#mediating on a conversation i had on the bus a month ago

[frecht]

i feel like everyone understands the "say you're from the nearest big city when you're talking to someone from far away" except dc people. like if im talking to someone & idk where they're from i say im from dc but then if they're from dc they're always like ohhh are you ACUTALLY from dc? or are you from maryland? like 1. how am i supposed to know you were from dc when you havent told me 2. it is not a big deal. 3. it's not like im from annapolis saying im from dc. or like trying to pretend howard county is part of the dmv. im from inside the beltway. i've biked to dc before. like i am not who you need to get mad at for saying that

#mediating on a conversation i had on the bus a month ago #where i accidentally made a bunch of gwu students mad at me #also i offhand said i hated the rosslyn metro station (bc its the worst) and this girl i wasnt even talking to turned around to get offende #talkin

[egyptianhoney]

Breaking up with my ex’s family

I experienced my first true breakup during the winter of 2022. When the time eventually came, it was a lot easier given that our relationship had been rotting for years before it eventually spoiled completely. Just like the bag of lettuce browning at the bottom of my fridge for weeks before I mustered up the courage to throw it out, the breakup was long overdue. When the relationship ended after three and a half years, it felt like I could take a deep breath again. 

But it never occurred to me that breaking up with my ex’s family would be much more difficult. 

I’d like to think I had a really good relationship with her family. Of course, I’m not quite sure anymore, but I know for certain that I spent a lot of time across three and a half years with them. I spent so many nights at her mother’s house downtown, where we would watch movies with her little brother, or play games of Cluedo as a ‘family.’ I would cook for them, dedicating so much time to perfecting my inherited recipes just for the validation from her parents and siblings. We went on vacations together, and I would visit her family in France for months at a time. I even put up with her racist step-father and his children’s endless questions on where I was from and what my opinions were on Arab geopolitics. To me, these people became just ‘family,’ for better or for worse. 

In a thread posted to r/BreakUps six years ago, reddit user @Jonny_Epidemic asked, “Do you ever miss your ex's parents a lot?” 

In a comment, @emelbee923, wrote, “...It is like losing an entire family. I still have things I planned on talking to all of them about that I'll never get the chance to bring up.”

When we broke up after three and a half years, it resembled more like a divorce. We spent hours with mediated conversations by our friends helping us divide our things. Her mother eventually inserted herself into these discussions, and to make it simple, she was actually just like any other white French woman after all. Au revoir!

But, truth be told, I still miss her dad. I still have things, as @emelbee923 commented, that “I’ll never get the chance to bring up.” I had full, honest, and beautiful conversations that I would never be able to have with any of my own family members. I built a connection with him where I felt safe, even safer than when I was with my own father. We would spend weeks on end in his home in a small town in France, and sometimes I still dream about waking up to the sound of him making us coffee. He was the first parent who ever asked me to make sure I was full, as he did every day after breakfast.

I felt at such peace in that home. I still have such fond memories, like when we took a road-trip to Paris, playing music from his youth all throughout the five-hour journey, and showing us around the winding streets, answering all my detailed questions. I still have the poetry book he got me from a museum shop in the city after he saw how much I connected to the exhibit.

I remember so clearly the last time I saw him. I think a part of me knew I was never going to see him again. He dropped us off at the bus stop before the airport, we hugged for a long moment, and then he was gone, driving away into the distance, my memories fading away with his image. 

On the same thread, @festivalfriend commented, “I miss them like crazy. They were truly a second family to me, and in all honesty, I'll probably continue missing them long after I get over her.”

Much like @festivalfriend, I continue to miss my ex’s father, and I’m long past being over her. What is it about these pseudo-intimate connections, that are so fragile because they are fundamentally dependent on someone else, but so deep that the loss is still felt so profoundly? 

Obviously, the clearest and simplest answer here is ‘daddy issues.’ I have a struggling relationship with my father, so classically, I project onto other people’s parents in order to fill the gap left by my own. Rest assured, I’ve made a lot of progress unpacking this. Nevertheless, there is still something to be said about this type of loss that you never necessarily prepared to mourn. Instead of losing one person in the ordeal, I lost five. 

Surprisingly, a lot of commenters on the thread gave advice to @Jonny_Epidemic, saying that the relationships they formed between them and their ex’s family did not necessarily have to end with the ending of the relationship. In a Refinery 29 article, Mirel Zaman asks, “Is It Ever Possible To Stay Close With An Ex’s Family?” and Zaman ends her article writing, “Remember, you’re not necessarily saying goodbye to your relationships with your ex’s family forever.” 

Are these relationships we build actually independent of our relationships with our former partners? Is there a chance for me to have a relationship with my ex’s family again? Or is holding onto that false hope only letting the wound from the loss fester? 

My relationship of three and a half years was nowhere near perfect. The most basic understanding was that we were too young to be so committed so quickly, and we needed to both develop ourselves as individuals first. A more complicated reading ends with the fact that she was emotionally and physically abusive (read In the Dream House (2019) by Carmen Maria Machado to understand the insidious intricacies of abuse in queer relationships). Regardless, although I don’t like to admit it, the relationship truly only ended when she cheated on me. 

Considering all of these circumstances, I silently dreamed that her family would reach out. She eventually came clean about everything and confessed to the harm she had caused me, to both her family and our mutual friends. Once everything was out in the open, call me naïve, but I secretly hoped that at least her dad would check-in. 

He never did. And I don’t think any of them ever will. 

Not all parents are the same. In fact, on the thread, @Achizzy1018 commented, “I not only lost the woman I thought would be my wife but a whole family who were a big part of my life. Apparently her family is pissed at her and her parents refuse to give her permission to meet the new guy she met online and dumped me for lolol.” 

Sometimes I wonder, like @Achizzy1018’s story, if my ex’s family speaks well of me or still think fond of me. Or honestly, in the case of her mother, if they ever really like me in the first place. 

On a sadder note, @duckwarriorx left a comment, “After we broke up I messaged his mother to thank her and his father for everything they had done to me and to tell them that I'm sorry things didn't work out between me and their son and etcetera. She replied with a "you're welcome." That was all I got back from the people that I thought of as pretty much a second pair of parents. That might have left me almost as heartbroken as the actual breakup.”

I used to think about reaching out to her father, to thank him as user @duckwarriorx did with his ex’s parents. However, taking responsibility for my own actions means accepting that these people were never my family. Although these connections may have been real for a brief moment in time, I was projecting my own unresolved family issues onto people who maybe never even wanted that type of relationship with me. 

Therefore, much like @duckwarriorx, I would’ve probably just been disappointed with the answer regardless. 

I’ll never know what they thought of me, or how I continue to exist in their memories. I’ll never know if I make cameos in their dreams, reminiscing about our moments laughing. I wonder if they remember any of the random facts I shared, or if they kept the paintings I made for them. 

I wonder if they also have things they never got the chance to say to me either. 

All I know is that, even though I still miss them, they will always simply just be a fond memory. 

#family #breakup #queer

[starwarringavengers]

at the mercy of you (Rey x Ben Solo)

Summary: Rey and Ben Solo's bond hasn't opened since the Battle of Crait. But that doesn't mean it hasn't strengthened. He follows her to an Outer Rim planet, and Rey knows then that she can't escape him - and she's not sure she much wants to try. --- Includes pouty Kylo Ren, and cave sex. Enjoy.

Word Count: 4,208 (this is way too long holy shit)

A/N: If you like, hate, or anything in between please consider dropping me a comment! I live for it! Thank you for reading!

Their connection hasn’t opened since the Battle of Crait.

They can’t see each other. But that doesn’t mean they can’t feel each other. And feel, they can. Like a pull from a string that neither can see, Rey can feel when Kylo Ren is awake and when he’s stuck in a dream, when he’s angry and when he’s content (which isn’t often). Similarly, Ben Solo can feel when Rey is frustrated, lonely, crumbling under the weight of the role the Resistance has given her - and he really wishes he could tell her that mediation would help. But they’re both helpless in it, the bond never allowing them to see each other, like a foggy pane that gives only the outline.

Rey avoids telling anyone about the connection, how it had opened in the first place and how she came to see Ben Solo appear before her. She’s content for the moment with the knowledge that she doesn’t have to look at him directly, because she has no idea what she’d say. The Battle of Crait ended with her shutting a door, both literally and metaphorically, in his face. What does she say after that? But perhaps worse, she doesn’t know what he might say.

Despite the lack of physical manifestations, the bond seems to have strengthened itself in other ways - namely the sharing of emotion. But it seems to sense proximity in some ways, too. Rey can’t explain quite how she knows when the First Order’s ships have jumped into hyperspace give or take a thousand light years. Ben doesn’t want to tell anyone that he knows exactly where the rest of the Resistance - Rey included - are hiding.

He figures that it’s a tactical move to give her a head start.

The only time they appear together is in dreams. And it’s hardly there, bodies like ghosts rather than flesh and blood. Rey sees him staring at her from across a room. Ben sees her waking up in front of a fireplace. It goes on like this for months. A tug this way, a pull back, a glimpse of the inside of a shiny First Order ship when she rounds the corner, or the weathered interior of the Falcon when he opens his door.

Rey, fully and completely and most unfortunately aware that she’s become a walking ball of anxiety, sets everyone on edge with her presence - exactly the thing she doesn’t want to do. She wants to be able to inspire calm in people, to be the rock that the remaining members of the Resistance are looking for her to be. But her soul just won’t still.

“You gotta get off-world, Rey,” Poe says to her one day, while they’re sitting at a table after lunch, hidden in the bustle of the Outer Rim outpost they’ve been staying at. Leia located an old friend who was nice enough to show them all where they could camp, but to Rey, everything seems like another cage.

“And go where?” she asks, half a joke and half not. Finn looks up from his cards at her, gaze swinging back and forth between the two of them.

“You just need space. We can all tell,” Poe admits, looking at her sympathetically.

“Leia had mentioned sending someone out to look for another spot on the planet, now that those bounty hunters showed up,” Finn suggests innocently enough, and Rey can’t hide how she perks up at the chance. Poe shrugs.

“I’ll ask her,” Rey says.

She doesn’t.

When they get back to the campground, Rey feigns needing to work on the Falcon and slips away, leaving a voice message for Leia with R2, who beeps at her in something that almost sounds like warning. Rey lovingly taps his projector and trudges off through the dense woods that surround them, breathing in the fresh air and the scent of the pine around her. Without a glance backward, Rey climbs into one of the few small land speeders they have around, procured by Leia’s friend for easy transport. It doesn’t take Rey long to travel around the planet in search of anything that looks remotely interesting. She is a scavenger, after all. The planet is mostly plains, no good for hiding out in, with only the occasional forest dotted here and there, like the one they’re staying in.

The sky begins to darken above her, and Rey considers for a moment turning around, having gotten her momentary breath of aloneness that seemed necessary for the first time in her life. But she spies a riverbank, and curiosity takes over as she lowers the speeder and steps out, making for the clear water.

