#this is an odd way of me recommending facebook second hand groups

[immortalsins]

u know what’s better than one knife pocket... two knife pockets

#this is about me finding free sailing gear i am LIVING #facebook is good for one (1) thing and that's second hand sailing clothes #fuck yes #i spent so long trying to find affordable new options but here comes Jane on the sailing clothes facebook group #thank you Jane you legend #this is an odd way of me recommending facebook second hand groups #they're so good

[awhitehead17]

Batfam Alphabet: K - Kryptonian’s

Summary: After noticing how everyone is busy meeting up with someone who is either a Kryptonian or even a Kent that day, Dick notices how he’s the only one in the family that doesn’t have a Kryptonian partner.

Enjoy! :D

“C’mon Damian, let’s go! We’re going to be late!”

Dick pauses from where he’s walking through the foyer and looks up to find Tim shouting for their younger brother as he hurries down the stairs. When he reaches the bottom the teenager rushes to the door and throws it open and impatiently waits in the doorway as he checks his watch every few seconds.

Raising an eyebrow, Dick glances at the top of the stairs but doesn’t find any sign of Damian. He turns back to Tim. “What’s the rush?”

Tim blinks and stares at him for a moment like he’s just noticing Dick’s presence for the first time. With his eyes flicking to and fro Tim huffs in annoyance and taps his foot restlessly. “We’re meeting Conner and Jon at Amusement Mile but we’re running late because a certain someone can’t apparently keep track of the time!”

Dick frowns, suddenly feeling concerned for his brothers’ safety. “Is going there a wise idea?”

With a wave of his hand Tim dismisses his concern. “It’ll be fine. At the end of the day we’re all trained and it’s only a phone call away if anything does happen. Kon and Jon are there so if we do need an emergency evac we can get out of there quickly.”

Before Dick could respond a new voice joins the conversation.

“We have plenty of time Drake, don’t be so impatient.”

Both Dick and Tim look up to find Damian now descending down the stairs at a leisurely pace, obviously not in such a hurry as Tim is. Dick wonders if Damian is doing it purposely to annoy Tim or because they do have a lot of time to spare and Tim is just being overly-cautious.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little early or even on time brat.” Tim snaps at him, glaring as Damian reaches the bottom of the staircase. “Now come on, we’re wasting time.”

Without even so much a goodbye Tim spins around and hurries out the door once Damian approaches. Damian tuts but follows behind Tim saying “Bye Grayson” as he passes Dick on the way out of the door.

It takes Dick a moment to react, his mind catching up with the fact that Damian and Tim are hanging out together, seemingly willingly with one other. He blinks and shouts after them, “don’t kill one another! Stay safe and remember to call if anything happens!”

Neither brother responds to him but Dick rationalises he’s done what he could, if something happens between them he is not to blame. Maybe he should message Conner to ask him to check in and to make sure they behave. The Kryptonian brothers get along unlike Tim and Damian so his caution is reasonable as them two together is certainly a questionable matter. In the end he decides against it, instead choosing to wait and see what the end result of the day looks like.

Eventually he shuts the front door and continues on his way with what he had been doing before the sudden distraction.

------

Dick’s route through the foyer is interrupted again not even an hour later, only this time because of the group of girls gathered there. Dick stops and stares at the scene unsure on how to proceed, should he make his way through them or go around them?

Steph, Cass, Barbara and even Kara are grouped together giggling about something. Seeing three of them together is rather normal but he is surprised to see Kara around.

Before Dick could decide on what action to take he’s spotted by Steph. The blonde waves enthusiastically at him. “Hey Dick! How are things? Don’t mind us we’re moving to the media room now.”

The other girls turn and face him. Cass and Kara give him a smile and a small wave in greeting while Barbara shoots him a bland look. He wouldn’t expect anything else from her.

As Dick is about to move he’s stopped short by Kara addressing him. She points up to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “Dick, is it true that you used to often climb up there and hang from it?”

Dick glances up and his mind is suddenly ambushed with fond memories of when he was a kid and used to do acrobatics from said chandelier. Alfred used to give him hell for it, particularly after he accidently broke one when he got a bit too bold trying a new move.

He smiles and looks back at Kara nodding. “Yeah, that’s true. More often than you would think believe it or not. I did it less frequently as I got older though.”

Kara snorts with amusement. “I can totally see Jon doing something like that, rao, even Conner would try something like that.”

“Considering who they’re friends with, that doesn’t surprise me.” Steph comments laughing. “Well lets get to it! See you later Dick!”

Steph takes off down the corridor towards the media room with a bounce in her step. Kara sends him one more smile and follows her, Cass comes up to him and stands on her tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek before following them and finally Barbara sends him a wistful smile before trailing behind the girls, clearly also remembering what he used to be like back then.

Once they disappear from view it takes Dick a moment to move, his mind thinking about what just happened. He didn’t even realise they were friends with Kara. He doesn’t even know how they know each other, then again he doesn’t follow every move the girls make, they’ve probably had cases that have crossed over a time or two. Shaking his head he lets it go and continues on with his day.

----

When Dick bumps into Bruce in the kitchen later on that day he feels like there’s a pattern forming.

He’s sat at the kitchen island minding his own business as he eats his lunch and mindlessly going through Facebook, Alfred is pottering about also minding his own business, when Bruce rushes in looking a little frazzled.

Dick watches mollified as Bruce darts about the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards left right and centre clearly looking for something which he doesn’t find straight away. As soon as he came in, Alfred simply stood to the side and allowed Bruce to freely search the place patiently waiting for the inevitable to happen.

After searching every cupboard and draw available Bruce turns to Alfred and before the man could say anything Alfred simply holds out his hand revealing a travel mug. Bruce suddenly looks so relieved and gratefully takes the mug out of the butler’s hand with a breathless “thank you”.

“You are a saint Alfred, there’s no way I’m going to be able to cope today without this.” Bruce determines already taking a sip of the mug’s contents.

Dick blinks, completely lost to what’s happening, especially when all Alfred does is nod as he had been expecting that reaction the entire time.

“What is going on?” He blurts out without meaning too. The two men turn and face him, Alfred looking passive and Bruce looking surprised at his presence. Has Dick become invisible or something? That’s the same reaction Tim had that morning in the foyer.

“Oh, afternoon Dick, I completely missed you sat there.” Bruce says looking a little sheepish, a look that isn’t common on the man though Dick’s seen it more than enough times at this point in his life. “I have a meeting with Clark and the rest of the League members. I’m running a bit behind schedule but not enough to not grab my coffee before heading off. I won’t be back until late, don’t wait for me before going out tonight.”

With that statement Bruce leaves the kitchen with the travel mug clutched tightly in his hands. Dick shoots Alfred a surprised look but the elderly man has already turned around and continued with his task.

Sighing Dick turns his attention back on his half eaten lunch and goes back to scrolling through his Facebook newsfeed. Quickly getting bored of it, he places his phone down and strikes up a conversation with Alfred, the man appears more than happy to converse with him as he works.

After a while Alfred breaks their conversation, sending Dick an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Master Dick but I’m going to have to excuse myself. I have a scheduled phone call to make in a few moments.”

Dick stares, caught off guard by the reason. “What? Who with?” After he says it he realises how bad and how patronizing it sounds. He immediately winces and apologises.

Alfred merely looks amused at his behaviour, thankfully not taking any offense to it. “If you have to know Master Dick, I have a call with Mrs Martha Kent. We’re going to be comparing recipes and giving some recommendations.”

“Okay…”

Alfred leaves the kitchen then, leaving Dick all by himself in the room as his mind reels back over the last hour or so to what’s happened. Is everyone busy today or something?

Finally finishing his lunch, Dick clears his mess up and wanders out of the kitchen trying to decide what to do for the rest of the day.

-----

The next thing to happen which adds to the odd feeling he’s been having throughout the day is when he bumps into Selina in the corridor of the bedrooms wing. He’s heading towards his own room when he notices Selina strutting her way towards him.

His eyes widen as he takes in her outfit. She’s wearing a low cut black blouse paired off with tight leather pants and high heels. She’s wearing a golden necklace with matching bracelets on her wrists and her face done up with perfect looking make-up. The shadowing around her eyes make them stand out along with the boldness of her lipstick which helps define her facial features.

Dick stops in his tracks and watches as she approaches. When she’s close enough she stops and sends him a smile.

“Hot date?” Dick asks with a grin. He can’t help but be curious on why she’s dressed up like that. Bruce isn’t around and there’s no party that he’s aware of happening. Unless she plans on crashing the meeting Bruce happens to be in, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened…

Her smiles turns more devious, “Not quite birdie,” she drawls out. She places her hands on her hips and cocks them to one side. “I’m meeting with Lois Lane. There’s a certain… get together we’re attending and I tend to make a statement.”

Dick’s eyes widen in surprise, he hadn’t been expecting that. He knows that Selina and Lois know one another, he’s seen them interact with each other enough times at gala’s both Bruce and Clark have attended too but he didn’t know they were that close.

After a couple beats he sends her an easy smile. “Well, I’m certain you’re going to make a statement alright.”

“Thank you kitten,” she replies patting his cheek softly, “now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get going.” She saunters past him, continuing down the hallway clearly ready to kick some ass. Selina is the personification of the saying ‘looks can be deceiving’.

“Have fun!” Dick calls out to her retreating form.

As he enters his room Dick is struck by a thought that even Selina is busy that day. It’s really starting to appear that he's the only one without any plans or even someone to meet up with. It suddenly makes him feel lonely, it’s an irrational feeling but he couldn’t help feel it temporarily, maybe it’s jealously of his family all currently hanging out with someone or each other. It’ll soon pass when everyone is back home and skulking around looking for stuff to do out of boredom.

----

Half an hour later and Dick knows he's had enough. It seems like the last straw has been drawn and how the universe has decided to rub salt into the wound.

Dick’s not even out of his bedroom doorway before he’s stopping short at the sight of two beings walking past him. He blinks and looks down the hallway with furrowed eyebrows and seconds later it registers who he’s seeing.

“Jason?”

His brother stops in the middle of the hallway and turns around to face him. He looks surprised for a moment before his expression goes back to neutral. “Oh, hey Dick.”

“What are you doing?” He questions his brother, his gaze slipping to Jason’s companion. Bizarro stands next to Jason, his eyes drifting between the two of them as he watches them interact with a frown.

Jason jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “We’re heading out now as we’re about to meet Artemis.”

Dick runs a hand over his face taking in the new information. “How long has Bizarro been here?”

His brother sends him perplexed look. “Uh, like all day? Did you not know that?”

“No. No I didn’t.”

“Oh,” Jason shrugs, not bothered by his answer, “well whatever. As I said we’re heading out now, so see ya! Say bye bye, Bizarro.”

“Bye bye.” Bizarro calls out to him with a wave of his hand.

Dick half heartedly waves back as he watches them disappear down the hallway. Once they were gone Dick slips back into his room and shuts the door behind him, completely forgetting the original reason why he had been leaving in the first place.

He goes over to his bed and flops down on it with a heavy sigh. Jason, even Jason, is busy and has company. How is it only him who isn’t doing anything? Usually it’s the other way around, where he’s always trying to find time in his schedule to meet up with his friends, family or to have some time for himself.

Burying his face into his pillow he sighs dejectedly, feeling sorry for himself. Dick frowns, maybe that’s not the right term, would jealously be more accurate or maybe loneliness is better suited. Whatever the word is for what he’s feeling, he knows it’s pretty much unwarranted. He should be happy that all of his siblings and extended family are out being sociable, they all have hectic and unpredictable lives, taking any free time a person has to spend it with those they care about is worth it.

Dick shouldn’t be annoyed with his family because he’s the one currently holed up in his bedroom sulking because he doesn’t have anyone to be with. It’s not their fault.

Something else he notices is how everyone seems to have their own Kryptonian, or by extension a Kent.

There's Bruce and Clark, though Bruce will deny their friendship at every opportunity. Tim and Conner, who are best friends (maybe more, Dick’s not quite sure). Damian and Jon, as much as the former is reluctant to admit how much he cares for the younger. Steph, Cass, Barbara and Kara who are all apparently friends. Selina and Lois. Alfred and Mrs Kent. Jason and Bizarro.

He’s the only one without a Kryptonian partner. While he’s worked with Clark a few times and has connected with him, after all Clark’s the one who inspired him to become Nightwing, it’s not the same thing.

After spewing in his thoughts for a while, Dick comes to a conclusion that sleep sounds like the best option right now. If he sleeps then he’s not thinking, and as a bonus at the same time his body is resting and extra rest never hurts anyone.

He shifts on his mattress, getting into a more comfortable position to sleep in, and buries his head further into his pillow. Closing his eyes he tries to force his body into unconsciousness. His eyes snap open only seconds later when his phone pings from it’s place on his bedside table.

Stuck between being excited for a message and dreading it, Dick reaches out and grabs the device. Rolling over onto his back he lifts his phone up in front of his face and reads the notification. Seeing who the message is from, a wide grin stretches across Dick’s face and any dread he had been feeling instantly disappears. It seems like the universe has finally decided to side with him (or that it’s had enough of him moping) because it’s a message from his long time old friend Wally West.

‘Hey man it’s been waaaayyyyyy too long. Are you free to hang out any time soon – we need to catch up bro.’

Dick agrees with the message, it has been too long since they last saw one another. From what Dick heard last is how Wally’s been busy helping out in Central City, his relationship with Linda is progressing smoothly, he’s been helping to train his cousin and how he’s been away on a mission with Jay. Dick had thought Wally was still away, hence why he hadn’t contacted him but obviously he’s wrong about that.

Dick types out a reply to his friend, feeling eager and excited to meet up. ‘I’m free right now if you are. C’mon over to the Manor when you can?’

It takes a few moments for Wally to respond. ‘Absolutely. Though will Bats have my ass if I just show up?’

Dick snorts, of all the things to be concerned about… ‘No. You’re fine. B’s in a meeting.’

‘Okay! I’ll be there in a flash ;D’

It’s stupid but Dick couldn’t help chuckle at the poor joke. No doubts on how Wally’s picked up that behaviour from Barry.

Feeling jittery, Dick rolls off his bed and begins making his way downstairs so he could greet Wally by the door. He doesn’t know what they’ll do other than talk to catch up and possibly raid the kitchen at the same time. Dick doesn’t mind what they do, at least he finally has someone to hang out with!

Just as Dick reaches the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, the doorbell rings alerting him of Wally’s arrival. Dick grins as he approaches the door and it only gets wider when he opens it to reveal his best friend standing there on the front porch.

“Wal-man! How’s it going dude!” He exclaims stepping towards the speedster.

Wally’s gaze snaps to him and an identical grin appears on his face. “Dick, it’s so good to see you man!”

They come together and embrace tightly with a few firm pats on the back. They part after a few beats and then take a moment to observe one another. Dick is pleased to find Wally appearing the same as he did when he last saw him, looking happy and healthy.

“So…” Wally trails off when the silence gets drawn out for too long.

