#i think a big part of this new angle is bc of social media

[michaelwaev]

Just had a fascinating conversation with my dad about the general liberal opinion on Reagan back in the day-- he remembers some talking head saying something like ''gutting personal taxation could be catastrophic in another country, because over time it would result in an oligarchy. But we don't need to worry about that here, because the next democratic president we get will reverse Reagan's tax plan." And obviously that never happened and now we do in fact live in an oligarchy, but hearing that take on the democratic party was fascinating.

Even when I was a kid, during the Bush era, I remember hearing similar things. Like, get a democrat in to bring home the troops, get a democrat in to shut down Guantanamo. Whereas now, even from the democratic party itself, the argument is more like "get a democrat to stall for time." I think maybe that's why the democrats are failing so spectacularly with young voters. The battle of miserable inches doesn't hold up when we are only ever inching backwards.

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Texts from the Lost Tomb, part 5.4

I swear folks once I get this and the last part up I’m gonna condense it all

But yeah couldn’t resist some <3

Zhang and Wu Chat

Wu Xie: Um. I’m all done with the shower if you want a turn.

Zhang Qiling: I’m alright without one.

Wu Xie: sooo are you pissed at me still?

Zhang Qiling: ? I have not been angry with you since the ladder incident.

Wu Xie: you’ve barely said anything since the necklace thingy

Zhang Qiling: I believe it is a long-running joke amongst my friend group that I do not, in fact, say much.

Wu Xie: okay but there are multiple gouges in the tea house walls that would suggest you had somewhat strong feelings today

and I kinda caused the events that sparked said feelings

so just checking in you know

Zhang Qiling: I was not angry so much as I was afraid. More afraid than I’ve been in a long time.

Wu Xie: ??? But it has worked out fine??? Everyone made it out alive and Uncle Erbai gets to feel morally superior to the Zhang family for a while so today was a win overall

Zhang Qiling: I heard you scream. I didn’t know what had happened. I couldn’t get to you right away. Therefore, I was afraid.

Wu Xie: ohhhhh. oh, Xiao Ge. It’s alright now—hey the necklace was actually helping u look out for me:) It’s not like those ppl were actually trying to hurt me, really. Your family isn’t so bad, at least you don’t have any uncles you know of

today was just some big misunderstandings wrapped in some poor life choices. Tbh my memoir title

I feel kind of stupid for screaming but when a glowing necklace wraps itself around your neck it’s a little uhoh moment lol

I did like the design tho def my aesthetic.

Zhang Qiling: I am pleased that it was able to protect you when I was not.

Wu Xie: Uh no you are not allowed to get all emo abt this it’s only like 3pm

damn time flies when it’s flashing before your eyes lol

Are you on the roof? You’re def on the roof. I thought I heard the tiles moving over my head. Come down or I’m coming up.

Zhang Qiling: I will be down in a moment. Do not come outside, it’s cold and raining.

Wu Xie: you know, Zhang Rishan said he thinks the necklace might be linked to you, somehow

something from long ago, even though you wouldn’t remember it.

It’s lucky that it liked me, huh:)

Zhang Qiling: Yes. Quite lucky.

Babysitters Club Chat

Wang Pangzi: AWW LOOK AT HIM NAPPING ON YOUR SHOULDER SO CUTE. BEBES HAD A BIG DAY. YOU TWO ARE PRECIOUS. BE GOOD AND POSE FOR THE PICTURE NOW.

Zhang Qiling: No. Also, I am considering what steps I should take with Zhang Rishan. Regardless of his concern for the Zhang family line, his actions were unacceptable.

Wang Pangzi: HES DROOLING A LITTLE ON YOU WHICH IS LESS CUTE BUT I CAN CROP THAT PART

LOOK I KNOW YOURE STILL PISSED. IM NOT EXACTLY CALM MYSELF, I JUST HAVE WAYS TO SKIRT AROUND TIANZHENS BULLSHIT FILTER THAT YOU LACK

GET ON MY LEVEL

WU ERBAI WILL HANDLE IT, THINGS HAVE SETTLED I THINK

BUT ABOUT THAT NECKLACE

SO INTERESTING HMMM

Zhang Qiling: I am the patriarch of my family. The necklace behaved as I would, apparently, to protect a vulnerable family member. Wu Xie’s bad cold last week activated it, and it responded to a perceived danger to him today. Simple enough.

Wang Pangzi: UH HUH

A FAMILY MEMBER

THE NECKLACE REALLY SAID LOVE WINS

TOLKIEN COULD NEVER

Zhang Qiling: It protected him on a technicality. But I will not allow him to bear the burdens of my family ever again. It has taken so much from him already.

Wang Pangzi: YEAH SURE BLAH BLAH DESTINY BLAH BLAH ANGST

“A TECHNICALITY” WOW WHO SAID ROMANCE WAS DEAD

ANYHOO IM SCREENSHOTTING THIS FOR UR WEDDING RECEPTION SLIDESHOW

YA KNOW DURING MY SPEECH

Friends of Wu Xie Support Group Chat

Hei Yangjing: you’re welcome for everything today<3 I accept PayPal, although of course it is always my honor to assist my friends:)

Wang Pangzi: WE ARENT PAYING YOU SHIT

Zhang Qiling: You did absolutely nothing.

Hei Yangjing: whoa whoa maybe I wasn’t threatening family members or busting up load-bearing walls like some undying divas I could name but I totes helped

or at least I was there for moral support maybe?

Zhang Qiling: The only reason I knew you were there at all was that as I lowered my blade from Zhang Rishan’s neck, I heard the camera click and saw you were taking a selfie making a peace sign, angled to have the two of us in the background.

Xie Yuchen: I saw it on social media just now. The caption is “#greatdaycatchingupwiththelads #blessed”

Wang Pangzi: TBH KIND OF JEALOUS I DIDNT THINK TO DO THAT

Hei Hangjing: okay yeah you see Xiao Ge that is a modern kind of help I should’ve known you wouldn’t be aware

It’s called performance, you wouldn’t understand

it’s a ‘Gram thing

Also it means I’m a great person

Bc letting you handle the situation was my gift to you

Zhang Qiling: Wu Xie mentioned there is something called “blocking ppl” that gets them out of my phone.

Hei Yangjing: nah

Can’t trust that Wu Xie, bae can’t tell a coffin from an urn amirite

it’s not a thing, blocking

Xie Yuchen: It is a thing. I’ll show you later, Zhang Qiling.

Wang Pangzi: YOU BOYS GO GET CLEANED UP AND COME BY AROUND 9 I SNAGGED SOME OF ZHANG RISHANS BOOZE ON THE WAY OUT

Bonnie and Clyde Chat

Hei Yangjing: you looked pretty comfortable in those handcuffs earlier ;););)

Xie Yuchen: Go to sleep, idiot.

Hei Yangjing: You’d have to do something to tire me out ;););)

Xie Yuchen: Are you like this around Wu Xie? Not that I care, I’m just asking.

Hei Yangjing: uh that’s a big nope

First off all Idk when I’ll die but Id prefer it to be on my terms and not at the hands of those other two

Secondly there is a part of me that remembers how adorable he was when he was younger and that makes it weird

(No offense but u were not adorable. He was bebe luke skywalker, you were bebe princess leia I am obvs Han Solo 4lyfe)

Also I’m a little scared that if i flirted with him and he flirted back he’d be better at it.

Xie Yuchen: All valid concerns.

Hei Yangjing: as cute as he is I don’t really wanna tap that.

Xie Yuchen: I see.

Hei Yangjing: do you tho

Main Chat

Wu Xie: okay folks who wants cocoa to top the evening off? I picked some up today:D

Wang Pangzi: UH YOU SPENT YOUR DAY BEING KIDNAPPED AND PLACATING A SENTIENT NECKLACE WHEN DID YOU HAVE TIME TO GET GROCERIES

FRANKLY THATS INTIMIDATING

Wu Xie: the tea house gift shop:)

Wang Pangzi: …YOU BOUGHT COCOA FROM YOUR KIDNAPPERS. FROM THEIR GIFT SHOP. DURING YOUR KIDNAPPING.

WU XIE

WU XIE WHY

Wu Xie: I mean we were there the whole day, it felt impolite not to buy anything.

Wang Pangzi: OH RIGHT GREAT POINT ID HATE TO BE RUDE TO THEM AFTER THEY WENT TO THE TROUBLE OF ABDUCTING US

LISTEN WHEN PPL STEAL YOU IT BECOMES FREE REIGN ON THEIR SHIT

UGH YOU PROBABLY GOT A RECEIPT AND EVERYTHING

WAS UR LITTLE SHOPPING TRIP BEFORE OR AFTER THEY STUCK U IN A DUNGEON TO EXPERIMENT ON YOU

WAIT NVM I DONT WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT

Wu Xie: look, let’s focus on the positives/ we are all okay, and we learned something new, that necklace is still active! It’s really quite nice-looking when it isn’t moving of its own volition.

Wang Pangzi: YOU AND YOUR RELENTLESS DUCKING OPTIMISM

ZHANG QILING ARE YOU SEEING THIS

Zhang Qiling: I would love some cocoa. I’ll come to the kitchen.

Wu Xie: I have special marshmallows for you!!

Wang Pangzi: I SEE

WE ARE SUBSCRIBING TO THE PRESTIGIOUS “FUCK IT WHY NOT” SCHOOL OF THOT TONIGHT

LOL SURE LETS GO COCOA IT UP

IVE GOT SOMETHING STRONG TO POP IN IT

Wu Xie: Still thinking about that design… I’d love another chance to examine that necklace under less Zhangy circumstances.

Kinda sad we couldn’t borrow it to use for illnesses and dangerous missions :/

ah well it’s for the best, a family heirloom should be treasured, preserved and protected<3

Zhang Qiling: I put it on your dresser.

Wu Xie: ???????

Wang Pangzi: AND THATS WHY YOU AND I ARE FRIENDS, XIAOGE <3

Wu Xie: I—

Zhang Qiling: Are those bunny-shaped marshmallows for me?

