds their identity.

Think about how social media works...

So many people have thousands of “friends” from around the world. Their connections are people with whom they’ve never had a one-on-one conversation. And the truth is, these folks don’t have time to build individual relationships with everyone in their contact list. So what they do is share content that basically says,

“This supports my worldview. This is what I think. This is who I am.”

That’s why you’ll see people sharing links, videos, and memes about important issues, including political issues, social issues, and religious issues.

But that doesn’t mean you need to create content based on the huge issues of our time in order for it to go viral. Heck no. Just choose an issue that divides people, take a side, and create content showing a strong stance on that issue.

Your content doesn’t even have to be serious. When I say the issue “divides people,” I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’m just saying that folks have strong opinions. And this can occur even in light-hearted situations.

For example, people are pretty divided when it comes to sports teams. If you’re in a market catering to a particular sport, you could easily create a meme that makes fun of one team while exalting another. That’s the kind of stuff that goes viral, as fans of the exalted team share the meme and laugh.

Not only does this evoke an emotion (always a good thing as you learned), but it also builds the sharer’s identity by showing which sports team they prefer.

Music is another example. People share music they like, memes about musicians and quotes form musicians. Again, telling others what kind of music you enjoy is a way to share something of yourself with others.

Still another example: sharing cute animal videos, or memes that denounce animal abuse. These all tell viewers something about the sharer.

Of course, there are plenty of contentious examples too. Sharing outrageous quotes or conspiracy theories from the political fringe would certainly tell others a lot about the sharer.

So the point is, people like to share things that they agree with, as it helps them build their identity on a social media platform.

Now here’s the other ego factor that comes into play...

Status Building

The concept here is that people share content that will make them look good in the eyes of their friends (which in turn makes them feel better). That’s right, this is purely an ego play. It’s a way for someone to build social capital, which they may cash in and spend at another time.

So here are three ways people use viral content to build their own status in a community:

People like to be the first to share cool content. This person likes to be seen as the one who always finds and shares the cool stuff first. In fact, this person is more likely to share content before the viral effect has really kicked in. He wants to be the first, and if he’s not then he probably won’t even share it.

For example, if a viral video has already made it to the front page of YouTube or it’s trending on Twitter, this person won’t share it.

Pro Tip: This is the type of person who can help you kick start a viral campaign. Find these sneezers on blogs, on Facebook and similar communities. Then get your content into their hands as soon as it launched (or even just before) so that they can maintain their identity as the person who finds the cool stuff first.

People share content that will help others. The second way people build their status is by sharing content that helps others. It makes them look good to their friends, and it makes them feel good too.

But here’s something else...

Helping others also trips the reciprocity trigger. When we do for others, they often feel obligated to do for us. That’s why if you give a friend a birthday card on his birthday, he’ll likely reciprocate and give you a card when your birthday rolls around.

So, someone who regularly shares useful content with others tends to trip the reciprocity trigger and build social capital. When this person wants something from his friends, he’s more likely to get it since he’s been so helpful to them.

And finally...

People share content that will make others feel good. We’ve already talked about this just a bit earlier, in that people who enjoy something will want to share it so that others can enjoy it too. But here this factor isn’t altruistic – rather, the person is sharing the content to build their own status.

There’s a bit of behavioral conditioning at play here, at least with some people. Let me explain...

People who go on a first date and do something thrilling – such as riding a rollercoaster – often attribute this good feeling with their date rather than the rollercoaster itself. And that’s after just one event. Imagine if you paired a thrilling event (and good feelings) with a particular person repeatedly.

That’s right, now we’re getting into Pavlovian territory. Pavlov trained his dogs to associate the sound of a bell with food. So all Pavlov had to do was ring a bell, and his dogs would automatically drool in anticipation of food. That’s called conditioning.

Now imagine if a certain person in a community is constantly sharing good content that produces good feelings among his friends. His friends would laugh, feel delighted and generally feel good whenever they see the content. However, some of their good feelings would become associated with the person himself.

Point is, it’s a sneaky yet surprisingly effective way for someone to build their status in a community.

If they can share content that makes others feel good, then they’ll look good to their friends.

So, you get the picture here. People don’t always share for altruistic reasons. Sometimes they share to build their identity or build their status. Keep that in mind as you develop your own viral content ideas.

Okay, next factor...

Factor 8: Relate-ability

The idea behind this factor is that people share when they’re able to relate to the content.

But here’s the key...

Different types of people relate to different types of content. And that’s why you need to know your audience inside and out before you even attempt to create viral content. You should know:

• Their age.

• Their hopes and dreams.

...And anything else you can find out about your target market.

How do you collect all this information? Here are two ways:

1. Survey your market. Just know that sometimes surveys are inaccurate, simply because people tell you what you want to hear rather than telling you the truth. What’s more, biased questions can skew the results. And finally, if your group isn’t a random selection of your target market, you may get skewed results.

Point is, be very careful about how you collect survey data. Then trust it, but verify it using the next method...

2. Immerse yourself in your market. Join forums, Facebook groups, and offline meetups. Get to know the market as much as possible. If you’re able to, do what your market does so that you have a better understanding of their joys and problems. (E.G., If your market consists of fly fishers, then take up fishing to learn more about the market.)

Once you know as much as you possibly can about your market, then you’ll be better able to create content that they can really relate to. End result? A bigger viral effect for you.

Next factor...

