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siimjaeyun · 3 years

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Chapter 10: Call of the Cicada

Synopsis: A stranger has been threatening Destructo, a company based in Seoul. As more and more businessmen get attacked on account of swarms of Cicadas, will it lead you to a new mystery and perhaps on a path towards a new relationship with Heeseung?

Series Masterlist

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The man quietly drove home, slowly taking in his surroundings as he approached his destination. Abruptly, a phone call broke through his peace and he quickly picked up.

"I warned you to quit." The raspy voice threatened on the other side of the phone.

"I told you to stop calling me!" He hung up the phone and threw it to his backseat, ignoring yet another blackmail call.

He maintained his attention on the road before him. The first cicada fell onto the front window, and he pushed it aside using the windshield wipers.

“Those cicada things disgust me.” He whispered to himself, and continued his drive home. But his tranquility soon disappeared as more and more cicadas landed on his windows, forming a creature that would engulf both him and the car completely.

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Professor Yin stood at the center of the class, slowly caressing the cicada bug on his index finger; he later placed it back on the mini-tree while planting a kiss on the head.

“Did he just kiss the bug?” Heeseung, who was seated behind you, asked in a quiet voice, before you hummed back, slowly admiring the professor’s good looks.

“The cicada bug is one of earth’s most spectacular creatures, and are well-known for the songs sung by most if not all male cicadas. In their lifetime, cicadas usually will go underground and re-emerge every seventeen years to escape the pollution and disastrous human activity. Isn’t that right Sunoo and Niki?” The professor turned his attention on the two boys in the back of the class bickering over the last bag of snacks in their hands.

“Sunoo. Niki. Are you aware that Nature O’s are manufactured by Destructo, the biggest polluter in both Seoul and the country!” Both boys glanced at one another and looked back at the professor.

“Uh, no, but at least they’re delicious!” Professor Yin rolled his eyes and turned once the bell rang signaling their dismissal.

“Yikes, I swear Professor Yin gets weirder every class.” Sunghoon swung his back over his shoulder and led the way out of the front door.

“Really? I haven’t noticed much.” Jungwon stopped you mid-way allowing you to process your response.

“Of course you haven’t. You’re too busy staring at him.” You punched him lightly in the shoulder and noticed Heeseung with an unclear face.

“What’s so great about Professor Yin anyway?”

“He’s smart, pretty poetic, and good looking.” You quickly said the last part before running off with Sunghoon and Jay to the cafeteria.

“Oh yeah? I wonder how good he would look in my traps!” Jake looked at the boy oddly before running off to catch the rest of his 02 friends.

“Heeseung, are you jealous?” Sunoo asked bluntly.

“J-jealous, what makes you say that.”

“I don’t know, you just seem a little tense, a little-” Niki didn’t get to finish his statement before he choked on a slip of paper in his mouth.

“It’s a note from JK, it says there’s a mystery waiting for us at the city hospital.” Heeseung nodded at him, leading the young trio into the cafeteria before heading off to their next adventure.

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“Please, we all know I’m the visual of the group.” Sunghoon cockily smirked, which earned him a few bickers from the other members as they entered the hospital.

Heeseung stayed back momentarily, patiently waiting as you got off the van and headed to the same entrance. Besides the limited adrenaline in his veins, and the anxiety rushing to his mind and heart, he continued with his mission.

“Hey, y/n.” At the mention of your name, you quickly turned back to see Heeseung standing there.

“I was uh...wondering if you’d like to go on a d-d-d-d-date.” With all his strength, he finally let out the magic words. The question perked your interest and you approached him with a building sense of happiness and excitement.

“A date? You mean it?”

“Yeah, there’s a new trap exhibit in town and I was hoping you’d like to go.” Your peaking excitement calmed itself down, facing the reality of Heeseung’s world.

“You know when you popped the question, I actually thought you meant it.” You crossed your arms and headed inside, feeling slightly guilty with your indirect rejection.

Heeseung caught up with you and kept his thoughts on what you had mentioned to him earlier. In his mind, you loved traps too.

“What happened here Chief?” Jay looked at both Chief Kim and Mayor Lee who were standing at the front door of an operation room.

“Nothing, now go away.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yes, now go away.” It was clear that Mayor Lee was trying his best to get rid of the pestering group, but ensured to stay strong on the task.

“Are you sure? He’s practically screaming inside the room.” Niki, using his advantage of height, peered over the Chief’s shoulder and saw as one of the nurses used a pair of tweezers to extract a cicada from the nostril from the man.

“You know what happened!? This giant disgusting cicada creature trapped the poor man. Imagine small little creatures crawling over your body, ew…” Chief Kim began to frantically scratch his arms as he confessed to the teen group the truth behind the incident.

“Okay, yes there’s a cicada creature. But! If you have any decency left in your hearts, you will stay out of this. It will be good publicity for the festival on Saturday so don’t meddle with it!” Mayor Lee retreated from the hall at his warning, not exactly prioritizing the well-being of his people.

Later that night, another attack occurred.

Another business man was going through his daily routine, ending the day with a warm night shower. As he moved back his hair, his phone rang, and he picked up while wrapping a towel around his torso.

“I warned you to quit.” The familiar raspy voice rang through the phone, leaving the man to hang up in frustration, preferring to return to his chore.

He entered the comfort of the shower once more, throwing the towel to the side and reaching for the knob to turn back on the water. His efforts were wasted seeing as the knob was turned, but no water exited the shower head. The man peeked closer, attempting to find the solution before a crawling sensation appeared on his left foot. A cicada bug was crawling on it, and as he flicked it away, a swarm escaped from the drain. He too had been consumed.

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“Try Nature O’s, a proud product of Destructo Company.” Grandma Mimi smiled proudly through the screen holding up the iconic blue and orange printed bag which only permitted for the youngest members to let out a small groan.

“How long are we supposed to wait? Sunghoon and Heeseung left a while ago.” As if the universe had heard him, the said members had signaled to the group to follow them, leading to the room of the latest victim.

“There, there.” A feminine voice was heard from the other side of the door, and Sunoo and Niki looked at each other with wide smiles when they saw Grandma Mimi standing there.

“Oh my, we’re such huge fans!” They shook hands and she responded with a warm smile.

“It’s my pleasure, after all, I must thank Mr.Hughe for making them so popular.”

“You also work at Destructo?” Jake asked.

“I’ll leave you guys to be, take care.” Grandma Mimi left the room with the escort of Sunghoon and Jay who were kind of enough to help her.

“Yes. I had been getting blackmail calls since a few weeks ago to quit my job at Destructo. I didn’t take them seriously and well, now there was a bunch of small...creepy...crawling….disgusting little creatures crawling all over me.” Mr.Hughe entered into a state of hysteria, leaving all of you with no other option than to call the nurse for help. Once he had calmed down, you finally made your ways back home, heading first to the elevator.

“Jungwon, can you press for the lobby?” Jungwon did as told, pressing the small white button. As the elevator moved slowly, and opened, it left them puzzled as their eyesight was met with a dark basement.

“Good going dummy, you pressed the wrong button.”

“I did Jay, look.” Jungwon pressed the button once more and nothing happened. All of them stepped out of the elevator only to have it close them behind and for the lights in the basement to flicker on.

“Listen well, if you don’t stop, you will be next.” All of them ducked down as they heard the warning from the ominous and deep voice. A swarm of cicadas entered the basement, approaching you. You turned your head sideways and Jake with his limited bravery due to his fear of insects, managed to tuck your head into his chest using his jacket.

Once the swarm had disappeared, the elevator doors had opened once more, letting all of you make your way up to the van.

“That was close.” Sunoo opened his school bag to find another cicada bug flying out.

“We have to find who this creature is and fast, otherwise we’ll be next.” Heeseung drove off before coming to an abrupt stop.

“That’s it, why didn’t I think of it before? Who loves cicadas AND hates Destructo, it’s Professor Yin!” He shouted almost too enthusiastically at the thought of him behind bars, but wasn’t willing to admit the slight bias in his accusation.

“You can’t be serious Heeseung.” You crossed your arms and looked at him.

“I’m sorry, but I’m with Heeseung on this one. It makes sense.” Sunghoon demonstrated his support which prompted them to go to the school despite your refusal.

Eight bodies stood outside the door, quietly observing as Professor Yin placed the cicadas onto the small tree, taking out a small flute in the process. You and Niki stayed back and watched as Heeseung burst the door wide open with the other five boys following behind.

“Aha, caught you right in the act girlfriend stealer!” Heeseung shouted louder that he would have wished, seeing as all of the boys looked at him and back at the door where you and Niki were.

“What are you talking about?” Professor Yin stood agape and got himself up from his position.

“You’re the cicada monster!” Jungwon’s accusation didn’t settle in considering the next few minutes developed into a massive debate between all of you, with Chief Kim and Mayor Lee arriving into the mix.

“Enough! What is going on?” Mayor Lee broke into a booming voice and claimed a silence into the room.

“He’s the cicada creature! You have to arrest him.” Heeseung pointed once more at the Professor and although it was audible how Mayor Lee asked him to come to the festival at 6PM if he was the creature, it still irritated the poor man.

“I’m not the creature, and if you don’t leave, I’m pressing charges.” All of you exited the room with nothing much accomplished.

“Look, all of you need to quit it.” Mayor Lee pressed his nose bridge as he looked at all of you.

“We don’t have time, it told us that we were next.”

“That’s fantastic,” a foreign glimpse of happiness appeared on Mayor Lee’s face as he continued with his ramble, “all of you can show up at the festival tomorrow and we’ll make sure to have extra photographers! We don’t want you getting hurt for nothing!”

Mayor Lee left with Chief Kim almost immediately, leaving all of you both clueless and lost.

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The day of the festival had commenced and all of you approached the fun booths and cicada-themed attractions.

While looking around, you noticed Heeseung approach one of the games: whack a mole.

“Heeseung!” he kept pounding the plastic creatures and tried his best to give no reaction.

“Did you mean what you said yesterday? About me being your girlfriend?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Knowing too well about Heeseung’s struggle with expressing himself, you wrapped your arm around his and turned his face towards you.

“Because if it is, then I’d love to go to the trap exhibit with you later.” He kept his look firm, but couldn’t help a silly grin on his face as he pulled you into a hug.

Both of you pulled away with wide grins, but it didn’t last long when Mayor Lee approached all of you.

“Remember if you see the creature, run here. Got it?” The eight of you made your ways to the other side of the festival, when Niki grabbed your attention while pointing at Professor Yin who was seen entering the haunted house.

“To the haunted house!” Sunoo trailed forward and went in first. None of you were too amazed with the decorations inside. Yet again, all of you were in constant peril at least once a week.

“This is so dumb, what are we, five.” Jake commented as you reached the end. What you didn’t expect was for a wall to appear inclosing all of you inside. The swarm of cicadas appeared and tried to consume you as you broke through the tent finding as escape.

“Guess it wasn’t Professor Yin.” Sunghoon admitted as he saw Professor Yin who was calmly eating as the giant bug chased after him.

“To the van!” With all your might, your tired legs dragged you to the van where Heeseung opened the back door to let the vacuum suck up all the tiny insects.

When the swarm had finally become consumed by the machine in the van, all of you found Grandma Mimi with a white outfit.

“What is going on here?” Chief Kim asked as he looked at Grandma Mimi who was getting her hands tied together by Jay.

“She’s the cicada creature.”

“But why?”

“I’ll tell you why. When I sold my Nature O’s to Destructo, they changed the recipe to have landfill waste. Can you believe it? When I demanded they return to my original recipe, they refused. So when I saw this documentary about using sound to control penguins, I had my plan. I didn’t have penguins, but I did have cicadas. Using my device, I was able to control them. And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for you meddling young people!”

Chief Kim escorted her into the car, leaving a frustrated Mayor Lee behind.

“Why can’t anything in this town be real?” He complained and left as well.

“Well, that’s another mystery solved.” Sunoo let out a cheer first, relieved at the solved crisis.

“I’ll have to catch you guys later because y/n and I have a date.” Heeseung proudly announced before swinging his arm over your shoulder and leading you towards the car. As your two bodies started to get further away, with laughs apparent in your conversation, Sunghoon looked at his other friend Jake who had turned away.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, come on.” Jake swallowed the bitter feeling behind him, joining the others in celebration.

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Next- Chapter 11: Bikers and Jealousy

Tag List: @softkons @nikisboxysmile

#enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #heeseung #heeseung imagines #jake imagines #jungwon #niki #sunghoon #jay #enhypen jake #enhypen jay

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sunnydaleherald · 2 years

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, November 11

Xander: Yeah, don't tell me. I'm just full of helpful suggestions. Giles: As a matter of fact, you are.

~~Primeval~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Cold (Tara/Willow, T) by Kaos_Shard934

Stake Out (Spike/Reader, E) by Nellblazer

[Chaptered Fiction]

Diminishing Chasm, Chapter 1-8 (Angel/Buffy, E) by Bangel4ever. COMPLETE!

Bite Your Tongue, Chapter 23 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by hostile17

Alternate Repercussions, Chapter 12 (Spike/Buffy, Adult Only) by Jws1993

Wrong Place, Perfect Time, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by MaggieLaFey

Little Do You Know, Chapter 3 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by VampyricRose

The Tiger is Out, Chapter 45 (OC & Spike/Buffy, R) by Cosmic Tuesdays

Cheat the Midnight Hour, Chapter 28 (Spike/Buffy, R) by SlayrGrl

Seven, Chapter 6 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Holly

The Prickling of the Stars, Chapter 3 (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by JayeMaru

Spike and the Quest for the Gems of Amara, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, PG) by the_big_bad

After, Chapter 2 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Holly

Out of Time: 1942, Chapter 15 (crossover with Harry Potter, Buffy/Tom Riddle, FR18) by Jonayla

Echoes of Beljoxa, Chapter 57 (Spike/Buffy, M) by Myrabeth

[Images, Audio & Video]

Cosplay: Lorne, Spike (worksafe) by pumpkinportfolio

Manip: Buffy is a Magical Girl (worksafe) by your-fave-is-a-magical-girl

Banner: Spike (worksafe) by Misssunnay

Vidlet: Edit of Willow and Tara (worksafe) by Ok_Swimmer_1092

Artwork: The Freshman (Buffy, worksafe) by tmcarlee

Photo: "Buffy will patrol tonight" tattoo (worksafe) by Jay, Silver Needles tattoo studio via sixinaboxdesign

Vids: Giles is so worried (Giles, G), Bobby, Roger and Eileen (Angel/Spike/Buffy, T), NA NA NA - The Scoobies Make Some Noise (collaboration with thenewbuzwuzz, Scoobies, ensemble, T), I Hate You (Angel x Spike, T), Spike against Satanklaas (crossover with Sint, T) archived by Double_Dutchess

[Reviews & Recaps]

[Alternative names for the early Angel episodes] by mygreenknittedsweater

“Once more, with feeling” should be given an award and be found in every Grief Councillor’s toolbox on how to survive bereavement! by TheWonAboveYoo

Season 6 Dilemma by CanYouFeelSora

AtS deserves more appreciation for its humour! by LightBlueSky55 and others

PODCAST: Pop Culture Role Call: Hollow Victories - Angel S01E09 - Hero

[Recs / In Search Of]

Survey: BtVS scene question [I'm trying to make scenepacks/clip comps and need help knowing what scenes in the show people think about a lot] by buffywatching

[Fandom Discussions]

[A headcanon about Giles and Jenny's mundane little arguments] by jessannperreault

[Re: Do you think it is in character for Buffy to feel attracted to Xander?] by herinsectreflection

When she Was Bad and Becoming #2 had a bait & switch in which Aurelius vampires lure Buffy away... by millenialslayer

Re: Would Faith have survived a Cruciamentum? (cont'd) by thetopher

Jesse's planned return in CWDP - who else should have come back in B&A? by American Aurora, HardlyThere

I love this friendship. Angel truly believed in Faith... by InfiniteMehdiLove and others

Faith Lehane - thoughts on her character? hosted by thrasherbuffy

Happy birthday wishes to Vincent Schiavelli by markefield, DaddyCatALSO

Season 5-Angel Timeline? [Why didn't Buffy send Dawn to Angel to protect?] by letsgo2120

I joined Angel Reddit just to express my love for this scene [and Angel’s fashion sense] by milkandthecookies and others

Buffy Anne Summers appreciation post hosted by thrasherbuffy

Where in the show do you start your rewatches? hosted by PocketGachnar

Buffy's soul is visible in Bargaining by generalkriegswaifu

[Buffy waking up in full makeup in "Passion"] by Chemical-Operation-2 and others

Buffy's history professor in Checkpoint by jdpm1991

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Convention news: James Marsters to Attend Slay The Vampires 4, Oct 15-16 2022 | CloudsCon via dontkillspike

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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trademarkclick · 3 years

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Lenora Stines dropped her legal suit against Beyonce and Jay Z

A Jamaican choreographer, Lenora Stines, a few days back filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court. She alleged that Beyonce and Jay Z used her voice in the 2018 album track “Black Effect” that too without her permission. The dancer has voluntarily dropped that case. However, she gave no reason for her act of voluntarily dismissing her claims against the defendants without prejudice. This means she can re-file the lawsuit against them. Stines stated in her complaint, “I am extremely well-respected and highly regarded in the island of Jamaica, and throughout the world for my artistry and wisdom.”

Stines alleged in the suit that:

She spoke on tape of her feelings about “unconditional love” at the request of the celebrity couple.

She was told her thoughts would be used only in a promotional video.

She was asked in March 2018 to help in hiring dancers for a video to publicize the forthcoming “Everything is Love” album and tour.

Beyonce and Jay-Z then asked if she would record her musings for the clip, Stines alleges.

When she inquired into the terms of an agreement she was asked to sign before recording her monologue, she was told that the agreement “was just a standard document that everyone had to sign.”

She was then told not to worry because the agreement was “only going to be utilized so that her voice could be used in the video.”

When she asked if she could take a screenshot of the agreement to send to her attorney son, she was “explicitly told that she could not send a picture of the agreement to anyone to review.”

When the monologue was used on the couple’s joint album “Everything is Love” in June 2018, the plaintiff felt “shock, horror and chagrin” to discover her vocals were used in the song “Black Effect,” leaving her feeling “violated,” the suit alleged.

After all of this, she filed the suit against the celebrity couple for copyright infringement and violation of her right to publicity and damages. She also demanded writing credits. However, a representative for Beyonce and Jay-Z did not immediately prefer to respond to any comment.

Lenora Antoinette Stines was born on September 5th, 1951. She is famous and identified as L'Antoinette Ọṣun Awade Wemo Stines. She is a full package of talents. She is a renowned Jamaican director, choreographer, author, actor, and dancer. She is the founder and artistic director of L'Acadco. L'Acadco is a United Caribbean Dance Force which is a leading contemporary dance company. It is based in Jamaica.

Stines also founded the first Anglo Caribbean Modern Contemporary training procedure and named it “L'Antech”. L'Antech is an eclectic Caribbean contemporary technique that synthesizes African influences, Caribbean folklore, and is dominated by Jamaican Afro-Caribbean forms.

Antoinette Stines holds a Ph.D. from the University of the West Indies (2010) Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica in Cultural Studies. Stines is especially acclaimed for her work as a choreographer, technique professor, and teacher. She lectures internationally on the traditional dance forms such as Kumina, Bruckins, Nyabinghi, Dancehall, and the contemporary dance synthesis L'Antech.

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spine-buster · 5 years

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Alone, Together | Chapter 1 | Morgan Rielly

Bee didn’t understand how the universe conspired in such a way to have her sit across from this large man named Morgan, but the longer she sat with him, the longer she realized she couldn’t complain. Things like this could go so horribly – the person could not talk at all; the person could talk too much; the person could be creepy, invasive, or a serial killer – but Bee wasn’t scared as she sat across from him. He seemed mellow enough, taking the situation of them being thrust together in stride. It didn’t interrupt him from eating his food, or drinking his lemon water, and instead, they settle into a semi-comfortable back and forth conversations of questions to get to know each other. What else could they do?

“So…why are you reading Friedman?” he asked, popping a fry into his mouth.

“Um, a friend recommended it to me. I’m kind of reading it just for fun.”

Morgan seemed shocked as the words came out of her mouth. “You’re reading it for fun?” he asked. “What about Friedman is fun?”

“It’s not. Sorry, that’s the wrong word,” she shook her head, embarrassed. “But it’s a bit of a break.”

“From what?” the look of shock on his face hadn’t left.

“Um, my life?” she tried to make a joke. His face lightened up a little bit but she knew she had to explain more. “I’m studying for my MFE at U of T. I’m also a TA so reading first year undergrad essays is also my personal form of hell. Between reading those and reading for my courses I’m a bit…well…I needed a bit of a break.”

“Wait,” Morgan held his hands up. “What’s an MFE?”

“A Master’s in Financial Economics.”

“At University of Toronto?”

“Yeah.”

“And you teach?”

“At university, yes. I’m a teaching assistant. So like, the professor has us, his minions, who lead smaller group tutorials where we discuss the course readings,” she explained. “My tutorial group has around 30 students in it.”

“And Friedman is a break to you because of this?”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “Yes. I know it seems crazy, but yes.”

Morgan cracked a smile and she tried to grab her wrap to keep her from blushing after her giggle. “That’s nuts,” he commented. “I’m feeling very inadequate right now.”

Bee’s face completely dropped. “Oh my God, no – no – I didn’t mean --”

“Relax, relax. I’m joking,” he said, popping another fry into his mouth. “How far along are you in your Master’s?”

“I’m in my last term.”

“And what’s the plan after?”

Bee took this as a bit of a weird question. Was not the ‘plan’ for everybody to find a well-paying job to be self-sustainable and contribute to society? What did he think she wanted to do? “Oh, you know, find a sugar daddy and just live off the gifts he gives me,” she shrugged her shoulders casually, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Morgan snorted at her reply, and she was glad he picked up on the ridiculousness of her response. “Well the plan is to obviously find a job. Maybe at a bank or some corporation or something. I don’t know. I recently completed an internship at Scotiabank so I’m hoping that gets me an in there.”

Morgan smirked. “So become a corporate drone,” Morgan teased her.

She smirked back at him. She enjoyed his sarcastic sense of humour, but two could play at that game. “Maybe. Or maybe my plan is to control the Canadian economy by flirting my way to the top and becoming the next Minister of Finance.”

Morgan let out a hearty laugh. “I don’t know. You’re obviously pretty smart. It doesn’t seem like you’d have to flirt your way to get anywhere.”

She appreciated the compliment, giving him a polite smile. “And what about you? What do you do?”

Bee watched as a quick sense of tenseness passed on Morgan’s face. “I work in the sports industry,” he said.

She had never met anyone in Toronto who worked in the offices for one of the major teams. Granted, she didn’t exactly mix with those types of people often, but it was still interesting to be sitting across from someone who did. She decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. “So let me guess. You want to schmooze your way to the top of like…I don’t know, being the head of the Toronto Blue Jays or something?”

Whatever tension that was on his face disappeared when he heard the joke. “Something like that,” he said. “Maybe I’ll be the next Alex Anthopoulos.”

“And to think, you got the idea from a random girl you sent a drink to one night,” she winked.

“I didn’t send a drink to your table,” he repeated his earlier sentiment definitively. “I’m telling you. You got pranked by someone else in here.”

“Whatever you say, Morgan.”

Bee was surprised at how natural the conversation was flowing. It was one thing to be this way with a friend – it was another to be this way with a complete stranger. But, judging by how the conversation was going, Morgan wasn’t a stranger anymore, was he? After moving on from dullness of their everyday jobs, they started to talk about other interests. TV shows. Movies. What other books they had read, or planned to read. What their favourite genre was. Where they liked to eat in Toronto. What they liked to do. Where they liked to go. Morgan ordered dessert. Bee kept ordering ginger ale.

By the time the waitress brought the bill, Morgan took care of it. Bee insisted, but he insisted more. When she insisted that she had to contribute something he said, “Contribute your number and we’re even.” He said it in the smoothest, most nonchalant tone of voice that Bee was actually taken aback for a brief moment. When she nervously smiled and giggled and let out a small ‘sure’, Morgan smiled and nervously giggled and took out his phone to exchange numbers.

When preparing to leave, they both leaned in to hug each other. Bee got a true sense of his size only when she was up against him, his broad arms engulfing her tightly, but only for a brief second before letting her go.

“This is the weirdest experience to ever happen to me, but it was really nice to meet you,” Morgan said as he pulled away.

“Me too,” Bee said, suddenly a bit nervous. She hated to admit it, but she didn’t exactly want the conversation to end. “I’ll uh…I’ll let you know when I’m done Friedman and tell you what to look out for.”

“Please do, because I have a feeling I’m in for it,” he said as they both lingered in front of the glass window of the restaurant. “You sure you’ll get home okay? I can call an Uber for you.”

“I literally live a five minute walk from here. It’s fine,” she waved him off. “Um…I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah…” he nodded, a strong smile creeping onto his face. “Yeah, for sure.”

As they went their opposite ways, Bee couldn’t help the blush that came over her, and she wondered if any of the passers-by noticed it. When she was far enough from him (okay, she kept looking back to make sure he couldn’t see her), she took out her phone again and opened the conversation she was having with her best friend, Angie.

I just met someone

One of those weird ‘high school reunion’ encounters we were talking about this week?

No no. I met a guy.

OMG omg what? who? where?

I was at green cactus and a waiter brought a drink to my table

And he said it was from this guy but when I approached him about it he denied it

And then all of the sudden I notice we’re reading the same book

Friedman

And I guess the waitress thought we would join each other cause like a split second after she just brought all my food to his table

And I ended up eating with him

And it’s been like two hours

And we just left, but we exchanged numbers

omg OMG you guys were reading the same book???

Yeah

Bee this is fate It’s F A T E Bee you have to text him PLEASE

It was so weird That’s never happened to me before It was like this super random thing but we ended up talking for so long

Bee, you need to text him You NEED to text him I can’t believe you were reading the same book?!

Yeah, super random right?

It’s random but it’s FATE When you get home, text him Pls Do it for me I don’t want to see you become an old spinster You’re not Anne Elliot You’re BEE MCTAVISH

Bee giggled at her best friend’s antics as she fished her keys out of her small purse. She entered her apartment – a old, tiny, cramped, abode on the first floor of a converted multi-unit Annex house – and immediately hung her purse on a hook.

I’m going to take a shower. See u l8r ☺

BEE DON’T YOU DARE DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE I WILL COME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE AND I WILL MURDER YOU BEE ANSWER ME ANSWER ME!!!!!!!! IF YOU DON’T TEXT HIM I WILL STEAL YOUR PHONE AND TEXT HIM FOR YOU

Only about half an hour later, Bee sat on her bed, wet hair wrapped in a towel, and stared at her phone screen. Stared at Morgan’s number. Stared at the message screen and keyboard.

