#and also if there is less/more than 50 pages . ignore that

[astralzeraphias]

assigned blame

[blazehedgehog]

Ignoring how current writers have been nudging in this direction, do you think Sonic and Amy have any genuine chemistry with each other?

I'm going to upset a follower or two and say... no, not really.

Their dynamic started out as a trope: Amy, the kid, falls for an older free spirit. It's the same thing as a 9 year old reading an issue of, like, Tiger Beat magazine or something and developing a crush on Justin Bieber or whatever celebrity "cute boy" is currently the "in" thing.

The joke being that instead of fawning all over him from the pages of a magazine, Amy Rose confronts him in person, and he has to be like "Uhhhh, thanks, but no thanks." But she hangs around anyway because she's crushing super hard. It's meant to be cute and one sided and harmless.

It became a problem when Amy started getting aggressive about it. When she began talking about forcefully taking Sonic. It very quickly stopped being cute. There are multiple horror movies about that exact topic.

They thankfully backed down from that, and I didn't mind how simple and cute it was in, say, Sonic Unleashed, where it went back to being just this nice little crush she had. She was there to support Sonic.

Where I start to draw the line is something that started with Sonic Boom, where Sonic is portrayed as someone in a position to reciprocate Amy's feelings. It's supposed to be funny, but there's this undercurrent of "will they/won't they" where they both kind of get nervous when the topic gets brought up and neither wants to admit feelings for the other.

That's just as weird to me as the days where Amy was expressing her love for Sonic violently, because Amy is definitely supposed to be younger than Sonic.

This is its own whole can of worms, because some would (rightfully) say that ages in Sonic games don't matter. It's rare that anyone acts their age anymore, and that's true of the modern interpretations of the characters.

And then there's the whole thing about age differences in relationships at all. Some people are only comfortable with a difference of 2-3 years, while others are comfortable with much wider gaps.

I'm of the opinion that the older you are, the less it matters. If you're 50 and you're dating someone that's 40, I would argue there's not much difference there. The more mileage you have, the smaller the differences become.

But if you're, like, 15? And you're dating someone that's supposed to be 10 or 11 years old? Then it gets real weird, real fast, for a multitude of reasons. We grow up a lot in a very short amount of time. And I say this as someone who, when he was 17, had a girlfriend that turned 16 while they were together. I was sat down and given "the talk" about how, when I was 18, it would be a long time until she was also 18.

You know. For reasons.

So while you could say that the modern interpretations of these characters all act roughly the same age (with Tails and Cream as an exception), I still remember the days where Amy Rose was meant to be this young little groupie with a one-sided crush on this older guy that rejected her advances.

Flipping that script and saying that Sonic is actually a little reciprocal now...?

Ew.

Doesn't matter how appealing they make Amy to Sonic. Ew ew ew.

[murphychips]

a treacherous descent into werewolf romance fiction

okay so. this story begins with me being on facebook, scrolling through videos, and getting these adverts at the end of EVERY video clip from these sites:

and i mean EVERY single one. and out of deranged curiosity i ended up clicking them and checking out their previews only to find maybe some of the more garbage i've ever had the displeasure of reading. each advert was different and each story varied, but all of them had dogshit quality.

eventually, i wondered who was making this stuff; MULTIPLE apps were being advertised to me under a bunch of different names, and all of them were centred around werewolves or mafia or billionaires. sometimes all three!

so i downloaded a couple of apps to see if i could identify an owner, but those all varied too! most don't even have websites; the app is the only thing they have. almost none of them have author names, or any way to identify the writer, and there's no way to submit to most of them. eventually, i chased up a few of these apps on reviews to find most appear to be stealing content from across the internet:

some of these are stolen from amazon, others are stolen from similar apps are cross-posted, others--as one comment says--appear to be scalping from wattpad (and likely AO3 and fanfic.net, although i'm currently trying to find examples).

HOWEVER

one app that crossed my phone was Letterlux, which does feature a submit page and appears to actually promote original work! the genres remain the same--werewolves, billionaires, mafia, etc--and so i was like alright. this appears to be a publishing outlet of SOME kind. what's the catch?

the catch is the abysmal fucking offerings:

the 'exclusive' contract here is if you do the whole 'submit a thing and they extend an offer', whereas non-exclusive is you just posting the thing. but look at the numbers! look how low they are! $450 if your story is above 200,000 words????????????????? and you have to post EVERY DAY for the update bonus; if you miss more than 4 days, you're out of the running. HOLY EXPLOITATION BATMAN. never mind that for the non-exclusive, you get a measly $250 for 200,000 words and NO update bonus. with the signing bonus of a whole $50, that's $300 for 200,000+ words: a whopping 0.0015 per word.

another app that appears to promote original work is Galatea, owned by inkitt; it appears legit in that it's been advertised by a bunch of different places, i.e. Writer's Digest, and has a fairly slick site, but reviews from users say it's a scam--a less predatory scam than usual, but still a scam.

TL;DR, if you write heterosexual steamy werewolf romance, your shit is likely making money for some company in whoknowsistan, who use microtransactions to make you pay for individual books. and i haven't even TALKED about how some of these apps have some of the most crazy IP protection i have ever seen, such as banning you for an hour if you screencap ANYTHING, and hiding recorded videos:

but despite all this, and this horrible rabbithole of novel apps i've fallen down, nothing compares to me having to read all this fiction and realising that we are ignorant to the quantities of sheer bad werewolf writing out there, so much so that i'm honestly tempted to post my own straight-bait just to see how far i can get. things that i've noticed:

all the female protagonists start off as abused or hated and are saved by some Alpha/Alpha King/Alpha Demon/idk man

sometimes the werewolf aspect is just an inner wolf who like. yells at you sometimes?

there's gamma rank werewolves?

there's DELTA rank werewolves?????????????

i honestly think i'm becoming addicted to finding out just how unhinged some of these stories get, but that is beside the point: in the end, for the love of god, don't be a dumbass and use these shady apps, and do NOT submit to places who won't even give you an entire penny per word. also, check your shit; it might have been scalped for someone else's profit. okay. ciao.

[whyisstarkidfollowingmeshoo]

A post for all new and longtime Jeff Blim livestream viewers and chatters. Welcome! (updated on March 8 2024)

*check https://starkid.fandom.com/wiki/Jeff_Blim to compare facts here. For now, the wikia is more updated than this since everyone knows where it is. But this post has further information than the one in wikia.

Update (May 15, 2024) Thank you so much for following me. I apologize for not following back but I may find your posts (and like or repost them) when they have a Jeff Blim tag and other tags in my list. Update: May 27 2024. Watch Jeff's last stream where he checked his wiki. He said he will do some or a few edits and he made some corrections. I don't know when I'll check it myself. Any edits from other fans are highly encouraged. For me, there is no longer to add info here and on the wiki at least about his history. His wiki is already too long enough lol. Update: June 7 2024 Started slowly updating his wiki again and maybe make it even funnier or sarcastic lol maybe because of the way he reacted while reading it

Sometimes we read the same questions over and over on his stream and he has answered all of them in the past. Or accidentally ignores/did not read the old, repeated question, so he can't answer because he's busy doing stuff on the stream. And sometimes, instead of giving the answer to our fellow fans, we just give joke answers instead because we are that silly. I'm trying hard to remember fun facts/stuff he shared on his livestreams and will update if I can. Please help with mistakes on recollection to avoid fake facts. Thank you...

I. The Content in his livestreaming. Well, most days we listen to demos, Jeff live composing his music/songs and some of them are spoiler-less clues to up-and-coming StarKid shows, showcase his difficult and complex relationship with Logic and Stream labs (gee, that sounds familiar. There is screaming/shouting and desk hitting, followed by amazing wit to calm his nerves) listen to him improv and say funny things sometimes based on what Chat is typing about. And have that clout chaser and clout black hole named Jon Matteson as his guest in his streams, most of the time via phone call. If Jon ever gets on his stream, good luck trying to get attention from Jeff on the chat lol. The bromance is strong in this one (although I have gotten Jeff's attention once while Jon was on stream but it was about Jon haha).