[pop-punklouis]

hope I know you know some things about news outlets or journalists but how much control does a celebs team over what stories are written? Bc bg used to have articles written every time there was a picture of them or even just briana posting Freddie but now it’s absolute crickets. Can Louis team say no more allowed or are they simply not pushing it like before ? If u have any insight

it depends on the story, the outlet, and the narrative they’re pushing for the celebrity at a specific time. you have to remember celebrities have finely crafted public images and social media is an important part of making or breaking that. there’s a strategy behind why celebrities do what they do (or don't), particularly on social. keeping control of that image, and the narrative of the brand, is therefore crucial for celebrities. so, it was obvious back when BG first began that TMZ was in on it as they had exclusives all the time and could freely talk about it/push different angles. they were the first to get pap photos and breaking news. 2016 and 2017 were heavily controlled by TMZ, and i believe they were told they were going to get the bombshell “not the father” story back then but something changed and TMZ backed off. they write a couple stories here and there, but it’s very sparse.

but, in general, big tabloids are known to work alongside celebrity teams to continue having access to them. a lot of A-list celebrity teams have the media in their pocket. People, E! News, dailymail, and the Sun are prime examples of that. that’s not to say every single story ran by these outlets are approved by the celebrity’s PR, but a lot of the narratives and puff pieces and exclusives are connected to the celebrity’s team.

in Louis’ case, i think there’s a couple of reasons why we don’t see as many articles and attention being drawn to it. 1) the kid is almost six. the novelty of him being “the first 1D baby” has long worn off. so of course we’re not getting countless articles about it like we did in the first year or so. also, there isn’t active drama involving custody which is something tabloids EAT UP. without any movement or “bombshell” exclusive about a feud or custody battle between briana and louis, there’s not much to talk about. the last thing that made any sort of news was the sugar daddy debacle with briana that turned into nothing. there’s also complexities regarding using photos from a celebrity’s family’s social media to run articles. louis hasn’t posted the child on his social media or directly referenced him in a long time. of course lottie and the twins are public figures, but we rarely if ever see any articles written from them posting photos or videos of F. unless media is posted on louis and/or briana’s socials, you really won’t see much attention being brought to it.

and 2) louis team seems to want to keep it out of the media and off louis’ socials as much as possible. i think this is a very deliberate choice until any movement is made. they’ve curated this private dad persona for him which gives justification as to why he is seemingly blacklisted from interviews, and never posts him or mentions him on socials. if his team wanted more talk and attention being brought to dad!louis, they most definitely would like they did back in the early days. his image, unfortunately, used to be very one-dimensional and revolve around this narrative and his girlfriends, and i know he’s worked hard to build his own career and image outside of those attached to him and his public life, which he has done wonderfully since 2018 imo. but, i personally believe, until any real movement or calculated drama occurs, we won’t see media giving it too much attention if any.

[littlebabycrybtch]

bro..... im sooo tired of ppl being whiny freaks about ppl liking fictional shit ‘~too much~’. like bitches are literally fully convinced if you prefer acting out certain ideas in fiction but not irl, thats not your normal preferential boundaries but rather your brain is a mental illness BOMB and you need to be fucking hospitalized for being imaginative and having autonomy. like yall if its not taboo or smth shut uuuuhp man you’re not ‘concerned for their health’ or w/e you’re fully just tryna get away with being a nihilistic asshole who lacks sympathetic reasoning skills. listen to me. fiction is valuable. the thoughts we have on it are important. the personal lack of value you happen to put on a media is next to worthless. its not a fuckin waste of time dude, creators are people, who live in the real world, they experience it and have ideas through it and about it, they form and tweak their ideas while still definitely existing in the real world, and then put that back into the world with a new angle and new perspective, to share with other people definitely encountering it in , you guessed it , the real world. thats not disconnected. its not nothing. these things do not magically appear from fairytale land, they are created. stories mean smth, people tell them for a reason, its ok to feel smth for any story, why would we even tell them if not with the intention to impact others emotionally somehow i mean??? fiction does not Just affect reality, it is valuable to real life society, it is a functioning thriving part OF reality. 

humans have told stories since the dawn of our existence. it is literally all but an inherent species trait for us to imagine things, its tied to each and every one of us, and to reject ‘fantasy’ as smth worthless to human life is frankly just fuckin wrong and weird of you. bitch we are Supposed to get outside the box, the fandom ppl you cringe your pants over arent thinking abt fake shit too much, you guys very often just arent exercising abstract thought and imagination enough, which actually hurts your ability to engage with it critically in all the ways its meant to be. if you dont see the value in fiction its because you put in no effort to form the analysis skills. in other words, you idiots dont get the hype bc you’re too stupid to get how you're supposed to compare a book to the real world it came from. ‘uu but cmon not everythings valuable what about [tumblr designated cringe media]-’ 1. ok! somehow you havent come to this conclusion yourself yet but thats not real, whatever ppl get to enjoy is not all abt you, your bias means less than dirt to others outside of hivemind social medias, you can keep it to yourself, ppl shouldnt care about it bc it means nothing outside of ur own space, its literally funny to me that you’re so elitist you want me to cater my interests to you, Your Standard Of Quality Isnt Universal, 2. ranking the values of fiction is the waste of time here, if you compare mlp to pride and prejudice ill dissect your teeth, different emotional impacts from tragic to funny to Just A Vibe are all able to be assessed as ‘valuable to somebody else so leave well enough alone’ if you dont have 2010+ funnyman brainrot disease that makes you incapable of reflecting on anything you can find a way to joke abt first.

i mean seriously like. whenever randos start engaging with medias you ppl dont like or in ways you dont get, the strawmans yall make up to get to be cringe culture vultures abt such benign shit, and almost Always at the expense of neurodivergent people with a deeply rooted undertone of extreme ableism might i add..... its just so selfish. u have a brain ok, you’re manipulative but we both know you dont Actually think ppl automatically default to being a waifu obsessed incel rotting away at their basement computer, stagnating their social skills and straying further and further from reality with each passing day, a poor disturbed wretch that you just HAVE to save from themselves, all bc they say they. prefer fictional porn or w/e to having sex irl. buddy thats not a big deal, theyre normal, just different from you. theyre fine, you’re just uncomfortable. as a functioning adult you’re gonna have to try and recognize that sometimes that feelings gonna be 100% on you, and you cant always just lie abt the validity of it to make ppl feel obligated into agreeing with you. this is gonna be one fragment of their personhood and your self obsessed brain imploding over how unrelatable that is doesnt fucking matter, grow up bitch like. how detached do you have to be to think thats so unstable or morally wrong.... its just a completely inconsequential preferential decision that only affects them and isnt a wrong choice at all cuz nobody has to get their dick wet if they dont wanna for any reason ever and thats gotta be that tbh.... and it kills me cuz they still inherently experience the real world and are capable of thinking abt it critically,,, even tho they... masturbate to drawings or w/e the fuck ppl think is unhealthy ???? like? imagination is just fun we dont need to moderate it anymore than we moderate other fun activities i mean lol ksdjfsd this is the DEFINITION of ‘just vibing’ no one FUCKING cares and it deosnt fucking matter the way you desperately try to make ppl think it does just so u get to be loud abt ur shortcomings as a decent understanding person. 

‘uuuuuu im sorry but thats unhealthy :///’ you sound like a goddamn maniac dude stories are not unhealthy having feelings abt them is not unhealthy thinking some anime bitch that was DRAWN TO BE HOT , IS HOT, is not UNHEALTHY and you clowns arent convincing anybody you ‘care’ abt that concept anyways !! im losign my mind here skdlsdfsd medias are literally DESIGNED TO DO THIS TO PEOPLE... WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL THINGS FOR IT.... IT IS WHAT MAKES THE ART WE’VE TAKEN PART IN FOR CENTURIES, “ART”.... ITS JUST... HAVING IDEAS AND EXPERIENCING IMAGINATION..... whats wildly unhealthy actually is yalls toxic obsession with ‘harsh truth’ and validating your stupid ass cwinge feewings to the point where everything that gives your underdeveloped selfish ass hives has to be a matter of health and morals and whats ‘best’ for everyone. u dont know that shit!!!! ur a petty brat and im not ur mommy ok i wont baby you so u dont feel like the shitty whiny person you are, you need to grow and do better and think outside urself already, dont put the responsibility of making u feel right for judging somebodies benign hobbies on me. i wont bc its wrong and unnecessary. you’re not a savior no ones falling for that lmao you’re just a bitch girl xoxo get over it shit truly does not matter. let them write nsfw self insert fics instead of banging !! 

to make it real do yall really not Get that basic consent kinda doesnt just mean ‘no when im not in the mood at the time’ but it means ‘no if i just dont fuckin feel like having sex ever for literally any reason at all bc i choose what i do’ and pressuring them, even with what your warped brain translates as the best of intentions, is inherently disgusting? especially with the ‘i know how to help you’ attitude like......... ohhh die soonly ew lmao! lay off this nasty shit already please it doesnt matter! stop trying to make it matter!! its not hurting you or them you stupid tumblr phd ass!! and like again yeah some media shits just truly gross but tbr now its like even That kind of shit, the Real social issues caused by Actually problematic media that ppl should discuss Genuinely without ulterior motives, is being used more and more rampantly as just a stepping stone to get to the needless mockery of other harmless things in the media they want an excuse to bag on.......... like a bitch cant just be grown and talk about problems at face value without getting a bully jab in. smhhhhh you all fuckin suck please just stop talking already. so anyways yeah being attracted to fictional characters instead of real people or w/e IS funny, funny how many boyfriends they have when u have none xoxo theyre having fun and you can die sad abt it they get to die 5 times in an angsty fantasy fic and be brought back with mouth to mouth by fuckin kakashi every time and then they go get lunch irl while ur updating tinder bitch ... different fucking strokes ig !

[thelastchair]

Powder Magazine

(Written by Sam Cox - December 28, 2020)

Growing up in Montana, my winter free time was consumed by skiing. Big Sky was the destination when I was barely old enough to walk. Eventually we made the move to Bozeman and Bridger Bowl became my second home. During the early years, my family made the trek to a handful of Warren Miller movies when they were on tour in the fall and Snow Country was the magazine subscription that landed on the coffee table. I was vaguely aware of Jackson Hole, Snowbird and Squaw Valley and my father would occasionally regale me with tales of skiing (read Après) in Germany when he was in the Army. At some level, I already understood that there was something special about Bridger, but realistically, my sphere of outside influence was quite small. Christmas of 1989 turned my entire world upside down. My aunt and uncle are longtime Salt Lake City residents and Brighton skiers. Typically they would send a package each year with the customary cookies, toffee and a card. However, this year they sent two VHS tapes and a magazine - Ski Time, Blizzard of Aahhh’s and a copy of Powder. Things would never be the same for me. Scot Schmidt became my hero, Greg Stump was taking skiing into uncharted territory and above it all, Powder created an eloquent voice for our sport and was the fabric that held things together. Even at my young age, everything that I’d intuitively sensed before was distilled into a potent desire to devote myself to the simple pursuit of being a skier.