Factor 9: Connect-ability

One study suggests that about 78% of people who share content do so as a way of connecting with their friends.

You can see how this works if you give it some thought.

On social media, people aren’t having one-on-one conversations with all the contacts in their friends' list. So they post something thought-provoking, something controversial, or something that otherwise will engage others.

So maybe the other people will just “like” the content.

Better yet, perhaps the others will discuss it with the person who shared it.

That’s a great way to connect or re-connect with friends.

They can laugh about that cute cat video together.

They can share some outrage over what some celebrity said about someone else. They can discuss an important social issue, which grows respect and even bonds the two people if they share the same view.

Of course, sometimes people don’t even know all the “friends” on their contact list. In that case, this sort of connection can become very valuable. Someone might lurk for months without ever commenting on another’s content.

And then one day an issue touches them so deeply that they join a discussion, which connects them with everyone else who’s joined the same discussion.

The point is when you’re thinking about what kind of content to create, ask yourself if this is something that might connect people with others.

Next factor...

Factor 10: Evokes Curiosity

A lot of people who’re creating viral content – such as a video – put a lot of thought and effort into creating something polished, professional and share-worthy. But then when it comes to the title or description of the content they write a few lines that are as boring and dry as burnt toast.

Here’s the deal...

If you want to kick start a big viral effect, your title and description (where applicable) need to get attention and get the click. And one good way to do that is by arousing curiosity.

The idea here is to create an “itch” that your visitors can only scratch by viewing your content. You arouse their curiosity with a title, and then satisfy that curiosity within the viral content itself.

Now if you want a crash course in curiosity-arousing titles, all you have to do is visit one of the many content- curation sites that specialize in sharing viral content. One really good example of this is the popular site UpWorthy.com.

Today as I write this, I can find plenty of curiosity- arousing titles on UpWorthy. Here’s a quick sample:

“JK Rowling Responds Perfect To a Girl Who Gets Teased For Wanting to Write”

The target market is going to immediately be curious about what JK Rowling told this girl – and they have to watch the video to find out.

“This Special Dog is Saving Our Bees – She’s The Only One Who Can”

This is going to raise questions that can only be answered by watching the video. Why is this dog so special? How is she saving bees? Why is she the only one that can?

“These Tigers Have Never Been Swimming Before. Here’s How They Reacted To Their Brand New Pool.”

This title certainly arouses curiosity about how these big cats will react to a pool. It makes me want to watch it – what about you?

So the point is, your viral content needs to have a good title if you want people to view the content.

At that point, the content itself should include the other factors we’ve talked about in order to get

people sharing it across your market.

Now let’s wrap things up...

Creating Your Own Secret Sauce

As you know, creating viral content isn’t 100% science. If it was, then big companies around the world wouldn’t pour so much time, effort and money into campaigns that flopped. There is always that factor that no one foresees that either makes or breaks a campaign.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any crystal balls that can give you a sneak peek into the future of your viral campaign. But what you can do is use the ten factors you just learned about in this report.

Let’s recap:

Factor 1: Accessibility

Factor 2: Share-ability

Factor 3: Consume-ability

Factor 4: Novelty

Factor 5: Arouses Emotion

Factor 6: Enjoy-ability

Factor 7: Ego

Factor 8: Relate-ability

Factor 9: Connect-ability

Factor 10: Arouses Curiosity

Now the key here isn’t to just pick a factor and focus all your time and effort on being sure your viral campaign nails that factor.

Instead, you want to include as many of those factors as possible. Ideally, your content should be nailing all ten of those factors.

Think about the last big viral video that rolled across your Facebook feed for several. I’m betting it included all of these factors – or at least the vast majority. Am I right?

Let’s take the example I gave you earlier in this report, about the guy who grabbed the pelican by the foot and then ended up pulling fishing hooks and lines off its beak.

It was easy to share, access and consume (because it was a short three-minute video on Facebook). Those are the first three factors.

Factor 4: It was novel to me because I had never seen anyone catch a pelican like that before.

Did it arouse emotion? You bet it did. First outrage, then surprise, when I realized the video was about helping rather than hurting an animal, then happiness. For these reasons, it was also thoroughly enjoyable.

Factor 7, ego. Yes, I shared it. And yes, it probably made me look good to my friends when I shared with them this heart-warming video. This also created a connection with my friends (Factor 9).

The video also hit Factor 8, in that I could relate to it. No, I can’t exactly relate to capturing a pelican, but I certainly can relate to helping those who can’t help themselves.

And finally curiosity – it had that too. The title was something along the lines of, “This man catches a pelican – you won’t believe what happens next.”

So the point is, even a simple video like the pelican video nails all ten of those factors. Your viral content simply won’t get much traction if you don’t inject all of those factors.

So here’s what I suggest you do next...

Start brainstorming viral content for your niche. Study your market first if you don’t know much about them. Then go to sites like YouTube, Facebook and others to see what sort of content is already trending in your niche.

Does your market like infographics, videos, memes or other content?

Do they like humorous content, motivational, inspirational or something else?

What topics seem to grab their attention the most?

Point is, reverse engineer the viral content that’s currently working in your niche to see if you can figure out what your prospects respond to, and then create something with similar factors.

NOTE: Don’t create similar content, as that destroys the novelty factor. Instead, create content that hits the same factors and triggers as the popular content in your niche.

One last tip...