Did you want to meet up again soon? Maybe this weekend?

She absolutely cringed as she hit send. God, she was a grown woman and she was cringing at herself. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. With Morgan. With any guy, to be honest. But she trusted Angie. And more than anything, she trusted herself to judge a good character. Morgan was a good character. At least what she saw of him that night.

Can’t do this weekend. I’m out of town. Maybe when I get back?

Oh. Oh. So he was going to be one of those. Her friends warned her about these types. The type that would say they wanted to see you again but then kept blowing you off. The type that would ghost you completely. Suddenly she wasn’t so happy anymore. Suddenly she felt angry at the possibility that he had just wasted almost two hours of her time on some guy that was going to completely ghost her. Two hours of her time on a guy that wouldn’t give her a second thought. Two hours of her time, only to have her question her own judgement because she thought he was a good guy.

If you don’t want to see me again just let me know now

She texted back quickly, almost regretting it. But if Morgan was going to be an asshole, she would willingly be an asshole back. She was too busy and too proud to be waiting for someone who didn’t want to give her the time of day.

No No no I really am out of town I come back late Monday night I can see you Tuesday I swear

The texts came in quick succession, one after another, followed by a screenshot of his phone screen showing an e-ticket for a flight to Montreal. Bee cringed even more than she did when she sent her initial message.

Sorry. I guess that’s for work.

I really do want to see you. Can we make it Tuesday?

Sure. My tutorial ends at noon. Where can I meet you?

I’ll meet you on campus. Where is your tutorial?

She couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he wanted to meet her on campus. She began wondering what it would be like for him to navigate U of T and its buildings. He never specified which university he went to.

Sidney Smith Hall on St. George Street You can meet me at the front

Okay great Can’t wait

Bee tossed her phone on the duvet cover, unable to look at the text for a moment longer. Can’t wait.

#morgan rielly #morgan rielly imagine #toronto maple leafs #toronto maple leafs imagine #alone together series

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speedprofessor · 5 years

Text

Point by point summary of my Eobard / Handy Dandy Canon Divergence Sheet / Timeline Stuff

CHARACTER SUMMARY

EARLY LIFE:

-Eobard grows up as a single child. His parents are killed in an accident when he is around six years old and he spends the rest of his youth as a bookworm and never makes any real friends. -He had always been a dreamer, so he grows up idolizing the Golden Age of Heroes. He reads up all he can about the heroes of the 21st century and beyond, he especially focuses on the exploits of The Flash, Central City’s very own hero, and in time he comes to really idolize the Scarlet Speedster and wants to be just like him. ( headcanon about how he views heroes ) -He dedicates his studies to physics and in time comes to find definitive proof on the existence of the Speed Force, something that was only theorized upon in his time. -He becomes the leading expert in Speed Force and starts sharing his studies as a professor, earning the nickname ‘Professor Zoom’. During this time he starts socializing, since being a professor and being a public figure will do that to you, and meets Rose [mumbles last name]. -The two become fast friends ( Eobard’s then somewhat shy and insecure-yet-stand offish nature contrasting well with Rose’s direct no-nonsense attitude ) and very soon become lovers and, later, husband and wife. -During this time, Eobard happens upon a time capsule from 21st Century, much to his absolute shock and delight, the capsule holds a genuine Flash suit worn by the Legend himself. -Eobard studies the costume religiously, and manages to find and extract Speed Force particles which he uses to recreate the Accident that gave Flash his powers.

LIFE WITH POWERS

-Now a meta-human, Eobard explores his newfound powers. His knowledge of the Speed Force prior allowing him to master his powers with relative ease. -Soon realizing the constantly controlled and ‘perfect’ society of 25th Century does not allow for accidents which the Flash can help stop and be known as a hero, he ends up creating his own accidents which he, as the Flash, comes to stop. In his eyes, nobody is ever in danger as he crafts each part of the ‘accidents’ to the smallest detail.

THE INCIDENT

-Barry Allen of the 21st Century ends up in 25th Century due to Reasons(tm). This Barry Allen is one that already suffered losses at the hands of the Reverse-Flash. -Excited to discover that THE Flash is in HIS time, Eobard eagerly seeks him out. He never discovers the man under the cowl during this time. -Barry, learning about Eobard’s ‘accidents’, and already distrusting him due to their shared history, ends up fighting him in Eobard’s lab. -Rose, also discovering about Eobard’s actions as the Flash and seeking to confront him, also ends up at the lab just as the fight is happening. -As Speedsters, they both give off incredible amounts of lightning, and Rose gets struck by one of them, the owner of the lightning unknown to both. -She is heavily injured and is rendered comatose, living on life support.

BIRTH OF A VENDETTA

-Eobard does not serve any jail time for his actions, but he does undergo therapy and public service while rumors slowly eat away at his reputation. -Rose’s condition is a source of immense grief for Eobard, and he delves deeper into his studies to find a way to ‘fix’ her. -Eobard, feeling sorrow for how the things with the Flash went, wants to go back and clear up the air, make amends and hopefully work with the Scarlet Speedster to find a way to fix Rose’s condition, as Eobard believes it was The Flash’s lightning that struck her. -Making himself a new costume, he swaps the reds with yellow, as all Flash side-kicks are known for wearing yellow and Eobard wants to symbolize how he is willing to learn and work with the Flash. -Traveling back in time, he ends up at the Flash Museum and is confronted with the display for The Reverse Flash. -Reading through, he is shocked to discovered himself be labeled as The Flash’s Greatest Enemy, and, seemingly, see the Flash act completely unremorseful for the pain he had caused in his life. -Running back to Rose, he swears on her hospital bed that he will make The Flash regret all the pain he had caused in his life, inadvertently making the Museum Display a reality. ( drabble here )

EARLY EXPLOITS:

-He makes his Reverse Flash ring out of his wedding band. ( headcanon here ) -He constantly runs back and forth between the past and the 25th century. He does not know the exact year and time The Flash That Ruined His Life came from, so finding that exact time is his key priority. -This is the times when he and The Flash start having their regular fights. -This is when the Season 2 Episode 11 happens. SMALL CHANGE: He does not try to kill Tina McGee. He doesn’t kill indiscriminately. He only kills in self defense ( like the guards, sorry guards ) and ONLY wants to truly hurt The Flash and those closest to him. -During Crisis on Infinite Earths, he discovers The Flash’s true identity and figures that Hey, if I run back in time and kill him as a child, he won’t grow up to hurt Rose and myself in the future. (drabble tba) -Then the Night Nora Allen Died happens.

STRANDED IN THE PAST.

-Killing Nora ends up having the unforeseen consequence of Eobard losing his powers. As he had gained his powers by extracting the Speed Force particles from the Flash’s suit, his powers are tied to Barry’s connection to the Speed Force. Due to his anger, he has also tapped into the Negative charge of the Speed Force, but he is unaware of this fact and it is the reason for why his powers keep disconnecting during season one. -Ends up taking over Harrison Wells’ body out of desperation. Face changing ability is not a common technology, and he fashions the Body Stealing Device from the same device he had used to extract Speed Force back in the day. It’s like poetry it rhymes. The device has the side-affect of extracting Wells’ memories as well. -He legitimately does not expect to be stranded in the past for fifteen years. And during this time, living as Harrison Wells and having newfound memories of a life that is peaceful acts as sorts of therapy for Eobard. -He is legitimately paralyzed as a result of the Particle Accelerator explosion and would have remained that way were it not for his powers. ( headcanon here ) -Watching Barry and watching him grow up and watching his early exploits as the Flash reminds him of why he idolized him in the first place. His hatred starts to wane and he comes to care for him in a weird fatherly way, much to his surprise. -He legitimately wants Barry to save his mother and undo his actions. He foolishly thinks if he gives Barry that, maybe his own future will change, maybe he will finally return back to a time where Rose is still healthy. -And then he gets erased from existence thanks to Eddie.

BEING ERASED FROM EXISTENCE AND RETURN

-He does get erased from existence. His essence remains in the Speed Force as his past is ‘out of sync’ with the natural flow of time, namely Barry’s. -It is this Essence Barry sets free during Flashpoint. -EOBARD DOES NOT FORM THE LEGION OF DOOM. HE DOES NOT TEAM UP WITH MERLYN AND DARHK. -In my canon, the Eobard that forms the Legion is actually Hunter Zolomon, before the events of Flash Season 2 and likely before he discovers Jay Garrick and assumes his identity. Because personality of Eobard in LoT S2 fits more with Hunter’s than it does with Eobard’s. ( summary here ) -What Eobard ACTUALLY does is act as sort of a nomad, running away from the Black Flash and trying to find a way to cure his paradoxical existence. -Discovers the existence of the Spear of Destiny and hears about the exploits of another Reverse Flash. -Occasionally teams up with the Legends to stop them from being horribly murdered by Zolomon. -Ends up being killed by Zombie!Zolomon after stopping Past!Zolomon. Because time travel is funny that way. -When his essence returns to the Speed Force, he ends up forming a PACT with the Speed Force to act as a proper engine for the Negative Speed Force, as he has figured out that nobody spends all that negative energy and that is the reason for all of the Speed Force’s instabilities. ( LONG drabble here )

SEASON FIVE SHENANIGANS

-Upon his resurrection, he finds that he is UNABLE TO DIE but also UNABLE TO RUN BACK HOME. Speed Force blocks his path back home as he needs a ‘reason to run’. He gets killed by Black Flash whenever he tries to run back to the 25th century. -Distraught and confused, CCPD of 2034 uses the opportunity to capture him with Cicada’s dagger and imprisoning him. -He has his Reasons(tm) for continuing to use Wells’ face. ( meta here ) -Season five shenanigans happen. -However Nora’s tutelage take place over a LONGER period of time, instead of during the last hours of his life. The way I view it is each season is a year, so Eobard has been training Nora for two years ( season 4 and throughout season 5) -He genuinely comes to care for Nora. He knows if he is to escape, she will get erased from existence, which is why he gives her that ‘out’ with Negative Speed Force. He knows that if she dies and comes back, the negative effects of the Negative Speed Force will be nullified. ( post about my take on the Negative Speed Force as a whole. ) -He re-purchases his old house he had as Wells and he tends to lay low there. He is quite literally under the Team Flash’s nose lmfao. ( post here )

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS -Right after his escape in season 5 finale, The Monitor seeks him out and tells him Its Time, promising to open the path back to the future should they succeed. -He acts as The Harbinger who collects all the heroes -Works with Oliver Queen to recruit the other Paragons and such. - Over the course of Crisis, he decides its time to Let Go and buries the hatchet with Barry. -Helps counteract the (first) Anti Matter Canon in ep 3, but since he’s made out of negative energy, he doesn’t die but instead gets catapulted across time to finally get back to his own future. -This Drabble happens after the cannon is initially destroyed, but before the Multiverse gets wiped out. -Multiverse is rebooted. -In the Earth-Prime timeline, Eobard never becomes the Reverse Flash and instead spends those 15 (plus change) years with Rose, who eventually dies peacefully due to natural causes. -The moment the Paragons ‘awake’ in the New Earth, Eobard gets struck by lightning and regains his memories, possessing memories of both timelines. -Makes himself a new suit out of the remnants of his old one, incorporating nanites and speed force particles in the making of it. ( here’s the details ) -Runs back to 2020 for Reasons That I Will Write Up Later. -Fights alongside the heroes in the Final Final Battle. -Eodemption bitches CW can fight me in the god damn PIT .New Earth New Eobard 2020. -Probably is going to end up bankrolling and curating the Flash Museum and / or helping out in the Hall of Justice I don’t make the rules.

CANON DIVERGENCE SUMMARY / TL:DR:

-Eobard doesn’t go evil JUST because he discovers he is destined to be The Flash’s arch foe instead of the Flash proper. It is a part of his hatred, but another big part of it is The Incident, the very first fight with the Flash from Eobard’s point of view that ends up severely injuring Rose, his wife. He initially wants to make peace with Barry and clear up the misunderstanding, but he ends up traveling back in time to the Flash museum and discovering that he is labeled as the villain and Barry, from his perspective, never once taking any responsibility for his actions. -AKA their feud has no starting point. It is a time travel tragedy. -LEGENDS OF TOMORROW SEASON TWO IS NOT CANON FOR MY PORTRAYAL. NEITHER IS EARTH X. (I’m considering a rework of Eobard crashing Barry’s wedding as a ‘last hurrah’ for Eobard’s hatred of Barry post S1. watch this space. ) -Negative Speed Force does not make you evil by default. It is also not a wholly separate entity from the Speed Force, but instead is a different charge of it never tapped by any other speedsters before him. As he had initially connected with it as an user of the Positive Speed Force, harnessing that negative charge adds fire to his rage fuel, and is the reason why his powers keep disconnecting during season one. -After being erased from existence, he merges with the Speed Force completely and harnesses the pure Negative charge of the Speed Force. This action renders him immortal and as a Fact that needs to exist for as long as Speed Force wills it.

#because I sometimes get the distinct feeling people aren't fully aware of my canon divergences #so here u go #;psa #; REVISING MY INITIAL THESIS ( headcanon. )#remember when I said this would be Short and Concise. [clown honk]

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zak-bagans-gac-imagines · 5 years

Text

Return To Hogwarts - Chapter One

Lizzie had been doing paranormal investigations with the Ghost Adventures crew for sixth months. Recently she decided to leave the Men of Letters Bunker, and her two friends, Sam and Dean, and travel with Zak Bagans and the crew instead.

Lizzie was also in a committed yet private relationship with Zak. The only ones who knew they were together were Aaron, Billy, and Jay, their fellow investigators, and Lizzie had recently moved in with Zak.

One day, Lizzie was sitting on the couch, reading a book, Zak’s border collie Gracie was lying next to her, as Lizzie held her book in one hand and was scratching Gracie’s ear with the other. A moment later Zak came in, carrying an armful of mail.

“Hey, babe,” said Lizzie, as Zak walked over and kissed her. “Hey, sweetie,” he said, rifling through the mail.

A moment later, Zak handed Lizzie an envelope addressed in green ink, and sealed with purple wax. “Um, here’s something for you, it looks like it’s from Hogwarts,”

Lizzie’s face darkened. Ever since she was raped at the tender age of sixteen, the school had done nothing to help her, and spend an ungodly amount of time protecting her attacker rather than her.

Zak knew that his girlfriend had been assaulted, but he only knew a very minute amount of information, short of re-traumatizing his new girlfriend.

“Burn it,” said Lizzie bitterly. “It’s marked ‘urgent’” said Zak.

Lizzie sighed as she stopped scratching Gracie’s ear and took the envelope. Gracie whined as she lifted her head as Lizzie tore the envelope and unfolded the parchment.

Dear Miss Blaszczak

I wasn’t certain who to inform, but after hearing that you were traveling with the Ghost Adventures Crew and remembering your history with them, I knew I had to send you this.

As I am sure you are aware, during the Battle of Hogwarts that eventually led to the fall of Lord Voldemort, there were tragically a large number of casualties. Not long after the renovation of the castle was completed, many students in all four Houses, and ages have reported paranormal activity around the castle. Everything from phantom footsteps to voices, to apparitions, people getting touched - you name it.

In addition to the renovation itself, we have made changes to accommodate Muggle technology. You will be able to use your cameras and digital devices without any issues. We have also recently added Wifi.

We also have created our own social network for students. I will give you the IP address should you need it for your investigation

Many students are terrified while others are intrigued. It would be very appreciated if you and the Crew could return to Hogwarts for a second investigation, and perhaps do a guest lecture.

Please return this letter at your earliest convenience

Yours Sincerely,

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

Lizzie stared at the letter for a very long moment. “Everything okay?” Asked Zak. Lizzie handed Zak the letter. “Oh,” he said, reading it. “She - wants me to return to Hogwarts,” said Lizzie. “And you don’t want to?” Asked Zak

“I don’t know,” said Lizzie. “This is about what Cormac did isn’t it?” Asked Zak. Lizzie said nothing, but nodded.

Zak reached over and gently held Lizzie’s hand in his own and kissed it tenderly. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and I understand your resentment towards the school, but wouldn’t it be possible for you to put your emotions aside?” Lizzie said nothing.

The prospect of putting the trauma of being raped by a fellow student, and the school failing to protect her, behind her, was a very daunting and emotionally difficult thing for Zak to ask of her.

“Think of it like this,” said Zak. “Maybe Professor McGonagall is feeling guilty over not protecting you, and by asking you to come back, she’s asking for you to forgive her?” “I - I’d never thought of it like that,” said Lizzie. “Mm-hmm,” said Zak.

There was a very long moment of silence between the two paranormal investigators, only the sound of Gracie whining every now and then could be heard. After what seemed like forever, Lizzie finally sighed heavily, stood up from the couch and began to walk out of the room

“Where are you going?” Asked Zak. “To go pack my trunk,” said Lizzie. “Better call Aaron, Billy and Jay, tell them what’s up.” Zak nodded as Lizzie left the room.

Lizzie ascended the stairs of the house that she had moved into less than a year previously. Despite knowing Zak ever since she was sixteen - still a student at Hogwarts - they had maintained nothing more than a strong friendship for close to eleven years.

When Lizzie first met Zak she was in her sixth year at Hogwarts, thinking about how she was going to pass her N.E.W.Ts (or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), and looking forward to graduation. She had plans to attend college after leaving Hogwarts. By this point in her magical education, Lizzie had become quite the popular and promising student. She had a part time job at the popular pub the Three Broomsticks in the village of Hogsmeade, a large circle of friends, got near perfect grades, and her passion for riding horses had reignited after a tragic accident in her fourth year resulted in the death of her beloved horse, Raven, and she was appointed Captain of the Gryffindor equestrian team.

It all came to a screeching halt after she rejected the advances of a fellow Gryffindor Cormac McLaggen who had been runner up for Keeper during the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. Unable to handle this scalding rejection from Lizzie, Cormac set out on a brutal campaign to destroy Lizzie’s reputation, which culminated in one of the most emotionally traumatic events of Lizzie’s life.

Cormac and five of his friends had gang raped, and tortured Lizzie for over eight hours in the Gryffindor common room, branding her with cigarettes, forcing alcohol down her throat (though Lizzie almost never drank), and made her believe that she was going to die.

Lizzie was lucky to escape with her life, and though she had not passed her Apparition test, she packed her trunk, and Apparated out of the castle, out of Hogwarts, and out of England.

She ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada where she wandered the busy city strip for an hour before she finally ended up at Zak’s place.

It took a lot of coaxing, but after a gentle talking to, and a cup of good old English tea in her hands, Lizzie finally began to recall the horrifying details of her ordeal that she was lucky to survive from.

Zak then took Lizzie to the hospital where she was photographed and examined by doctors and nurses

As Lizzie began to pack her things in her old school trunk which had the initials E.S.B stamped on it in peeling letters, it was as if every item inside the dusty trunk, held some kind of memory: the scarlet with a gold jumping horse Capitan’s badge she used to wear when she was on the Gryffindor equestrian team, that after so many years, had become tarnished, and battered with age, the fake Horcrux locket that had taken place of the real one, An old photo album full of moving photographs of her and Raven, A torn letter from Oxford University offering Lizzie a full ride scholarship upon her graduation from Hogwarts, which was later revoked after stress from Cormac’s relentless harassment caused her grades to founder.

Her old school robes which were now three sizes too small, and had become frayed, Her team show coat, with the embroidered Gryffindor lion on the right side, faded and beginning to peel from the fabric, several gold buttons on the front and back of the coat were missing; a rolled up, tattered poster of the Ghost Adventures Crew that Zak had personally signed, A dusty copy of Training the Three-Day Horse and Rider, given to her by Professor Lupin during the early days of her equestrian career, and many other knick-knacks that had personal or sentimental value.

It seemed silly for Lizzie to keep everything, and she certainly wasn’t the hoarding type of person, but everything in her trunk had ties to when she was happy at Hogwarts, long before she met Cormac. She may not have actually been killed that night, but as she put it, “My life ended the day I met Cormac. He didn’t kill me, but he might as well have,”

As Lizzie continued to sort through her belongings, she came across a folded piece of paper. Upon reading its contents, Lizzie remembered it was an obituary that she had cut from the Daily Prophet, for her old Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who sadly passed away just after Lizzie dropped out of Hogwarts.

Lizzie had mixed feelings about Dumbledore. She thought he was a great person, but she did feel resentful, because when she went to him begging for protection against Cormac, Dumbledore turned her away, and never once took what she said seriously.

Now, as Lizzie re-read the obituary in her hands, she felt a large lump in her throat and her chest constrict. This whole time, she thought he had known Dumbledore relatively well, not a well as her best friend, Harry Potter did, certainly, but well enough. Now she had to come to the rather excruciating realization that she didn’t know the man at all. And this broke her heart.

Lizzie gazed over at her bedside table to her iPhone which was charging on the table. It had been many years since she and Harry had spoken. In fact, the last time they saw each other, was during the Battle at Hogwarts which led to the downfall of Lord Voldemort. They had promised each other that they would stay in touch, and they had, exchanging a handful of letters back and forward, but they hadn’t talked face to face for nearly ten years.

Harry had to be in his late twenties now, like Lizzie, and must have a family of his own, surely. She had received an invitation to his and Ginny Weasley’s wedding, and to their delight, Lizzie attended. It was a beautiful ceremony. She had also attended Hermione and Ron’s wedding as well.

Although happy for her friends, Lizzie couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of jealousy that she hadn’t taken the plunge herself. She had only been dating Zak for a few months, and he had given her a fair warning that the women in his life never stuck around due to the fact that Zak had more than one spirit attachment.

Though fifteen years his senior, Lizzie and Zak were closer than ever before. When they had first met, Lizzie had been nothing more than a fan of Zak’s. It seemed too good to be true that he would eventually want her to be his girlfriend.

Lizzie thought about this as she stared at her phone. She had Harry’s phone number, which they had exchanged after the Battle. She had Ron, and Hermione’s too. One phone call couldn’t hurt, Lizzie thought as she sat down on her bed, opened her phone with a special six-digit password, opened her contacts, and found Harry’s number. She touched it and held the phone to her ear.

The phone rang twice before a male voice answered. “Hello?” “Hi, Harry, it’s Lizzie,” said Lizzie. “Lizzie! Blimey! It’s been a while!” Said Harry. “Yeah, tell me about it, sorry it’s been so long, I’ve been - er - busy,” “Let me guess,” said Harry. “Investigating the paranormal? Locking yourself in haunted locations overnight?”

Lizzie smiled. “Yeah,” she said. “Professor McGonagall just sent me a letter. She wants me to investigate Hogwarts with Zak and the guys.” Harry sighed with amusement though Lizzie wasn’t fooled. Harry had been a skeptic when it came to ghosts and the paranormal for as long as they had been friends.

When Lizzie confided in Harry that she could see and talk to spirits, he said she was mad. Though Lizzie was not the type of person to make up stories for the sole purpose of getting attention, there was no persuading her friend. Hermione gave a similar reaction, and Ron however was immensely intrigued.

“Harry, I don’t know, I told Zak I’d go, but…” “You’re having second thoughts?” Asked Harry. Lizzie sighed. “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t know, there’s just something weird about going. The last time I was there - sorry - the last time we were there….” Her voice died in her throat, but Harry seemed to get it.

“But it’s not just that is it?” Asked Harry. This was really a testament as to how much of a bond Harry had with Lizzie. When they were at Hogwarts together, Harry had this uncanny ability to tell when Lizzie was holding back her feelings or when she was lying about something. Perhaps it was in her facial expressions that gave her away, and if it was, Lizzie never noticed, but somehow Harry still could tell when she wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“It’s about what Cormac did to you isn’t it?” Asked Harry. Lizzie was quiet on the other line. “You know you could always ask for an apology,” “Sorry doesn’t pay the bills, Harry,” said Lizzie, her voice bitter and full of icy resentment. “And it sure as hell doesn’t undo what that bastard and his friends did to me. D-do you know that I can’t have children because of what he did?’

“I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry, Lizzie,” said Harry, his tone was quiet, gentle and full of sympathy. “But I get it, you’re still angry that no one helped you.” “And it’s not like I never asked!” Said Lizzie. “I went to Dumbledore so many times! I begged for him to help me!” “I know you did, Liz,” said Harry gently.

“But on a side note, I got a new horse,” said Lizzie, changing the subject abruptly. “Did you?” Asked Harry. “What’s his name?” “Her name,” said Lizzie. “Is Midnight,” “A mare?” Asked Harry laughing. “You got a mare?” “Why so surprised?” Asked Lizzie, smiling. “I don’t know,’’ said Harry. “It’s just - when we were at Hogwarts you always seemed to gravitate towards the male school horses. Is she - hard to handle? I mean does she give you attitude sometimes?” “Yeah, she really decided to play up just the other day,” said Lizzie. “But?” asked Harry. “Ehh, I was able to get her under control,” said Lizzie.

“I think at the end of the day, she has a hard time coping with her own trauma.” “Was Midnight abused?” Asked Harry, sounding worried. “Oh, my gosh! Yes! Horribly!” Said Lizzie. “Her mouth was all torn up when I first met her because her previous owner used to wrap barbed wire around the bit, and force it into her mouth. He called it ‘training”’ said Lizzie bitterly.

Harry sighed. “Well, now she has you,” he said. “Yep, and she’s doing so much better,” said Lizzie. “Good,” said Harry. Lizzie heard a knock on the door as she looked up and saw Zak standing in the doorway. “Um, I gotta go, I’ll call you later, before we get on the train,”

“Okay,” said Harry. “And Lizzie?” “Yeah?” Asked Lizzie. “I love you, you know that right?” Lizzie smiled. “I love you too,” she said as she hung up the phone.

“Harry?” Asked Zak. “Mm-hmm,’’ said Lizzie. Zak walked into the room, and sat on the bed next to Lizzie and kissed her on the cheek. “Nearly done packing?” Asked Zak. “Halfway,” said Lizzie.

Zak reached into Lizzie’s still open trunk, took out a bundle wrapped in a silk scarf, and unwrapped it.

Into his hand fell a single steel horseshoe. But there was also something wrapped in plastic inside the silk scarf as well. Zak felt inside the silky bundle and pulled out a tiny plastic bag, which inside contained a single lock of jet black hair. Zak could tell immediately that the hair inside the bag was horse hair. And he didn’t have to ask Lizzie who the shoe or the hair belonged to.

“Hagrid gave that to me after Raven died,” said Lizzie. “He knew how much Raven meant to me,” Zak smiled.

“I called, Aaron, Billy and Jay, and they agreed to come to Hogwarts. Dakota’s agreed to come too, but I can’t think for the life of me how we plan on getting there,” said Zak. “What do you mean?” Asked Lizzie. “I don’t - fly anymore,” said Zak. “Oh, no worries!” Said Lizzie. “We’ll Apparate to Kings Cross in London, then, we can take the Hogwarts Express from there!” Said Lizzie.