That’s when she feels it. The bond pulls inside of her, like a string ready to snap.

He knows she’s alone. And he’s close.

Of the many benefits of the First Order’s monetary funds, there is nothing Rey envies more than their ships. Silent, quick, and sleek - she never even hears him coming until she’s whirled around to find that he’s stepping off of his ship.

Instinct clouds judgement and Rey pulls her staff from behind her, not quite sure of the defense it will be against his lightsaber, which she notices isn’t in his hand.

“Our connection is getting stronger,” he says, Ben Solo, standing before her in the flesh, after all that’s happened. That’s what he says.

“Did you follow me through four different star systems to tell me what I already know?” Rey huffs, twirling her staff around to point in his general direction, needing some sort of defense against his dark eyes and the way he’s staring at her.

“How did you know it was four?” Ben asks, cocking his head ever so slightly at her, regarding the way she hasn’t moved from her fighting stance, even though he’s made no move to attack her. Rey feels her throat tighten in annoyance, half determined to lunge at him just to put him through the same misery she’s been feeling. If she could just get one good hit at his nose…

Their conversation stands still, lingering between them as droplets of rain begin to fall from a sky that grows darker by the second. With a growl Rey turns back to the land speeder, intent on leaving him where he’s standing. If he’s not going to fight her, she doesn’t feel like hanging around.

“You’ll never make it back before the storm,” Ben states, voice just loud enough to be heard over the rumbling of the storm clouds as they roll overhead. She wants to scream at him to leave her alone, that she doesn’t have anything to say, doesn’t want to pull the lightsaber from her bag and fight him - but nothing comes out. Instead, all she does is whip around on her heel and start into the thick patch of forest she’d found, stepping over the stream with no mind as to whether or not he’s decided to follow her.

She can weather out a storm, no problem.

She thinks she can, anyway. But it turns out that the rain on this planet is much colder than she’s ever felt before, and her arm bands are soaked through, providing little to no relief at all from the windy air. In seconds of her trek through the deep underbrush she’s shivering violently, eyes searching for some form of shelter. The rain is less pelting underneath the cover of trees, but every drop that hits her head feels like ice.

All thoughts of a certain Ben Solo forgotten, Rey finally locates a cave-like shelter that will do for her purposes and pulls Luke’s lightsaber from her bag, igniting it to shed light on the area and to check for any undesirable circumstances, such as creatures that she’d rather not have to deal with. There’s nothing to be found.

“You’re shivering,” Rey jumps at the sound of his voice, whirling around to find that he’s followed her into the cave and is standing at the mouth, an imposing black figure against the bare hint of light that floods in.

Rey doesn’t grant him a response, now even more annoyed than she’d been a few seconds ago. She turns away and begins gathering the small bits of dry leaves and twigs that she can find, compiling them together and using the very tip of her still-lit lightsaber to create a faint blaze. Then she sits.

Rey is good at waiting. She’ll wait out the storm, and she’ll wait for Ben Solo to leave.

But he doesn’t.

Because he is apparently intent on making her life absurdly difficult, Ben Solo follows her deeper into the cave and sits beside her as she scowls, pretending to be completely unaware of every movement he makes. It works - until she feels warm and heavy fabric settle around her shoulders. The feeling dispels most of the cold that has been circling around her, and she nearly sighs.

“Thank you,” Rey grits out, looking down at the fire to avoid looking at Ben, who is seated so close to her she can feel his warmth. “Why are you here? Why did you follow me?”

She has a million more questions.

Ben leans forward with his hands folded together around his knees, long limbs tucked up in a way that doesn’t seem like it should be possible. Silence stretches between them for a moment. “I wanted to see if it would work.”

“Congratulations,” Rey snaps, “You’ve found me.”

His eyes flick sideways towards hers, his face a blanket of calm with emotions she can’t quite pick up on as he looks at her, dark eyes not scrutinizing for once, but certainly studying. “I know you’re having the dreams, too.” He says then.

“What dreams?” Rey feigns innocence, picking up her staff to poke at the fire in an attempt to grow it’s warmth. It only half works.

Beside her, Ben holds out a hand almost flippantly, the Force flowing unseen from his fingertips and causing the flame to burst higher, casting shadows and heat that warms Rey’s face. It reminds her that the Force can be used for so many things - not just violence.

“Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t work for you,” Ben says finally, his hand tucked back into the other as Rey finally turns her face to look at him. A million comments dance on her tongue but only one question comes out.

“Why do you think we can only see each other in dreams?”

He doesn’t look at her at first, just sighs a little bit.

“Don’t say, ‘I don’t know’,” she tells him, a bite of annoyance in her voice as she swings her legs around to sit facing him, tugging the warmth of his cloak further around her body and finding that it smells a little bit like him - something that reminds her of winter, leathery and smoky, the electric twinge of metal she’s always known in a way that’s smooth and deep.

Ben doesn’t respond, and she knows it’s because he truly doesn’t know, just as she doesn’t.

“I like them,” he says after a few more moments of silence, as he’s still turned away from her and staring into the fire. “The dreams.”

Rey feels a blush go from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

“They’re soft,” he continues, finally unfurling his limbs in favor of leaning back on his hands and stretching out his legs, the storm still raging loud outside the little cave they sit in. It creates an electrically charged atmosphere inside their hiding spot, wrought with quiet tension and heat that has Rey sweating despite the cool air.

“The dreams are soft,” Ben says, finally continuing the thought. “They’re peaceful. Like the one with the fire -”

“Where we woke up next to each other,” Rey finishes the thought for him. It’s the first time she’s said it out loud, the first time she’s admitted to herself what she’s always known, which was that they shared the dreams in the first place.

“Ben, why did you really follow me here?” Rey asks finally, reaching across the cool distance that separates them to place her hand on his cheek and force him to look at her. Touching him sends sparks through her fingertips and along her spine, like the Force is surging between them.

He doesn’t respond, for the umpteenth time since she’s started asking him questions. He just stares at her.

“You’re still shivering,” is what he says instead, and in a swift, smooth movement he’s yanked her forward and pressed her close, practically lifting her up to place her between his outstretched legs, her back to his chest. He whips the cloak around the both of them and Rey realizes he’s literally got his arms around her, cradling her, and now she’s the perfect type of warm and also so still she can feel her every heartbeat.

“What are you doing?” she finds herself asking.

“Body heat,” he says, by way of explanation, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Which really, it is, she just hadn’t quite expected to be in this situation when she woke up today. But when does she ever?

For a long few minutes, they are finally quiet. The roar of the fire and the sound of thundering rain are their companions, and Rey almost manages to forget that a confusing man with two names has his arms wrapped around her, because it’s so warm that she’s close to drifting off to sleep. It briefly crosses her mind that she hasn’t been this close to someone in quite a long time, and the last person may have in fact been him, when they’d fought together in Snoke’s throne room, as she leant back on him and they’d worked together as if the fight had been pre-determined, as if they could hear each other. As if they’d always known how to move together. The shape of him against her is almost familiar.

She wonders if they’d fit together so perfectly in other ways.

“I followed you because I needed to see you,” Ben says suddenly, after Rey has been cuddled against him with her eyes closed for the better half of ten minutes. “I needed to know if I could really find you - feel you. I needed to look at you, for real, to know that I didn’t make it all up in my head.”

Rey twists around and chances to look up at him, only to find him already there to meet her gaze.

It’s a mystery as to who actually closes the distance between them first. All Rey knows is that his lips are much softer than she could have ever imagined - and she did a lot of imagining. Ben’s hand slides from her arm to her waist, pulling her closer and turning her until she’s seated on his lap, her back to the fire. Rey’s brain is short-circuiting, her only consistent thought being something about how good his hands on her back feel, how his long fingers meet together as the small of her spine and how warm his mouth is. She tangles her hands up into his dark hair, the curls twisting around her fingertips as their chests press together.

No, no no no no don’t do this Rey, don’t do this -

Morality be damned, Rey falls like a stone into water when he tucks her legs around his waist and flips them over, laying her back on the stone ground where his cape has fallen with precision and gentleness she hadn’t really considered him capable of. Then his lips are leaving hers and instead tracing a path down her neck and she’s curling up against him, the fire sending soft shadows along his face as she looks down at him.

We shouldn’t do this, she almost says. I shouldn’t do this.

But nothing comes from her mouth except a high-pitched whine when he slides his hand down her leg, poised to pull off her still-damp boots. When Ben looks up in question Rey only nods, allowing him to rid her of her shoes as she pulls at the collar of his jacket to catch the zipper in her trembling fingers.

“Rey,” he says quietly, their foreheads pressed close together as he looks down at her with dark eyes. “I wanted to know that you didn’t hate me.”

“Ben -”

“Let me say it, Rey,” he pleads, still leaning over her with one hand in her hair and the other wrapped around her thigh. “I wanted - I needed, to know for sure whether or not you do.”

His Force signature is quiet, waiting for her answer.

“I should,” Rey admits, and she can feel the way the dread slithers across their bond as he feels it. She takes his face in her hands. “I should. But I don’t. I don’t hate you, Ben Solo.”

“After the throne room, I thought -”

“I know what you thought,” Rey sighs, “I could never have joined you, Ben. And I think you knew that. The same way I know if I asked you to come home, you wouldn’t.”

He looks at her quietly, his thumb tracing a pattern over her neck as he settles his body down between her legs, his weight a warm and welcome feeling against her limbs. “I would have given you anything, everything, Rey.”

“I don’t need anything,” Rey tells him, shivering despite their closeness. “I don’t need anything. Just you.”

Their lips meet again without a word, crashing together like waves on a shore.

I need you I need you I need you -

Their bond hums with it, with a mutual need to feel the other, like two naked wires clashing. Rey can’t seem to catch her breath in-between the kisses they share, especially when he carefully undoes the gauze crosspiece she wears as if he already knew how she tied it, then his hands are skimming over her arms as she helps him pull off her wraps and each inch of skin they uncover together feels like fire. Ben’s jacket falls away along with a belt and Rey hardly notices, but is acutely aware all the same, of the fact that they’re pressed against each other with nothing separating them but air.

His skin is warm, littered with scars and freckles and Rey decides that it is imperative that she trace every single one with her tongue, eventually. Ben lifts her up into his arms and without breaking their kiss, turns and sets her back over his lap, his hands wandering all over her as she traces the muscles of his biceps and the curve of his jaw with her fingertips. His touch is gentle but his palms are rough when he cups her breast in his hand, his mouth tracing a line from behind her ear to the hardened bud of her nipple, a sensation like an explosive shooting through her every tendon when he wraps his lips around it. Rey lets out a pathetic whimper, gripping him closer as he switches his attentions to the other breast.