Be sure to kick start your viral content. This means you put it in front of as many people as possible on the day you launch it, as this will help it gather the momentum and critical mass it needs to go viral in a big way.

Good luck – and here’s to seeing your content on the front page of YouTube or trending on social media soon!

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Facebook deletes multiple accounts after linking lead singer in Christian rock band to QAnon

CANTON (WXYZ) — The lead vocalist of the Christian rock band, Sweet Crystal, was stunned when he went to log onto Facebook one day last week and discovered all nine of the accounts he administers for the band, their brand and business had been deleted because the Goliath of social media had somehow linked him to the conspiracy movement known as QAnon.

"So, because my profile disappeared, they all disappeared. They're all gone," said Marq Andrew Speck of Canton. "That's 11 years of my life and I have never posted anything political in my life. My stuff is all inspirational or videos, photos of the band, that kind of stuff. And it was just a kick in the gut."

QAnon is a far-right movement that believes satan-worshipping pedophiles in the "deep state" are plotting against President Donald Trump.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-news/facebook-deletes-multiple-accounts-after-linking-lead-singer-in-christian-rock-band-to-qanon

Trump the Defender

Trump was less articulate about the very good people on both sides comment, because he was more concerned with defending citizens from the press than he was about PR. Defended Rush Limbaugh on interview on Fox and Friends when the journalist asked who the next conservative voice is. Trump cut her off, saying that we need to take a moment to acknowledge rushes accomplishments, and recognizing how much Rush supported Trump from day one. This was a very positive redirection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ji8OzFQ-bU

QAnon

This article is about the baseless far-right conspiracy theory.

QAnon is a “far-right conspiracy theory” alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against US President Donald Trump, who is battling against the cabal. The theory also commonly asserts that Trump is planning a day of reckoning known as "The Storm", when thousands of members of the cabal will be arrested. No part of the theory is based on fact. QAnon has accused many liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians, and high-ranking officials of being members of the cabal. It also claimed that Trump feigned conspiracy with Russians to enlist Robert Mueller to join him in exposing the sex-trafficking ring and preventing a coup d'état by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros.

Learn More

This Documentary is graphic and disturbing. You’ve been warned.

Fall of the Cabal - https://odysee.com/@besthiking1:8/Fall-of-the-Cabal-Full-Documentary----by-Janet-Ossebaard:3

Out of the Shadows - https://odysee.com/@Juan-Sumoradis:d/OUT-OF-THE-SHADOWS---OFFICIAL-DOCUMENTARY---FULL:5

Let’s Talk about Leftist Conspiracies, Activists, and how Dangerous they are

Miles Taylor

Miles Taylor is an American former government official in the George W. Bush and Trump administrations, best known for his previously anonymous criticisms of Donald Trump.

In 2018, while deputy chief of staff to Nielsen, he wrote the New York Times op-ed "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" under the pen-name 'Anonymous', which drew widespread attention for its criticism of Trump. In 2019, he published the book A Warning.

In August 2020, while on leave from his job at Google, he produced an ad for Republican Voters Against Trump, denouncing Trump and endorsing Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Taylor was the first former senior Trump administration staffer to endorse Biden.[4] As of August 2020, he is the highest-ranking former member of the administration to endorse Biden.

In October 2020, Taylor revealed himself to be 'Anonymous'.

Neil Morris Ferguson - 1st Coronavirus Models

Neil Morris Ferguson OBE FMedSci (born 1968) is a British epidemiologist[3] and professor of mathematical biology, who specialises in the patterns of spread of infectious disease in humans and animals. In February 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was first detected in China, Ferguson and his team used statistical models to estimate that cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were significantly under-detected in China. He is part of UK's Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team.

On 5 May 2020, it emerged that Ferguson had resigned from his position as a government advisor on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee after admitting to "undermining" the government's messages on social distancing by meeting up with a married woman.

Neil has a squeky clean image if yo use Google. if you use Qwant, you can find these kinds of results.

“So the real scandal is: Why did anyone ever listen to this guy?”

John Fund writes:

[Imperial College epidemiologist Neil] Ferguson was behind the disputed research that sparked the mass culling of eleven million sheep and cattle during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. He also predicted that up to 150,000 people could die. There were fewer than 200 deaths.

In 2002, Ferguson predicted that up to 50,000 people would likely die from exposure to BSE (mad cow disease) in beef. In the U.K., there were only 177 deaths from BSE.

In 2005, Ferguson predicted that up to 150 million people could be killed from bird flu. In the end, only 282 people died worldwide from the disease between 2003 and 2009.

In 2009, a government estimate, based on Ferguson’s advice, said a “reasonable worst-case scenario” was that the swine flu would lead to 65,000 British deaths. In the end, swine flu killed 457 people in the U.K.

Last March, Ferguson admitted that his Imperial College model of the COVID-19 disease was based on undocumented, 13-year-old computer code that was intended to be used for a feared influenza pandemic, rather than a coronavirus. Ferguson declined to release his original code so other scientists could check his results. He only released a heavily revised set of code last week, after a six-week delay.