“Okay, I guess,” said Zak.

They continued to clean out Lizzie’s trunk sorting out the rubbish, the sentimental trinkets, and the robes that they could donate to secondhand shops in Diagon Alley. After she finished cleaning out her trunk, she began to pack it full of things she planned on taking with her.

She included two pairs of riding breeches, her tall riding boots and gloves and her Charles Owen riding helmet. Then she packed her casual clothes, her wand, and the equipment she would be using during their investigation. She even took some of her old spell books (the ones that were still in good condition), and even texted Hermione asking her how to make Essence of Dittany, and other potions that could come in handy whilst on their trip. She also took her 357 handgun just in case.

Just as they were finishing up, Zak heard a tap, tap, tap! noise on the window and was surprised to see a large barn owl clutching a yellow envelope in its talons.

Lizzie scrambled to her feet, and opened the window, removed the screen, and the owl hopped onto the sill, as Lizzie carefully took the package from the owl, as it ruffled its feathers, turned and took flight. Even after all these years, Lizzie still continued to receive mail by ‘owl post’.

A quick look at the return address told her it was from Harry. Lizzie tore the envelope and inside was a piece of parchment folded intricately in different directions, yet it appeared to be blank. There was a note there too.

Lizzie,

I duplicated the Marauder’s Map, and sent you a copy. I thought you may find it useful during your investigation. You remember how to use it, but you may need to teach Zak. Just remember to tell him how to wipe it clean so no one can read it.

Much love and luck

Harry.

Lizzie smiled with excitement. “Is that from Harry?” Asked Zak. “Yeah, he sent me a copy of the Marauder’s Map,” said Lizzie. “What’s that?” Asked Zak. “A magical map of Hogwarts,” said Lizzie. “It belongs to Harry, but he duplicated it for me so we could use it during our investigation.”

“How does it work?” Asked Zak. “Looks like a blank piece of paper.”

Lizzie smiled as she picked up her wand from her bedside table, and tapped the parchment with it. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” said Lizzie clearly. Ink lines snaked across the parchment, forming words, and lines. After a moment the surface of the parchment that had been blank only moments ago, now bore the words:

Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, are proud to present

The Marauder’s Map.

Zak’s blue eyes widened in awe, as Lizzie unfolded the parchment, showing the inside of the map. It looked a lot like interior plans for a house. And there were moving footprints in countless areas of the map, each marked with a name, and moving in various directions.

“Holy shit!” Zak gasped. Lizzie smiled. “Mm-hmm,” she said. “And…This is Hogwarts?” Asked Zak. “Yep!” Said Lizzie, feeling a strong sense of pride and satisfaction at her boyfriend’s awed look. “Every square inch of it!” “That’s awesome!” Said Zak. “Right?” Asked Lizzie, giggling. “I reckon we can map our our x cameras on here,” “Lizzie,” said Zak, holding Lizzie’s face in his hands, and kissing her. “You’re a genius,”

Lizzie smiled. “I do have to make a few stops before we go to Kings Cross to catch the train,” “Where to?” Asked Zak. “I want to stop in Diagon Alley, to a secondhand robes shop, and donate my old school robes, and Gringotts, to get some money out of my account,’’ said Lizzie.

“Ah,” said Zak. Lizzie tapped the Marauder’s Map with her wand again. “Mischief Managed,” she said, tapping the map, and it was instantly erased, looking blank once more.

#my fanfiction #Ghost Adventures #crossover fanfiction #Harry Potter crossover

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frickfrackjimin · 6 years

Text

The Right Reasons - 01

⇻ 2 years ago, Jay Park left you in the dust when he chose another girl over you during the season 14 finale of the Bachelor. Now, it’s your turn to find a chance at love as the new Bachelorette. Pairing: OT7 BTS x reader (ft. members of Monsta X, Seventeen, and NCT 127 bc why not include all of the groups I stan) Genre: fluff, future angst, lowkey crack/humor (this is a kpop fic version of the cringiest show on television cmon now) Words: 8.1K Inspired by: The Bachelorette! I’ve been watching since Kaitlyn’s season and once Becca’s season started I got the inspo to write this! Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, slight language, guys being assholes (don’t take the way I portray any of them to heart, it’s simply for the plot of the story!), super cringe bc this is based on shitty reality TV anyways!!! sorry no interviews or intel on the guys… unless i decide to switch it up a bit towards the end ;-) we shall see)

Start of Week 1:

Chae, Hyungwon (aged 28, 5’ 11”, College Professor, Hometown: Gwangju)

Choi, Sungcheol (aged 26, 5’ 10”, IT Consultant, Hometown: Daegu)

Hong, Joshua (aged 26, 5’ 10”, Pastry Chef, Hometown: Los Angeles)

Im, Changkyun (aged 26, 5’ 9”, Marketing Consultant, Hometown: Gwangju)

Jeon, Jeongguk (aged 24, 5’ 10”, Wedding Videographer, Hometown: Busan)

Jeon, Wonwoo (aged 25, 6’ 0”, Software Engineer, Hometown: Gyeongsangnam-do)

Jung, Hoseok (aged 28, 5’ 10”, Journalist, Hometown: Gwangju)

Jung, Jaehyun (aged 25, 5’ 11”, Realtor, Hometown: Seoul)

Kim, Mingyu (aged 24/25, 6’ 2”, Chiropractor, Hometown: Gyeonggi-do)

Kim, Namjoon (aged 27, 5’ 11”, Pharmacy Technician, Hometown: Ilsan)

Kim, Seokjin (aged 29, 5’ 10.5”, Physical Therapist, Hometown: Gwacheon)

Kim, Taehyung (aged 26, 5’ 10”, Music Producer, Hometown: Daegu)

Kwon, Soonyoung (aged 25, 5’ 10”, Executive Assistant, Hometown: Gyeonggi-do)

Lee, Jooheon (aged 27, 5’ 10”, Graphic Designer, Hometown: Seoul)

Lee, Minhyuk (aged 28, 5’ 10”, Sales Rep, Hometown: Gwangju)

Lee, Seokmin (aged 25, 5’ 10.5”, Creative Director, Hometown: Gyeonggi-do)

Lee, Taeyong (aged 26, 5’ 9”, Sales Account Executive, Hometown: Seoul)

Min, Yoongi (aged 29, 5’ 8.5”, Professional Pianist, Hometown: Daegu)

Moon, Taeil (aged 27, 5’ 7”, Attorney, Hometown: Seoul)

Park, Jimin (aged 26, 5’ 8.5”, Social Media Coordinator, Hometown: Busan)

Seo, Johnny (aged 27, 6’ 0”, Translator, Hometown: Chicago)

Shin, Hoseok (Wonho) (aged 30, 5’ 10”, Fitness Coach, Hometown: Anyang)

Sohn, Hyunwoo (aged 29, 5’ 11”, Mechanic, Hometown: Changdong)

Yoo, Kihyun (aged 28, 5’ 9”, Dental Assistant, Hometown: Ilsan)

Yoon, Jeonghan (aged 26, 5’ 10”, Research Assistant, Hometown: Hwaseong)

Week 1:

The last time you felt this nervous was the night you first met Jay Park.

It was a year and a half ago. You had been invited by the producers of the Bachelor to participate in season 14.

Originally, you had no idea who the Bachelor was supposed to be. About a week before you began filming, you found out it was going to be Jay and your nerves went tenfold.

You had watched him on Jisoo’s season of the Bachelorette the year prior. He had been one of your favorites, but got eliminated after hometowns when Jisoo sent him home to pursue her relationships with the other guys.

Though you were nervous, you tried to not let them show when you got out of the limo. Walking up to him in front of the mansion, you had let all of your anxieties go as you decided to go for the corniest pick up line out there.

“Um, so I think we might need to call the cops tonight,” you had said with a serious face.

“What? Why?” Jay asked back, a concerned look spreading across his face.

“Because it’s illegal for you to look that good.”

That had made him laugh. You patted yourself on the back for making a good first impression, which continued as your relationship progressed throughout the next few weeks.

Before you could even realize it, you had fallen in love with him. So, so in love with him.

Everything he did made you feel so special; he was a gentleman, he listened to you when you opened up to him, and the conversations you had on and off camera were great in your eyes.

Apparently they weren’t that good to him though, since he chose the other girl, Nayeon, over you in the end.

Oh, but the best part was getting to re-watch you get rejected by Jay on television three months later, and watching him propose to Nayeon instead and seeing how happy they were. Yeah, that was just the cherry on top.

Even then, you still couldn’t bring yourself to hate the girl. She had been nothing but sweet to you all season, and it’s not like you could help that you both fell in love with the same guy - you knew that was a risk you had to take when you agreed to go on the show.

Still, you had taken a year off to mend your broken heart, focusing on loving yourself and spending a lot of time with your friends and family.

You also spent a lot of time continuing your work as a travel nurse. You visited numerous cities in the United States, as well as in Thailand and Vietnam, lending your services where they were necessary.

Now, you had time off and wanted to spend that time trying to look for love again. When the producers of the Bachelorette approached you and asked if you wanted to be the next Bachelorette, there was no way that you could say no.

You were ready for a second chance at finding love. This time, you had a good feeling that it would be a success and you’d be walking away with a ring on your finger and your arm around a man who loved you just as much as you loved him.

The season would feature 25 men all fighting for a chance to fall in love with you.

Now in the limo, you can see the front gates of the mansion in the distance. That mansion housed you and dozens of other girls before.

In that mansion, you experienced cocktail parties, emotional rose ceremonies, and went through plenty of drama between the contestants.

Now, it would be occupied by twenty-five of your own suitors. The role reversal would take some getting used to, but you were ultimately excited.

The limo came to a halt, making you shake your head briefly out of your thoughts. You smoothed down the front of your navy blue gown - one covered in sequin beading from head to toe with spaghetti straps and an open back.

Your producer, Chan, had said it made you look like you were red carpet ready, not about to meet twenty five men who probably would never meet your high expectations.

That was the goal though; you knew that if you looked good, you’d feel good too, and hopefully that would give you good judgment on the men tonight.

Stepping a silver heel ounto the stone driveway, you are met with the dimmed lighting of the infamous Bachelor Nation mansion, as well as the face of the show’s long-time host Bang Sihyuk.

After your typical greetings you needed to do for the sake of the camera, Bang walks into the house to await the other men.

Now it’s just you, left alone with your thoughts while waiting for the first limo to pull into the driveway. You can feel the cameras on you from their multiple positions on the driveway.

Some are already in the house, waiting to begin filming the cocktail party and rose ceremony later in the evening.

‘Just remember that they’re all here for you,’ you thought to yourself. ‘You have nothing to worry about, they’re the ones that have to impress you. You just need to be yourself. Everything will be fine.’

The first man to step out of the limo is gorgeous.

His hair is dyed a faded red color, the smile lighting up his face automatically makes your heart flutter. Taking a moment to button his suit jacket that fits him oh so well, you take notice of the black sticks in his hands.

You smile grows wider as he approaches you, arms automatically spreading out for a hug which you are more than happy to return.

“You look absolutely beautiful tonight! Like, wow, I can’t even believe it,” he praises, practically gawking at you but it doesn’t make you uncomfortable; if anything, it’s flattering.

“You look very handsome as well!” you compliment back, being 100% truthful.

“So my name is Hoseok, and if I’m right, I’m the first one here?”

“You would be correct,” you flirt back.

“Well then, I guess it’s only appropriate that we break these bad boys out,” he states, handing you one of the black sticks.

“What is this?” you ask, turning the stick around curiously in your hands.

“I think it’s time that we get the party started!” he exclaims, before pushing at the bottom of his stick. A loud pop sound came from the stick as confetti flew all over the two of you. You screech a bit, both in shock and out of giddiness.

“I guess it’s my turn now?” you giggle, pushing at the bottom of your stick as the other party popper explodes, numerous colors of shimmery paper flying around the two of you.

Letting out cheers of awe at the colors around you, you turn back to face Hoseok, your cheeks hurting already from smiling so much.

“That was definitely a good way to get the party started!” you cheer. “It was so nice getting to meet you Hoseok, I’ll definitely find you inside later!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” he smiles, going in for another hug that you gladly accept.

He gives you one last dazzling smile before turning and walking back into the mansion.

You watch him as he walks away, admiring the fit of his suit and thinking about what an amazing first meeting you had.

‘If the rest are like him, I’m screwed,’ you thought to yourself before turning back around.

The staff quickly came by and sweeped up the rest of the confetti before the next man stepped out of the limo.

The second man was tall and named Johnny, with wavy brown hair and a sweet smile.

The man after him had with milky white skin and surprisingly dyed mint green hair.

He seemed really shy when he told you that his name was Yoongi, and that he looked forward to getting to know you more.

He had quite the mysterious aura about him, which intrigued you. You made a mental note to try to break him out of his shell tonight during the cocktail party.

Three more men followed out of the limo, going by the names of Jeonghan, Joshua, and Hyungwon.

Jeonghan had a cute smile and laugh, Joshua had pink dyed hair with flustered red cheeks, and Hyungwon was tall and lanky with full lips.

Expecting a limo to pull up after Hyungwon entered the house, you are surprised when you instead heard the sound of a high pitched horn.

Looking towards the gate, you saw a man riding in on a bright pink electric scooter, scarily similar to a Jet X from your favorite childhood show, Zoey 101.

“Oh my gosh!” You exclaimed, laughter pouring out of your mouth before you could stop yourself.

He pulls up to a stop right in front of you, taking off his helmet and shaking his hair out.

“Are you ready?” he asks in a high pitched voice.

You’re cracking up at this point, but manage to utter out an, “Ooh!” to finish off the intro he had started.

The man walks up to you and embraces you in a light hug before grabbing your hands in his. His boxy smile is taking over his face as he begins to speak.

“So, I heard through the grapevine that you loved Zoey 101 as a kid, and I know you see me standing here, and I just had to let you know that you look good, my dear,” he says, theme song puns dropping from his tongue. It’s almost cringey, but he manages to pull it off.

“Well, I would love for you to see my world if it means I get to take a spin on this Jet X later,” you chuckle.

“That can definitely be arranged. My name is Taehyung, by the way.”

You almost miss his name, finally getting a good look at his face without being overtaken by laughter from the theme of his entrance.

His dark brown hair fell into his eyes a little, hitting the tops of his long eyelashes. He wasn’t wearing a tie, but he didn’t seem like he really needed one to look formal.

“It is very nice to meet you Taehyung,” you say, gripping his hands a bit tighter before he lets go.

“I hope to get to talk to you more inside later, maybe over some Blix and Sushi Rox,” he smiles.

“I would really like that.”

As he walks into the house, you follow him with your eyes. He turns around before entering the house and sings out, “Yeaaaah, yeah, yeaaaaah!” which makes you laugh as hard as it did the first time.

You can’t wipe the smile off of your face as the next limo pops up, greeting you with five more attractive suitors.

Mingyu was tall with a lean figure and light brown hair.

Wonho had soft eyes and his suit was threatening to burst at the seams from how muscular he was.

Jimin was small in stature but had a sweet smile that turned his eyes into crescent moons.

Jaehyun had a long nose and dimples.

Kihyun was adorable and just kept repeating how nervous he was, which was more endearing than off-putting.

As soon as the empty limo turned back onto the street, you heard wheels rolling against the driveway, signaling a new arrival. This time it was not a limo yet again.

A blur of a dark green suit jacket and black trousers passes your vision as the man rides a skateboard around on the stone driveway.

Your nerves are a bit on edge watching him, since the pavement was so uneven and he could fall at any moment.

The man does a few flip tricks on the skateboard, which would impress you if you weren’t so worried for his safety.

He does one final trick, flipping into a handstand on his skateboard, before flipping forward and landing right in front of you.

“Wow!” you exclaim because you really are at a loss for words.

“I’m Jooheon, nice to meet you,” he smiles, leaning in and wrapping his arms around you lightly.

“It’s nice to meet you too… wow I’m sorry, I’m still in shock from that entrance,” you stuttered out.

He chuckled. “I’ve been skateboarding since I was ten, it’s just a hobby but I figured it’d make a cool entrance.”

“Well, it was definitely cool, I was so worried you would fall though!” you laughed even though it wasn’t that funny.

“I honestly was worried too! I promise I’ll stick to my feet for the rest of the night.”

“I think that’s for the best,” you laugh.

The next few guys were strange and quirky in their own sense too.

The first man to step out of the next limousine, Namjoon, was adorable in every sense. He had the deepest dimples you had ever seen and tripped on his way up.

You felt bad for trying to contain a laugh, but he immediately began laughing at himself, stating that stuff like that happens to him all of the time. His clutziness was charming.

The next man, Seungcheol, came out with something that resembled a large egg in his arm.

You were hoping that it was something other than an egg, but you were proven wrong when he explained that he wants to be able to take care of you and be a good husband and future father.

To prove this, he would take care of the ostrich egg in his arms for the entire time he is in the competition.

You wanted to be polite, but you were a bit creeped out.

Thankfully, the next few guys were more normal.

Seokjin was the definition of handsome, with broad shoulders and thick lips.

Changkyun had one of the deepest voices you had ever heard and a somewhat serious aura to him.

Wonwoo had narrow, sultry eyes but a contradicting pleasant smile.

Taeyong looked like he was straight out of an anime with sharp features but a soft presence.

With the weird things that had happened so far that night, you shouldn’t have been surprised that someone showed up in a costume. That still didn’t stop the laughter from the surprise that came from seeing a man hop up the driveway in a gigantic grey bunny suit.

“Y/N!!!” he yells from the foot of the driveway as you continue to rumble in laughter at the sight.

Stepping in front of you, he grabs your hands with his fur covered ones.

“So, my name is Jeongguk, I’ve been told by my friends that I look like a bunny and I’m hoping to hop my way into your heart.”

You want to cringe at how bad that line was, but the red on his cheeks and his big doe eyes made you change your comment to, “Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

The final limousine pulls up after Jeongguk enters the mansion, and you ready yourself for the last group of guys to exit the limousine.

The first man, Hyunwoo, had soft features and was very reserved, but sweet nonetheless.

Minhyuk was a big ball of sunshine and his nose scrunched a bit when he smiled.

Seokmin had the brightest smile you had ever seen on someone and you felt immediately comfortable in his presence.

Taeil had a soothing voice and fluffy hair that you just wanted to run your hands through.

As Taeil walked through the door, you thought that all of the guys had arrived. However, your producers proved you wrong when they asked you to stand back a bit on the driveway, closer to the house so the final man could make his arrival.

You were confused, but soon felt the wind pick up around you. Staring up into the night sky, you see the outline of a helicopter as it begins to descend down towards you.

“Oh my gosh!” you scream over the loud sound of the rotor blades. A guy was actually making an entrance on a helicopter?!

You can see some of the other guys in the house peeking out through the fence and even through the front door, observing the source of the loud noises outside.

Once the helicopter touches down and the blades slow to a stop, a man steps out of the rotorcraft. He is clad in black from head to toe, down to his black hair that is gelled back away from his face. He buttons his suit jacket before beginning to walk towards you.

“Figured that we had better save the best for last,” he starts, a quirky smile appearing on his face. “Hi, I’m Soonyoung.”

He envelopes you in a hug before leaning back.

“Well, that was definitely extravagant, Soonyoung,” you chortle.

“The view from up there was amazing, but I think the view I have right here in front of me is better,” he flirts.

You blush a bit, simply replying back, “Very smooth.”

After Soonyoung enters the house, you take a minute with your producers to touch up your hair and makeup, eat a granola bar, and stick a mint in your mouth.

With a full stomach and a fresh coat of lipstick, you enter the house to begin the first of many conversations throughout the night.

Once you arrive in the house, all of the men are ushered into the dining room for the official season photo.

They are lined up in three rows, with you being in the very bottom row in the middle. After about thirty minutes of taking photos and touching up, you make your official on-camera walk out to greet all of the men.

Entering the living room, all of they immediately start applauding you, all standing up from their seats and moving a bit closer.

You blush at the sudden onslaught of attention your way, but had to remind yourself that you would probably have to get used to it.

Namjoon approaches your side, holding out a glass of white wine. You thank him and grasp the stem of the glass between your fingers before turning to the rest of the room.

“Thank you all for being here tonight, I’m so happy to have met all of you, and I hope to get to know you all more throughout the night,” you pause a second, raising your glass. “So, here’s to a great first night, and to a great season, and to finding love!”

The men cheer at that as all of you taking sips from your glasses varying in liquors and spirits.

You feel a tap on your shoulder, turning to see Seokmin’s smiling face.

“Mind if I steal you for a bit?” he asks.

“Of course you can,” you respond, preparing yourself for a long night full of many, many conversations.

A few people into the night, you’re walking on the patio after finishing up conversation with Jeongguk - who had taken off his bunny costume once he got in the house and was instead wearing a maroon and black striped suit with a maroon button up shirt.

Immediately after he enters the living room through the large french doors, Jaehyun is taking you back to a sofa on the patio for his conversation of the night.

“So Jaehyun, what do you do for a living?” you ask, figuring it was a good starting point.

“I’m a realtor in Seoul,” he explains. “I’m normally situated near Gangnam.”

“Oh, that’s not too far from here, is it? Did you not have to travel far to be here?”

“Not really, I work a lot from home too. It’s nice when you make enough of a living that you don’t need to really work full-time.”

Something about his mention of his wealth was a bit off putting, but you brushed it off as him being proud of his success. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your work.

You should know, you could talk about your relationships with some of your patients for hours.

“Although, it’s actually pretty funny. The other week, your ex contacted my company for a realtor because he wanted to buy an apartment somewhere. They sent me out there, and when I saw it was him and that girl he picked over you, I could immediately tell that he had awful taste because the girl he picked was definitely not as pretty and nice as you.”

That rubbed you the wrong way. Even though you know you and Nayeon will never be friends, hearing her being talked down on by someone that doesn’t really know her doesn’t sit well with you.

“Nayeon’s actually really nice, I never had a problem with her, even now,” you assert defensively.

“Okay, well, I’m just saying, I think I got the better end of the deal” Jaehyun shrugs.

That was the final straw for you. You were so consumed by rage for this arrogant man, you don’t even think you could wait for the rose ceremony to send him home.

However, for the sake of not wanting to seem like a psycho bachelorette on the first night of the show, you withheld from screaming at him to get the hell out.

“You can think whatever you want, even if it’s rude and arrogant,” you chime back at him, standing up. “I need to go to the restroom. Thank you for speaking with me. It was really eye opening.”

You stand up, abandoning your now empty glass of wine behind with Jaehyun as you enter the house and head straight towards the restroom.

The cameramen are right on your trail, having caught the entire exchange on camera.

You locked the door behind you, effectively shutting out the cameras before slumping against the door. Resisting the urge to run your hands over your face, you take a minute to collect yourself.

Being reminded of Jay was not something that you wanted to happen tonight.

Of course, maybe a subtle comment here and there could be expected, but when Jaehyun came right out and insulted not just Jay but Nayeon as well, you were shocked and really upset that he would do such a thing.

Exiting the bathroom, you begin to make your way back to the living room to find another man to talk to. A hand lightly grabs your arm on your way back, letting go when you turn to look at him.

Taehyung gives you a sheepish smile. “Can I steal you for a bit?”

You breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of him. “Depends, am I going to get a ride on that Jet X now?”

His deep voice lets out a breathy laugh. “Not tonight, but I do have something else planned I think you’ll like.”

“Then lead the way,” you hold your hand out to him, allowing him to clasp it in his own as you make your way out to a different part of the patio.

It’s more secluded than the previous place you had been conversing, with a loveseat rather than a couch as the choice of seating. You know that the cameramen are following you without even looking.

“You looked a bit down earlier, are you okay? Are you just feeling tired? I know it’s been a long night and it’s not even halfway over yet,” he chuckles, adding some lighthearted humor to his concern.

“I wouldn’t say I’m tired per say, however I will be sleeping very well at the end of the night,” you smile. “Just a little off put by some people here is all.”

“I hope I’m not one of them.”

“No, Taehyung, you’re not,” you assure him, placing your hand on his knee.

“Well that’s good, because I actually wrote something for you.”

He reaches behind the loveseat, pulling out an acoustic guitar. How he managed to hide that without you seeing is beyond you, but it brings a smile to your face.

“I wrote this a few days ago when I was supposed to be packing,” he says quietly. “It’s not finished, but I hope you like it.”

He tunes a few of the strings before he begins to strum different chords. When he opens his mouth to begin singing, your mouth drops open a bit.

His voice sounds like silk, or milk chocolate, or something else that is comforting that you can’t think of.

The extremely deep tone in his voice brings a calming sense over you.

He manages to hit high notes with little problem, impressing you even further.

You find yourself wishing he had prepared more of the song when he strums his last chord, just so you could listen a bit longer.

“You really wrote that, Taehyung?”

He blushes. “Yeah. I’m a music producer so it’s like second nature to me to write about what I’m feeling. I was excited but nervous to begin this journey, you know? I also saw on TV how pretty and genuine and sweet you were, and I really wanted to make a good impression on you.”

You smile sweetly at him. “I think you’re doing a great job at that.”

Mingyu comes over at that time, asking if he can have some time to chat with you.

You of course can’t say no, as much as you wish you had more time to talk with Taehyung.

You both stand up, giving him a hug as he heads back into the house. Mingyu takes a seat next to you, and you try to focus your attention back on him.

“So my team’s research is basically on how certain particles in the atmosphere interact with each other in different climates that they may not normally be found in. With all of the issues with global warming and pollution, it’s really cool and important because-”

Jeonghan had sat down across from you about two minutes ago, and in that time you’ve found out that he is currently getting his Master’s Degree in agricultural and biological engineering.

He was a research assistant in a lab at the local university. You were a little lost on what he was talking about, because even though you had to take numerous science classes when getting your nursing degree, you never enjoyed that part of it.

You preferred the clinical rounds and the on-hand experience rather than taking microbiology or anatomy and physiology.

“Hey man, mind if I steal her for a bit?”

You look up to see Taeil standing over the pair of you, Jeonghan’s rambling about his research coming to a halt.

“I literally just sat down.”

“I know, I was just wondering if I could have some time to talk to Y/N.”

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes a bit at Taeil before admitting defeat and standing up.

“It was great getting to talk to you, Y/N, no matter how short our time was,” Jeonghan says, shooting a glare at Taeil as he walks away and Taeil takes his spot.

Trying to find the right time to interrupt a conversation is always uncomfortable, no matter what side you are on. You feel for Jeonghan, but you are also a bit thankful for Taeil swooping in and interrupting.

That is, until he begins talking as well.

As soon as you find out he’s an attorney, you have to refrain from rolling your eyes.

Your uncle is an attorney, and whenever he’s not working (which is rare) he is always talking down on you, thinking he’s better because he is certified to be a professional arguer.