Sometimes Jeff just wants to hang out and talk anything, jam with his piano, answer personality quizzes that we give him, give out audition advices (Uncle Jeff's audition hotline. make sure to identify when he's being sincere and when's he's joking/being sarcastic), talk about his hobbies, do spreadsheet baseball... On his hot takes, they are plainly hot takes and you don't have to agree with whatever he says. His hot takes are, half of the time, for entertainment purposes only. Send acting audition help inquiries to Blimswork@gmail.com to make your dream work. More cheaper charges than the one in Broadway Plus. You can also DM Uncle Jeff on his active social media accounts (Twitch, IG) No silly messages pls. Just acting audition help business ONLY. His rates are 75 dollars per hour, 50 for half. To those who can afford, he has a patreon page if you want downloadable copies to the songs he composes on his streams. The link is in his Twitch and YT pages.

II. Music 1. He started learning the piano as a young boy. His teacher was a Russian woman (I can't remember her name). Then he switched to the trumpet and told his father he didn't want to play the piano anymore. 2. He was never a member of a drum corps but went to a camp for it by the The Cavaliers. 3. He only joined Amazin Blue, an a cappella group in UMich, because he wanted to be in a band. He ended up becoming their music director because he wanted every member to have a song where they provided the main vocals, which is something that he butted heads with previous music directors in the past. He won an award for a cappella arrangement for his work with Amazin Blue. Their two albums (Shades of Blue and Self-Titled) can be found in Bandcamp One of his former fellow members in AB is also famous now. The half of the team behind Dear Evan Hansen, Justin Paul.

5. He was a trumpet player at the church where he grew up. (one of his first jobs). 6. According to him, he used to listen to awful Christian rock while growing up. 7. His dad is a retired band director. 8. Likes The 1975 9. He mentioned in Feb 23, 2024 on his stream that he does not want to sing Get In My Mouth live again because he does not want to relive the memory of playing a giant spider. He still thinks it's a great song.

III. Jobs First: Taking out the trash for a neighbor. Second: Trumpet player at the church where he grew up. Third: High school - Trumpet player and played as an "executioner" at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater (??? I'm not well-versed about this as I don't live in the US). After college, while looking for acting jobs and writing TTO. New York City Fourth: Carrying signs for Disney at Times Square. Fifth: Theater Usher (his favorite job). Los Angeles Sixth: working for THAT infamous Los Angeles escape room that he got from Nick Lang. Seventh: Full-time streamer, actor, singer, composer, dancer, acting coach, Internet Uncle to 20+ nephews and nieces 😆 around the world. A. One of his fave TV jobs is his appearance on HBO's Veep because he loves the show. B. On the 911 episode where his chef character accidentally hurts himself, he said he didn't particularly enjoyed his time shooting that ep because he was strapped with a heavy object on his chest during the bloody scene. C. Shooting 24/7: Lego Maniac was fun Eighth: He said a few times he's not auditioning anymore and will only take roles offered to him. Whether it's a joke or not, let's just take that as fact for now lol. There was a phase in his life that he got tired of auditioning (NYC, while writing TTO).

IV. StarKid Stuff

(while answering a personality quiz and as of late 2023 or early 2024) Fave Hatchetfield musical: Black Friday. (while answering a personality quiz as of late 2023 or early 2024) Fave LiB: Nibbly. For the longest time, he considers "Lost Without You" as his/one of his favorite songs that he wrote because it's his first ballad. Generally, if you ask him what's his fave StarKid song or what's his favorite play/musical he was a part, he can't/won't choose because he considers all of them his favorite. 2. I've read this many times, Max Jagerman was never written for Jeff. He may replicate the energy but he is too old to play a high schooler. Can you imagine him doing the shirtless scene during Dirty Girl? His body is no longer like when he did Aladdin in Twisted. He is no longer in his 20s. 3. He said he had the most fun composing for Black Friday.

V. StarKid Tangent Stuff 1. As of Feb 2024, Jeff announced that Rim Tim Timmy is dead. RIP Rim Tim Timmy. :,-( Meanwhile, his sister (chat head canon and Jeff laughed at the name) Rim (Ram) Tam Tammy is alive and well, thank yewww.... VI. Movies 1. For list of movies he loves, check out Rim Tim Timmy's Movies Movies Movies. Yes, you don't know half/most of the movies he likes cause he's old and you're a Gen Z-er. Get a grip. 2. His first and only appearance so far in a full length film is in his brother's indie movie Mondo Hollywoodland. As of now, the movie is available to watch for free in some streaming sites. VII. Likes 1. Coffee once a day, most of the time spending 10 dollars a cup from a shop. He has thankfully quit on nitro. He describes it like a drug addiction he needs to curb. He wants the baristas who are serving him to have that indifferent vibe.

2. Spreadsheet baseball. He plays with classic/ old school famous baseball players. He used to just play on an excel spreadsheet that he made himself until a fan who showed up on one of the TGWDLM showings and told him that he can compete with other people online.

3. Is a fan of the up and coming sport of arm wrestling. He only watches people arm wrestle, not engage in one.

[mirisss]

What a boyfriend is for

Pairing: Sung Hanbin x gn! reader

Wordcount ≈ 700

Warnings: stress, anxiety, exams, not eating because of stress, food, eating, 

(y/n)’s POV

Being a college student is hard, especially when exams are coming up and no matter how much you study you feel like you don’t know anything. So the closer exams are, the more anxious and stressed out you become. That is me right now. I haven’t checked my phone all day as I've been trying to study, though the more I read the less I understand. I don’t think I’ve eaten all day, honestly, I don’t remember. I’m so close to crying, actually, if I think about it, I’m actually crying already, probs have been crying the entire day. I’m sitting on the floor, surrounded by books and my notes, yet nothing seems to help me remember or understand anything for the exam. 

It was close to 8.30 pm when I heard a knock on my front door, I thought it might be my neighbor who was worried after hearing my cries all day, so I ignored it. A minute later I heard the lock turning, someone was breaking into my apartment with a key?!? I began stressing over that, yet I didn’t move, only thinking over the scenario of someone breaking into my apartment. ���Jagi? (Y/n)? Love? Are you here?” I was so anxious that I didn’t hear my boyfriend’s voice calling out for me, I didn’t notice him until he came into my room and sat down in front of me. “Hanbin?” “(Y/n), love, are you okay? I was so worried about you because you haven’t answered my texts or calls all day,” “I’m so stressed Hanbin, I’ve been studying for weeks yet I know nothing. I’m gonna fail, I don’t know what to do Hanbin,” Hanbin moved closer to me and wiped away some of the tears that were falling down my cheeks, and then he enveloped me in a much-needed hug. “Darling, I know how hard you’ve been studying, I’m sure you know more than you think, this is just your anxiety making you doubt yourself. Have you eaten?” “I don’t know, I don’t think I have, I’ve been so focused that the entire day just feels like a blur,” “Okay, I’ll order us some food, you go sit on the bed or on the couch and rest a little, you shouldn’t fry your brain,” “But,” “No buts, trust me,” With the help of Hanbin I got off the floor and went to go sit on the couch, waiting for Hanbin to join me. 

Once our food arrived we began eating and I realized just how hungry I was. “What’s the topic for the exam?” “It’s on [insert topic/subject],” “Oh, what can you tell me about it?” “Well,-” Without realizing it I began telling Hanbin so much information on the topic I could write a 50-page essay on it. “OH! WAIT, WHAT?!? I, I know the material?” “Of course you do, honey you’ve been studying for weeks,” “But, earlier I didn’t know anything,” “Your anxiety plays a trick on you, the second you stopped overthinking it you knew the material. What day is your exam?” “It’s on the [ınsert date],” “I don’t have a schedule that day, why don’t I drop you off and pick you up, imagine I’m right there with you like right now,” “Hanbin, you’re the best, I love you,” “That’s what a boyfriend is for. I love you too!” He gave me a kiss on the lips before he motioned toward the food, reminding me to eat some more. I’m really lucky to have such a nice and handsome boyfriend who would also drop everything just to help me study, or send his bestie Zhang Hao to help me seeing as Hao has a degree as a college teacher. But for me, the kindergarten teacher's charm works better. Sung Hanbin, the man you are.