Just telling people what they want to hear.

guy? https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/05/08/so-the-real-scandal-is-why-did-anyone-ever-listen-to-this-guy/

The Scientist Whose Doomsday Pandemic Model Predicted Armageddon Just Walked Back The Apocalyptic Predictions

British scientist Neil Ferguson ignited the world’s drastic response to the novel Wuhan coronavirus when he published the bombshell report predicting 2.2 million Americans and more than half a million Brits would be killed. After both the U.S. and U.K. governments effectively shut down their citizens and economies, Ferguson is walking back his doomsday scenarios.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/26/the-scientist-whose-doomsday-pandemic-model-predicted-armageddon-just-walked-back-the-apocalyptic-predictions/

James Hodgkinson - Congressional baseball Shooter

On June 14, 2017, during a practice session for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity in Alexandria, Virginia, James Hodgkinson shot U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, U.S. Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner, congressional aide Zack Barth, and lobbyist Matt Mika. A ten-minute shootout took place between Hodgkinson and officers from the Capitol and Alexandria Police before officers fatally shot Hodgkinson, who died from his wounds later that day at the George Washington University Hospital.[7][8] Scalise and Mika were taken to nearby hospitals where they underwent surgery.[9] Hodgkinson was a left-wing activist. The Virginia Attorney General concluded Hodgkinson's attack was "an act of terrorism... fueled by rage against Republican legislators". Oh yeah, and he’s a Bernie Bro

He earned some hitjbs from media outlets, that hid his motives for the attack, but offered plenty of information for discredit him as a crazy person on his own

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-hodgkinson-history_n_59414028e4b003d5948c6f50

https://heavy.com/news/2017/06/james-hodgkinson-alexandria-gop-baseball-shooter-shooting-gunman-identified-illinois/

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/14/james-t-hodgkinson-congressional-shooter-dead-239547

Other Bernie-Bros

The 19-year-old’s focus on Biden started in the spring, according to the order… Days after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suspended his presidential campaign, Treisman, who had suggested in a Reddit post that he had to “save bernie,” posted a meme with the caption questioning whether he should kill Biden.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/jim-treacher/2020/10/23/bernie-bro-with-van-full-of-guns-and-explosives-plotted-to-assassinate-biden-media-buries-the-lede-as-usual-n1082276

Project Veritas Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC3V2vTTrx4

Willem Van Spronsen - Ice Bomber

The 2019 Tacoma suicide bomber attack occurred when an Antifa domestic terrorist with an assault rifle firebombed a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility housing hundreds of children with a massive explosion in Tacoma, Washington; The attacker was shot and killed by police. He also burnt a car and was attempting to ignite a large external propane tank.

https://loomered.com/2019/07/14/antifa-terrorist-attacks-ice-detention-facility-with-bombs-and-rifle-leaves-manifesto-behind/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tacoma-ice-police-shooting-washington-willem-van-spronsen-antifa-detention-centre-a9004131.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/07/14/armed-man-throwing-incendiary-devices-ice-detention-center-killed-officer-involved-shooting-police-say/

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/tacoma-ice-facility-terror-attacker-ided-as-antifa-activist/

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growinstablog · 4 years

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5 Great Examples of Instagram Influencer Marketing

You can learn a lot from the influencers who built their personal brands on Instagram from the ground up, without the support of digital teams and budget. These are the people who understand their core audience needs and content proclivities better than anyone else, because it’s their ability to meet those needs and proclivities that made them.

You can also learn a ton from the brands who partner with influencers and personalities in unique, innovative, and successful ways. I’ve thrown a couple of those in here for good measure. You’ll definitely walk away from this blog post with ideas for your brand’s own creative campaigns and/or inspiration for upcoming influencer campaigns and partnerships.

Let’s start with one of my favorite Instagram content creators, Candice Kumai.

1. Candice Kumai: The Multi-Dimensional Hustler

Candice Kumai is the author of a very personal wellness book, Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit, which is based on her Japanese heritage and nutritional expertise. She is also a columnist for Girl Boss and Elle, but much of her engagement, exposure, and fame comes from her highly active Instagram profile.

But Kumai doesn’t just Instagram about plant-based recipes. She posts about female entrepreneurship, travel, and her family. The central lesson here? Don’t turn your Instagram profile into a one-trick pony. Include all the parts of your brand that make it appealing to your target audience, from background story around your products and brand, to inspirational content, to works-in-progress. Show your audience how multi-dimensional you are, while keeping images and voice streamlined.

What You Can Learn: There are several concrete lessons your brand can learn from Candice’s Instagram strategy. I recommend scrolling through her Instagram profile for a master class in content creation, but here are a few takeaways.

Leverage off-social content on Instagram. Notice that on Candice’s Instagram profile (below), she tags @girlboss @iamwellandgood, both online publications that she writes for. She also links to her latest offering, her book, and includes the hashtag for her book.

The 5-Step Guide: How to Be Successful on Instagram

How to Get Followers on Instagram: 11 Authentic Solutions

15 Instagram Post Ideas to Cure Creative Block

How to Get Verified on Instagram in 5 Helpful Steps

Make sure that you are clear about the top priorities for your business and brand right now, and that you are pointing to those top priorities in your Instagram profile, as well as showing off any partnerships you have going on.

Invest in PRODUCED video. While Candice also relies heavily on Instagram Stories, she and her team have invested in produced video to tell her story in a more polished manner, as you can see in the clip above. Make sure you are complimenting more “raw” video formats like Instagram Stories with produced video around major launches.

Don’t ask influencer partners to oversell. While Candice definitely promotes her partnerships, she also doesn’t flood her feed with obviously salesy content. In the second post above, Candice pairs content that is typical for her and attractive to her audience—matcha tea—with a watch promotion with a partner. Make sure your influencer partners are creating content that matches what their audience expects, to avoid negative or lackluster reactions to branded content.