You haven’t had the greatest of experiences with them in the past, but you wanted to give Taeil the benefit of the doubt.

However, after conversing with him for a solid ten minutes, and him asking you to expand on your answers at least three times, you felt like your head was about to explode.

Thankfully, another man came by right when you were about to excuse yourself.

You breathed a sigh of relief when looking upon the face of Seokjin.

Taeil thanked you for speaking with him before he got up and Seokjin took his place.

“So how’s your night been?” he asks, taking a sip of his red wine.

Gulping down a sip of your own white wine spritzer, you nod at him while replying with, “It’s been good! I’ve had a lot of great conversations.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed you’ve had a lot of conversations. Have you been able to eat anything yet?” he asks, concern laced across his features.

“I had a granola bar before I came in the house a while ago, but I’ll be okay until the end of the night,” you assure him.

He clicks his tongue at you. “You need to take care of yourself. They have all of this food catered for us in the kitchen, yet the beautiful woman we’re all here for gets nothing? I just don’t understand. That’s why I brought you this.”

It’s then that you notice the plate of food in his hand. It’s mostly desserts; two brownies, some chocolate covered strawberries, and a rice krispie treat.

Your mouth salivates a bit and your stomach lets out an embarrassing grumble of hunger at the sight.

You widen your eyes at him, being caught in your fib.

(A/N: CAUGHT IN A LIIIIIIEEEEEEEE)

He pushes the plate into your lap, and you accept it gratefully. “You’re a lifesaver, Seokjin. Thank you.”

It was really sweet of Seokjin to bring you a plate of food, even though he could have easily forgone it. It shows that he does genuinely care about your well being and making sure that you are well fed and not just surviving the night on wine spritzers and a granola bar.

“Any time. I couldn’t let all of the men pig out while you sat out here starving until morning.”

“I’ll only eat some if you have a brownie too, and tell me some more about yourself,” you offer.

“Deal. What would you like to know?” he asks before taking a bite out of one of the brownies on the plate.

Your chat ensued from there, the topic of his profession as a physical therapist and yours as a nurse paving the way for a good conversation. One that was cut short once again as Taeyong came to begin his conversation with you.

“Thank you again for the food, it was delicious, and I really appreciate it,” you say, standing up with Seokjin.

“Like I said before, any time. I enjoyed our conversation.”

You and Seokjin embrace in a lingering hug before he walks away, and Taeyong is grabbing your hand to walk with you to another place to chat.

Thankfully, there were only a handful of guys to talk to after your conversation with Taeyong.

That still didn’t mean much, considering it was nearly 1:00 in the morning and you still had to do your interviews and figure out who to send home during the rose ceremony.

Another thing on your mind was who to give the first impression rose to.

Sitting in one of the lounges with your producers, you snack on some carrot sticks while sorting through all of the photos of your suitors.

If anyone caught this on tape and it was shown on TV, no doubt the fans would get mad.

How were you, in all seriousness, really supposed to remember the names of twenty five people that you just met that day?

That’s like asking to memorize the names and faces of every member of Twice, Girls Generation, and Apink in one day. It’s impossible.

“Anyone in particular make a bad impression that you want to send home?” Chan asks.

“A few of them, actually. Which surprises me, I figured it’d be harder to try to figure out who to send home. There were a few who were rude or I just didn’t feel a connection with, I feel like this elimination is going to be the easiest,” you admit.

“That’s how it normally is. The smaller the pool and the more the relationships grow, the harder it gets.”

Setting aside the pile of those you would send home tonight, you turn back to your pile of those you want to stay.

“Now, who to give the first impression rose to is hard. A lot of them made great conversation, and a lot of them had great entrances. Soonyoung came in on a helicopter, I’m pretty sure that made a big first impression.” Chan laughs at that.

“However, Kihyun made me laugh so hard I nearly had wine coming out of my nose, and Johnny and I had a deep conversation for it only being the first night. I could honestly give it to either of them.”

“What about Seokjin? Didn’t he bring you food halfway through the night? That was really sweet of him, and actually normal compared to some of the weird shit the other guys pulled” Chan questions.

You laugh at that, remembering how Minhyuk had brought an electronic massager to use on your back that just tickled you instead.

And how Joshua had attempted to juggle three bottles of water and ended up spilling all over himself and the couch.

“Yeah he did,” you respond, scanning the pictures and landing on Seokjin’s.

His shoulders are so broad that they had to zoom the camera out a bit on his picture, making a small smile appear on your face.

Your eyes continue to wander through the headshots, before lingering on a specific one.

You glanced at Chan through your peripherals, glancing at this man’s headshot.

You don’t even try to contain your smile as you reminisce on his humor and quirkiness and his handsome smile.

“I know who to give the rose to.”

Stepping out of the lounge, you make your way into the living room.

Most of the men are congregated in different areas of the room; some on the couch, others in chairs, some lingering in the door frames.

All eyes turn to you as you enter the room, those in the hallways coming to stand in the living room. Everyone looks thoroughly tired, being that it’s nearly 2 in the morning by the time you did your interviews and made your decisions.

You reach toward the single rose that is sitting on a tray in the middle of the coffee table.

You remember being on their side not too long ago; having that rose stare at you, almost tauntingly, for hours on end as you sat through the first night, wondering if you would be the one that got the rose.

First impressions mean a lot, and most that receive the first impression rose stay until at least the final four.

Whispers break out among the men as you fumble with the rose between your fingers.

“It’s a big moment! You hear Joshua say to Hyungwon on your side.

“Indeed it is!” you respond, making them laugh at the embarrassment of being heard.

Taking a deep breath, you lock eyes with him and shyly ask, “Taehyung, can you come with me for a second?”

His eyes widen in surprise for a moment, before a ginormous smile makes its way onto Taehyung’s face as he stands up. “Of course.”

You grab onto his hand as he approaches you, turning around and walking to a more secluded area of the house.

You can already hear the sighs of disappointment and side comments begin to stir up in the living room from the response of your decision. You tune out the background noise and lead him to the parlour, sitting in front of the fireplace.

You look at him, blushing when you realize his smile hasn’t faded.

“So, Taehyung,” you begin.

“Tonight started off by you coming in on my dream vehicle, a hot pink Jet X, just like my childhood idol, Zoey Brooks.” you both laugh at that.

“The fact that you took the time to look into the things I like just to make a grand entrance already meant a lot. Then you catch me right after a not-so-great conversation and manage to make my mood do a complete 180 just from a smile. That song that you sang tonight was absolutely beautiful, I never wanted to stop listening to it. I loved every second I spent with you tonight, and I never felt a lull in conversation at any point. You made me feel completely comfortable from the moment we met. So, Taehyung, will you accept this rose?”

Taehyung’s eyes squeeze shut in happiness, opening them back up and saying, “Yes! Absolutely!” with uncontained laughs leaving his mouth.

You both stand up, smiles adorning your faces, as you pin the red rose to his right lapel on his suit jacket.

“It looks good on you,” you flirt, tilting the rose a bit before reaching your arms around his neck in a hug.

He wraps his arms around your waist so tight you think you might snap.

You decided to be bold and kiss his cheek when you pull back, only he had the same idea and ended up kissing your cheek as well. You both release a string of giggles.

“Great minds think alike,” Taehyung proclaims.

“Let’s see if that’s true now,” you softly speak back, leaning your head in towards his.

He meets you halfway down, his lips placing themselves on yours gently, as if asking if what he is doing is okay.

You pull back briefly, only to move back in for another kiss.

This time, Taehyung is less hesitant, placing his lips more firmly against yours for a few seconds.

His lips felt as soft as they looked; the taste of Coca-Cola on his lips surprises you, since you could have sworn he had been drinking bourbon that night.

You peck his lips one last time before pulling away from him and out of his arms. “I thought you drank bourbon tonight?” you asked, grabbing his hand and walking out with him.

“I had a drink, yeah. I’m not big on alcohol though, so I switched to soda after one glass. I’m also a major lightweight, and I didn’t feel like making a fool out of myself tonight of all nights.”

You smile at him, stopping right outside of the frame to the living room.

“Thank you for the rose, I swear I haven’t been this happy in a long time,” Taehyung admits.

“Thank you for accepting it,” you counter. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

You squeeze his hands one last time before walking back into the lounge where your producers were working.

Two hours later, the men and yourself had all finished being interviewed. It was officially time for the first rose ceremony.

Four in the morning is a strange time for anyone to be awake.

You are quite used to the late nights from work, but it’s clear that most of these men aren’t.

A majority of them you caught dozing off from the TVs in your lounge, showing what the cameras walking around were filming.

Next to you, the grand host Mr. Bang himself was knocked out, and had been for about an hour or so. Chan walked into the room after setting the dining room up into a good set-up for the rose ceremony.

“Alright Y/N, I’m going to gather the men in the dining room for the rose ceremony. We’re going to line them up, start filming, then have you walk back in to start the rose ceremony. Then we can all go home, sound good to you?”

“That sounds excellent,” you sigh, nudging Mr. Bang in the side.

“C’mon Bang, you have to be the hostess with the mostess for a bit longer, then I promise you can resume your slumber.”

He awoke from his nap, stretching a bit before one of the makeup artists came by and swiped some more concealer under his eyes for the sake of the cameras.

“Alright, I’m ready to be the hostess with the mostess. Even though I’m not a hostess.” You laugh at his ridiculousness, following him out of the lounge.

Bang walks into the dining room, taking his place by the table that holds eighteen roses on a tray. You would be sending home six men tonight. With Taehyung already having a rose, that leaves eighteen more to give out.

You thank your producer for having you practice how to pin the roses beforehand, it would definitely make the whole process go a lot faster and be a lot less painful for both parties.

Chan is next to you, waiting for your cue from the cameraman in the other room. Once he receives the signal, he pushes you forward a bit.

Your silver heels hitting the tile floor are pretty much the only sound in the room. You can tell that everyone is nervous, and honestly, you are a bit too.

You stand next to the rose table, glancing down at the multitude of roses being served literally on a silver platter. Bang is next to you, speaking to the gentlemen.

“Gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to your first rose ceremony. Most of you know how this goes, but for those that don’t, I’ll lay it out for you all. If you hear your name called, step forward to accept a rose. Taehyung, you got the first impression rose; congratulations, you have nothing to worry about tonight. As for the rest of you, if you do not hear your name, you will be sent home immediately. So, I wish you all the best, and if you’re ready, Y/N, you may begin.”

Bang backs up towards the door, merely an onlooker as you begin the process of handing out the roses.

You look at the faces of all of the men standing before you. Taking a step forward away from the table, you suddenly feel a lot more weight on your shoulders than you did ten minutes ago.

You clear your throat before speaking.

“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for being here tonight. I know I kept saying it throughout the night but I cannot stress enough how much it means to me that you all took the time and sacrificed things to be here. It was such a great night, but this is the hard part where I have to say goodbye. Even though I have to say goodbye to some of you tonight, I am still hopeful that I can find love on this journey and I’m so thankful for that.”

Pausing after your speech, you take a look down at the platter again, grabbing a rose this time.

You fumble around with it in your hands, looking up at the men before beginning the process of handing out roses.

“Hoseok.”

He smiles from his spot on the far left end of the second row, stepping out and making the short walk towards you.

“Hoseok, will you accept this rose?”

“Always.”

(A/N: my Potterhead heart is hurting)

Smiling, you pin the rose to the lapel of his jacket, hugging him before he turns to walk back to his spot.

Picking up the next rose, you call out Yoongi’s name.

A small smile graces his face as you pin the rose to his lapel, hugging him and continuing the process for a handful more boys, including klutzy Namjoon, skateboarding Jooheon, and even ostrich egg owner Seungcheol.

It is now down to the last rose, and there are seven men left: Jaehyun, Jeonghan, Taeil, Hyunwoo, Minhyuk, Joshua, and Jeongguk.

Bang steps out from the shadows of the room as you stare at the final rose.

“Gentlemen, this is the final rose this evening. If your name is not called, you will be going home,” he turns to you. “Whenever you’re ready, Y/N.”

You grab onto the rose, before looking back up at the group of men remaining.

You had been between two people all night, feeling a good connection with both but knowing that one needed to go home. You stared back and forth discreetly between the two of them, before settling on one and calling out his name.

“Jeongguk.”

You see him let out a breath of relief as he steps down a level to make his way over to you.

“Jeongguk, will you accept this rose?”

“Yes, I will,” he smiles.

Pinning the rose onto his jacket, you whisper to him, “Thank you for not making me attempt to pin this onto a bunny suit.”

He giggles at you before leaning in for a quick hug. Now back in his spot, Bang comes forward again.

“Gentlemen, I’m sorry, but if your name wasn’t called, please say your goodbyes.”

The men continued to do the standard bro high-five, some men hug, some shake hands as you watch from your spot at the front of the room.

One by one, each man makes his way to you to hug you goodbye, wishing you the best and thanking you for the opportunity.

You never understood why the people leaving always thanked the Bachelor/Bachelorette for the opportunity - you’re not the one who casted them.

Still, you accepted their gratitude and sent them on their way.

By the time the rose ceremony has wrapped up, the sun is beginning to peak over the horizon, signaling the start of a new day and the end of your own.

The staff brings in flutes of mimosas, everyone grabbing one then turning to look at you.

“So here’s to surviving the first night, for making amazing impressions and for continuing the search for love,” you drawl out. “Cheers!”

“Cheers!” everyone yells out, clinking glasses and sipping on their breakfast cocktail.

‘One week down, nine to go,’ you think to yourself. Your journey has only just begun.

Week 1 Callout Order Results:

Kim, Taehyung (aged 26, 5’ 10”, Music Producer, Hometown: Daegu)

Jung, Hoseok (aged 28, 5’ 10”, Journalist, Hometown: Gwangju)

Min, Yoongi (aged 29, 5’ 8.5”, Professional Pianist, Hometown: Daegu)

Kim, Mingyu (aged 24/25, 6’ 2”, Chiropractor, Hometown: Gyeonggi-do)

Lee, Taeyong (aged 26, 5’ 9”, Sales Account Executive, Hometown: Seoul)

Chae, Hyungwon (aged 28, 5’ 11”, College Professor, Hometown: Gwangju)

Kim, Namjoon (aged 27, 5’ 11”, Pharmacy Technician, Hometown: Ilsan)

Choi, Seungcheol (aged 26, 5’ 10”, IT Consultant, Hometown: Daegu)

Jeon, Wonwoo (aged 25, 6’ 0”, Software Engineer, Hometown: Gyeongsangnam-do)

Lee, Jooheon (aged 27, 5’ 10”, Graphic Designer, Hometown: Seoul)

Yoo, Kihyun (aged 28, 5’ 9”, Dental Assistant, Hometown: Ilsan)

Kim, Seokjin (aged 29, 5’ 10.5”, Physical Therapist, Hometown: Gwacheon)

Park, Jimin (aged 26, 5’ 8.5”, Social Media Coordinator, Hometown: Busan)

Seo, Johnny (aged 27, 6’ 0”, Translator, Hometown: Chicago)

Lee, Seokmin (aged 25, 5’ 10.5”, Creative Director, Hometown: Gyeonggi-do)

Kwon, Soonyoung (aged 25, 5’ 10”, Executive Assistant, Hometown: Gyeonggi-do)

Shin, Hoseok (Wonho) (aged 30, 5’ 10”, Fitness Coach, Hometown: Anyang)

Im, Changkyun (aged 26, 5’ 9”, Marketing Consultant, Hometown: Gwangju)

Jeon, Jeongguk (aged 24, 5’ 10”, Wedding Videographer, Hometown: Busan)

Hong, Joshua (aged 26, 5’ 10”, Pastry Chef, Hometown: Los Angeles)

Jung, Jaehyun (aged 25, 5’ 11”, Realtor, Hometown: Seoul)

Lee, Minhyuk (aged 28, 5’ 10”, Sales Rep, Hometown: Gwangju)

Moon, Taeil (aged 27, 5’ 7”, Attorney, Hometown: Seoul)

Sohn, Hyunwoo (aged 29, 5’ 11”, Mechanic, Hometown: Changdong)

Yoon, Jeonghan (aged 26, 5’ 10”, Research Assistant, Hometown: Hwaseong)

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Let's be real: 2020 has been a nightmare. Between the political unrest and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it's difficult to look back on the year and find something, anything, that was a potential bright spot in an otherwise turbulent trip around the sun. Luckily, there were a few bright spots: namely, some of the excellent works of military history and analysis, fiction and non-fiction, novels and graphic novels that we've absorbed over the last year.

Here's a brief list of some of the best books we read here at Task & Purpose in the last year. Have a recommendation of your own? Send an email to [email protected] and we'll include it in a future story.

Missionaries by Phil Klay

I loved Phil Klay’s first book, Redeployment (which won the National Book Award), so Missionaries was high on my list of must-reads when it came out in October. It took Klay six years to research and write the book, which follows four characters in Colombia who come together in the shadow of our post-9/11 wars. As Klay’s prophetic novel shows, the machinery of technology, drones, and targeted killings that was built on the Middle East battlefield will continue to grow in far-flung lands that rarely garner headlines. [Buy]

- Paul Szoldra, editor-in-chief

Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli by Max Uriarte

Written by 'Terminal Lance' creator Maximilian Uriarte, this full-length graphic novel follows a Marine infantry squad on a bloody odyssey through the mountain reaches of northern Afghanistan. The full-color comic is basically 'Conan the Barbarian' in MARPAT. [Buy]

- James Clark, senior reporter

The Liberator by Alex Kershaw

Now a gritty and grim animated World War II miniseries from Netflix, The Liberator follows the 157th Infantry Battalion of the 45th Division from the beaches of Sicily to the mountains of Italy and the Battle of Anzio, then on to France and later still to Bavaria for some of the bloodiest urban battles of the conflict before culminating in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. It's a harrowing tale, but one worth reading before enjoying the acclaimed Netflix series. [Buy]

- Jared Keller, deputy editor

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff

If you haven’t gotten this must-read account of the September 11th attacks, you need to put The Only Plane In the Sky at the top of your Christmas list. Graff expertly explains the timeline of that day through the re-telling of those who lived it, including the loved ones of those who were lost, the persistently brave first responders who were on the ground in New York, and the service members working in the Pentagon. My only suggestion is to not read it in public — if you’re anything like me, you’ll be consistently left in tears. [Buy]

- Haley Britzky, Army reporter

The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World by Elaine Scarry

Why do we even fight wars? Wouldn’t a massive tennis tournament be a nicer way for nations to settle their differences? This is one of the many questions Harvard professor Elaine Scarry attempts to answer, along with why nuclear war is akin to torture, why the language surrounding war is sterilized in public discourse, and why both war and torture unmake human worlds by destroying access to language. It’s a big lift of a read, but even if you just read chapter two (like I did), you’ll come away thinking about war in new and refreshing ways. [Buy]

- David Roza, Air Force reporter

Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943 by Antony Beevor

Stalingrad takes readers all the way from the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union to the collapse of the 6th Army at Stalingrad in February 1943. It gives you the perspective of German and Soviet soldiers during the most apocalyptic battle of the 20th century. [Buy]

- Jeff Schogol, Pentagon correspondent

America's War for the Greater Middle East by Andrew J. Bacevich

I picked up America's War for the Greater Middle East earlier this year and couldn’t put it down. Published in 2016 by Andrew Bacevich, a historian and retired Army officer who served in Vietnam, the book unravels the long and winding history of how America got so entangled in the Middle East and shows that we’ve been fighting one long war since the 1980s — with errors in judgment from political leaders on both sides of the aisle to blame. “From the end of World War II until 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in the Greater Middle East. Since 1990, virtually no American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere else. What caused this shift?” the book jacket asks. As Bacevich details in this definitive history, the mission creep of our Vietnam experience has been played out again and again over the past 30 years, with disastrous results. [Buy]

- Paul Szoldra, editor-in-chief

Burn In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution by P.W. Singer and August Cole

In Burn In, Singer and Cole take readers on a journey at an unknown date in the future, in which an FBI agent searches for a high-tech terrorist in Washington, D.C. Set after what the authors called the "real robotic revolution," Agent Lara Keegan is teamed up with a robot that is less Terminator and far more of a useful, and highly intelligent, law enforcement tool. Perhaps the most interesting part: Just about everything that happens in the story can be traced back to technologies that are being researched today. You can read Task & Purpose's interview with the authors here. [Buy]

- James Clark, senior reporter

SAS: Rogue Heroes by Ben MacIntyre

Like WWII? Like a band of eccentric daredevils wreaking havoc on fascists? Then you'll love SAS: Rogue Heroes, which re-tells some truly insane heists performed by one of the first modern special forces units. Best of all, Ben MacIntyre grounds his history in a compassionate, balanced tone that displays both the best and worst of the SAS men, who are, like anyone else, only human after all. [Buy]

- David Roza, Air Force reporter

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Alice Network is a gripping novel which follows two courageous women through different time periods — one living in the aftermath of World War II, determined to find out what has happened to someone she loves, and the other working in a secret network of spies behind enemy lines during World War I. This gripping historical fiction is based on the true story of a network that infiltrated German lines in France during The Great War and weaves a tale so packed full of drama, suspense, and tragedy that you won’t be able to put it down. [Buy]

Katherine Rondina, Anchor Books

“Because I published a new book this year, I've been answering questions about my inspirations. This means I've been thinking about and so thankful for The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender. I can't credit it with making me want to be a writer — that desire was already there — but it inspired me to write stories where the fantastical complicates the ordinary, and the impossible becomes possible. A girl in a nice dress with no one to appreciate it. An unremarkable boy with a remarkable knack for finding things. The stories in this book taught me that the everydayness of my world could become magical and strange, and in that strangeness I could find a new kind of truth.”

Diane Cook is the author of the novel The New Wilderness, which was long-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize, and the story collection Man V. Nature, which was a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award, the Believer Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the Los Angeles Times Award for First Fiction. Read an excerpt from The New Wilderness.

Bill Johnston, University of California Press

“I’ve revisited a lot of old favorites in this grim year of fear and isolation, and have been most thankful of all for The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara. Witty, reflexive, intimate, queer, disarmingly occasional and monumentally serious all at once, they’ve been a constant balm and inspiration. ‘The only thing to do is simply continue,’ he wrote, in 'Adieu to Norman, Bon Jour to Joan and Jean-Paul'; ‘is that simple/yes, it is simple because it is the only thing to do/can you do it/yes, you can because it is the only thing to do.’”

Helen Macdonald is a nature essayist with a semiregular column in the New York Times Magazine. Her latest novel, Vesper Flights, is a collection of her best-loved essays, and her debut book, H Is for Hawk, won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction and the Costa Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction.

Andrea Scher, Scholastic Press

“This year, I’m so grateful for You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Reading — like everything else — has been a struggle for me in 2020. It’s been tough to let go of all of my anxieties about the state of the world and our country and get swept away by a story. But You Should See Me in a Crown pulled me in right away; for the blissful time that I was reading it, it made me think about a world outside of 2020 and it made me smile from ear to ear. Joy has been hard to come by this year, and I’m so thankful for this book for the joy it brought me.”

Jasmine Guillory is the New York Times bestselling author of five romance novels, including this year’s Party of Two. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, and Time.

Nelson Fitch, Random House

“Last year, stuck in a prolonged reading rut that left me wondering if I even liked books anymore, I stumbled across Tenth of December by George Saunders, a collection of stories Saunders wrote between 1995 and 2012 that are at turns funny, moving, startling, weird, profound, and often all of those things at the same time. As a writer, what I crave most from books is to find one so excellent it makes me feel like I'd be better off quitting — and so wonderful that it reminds me what it is to be purely a reader again, encountering new worlds and revelations every time I turn a page. Tenth of December is that, and I'm so grateful that it fell off a high shelf and into my life.”

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series and the Carve the Mark duology. Her latest novel, Chosen Ones, is her first novel for adults. Read an excerpt from Chosen Ones.

Ian Byers-Gamber, Blazevox Books

“Waking up today to the prospect of some hours spent reading away part of another day of this disastrous, delirious pandemic year, I’m most grateful for the book in my hands, one itself full of gratitude for a life spent reading: Gloria Frym’s How Proust Ruined My Life. Frym’s essays — on Marcel Proust, yes, and Walt Whitman, and Lucia Berlin, but also peppermint-stick candy and Allen Ginsburg’s knees, among other Proustian memory-prompts — restore me to my sense of my eerie luck at a life spent rushing to the next book, the next page, the next word.”

Jonathan Lethem is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including The Fortress of Solitude and the National Book Critics Circle Award winner Motherless Brooklyn. His latest novel, The Arrest, is a postapocalyptic tale about two siblings, the man that came between them, and a nuclear-powered super car.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Riverhead

“I’m incredibly grateful for the magnificent The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer. This book — a mélange of history, memoir, and reportage — is the reconceptualization of Native life that’s been urgently needed since the last great indigenous history, Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. It’s at once a counternarrative and a replacement for Brown’s book, and it rejects the standard tale of Native victimization, conquest, and defeat. Even though I teach Native American studies to college students, I found new insights and revelations in almost every chapter. Not only a great read, the book is a tremendous contribution to Native American — and American — intellectual and cultural history.”

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is author of the novel Winter Counts, which is BuzzFeed Book Club’s November pick. He is also the author of the children’s book Spotted Tail, which won the 2020 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Read an excerpt from Winter Counts.

Valerie Mosley, Tordotcom

“In 2020, I've been lucky to finish a single book within 30 days, but I burned through this 507-page brick in the span of a weekend. Harrow the Ninth reminded me that even when absolutely everything is terrible, it's still possible to feel deep, gratifying, brain-buzzing admiration for brilliant art. Thank you, Harrow, for being one of the brightest spots in a dark year and for keeping the home fires burning.”

Casey McQuiston is the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue, and her next book, One Last Stop, comes out in 2021.

"I'm grateful for V.S. Naipaul's troubling masterpiece, A Bend in the River — which not only made me see the world anew, but made me see what literature could do. It's a book that's lucid enough to reveal the brutality of the forces shaping our world and its politics; yet soulful enough to penetrate the most recondite secrets of human interiority. A book of great beauty without a moment of mercy. A marriage of opposites that continues to shape my own deeper sense of just how much a writer can actually accomplish."

Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright, and his latest novel, Homeland Elegies, is about an American son and his immigrant father searching for belonging in a post-9/11 country. He is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Vanessa German, Feminist Press

“I'm most thankful for Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether. It's a YA book set in 1930s Harlem, and it was the first Black-girl-coming-of-age book I ever read, the first time I ever saw myself in a book. I appreciate how it expanded my world and my understanding that books can speak to you right where you are and take you on a journey, at the same time.”

Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. She is also the co-author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Philyaw’s writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, the Rumpus, and elsewhere. Read a story from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Philippa Gedge, W. W. Norton & Company

“As both a writer and a reader I am hugely grateful for Patricia Highsmith’s plotting and writing suspense fiction. As a writer I’m thankful for Highsmith’s generosity with her wisdom and experience: She talks us through how to tease out the narrative strands and develop character, how to know when things are going awry, even how to decide to give things up as a bad job. She’s unabashed about sharing her own ‘failures,’ and in my experience, there’s nothing more encouraging for a writer than learning that our literary gods are mortal! As a reader, it provides a fascinating insight into the genesis of one of my favorite novels of all time — The Talented Mr. Ripley, as well as the rest of her brilliant oeuvre. And because it’s Highsmith, it’s so much more than just a how-to guide: It’s hugely engaging and, while accessible, also provides a glimpse into the mind of a genius. I’ve read it twice — while working on each of my thrillers, The Hunting Party and The Guest List — and I know I’ll be returning to the well-thumbed copy on my shelf again soon!”

Lucy Foley is the New York Times bestselling author of the thrillers The Guest List and The Hunting Party. She has also written two historical fiction novels and previously worked in the publishing industry as a fiction editor.

“The books I'm most thankful for this year are a three-book series titled Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend. Walking a fine line between comedy and horror (which is much harder than people think), the books follow Jack, an employee at a gas station in a nameless town where all manner of horrifyingly fantastical things happen. And while the monsters are scary and more than a little ridiculous, it's Jack's bone-dry narration, along with his best friend/emotional support human, Jerry, that elevates the books into something that are as lovely as they are absurd.”

T.J. Klune is a Lambda Literary Award–winning author and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries.

Sylvernus Darku (Team Black Image Studio), Ayebia Clarke Publishing

"Nervous Conditions is a book that I have read several times over the years, including this year. The novel covers the themes of gender and race and has at its heart Tambu, a young girl in 1960s Rhodesia determined to get an education and to create a better life for herself. Dangarembga’s prose is evocative and witty, and the story is thought-provoking. I’ve been inspired anew by Tambu each time I’ve read this book."

Peace Adzo Medie is Senior Lecturer in Gender and International Politics at the University of Bristol. She is the author of Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2020). His Only Wife is her debut novel.

Jenna Maurice, HarperCollins

“The book I'm most thankful for? Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. My mother and father would read me poems from it before bed — I'm convinced it infused me not only with a sense of poetic cadence, but also a wry sense of humor.”

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her latest novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, is BuzzFeed Book Club’s December pick. Read an excerpt from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Meg Vázquez, Square Fish

“My childhood best friend gave me Troubling a Star by Madeleine L'Engle for Hanukkah when I was 11 years old, and it's still my favorite book of all time. I love the way it defies genre (it's a political thriller/YA romance that includes a lot of scientific research and also poetry??), and the way it values smartness, gutsiness, vulnerability, kindness, and a sense of adventure. The book follows 16-year-old Vicky Austin's life-altering trip to Antarctica; her trip changed my life, too. In a year when safe travel is almost impossible, I'm so grateful to be able to return to her story again and again.”

Kate Stayman-London's debut novel, One to Watch, is about a plus-size blogger who’s been asked to star on a Bachelorette-like reality show. Stayman-London served as lead digital writer for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has written for notable figures, from former president Obama and Malala Yousafzai to Anna Wintour and Cher.

Katharine McGee is grateful for the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Chris Bailey Photography, Firebird

“I’m thankful for the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. I discovered the series in elementary school, and it sparked a love of big, epic stories that has never left me. (If you read my books, you know I can’t resist a broad cast of characters!) I used to read the books aloud to my younger sister, using funny voices for all the narrators. Now that I have a little boy of my own, I can’t wait to someday share Redwall with him.”

Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and its sequel, Majesty. She is also the author of the Thousandth Floor trilogy.

Beth Gwinn, Time-Life Books

"I am thankful most for books that carry me out of the world and back again, and while I find it painful to choose among them, here's one early and one late: Zen Cho's Black Water Sister, which comes out in 2021 but I devoured just two days ago, and the long out-of-print Wizards and Witches volume of the Time-Life Enchanted World series, which is where I first read about the legend of the Scholomance."

Naomi Novik is the New York Times bestselling author of the Nebula Award–winning novel Uprooted, Spinning Silver, and the nine-volume Temeraire series. Her latest novel, A Deadly Education, is the first of the Scholomance trilogy.

Christina Lauren are grateful for the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Christina Lauren, Little, Brown and Company

"We are thankful for the Twilight series for about a million reasons, not the least of which it's what brought the two of us together. Writing fanfic in a space where we could be silly and messy together taught us that we don't have to be perfect, but there's no harm in trying to get better with every attempt. It also cemented for us that the best relationships are the ones in which you can be your real, authentic self, even when you're struggling to do things you never thought you'd be brave enough to attempt. Twilight brought millions of readers back into the fold and inspired hundreds of romance authors. We really do thank Stephenie Meyer every day for the gift of Twilight and the fandom it created."

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/live-covid-19-updates-the-latest-globally/

Live Covid-19 Updates: The Latest Globally

Here’s what you need to know:

Dr. Scott W. Altas, an adviser to President Trump.Credit…Erin Scott for The New York Times

As the coronavirus pandemic erupted this spring, two professors at Stanford University — Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Dr. Scott W. Altas — bonded over a shared concern that lockdowns were creating economic and societal devastation.

Now Dr. Atlas is President Trump’s science adviser, a powerful force inside the White House. And Dr. Bhattacharya is one of three authors of the so-called Great Barrington Declaration, a scientific treatise that calls for allowing the coronavirus to spread in order to achieve “herd immunity” — the point at which enough people have been infected to stall transmission of the pathogen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and leading experts have recently concluded, using different scientific methods, that as many as 90 percent of Americans are still vulnerable to infection.

While Dr. Atlas and administration officials have denied advocating the herd immunity approach, they have praised the ideas in the declaration. The message is aligned with Mr. Trump’s vocal opposition to lockdowns on the campaign trail, even as the country grapples with renewed surges of the virus.

The central proposition, supported by some 40,000 signatories, is that to contain the coronavirus, people “who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal” while those at high risk are protected from infection.

Under that scenario, younger Americans should return to workplaces, schools, shops and restaurants, while older Americans would remain cloistered from the virus as it spreads, recipients of such services as grocery deliveries and medical care.

It argues that eventually so many younger Americans will have been exposed, and presumably will have developed some immunity, that the virus will not be able to maintain its hold on the communities.

The manifesto does not contain details on how the strategy would work in practice, nor do its authors have expertise in implementing public health programs. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, dismissed the declaration as unscientific, dangerous and “total nonsense,” as well as unethical, particularly for multigenerational families and communities of color.

The idea has alarmed and angered other public health researchers. On Wednesday, about 80 published a manifesto of their own, the John Snow Memorandum (named after a legendary epidemiologist), saying that this approach would endanger one-third of the U.S. population who have conditions that put them at high risk from severe Covid-19, and result in perhaps a half-million deaths.

“I think it’s wrong, I think it’s unsafe, I think it invites people to act in ways that have the potential to do an enormous amount of harm,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, an infectious disease expert at Harvard University and one of the signatories to the Snow memo. “You don’t roll out disease — you roll out vaccination.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Credit…Pool photo by Graeme Jennings

President Trump attacked Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, in a conference call on Monday with campaign aides, calling the doctor a “disaster” and saying, “People are tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong.”

He continued his criticism of Dr. Fauci, the overwhelmingly popular director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, after landing in Arizona for the first of two scheduled rallies in the state, which is experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases.

Speaking to reporters after deplaning Air Force One, Mr. Trump called Dr. Fauci “a very nice man” but complained that he “loves being on television” and has made “a lot of bad calls.” Asked why he didn’t fire Dr. Fauci, Mr. Trump said, “He’s been there for about 350 years. I don’t want to hurt him.”

Dr.Tony Fauci says we don’t allow him to do television, and yet I saw him last night on @60Minutes, and he seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late, great, Bob Hope. All I ask of Tony is that he make better decisions. He said “no masks & let China in”. Also, Bad arm!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2020

At a campaign rally on Monday in Arizona, where polls show that the president is trailing Mr. Biden, Mr. Trump also faulted the news media for excessive coverage of the coronavirus.

“They’re getting tired of the pandemic, aren’t they?” Mr. Trump said in Prescott, in central Arizona. “You turn on CNN. That’s all they cover. Covid, Covid, pandemic, Covid, Covid.”

The attack on Dr. Fauci comes as the United States has seen more coronavirus cases — over 8 million — and more deaths — nearly 220,000 — than any other nation in the world. The president’s advisers have tried to get him to lay off the infectious diseases specialist, who remains popular.

Dr. Fauci pushed back against complaints that he had flip-flopped over the use of masks, saying that admitting a mistake after examining further data shows honesty.

The conflict began Sunday night on the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” when Dr. Fauci said it was “absolutely” no surprise that President Trump got sick with the coronavirus, given his lax attitude toward social distancing guidance.

“I was worried that he was going to get sick when I saw him in a completely precarious situation: crowded, no separation between people and almost nobody wearing a mask,” Dr. Fauci said in the CBS interview. He was referring to an event at the White House in September to announce the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court.

“When I saw that on TV, I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, nothing good can come out of that — that’s got to be a problem,’” Dr. Fauci said. “Sure enough, it turned out to be a super-spreader event.”

Numerous people who attended the event later tested positive for the coronavirus, including the president.

Dr. Fauci, who has often been at odds with the president, sharpened his stance against an ad run by Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign that appeared to show the doctor praising the president’s handling of the coronavirus. Dr. Fauci said his words were taken out of context, and that their use in the ad was inappropriate because he never endorses candidates.

“I got really ticked off,” he said.

Mr. Trump’s attacks on Dr. Fauci led Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to become the latest Republican to distance himself from the president. “Dr. Fauci is one of our country’s most distinguished public servants,” said Mr. Alexander, who is retiring this year. “He has served six presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. If more Americans paid attention to his advice, we’d have fewer cases of Covid-19, and it would be safer to go back to school and back to work and out to eat.”

The National Academy of Medicine honored Dr. Fauci on Monday with the academy’s first Presidential Citation for Exemplary Leadership, citing his “distinguished service as a trusted adviser to six U.S. presidents during public health crises” and “steady leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Fauci said that to inspire public trust and confidence in vaccines, people needed to hear consistent messages from the government, not conflicting ones.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is advising residents against non-essential out-of-state travel.Credit…Noah K. Murray/Associated Press

Coronavirus cases in New Jersey, an early epicenter of the pandemic, are on the rise again, doubling over the last month to an average of more than 900 new positive tests a day, a worrisome reversal of fortune for a state that had driven transmission rates to some of the nation’s lowest levels.

After an outbreak several weeks ago in a heavily Orthodox Jewish town near the Jersey Shore, cases are now rising in counties across the state, driven, officials say, by indoor gatherings.

The state’s health commissioner has said there are signs of “widespread community spread” for the first time since New Jersey successfully slowed the spread of a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 16,000 residents. A small, densely packed state, New Jersey has the highest virus fatality rate in the country.

Gov. Philip D. Murphy said Monday that residents should refrain from all but necessary out-of-state travel.

“The numbers are up,” Mr. Murphy said. “They’re up — up and down the state.”

Under a quarantine policy adopted by New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, New Jersey now exceeds the threshold — an average of 10 cases for every 100,000 residents for seven days — used to determine which states should be included in the travel advisory. Thirty-eight other states are on the list.

The uptick comes as other parts of the Northeast and states across the country are confronting similar surges of infections and hospitalizations as the pandemic stretches into its eighth month, with a death toll that now exceeds 219,000, according to a New York Times database.

Mr. Murphy, who has been conservative in allowing the state to reopen, said he would consider targeted shutdowns to curb the spread, as Connecticut and New York have done, but he suggested that would not cure the problem.

Ireland will increase coronavirus restrictions in response to a new surge of infections.Credit…Paul Faith/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Countries across Europe announced new restrictions on Monday in an effort to halt a strong second wave of the virus, as the global tally of cases passed 40 million. Cases have been detected in nearly every country around the world, and at least 1.1 million people have died.

Officials are desperate to avoid a second economically damaging blanket lockdown, and are instead seeking to tighten restrictions in a more precise fashion. Here’s the latest.

Ireland will be imposing its highest level of restrictions starting on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Michael Martin announced on Monday. Nonessential businesses will be mandated to close, restaurants and pubs will be limited to takeout, and people will not be allowed to travel more than five kilometers (three miles) from their homes. Schools and construction sites will remain open, however, the public broadcaster RTE reported. The restrictions, which will remain in effect for six weeks, come after the country set new daily case records four times in the past week. “If we pull together over the next six weeks we will be able to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way,” Mr. Martin said.

In Spain, the region of Navarre announced on Monday the country’s most drastic regional measures yet to contain the second wave. As of Thursday, Navarre will stop its residents from leaving their region except for work or emergency reasons. It will also close for 15 days its bars and restaurants, and force all shops, sports venues and other establishments to close by 9 p.m. The measures come after Navarre reported an average of 945 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days, three times the national average.

Austria, which reported 1,121 daily cases of the virus on Monday, announced new limits on the number of people who could meet privately starting Friday: six indoors and 12 outdoors. The country has reported nearly 10,000 cases in the past week, more than at any time in March, when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown. The restrictions were lifted over the summer as numbers dropped and the country sought to attract tourists, an important source of income for the alpine nation.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that mayors will have the power to close streets or squares where people tend to gather after 9 p.m., while restaurants, bars and pubs will be allowed to serve seated customers — up to six per table — until midnight. Drinking outside of restaurants or bars will be permitted only until 6 p.m., and gaming and betting halls will close at 9 p.m. Italy has so far fared better than its European counterparts, but infections have been rising in recent weeks, with a record 11,705 new cases reported on Sunday.

France imposed a nightly curfew in nine cities, including Paris, over the weekend, and asked people throughout the country to limit gatherings to six people to halt an alarming spike in cases. On Monday, the office of President Emmanuel Macron announced that the first lady, Brigitte Macron, was in quarantine after being exposed to someone who had tested positive. Ms. Macron has not shown any symptoms, the office said in a statement.

Slovenia’s government declared a 30-day state of emergency after cases of the virus more than doubled in the past week, Reuters reported. The government will ban movement between regions that have been most affected by the pandemic and introduce a nightly curfew beginning at 9 p.m. starting Monday, Interior Minister Ales Hojs said at a news conference. Mr. Hojs said that all public and religious events would be banned, and that the number of people allowed to gather would be reduced to six from 10. Slovenia has reported 4,845 coronavirus cases in the past week, a spike from 2,255 cases the week before.

Britain has reported an average of nearly 17,000 new cases a day over the past week, according to a New York Times database, with almost a thousand new daily cases in Wales.

Wales will enter a national lockdown starting Friday night, the country’s first minister, Mark Drakeford, announced on Monday. The “firebreak” lockdown, which will last until Nov. 9, will require residents to remain at home and force pubs, restaurants and nonessential shops to close. Mr. Drakeford said “there are no easy choices in front of us” and called the lockdown “our best chance of regaining control of the virus” and avoiding strain on the National Health Service.

About 2.3 million of the 3.1 million people in Wales were already living under local lockdowns. and the country has effectively shut its borders to travel from other parts of Britain.

And officials in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, announced that schools, theaters and indoor dining will be closed for at least two weeks, and that masks will become mandatory in all public spaces. The city reported on Sunday that the virus rate over the previous 14 days had exceeded three cases per 1,000 residents, a red line for imposing stricter rules. After keeping the virus largely in check during the initial months of the pandemic, Romania has seen cases triple over the past month. While the schools will switch to online learning, there is deep concern that many students lack tablets and other necessary materials.

A patient enrolled in Pfizer’s vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.Credit…University of Maryland School of Medicine, via Associated Press

As the Trump administration has pressed publicly for top-speed development and approval of a coronavirus vaccine, while researchers and public health experts warned of the dangers of rushing the process, the idea of getting the vaccine as soon as it is available is losing appeal for many Americans, especially Black Americans, recent surveys show.

In a STAT-Harris poll of about 2,000 people, conducted Oct. 7-10 and published Monday, 58 percent of respondents said they would get vaccinated right away, down from 69 percent who said the same in August.

The decline was twice as steep among Black respondents: just 43 percent said in October that they would get the vaccine, down from 65 percent in August.

Rob Jekielek, managing director of The Harris Poll, which has been asking the question throughout the pandemic, said two news events appeared to have played a role in the falloff: the back-and-forth between the Food and Drug Administration and the White House over vaccine guidelines, and President Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis and treatment.

“The politicization of the process is having a huge negative effect, especially with Black Americans,” he said in an interview.

Pew Research Center polls that framed a question on the issue somewhat differently also found growing hesitation over a vaccine: About 51 percent of adult respondents said in September that they would definitely or probably get a vaccine if one were available, down from 72 percent who said the same in May. The surveys included more than 10,000 respondents and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.

“It’s pretty clear the public is concerned about the pace of the vaccine approval process and have outstanding questions about safety,” said Alec Tyson, associate director of Pew Research.

Polls conducted for CNN by the market research firm SSRS asked, “If a vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection were widely available at a low cost, would you, personally, try to get that vaccine, or not?” Sixty-six percent of respondents said yes in May; just 51 percent did in October. The polls’ margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

And in an ABC News/Ipsos poll last month, 64 percent of respondents said they would take a “safe and effective coronavirus vaccine,” down from 74 percent in May. Those polls had a margin of error of 4.9 points.

Claudia Balderas, 51, attended the first in-person Mass in almost four months at Saint Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in the Queens in early July. Catholic leaders are upset with restrictions by Gov. Cuomo again limiting attendance in areas where coronavirus is surging.Credit…Jessie Wardarski/Associated Press

Over the last two weeks, Catholic leaders in New York have voiced their deep disapproval with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over his decision to sharply limit attendance at houses of worship in areas that are seeing a surge of new coronavirus cases.

The governor’s decision was largely aimed at trying to rein in congregants in Orthodox Jewish synagogues in New York City and in Orange and Rockland Counties, where some members have flouted social distancing and mask regulations.

But it also affected other houses of worship, including about two dozen parishes in the diocese covering Queens and Brooklyn, where Catholic officials have sued Mr. Cuomo in federal court, insisting that they have been abiding by the rules and should not be punished.

“We’ve gone above and beyond what they have recommended and mandated,” said Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference. “So if there’s an animus, it’s coming from his end, not our end.”

Leaders of the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York have also criticized the restrictions, which have closed nonessential businesses and limited occupancy in so-called red zones to 25 percent of building capacity or a mere 10 people, whichever is lower.

“To have all of the steps we’ve taken be ignored, and to face the prospect of indefinite unreasonable restrictions placed upon our churches is just not fair!” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan wrote in a blog post last week. “Why are churches being singled out? Why especially are those houses of worship that have been exemplary, strict and successful in heeding all warnings, being shut down again?”

A public school in Brooklyn this month. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York planned to reimpose restrictions on schools in neighborhoods where coronavirus cases were on the rise.Credit…Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

For months, as New York City struggled to start part-time, in-person classes, fear grew that its 1,800 public schools would become vectors of coronavirus infection.

But nearly three weeks into the in-person school year, early data from the city’s first effort at targeted testing has shown the opposite: a surprisingly small number of positive test results.

Out of 15,111 staff members and students tested randomly by the school system in the first week of its testing regimen, the city has gotten back results for 10,676. There were only 18 positives: 13 staff members and five students.

And when officials put mobile testing units at schools near Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods that have had new outbreaks, only four positive cases turned up — out of more than 3,300 tests conducted since the last week of September.

New York City is facing fears of a second wave of the virus brought on by localized spikes in Brooklyn and Queens, which have required new shutdown restrictions that included the closure of more than 120 public schools as a precaution.

On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that city continued to see a “leveling off” in those areas and officials had seen “particular progress” in central Queens, the mayor said. But he did not provide data for those areas.

Across the city, the seven-day average positivity rate was at 1.62 percent, the mayor said. When he first announced an uptick in cases about three weeks ago, the positivity rate was 1.38 percent.

Shortly afterward on Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that data in different hot spot areas across the state where he had imposed restrictions by zones would continue to be reviewed, and that the state would “announce changes to the zones” on Wednesday. Zone sizes could be made larger or smaller, he said, adding that “we have total flexibility in these zones.”

Statewide, the daily positivity rate was 1.21 percent, he said, while the “red zones,” which have the most severe restrictions in place, had a positivity rate of 3.31 percent. Hospitalizations statewide, which have been steadily increasing in recent weeks, are 934.

But for now, at least, New York City’s sprawling system of public schools, the nation’s largest, is an unexpected bright spot as the city tries to recover from a pandemic that has killed more than 20,000 people and severely weakened its economy.

In September, New York became the first big urban district to reopen schools for in-person learning.

Roughly half of the city’s students have opted for hybrid learning, where they are in the building some days, but not others. The approach has enabled the city to keep class sizes small.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.Credit…Daniel Kim/The Sacramento Bee, via Associated Press

California will have its own independent panel of experts review any federally approved coronavirus vaccines before they are administered to residents, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday.

“Of course we won’t take anyone’s word for it,” he said in a news briefing. He emphasized that the “second set of eyes” on potential vaccines is part of California’s broader efforts to make sure that vaccines get equitably distributed to communities that are most vulnerable.

While Mr. Newsom acknowledged that the vaccine approval process has been politicized, he said, “It doesn’t matter who the next president is, we’re going to maintain our vigilance.”

The announcement came after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said that his state would also review vaccines approved by the federal government — although Mr. Cuomo tied the move to doubts raised when President Trump suggested that he would reject tougher F.D.A. guidelines. “Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion,” Mr. Cuomo said in late September.

On Sunday, Mr. Cuomo, as head of the bipartisan National Governors Association, posed additional questions about how the Trump administration will ensure that states are able to get and distribute vaccines.

Mr. Newsom said that his state is working with the federal government on its vaccination plans, but that experts from California’s prestigious academic and health care institutions are helping to figure out expected logistical challenges. They include where to store vaccines that must be kept cold, how to notify people about when to get their second shots and how to guarantee that rural communities have access to vaccines.

Mr. Newsom cautioned against being “overly exuberant” about the prospect of widespread vaccination; he said that won’t happen until next year. “This vaccine will move at the speed of trust,” he said.

California’s new case rates have stayed relatively low, even as the state has expanded testing and gradually lifted restrictions on businesses. Still, the governor implored residents not to let their guard down as the holidays approach.

In rural Wisconsin, many restaurants will be limited to ten indoor patrons.Credit…Bing Guan/Reuters

A judge in Wisconsin, the site of the one of the worst outbreaks of a resurgent coronavirus, has upheld an executive order by Gov. Tony Evers that limits public gatherings to 25 percent of a building or room’s capacity.

“This critically important ruling will help us prevent the spread of this virus by restoring limits on public gatherings,” said the governor’s office in a statement. “This crisis is urgent. Wisconsinites, stay home.”

The ruling means in rural Wisconsin, many restaurants, taverns, and supper clubs with no maximum capacity set by local authorities will be limited to ten patrons dining-in at a time, according to the Tavern League of Wisconsin, which requested a temporary injunction on Emergency Order #3 from the circuit court judge.

The state has reported more than 22,500 new coronavirus cases in the last week, according to a New York Times database, putting Wisconsin behind only North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana in terms of new infections per capita.

The Tavern League, which sued for relief against the executive order, represents about 5,000 small businesses, according to Scott Stenger, who heads the league’s government affairs outreach. “We don’t take suing anybody lightly, let alone the governor of our state,” Mr. Stenger said. “It’s not something we’d do before.”

Mr. Stenger said the league had not been consulted ahead of time about the emergency order, and did not have an opportunity to help craft regulations that might better help eateries and bars across the rural parts of the state stay open while still taking precautions to protect their customers.

The issue is especially acute in rural areas of Wisconsin, where there are often no set capacity limits for restaurants and taverns. By default, those businesses will be limited to ten patrons.

Without economic assistance from the state, or from Congress, Mr. Stenger said that more of his members will likely go out of business.

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, at his swearing-in as deputy prime minister in Warsaw on Oct. 6. Credit…Radek Pietruszka/EPA, via Shutterstock

Poland’s deputy prime minister and de facto leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is going into quarantine after learning that he had been in contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, a government spokesman said, adding that Mr. Kaczynski, who is 71, “feels well and will continue performing his duties from home.”

Mr. Kaczynski did not wear a mask when he handed out an award at a ceremony last week, and briefly took off his mask when he was sworn in as deputy prime minister on Oct. 6.

Poland largely resisted the first wave of the pandemic with an early lockdown that began in March. But after it reopened all its schools for in-person instruction in early September, case counts started climbing, and the country is now battling a major surge of infections and hospitalizations. Poland has reported 49,950 new cases in the last seven days, according to a New York Times database, and 175,766 in all, with more than 3,500 Covid-19-related deaths.

With hospital beds filling up, there is particular concern about the damage that the virus could sow in Poland, which has a relatively weak health care system and one of the lowest ratios of doctors and nurses to residents in the European Union.

To deal with the surge, the government is transforming the national stadium in Warsaw into a field hospital. The health minister, Adam Niedzielski, said on Monday that temporary Covid-19 hospitals would also be set up in other major cities, and that he was in discussions with private hospitals about making more beds available. Mr. Niedzielski warned that if the virus continued to spread at its current pace, the country could soon be facing as many as 20,000 new cases a day.

In other developments around the world:

Restrictions on nonessential travel between the United States, Canada and Mexico will be extended until Nov. 21, Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, announced on Monday. “We are working closely with Mexico & Canada to identify safe criteria to ease the restrictions in the future & support our border communities,” Mr. Wolf wrote on Twitter. In the past seven days, Canada has reported 16,284 cases, which works out to 44 per 100,000 people; Mexico, 33,724 cases, or 27 per 100,000; and the U.S., 396,305 cases, or 119 per 100,000.

Officials in Melbourne, Australia, announced some easing of one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, allowing residents to travel up to 25 kilometers from their homes and up to 10 people from two households to socialize outdoors. Dan Andrews, the premier of the state of Victoria, drew a contrast between the situation there and in Britain, where there have been fewer restrictions despite a surge in cases. “Back in August and at our peak, we reported 725 daily cases. At the same time, the U.K. recorded 891,” he said in a statement. “Today, as Victoria records two new cases, the U.K. hit 16,171. And as we continue easing our restrictions, they are being forced to increase theirs.”

Twenty-five crew members aboard a livestock carrier docked at a port in Western Australia have tested positive for the coronavirus. The ship, the Al Messilah, has 52 crew members, and the authorities warned that further positive test results were possible.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland has tested negative for coronavirus, her office said on Monday. She left a European Union summit in Brussels prematurely on Friday because she had come in contact with people who later tested positive. “The prime minister will continue her self-isolation and she will be tested again on Monday,” the office said in a statement. Ms. Marin’s voluntary quarantine will end if the second test result proves negative, her office added.