Johan Jonsson, Engelberg, Switzerland - Photo: Mattias Fredriksson/POWDER

Powder was founded in Sun Valley by the Moe brothers in 1972 as an annual portfolio of The Other Ski Experience. After several years of running the magazine, Jake and David Moe sold Powder to the owner of Surfer Magazine. A repurposed aircraft hangar in San Juan Capistrano became the new home of skiing’s most prestigious publication. Over time, there was an ebb and flow to the size of staff and cast of characters, each person leaving their unique mark. For decades Powder weathered corporate acquisitions, office relocations and the constant metamorphosis of the ski industry - never losing its voice, Powder remained the benchmark. It was a source of creativity, inspiration and a defacto annal of history. For many it was also a shining beacon, a glimpse into a world filled with deep turns and iconic destinations - even if this world could only be inhabited inside the constructs of your imagination.

My story and the impact Powder had on the direction I would take is hardly unique. The magazine left an indelible impression on countless skiers. When the news broke this fall that operations were being suspended indefinitely, a heartbroken community took to social media to pay homage to the magazine and how it changed their lives and in some cases, careers. This is my version of a tribute and it’s definitely not perfect. In order to gain some perspective, I reached out to former staff members - a collective I admire and respect. It’s an attempt to articulate the essence of Powder, capture its influence on the skiing landscape and give credit to the people who made it come to life. 

Bernie Rosow, Mammoth Mountain, CA - Photo: Christian Pondella/POWDER

HANS LUDWIG - The Jaded Local

“Skiing has always been really tribal and one of the last vestiges of having an oral history. Powder was a unique concept, because they weren’t really concerned with the family market. They were just concerned about being really into skiing. Growing up in Colorado and skiing moguls, my coaches Robert and Roger were featured in the early Greg Stump films. Being in their orbit, I knew a little bit about skiing culture and what was going on out there, but didn’t have the whole picture. The Stump films resonated with me, but Ski/Skiing Magazines didn’t really do it for me. Powder was the door that opened things culturally, it was the only entry point before Blizzard of Aahhh’s.”

“Something that nobody gives Powder credit for, is sponsoring the Greg Stump, TGR and MSP movies and giving them full support right from their inception. It legitimized those companies and helped them become one of the catalysts for change and evolution in skiing. Ultimately this change would have happened, but at a much slower pace without the support of Powder. Getting support from Powder meant they’d weeded out the posers and kooks and what they were backing wasn’t something or someone that was “aspiring” they were a cut above.”

“Powder brought a lot of things into the mainstream, raised awareness and helped to legitimize them: Jean-Marc Boivin, Patrick Vallencant, Pierre Tardivel, telemarking, monoskiing, snowboarding, the JHAF, Chamonix, La Grave, Mikaela Shiffrin, fat skis pre McConkey, skiing in South America….the list goes on.”

“I had some rowdy trips with Powder. Writing “Lost In America,” I went Utah-Montana-Fernie-Banff-Revelstoke via pickup truck, only backcountry skiing and camping in the mud. It was a month plus. I did another month plus in Nevada, which was after back to back Jackson and Silverton. Total time was two plus months. That was fucked up, I was super loose after that whole thing. So many sketchy days with total strangers”

“People forget that Powder was around long before the advent of the fucking pro skier. Starting in 1996, the magazine was in the impact zone of the ski industrial complex. There is limited space for content each season. It was a challenge to balance the pressure coming from the athletes and brands to cover something that was going to make them money vs. staying true to the Moe brothers original intent and profiling an eccentric skier, a unique location or even fucking ski racing.”

Full Circle - Photo: MJ Carroll

KEITH CARLSEN - Editor

“When I was young, Ski/Skiing didn’t do anything for my spirit, but Powder lit me up. It ignited a passion in diehard skiers and gave them a voice and community. It was focused on the counter culture - the type of people who rearrange their lives to ski. This was in direct opposition to other magazines that were targeting rich people, trying to explain technique, sell condos or highlight the amenities at a ski area.”

“Skiing has always been my outlet and mechanism to get away from things in life. My two talents are writing and photography, so I enrolled at Western State with the direct goal of landing an internship at Powder. Even at 19, I had complete focus on the direction I wanted to take. If it didn’t work out, my backup plan was to be a ski bum. 48 hours after graduating, I was headed to southern California to live in my van and start my position at Powder. When the decision was made to close the magazine, it was really personal for me. Powder had provided me direction in life for the last 30 years and I needed some time to process it. In a way, it was almost like going to a funeral for a good friend - even though it’s gone, the magazine lives on in all of us and can never be taken away.”

“It was, and will always remain, one of my life’s greatest honors to serve as the editor-in-chief for Powder Magazine. It was literally a dream that came true. I’m so grateful for everyone who came before me and everyone who served after me. That opportunity opened literally hundreds of doors for me and continues to do so today. I owe the magazine a massive debt of gratitude. Every single editor was a warrior and fought for the title with their lives. They were doing double duty - not only from competition with other publications, but the internal struggle of budget cuts, staff reductions and trying to do more with less. Powder never belonged in the hands of a corporation. The magazine spoke to an impassioned community and never made sense to an accountant or on a ledger.”

Trevor Petersen, Mt. Serratus, BC - Photo: Scott Markewitz/POWDER

SIERRA SHAFER - Editor In Chief

“Powder celebrated everything that is good and pure in skiing. It highlighted the old school, the new and the irreverent. The magazine also called bullshit when they saw it. It was a checkpoint, a cultural barometer and an honest reflection on where skiing has been and where it’s going.”

“My involvement with Powder came completely out of left field. I was never an intern or established in the ski industry. My background was strictly in journalism, I was a skier living in Southern California and editing a newspaper. I knew that I wanted to get the fuck out of LA and Powder was that opportunity. It was a huge shift going from my job and life being completely separate to work becoming my life. Literally overnight, Powder became everything - friends, connections and part of my identity. It derailed my trajectory in the best possible way.”

Brad Holmes, Donner Pass, CA - Photo: Dave Norehad/POWDER

MATT HANSEN - Executive Editor

“Keith Carlsen was a man of ideas, he had tremendous vision and influence. He came up with the ideas for Powder Week and the Powder Awards in 2001. In some respects those two events saved the magazine.”

“Powder was the soul of skiing and kept the vibe, it changed people’s lives and inspired them to move to a ski town. As a writer I always wanted to think it was the stories that did that, but in truth it was the photography. Images of skiing truly became an art form, 100% thanks to Powder Magazine and Dave Reddick. Dave cultivated and mentored photographers, he was always searching for the unpredictable image from around the world and pressed the photographers to look at things from a different angle.”

“It sounds cliche, but writing a feature about Chamonix was the highlight for me. Sitting on the plane, things were absolutely unreal. I linked up with Nate Wallace and the whole experience from start to finish was out of my comfort zone. Ducking ropes to ski overhead pow on the Pas De Chèvre, walking out of the ice tunnel on a deserted Aiguille du Midi right as the clouds parted, late nights in town that were too fuzzy to recall. The energy of the place taught me a lot. I didn’t have a smartphone and there was no Instagram - I had time to write, observe, take notes and be present with who I was and with the experience. As a writer it didn’t get any better.”

“The true gift of working for Powder, was the once in a lifetime adventures that I wish I could have shared with my family, I was so lucky to have had those opportunities. It almost brought tears to me eyes.”

Peter Romaine, Jackson Hole, WY - Photo: Wade McKoy/POWDER

DAVE REDDICK - Director of Photography

“Just ski down there and take a photo of something, for cryin’ out loud!”  “I’ve found that channeling McConkey has been keeping it in perspective. Powder’s been shuttered. That sucks. What doesn’t suck is the good times and the people that have shared the ride thus far and I’m just thankful to be one of them. There’s been some really kind sentiments from friends and colleagues, but this must be said - Every editor (especially the editors), every art director (I’ve driven them nuts), every publisher and sales associate, every photographer, writer, and intern, and all the others behind the scenes who’ve ever contributed their talents get equal share of acknowledgment for carrying the torch that is Powder Mag. There’s hundreds of us! No decision has ever been made in a vacuum. Always a collective. At our best, we’ve been a reflection of skiers everywhere and of one of the greatest experiences in the world. It’s that community, and that feeling, that is Powder. I’m not sure what’s next and I’m not afraid of change but”  “There’s something really cool about being scared. I don’t know what!”

Scot Schmidt, Alaska - Photo: Chris Noble/POWDER

DEREK TAYLOR - Editor 

“Powder was the first magazine dedicated to the experience and not trying to teach people how to ski. It was enthusiast media focused on the soul and culture. It’s also important to highlight the impact Powder had outside of skiing - today you have the Surfer’s Journal effect where every sport wants that type of publication. However, prior to their inception, everybody wanted a version of Powder.”

“Neil Stebbins and Steve Casimiro deserve a lot of credit for the magazine retaining its voice and staying true to the core group of skiers it represented.”

“Keith Carlsen is responsible for the idea behind Super Park. This was a time when skiing had just gone through a stale phase. There was a newfound energy in park skiing and younger generations, this event helped to rebrand Powder and solidify its goal of being all inclusive. Racing, powder, park, touring - it’s all just skiing.”

Joe Sagona, Mt. Baldy, CA - Photo: Dave Reddick/POWDER

JOHNNY STIFTER - Editor In Chief

“What did Powder mean to me... Well, everything. As a reader and staffer, it inspired me and made me laugh. I learned about local cultures that felt far away and learned about far away cultures that didn’t feel foreign, if that makes sense.”

“But I cherished those late nights the most, making magazines with the small staff. Despite the deadline stress, I always felt so grateful to be working for this sacred institution and writing and editing for true skiers. We all just had so much damn fun. And it didn’t hurt meeting such passionate locals at hallowed places, like Aspen and Austria, that I once dreamed of visiting and skiing. The Powder culture is so inclusive and so fun, I never felt more alive.”

