#AND LARISSA STILL DOESNT KNOW.

[h-doodles]

boy the sudden outpour of angst ideas for larissa weems x reader in my brain got me weeping so bad i feel a fever coming on

[xenrui]

Tired

Pairing: Larissa Weems x Reader

Summary: Reader overworks herself and faints from exhaustion

~~

"Y/n, Darling. You've been working on that Pile for god knows how long already. Let me help you"

Larissa says as Y/n responds to her without looking at her

"No thank you.. you're already loaded with work yourself. A few papers won't kill me"

"Yes but thats atleast 3 stacks of paper. I've already finished all my work earlir today, besides as your wife, I should atleast help you"

Y/n still doesnt look but instead fidgets with her ring, too focused on her desk filled with papers, her migrain getting worse

Larissa sighs at her stubborn wife

"Why don't you take a quick break and help me make dinner? Please?" Larissa smiled softly when Y/n finally looked at her, a smile also placed upom her face at Larissa's idea

"That sounds good" As she stood up form her chair, her legs feeling a bit cramped as she has been sitting for hours now

And as she walks towards Larissa, she felt her head starting to hurt more and her Vision being clouded with Darkness

---

Larissa was a bit shocked, but with her frame and height she easily catches Y/n from falling on to the ground

She looks at her with a concerned look on her face, carrying her to bed and laying her down gently

"I told you not to overwork yourself.." Larissa whispered softly and calling the school nurse to check up on her

---

Hours passed, Y/n finally woke up with her head feeling like its getting pounded with a hammer

"Ah, you're finally awake. Come drink this" Larissa stood up and got the medicine on the bed side table, Holding it up to Y/n with a glass of water on her other hand

"Thank you, Love.." Y/n said quetly, drinking the medicine she was instructed to drink

"Now what did I tell you? You should be greatful it isn't anything serious." Larissa had a small scowl on her face, although you thought that she still looked cute when she was scolding you. Shaking the thought out of your head, you looked at your wife

"I'm sorry Darling, I just wanted to make sure I get all my work done by Tomorrow so that I have some free time to spend with you" Larissa sighed at her statement

"I know that, but sometimes you have got to think more about yourself and your health more than others. It's no good if you just discard your own health just for others, even if its for me"

"Now. I want you to promise that you'll start taking care of yourself more properly"

"Fin-"

"AND breaks." Emphasizing on the 'And' to make sure that she gets her point across

Rolling Y/n's eyes playfully, she Nodded and smiled at Larissa

"Yes Mom, I promise to take care of myself"

"Stop using that nickname" Larissa rolled her eyes this time by the use of the nickname

"Fine fine. Now please cuddle with me, I'm feeling lonely in this bed" Moving to the side, she pat the spot right next to her. And so Larissa laid down and cuddled with her rhe whole night, until both of them fell asleep.

[ghostiewriter]

Im sorry I have to come to someone and talk about this part of the season (and all the season tbh). And Im going very in detail so sorry in advance

1) JJ family plot ???? Im so sorry but FIRST how JJ Maybank would even TRUST so easily Luke’s word no let me say how he would EVEN TRUST CHANDLERS???? Like are we talking about the same JJ??? At this point I knew the writers forgot their character trait like…JJ still going into Larissas grave made me roll and choke HE WOULD NEVER like in that invasive he would have call the shit of Chandler but mmm NO

2) the LACK of comfort or confrontation from Kiara?? Ive been noticing how less of a character the writers had given her since s3 BUT i understood the dynamic in that season seeing as she had to put her guard down so JJ could trust and go forward his feelings BUT THIS SEASON?? Im so MAD like what do you mean JJ tells her about his dilemma and she DOESNT SAYS A WORD?? NO COMFORT? NO HUG, KISS?? ANYTHING? How is it that his so call boyfriend has a literal IDENTITY CRISIS but she is worrier with Sarahs pregnancy (that friendship was the only thing that I cant save about this and its not even comforting) HOW IS THAT JJ can make all that stupid bullshit (that is so ooc btw) and SHE DOESNT SAYS ANYTHING?? Are you telling me she wouldnt be the first to find something fishy about a so call new dad of JJ’s?? Of Lukes word?? Wouldnt try to make any sense in JJ? Im sorry but they wrote her so DULL and with 0 personality like where is the character I felt in love with? JJ giving a fuck of Kiaras being literally put in a freezer, JJ treating Kie as she was a burden, Rafe being with them, not saying to Rafe to take care of Kiara while he was going to climb?? Him or Kiara running into each other arms after JJ and Sarah missing? I know this show isnt Jiara’s only show but they are best friends and lovers in case the writers forgot they had to interact as anything similar. Like any reaction of any of them would be good like Pope nor Cleo getting a thank god you are alive?? What a mess honestly

This being said they gave a lot of her traits to Cleo too because they can’t write women personalities in that room even if they had a fun pointing at them: sarcastic, cook, knowing about boats?? I love Cleo i really do she is an Icon but i guess they didnt know how to build two great poc women

Also the LACK of girls having the iniciative or the getting the resource or looking for the problem or finding the answer? (ik sarah has her scenes but they downgrade her as a mother like her only plot in this part was being pregnant and worried about that and its just SO unfair) like when Pope, John B and Kie are on the boat and the storm is hitting are you telling me Kiara didnt have ANY knowledge?? Kiara “you cant make anything without me” Carrera??? What do you mean?? And its the only scene that i can recall but there were so much more!

3) Sarahs pregnancy storyline is a JOKE and I write it with capitals buy it deserves bigger letters. Letting Pope and Cleo out, Rafe not saying a word, JJs reaction i mean… this are not the same characters and its so sad

4) Pope and Cleo being so distant of the pogues. What the heck was the whole military thing?? By the end I felt such a disconection with them and the rest.

5) WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KILL JJ AFTER ALL THE ABUSE AND THAT SHITTY STORYLINE OF LUKE NOT BEING HIS FATHER AND NOT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT HIS BIOLOGICAL ONES (ESPECIALLY HIS MOTHER FOR GOD SAKES) it honestly feels so DISRESPECTFUL FOR THE CHARACTER and I dont care if it were the writers or Rudy himself I want them all in a stick for allowing it. Its simply not right what a downgrade I cant believe it honestly.

The lack of scenes with JJ and the rest of the pogues (including Kiara) made his dead nothing special like are you telling me the first time he says I love you to Kie is when he is dying???? In WHAT UNIVERSE? Pope, John B and Kiara functioning after his death?? Are we talking about the same group from season 1 &2???

I dont think i finished with all my rambling probably forgot a LOT but im so pissed because for a moment I didnt believe JJ’s death theory but at one point in part 2 I really tought that maybe it could happen because nothing of his character was making ANY SENSE

He did stupid bullshit but was always so kind hearted and selfless. He was abused his entire life and loved her friends fierceless. He DESERVED so much more than what they gave him and im so MAD because he deserved to end up happy on his surf trip like DID THEY FORGOT ABOUT ALL OF THAT?? How in the world would you say that it was JJs storyline since season 1??? Its bullshit like the fucking storyline about his biological parents or whatsoever.

Im so sorry for the fans and the people who watched and had it as a comfort show. I cant believe what a lot of bad writing and unprofessional actor can do to a beloved show. I mean what do you mean you couldnt share romantics scenes with your cast mate?? Its so beyond the drama at this point I really never care about it if the job was done and deliver and now we can say Rudy cant get shit done and its such a shame.

I would want to say I will be watching next season but I would me lying so I will turn to fanfics instead (just like I was doing since s3). Thats canon for me now!! With whis I also want to thank every fanfic writer in Jiaras fandom because they all gave everything to build this world even better than the writers could and I hope you still write for them because they could have just been the greatest ship of all and I think they still are! Because after all Jiara is a fan’s ship and we create the rules for them!

i have nothing to add because everything you stated in here is facts💅

[iamnotoriginalphil]

hii! may i request a larissa weems x fem!reader where r is only a little shorter than her and larissa's absolutely infatuated by her, mainly because reader doesnt let weems dominate her and weems is just crazy for her but refuses to admit it?

its all over the place but uts pratically an enemies to lovers.. thank you <3

Didn't quite get to the lovers bit, but it's definitely part of the way there. I hope still enjoy it.

“I know you can’t be serious about this.”

Larissa glanced up from her desk. You shoved a paper at her across the desk, leaning with one palm on her desk towards her. She caught the paper, staring down at it.

“What?”

She dragged her eyes back to you. You were leaning so close to her, the desk barely in your way. She wasn’t used to people being able to to get so close to her when her desk was in the way. But then, you had always been special.

“You’re diverting funds from the art program into the some souped up neanderthals running around a pitch. I’m all for wolfing out but we don’t compete against anyone but ourselves,” you said, “so what the hell are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking they need new equipment,” she replied, doing her best to keep her voice calm.

“And the art department doesn’t?” you demanded.

She rose, stalking around the desk towards you. You straightened up, your hands coming to rest on your hips as you stared at her, defiant until the end. She was used to being able to use her height in these moments, to remind people how small they were. Not you. You weren’t more than an inch shorter than her, refusing to back down as she stalked towards you. Her heart skipped a beat.

“It’s not up to you to decide where the funds go,” she said.

“I have been asking for new equipment since I arrived here and what? Coach Vlad comes in, looking all pathetic, simpering for some money from mommy’s teat?” She could hear the derision dripping from your voice and yet heat coursed through her when you called her mommy. That had to be anger, not something else. Not something she wasn’t ready to examine yet.

“You want to be very careful how you tread now,” she said, her face drawing closer to you.

She could see the muscle in your jaw jump as you clenched your teeth. There was something so satisfying about watching you get worked up. Usually it was her feeling the rage rise within her but the anger made your cheeks heat and your eyes brighten. You were a work of art, and one she wanted to keep looking at. For purely professional reasons, of course.

“I just think it’s fascinating that even when our sports teams aren’t part of any national competition, that still trumps our arts program, where we have students winning competitions with their works. Xavier has so much potential and you’re going to ignore that for Coach Vlad’s imaginary sport.”

Oh yes, there was something so thrilling about having you continue to stand up to her. You held your ground, glaring at her, teeth bared and she was surprised by how pleasurable it was to not have to bend down quite so far to be eye level with you.

“You’re ignoring all of the benefits sports provides our students,” she said.

“And you’re ignoring the benefits of arts,” you replied, “I can provide you all of the statistics for that.”

“How about you come back with those and we can continue this discussion?”

She stepped back, leaving you seething in front of her desk. It would give you an excuse to come back, and relatively soon. She did enjoy your sparring matches. And if it made her heart race? That was to do with the adrenaline of going toe to toe with you, not because you looked so beautiful when angry.

No, it had nothing to do with how beautiful you were.

[appalamutte]

I NEED TO HEAR ABOUT UR SAMWELL CONSERVATORY AU LIKE YESTERSAY GD WHY DOESNT TUMBLR LET ME SEE POSTS BRO!!!! IT SOUNDS AWESOME!!!! -dexsbruins

Here's the post that started this whole idea!!

Okay, so, the premise is that instead of playing hockey, they're all classical musicians and Samwell is a music conservatory that's not exactly Julliard levels, but it's up there in terms of prestige/excellence.