South Africa’s health minister, Dr. Zwelini Mkhize, said that he and his wife, Dr. May Mkhize, had tested positive for the coronavirus and that he was optimistic that they would “fully recover.” Dr. Mkhize was tested on Saturday after showing mild symptoms, and both he and his wife are in quarantine at home. South Africa, which has recorded at least 703,000 cases of the coronavirus, has largely reopened its economy.

— Monika Pronczuk, Yan Zhuang and Monica Mark

CVS plans to hire workers ahead of expected increases in coronavirus and flu cases this fall and winter.Credit…Brian Snyder/Reuters

CVS Health announced on Monday that it planned to hire 15,000 workers to prepare for expected increases in coronavirus and flu cases in the United States during the fall and winter months.

More than 10,000 of the new roles will be full-time and part-time licensed pharmacy technicians at CVS Pharmacy locations to help administer Covid-19 tests, process prescriptions and dispense medications.

“Additional team members typically are needed every flu season,” Lisa Bisaccia, chief human resources officer of CVS Health, said in a statement. “However, we’re estimating a much greater need for trained pharmacy technicians this year given the continued presence of Covid-19 in our communities.”

The additional hires may also help the company distribute a Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available, if federal officials permit pharmacy technicians to administer it.

In March, CVS Health announced plans to fill 50,000 jobs across the country, the “most ambitious hiring drive in the company’s history,” it said at the time. The company has more than 4,000 drive-through coronavirus testing sites across the United States.

Separately, Target said on Monday that it would pay a fourth bonus to its employees who work in stores, distribution centers and staff and employee contact centers, as the pandemic continues and the retailer’s sales have soared this year.

More than 350,000 workers will receive $200 by early November, Target said.

Sapna Maheshwari contributed reporting.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both said that operating revenue in the three months through September had fallen nearly 80 percent compared with last year.Credit…Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

More than a million people passed through airport checkpoints on Sunday, the first time the Transportation Security Administration has screened that many people since mid-March.

While that represents a symbolic milestone for the travel industry, U.S. airlines are still losing billions of dollars a month as they brace for much weaker demand for tickets this winter. The number of people screened by the T.S.A. on Sunday was down about 60 percent compared with the same day a year ago.

Last week, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both said that operating revenue in the three months through September had fallen nearly 80 percent compared with last year. That period spanned much of the summer, which is typically the busiest season for airlines. Corporate travel typically sustains them in the fall, but many large businesses have been cautious about returning to normal operations and have told their employees to work from home until next July.

The steep decline in travel has forced airlines to cut to the bone, tweaking every part of the business as they hope to capitalize on what little demand remains. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are expected to release similarly dismal third-quarter financial results this week.

#covid #World

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balancingbookact · 6 years

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Best & Worst Books of 2017:

I had a pretty great reading year in 2017 and read quite a few bangers. Some honourable mentions go out to the Sensational She-Hulk series, Jessica Jones: the Pulse, The Stand, The Drawing of the Three, American Gods, Scott Pilgrim (a re-read so it doesn’t count), The Dark Prophecy, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and It Devours! All good books but now for the actual list.

Best:

1. The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 2), by Rick Riordan.

I could easily put The Ship of the Dead here either, but while I think that book had more crowd-pleasing moments, this one has better pacing and an over-all more engaging plot. This series is great. Not only is Magnus a great lead, but all the side characters are fleshed out and have their own stories to tell. The Norse mythology is so readable in Rick Riordan’s style and I don’t care what people say, I will read anything this man writes. Keep ‘em coming, Rick!

2. Islam and Contemporary Civilisation by Halim Rane.

I had to read this for a class at uni and I have never enjoyed a text book more. This book reminded me of what reading is all about: learning something from another person’s perspective. I learned so much about the Islamic religion and culture through this book and Professor Rane’s tutes, and it was one of the most enriching classes I’ve ever taken.

3. Noteworthy by Riley Redgate.

Everyone stop what you’re doing and read this book about a girl who disguises herself as a boy and joins an all-male a cappella group at her prestigious art school. With a premise like that you’re probably expecting some Pitch Perfect/She’s the Man hybrid, and while it is funny, it’s also very heartfelt and delves into conversations about sexuality, gender, and gender performance that often get over-looked in cross-dressing stories. Jordan, our protagonist, is such a real person, and all the connections she forms are touching in their own, unique ways. I haven’t read a book that made me feel so connected to a character since Fangirl. Read it.

4. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

I also read Last Night I Sang to the Monster, which could have easily made this list as well but I think I like Sammy and Juliana just a little bit more. Anyone who thinks Aristotle and Dante was a fluke is wrong. This man is not some one-hit wonder. His books all hold such a soft tenderness, and even when he doesn’t shy away from some of the brutalities of life, there’s always hope for the characters. Sammy and Juliana is about a town of mostly Latinx people living in the U.S in the 60s. It paints such an amazing picture of what life was like for these people, and is one of the best coming of age (I guess?) stories I’ve ever read.

5. The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente.

I already wrote a glowing review of this on my goodreads (check me out here) but this book is everything I’ve ever wanted. It takes a look at the ‘Women in Refrigerators’ trope in superhero comics, which involves female characters being killed or otherwise brutalised for the development of a male characters story and blows it wide open. It looks at looks at six female characters (with the names and stories altered slightly): Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey, Harley Quinn, Karen Page, Queen Mera, and Alexandra DeWitt, and tells their stories and how pissed they are about being dead. It’s great commentary on the genre and Valente’s writing is just so raw and passionate. It evoked many emotions in me and I will die if more people don’t start reading this book.

6. How to Train Your Dragon, books 10-12 (How to Seize a Dragon’s Jewel, How to Betray A Dragon’s Hero, and How to Fight A Dragon’s Fury).

I finally finished this series after years of reading it and let me tell you right now, this is one of the best series ever written, period. The first seven books can be read as individual adventures, but it’s only once you get to the later part of the series that you see all the threads that have been carefully left to be woven together in a feat of masterful story-telling. This series has one of the greatest Heroes Journey stories ever put to page. I will fight anyone who says differently. I can’t pick a favourite out of these three, they’re all amazing. I just implore you to look past some of the outward silliness and read these books. You won’t regret it.

7. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.

After five long years John Green has finally come out with a new book, and let me tell you, the wait was worth it. Some people may fight me on this but I think this is John Green’s best book he ever done wrote. His books have always been personal but seeing the thoughts and feelings Aza has when dealing with OCD, you can’t help but see the heart that has been put into this book. The portrayal of mental illness and the hopelessness one can feel when confronted by this invisible, seemingly unstoppable force, is so genuine, and anyone’s who’s ever suffered with something similar will see their experience reflected back at them with such clarity it’ll break your heart a bit. A damn good book.

Worst:

None of these books were really terrible, I was just expecting more from them, and I didn’t get it. This list is short though, so there’s that at least. Sadly, here we are:

1. We Go Forward by Alison Evans.

I picked this book up almost solely for the ace rep, and while I have no issues with how that was done, everything else was just so ‘meh’. A story about two Australian girls who meet while traveling in Europe and decided to keep going together sounds like a good time, but instead it was an aimless, meandering mess. We have a basic understanding of these characters from vague backstories, but it never amounts to anything. There’s no real plot, no driving force and no conceivable aim in sight. It’s just a couple of girls, who have some baggage, strolling around Europe and not really focussing on the budding friendship. Just a bit of a let-down, really.

2. Illuminae (the Illuminae Files, book 1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

This was probably the biggest disappointment of the year. I was so hyped for this book and waited specifically so I could listen to the audiobook and when I did I quickly discovered it just wasn’t really all that good. A book about a colony of people fleeing from a menacing company that destroyed their planet, mixed in with a zombie plague on the spaceships sounds like it would be awesome! Unfortunately so much of the potential was sacrificed for the alternative format, which didn’t really do anything for the story and just seemed like it was there to look cool. When you have a man with saw raw, visceral prose as Jay Kristoff and you limit his narration, you are doing a disservice to the people. Jay flies better as a solo operative, in my opinion.

3. We Awaken by Calista Lynne.

Another book with ace rep that I was excited for that let me down. This story of a girl who meets a beautiful woman version of the Sandman, and their ensuing romance sounded so promising, unfortunately this book lacked direction. Our characters mill about like some couple in a domestic fanfic (which are great but that’s not what I signed up for), and the book tries to throw in some obstacles at the last minute, but everything is resolved so conveniently that it pretty much made no difference. The writing was sub-par and read like a first draft, which hurts me to say so, but it’s true.

Here’s to another year of reading in 2018! *releases party-popper*

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years

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THE BIG STREET

August 13, 1942

Producer: Damon Runyon

Director: Irving Reis

Screenplay: Leonard Spigelgass, based on the short story “Little Pinks” by Damon Runyon, first published in Collier’s magazine.

Dance Staging: Chester Hale

Gowns: Renie

Miss Ball’s Dancing Costume: Freddy Wittop

Miss Ball’s Make-Up: Perc Westmore

The film is sometimes referred to as Damon Runyon’s The Big Street.

The film premiered in New York City at the RKO Palace on August 13, 1942. That same day Disney’s long-awaited Bambi opened at Radio City Music Hall. At the Capitol, Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, also starring Agnes Moorehead and Gil Perkins, continued its run. Nearby, at the Albee, a second-run cinema, Top Hat (1935) starring Ginger Rogers and Lucille Ball was playing. The Big Street opened nationally September 4, 1942.

“Love is something that gets you one room, two chins, and three kids.” ~ Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball)

PRINCIPAL CAST

Lucille Ball (Gloria Lyons aka ‘Her Highness’) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Gloria’s singing voice was provided by Martha Mears, who also did Ball’s singing in DuBarry Was a Lady (1944).

Henry Fonda (Augustus Pinkerton II aka ‘Little Pinks’) first worked with Lucille Ball in the 1935 film I Dream Too Much. When Lucille Ball first got to Hollywood, the two actually briefly dated. They collaborated on the TV special “The Good Years” (1962) and the film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). During the 1970s, Fonda and Ball often turned up on the same awards and tribute shows. Fonda was nominated for three Oscars, winning in 1982 for On Golden Pond. He also won an honorary Oscar in 1981. Fonda died in 1982 at age 77.

Barton MacLane (Case Ables) was seen in the film The Maltese Falcon (1941) but is probably best remembered for his final role, the blustery General Peterson on “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965-69).

“A fat man’s always listening to love stories, but he’s never go any to tell.” ~ Nicely Nicely Johnson

Eugene Pallette (Nicely Nicely Johnson, The Greatest Eater Alive) was seen as Friar Tuck in Robin Hood (1938) and in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939).

The character of Nicely Nicely Johnson was played by Stubby Kaye, who reprised the role he played on Broadway, in the film version of Runyon’s Guys and Dolls (1955). He was so named because his usual reply to the question “How are you doing?” was typically “Nicely nicely, thank you!”

Agnes Moorehead (Violette Shumberg) was a classically trained performer who collaborated with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). She is best remembered as Samantha’s exotic mother Endora on the TV series “Bewitched” (1964-72).

Violette weighs 100 pounds, four ounces.

“She has a very large capacity for groceries.” ~ Pinks (about Violette)

Sam Levene (Horsethief) originated the role of Nathan Detroit in the Broadway stage musical of Runyon’s Guys and Dolls. Singing great Frank Sinatra played Nathan Detroit in the movie version in 1955.

Ray Collins (Professor B) also collaborated with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), along with Agnes Moorehead. He is best remembered for playing Lieutenant Tragg on “Perry Mason” from 1957 to 1965.

Marion Martin (Mimi Venus) would also be seen with Lucille Ball in Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945). Although she was often cast as a brassy stripper, showgirl or tough gun moll, off screen she was known to be extremely shy and retiring.

“That dame is a lump of mud!” ~Gloria (about Mimi)

William Orr (Decatur Reed) was an actor turned executive. As the head of WB Television for nine years, he was executive producer of the studio's early forays into the medium, helping to put ABC on the prime-time map with a steady staple of westerns and detective shows. In 1959 he received a Golden Globe for his contributions to television.

Vera Gordon (Mrs. Lefkowitz) emigrated with her family from Russia when she was seven years old. She became involved in the theatre and was active in silent films and early talkies. She had previously appeared with Lucille Ball in 1938′s Having Wonderful Time.

George Cleveland (Col. Venus) makes his fourth film appearance with Lucille Ball. In 1949 they also did Miss Grant Takes Richmond. He is best remembered for playing Gramps on “Lassie” (1954-57).

Ozzie Nelson (Himself) was considered the pre-eminent TV dad of the 1950s thanks to his successful family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” (1952-66). Before TV fame, he was a bandleader with his wife Harriet the lead singer. Nelson later appeared on several talk shows with Lucille Ball.

UNCREDITED CAST (with connections to Lucille Ball)

Baby (Gloria’s Pekingese Dog)

Louise Beavers (Ruby, Gloria’s Maid) went on to appear in three more films with Lucille Ball: DuBarry Was a Lady (1943), Lover Come Back (1946), and The Facts of Life (1960).

Charles Cane (McCarty, Holland Tunnel Policeman) also appeared with Lucille Ball in The Dark Corner (1946) and as one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, James Conaty, Sam Harris, and Harold Miller.

Jack Chefe was seen as a Paris waiter in “Lucy Meets Charles Boyer” (ILL S5;E19) and played a bellhop in “Lucy and John Wayne” (ILL S5;E2) and had also appeared in five films with Lucille Ball, including playing a waiter in Forever, Darling. Of Chefe’s 358 film roles, 165 were waiters!

James Conaty (Nightclub Patron) was also seen with Lucille in I Dreamed Too Much (1935), Lured (1947), and The Long Long Trailer (1953). He was one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, Charles Cane, Sam Harris, and Harold Miller.

Hans Conried (Waiter) played Harry Martin in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13), both in 1952. He also did two episodes of “The Lucy Show,” both as her music tutor Dr. Gitterman in 1963.

Pedro de Cordoba (Doctor) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Five Came Back (1939).

Helen Dickson (Florida Club Patron) had appeared with Lucille Ball in Carnival (1935) and Two Smart People (1946). She was one of the aging flapper showgirls in “Ricky Loses His Voice” (ILL S2;E9) in 1952.

Jimmy Dime (Truck Driver / Stunts) was seen with Lucille Ball in 1951′s The Magic Carpet. He did a half dozen episodes as a background players on Desilu’s “The Untouchables” (1959-61).

Eddie Dunn (Mulvaney) was also part of Ziegfeld Follies (1945) featuring Lucille Ball.

Jay Eaton (Late Night New York Nightclub Patron) did a total of nine films with Lucille Ball between 1934 and 1949, including her other Damon Runyon film Sorrowful Jones (1949).

Bess Flowers (Florida Nightclub Patron) aka 'Queen of the Extras’ made numerous uncredited background appearances on both “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” She holds the record of the most film collaborations with Lucille Ball: 17.

Karen X. Gaylord (Florida Club Patron) was also part of Ziegfeld Follies (1945) featuring Lucille Ball.

Charlie Hall (Caviar Waiter) also did Kid Millions with Lucille Ball and went on to do four more films with her until 1942.

William Halligan (Detective) was also with Lucille Ball in 1940′s You Can’t Fool Your Wife.

Art Hamburger (Joe Duffle, Eating Contest Opponent) makes his final of three screen appearances. He became an associate director. This is his only time working with Lucille Ball.

Joe Duffle is from Boston and weighs 337 and a half pounds. There is some irony that Nicely Nicely (then Violette’s) eating contest opponent is actually named Hamburger.

Mary Halsey (Showgirl) also did Seven Days Leave with Lucille Ball in 1942.

Sam Harris (Passerby on Florida Boardwalk) was in the background of a dozen Lucille Ball films, as well as being seen on “I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” and “The Lucy Show.” He was one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, Charles Cane, James Conaty, and Harold Miller.

Jack Herrick (Mindy’s Customer) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Bowery (1933).

John Indrisano (Mug at Mindy's) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Facts of Life (1960).

Tiny Jones (Small Friendly Neighbor) was seen with Lucille Ball in A Girl, A Guy, and a Gob (1934) and Five Came Back (1939).

Donald Kerr (Pete the Passer) appeared in eight films with Lucille Ball between 1936 and 1954.

Wilbur Mack (Florida Club Patron) appeared in three more films with Lucille Ball: Thousands Cheer (1943), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), and Lured (1947).

George Magrill (Mug at Mindy's / Stunts) appeared with Lucille Ball in ten films between 1933 and 1949.

Richard Martin also did Seven Days Leave with Lucille Ball in 1942

Tony Merlo (Mug at Mindy's) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) and Broadway Bill (1934).

John ‘Skins’ Miller (Truck Driver) was also with Lucille Ball in Fancy Pants (1950) and Sorrowful Jones (1949).

Harold Miller (Florida Club Patron) shares 13 film credits with Lucille Ball. He was one of the theatre patrons at “Over The Teacups” in “Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) which also featured Big Street extras Bess Flowers, Charles Cane, James Conaty, and Harold Miller. Harris would return for “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (S6;E12) as a subway strap hanger. He appeared in six episodes of “The Lucy Show,” the last one being as a party guest on “My Fair Lucy” (1965).

Bert Moorhouse (Florida Club Waiter) did nine films with Lucille Ball from 1933 to 1954.

Frank Moran (Mug at Mindy’s) makes his final of five film appearances with Lucille Ball.

George Noisome (Newsboy) also appeared with Lucille Ball in That’s Right, You’re Wrong (1939).

Barry Norton (Florida Club Patron) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Nana (1934) and Dance, Girl, Dance (1940).

Frank O’Connor (Police Captain at Holland Tunnel) did nine films with Lucille Ball from 1933 to 1946.

Gil Perkins (Mug / Stunts) was aboard the train when Lucy and Ricky headed home from California in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5). He was seen in The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) with Lucille Ball. He made one appearance on “Here’s Lucy” (above right) in 1970.

Bob Perry (Toupee, Associate of Ables / Stunts) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Stage Door (1937) and Joy of Living (1938).

Ralph Peters (Florist) was also with Lucille Ball in Sorrowful Jones (1949).

Addison Richards (Dr. Mitchell) played the American Consul in “Lucy Goes To Mexico” (LDCH 1959) as well as three other films with Lucille Ball.

Dewey Robinson (Truck Driver) did five other films with Lucille Ball.

Shimen Ruskin (Waiter Captain at Florida Club) was previously seen with Lucille Ball in Having Wonderful Time (1938) but is best remembered as Mordcha in the film Fiddler on the Roof (1971).

Hector V. Sarno (Friendly Neighbor) was also with Lucille Ball in Muss ‘em Up (1936).

Harry Shannon (Florida Doctor) was seen with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Too Many Girls (1940). He played Jim White (above center), photographer in “Men Are Messy” (ILL S1;E8) in 1951. He is probably best remembered as the father of Rose (Rosalind Russell) in Gypsy (1962).

Walter Soderling (Doctor at Mindy’s) was with Lucille Ball in Easy To Wed (1946).

Mary Stuart (Showgirl) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Seven Days Leave (1942). She is best remembered for her four decade run as Mary on “Search for Tomorrow”.

Elliott Sullivan (Tramp) was also in That’s Right, You’re Wrong (1939) and Next Time I Marry (1938) with Lucille Ball.

Harry Wilson (Fethington) did four other films with Lucille Ball between 1934 and 1950. He was also an extra on Desilu’s “Untouchables” (1959-62).

Marie Windsor (Florida Club Patron) was also in Critic’s Choice (1963) with Lucille Ball.

BIG STREET OPENING

"Loser's Lane - the sidewalk in front of Mindy's Restaurant on Broadway - is not as high-toned a trading center as Wall Street, but the brokers are a lot more colorful. Generally they prefer to put their money on a prizefight or horse race, but when the action slows, anything can happen and it usually does. Tonight, for example, the citizens of the Lane are discussing the latest contest in their usual quiet way..."

BIG STREET TRIVIA

The Big Street was a nickname for Broadway, where this movie's plot starts, and where all Runyon's stories take place. The film opens at West 50th and Broadway in New York City, with the marquee of the Capitol Theatre in the background.

Damon Runyon originally wanted to cast Charles Laughton and Carole Lombard in the lead roles, but neither one was interested in the project. The two had previously paired on White Women (1933) and They Knew What They Wanted (1940), Lombard suggested the producer consider her friend Lucille Ball and, despite pressure by RKO to hire a better-known actress, Runyon offered her the role. Unaccustomed to playing series roles, Lucille asked advice from Laughton on how to approach such a difficult part. Laughton told her not to hold back: “If you are going to play a bitch, play a bitch!”

Ball later recalled that at the time she was cast, "nothing much seemed to be happening for me at the studio. My $1000 weekly paycheck came regularly, but I was still a regular among the Bs."

Philadelphia Daily News ~ June 6, 1942

Reports that Lucille Ball sent a $25 War Bond to each of the ten girls that were fired from backing her up on “The Big Street”.

During filming, Lucy’s new husband Desi Arnaz felt so insecure about leaving Lucy and Fonda alone together that he’d often pop by the set to keep an eye on them. His paranoia so exasperated director Irving Reis that he finally banned him from the set.

This was Lucille Ball’s favorite of her nearly 80 films. She felt her performance was unjustly ignored by the Academy.

The vocals for "Who Knows?" by Harry Revel and Mort Greene, performed by Gloria in Case's Manhattan club, were provided by Martha Mears. The character later reprises the song with Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra in the Miami nightspot.

The film was re-released in 1955, at the height of Lucille Ball’s television success. Although Fonda remains first billed, Ball’s photo clearly indicates that she is the drawing card.

Damon Runyon also created the source material for the hit Broadway musical Guys and Dolls (1950), which starred Robert Alda, who went on to make several appearances on “The Lucy Show.” The two stories share the character of Nicely Nicely Johnson. When the film version was made by MGM in 1955, Lucy and Desi were also under contract to the studio. A brief clip of the film was inserted into the middle of an episode of “I Love Lucy” called “Lucy and the Dummy” (S5;E3), although the clip was removed after its initial airing. Further, when Lucille Ball first came to Hollywood, before becoming a contract player at RKO, she worked for Sam Goldwyn as one of the Goldwyn Girls. In Guys and Dolls, the Hot Box Girls are played by the Goldwyn Girls.

In 1949, Lucille Ball starred in another film based on a Damon Runyon story, Sorrowful Jones, a remake of the 1934 Shirley Temple film, Little Miss Marker.

Damon Runyon was a big fan of Lindy’s, a Manhattan restaurant famous for their cheesecake, and wrote the eatery into his books as Mindy's. The musical Guys and Dolls, based on Runyon's writings, immortalizes Lindy's in one of its songs. In “Ricky’s Contract” (ILL S4;E10), Lucy tells Fred and Ethel that Ricky took his entire band to Lindy’s to celebrate learning that he had been offered a movie contract.

In The Big Street, a sympathetic Pinks decides to take Gloria to Florida to recuperate - by pushing her wheelchair the entire way - starting with the Holland Tunnel! Although Lucy and Fonda never left Hollywood, the locations are achieved by rear projection and establishing footage.

The Holland Tunnel figures into “I Love Lucy,” not once - but twice. In “The Marriage License” (ILL S ), after finding out that her marriage license may be invalid, Lucy goes on a twelve hour walk to East Orange, New Jersey. “How I ever got through the Holland Tunnel, I don’t know.”

The Holland Tunnel will be mentioned again three years later in “Lucy Learns to Drive” (ILL S4;E11). Reportedly, she tried to make a u-turn in the Holland Tunnel resulting in traffic being tied up to East Orange, New Jersey.

Action is also set in Miami Beach, Florida. Pinks and Gloria hitchhike there to visit with Nicely Nicely and Violette who are operating a night spot there.

In “Off To Florida” (ILL S6;E6), Lucy and Ethel also hitchhike to Miami Beach Florida after being left on the side of the road by their ride share, a suspected hatchet murderess. They arrive at the North Miami train station covered in chicken feathers from riding in the back of a poultry truck.

Doting Pinks has a pet name for haughty Gloria: 'Your Highness'. In Florida, her friends conspire to get people to come and hear her sing by fibbing that she is the Princess of Corolia, a fictional place.

In “The Publicity Agent” (ILL S1;E31), Lucy conspires to get Ricky more publicity by pretending to be a fawning fan of royal blood: ‘The Maharincess of Franistan’!

FAST FORWARD!

On a 1971 episode of “The Dick Cavett Show" with guests Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and Lucie Arnaz, Lucie compliments her mother's dramatic performance in the film.

The film is referenced in the television film Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (1991)

A poster for the film is on Lucy’s dressing room wall in Lucy, a 2003 TV movie.

The Big Street turns up in the TV listings in the low budget film Hollywood Mouth (2008) starring Joe Bologna.

A clip from the film is featured in a montage during “AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda” a 1978 special attended by Lucille Ball.

Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies (1982) contains dressing room and dance floor scenes with Lucille Ball.

The Emmy-winning documentary Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie (1993) features a brief clip from the movie.

When Cher is TCM Guest Programmer in 2011, she selects The Big Street as one of her films to be aired.

In December 1948, Lucille Ball reprised her role on radio with John Garfield taking the role of Pinks.

The Big Street on VHS.

The Big Street is available on DVD from Warner Home Video. It is also part of the Lucille Ball Collection DVD, which also includes Dance, Girl, Dance, DuBarry Was A Lady, Critic’s Choice, and Mame.

#The Big Street #lucille ball

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bunny-lou · 7 years

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Jaylos Tutoring AU (Descendants Fic)

Part 1: http://bunny-lou.tumblr.com/post/157806434417/heyo-your-jaylos-prompts-are-rly-cute-and-i-read

So I already wrote part 2 AND posted it like a month ago, but I accidentally deleted it earlier today :( So I’m here trying to re-write it!

This is the (rewritten) second chapter of my Tutor!AU Jaylos fic. Carlos is assigned to help Jay in science, but Jay is more interested in his cute tutor than he is in learning anything.

Carlos is a nerd. He hasn’t so much resigned himself to that fact as he has completely embraced it. He likes his text books and homework problems that make him scratch his head. He can recite the periodic table, he can build nearly anything and he’s on a first name basis with every librarian in the city.

But being a nerd also means looking like a nerd and, that part, Carlos doesn’t embrace. He’s awkward and twitchy and scrawny. He’s always messing up his hair subconsciously and he slouches. That’s not to say Carlos has low self-esteem - his mind will always be more valuable than his body - but he is aware of how he looks.

So what is the problem with this stupid jock?!

When Carlos had been asked (well, told, really, by Professor Yen Sid) to tutor Jay, he had been ecstatic! The idea of helping and motivating someone to love science as much as he did was so exciting! The hope that Carlos could inspire another student had him dizzy and rushing to the library to meet Jay as soon as classes ended.