“Please,” she asks, fingers wrapped tight around his wrist. Ben never falters his touch as he curls his fingers along the inside of her bare thigh, like a caress, before they find her cunt and they share a gasp, stealing air from each other’s lungs as his fingers dip up inside her. She’s warm and wet and her body takes him easily, her hips rolling with the motion of his hand. It’s then she realizes that he’s smiling against the skin of her collarbone, grinning like an absolute fool. She starts to ask why, but the words are cut off with a guttural moan as he crooks his fingers inside her and finds the soft spot that sends a flash of pleasure through her. Before she knows it, she’s panting and crying and whispering his name - but he doesn’t give her any indication that he minds.

You are everything.

Rey isn’t sure if he’s said it out loud, if she said it, or if one of them thought it - but it’s there either way. Everything and more, is what it sounds like to her. Everything the two of them have ever wanted or needed or desired, no matter how wrong.

“Rey, please let me,” Ben begins to say, his lips at her ear as his hands coax her to another orgasm, one that sends her careening over a cliff and makes her shout of his name echo around the stone walls of the cave.

“Yes,” she tells him, allowing herself to be positioned in the way that he wants her, her legs tucked beneath her and parallel to his thighs where he has her seated. Rey isn’t quite sure what she expects, but the sensation she feels certainly isn’t it.

Ben meets her eyes, gaze unwavering, as he leads her to sink down onto him. The Force swirls around them, threatening to create a storm within their cave that rivals the one that rages outside. It takes their breath away. The ground shakes with it.

He feels like nothing she’s ever known. Like a piece of her universe has fallen into place with their connection, their complete togetherness.

“Rey,” he growls, and she opens her eyes as their foreheads are pressed together to find him as flushed as she is and trembling in equal fervor. Understanding his quiet plea, Rey begins to move over him, rolling her hips as he guides her with his hands around her thighs and one in her hair, his breathy gasps against her neck deliciously warm and perfect. They melt together, sinking into each other. The Force surrounds them and it’s light - warm and blinding, but beneath it lies the tendrils of darkness, of the lust that they’re sharing, of the pleasure they’re chasing with one another.

Rey loves every minute of it.

She can feel through their bond that there are so many things Ben wants to say, but they hum at the back of her mind as he stays quiet, save for the sounds of his moans and sighs of her name when he finally lays her down against the cloak, moving over her and cradling her close. Rey scratches her nails down his back, uncaring if they’ll draw blood - anything to feel him against her. Anything for him to continue moving inside her, filling her, all of him all over all of her, her skin sparking every place he touches.

It’s languid, the pace of his hips against hers dragging the most beautiful of sighs to fall from her lips, slow like pouring nectar. “Rey,” Ben whispers her name again, this time into the crook of her neck where it meets her jaw. “Come for me again.”

It’s as much a demand as a request, and she has little control over whether or not she honors it. His body pulls her through it, until she crashes down and feels the Force surge around her, radiating through her entire body from the tips of her toes to her head, and it surges again when Ben follows her, not a few moments later.

Quiet surrounds them finally, after a long few moments of only the sound of their heartbeats and the patter of the rain. Rey wonders for a moment if she should find any remorse in what she’s done, any shred of regret, but she can’t. Rey lets her head fall back onto the ground, her heart beating wildly within her chest as if it intends to escape only to latch itself to Ben’s. Ben, whose head is rested on her breast, dark hair wild from Rey’s continuous touches, as he catches his breath against her. When he finally looks up, Rey is struck with a traitorous thought.

He’s beautiful.

Of course she’d known it all this time, but now, without the fire or destruction or hatred blazing around them, he’s the most beautiful she has ever seen him. Beautiful in a way that makes her heart flutter and makes her want to see him smile at her the way he is now every moment of every day.

“I had intended, just to talk,” Ben says finally, in between deep breaths as he pushes himself up onto an elbow to better look at him, his skin still flushed all the way from his cheeks to his chest. “I’m sorry, Rey.”

“What for?” she finds herself asking, leaning up to meet him halfway, their lips almost touching again.

“All of it,” Ben says, pressing their foreheads together. “For hurting you. I never meant to, truly, I didn’t. I just,” he sighs, “I lo-“

“I know,” Rey interrupts him, unsure if she can really hear him say the words. “I know.”

Ben’s eyes are dark and his gaze is unyielding but soft, as he sighs again against her. “Help me, Rey,” he says then, his voice breaking over the words as he slides an arm around her back, falling into her in the equivalent of supplication, in their position. Rey stills. “Help me. Please.”

So many unspoken words linger between the lines of the phrase, and Rey hears every one. “I will help you, Ben Solo.”

#rey and kylo ren #kylo ren #ben solo #kylo ren x rey #ben solo x rey #rey #i love rey #star wars #reylo #reylo fanfiction #fanfic #star wars fanfic #rey x ben fanfic #star wars fanfiction

[greatwrath]

Also, I feel like the situation with my roommate is making it harder and harder to be motivated. And it’s all come to a head since the virus arrived in the city, because now I have to stay home with her every day all day. I’m going to explain what’s going on fully under the cut.

So my roommate, who was one of my ‘best friends’ up until the end of the first month we lived together, has turned about to be like Patrick Bateman from American Pyscho. She stands in the bathroom mirror for hours, with all these face masks on, brushing her hair, charcoaling her teeth, chugging Listerine, using powdered bleach on everything. I’m talking like four hours a day spent in the bathroom. She does laundry every day—today, she has done three loads of laundry during the peak hours. Yesterday she did two. 

She lies about everything without hesitation, from the most trivial things to really big things. Like, for example. my other roommate asked her if she had a salt lamp, and we knew she did have one because I had seen it, and the fucking box was in the laundry cupboard, but she said ‘no’ without missing a beat. Or she told us that it wasn't her tampering with the thermostat and turning it up to crazy temperatures, and that it was just the thermostat doing it automatically, even though the ONLY way a holding temperature can be set is by a person.

Then there’s the worrying shit. Just a few hours ago, my dog made this screaming noise, the noise he makes when he is in pain, and she claimed she didn't touch him, but there’s no way he would make that noise without being hurt in some way. 

In the summer, she put radishes down the sink, which caused a massive blockage in the pipes. She turned the dishwasher on and all the water backed up, causing a flood around midnight. It went all over the kitchen, down into the basement, whereupon I had to clean up sewage. And she was laughing and worrying about washing the towels, not helping fix the problem or anything. When we fixed it and got all the food out of the pipes, she said ‘Oh, I guess the food goes down the sink’. And I thought, WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU THINK IT WENT? But she hasn't learned. Now the sink is frequently filled with marshmallows, which I have to get out.

Then, myself and my other roommate, who is my platonic soulmate, went to the UK, where I was born and raised. While we were away, the bad roommate called the police, because a bag had been moved from the stair bannister to the floor, and she believed that the neighbours were watching her through the windows. We had added locks to our doors before leaving because we didn't trust her, so naturally, the police unlocked the doors to check our rooms for intruders. There were none there, but she took the opportunity to rifle through our stuff.

She listens to Phantom of the Opera by Lindsey Stirling on repeat out loud, over and over. She has eight alarms in the morning, on two different devices. She likes to stand in the upstairs landing, in the dark, and eavesdrop on our conversations. She sits upstairs, in the dark again, and glares at us in a really creepy way as we pass. Left alone, she will bleach things, like minor imperfections, and make an even bigger mess. She monopolizes space, like the linen closet, the entire upstairs room, the fridge, the tea cupboard. She thinks she can flirt with bus drivers to get free trips. She covers her body in ‘Aztec Secret’ face mask (the world’s strongest face mask). She sometimes walks around naked. She eats whole loaves of bread, plain. A boy in our college class was considering getting a restraining order against her, because she wanted to know where he was and what he was doing all the time, and she wouldn't stop texting him. People in our class didn't like her because she insisted on dictating the seating arrangement day by day. She was in conflict mediation with her roommate in college because she wanted the thermostat set at 28°C (82 degrees Fahrenheit), but the roommate was finding it physically hard to live there, which I only recently learned. She outed me as a lesbian to her sister and mother, in front of me. She is so passive-aggressive it’s fucking inconceivable, like she came down the other night and stood in the kitchen for twenty seconds, during which time her phone was playing ‘Fuck You’ by Lily Allen. She stood there for just the ‘Fuck you, fuck you very much’ and then she walked off upstairs again. The list is fucking endless.

This person is not right, and I feel like I’m living in a nightmare, because every day I wake up and find something weirder than before, and she insists nothing happened. So we have to write down what happens just so we have evidence that this shit has happened. We are resigning the lease without her, and she is due to be out at the end of April, but christ, it’s awful to be isolated in the house with her throughout the day. I just want her gone. I don’t want to be afraid for my Dog, afraid of the bills that always reflect her insane water/gas/electricity consumption habits, afraid of what I’ll find, afraid of what she’ll do and of what she’ll try to take when she moves. 

It’s been a fucking year, my friends, and I hope it gets better once she’s out of our lives. 

#talking to the walls [ooc] #tw: long post #tw: negativity #the rundown of my situation with my roommate #i call her the woman in the high tower #because she sits in the upstairs window watching us when we leave to go places #it's a saga of events that just defy explanation

[nanamismoonchild]

Touch the Moon

Chapter 2-- [Y/N]’s Greatest Wish

Summary: Most days I have three things on my mind: BTS, food, and the paranormal. When the higher-ups decided to design me, they bestowed onto me one gift-- seeing, speaking, and feeling the spirits of those who did not go into the afterlife. 

Warning: death, angst, fangirling, fluff 

WC: 2K

First/Next ( See Masterlist)

Most days I have three things on my mind: BTS, food, and the paranormal.

When the higher-ups decided to design me, they bestowed onto me one gift-- seeing, speaking, and feeling the spirits of those who did not go into the afterlife.

I’ve had this curse for as long as I could remember. My first ghost was the spirit of my dog, Kimi, the sweetest and fluffiest dog I ever had. Sadly, she had died of old age when I was five. I was miserable since I had cherished her with every inch of my body. Then one day, she came back as a happy dog. I had seen her bouncing around on the patio, licking one of the bones she had buried before she died. She did not look sick when I went sitting beside her, curiosity getting to my five-year-old self. Kimi’s fur was a vibrant brown, and she could run from one end of the backyard to the next in seconds, without slowing down. We played for hours and hours until Kimi nosed me back into the house.

I told my mother, who just simply laughed and wrote it off as me having an imaginary friend. I couldn’t comprehend why she couldn’t see Kimi, who was sitting right beside her. Until I turned seven, Kimi and I had fun. I would talk to her, cuddle her like any normal dog. However, Kimi disappeared and never came back. I was livid. I thought someone had dognapped her or that she had run away because Mom left the door open. I searched day and night for her and came home crying every single time she didn’t show up.

I did that for a year before I finally gave up. I tried being optimistic about it. Perhaps the dognapper was taking good care of her, making sure she eats only the heartiest food, gets the best belly rubs…I could merely hope that she hadn’t died unloved.

A while later my second ghost appeared to me while I was at school. She was my age, eight at the time, and was glancing around the room. She was wearing the uniform of the school, and her cheeks were rosy. The teacher would have told her to take a seat. Other students would have stared at her because she was late, or because she was pretty.