“So.” Dick repeats promptly. Getting himself together, he continues to grin and throws an arm around his friend’s shoulders, using that leverage he guides Wally into the house. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

Wally’s own arm wraps around Dick’s back as they pass through the foyer. “That we do. I can’t even remember when the last time I saw you was.”

With his free hand Dick waves the comment away. “Doesn’t matter, we’re here now. Shall we grab some food and go to my room? I would suggest the media room but the girls are currently inhabiting it, have been all day, alternatively we could go to the conservatory or even outside since it’s dry and warm.”

Wally hums for a moment before answering. “Food is a definite must, you know me – hey has Alfred cooked recently, any chance we could steal some leftovers? And your room sounds fine, at least there’ll be less chance of us being disturbed by one of your millions of siblings.”

Dick rolls his eyes at the comment though he carries on smiling, some days it really does feel like he has a million. Will Bruce ever learn the meaning of ‘no more’?

“I have no idea what Alfred has in the kitchen so we shall see when we get there.” Dick says smiling.

The two of them fall into an easy stream of chatter as they begin catching up with what’s going on in their lives.

As they chat Dick thinks to himself, why was he so bothered that his family members all have their own Kryptonian when he has his own speedster? A couple of them also have a speedster but not everyone so Dick can hold onto this, at least that’s what he’s rationalising to himself. Thinking back on it, Dick realises that it’s stupid, why should he be concerned about it at all? He's now with his best friend, that’s what matters and that’s exactly what he's going to focus on.

#batfam alphabet #dick grayson #Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Jason Todd #Alfred Pennyworth #bruce wayne #Stephanie Brown #kryptonians #batfamily #dick feels a little lonely #sad dick grayson #but he perks up #light humour #sibling relationship #friendship #wally west #batfam bingo 2019 #don't ask me what this mess is #fanfiction

[throughthewwods]

Facebook reminded me this is the anniversary I submitted my transfer degree application to my local university. I kept putting off applying because I was battling with a lot of periodically debilitating PTSD stuff, plus learning how to be a single mom stuff, plus abusive relationship stuff, plus first in my family to attend college stuff, plus disability stuff throughout my associates degree. My transcript was not sparkly. At the last minute I worked up the courage to fill everything out and clicked the send button with maybe seconds to spare. when I came outside there was a rainbow arched across my apartment complex.

Sunday wasn’t much more productive than Saturday. Mostly I just wanted to sit with this awareness that Life will be different now in ways that are difficult for me to fathom. it’s interesting because my life has been riddled with transitions and drastic changes, but I was never particularly invested in those past lives. If anything, I was glad to wash my hands of it and move onto my next curiosity. Even with a drastic change of becoming a mother it was a relatively cognizant transition. I had already decided what kind of mother I would strive to be and knew what to expect of my next years.  consequently, I was right.

With this I have less control.

I know I need to:

Submit my money forms

get my work in and officially graduate

petition for my financial aid extension to pay for my masters degree,

I need to get letters of recommendation from my old Head of volunteers, research supervisor, dean of the psych department, and possibly one more professor I have a good rapport

Do my support group volunteer work

Possibly volunteer on a crisis line of some sort

possibly start studying for the GRE

Submit the applications to grad schools and cross my fingers.

And that is the extent of my knowledge until however long it takes me to get accepted into grad school, which could be within a year or take several years. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m not so much In shell shock because I’ve known this was coming forever. I have planned for it to the best of my ability. Despite being a single mom, despite my disability and my university making my life a living hell with their failure to provide proper accommodations, my GPA is good, not amazing, but respectable. Over the years I did some mediation training and volunteer with the homeless for a couple years, plus this research experience, listeners certification, and volunteer hours on the support line I’ll be doing here within the month I imagine.

It was a lot: blood, sweat and tears, but I did everything within my power to improve my odds for this next threshold where grad schools will be sizing me up deciding if I get to peruse my dreams or if this is where my rickety train stops. Deep breaths.

I don’t know... things are about to get much more financially tight around here while I’m not in school. That much is for sure. Trying to reassure myself it will be OK. I try to remind myself that I have a pretty good track record of following through on the things I set out to do even if it takes me longer than I’d prefer and that this will be no different.

#journal #writing #my writing #motherhood #100 days of productivity #studystudystudy #positivemindset #grad student #graduation #college #disabled #disability

[rizzoli-is-queen-of-sarcasm]

All Danish borders are closed as of today noon 14 March 2020.

Found this interesting article about the Corona/Covid-19, writen by a Danish medical doctor, Iza Alfredsen, Ærø. (For international friends reading it; this represents a Danish perspective with unusually high confidence in government.)

***

COVID-19 has broken out in Denmark. The outbreak is so massive that, contrary to other countries around us, we have given up on containing it. The battle is lost even before the horrors start. We know that we have to slow down the virus. We know that we are going to see more deaths that we can accept. We could maybe accept 6,000. However, if the virus continues at the current rate of infection, the death toll will be even higher. Unacceptably high. Inconceivably high.

STAGE ONE:

At first, all is well. No deaths. It is primarily the “young, rich, and beautiful” who have brought the disease home [from skiing vacations] that are being tested and taken care of by the health authorities – and who report that Corona is “just a cold.” And it is. For the most part. Snot, fever, and a sore throat. On Instagram and Facebook, we can follow a twenty-year-old’s unfair struggle against loneliness under quaranteen. Missing mommy and daddy and the unfairness of having to struggle both against the cold and the urge to drink beer with friends. The struggle against vaginal fungus seems tougher than Corona, and many young people are instigating rebellious anti-movements where they party and gather as a rebellion against the apocalyptic prophecies (those old assholes like me who have read books and not had an honest chlamydia infection in years). That was stage one.

STAGE TWO:

This week, we are entering stage two. We assume everyone who has a fever and a cold has Corona. And if they are otherwise reasonably normally intelligent and immuno-competent, then they are asked to stay at home and take care of their fever and snot, and otherwise stay indoors. It works fine in rural Denmark. But, the tabloid news papers are flooded by the Capitalist elite, that cannot cope with having a runny nose and not get tested. Be different! Wipe your nose, watch Netflix, stay away from others. Don’t go out among others until you have recovered. Actually, wait until 3-4 days after you have recovered. It is not because the health authorities not would like to send you a packet of kleenex and determine precisely the cause of the runny nose. It is because others are dying from what you are perceiving as annoying. Fever is annoying. Coughing is annoying. Snot is annoying. But, if you are young and healthy, the risk of getting severely ill from Corona is comparable to that of the Flu. Endure.

Everyone will get Corona, but we hope and pray for two things:

– that the number of ill does not exceed the capacify of the health care system; and

– that the really ill do not contract Corona before we have an effective cure.

The third hope is the vaccine.

The second stage is uncomfortable. Many will experience fever, coughing, snot, and general discomfort. One worries. Will I survive? If you are young, below 65, and otherwise fit, the answer is yes. Just as likely that you would survive a case of the Flu. The statistics are on your side. The numbers are working for you.

STAGE THREE:

Here, we, the health care personnel, and the patients will face hell before the onset of death. The time for stage three is soon. Two weeks after we reach 5,000 infected, we hit the abyss.

There are no more intensive care vacancies. Every day, we remove people who we would otherwise have saved from the respirators, because of the sheer number of people arriving. So many, so fast. Prioritization (the most important medical competence: who should we kick out) becomes number one. We put people to die just because their survival chances are a mere 25%, but the new ones arriving have a 50% chance. We sedate them a bit. It is very uncomfortable to suffocate in ones own secretion fluids.

But more are pouring in. Patients in the emergency units are beginning to remove their facial masks, they receive upon arrival, because they can’t breathe. They have been there for hours. Some for days. They have seen people collapse on the floor. Without anyone coming to help. There are no doctors. 20% have Corona and the numbers are rapidly increasing.There are no more facial masks for the medical personnel, so we go to work every day carrying the risk. A few infected patients fight their way to the uninfected unit, desperate for help. There, where infected cannot go. There lies traffic accident victims with open wounds, children with astma, and young people with appendicitis. And some of them will die. The twenty-year-old woman with the inflamed appendicitis. It burst without anyone noticing. All doctors were busy with those who were even more ill. But now it is too late. She has bacteries in the blood and there are no one to operate. She receives anti-biotics, but the intestines have stopped. Finally, she gets operated on, but can’t come out of the respirator again. She ought to. But it’s too late, because she contracts Corona in the chaos and Corona preys on the weak. And today that was her. Before hell broke loose, no one would have imagined it possible to die from appendicitis at the age of 20. But today is not any day. All illnesses one curable now carry a high death toll. But it gets worse. 40% of the doctors are now infected. And the ill are arriving so fast. At a nursery, 40 out of 66 residents have died from Corona. But they weren’t admitted, because there wasn’t room and it was hopeless. They were left dead for a week, before there was capacity to remove them. The smell on that warm morning in May 2020 was unbearable. So many, so fast. Two doctors have committed suicide. That is rather common for doctors, but two from the same unit is more than we are used to. The nurses are at 50% infected. They have closer contact with the patients. Everything is chaos. A few doctors and nurses have collapsed under the pressure. They are being put into the linen deposits to sleep. After two or three months it dies out. As sudden as it all started. 75,000 dead.

DOES IT HAVE TO COME TO THIS?

No. The Prime Minister gave us a unique opportunity to stop it. A unique opportunity to stand together, each of us. In a safe Corona distance of two meters. Most of Denmark have shut down. And life cannot continue as before. Nothing is as before!

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

We need to obey. Say “yes sir.” And take orders. It is estimated that the curve we are entering is too steep. It rises so fast, that we in no time will consume all available resources in the health sector, if it continues. The country does not shut down for two weeks because we are scared of a couple of hundred deaths and a snotty cold. The collapse of the entire health care system and the ordered conditions we have in Denmark are right around the corner. Number crunchers are calculating how much infection we can cope with (because we cannot stop it) over the course of a week, how much we need to shut down in order to achieve a slow down, that will yield just enough to make us make it. The guestimation landed on a total shut down of the public sector exceping safety-critical functions, a recommendation to stay at home, hasty legislation on increased mandates to uphold quaranteens, and, not least, the recommendation to stay at home.

Translated this means that in three weeks we will be in so much trouble that a twenty-year-old will die from appendicitis or a swollen finger, if we don’t obey. Not to mention all the cancer patients who will lack treatment. The ill children that will suffer.

We have to listen. Now.

And we are told: stay indoors. Avoid gatherings. Stay calm.

If all this Corona is too hard to understand, then memorize: Listen to the authorities.

STAY AT HOME

Even if you feel like visiting your friends, so that you can have a beer and discuss how wildly exaggerated all of this is, don’t. You can cause a chain of infection. You are young. You will live. But, you will contribute to many people suffering. Even if it only happens in three weeks. So, be responsible. Stay at home. Clean your halo. Play Counter-Strike or FIFA. It is healthy. Find fun things to do without visiting each other physically. Limit encounters with others. If you have to, go shopping at odd hours or order food online. It is almost like Robinson. Survive. Alone. But, with Netflix and modern toilets.

WASH HANDS, APPLY ANTI-BACTERIAL GEL, AND RELAX

If you do this, you have done what you could to contribute. Be introvert. Learn to avoid the attempts of contact from others. I, for one, hate when people want to hug. Normally, I just put out my hand, but in these Corona-times, I would consider a round-house kick, if someone initiated those kind of greetings. Ew.

YOUR PARENTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR WORK

Stay at home with your family. Your parents are in the risk group. They should get into the first wave of infected. Spare them. And if you get layed off by your work? Then they are fools.

GO TO WORK

IF, you are part of safety-critical personnel, then, yes, it is your damned duty to come to work and contribute what you are able to. There are advantages and disadvantages for everything. While all others are at home, I sit and read directions from the authorities and are in phone conferences. These are hours I will never get back. And there is a risk by doing nothing about the Corona apocalypse. But, it is not so high, if you are under 65.

CANCEL EVERYTHING

Parties, family dinners, football practise, walks in the city. No. Just no. The curve is too steep. We have ONE chance. Cease it.

ORDER ONLINE

Easy, convenient, and breaks the chain of infection.

KEEP DISTANCE. SHOW CONSIDERATION

Put a note under the door of the old person living next to you. Should I shop for you? Help your friends who have contracted a cold to get the right amount of sympathy. Via the phone!

USE MEDICAL SERVICES CORRECTLY

Do not call upon the medical services, if you are neurotic about Corona and your runny nose; call your friend instead. You probably have Corona, but your doctor has other things to do. Everybody has a runny nose. Call if you are ill or have serious illness and have concerns. Do not use the doctor-on-call servicesas your personal psychologist who can help you endure a runny nose, sore throat, or joint aches. The health services are mustering and focussing on the really ill.

THE END

We write the end ourselves. What we are doing right now will be what we will harvest in two weeks and the deaths are in three. Choose wisely. Be heroic. It is the time for heroism. Never before. It is us between 15 and 50 who are propulsing the infection. We have a responsibility to stop it. Even if it does not hit us so hard, it will hammer the ill and old. Be the one who socially responsibly declines social gatherings. Be the one who obeys. Use social media. Spread the message. Start the wave now.

Even if I don’t know the end and can only see the contours, I will say “Never. Never. Again.”

Next time, we will have the experience. It is now that we are writing history. And we will. From today.

***

[I didn’t agree with the derogatory references to the “young, rich, and beautiful” or “capital elite”, and didn’t like the oversimplicity word “number crunchers”, but I found it exceptionally well written.]

#pandemic #coronavirusDK #covid 19 #Danish #Denmark

[ryanmeft]

Robin Hood Movie Review

Robin Hood is the ultimate timeless legend, which is entertainment executive-speak for “bankable property we don’t have to pay royalties on”. He therefore gets trotted out in much the same way as bowel movements: regularly, with little thought, and sometimes it’s painful, especially if you’ve had Chipotle. I sorta lost control of that analogy. Anyway, the latest iteration has some genuinely good ideas and tries to tie the legend more directly to the world modern audiences live in, but also much like food from Chipotle, it’s overburdened and leaves you feeling like you really could have made a better decision.

The story takes no beats you don’t know, though it handles a few in inventive ways. Friar Tuck (Tim Minchin) lets us know in a voiceover that he COULD tell us the history of the story, but we don’t care, which---I mean, outright telling the audience they won’t have to think much is a novel approach, and probably welcome. The movie then proceeds to whet our whistle with a scene of Marian (Eve Hewson) attempting to steal a horse from Robin (Taron Egerton); though disguised, the costume department made sure to display her cleavage, which seems impractical. The idea that this version of the story might have a poorly disguised Marian joining in the sheriff-robbing fun is quickly dashed, as a charming word turns her from rogue into arm candy for Robin.

Then he’s drafted for the Crusades, which seems odd for the 1190’s until he gets there. His time in the Holy Land is the film’s one truly gripping risk. The movie dares to visually, thematically and through the use of a Hollywood version of PTSD, tie the Crusades to the modern military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldier whose leather armor mimics bulletproof vests slowly advance through the streets of a generic middle eastern city as a sniper with a repeating balustrade attempts to pick them off, and the only difference between this sequence and an actual modern war movie are the weapons used. Some may find this offensive, either feeling it co-opts very real modern trauma for an action movie, or bastardizes the real history. I can see why the first complaint matters; the second, not so much. Like with the great, underrated Marie Antoinette, the present is used to render the past understandable.

