#another site says to strictly keep it to job related things

[ladywaterfall]

give me your best tips for how to have an interesting answer for "tell me about yourself", cause I have a job interview tomorrow

[tsarisfanfiction]

Grounded pt1

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family Characters: Scott, Virgil, Gordon, John

Re-watched Buried Treasure and Venom and this little muse dug its claws in - Scott took a bit of a beating in the former, and then doesn’t pilot TB1 or even the pod even though speed is of the essence in the latter.  This isn’t finished - don’t know if the eventual thing will be a oneshot or multichap on AO3/FFN - or even proof read because it’s midnight and I’ll get yelled at if I don’t go to bed now, but muse wouldn’t shut up, so here’s 4k words of whatever this is gonna end up being.  Title is also still a wip.

It was an exhausted Scott Tracy that dragged himself into his shower at the end of what had been a day he honestly wished had never happened.  A trip into a trash mine had never been on his bucket list – and even if he’d known about the things before today, it still wouldn’t have featured on his bucket list – and after the chaos that had ensued, he would be delighted if he never had to enter one again.  Somewhere in the big brother part of his mind labelled Gordon was a mental note to make sure his second youngest brother never went in one again, either. While Scott was all for his brothers making friends, he had concerns about his budding acquaintance with the woman known only as Scraps.

He wasn’t entirely sure Gordon had told the truth when he said he’d never gone scavenging himself, and he certainly wasn’t sure Gordon wouldn’t if the opportunity presented itself. After the hydrofoil, the blond had gained a ‘if today was my last day’ attitude and refused to let new experiences pass him by; it was understandable, but more than a little stressful for Scott at times.

The mission had been a success, but it hadn’t felt like it when both his accompanying brothers were stewing in angry silence over the comms on the way back, Scraps (encouraged by Gordon) had insisted he fork out the quite frankly ludicrous price of the stretchy toy, and the owners of the site were breathing down his neck about destruction of their property.  Apparently they didn’t care that it was Scraps who had damaged their WRM when IR had wrecked their park and were well known to be the Tracy family – that is, known to be filthy rich.  It had been a very expensive day for both him personally and the family at large, and just to compound it all he’d come home to the news that while the Mechanic was now willingly working on the engine, the price of that had been the Hood finding out about their plans.

Brains’ furious lecture about the mole pod had just been the icing on the cake.  Scott had tried to save it and nearly got himself munched by the mechanical monster in the process, but apparently trying wasn’t good enough.  He understood – he did.  Every time Brains had to build them a new pod so they could keep functioning at full capacity was another delay on the T-Drive engine.  It was just one more thing he didn’t need in a day where the only highlight was the fact that at least their rescue hadn’t failed where it counted – Scraps was alive, and being treated for shock and a fractured rib at her local hospital.

Speaking of ribs…

Four long, gruelling hours after the rescue finished, Scott finally had the chance to peel his dirty, mud-splattered uniform away from his aching body and assess the physical damage he’d sustained.  His suit was reinforced and designed to protect him, but it had its limits, and Scraps’ shrill scream to stop forcing Gordon to make an emergency stop – just for the sake of a damned toy – had slammed his torso into the rigid exoskeleton of the dragonfly pod.

Just because their pods couldn’t stand up to a WRM didn’t mean they weren’t solidly built.  Very solidly built.  Scott had felt a sadly all-too familiar sensation of at least one rib breaking at the contact, but with their lives still decidedly in peril hadn’t had the chance to do anything about it.  Their frantic flight for the surface, where he had nothing but his uniform and what shelter he could glean from the front of the pod to protect him from their forceful resurfacing, hadn’t done him any favours either.

It spoke volumes that both his brothers were so annoyed with him – one of them for reasons outside of his control, which was very unlike Virgil – that neither of them had noticed how stiffly he’d been standing.  They hadn’t even glanced at him twice despite knowing that he’d been on the outside of a pod travelling at high speeds through a tunnel, and while there was always a part of Scott who hated to worry his brothers and hid injuries he found himself wrong-footed at the fact he’d got away with it.