But no one ever did. I eyeballed her expecting her to notice I was the only who could recognize her. When she didn’t, I raised my hand to go to the restroom and clutched her hand to lead her out of the doors. She didn’t take lightly to that and swiped my hand away. Yet after a hushed conversation, a trip to the actual restroom, and exchanging a note to the principal, the teacher was arrested on multiple charges including killing a young innocent girl in addition to molesting her in the school’s janitor closet. The note also included where to find her body.

That was when how I found out that I had the specialty of “seeing dead people” as Jungkook likes to phrase it. I knew it was a gift I needed to keep secret from anyone. The only people who know are the members of BTS, and they had only found out when an irritated spirit had flung a vase at Jimin after he tried hooking up with her grieving daughter.

He was lucky I had not been dealing with a spirit who had time to manifest their supernatural abilities. That vase could’ve been an entire roof collapsing on him. Thankfully, the woman knew why she was still stuck on this hell-hole of a planet; her daughter was about to be married (Jimin hadn’t known that) and the mother wanted to see her daughter walk down the aisle and tell her how proud she was. Unfortunately, the living and the dead couldn’t communicate without me so I had to attend the wedding and speak to the daughter in private.

Those who know why they are stuck here instead of entering the gates of Heaven or Hell (or wherever spirits go) are the easiest to take care of. Those who don’t end up in the back of the line for a while. It could take months or years for them to finally figure it out what I like to call their Greatest Wish. Lots of spirits will say to get out of debt, say goodbye to family members, find my dead body, tell the police who killed me, but then you’d have those who would think of even harder things to solve: have a kid, adopt a kid, meet the love of my life, get married, etcetera. I would have to go through great lengths to make those wishes would come true.

And this dead girl in front of me was no exception.

She was dressed head to toe in everything BTS had to offer as clothing merchandise, even her face was painted with our makeup line. She was what we called a die-hard fan, no pun intended. And usually, those fans loved to stalk us everywhere we went, although we’ve sent out multiple tweets and even did an entire V-Live about feeling uncomfortable with them doing that.

She had her Bangtan bomb covering her face, hiding the smile I already knew was there.

I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t be getting much sleep with her around. I nodded towards the door, indicating I wanted her to follow me out. I made sure not to create any noise so the boys wouldn’t be woken up and made sure the girl followed me and didn’t try anything.

Once we were outside of the room door, I started interrogating her, “Who are you?”

“Your biggest fan!” She squealed, bouncing up and down.

“I mean your name.”

“I’m [Y/N]. I have been waiting for this moment all my life. Kim Seokjin finally knows my name.”

I smiled. Interacting with fans dead or alive was the best. “I’m guessing it is what has been keeping you around?”

My smile dissipated when she said, “What do you mean keeping me around? You mean keeping me an Army? Nothing will ever stop me from being a fan.”

This was the other part of my unpaid job—telling spirits that they’re dead when they don’t realize it.

“You’re dead.” Boom.

She only nodded and slowly answered, “I know that. I was sent to you so you could help me move on.”

I looked at her in confusion, “Someone sent you to me?” That was a new one. Usually, ghosts just randomly walk up to me when they catch me staring.

“Yes, but I can’t tell you who. I didn’t catch their name, because I was too busy freaking out. I had just learned Kim Seokjin is a ghost whisperer. ”

“Was this person alive?”

“Yeah. He said you were the best out of all the mediators he’s ever surveyed. He seemed really pleased, but not as proud as me!” She trailed on, but I stopped listening.

There was someone else like me, and, yet, he made me do all the dirty work while he surveyed me? When I meet this other “mediator”, I’ll be sure to punch him straight in the ass.

I tuned back into [Y/N]’s blabbering, “…And my greatest wish is to suck Jeon Jungkook’s dick. I originally wanted to just look at it, but then I thought I had to do better, and changed it before I died.”

I chortled.

“Are you laughing because I planned my death or-?

I started sputtering the few laughs I had left and blinked at her. She had planned her own death? How crazy was she?

My face must’ve said a lot because she exclaimed, “No! No! I died of pneumonia. I just told my mother I wanted to die with the things I hold closest. My merchandise from my favorite band, BTS. I didn’t know I’d actually die with the things I wore.”

“Yeah, many people don’t know that. It’s one of the best things about the afterlife; you don’t look as if you were suffering if anything it-“

“No need to be so deep. I just want to complete my wish and move on.”

I stared her down. There was no way in the world I was letting Jungkook be sucked by a ghost. It would traumatize the poor boy. That was a boundary I wasn’t willing to cross for an Army. “[Y/N], I’m sorry to say this, but you might want to look forward to being a ghost for a while.”

Her mouth dropped open and she stuttered out, “What? But how am I supposed to move on?”

“We’ll just have to find another way around that wish. I can’t ask Jungkook to do that. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t take too kindly to that news. In fact, she let me know by screeching my ears off and knocking out of a few lightbulbs in the process. Thank the spirit gods for only giving the old ghost the deadly abilities. Then she disappeared.

I loped back into the hotel room and fell asleep.

 A few hours and a breakfast later, we were ready to head to our vacation home. Yoongi had not wanted to wait until we went back to BigHit-he told Hitman Bang in very powerful words, “We’re leaving straight after the last concert.”

We tweeted a picture of us all packed for the bus and ready to go. There was just one thing I needed to do first.

[Y/N] was standing in the corner, moping around. I felt guilty since I was partially the cause of that. I walked over to her.

 “[Y/N], if you’d like, you can come on the vacation with us. In case you didn’t know, you can go wherever you’d like, your spirit is not tied to your body.”

“I obviously knew that since I’m here and not in my Mom’s closet,” she said with attitude, but then she smiled and let out a strange mix of giggling and screaming. “But I’d like to go!” And with that, she hopped onto the bus.

The bus was your average tour bus with beds in the back. There were plenty of beds for all of us, but Yoongi and Hoseok liked to share. Relievedly, they never had sex while we were on the road.

I made [Y/N] sit on the bunker across from me. She didn’t need sleep, but I needed to keep an eye on her it. Otherwise, Jungkook’s virginity might be cast away to the wind because of a ghost he will never meet.

Whining. Constant whining.

That’s all I heard until we finally got to the vacation home. A two-story house that the lovely owner had let us rent while they were away for the month. She was a single widow with her husband having passed away a few years ago, and her son had passed as well. The house had too many good memories for her to completely move out and sell out, so she set it up so people could rent it while she was away.

Yoongi had found the house and immediately called her to let her know we wanted to book for a month. If we liked it, we’d book for another month, and she’d be able to stay away for long.

I had been a little skeptical when she said that both her husband and son had passed away in the house. I didn’t want to deal with spirits while I was relaxing. That was until she had told me she had a priest come and bless the house. I felt safer.

We had already chosen rooms when we came for a tour. There were four rooms, one being her room and off limits. So that left three rooms: Jungkook, Jimin, and Taehyung had one room, Yoongi and Hoseok in another, and I had the privilege of sleeping on my own.

However [Y/N] was interrupting the little moment of bliss.

“Jin! Look at the view from here! That ocean is gorgeous! Maybe we should all go swimming in it later on. Why are staring at me like that?”

I didn’t answer her. The ocean did look beautiful. The waves were lapping at the shore in an inviting way. Maybe we should go swimming.

“Oh. Hello. Who are you?” [Y/N] was asking someone.

I turned around and followed her point of view and groaned. A man, a few years younger than I, was standing at the door with his hands in his pocket. 

#hyunglinenetwork #bangtan bookclub #namjin #bangtan #namjoon #jimin #jungkook #taehyung #hoseok #mediator jin #bts #sope #thot jimin #bts fanfiction #jin x reader #bts x reader #ghost reader #bts reactions #bts smut #bts scenarios #mediator au #ghost au #kpop fic #jin is sassy #touch the moon

[mohawktimmy]

This trip to Europe like the last ones started with a conversation with dad along the lines of:

“Tim, I’m going to a conference in <European Country> in about 12 months, mum is going to come, would you like to go to Europe as well?” “Sure, can we also go to <small European country / principality / micro-state>?”

This time I wanted to go to Andorra. They have the le Tour de France to thank for that, they rode through their last year and I decided I wanted to visit it.

A Salvador Dalí sculpture

Andorra is tiny, smaller than the ACT, it’s half the size of Canberra, and Canberra isn’t big. It has a population of not many – around 85,000 of which only 35,000 are of Andorran ancestry. While it uses the Euro, it isn’t a member of the European Union, but is part of Schengen. The primary industries seem to be spending money, and skiing, with a small amount of agriculture dedicated mainly to tobacco.

Skateboarding is a popular way of getting around.

As it was summer it was off-season, very off-season. We managed to get a hotel about about a third the usual rate. I almost didn’t believe the price when I booked it, but I checked the cost in winter and the cost was more appropriate to the quality of the hotel we thought we were booking.

We caught a bus from Barcelona and when we reached the border it stopped and two police officers from Andorra got on, asking for passports. Earlier in the day we had agreed it was far too much effort to get my passport out of Dad’s suitcase – where we had locked it in Barcelona while staying in the AirBnB (no safe like a hotel). After fumbling around with the suitcases under the bus one of the police officers said “Don’t worry about it, just get back on the bus.” So I did. It is Schengen, so randomly crossing borders isn’t really a problem for a bunch of tourists on a bus.

That evening after getting ourselves settled in the hotel Dad and I went for a walk in the wind and the rain down the main street. Down being the operative word, everything in Andorra is either downhill or uphill, and our Hotel was most of the way up a hill on the north side of the valley. The main street through Andorra la Vella is barely two lanes wide and is lined with shops on either side. There is a very strange mix of high end, boutique stores and junk electronic stores that look like something between an eBay store brought to life and something transported out of Hong Kong.

Something straight out of Hong Kong, or eBay

I wouldn’t like trying to cycle up this hill, I didn’t enjoy walking it.

Got to love a traffic light with a counter

The electronic stores were competitively priced. A HDD was a couple of dollars cheaper than Officeworks, a GoPro Hero 5 Session was about 10% cheaper than JB HiFi. They all sold watches (Swiss, and Japanese, but mainly Japanese – the Swiss watches were reserved for the high end boutique jewellers with the armed guards or the branded stores like Breitling), selfie sticks, fidget spinners, and other random paraphernalia.

After we completed a lap of the main street we returned to the hotel for dinner. It would have been after 7, and despite being high up in the Pyrenees in a valley, and there being a lot of rain and cloud cover, it was still quite light. To avoid the rain and too much effort we enjoyed room service for dinner, an advantage of staying in quite a nice hotel, that we could only afford in the off season.

The next morning we caught a local bus to Encamp, about 15 or 20 km further up the valley from Andorra la Vella. The local bus turned out to be a coach, with no standing room. It flew off down the main street, manoeuvring between parked cars and pedestrians, accelerating into corners I wasn’t sure it could fit around. The traffic in Andorra can be surprisingly aggressive.