Bitty actually still started out figure skating, but then Coach got a job with Georgia Tech in Atlanta and they moved to the suburbs (yes this is similar to my Jack the Gardener AU) instead of back to Madison, and instead of joining the community's co-ed hockey team, he joined the school's orchestra.

When he gets to Samwell, his freshman year is spent partly in music history lectures, partly in the small-group he joined (all students have to perform in a small group throughout the year), and mostly in practice rooms crying into his music because who does he really think he is? This is Samwell. Bitty didn't pick up his violin until he was twelve, and everyone else seems to have been playing their instrument since birth.

He has rather strong performance anxiety because of this fear of not being good enough to those around him, and this leaves him out of making it into Founders, the honors string ensemble at Samwell.

It's sometime in November when Bitty's leaving a practice room and finds Jack Zimmermann standing right outside the door. Jack Zimmermann, the prodigal son of "Bad Bob" Zimmermann, the greatest violinist in modern day and the infamous concertmaster of Founders.

Jack overhears Bitty practicing and demands asks why he isn't in Founders. He then offers to help Bitty get over his performance anxiety, even going as far as to offer the open violin position in their small group ("Yeah, Johnson was--he left, and now we need a second violin.") which is where Bitty meets Shitty (the violist), Ransom (the cellist), and Holster (the bassist).

I haven't found a way to really finish the story yet and it's more outlined than written, but here's a snippet!!

Eric’s heard of Jack Zimmermann.

It’s hard not to. His name is always fluttering around the mess hall, the dormitories, hushed behind stands during rehearsals and taking meaning off the grapevine, ripe or not. People say he’s this legend, this risk, this fissure waiting to crack beyond redemption. One person praises the ground Jack walks on and the next person tuts indignantly in his wake. He’s the most divisive topic of conversation after pop music, and yet when Jack enters a room, there’s still this collective pause that’s just long enough to be noticeable. Eric didn’t know why that was until his roommate sent him a few articles about the prodigal child gone off the rails.

All throughout his first year, Eric heard his fair share of stories—that Jack botched his Juilliard auditions and his father sent him to Samwell as punishment, that he got a girl pregnant in London and his father sent him to Samwell as punishment, that he got caught with cocaine in some New York airport and his father sent him to Samwell as punishment. 

The more Eric heard, the more outlandish the stories got, but they all had the common ending: Samwell is Jack’s punishment. Samwell is this step down from what Jack deserves. 

Which, yeah, that rubs Eric the wrong way.

“It’s, like, this Samwell right of passage to hear about him,” one girl—Lala? Laura? Larissa?—said at the beginning of the term when a group of first-years behind them didn’t know how to whisper. Eric sits beside her in Music History: 1700 - 1850 and hadn’t spoken more than five words to her before that day. “Which fucking blows. I mean, he’s a student here like the rest of us, but they act like he’s a ticking time bomb or something. It’s ridiculous.”

Eric shuffled in his seat. To have the entire school constantly talk about you and never to you is definitely shitty, but—“I mean, maybe there’s some truth there?”

The look the girl gave him could positively kill. They haven’t spoken to each other since.

Eric felt guilty saying that, but he doesn’t think he was entirely wrong. Jack Zimmermann, as much as he’s talked about, never refutes anything or tries to clear the air, always just walking around campus with this brooding sort of energy. Always frowning and hard-looking and stoic in a way that raises the hair on the back of Eric’s neck.

“He’s almost scary,” Eric told his mama over the phone a few weeks after starting at Samwell last year. It was the first day Eric had seen Jack Zimmermann in the flesh, leaving Founders and running late for his Discover Samwell seminar. “I hate that all these people keep talking about him in such troublesome ways, but a part of me wonders if there isn’t some truth in it.”

“Well, you know what I always say, Dicky: if it ain’t coming from their own mouth, it ain’t worth your time.”

Eric sighed and waved to the car that let him cross the street. “I know, Mama. I just wonder.”

“Honey, we all wonder, whether we like to or not. Now why are you so twisted up over this boy anyway?”

Eric couldn’t answer that without telling his mama that Jack Zimmermann quite literally could be the hottest man he’s ever seen with his own two eyes, and the added mystery and broodiness worked for Jack just as much as it worked against him, so Eric didn’t answer at all. He moved on, let the occasional blips of concern pass, and focused on surviving his first year, his ensemble auditions, and his now upcoming sophomore recitals. He stopped letting the rumors and whispers and side-eye glances get to him, stopped eavesdropping on others’ conversations when Jack’s name was said. 

It was easy. For the first time in his life, Eric wasn’t the target.

[urmomsstuntdouble]

Congrats on 100!!! 💕 maybe for the writing request a hc list or maybe a character analysis on nyo Romano? 👉👈

of course! and thank you! this is sort of a combo of both? but here ya go, i hope you like it!

her name is chiara leandra vargas. i feel like maybe that didnt need to be said but also the name lovina, while similar to actual italian names, annoys me because its just tacking an a onto the end of lovino which isnt a name. i do think lavinia is kinda cute tho, although my favorite L names are leandra and larissa. 

i dont think italy had an equivalent to the Women’s Land Army (in Britain and the US, during WW1 and WW2, female civilians were organized into little farming communities to replpace the labor shortage caused by men going into the military), but that’s basically how i imagine her fashion sense is. just. this

also related to ww2 she was 100% in the resistence

she cuts her own bangs

one of her many jobs throughout history was a rollerskating waitress. i have absolutely no historical basis for this. it is the Vibe

on another fashion note, she tends to either dress similarly to the style of the WLA uniform or like. she’s trying to win at fashion week. 

chiara also makes the majority of her own clothes, with a preference for sewing by hand. i think that the nations are sort of treated like royalty by their governments, i imagine she’s had a lot of very nice clothes throughout the years, and there are certain things that she just misses, and modern technology can’t recreate her faves, so she likes to make stuff for herself. her level of involvement for getting the materials really varies too. if she’s feeling it, she might go out and shear a sheep. if that’s not the vibe she’d just as easily go to a fabric store and buy a couple meters of cotton. 

this is sort of related to another hc but she does not give a flying fuck about how feminine her wardrobe is anymore.

as an immortal woman, chiara tends to not particularly care about gender as a concept. she’s south italy, what more do you care, ya know? i think her relationship with her gender is a bit complex but also as simple as “well italia is feminine so it makes sense that im a woman.” like a lot of the female nations, i imagine she’s very strong and hasnt always been taken seriously by even the members of her own government, so it’s been hard, but she genuinely doesnt care anymore how people see her. because of that, she’s a much lighter person than she used to be, to the extent that other nations will comment on it. like...i think when she met russia again in the 20th century he was like wow you’re so chill what did you do to chiara? you know? and though she’s not like, fully happy and at peace with everything related to her gender, she’s just sort of over it, ya know? 

she has an interesting relationship with religion. i think she sees herself as being A Very Good Catholic™, but is she though? once again, as an immmortal, i dont think chiara’s very attached to religion as a concept, mostly because she cannot go to heaven, because she cannot die. well, she could, but she’s over 2000 years old and she doesnt look like she’s going anywhere soon, so. at this point she just sort of goes with what the church says, and if she disagrees with that, will make her own interpretation of the bible. and if she doesn’t like what the bible has to say, she’ll fall back on her own opinions. she has a little bit of catholic guilt about it

she’s definitely got some weird feelings about catholicism and how people can use it in ways that hurt others. its a bit conflicting, because the vatican is literally in her heart but she also doesn’t really like everything that comes out of it. at the end of the day she sort of prioritizes being a good person over being a good christian, although that’s not really how she sees it in her own head. 

she prefers to wear looser clothing. stuff that hides the shape of her hips and chest. this is because she’s often been told that she couldn’t fight or that she shouldn’t fight, because she’s a woman, but if you tell miss chiara vargas not to do something. She Will. i know that in hetalia canon female characters are shown to be soldiers too, like hungary, although im not sure if that’s the most historically accurate. i also think it might’ve been harder for nyo romano, because a lot of romano’s character is defined by his relationships with veneziano and with spain, during which both of them try to protect him from harm at every turn (screams in veneziano trying to make sure romano doesnt have to stress himself out with work while also implying that he thinks romano is lazy and incapable and thereby making him even more stressed because he thinks his brother hates him-). so if nyo romano is operating under those same frameworks and dynamics as her male counterpart, i think that spain and vene might have tried to fight for her a lot. that annoyed chiara for obvious reasons but also did wind up. preventing her from fighting a lot. i think that she was definitely involved in all military conflicts involving south italy, but not necessarily fighting for all of it, you know? anyway, all that is to say that i think she’d have people to sneak around if she wanted to fight, so she would need to disguise herself in order to do so. 

side note while she was like. an infantryman or whatever she definitely used that as a chance to explore her bisexuality. chiara would make a damn fine soldier and village girls think so too

lactose intolerant but still eats so much cheese because as south italy she legally has to. she suffers in silence because soy/almond/oat milk dont cut it for cheese. however, if she’s feeling a coffee with milk, she will use one of the non-dairy alternatives.

has had a crush on half of europe at some point

also had a thing with cuba for a time. borrowing the hc from the cumano server that cuba re-taught her how to speak spanish but The Correct Cuban Way and now she’s like. fucking carribean sounding. whenever chiara gets in a fight with spain she’ll lay on the cuban accent extra thick, because its fun to watch isabel pull her hair out sometimes :)

amazing singing voice

really good at makeup and only uses her skills for things that are sexy and evil

writing requests

[n-komas]

(1/3?)Hi! Idk if you're still doing match ups but I was wondering if i could get a haikyu match up pls! If not, please feel free to ignore my ask, I completely understand and hope you're resting 💕 if soooo-I’m a straight cis Hispanic female that’s 5ft tall, I have wide hips, big butt/thighs, my top half ain’t special tho and I have black hair/bangs and dark brown eyes+glasses! I’m a cancer with an ISFP personality, I’m shy and closed off at first but as I get used to you I open up.

Dear User, Thank you so much for waiting! We have found your perfect match! You’ve been paired with...