Doug Coombs, All Hail The King - Photo: Ace Kvale/POWDER

HEATHER HANSMAN - Online Editor

“Powder is a lifestyle and an interconnected circle of people. It’s about getting a job offer at Alta, opening your home to random strangers, locking your keys in your car and getting rescued by a friend you made on a trip years ago. Through the selfish activity of skiing, you can create a community of people you cherish and can depend on through highs and lows.”

Ashley Otte, Mike Wiegele Heli, BC - Photo: Dave Reddick/POWDER

The contributions of so many talented individuals made the magazine possible. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who shared their experience at Powder with me. Also, I want to thank Porter Fox and David Page for crafting inspiring feature stories that I enjoyed immensely over the years.

After the reality set in that the final issue had arrived, a void was created for generations of skiers. I’ve been focused on being thankful for what we had, rather than sad it’s gone. It’s a challenging time for print media and I wholeheartedly advocate supporting the remaining titles in anyway you can. In a culture driven by a voracious appetite for mass media consumption and instant gratification - I cherish the ritual of waiting for a magazine to arrive, appreciating the effort that went into creating the content and being able to have that physical substance in my hand. Thanks for everything Powder, you are missed, but your spirit lives on.  

Captain Powder - Photo: Gary Bigham/POWDER

[damnit-samnit]

Hey Sam! I hooe you re doing good! I've been meaning to ask you, is Smite the kind of villain who's looking forward to kill his opponent? I've been thinking when art saw her coworker die bc of the rock and all that and he was never like oh you should've been so scared or anything like that. Was it because he's too used to be around corpses because he's actually a killer or something like that? Sorry, English isn't my first language hope you can understand haha lots of love!!!

he’s ambivalent about it in regards to normal people. they’re all npcs to him, irrelevant. the average joe is never his main target but casualties are expected. if he goes godzilla for a bit, he’s not doing it *to* the people, he’s not getting that granular. when you flood an anthill, you’re not thinking about the individual ants, you’re thinking about the entire colony itself. 

plus, he’s usually angling to get the attention of somebodies.

as for heroes, it just depends on the message he wants to send. sometimes he’ll kill them if they annoy him enough/he’s over it/just wants to. sometimes he’ll leave them maimed since that hits harder than death. sometimes he likes the back-and-forth and will dip before anyone gets too seriously hurt so the good times continue to roll.

it’s not a game to him but... there’s some serious disconnect about killing being the ‘ultimate sin.’ in a world where heroes/villains are such a massive aspect of it, I gotta think death in that sphere is just so... i don’t want to say completely normalized, but it’s just a part of life. that’s what happens when society is hit by something again and again and again. you kind of become used to it. when someone big dies, you might get upset if you were a fan. if someone little dies, you kind of want to know the details behind their death and then you’ll just continue on with your life. of course, the higher the ranking of someone in the public eye, the more of an impact their death would be, you know?

plus, all might isn’t a brainless killing machine. he’s surprisingly savvy. he’s cultivated an image over the years of being the number one big bad. he’s found almost a middle ground. is he a bad guy? oh yeah. but he’s a villain. he’s a foil. there’s a cult of personality around that. just like there’s official and unofficial hero merch out in the world, there’s probably plenty of unofficial villain merch too that’s being bought up. there are fans of his. think of the halloween chapter -- people want to take a picture with him and will happily post it on social media.  there’s not this societal disgust over his evilness, there’s an understanding that good needs something to fight against. media around all might gets clicks and attention. he brings in the money. if he shows up, people are afraid, yeah, but there’s also that thrill of excitement that maybe they’ll catch a glimpse of him. an appearance by him is big news for a few news cycles. 

bnha is kind of a disguised dystopia in that sense lmao

oof i wrote so much already but let’s touch on the artisan thing:

this is something that’s going to be expanded on, so i don’t want to delve too into it. art and all might may be in the same general sphere, but their perspectives and experiences in that sphere are very different. just because art works with heroes does not mean she’s at all prepared to deal with what heroes actually go through. pain, fear, that hanging threat of death -- that’s not her world. she’s in a lab, man. don’t collaborate with villains and expect everything to go honky dory. she doesn’t know how lucky she’s been.

that’s all might’s world, though. he’s callous about it because he’s desensitized to it all. he’s been in the game for how many decades? physicality is the norm. holding someone up by the throat to sneer at them? that’s a villain 101 move. a stab wound in a non-threatening part of the body? i mean, midoryia does break his bones on an almost weekly basis. 

there’s a disconnect between the two of them that neither of them bothered considering before. or maybe they’ never realized it :)

[accsta-blog]

 hello  friends  ,  i’m  admin  ris  but  you  can  call  me  that  Big  Dumb  if  you  want  !  i  play  TWO  characters  ––  my  little  demon  RONAN  ACOSTA  and  my  sweet  forrest  princess  COSIMA  CHASE  who’s  on  her  own  main  blog  ,  so  i  will  probably  double  like  everything  possible  bc  .......  support  and  love.  anyway  !!!  below  you  will  find  some  information  about  ronan  including  wanted  connections  ,  but  feel  free  to  LIKE  THIS  if  you’d  like  me  to  come  plot  w/  you  or  just  feel  free  to  slide  into  my  dms  +  u  get  bonus  points  if  u  tell  me  a  joke  :~)

shawn mendes. twenty-two. cismale. he/him. shawn mendes. | i can’t believe i just saw RONAN ACOSTA walking out of cadence records. they’re a single POP/POP ROCK artist who’s been in the industry for SIX YEARS. the tabloids love to focus on their WITHDRAWN nature , but they’re also pretty CHARISMATIC and they seem to give off a vibe that reminds people of SUNGLASSES & BALL CAPS TO AVOID THE CAMERA , SURPRISED REACTIONS , & HIDDEN CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR. | admin ris. 21+. est. she/her.

𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬.

  loose,  un-gelled  curls  ,  hidden  hickeys  ,  hiding  from  paparazzi  ,  sweet,  completely  faked  smiles  ,  a  room  full  of  laughter  ,  bad  boys  who  look  like  good  boys  ,  broken  hearts  ,  hidden  agendas  ,  honest  moments  behind  closed  doors.

𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬.

 full  name  :  ronan  mateo  acosta  /  orientation  :  pansexual  /  style  :  relaxed.  jeans  ,  tight  fitted  t-shirts  ,  put  together  but  casual.  /  family  :  angelo  &  cynthia  acosta  ,  musicians.  /  tattoos  :  butterfly  on  shoulder  ,  guitar  on  foreman  inside  ,  family  surname  on  ankle  ,  song  lyrics  (  his  moms  )  foreman  inside  ,  traveling  music  notes  around  wrist  ,  heart  outline  side  of  middle  finger. /   hometown  :  los  angeles  ,  ca.  /  zodiac  :  aries.

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

○ ronan grew up in the public eye , though his parents attempted to keep him very humble and out of the spotlight until he was ready. his parents are both famous musicians , his dad originating in protugal and his mom in the states , he moved to los angles after he met her and it was a true , sappy love story. they really did attempt to keep ronan’s life private but he was always Known like any famous celebrity’s child.  ○ ronan was a pretty SWEET as a kid –– though he was definitely spoiled. his parents thought that giving him everything he wanted would keep him ... behaved ? i don’t know why they thought that. but they did. give the boy what he wants and he’ll listen to us. and at first , it was working because he was still young + didn’t have his own access to their money. yet. however , as he started getting more and more , he was getting more and more stingy + pretentious.  ○ and then ronan starts to want to do his own music. he learned guitar , piano , and even the violin and begins to find his voice. as his voice finds itself and he finds his love for much , ronan & lachlan forms –– a duo group via youtube with his best friend when ronan was 15 going on 16. because of famous background , they quickly took off and because of how ronan’s parents wanted him to be seen , ronan was formed into a very pure + angelic mold and his best friend was pulled into this mold too. except , things didn’t work out being forced into a kid friendly mold for the duo as they got older , and they split about three years ago.  ○ after the split of ronan & lachlan , ronan began putting out his own music and that’s when Demon Ronan really comes out –– except , his music is mostly pg and clean and appeals to a Youngerish crowd , and he’s still keeping up with the same imagine as he was before. ronan’s music basically matches shawns with the exception of some songs + a little bit of an added rock element ; although my favorite song to put to ronan is nervous bc it’s literally the OPPOSITE of him + one of his biggest hits. his image and sound is very sweet and pure with a soft hint of ... thirst trap thrown in to keep people interested. at first , ronan didn’t really mind this and then after the split of his group + finding himself as a teen , ronan realized he REALLY didn’t fit the mold the world wanted him to.  ○ so you’d think that he’d start emerging as his true self , except his manager urges him he needs to keep him imagine pure or it might crash his career –– he’s popular to younger fans and can use this image to support things he cares about and to stay relevant. however , as time goes on , ronan just gets worse. partying , drinking , all that fun stuff all while hiding from any camera that comes in the room. it begins to be a game for him –– how long can he keep this up ? rip to all this team who had to clean up after him. gd mess. ○ anyway ! the general SUM UP of ronan is that on the outside , he’s PURE and sweet and kind with a simple addition of towering 6′2 height and perfectly sculpted arms + abs and thanks to the occasional wet shirt , the people get to see just enough to toggle the line between innocent and thirst trap. it’s definitely a thirst trap. don’t let him fool you. however , when you see the real ronan he’s a MESS who’s partying on private jets , getting drunk in the middle of the day , and having his messes cleaned up for him constantly.  ○ personality wise , ronan is FUN , no matter which side of him you may know. if you’re introduced to the fake , public eye ronan –– he’s sweet and kind and funny , but if you really known ronan –– he’s flirtatious , Wild , always offering unsolicited advice , a Pure Comedian , and a hot freaking mess and u know what ? he’s the worlds hot mess. 

𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.

○ ronan is publicly pansexual and talks about it openly on social media & is happily an ally and support to his lgbt+ fans. this was something his manager advised against and then he was spotted kissing a Boy and took to an interview to talk about it and regularly advocates for lgbt+ youth. though there was some backlash against this , he was still coming out of his duo phase and highly regraded as a good role model + used his platform to advocate which just Progressed his pure image. it’s the one thing that’s not fake tbh.