The movie doesn’t remain that thoughtful for long. When Robin fails to stop a sadistic commander from beheading a young soldier, he is sent back to England and the dead boy’s father, the movie’s version of Little John (Jamie Foxx) follows him. Nottingham is, of course, being ravaged by the Sheriff (Ben Mendelsohn), whose plan is, as usual, to put himself in command using stolen gold. The movie paints this in terms of the modern struggles between the 99 and 1%, and at first this is a rather engaging take. After a while, though, it’s using a club to make the point, and not even the dimmest, most checked-out of viewers could fail to get it; by the time Robin leads a street rally in which he yells “Who’s ready for some wealth redistribution?”, I was fully expecting a cameo from Bernie Sanders. When he isn’t robbing from the rich, he poses as a loyal nobleman, which cover seems like it would be compromised by the fact his mask is always coming off while he’s shooting a soldier in the face.

The worst part of a bad movie that’s almost something is that you can see where it could have been good, and in the case of Robin Hood, you can see exactly why it isn’t. Whenever possible, the movie abandons more intriguing ideas and a little genuine chemistry between the actors in favor of stultifying action scenes with all the pizzazz and creatively of a sinking fireworks barge. Robin breaks into a place, shoots some guys with arrows, takes some gold. He breaks into another place, shoots some other guys with arrows, takes some gold. In a major twist, he breaks into one place, shoots some guys with arrows, and doesn’t get any gold. And when it’s time for the final battle, we get a CG-stuntfest that reminds me of a comment about about the fight with Smaug in the second Hobbit movie: it’s so overly engineered and unnatural that I kept expecting “Tap the A button repeatedly!” to appear onscreen. Robin is known for his quick reactions and quicker wit, and a huge part of the appeal of versions like the ‘38 Errol Flynn classic and the (in my mind, critically underserved) 1991 Prince of Thieves is the glib, boyish enthusiasm and devil-may-care suaveness of the main character. Egerton’s version gets precious little of that, though I’m not sure where he’d find time to work in a wink, nod and taunting line, since the movie is constantly employing slowdown lest we miss the granular detail of each flying arrow. After her few seconds of promising introductory screen time, Marian is reduced to a plot device. Will Scarlet (Jamie Dornan) here serves as a dull-as-bricks secondary antagonist; his principled-but-ambitious rebel leader could have been something if the movie had bothered.

This is the kind of movie where writers and directors play second fiddle to studio executives and editing rooms, but the story by Ben Chandler manages to occasionally work some good bits in. Particularly engaging is Mendelsohn’s skin-crawling take on the Sheriff, who carries himself like he’s about to go on Youtube and explain why he jacked the price of some live-saving drug by a thousand percent for his customers’ own good. Unlike most iterations of the character, there’s some damage to his madness, as he tells Robin of his constant youthful mistreatment at the hands of the priesthood; sexual abuse is heavily implied in some horrific ways. The costume department has done its job well, ad the city of Nottingham is effective for a while until the dreariness of it wears on us; it seems to be a place that never sees the sun, and if there’s one thing Robin Hood should not be, it is dreary.

It’s pretty easy to disparage a movie with so little soul, but it’s harder when the promise of what could have been sometimes forces its way out with such gusto. I feel for director Otto Bathurst, who has gotten a BAFTA award for his work in British television, but here was likely little more than a middle manager for stockholders and demographically arranged focus groups. The resulting movie is a muddle where good ideas go to die.

Verdict: Not Recommended 

Verdict: Must-See

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts.

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

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All images are property of the people what own the movie.

#robin hood #jamie foxx #taron egerton #movies #eve hewson #tim minchin #iraq #afghanistan #england #ben mendelsohn #the hobbit #jamie dornan #bernie sanders #youtube #otto bathurst

[deepbutdazzlingdarkness]

hiiii! i was wondering if u had any recommendations for best caps fics? dirty or not. ALSO LOVE UR BLOG

First of all, THANK YOU FOR ASKING! I loove giving fic recs. Second of all…this is gonna be LONG lmao. I gave some Kuzy and Willy/Latts recs earlier here, so these are gonna be primarily Nicky/Ovi recs, with some smaller pairing ones too, and I’m gonna sort them by pairing that way.

SO, Nicky/Ovi (including some poly recs, which I’ll list the pairings for):

-First of all, literally EVERYTHING by Ferritin4. They were the first Caps author I read after blood pressure, and I’m going to limit myself to linking just three of them, but really, READ EVERYTHING.

King Meby Ferritin4 [E, 12k]

In which there is a small tragedy, a great success, and a lot to learn about someone Sasha thought he knew awfully well.

Dream the Right Dream by Ferritin4 [E, 14k]

They don’t do it like that in Sweden, which Nicklas mans up and valiantly explains to the room after he makes it back from camp. They don’t use humans as tools. All people are people, and Nicklas would never — he couldn’t imagine having a teammate inside him every time he fell into heat, however willing they might be. His body is his own, and they all touch him far more than enough already.

What Will Survive Of Us by Ferritin4 [E, 26k]

It’s going to be a big deal, his mother had told him, and Nicklas had listened.

His mom’s not an idiot.

It’s going to be a big deal, she’d promised, if and when you find them. It’s going to be more than you thought it would, and if and when you know it, you’ll know it for sure.

-Another author you should read everything by is screamlet. They have some non-Nicky/Ovi fic I will rec later, so I’m just gonna post a few of the Nicky/Ovi ones now

the arrival of 290287 backstromby screamlet [M, 18k]

Nicky has an asteroid named after him; that’s just the beginning.

the washington royals by screamlet [M, 45k]

Sasha doesn’t remember the very first time he met Nicky, but Michael Nylander is kind enough to remind them when he arrives to meet the team, carrying an honest to fuck laminated newspaper clipping of the first time Prince Alexander visited Sweden to meet his future husband, Prince Nicklas.*An arranged marriage—or, an arrangement and a marriage.

-One more author to mass rec: angularmomentum! They’re not solely a Nicky/Ovi author so I will be linking them more down below too, but for now:

running from the weather by angularmomentum [E, 21k]

Alex starts playing for Dynamo at sixteen.

kithbyangularmomentum [E, 12k]

Sasha makes prefect in his second to last year. It’s earlier than anyone but him expected, but right on track for his two year plan, which is: be head boy, get a contract to play Quidditch professionally, and beat Bäckström off in the baths.

-For the rest of these, I’m gonna sort them by rating! Lowest to highest (G-E)

Soft Hands by sadhockeytrashbaby (allofthefandoms)[G, 1k]

Alexander Ovechkin walks into the Capitals dressing room with a collar and the entire Washington sports press corps grinds to a stunned stop.

Eight + Eight (+ Nine) bysockitup [G, 2k]

Active players have started waking up in bed with retired players who wore the same number when they need relationship advice. It goes some kind of way.-*-Teemu pulls back and kicks forward at the same time so violently that he knocks both Paul and Ovechkin out of the bed.

street’s an empty stage by grim_lupine [G, 4k]

Over their heads, in this little dream world Nicklas has built, the sun is blazing at it’s peak, searing them where they sit. The light bathes Alex a molten gold. He couldn’t look any other way in Nicklas’s head, of course.

Nicklas is cracked open, exposed.

so play on, play on, play on by carissima [2k, G]

“Gonna give you the cup first,” Alex says, still too close. He’s in Nicke’s space like he always, always is. He’s grinning and Nicke’s grinning because they finally won the goddamn cup but his head is spinning now. “Brooks already had cup. Your turn first.”

raise my hands (paint my spirit gold) by seaqueen [G, 1k]

They break apart with chests heaving for air, and when Nicke looks Alex is burning with it, fierce joy and agonizing victory painted in every line of his body and Nicke loves him so, so much.

pledge my allegiance and bite my tongue by spock [T, 5k]

It’s a given that all droids will develop some form of their own unique idiosyncrasies, but none of them are as decidedly too much as Ovi’s is. He’s got too much style, too much personality; it’s a well known and much maligned fact that he’d nearly been recalled not all that long after his activation, but the test groups had loved him so much that he was granted an exception.

cherish the moonlight by haipollai [T, 6.5k]

“What is wrong, pup?” He asks again, wishing desperately that he could actually get an answer. Instead he settles for holding his hand out, palm up until Nicky takes the hesitant step forward to nuzzle against him.

The Dog Days Are Over by xihale [T, 8k]

In which alternate universe Boston had 4th pick and Washington had 5th pick in the 2006 draft, and in which alternate universe the NHL is kind enough make accommodations for players’ personal circumstances. For instance, to allow Washington to pick Alex Ovechkin’s absolutely true, definitely not fake, 100% not-made-up fiancé to come play for the Caps.

“You what,” Alex says. “Alex Ovechkin’s who?”

—and its aftermath, through the years.

Demons, Ovechkin and other Superhuman Forces by stumblebee [T, 2k]

Sometimes Nicky wonders, usually in moments like these, if there is something to it, if you need Canadians and the horrible things they chose to do to themselves as children to win it all. Maybe Don Cherry is right, at the end of the day, maybe you just can’t win without demonic assistance. Without sacrifice, as that insufferable spray tanned dinosaur always puts it.

something old, something newby bropunzeling [T, 5k]

“You,” Alex says, pointing at him. “Me,” he continues, pointing back at himself. “Married.”

“Oh,” Nicky says. “Oh.”

[It doesn’t go any smoother after that.]

Wait Until Tomorrow (You’ll Be Fine) by sunshinexbomb [T, 8k]          

In which Nicky is an accident-prone Auror and Alex is the Healer that always seems to be coming to his rescue.

Red is the Color (of Your True Love’s Blood) by Saebrin [T, 2k]

What are the odds that all of Jakub’s teammates are serial killers? Like, statistically that has to be impossible, right?

Literally by xabier [T, 4k]

In which Nicklas Backstrom is literally Andre Burakovsky’s father.

to have and to hold by oops_ohdear [T, 6k]

The problem with putting a fake engagement photo, complete with stupid smiles and a bottle of champagne, on Facebook, is that sometimes someone’s mother sees it.

This is not a problem Nicklas ever had before he knew Alex.

This Alone Is The Real Treasure by leyley09 [T, 10k]

A defiant trip to the Olympics gets Alex outed. The solution is obviously to marry Nicky.

Obviously.

Whatever happened to all this season’s losers of the yearby Thorne [T, 9k]

Alex loves his kids, he really does, but he also might kill them. That is, if they don’t put him in a goddamn early grave first.

(Cop bribing, theft of public property, and how to photoshoot your dick properly in order to seduce a teammate: all part of a captain’s responsibilities to his rookies.)

Baby Boom by WeagleRock [M, 7k]

Having babies gives you dad power. Dad power helps put hockey teams on the road to Sir Stanley. Sid sired a herd of little Penguins before Pittsburgh won its Cup. Toews might as well be running a Blackhawks baby factory.

Now it’s Ovi’s turn. If only someone had told him that impregnating your fuckbuddy might make things a little weird.

String Theories by WeagleRock [M, 14.5k]

Nicky knows what’s expected of him: Set up goals, mentor rookies, provide a steadying backbone for a struggling team …  and never, ever look at other men.

Then Ovi surprises him with a kiss, and Nicky doesn’t know anything anymore.

The Brook Horse by WeagleRock [M, 11.5k]

Nicklas Bäckström is a good person. Nicklas Bäckström would never risk Ovi’s life just to stay human.

It’s really too bad he isn’t real.

Holding Onto You by somethingnerdythiswaycomes [M, 6.5k]

“You can’t be picked if you’re married,“ Nicky says, like it’s obvious.

“I’m not married,” Alex replies.

“You’re marrying me,” Nicky says, his jaw set.

“You haven’t proposed.”

the laws of the world never stopped us once by punkassbookjockey[M, 6k]

Sasha points at him with his chopsticks. “Your powers,” he says. “Snowzilla comes, suddenly everyone’s mutants? Something happened there, no other explanation.”

Fault Lies by hoosierbitch [M, 6k]

Alex kneels.

“You’re smarter than me,” Trotz says to Nicky, “but I do know what I’m doing.” Right now, Nicky is fairly sure that he’s wrong on both counts. “Let me be his coach. Let me take care of him.”

no it’s not nirvana but it’s on the wayby ghosthunter [M, 4k]

Sasha does not miss the way Backy looks at him then, sharp and angry, and Sasha knows he deserves it. They sit in awkward silence until the waitress comes to take their drink orders.

A More Fascinating Name by pukeandcry [M, 38k]

Although Sasha had never made the younger Mr. Backstrom’s acquaintance, he was at least familiar enough with his reputation to know that chief amongst his qualities was the quite publicly known fact that Mr. Backstrom was as notoriously uninterested in achieving an advantageous marriage as Sasha himself.

Something, then, must have upset the order of things. What that was he could not say, but Lord Backstrom was now, it would seem, in active search of a husband for his son.

Better Than Heartbreak by the_glow_worm [M, 1.5k]

It’s morning in Vegas, technically, but Nicke and Alex aren’t about to go to sleep anytime soon.

Kärlek Redux by Saebrin [E, 3k]

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” —Mignon McLaughlin

A.K.A. Four times Nicky (re)fell for Alex.

Perfect For A Person by mlyn [E, 18k]

Alex Ovechkin is near the end of his 30th year and still not married. In the US, that means he’ll either have to find a spouse at a Transformation Hotel before his birthday, or he’ll check out transformed into an animal.

Not if Nicklas Backstrom has anything to say about it.

You and me, Drenched in greenby xihale [E, 18k]

Nicky’s an omega with a heat problem. Ovi volunteers as tribute.

tell me in the morning by haipollai [E, 4k]

Nicky yanks himself back and away, almost hard enough to tip his chair. “You don’t know why I’m scared my very Russian friend and teammate is suddenly asking questions about me dating men?” He snaps.

anchor by pavses [E, 2k]

They’re not going to make up the three-goal deficit, but Alex sure as hell is trying to single-handedly score a hat trick in a minute.

You’re a work of art, baby by sirona [E, 7k]

FBI Agent Alex Ovechkin doesn’t mind working with others. He even likes working with Malkina every so often. What he doesn’t like is being lead by his dick nose. And yet, he can’t stay away from the Gray case.

Wolfborn by waspabi [E, 60k]

A wolfborn on an airplane was either unbearably reckless or a hockey player. Most of the time, both.

if you’re needing something by atrytone [E, 5k]

Nicke hates losing, but he’s grown out of letting it black out everything else in his mind. Alex can’t seem to do the same thing, not when they get on a roll like this, not when nothing he tries seems to make a difference.

Luckily, he has Nicke to help.

touch by itsahockeynight [3k, E]

When Alex does turn up, he walks across the locker room and straight into Nicke’s arms.