It turned out, Jay was not nearly as enthusiastic as Carlos had been to study. He was much more interested in, well, Carlos himself. Which was odd. Carlos had a handful of friends, but he wasn’t popular. People didn’t just take an interest in him randomly.

Nonetheless, Jay is standing outside the library doors, test in his hand and arrogant smirk on his face. His eyes narrow when he spots Carlos and the mini genius feels like a mouse about to walk into a cat’s lair.

He straightens his shoulders and looks Jay in the eyes as bravely as he can. The entirety of their period together would be focused on Jay’s most recent Biology II test, assuming he can keep Jay centered on the work, rather than continuously running his fingers down Carlos’ spine like he did last time.

“Now, I know,” Jay starts before Carlos can even open his mouth, “that this isn’t what you wanted, but this is the best grade I’ve ever gotten in that class.” He pushes a small stack of papers into Carlos’ hands. Jay’s breath is warm in a way that gives Carlos goosebumps and sweet and fresh, like peppermint. Looking down, there’s a plastic wrapper at their feet. Carlos scoffs and ignores the test in his hands in favor of looking between Jay and the wrapper he had dropped to the ground.

“Seriously?” Jay groans and Carlos just quips an eyebrow at him. “You’re so demanding,” he grumbles as he picks up his wrapper and tosses it in the nearest trash bin.

“Thank you!” Carlos chirps and smiles before focusing on the test in his hands. There’s so much red ink, way more than Carlos would be comfortable with if this were his own test, but it’s much less than the rest of Jay’s work. At the top is his circled, final grade. It’s not an ‘F’, like before, or even a ‘D’, no it’s a-.

“I thought a ‘C’ was appropriate for the hottest tutor I know,” Jay winks at him and Carlos can’t help his small smile, though he fights it.

“C minus, really.”

“What?”

“You didn’t get a C. You got a C minus.”

Jay rolls his eyes. “So what? It’s all the sa-.”

“It’s not ‘all the same,” Carlos insists. “A C is is from 73 to 76%. A C- is from 70 to 72%,” he explains in one calm breath. The grading scale is familiar and friendly, easing Carlos’ nerves from simply being around Jay, who is staying at him in disbelief. “I require at least a B.”

“For ‘bossy’?”

“Maybe I’ll up it to an A...” Carlos puts his finger to his lips thoughtfully.

Jay pouts - for how obnoxious he is, he really can be quite cute - and Carlos takes pity on him. “Fine, I’ll leave it at a B. But this,” he holds up Jay’s test, “isn’t a B.” He hands the test back to Jay.

“What the hell am I suppose to do with this then?”

“I dunno. Put it on your fridge?”

Truly, Carlos is proud of Jay. Very proud. He may be an obnoxious, overly-sexualized jock, but Jay is in an obnoxious, overly-sexualized jock that has grown on him. Clearly, he was paying attention to Carlos (and not just his blush) during their lessons. Carlos may be the tutor, but it was Jay who took the test and improved so drastically.

But Jay just groans, so Carlos pushes past him. “C’mon. Let’s get to studying,” Carlos moves toward the doors of the library, but Jay grabs his arm and blocks his path. His pout is gone, replaced with the same smirk as before, like a cat about to pounce

“But maybe I need some sort of incentive, Mr. De Vil,” Jay purrs and steps closer to his tutor. “A reason to try harder? Can’t you show me how good it’s gonna be when I get that grade.”

Carlos feels that terrible blush at his cheeks, spreading to his ears. Why must Jay do this to him!? His words are stuck in his throat and his mouth is so dry.

When he had made that deal with Jay two weeks ago, Carlos hadn’t thought much of it. He was flattered at the straightforward flirting, but he had made his offer in the hopes of just getting Jay to shut up and focus. Then Jay had come back two days later, reminding Carlos of their deal and whispering scandalous things into his ear and touching his shoulders.

The deal doesn’t frighten Carlos as much as the expectation to be good at it. He’s not entirely inexperienced, he’s just...really inexperience. Being a nerd and looking like a nerd meant his social skills were below average and his chances for romantic endeavors of any kind were limited. So limited, in fact, that Carlos has had fewer make out sessions than he has Bs on tests.

The trade was himself, but what if he wasn’t good enough? He can’t give Jay some crazy, unforgettable experience. Hell, they never even specified what he was suppose to do when Jay brought his grade up.

But Jay is looking at him as if Carlos is some sort of appetizing dessert, special and mouth-watering and desirable and Carlos has never considered himself to be any of those things. Jay is still holding his arm, watching his face, leaning closer and closer until Carlos’ neck hurts from the strain of maintaining eye contact with someone taller than him.

He doesn’t progress further though. Jay, close in a way he’s never been, doesn’t lean down or press himself to Carlos. What little space is left between them isn’t decreasing. Jay has stopped, allowing Carlos to make the next move.

“What do you say, teach?” The purr in his voice and the mint on his breath make has Carlos’ blush spreading to his ears. He bites his lip and stays quiet, swallowing heavily. “Carlos? Are you okay, man?” Jay leans back, putting more distance between them. “Is something wrong?”

Other than the fact that this tutoring gig is nothing like he thought it would be and he can’t stop blushing and he’s so damn nervous about this whole thing and Jay smells so nice and his face is so red, then nothing, nothing is wrong.

The jock makes his head dizzy in an unfamiliar way, something that’s, daresay, pleasurable. That feeling and the pride for Jay’s improvement and the sweet concern that is in his voice has Carlos’ blush traveling down his neck.

What he does next is illogical, despite all the reasons feeling so right. Carlos closes his eyes and tilts up on his toes, presses his lips to Jay’s cheek for a moment and lowers himself all in one swift breath. He’ll kick himself later on, but for right now, Carlos enjoys the look of surprise it earns him. Jay’s mouth hangs slightly open and his eyes are wide; a pink tint rises to his cheeks. Is that what Carlos has looked like during every single study session they’ve had together? There’s no way he’s as cute as Jay is right now, but Carlos can finally understand the appeal to making someone blush.

Jay’s hand reaches up to where Carlos’ lips were just against his cheek. The two stare at each other for one long silence before Carlos finds his voice once more.

“Goodbye. And, uh, good job on your test.” With that, Carlos spins on his heel and rushes out of the building.

For the most part, this is much different than my original version, but I remembered a lot of details, so the small stuff is all the same. I can’t believe I accidentally deleted the original second chapter of this :(

I still like how it came out and I hope you did too! Leave me a message if you enjoyed this and reblog my work if you feel so inclined. Thanks! - Lou

#jaylos #jay descendants #jaylos prompt #jay/carlos #carlos de vil #carlos descendants #descendants jaylos

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yoichooseno · 7 years

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Jaytim Soulmate AU

Inspired by the AU where anything you write on your skin also appears on your soulmate' skin (you know the one. Wink wink, nudge nudge) Tim sat in the lecture hall, leaning over his keyboard and typing quickly to keep up with his professor's lecture. "Hey," whispered the girl to his right. Steph, a pretty blonde with big eyes and an inability to sit still. "Can you send me the notes after class? I can't write and listen at the same time or I fall behind." Tim nodded, already opening the key to share the document with her. She grinned. "Thanks." "Me too?" Whispered the dark haired boy to his left. Connor, the exchange student, Clark Kent's son, was looking at Tim with his startlingly blue eyes. Tim shared the document with him quickly, and then began to type twice as quickly to catch up. Steph and Connor smiled first at Tim, then at each other, before settling into their seats to listen to the rest of the lecture. When it ended, Steph grabbed her bag and stuffed her notebook inside. She made to put away her pen, bit her lip, and turned to Tim. "Hey, so, I feel bad for mooching notes off of you all the time. I mean, we have three classes together and I've already asked you for notes in all three of them. Can I take you for coffee some time to make it up to you?" Tim grinned. "I would never turn down a free coffee." Steph laughed. "I know," she said, pointing to the two empty coffee cups on Tim's desk. "Here, gimme your arm." "Don't you have a pad of paper?" "Tim," Steph said seriously. "If you think I'm going to pull it out of my bag again, you are wrong. Besides, I've never once seen you even hold a piece of paper. How do I know you won't lose it?" Tim sighed, holding out his arm. She had a point. He was rather prone to losing papers. Behind him, Connor grunted. "Don't worry, she does this with everyone-" he held out his arm to show Tim the very number Steph was writing on his own arm as Connor spoke- "She's taking me for coffee tomorrow to thank me for lending her the change to buy tater tots." "Oh, hey, that's right! Tim, you should come with us. Then I can hit two birds with one stone." "You mean paying us both back at the same time?" "No, I mean coffee and making new friends." Tim sighed dramatically, teasing Steph. "If I must." Steph giggled. "Great! I gotta run now, boys. See you two tomorrow!" And with that, she ran from the lecture hall, bag bouncing against her hip as she went. Tim turned to Connor. "Is she always so... sociable?" Connor shrugged. "Beats me, dude. I've only known her two days. It's only the second day of the semester. If she IS always so sociable, I may regret spotting her on those tater tots." Tim laughed, smiling down at the phone number scribbled on his arm under her name, which she had written in bubble letters. That night, Tim ambled down to the communal bathroom to take a shower. Unfortunately, the showers were halfway across campus from his dorm. There was no longer such a thing as a "quick shower" in Tim's life. It took fifteen minutes just to get there, he may as well stay in a little while longer than usual. On his way over, he pulled out his phone and dialled the number written in blue ink on his skin. It rang twice. "Hello?" "Hey, Steph, it's Tim." "Tim!" The phone made a noise like wind in Tim's ears as Steph shifted her phone around. "How's it going?" "Pretty good. I'm just on my way to the showers, I thought I should call before your number washed off." "Ah," Tim could hear her smile as she spoke. "Okay, so- coffee tomorrow. It's a Friday so we won't have classes in the afternoon. I was thinking we could go at, like, 12:30? You and I will just be getting out of biology so I was thinking we could pick up Connor and take my car over? I know this great little cafe. Kind of a hole-in-the-wall joint, but great coffee." "Yeah, that sounds good. See you then?" "You betcha!" The phone clicked as Steph hung up. Dick will be so proud of me for making friends, Tim thought. Dick Grayson was Tim's legal guardian. Although he wasn't many years older, fewer than ten, he had battled for custody of Tim after his parents had tossed him out at the ripe old age of 9. Dick had always been a big brother figure to Tim, having grown up down the street from him, and it was a big Fuck You to the Drakes when the 18 year old boy down the street got custody of their young son. They had to see him each and every day, but they couldn't do anything about it. They would be charged if they tried to harass Tim the way they had when he still lived under their roof. Today, Tim still lived with Dick. He was 17 years old, and Dick was 26. Now that Tim was starting college- a year early because he skipped a grade, and holy shit was Dick ever proud of him- he lived on campus with the promise that he would return home on holidays. Of course, it wasn't so much Dick that Tim had promised, but Dick's girlfriend, Koriand'r. Tim really liked her. Kory wasn't from Gotham and she spoke somewhat broken English, but she was sweet and kind and mothered Tim in a way that Dick, as a young man, could not. She made Dick happy, she made killer cupcakes (if nothing else), and knew all sorts of great bands. Plus, she had bright pink hair. What's not to love? Tim slipped through the door into the bathrooms and found an empty shower stall, shaking off thoughts of his family. His strange, loving family. Inside, he shut the door, flung his towel over the top, and undressed. He let the water run over him, warm and soothing. He should call Dick when he got out. He should go grocery shopping tomorrow. He should remind his roommate not to leave his dishes in the sink. He should... He should... The warm water ran these thoughts from his mind. The warm water, and the singing from two stalls down. Whoever was in there had the voice of a rock god and was singing one of Tim's favourite songs, It Has Begun by Starset. Tim swayed on his feet as he listened, scrubbing down his body with soap and water. The singing abruptly stopped, interrupted crudely by a loud, "Aw, fuck!" Tim couldn't help but laugh. "What're you snickering about over there? I just lost a clue to finding my soulmate!" The guy who had been singing had an equally mesmerizing speaking voice. "I'm sorry," Tim said, still trying not to giggle. "You were singing so beautifully and then you just- 'aw, fuck!' And it was hilarious. Sorry about your soulmate, man." "Nah, it's my fault. I knew I should've written it down as soon as it showed up on my arm." And then the stranger continued singing, although a little more aggressively, and Tim continued to sway under the spray of the water. Jason Todd was 19 years old and attending the college of his dreams. He was a little late, due to the delay in his schooling after he had ended up on the streets, but now he was back on track and holy shit was he ever excited to be here. He owed the opportunity largely to his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne. Bruce was Gotham's richest, most elite gothamite and, as Jason saw him, the biggest badass around. Bruce had two kids- Jason, and a younger, biological son named Damian. Despite being hugely busy with running numerous businesses, he made all sorts of time for his two sons. That was not something Jason had ever known. When his mother was still alive, she was working four jobs to pay for the bills and couldn't afford to make time for Jason, regardless of how deeply she loved him. But Bruce made time for Jason, cared for him, loved him, and even payed for his college education. And because of this, it was Jason's mission to do well and make Bruce proud. He wouldn't allow himself to be distracted by trivial things. When the ink had started to bleed into his arm from an invisible pen, the tripping of his heart beats told him that the mysterious writing was coming from his soul mate's skin. Jason had immediately called Bruce. This was not trivial, and he was definitely distracted. "Come on, come on, pick up." Jason bounced on the balls of his feet in the courtyard. Bruce answered on the fourth ring. "Jason? Are you okay? Did something happen?" "It happened." "What did?" Damian asked in the background. "Wait, am I on speaker?" Jason stopped bouncing. "Yes." "Hi, Jason!" "Hi, Dami. Dad, can you take me off speaker? Please?" "Sure, Jay." A pause. "Okay, go." Jason resumed bouncing like one would breathing after holding their breath. "It happened. The thing. On my arm. It's there. It's-" "You mean your soulmate finally-?" "Yes! I'm freaking out, Bruce, I don't know what to do. This has never happened before." Jason chewed nervously on his lip. The thing was, Jason's soulmate wasn't one to use their skin as a canvas. They never made notes, never drew pictures, never tested pen ink, nothing. In fact, they never even got graphite smudges on their fingers. Jason guessed that they typed things, mostly. A few times he had written notes on his leg, or other discreet places people wouldn't see (afraid an outsider would see the note on Jason's skin, or on his soul mate's) , asking if they could see his writing, but they never replied. Jason worried that, maybe, they were his soulmate, but he was not theirs. Perhaps that was why he never got anything special on his skin. Or worse, what if he didn't have a soulmate? But now, now he knew that they were out there. "Well, does it say something?" Bruce prompted. "It's a girls name- Steph- and a phone number underneath." Jason spoke on a single exhale. It was quiet on Bruce's end of the line for a second, and then, "can you call it?" "What?" Jason stopped bouncing again. "Call the number. If someone picks up, ask if it's Steph that you've called, and explain." Jason took a deep breath and held it. That could work. The problem was, his next class started in two minutes, and he wouldn't be released for a couple of hours. From there, he would have to head straight to work. There wasn't time to make that kind of phone call, and even if there was, Jason wanted to be ready for any kind of let down. Suppose the number was a dead end- he couldn't go into work after that. "I'll have to call them later tonight, after work..." "Call me when you know something, okay, Jay?" "Will do." Jason could hear the smile in Bruce's voice. "Good. Now go get to class." "Yessir." And that had been the end of that. Jason had hurried off to his next class and struggled to stay focused through the whole lecture. How could he focus on WWII when his soulmate had just inadvertently sent him a message? He couldn't help but stare at the blue ink. Was this his soul mates writing, or someone writing on their arm? It didn't matter. It was on his soul mates skin, somewhere in this world, and that alone made it the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. At work, Jason was a space case. He was relieved when his shift finally ended. He had barely gotten his apron off before he bolted through the door, buckled his helmet on, swung a leg over his bike, and kick started the engine. He was tearing down the street to get back to the dorms before anyone could even ask him why he was in such a hurry. Unfortunately, upon returning to his dorm, Jason realized that his nerves were too shot to try and call anybody. He couldn't even call Bruce due to the violent shaking in his hands. "Dude, go take a shower or go for a walk or something. You're acting like a crazy person." His roommate, Roy, was sprawled on the couch with a bag of popcorn. "You're gonna pace a hole in the rug." "Shower. Right. A shower would be good." So Jason ducked through the dorm, grabbing his things, and headed out for a shower to calm his nerves. He wasn't worried about washing the number off. It wouldn't come off until it came off of his soul mate's skin, and it couldn't possibly be gone by the time he was out of the shower. But it was. Jason looked down at his arm as he belted out his favourite song, hot water from numerous showers filling the room with steam. "Embracing it's starlit fate as we wait in the night, It's written in the- aw, fuck!" Someone a couple of stalls over laughed. "What're you snickering about over there? I just lost a clue to finding my soulmate!" Jason hadn't meant to snap at the stranger, but he was tremendously upset. "I'm sorry," the stranger said, obviously holding back laughter. "You were singing so beautifully and then you just- 'aw, fuck!' And it was hilarious. Sorry about your soulmate, man." The stranger's voice was oddly soothing, but Jason couldn't focus on that now. "Nah, it's my fault. I knew I should've written it down as soon as it showed up on my arm." Jason ran a hand through his wet hair, sighing loudly. He wouldn't cry here, not if he could help it, but he just met cry when he got back to his dorm. He had been so close. The next day, when Tim's biology lecture ended, Steph grabbed his arm and dragged him out to her car, chattering the whole way. Tim wanted to listen, to chat with her, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the guy who'd lost his chance to find his soulmate. He sort of knew how the guy felt. His soulmate used to write to him all the time, but he could never read the notes through the gnarly bruises his parents left on his skin. There would be more bruises if he tried to tell his soulmate so. By the time Dick had him and the seemingly perpetual bruises finally faded, his soulmate had stopped writing and Tim had forgotten all about it. Occasionally, Tim wanted to write to his soulmate to explain to them why he never wrote back, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. "Hi, it's me, your soulmate. I never replied to you when we were younger because I couldn't actually read your notes since you always wrote them in the places my parents beat me. Also, they would have beaten me twice as hard if I tried to tell you so. I'm not being beaten now so I'll see the thing you send me, but-" he wasn't sure how to continue. Besides, the whole thing was so awful that he wasn't sure he should try. "Okay, seriously, what's with you?" Steph snatched Tim's attention from the drivers seat as Connor leaned forward in the backseat. "Do... Do you guys know your soulmates?" He expected Connor to scoff and Steph to immediately gush, but he was surprised by their reactions. "No," said Steph simply, starting the car. "They've never responded to my notes or anything. I think maybe there may be a language barrier because I always get random little words and reminders in Portuguese." She shrugged as she began to pull out of the parking lot. "I'm trying to learn the language but so far I haven't got enough to talk to them." "I do," Connor said. He sounded surprised at his own words, like he hadn't expected to have an answer to the question. "I know my soulmate," he continued. "Her name is M'gann." Steph squealed. "Oooh tell us more!" Connor blushed, an odd look for his stoic face. "She's not from around here either, but her English is pretty good. Actually, I'm meeting her in person for the first time on Sunday." Steph screamed. Both boys stared at her. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I'm just... Really excited for you." She was fighting back a huge smile and losing. "What about you, Tim? Do you know your soulmate?" "Hold that thought, Tim. We're here." The odd group piled out of the car and entered the cafe, the delicate bell on the door chiming as they did so. The barista was a tall man, approximately 20 years of age, with dark hair and broad shoulders. Tim recognized his voice, but couldn't put his finger on where he might know the man from. Steph spilled into a booth, Connor following her, so Tim slid into the booth seat opposite them. "So, Tim, tell us about your soulmate." "That's the thing," Tim complained, "I don't know them!" "You mean you never...?" "They used to write to me, but I could never read what they wrote because-" Tim swallowed, backtracking- "I could never read what they wrote, and my parents would beat me if I drew on myself, so I couldn't write back. Eventually, they just stopped writing to me." Steph frowned and Connor took a long pull from his drink, eyebrows knitting. "So what got you thinking about it?" Tim relayed to them the story of the night before. Steph's face puckered. "And I thought my soulmate situation was crappy." "No kidding. So now I can't stop thinking about that guy and his soulmate. What if he never finds them?" Connor spoke up. "He will, Tim. They're literally made for each other. If they weren't meant to find each other, they wouldn't be soulmates." Oddly enough, the brooding boy across the booth made Tim feel a lot better about the whole situation. A lot, but not enough. Jason looked up from the mug he was washing as Roy entered the small cafe. "Hey, Roy." "Hey, Jason. Feeling better today?" Jason sighed. "Not particularly." "Well, when's your shift up? We can hang out when you're off the hook, maybe take your mind off things." "Sounds good. I'm off in ten. You want something while I'm still behind the counter?" Roy grinned. "A large coffee and a pen." "A pen?" Roy smiled devilishly. "I have a plan." When Jason's shift was up, he made himself a coffee, slipped off his apron, and joined Roy at the small table in the far corner of the cafe. "What's this master plan of yours?" "You'll see. Give me your arm." "No, I'm not giving you my arm. You could be planning to draw penises for all I know." Roy snorted. "That's exactly it. See, if I draw enough dicks on your arm, at some point your soulmate has to pick up a marker and tell you/me to fuck off, am I right? So when they do that, we write up all your info on your arm and bam, there you are." Jason sighed. "I guess." He hated to admit it, but the plan was genius. Nothing would get his soulmate's attention sooner than a shit load of dicks drawn on their arm. He held out his arm to Roy, who began to draw. Steph and Connor were trying desperately to distract Tim. Currently, Steph was telling the boys about her vacation in Vancouver a few years ago. "- and they had this epic bioluminescent exhibit. Tim, you would've loved it. Seriously. They had hundreds, if not thousands of jelly fish and all sorts of little bioluminescent fish and- holy shit!" A few people paused to glare at Steph. Connor winced. "Please do not scream in my ear." Steph ignored Connor. "Tim, there are dicks on your arm!" "What the fuck?" Now Connor was leaning forward to take a closer look at the tiny dicks crawling up Tim's arm in purple ink. "Woah. That's a lot of dicks." "Are you fucking kidding me?" Tim groaned. "Nothing for years, and now this shit?" They all paused to watch as more and more tiny dicks appeared on Tim's skin. "WHO THE FUCK IS DRAWING DICKS ON MY SOULMATES ARM?!" The entire cafe quieted at Tim's outburst. Forks clattered on plates. Cups hit tables, spilling. A few patrons giggled. Then, finally, after what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, "That would be me." A ginger man with tattoos up his arms stood from his seat at the other side of the cafe. The man with him, whom Tim recognized as the barista, was blushing furiously. "And this is your soulmate." "Hi..." The man was tomato red and struggling to lift his eyes to Tim's. "I'm Jason." Steph squealed in her seat, wanting to push Tim toward his soulmate but trapped in the booth by Connor, who was sitting with his mouth open and his eyes wide. "Go!" She yelled, gesturing wildly. With all the speed and elegance of a zombie, Tim hauled himself to his feet and shuffled across the cafe. The ginger man beamed at the two young men and side shuffled away to join Steph and Connor in their booth. Tim took the empty seat across from the barista- his soulmate- Jason. "I-" the boys both began at the same time. "Sorry, you first," Tim whispered. "You're here. You're actually here. You- why didn't you answer me when I wrote to you?" Tim blushed furiously, his cheeks an angry shade of red. "I wanted to. I really, really wanted to. But- see, I couldn't read what you wrote to me because my biological parents- well, anyway, I couldn't read it. And I wasn't allowed to respond. But I wanted to. I did." Jason nodded slowly. "You were the guy in the shower yesterday. The one who laughed at me. I thought I lost you again, but you were right there." Jason was right, of course. That was where Tim had known his voice from. He was aware of the eyes of every person in the cafe on them. "Yeah." All of a sudden, Jason pushed himself from his chair. In a single, fluid movement, he had wrapped his arms tightly around Tim. Tim, shocked at first, gasped. But he immediately knew this embrace to be safe, and he felt warm and happy. And he snaked his arms around Jason's waist, pushing his face against the taller boy's chest, and sighed. The entire cafe burst into applause. Steph and Roy climbed up onto the seats of the both and cheered. Dick will be so proud of me, Tim thought, holding Jason tighter. Dick will be so proud.

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simplemlmsponsoring · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://simplemlmsponsoring.com/attraction-marketing-formula/website-traffic/content-repurposing-getting-the-most-bang-for-your-content-buck/

Content Repurposing: Getting the Most Bang for Your Content Buck

QUICK LINKS

What is content repurposing? Why bother with content repurposing [recontent]? How will recontent benefit your business? Recontent Ecosystem in action How to make recontent work for you

Mechanical engineer Richard James invented Slinky by accident.

In 1943, he was working to create springs to keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea.

He happened to knock some samples off a shelf and watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling.

youtube

In its first 60 years, Slinky has sold over 300 million units.

Its sweeping success could be attributed to the fact that Slinky has been repurposed in many ways other than a toy in the playroom:

During the Vietnam War, U.S. soldiers used Slinkys as mobile radio antennas. In 1959, composer John Cage created an avant garde work called “Sounds of Venice” that incorporated the sound of an amplified Slinky. NASA used the springy toy for zero-gravity psychics experiments in space. High school teachers and college professors used Slinkys to simulate the properties of waves.

Not bad for a precompressed helical spring!

Your content has to be repurposed

Your content is your Slinky that’s begging to get off the shelf and be repurposed.

It has so many possibilities… so many ways to reach your customers where they are – RIGHT NOW – and bring them back to your site in the form of traffic and sales!

Yet… all it does is rot in your archives because you believe it was created for one purpose only.

On the other hand, I repurpose everything. I mean it.

So much so that I’ve repurposed my head as a walking billboard for Traffic Generation Café…

Why on earth?…

Because I KNOW the power of repurposing content.

And I am on a mission

to show you how YOU too can take your archived content and spring it into action… by repurposing it.

What is content repurposing?

CONTENT REPURPOSING is a multi-channel marketing strategy that puts your business message in every format and on every platform your potential customers are looking for it.

YOUR content

YOUR target audience

EVERYWHERE they search for it

If…

Content marketing is all the marketing that’s left.

~ Seth Godin

Then…

Repurposed content is the new reality of content marketing.

~ Ana Hoffman

Not everyone agrees though.

Why content repurposing gets thumbs down from Chris Brogan

Here’s what Chris Brogan told me he thought of content repurposing:

I’m not into content repurposing. When I see it, it tells me that the person has very few ideas.

It means they’re struggling to be creative and have enough varied and unique perspective to bring information to the world on a regular basis. Which means, to me, at least, that they’re not the right person to follow.

I’d rather follow people who go to sleep still STUFFED with ideas, and who are dying to share their take the next day and every day. Those are who I follow.

~ Chris Brogan

(

you anyway, Chris!