2. Angi Greene: The Storyteller

Angi Greene, a self-described “✩MOM σf вσуѕ ✩13 x Cover Model/Athlete/Trainer ✩Health & Wellness advocate” according to her Instagram profile, tells great stories. In fact, almost every one of her Instagram posts–even ones advertising product–includes a long caption that tells an involved story.

This is one of my favorites:

What You Can Learn: There are several lessons your brand can learn from Angi’s Instagram strategy. Here are a few takeaways.

Create your own syntax. Did you notice how both of these posts include dots between various sentences? This syntax runs through all content that Angi posts on Instagram, and is an identifying factor of her text. It makes her content stand out in feeds and has come to be expected by followers. Which syntactical or emoji-based identifying factors can you include in captions for your brand?

Get raw. Some of Angi’s most successful Instagram posts are incredibly vulnerable. Incorporate some of this rawness in your own brand strategy.

Mix words and pictures. This one relates back to my suggestion re: Kumai’s strategy. Don’t be a one-trick pony. Check out Angi’s Instagram profile:

As you can see, Angi posts a lot of inspirational quotes and text-heavy images, in addition to images from her personal life and items she loves. Make sure you’re inspiring your audience with words and telling them a story with pictures.

3. REI: Everyone Is an Influencer

Let’s turn to a brand for our next Instagram influencer marketing lesson. REI wins on social on so many levels, but we’ll focus specifically on their Instagram influencer and UGC work here. REI constantly features content from the outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen who are its biggest fans.

The post above was originally posted by this Instagram user, and then shortened for REI’s post.

What You Can Learn: There are several lessons your brand can learn from REI’s Instagram strategy. Here are a few takeaways.

Repurpose content from your target audience. This content doesn’t have to mention your brand, but it should represent the ethos and persona your brand is focused on. Always ask permission, of course. When considering which UGC to post, ask yourself these questions: “How will my audience benefit from this post? How does this post’s message relate to my larger brand mission and voice?”

Be helpful. Some of REI’s most successful Instagram posts include “how-to’s” for its key personas, like backpackers.

How can you deliver how-to content that is relevant to your audience and the products you sell?

Start a rallying cry. REI posts about “Weekend Projects,” giving its Instagram audience challenges, like the one below:

This gives followers an extra incentive to use REI’s #OptOutside hashtag, and it reinforces REI’s community and closeness with their audience on Instagram.

4. Johnie Gall: Share Your Activism

Johnie Gall, otherwise known as @dirtbagdarling on Instagram, is at the forefront of Instagram activism. And she’s gotten many mission-driven brands to join her and partner with her, including Patagonia.

What You Can Learn: There are several lessons your brand can learn from Johnie’s Instagram strategy. Here are a few takeaways.

Don’t preach all the time. While the posts above certainly make it seem like it, mix up your more serious, activism-minded posts with simple posts that appeal to your audience’s sense of beauty and wonder.

But don’t be afraid to take a stand. That said, Johnie’s posts with longer captions, which talk about global ecological issues, are her most successful. If you can find a cause that fits with your brand’s mission and product, make sure to show it off loud and proud, and partner with influencers who can help.

Complement with Instagram Stories. This will help you drive engagement from your audience and increase awareness.

5. The Riveter: Choose a Conversation to Lead

The Riveter, a “female-forward work and community platform for women and advocates // curated professional, social and wellness experiences,” as their Instagram profile puts it, has chosen a conversation to lead on Instagram (and beyond). This conversation centers around women in business and leadership, and The Riveter has become a true influencer in this space.

The Riveter is very clear about its mission, and it uses Instagram to publicize its events and call for progress.

What You Can Learn: There are several lessons your brand can learn from The Riveter’s Instagram strategy. Here are a few takeaways.

Instagram + Events = You can become the leader of the conversation in your own arena, and connect with many of the personalities it revolves around, by using Instagram to publicize your events. Tag your event participants. Ask event participants to post content on their own profiles to publicize events and give them the imagery and messaging they need to do so within your brand guidelines.

Focus on your founder. Amy Riveter, the founder of The Riveter, is a hub of thought leadership, and is featured heavily in many The Riveter communications, on Instagram and beyond. Instagram is a great place to humanize your founder, and thus your brand.

Consistency is key. If you have a conversation that you want to lead, don’t dilute it. Double down on that campaign and/or strategy, and make sure your visual content and messaging is consistent.

https://growinsta.xyz/5-great-examples-of-instagram-influencer-marketing/

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smallpersiankitten · 7 years

Text

Monster Lover

Read the archive link here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12195630

(Before we start. Hi! This piece is heavily inspired by Piers Anthony's "Zombie Lover." If you haven't read any of his books about the world of Xanth, I really suggest you do. They're delightful and witty and probably some of the first few books I read that legitimately got me into adult literature (Classic literature doesn't count).This isn't technically part of the Must Love Animals Universe so you could read this without reading those stories. I hope you enjoy.)

You couldn’t believe how exhausted you were as you continued to hike in the forest. It was really pretty, you had to admit and you had plenty of time to admire it as you took many stops to catch your breath. You probably would have been more rested had you not stayed up super late chatting with your crush.