Eleven Years by waspabi [E, 2k]

The door inches open. Alex, of course. Bloodshot eyes, rumpled suit. His Conference Champions cap with the sticker still on the brim, the fucking Prince of Wales Trophy still clutched in one big hand.

Nicky/Willie Nylander:

weekender by screamlet [M, 5k]

William couldn’t imagine that Toronto would ever love him the way Washington loved Nicky.

Fingertips Putting On A Show by sunshinexbomb [E, 1.5k]

In which Nicky finds comfort in William during Worlds.

make me wanna hold on (make me wanna be all yours) by Pinkmanite [E, 4.5k]

It’s like Will instantly melts into a well-worn mold, one he’s been in many times before. The switch is flipped and he’s standing up straighter, painting on that pretty smile, the one Nicky loves so much, pentimento on the overworn canvas of his cheeks. He angles his chin so he can look up at Nicky through his lashes, batting them in the way that he knows gets Nicky all worked up.

Nicky/Ovi/Willie Nylander:

the elementary disposal of weighted objects by angularmomentum [T, 14k]

William, at eleven, was primed to tip over the cusp into nascent adolescence. He was big for his age and very competitive, and had no real idea that his obsession with beating Nicke was actually an obsession without caveats, because infatuation was a word he didn’t know.

right there where we stood was holy ground by babygotbackstrom [NR, 4k]

The revamped Tre Kronor line, of Nicky and his soulmates, is mesmerising.

Sasha is jealous again, and it is ugly, even though the team is leading the division.

copenhagen by screamlet [E, 10.5k]

William had already casually texted Nicky a photo of the sunset, a cool little haha bet you don’t have this in GÄVLE, but there was no response. Gävle had Nicky and William didn’t and it was bullshit.

Andre/Nicky and/or Ovi:

say all that you’re feeling by screamlet [T, 43k]

Andre Burakovsky/Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom/William Nylander

Much had happened in the past year, enough that Andre sat on the hill overlooking the lands he had been naive enough to call home until he pledged himself to Lord Laich and left his friends with barely a note. Now he had returned and—Who would want Andre now?A flash of lightning in the distance illuminated the one house he hadn’t yet considered.After a moment’s thought, Andre rode south.

a hundred dollar bottle of champagne like me by Pinkmanite [E, 6k]

Nicklas Backstrom/Andre Burakovsky, Andre/Various Caps

Nicke’s got a beer in one hand, uses the other to wrap his arm around Andre’s waist, grips his hip and pulls him in close, as close as he can be.

He tucks his face in the crook of Andre’s neck and hugs him tight, exactly like he’d done on the ice just hours before.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” he murmurs, raw and genuine, just for Andre to hear.

Don’t You Worry Child by Capbuckyang [M, 2k]

Nicky pats his thighs and Andre drops, just like that. It’s not like it was the first time, when the boys all watched in a hushed silence, but it does quiet down a bit.

It isn’t that hard, boy, to like you or love you by Two_for_Slashing [M, 3.5k]

Nicklas couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he had become desirable.

Lop-sided on the Side of the Angels by babygotbackstrom [NR, 2k]

The sun doesn’t make vampires sick anymore but that doesn’t mean Nicklas Backstrom is a morning person.

for the taking by chartreuser, thegraceinyoureyes [E, 4k]

Of course Nicky knows Andre wants him.

Nicky/Ovi/Other:

Sharp Suits and Sly Smiles by SomebodyOwens [T, 5k]

Nicky/Ovi/Holtby

He chased them so hard that they caught him.

A seduction in 5 (+1) parts.

Wayward Mayday by xihale [E, 6k]

Nicky/Ovi/TJ

Nicky and TJ are fucking around, and one of them starts mouthing off about Ovi, how Ovi might join the two of them, how hard he’d hold them down, how hard he’d ride them.

Naturally, Ovi walks in.

intermittent melting by blushingsweet (sunflowered) [E, 3k]

Nicky/Ovi/Tom

“I don’t think he wants to leave,” Nicky says, looking up at him, smug and a little cocky. “Do you want to leave, Tom?”

“No,” Tom says. He’s pressing his hands into his jeans, shifting on the floor. Alex wonders if his knees have started hurting yet; Nicky’s kept him there for a long time.

Andre/Holtby:

-These are all part of a larger Caps ensemble series w/ a variety of pairings, but I’m singling the Andre/Holts parts out, which can fit together w/o reading the whole thing

All We Are Is by somethingnerdythiswaycomes [M, 5k]

Braden notices everything in the dressing room.  He’s seen enough that, sometimes, he can guess what’s brewing before it really erupts in the locker room.  And maybe, because he saw Brooksy and Burky, that’s why he wasn’t able to see himself and Andre.

Just to Please Them [E, 3k]

Andre’s in a tank top and jeans and his neck is tantalizingly bare.  Braden keeps staring at it, and Andre keeps catching him and honestly it’s getting a little embarrassing.

Don’t Think About Why [E, 13k]

Andre Burakovsky/Brooks Laich, Andre/Holtby

“What about Brooksy?” Andre asks quietly.  Nicky’s fingers still on the back of Andre’s head, and then start petting over his curls again a second later.

“He has a reputation,” Nicky says carefully.

Or: Andre tries, and then tries again.

Comfortability [E, 6k]

Andre/Holtby, Andre Burakovsky/Braden Holtby/Nathan Walker, Braden Holtby/Nathan Walker

“How’d you sleep last night?” Braden asks Walks, when they’re all sitting down for breakfast.

“I hope we didn’t keep you up,” Andre says innocently, and Walks chokes on his omelet.

Match Your Weakness With A Name by leyley09 [T, 4k]

In which Braden gets talked into playing spin-the-bottle with his teammates and - surprisingly - doesn’t live to regret it

Words Just Get in the Way by somethingnerdythiswaycomes [T, 8k]

“You’re pretty gone on him, huh?” Mike asks him.  Andre nods.  “And you don’t know anything about him?” Andre nods again, glumly.

“This is the semester,” Mike proclaims with enough conviction that Andre almost believes him. “This semester, you’re getting him.”

 field testby matskreider [M, 1.5k]

When he cracks his eyes open, he sees a rather determined pout coming from Nicklas’ favorite underling, a new guy called Burakovsky. “Sorry, 0070. I was going to offer to debrief you, if you were waiting for Q. He’s, um…going to be busy for a while.”

Andre + Willy and/or Latts:

Kickstart The Fight by MermaidSmiled [T, 9k]

Tom watches as Andre’s knuckles scab over and heal and split again after a hard practice until they’re finally healed, pink and shiny. He watches Andre’s eye blacken where a fist or an elbow caught him and charts the flow of the blood pooling under the skin as the days go by.

It’s something so unfamiliar to Tom, seeing these things he’s used to seeing when he looks down or in the mirror on Andre. He ignores it as best he can.

come under the covers by ghosthunter [M, 4.5k]

Andre meets him at the airport. He has a tan and he looks good. Not that Tom thinks he, himself, does not also have a tan and look good, but he’s not picking himself up at the airport in a foreign country either.

Something So Pleasant About That Place by somethingnerdythiswaycomes [E, 5k]

Tom turns his head to look at Andre, sprawled out on the other bed dicking around on his phone.  “Hey, wanna fuck?”

Andre glances at him, and rolls his eyes.  Tom doesn’t know if he should be offended by how not-surprised Andre is.

Or: Andre and Tom have a ‘List of Cities We’ve Fucked In’

#capsexroomiesby forks[E, 7k]

André doesn’t mind living in his own place now, but sometimes he does miss seeing Mike and Tom being sexy together.  Good thing he has his new camcorder along this time so he’ll be able to watch whenever he wants.

Tale as Old as Time by Kerfluffle [E, 5k]

Andre breaks his hand. Tom provides an assist.

champions by angularmomentum [E, 2k]

Tom had a problem. To be more accurate, Tom had several problems but that was the way of Tom’s life. He often had a few running in tandem. Tonight they included but were not limited to: bruised knuckles (regular problem) forgot his toothbrush (also a regular problem) and a boner for Burky (definitely NOT a regular problem.)

Andre/Other:

conversation superseded by by ghosthunter [T, 1k]

Andre Burakovsky/Christian Djoos

Somewhere along the line, some signals got crossed.

or: andre is dumb

sugar by ghosthunter [M, 4k]

Nicklas Backstrom/André Burakovsky/Marcus Johansson

Nicke’s almost ready to leave, his jacket still off, his tie around his neck. “He’s fucking with you,” Nicke says quietly, coming to stand next to Andre as he ties his own tie. “And you looked at his ass when he walked away.”

So Press Record, I’ll Let You Film Me by Petalpants [E, 3k]

Andre Burakovsky/Brooks Laich

Hey, ur hot! If ur interested in doing sum amateur porn, lmk ;)

Ergo: Homo by R_Gunns [E, 14k]

Andre/Various Caps, Andre/Original Male Characters, Andre/Original Female Characters

In which André no-homos his way through casual sex, bro-snuggles and the discovery of something between his captain and his A, before Braden kindly hits him with a clue bat.

Or: self-discovery is a bitch.

TJ/Carly:

press my nose up to the glass around your heart by nighimpossible [T, 6k]

“I swear to God,” TJ says, covering his face with his hands, “if I get an inkling that a bond is starting to form, I’m truly going to kill you, John Carlson.”

“It’s Carly,” Carlson grins, leaving him behind in the locker room. “And I’d like to see you try.”

toss, turn by alotofthingsdifferent[M, 3k]

John’s neighbor – the one who has a lot of loud, enthusiastic sex – is really, really hot.

John is in so much trouble.

do you even know the miranda rights? by nighimpossible [E, 9k]

Sidney Crosby’s brother swap program is going to be the death of TJ.

Inside My Bones by somethingnerdythiswaycomes [E, 3k]

TJ’s riding the high of winning a Stanley Cup Final Game, before John’s hand comes down hard on his shoulder, gripping him tight through his pads.  He knows what that hold means, what it means when John’s fingers dig into the soft spot just next to his armpit through the gap in his pads.

“You’re lucky we won,” John murmurs in his ear, hot breath fanning over TJ’s neck.

but then you say “please” by Anonymous [E, 2k]

“Quite the charmer,” TJ goads. His feet are a little more under himself now. “Bet you could get anyone you want, kissing them like that.”

“Cut the shit,” John says, but he’s smiling, running a thumb over TJ’s cheek.

TJ/Other:

hold me tight and i’ll sink in by thermocline [NR, 2.5k]

Willy/Latts/Oshie, Oshie/Carly, Oshie/Various Caps

The thing is, it’s happened a few times, during the season and mainly during first round.

TJ’s always been touchy. Not needy. Just better when he’s given touch. He works best when he’s receiving.

i’m a prisoner to my decisions by orphan_account [E, 1.5k]

Oshie/Willy

Lauren makes him forget the things he’s been running from since high school.

Tom makes him remember.

staying put by thegraceinyoureyes[E, 7k]

Nicky/Oshie, Oshie/Various Caps

There are bodies—hands all over him, all around him.

Other:

Covered in the Colors by sunshinexbomb [T, 12k]

Nicklas Backstrom/Mike Green

In which Nicky and Greenie pretend to be soul bonded so they can be road roommates.

Taste of Bavaria by JessamyGriffith[T, 7k]

Philipp Grubauer/Braden Holtby

Philipp Grubauer is a tour guide, resigned to spending yet another day introducing American tourists to the beauty of Bavaria.

Braden Holtby, star goaltender for the Washington Capitals, is looking forward to a nice day seeing the sights of Munich on his vacation.

Happily, neither of them is going to have their day go quite as expected.

drop by savedby [T, 2k]

Devante Smith-Pelly, Ensemble

five times the Washington Capitals welcomed DSP to the team and one time he did it for someone else

Tell The World by sunshinexbomb [M, 10k]

Nicklas Backstrom/Braden Holtby

Three times somebody finds out about Nicky and Braden and one time they decide to tell someone on their own.

feels like summer by Thorne [M, 30k]

The unglamorous fact of the matter is that lifeguarding, particularly at a community swimming pool, is much less about the dramatic rescues and slo-mo dives into the water that Baywatch has tricked people into believing, and much more about janitorial work that’s either tedious or gross, spiked with the occasional scraped knee or elbowed nose or no-holds-barred ice cream vendor death-match in the parking lot.

(Or, Karl’s in love with his best friend, all the local community pools in the Metropolitan county are at prank-war with each other, and also there are ducks.)

Oh, but how were we to know? by orphan_account [NR, 12k]

Tom Wilson/OMC

“How’d it feel skating with Gavin for the first time as teammates?” a reporter asks in the locker room after their first preseason game, played against the New York Islanders. “He cites you as such an integral part of his development into a player. It must be rewarding to see it come full circle.” 

When condemning the whole body by anonissue [E, 6k]

Braden Holtby/Nate Schmidt

There’s more than one way to cure the hiccups, as Braden Holtby has the misfortune to find out.

Wide Open by Ferritin4 [E, 2.5k]

Braden Holtby/Nate Schmidt

Braden opens his mouth again, because he’s glad it’s okay but he didn’t mean no, he just meant give me — give me a minute, give me —

#washington capitals #hockey rpf #nicklas backstrom #alex ovechkin #braden holtby #andre burakovsky #william nylander #tj oshie #john carlson #nate schmidt #tom wilson #michael latta #christian djoos #devante smith pelly #fanfiction #hockey #FINALLY IT'S DONE #this took....awhile lmao

[braindamageforbeginners]

Q: Can I pray for you?

Yes, Godsdammit, go ahead and pray for me. I get that people don’t want to be weird, and, for some inexplicable internet reason, I’m rapidly becoming some weird brain cancer idol/shrine on Facebook and Instagram (which would explain the creepy robo-prayer calls I occasionally get from :prayer centers” (I’m also old enough to remember when “prayer centers” were called “churches” and/or “temples”). So, here’s the deal: even though I consider myself resourceful, lucky (in a weird way), and cunning, there is literally no way I would know whether you’re praying for me unless you specifically ask or tell me. I appreciate consent, but, really, just go ahead and pray. Unless God is like a special delivery by UPS, and I have to be home at a certain hour to take delivery (again, theologically, that would explain an awful lot). My apologies for running roughshod over a good-hearted request and all that, but your own Holy Book* actually has something applicable: “ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites. are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and. in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men “ One almost feels a screenwriting possibility...

 EXT. GOLGOTHA - DAY - In the background, the followers of Brian are singing an unorthodox but merry song. A crowd gathers around one of the crosses. CHRIST: Why hast thou forsaken me?! CHRISTIAN 1: We haven’t forsaken you, dude. We’re just waiting for the “Kickstarter”pledges to reach the stretch goals before we save you. You okay, Jesus? CHRIST: Oh, rather.** I was wondering, if it wouldn’t be too much to ask for some pliers and a step-stool. CHRISTIAN 1: Yes, since they haven’t been invented, yet. But you seem like you got this. CHRIST: Hang on... CHRISTIAN: See you in three days, dude

I mean, I get that the LDS got into trouble for baptizing Anne Frank, and I’m not advocating that anyone do a post-mortem baptism, unless they can rig me up like “Weekend at Bernie’s,” but, at the same time, Anne probably has bigger, more pressing issues than what is or isn’t being done in her name (especially since we’re still hostile, as a nation, toward refugees and immigrants, which is what the Frank family hoped to be... before the US denied them travel visas). i can only base that on my own experience, but I feel it’d be faster and easier to get forgiveness than permission. I could be wrong, but I’ve never heard of anyone in dire straits getting angry, post-facto, at being prayed for.