Tooru Oikwa!

firstly, cancer twins!

the way your birthdays are only a day apart mwah

he liked that you’re sort of hard to break open at first

likes to think of it as a challenge

so that’s how you became friends for sure

he just wormed his way into your everyday life whether you liked it or not

anyways now you guys are the bestest buds <33

you guys have tease fights all the time

basically roast battles tbh

but then you probably tease him about how your butt is bigger than his

and it shuts him up entirely

mans wont admit it but he wishes he had an ass so bad </3

he just thinks they’re nice

plus he has this really weird desire to just know how to twerk and throw it back

he’d probably never do it in public

but when he’s bored and alone in his room, he just gets in front of the mirror and tries

since you have a motherly sense to you, you’d have to take care of him much more than you should need to

not just because that tooru has childish aspects to his personality

which you do need to put up with 24/7

but he has a habit of overworking himself far past his limits

and as his best friend, you’d have to drag his ass home and out of the gym

he is seriously the most stubborn piece of shit you have ever met

will spit back insults and harsh words to get you to leave him alone so he could practice more

he just wants to perfect himself

so you have to be there to physically take the balls out of his hands and put the net away while he cools down so you can take him home

as a cancer, you understand how hard emotions can hit

oikawa only really goes to you for emotional help

and he’s a pretty emotional guy

he still has iwaizumi, but he knows he can be 100% unfiltered with you

you’ve seen him at his ugliest, with his rawest emotions

you dont even need to give him advice tbh

he just needs to vent out his feelings a lot

ANYWAYS enough of sadkawa

sometimes he goes over to your house just to nap on your couch

like,, your parent(s) let him in, even if you’re not home

he says that they’re better than the ones at his place bc he flattened them out from sleeping on them too much

but he doesnt really get much time to nap tbh so when he does go over to sleep, you dont rly disturb him bc you know he needs it

sleeping on the other couch/chair in the room so when he wakes up he’s just really confused for a second

he annoys you like a normal older brother would

even if you were older than him, he’d still treat you younger just so he could piss you off

he’ll literally sit on you and pull your hair and make fun of you for being a legitimate foot shorter than him

but he’d protect you with his entire being

he tells you whether he approves of your anime boy crushes or not

not something you asked him to do but he does anyways

“larissa, be honest now okay, if i was an anime boy, would you have a crush on Me?”

moving on, he would completely understand thay you need space sometimes

yeah, he’s a clingy guy, but he respects your boundaries and knows when to bother you and when not to

he will be there to listen to you whenever you need though

OKAY BUT HE WILL FORCE YOU TO DO KARAOKE DUETS WITH HIM

he will DRAG you to a karaoke bar w him

fake id if he really needs to

you ARE publically singing a duet with him at least Once

does tiktok trends w you though!

could be a dance

or one of the text pranks

he loves the attention tbh so he’s always more than willing to help or participate

also sends you tiktoks when he’s on his breaks from practice or monitoring games

gives him a little stress reliever

if you call him shittykawa/trashykawa/crappykwa or anything like that

he will also make up some name to call you to tease you back

will occasionally call you things like dumbass or idiot

but not too often bc he still feels bad sometimes <//3

you‘re both smart idiots it’s okay <3 he’s of your kind LOL

ok but he lowkey would love star wars

it reeled him in just bc it’s in space

and you know the dumbass has a weird love for aliens and sci-fi

so the story and the characters would bring out the ultimate dweeb inside him

loves it so much

for one of his birthdays, you decided to buy 2 tickets to disneyland to surprise him

his parents paid for his ticket and half of yours bc they wanted him to he able to experience star wars galaxy’s edge in person & with his best friend

so you SURPRISED him with the tickets and he BAWLED his eyes out

was the best two days of his life

you bought baby yoda plushies & matching mickey mouse ears

overall, oikawa is basically your older brother, but also someone he knows he can lean on in times of need

he treasures you so very very much so, as an oikawa stannie myself, pls be gentle with the sweet boy <//3

Thank you for working with us! We hope you found satisfaction with your newfound bestie~ Honorary applicants we considered for the role were: KOUTAROU BOKUTO & YUU NISHINOYA. Thank you again for your time & we hope you enjoy your future lifelong friendship!~ Thank you for requesting!

[shanascarlett]

Thoughts on Hasbro Universe after Revolution

Im big fan of G.I. Joe/Transformers. But when I heard that there are more than 2 franhises in one universe, it blew my mind. So I decided to check out them. One of them I heard when I was kid.

Revolution was big. For some it was epic, other think it was mess. I understand why ppl love and hate it. Personally I love it. There’s conflict and how heroes unite against evil. It was the beggining of massive universe. So, how it turned out?

To be fair.... not so good.

Its my own opinion. You can disagree with me. If you love aftermath of Revolution, thats fine. I just want to tell about the conclusion of Hasbro Comic Book Universe.

Optimus Prime.

I think the writer put a lot of his view on life: disappointment on every religion. I really didnt like how he made that Optimus Prime is always wrong. Even when he listens and he does what he was asked to do, ppl still angry at him. “You should listened to me!” and “You shouldn’t listen to me!”. I love that they put Joes, but here’s the big issue: OOC of Mainframe and Flint with his daughter look similar the same age.

Remember when Trasnformers had the mystery of their religion and mythology? Mix of Sci-Fi and Cosmic Fantasy. Yeah, forget about that. It was all Shockwave’s evil plan. Another big disappointment for me.

I like how they described the ghost of Bumblebee, but Shockwave being one of 13 Primes looks very... confusion to me. 

Lost Light

Lost Light deserves to be called a weak sequel. Remember when in MTMTE was magic mystery, adventure, gore and development of characters and relationships? Here I found nothing. New characters for me are not interesting. And yes about them being “trans”. Im not transphobic and sorry if my opion might hurt you or offend. I just dont see transgenders in Transformers.  I dont see transformers suffering of gender dysphoria. Hell, I doubt they suffer of homophobia, bc they are totally fine with mlm and wlw. If you dont know, hetero relationships are for the population of Earth. And Transformers managed told that they can love each other, but their love is not like Earth’s bc they dont have to have sex to create life. They have strong emotion connection to each other.

Speaking about love. I love Chromedome/Rewind love story bc it was developed. We saw the birth of connection, loss, pain, reunion, fear and happiness. Same with Cyclonus and Tailgate. To be fair I dont ship the last two as romantic couple, but as platonic couple. For me they dont have that emotional connection like Chrome/Rewind but they care each other. In Lost Light nothing. You just accept that a lot characters are couple to each other. Why and how? Just accept it. This is why I dont feel emotional connection to Lug and Anode. To be fair I thought they are friend and Lug looks a lot like a boy. If they’d develop her more better, I think I’d like her. The whole Lost Light is just comics of couples. I was thinking when they’re gonna do the Orgy like in Ancient Rome.

Also here’s another disappointment in religion. Everything was lie. As I told earlier - I didnt like it. I’d rather to rewatch TFP, Bayverse or G1. BC I felt emptiness. MTMTE is masterpiece.

G.I. Joe

Where do I begin? Was written by socialist who doesnt know anything about military, ruined Quick Kick who was nice and gentle, made Scarlett an idiot, turned charasmatic Shipwreck into fat vegan, new characters have no backstory or reasons why they joined to Joes. Also: huge hypocricy. Scarlett says that G.I. Joe is now international team, but they refuse to work with USA. I get it they tried to turn G.I. Joe into Overwatch, but OW was working with every country. Including USA, where they had one of their headquarters. American G.I. Joe was more progressive bc they were helping every country who had deal with Cobra or any threat. They even teamed up with Russian soldiers.

The huge disappointment was no explanation about Snake Eyes rebirth (and no love story of Snake/Scarlett) and Quick Kick being an ass. Just check G.I. Joe ARAH show. There Quick Kick was nice. I miss that one....

The only good stuff was about Rock n’ Roll nightmares and guilt for shooting Grand Slam, grumpy Grand Slam and Doc being half-alien. Thats alll.

Revolutionaries

It was a bit better bc its literally crossover with conflict and backstories. Here they at least tried to make story interesting. And brought a lot interesting references. Especially to 90s: KLAW, Slaugther and even to original Action Force.

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand

At 1st they tried but then it all felt down. I wouldnt call it horrible. You can check out 1st issues. I can say that only villains were interesting. While main heroes...  here’s the problem.

Original Matt Trekker was an engineer, millionaire, helped ppl and white. Why the last important? BC in reboot he became boring black guy who seeks vengeance for his father death and the main bad guy is white man. Im not racist bc I like how it was done in Spawn, but it wasnt so obvious who is the bad guy who just wants to take over the world. I get it you hate Trump. He is a clown.

Also original Trekker raises his son alone. So he is widowed. It could play in reboot: lost all, but tries to keep his son safe. So much potential for drama of lonely father. But we got what we got. I just go to rewatch Spawn animated series.

If they wanted “diverse” why they didnt put more poc characters from MASK? You know there are actual canon black man and indian man? Even native american man?

ROM

It was boring. 1st issues were interesting and brutal bc of alien invansion. You wouldnt know who is the enemy and who is the friend. But drama...

Whole Rom’s drama was about losing his humanity. At 1st we see him as cold-hearted alien. Then they all forget about it. Original Rom from Marvel was losing his humanity until he met brave girl Brandy who made him to remember his loss of homeplanet and love of his life. He was afraid to be alone and to be complete machine. And yes, in reboot his old girlfriend is alive. But I felt nothing with this. I prefer to read original comics bc I felt sorry for Rom.

Micronauts: Wrath of Karza

It was boring. The only thing I can remember is Larissa being Baron Karza’s daughter. I dont compare reboot with original series bc I havent read yet. I liked the new one bc of Baron Karza and his wife (and their fetish).

First Strike

Hoo- boy. It was bad. Preety bad. Not bc villains tried to destroy Cybertron. Not bc TF thought its gonna be war of humans and TF. No, it all was good. The main villain is Joe Colton who wants to destroy Cybertron to save Earth. And that he was bad from the beginning. His motivation sounds like Miles Mayhem from M.A.S.K.. That shock effect of surprise villain doesnt work here. It looks like disrespect to Joe fans. They managed to ruin Scarlett’s character who was turned into G.I. Joe not bc she was the best. She was in Joes bc she didnt do 50 push-ups. If you dont know, G.I. Joe is elite guard where they take the best men and women bc they do a lot dangerous work. So the whole story arc is full disrespect to Joe fan. I dont know about you, but I was offended by that.

Was there smth good? Team up of villains and the easter egg of Visionaries.

Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor

I almost forget about the plot bc it was boring. Rom was rude like every commander (yeah, for someone “losing humanity”). New character was boring. So everythng was boring. Even Autobots didint save the situation.

Rom & the Micronauts

Well, they at least tried with characters development. I really liked how characters interact with each other. But the whole story was “meh”

Scarlett's Strike Force

It was very short and cancelled. BC that writer Sitterson wrote offensive tweet about Nine Eleven. I get it what he was trying to do: to make comics based on cartoon G.I. Joe. This is why Quick Kick and Spirit fight against Storm Shadow. Personally I thought it was racist bc “only asian fight agains asian”. And Storm Shadow has the worst redesign I’ve ever seen. Theres nothing to talk about the comics bc its unfinished and cancelled. So theres nothing.

Transformers vs. Visionaries

This comic had potential. But the ending ruined it. The story is about colonization to save living race. But it will kill another nation. Its interesting theme. And how they managed? Nothing. For some reason everyone in peace and safe. The ending is just weird. I think writer didint know how to end that conflict so she wrote “everyone safe and in peace. Colonization is bad”. Not the ending is the problem. Main characters: Leoric and Virulina redesigned very strong. Leoric looks like total different character (why not to create new character? He looks good). And Virulina looks like student from art-school, not the villain. The redesigned I like are Cryotek and Arzon. And the art was very good.

The last 2 ones I havent finished yet. I can tell this: TAAO isnt look so bad, but I’m ready for disapointing ending, like TF Unicron.

In conclusion:

I dont tell that it was done horrible. Its just explains why IDW decided to reboot TF and G.I. Joe. Low sales. BC I’ve noticed a lot easter eggs in those comics for future story plots. I think they’d made it good if IDW would give them chance.

If you love them, thats fine. I’ll enjoy my own version of Hasbro Universe.