[centeris2]

oh I just noticed SSO posted a news article two days ago about the Hollow Woods. so I'm gonna ramble about it. under the cut so folks don't have to read it

uh of course glyph puzzles were being ignored. When 1 powder cost 50 light but only got you 10 (or 15?) light in return? It's way more cost effective to save up powders for satchels, or wait until the higher levels of glyph puzzles so the 1 powder investment is worth it. Not to mention the number of powders increases every single time so like... no? That's just not a cost effective way to spend powders. Still isn't, tbh. Now that I've unlocked the highest difficulty+reward I'll do each of the glyph puzzles once a day, maybe twice since they give more than the satchels do per powder.

but the fact that it takes until the hardest difficulty+reward (so a LOT of light invested into that path) to make it worth the light investment? Yeah no, that's not going to be one that people do right off the bat. Not to mention the issue where the fog doesn't actually reflect how big the area is, so I keep getting the "you left the area" message when I'm still standing in purple fog.

And of course the runecarving is popular, it went hand in hand with the firefly collection, you run around and then you go "oh hey thing on the ground/tree". And it didn't cost anything to do it, unlike the satchels and glyph puzzles. And chasing wisps can be difficult if your camera is finicky or if you are focused on other things and don't want to take off in a random direction.

It's also wild to me that this system of "chose whatever path you want!" is... idk. Pick Your Path except how dare you ignore these aspects of gameplay. But yes, making the other things feel rewarding as well is definitely a good idea to make them more appealing to people, because I do like the glyph hunt and I'd do it way more if it didn't cost me powders (or an ever increasing amount) and had a secret "you went too far" barrier that isn't the purple fog.

What do you MEAN you were surprised?? Did you folks not set the costs? How were you shocked that people hungry for content would gobble it up in a few days? I found all 100 spiders in less than 24 hours because it was finally something to do and because I'm a completionist! If there is a thing to fill out I want to fill it out. Not to mention it was FUN! Put on music or a podcast and just run around exploring the new area for hours! It was great! The only reason I didn't do it this time around was because I was busy and spend my time on other things.

Anyway. I have chilled out and now am taking a much slower approach to things because I've unlocked most things I want. I already own the magic horses and pets so no rush. I have no wardrobe space so no rush to unlock the clothes or gear. I already got the hair and makeup unlocks. I still have to unlock the Pandoric cosmetics, but I know those cost light to buy so not really in a rush to spend 3,200 light to unlock and then more light to buy each one.

There are some horse XP unlocks still, but ehhh it's so easy to get horse XP now that there isn't a rush there either.

I do, however, really enjoy the overall ideas. And I love anything that gives more makeup and hairstyles! More exciting makeup colors and unnatural hair colors!!! Now if only long hair models actually worked on the larger player model instead of just disappearing into the back.... but thank god it was finally something that wasn't a new color on the short page cut hair that every single damn NPC has.

[danidoesathing]

would it help if i asked you to infodump on hyperfixation

YES THANK YOU

Ok so like. I'll be the first to say I way prefer the music video's version of the World Ender story over the comics. I really like the fire motif Cobb has and personally I think the pacing of the MV's story is better (in the comics he killed Winthrop first and then forms the World Enders gang to help track down the rest vs in the MV him going after the employees first and forming the world enders as he goes along and killing Winthrop at the end).

But. but. ok so his origin in the comic is the same except instead of a house fire, it's a sinkhole below their house. We know the whole Yawning Grave thing and it does later come back in the comic. Additionally, he had actually worked in construction for Winthrop and had actually bought the land from him (while the MV implies Winthrop had started the house fire to acquire the land). The reason Avery goes after revenge this time is because Winthrop had sold the land knowing there was a very big structural issues underneath it but never said anything. Which, while still very evil, is much less actively malicious than him actively setting Cobb's house on fire with him and his family inside. The comics also plays with the flaws in Cobb's idea of justice and if these people are deserving of his vengeance. Specifically, there's a comic page that has this as a sort of narration:

"I suspect there are some who say that Andrew Winthrop is undeserving of such a designation as 'evil'.

Does money lust make you evil? How about ambition?

What if you'll do anything to get it?

Cobb didn't ask for the land documents when Winthrop gave him the plot for his home.

If he had, he would've known about that sleeping sinkhole.

Does ignorance make you deserving?"

ALL OF WHICH. IS OVERLAYED ON THE SCENE OF HIS HOUSE COLLAPSING INTO THE SINKHOLE. WITH HIS FAMILY INSIDE. AND HIM RUNNING INSIDE TO PULL THEM OUT.

WHICH. FUCKED UP AND EVIL ACTUALLY???

and I'm so so interested in what is going on with him now. the World Ender storyline(s) take place in the 50s, and the latest point we see him is in a brief cameo in Vide Noir (which takes place in 1967). During this time, we know that he passes the leadership of the gang onto Alex. We have no clue 1. why he passed the leadership onto to Alex or at all and 2. what he has been doing in the mean time (is he still with the Enders?? is he still going off killing to try and satisfy his rage??? has he stopped??? has he chilled out or is he still violently angry??? did he ever find a way to undo his immortality???). And then his appearance in Vide Noir just. leaves me with SO many questions. What is he doing in the club at all? Why was he down there? Was he there at all, or was he a hallucination/vision/ghost? why did running into him trigger another time space jump? is it because he's inhuman? what does that mean in terms of his connection to Vide Noir? if he was a ghost/vision/hallucination, what the HELL does that mean in terms of how he's related to Buck?? if he wasn't actually there, why does Buck see him at all when he's got no clue who/what the World Ender even is?? did Cobb know there was something up with him and his fucked up stasis with the universe?? or his encounter with johnnie?? does he know anything about the events of Vide Noir?? what was he doing??? what does it mean what does it MEAN

and then like. what the HELL is the World Ender curse?? is it the specific brand of immortality he has??? Cobb is the only immortal character that we know of, but he's not the only undead character and Secret of Life implies there's more out there (though that could be metaphorical, but its hard to tell when Lost and Time in Space turned out to be literal). The curse is referenced a few times in random places but I've still got no idea what it means. and what the HELL does any of it have to due with the concept of the Yawning Grave. Yawning Grave (the song) is one of the few Strange Trails songs that both has no listed narrator but also with no clear connection to any of the established characters (both then and now). As far as we know, the narrator of Yawning Grave is a deity/force of nature of some kind, but not much more than that. But the comics imply that Cobb probably has got some connection to it. which. how??? in what way??? Is he the actual narrator??? is it just a random lyrical reference or does it have actual effects on the lore?? im so curious about him and even if he's gotten so much content theres still so much about the guy we dont know.

[pastafossa]

Hey, Pasta! I have a sorta-dumb question, so feel free to ignore it. Soooo, I write fanfic-OC inserts a lot (Daredevil, TFAWS, Shadow and Bone, Daughter of Smoke and Bone), and I used to write the chapters - really more like oneshots - in a Gdoc and webshare it on Twitter because I hate plot and there was no need for any of that fancy fanfic page stuff. However, now that I'm on Tumblr, I have been told that the Gdoc method is insecure and troublesome (true) and that I should, if I may quote my sister, "Just post it in AO3 if you're gonna write so much."

I have the common writer's anxiety, so I've never been comfortable with sharing my work in such a public manner, but I decided that I may just make an AO3 account. But! I wanted the opinion of 1) a seasoned AO3er and 2) a writer I like and admire, so my question for you is: Is AO3 a site that you'd recommend/do you feel like there's a good community over there? Tysm!