○ ronan also talks openly about current events + issues but is careful to make sure he was research and doesn’t heavily share too much across platforms but does like to show his support for certain things. it almost feels like it would be part of his Sweet facade but he really does care about some things. believe it or not.  ○ ronan has very few close friends , though he was have some people who completely call him out on his bullshit. it’s really a surprise that the world still thinks ronan is so pure and angelic because this boy is .... a freaking ........ mess. he’s got PLENTY of party friends who happily don’t give a shit about his hannah montana style life but not many friends who .... do care that he’s a messy lil demon who’s fooling the whole world.  ○ he comes off as super humble but this boy ..... is not. not humble at all. name brand everything. best everything possible.  ○ he's actually not a terrible person despite being a demon , he’s just got super chaotic energy but hopefully like ur chaotic fav chaotic energy :~) ○ in my head , ronan is slowly starting to chip away at his innocent front –– partly intentionally + unintentionally. his new music is less innocent + his thirst traps are getting Thirstier and people are starting to realize the make up that’s always caked onto his neck and the glazed look in his eyes in the middle of the day. he can’t really get away from people noticing. his manager is going through extremes to preserve his imagine instead of having his morph into a new one. 

𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

○ he’s got a pr relationship / stunt wanted connection on the main. they are currently “ dating ” and honestly it’s hilarious. pls take this so ronan can text them stupid fake couple things and they can laugh n be dumb together. i do feel like they’re surprisingly close + this muse backs ronan up when he’s almost caught being chaotic. they got together on the nudge of ronan’s management team - why your muse as chosen can be discussed ! but they help better his image + they so really Look like a couple but they’re just friends :~)  ○ other things include fwb , exes , friends , party/bad influence friends , etc. specially , i would love a close friend , the closest thing ronan would say to best friend. they get him and his chaotic energy. they just get each other and he’s comfortable around them.  ○ would also really love some type of will they / won’t they who likely thinks ronan is in an actual relationship but they also know ronan is a hot mess and this person is NOT his type + they suspect it’s a stunt but he refuses to tell them the truth. 

[yamadcs]

wey hey, it’s a me...a madio here at long last!!! but rlly i’m mads, i’m twenty, and i’m in pst so im almost always fashionably late to things set with est time in mind. my last meal would be chicken alfredo but that feels really wrong bc i’d really love to own a chicken someday....anYWAYS moving on to the serious stuff! this intro is probably a shit show but so am i so it fits...i tried to keep it concise but who rlly knows idk pls plot with me

( NANA KOMATSU, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER, MUSE M ) did i just see CONSTANCE YAMADA touching down in italy ? rumor has it this 22 year old DIRECTOR is on their way to reunite with the brat pack.

so first thing’s first, as promised, constance has two moms!!! one of them is an actress and the other is an activist (specifically feminist and lgbtq+ rights if that matters) and they’re both extremely well-known within hollywood. 

her activist mom is definitely outspoken on social issues and she taught constance to be too, so the family is definitely known for pushing buttons in hollywood if only because they voice their very strong opinions VERY loudly. she probably had a lot to do with herself and her wife being ostracized in hollywood, or otherwise branded as brats. her actress mom, however, is much more soft spoken and was once probably an america’s sweetheart type. she’s a classic beauty, an actress that had so much potential until her reputation began to dwindle. she still acts, though in much smaller projects, and appears to be happy simply maintaining a home life (spoiler alert, she’s cheating). she taught constance humility and self-love

her mothers are so loving to her and to each other that she’s definitely a big romantic, however she’s also extremely naive so i’m sure that will pose a lot of issues in terms of plots and whatnot. she literally grew up witnessing true love at all times and is so in awe of her mothers’ relationship that she strives to have something just like it 

sPEAKING OF NAIVETE! constance’s mothers actually shielded her from the spotlight until she was about 15!! her parents were really nervous about putting her in the limelight because they didnt want her to have a fate similar to theirs (the blacklisting and public humiliation of being branded) so they kept her life as private and “normal” as possible. rather than having a private tutor, she simply attended private schools so that she could have a semi-normal social life. her parents were very cautious about who she spent time with, which led her to be a bit sheltered. she had lots of friends, but she was never allowed to go to their houses and they needed extensive screening before being allowed at hers, so it was easier to just keep her friendships at school. it wasn’t until she got to high school and made the choice to insert herself into the media that the world truly met constance, and she’s been basking in the hollywood glow ever since

being lonely is actually part of what ignited her passion for film. she had so much free time at home during her early years that she stumbled upon a tub of old movies, as well as the video recorder that was used to capture them. from then on, she was in love and it seemed that no one could pry that camera from her grasp. years 5-10 of her life feature many clips of her moms’ double chins and feet, the angles of a girl too small to see the rest of the world. 

i like to think that the first real paparazzi pictures ever captured of her and published across the nation featured her at a rally with her moms, holding a sign and very proudly leading a chant for the right for her mothers to legally marry. she’d been photographed before, of course, but none of them never made as bold of a statement and those pictures are what truly began her entrance into the spotlight, which was extremely intense and trying. 

since the world was so desperate to know the daughter of two notorious starlets, it only made sense that they would do nearly anything to obtain that first private interview with her, those first talk show appearances, anything that she had never been able to do before. it was super overwhelming and she very quickly became aware of what vultures the press are

uhhh so yeah basically constance has only really been in the “spotlight” for the last 7 years, but she became very notorious and admired very quickly since her existence had been so “””normal”””” and basically mysterious to the public until then. like her moms posted pictures on their socials, but all of her own were private until then and the media only got to know her on a surface level so it was a drastic change both for herself, but also for the world

i’d like to think her friends, THE BRATS, are what really got her through it like once she started working in hollywood and getting more film projects and running into these ppl and building connections i think constance really would have relied on them as mentors (even if theyre rlly just manipulation her...plot idea ?) and just....ppl who understood what this type of fame was like and understood how crazy this transition was. like she went from eating cereal in the living room w her moms and living her lowkey life to being on magazines and becoming the new “GIRL NEXT DOOR” of hollywood and that’s....a lot

she is a pretty notorious director now like a lot of jobs were kind of just,, handed to her once she started but she proved she had real talent so her entire reputation is something she really built herself bc her moms tried to detach themselves from her career to give her a fair chance to prove herself and her own prestige but like,,, she literally loves filming people and directing them and it’s her whole ass life like she almost always has a film camera and/or an old video camera on her person at all times so watch out for that in the morning ladies and gents she will make u a star 

oh and if her career goes south she’s hella gonna go into the adult film industry she’s directing sexy time baby !

i feel like there is still so so much i could tell u all about her but i rlly hope that this sums it up nicely bc it’s getting so long and so ugly....bUT BEFORE I LEAVE I HAVE CONNECTION IDEAS AND ALSO i just wanna say i think she would be on??? pretty okay terms w the bratpack like i know she has select ones she doesnt get along w but theres probably a big part of her thats excited to be back with them and happy to be in milan meeting up with them all again so idk if that changes things but yeah my girl’s naive and loves almost everyone so pls,,plot with mE

CONNECTION IDEAS....just gonna drop some lame ones here rlly quick to maybe get us started

uhh like i said many times, constance is rlly naive, so she’d be super easy to take advantage of. this could be something that happened when she first introduced herself to the limelight, like maybe someone latched on to her bc of how excited the media was to finally know her and they sort of road her coattails, or maybe it’s smth that’s happening as adults. im down for literally any kind of manipulative plots like fake friends, using her for shit, idk just mess her up ig

i think unrequited crushes are cute and i’m sure constance has TONS just bc she’s such a romantic at heart and so eager to have a fairy tale love that i feel like there would be this one person who she’s had a crush on for years who she just...keeps going back to bc she thinks she loves them and maybe they use her to keep her around or maybe theyve been honest about their feelings and theyre trying to just be friends but things are rocky/she’s just repressing shit idk we could do a lot with this i think 

i’d love it if she could just have a best friend bc like...idk i dont want her to have NO real friends u know? good vibes only for constance and ur muse man u feel

she was pretty innocent growing up since she was so sheltered so maybe ur muse smoked her out for the first time when she was 16 and now shes 420 friendly and theyre just smoke buddies or smth i cant believe shes gonna be a stoner now her whole personality i talked about up there? gone. it’s weed central now baby !

does ur muse need a tastefully directed sex tape? constance has their back im not kidding this is my plot idea ur all welcome

this is a novel so im ending it here but i will once again beg that u all come plot with me and love me and disregard these shitty connection ideas bc i KNOW we can come up with truly good ones okay love u all bye 

[living-dead-parker]

The MOMA - H.H

Pairing: Harry Holland x reader

Summary: Where Harry sees the most beautiful piece of art the world has ever seen...oh and there's, like, pictures there too. (Where Harry meets reader at the Museum of Modern Art)

Warnings: cussing

Word Count: 1.9k

N/A: This is based off my experience at the SFMOMA in June where I saw a really cute guy who I thought was the love of my life bc he was so cute and soft and with who I had such strong bi-fi connection except this is more how i wish it went down bc me and the dude never talked. Like, we would steal glances at each other and follow each other through the whole Magritte exhibit but unfortunately he was the one who got away :")) but ye and the Tilted Plane part made me really wish I had a Harry Holland to hold hands with so I HAD to add that in too

"Tom fuck off." Sam laughs after Tom pulls his hair as we wait in line to get tickets for the Museum. Tom, Haz, Sam, and I decided to have an impromptu trip through California.  We decided that we're only ever here for work and never get to explore the state.

Currently, we are waiting in line at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. San Francisco was just one of the plenty stops in our road trip and the next is San Luis Obispo to go to different beaches. We decided to stay in San Francisco for three days to witness as much as we can.

"Guys, shut the fuck up. We're in a museum." Haz says. We all nod and quiet down. We pay for our tickets and go down to the entrance.

"Last chance to upgrade your tickets for the Magritte exhibit." the man at the entrance tells us. We all look at each other and nod, deciding to give it a shot. We upgrade our tickets and take the elevators up to the fourth floor where the exhibit is.

Once we get there, we see a group of people standing in a room. We see some people conversing, others looking at the art and others reading the description on the side. We walk through the first room. However, in the second room, my eyes lay on a girl with two girls making out next to her.