The painkillers he’d popped the moment he was back in One, out of sight, had done their job to get him home, but after four hours they were wearing off, pain stabbing its way through his chest.  He should go to the infirmary, get a scan to see how bad it was and maybe even reluctantly tell someone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that.  Virgil might be in a bad mood with him, but he’d instantly feel guilty for not noticing, and Grandma would not go easy on her favourite grandson for neglecting something as basic as a health check after a dangerous manoeuvre, no matter how annoyed he’d been with the person in question.

He had a stock of painkillers in his ensuite, like they all did, for minor things like bumps and bruises. They weren’t supposed to be used in relation to any unreported injuries, but Scott had already decided he couldn’t report it, and besides, he was the commander.  He could bend a few rules – it wasn’t his first rodeo with broken ribs, anyway.  He knew how to treat them.  Painkillers, ice if he could get some without causing suspicion, and rest when he could snatch it.

This was a case of snatching some rest – it was dinner soon, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d skipped Grandma’s cooking and it wouldn’t be the last.  It wouldn’t raise any eyebrows if he wasn’t there; he doubted his brothers would be if they could escape.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, it was clear straight away that he’d taken quite a hit.  Mottled bruising decorated his torso and shoulders – the first from the collision with the pod, the second from breaking through the surface.  Tentative probing with his fingers told him what he already knew as his chest flinched away from the touch with a spike of pain.  At least one broken rib.

He’d sneak some ice from the freezer once everyone else was in bed, but for the time being he had a long overdue date with his shower and popped a fresh dose of painkillers before easing himself under the water.  Ideally, Scott wanted a hot one, but the broken rib meant he kept it cool in an attempt to soothe the swelling.  Brown water swirled around his feet, finally washing away the dirt he’d acquired in the trash mine, and he let himself relax as the painkillers kicked in.

The mission finally felt like it was over.  He couldn’t say the day was over, because he still had the never-ending pile of reports for both the GDF and Tracy Industries to write up and there was never any telling when the next emergency call would come in, but no more trash mine, no more furious gardeners or landowners.

Just Scott and-

“Scott, sorry to interrupt your shower but there’s another situation.”  John appeared suddenly and Scott jumped, muffling a curse as his ribs informed him that painkillers or not, that was not appreciated.  He sighed instead.

“F.A.B.”  He rubbed his face tiredly, beyond glad their bathroom cameras didn’t transmit anything below the neck so his decorative torso was hidden from his ever-attentive brother… who had apparently also missed that he’d been slammed hard into the pod.  “I’ll be in the lounge in two.”  He wanted to say five, but it normally only took two minutes and longer would make John suspicious.

“See you there.”  John vanished and he let out another breath, turning off the water.  Strictly speaking, he shouldn’t fly with a broken rib, or go on a rescue at all, but as long as he took it easy it would be fine.

Two minutes later found him in the lounge, apparently the last one there.  Virgil and Gordon didn’t acknowledge his arrival and he tried not to let it sting.  They’d work with him on the rescue – it wasn’t the first time they’d gone on a rescue mid-row, and no doubt wouldn’t be the last.  The perils of living and working full time with siblings.  Alan, at least, gave him a big grin and he returned it as best he could before turning to John, who was hovering impatiently in the middle of the room.  He was always impatient when they weren’t all immediately available; Scott didn’t take it personally.

“Good, you’re here,” John acknowledged.  “We’ve got a collapsed mineshaft with a worker trapped inside in Cornwall, England.  His colleagues all got out okay but they don’t have the gear to get him out without risking a bigger collapse.”

“F.A.B., John,” Scott replied.  “I’ll go on ahead in Thunderbird One.  Virgil, Gordon, follow me in Thunderbird Two.”  Another underground rescue, and another mole pod needed.  Typical.  Still, if it was really only simple, he wouldn’t be needed for more than co-ordination. He could handle that.  “Virgil, have you had the chance to replace the lost gear from the trash mine?”