This isn't a dumb question at all, and I totally get the anxiety to post in a more public way (and also thank you so much!)! So I've been on AO3 for about seven years now between my Pasta account and my old account. Before that I was a kid posting my first fics on ffn, I tried LiveJournal at one point, and I've obviously posted on tumblr, so I've tried a faaaairly wide variety of fic sites save for something like wattpad. And I have to say, even with its hiccups, AO3 is hands down my favorite fic site to write on, my favorite site to read on, and - imo - the best fic site out there for posting.

The tagging system is unmatched once you get the hang of it, and it makes it so, so gd easy for readers to find your fic based on whatever niche tropes or tags they might be looking for.

The way you can group fics together in a series is incredibly convenient.

They work hard to protect your fics and fic culture, defending it both from larger corporate entities and from puritans who believe fic shouldn’t exist - your content won’t every be swept away overnight like in the ffn purges of 2007 and 2012.

If your fic is plagiarized, they work fast. It took me less than 2 days to get a response from their team when dealing with the plagiarist last week.

No advertising, so not only are they not bound to rules by said advertisers, but your readers are free to read fic uninterrupted by ads (as always, consider donating if you can since they run on donations and are composed largely of volunteers!).

As the number 1 fic site, people will usually search for fics here first, so if you’re looking for readers or a community, this is the place to go.

As a writer, if you’re worried about troll comments, you can set each fic’s comment section to only registered users (so no guest comments). This weeds out the vast majority of trolls since most don’t want to go to the effort of making an account and waiting to get in. You will still sometimes get people willing to do that, or who’ll still go at you with their actual accounts, but I’ve found far less of an issue on AO3 than elsewhere - you can even set it, in that case, to ‘no comments’ or report the comments to AO3.

In my personal experience, the community is far friendlier on AO3 than on other fic posting sites. Probably 95% of my interactions and the reactions I see in other comment sections are positive, and the 5% is broken down 50/50 between either unintentional rudeness or actual trolls, which is manageable.

A few cons, in the interest of full disclosure, although ultimately I feel these are worth it for such a good site:

The site is mostly staffed by volunteers, and while they do their best, functionality updates can take considerable time. We only recently got a block button (preventing certain users from interacting on your fic), for example, and a mute button (so you no longer see fics from certain users) is still a ways off.

Comments are rare. I know there’s a ton of comments on TRT, and I am incredibly grateful for it and for the way it slides into comments on my other fics, but outside of big fics like that, interaction is a lot lower and it’s just something to know going in (although if you’re going from twitter into a fairly popular ship and/or large fandom, you might get way more interactions than from posting on twitter, so it’s all relative!). This is something I’ve found on most sites, and it’s the exact same way on AO3. Your hits will be highest, followed by kudos, and then comments. Generally speaking on oneshots, a 10% kudos to hits ratio early on (before repeat readers begin to push hits higher, since you can only kudos once but add a hit multiple times) is considered quite good. Lower that further for comments. After a bit, stop tracking the ratio because ultimately it’ll become meaningless, especially for chaptered fics where folks come back to read new chapters.

If you’re writing in google docs and try to copy+paste that into AO3′s form as is, you will learn very quickly that ao3 hates google doc formatting. You’ll get weird spaces where they don’t belong (especially if you use italics), the spacing will get fucked, all sorts of hiccups. I use the method from this tumblr post as a workaround. It’s a few extra steps but it’ll help you loads.

Speaking of: using their form to submit a fic definitely takes some getting used to. It’s a bit clunky I’m told, compared to other sites, but stick with it. My biggest advice here is, after pasting your fic in, do not post it yet. Use the preview function to see just how all the formatting is going to turn out. I’ve often found that it looks fine until I preview, and only then do formatting issues show up, which I can then fix. Again, extra work, but worth it for the pros listed above.

Honestly those are the only cons I can think of, and all of them are generally things you can either work around or adjust to as a writer posting there. They’re also absolutely worth it for such a good site, imo, and it’s the best I’ve found out of all of them. I have zero regrets posting on AO3 instead of another site. And I think you’ll come to love it, too, if you decide to join up!

[warningsine]

H

uman beings (members of the genus Homo) have existed for about 2.4m years. Homo sapiens, our own wildly egregious species of great apes, has only existed for 6% of that time – about 150,000 years. So a book whose main title is Sapiens shouldn't be subtitled "A Brief History of Humankind". It's easy to see why Yuval Noah Harari devotes 95% of his book to us as a species: self-ignorant as we are, we still know far more about ourselves than about other species of human beings, including several that have become extinct since we first walked the Earth. The fact remains that the history of sapiens – Harari's name for us – is only a very small part of the history of humankind.

Can its full sweep be conveyed in one fell swoop – 400 pages? Not really; it's easier to write a brief history of time – all 14bn years – and Harari also spends many pages on our present and possible future rather than our past. But the deep lines of the story of sapiens are fairly uncontentious, and he sets them out with verve.

For the first half of our existence we potter along unremarkably; then we undergo a series of revolutions. First, the "cognitive" revolution: about 70,000 years ago, we start to behave in far more ingenious ways than before, for reasons that are still obscure, and we spread rapidly across the planet. About 11,000 years ago we enter on the agricultural revolution, converting in increasing numbers from foraging (hunting and gathering) to farming. The "scientific revolution" begins about 500 years ago. It triggers the industrial revolution, about 250 years ago, which triggers in turn the information revolution, about 50 years ago, which triggers the biotechnological revolution, which is still wet behind the ears. Harari suspects that the biotechnological revolution signals the end of sapiens: we will be replaced by bioengineered post-humans, "amortal" cyborgs, capable of living forever.

This is one way to lay things out. Harari embeds many other momentous events, most notably the development of language: we become able to think sharply about abstract matters, cooperate in ever larger numbers, and, perhaps most crucially, gossip. There is the rise of religion and the slow overpowering of polytheisms by more or less toxic monotheisms. Then there is the evolution of money and, more importantly, credit. There is, connectedly, the spread of empires and trade as well as the rise of capitalism.

Harari swashbuckles through these vast and intricate matters in a way that is – at its best – engaging and informative. It's a neat thought that "we did not domesticate wheat. It domesticated us." There was, Harari says, "a Faustian bargain between humans and grains" in which our species "cast off its intimate symbiosis with nature and sprinted towards greed and alienation". It was a bad bargain: "the agricultural revolution was history's biggest fraud". More often than not it brought a worse diet, longer hours of work, greater risk of starvation, crowded living conditions, greatly increased susceptibility to disease, new forms of insecurity and uglier forms of hierarchy. Harari thinks we may have been better off in the stone age, and he has powerful things to say about the wickedness of factory farming, concluding with one of his many superlatives: "modern industrial agriculture might well be the greatest crime in history".

He accepts the common view that the fundamental structure of our emotions and desires hasn't been touched by any of these revolutions: "our eating habits, our conflicts and our sexuality are all a result of the way our hunter-gatherer minds interact with our current post-industrial environment, with its mega-cities, airplanes, telephones and computers … Today we may be living in high-rise apartments with over-stuffed refrigerators, but our DNA still thinks we are in the savannah." He gives a familiar illustration – our powerful desires for sugar and fat have led to the widespread availability of foods that are primary causes of unhealthiness and ugliness. The consumption of pornography is another good example. It's just like overeating: if the minds of pornography addicts could be seen as bodies, they would look just like the grossly obese.

At one point Harari claims that "the leading project of the scientific revolution" is the Gilgamesh Project (named after the hero of the epic who set out to destroy death): "to give humankind eternal life" or "amortality". He is sanguine about its eventual success. But amortality isn't immortality, because it will always be possible for us to die by violence, and Harari is plausibly sceptical about how much good it will do us. As amortals, we may become hysterically and disablingly cautious (Larry Niven develops the point nicely in his description of the "Puppeteers" in the Ringworld science fiction novels). The deaths of those we love may become far more terrible. We may grow weary of all things under the sun – even in heaven (see the last chapter of Julian Barnes's A History of the World in 10½ Chapters). We may come to agree with JRR Tolkien's elves, who saw mortality as a gift to human beings that they themselves lacked. We may come to feel what Philip Larkin felt: "Beneath it all, desire of oblivion runs."