You hadn’t planned on it but the minute he asked you if you were free for a video chat later this evening, you just couldn’t say no. As soon as you got home, you had spent your entire evening with your head in the girly magazine you had stolen from work. You highlighted and circled all the beauty and seduction tips. And then spent the last 45 minutes before the call putting on extensive make up but at the same time trying to make it look as natural as possible to get that “just woke up look.” At 8:30 at night.

He was impressed or at least he said he was after being 15 minutes late to the video call. But hey! It’s the thought that counts. You flirted and he flirted back and by the time you were making plans to meet up again, it was nearly 1am. One of the last things he did say was how much he enjoyed girls taking photos in nature.

Hence why you were here. In the forest. He invited you to a get together with some friends in the woods and what perfect way to surprise him than to take a forest photo of your own. Or at least a better one than Brittany.

She had posted one of her sitting on a tree, her hair braided finely into a handmade necklace of daisies and lilacs as she looked out at the rising sun. She was just so fucking perfect and even though you were straight, you couldn't help but feel a slight girl boner for her. Even after she hashtagged it with #soblessed.

Your crush had not only liked it, but wrote “You're so cute! Can't wait to see you 2nite!” Argh! You know you were being ridiculous and it was probably due to the fact that you were about to start your period. Damn you hormones for making you so emotional. Why did you wear a skirt?!

You were getting sidetracked. You only had a few hours left before the party at the cottages and you couldn't risk showing up without having posted one nature photo of you. You scouted for the perfect spot.

You really didn't want to climb a tree. It would look like you had copied her. Plus you didn't want to get sap in your clothes. You walked past a particular opening only to stop and double back. “Woah.”

You almost didn't see it at first as the low hanging willow leaves acted as almost a veil to the small opening before you. You gently pushed it aside to enter. Moss covered rocks surrounded by a collection of brightly colored wildflowers existed before you. It was rather quiet as you wandered inside, the only other sound was the crunch of wood as you stepped on a broken, weathered sign.

You pulled out your phone and broke out into a smile. There was just the right amount of natural light filtered by the leaves, to set you up for a perfect shot. You spotted a rock large enough to be a bed that was covered in thick moss.

“Maybe I could go for a like sleeping beauty motif thing here,” you contemplated. You climbed onto the rock and lied down, expecting the surface to not look as soft as it appeared.

To your surprise, it was. “Oh, this, this isn't actually too bad.” You settled in before pulling out your phone. Right. Photo time. You posed and smiled as sweetly as you could before snapping a bajillion photos. You flipped through them deleting almost all of them until you found a few that were the closest to what you wanted. Looking innocent and naughty at the same time? Yeah, that was kind of physically impossible.

Not that you weren't a little bit of both. Sure you had taken dicks and gone down on more than a couple of them but you hadn't taken any up the butt so did that make you slightly innocent still? Yes? No? Fuck it, you were so going to get a better photo than Brittany if it was the last thing you did.

Finally, a lucky photo was snapped and you were soon choosing a filter for it. You paused on one that looked like it put a colorful crown of flowers on your head and quickly tapped it. Well, well, look at you. You were starting to look like quite the forest princess there. Your eyes lit up and darted to the little description box. Yes. Forest princess had a nice ring to it. You tapped eagerly on your phone’s keyboard, fitting the caption “Forest Princess” just underneath your shot before posting it online.

You waited, constantly tapping the refresh button. You went to hit it for the 27th time when you stopped. He had liked your photo. Your crush had liked your photo You let out a muted squeal and scrolled down. He left a comment! A comment.

“You’re so beautiful! Tonight can’t come fast enough. <3”

You unmuted your squeal and kicked your legs in the air girlishly. “Ahhh!!! He said I’m beautiful! He put a heart next to it!” You clutched your phone to your chest. “This, this is the best day ever!” It felt like you were in high school all over again with butterflies in your chest and your voice jumping an octave or two into unintelligible jumble.