So, today marks the second-to-last infusion before, in an ideal world, the Warlocks cut me loose for observation. Again, it’s been an utterly miserable year, but, at the same time, I do feel almost as if I’ll be adrift. When you put every last scrap of energy and potential into a task like this (not dying a horrible death), suddenly having time or energy to do things like carve out a career (or at least make some sort of money on this blog)(again, you guys are only getting a thin dribble of output; there was literally a brief time in my life where had three modes: writing, sleeping, and library).. At the same time, not aggressively and preemptively treating a cancer that is infamous for coming back, is somewhat scary, although I know unending chemo will eventually kill me.

Which brings me to today’s topic, body horror. This is the broad trope/genre of biology horror, usually best-seen in David Croenenberg’s films. It’s not an uncommon sensation for cancer patients to have some distal clump of cells come alive and attack. For most patients, however, that story usually ends with, “And then me arse fell off, and the doctors knew what it was!”(Reminder to self: schedule colonoscopy and/or other recommended preventive/screening procedures, ASAP). For neurosurgery patients - those lucky enough to end the story with, “And then I had neurosurgery,” It’s a slightly different story. For the first few months post-surgery, your sutures hurt like hell - like any major surgery would, I’d imagine. Then comes the longer phase, when they have an odd, itching/stinging sensation. For everyone keeping track, that’s not a continuous sensation - it’ll be maybe a minute or two out of every week, and, when you reach up to scratch, the pain receptors in your scalp will slap you away. After that, you enter the body horror part of neurosurgery, the itchy phase. This is the shortest of the three, and I will admit, horrifying dander is one of the less-offputting aspects of it (you don’t know what relief is until you scratch out self-dissolving stitches). I apologize for that graphic description, but it’s important. So, on November 1 of last year - er, 2017 - I had my most recent neurosurgery (that’s #3, for those keeping track at home). And then, as expected (There’s a reason I started the blog well before any treatment), everything in my life went into hyperdrive, and I didn’t have time to keep track of my new scars (and, really, once handfuls of hair start coming out in the shower, you’re disinclined to investigate further). So, it wasn’t until very, very recently that I realized how very itchy the right side of my head is. Which bodes well for the time frame of entering the recovery period shortly.

I mentioned in a previous post that I never got a PICC or CVS - which are semi-permanent venous access devices - because I had a shunt in my skull last year (2017), and one opening for opportunistic infections every election cycle seems a more-than-generous opportunity. In a year of chemo, that’s generally seemed like the better bet (for me, anyway), even though I have a blood draw every week. Today was the one time I’ve faltered in that decision. I have mentioned that I am notoriously hard to install in IV in  - it’s a horrible feeling when you’re on a first-name basis with all the nurses in the chemo ward; it’s dwarfed when not only can you recognise everyone, but the nurse at your station not only recognizes you, she literally ducks out on-sight and calls Alex over)(the nurse on shift today gets full marks for listening to me  complain about Alex - “He’s not terribly affable or gentle, and way too fast” - and retorting, “Well, that’s men.”). My previous find-a-vein record is seven. I don’t know if that record was achieved today, I stopped counting after four  However, eventually an IV was installed and Keith Richards’ essence distilled into my circulatory system. Then, the second hour, we all waited for my heart to explode (yes, that is exactly what they do, although they have an automated blood pressure cuff to aid their measurements). Then, oddly enough, I encountered a friend from a support group, Which wouldn’t normally be worthy of comment, except she’s a fan (hey, Sarah!), and, based the latest data, the folks who actually use social media and/or social publishing to keep tabs on me/read my stuff are: 1. Close friends and family that are legally obligated to do so

2. Distant friends and family that I probably haven’t thought about in years (hey guys)(if you’re worried that you’re “distant friends and family,” I’ll pray for you)

3. Inhabitants of Narnia or the Hundred-Acre Wood (or wherever people on the Internet live

4. Racing in or out of parking lots as I am leaving

The bad news for today - hopefully - is that this infusion is going to be a bad one, based on how sore I already am, just 3 hours post-infusion. The good news is, I’ve got an Advent Calendar of assorted mostly-legal substances to help my battered psyche onward, I mean, drugs are bad, kids, unless directly monitored and prescribed by a physician.*** Anyway, next week will be the last infusion, hopefully, and, even more hopefully it’ll be followed by a long, uneventful life. That would be ideal, for me; however, since my life is run on the principle of, “What would make the most interesting narrative” I’m going with, “Even odds I’ll come down with Ebola before Monday.”

*My Holy Book is, of course,  Dolly Parton’s autobiography. **In this adaptation, Jesus is played by Hugh Laurie, circa 1993 ***Odd final thought of the day: gateway drugs are real, and they serve as the way out of some amazingly awful other drugs.

[clarencenicholsonata]

20‌ ‌Life-Changing‌ ‌Giveaway‌ ‌&‌ ‌Contest‌ ‌Statistics‌ ‌You‌ ‌Need‌ ‌to‌ ‌Know‌

At Wishpond, we've helped to generate over 100,000 leads for business just like you. One of our most used and requested tools are contests and promotions.

We offer customers a wide range of social media contests & competitions to grow their following and increase sales.

To help give marketer and business owners a better understanding of the power and impact contests can have, we analyzed thousands of contests and giveaways across the world's top 20 B2B and B2C industries and you’ll be amazed at what we found.

Here's a list of our top three favorite social media contest and promotion statistics:

Approximately 89% of industries are using video contests to promote their products and services.

Contest emails have an average rate of 8%, that's 5.5% more commonly used email marketing campaigns.

Contest CTA's have a 3.73% higher conversion rate when compared to other CTA's.

The next time you plan to run a contest or if you're looking for the best contest method for your industry, take a quick look at these 20 life-changing giveaways and contest statistics you need to know!

1. Most Companies Prefer to Use Emails Promote Their Contest

Emails deliver one of the highest ROI when compared to other forms of online distribution. Emails beat social media by 40x for customer acquisition. Most people forget that as much as we're glued to our phone, the demographic that holds spending power also checks their emails about 15 times per day.

When we looked at the contest data, we found a pattern across all industries; companies preferred to share the contest mainly via Email.

Brother Moto

Unlike social media, where you have to throw out bait and see what bites, emails are sent to a specific group of people that you can reach out to, A/B Test, and retarget in a more controlled environment.

With your contest landing page's link as the CTA and nothing else, you allowed your interested reader to focus and complete a single action without distractions.

Here are the 6 Best Contest Emails & What You Can Learn From Them.

2. Increase Contest Entries with Welcome Mats on Your Website

The welcome mat you see at your neighbors front door and the welcome mat on a website should do the same thing. It should welcome you with a message. A welcome mat is a pop up that's triggered when a new website visitor lands on your website, it fills the entire page with a specific CTA.

Using a welcome mat contest entry method increases your conversions by 33% when compared to regular pop-up features. Welcome mats instantly grab your new visitor's interest with a chance to win free services or products. You can use your contest to collect emails for remarketing after you've announced your winner. Here are 8 Easy Ways to Promote Your Business With a Social Media Contest.

3. Ecommerce & Beauty Contest Have the Highest Conversions

Across all industries, eCommerce and beauty contests have the highest conversions and contest entries. In 2018, the global cosmetic market grew to an estimated 5.5% in comparison to the previous year. With skincare, haircare, and make-up.

Contests held by eCommerce and beauty have ten times more conversions and engagement when compared to other industries. Today eCommerce accounted for 8.5% of beauty sales. Beauty and eCommerce go hand in hand. This shifts how brands have to rely on being more digitally-focused, socially savvy online.

4. Referral Contest Help to Increase Awareness & Lead Generation

Referral marketing is a marketing strategy where recommendations and word of mouth are used to grow a business's customer base through the networks of its existing customers.

Referral marketing is tapping into the power of a super fan or loyal customer and asking them to advocate on your brand's behalf.

Next to influencer marketing, customer reviews and referrals are held in high regard. Before the internet, we relied on word of mouth. Now that's transformed to discount codes, social media posts, email campaigns, and contests.

The numbers don't lie; about 83% of companies use referral promotion contests to help increase brand awareness and lead generation. If you find that asking your customers to bring in referrals might not be working, create a contest, and give customers a more significant incentive like an amazing contest prize.

A referral contest drives awareness for your business because your customers can share your contest or gain referrals from friends, family, or their social media followers. Allowing each contestant to give you access to their personal network.

5. Pinterest and Waitlist Have the Lowest Contest Conversions

Oh yes, this stat came as a shock to us too. The social media giant Pinterest had the lowest contest conversions. Pinterest makes the perfect platform to sell.

About 72% of Pinners use Pinterest to decide what to buy offline, and six out of every ten millennials use Pinterest to discover new products. But at the end of the day, Pinterest is a place that people use to find products, ideas, and projects...not contest.

The next time you plan to use a social media platform to host your contest use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. These three platforms have higher engagement and conversion rates when compared to Pinterest and Linkedin.

6. These Contest Have the Highest Conversion Rates

When you're hosting a contest, regardless of your goals, conversions play an essential factor in your contest success. When our marketing team looked closer at the data, we realized that there was a pattern. Some contests just seem to do significantly better than others. Not only did these contests have high conversions, but they were used mainly by most, if not all, B2C industries.

Here the reason we think these contest methods are not only popular but why they rake in most customers and conversions.

Sweepstakes: are one of the oldest contest methods to date, before social media and the internet glued us to our phones, our grandparents entered sweepstakes. Even now, in the digital age, they're a contest staple to any marketing strategy looking to increase sales and brand recognition. Here's a complete guide on how to create a successful sweepstake.

Welcome-Mats: can be a useful lead generation tool for your website. Grab new website visitors' emails and conversions in an instant. Earlier, we spoke about how using a welcome mat contest entry method can increase your conversions by 33% when compared to regular pop-up features. You're putting your contest front, and center before your new website visitor has a chance to be distracted by other shiny things on your blog, giving you the perfect opportunity to increase sign-ups for later use.

Bonus Entries: increase the odds of contestants winning your grand prize. No one likes to lose. Maybe this is why this contest method has one of the highest conversion rates. After all, more entries mean more chances to win.

Hashtag Contest: has grown in popularity with the rise of Instagram and Twitter. Hashtag contests are relevant and effortless to use/enter. Not only is this a high converting content, but when you incorporate your branded hashtag, you increase your brand's visibility and social media content.

7. Contest with the Highest Conversions Have Less Than Three Entry Fields

We've all heard the saying less is more. Well, it seems to apply to contests as well. People don't want to jump through hoops to win free stuff. The easier your contest entry method, the more contestants will come your way.

Since the best contests have less than three entry fields, if you decide to follow this method, ensure that you're first two entry fields are "name" and "email."

This data might seem microscopic, but it can help you to personalize Email for future sales. And according to the DMA, personalized and segmented emails generate 58% of all revenue.

8. More People Prefer Sweepstakes, Photo and Bonus Entry Contest

Apart from conversions, we also wanted to take a look at what type of contests were commonly used across all B2C and B2B industries. We found that the three most used contest campaigns across all sectors were sweepstakes, photo contests, and bonus entry contests.

Again sweepstakes never go out of style, so this type of contest gets used across the board. When brands aren't sure what kind of contests might provide the best results to meet their goals, they usually default to using sweepstakes. It's a safe bet because it works.

Photo contest made their way in second place, with image-heavy social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and more, companies try to keep up by gravitating towards photo contests.

Bonus entry contests come in third after all bonus entries carry one of the highest conversions when faced against other contest methods.

9. Video Contests Are Growing in Popularity

Approximately 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. Not to mention 92% of users watching video on mobile will share it with others.

Video has become such an essential tool in digital marketing that it only seems natural that this popularity should overlap into contests.

We found that 89% of industries are using video contests to promote their products and services. And why wouldn't they? Around 72% of customers, would rather learn about a product or service by way of video.

Video content shows no sign of slowing down, after all, YouTube is the second largest search engine, Google has now heavily incorporated videos for online searches, and social media posts with video have 48% more views.

Ready to get started with your first video contest, here are 10 YouTube contest ideas for massive engagement.

10. Consider Using Bonus Entry Contest for Your Next Contest

Bonus entry contests are a guilty pleasure for contestants who want to boost their chance of winning. Bonus entry contests have one of the highest contest conversion rates of 28.45% when compared to other popular contest entry methods.

Most people avoid entering the contest because it feels like a one in a million chance of winning, but bonus entries feel like a leveled plain field for even the most skeptical contestants. This is why most people gravitate towards bonus entry contests.

The key to creating a good bonus entry contest is that the bonus entries should benefit your company or allow you to get closer to your main goal. That means if your goal is to increase social media followers, then a bonus entry can be to follow your account, share your contest post in their story (or on their feed, or tag friends in the comments of your post so they can follow as well. Define your goals, and your bonus entry contest will work in your favor.

Feel Inspired to Plan Your Next Contest?

Book a free call to learn how our team of contest experts can help you create high converting contests and promotions today.

11. Contest Landing Pages Have Higher Conversions Rates

You read that right. Contest landing pages have 7.29% more conversions than the typical landing page conversion (around 2.35%). Unlike social media platforms landing pages give contests more space to provide additional information and details such as terms and conditions, start and end date and then some.

A landing page also works in your favor, and you have more control over the design, analytics, and more. Wishpond's landing page tool allows you to track analytics, clicks, contest entries, and the flexibility to A/B test for better results.

12. Use Hashtag Contest to Increase Brand Awareness

Earlier, we spoke about hashtag contests being one of the most used contest types across all industries. Let's dive a little bit deeper into why it's also one of the best ways to increase brand experiences.

When it comes to social media SEO, hashtags are king. Hashtags are little discovery tags that allow people to find and engage with content they're explicitly searching for online.

Like all social media platforms, especially Instagram, social media plages with high engagement, are rewarded. The more people use your hashtags, the more viral your content becomes, and the more exposure comes your way.

When you're hosting a hashtag contest, try to use a branded hashtag so that your followers and contestants can find entries associated with your contest. It also makes social listening and monitoring easier for your marketing team.

Dive more in-depth in the world of hashtags with our guide on Instagram hashtag contests: Examples and best practices for marketers.

13. Contest Emails Have Higher Conversion Rates

Contest emails have the highest average open rate of 45% when compared to other email campaigns. You after all giving people a chance to win their favorite products.

There are three key things to consider when creating your contest email: your subject line, the prize, and the (theme or) design of your email. Sure, other small details play a role in your email’s success, but before you even consider anything else, consider those three as your key pillars.

Before readers can even open your email and click on your contest CTA they need to be captivated by your contest subject line. It should drive FOMO, excitement and curiosity. If you need help writing subject lines get started with these 13 clickable email subject line examples your customers will love.