Even if we put all these points aside, there's no guarantee that amortality will bring greater happiness. Harari draws on well-known research that shows that a person's happiness from day to day has remarkably little to do with their material circumstances. Certainly money can make a difference – but only when it lifts us out of poverty. After that, more money changes little or nothing. Certainly a lottery winner is lifted by her luck, but after about 18 months her average everyday happiness reverts to its old level. If we had an infallible "happyometer", and toured Orange County and the streets of Kolkata, it's not clear that we would get consistently higher readings in the first place than in the second.

This point about happiness is a persistent theme in Sapiens. When Arthur Brooks (head of the conservative American Enterprise Institute) made a related point in the New York Times in July, he was criticised for trying to favour the rich and justify income inequality. The criticism was confused, for although current inequalities of income are repellent, and harmful to all, the happiness research is well confirmed. This doesn't, however, prevent Harari from suggesting that the lives lived by sapiens today may be worse overall than the lives they lived 15,000 years ago.

Much of Sapiens is extremely interesting, and it is often well expressed. As one reads on, however, the attractive features of the book are overwhelmed by carelessness, exaggeration and sensationalism. Never mind his standard and repeated misuse of the saying "the exception proves the rule" (it means that exceptional or rare cases test and confirm the rule, because the rule turns out to apply even in those cases). There's a kind of vandalism in Harari's sweeping judgments, his recklessness about causal connections, his hyper-Procrustean stretchings and loppings of the data. Take his account of the battle of Navarino. Starting from the fact that British investors stood to lose money if the Greeks lost their war of independence, Harari moves fast: "the bond holders' interest was the national interest, so the British organised an international fleet that, in 1827, sank the main Ottoman flotilla in the battle of Navarino. After centuries of subjugation, Greece was finally free." This is wildly distorted – and Greece was not then free. To see how bad it is, it's enough to look at the wikipedia entry on Navarino.

Harari hates "modern liberal culture", but his attack is a caricature and it boomerangs back at him. Liberal humanism, he says, "is a religion". It "does not deny the existence of God"; "all humanists worship humanity"; "a huge gulf is opening between the tenets of liberal humanism and the latest findings of the life sciences". This is silly. It's also sad to see the great Adam Smith drafted in once again as the apostle of greed. Still, Harari is probably right that "only a criminal buys a house … by handing over a suitcase of banknotes" – a point that acquires piquancy when one considers that about 35% of all purchases at the high end of the London housing market are currently being paid in cash.

[independentzaun]

SHIPPING INFO

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

Tagged by: @vastayan--vigilante

Tagging: @astrxae @saviourofzaun @misstantabismuses @bioniczaunites @arcanescion @elisethetraveller @perfect-fourth @gauntlets-shot @ whoever wants to do this take it and tag me.

1. WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

Honestly?…

Silco x Jinx (no it’s not healthy, no it should not be written as healthy, okay moving on).

Sevika x Mel Medarda

2. HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

Alright I can only answer this for myself. It’s really hard to make me uncomfortable so long as things are written correctly, and as respectfully as can be concerning the content involved. Use your tags, and approach things with the understanding that just because you should be able to write anything does not mean you should be writing it in a way that romanticizes it or ignores the issues within it. So age gap? Look come at me with whatever, and worse I’m going to say is “not for me, thanks”.

If you want a numbers based answer look I can do 20-30 age gap pretty easily. Silco is in his 40s inching closer to 50 than he’d like. Sevika is in her 40s.

3. HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

I’d say with clothes start coming off, or dry humping starts, or people start reaching under the clothes to reach certain areas. That said I’m not really too concerned one way or the other.

4. ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Yes, and no. I’m selective in that I generally want build up, and development and it requires feeling like there’s a good back and forth both between the muses as well as between muns. I like being able to drop into someones DM’s and ask them what they think of one thing or another. If we never speak that makes shipping less likely a lot of the time. That said I’m not selective in that I’m open to just about anything so long as development happens that leads that way and/or the over all story line makes sense for it. Easy example. I don’t generally ship Jinx and Ekko actually for various reasons (don’t have an issue with it just normally not my thing) however I have a verse now with someone that has them as soulmates because I ADORE the angst and problems and character development and weirdness there. I also have a thing going between Silco and someone’s OC (love Irisa @astrxae ) that came about purely because of build up and development and I LOVE that. So Am I selective? Yes and no.

5. WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

Obligatory I will never force anything on anyone, but.

Silco x Vander, Silco x Viktor.

Sevika x Vi, Sevika x Jinx.

Now my Jinx has a very poor understanding of boundaries, and doesn’t really separate types of love instead generally lumping people into “Important People” she cares about and… well… everyone else. So all of these could go any number of ways.

Jinx x Caitlyn, Jinx x Viktor, Jinx x Vi.

6. DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

It’s less about asking, and more about seeing how things develop and if it leads there or not. People are always welcome to come talk to me about it though, and offer ideas and plots. Just don’t get upset if I say no thanks, or something similar. If things seem like they are getting to that point though I do like discussing it, and making sure both muns are on the same page and wanting the ship and everything else.

7. ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

If you mean ship obsessed in terms of sexual/romantic relationships, I enjoy them but don’t have to have them. If you mean ship obsessed in terms of relationships in general including platonic, and family, and the like than oh absolutely yes I adore exploring different types of relationships.

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

Honestly it’s a toss up between Silco and Jinx, and Silco and Vander.

9. FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Toss your character at mine, see how they interact, and than come (nicely/respectfully) yell ideas and headcanons and the like at me. It’s generally not that difficult to be honest. I’ve gotten some very random ships going before in the past.

[villainship]

[Writing WIP Questionnaire]

Reflecting on my drafts folder w/ the previously-skipped section of the questions I was answering here.

If you read this: . . .don’t look @ me. LOL. (Exposing my secrets -- and also hiding from them.)

-

Sum up one or more of your wips!

Most aren’t for tumblr-posting, mind u. But:

(Divided up by which character has narration rights)

-a Vette story I keep forgetting abt, where she is trying to figure out TD’s post-binge fate on Nar Shaddaa, having decided she’s actually invested in this weird Sith’s wellbeing.

-Quinn experiencing TD’s response to betrayal (TD: “I’m not mad, I just want you to acknowledge your life is in /my/ hands. Forever.”)

-like 4 separate WIPs of ‘joint midlife crisis’ Zahied & TD engaging in their unsanctioned fraternizing in early times/getting to know each other -- however eagerly (TD) or reluctantly (Zahied). -Alliance-era, mid-50s Zahied thinks hard abt where he is, tells TD he ready to dump him (probably. Soon. --For real, though. NO relapses. When it’s done it’s /done/, 100%. Swearing off this shit- . . . Yes, he’ll still teach ur damn kids their hand-to-hand fighting.)

-Alliance-era TD, fraught with relationship issues/feelings(???) beyond his comprehension (dumped by his boyfriend; wife still touchy that he is hot for his boss; boss ignoring him b/c 1. she has never considered him significant or attractive 2. she’s busy with the happiness of being reunited with her bug husband), takes a team (incl. his Apprentice) to Hoth for a mission, where they lose contact with home base & can’t send an update to confirm they’re still alive. --He thinks that’s fine he didn’t want to hear from anyone there for a While anyway-- (but something else Will go wrong.) -Agent Vensys is assigned as chaperone for traitor-on-probation Sith Lord Liio (going Where? idk) -- which may be AU content, or I might make it canon. . . or I might split off into 2 different versions (one where they potentially makeout a little, & one for sailing the crack ship onward to far-distant horizons that veer OOC for at least 1 of them). Lolll. -(?canon?) Kallir has a nice day. -Kallir runs afoul of a posse of Imperial troops privately harboring anti-Sith sentiments in a garrison on Taris (? question mark). (Visiting pumpkin Agent was witnessed holding hands with a Sith who recently came by) -- I’m evaluating how much violence I’ll include as canon. (Less than I wrote. . . but some. He definitely gets bullied. Punches someone in the throat. Maybe knifes a guy a little bit?? I wrote that scene, but I’m not sure it’ll fit.) -Kallir undergoing an entire ordeal living among space pirates & becoming slightly unhinged. -in AU: Kallir (the Minister of Intelligence), dragged away from the tail end of a formal ball, puts up with Vensys plying his charms at him (again)

-total shipping AU: Kallir, Liio, & Zahied, lonely hearts club, attempt to distract one another from mountains of baggage in the only way that comes to their minds when they recognize everyone else is hot and thirsty. (Fellas. . . you’re a mess. Sorry I’m so into that.)