She has h/l h/c hair. She wears a white lacy dress with her hair in two buns. She has a pink backpack on her shoulder and black Doc Martens. She turns to her friends and I get a brief look at her face. She has e/c eyes and a cute nose. She has red lipstick and winged liner.

"Uh oh, Harry's being a creep." Haz says. I snap out of my trance and turn to the group.

"Huh?" I ask. They all chuckle, looking behind me.

"She's a cutie for sure." Tom says. Everyone nods in agreement and walks off. They don't stray too far but are obviously giving me space to try something.

"You sure?" I overhear her friend ask.i turn and notices she's alone now.

I walk around the exhibition, stealing glances from her, enjoying how she  looks. She'll occasionally go to the other side of the room but I'd follow her through the whole exhibit. She read through all of the descriptions and takes in all the art. In the fourth room we see a painting of a man with a cage as his head.

She pulls out her phone and takes a picture. I step closer and suddenly decided to speak up.

"Pretty dope painting, innit?" I ask. She turns around, eyes wide in shock

"Definitely. The Therapeutist. One of his weirdest for sure." you respond.

"I'm assuming you're big on art, huh?"  I ask. She nods, looking down a little.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." you say.

"I'm Harry, by the way." I say holding my hand out. She takes my hand and shakes it.

"Y/n."

"What a lovely name. Say, y/n. Since you know so much about art and this dude, why don't you teach me about his art?" I ask.

She smiles as she nods at my proposition. Turning around, she leads us to a picture of a rose with a knife. She takes it in for a while, running a finger across her chin as she thinks.

"So this one, it's actually my favorite of them all, is called Le Coup au Couer. The Blow to the Heart. It was created in 1952." she says. She looks up at the picture and examines it.

"It seems as the flower is holding the dagger and my way of interpreting it is that those you love tend to hurt you the most. Their love is the rose but their actions or words can be the dagger." she says. I nod, taking in every word as she begins to dissect everything about the painting. The colors and the color scheme, the parallels, how the lines can symbolize different things and I realize what she's doing.

"Can I ask, are you into photography?" I ask. Remembering I've had to dissect and analyze tons of my photographs in old photography classes.

"I like taking pictures of things for sure. But I used to take a photography class my last two years of high school, so analyzing pictures was a big thing in that class. Guess it just stuck." she says. I smile widely.

"That's so cool. I'm a photographer, so I think it's cool how you do that." I say. She smiles widely.

"That's so cool, I'd definitely love to see your work someday!" she says.

We continue through the exhibition and at the end, I see the guys sitting down and talking. They look up and notice us walking out together, laughing at some dumb thing we heard someone say.

"Well, it was nice talking your ear off, Harry."

"Oh, I didn't mind. I enjoyed it actually. Learned something new." I say. She smiles widely and nods.

"Well, I should go find my friends. They said they'd be here but they're not." she says with a frown.

"You can join me and my group, we can help you look for them." I offer, knowing they wouldn't mind. She shakes her head.

"Nah, it's cool. Don't wanna take your guys time here. I'll be fine." she says. I shake my head this time.

"No worries, join us. They won't mind, I promise." I say. She looks around contemplatively before giving out a simple yes.

"Okay, yeah I'll go." she says. I smile at her and lead her towards my group. They all look up at us with wide knowing smiles.

"Hey guys, so this is y/n. A new friend. She lost her friends somewhere so I told her we'd help her find them." I say to the group. Eagerly, they nod, while greeting her.

"I don't mean to sound like a fan girl or anything and I'm so sorry but holy shit you're Tom Holland. Wow." Y/n says as she looks at Tom with an excited look. However, she doesn't freak out like girls in the past have. Something different, which I like.

"Sure am, nice to meet you y/n," he says as he stands to greet her. "I assume you're a fan?" he asks.

"If I'm being honest, Homecoming was better than the other Spiderman movies. But yeah I'm kind of a fan." she admits with a shrug. A wide smile spreads across Tom's face.

"Well thank you!" Tom chirps, his face turning into a genuine smile.

"Anyways, Tom is my brother. Then there's his best mate, Haz. He's basically like another brother. Next to him is my twin brother, Sam." I tell her. She greets Haz and Sam with a simple handshake and a courteous hello.

We walked around for 10 minutes before we found her friends. The friends came up to her, screaming about how one of them almost broke a sculpture. Something about accidentally leaning on it.

"Leave it to Nadia to almost break something. Disaster gays, am I right? Well, we should head to the top floor and then head out?" she asks her friends. They agree with her and are quick to turn around.

"It was nice meeting you, Harry. Again, thank you for letting me talk your ear off." she says. I shake my head, indicating that it was fine.

"It's fine, I enjoyed it." I say. She smiles shyly and waves, walking off. I turn around and see everyone looking at me with deadpan looks.

"What?" I ask. They all roll their eyes at me as I shrug at them.

"You could've asked for some way to contact her, man." Tom says like it was obvious. Which it was.

We continued out throughout the rest of the museum, exploring the top floors first. Occasionally, we'd bump into y/n and her friends. She'd wave at me from afar and vice versa. However, we all managed to ride the same elevator up to the sixth floor. As we began walking the floor, I noticed that y/n's friends would push her towards me. I saw them become friends with my group. All of them would stay behind us a bit, Sam taking my camera from me to enjoy ourselves. We went into one of the showrooms and watched a video on modern black history. We moved into a different show room where they had three giant screens in a dark room that play sea noises.

However, things picked up in an exhibit called the 'Tilted Plane'. The point of the exhibit was that it was a dark room with lights hung up cascading down at an angle so that it seemed the room was tilted. It did feel that way as our eye adjusted to the dark. I walked in side by side with y/n, enjoying the trippiness.

"Oh shit." I hear y/n whisper as she grabs hold of my arm. I reach out to her, holding her up slightly.

"You alright, love?" I ask. She nods rapidly, a chuckle emitting from her lips.

"Yeah, I just got really tripped out right now and almost fell." she says. I laugh lightly as she lets go of my arm. We move throughout the room and I take notice of how the lighting makes her just so much more intriguing.

We walk around the room for a while longer and enjoy the atmosphere. After 10 minutes, though, we notice we're the only ones in the room. Everybody left and she begins to take notice too.

"We should probably head back. They must be wondering where we're at." She says.

"Yeah, probably." I say. She leads the way, being careful as we walk out. We notice the big group hanging out near the elevators. We walk up to them and I see y/n frown.

"Looks like this is the end." she says lightly. She seems disappointed that our time is up.

"You've been on all the floors?" I ask. She frowns as she nods. I sigh as I begin to muster up some courage.

"Before you go, can I ask for your social media?" I ask nervously. She chuckles nodding. Within a matter of seconds, she pulls out a pen and a random receipt and begins to write down her Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat handles. She hands me the paper with a smile on her face.

"It was nice meeting you Harry. And if you're still here later today, I may or may not be at Fisherman's Wharf later today around 4." she says. I nod and wave her off as she walks away with her friends.

"My man!" Tom says excitedly. I chuckle as I put the paper in my wallet to keep it secure.

"Damn Harry got game!" Haz says. I shrug.

"She was perfect." I say.

Later that day, I looked through my camera, noticing Sam took pictures of me and y/n. A lot of them were from behind as we talk about an art piece. Some were from in front as we looked down at something, probably reading a piece's description. However the best ones were silhouette pictures in the 'Tilted Plane exhibit. All of those ranged from us standing side by side as we walk further in, some were of me holding y/n up, others from us looking at each other talking.

"Ready to go to Fisherman's Wharf?" Tom asks. I look up at him with wide eyes and a shocked smile.

"We're going for sure?" I ask. He nods with a wide smile.

"Yeah, let's go you twat. You have people to meet."

[leatherjacketvan]

5/25/18

[REQUESTED]

“i actually requested this before but maybe it never actually sent bc the app is faulty :-// but maybe you’re a singer as well, music you wouldn’t expect like BANKS or something but Van publicly says he likes you and is a massive fan or whatever? Fans go crazy and start shipping, eventually meeting, lots of cuteness!!?”

- - - - - 

Hope you enjoy! Not my best work but because exams had been stressing me tha fucc out but school is over! So expect better writings in your near future! :)

- - - - - 

It all started with a sentence.

“Yeah she’s great, I love her.”

And ever since those few simple words were spoken. The media had been in a frenzy over making Van and Y/N a ‘thing.’ She didn’t even know who he was at the time. So when Y/N’s PR manager told her about the boost in her ratings and the extreme rise in her popularity on social media platforms due to the interview, she was left completely awestruck.

“Wait, who is this again?” She asked Gwen. Her longtime good friend as well has her PR manager. She didn’t like to consider Gwen, her ‘manager.’ The same way she didn’t like to consider her fans, fans. They were all supportive friends in her eyes. And she valued them all the same.

“His name is Van. . . Lead singer of Catfish and the Bottlemen.” Gwen replied.

“Catfish and the Bottlemen? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them before.” Y/N said as Gwen handed her a tablet playing the very interview of Van talking about Y/N and her music.

“She’s amazing. Something about her music just really stands out to me. Not something many artists these days do, ya know? I think she shows a certain sort of vulnerability that’s still really mysterious, so people are able to relate to it. I really admire her. So I’d say. . . Yeah, she’s great, I love her.”  

Y/N was taken aback with shock as well as the feeling of fulfillment. In all honesty, she was flattered that someone way better respected in the music industry would say such endearing things.

“Well, he’s definitely heard of you.” Gwen giggled as Y/N handed her back the tablet.

“What happens now?” Y/N questioned.

“I suppose only time will tell. . .”

- - - - -

2 years later.

In two years a lot had changed. And that was putting it lightly. Y/N had come out with her sophomore album that people seemed to love more than the first. Her following had boomed dramatically. And the whole ‘Y/N and Van’ concurrence had still been going on, however, had died down a little bit. The social media platform was practically the birth of their ‘relationship.’ Interviews had even occurred where questions upon questions about either Van or Y/N were mentioned. But even after all this time, the two still hadn’t met. Gwen called it a ‘forbidden romance’ Y/N said she didn’t believe in that.

The fans from both sides either loved the idea of Y/N and Van together or hated it. She didn’t really mind what the fans thought of the situation because they weren’t together. It was all some wild fantasy portrayed by a few simple words. She knew that’s how high-status life was lived. By rumors. Therefore, she tried to act like the whole issue didn’t exist. It wasn’t exactly the healthiest way to deal with it. But it was the easiest.