14. Contest do Better on Landing Pages, Pop-ups, and Forms

86% of contests are hosted with landing pages, pop-ups, and contest forms when compared to other methods. If you had to pick three platforms to host or attract contestants then here you have it the holy trinity of contest lead generation!

Need help designing any three of these items! No problem, Wishpond has a responsive, modern, and powerful landing page, pop-up and form builder.

Create either of these from start to finish with ease using a simple drag-and-drop editor or use pre-designed templates made for each niche, with no need for advanced design or programming knowledge.

15. Contest Average CTR Are 5.5% Higher Then Other Emails

Email is 40x more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined.

Spice up your email marketing with a contest email. You can use emails for your contest with these two methods. You can promote your contest and increase entries with an email campaign, or you can host your contest with emails as your entry method.

Your usual email marketing campaigns are usually selling or promoting your products and services. Still, with contest emails, you're offering something for free if your prize is a coveted bestseller than you shouldn't be surprised to see a rise in your email CTR.

16. Real Estate Companies Host The Most Photo Contest

After analyzing all of the industries, we found that out of 1592 photo contests across all industries, 15% of those contests come from real estate agencies/realtors.

We all had our money on beauty and travel, but it seems that the real estate industry outdid them all.

Realtors rely on images and photography to show off their real estate to potential prospects, specifically on Instagram. This industry relies on photography for trust, assurance, and credibility. When we noticed that realtors had the most photo contests, it almost seemed second nature.

17. Realtors Have the Most Diverse Contest Portfolio

Coincidentally, realtors also have a more diversified marketing portfolio when compared to other industries. Unlike other industries in B2B or B2C companies, realtors use a wide variety of contest methods.

For instance, eCommerce businesses tend to use more sweepstakes and hashtag contests. Each industry has a specific contest preference that helps with their conversions and goals. However, realtors default that pattern by using all contest methods and gaining success regardless of what contest is used.

18. Contest Pop-Up Conversions Rates are 8.73% Higher Than Average

When compared to the average pop-up conversion rate of 3.09%, the average contest pop-up conversion is approximately 11.82%. Not everyone loves pop-ups, okay, let's be honest; people hardly like to be bothered by pop-ups as they browse your website. Around 73% of internet users automatically disapprove of pop-up ads. But despite that pop-ups generally have decent click-through rates—often around 2%—higher than other kinds of ads.

Contests and gated content tend to get higher conversion rates when compared to the 'subscribe" newsletter pop-up.

The plot twist is that even if you still have a contest pop-up, you still need to avoid these pop-up mistakes that might be hurting your conversion rate

19. Contest CTA's Have Higher Conversions Than Other CTA's

Your call-to-action, or CTA, the button is one of the most important elements of any project.

The words in your CTA should guide people to the action you want them to complete. It's easy to leave your CTA button with an "Submit". But your CTA should still have a clear meaning, even if a visitor has only skimmed your page.

When you're hosting a contest, your entry method and CTA should be specific and clear. People already know why they're looking at your contest website, email or pop-up, your CTA should drive home the fact that they could win your prize.

If you're having a bit of trouble crafting your CTA, I've added some guide below:

42 Call To Action Examples You'll Want to Copy

25 Proven Call-to-Action Words to Maximize Conversions

7 Call to Action Examples and Proven Conversion Boosts (with Infographic)

20. Very Few Companies Use Caption Contest

Surprisingly only 22% of companies use caption contests compared to other contest methods. To clarify the caption contest, we're talking about events held on mediums like websites and landing pages.

A caption contest is very similar to a "comment to win" contest. The same rules apply. The only difference is that you're asking followers to caption an image instead of commenting on anything.

This stat is an example of how social media has shifted consumers' interest in contest methods. Though sweepstakes remain staples, hosting caption contests outside of social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, doesn't carry the same weight as asking persons to submit a sentence or line on your landing page or via email.

It's understandable when you're hosting a contest, your contestants should have to make as little effort as possible to enter. Too many requirements or leaving one platform for another can feel tedious. This doesn't mean that you won't have a few contestants, but, likely, you won't have as many when compared to a photo contest or bonus entry contest.

Best Contest Method Based on Industry

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230801 https://ift.tt/2WmGceM via IFTTT

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230801

[seattle-web-design-by-visua-blog]

5 Ways You Can Compete with Other Web Designers

As a web designer, your job is to create fantastic looking websites for your customers. You know how to use CSS, HML, and JavaScript along with other web-related technologies to their full potential. In fact, you know that your skills are second to none when it comes to building beautiful and functional websites! To add more to this, you’ve taken your web development skills, creativity and built a decent portfolio of web designs. But, there is one problem. There are 220,000 web designers in the United States. And to add more to the equation globalization has created businesses to tap into more web designers and web development agencies worldwide!

How do you stand out from the pack? Sure, there are more than enough websites to be designed. How do you show customers that you are the one up to the task of handling their website?

Sell Yourself

Unfortunately, there is no one magic solution that will ensure you will get work. As a web designer, you will have to cover your bases and market yourself in many different ways. Yes, SEO, online marketing and social media presence will also be needed. But the big one is to learn to sell yourself. Here are 5 different ways to do this:

1. Start With Free Work

There a couple of things that you can do if you are having a hard time breaking into the web design industry.

You can start by looking for non-profits that require some front-end web development. Usually, charities are not very picky with who works on their site and more importantly your helping a 503 c3 organization. This is a great opportunity for you to get some experience and create a website to add to your portfolio.

Helping other Developers on GitHub

There are many open-source projects that you can contribute to on GitHub. In fact, if your work is good enough, the project manager may accept your submitted changes. Also, besides building a network of go-to web developers and web design agencies you will also have an addition to your portfolio.

Open Source Web Projects

You should also be looking for web design and online marketing companies that you would want to work for. Especially, if you're not looking to set up your own web agency or freelance. Such web design agencies sometimes will have opens source projects posted on GitHub. Adding to these projects is a great way to show your worth for the company. Imagine someone working for you before they even send an application. Such relationships and networking opportunities will no doubt open doors for future projects, as well as being hired.

2. Promote Yourself and Participate in Competitions

This one may seem like a no brainer, but you would be surprised how many designers don’t market themselves. Or at least not as well as they should.

First off as a web designer you should have at least one personal website. Think of this as a dynamic resume where you constantly update it. For example, you can link all of your work, skills, and credentials. This will give prospective clients a snapshot of who you are and what you can do.

Social Media

Not having any social media exposure will only limit your exposure. That being said you should have an active social media presence. Don’t be shy. The more active you are online the easier it is going to be for web design projects to land on your laps! So, don’t be an undercover designer, be active an active and extrovert web developer. Get a Twitter, a Facebook, a Linkedin, a Snapchat. Anything that you can link to and market yourself. After all, selling yourself is about getting the word out. Naturally, as a web designer, you should know all about social media presence too.

Are you web designing as a private web design contractor? the biggest thing you can do for yourself is to solidify your brand. You are your own company, so treat yourself as a commodity and sell yourself.

If you are going down a more traditional route, you should market yourself a bit differently. Mainly showcase your ability to work on group projects. Get involved in open source GitHub projects. Make sure your resume highlights your communicative skills.

Linkedin

If you don’t already have a Linkedin profile get one. LinkedIn has become an industry leader in professional connections. Data suggests that 96% of job recruiters use LinkedIn in some way to conduct their hiring process. Though only 36% of job seekers have an active LinkedIn profile. Having an updated LinkedIn profile puts many professionals such as web designers in a great position. Exposure to Social Media will allow you to be ahead of the pack.

Compete

One resource that web designers don’t utilize enough in is web design competitions. There are plenty of places to submit personal website designs to. Most of these sites announce awards to people every month. Some even do it daily. This is a great way to flex your proficiency and cross-promote. Your next client may even find you through one of these competitions.

Here are 5 design competitions that you can submit to right now:

1. CSS Design Awards

2. Awwwards

3. D&AD Awards

4. The Shorty Awards

5. CSS Winner

There are also other places you can get yourself out on. For example, the likes of many directories and review sites. For example, our web design agency has established ranking on Clutch, The Manifest, UpCity, and Expertise to name a few. Also, not forgetting Google My Business.

3. Don’t be a jack of all trades, find a niche

If you’re hungry for work, you might be inclined to canvas a wide area for jobs. This means that you will have a higher chance of landing a gig. Right? But, this is not the case. In fact, doing this will put your portfolio up against a huge array of web designers. You will find that your odds of getting a job decline substantially. Hence, why it makes sense to try not to spread yourself over multiple web areas. This should be left to web design agencies that have the leverage, resources, and staff skilled in each of the niche areas. For example, a social media marketer may be clueless in terms of back end development. Likewise, an SEO expert will have limited knowledge in front end web design.

Instead, find a specific area of expertise and stick to that. Web design firms, as well as customers, may want a specific skillset. For example, a small business may already have a website but may be looking for a WordPress developer to update some plugins. Hence, a web designer that's found to be advertising many skill sets may dilute their expertise. Don’t get me wrong, there are qualified full stack developers and designers that can handle complete projects. But, they’ve built such skillsets of years if not decades. As an entry web developer, it would make sense to market your core skills, and then diversify.

Specialize in specific industries

You don’t want to land a job and then have to ask your clients the details of what business they are in or trying to sell. That will destroy your credibility. Not to mention this can create a sense of unease with potential clients that you are inexperienced and don’t understand their business. You want your clients to feel like they are in good hands. After all, keeping your client happy is web design 101. A sure way to do this is to know what they want without them having to tell you. Hence, would make sense to understand the industries you will be focussing on. For example, small businesses like dentists, attorney’s at Law, landscape Supplies, even websites for photographers, towing companies or auto junkyards!

Working on a specific niche will allow your portfolio to stand out from other generic web designers scrambling for work. Also, potential clients will be more inclined to hire you due to your experience in their disciplined businesses. Following these simple rules will allow you to be locked down in a niche market. In fact, you will find that your clients are more willing to put trust in your work. Since you are a niche web developer you can be considered as a professional web designer!

Also, you will start to notice that you will not have to look for work nearly as often. If you market yourself in one specific area word of mouth can spread pretty quickly. Potential clients are much more likely to hire a specialist in their field then a generalist.

There are tons of web designers who do not think about locking down a niche market. They promote themselves as generalists and take what they can get. Only to realize its a trap. Don’t fall into this trap. Be specific in your web services and expertise. Simple measures will help you as a web designer.

4. Use Your Clients to Get More Clients

Have you gotten a few jobs but find it hard to get work consistently? You might want to think about starting a referral program. Use your previous interactions with paying customers to find more work.

Start offering services such as discounted website maintenance. Limited specials on website design can spread like wildfire, and get your name out fairly quickly.

Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to find work. That is true in any field. Studies show that a whopping 92 percent of consumers say that they trust media recommended by friends or family. This statistic is staggering and cannot be overlooked. Use your clients to find more work for you by offering. Simple strategies can be like offering discounted services if your clients are willing to recommend your services on their social media platforms.

5. Fighting it Out with The DIY Developer

By now you should be confident that you can compete with other web designers. Well, guess what? They are not the only competition you have. Nowadays, companies like Wix, GoDaddy, and Squarespace all have solutions for the do it yourself web developer. But, such web services have drawbacks and limitations and are short-lived for businesses that will scale and grow down the road.

Yes, small businesses with budget constraints can create their own websites. But, custom solutions will only be available via an established web designer or web design agency. Also, expertise and know-how of how the internet works and how websites sell products is your leverage. For example, you will need to equip yourself with the basics of SEO and how best to market websites for your clients. Use that. Hence, you should not just be a web developer but also a marketing strategist and a social media expert.

Creating an aesthetically pleasing website is half the battle when using website builders like Weebly or Wix. Clients that do go down this route eventually end up hiring an online marketer or digital marketing agency. So you need to be ready to explain the pro’s and con’s between you and affordable website builders. Also, you need to tell potential customers how you build websites with a focus on their user experience. What does the user need? How can you keep them on the website longer? How can your design be as straightforward and intuitive as possible?

Get Out There and Show Clients What You Got

Now that you know how to compete with other web designers, it is time to take action. The quicker you get to work on taking steps to be competitive the better. The world of web design is constantly growing and evolving. You want to keep pace with the competition.

Promoting yourself in as many ways as you can enable you to stay ahead. You want everybody to be talking about you and the services you provide. You want your clients to have nothing but good things to say about you.

Once you have a decent start it would be a good idea to lock down a niche. This is when web development can start to turn from a job into a career. You could be the go-to person if someone wants a specific website made.

#webdesigner #startwebdesign #marketing #SEO #webdesignmarketing #websitedeevloper

[thepennydarling]

Happy HUUUUUMP Day, ya’ll!

Preston and I have had a VERY busy…month, actually, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon! Phew! Lots of work and things to do!

This is a VERY exciting Wednesday, if you didn’t know it!

My 27th birthday is next Thursday, May 23rd! And I am excited and a little nervous!

So I’ve teamed up to giveaway over $1,000 of giveaways with some of my favorite places to shop, my most requested items, and more! We’ve got Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, ModCloth, Unique Vintage, and more!

However, this is a SUPER exciting week (starting today!) with you all!

Let’s talk about the ruuuules!

Let me just sneak the boring stuff so we can get to the goods! Check me out on Instagram here!  I also have a selling Instagram page where I sell some of my old clothes/styles so that I don’t drown in my own wardrobe. I just listed a few new things – so check that out!

HOW TO ENTER:

All giveaways will take place on Instagram between 5/16 and 5/22.

Winners will be randomly selected & all be announced on 5/24.

You follow me, like the pic, & tag two besties to enter EACH post!

Each Instagram post is a DIFFERENT giveaway and will be listed in the description!

Follow the company who is sponsoring the giveaway! (they will be tagged!)

EXTRA ENTRIES OPPORTUNITIES

Throughout the week there will be LOTS of opportunities for extra entries! Keep posted to my Instagram stories, blog posts, and Facebook for announcing opportunities!

For extra entries ANY day, like & follow All-In-One Company on Instagram and comment your fave animal emoji!

For double entries ANY day, like & follow the shops listed at the bottom of this page!

  I’m kicking off this birthday week with a totally gorgeous tea party, hosted by Bigelow Tea!

Ya’ll know how much ya girl loves tea. I love it hot, iced, and spilled! Ha! So obvi, I knew I wanted to have a birthday tea party with Bigelow! I love to put peppermint tea bags in my water bottles for a refreshing twist, sleepytime tea for relaxing, or even sharing English Breakfast (Preston’s fave!) with him!

Check out Bigelow Tea on Social Media! You can check them out on Facebook here, and you can sip on over to the ‘gram to follow Bigelow here!

Bonus:

This skirt was CUSTOM designed by the INCREDIBLE Rachel Gray of Wishes & Wardrobes to look like the style icon: MINNIE MOUSE for the Surprise Celebration in Disney! Rachel makes totally custom and Disney Inspired garments!