Like other tiny places in Europe there was more of a separation between Andorra la Vella and Encamp that between Sydney and Wollongong, where the suburbs just seem to bleed into each other. We got off the bus early, worried there might not be many stops in Encamp and we could easily fall out the other side. We walked through the empty streets, getting the occasional strange look from a local, why would three foreigners be walking through Encamp this early in the morning, in summer?

A entrance just waiting to break ankles

We found the automobile museum we were going to visit, but it wasn’t open for another hour or so. We continued further up the valley looking for a Casa Cristo, a traditional Andorran house as it would have been at the start of the 20th century. The house itself was first built about 200 years ago. The very friendly guide greeted us outside and invited us in for the tour.

The hearth, and tiny kid sized chairs.

The best china and silver, only for use on Sunday.

The view from the second floor of Casa Cristo

Casa Cristo

The lower floor was for the animal to huddle in, out of the cold. There was also a cellar, with the only electric light bulb in the place, installed quite recently. The next floor had the “kitchen” and “dining” area, with the best china and silver on display, reserved for Sunday use only. The warmth from the animal down stairs and the hearth meant this was the warmest area of the house, and had the bedrooms for grandmother and the parents. The third level had an open area, the biggest in the house used for big meals with the extended family and the children’s room.

The guide explained the life they lived, not that long ago. They’d trade honey, wool, tobacco, sometimes milk for other things at the market. They’d hunt for food, and grow crops to eat and trade.

What I couldn’t workout during all this was why does Andorra exist? What was there before skiing?

In 998 (quite a while ago) the area was a gift from Count of Urgell (Spain) to the Diocese of Urgell for some land in Cerdanya – so really more of a swap. Andorra didn’t have a military, and the Bishop of Urgell was afraid the Count wanted the land back, so he sort alliances. In 1095 the Bishop signed an agreement with the Count of Foix (France) for protection, and co-sovereignty. This all got a bit testy later on with some disagreements following a crusade by the French Crown in France. A bit more mediation and another agreement was signed in 1278 declaring Andorra a sovereign nation (again) with two co-heads of state. The title of the Count of Foix has since moved the President of France, French Revolution etc. Making Andorra a country with two heads of state they have no influence over, a Bishop and a President of a foreign nation. These roles are mostly ceremonial though, with an elected legislature of 28, where the majority forms a cabinet of 7 ministers. They passed a law ensuring separation between church and state, while having a Bishop as a head of state.

But why were there people here? It’s high in the Pyrenees, and while one of the easier passes between Spain and France to negotiate I’d still take the coast or sea. The best we could figure was there was some natural resources in the way of wood, hunting, and iron, and the pass through the Pyrenees was well used.

After leaving the Casa Cristo we set back to the automobile museum. The person at reception seemed eager to test their English, and explained all he card were privately owned, and we weren’t allowed to take any photos. This was quite annoying, because there was an amazing collection of machines, going back to the late 19th century and including some very unique items including a Lancia Stratos, and a Messerschmitt “car” – which looked a lot like the cockpit of a small plane with no wings. They also had a great collection of bikes, pedal, motor and a combination of both. They even had a genuine Thai tuk tuk – mum and dad tried to read the writing on it, and decided it was in fact Thai.

After some morning tea, we caught a bus back to Andorra la Vella, and the hotel.

Later we went for a walk down the valley in the other direction from where we had been previously and managed to find Casa de la Vall built in the 1500s, and the new improved council offices. The governing council only moved into the new offices in 2011, after using Casa de la Vall since 1702.

The new Andorran parliament

The old Andorran parliament

We had a guided tour of Casa de la Vall, but weren’t allowed to take photos inside. They showed us where the government sat, and the courts (well, the one court room, where 3 judges preside over cases, there are no juries in Andorra). The guide was excellent, and gave detailed answers to a number of questions. As is traditional in Europe, they apologised for their excellent English (their third or fourth language).

Andorra is a strange place. It exists to have money spent on things, and for skiing. With a population of 85,000 they have a tourist population of over 10 million a year, Australia with a population of around 23 million had “only” 7.2 million tourists in 2015. One of the downsides of being on the way to nowhere, except maybe Antarctica and bits of New Zealand is you need to want to go to Australia and invest time and money in getting there (or out of there – something we are reminded of whenever anyone ask “Where are you from?” – they are always slightly surprised when you say Australia). Andorra is a bus ride from Barcelona, and a number of other Spanish and French places, Australia isn’t a bus ride from anywhere.

I would definitely spend more time in Andorra, in the summer again when I can afford it, and try and do some walking (hiking is a strong word) and some bike riding.

Andorra - Just like a real country, even smaller than Luxembourg This trip to Europe like the last ones started with a conversation with dad along the lines of:

#andorra #euro2017 #europe #photography #tourism #travel

[separateddad-blog]

Diary of a Separated Dad - The Pilot

I just want to be the hero in my own story, but I’ve realised you don’t get to choose. I started off as the villain, no arguments there. I did not treat my son’s mother very well while we were a couple, at least in the latter stages. But since the breakup around 18 months ago, every plot device designed to elicit sympathy for the leading actor has been rolled out for my cause. Signed my car over to the ex - as she has two children, including our son. Check. Found myself stuck with a year left on a two-year rental contract for a house far too large for my reduced needs. Check. Experienced a minor breakdown and battled mental health problems. Check. Was later made redundant. Check, check and check mate. And, all the while, my former partner has settled comfortably into the role of the villain, one she plays with apparent relish. It may sound bitter so far. And, in all honesty, there must be an element of that. For all my mistakes and bad behaviour, I was devastated at her departure, but now I feel nothing, except a deep-seated resentment that has nothing to do with the distant past. It has its roots in my son associating pejorative swear words with me, and repeating nasty comments he has heard from the ex and her family. At my access times being chopped and changed at short notice. And at my boy seemingly spending most of his time in front of the television when in her care. Every website, mediator and solicitor will say the same thing: separated parents have to work together for the good of the child. And I have tried. But the information exchange tends to be one-way traffic. There are only so many times you can tell another parent - someone you naturally assume cares as much about the child as you do - that our kid has been hurt or is ill and receive no response whatsoever.  It all adds to a general feeling of isolation. Unlike my ex, I don’t have the support of a new partner - partly because I am such a horrible tyrant but also due to not having a job and my weekends being fully taken up with my son. I don’t have any family that live locally, I had only lived in the area for a month when she left. And, as mentioned, my method of transport is a choice between the rural bus service and the branch train line. Adult conversations are exceedingly rare. The majority of toddler groups take place during the week and are aimed at women (Google ‘Mother and Toddler group’ then ‘Parent and Toddler group’ and compare results). It means when I get upset or frustrated - I’m only human, after all - the only person I can lean on is my son, and he’s two. I mean, yeah, I can get a cuddle whenever I want, but it’s hardly therapy.  Nor should it be. It’s my job to support him, not the other way around. Some weeks I dread his arrival and others I miss him so much it physically hurts. I still strive to be the hero, his hero if no one else’s, but I may never get there. I plan to document my life going forward, predominantly to shine a light on an underrepresented minority of separated fathers. And perhaps it will help me, too.

[scholaarblog]

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Are you afraid of Facebook™ Ads?

Does it feel like it’s just a money pit where you spends hundreds or thousands of dollars and don’t see a single dime come back to you?

Or perhaps, you generate some sales but can barely generate a profit?

Earlier this year, I made 8 predictions on what will happen with Facebook™ Ads.

All of them are coming true.

Now, the cost of advertising on the platform is increasing every single day.

In a few months, it will be much harder to profit with Facebook Ads.

But you haven’t missed the bus just yet.

In 2016, I spent $250,000 of my own money on Facebook Ads. As a company we generated multiple millions.

In 2017, I spent over $100k a month on Facebook™ Ads and we’re on track to hit $1,000,000/revenue per month by November 2017.

Furthermore, I’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs do the same with our LeadCraft, ELITE and Mentorship programs.

Now, I want to help you build and launch Facebook Ad campaigns that generate real, cold hard profits.

Imagine making sales every single day…

and having the ability to scale up at will.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

Danny Iny

“Scott’s method of lead generation is one of the best in the world. He understands that entrepreneurs can’t afford to spend tens of thousands a month on advertising. He’s brilliant both as an entrepreneur and as a marketer.”

Dov Gordon

“He’s smart. Works hard. And he’s real, genuine and caring. AND… when it comes to creating online marketing funnels, Scott is the guy I call for help.”

1:58

The Core Problem with Facebook™

People are ignoring the fact that it’s not as simple as it used to be.

You need to understand the 4-Type Advertising Pyramid:

And be able to use the correct targeting, messaging, and advertising types.

And… be able to use all the “new” advertising types that are SUPER hot…

Things like Canvas Ads… Lead Ads… and Video Ads…

Nearly NO one is using these profitably.

But you can.

Want to know something else most people aren’t using?

Audience building and Awareness Campaigns.

These are the hidden keys to Facebook™.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

WEEK 1:

Understand the basics behind Facebook and ensure you’re ready to actually run ads using your advertising account. Understand the structure’s of campaigns and how to use the 3-Lane Method within your online advertising for success. Develop your 3 Lane Strategy and your 4-Part Advertising Pyramid, giving you an insane advantage over the competition when launching your campaigns. Setup and develop your audiences based on your own unique unfair advantages. Setup and develop your customer conversions, allowing you to properly track and ensure that you’re ready for success. Ensure that your online marketing funnel is fully ready to have ads deployed and your messaging and funnel flow allows for maximized ROI. Develop your budget, understand your Green Lights and ensure that you’ll create a Financial Success Program Overview, allowing you to know exactly what we’ll be covering across the 6 weeks of the program. WEEK 2:

Understanding advertising copy, messaging and how it aligns with buyer mindsets. Setup of Image-Based Conversion Ads and development of your 3 main lead generation campaigns. Setup of your high-impact, low cost retargeting lead generation campaigns. Setup and development of your budget distribution strategy. Setup of your unique reach campaigns and retargeting. Setup of audience segmentation and Green Light Distribution. Launch of your first Facebook Ads. week 3:

First level optimization and assessment of advertising. Budget distribution for lanes. Planning and development of your Advertising Pyramid. Development and launching of Lead Ads and Video Ads based on real-time market feedback. Audience segmenting, analysis and optimization Q&A #1. week 4

Deeper analysis and data action. Development of audience and Awareness Ads. Launch of Advertising Pyramid. Development of Like Campaigns for higher-engagement. Development of Page Post Engagement Campaigns, allowing you to create more attention and awareness with your audience. Development of Video View Campaigns, allowing you to be omnipresent with your audience. Creative types deep dive, allowing you to use types that make the most sense for your brand. Brand voice and using Open Looping and storytelling. Deeper optimization and audience split testing. week 5

Profitability and ROI time periods. Sale Ads using images, canvas, video and pre-selling. Campaign optimization, and duplication. Budget scaling and advanced tactics. week 6

Advanced retargeting and Micro-Targeting. Budget Cycling and Funnel Stacking. Audience Cycling. Final overview. Simply put…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now! If you take action on what I show you, you’re going to be able to copy all my methods, strategies and tactics for your own marketing.