Van, on the other hand, did mind.

It bothered him more than he liked to admit to. He’d always been a helpless romantic. Anyone who knows him, knew that. But lately he found it hard to feel so intensely. The songwriting and nomadic lifestyle suited him well. He loved it. However, it drained him. Both emotionally and physically. So the fact the he could still even feel this way. Feel so passionately? It was like his heart was on viagra. He didn’t understand it. It frustrated him at times. But in a way, he was glad that he felt this way. He loved the idea of Y/N. He loved the way she smiled, and the music she made. It was nice to think about an idea that maybe, just maybe he could still fall in love. Maybe with her? Maybe with someone who could understand what he’s feeling. It was just a thought. A wild one at best. But it was comforting. So it never really left his mind. The idea of her was always there in the back of his brain. He never let it go.

Y/N had just started her tour for her new album. She had a lot of sleepless nights and didn’t really have time to think about where she was headed, who she was seeing, and what she was doing. After two months, she finally got a break. She got a week to rest up before she had to fly back to the States for the second part of the tour. . . Or at least she thought she did.

“Oh my god!” Gwen screamed from the hotel bed right next to Y/N’s.

Y/N had finally come down from her caffeine high that had been keeping her awake these past few weeks and was finally able to doze off. She was just on the verge of some peaceful rest when she heard Gwen yell.

“Oh my god, what!?” Y/N retorted, a little frustrated from lack of sleep.

“Guess who’s in town?” Gwen blurted, excitedly.

“Gwen, you know I’m no good at guessing stuff.” Y/N sighed heavily.

“It’s your boyfriend!” Gwen squealed.

“My who?” Y/N replied, dumbfounded.

“Catfish and the Bottlemen are playing here! Tomorrow!” Gwen said.

“Oh, not this stuff again. . . He said he liked my music like. . . Two years ago. . . How is that still relevant?”

“Oh, honey, when it comes to celebrity gossip. Rumors never die.” Gwen replied.

“What rumors?” Y/N replied, once again, dumbfounded. She never paid much attention to social media.

“Oh. . . Just how you’re dating. . . or how you’re possibly engaged. . . or that you might be having his baby. . ? It’s absolutely crazy some of the lies people are able to sell to the public.” Gwen said.

Y/N laughed at the absolutely ridiculous situation she now found herself in.

“So what does this mean? I meet up with him? Go out with him? What if he’s an asshole? What if he doesn’t even actually like me?” Y/N questioned with a raised brow.

“I guess we’ll have to find out,” Gwen said.

“Yeah. . . And how is that?”

“In the two minutes we’ve been talking, I already bought tickets to the show and sent an email to their PR manager,” Gwen smirked.

Y/N groaned dramatically. “You know I love you. . .  But right now I think I really really hate you.”

Internally Y/N was screaming with anxiety and nerves. She really didn’t want to meet Van. She felt it would stir up more rumors and give her even more attention than she already gets from just being these days. But she also was relieved. Relieved it might finally all be over. That meeting this ‘Van’ from ‘Catfish and the Bottlemen’ would put the rumors to rest.

She had a lot of faith to test.

- - - - -

The next day

Y/N still hid the fact that she was fearful of the what the night would entail. She sat on her balcony overlooking the beautiful city with a bottle of rum and a glass. She was pre-gaming as well as trying to kill the nerves built up inside of her.

It was around time to leave to go to the show. Gwen had managed VIP access so that they wouldn’t get spotted in the crowd and become trampled. Gwen also managed a private meetup with the band. The thought of that made Y/N’s whiskey glass go bottoms up.

Y/N decided to dress casual. It was warm outside. She settled for a pair of slacks and a cropped blouse. She wore light makeup, trying to remain as natural and as casual as possible. She didn’t want to meet him in full glamor or anything intense. She wanted to be as real as she could manage. Maybe he would see that. . .  and not be interested. Maybe he would see that Y/N’s not all she makes herself out to be. That really everything about her is the media’s facade of who she really is. And that she’s very normal like everyone else.

Gwen and Y/N walked majority of the way. Y/N insisted on fresh foreign air. But Gwen insisted on a taxi after walking for three blocks, because she decided she was going to wear heels on their three-mile walk to the arena just to stand in said heels for the entire concert as well as the private aftershow. Gwen’s priorities weren’t always straight but she tried her best.

When they arrived at the arena, Y/N and Gwen snuck around back. Gwen introduced herself to security and they escorted the both of them to the backstage entrance.

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve performed on a stage this big before.” Y/N mumbled, awestruck.

“You will one day.” Gwen smiled.

Y/N smiled back. Gulping down the nervousness one last time.

By the time they got there the band was halfway through their set. They sat on the side of the stage. Y/N remained cautious about staying out of the way of any potential camera angles that could spot her. She moved along to the rhythm, next to her was Gwen making a whole mess of herself. They both drank about the same amount. Y/N was always better at holding her liquor though. Gwen was a lightweight. She was even more fun and quirky when intoxicated. So the fact that she was doing the robot to Cocoon was no surprise. Y/N occasionally glanced over at Gwen, only to look back on the four lads performing their hearts out on stage. She didn’t expect to get Van’s attention till after the show. But when he saw her, his heart sank. He looked over at the side of the stage where she was standing. Missing a few verses of the song. He almost forgot where he was when he saw her face. In person. Finally. Her.

He knew that she was coming to the show that night. But that still somehow managed to catch him off guard. So he put on his best cologne despite the fact he was just going to sweat it off. He wore a white button up with the top button undone and a pair of skinny jeans.

He tried to look as proper as he could when he first met her. Hoping she’d noticed that he tried on his appearance, just for her.

When the set was over. Y/N and Gwen had disappeared. He said his goodbyes and they all walked off the stage. They all made it back to the dressing room where they were greeted by their PR manager, Y/N, and Gwen.

Gwen went up and introduced herself. Y/N waved a shy ‘hello.’ She stood back as Gwen stated her relationship to Y/N and the situation they had found themselves in. How they just happened to be in the city and knew that after all the media coverage it would be great to finally meet the band. Y/N nodded in agreement. But didn’t say anything.

They all took seats on the dressing room couches. Y/N sat next to Gwen who sat next to Bondy. An instant spark occurred between the two. They were both flirts. He was contempt and casual. She was the total opposite. But opposite in a way that would attract one another. Every in the room took note of that.

The night carried on, everyone drank and drank. The liquor seemed never-ending. She didn’t even realize how much she had to drink until nausea washed over her. It was something that happened when she used substances to avoid her problems. It was like a way of her grief telling her to ‘deal with it the right way.’

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go grab a smoke.” Y/N mumbled.

Van was laid back in his comfy chair when he finally heard her. The whole night she had just been going along with the conversation. She never really put her input on things. When Van talked. Which was a lot less than he usually did. She never gave him direct eye contact. He didn’t expect things to go like this. He always expected her to be very extroverted and confident. Which she didn’t display any signs of at all. She was so reserved and poise. He didn’t need to know her to know that wasn’t her. So when she mentioned going out for a smoke he took his shot.

“Want me to join?” He asked.

“No, it’s alright.” She replied.

“I think the fresh air will be nice.” She spoke getting up abruptly. Leaving. No one seemed to notice. They were all to busy in conversation to really care. But Van did.

Y/N quickly paced through the backstage area of the amphitheater. She found the exit that led her into the alleyway that she came in. She walked towards the street light. It was quiet outside. So quiet she could hear the wind sway. She didn’t even know the time, but it was late enough for even the nightlife to have had died down. She tried to take a deep breath. But was stopped by the rumbling in her stomach. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate, or how much liquor she had consumed. Her nerves were still there. It was all too much. So much that it expelled out of her like vomit. Literally.

This is not how she had planned her night to go. And that only made it worse was the. .  .

“Jesus, are you okay love?”  

Coming from behind her.

“Fuck.” She muttered as she wiped the gunk off her chin.

Her eyes were all watered up and she just felt like taking a nap on the very ground beneath her and wishing this night had never happened.

She felt hands on her shoulders helping her stand still as she slowly stood back up straight.

“Yeah, I’m fine. All good.” She said, shakily.

“I think I’m just going to call a cab.” Y/N spoke to Van as she reached for her phone.

Van just looked at her with this sort of hurt in his eyes. She quickly looked away. She held down the home button on her phone. But it was dead. Of course.

“I’m going to call us a cab, love. Make sure you get home safe.” Van spoke softly.

This what not what Y/N had expected him to be like. So calm and caring. Maybe he wasn’t the hypothetical asshole after all.

Van called a cab and gave them the address. Y/N curled up against the brick wall beside her and tried to calm down.

‘This isn’t really happening.’

‘This is all just some fucked up dream. . . Right?’

Van crouched down beside her. Handing her a half-empty bottle of water.

“Here, I usually bring one with me to put my butts out in. I think you probably need it more than I do though.” He grinned nervously.

Y/N took the kind gesture and shyly took the bottle from Van’s hand. Gulping it down and sighing.

“I’m sorry, this is. . . So, so embarrassing.” Y/N muttered looking at the ground.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind. . . I mean this isn’t what I expected our first time meeting to be like, but. . . well, life is pretty unexpected.” He said.

Y/N chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so. . .” She spoke.

She looked over at Van, making eye contact this time. He looked at her back. She never knew how blue his eyes were until she saw them under a full moon in the early morning hours. A very rare occurrence at best.

“You got a little something.” He mumbled as he slowly moved his hand towards her cheek. He used his thumb to wipe the tear dripping down her face. She hadn’t really been crying. It was more of a physiological reaction to when she became stressed. Or maybe that was her dumb excuse for ‘I’m not crying.’

She gave off a shy laugh and a sniffle. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He replied with a grin.

They sat in a short moment of silence until the taxi pulled up. Van held the door for her as she not-so-agilely, plopped into the seat. Instantly leaning her head against the window.

Van got in behind her. And they drove off back to the hotel.

- - - - -

When they arrived he got out and opened the door for her once again. He slung his arm behind her to help as she sloppily walked towards the entrance of her hotel.

“Van, you really don’t have to do this. I got it from here.” She said secretly embarrassed.

“I don’t mean to spook ya, but you’re really drunk Y/N. I don’t know if you’ll be able to find your own room. . . I’ll walk you there, and then we never have to see each other again.”