You felt yourself grow sleepy as the excitement began to ebb over you. You had a few hours before the party. It wouldn’t do you any good to stay up and get there early only to pass out. Maybe a tiny nap here wouldn’t hurt. No one said there were bears in this part of the forest. And you were pretty secluded so you doubted anyone would jack your shit. You snuggled into your mossy bess and felt yourself drifting off to sleep to the sounds of the birds and nature.

~~~~~~

You awoke to the feeling of suffocation, sending you into an immediate panic. You resisted the impulse to flail as you woke up fully. You opened your eyes only for them to widen in surprise. Something was on top of you, pressing you against your makeshift bed. Oh my God. Was a bear trying to eat your face?! The absence of pain and the prolonged pressure against your lips clued you on to the fact that you weren’t being eaten. You were being kissed.

Who was kissing you? And why weren’t you stopping them? Maybe, it was a kinda nice kiss, maybe not as soft as you liked but for teeth, you really couldn’t complain...hold up, teeth? What in God’s name were you kissing? The realization that it was something inhuman propelled you to act. Your hands quickly shot out and pushed your “attacker” off of you.

You sat up and quickly felt yourself over. Your clothes were still on. Good. You turned your attention to the intruder. “Hey, buddy, what the fu-fuck…?” Your words died in your throat as you stared at the figure in front of you.

The first image that came to mind was a prince. A prince in shiny armor. Of course, the image was shattered the second you realized that the prince was nearly 8ft tall. And he had no skin. You probably should have stated that second fact first. It just seemed the more disconcerting of the two. Holy shit, it was a skeleton.

The skeleton cleared its throat and attempted to speak.

“WHAT ARE YOU?” You beat him to it.

The skeleton stopped and grinned. How did a skull grin? “I’m a skeleton.”

“No shit,” you gasped. “Why were you kissing me?”

“Oh!” The skeleton appeared to blush. How did he do that? “Well, I figured that would be the best way to wake up my future bride!”

“You don’t wake up total strangers with-BRIDE?” You croaked.

He nodded. “Well, yes, I must admit, I was really worried when I came here that I was going to find some really frumpy looking Monster but this is a pleasant surprise indeed. Even though you are human.”

“I-uh, what? What’s wrong with me being human?” You asked.

“Oh! Nothing. Well, not to me. Maybe to others that could be a problem! But definitely not to me! I just don’t meet many humans, much less a member of royalty!”

“A member of royalty?” You echoed.

“I assumed being a princess meant you were royalty?”

“I-what makes you say that?”

He nodded and pulled out a cellphone. “This is your royal portrait, yes?”

You looked at the phone. “Is that my cell phone?! Give me that!” You snatched the phone from his grasp and stared down at the picture. It was the photo you had taken for your crush. Now shared over several different mediums. The words “Forest Princess” taunted you back as the skeleton continued.

“Yes, your majesty. Your followers really love you. You have at least 500 likes.”

“500? Did you say 500 likes?” You echoed disbelievingly, scrolling down. “I’ve never gotten that many likes before,” you muttered.

“You are quite popular. I don’t see your crown anymore. Is it made of magic?” Your picture had spread like wildfire. There were people you didn’t even know commenting from everything to compliments to phone numbers to links to their own pages. And the number was continuously growing. You shook your head. Focus.

“Hold up, no, no. I’m not...There must be a mistake. You must have me confused for someone else.”

“You were sleeping here in the Grove of Love, weren’t you?”

“Well, uh yeah, just to take a nap.”

“So you understand.”

“Understand what? What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you read the sign?”

“Sign?”

“Hmm. Let me see if I can-there it is! It must have fallen off the entrance.” The skeleton realized, reaching down and freeing the wooden sign you had stepped on earlier. He cleared his throat (again, how) and read outloud: “When a woman wants to marry, she sleeps in the Grove of Love. Only a being of good appearance, character and breeding can enter. If he chooses her, he kisses her awake.” He chuckled.

Your eyes widened. “Marry?” You quickly stood up and ran your fingers through your hair. “This-this was a huge mistake. I didn’t see the sign! I was just taking a nap!”

“Oh. Well, live and learn, I suppose. Now come along. We have a lot of planning to do.”

“No! I can’t marry you!” You tried to slide toward the exit only for him to step in your path.

“I will marry you and make you Queen of the Monsters.”

“Queen of what?”

“Monsters. What I am.”

“I thought you were a skeleton,” you couldn’t help but add.

“Well, yes, but a skeleton is a type of Monster.”

“I’m confused,” you admitted.

“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to learn all about our customs on our honeymoon,” he assured you, attempting to place an arm around you.

You dodged that fucker like a snake. “No. There won’t be a honeymoon! Because we’re not getting married!”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. Once you have decided to let someone marry you, you can’t just back out of it. That’s very rude.”

“I didn’t decide to marry anyone! You forced yourself on me!”

“A peck on the lips isn’t forcing myself on you.”

“It is when they’re unconscious!”

“I-ah, I suppose you’re right. I’m still getting the hang of this true love kiss thing. Here let me try again.” Before you could react, he pulled you into another kiss. And this time it was smoldering, not smothering. You felt your knees grow weak and you unconsciously clutched his shoulder to steady yourself as you saw fireworks. By the time he pulled away, you were practically dazed.

“Woah.”

“I was hoping to hear that. Now come along.” He swooped you up bridal style and walked gingerly out of the grove and into the forest.

You blinked. “Wait, I don’t-we can’t just plan a wedding like that!”

“Sure we can. I have lots of hardworking subjects!”

“What would my parents say?”

“They can come too!”

You were running out of immediate arguments. “I don’t even know your name!”

“Wow, how awkward. I really should introduce myself before I start passionately smooching beautiful women. I am the Great Papyrus, King of the Monsters!” He nuzzled the side of your neck. “We are going to have quite the adventure!”

No doubt about that.

(I originally planned for this to be a one shot, but if you guys like this, I could probably continue it)

#undertale #papyrus #fanfic #story

23 notes · View notes

clarencenicholsonata · 4 years

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5 Ways to Attract More Customers with Ecommerce Video Marketing

The advent and sprouting growth of video-based social media, stories, and live streaming turned video marketing into more than an optional promotion strategy. Right now, an ecommerce development team can no longer afford to miss out on engaging with audiences via video content - otherwise, they lose traction and revenue.

Since thousands of videos are released online every second, it’s extremely hard to stay relevant and hold people’s attention. To succeed, business owners need to watch and incorporate video marketing ecommerce trends into their content strategies.

Video Marketing Statistics: What You Need to Know