Check Wishes & Wardrobes out on social media!  Instagram & Etsy  (double bonus: her Insta is TOTALLY adorable!)

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse don new outfits bursting with color to commemorate 90 years of magic in celebrations across Disney Parks. Beginning in January 2019 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., guests are invited to Get Your Ears On – A Mickey and Minnie Celebration. The special party will feature new entertainment and decor at Disneyland park, plus limited-time food and beverage offerings and festive merchandise available throughout the resort. (Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort)

  Giveaway #1: All-in-One Company

The All-in-One Company is a wonderful company & is our sponsor of the week! They make custom onesies for ALL bodies & EVERY body. One of their motto’s is that no one is different, but everyone is unique!

They prove their commitment to that motto with everything from custom fabric type (I’m more of a jersey than a fleece gal), patterns, pockets, ears, tails, and a million other perfect details! The All-in-One Company utilizes custom sizing, suggested sizing (from newborn to 5XL). Preston & I already have PERFECT onesies (that we look adorable in, BTW!).

These onesies are the most Snuggletastic delight to grace the Darling household since Charlie! They’re handmade by the The All-in-One Company team in the UK! Find out more about their story here!

FOLLOW THE ALL-IN-ONE COMPANY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER YOUTUBE WEBSITE

  Giveaway #2: Harvey’s of California

For this giveaway, I’ll be gifting one of these adorable Toy Story bags featuring the Pizza Planet aliens! This Harvey’s of California signature seat belt bag is a total exclusive!

These little alien guys were my favorite characters in Toy Story growing up (and my mom’s too!), so when I saw that Harvey’s had a new line inspired by Disney’s Toy Story, I knew I HAD to have one (and Harvey’s gifted me a second one to giveaway!). Shop the rest of this line here, partner!

Check out Harvey’s on Social Media

Facebook Instagram

  Giveaway #3: $200 ModCloth Gift Card

Ya’ll know that ModCloth are MY PEOPLE! ModCloth is actually what started my fashion obsession about five years ago! If I were Citizen Kane, ModCloth would be my rosebud. Ha!

ModCloth is a size inclusive, retro-inspired, & quirky clothing company is a total gem for finding about half my wardrobe! The total unique prints (both made in house & stockists of smaller boutique labels!) has something for every body from XXS-4X (or 0-30 approx.).

Check out ModCloth on social media here:

Facebook Instagram Twitter

Giveaway #4: $150 Curvy Couture Intimates Gift Card

So I wear a 44G cup. (is that TMI? I don’t care). It’s a big freaking bra. it has provided a never-ending amount of stress in my life. My bras are ALWAYS expensive, ALWAYS in boring colors, ALWAYS marketed to ‘slim’ me, and always a little uncomfortable somewhere.

When I found Curvy Couture – all of their bras WERE UNDER $60 (a thing that has literally never once happened to me). with some even being under $50, available in a millions colors and fabric types, and with an EXTENSIVELY awesome size selection!

Bonus: I have a promo code: ABBY20 for 20% your whole order! Baller. (so theoretically you could get a new bra for like $35) Shop my dusty rose set here!

Check out Curvy Couture on Social Media: 

Facebook Twitter Instagram

  Giveaway #5: $150 Unique Vintage Giveaway

This vintage inspired & size inclusive site is a RETRO dream! Unique Vintage has sizes XS-5x (with new size charts, if you haven’t checked it out!).

Unique Vintage has their site divided into ERA! How cool is that? They go from 1920’s-1970’s inspired clothing! I have pieces from almost every era-inspired line! Bonus: not only does Unique Vintage have adorable pieces & an exclusive label, but they also have exclusive collabs with brands like Disney, Barbie, & Pantone!

Check out Unique Vintage on Social Media

Facebook Twitter Instagram

  Giveaway #6: Vermont Teddy Bear Factory Hunka Love

Ya’ll know how much I lovelovelove The Professor….aka, my SIX FOOT TEDDY BEAR! He’s such a cute and spoopy addition to our home and he came all the way from the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory to live with us!He’s so soft, comfy, and cute and definitely a conversation starter!

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, in Burlington, Vermont, is a place that makes handcrafted bears with love and care in every stitch!

For this giveaway, I’ll be giving away a 4′ Big Hunka Love® Bear from the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. Your new friend will be a liiiiiiittle smaller than my bear, but equally as cuddly and fun!

Check out VTB on Social Media!

Facebook Twitter Instagram

  Giveaway #7: $150 Avenue Gift Card

Avenue is, as ya’ll know, one of my FAVE places to shop…because I like everything! I have work out gear, shoes, bras, panties, dresses, skirts, swimsuits, blouses, faux leather jackets, graphic tees and sweatshirts, jammies, and anything else you can think of!

This plus sized company has a varied selection for all different body types! Avenue goes from size 14-32 or 14-32 and is a big range for plus sized bodies!

Bonus: I wear Avenue undies literally every single day. 10/10 would recommend for a friend!

Check out Avenue on Social Media! 

Facebook Twitter Instagram

  Extra Entries!

Follow any of these AMAZING shops who sent me some awesome and lovely birthday gifts from 5/16-5/23 for extra entries for any post!

  Parks & Recs Candle Set by C & E Craft Co.

Ya’ll know how much your girl is totally a Leslie Knope type. I identify with approximately 99% of her quirks, lines, and plots! So these AMAZING-Knope-approved candles set (like Little Sebastian, JJ’s Diner, & Treat Yo’ Self) are richly scented and long burning!

I got this set from C & E Craft Company out of Pennsylvania! Check them out on Etsy here, and follow them on their socials here: Facebook & Instagram

  Recreational Pipes from MudHedz

These totally gorgeous, hand crafted, and adorable ceramic pipes from MudHedz are AMAZING. They are so perfect for some recreational needs and they are totally a show stopper! I got one for a friend a few years ago for Christmas and I’ve been obsessed ever since!

Check out MudHez here! Check out the pickle pipe here & the conch pipe here!

Follow MudHedz on Facebook & Etsy & Instagram

  Go-Go Gryffindor Glitter Candle

I fought it for years, pretending to be a Ravenclaw, but I’m totally a Gryffindor. This House Pride Candle from Geeky Girl Scents. This candle has a hazelnut coffee scent, is speckled with gold glitter, and is long lasting and delightful!

I got this set from Geeky Girl Scents! Check them out on Etsy here, Facebook, & Twitter, & Instagram!

  Check out these games from PlayMonster!

Preston & I lovelovelove board games and I was gifted a bunch of board games and now we can’t stop competing! Ha! (spoiler alert! I’m up!). Check out where to shop these here!

My faves are Utter Nonsense & The Game of Things! I am always laughing like a lunatic when I play these with our game group!

  May the odds be ever in your favor!

Thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors, companies, friends, and family that are making this possible! Be sure to check out the rules, how to get extra entries, and be following me & checking me out on social media!

  *This post is sponsored by the above listed companies with generous gifting as well! Thank you to all! However, all thoughts & opinions are my own!

SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!

If you are at all interested in doing a collab or working with me – please feel free to check out my new Contact Me! page! I also do social media consulting and photography, so please reach out! Let’s work together!

Follow me on Instagram: @thepennydarling

Like my Facebook page here!

Follow me on Twitter here!

Subscribe for updates!

If you’d like to donate to help me keep Penny Darling going – click here!

Comment for topics you would like to see me cover! Like to help my self esteem! What do you think so far? More fashion? More lifestyle? Do you like the mix?

Thank you for all that you do. You are truly extraordinary.

Love all you wonderful ladies (and gents!) out there!

How Very,

Abby

Birthday Week Giveaway Kick-Off! Check out the rules & what I'm giving away & how to get extra entries! Happy HUUUUUMP Day, ya'll! Preston and I have had a VERY busy...month, actually, and it's not slowing down anytime soon!

[ronaldmrashid]

Increase The Value Of Your Professional Network By Befriending These Five Archetypes

For 10 years I acted as a mentor to incoming analysts or associates at one of the two investment banks I worked for.

Being a mentor was rewarding and a way to help younger folks navigate the often terrifying waters of a cutthroat work environment.

One of the main pieces of advice I gave was this: You should spend as much time selling yourself internally as you do externally. 50/50.

What I noticed during my career was that those who zoomed up the corporate ladder always seemed to have the strongest networks, regardless of whether or not they were the best producer.

The majority of people hate to network. They believe hard work is enough to get ahead. Unfortunately, from a career and financial perspective, networking is vital if you want to outperform.

There is no true meritocracy.

The Rise And Fall Of A Network

At its core, a network’s fundamental reason for being is for survival purposes. When you have a group of people fighting for you, it’s much easier to avoid getting eaten by lions.

When I started Financial Samurai in 2009, nobody gave me the time of day even after a year of operation. A lack of recognition is why so many blogs or online businesses shut down within a year, despite the low operating costs.

Therefore, I started my own blogging network to help me and other nascent bloggers grow. We promoted each other’s sites over social media, allowed for each other to guest post, helped each other with technical issues, and shared advertising contacts.

At its peak, the network grew to 120 bloggers strong. To pay for my time and the operating expenses of running the network, the network took a 10% cut of all the advertising campaigns mostly I and sometimes other members created. It was a promising business model based on honesty.

The network was going great until one member decided to take the advertising contacts we had accumulated and started her own business creating blog campaigns. Then another member started doing the same.

Because of greed and selfishness, instead of having one strong network, we now had rival factions. Contract prices fell and chaos ensued. No longer was the network mainly about supporting the growth of each other’s sites.

The network created money monsters. I guess I can’t blame the two members who took my idea and created their own mirror image business because they only made about $36,000 a year from their day jobs. To them, they only saw dollar signs dancing around their heads.

Their intense focus on money and lack of loyalty disappointed me greatly. Consequently, I changed gears and decided to spend less time networking and more time writing on Financial Samurai. In retrospect, I’m thankful with how things turned out because running the network began feeling like I was working a day job again.

In case you’re wondering, neither of the two bloggers who took my idea is still around today. They are back to the grind. When you focus on making money first and providing value second, you tend to lose more often than you win.

What people may not know is that I still do an occassional “side hustle” of putting together blog campaigns for financial clients just like in the good old days. I just do so privately to keep things simple. Never stop side hustling! The opportunities are endless.

As for my network’s original intention of helping other bloggers grow, I’ve established The Financial Samurai Underdog Tour where anybody with an underdog story can sign up and tap my platform for exposure. The FS Forum is my new way to keep the camaraderie alive for personal finance enthusiasts.

Build These Five Relationships

It’s always good to network up and down. Those who’ve been around longer have more connections. Those with more connections tend to have more money and power and so forth.

Having 1,000 LinkedIn connections who won’t give you the time of day isn’t very helpful. Neither is having 10,000 Facebook friends who won’t show up to your birthday party.

Once you’ve built a network that won’t let you drown, it’s time to focus on building a network that will help you thrive.

Below are five types of people you should bring into your professional network. They will make you richer and happier.

1) The Life Giver

By far the strongest person to have in your professional network is someone who can give you or your children a job. In order to wield such power, the person must either be a C-level executive, a celebrity, or be the majority shareholder of a business.

Given growing anti-nepotism rules, more companies public and private, are not allowed to hire relatives. But that doesn’t forbid people in power to refer their friends and their friend’s children and push them through the system.

The most powerful Life Giver is the person or family who owns a large privately owned business. They can hire and promote whomever they choose at whatever salary they like. The most powerful family with a private business that comes to mind is the Mars family. They are the makers of M&M candies and are worth over $60 billion. True Stealth Wealth.

Then there are much smaller private companies owned by an individual or partnership that is quite powerful as well. For example, if you own a private online business that generates $1 million in revenue and $500,000 in operating profits, you could easily hire a handful of relatives for $50,000 – $100,000 each.

Your goal is to get to know at least one Life Giver. Once you do, the worst case scenario is that you’ll always be taken care of.

2) The Golden Retriever

It’s sometimes hard to meet C-level executives, celebrities, or private business owners. They tend to wall themselves off because so many people are always asking them for something.

The next best thing is to build a relationship with a Golden Retriever.

A Golden Retriever is someone who makes him or herself extremely useful to a Life Giver. Due to their usefulness, they have joined the inner circle and become one of the Life Giver’s most trusted confidants.

A Golden Retriever could be the executive assistant to the CEO who control’s her schedule. A Golden Retriever could also be the sidekick, like Turtle or Johnny Drama in Entourage who invite whomever they want to Vincent Chase’s parties and movie premiers. The most powerful Golden Retriever is the Life Giver’s spouse.

A Golden Retriever will help you get in the door, but he or she can’t make the final decision. Only the Life Giver can. It will be up to you to impress sufficiently the Life Giver in order to get the job, land the funding, or get invited to fabulous boondoggles.

Your goal is to get to know at least two Golden Retrievers. Once you do, you’ll always have opportunities to grow.

3) The Educator

If you have children, there’s nothing more important than your children. Parents often view education as the key investment they can make. As a result, some parents go to great lengths to ensure their children gain entrance into the best schools.

Although money can buy admission, you need a lot of money to legally buy your children’s way into the best private grade schools and private universities. Legal bribery is in the millions, not in the hundreds of thousands.

The best way to improve your child’s chance of getting into a great school without running the risk of a fine and jail time is to know Educators. Educators are the teachers, coaches, athletic directors, admission officers, school heads, and board members of schools.

If you can procure a letter of recommendation or a good word from an Educator, you drastically improve your child’s odds of getting into a particular school, especially at the lower school levels. Every recommendation counts.

Unlike public grade schools which must accept everyone, private schools can pick and choose the families they would like to join their fraternity. The more the very people who run the school can provide a good recommendation, the better your child’s chances.

Ever since I became an assistant tennis coach at a particular high school, I’ve noticed several people at my tennis club are much nicer to me. They know that even if I, as a lowly assistant coach, can’t help them get their child in, they must at least be pleasant to me out of fear I might say something bad about their family. Getting blackballed is a real thing.

Whether you have children or not, your goal is to know at least three Educators. Once you do, you’ll at the very least diversify your network so that it’s not all just rich and powerful people.

4) The Healer

Health is greater than wealth. Therefore, it behooves you to get to know as many health professionals as possible who you can ask for help.

Imagine if you had friends who are cardiologists, radiologists, optometrists, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists, earn, nose & throat doctors, nutritionists, physical therapists, gynecologists, nurses, pediatricians, and physical trainers. You could ask them anything and everything.

After getting an MRI on my knee 10 years ago, my radiologist friend whom I’ve known since 9th grade told me to send over the file so he could give me his opinion. His evaluation provided me tremendous peace of mind to not pursue arthroscopic surgery to fix a meniscus tear.

With the soaring cost of healthcare and the dwindling time we get with healthcare providers, it’s good to know as many Healers as possible.

Your mission is to get to know at least four Healers who specialize in different areas of health. Ideally, you are able to befriend a general practitioner, a physical therapist, and a psychiatrist.

5) The Unfiltered Genius

Life is easier if you are extremely smart. You can process information more quickly and make better decisions. Smart people also have the ability to better foresee opportunity where most cannot, which can make them extraordinarily wealthy. Unfortunately, not all of us are intellectually gifted, including myself.