[bittysvalentines]

Geese and The Soft Morning Sun

From: @beercheesecasserole

To: @disneyinnocent-blog

relationship: Lardo x Camilla Nonbinary character Fluff tw for moderate amounts of drinking, like a slight bit of racism, and fools getting rekt and pong.

~~~ Larissa sat in her new dorm room, fiddling around on her computer.

A blonde head popped in from the door. "Larissa," said her new roommate, Candy, seriously. "Have you seen my dunko doll?"

Larissa looked at the tall girl dumbly.

"What in the goddamn hell are you talking about."

Candy moved fully into the room, standing by Larissa's bed.

"My dunko doll! You know? Dunko dolls? Have you not heard of dunko dolls?"

"No?"

Candy's eyes lit up.

"They're like little figurines of your favorite characters! They're soooo cute, mine’s a princess Biona from Shrecc. It's my favorite movie."

Larissa knew if she listened to more of this she would have a pounding headache in under an hour. Not that her roommate was annoying. She was just very high-pitched.

With a sigh she pushed her computer off of her lap and slid off her bed.

"I haven't seen it. I'm going down to the cafeteria, I'll be back in a few."

"Okay!" Candy said enthusiastically. "By the way, they're serving Chinese there, I'm sure it's not what you're used to at home but I think it's so nice that they're serving something so cultural! You should give it a try!"

Lardo sighed again. She wasn't sure if Candy was just dumb or didn't remember when she had asked 'so... what are you' a month ago. Larissa had never been anything less than Vietnamese-American her entire life. Well, served her right for submitting her roommate papers a day before deadline.

Larissa screamed internally and muttered a quick thanks before escaping down the hall. She would get out of this room if it killed her.

~~~

Larissa looked at the Samwell Sports pamphlet in her hands. Aven from her Ceramics II class had given it to her. Aven had said they managed for Men's Rugby and talked about how they managed to get a room in the team house this year.

"There's not like, a ton of rooms?" they said, chair leaned back and clay covered hands emphasizing wildly. "But it's the BONDS you make. I feel like a part of the team. And I don't even have to play or anything. The guys are great, love em to bits, it's just like SUPER messy all the time. Best house on campus though."

Larissa thought about that. She didn't mind mess. She wouldn't work in 3D media if she did.

~~~

"Ey Lardooooo!" A huge blonde man yelled over the haus crowd in an obnoxious Boston accent. "Be pong partners with me"

Lardo looked over from where she was chatting with Billy about neorealism and its role in the movement of art nouveau and squinted.

"Holster, my dude, respect, but you couldn't hit the flat side of a barn," she said cheerfully. "Hard pass brah."

The blonde giant put on his best puppy-dog eyes while also pushing through the drunk, loud waves of people between them. Lardo likened him to a cute bulldozer. Kinda a good concept, she thought, filing it away for later. Being around jocks all the time surprisingly gave her some great ideas. Lardo wondered for a moment if this had bedazzling potential.

Adam reached her just as soon as the thumping bass of the last song died and just before the new one began.

"Come onnnn," he said with a light in his eyes. "We don't even have to be partners. Ransy wants to play too so you could take his partner and I'll be his! Win win!" He emphasized his argument with a hand motion that seemed to say 'ey? ey?'.

Lardo rolled her eyes.

"Alright. Depends on who it is though."

~~~ Camilla came to the SMH end-of-midterms kegster with Jack but he let her know pretty early that he wasn't going to be around for most of it. Which like, she got. The noise and people could get to be too much for her sometimes too. But as she looked over the crowd tonight she felt tipsy in just the right way to want to get a little rowdy. Then Justin started talking about pong and her plans were set. She wanted to toast some fools.

"Rans!" She called to him as she moved closer "I'm in. Who're we up against?"

Justin pointed wildly over to the living room where a bunch of younger students were moving around to a pulsing beat.

"Holtzy just went to go grab Lardo" he said, grinning "oh man Camilla you gotta witness her back shot, its holy"

Camilla squinted over across the hall into the dim room and saw Holster dragging a small person with a sleek head of black hair behind him.

"Hells yes." she said, turning back to Ransom. "I'll play with whoever, I don't care."

Holster came up behind them and started talking loudly over Camilla's shoulder to the two.

"She's in but only on the condition she doesnt play with me. I'm too rank." he said, dramatically wrinkling his nose. "Cam, you game?"

"Sure" Camilla said enthusiastically, turning to see her new partner.

Holy shit, Camilla thought, face erupting in flame.

~~~

Lardo looked at – no, beheld – the tall honey blonde jock giantess before her. If height wasn't enough to fuck her up, her arms, good god, they looked like she could crack walnuts with them.  

Realising she was probably giving this crop-topped stranger a pretty thorough undressing, Lardo took a step back and extended a hand.

"Larissa. Call me Lardo. Sup."

The literal Amazon of woman took her hand and shook it firmly.

"I’m Camilla," she said, smiling, cheeks delicately blushed in a way that set off her sweetly quirked lips. "Are you ready for some pong?"

Whats pong, Larissa thought, staring at her lips.

"Oh... Yeah this is going to be s'wasome," Lardo said, quickly regaining her senses.

There was no way she could lose this for them, Larissa thought resolutely. She needed to impress this literal goddess.

~~~

Ransom almost seemed to be crying.

"It was so beautiful... But I feel so devastated? So many emotions man," He slurred as he leaned on the broad shoulder of his blonde wingman. They both looked worse for wear after having drunk nearly every drink so far in what was shaping up to be a increasingly unbelievable pong game.

Camilla lined up her next-to-last shot at the remaining cup and grinned wickedly at the two boys. "Better get ready. This one’s going in. I call it."

There was no way she could miss this one. The tiny Asian girl beside her had sunk nearly every shot that night. If Camilla hadn't been buzzed, she would have knelt at her feet and declared her the pong god. Or maybe she still would. The night was still young.

"You got this," Lardo said encouragingly beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back. "One last cup."

And Camilla did have it.

Or she had, until Lardo's warm hand had rested on her so gently.

Her ball bounced weakly off Adam's chest and onto the table.

"Ohhhh," Holster said, a light in his eyes. "We aren't done yet, Ransy. You gotta rally for me. Get your second wind bro! Brothers for brothers! This is our shot!"

Lardo snorted. "You still have FIVE cups left. We have one. No way."

Holster lined up his shot and said in a fake hurt voice, "We'll see about that" and the shot landed squarely in their middle cup.

Ransom and Holster both shouted, whooping it up and drunkenly performing a sloppy, involved, handshake.

"Psh. Alright," Lardo said cockily to the two boys. "Ball's in my court."

The two boys quieted down as Lardo squinted at the table before them

Lardo shot Camilla a confident grin before grabbing their sunk cup. "Watch this."

It was a moment that Adam would wax poetic about for the next three years. It was the moment Camilla fell into something with this short, loud, wild girl.

Everyone watched as Lardo grabbed the tiny white ball from the cup and raised the beer to her lips. Camilla could see the sweat running in lines down her olive tanned arm in the heated room. She followed its trail to the crook of her elbow where it glistened before dripping down. Lardo tipped the cup back and chugged the entire thing in one go. Tossing the cup behind her, she stepped away from the table, raised the pong ball, cocked her elbow, and spun around.

Over her shoulder, the ball sailed through the air.

It was like watching liquid honey for Camilla, but she turned to stare openly at Lardo instead.

She couldn't believe it.

She didn't even see when the ball landed squarely in the last cup and everyone watching erupted into screams.

Ransom and Holster at the other end were losing their minds. Absolutely just yelling at the top of their lungs and staring at each other with ecstatic looks.

Then Lardo walked over, grabbed the cup, drank it too and released the loudest, longest, rankest burp into both of their faces.

Both of the boys looked stunned.

Then Ransom solemnly grabbed her hand and did a complicated shake.

"Respect" the man choked out, full of emotion, pulling her into the bro-y-est of hugs.

Holster looked like he was crying now.

Camilla could make out "... j'st so happy..." Before he bawled and joined the group hug.