These are the same strategies and tactics that have taken me from $726,000 in debt back in 2014, to having a multi-million dollar company and paying it all off in less than 2 years. I’m giving this away

AND HERE’S WHY:

There’s a lot of Facebook™ Ad “fluff” that’s out there.

This isn’t our core product.

What I really want you to do is buy our LeadCraft program and learn how to build a fully connect lead generation system.

However, some people aren’t ready for that investment.

Furthermore, even more people, perhaps like you, are interested in Facebook™ Ads.

So, I’m going to show you what you need.

Consider this the “start” of our relationship…

And I’m gifting you a box of really great chocolates.

At this point you’re likely ready to buy.

If you are hesitating because of price…

PLEASE. DO. NOT. BUY. THIS.

Facebook Ads is a paid advertising medium and requires some level of investment.

If you can’t afford $597…

Or you have to think about it.

Get 6 Week Facebook “Over the Shoulder” Masterclass on Premium Products right now!

You’re not ready.

“The 5,000% ROI: How Jenn got off the ‘six-figure hamster wheel’ and brought in $90k with $1800 ad spend”

HOW I’VE HELPED OTHER ENTREPRENEURS LIKE YOU:

“$0 to $50K recurring revenue per month with the SSF method and Facebook Advertising. ”

“16 people showed up to our first webinar ever and 4 BOUGHT! That’s a 25% sales conversion rate”

“I already had a successful business…but I wanted to more freedom. So I started from scratch on a new business…and did 33 sales of my program immediately using FB Ads.”

IF YOU’RE READY…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Then what’s better?

I’m giving you zero risk.

Here’s my guarantee.

If you invest in this…

And…

You do the work I tell you to do…

And after this you say…

“This sucks”

Alright… you’re at the bottom of the page.

Seems like you’re more on the “logical” side of the brain.

I’m the founder of INFINITUS, a multi-million dollar eLearning company for entrepreneurs, just like you.

We help entrepreneurs scale past 7-figures… and that’s my speciality.

In my years of entrepreneurship, I’ve scaled 5 of my own companies past $1,000,000 in revenue.

I now help dozens upon dozens of businesses scale to 7-figures and hundreds grow into the mid-six-figure range.

I do this with Lead Generation.

I’m not a “business expert”… nor am I some “guru.”

I’ve just been doing this long enough to see the pro’s, con’s and everything in between.

And…

I want to help folks like you, so that you can figure this business thing out.

It’s not easy.

But there’s no reason you need to fail.

You have the determination, unfair advantage, and something amazing to give to the world, producing freedom and impact.

So, who am I?

Or take a look at these other “experts” who I work with…

Already convinced OR don’t like long sale pages? Awesome. Sound like gibberish?

If so… you 100% need this… however…

My job isn’t about ensuring you just understand the “technology.”

My job is to show you the innovative approaches of attracting and mediating attention with Facebook Ads.

Doesn’t matter how much $$ I spend, the credit card company still doesn’t like the fact that I was nearly $750k in debt a while ago… #BadCreditProblems

However, when I get results like these (in super competitive markets)… I sorta forget about it…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass Free Download

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass Free Download

The post Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass appeared first on Profit Info Mastery.

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass published first on http://ift.tt/2zeC3iy

[profitinfomastery]

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Are you afraid of Facebook™ Ads?

Does it feel like it’s just a money pit where you spends hundreds or thousands of dollars and don’t see a single dime come back to you?

Or perhaps, you generate some sales but can barely generate a profit?

Earlier this year, I made 8 predictions on what will happen with Facebook™ Ads.

All of them are coming true.

Now, the cost of advertising on the platform is increasing every single day.

In a few months, it will be much harder to profit with Facebook Ads.

But you haven’t missed the bus just yet.

In 2016, I spent $250,000 of my own money on Facebook Ads. As a company we generated multiple millions.

In 2017, I spent over $100k a month on Facebook™ Ads and we’re on track to hit $1,000,000/revenue per month by November 2017.

Furthermore, I’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs do the same with our LeadCraft, ELITE and Mentorship programs.

Now, I want to help you build and launch Facebook Ad campaigns that generate real, cold hard profits.

Imagine making sales every single day…

and having the ability to scale up at will.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

Danny Iny

“Scott’s method of lead generation is one of the best in the world. He understands that entrepreneurs can’t afford to spend tens of thousands a month on advertising. He’s brilliant both as an entrepreneur and as a marketer.”

Dov Gordon

“He’s smart. Works hard. And he’s real, genuine and caring. AND… when it comes to creating online marketing funnels, Scott is the guy I call for help.”

1:58

The Core Problem with Facebook™

People are ignoring the fact that it’s not as simple as it used to be.

You need to understand the 4-Type Advertising Pyramid:

And be able to use the correct targeting, messaging, and advertising types.

And… be able to use all the “new” advertising types that are SUPER hot…

Things like Canvas Ads… Lead Ads… and Video Ads…

Nearly NO one is using these profitably.

But you can.

Want to know something else most people aren’t using?

Audience building and Awareness Campaigns.

These are the hidden keys to Facebook™.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

WEEK 1:

Understand the basics behind Facebook and ensure you’re ready to actually run ads using your advertising account. Understand the structure’s of campaigns and how to use the 3-Lane Method within your online advertising for success. Develop your 3 Lane Strategy and your 4-Part Advertising Pyramid, giving you an insane advantage over the competition when launching your campaigns. Setup and develop your audiences based on your own unique unfair advantages. Setup and develop your customer conversions, allowing you to properly track and ensure that you’re ready for success. Ensure that your online marketing funnel is fully ready to have ads deployed and your messaging and funnel flow allows for maximized ROI. Develop your budget, understand your Green Lights and ensure that you’ll create a Financial Success Program Overview, allowing you to know exactly what we’ll be covering across the 6 weeks of the program. WEEK 2:

Understanding advertising copy, messaging and how it aligns with buyer mindsets. Setup of Image-Based Conversion Ads and development of your 3 main lead generation campaigns. Setup of your high-impact, low cost retargeting lead generation campaigns. Setup and development of your budget distribution strategy. Setup of your unique reach campaigns and retargeting. Setup of audience segmentation and Green Light Distribution. Launch of your first Facebook Ads. week 3:

First level optimization and assessment of advertising. Budget distribution for lanes. Planning and development of your Advertising Pyramid. Development and launching of Lead Ads and Video Ads based on real-time market feedback. Audience segmenting, analysis and optimization Q&A #1. week 4

Deeper analysis and data action. Development of audience and Awareness Ads. Launch of Advertising Pyramid. Development of Like Campaigns for higher-engagement. Development of Page Post Engagement Campaigns, allowing you to create more attention and awareness with your audience. Development of Video View Campaigns, allowing you to be omnipresent with your audience. Creative types deep dive, allowing you to use types that make the most sense for your brand. Brand voice and using Open Looping and storytelling. Deeper optimization and audience split testing. week 5

Profitability and ROI time periods. Sale Ads using images, canvas, video and pre-selling. Campaign optimization, and duplication. Budget scaling and advanced tactics. week 6

Advanced retargeting and Micro-Targeting. Budget Cycling and Funnel Stacking. Audience Cycling. Final overview. Simply put…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now! If you take action on what I show you, you’re going to be able to copy all my methods, strategies and tactics for your own marketing.

These are the same strategies and tactics that have taken me from $726,000 in debt back in 2014, to having a multi-million dollar company and paying it all off in less than 2 years. I’m giving this away

AND HERE’S WHY:

There’s a lot of Facebook™ Ad “fluff” that’s out there.

This isn’t our core product.

What I really want you to do is buy our LeadCraft program and learn how to build a fully connect lead generation system.

However, some people aren’t ready for that investment.

Furthermore, even more people, perhaps like you, are interested in Facebook™ Ads.

So, I’m going to show you what you need.

Consider this the “start” of our relationship…

And I’m gifting you a box of really great chocolates.

At this point you’re likely ready to buy.

If you are hesitating because of price…

PLEASE. DO. NOT. BUY. THIS.

Facebook Ads is a paid advertising medium and requires some level of investment.

If you can’t afford $597…

Or you have to think about it.

Get 6 Week Facebook “Over the Shoulder” Masterclass on Premium Products right now!

You’re not ready.

“The 5,000% ROI: How Jenn got off the ‘six-figure hamster wheel’ and brought in $90k with $1800 ad spend”

HOW I’VE HELPED OTHER ENTREPRENEURS LIKE YOU:

“$0 to $50K recurring revenue per month with the SSF method and Facebook Advertising. ”

“16 people showed up to our first webinar ever and 4 BOUGHT! That’s a 25% sales conversion rate”

“I already had a successful business…but I wanted to more freedom. So I started from scratch on a new business…and did 33 sales of my program immediately using FB Ads.”

IF YOU’RE READY…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Then what’s better?

I’m giving you zero risk.

Here’s my guarantee.

If you invest in this…

And…

You do the work I tell you to do…

And after this you say…

“This sucks”

Alright… you’re at the bottom of the page.

Seems like you’re more on the “logical” side of the brain.

I’m the founder of INFINITUS, a multi-million dollar eLearning company for entrepreneurs, just like you.

We help entrepreneurs scale past 7-figures… and that’s my speciality.

In my years of entrepreneurship, I’ve scaled 5 of my own companies past $1,000,000 in revenue.

I now help dozens upon dozens of businesses scale to 7-figures and hundreds grow into the mid-six-figure range.

I do this with Lead Generation.

I’m not a “business expert”… nor am I some “guru.”

I’ve just been doing this long enough to see the pro’s, con’s and everything in between.

And…

I want to help folks like you, so that you can figure this business thing out.

It’s not easy.

But there’s no reason you need to fail.

You have the determination, unfair advantage, and something amazing to give to the world, producing freedom and impact.

So, who am I?

Or take a look at these other “experts” who I work with…

Already convinced OR don’t like long sale pages? Awesome. Sound like gibberish?

If so… you 100% need this… however…

My job isn’t about ensuring you just understand the “technology.”

My job is to show you the innovative approaches of attracting and mediating attention with Facebook Ads.

Doesn’t matter how much $$ I spend, the credit card company still doesn’t like the fact that I was nearly $750k in debt a while ago… #BadCreditProblems

However, when I get results like these (in super competitive markets)… I sorta forget about it…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass Free Download

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass Free Download

The post Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass appeared first on Profit Info Mastery.

[endorsereviews]

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

( 6 Week Facebook “Over the Shoulder” Masterclass ) Get Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass right now!

Are you afraid of Facebook™ Ads?

Does it feel like it’s just a money pit where you spends hundreds or thousands of dollars and don’t see a single dime come back to you?

Or perhaps, you generate some sales but can barely generate a profit?