“All replaced,” Virgil confirmed, heading for his launch chute.  “We’re out of spares now, though, so we’d better not lose this one.”  Scott winced – that wasn’t good.

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he said, reaching up towards his lamps and pulling them down towards his chest as always, glad that the painkillers had more or less kicked in so the movement didn’t make his ribs flare up in pain.  The last thing he saw before being whisked around into his chute was Alan, looking somewhat dejected at being left behind, again.

They’d barely needed Gordon for the mission – if Scott was at full health he would have entertained leaving him behind – so there was no reason to bring Alan.  Still, there was a scolding voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Grandma telling him he should have let Alan take Thunderbird One and take a rest himself.

If Thunderbird Three was needed while they were gone, Alan would be fit to pilot, he argued back.  Thunderbird One would be tough, but he conceded that there was no way he could launch into space with at least one broken rib.  The voice quietened but he knew it wasn’t pacified.

The painkillers diluted but didn’t entirely quash the pain of suiting up, but with no-one around to see he could gasp without fear of being caught, and soon he was scrambling into his pilot seat – still muddy; cleaning his ‘bird had been next on the priority list after the shower, because apparently his brothers had decided not to help him out on that front.

If suiting up was bad, launching was worse.  He’d anticipated that, throwing his comms onto mute – John knew better than to interrupt during the launch sequence unless it was truly urgent so there shouldn’t be anyone to see him – as he gasped for breath against the stinging of his chest. Full speed was out of the question, but as it was a rescue they already knew what they’d need, he didn’t have to get there much before Thunderbird Two, so he settled for an almost bearable Mach 10 and flicked his comms back on, hoping John wouldn’t ask questions.

Presumably John had reached the same conclusion as him, as his decision of half max speed wasn’t commented on when his brother made contact a few minutes later to continue the debrief with additional information coming in from the danger zone.

It was a textbook rescue, a fact Scott was incredibly glad for as he let Virgil take the mole pod down, followed by Gordon with stabilising foam to stop the mine collapsing any further.  In and out, no complications, no injuries.  The trapped worker emerged from the pod shaken but otherwise fine and Scott watched Virgil check him over thoroughly to be safe as he and Gordon secured both intact pods back inside the module, where they belonged.

“I’ll see you back at base,” he told his brothers as he headed back to his ‘bird.  Gordon gave him a crisp nod while Virgil gave no indication that he’d heard – as he was still checking the rescuee over, Scott hadn’t expected one. Gordon’s reaction told him everything he needed to know – the attitude was still professional-only.  He wasn’t yet forgiven for whatever transgression it was Gordon was mad at him about.  It was nearing midnight at home, though; they were all tired and Scott fully expected it to all blow over by morning, once they’d had some sleep.

The site supervisor was waiting for him as he approached.

“Just wanted to say thank you again,” the woman said, sticking out her hand.  He took it and hid a wince at her particularly vigorous shake.  It was too soon for more painkillers, but this particular dose was wearing off already; the flight home was not going to be fun.

“Just doing our job,” he returned, polite smile on his face, and carefully retracted his hand.  She let him.

“Your job’s an impressive one,” she winked at him, before her gaze wandered slightly.  Scott wanted to groan – he knew that look, and normally he’d play along, maybe even see if he could score if he was feeling particularly lucky, but he was physically tired, emotionally drained, and in pain. No flirting for him today.

He just nodded at her, smile slightly more genuine because regardless of the situation it always gave him a bit of a boost when he got attention of that sort – not that he’d dare admit that to his brothers, or they’d never let him forget it – and she laughed.

“I’d say another time, but I’d hope we don’t need your assistance again,” she grinned, and before Scott realised it was coming, there was a playful elbow in his ribs.  Nothing hard, not even something he’d normally react to, but his ribs screamed and he gasped, instinctively doubling over before forcing himself straight again.

He fervently hoped his brothers hadn’t noticed, but didn’t dare glance around to check.