Well. Camilla thought. Who knew. Hockey players are big AND emotional.

~~~

A little while later when the party dies down a bit Camilla and Larissa find themselves outside on the porch.

It feels so easy to talk together. Maybe it's the tub juice, or the high from the most immaculate pong game in history, but Lardo knows there is nothing that could ruin the night now. She already has had the time of her life. Everything else is just frosting on the metaphysical cake.

Camilla shifts on the warm wooden stairs and moves her arms back to prop herself up on them. Her soft yellow curls tumble back over her shoulders with the movement and she stretches her legs out in front of her.

"So what exactly is a girl like you doing in a house of jocks?" she asks, mouth quirking again. "Not that you don't seem the type, you're just so... well-read."

Lardo laughs, and also stretches her legs out in front of her, positively bathing in the soft, warm, late night air.

"It all started with my roommate actually," she says, chuckling at the memory. "I really needed to get out of the house, you know? And Samwell men's hockey needed a trainee manager and I had those nights free. It felt like fate, kinda."

Lardo lets herself swim in Camilla's soft brown eyes for a second. "Like it was meant to be," she finished.

Camilla just looks back at her. And keeps looking back at her.

Finally she speaks into the moment, all shining eyes, all bright smile.

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean."

And all of inevitable, they kiss.

Lardo pushes herself closer to the taller woman and slides her gently back to against the railing before deepening the kiss.

As the two break away to breathe for a second, Camilla moves her hand up to cup Lardo's face. "Huh..." she murmurs faintly before Larissa moves in again.

It’s deeper this time, and Larissa lifts her hand up to curl in Camilla's golden, perfect locks. There's something in her that just wants to mess them up a bit. Let people know she's been there. Leave a little mark.

Camilla groans and arches her head back as Larissa tugs on the mass of curls she has threaded through her fingers.

Lardo takes this as a sign to immediately start attacking the blonde's neck and pulse point, leaving quarter sized bruises like a string of pearls down the column of pale skin.

Camilla groans again.

"People will –" she sighs into a particularly hard nip of Lardo's teeth. "People are going to see"

"Let them," Larissa gravels out, kissing back up the bruises to recapture her mouth.

And they stay like that for god knows how long.

A loud pop from the back yard and a series of whoops and yips finally breaks apart the pair and a second later a firework blooms across the sky above the house.

Lardo and Camilla watch it fade out, both panting slightly, before Camilla turns back and rests her forehead gently against Lardo's.

"I just," she murmurs, looking at Lardo's bruised lips. "Have never met anyone like you"

Lardo smiles and traces the curve of her jaw with her thumb. "I'm pretty unique."

"This might be taking it too fast," Camilla says, switching her heated gaze from Lardo's mouth to her eyes. "But I live not too far away from here. A couple of blocks. We could walk if you... ?" She quirks up the side of her mouth again, eyes dancing, leaving the sentence in an open question.

Lardo stares at her in something like adoration for a second before kissing her hard and deep one last time.

"Fuck yeah," she whispers onto the thoroughly abused lips, nipping softly with her teeth. "I’m definitely down."

And no one sees them leave the party. If anyone sees them on the sidewalk they don't care enough to comment. No one sees them pushed up against Camilla’s front door before making it inside.

Only the Samwell geese and a few other bleary Wellies see Lardo walking home the next morning, grin the size of a lighthouse and a certain string of digits in her phone.

And if Larissa Duan, on top of the world, decides to fist pump like in breakfast club? Well, she's sure no one sees that either.

Just the geese and the soft morning sun.

Written by @beercheesecasserole for @disneyinnocent-blog for the 2019 Bitty's Valentine's.

[raachelgreen]

THANKS FOR TAGGING ME foolishly-fond <3 i actually used some of your answers girl :p

-----------------------------------------------------------

rules: answer these 85 questions and tag 20 people

— What was your last…

1. Drink: I’m drinking coffee!

2. Phone call: My mom called to ask if i was okay on her lunch break <3

3. Text message: Ansered to my classmates on our group chat

4. Song you listened to: Don’t You Worry Child -  Swedish House Mafia

5. Time you cried: Friday

__ Have you ever…

6. Dated someone twice: Never dated; sue me (i’m ugly lmao)

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Never kissed; sue me (i’m ugly lmao)

8. Been cheated on: Never actually had a relationship, so not possible.

9. Lost someone special: Yes, when i was little, my aunts.

10. Been depressed: Yes, still am

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: No, and i dont think i ever will, i dont really like getting drunk on the first place

— Fave colours

12. Pink

13. Blue

14. White counts? lmao

— in the last year have you…

15. Made new friends: Yeah, I guess? I never know if i can consider them friends already.. 

16. Fallen out of love: Fallen out of a crush, they always disapoint sooner or later lol

17. Laughed until you cried: Yes, show me a funny video and i cant stop laughing

18. Found out someone was talking about you: No

19. Met someone who changed you: I don’t know, but yeah i guess

20. Found out who your friends are: Found out that usually people i consider my friends actually are just there while they need me for something.

21. Kissed someone on your facebook friends list: No......

— General

22. How many of your facebook friends do you know irl: 100%

23. Do you have any pets: Two, my dogs Snoopy and Billy :)

24. Do you want to change your name: Not really, i did when i was little though

25. What did you do for your last birthday: As usual nothing fun, just invited some “friends” but i kinda regret it, cause later i saw how they dont even care so much about me

26. What time did you wake up today: 7:10!!! LATE my alarm didnt work

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Getting home from class

28. What is something you can’t wait for: I dont really have a lot of stuff to look forward... i guess i cant wait to graduate (2 more years..), i cant wait to have money to buy stuff and a car... 

30. What are you listening to right now: The radio is playing Hangover - Flo Rida

31. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I dont think so, its not a common name here in Brazil.

32. Something that’s getting on your nerves: Yea, college :(

33. Most visited website: Youtube and my uni’s site

34. Hair colour: Blonde (darker blonde now cause i’m finally leaving it naturally)

35. Long or short hair: Mine’s medium lmao, i really dream with a long hair but my hair doesnt grow a lot, idk why

36. Do you have a crush on someone: Not really right now...

37. What do you like about yourself: My kindness and nerdiness.

38. Want any piercings: Not really

39. Blood type: A pos.

40. Nicknames: Lari, and people at uni call me by my last name sometimes bc there are many Larissas lol

41. Relationship status: Single

42. Sign: Virgo

43. Pronouns: she/her

44. Fave tv show: Friends, Parks and Rec, Modern Family.... others

45. Tattoos: Nope

46. Right or left handed: Right handed

47: Ever had surgery: No

48. Piercings: No

49. Sport: I like to play volleyball

50. Vacation: BI like to go to the beach but its a while since the last time i went :( if i had money i’d like to travel internationally, get to know north america, europe....

51. Trainers: The shoes? I’ve got one pair.

— More general

52. Eating: Like if i’m eating right now? No

53. Drinking: Coffee

54. I’m about to watch: I’m working lol, tonight i’ll probably watch brooklyn 99 on my way back from college, bc thats what i downloaded on my phone

55. Waiting for: Avengers, Incredles 2, Ocean’s 8 oh and some good things for my life

56. Want: to finally get in shape. I’m actually losing weight again, so i’m happy i’ll probably finally get to my healthy weight.

57. Get married: Get back to me in ten years. i dont really know how i feel about marriage right now, tbh i dont think i even believe i’ll ever find someone who will love me to marry me?

58. Career: I work in an office right now, but i want to be an architect, thats what i’m studying for

— Which is better

59. Hugs or kisses: Kisses are probably better

60. Lips or eyes: Eyes

61. Shorter or taller: Taller

62. Older or younger: Younger

63. Nice arms or stomach: Stomach (good pillow)

64. Hookup or relationships: Relationship i guess

65. Troublemaker or hesitant: I am hesitant but need me some troublemaker.

— Have you ever

66. Kissed a stranger: NO

67. Drank hard liquor: Sure, when it’s in a good mix.

68. Turned someone down: Yeah.

69. Sex on first date: Never had sex.

70: Broken someone’s heart: Nah don’t think so.

71. Had your heart broken: No fortunately

72. Been arrested: No

73. Cried when someone died: Definitely.

74. Fallen for a friend: Yes, i dont know if he was really a friend though

— Do you believe in

75. Yourself: Not really, i need to love me more

76. Miracles: Sometimes

77. Love at first sight: Crush at first sight yeah, but the love comes after.

78. Santa Claus: I did, boy i miss those times

79. Angels: I guess

— Misc

80. Eye colour: Brown

81. Best friends name: Barbara 

82. Favourite movie:OH NO that question again.. i have so many

83. Favourite actor: CANNOT DECIDE

84. Favourite cartoon: I dont really watch cartoons anymore

85. Favourite teacher’s name:I dont knowwww if i have a fav teacher lmao

Idk 20 people on here. YOU GUYS if you want to do this, pls feel yourselves tagged

[shytiff]

Small August Wins

1 - DL, did my part for PKP, read a bit about leprosy reaction (PKP related), watched a cute movie tune in for love, ara stayed over at my home, edited 1 pld article

2 - exercised a bit, edited 3 pld articles, DL, finished ppt tinpus PKP, walked to the nearby lake with ara, ate nasgor smoked chicken (been a while!) and jco donuts and my tummy is happy, felt afraid with DV exam huft. I hope I can prepare myself properly

3 - DL, edited 1 article, went to school together w ara, deep fried by dr adhi for my minicex (but i am grateful for the opportunity), emir took a while to pick me up (he left home 1530 and arrived 1715) so i did some status work, arrived at home super hungry but moms food is delicious and wow glucose is finally in (after previously supported by nasi uduk and 1 jco donut) and the pain from today sort of fades away.

4 - DL, tried to study as much as i could (the panic is real), went to kencana to get dr adhis signature at 12 but he replied my chat at about 1330 🙃 , finished self reflection, group called with my group for exam prep

5 - did not DL bcs i fell asleep!! Thank god for streak freeze, met up with dr adhi in poli regarding minicex bcs turns out he brought my status etc, hes very kind 🥺 dr yudo kindly took his time to answer questions via wa voicenote even though he had a tiring day 🥺 bless all the kind people in this world

6 - DL, alhamdulillah passed the exam with dr sondang and dr larissa even though i was being a dumb ass student (thankfully theyre patient enough). Honestly panicked during the morning, i was super afraid. Searched some drug dosage for renata. I hope she passes the remed!!

7 - slept and lazed all day :( edited 1 article, dv closing. Managed to say thanks to dr yudo even though i was lowkey near tears bcs i cant for the life of me say something even mildy emotional, DL at like 15 mins before midnight

8 - finally at lvl 3 DL by cheating with my notes lmaoo, ate burgers and half pizza by dcheese pizza but had mencret2 the next day lmaooo, watched bosscha virtual sky sightseeing

9 - DL, watched Summer Vacation, edited 2 articles, put some sheet mask on (the numbers surely diminished since my cousin took some 🙂 ), pretty much watched youtube all day. At night i dreamed going to a villa that kinda looks like matamori, and the villa near it was also booked by other groups of friend, and i was recording snow falling from the sky and snow on the cliffs, but there was also a snake under the bed, and writing patients resume -_-(?)

10 - DL, read pem psikiatri cbt batch 1 optima, 25 CBT PADI, a fruitful 2,5 hr discussion with dr Heriani, SpKJ

11 - DL, poli with mendel hari and dr Khamelia, SpKJ, mustered some courage to do the ppt, phoned the patient to ask a little bit more, fell asleep and thank god i’ve prayed isya

12 - DL, lazied and played get rich, felt sick and was sick, nose congested, head starting to hurt, i dont know what is it that triggered my emotions but when my dad asked "tiff kok bersin2?" i felt like i have no privacy and they were too intruding and i wept silently in my room (bcs ppl outside can hear) and yall my nose just goes 100% blocked. aint accepting air today. Massaged my face around the sinus area until i can somehow breathe nicely and fall asleep. (took about half and hour of snot cleaning, drinking and mulling around)

13 - since i felt bad abt lazying i started my day early. Woke up at 5. Put on tretinoin, 15 CBT PADI, DL, naskah psikiatri WIP (Work in progress). It rained today. The sky was grey half of the day, which I LOVE. I felt better and more cheery, especially at abt 4-5 pm when it was raining hard and im snuggled in bed. The laptop stand arrived and bitch it was fucking amazing. My back and neck muscles felt less awkward and/or sore working at my ergonomically-awful table and chair combo turned ok thanks to laptop stand!!

14 - DL, poli with dr cika, crashed aras place (drank thai tea, ate flip burger and sausages), it felt refreshing to be in a different place rather than seeing my room all day everyday. Afterwards ara indah and i ate po noodle bar, the taste was kind of herbal (not brothy) in a good way. Tried some sort of gyoza, it was good too. Juan got accepted at USU civic engineering. Went to atikahs place, passed a red light and i got ppl a bit annoyed lmao sorry :(((, talked with atikah until 1-2ish pm

15 - richeese and fried rice for brunch time, went back home (felt socially refreshed!) to see 2 bottles of sbux coffee i ordered, claras nastar and vit d supplement from tokped. Did RPS and ikhtisar for naskah. DL. Sbux' coffee still upsets my stomach lmao but it did keep me awake and focused enough til 11 pm

16 - DL, after staying over at friends place i feel.suer content to be just at home. Ate while watching erna limdaughs vids, sleeeept