Which story took the most research?

Well- the extent of research I’m willing to do is stuff like “what’s this place/object look like in SWTOR?”, or “what does the internet say about these star wars aliens?”

Which story has the most lore?

TD going to Hoth to blow up a Star Fortress maybe (regrettably, I don’t know the relevant lore & I’ve been incapable of doing the gameplay I want to do to get there).

Current word count of all your main wips?

I do Not track those stats. . . I think I know which are the longest, though.

-Part 1 of Liio/Kallir/Zahied AU is. . . 54 pages (for. . .3-4 scenes, essentially. dkfshgkjf). -Part 2 combined WIPs are 15 + 6 + 3 + .2 (a paragraph) (split up due to time-jumping mid-draft, starting a new file, & returning to unfinished business when I feel like it)

Fic that isn’t a total departure from character canon: -Part 1 (of the in-depth edition) of Kallir’s pirate story is a 32 page WIP, w/ an 18-page side chapter (which might not get any longer) -Part 2: 6 pages so far.  -Aftermath follow-up: 7 so far.

How many projects do you have going on right now? Are there any that you doubt you’ll ever finish?

(My answer to question 1 is more-or-less my entire list) It’s hard to say I Won’t finish anything, but also--I don’t often finish writings.

What was you first major project? How far along is it?

And I wouldn’t necessarily call any of them ‘major’ projects (pirate fic got pretty big--but. idk). . .

My first SWTOR fic was for TD & Quinn, and I got lost on it. lol. It’s one of those drafts that feels convoluted to look at (there’s a lot of patchwork pieces), & I’m not sure exactly how much of it is worth having in there or what I actually Want to write into it. (Quinn is hilarious to write, though.)

What are some tropes and character dynamics found in your wips?

. . . gay little scene-slice stories of charged & intimate interactions--aggressive or/and soothing. Just people having their emotional problems in various Situations (sometimes amid danger/stress. . . sometimes when they are trying to enjoy themselves. . . Sometimes those mix).

So. . . tame (generally tame.) psychological whump (mainly psychological.) I Guess. H/C-aligned.

Describe the setting of one or more of your wips

All my stories are in settings of Convenience, and usually defined more by who is there than details of the place itself. (eg. I’m picturing “Kallir gets bullied for having a Sith bf” somewhere on Taris b/c it seems like the kind of place where the military doesn’t get a lot of oversight). Nothing too exciting (or original).

What are some things that inspired your stories? Real events? Maybe a dream?

Game events sometimes, of course. ehehh.

I also have. . . not uncommonly come up w/ concepts for scenarios based on outfits. (Pirate fic arose b/c I previewed the Belsavis zap collar on Kallir. Vensys’ formal outfit was the starting point for that AU fic with the formal event)

What story are you the proudest of? Why?

I dunnoooo-- I have. . . a weird relationship w/ my writings. I don’t have consistent feelings about them (whether I think anything is so good or absolutely Unbearably terrible/cringe changes based on my own moods), and. . . A lot of the time I’m ashamed even making some/most of them for various reasons.

. . .BUT. I was (and still am) pretty proud of how I wrote our charas in the pumpkin-meets-Severine mini-story from a While back (which I just re-blogged cuz of the improvement edits last night). hehe. On fire w/ that one, writing a couple of my favorite personalities--successfully (I’d say) channeling a character that’s not even mine. 

And I don’t feel like I wasted my time if it’s a gift 4 a friend & I’ve been able to make their day with it. <3 We luv our charas. hell yeaaaaaaa

[papirouge]

I turned 30 yesterday and I didn’t magically turn into an old wrinkle hag that gets cruelly ignored by the world and made to cry for being too “choosey” when I was in my 20s. These scrotes lied to me 😤

Happy birthday, anon!!🥳

Nah your 30s are the best years. You're finally starting to enjoy life instead of....struggling your way through it.

Your 20s are all about learning and messing up, and you should be grateful for all the lessons you probably learned during this decade.

In your 30s, you're starting to enjoy life & treat yourself. You're becoming more confident and self-aware. You also become less patient with bs which makes you more picky (with how you spend your time, relationship quality, money, etc.)

There is so much more to life than being bothered by whether you're being desirable to men depending on your age... You REALLY have to deconstruct this pickme bs mentality because it won't lead you anywhere. Moid opinion = 💩. Do you think aging scrotes are bothered on whether they're still hot? those dudes are out there...FAT, porn addicted, arrogantly sporting receding hairlines, yet STILL feel entitled to have a hot girlfriend. As much as it pains me to admit it, maybe we should take a few pages off those idiots book...🤷🏾‍♀️

I'd rather be married in my 50s with the love of my life and we love each other until death than marrying at 23 and spending years struggling with a bum. Sure, not every young marriage end up unhappy, but what I'm saying is that there isn't a typical path for you to find happiness. Maybe God wants you to fall in love and settle down later because He wants you to focus on other things for now.

Centuries ago, women of our age would never have thought in their wildest dream of having the life that we have....but some chicks are out there being angsty because a scrote didn't wife them yet. Tragic.

[your2mentor]

 Lose 50% of Your Potential Customers If You Don't Boost Traffic This Month

1. Introduction

In the active scenery of digital marketing, traffic is the lifeblood of your business. It doesn’t matter how superior your product or service is; without a steady stream of potential customers visiting your website, your efforts could be in conceited. 

The title might sound dramatic, but the reality is crisp: failing to boost your website traffic this month could result in losing up to 50% of your potential customers. 

Here's why that is and what you can do about it.

 2. Why Traffic Matters?

Website traffic is more than just a metric; it’s a vital indicator of your business’s health and growth potential. High traffic volumes lead to more opportunities for customer engagement, increased brand awareness, and higher chances of conversions. 

Every visit represents a potential sale, a new client, or an influential advocate for your brand.

 3. Consequences of Ignoring Traffic Boost

> Loss of Potential Customers

A decline in traffic means fewer opportunities to attract and convert visitors into customers. In the digital age, out of sight often means out of mind, and if potential customers can't find you, they will turn to your competitors.

>Crash on Revenue

Fewer visitors typically mean fewer sales. For e-commerce businesses, this can be devastating, especially in peak seasons. A drop in traffic can lead to a significant decrease in revenue.

 >Damage to Brand Reputation

Reduced visibility can damage your brand’s credibility and recognize relevance. When your traffic decreases, it might signal to potential customers that your brand is less active or less popular, which can harm your reputation.

 >Competitive Disadvantage

Your competitors are competing for the same audience. If they capture the traffic that you lost, they’re also likely capturing your potential customers and revenue. Staying competitive requires maintaining or boosting your traffic levels.

 4. Immediate Steps to Boost Traffic

 Optimize for Search Engines (SEO)

 >Keyword Research

Identify and use keywords that your potential customers are searching for. Use tools like  SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner, to track down high-volume, low-rivalry keywords.

 >On-Page SEO

Improve your website’s meta tags, content, headers, and URLs. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as mobile searches right now account for over half of all web traffic.

 >Content Quality

Regularly update your site with high-quality, relevant content. Blog posts, infographics, videos, and case studies can attract and engage visitors.

 >Backlinks

Acquire backlinks from reputable websites. These not only drive direct traffic but also improve your search engine ranking.