“Oh, I’m so-”

“You’re right, hopefully you won’t need us again.”  He overrode her apology, sent her another small grin, and got himself back inside the safety of his ‘bird as quickly as he could without seeming like he was running away. His ribs burned and he eyed the first aid cabinet, sorely tempted, but squashed the impulse.  Piloting in pain wasn’t advisable, but piloting overdosed on medication was potentially fatal.  Taking a moment to settle, he opened up a link to Thunderbird Five.

“I’m returning to base now,” he informed his brother.  “Rescue complete; Virgil and Gordon are finishing up with the worker, but they’ve got it all in hand and I’ve got a shower to finish.”

“F.A.B.,” John acknowledged, a small grin on his face at Scott’s mention of a shower.  “I’ll see if I can get the world to wait on getting itself into any more trouble until you’re done, big brother.”

“That would be nice,” Scott grinned, settling back in his chair more comfortably and ignoring his ribs. They both knew John couldn’t control that, especially not with the Hood and his Chaos Crew running around, but sometimes it was nice to pretend.  “Thunderbird One out.”

He muted his comms again – against protocol, but he doubted Virgil or Gordon would be calling him up for a chat given the way they were cold-shouldering him and he’d already addressed John – before taking off.  VTOL launches were far gentler with the G-forces, but unlike earlier, he wasn’t riding high on the full effect of the painkillers, so it hurt worse as he accelerated.

Mach 8 would be plenty to get him home, he decided, unwilling to risk anything faster than necessary, and once he was cruising he unmuted his comms, confident he wouldn’t have missed anything.

“-ott.  Scott.  Thunderbird One are you listening to me?”

Virgil sounded furious. That didn’t bode well.

“Reading you loud and clear, Thunderbird Two,” he replied.  “What’s happened?”  He reached out in preparation of turning his ‘bird’s nose back the way he’d come.

“What’s happened, he asks,” Virgil steamed, hologram materialising.  He was standing firmly upright, arms crossed and one hand tapping on his arm.  “The site supervisor wanted to know why you’re working with a rib injury.”

Dammit.

“Virgil-” he started, not quite sure how he was going to deflect the accusation.  His brother didn’t give him a chance.

“Don’t Virgil me,” he snapped.  “Get back here so I can see why she thinks you’re injured.”

“It’s fine,” Scott lied. “Nothing serious.  I’ll see you back at base.”  He cut the call, which in immediate hindsight was stupid decision, but to his surprise, Virgil didn’t immediately call back.  Still, he switched his comms back to mute and eyed his speed.  If he wanted to get back before Thunderbird Two, Mach 8 would be enough, but if Virgil pushed his ‘bird, it wouldn’t leave him with much time to grab a shower and smuggle some ice.  Gritting his teeth, he pushed her up to Mach 10, swallowing the grunt of pain from the additional pressure.

Almost immediately, Thunderbird One started to slow.

“Hey!” he yelped.  The absolute last thing he needed was his ‘bird crashing.  It might give him enough injuries to hide the fact his ribs were already broken, but wrecking his ‘bird was not worth avoiding a lecture.  He tried to correct it, but her controls jammed under his hands. “Oh you’re kidding me,” he groaned, preparing himself to stand up and get to the reset.  What had even happened?  She hadn’t been damaged since the Icarus, and Brains and Virgil had both sworn through and through that she was fully functional again.  There was no reason for-

His holographic display lit up with the icon for Thunderbird Five.

Ah.  Dammit.  Virgil had got John on his case.

Reluctantly, he unmuted his comm and immediately got blasted with three brothers all yelling at him. The temptation was there to simply mute them again, but instead he sighed and leaned back in his chair, waiting for them to stop.

“-t mute your comms ever-”

“-swer us you-”

“-re you an idiot-”

They didn’t, but their voices were getting more and more frantic, and he realised they were starting to panic at his lack of a response.  He groaned.

“You don’t need to shout, I can hear you just fine,” he told them.  “John, what are you doing with Thunderbird One?”