)

Responding to my raised eyebrows

, Chris clarified:

I see people copy/paste, change a dozen words and call it good.

I’ll sum up what Chris is saying this way: people who repurpose content lack creativity and imagination.

I beg to differ.

I say folks who think that aren’t clear on what content repurposing is.

They see content repurposing as content reusing, recycling, syndication (which, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with – that too should have a place in your content marketing plan.)

Instead, I want you to think of content repurposing as content reinventing, reimagining.

Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman put it this way in the fifth “rule” of Content Rules:

…repurposing suggests something that might happen as an afterthought – like you might reuse an old Cool Whip container to store leftovers – whereas we’re talking about something far more intentional, as something that happens in the first phase of your content plan development.

Rather than repurposing, try reimagining.

Well said indeed.

BEST. #ContentRepurposing. Advice. Ever. Thanks, @AnnHandley! Click To Tweet

Repurposed content redefined

Since there’s so much confusion about the word ‘repurposing’, I propose we start with a clean slate.

Repurposed content is currently referred to in many different ways:

reformatted content reformed content relocated content restructured content regenerated content reworked content reimagined content reinvented content recycled content reused content

(Truth is it makes NO difference what you call it… as long as you know exactly how to use it to benefit your business… BUT it does help to be on the same page.)

Let’s repurpose the phrase ‘content repurposing’ into

RECONTENT = REPURPOSED CONTENT

Recontent is NOT about reusing an old piece of content again and again.

It’s content reimagined and reinvented.

Recontent has to be every bit as good, creative, compelling as the content it’s based on.

‘Repurposed content without pizzazz is out.’ ~ Ana HoffmanClick To Tweet

As a prospect discovers your recontent across various platforms and channels, she forms an impression of you and your brand.

That overall impression is what, in the end, will determine whether you get the sale.

Amy Porterfield on content repurposing

Think of it this way. If you bought an expensive pair of shoes would you show them off once and then hide them away in your closet, never to be seen again? No way! Same goes for your best content. Show it off multiple times, in multiple places, in multiple ways. It’s just too good to take it for a spin once!

~ Amy Porterfield AmyPorterfield.com

”Show off your best content multiple times, in multiple places, in multiple ways,” says @AmyPorterfield.Click To Tweet Brian Fanzo on content repurposing

I believe content isn’t king. GREAT content is king and brands must focus more on creating great content and getting it in front of the right audience.

I “Up-Cycle” my content, which means I take one great piece of content and transform it into different types of content for each platform.

For example: record my podcast on Facebook Live, upload audio to iTunes, create a blog post, take 4 best quotes from the episode and create graphics for Pinterest, take 4 clips from a months worth of episodes and create a 2-minute video to use as a Twitter video.

It takes 30 minutes to record the video and it turns into 6-7 pieces of content.

~ Brian Fanzo Isocialfanz.com

Stop creating content for content sake! says @iSocialFanz. What then?Click To Tweet Why bother with content repurposing /recontent/?

So why would you, a busy business owner, want to take on an entirely ‘new’ content marketing strategy as opposed to sticking with what you already know and do – continuously churning out new content?

Below is a conversation I had with Ralph Moorhouse, my Traffic Hacks email list Subscriber who owns a site dedicated to vacation rentals in France.

Ralph: I feel your pain – constantly trying to write blog posts to support my vacation rental business – other things always get in the way.

Ana: Why do you keep writing content for the site? Who’s reading it?

Ralph: Basically I haven’t a clue – just hope [misguided it seems] that I will start getting traffic [bookings] through website.

Unfortunately, Ralph’s story is a way-too-common cautionary tale of the content that never could.

Here’s how it goes…

You, the business owner, create content.

You have great hopes for it – traffic, leads, sales…

Yet nothing happens… the content just sits there… on your website… right where you put it.

What’s the problem? Location, location, location!

How’s your content going to fetch you traffic and sales if all it does is… yep, just sit there!

Now, imagine your website is a cute little chocolaterie off the beaten path.

Sure people would go nuts about your chocolate… IF they knew your shop existed!

So what do you do? Can’t just twiddle your thumbs waiting for customers to miraculously show up at your doorstep, right?

Yet that’s exactly what you do with the content on your blog.

How about this:

you hit the busy city streets (third-party platforms) …with samples of your incredible chocolate (repurposed content – REcontent) …and business cards with your store name and address (your call to action).

Do you think THAT will fetch you customers and sales?

You betcha!

And this, my dear online business owner, is exactly why you MUST repurpose your existing and future content.

Michael Stelzner on content repurposing

I think businesses that invest a lot in creating valuable content but don’t think of creative ways to slice and dice it in different mediums are doing themselves a disservice. There’s wisdom is taking what works and reapplying it to different formats.

~ Michael Stelzner SocialMediaExaminer.com

Are you doing your business a disservice? You might be, says @Mike_Stelzner. Click To Tweet Jay Baer on content repurposing

The content you make is not THE thing, it’s just the FIRST version of that thing.

~ Jay Baer ConvinceAndConvert.com

#ContentRepurposing in a nutshell. @JayBaer lives it. You should too.Click To Tweet Ted Rubin on content repurposing

If your content is good, you should be able to ride it until the wheels fall off. Re-sharing and reposting the good stuff is a critical distribution tactic that can help you get the best mileage and is a key to unlocking the content puzzle.

By sharing quality content multiple times on multiple channels, you expand the reach of your marketing efforts and make it that much more likely to build a loyal following. In addition, repurposing and syndicating good content will be a powerful tool that builds on your most successful ideas.

Syndicate, Syndicate, Syndicate, Repurpose, Re-use, Re-think, and Syndicate some more. I syndicate everywhere I can. So I post on TedRubin.com (or whoever I am being paid to write for, then TedRubin.com), then LinkedIn, then Medium, HuffPost, and TheSocialCMO. Usually from each around 2 weeks apart… then socialize via all my social platforms, including FB, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+, each time I post.

Stay on track by developing a strategy and processes for sharing good content over and over, and you’ll establish better thought leadership and keep your brand, and content, top-of-mind.

~ Ted Rubin TedRubin.com

Blog early, blog often

Let’s look at content repurposing from another point of view – cold hard stats.

Did you know?…

In a survey of over 1,200 people, when asked “What is an effective way for a company to attract your business?“, 53% of respondents said providing free content about a topic of interest. (Frac.tl, 2017) A study by Frac.tl and Moz concluded that inbound marketing tactics like content marketing can earn your brand nearly 200% more views than traditional advertising. (Frac.tl, 2015) Companies that published 16+ blog posts per month got almost 3.5X more traffic and about 4.5X more leads than companies that published 0-4 monthly posts. (HubSpot, 2015) Companies that published 11+ blog posts per month got almost 3X more traffic and about 4X more leads than companies that published 0-1 monthly posts. (HubSpot, 2015) 42% B2B marketers publish new content daily or multiple times per week. (B2B Content Marketing Report, 2015)

Whoa!

Do YOU create nearly as much content to compete with those numbers?…

Mike Allton on content repurposing

Some of the most recent studies in content marketing suggest that it may take a business 50 or more pieces of content before they will begin to see exponential improvement in traffic, leads and sales. Therefore, businesses that blog once a week can expect to wait a year to really begin to see dramatic improvements.

A year. Who wants to wait that long?!

It’s the savvy business owner who sees that repurposing their content into a variety of ways and channels can significantly amplify and accelerate that process!

~ Mike Allton TheSocialMediaHat.com

Some time ago, I experimented with blogging every day for 30 days – to see if my traffic would go up. And it surely did!

Of course, the quality of my content went down, but no surprise there.

The surprising part was the quality of the increased traffic. My page views, engagement, lead quality went down significantly to correspond with the quality of my content.

Lesson learned? Less is more.

Blog early, blog well

Fast forward to 2017, and ‘less is more’ is more of a case.

In the B2B Content Marketing Report 2017,

70% B2B marketers from companies of all sizes are creating more content from the previous year,

BUT…

76% prioritize delivering content quality over content quantity.

Content Quality remains the bedrock of success, according to the hot-off-the-press Periodic Table of SEO Success Factors: 2017 edition. (Search Engine Land, 2017)

Sounds like more and more marketers are realizing that…

Creating ridiculously good content is hard, which is why you have to squeeze every drop of juice out of whatever content you create.

~ Ann Handley AnnHandley.com

Blog less, promote more

Creating great content is great, BUT… not nearly enough to drive traffic and engagement on its own.

BuzzSumo says 50% of content gets 8 or fewer shares and 75% gets zero links.

I am sure that comes as no surprise to you. You know exactly how hard it is to drive views/traffic to your content!

Truth is…

(source)

Promotion might be more important than content creation, says Mark Schaefer. Now what?Click To Tweet

Ian Cleary on content repurposing

I believe that to stand out in the crowded world of content marketing, you need to deliver more strategic content that takes more time to deliver but delivers you better results.

When you do invest the time in this content, you need to maximize the value you get from it and that’s where repurposing comes in.

Spend more time on bigger pieces of content and then work out how you can distribute this content in as many relevant places and in as many different ways as you can. Create a presentation about it, create social media updates that you share for months about it, create graphics about it.

It’s NOT about producing lots of lower quality content. Produce higher quality strategic content and repurpose.

~ Ian Cleary RazorSocial.com

Content promotion trumps content creation.

Blog less, promote better

Promoting great content is great, BUT… it’s smart to make it more promotable first.

How?

I’ll give you a hint…

Vision trumps other senses:

In the brain, neurons devoted to visual processing take up about 30% of the cortex, compared with 8% for touch and just 3% for hearing. (Discover Magazine) MIT neuroscientists say we can process an image in as little as 13 milliseconds (MIT, 2014) Hear a piece of information, and three days later you’ll remember 10% of it. Add a picture and you’ll remember 65%. (Brain Rules) Colored visuals increase people’s willingness to read a piece of content by 80%. (Xerox, 2014) Eye-tracking studies show readers pay close attention to information-carrying images. In fact, when the images are relevant, readers spend more time looking at the images than they do reading text on the page. (Nielsen Norman Group) People following directions with text and illustrations do 323% better than people following directions without illustrations. (Research) Articles with an image once every 75-100 words got double the amount of shares of articles with fewer images. (Buzzsumo, 2015) Facebook updates with images had an amazing 2.3x more engagement than those without. (Buzzsumo, 2015) 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI. (Syndacast, 2015) Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. (Traffic Generation Café, 2016)

Including visuals in your content makes it more

findable, readable, enjoyable, promotable, lead-generatable, convert-able, revenue-bringable.

Recontent is the answer to all of the above.

After all, ‘reimagining‘ = ‘telling the story in images‘ = ‘visual storytelling‘, remember?

Bottom line…

How to turn failing content marketing into a success? Write less, repurpose more!Click To Tweet

…and avoid this extremely sad statistic:

On average, 75% of ideas are turned into a content asset, published once, and never reused or repurposed again. (Kapost) How will recontent benefit your business?

You might be thinking,

“Content repurposing sounds great… for content marketers!

That’s not me. I’m just a small business owner with too little time and too much to do as is.”

Oh, so you are NOT a content marketer?

But you ARE creating content hoping it’ll help you to break through to your target audience?…

And you do understand the way to your customer’s wallet is through content marketing?…

As Jon Morrow said:

FACE IT: you ARE a content marketer.

Without content marketing, your business is next to doomed.

And without content repurposing, your content marketing is next to doomed.

Neal Schaffer on content repurposing

Content repurposing is to content marketing what marketing automation is to email marketing.

~ Neal Schaffer NealSchaffer.com

Imagine a smartphone without a data plan… I know!

#ContentRepurposing (#recontent) defined by @NealSchaffer.Click To Tweet

Now that we’ve determined you need to continue reading this post, let’s take a look at the benefits of recontent.

Content repurposing increases your chances to be heard

‘The rule of 7’, first defined by the marketing expert Dr. Jeffrey Lant, says that your prospects need to come across your message at least 7 times before they really notice it and take action.

It’s based on a psychological phenomenon called the mere-exposure effect, which states people tend to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar with them.

In other words, your target prospect needs to see your content multiple times to become familiar with you => develop trust for you and your brand => enter your conversion/sales funnel.

Repetition increases the chance that you get heard.

Repetition also increases … the authority and believability of what you have to say. Listeners go from awareness of the message to understanding to trust. … Saying it twice may in fact be twice as good as saying it once.

~ Seth Godin

How are you going to expose the prospect to your content on a repetitive and consistent basis?

By creating even more content?… that quickly drowns in your blog archives?

Joel Comm on content repurposing

You put a lot of work into your content. Why not make sure your audience can see it wherever they want? I like to do live videos, edit them in iMovie and repurpose them to YouTube, Facebook, my blog and iTunes.

~ Joel Comm JoelComm.com

Shouldn’t your audience see your content wherever they want? @JoelComm says yes!Click To Tweet Sam Hurley on content repurposing

Recycle your content! Else it gets old, stale — and you’ve wasted all your time and money using a multi-use product just once! #ContentCrimes

~ Sam Hurley Optim-Eyez.co.uk

Content repurposing increases your website traffic

Content repurposing is the most effortless way to improve your search engine rankings.

Here’s why.

Every time you publish a piece of recontent, you get at least one backlink to your site.

The more recontent you publish, the more backlinks you get.

Some of those links might be more valuable than others, but don’t obsess over it.

Focus on creating a strong CTA (call to action) in every piece of recontent and bring prospects back to your site – that’s your priority #1.

SEO value of backlinks is a by-product of driving actual traffic.

Since you publish it on sites with high domain authority, your recontent is likely to rank on search engines for the topics (keywords) you optimize it for.

For instance, SlideShare gets over 75% of its overall traffic from search engines; thus, your SlideShare presentations are very likely to see some of that traffic.

That’s why it’s so incredibly important to make your recontent findable (search engine optimized) as well as readable (reader optimized).

When your recontent ranks on search engines, it sends indirect search engine traffic back to your site, as in

Google => recontent => strong CTA => primary site

The more you recontent, the more ‘visible’ you become.

Your potential audience sees you everywhere they go.

Whether they come to your website right away or not, they now perceive you as a niche expert.

And when they DO need what you offer, you just might be the first one they come to.

That’s the TRUE power of recontent: being recognized as THE one with a solution to a problem.

The by-product of growing your brand and niche expertise through recontent are

mentions on other sites backlinks referral traffic higher domain authority of your primary site higher overall search engine rankings

Stick with repurposing your content and you’ll see ALL of the above as a result. I guarantee it.

Eric Enge on content repurposing

Content marketing is an incredibly powerful tools for businesses to gain substantial exposure. However, it only works if you invest the time to create high quality content, and that can be quite expensive to produce each piece. For example, imagine you spend 10 hours creating one fantastic piece of content, and it gets some great results. Sounds great, right? But wait, who has the 10 hours these days, and how many times per month can you find 10 spare hours to create the next great article?

Content repurposing is about getting more value from each great piece of content you create. Imagine you still spend 10 hours to create the first piece of content, just as outlined above. What if you could take pieces of that content and break it out into many different incremental pieces, each at much lower cost? Here are some examples:

Extract 10 to 20 social shares from the post, and share them over time on social media Record a related YouTube video using all the same concepts from the article Reach out to third party sites and pitch them on guest posts which cover the same topic area. Don’t send them the exact piece of content, but rewrite it to fit their audience (note this will take some time, but a lot less than 10 hours) See if you can get interviewed by people on topics closely related to your post Take the original content, put a little more time into it with some key additional ideas and offer that as a PDF download which you use to capture email addresses

These are just some ideas, all of which leverage the original content you created, and they can all help multiply the total return off the initial piece of content!

Lastly, from an SEO perspective, content repurposing helps create a lot of additional exposure for your content, and this can lead to more links and traffic back to your site.

~ Eric Enge StoneTemple.com

Content repurposing helps reach a much wider audience

A research by the child development theorist Linda Kreger Silverman suggests that:

about 30% of the population strongly uses visual thinking, another 45% uses both visual thinking and thinking in the form of words, and 25% thinks exclusively in words.

So… if your primary form of communicating with your audience is words – blog posts, for instance – you are only reaching about 25% of them effectively.

The rest needs you to show it to them.

Content repurposing allows you to appeal to multiple audiences with various content preferences.

Henley Wing on content repurposing

Repurposing is important because it opens up different entry points for potential readers/customers to discover you.

It’s like using an original pick-up line that works like crazy attracting women in a bar.

Why not reuse that pick-up line in a different setting? Chances are very few, if anyone would’ve heard it the first time.

~ Henley Wing BuzzSumo.com

Content repurposing breaks through multi-screen reality

Your target audience is constantly plugged in, using multiple devices and services at a time.

83% of consumers globally are constantly plugged in, using, on average, 2.23 devices at the same time. (Adobe, 2016)

On the other hand,

47% of global device users admit feeling distracted by multiscreening. (Adobe, 2016)

Duh!…

What’s a content marketer to do?

Repurpose your content into videos, SlideShare presentations, and images.

Your prospects might not want to read an in-depth blog post on their mobile devices, but they might watch a 2-3 minute recap of the post. Or flip through a slide deck. Or listen to the audio version of the post.

With limited time (15 minutes or less), 57% people opt for videos over text and 63% for shorter stories over long articles. (Adobe, 2016)

In other words, it’s a great disservice to your business to fail to optimize your content for this multiscreen reality.

So… recontent, recontent, recontent!

Rich Brooks on content repurposing

Content repurposing is a multiplier. It’s the triple word score on Scrabble, except you’re not limited by triples.

Once you’ve developed a piece of valuable content–valuable to your audience–it’s about taking the same content and using it in multiple places to reach a wider audience with a minimum of additional work.

A video becomes a blog post. And that becomes an infographic. And that becomes a slide deck, which begets a series of tweets and status updates. And then you can create an “evil twin” post and submit it for a guest blogging opportunity, or do some podcast outreach to become a guest one someone else’s show.

The possibilities are limitless.

~ Rich Brooks TakeFlyte.com

Rebekah Radice on content repurposing

Content repurposing isn’t a new idea, but it certainly is an underutilized one. When you repurpose, you take one piece of content and turn it into many. And the beauty behind this tactic? You get more mileage out of your content, a higher impact, and all at a lower cost. In other words – more bang for your marketing dollar.

And there’s so many ways to repurpose your top content. You can turn it into a Slideshare of 3-5 tips, a Youtube video, infographic, podcast, webinar – the sky’s the limit. Tap into your creativity and test what works, drive traffic, and increase your social media engagement.

~ Rebekah Radice RebekahRadice.com

what @RebekahRadice said about #contentrepurposing – get more bang for YOUR content buck!Click To Tweet Content repurposing saves time

I know, I know… content repurposing sounds great! AND extremely time consuming…

But what’s the alternative?

Creating even more content that rots in your blog archives?

‘When something isn’t working, ‘trying harder’ won’t help.’ ~ Ana HoffmanClick To Tweet

That’s how I got into content repurposing to begin with.

I needed to find a better way to get my existing content in front of more people. To give my content more shelf life.

My recontent journey started with SlideShare.

Often referred to as the ‘Sleeping Giant of Content Marketing’, SlideShare is the largest presentation and document hosting platform in the world. It’s owned by LinkedIn and now Microsoft and has about 70 million active users.

So…. as a complete newbie to SlideShare, here are my very first recontent results:

30 days. 9 presentations. Over 243K views. Several first-page Google rankings. 1,400 clicks to Traffic Generation Café and my Facebook fan page. Over 400 new Facebook fans. SlideShare became my second largest referral traffic source.

243,000 views!!!

Imagine trying to do that on YouTube…

Learn more about my SlideShare success and how you can do the same for your business:

SlideShare Traffic Case Study • From 0 to 243,000 Views in 30 Days

How did I find the time to do all of that?

I stopped creating new content.

Instead, I promoted my existing content by repurposing the heck out of it.

As a result,

I spent less time creating more content (9 presentations vs my typical 3-4 blog posts in 30 days) I leveraged high-trafficked platforms where my target audience spent time I drove a LOT more traffic and conversions than I ever had via traditional blog post promotion on social media.

Less effort and a LOT better results, in other words.

So if you are overwhelmed, overworked, and discouraged by your current content marketing efforts, you can’t afford NOT to repurpose your content.

The less time you have, the more you should repurpose your content.Click To Tweet What does it look like to reimagine your content?

Did you know Thomas Edison was by far not the first one to invent the light bulb?

In fact, some historians claim there were over 20 inventors of incandescent bulbs prior to Edison’s version.

So why is Edison the one popularly known for the invention of the light bulb?

Edison was the first one to recognize that the bulb itself was nothing without a system of electricity to make it truly useful.

So not only did Edison create his version of the bulb, but also developed an entire industry of power generation and supply to go with it!

Tim Brown, Founder of IDEO, wrote in Harvard Business Review:

Edison’s genius lay in his ability to conceive of a fully developed marketplace, not simply a discrete device. He was able to envision how people would want to use what he made, and he engineered toward that insight.

What is the ‘marketplace’ for your content? How would people want to take it in?

Would they want to read an in-depth blog post? Or prefer to watch a video on a mobile device? Or listen to an audio on the way to work?

It’s not enough to create a useful piece of content.

You need to build a recontent ecosystem around it to get it into the hands of the right people at the right time in the right format.

Recontent Ecosystem in action

Think of your content as a set of legos that could be shaped into endless forms – your Recontent Ecosystem.

What does it look like?

The recontent ecosystem above works best for

content creators with a stockpile of existing content people who write as their preferred content creation method

SIDE NOTE

Your starting point will depend on what your primary way to create content is.

If you are a vlogger, start with Step 5.

If you are a podcaster, start by… recording your podcasts as videos! It always amazes me how many podcasters don’t even think of doing this, yet it should be a no-brainer. Same amount of effort – double the content.

Going back to bloggers: your recontent starts with a blog post.

RECONTENT STEP 1

Scout your blog archives for a post:

that’s evergreen (update it if necessary) solves a problem for your target prospect has a relevant call to action (remember: recontent is not about website traffic per se, but converting that traffic into customers!)

More worthy reads on creating best calls to action:

How To Write A Call To Action In A Template With 6 Examples – Julie Neidlinger at Coschedule.com 8 Call-to-Action Tips Getting Real Results for Marketers Right Now – Darcy Coulter LeadPages.net RECONTENT STEP 2

Believe it or not, this is one of the most challenging parts – turning a full-sized blog post into a bite-sized outline.

Takes a bit of practice going from some 2,000 words to 300-400 (that’s about how long your outline should be), but soon becomes second nature.

Here’s the BEST editing advice I’ve ever read:

RECONTENT STEP 3

Next, your outline will become a slide deck (a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation, in the other words.)

Why?

Because a presentation is, essentially, a collection of images.

And how can you repurpose images? The sky’s the limit!

RECONTENT STEP 4

Once you have a presentation, turning it into a video is a cinch.

Simply record yourself reading through the slides with any screencasting software.

I cover recontent steps 3 through 5 in a bit more detail in this post:

How to Turn Blog Post into Video in 5 Min RECONTENT STEP 5

There are several simple ways to separate the audio from your newly created video.

Here’s the easiest one: once your video is published on YouTube, go to ListenToYouTube.com, enter your YouTube video URL, and press Go.

This free service will quickly strip your video voice-over and turn it into an MP3 ready to be distributed to various audio sites, like SoundCloud.

Here’s a helpful video tutorial by Ileane Smith:

Turn Your Live Streams Into Your Podcast RECONTENT STEP 6

Your slides ARE images.

Some of them are transitional images that only make sense within the context of the presentation.

But many of them could be used as standalone images to be shared on social media, added to blog posts, articles, etc.

Just make sure those images:

contain a completed thought have your branding (optional) include your call-to-action URL RECONTENT STEP 7

Creating an infographic doesn’t have to be intimidating.

It could be as simple as stacking a few slides together – as long as the end result contains a complete thought.

Like I did in this post:

7 Simple Hacks to Create Traffic-Driving Mobile Friendly Emails RECONTENT STEP 8

This one is easy-peasy and EXTREMELY valuable – sharing images as social media updates certainly beats spitting out links in terms of engagement and clicks.

Don’t just share an update once though. Rinse and repeat.

Learn more about why you should share your social media updates more than once (or twice!):

How To Promote Your Blog With Social Media – Garrett Moon at Coschedule.com Tweet And Repeat: The Power Of Sharing And Sharing Again – Mark Traphagen at MarketingLand.com The Art of Aggressive Social Sharing – Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick at hbr.org RECONTENT STEPS 9 & 10

In these steps, you are going to use and reuse everything you’ve created thus far: slide deck(s), video(s), images.

Embed them in your posts and in articles you publish elsewhere – guest posts, LinkedIn Pulse articles, Medium publications, and so forth.

Needless to say, everything you see in this post was created according to the recontent ecosystem chart above with one exception: since I wasn’t repurposing an existing blog post, I started with an outline, then created a SlideShare presentation based on that, THEN wrote the actual blog post.

outline

SlideShare presentation

blog post

presentation images added to the post

images added to Click to Tweet CTAs

YouTube video (also used as native video uploads to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

all of the above continuously used in social media updates

all of the above embedded in various articles [LinkedIn, Medium, etc.]

More examples of recontent at Traffic Generation Café

7 Simple Tips to Create Traffic-Driving Mobile Friendly Emails

blog post

infographic

SlideShare presentation (using infographic images)

infographic and presentation images added to the post

images added to Click to Tweet CTAs

YouTube video (also used as native video uploads to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

all of the above continuously used in social media updates

all of the above embedded in various articles [LinkedIn, Medium, etc.]

5 Brilliant Ways to Go Blog-to-Video with Content Samurai [Review, Tutorial, Discount]

blog post

SlideShare presentation

blog post video trailer* [short YouTube video]

full video tutorial [YouTube video]

all of the above continuously used in social media updates

all of the above embedded in various articles [LinkedIn, Medium, etc.]

So you see, each piece of recontent was created to amplify the original as well as serve as a standalone piece of your recontent ecosystem.

How to make recontent work for you

Repurposing your existing and future content is no longer an option – it’s a must.

I hope you understand it by now.

And if not… oh, well. It’s like Jay Baer says,

“That’s okay. More opportunities for the rest of us.”

…AND your competitors.

The only thing that might stand in your way is… the lack of skills.

That’s why you should download “How to Repurpose Your Blog Content for Maximum Impact” PDF now and learn how to put recontent to work for your business – and be ahead of the pack… for a change!

Content Repurposing: Marketing Takeaway

No more rotting in blog archives.

Your content is now working for you 24/7 on high-trafficked sites where your potential customers are RIGHT NOW, branding you as an expert in your niche, and bringing those potential customers back to your site in the form of traffic.

The ultimate circle of content life! Or recontent ecosystem, I should say…

WHY do you create content? Who is reading it?

Thanks to recontent, EVERYONE.

Off to repurpose… something,

From Ana with

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