Earlier this year, I made 8 predictions on what will happen with Facebook™ Ads.

All of them are coming true.

Now, the cost of advertising on the platform is increasing every single day.

In a few months, it will be much harder to profit with Facebook Ads.

But you haven’t missed the bus just yet.

In 2016, I spent $250,000 of my own money on Facebook Ads. As a company we generated multiple millions.

In 2017, I spent over $100k a month on Facebook™ Ads and we’re on track to hit $1,000,000/revenue per month by November 2017.

Furthermore, I’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs do the same with our LeadCraft, ELITE and Mentorship programs.

Now, I want to help you build and launch Facebook Ad campaigns that generate real, cold hard profits.

Imagine making sales every single day…

and having the ability to scale up at will.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

Danny Iny

“Scott’s method of lead generation is one of the best in the world. He understands that entrepreneurs can’t afford to spend tens of thousands a month on advertising. He’s brilliant both as an entrepreneur and as a marketer.”

Dov Gordon

“He’s smart. Works hard. And he’s real, genuine and caring. AND… when it comes to creating online marketing funnels, Scott is the guy I call for help.”

1:58

The Core Problem with Facebook™

People are ignoring the fact that it’s not as simple as it used to be.

You need to understand the 4-Type Advertising Pyramid:

And be able to use the correct targeting, messaging, and advertising types.

And… be able to use all the “new” advertising types that are SUPER hot…

Things like Canvas Ads… Lead Ads… and Video Ads…

Nearly NO one is using these profitably.

But you can.

Want to know something else most people aren’t using?

Audience building and Awareness Campaigns.

These are the hidden keys to Facebook™.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

WEEK 1:

Understand the basics behind Facebook and ensure you’re ready to actually run ads using your advertising account. Understand the structure’s of campaigns and how to use the 3-Lane Method within your online advertising for success. Develop your 3 Lane Strategy and your 4-Part Advertising Pyramid, giving you an insane advantage over the competition when launching your campaigns. Setup and develop your audiences based on your own unique unfair advantages. Setup and develop your customer conversions, allowing you to properly track and ensure that you’re ready for success. Ensure that your online marketing funnel is fully ready to have ads deployed and your messaging and funnel flow allows for maximized ROI. Develop your budget, understand your Green Lights and ensure that you’ll create a Financial Success Program Overview, allowing you to know exactly what we’ll be covering across the 6 weeks of the program. WEEK 2:

Understanding advertising copy, messaging and how it aligns with buyer mindsets. Setup of Image-Based Conversion Ads and development of your 3 main lead generation campaigns. Setup of your high-impact, low cost retargeting lead generation campaigns. Setup and development of your budget distribution strategy. Setup of your unique reach campaigns and retargeting. Setup of audience segmentation and Green Light Distribution. Launch of your first Facebook Ads. week 3:

First level optimization and assessment of advertising. Budget distribution for lanes. Planning and development of your Advertising Pyramid. Development and launching of Lead Ads and Video Ads based on real-time market feedback. Audience segmenting, analysis and optimization Q&A #1. week 4

Deeper analysis and data action. Development of audience and Awareness Ads. Launch of Advertising Pyramid. Development of Like Campaigns for higher-engagement. Development of Page Post Engagement Campaigns, allowing you to create more attention and awareness with your audience. Development of Video View Campaigns, allowing you to be omnipresent with your audience. Creative types deep dive, allowing you to use types that make the most sense for your brand. Brand voice and using Open Looping and storytelling. Deeper optimization and audience split testing. week 5

Profitability and ROI time periods. Sale Ads using images, canvas, video and pre-selling. Campaign optimization, and duplication. Budget scaling and advanced tactics. week 6

Advanced retargeting and Micro-Targeting. Budget Cycling and Funnel Stacking. Audience Cycling. Final overview. Simply put…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now! If you take action on what I show you, you’re going to be able to copy all my methods, strategies and tactics for your own marketing.

These are the same strategies and tactics that have taken me from $726,000 in debt back in 2014, to having a multi-million dollar company and paying it all off in less than 2 years. I’m giving this away

AND HERE’S WHY:

There’s a lot of Facebook™ Ad “fluff” that’s out there.

This isn’t our core product.

What I really want you to do is buy our LeadCraft program and learn how to build a fully connect lead generation system.

However, some people aren’t ready for that investment.

Furthermore, even more people, perhaps like you, are interested in Facebook™ Ads.

So, I’m going to show you what you need.

Consider this the “start” of our relationship…

And I’m gifting you a box of really great chocolates.

At this point you’re likely ready to buy.

If you are hesitating because of price…

PLEASE. DO. NOT. BUY. THIS.

Facebook Ads is a paid advertising medium and requires some level of investment.

If you can’t afford $597…

Or you have to think about it.

Get 6 Week Facebook “Over the Shoulder” Masterclass on IMCLibrary.com right now!

You’re not ready.

“The 5,000% ROI: How Jenn got off the ‘six-figure hamster wheel’ and brought in $90k with $1800 ad spend”

HOW I’VE HELPED OTHER ENTREPRENEURS LIKE YOU:

“$0 to $50K recurring revenue per month with the SSF method and Facebook Advertising. ”

“16 people showed up to our first webinar ever and 4 BOUGHT! That’s a 25% sales conversion rate”

“I already had a successful business…but I wanted to more freedom. So I started from scratch on a new business…and did 33 sales of my program immediately using FB Ads.”

IF YOU’RE READY…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Then what’s better?

I’m giving you zero risk.

Here’s my guarantee.

If you invest in this…

And…

You do the work I tell you to do…

And after this you say…

“This sucks”

Alright… you’re at the bottom of the page.

Seems like you’re more on the “logical” side of the brain.

I’m the founder of INFINITUS, a multi-million dollar eLearning company for entrepreneurs, just like you.

We help entrepreneurs scale past 7-figures… and that’s my speciality.

In my years of entrepreneurship, I’ve scaled 5 of my own companies past $1,000,000 in revenue.

I now help dozens upon dozens of businesses scale to 7-figures and hundreds grow into the mid-six-figure range.

I do this with Lead Generation.

I’m not a “business expert”… nor am I some “guru.”

I’ve just been doing this long enough to see the pro’s, con’s and everything in between.

And…

I want to help folks like you, so that you can figure this business thing out.

It’s not easy.

But there’s no reason you need to fail.

You have the determination, unfair advantage, and something amazing to give to the world, producing freedom and impact.

So, who am I?

Or take a look at these other “experts” who I work with…

Already convinced OR don’t like long sale pages? Awesome. Sound like gibberish?

If so… you 100% need this… however…

My job isn’t about ensuring you just understand the “technology.”

My job is to show you the innovative approaches of attracting and mediating attention with Facebook Ads.

Doesn’t matter how much $$ I spend, the credit card company still doesn’t like the fact that I was nearly $750k in debt a while ago… #BadCreditProblems

However, when I get results like these (in super competitive markets)… I sorta forget about it…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Get Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass right now! Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass Free Download, Facebook Advertising Masterclass Download, Facebook Advertising Masterclass Groupbuy, Facebook Advertising Masterclass Free, Facebook Advertising Masterclass Torrent, Facebook Advertising Masterclass Course Free, Facebook Advertising Masterclass Course Download

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass posted first on premiumwarezstore.blogspot.com

[sublimedeal]

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass

( 6 Week Facebook “Over the Shoulder” Masterclass ) Get Scott Oldford – Facebook Advertising Masterclass right now!

Are you afraid of Facebook™ Ads?

Does it feel like it’s just a money pit where you spends hundreds or thousands of dollars and don’t see a single dime come back to you?

Or perhaps, you generate some sales but can barely generate a profit?

Earlier this year, I made 8 predictions on what will happen with Facebook™ Ads.

All of them are coming true.

Now, the cost of advertising on the platform is increasing every single day.

In a few months, it will be much harder to profit with Facebook Ads.

But you haven’t missed the bus just yet.

In 2016, I spent $250,000 of my own money on Facebook Ads. As a company we generated multiple millions.

In 2017, I spent over $100k a month on Facebook™ Ads and we’re on track to hit $1,000,000/revenue per month by November 2017.

Furthermore, I’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs do the same with our LeadCraft, ELITE and Mentorship programs.

Now, I want to help you build and launch Facebook Ad campaigns that generate real, cold hard profits.

Imagine making sales every single day…

and having the ability to scale up at will.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

Danny Iny

“Scott’s method of lead generation is one of the best in the world. He understands that entrepreneurs can’t afford to spend tens of thousands a month on advertising. He’s brilliant both as an entrepreneur and as a marketer.”

Dov Gordon

“He’s smart. Works hard. And he’s real, genuine and caring. AND… when it comes to creating online marketing funnels, Scott is the guy I call for help.”

1:58

The Core Problem with Facebook™

People are ignoring the fact that it’s not as simple as it used to be.

You need to understand the 4-Type Advertising Pyramid:

And be able to use the correct targeting, messaging, and advertising types.

And… be able to use all the “new” advertising types that are SUPER hot…

Things like Canvas Ads… Lead Ads… and Video Ads…

Nearly NO one is using these profitably.

But you can.

Want to know something else most people aren’t using?

Audience building and Awareness Campaigns.

These are the hidden keys to Facebook™.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

WEEK 1:

Understand the basics behind Facebook and ensure you’re ready to actually run ads using your advertising account. Understand the structure’s of campaigns and how to use the 3-Lane Method within your online advertising for success. Develop your 3 Lane Strategy and your 4-Part Advertising Pyramid, giving you an insane advantage over the competition when launching your campaigns. Setup and develop your audiences based on your own unique unfair advantages. Setup and develop your customer conversions, allowing you to properly track and ensure that you’re ready for success. Ensure that your online marketing funnel is fully ready to have ads deployed and your messaging and funnel flow allows for maximized ROI. Develop your budget, understand your Green Lights and ensure that you’ll create a Financial Success Program Overview, allowing you to know exactly what we’ll be covering across the 6 weeks of the program. WEEK 2:

Understanding advertising copy, messaging and how it aligns with buyer mindsets. Setup of Image-Based Conversion Ads and development of your 3 main lead generation campaigns. Setup of your high-impact, low cost retargeting lead generation campaigns. Setup and development of your budget distribution strategy. Setup of your unique reach campaigns and retargeting. Setup of audience segmentation and Green Light Distribution. Launch of your first Facebook Ads. week 3:

First level optimization and assessment of advertising. Budget distribution for lanes. Planning and development of your Advertising Pyramid. Development and launching of Lead Ads and Video Ads based on real-time market feedback. Audience segmenting, analysis and optimization Q&A #1. week 4

Deeper analysis and data action. Development of audience and Awareness Ads. Launch of Advertising Pyramid. Development of Like Campaigns for higher-engagement. Development of Page Post Engagement Campaigns, allowing you to create more attention and awareness with your audience. Development of Video View Campaigns, allowing you to be omnipresent with your audience. Creative types deep dive, allowing you to use types that make the most sense for your brand. Brand voice and using Open Looping and storytelling. Deeper optimization and audience split testing. week 5

Profitability and ROI time periods. Sale Ads using images, canvas, video and pre-selling. Campaign optimization, and duplication. Budget scaling and advanced tactics. week 6

Advanced retargeting and Micro-Targeting. Budget Cycling and Funnel Stacking. Audience Cycling. Final overview. Simply put…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now! If you take action on what I show you, you’re going to be able to copy all my methods, strategies and tactics for your own marketing.