“Landing,” his brother said abruptly.  “You’re just coming up over the Sahara so I’m putting you down there.  Thunderbird Two is en route.”

“This really isn’t necessary,” Scott complained. “Can’t we deal with this at home?”

“You mean in another two hours, providing we don’t get another callout or distraction so you can slip away again?” Virgil asked dryly.  “No, we’re doing this now, and if I find anything worse than a minor bruise you’re finishing the trip home in Thunderbird Two’s medbay.”

Scott groaned, having absolutely no desire to be subjected to that.  “Seriously, guys, I’m fine.”  Thunderbird One’s VTOLs fired as her speed dropped, and he felt her land.  Looking out of the viewing window, he saw sand and more sand.  The Sahara, as John had promised.

“We’ll be the judge of that,” Gordon scowled.

“Thunderbird Two is five minutes out from your location,” Virgil informed him coolly.  “Stay where you are.”

Thunderbird Five’s insignia was still firmly ensconced in the holographic display, informing him that John had not retracted his override.  As much as he wanted to, there was no way he was going anywhere until his brothers had satisfied themselves.  He groaned again and eyed the medical cabinet once more.  It was still too soon to take another dose, but he knew there was no way any of them would be letting him pilot the rest of the way home anyway.

The relief from pain would not be worth the lecture from Virgil and then Grandma.  Reluctantly he turned away from it and closed his eyes, listening out for the engines of Thunderbird Two.  His brothers kept the channel open, talking to each other and occasionally shooting a question his way – presumably to make sure he hadn’t passed out on them – which he answered reluctantly.

True to Virgil’s words, five minutes after John had landed his ‘bird there came the sound of Thunderbird Two’s VTOL overhead, and he jabbed at his seat controls to leave his ‘bird, seeing no point in sitting and waiting for them to descend on him when he’d be dragged into Thunderbird Two anyway.  Some battles weren’t worth fighting.

“Scott!”  Virgil strode across the short distance between the two ‘birds, grabbing his arm as soon as he was in reach as though he thought he’d flee if given the chance.  With John still controlling his ‘bird, Scott thought the gesture unnecessary.  “You absolute idiot.  Thunderbird Two, now.”  The hand gripping his bicep didn’t give him much of a choice, forcibly guiding him towards the lowered hatch.

Gordon was waiting in the cockpit, arms crossed and eyes like fire.  Beside him, the cockpit’s stretcher had been lowered.

“Sit,” Virgil snapped, dragging him over to it.  Scott obeyed reluctantly, and scowled at the medical scanner immediately deployed.  It didn’t take long to flag up amber along his various bruises, and red at his ribs.  He didn’t hear what Virgil ground out under his breath, but he was fairly certain it wasn’t language he’d use in front of their grandmother.  “John, take One home.  Scott’s piloting nowhere.”

“F.A.B.”  Scott knew his brother well enough to hear the anger in those three letters.  His ‘bird’s VTOL roared to life and he watched her take to the sky through the cockpit windows.

“When did this happen, Scott?” Virgil demanded, setting the scanner to one side and tugging at his zip. Scott batted his hand away, taking over. He still had enough pride to not be undressed by his brother.  Two sets of brown eyes narrowed dangerously as the bruising became visible.

Caught, there was nothing to be gained by lying.  “Last mission, when the pod stopped suddenly.”  A flash of guilt swept across Gordon’s face.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” the aquanaut demanded.  He shrugged, then winced when his body reminded him that the painkillers were all but worn off.

“Didn’t exactly get the chance,” he said.  “Couldn’t do anything about it at the time because we were trying not to become WRM food, then there was the thing with the Mechanic and the Hood, and the landowner wanted compensation for the damaged WRM and park, and-”

“And most of that could have waited for you to get checked over,” Virgil interrupted, a gentle hand lightly touching his bruised torso.  Scott’s body flinched away from the contact unbidden.  “Why the hell did you come out to Cornwall?  Gordon and I could have handled it by ourselves.”

“It was a rescue,” Scott protested.