 Leverage Social Media

 >Consistent Posting

continue a systematic posting schedule to keep your audience busy. Use a combination of content types, including images, videos, articles, and stories.

 >Engagement

Actively engage with your followers. Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and encourage the split of your content.

 >Paid Advertising

Use paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to target specific demographics and drive traffic to your site.

 Email Marketing

 >Building a List

Continuously grow your email list through sign-ups on your website, special offers, and content downloads.

 >Segmentation

Segment your email list to send targeted, relevant content to different audience groups.

 >Engaging Content

Create mesmeric email content that inspires recipients to click through to your website.

 Paid Advertising

 >Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Use Google Ads to target specific keywords and drive traffic to your site. PPC can give instant visibility and traffic.

 >Social Media Ads

Run targeted ads via social media platforms to reach your ideal audience.

 >Retargeting

Implement retargeting campaigns to re-engage visitors who have previously visited your site but didn’t convert.

 Improve User Experience (UX)

 >Site Speed

Make sure your website loads quickly. A delay of even a couple of moments can increase bounce rates fundamentally.

 >Navigation

Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Clear menus, a logical structure, and a search function can improve the user experience.

 >Mobile Optimization

Ensure your website is fully optimized for mobile devices. With a significant portion of web traffic coming from mobile, this is crucial.

 Collaborate and Network

 >Guest Blogging

You can Write guest posts for trusted sites in your industry. This can help you reach a wider audience and drive traffic back to your site.

 >Influencer Marketing

Collaborate with your favorite influencers who can promote your brand to their followers.

 >Webinars and Events

Host webinars or participate in industry events to showcase your expertise and attract traffic to your site.

 5. Measuring Success

To ensure your efforts are paying off, it’s essential to track and measure your traffic. Use analytics tools like Google Analytics to monitor the following:

 >Traffic Sources

Understand where your traffic is coming from – search engines, social media, direct visits, or referrals.

 >Visitor Behavior

Analyze how visitors interact with your site. Which pages are they visiting? How long are they staying?

 >Conversions

Track conversions to understand the effectiveness of your traffic-boosting strategies.

 6. Conclusion

The digital marketplace is unforgiving. If you’re not actively working to boost your website traffic, you risk falling behind your competitors and losing a significant portion of your potential customers. By implementing the strategies outlined above, you can not only recover lost traffic but also set your business on a path to sustained growth.

Remember, boosting traffic is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Stay vigilant, adapt to changes, and continuously optimize your strategies to stay ahead. Investing time and resources into increasing your website traffic will pay off in higher visibility, increased engagement, and ultimately, more conversions and revenue.

 Don’t wait – start boosting your traffic today and safeguard your business’s future.

 7. FAQs

 >Why is website traffic important?

Website traffic is crucial because it represents the number of potential customers visiting your site. More traffic means more opportunities for engagement, conversions, and sales.

 >What is the best way to increase traffic quickly?

Paid advertising, such as Google Ads or social media ads, can boost immediate traffic. Additionally, improving SEO and leveraging email marketing can yield quick results.

 >How does social media impact website traffic?

Social media platforms help increase brand visibility and drive traffic to your website through consistent posting, engagement, and targeted advertising.

 >What are common SEO mistakes to avoid?

Avoid keyword stuffing, neglecting mobile optimization, ignoring meta tags, and failing to produce high-quality content. These mistakes can harm your search engine rankings and reduce traffic.

 >How often should I update my website content?

Regular updates are essential. Aim to update your content at least once a month, but more frequent updates can keep your audience engaged and improve SEO.

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[websitedesigndublin]

How to Choose Keywords for SEO in Dublin

If you’re running a business in Dublin, you already know how crucial online visibility is. But let’s face it, SEO can be a maze, especially when it comes to choosing the right SEO keywords. As someone who’s been in the web design industry for years, I can tell you that a well-designed website and a solid SEO strategy go hand in hand. So, let’s dive into how you can choose the best keywords for SEO in Dublin.

Why Keywords Matter

SEO Keywords are the backbone of your SEO strategy. They’re the phrases that potential customers type into Google when they’re looking for services like yours. Choose the right keywords, and you’re golden, choose the wrong ones, and you’re virtually invisible. I’ve seen businesses double their traffic just by tweaking their SEO keyword strategy. Yes, it’s that powerful.

Understanding Your Target Audience

Know Your Customers

Before you even think about keywords, you need to know who you’re targeting. Are they young professionals? Homeowners? Tourists in Dublin? I once had a client in the hospitality sector who thought their audience was “everyone.” After some research, we discovered that most of their customers were actually business clients. That insight changed their entire keyword strategy.

Local vs. Global Audience

If you’re a Dublin-based business, you’ll likely want to focus on local SEO. Why? Because people searching for “top SEO agency in Dublin” are more likely to visit our website than those searching for “SEO” Local SEO is a goldmine, folks. Don’t ignore it.

Types of Keywords

Short-Tail Keywords

Short-tail keywords are broad and often consist of one or two words, like “coffee” or “Breakfast Roll” While they have high search volume, they’re also highly competitive. I’ve seen businesses spend thousands only to rank on the second or third page for these keywords.

Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are your best friends. These are phrases like “best coffee shop in Dublin” or “What cafe has the best Breakfast roll in Stillorgan” They might have lower search volumes, but they’re also less competitive and more targeted. I had a client who shifted focus to long-tail keywords and saw a 50% increase in organic traffic within two months.

Branded Keywords

Branded keywords include your company name or specific products you offer. If you’re well-known in your industry, these can be low-hanging fruits. But remember, ranking for your own brand name is SEO 101. You should already be doing that.

Keyword Research Tools

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a classic and for a good reason. It gives you keyword ideas, tells you the search volume, and even estimates how competitive they are. I’ve been using it for years, and it’s never let me down.

Other Tools

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz can offer additional insights. SEMrush, for example, is excellent for competitor keyword research, but more on that later.

Competitor Analysis

Why It’s Important

Your competitors are also vying for that coveted top spot on Google. Knowing what keywords they’re targeting can give you a competitive edge.

How to Do It

You can manually search for your competitors’ keywords, but tools like SEMrush make it a breeze. Just enter your competitor’s URL, and you’ll get a list of keywords they’re ranking for. I did this for a client who was in a highly competitive niche, and we discovered several keywords their competitors were overlooking. They’re now ranking in the top 3 for those terms.

Implementing Keywords

On-Page SEO

Once you’ve chosen your keywords, it’s time to put them to work. Include them in your titles, meta descriptions, and content. But don’t overdo it, keyword stuffing is a big no-no.

Off-Page SEO

Keywords also play a role in your off-page SEO. When building backlinks, try to get links from pages that are relevant to your keywords. This tells Google that your page is a credible source for that topic.

Monitoring and Adjusting

Tracking Tools

Google Analytics and Google Search Console are your go-to tools for tracking keyword performance. Keep an eye on metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and average position.

When to Make Adjustments

SEO is not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. If you’re not seeing improvements after a few months, it might be time to revisit your keyword strategy. I had a client who was ranking well but not getting conversions. We adjusted their keywords, focusing more on transactional phrases, and their conversion rate skyrocketed.

Conclusion

Choosing the right keywords for your SEO strategy in Dublin is both an art and a science. It requires a deep understanding of your audience, a strategic approach to keyword selection, and ongoing adjustments to stay ahead of the competition.

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View More at: https://www.affordablewebsites.ie/how-to-choose-keywords-for-seo-in-dublin/

[otstudentlife]

From Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan: How Mental Health Care Should Transform to Centre Stage

Credit: WHO

Two of the most common mental health conditions, depression and anxiety, cost the global economy US$ 1 trillion per annum. Despite these figures, the global median of government health spending that goes to mental health is less than 2% (WHO, 2023). Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of health globally.  There are several reasons why mental health has been ignored. “The first one is an associated stigma. The second is a perception of mental health disorders as a “luxury good”, as opposed to actual illnesses. The additional top reasons include a fragmented and outdated service model. Some of these include the provision of mental health services mainly in psychiatric hospitals, severe lack of preventative mental health service; lagging policy changes and also a shortage of human resources” (Kovacevic, 2021: no page).