These are the same strategies and tactics that have taken me from $726,000 in debt back in 2014, to having a multi-million dollar company and paying it all off in less than 2 years. I’m giving this away

AND HERE’S WHY:

There’s a lot of Facebook™ Ad “fluff” that’s out there.

This isn’t our core product.

What I really want you to do is buy our LeadCraft program and learn how to build a fully connect lead generation system.

However, some people aren’t ready for that investment.

Furthermore, even more people, perhaps like you, are interested in Facebook™ Ads.

So, I’m going to show you what you need.

Consider this the “start” of our relationship…

And I’m gifting you a box of really great chocolates.

At this point you’re likely ready to buy.

If you are hesitating because of price…

PLEASE. DO. NOT. BUY. THIS.

Facebook Ads is a paid advertising medium and requires some level of investment.

If you can’t afford $597…

Or you have to think about it.

Get 6 Week Facebook “Over the Shoulder” Masterclass on IMCLibrary.com right now!

You’re not ready.

“The 5,000% ROI: How Jenn got off the ‘six-figure hamster wheel’ and brought in $90k with $1800 ad spend”

HOW I’VE HELPED OTHER ENTREPRENEURS LIKE YOU:

“$0 to $50K recurring revenue per month with the SSF method and Facebook Advertising. ”

“16 people showed up to our first webinar ever and 4 BOUGHT! That’s a 25% sales conversion rate”

“I already had a successful business…but I wanted to more freedom. So I started from scratch on a new business…and did 33 sales of my program immediately using FB Ads.”

IF YOU’RE READY…Get other products by Scott Oldford right now!

Then what’s better?

I’m giving you zero risk.

Here’s my guarantee.

If you invest in this…

And…

You do the work I tell you to do…

And after this you say…

“This sucks”

Alright… you’re at the bottom of the page.

Seems like you’re more on the “logical” side of the brain.

I’m the founder of INFINITUS, a multi-million dollar eLearning company for entrepreneurs, just like you.

We help entrepreneurs scale past 7-figures… and that’s my speciality.

In my years of entrepreneurship, I’ve scaled 5 of my own companies past $1,000,000 in revenue.

I now help dozens upon dozens of businesses scale to 7-figures and hundreds grow into the mid-six-figure range.

I do this with Lead Generation.

I’m not a “business expert”… nor am I some “guru.”

I’ve just been doing this long enough to see the pro’s, con’s and everything in between.

And…

I want to help folks like you, so that you can figure this business thing out.

It’s not easy.

But there’s no reason you need to fail.

You have the determination, unfair advantage, and something amazing to give to the world, producing freedom and impact.

So, who am I?

Or take a look at these other “experts” who I work with…

Already convinced OR don’t like long sale pages? Awesome. Sound like gibberish?

If so… you 100% need this… however…

My job isn’t about ensuring you just understand the “technology.”

My job is to show you the innovative approaches of attracting and mediating attention with Facebook Ads.

Doesn’t matter how much $$ I spend, the credit card company still doesn’t like the fact that I was nearly $750k in debt a while ago… #BadCreditProblems

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My Leather Throne- Profile of a Place

Being away at school really makes me miss driving. I feel so helpless not being able to drive myself to CVS or a supermarket, and figuring out how to get the shopper bus back home is somehow always difficult. I miss driving to the beach every week in the summer. I even miss the traffic through town. It makes me realize how much I took driving and my car for granted. The CRV helps me escape from any circumstance, even if that circumstance is, ironically enough, being completely lost on the road.

I got my license a few months before my junior year ended. I started off driving my dad’s old car because it was the oldest one we had. My parents figured that if I got in an accident, we could just get a new car since  it  was the most low-risk car price-wise. My dad drove a shiny, light blue Nissan Scion xB, the color similar to the blue text bubble of imessages. If you don’t know what kind of car that is, picture a toaster on wheels. With a license plate frame that reads “I’m Tuned Into NPR.” Now, picture a teenager driving that toaster on wheels. Of course,  I was thankful that I had a car to drive whenever and wherever I needed, but this  mode of transportation wasn’t exactly ideal for a teenage girl in a small town. Especially in a small town where everyone knows everything about you and can recognize your car by the bumper stickers on it.

Fast forward in time a little bit. My dad gets a new car. A brand new silver Honda CRV, but of course, with my family, he got it at a really good price. My parents sat me down on the couch in a very serious way. I knew a talk was coming, I just couldn’t think of anything I had done wrong recently. They ended up giving me a letter that said that they realized how unsafe the Toaster was for me to drive. I hadn’t really thought about that -- I mean besides the shuddering sound it made sometimes -- but it was alright for me. They said that after a lot of deliberation, they decided to let me drive the CRV because it was the safest of our cars. I had driven the CRV once or twice and it drove a lot more smoothly  than the Toaster. I remember being so happy and thankful that I started crying, in typical teenage girl fashion. I felt so incredibly spoiled by my parents, but thankful nonetheless, and to this day I still feel the same way.

In a parking lot full of other gray CRV’s I could describe mine exactly. Look inside the front windows- 90% chance there will be at least one old Dunkin Donuts cup and napkins all over. Check the back too; there is a water volleyball ball that I bought two summers ago and used for a whole ten minutes until the wind made it impossible to play. There are a total of five bumper stickers: a circular red and black one for my high school lacrosse team on the left side of my license plate, and another circular one on the other side for JMU. Another black and red one for my high school is on the left side of the back window. There is a set of three little red Hawaiian hibiscus flowers on the farthest back window on the right side, and a sticker that says ‘Pennsylvania’ instead  of “Patagonia” in the Patagonia logo and font. My parents got me a flip flop key chain when we went to Jamaica a few years ago. It says “one love” and hangs from my rearview mirror. It’s there in an attempt to remind me to keep my cool while driving, but I’m from New Jersey so it doesn’t really help all that much with the road rage. There are a few deep scratches on the roof  from last winter. I went to dig the car out of the snow and accidentally scraped the corner of the shovel on the roof  leaving really noticeable marks. I can’t even describe how heated my parents got, especially when I screamed back at them, “why is it such a big deal?” Since I scratched the paint off, if it rusts over it’ll compromise the roof  itself. Kind of is a big deal!

My car somehow makes music sound better. One of my favorite playlists that I’ve curated is designed for singing in the car. Aptly named, “Concert Car” assists me in the most difficult of South Jersey traffic. I always have music playing when I drive, even if I’m just driving down the street. My music choice is pretty much always perfect for wherever I am headed, except for the time I got so lost driving home from the PHL airport. What should have been a 15 minute drive turned into an hour of confusion and crying. I drove around the Philadelphia stadium district for about half an hour while my 2000’s playlist blasted Sean Kingston on full volume. Not ideal driving music for the moment, to say the least.

The amount of times that car has saved my life is almost comical. I (knock on wood) haven’t actually gotten in a car accident, but I’d attribute that fact to the brakes on my car. Driving is one of the things I miss most about being away from home: the freedom to drive, to escape, or get lost. That is why my beloved, smelly, homey Honda CRV is my favorite place to escape; it lets me escape to wherever I want to. Other than near death experiences, my car and I have had some pretty solid times. I remember the countless fights I had in it with the guy I dated my junior year. I can even recall the drive I took after we broke up. But one of the most memorable arguments my car has been part of was one that I had with my dad. I couldn’t even tell you what it was about, but I remember my mom was away and couldn’t be the mediator for us, which she usually is. I don’t fight with my parents often, but when I do, its bad. Tears, yelling, our dogs barking at us because they don’t understand what is going on. It got to the point to where my dad had to take my keys away, but I had left my car unlocked in the driveway. I went to my room and my dad kept coming in to have a conversation, while that was probably the last thing I wanted to do in the moment. My next move was to storm out of the house to sit in my car and lock it from the inside out. I sat there for a while wishing that whole day could just end. My parents know it's bad when I just sit in my car contemplating things, but it is where I can escape to at times where my own room does not suffice.

Since I love driving so much, I’m usually the driver for day trips to the beach with my friends. I could easily give you a detailed timetable of how those beach days go. Get up at 7, leave around 8 to get to the beach by 10 or 11, with time to get gas and Dunkin as we head out. The amount of sand that has made its way in and out of the CRV could build a new beach. Absolutely nothing makes me happier than driving down the residential back roads adjacent to route 73 with all the windows down and the sunroof open. That is my euphoria. Sitting in my leather throne with my friends surrounding me, screaming the lyrics to whatever song is playing into the salty air. When I first started driving it, the CRV only took $20 to fill up completely- I even used to say “Twenty buck fills ‘er up!” Driving to and from the beach took less than a full gallon, and although gas prices have gone up since Christie decided to tax us NJ residents on gas, putting  gas in my car is still never a pain.

Driving isn’t always fun and games, though. Last summer I got a job nannying for a family in town. They had a beautiful, huge house with a pool in the backyard. It was just three kids; the two girls were pretty easy to handle, but the youngest -- a boy -- was impossible. I hadn’t really driven kids around before nannying, so I made sure to be 10000% cautious whenever driving them. Of course they knew every song on the radio. Their favorite songs were “One Dance” by Drake and “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake. The latter was from one of their favorite movies: “Trolls.” They knew all the words, and I felt like we were little family every time that came on. I can still hear them singing the words, “I got that sunshine in my pocket, got that good soul in my feet.” It was like we became the Partridge Family for a few minutes every time their songs came on. Whenever I pass that house I think back to singing with the kids all sitting in the back like little ducks in a row. At times, they tested my patience, but in the end I enjoyed my drives with them.

Driving around my hometown is almost comical because of how small it is. There’s almost no need to drive anywhere at all! I did soccer in high school but it became such a political game that I quit and joined tennis -- a sport I’d never done. I was one of the only seniors on the team so, of course, I got stuck with carpool duty the whole season. Since we had so few girls who could drive to practice, I was stuck with an overflowing car every other day. The most I fit into my car was seven other people, when my car can only fit four others. A passenger, two in the trunk and four in the back. One of my parents’ only rules was  “everybody in that car has to have a seat belt,” I can still hear them reminding me. Sorry mom! Sorry dad! A lot of the girls I drove were freshmen. They looked up to me because I would always give them advice. They thought I was funny and a savage when in reality, I  just had Senioritis (what we called that lack of caring that hits you senior year of high school). A few of the girls clung onto me and we ended up becoming really close and we actually still are. Who knew a car could help me make friends!!