17 - DL, naskah WIP, whipped myself to go do naskah by drinking caramel macchiato and playing coffee - bts. It tasted better when i hear jks soothing voice

18 - DL, finally panicked a bit and did ppt, read a bit abt bipolar, chugged hazelnut dolce latte and somehow its not bitter anymore it actually tasted good. Talked w mendel and hari a bit abt the patient

19 - the dr actually showed up to zoom while i was opening other screen and i didnt realize (ultra embarrassing!!!) basically my diagnosis for axis I and II were wrong. She was kindly explaining and i was more dissapointed with myself but at least its all over? Talked w hansel a bit. Revised a bit of naskah. Submitted hardcopy of naskah and refleksi to mbak Asma. Went to ara. DL, ate gwen's dimsum (quite good and fulfilling). Planned to go to kashiwa but we ended up getting bakmi akiaw. Went back "home" to DM, took only 35 mins.

20 - DL, slept half of the day since im on my period (what even is daily structure), woke up in the evening, decided to start “the folk of the air” series. Binged the first book in one go, from 8 pm to 1 am lmaoo

21 - DL, finished the series at night. it’s nice but not as good as six of crows duology. bts comeback with dynamite!! :) i love them. its scary to think they are still progressing and going up and getting better stats. When will it all stop?

22 - discussion with dr natalia spKJ at 7.30 am, DL, drank matcha latte at starbucks airport hub (been a while! It doesnt taste quite good as i remembered) while backing up HD data at drive and some padi CBT (finished TO 3. After all this time, only to 3?!), felt a bit better after i went out, read a falling cohabitation again

23 - DL, danced to baepsae, slept in the afternoon (my body is too weak nowadays)

24 - DL, psychiatry closing, 1 pamela reif vid, 2P (CBT PADI)

25 - DL, made latar belakang for propeks nemo

26 - DL, 4P, rapat nemo

27 - DL, met up with atikah pupuy @ toska, tried yogurt and fruit, mac and cheese, vegan mentai rice and had dinner @ bakmi gm. mom somehow told (and allowed) me to go back home (it was 9 am and i was abt to stay over at atikah’s)

28 - DL, i dont feel like doing anything helppp, i know there’s stuff that im supposed to do but i cant bring myself to do it. a week will pass by, a month, and before you know it exam will arrive

29 - DL, ordered burgushi, i literally have no strength to go at static bike (can only do for a couple of mins), didnt rly do anything else bcs im in a slump nowadays

30 - its scary that the month is almost over again. my life just goes away like that but i still dont feel like doing anything, DL, tried to follow some dances on youtube to move my body

31 - DL, 2A, 4P

[honeyvain]

@eatacactusass tagged me in this blast from the past do ppl still do tag games what 

Rules: answer the 19 questions and tag some amazing people you’d like to know better

i. name: Ki

ii. nickname: i it doesnt rly get shorter than ki but i get called a lot of titles like “my beef” “my wife” by my honey @starsmatters

iii. zodiac: Sagittarius  (cap moon libra asc!) 

iv. height: 5′ 5.5"

v. orientation: lesbian 

vi. ethnicity: white

vii. favorite food: look i really... like cobb salad ashkjshd my psychiatrist bullied me abt this so much 

viii. favorite season: spring but like rainy spring not freezing 

ix. favorite book series: i cant answer this @starsmatters would murder me 

x. favorite flower: peachy or yellow roses or small things like daisies/ babies breath!!

xi. favorite scent: naturey things like pine / forest after it rains but also vanilla and menthols 

xii. favorite color: peach!!!

xiii. coffee, tea, or cocoa: Tea, im one of those ‘green tea will fix eVerYTHinG” depression session hoes 

xiv. average hours of sleep: its summer so like 23

xv. cat or dog person: i like?? adore both??? wtf

xvi. favorite fictional characters: sebastian moran, eric bittle, larissa duan, luna lovegood, ronan lynch, eggsy unwin, roxanne morton,  tbh i still have a soft spot for kate wetherall what a badass asdfghg

xvii. dream trip: something boujee w my gal pals like all of us in new york or sf.  alone: ireland or a rly long self discovery backpacking trip smh 

xviii. blog created: 2013

xix. number of followers: like 440

I’ll tag anyone but like  @marscie @sighley @crashtan @reverse-skeletor @starsmatters even tho ive tagged u like 3 times asdhg

[itsjessicaisreal]

Almost 60% of marketers haven’t implemented AMP, see why (and why it’s no excuse)

When it comes to page speed, a few seconds of slowdown can cost you. Slow load times cripple conversion rates, raise the price you pay for ad impressions, and even drive qualified traffic to your competitors.

All this being true, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) would seem like the hail mary pass that marketers have been waiting for. Essentially, AMP is a Google-backed framework for creating web pages that deliver near-instant load times, even on mobile. I say “near-instant” here, but I like how the AMP Project itself puts it: AMP pages are “so fast they appear to load instantly.”

What does AMP mean for marketers? Faster delivery of your content, for one thing. The end of waiting altogether, maybe. Ultimately, AMP can result in a significant uptick in traffic and improved conversion rates overall.

So, naturally, every marketer is planning to adopt it in 2019, right? Right!?

*record scratch*

Marketers have been slow to adopt AMP for a variety of reasons (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Wait, wait, I can explain. As part of our 2019 Page Speed Report, we asked marketers if they planned to implement AMP in the near future. 57% of them told us they have no plans to implement it, while 23% are still considering it.

Those who haven’t adopted the framework have a range of reasons why, but they fall into three broad categories:

AMP requires a significant investment of developer resources.

AMP is poorly understood (or perhaps poorly messaged).

Google’s past behavior has made some people wary of AMP.

I’ll explore these reasons in further detail below. For now, it’s worth saying that each has some validity. But I don’t think any of them—alone or together—should be your excuse not to implement AMP for your marketing campaigns.

In the long run, businesses who overcome these objections will be better positioned than those who don’t, despite perceived drawbacks. As I wrote elsewhere, “Turbo-charged landing pages result in more traffic and higher engagement, boosting conversions and helping PPC campaigns win increased ad impressions for less.” The AMP framework helps you achieve this kind of performance, even on a smartphone.

Want more insights about page speed? You can explore all the findings in the complete 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers here. Access is free and ungated, so take a look.

Reason 1: Limited development resources

A significant hurdle that marketers face when it comes to adding AMP to their site has to do with technical resourcing. Four of the answers to our survey question touched on this problem:

Developers are not experienced with coding for AMP (12% of respondents)

No developer capacity to implement it (32% of respondents)

Too time-consuming to implement it (12% of respondents)

Validation issues with AMP pages we did create (2% of respondents)

It’s no secret that AMP comes with a steep-ish learning curve.

By using a restricted version of HTML and a custom JavaScript library, the framework ensures an optimized (read: fast-loading!) experience. Using Google’s AMP Cache (a content delivery network that stores your page on Google’s servers) further accelerates your pages.

But it also requires your developers to dedicate time to learning and mastering AMP-HTML and the AMP JavaScript library. And since Google’s AMP Cache requires validation once you’ve built an AMP page, there’s really no “good enough” moment here. Either your page works and goes live, or it doesn’t and you need to find your error. Who feels motivated to learn under those conditions?

AMP validation in action—or should I write, “inaction”? (via The AMP Project).

By its very nature, the limitations of AMP also demand a certain, let’s say, technical dexterity. Because bloated scripts tend to be a major contributor to slowdown, AMP’s JavaScript library puts the brakes on the third-party scripting that people have gotten used to using. (And AMP HTML comes with its own quirks.) Working within these constraints can often produce innovation, but it’s also a source of frustration for many who just wanna get stuff done.

Finally, poor analytics has been significant speed bumps on the road to AMP adoption. Tracking and analyzing visitor behavior is an integral part of running an online marketing campaign, but early in its life, AMP asked us to go blind. No thank you.

Why time and dev work are no excuse…

First, let’s be real: the AMP framework is a set of restrictions. That’s the point. So wishing for an AMP without any limitations at all doesn’t make sense.

In addition, many of the difficulties that plagued developers in the early years of AMP are no longer an issue. Tracking, for instance, has improved dramatically since AMP launched in 2015. Today, by using the AMP Analytics tag, you can isolate and analyze AMP traffic in Google Analytics. Though it can’t yet do everything that standard tracking can, it will collect data about users, pages, browsing, and (most significantly) events. As Search Engine Journal points out, “for most content marketers, that’s sufficient.” Not a ringing endorsement, sure, but tracking is now good enough for most marketing purposes.

As AMP development has continued, scripting has also become more robust, and the options available have expanded. Unfortunately, many people rely on scripts from third parties for tracking and integrations, but a lot of companies have been slow to deliver AMP-compatible versions. As adoption has increased, however, so too has the pressure on these companies to deliver.

That said, some of what AMP asks us to leave behind is also inessential. Pages clogged by unoptimized script may soon be looked upon we look at the tailfins on the back of a 50’s Cadillac. (Or, hey, remember the heady days when every site seemed to require Macromedia Flash? When it comes to the web, more isn’t always better.)

Reason 2: Some marketers really don’t get this whole AMP thing

Despite having a mouth to Google’s megaphone, the AMP Project has struggled to be heard beyond web development or publishing circles. When we asked marketers in The Page Speed Report, we discovered the following:

There’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to AMP (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

While 54% of the digital marketers said they have some understanding of AMP, the rest assuredly did not. A quarter of ’em hadn’t even heard of Accelerated Mobile Pages before taking our survey.

Why misunderstanding is no excuse…

First, AMP is hardly floundering, despite the fact that you may not have heard about it. It has the combined might of Google, Pinterest, Twitter, WordPress, and Bing backing it. And AMP already covers more than 31 million domains serving billions of AMP pages. If you browse the web on your smartphone, in other words, chances are very strong you’ve visited an AMP page.

AMP pages appear in the search results with a lightning bolt icon.

Second, if you hadn’t heard of AMP until you read this article, no worries—because now you have. That gives you an advantage over the 24% of marketers who’re still in the dark. It’s always best to think competitively about page speed. Knowing about AMP (and implementing it) can put you out in front of your competitors by dramatically improving your load times.

EDITOR’S NOTE. There’s a lot of misinformation or misunderstanding out there about AMP. You can read more about AMP and its myths in this blog post from Unbounce’s Larissa Hildebrandt.

Reason 3: Google is “evil” now

Even before they stripped the “don’t be evil” clause from their official code of conduct last year, Google earned a reputation for shady doings.

With the launch of the AMP Project in October of 2015, though, they stirred up a controversy that they didn’t seem to anticipate. Critics were quick to argue that AMP represents yet another move to lock down the web, gallingly disguised as an open-source project.

Many of these accusations point to the Google AMP Cache, which speeds up delivery of content by storing your pages on Google’s servers. AMP doesn’t actually require using Google’s cache—people can create their own—but this tends to be how it’s done. In most cases, the content lives with Google, and a searcher may never touch your actual website. As Daniel Miessler puts it, this is potentially “poisonous to the underlying concept of an open internet.”

Why it’s no excuse…

The language of dissent can get a little, uh, heated (see Barry Adam’s colorful “Google AMP Can Go To Hell”) but a free and open internet is a public good we should be all getting behind. Keeping Google from controlling the entire universe is a definite good for free speech and democracy. (And it’s better for business too.)

But so is delivering fast speeds so that more people can access the web. And AMP helps with that, big time. Remember, the loss of net neutrality means providers can potentially throttle speeds, offering “slow” and “fast” lanes depending on what customers can afford. And 70% of connections globally will remain 3G or slower through 2020 regardless. For these reasons, AMP seems downright necessary, and that’s why news organizations—like The Guardian and The New York Times—were among the first to adopt it.

For what it’s worth, Google has pled innocent in the court of public opinion. In September they took steps to distance themselves from the AMP Project by adopting a new governance model that includes other companies. What this means is that—though Googlers conceived and shepherded AMP—its future is now squarely in the hands of a group that may not always act in the tech giant’s interests. That’s a very good thing.

Why marketers should implement AMP

It’s well-known that delays can create anticipation. But make no mistake, your sluggish website in no way resembles the slow, sultry, seductive pour of Heinz ketchup onto a plate of golden french fries. In fact, the experience has more in common with waiting for your number to be called at the DMV.

By making prospects sit through delays, you’re serving up a heaping helping of frustration, annoyance, and uncertainty. All before they ever even see your content…