“Which you’re now grounded from for six weeks, minimum,” Virgil growled.  “Lie down.  What have you taken for the pain?”

He didn’t get a chance to protest before both brothers were carefully but firmly pushing him down onto the stretcher.

“Two Tylenol when I left the trash mine seven hours ago,” he admitted.  “Two more just before this mission, three hours ago.”  Virgil frowned.

“You’ll have to bear with it until we get home,” he said.  “Once the Tylenol’s out of your system, I’ll give you something stronger.”  Scott scowled.  “Gordon, get some ice on his ribs.  Scott, stay still.”  Virgil had the gall to strap him down, avoiding putting pressure on his ribs.  “We’ll be talking about this when we get home.”

It was a promise, but just before he turned away to head to his seat, Scott saw the one thing he’d hoped he’d be able to avoid: guilt.  Virgil was well aware he’d missed the signs because of his flare-up about the topiary, and wouldn’t be forgiving himself for it any time soon.

“Virg-” he started, only to interrupt himself with a hiss as a cool sensation spread across his chest. He closed his eyes briefly, before opening them to find Gordon stood next to him, ice pack in hand.

“Not right now, bro,” the blond said quietly, and the same guilty pain was in his eyes.  “Give him time.”

“Gord-”

“And me,” Gordon interrupted him.  “Just… not yet, okay?  Wait ‘til we’re home and you’re all smothered better in the infirmary.”

Scott didn’t like it, but he understood it – they’d find it easier to deal with once they knew he really was okay.  Broken ribs sucked, but in the grand scheme of injuries, they were relatively minor.  The real fear his brothers carried was what if it had been worse – a punctured lung, for example.

In answer, he pulled a face, showing exactly what he thought of being ‘smothered better’ as Thunderbird Two roared to life beneath him.  A small grin tugged at the corner of Gordon’s mouth and he considered that progress, settling back comfortably as his brother’s ‘bird carried him home.

next...

[yuthoe]

Schedule Changes (PENTAGON: Adachi Yuto)

HELLO, IT’S 12:48AM AND I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF.

I had to churn this out because it won’t leave my head. I’d like to thank my irl friend @shiiiiiiiiinwun for inspiring me to write this collection (yes, I’m gonna be doing one for all of ot9). And for someone who’s been watching anime since she figured out how to use the internet, you’d think I could’ve come up with better names, and faster.

EDIT (06/29/20): Hi! it’s my first time making an edit like this, so i’m kinda insecure abt it lol, i hope it’s okay. this is the 2nd yuto version i did, so it’s slightly better than the first one. tumblr rlly doesn’t want us to go overboard on image size huh

WARNINGS: n/a; some angst, maybe? who’s proofreading idk her. WORD COUNT: 3,314 it’s so fucking long.

---

Minister Sakaguchi,

Unfortunately, Her Majesty will not be available for your meeting today at 3PM; urgent matters have arisen that need her immediate attention. If you would like to reschedule with her, please reply to this email.

Thank you very much for understanding.

Regards,

Y/N L/N

Secretary to the Queen

You sigh, wondering if the email you’ve typed is in the appropriate tone that won’t offend Minister Sakaguchi; in all the years you’ve been working for the royal family it doesn’t get easier writing and replying to the emails of government officials, invitations to interview Her Majesty for magazine features, requests to attend public functions like galas and balls. The ridiculous amount of mail she gets, that are automatically forwarded to you, is mind-boggling, in anyone else’s eyes. It doesn’t surprise you anymore, though.

The queen as a monarch takes the backseat to running the kingdom, to any foreigner that decides to take a look at articles from international news sources. Her name isn’t mentioned as much as the king’s when it comes to referencing big developments in the state. Rather, the local newspapers and online sites have her name and face on some article at least once a week. The queen takes care of the little things, smaller projects that delve more into social welfare than her husband’s institutional programs. She is a strong advocate for women’s and children’s rights, as well as a figure in health outreach programs for the poorer sectors of society. Her compassion and dedication to her job is what made you want to work for her; she was like a role model to you, along with her husband.