“Why would you want that?” Y/N retorted.

“Oh- I assumed. . . That’s what you wanted.” Van spoke shyly.

“Of course not. I’d love to see you again. Just. . . on better terms.” She groaned as another wave of nausea hit.

Van smiled. Internally his heart felt like exploding.

“Of course.” He replied.

Van helped Y/N as they stumbled up to her room. Walking up the stairs because the hotel was ‘Rustic’ themed and decided against elevators.

When they made it to her room she fidgeted in her bag for her key card. Once she grabbed it she turned around to face Van, who was really close.

Face to face they stood. After all this time. All the controversy. All the rumors. They stood here. Together. He thought it was just a dream she did too but in a totally different construct.

“Thank you.” She murmured to him. Meeting him in the eye.

“No problem. Anytime.” He chuckled back. Putting his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Y/N said.

“Course.”

“Would you mind hugging me? I feel really weak from all the barf and stuff. Sometimes it helps.” She said in all seriousness.

He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her. He held her tight. Lightly tracing his lips on her forehead.

She slowly inched her arms around his waist and there they stood. In a foreign country.

Together.

After all this time.

She slowly let go. His heart ached a big ‘no’. Knowing that he’d have to get on a plane that afternoon. Not knowing the next time he’d see her face.

“Goodnight, Van.” She spoke softly as she disappeared into her dark room like an apparition in the night light.

“Goodnight.” He replied. As the door slowly shut.

Till next time. . .

Goodnight.

[russellolacher]

Work Smarter by RePurposing your Digital Content https://ift.tt/1jxl24K

With the demand to produce so much content, think about repurposing the hard work you’ve already done to better reach your customers.

10x is a common term that seems to have a few different definitions. Rand Fishkin from Moz coined the term “10x content” in relation to “content that is 10 times better than the best result that can currently be found in the search results for a given keyword phrase or topic.” There’s also Grant Cardone’s book ” The 10x Rule” about increasing your efforts and time by a multiple of 10 to reach your goals.

But the definition I want to talk about is in the idea of repurposing content 10x. Or at least understanding the potential for it.

Continued Demand for Content

We have a finite amount of resources: time, people power, skill sets, etc. so when we do create content, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Usually a lot more than others realize. Video, graphics, podcasting, blogs, news releases… all don’t just drop out of the sky. There’s strategy, time, effort, patience, navigating challenges and so much more.

And the demand for more and more content to engage with your audience continues. Whether it’s for web sites, printed materials or the various multimedia and social media platforms you operate to engage with your customers, or the internal channels of communication to connect with employees, the need to create just never seems to diminish.

So it’s important to look at every piece of content you create, as content that can be repurposed as other pieces of content, allowing  you to do more with less and give the information a longer life.

To get an idea, let’s look at one of the easiest forms of content to repurpose: VIDEO. Now keep in mind, not all new pieces of content are needed or possible. This is just to demonstrate what could be done.

As an example, let’s consider this video the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure did explaining how the Lions Gate Bridge Counterflow works:

The video itself does a great job of breaking down how the centre lane on the bridge works, based on monitoring dynamic traffic flow during peak and non-peak times. It’s a nice, short educational piece of content created to answer a common question from the public.

Repurposing 10x

To give this story a longer and varied life, this video can be transformed into far more pieces of content with much less additional effort. The heavy lifting is done, now look at different ways to share this information. For example:

Podcast – if you have an established podcast or some variety of audio content (Soundcloud?), rip the entire voiceover as a sound file. Add a bit of production value to it and host as either a podcast or in a shareable audio format.

Blog Post – transcribe the entire video or take the existing script and reformat the text into a more conversational blog post with sub-headings.

List-acle – pull the best takeaways from the video and create a list article of the “top 7 things you need to know about the Lions Gate Bridge counterflow.”

Quotes – capture some of the more interesting quotes from the video and make them into graphics or use them to accentuate other content like a blog.

Fun Fact – take some of the “fun facts” and create a variety of social media posts, such as “Did you know: traffic control operators monitor more than 40 cameras on the Lions Gate Bridge and surrounding highways to keep you moving.”

Infographic – retell the narrative of the daily counterflow through a long form visual. This video already has some great visuals you can use for inspiration.

Soundbyte – take a 10-15s audio clip from the video that is either interesting or explains something.

Teaser Trailer – edit some of the more captivating parts of the video into a condensed version to promote the longer form video. Think movie trailers.

Trivia – Ask questions with answers within the video to engage your audience. For example, “How often are traffic control operators monitoring the bridge?”

Web Content – use the information from the video to add value and further clarity to existing websites. For example, condensing the content into bullets to add to this website Lions Gate Counterflow (and of course, include the video itself)

Your audience, whether customers or employees, consume content differently. What will resonate for one, won’t for another, so it’s important to look at different ways to tell the same story.

As I mentioned, not all content can be repurposed in these specific ways, but consider other options beyond this list.

Benefits to Repurposing

Repurposing has its benefits, with a few being:

Resonates with your audience in personal ways – everybody learns and receives information differently. By changing up your content, you’re offering more access to the information. And keep in mind, this content is not only for your customers. It could also be used to educate for onboarding employees or or to breakdown organizational silos.

Brings old content back to life – stale content can have new life in a new form and feel fresh again. Older content repackaged can get attention if it still provides value (and is promoted with great search engine optimization).

Maximizes your time and effort – you put a lot of effort into this ONE big piece of content, so creating new content off an existing idea and approach, takes less resources.

Increases your online presence – more content allows for better search results and reinforces your brand as a subject resource.

Far too often, we put so much effort in to a “one and done” piece of content and then move onto the next thing. By looking at the video/graphic/blog/podcast from different angles and considering the many different audiences it may have and the different problems it could fix, it will give your content new and longer life.

What other ways could repurposing content be effective?

  The post Work Smarter by RePurposing your Digital Content appeared first on Russel Lolacher.

from Russel Lolacher https://bit.ly/3hRZaSG via IFTTT

[russellolacher]

Work Smarter by RePurposing your Digital Content https://ift.tt/1jxl24K https://bit.ly/3hRZaSG

With the demand to produce so much content, think about repurposing the hard work you’ve already done to better reach your customers.

10x is a common term that seems to have a few different definitions. Rand Fishkin from Moz coined the term “10x content” in relation to “content that is 10 times better than the best result that can currently be found in the search results for a given keyword phrase or topic.” There’s also Grant Cardone’s book ” The 10x Rule” about increasing your efforts and time by a multiple of 10 to reach your goals.

But the definition I want to talk about is in the idea of repurposing content 10x. Or at least understanding the potential for it.

Continued Demand for Content

We have a finite amount of resources: time, people power, skill sets, etc. so when we do create content, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Usually a lot more than others realize. Video, graphics, podcasting, blogs, news releases… all don’t just drop out of the sky. There’s strategy, time, effort, patience, navigating challenges and so much more.

And the demand for more and more content to engage with your audience continues. Whether it’s for web sites, printed materials or the various multimedia and social media platforms you operate to engage with your customers, or the internal channels of communication to connect with employees, the need to create just never seems to diminish.

So it’s important to look at every piece of content you create, as content that can be repurposed as other pieces of content, allowing  you to do more with less and give the information a longer life.

To get an idea, let’s look at one of the easiest forms of content to repurpose: VIDEO. Now keep in mind, not all new pieces of content are needed or possible. This is just to demonstrate what could be done.

As an example, let’s consider this video the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure did explaining how the Lions Gate Bridge Counterflow works:

The video itself does a pretty good video of breaking down how the centre lane on the bridge works, based on monitoring dynamic traffic flow during peak and non-peak times. It’s a nice, short educational piece of content created to answer a common question from the public.

Repurposing 10x

To give this story a longer and varied life, this video can be transformed into far more pieces of content with much less additional effort. The heavy lifting is done, now look at different ways to share this information. For example:

Podcast – if you have an established podcast or some variety of audio content (Soundcloud?), rip the entire voiceover as a sound file. Add a bit of production value to it and host as either a podcast or in a shareable audio format.

Blog Post – transcribe the entire video or take the existing script and reformat the text into a more conversational blog post with sub-headings.

List-acle – pull the best takeaways from the video and create a list article of the “top 7 things you need to know about the Lions Gate Bridge counterflow.”

Quotes – capture some of the more interesting quotes from the video and make them into graphics or use them to accentuate other content like a blog.

Fun Fact – take some of the “fun facts” and create a variety of social media posts, such as “Did you know: traffic control operators monitor more than 40 cameras on the Lions Gate Bridge and surrounding highways to keep you moving.”

Infographic – retell the narrative of the daily counterflow through a long form visual. This video already has some great visuals you can use for inspiration.

Soundbyte – take a 10-15s audio clip from the video that is either interesting or explains something.

Teaser Trailer – edit some of the more captivating parts of the video into a condensed version to promote the longer form video. Think movie trailers.

Trivia – Ask questions with answers within the video to engage your audience. For example, “How often are traffic control operators monitoring the bridge?”

Web Content – use the information from the video to add value and further clarity to existing websites. For example, condensing the content into bullets to add to this website Lions Gate Counterflow (and of course, include the video itself)

Your audience, whether customers or employees, consume content differently. What will resonate for one, won’t for another, so it’s important to look at different ways to tell the same story.

As I mentioned, not all content can be repurposed in these specific ways, but consider other options beyond this list.

Benefits to Repurposing

Repurposing has its benefits, with a few being:

Resonates with your audience in personal ways – everybody learns and receives information differently. By changing up your content, you’re offering more access to the information. And keep in mind, this content is not only for your customers. It could also be used to educate for onboarding employees or or to breakdown organizational silos.

Brings old content back to life – stale content can have new life in a new form and feel fresh again. Older content repackaged can get attention if it still provides value (and is promoted with great search engine optimization).

Maximizes your time and effort – you put a lot of effort into this ONE big piece of content, so creating new content off an existing idea and approach, takes less resources.

Increases your online presence – more content allows for better search results and reinforces your brand as a subject resource.

Far too often, we put so much effort in to a “one and done” piece of content and then move onto the next thing. By looking at the video/graphic/blog/podcast from different angles and considering the many different audiences it may have and the different problems it could fix, it will give your content new and longer life.

What other ways could repurposing content be effective?

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