…or, rather, if they ever see your content. Because many of ’em won’t make it that far. In Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers, a majority of consumers told us that they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before giving up on a slow page.

A majority of consumers say they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before clicking away (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Data gathered by Google says the actual number is closer to 3 seconds. After that, many consumers told us they close their browser or even go to a competitor’s site instead. 45% of them told us that a slow loading site makes them less likely to make a purchase. If you want to get fast—like, really, really fast—AMP can get you there.

Unbounce + AMP

It’s no secret we’re bullish on AMP at Unbounce. That’s because Accelerated Mobile Pages have many tangible benefits as a quick way to create a near-instant visitor experience. Not only can they have a dramatic effect on your conversion rates, but they can also increase organic traffic overall and improve Quality Scores in Google Ads.

We were surprised to learn in the Page Speed Report how many marketers are avoiding AMP due to difficulty with developer resources. So, as part of our initiatives to improve page speeds, we’ve sought to make AMP friendlier to the non-developer, reducing or eliminating frustration. You can now drag and drop together AMP experiences, and we’re walking you through what AMP is, why you need it, and how to implement it.

So what’s the ultimate reason you no longer have an excuse for not implementing AMP?

Because we’re making it much easier.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making AMP landing pages available to all Unbounce customers. Using them can still mean choosing efficiency over flashy scripts, but we’ve already seen our beta test community finding new ways to balance beauty and speed. We’re excited to hear how AMP landing pages impact your conversion rates when they hit. And I’m excited to start sharing some success stories (and actionable takeaways) with readers of this blog.

from Marketing https://unbounce.com/online-marketing/why-marketers-should-implement-amp/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[roypstickney]

Almost 60% of marketers haven’t implemented AMP, see why (and why it’s no excuse)

When it comes to page speed, a few seconds of slowdown can cost you. Slow load times cripple conversion rates, raise the price you pay for ad impressions, and even drive qualified traffic to your competitors.

All this being true, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) would seem like the hail mary pass that marketers have been waiting for. Essentially, AMP is a Google-backed framework for creating web pages that deliver near-instant load times, even on mobile. I say “near-instant” here, but I like how the AMP Project itself puts it: AMP pages are “so fast they appear to load instantly.”

What does AMP mean for marketers? Faster delivery of your content, for one thing. The end of waiting altogether, maybe. Ultimately, AMP can result in a significant uptick in traffic and improved conversion rates overall.

So, naturally, every marketer is planning to adopt it in 2019, right? Right!?

*record scratch*

Marketers have been slow to adopt AMP for a variety of reasons (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Wait, wait, I can explain. As part of our 2019 Page Speed Report, we asked marketers if they planned to implement AMP in the near future. 57% of them told us they have no plans to implement it, while 23% are still considering it.

Those who haven’t adopted the framework have a range of reasons why, but they fall into three broad categories:

AMP requires a significant investment of developer resources.

AMP is poorly understood (or perhaps poorly messaged).

Google’s past behavior has made some people wary of AMP.

I’ll explore these reasons in further detail below. For now, it’s worth saying that each has some validity. But I don’t think any of them—alone or together—should be your excuse not to implement AMP for your marketing campaigns.

In the long run, businesses who overcome these objections will be better positioned than those who don’t, despite perceived drawbacks. As I wrote elsewhere, “Turbo-charged landing pages result in more traffic and higher engagement, boosting conversions and helping PPC campaigns win increased ad impressions for less.” The AMP framework helps you achieve this kind of performance, even on a smartphone.

Want more insights about page speed? You can explore all the findings in the complete 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers here. Access is free and ungated, so take a look.

Reason 1: Limited development resources

A significant hurdle that marketers face when it comes to adding AMP to their site has to do with technical resourcing. Four of the answers to our survey question touched on this problem:

Developers are not experienced with coding for AMP (12% of respondents)

No developer capacity to implement it (32% of respondents)

Too time-consuming to implement it (12% of respondents)

Validation issues with AMP pages we did create (2% of respondents)

It’s no secret that AMP comes with a steep-ish learning curve.

By using a restricted version of HTML and a custom JavaScript library, the framework ensures an optimized (read: fast-loading!) experience. Using Google’s AMP Cache (a content delivery network that stores your page on Google’s servers) further accelerates your pages.

But it also requires your developers to dedicate time to learning and mastering AMP-HTML and the AMP JavaScript library. And since Google’s AMP Cache requires validation once you’ve built an AMP page, there’s really no “good enough” moment here. Either your page works and goes live, or it doesn’t and you need to find your error. Who feels motivated to learn under those conditions?

AMP validation in action—or should I write, “inaction”? (via The AMP Project).

By its very nature, the limitations of AMP also demand a certain, let’s say, technical dexterity. Because bloated scripts tend to be a major contributor to slowdown, AMP’s JavaScript library puts the brakes on the third-party scripting that people have gotten used to using. (And AMP HTML comes with its own quirks.) Working within these constraints can often produce innovation, but it’s also a source of frustration for many who just wanna get stuff done.

Finally, poor analytics has been significant speed bumps on the road to AMP adoption. Tracking and analyzing visitor behavior is an integral part of running an online marketing campaign, but early in its life, AMP asked us to go blind. No thank you.

Why time and dev work are no excuse…

First, let’s be real: the AMP framework is a set of restrictions. That’s the point. So wishing for an AMP without any limitations at all doesn’t make sense.

In addition, many of the difficulties that plagued developers in the early years of AMP are no longer an issue. Tracking, for instance, has improved dramatically since AMP launched in 2015. Today, by using the AMP Analytics tag, you can isolate and analyze AMP traffic in Google Analytics. Though it can’t yet do everything that standard tracking can, it will collect data about users, pages, browsing, and (most significantly) events. As Search Engine Journal points out, “for most content marketers, that’s sufficient.” Not a ringing endorsement, sure, but tracking is now good enough for most marketing purposes.

As AMP development has continued, scripting has also become more robust, and the options available have expanded. Unfortunately, many people rely on scripts from third parties for tracking and integrations, but a lot of companies have been slow to deliver AMP-compatible versions. As adoption has increased, however, so too has the pressure on these companies to deliver.

That said, some of what AMP asks us to leave behind is also inessential. Pages clogged by unoptimized script may soon be looked upon we look at the tailfins on the back of a 50’s Cadillac. (Or, hey, remember the heady days when every site seemed to require Macromedia Flash? When it comes to the web, more isn’t always better.)

Reason 2: Some marketers really don’t get this whole AMP thing

Despite having a mouth to Google’s megaphone, the AMP Project has struggled to be heard beyond web development or publishing circles. When we asked marketers in The Page Speed Report, we discovered the following:

There’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to AMP (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

While 54% of the digital marketers said they have some understanding of AMP, the rest assuredly did not. A quarter of ’em hadn’t even heard of Accelerated Mobile Pages before taking our survey.

Why misunderstanding is no excuse…

First, AMP is hardly floundering, despite the fact that you may not have heard about it. It has the combined might of Google, Pinterest, Twitter, WordPress, and Bing backing it. And AMP already covers more than 31 million domains serving billions of AMP pages. If you browse the web on your smartphone, in other words, chances are very strong you’ve visited an AMP page.

AMP pages appear in the search results with a lightning bolt icon.

Second, if you hadn’t heard of AMP until you read this article, no worries—because now you have. That gives you an advantage over the 24% of marketers who’re still in the dark. It’s always best to think competitively about page speed. Knowing about AMP (and implementing it) can put you out in front of your competitors by dramatically improving your load times.

EDITOR’S NOTE. There’s a lot of misinformation or misunderstanding out there about AMP. You can read more about AMP and its myths in this blog post from Unbounce’s Larissa Hildebrandt.

Reason 3: Google is “evil” now

Even before they stripped the “don’t be evil” clause from their official code of conduct last year, Google earned a reputation for shady doings.

With the launch of the AMP Project in October of 2015, though, they stirred up a controversy that they didn’t seem to anticipate. Critics were quick to argue that AMP represents yet another move to lock down the web, gallingly disguised as an open-source project.

Many of these accusations point to the Google AMP Cache, which speeds up delivery of content by storing your pages on Google’s servers. AMP doesn’t actually require using Google’s cache—people can create their own—but this tends to be how it’s done. In most cases, the content lives with Google, and a searcher may never touch your actual website. As Daniel Miessler puts it, this is potentially “poisonous to the underlying concept of an open internet.”

Why it’s no excuse…

The language of dissent can get a little, uh, heated (see Barry Adam’s colorful “Google AMP Can Go To Hell”) but a free and open internet is a public good we should be all getting behind. Keeping Google from controlling the entire universe is a definite good for free speech and democracy. (And it’s better for business too.)

But so is delivering fast speeds so that more people can access the web. And AMP helps with that, big time. Remember, the loss of net neutrality means providers can potentially throttle speeds, offering “slow” and “fast” lanes depending on what customers can afford. And 70% of connections globally will remain 3G or slower through 2020 regardless. For these reasons, AMP seems downright necessary, and that’s why news organizations—like The Guardian and The New York Times—were among the first to adopt it.

For what it’s worth, Google has pled innocent in the court of public opinion. In September they took steps to distance themselves from the AMP Project by adopting a new governance model that includes other companies. What this means is that—though Googlers conceived and shepherded AMP—its future is now squarely in the hands of a group that may not always act in the tech giant’s interests. That’s a very good thing.

Why marketers should implement AMP

It’s well-known that delays can create anticipation. But make no mistake, your sluggish website in no way resembles the slow, sultry, seductive pour of Heinz ketchup onto a plate of golden french fries. In fact, the experience has more in common with waiting for your number to be called at the DMV.

By making prospects sit through delays, you’re serving up a heaping helping of frustration, annoyance, and uncertainty. All before they ever even see your content…

…or, rather, if they ever see your content. Because many of ’em won’t make it that far. In Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers, a majority of consumers told us that they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before giving up on a slow page.

A majority of consumers say they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before clicking away (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Data gathered by Google says the actual number is closer to 3 seconds. After that, many consumers told us they close their browser or even go to a competitor’s site instead. 45% of them told us that a slow loading site makes them less likely to make a purchase. If you want to get fast—like, really, really fast—AMP can get you there.

Unbounce + AMP

It’s no secret we’re bullish on AMP at Unbounce. That’s because Accelerated Mobile Pages have many tangible benefits as a quick way to create a near-instant visitor experience. Not only can they have a dramatic effect on your conversion rates, but they can also increase organic traffic overall and improve Quality Scores in Google Ads.

We were surprised to learn in the Page Speed Report how many marketers are avoiding AMP due to difficulty with developer resources. So, as part of our initiatives to improve page speeds, we’ve sought to make AMP friendlier to the non-developer, reducing or eliminating frustration. You can now drag and drop together AMP experiences, and we’re walking you through what AMP is, why you need it, and how to implement it.

So what’s the ultimate reason you no longer have an excuse for not implementing AMP?

Because we’re making it much easier.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making AMP landing pages available to all Unbounce customers. Using them can still mean choosing efficiency over flashy scripts, but we’ve already seen our beta test community finding new ways to balance beauty and speed. We’re excited to hear how AMP landing pages impact your conversion rates when they hit. And I’m excited to start sharing some success stories (and actionable takeaways) with readers of this blog.

[archiebwoollard]

Expand Your YouTube Ads’ Reach With Custom Intent Audiences

For my awareness campaigns, I’ve always implemented custom audiences first for my clients. No matter what size their budgets, it’s important to try to capitalize on our target audience first before broadening our reach.