The next best thing to being a genius is to befriend someone who is an Unfiltered Genius. The Unfiltered Genius is your sounding board for all of your life’s big decisions: joining a new company, getting married, buying a house, starting a business, negotiating a severance, and more. He or she will tell it like it is without being afraid of hurting your feelings.

We all have blind spots that lead us to walk off cliffs. The Unfiltered Genius will analyze every issue thoroughly and help you make better decisions in your life.

Everyone needs to know at least a couple Unfiltered Geniuses. If you don’t have one as your friend, it is worth it to hire one. If you can’t afford to hire one, then seek to read, watch, or listen to Unfiltered Geniuses over the internet who are experts in their field.

The easiest way to avoid saying, “If I knew then what I know now,” is to speak to an Unfiltered Genius who has been there before. At the very least, seek advice from your parents.

Not All Relationships Are Created Equal

Quality matters over quantity when it comes to building a valuable personal and professional network. The rich and powerful are getting more rich and powerful. At the same time, technology is enabling us to become more independent.

Go through your existing relationships and see if you can categorize each relationship into one of the five archetypes above. Then, systemically cull the relationships who aren’t real, never reach out, provide no value, or who only take and never give.

You need to proactively cultivate these five archetypes over time. Asking for help out of the blue is a great way to strain a relationship. Always focus on giving first.

If you are unable to befriend one of these five archetypes, then it’s up to you to become one. Once you do, you’ll find yourself naturally getting included into more powerful networks over time.

Related posts:

Are You Delusional? Let’s Talk Dunning-Krueger

Be Smart Enough To Act Dumb Enough To Get Ahead

Readers, do you have all five archetypes as part of your network? Which archetype are you? What are some ways in which you proactively cultivate your network?

The post Increase The Value Of Your Professional Network By Befriending These Five Archetypes appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from https://www.financialsamurai.com/increase-the-value-of-your-professional-network-by-befriending-these-five-archetypes/

#Financial Samurai

[shipwreckseemssweet]

My favorite pizza in Brussels

Every now and then, like the giant pressure wave stretching over 10,000 km across Venus, a giant hunger for baked dough wells up inside me. A story about that follows.

Today I leave all the culinary wonders of Brussels behind. I do away with the pralines, burgers, and Michelin-starred venues for the evening to enjoy a slice of Italian-made heaven: pizza. No easier choice comes to mind when organizing casual group dinners, whilst being mindful of budgets and food preferences. So for our first new year’s gathering, my colleagues from work have made a reservation at the pizza temple that is Posto al Sole (Momo’s). Inside, for it is January. Word-of-mouth recommendation, I’m told.

(Image source: Take Eat Easy; that flaring fresh topping!) 

I here confess I’m frankly appalled by some people’s insistence that one pizza tastes the same as the other. The discipline of pizza baking requires experience, skill and precision. In fact, it’s quite daunting to find anywhere a dough and topping duo that resemble the original Neapolitan mastery. Given the sizable Italian and Belgo-Italian minority in Brussels, however, I knew the odds were in my favor. Until now, I have rummaged out from among the cobbled streets all manner of antipasti, olives smelling of sea, platefuls of rosemary-infused bread cubes, sun-kissed tomato sauce and milky mozzarella. My excitement about the finding of Momo’s is palpable in my light step.

Approaching this glistening spot in the charming Place de Bethléem in summer, you might find the terrace often crowded. So arrive early if you want to dine al fresco. On the other hand, passing through the door to the joint feels like being transported to Italy. You’re greeted by a loud wave of noise, immeditely your eyes fly out to the smoking bright pizzas on wooden counters and boards; the pizzaiolo is giving a pizza colored by arugula and dark prosciutto a final drizzle of olive oil. The small place is cluttered, but I find everyone to be merry. My friends are ecstatically hungry, an I can smell why. Everyone is here for the pizza. I realize the same chaos must be the secret ingredient to all famous Italian food.

I learn that the place took its second name (Momo’s) after the owner who moved to Brussels to opened his own business after years of honing the art of the pizza in the kitchens of Naples. The disciple might just have surpassed his masters, at least it seems so here in Brussels. Baked by “Momo” himself in a wood-fired oven, the rested dough is covered only with fresh original goodness. There are classic round and mezzo metro, half-meter rectangular pizzas to choose from. If you are a big group or just undecided, go for the latter - a house special. I split a bufala (with Buffalo mozzarella) and primavera (pictured above) half-meter order with a friend. 

The hunger grows so even the reasonable waiting time seems unbearable. At last, the waiter arrives with our boards. They carry discs of Saturn with thin crust, their centers tremble with juice. My topping is generous; the knife slides though the tender pie. A friend’s pizza is covered in splendidly green specialty rapini (broccoli rabe), blanched and baked just right, and served with sausages. Neapolitan style all the way! In my mouth, the dough is soft but chewy. The sweet cheese melts on the tongue. We smile at each other between large bites.

(Busy Place de Bethléem: they’re all here for the pie; image source: JP Van Gorp)

After your delicious meal, in place of dessert, consider trying one of their fine, pungent grappas. Close the evening by walking up to Le Porte de Hal, where once stood the fabulous bar Potemkine (henceforth stuff of myths), while still dreaming of that pizza. Good, so good!

Emplacement: Saint Gilles, Brussels

Adress: Chaussée de Forest 122 (map)

URL: Posto al Sole Facebook

#brussels #food #travel #pizza

[khans-educate]

Is it Possible to Make Money With Builderall’s Affiliate Program? [Commentary]

I recall hearing about Builderall for the first time. A large number of affiliates made YouTube videos announcing their departure from ClickFunnelsTM in favour of the new platform. I’d like to discuss why so many affiliate marketers support Builderall in this Builderall affiliate programme review.

Software is one product I know converts well for affiliate marketers. Almost everyone who has or wishes to own an internet business need a variety of software.

Builderall is a service that brings together several sorts of software in one location. They provide everything from a website builder to email marketing.

Let’s take a look at what this firm has to offer and how their affiliate programme works.

What Does Builderall Do?

Builderall is a digital marketing tool that does it all. Many expert and novice internet company owners can profit from this service.

As I previously stated, I just learned about it from YouTube videos of other affiliate marketers switching from ClickFunnels to Builderall. The affiliates were pitching it as a more cost-effective choice. Builderall, on the other hand, offers a lot more than just help you create sales funnels.

Other features include:

Cheetah website builder

Canvas Funnel Builder

Professional Webinar App

Email Marketing Platform

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

eCommerce (Powered by Magento)

Digital Magazine Builder

eLearning Platform

iOS/Android App Creator (Powered by Siberian)

Video Wrapper

Click Tracking

Browser Notifications

MockUp Studio Editor

On-page SEO Report

Animated & Floating Video Builder

Facebook Chatbot

Viral Share Page-Locker

Script Generator

Social Proof Pop-ups

WhatsApp Automation & Funnel Builder

SMS Messaging

Instagram Autoresponder

WordPress Integration

Local Directory Builder

This solution is suited for those with less technical expertise. Their services may be valuable to internet marketers because they cover a wide range of marketing needs. Even though selling it as a ClickFunnels alternative is an excellent strategy, there are other approaches to advertise their business.

How the Builderall Affiliate Program Works

One thing that struck me as odd was the $50 annual cost for being a Builderall affiliate. It came as a surprise because most affiliate programmes are free to join. There are always some bonuses when I come across affiliate programmes that charge a fee.

For example, you may sign up as a Legendary Marketer affiliate for free, but if you want to raise your commissions, you must pay a monthly charge of $29.95. Other benefits, such as advanced training and more, are included in this charge.

There are no additional benefits to paying Builderall’s $50 per year affiliate charge, as far as I can see.

Builderall Affiliate Program Details

$50 per year fee to join

2-tier commission system (earn commissions from Builderall plans sold by any affiliates you’ve referred to the affiliate program)

Affiliates do not earn commissions for referring other affiliates

Commissions are only generated when one of the Builderall plans is sold to a customer, and every affiliate earns recurring commissions from their direct sales

No affiliates can promote Builderall by making earnings or income claims

The commission on any monthly recurring plan for the user’s first month (and commissions for affiliates who have not been paid at least $250.00) will be on hold for 35 days before becoming available for withdrawal. Once an affiliate has been paid at least $250.00, the recurring commissions will be available after a 5-day hold.

How to Best Promote Builderall as an Affiliate

The first thing I would suggest is that you use Builerall and become acquainted with all of its features and tools.

For the next seven days, you may test out the service for free. That offers you plenty of opportunity to check out all of the features and perhaps capture some screen recordings to share your experience with others.

Builderall may be promoted in a variety of ways, depending on your background. Many affiliates use YouTube videos to build user guides or reviews.

Some affiliates promote to their email lists, while others pay for ads. I recommend starting a specialised blog if you are a novice or have some expertise but are struggling to create a steady income.

Why a Niche Blog is Excellent for Affiliate Marketing

I generate a regular monthly income online through affiliate marketing by creating and managing specialty websites (blogs).

They’re simple to make and inexpensive to begin with. All you’ll need is a domain name, web hosting, and WordPress to get started.

A web hosting company like Dreamhost may supply you with all three. Monthly plans begin at $4.95 per month.

With a niche blog, earning affiliate income will take time. It will take many months for your material to get indexed and ranked in the search engine results.

Around the third to fourth month after starting a specialty blog, I start seeing traffic.

Of course, outcomes vary depending on how frequently you publish content, its quality (relevance), and how search engines index and rank it.

When I first started, I also enrolled in an affiliate marketing training course. I didn’t want to squander time attempting to learn on my own. I followed this programme and it assisted me in getting to where I am now.

Helpful Content Attracts Targeted Visitors

Getting a lot of traffic to your affiliate offer doesn’t always imply that you’ll get a lot of purchases. I used to have a fitness blog that had a lot of traffic but never earned any money, regardless of what I marketed.

That’s because my site was too wide, and when it comes to marketing affiliate items, it’s far more effective to focus on a specific specialty.

The proper sort of audience will come to your website if you create material for your specialised audience.

These are the folks who are most likely to purchase the affiliate product(s) you’re promoting.

Only a small portion of your target audience needs to purchase the affiliate items you’re pushing.

How I Write Content for My Blogs

I set a goal for myself to write 1 to 2 new blog entries every week on my many sites. I sometimes concentrate on only one blog at a time. In those circumstances, I’m able to produce two to three new blogs a week.

To assist me come up with article ideas, I undertake some keyword research. When I’ve decided on a keyword phrase to target, I make sure to include it in the title, the first paragraph of content, and a subtitle.

All of my stuff is between 1,000 and 1,500 words long or longer. Writing so much stuff now comes effortlessly to me since I try to be as helpful as possible when I write.

As time passes, you will improve. After a few months of blogging, writing a 1,000-word blog article becomes second nature.

My Closing Thoughts On My Builderall Affiliate Review

Aside from the $50 annual charge to become a Builderall associate, I believe their offering will convert well if pushed to the correct target group.

You could find their features and tools handy for your own marketing as an affiliate marketer. It is generally best to promote things with which you are familiar. You come out as sincere, which helps your audience trust you. I use niche websites to make a steady online income through affiliate marketing. It is one of the most effective methods for earning affiliate commissions. I earn commissions while sleeping, supermarket shopping, or spending time with my family. Beginners may find it difficult to get started.

If you want to sign Up, Click Here: > BuilderAll

[omgconnecticutseoexperts]

20 Local SEO Tips: Rank In Google’s Top 3 Local Map Pack

Local SEO Tips To Improve Visibility To Customers

  20 Ways To Rank In Google’s Top 3 Local Map Pack

Implement these local SEO tips. Local SEO has the best ROI. 46% of Google’s searches request a local business’ products and services. 65% search en route via their mobile phone. Local SEO is one of the fastest ways to rank on Google’s first page.

    1. Google My Business

Fill out your Google My Business page 100%. Only claim one GMB page.

Create posts to highlight your business and offer deals

Describe each service you offer

Turn messaging on

Precise opening and closing hours

The more effort you put into your Google page, the better your odds at being listed in Google’s “Top 3 Map Pack.”

** Placements on Google Maps is very effective. **

  2. Google My Business Categories

You may choose up to 5 categories. Begin with the most general and drill down.

  3. Photos on Google My Business

Photos uploaded to your Google My Business page are a strong local ranking factor. You also may want to add longitude and latitude to the photos.

  4. Bing Places

Claim a Bing business listing.

5. Submit Information To Big, Local, and Niche Citation Directories

Local SEO citations could make a difference in local SEO rankings. Ensure you Business Name, Address & Phone (NAP) are accurate and use the same info everywhere.

  6. Listings on Review Sites

Yelp, FourSquare, Angie’s List, BBB, etc.

  7. Increase # Of Positive Reviews

Google says it is okay to request a review but don’t incentive it.

  8. Reviews with Responses Matter

Respond to every review. Say “thank you for your business” or “it was a pleasure working for you.”

  9. Respond To Negative Reviews In A Customer Friendly Way

Respond to negative reviews in a professional and business-like way and seek to resolve the issue. Users can change their rating of you.

  10. Facebook Business Pages & Groups

Easy to set-up. A strong and authoritative site with significant traffic.

  11. Social Listings

Claim your business name on social networks including Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.

  12. Responsive Website

Google uses a “mobile-first” index to rank websites. 65% of Google’s searches come from a mobile phone.

  13. Schema Markup Code

Google recommends SCHEMA and JSON-LD for local SEO. Visitors do not see your code. Google processes the code to better understand your site.

  14. Improve Website Speed

In July 2018 Google implemented a “speed update” to its algorithm which penalizes slower sites. Searchers expect a site to full load in under 3-4 seconds on their mobile phone even though the average website loads in 7 seconds or longer.

  15. On-Page Local Content

Create content where you can include your main keywords, synonyms, related keywords, and local keywords.

  16. Title & Meta Descriptions Should Include Geo-Keywords

Use local keywords in your META Titles, descriptions, and HTML headers.

  17. High-Quality Inbound Links

Links from sites Google trusts and considers authoritative and reliable sites.

  18. Variance Of Inbound Links

You’ll want a broad range of inbound links that are relevant, are authoritative, and not just from a handful of sites.

  19. Links from Relevant Sites

Links from local news sites, community blogs, charities, etc. These will help to prove trustworthiness.

  20. Locals & Keywords in Anchor Texts

Inbound links from high authority sites using both your city and main keywords are like gold.

  I’m a local SEO expert with the knowledge, insights, and real-world experience ranking small businesses into the Top 3 Map Pack. If interested in any of my services please contact me at [phone]. I charge $50/hour and require a ten-hour retainer. No long-term, locked-in agency style contracts. Pay as you go.

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More digital marketing posts:

2020 LOCAL SEO SERVICE CT – GOOGLE MAP PACK

Local SEO Infographics | Improve Google Search Ranking

Free SEO Tips For Better Google Rank In 2019

Fast SEO Techniques Used For Clients

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source https://connecticutseoexperts.com/local-seo-tips/