So, what can be done to overcome these barriers? It has been suggested that mental health care be integrated into primary health care. The benefits of integrating mental health into primary healthcare are great. Firstly, integration ensures that the population as a whole has access to the mental healthcare that they need early in the course of disorders and without disruption. Secondly, when people receive treatment in primary healthcare facilities the likelihood of better health outcomes, and even full recovery, as well as maintained social integration is increased (Funk et al, 2008).

“It is important to emphasise that mental healthcare delivered in a primary health care setting is much more likely to be effective and sustainable if complimented by a strong secondary level of care to which primary healthcare workers can turn to for referrals, as well as for support and supervision. Having in place strong informal community mental health services and support groups, run by NGOs and faith-based organisations can also compliment and strengthen the services provided through primary healthcare services” (Funk et al, 2008: no page).

In terms of the above it now makes sense for our group to have done health promotion on depression at the community level in a clinic at Mariannridge. The clinic furthermore offers the services of a counsellor one day a week. But much more could be offered at the clinic with posters on different aspects of mental health being put up and made visible. Informal support groups could be initiated with a monthly meeting to discuss mental health matters. And further mental health promotion can be done. The need for these initiatives is massive.

Good mental health needs to start taking centre stage. It not only affects the person but the economy and society at large. The numbers are staggering. Currently, almost 1 billion people live with a mental disorder and in low-income countries, more than 75% of people with the disorder do not receive treatment. Annually, close to 3 million people die due to substance abuse.  Every 40 seconds, a person dies by suicide. Roughly 50% of mental health disorders start by the age of 14 (Kovacevic, 2021).

It is expected that in the next ten years, depression will put more burden on nations than any other disease. Given the chronic nature of the disease, this translates into a significant economic impact worldwide. “According to the WHO, every $1 invested in mental health yields a $4 return on investment. In Ukraine, for example, it is estimated that for the period between 2017 to 2030, the country could save $2 on restored productivity and added economic value, if it invests $1 in the treatment of common mental disorders” (Kovacevic, 2021: no page).

Thus, investing in mental health has significant benefits for the person, society and the economy. With such great benefits it is imperative that mental health care no longer be seen as the Cinderella of Health Care but as Queen Elsa (of Frozen) taking centre stage. Would you not agree?

For Further Information:

The World Health Organisation has valuable data on the burden of mental health. You can find it at https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2

To learn more about integrating mental health into primary health care visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2777555/

If you would like to start a mental health support group in your area, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) can assist with learning how to do it. See here https://www.sadag.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3212:start-a-support-group&catid=96:support-groups for more information.

If you would like to raise awareness on one of the most common mental health issues namely depression, find WHO flyers on the topic here https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day/2021/campaign-materials

______________________________________________________________

References

Funk et al. 2008. Integrating mental health into primary healthcare. Accessed from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2777555/

Kovacevic, R. 2021. Mental health: lessons learned in 2020 for 2021 and forward. Accessed from: https://blogs.worldbank.org/health/mental-health-lessons-learned-2020-2021-and-forward

World Health Organisation. 2023. Mental Health. Accessed from:https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1

[robotsprinkles]

god I hate this writing class

what is the point of giving us both three word count limits, and restricting the length of the final animation/animatic

(this is one of my less valid criticisms of the class, being more to do with me just not liking the class already and not being fond of being forced to fit a story into as little as ninety seconds/2 A4 pages)

(I can do it, it's just not what I like doing)

I do not see the point in giving us a word count for the outline when we're already limited by having to fit the story into two A4 pages in screenplay formatting.

And I don't get the two A4 pages thing when we've already got a limit on the length the actual animation can be.

Just. pick one. hell, pick two. don't say "you have 300 words for the outline, 50 words for the synopsis, 2 A4 screenplay-formatted pages, and the final animation has to be 90 seconds or less"

I can fit far more than two screenplay-formatted A4 pages into three hundred words of outline and ninety seconds of animation, (hell, even thirty seconds of dialogue, depending on certain factors, takes far more than two A4 pages)

Like yeah, sure, I can write things that'll fit that criteria, but I'd really rather just have to follow one.

Because when I'm being forced to use the process of

core idea -> mind map -> for two stories (pick 2 word title) -> for two stories (write 10 word max logline, 50 word max synopsis, and 300 word max outline) -> pick one and write 2 A4 page-long script/screenplay for one -> make a 90 second animatic

(which I think is just a completely absurd process — and this is me talking. I'm an idiot who does things in the worst and least efficient way possible, and I think this is inefficient and a mess and a terrible way to do it — normally when I hate the method taught for something it's because I'm a jackass and an idiot who sucks at everything, not because I genuinely think it's stupid. Primary-High school essay writing formulae and creative writing rules notwithstanding)

I'm not saying restrictions or limitations in writing are bad (they're not) but I mean. forcing us to use a specific process? when basically every single source of good writing advice will tell you "this is a box of tools, pick them up, try them out, see what works for you, and throw out what doesn't"?

(This is ignoring that the guy teaching this class thinks protagony is entirely defined by "being the character who changes (the most) over the story's course" as opposed to being the character whose actions drive the plot or who the story focuses on and whatnot. Also apparently sherlock holmes just. doesn't exist according to this guy?)

(not being literal there. just. sherlock holmes is a famously static protagonist? To my memory, excluding a scandal in bohemia, for the most part ACD sherlock's personality, opinions, and outlook on things don't change in the stories he's in?)

anyway. back to the point. the process we had to do for this is just.

like especially as someone whose sense of how long things take is basically nonexistent outside of either things where I've remembered how long they are (my kettle takes about 2 minutes to boil, [x dish] takes about 30 minutes to make) or as a retrospect measurement (after some random thing is done, go "oh I think it's been around [x amount of time]" or "I bet it's [time of day] now", which itself only has a high percentage of me being right because I do it once every two to four months, and even then is only like. 50-70% of the time)

trying to estimate how much time a given dialogue exchange will take without actually writing it down and then timing myself reading it with proper cadence is like trying to put out a fire by thinking at it really hard

it would genuinely have been more efficient for me to have just. written a first draft of the screenplay based off one of my ideas, seen if that would even fit into two A4 pages, then read the dialogue while timing myself to see how long the animation would actually be, then redraft the damn thing to fit and actually be good.

instead of what I ended up doing, which was wasting an excessive amount of time trying to translate my thoughts and brain soup into coherently formatted notes

— which I didn't even manage because a mind map would end up as an incomprehensible web of lines with the occasional letter peaking out from behind, and my normal method of note taking is to only write the actual outline —

using those notes to write two outlines that fit comfortably into three hundred words, plus ten to thirty (and another outline that didn't fit because there was no way to make that idea work well within any of the limits at all)

then translating one of those outlines into a screenplay, which immediately went over 2 A4 pages, because 300 words of outline does not a 2 A4 page screenplay guarantee

and then rewriting the outline and screenplay three times until I gave up because it just wouldn't ever fit into 2 A4 pages (though it might fit into 90 seconds of animation. because page count and screen duration aren't the same thing)

then switching to the other outline and realising I'd need to cut an entire arc and subplot off the bat, translating what was left into a screenplay, realising that wouldn't fit into 2 A4 pages either, and rewriting both outline and screenplay until I ended up cutting all the dialogue and themes and major development out of the story because that was the only way to make the idea work

which like. yeah, sure. I could've (and should've picked a better idea)

but again, I have no sense of how long things take, and my normal writing projects and process aren't based around time or word count or anything.

and really, the only limitation that actually matters here is "can the story fit into 90 seconds". (and like. general quality requirements. but the outline word count doesn't matter at all

like if you're limiting the word count so people don't overdescribe scenes or character actions just. tell us not to do that and give examples of what's not allowed or something.