Custom affinity audiences used to be my go-to for YouTube campaigns because I could create audiences from a combination of keywords and URLs based on people’s interests and habits. They still work very well for many of my campaigns.

I suspect many of you do the same.

These days, though, we can get more specific with our audience targeting on YouTube thanks to custom intent audiences for video campaigns, which use broad-match search terms people have actually searched on Google. Unlike affinity audiences, this allows you to try to target people who were actively searching for your product or service.

Sound good? Let me show you my favorite different types of custom intent audiences I like to create for almost all of my clients running YouTube ads:

Converting Search Queries

Converting Keywords

Localized Terms

Top Selling Products (for Ecommerce Sites)

Internal Site Search Queries

I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of setting them up (that’s pretty intuitive for you advertisers), but you will see which I apply to get the reach we all want for our campaigns:

EDITOR’S NOTE: Joe’s a pro, but if you’re still a little unclear on the difference between custom affinity audiences and custom intent audiences, just remember the following: Affinity audiences are based on people’s general habits and interests when browsing online (i.e., reading a lot of marketing blogs), while intent audiences target people based on what they’re currently searching for (i.e., “landing page builder”).

Must Try: Converting Search Queries

You basically have to start with converting search queries. This is the no-brainer—as in, must try immediately—custom intent audience! Think about it: Google Ads tells us what our converting visitors were actually looking for on Google. Don’t we want to try and get in front of more prospects like these? Of course we do!

Use the search terms report in Google Ads to build a custom intent audience based on searches that have converted in the past.

If you have a lot of traffic, you may want to create a different custom intent audience from search queries in specific campaign sets. It’s completely up to you.

Just make sure you use at least 50 keywords for your custom intent audiences. This is one Google best practice I agree with. From what I’ve seen in my own campaigns, the amount of keywords doesn’t affect the quality of performance, but I have seen it affect the number of impressions we get. Only segment your queries if you have at least 50 per campaign set to give your awareness campaigns more volume and reach from the start.

Converting Keywords

Now hold on a second! I know what you are thinking.

You’re thinking, “Wait a minute. You just told us to add converting search queries. Isn’t this pretty much the same thing?”

No. No, it is not.

The keywords you are targeting most likely aren’t exactly matching what searchers actually typed into Google. Also, match types keep changing and do not work the same as they did in the past. An audience created from converting keywords will perform differently than a custom intent audience from converting search queries. (So, if it isn’t clear, you should create separate audiences from both.)

Great For Brick and Mortar: Localized Terms

This can work for single-location small businesses. Or it can work for larger chains with a lot of brick-and-mortar stores. Create a custom audience to try to separate prospective customers who would prefer to visit your physical location and those who would be buying your products from across the country.

Local search terms (like city names) and “near me” searches can be used to build very effective custom intent audiences.

By separating out your local search terms, including the ever-popular “near me” terms, you can update your location targeting to better serve the campaign. If certain regions or cities get more searches, then create a local campaign covering that geographic area.

Use video creative that speaks to potential customers within that area. If people in your area are searching for your products or services, a custom intent audience around these terms can easily help get in front of these new users.

Top Selling Products (Ecommerce)

Building a custom intent audience around top selling products can be a great way for ecommerce sites to extend their reach.

Can we just look at the product information we get in Google Ads to create this audience? You could, but Google Ads will never give you the full picture.

Instead, for this audience, I like to rely on Google Analytics. Your converting search queries will only pull from your PPC campaigns, but Google Analytics will show you the best selling products when looking at all channels.

Google Analytics shows you what products are the best selling across all channels (not just paid).

My main goal with this audience is to try to push more interest in my top selling products, but I can also use this to boost other products.

Let me explain. You could have products that sell really well, or have really good margins, but they’re just lacking volume. Why? These products might just have a lack of awareness. So instead of an audience going after the most sales, you may want to look at “top selling” products as the ones making you the most profit.

Again, there is no best practice here. Do what you think is best for your business.

Internal Site Search Queries

We are sticking with Google Analytics again. Odds are your company has a lot of visitors coming to your site via brand campaigns, organic brand searches, or through direct traffic. We won’t get the best data on what they intended to do or buy when they landed on your site. For this scenario, look at the Site Search report in Google Analytics.

The Site Search report allows you to build yet another custom intent audience based on visitor interests.

You might see a different list of products that people are looking for compared to the data you see only in Google Ads. Even if you don’t see a list of specific products, the Site Search report might give you an understanding of categories that are popular for visitors at the moment. Use this information to test out some different custom intent audiences.

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s a bit sneaky, but custom intent audiences can be used for competitor targeting as well. Unbounce’s own Larissa Hildebrandt covered this topic in a recent blog post. Check it out.

Start Testing Out Custom Intent Audiences

I only shared a few ideas I like to try first for custom intent audiences. No doubt there are many options I haven’t included in this post. Think of all the different ways you may want to segment search terms, keywords, or URLs to reach a new—but relevant—audience.

Ever since YouTube introduced custom intent audiences in Google Ads, they have consistently been my top performing audiences for user engagement and even revenue for my TrueView for Shopping campaigns. Test these out, and let the Unbounce community know which custom intent audiences you have tested in your campaigns in the comments below.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8217493 https://unbounce.com/ppc/youtube-custom-intent-audiences/

[littlemarketingproject]

Expand Your YouTube Ads’ Reach With Custom Intent Audiences

For my awareness campaigns, I’ve always implemented custom audiences first for my clients. No matter what size their budgets, it’s important to try to capitalize on our target audience first before broadening our reach.

Custom affinity audiences used to be my go-to for YouTube campaigns because I could create audiences from a combination of keywords and URLs based on people’s interests and habits. They still work very well for many of my campaigns.

I suspect many of you do the same.

These days, though, we can get more specific with our audience targeting on YouTube thanks to custom intent audiences for video campaigns, which use broad-match search terms people have actually searched on Google. Unlike affinity audiences, this allows you to try to target people who were actively searching for your product or service.

Sound good? Let me show you my favorite different types of custom intent audiences I like to create for almost all of my clients running YouTube ads:

Converting Search Queries

Converting Keywords

Localized Terms

Top Selling Products (for Ecommerce Sites)

Internal Site Search Queries

I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of setting them up (that’s pretty intuitive for you advertisers), but you will see which I apply to get the reach we all want for our campaigns:

EDITOR’S NOTE: Joe’s a pro, but if you’re still a little unclear on the difference between custom affinity audiences and custom intent audiences, just remember the following: Affinity audiences are based on people’s general habits and interests when browsing online (i.e., reading a lot of marketing blogs), while intent audiences target people based on what they’re currently searching for (i.e., “landing page builder”).

Must Try: Converting Search Queries

You basically have to start with converting search queries. This is the no-brainer—as in, must try immediately—custom intent audience! Think about it: Google Ads tells us what our converting visitors were actually looking for on Google. Don’t we want to try and get in front of more prospects like these? Of course we do!

Use the search terms report in Google Ads to build a custom intent audience based on searches that have converted in the past.

If you have a lot of traffic, you may want to create a different custom intent audience from search queries in specific campaign sets. It’s completely up to you.

Just make sure you use at least 50 keywords for your custom intent audiences. This is one Google best practice I agree with. From what I’ve seen in my own campaigns, the amount of keywords doesn’t affect the quality of performance, but I have seen it affect the number of impressions we get. Only segment your queries if you have at least 50 per campaign set to give your awareness campaigns more volume and reach from the start.

Converting Keywords

Now hold on a second! I know what you are thinking.

You’re thinking, “Wait a minute. You just told us to add converting search queries. Isn’t this pretty much the same thing?”

No. No, it is not.

The keywords you are targeting most likely aren’t exactly matching what searchers actually typed into Google. Also, match types keep changing and do not work the same as they did in the past. An audience created from converting keywords will perform differently than a custom intent audience from converting search queries. (So, if it isn’t clear, you should create separate audiences from both.)

Great For Brick and Mortar: Localized Terms

This can work for single-location small businesses. Or it can work for larger chains with a lot of brick-and-mortar stores. Create a custom audience to try to separate prospective customers who would prefer to visit your physical location and those who would be buying your products from across the country.

Local search terms (like city names) and “near me” searches can be used to build very effective custom intent audiences.

By separating out your local search terms, including the ever-popular “near me” terms, you can update your location targeting to better serve the campaign. If certain regions or cities get more searches, then create a local campaign covering that geographic area.

Use video creative that speaks to potential customers within that area. If people in your area are searching for your products or services, a custom intent audience around these terms can easily help get in front of these new users.

Top Selling Products (Ecommerce)

Building a custom intent audience around top selling products can be a great way for ecommerce sites to extend their reach.

Can we just look at the product information we get in Google Ads to create this audience? You could, but Google Ads will never give you the full picture.

Instead, for this audience, I like to rely on Google Analytics. Your converting search queries will only pull from your PPC campaigns, but Google Analytics will show you the best selling products when looking at all channels.

Google Analytics shows you what products are the best selling across all channels (not just paid).

My main goal with this audience is to try to push more interest in my top selling products, but I can also use this to boost other products.

Let me explain. You could have products that sell really well, or have really good margins, but they’re just lacking volume. Why? These products might just have a lack of awareness. So instead of an audience going after the most sales, you may want to look at “top selling” products as the ones making you the most profit.

Again, there is no best practice here. Do what you think is best for your business.

Internal Site Search Queries

We are sticking with Google Analytics again. Odds are your company has a lot of visitors coming to your site via brand campaigns, organic brand searches, or through direct traffic. We won’t get the best data on what they intended to do or buy when they landed on your site. For this scenario, look at the Site Search report in Google Analytics.

The Site Search report allows you to build yet another custom intent audience based on visitor interests.

You might see a different list of products that people are looking for compared to the data you see only in Google Ads. Even if you don’t see a list of specific products, the Site Search report might give you an understanding of categories that are popular for visitors at the moment. Use this information to test out some different custom intent audiences.

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s a bit sneaky, but custom intent audiences can be used for competitor targeting as well. Unbounce’s own Larissa Hildebrandt covered this topic in a recent blog post. Check it out.

Start Testing Out Custom Intent Audiences

I only shared a few ideas I like to try first for custom intent audiences. No doubt there are many options I haven’t included in this post. Think of all the different ways you may want to segment search terms, keywords, or URLs to reach a new—but relevant—audience.

Ever since YouTube introduced custom intent audiences in Google Ads, they have consistently been my top performing audiences for user engagement and even revenue for my TrueView for Shopping campaigns. Test these out, and let the Unbounce community know which custom intent audiences you have tested in your campaigns in the comments below.

Expand Your YouTube Ads’ Reach With Custom Intent Audiences syndicated from https://unbounce.com