To build successful video marketing strategies, you need to understand your audience’s watching habits, the platforms, and tools people use to engage with branded video content, as well as the content formats they are most responsive to.

If you are new to video marketing, the following statistics will help you understand where the field is currently at and how to take advantage of the latest trend when connecting with audiences.

Over 80% of companies use eCommerce video marketing to reach and communicate with target audiences;

Videos are responsible for almost 90% of the overall custom ecommerce website traffic;

Vertical videos are gaining more traction - in fact, 82% find it off-putting to have to watch clips in different screen orientations.

One billion video hours are played on Youtube every day.

How-to searches are a dominant trend on Youtube - they account for 70% of all queries.

5 Video Marketing Trends You Can’t Miss Out On

The competition for every view on Youtube is fierce right now, as there is an ongoing rivalry between non-corporate and branded content.

While large-scale brands manage to find their following thanks to high promotion budgets, small business owners are confused as to how they should cater to online viewers.

To stay afloat in the market, you have to be one step ahead of your competitors. To be a pioneer in implementing new content formats, take these emerging trends into account as you layout video marketing promotion strategies.

Ecommerce Video Trend: Authenticity & Relevance Go Hand in Hand

Brands used to conquer the eCommerce video market with big budgets and huge production teams - but that didn’t last. Marketers realized that buying the audience’s trust with fancy transitions and expensive sets is not the right strategy - instead, they needed to become relatable, which implied less scripted content, lower footage quality, and not being afraid to show their imperfections.

Media companies and businesses started writing relatable scripts, referencing memes and pop culture. Such a leveled environment is good news for small business owners that are limited by budget constraints.

In today’s video era creativity and authenticity will get you farther than high production quality ever would.

In modern video marketing, Dove is one of the most active authenticity advocates. The brand chose a cause - helping women break through the stigma of conventional beauty standards, and is enforcing it in short and emotional spots. Their famous ‘Choose Beautiful’ campaigns are one of the most authentic and original brand videos ever made.

youtube

Takeaway: If you are wondering how to produce authentic content, start by defining your company’s values and mission and think how every piece of content you release promotes the chosen cause. This way, a business manager will be able to make a stronger connection with prospective customers on the grounds of relatability.

Ecommerce Video Trend: Instagram Videos Are Growing

Youtube and Facebook used to be the big dogs when it came to video content. Now, Instagram challenges and rivals both successfully. With the introduction of stories, a concept sharing of short day-to-day videos went viral.

For example, according to Animoto’s annual survey, 48% of online shoppers purchased something thanks to an Instagram eCommerce video or story.

Businesses struggled to find decent applications for Instagram stories - it turns out, however, there’s no better strategy than using stories to show behind-the-scenes footage and give brand followers a chance to see the company as its people rather than its image or brand value.

National Geographic, for one, uses Instagram stories to post engaging quizzes and encourage people to test their knowledge of history and geography.

A make-up brand, Urban Decay, posts the best looks users publish on Instagram. This encourages people to generate more content for the brand. Users who don’t post themselves rely on Instagram stories for daily makeup inspiration.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B73xs2zpvPd/?utmsource=igwebcopylink

Takeaway: Using Instagram stories is all about building a daily connection with social media followers. Focus on using the platform to increase engagement with the brand’s account and offer audiences additional value - new information, motivational content, etc.

Ecommerce Video Trend: Video is a Big B2B Marketing Tool

There’s a popular misconception of video being exclusively a B2C marketing tool. However, LinkedIn released intriguing statistics on the matter, revealing that B2B video content was shared 20 times more actively than articles or photo posts.

According to the platform, video ads had 50% higher view rates and considerably higher conversions.

Thus, people who run B2B eCommerce website platforms should consider jumping on the bandwagon of video marketing. There’s plenty of room for growth since the competition in business-to-business domains is not as strict as it is in B2C.

Although B2B business owners are challenged to produce emotional and relatable content, using the video medium to its best extent is possible. Take a look at the spot Slack released - it doesn’t lack the qualities of an explainer, walking business owners through the basic feature of the platform. However, the writing and production managed to promote the tool in a playful and engaging way.

youtube

Takeaway: There’s a market for B2B video content. To leverage upon it successfully, know your audience well. Don’t focus on promoting the product as much as presenting your brand as a whole. Be witty and playful - having a distinct tone of voice will help B2B companies connect with customers not only on rational but on an emotional basis as well.

Ecommerce Video Trend: Silent Videos on the Rise

Autoplay is dominating the web now. Introduced initially by Facebook, they were later picked up by Youtube and Instagram. Turns out, people find watching videos with no sound on extremely convenient.

Marketing managers need to adapt to the tendency. Those that do get an impressive pay-off. Buzzfeed, for one, films silent, hyperlapse-based cooking videos with captions that generate over 500 million monthly views.

youtube

Takeaway: Silent videos are the new black on social media. To reach audiences successfully, they need to have captions, be short, easy to understand and contain valuable (or emotional) information. When releasing videos, add subtitles and make sure the visual is comprehensive even if there’s no backing track.

Ecommerce Video Trend: Create More Engaging Content

As for now, there’s hardly a viable market for VR, AR, and 360 videos. The network speed is too low to allow mobile users to watch such a video anywhere. However, the diffusion of 5G will likely turn things around. As our devices become more powerful and the Internet speed catches up, video content will evolve similarly to how Magento eCommerce development tools once did.

Immersive content should be creative and original as well, to get high exposure. Take inspiration from projects like Google Doodles that landed the company multiple social media mentions and a Grammy nomination.

youtube

Takeaway: To know that you are ready to film in VR, take your time to learn more about the peculiarities of production and hire experienced talent to create creative and affordable immersive videos. Before filming, test your 360-degree video concept. Producing immersive videos is expensive and time-consuming - make sure the idea you are working on is worth your time, budget, and effort.