It was a stroke of pure luck that got you this job; your first day as the secretary for Minister Yamazaki turned into you being his substitute with only a day’s notice. He had gotten sick with the flu and you were immediately thrust into a role you knew almost nothing about. So you took all the files related to the subject of the meeting and studied up on them the night before, turning up the next day and pulling out opinions as if you yourself spearheaded the project. The queen, upon finding out that you were new, was so impressed and had talked to Minister Yamazaki (who was still in his sickbed) over the phone about enlisting you under her employ.

It’s been five years since then. Five fast-paced, fulfilling, exciting years working closely with the royal family. At this point, your relationship with the queen is more of a friendship than strictly professional, and you’re grateful for it. The people you interact with on a daily basis are mostly considerably older than you--ministers, program leaders, the palace staff--and the talk is all business. So you’re grateful for your weekend teatime with the queen, sometimes with her children joining you, who are some of the only people your age you talk to on a regular basis, apart from the younger maids and kitchen staff. The afternoons out in the garden are the queen’s time to unwind and review everything that happened the previous week, as well as scheduling the succeeding weeks. The stress of planning therefore comes to a head on Saturdays so the week can sail by calmly.

Today is one of those Saturdays. Minister Sakaguchi had scheduled a dinner meeting with the queen yesterday--something about the upcoming fair for disenfranchised women, although you suspect Minister Sakiguchi will try to sneak in pitches for other programs she has in mind. The queen had agreed, so you penciled in the meeting into your schedule. However, the queen seemed under the weather when she came out earlier, that you had advised her to cancel it, assuring her that Minister Sakiguchi would understand. 

The queen takes a sip of her favorite rosehip and lemon tea, fingers delicate on the porcelain, and you send the email, huffing out a sigh. You place your phone facedown on the glass table and take a sugar cookie from the plate. “Just sent the email, Your Majesty,” you say. “Now you can just focus on resting tonight.” You smile as you take a bite.

Your boss smiles as she replaces the teacup on its saucer. “Thank you,” she says, relaxing against the lounge chair. “To be honest, I didn’t think Minister Sakiguchi would talk so much about the fair anyway. She probably suggested a meeting to tell me more of her ideas for the women’s sector.” You smile. Bingo. “Is anything else scheduled for tomorrow?”

You glance at your open laptop, as well as the printed-out spreadsheet on your lap. It’s an organized mess of colors and times and places and people. “Just the charity gala tomorrow night. I’ve coordinated with Subaru and she said the king will be late by an hour. Will you go alone?”

She tilts her head in thought and hums. “I don’t want to be late. Is there anyone available?”

You click through the several pinned tabs on your laptop to the tab for the royal family’s shared schedule. “It seems Princess Akari is free, as well as Prince Yuto,” you say after a moment.

“Ah, Akari will be busy designing something for the fair, I think, so maybe she won’t want to go,” the queen muses.

“So you’ll just take the prince, then? I’ll contact Daiki and ask him to notify the prince.”

“No need,” a deep, disembodied voice comes in from somewhere in the hedges before Prince Yuto pops his head into view. He walks towards the table as you clear up a space for him, closing your binder and putting that on top of the clipboard among other printouts on one of the spare chairs between you and the queen.

The prince strides across the grass in his black dress pants and long-sleeved shirt, to greet his mother. He places his hands softly on her shoulders and leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek. The queen smiles and accepts the kiss, patting a hand over one of his; her mood instantly lifts, and her posture relaxes further. As the youngest son, she dotes on him a lot; he in turn always keeps his mother company and can rarely be seen in public not by her side or his father’s. You think their relationship is sweet, and so do the many news articles posted online about it.

Prince Yuto takes a seat on the only empty chair and fixes himself a cup of tea while saying, “What’s the gala for?”

“The orphanages in the farther provinces,” the queen says as she takes a saucer and stacks it high with dark chocolate-coated cookies, pushing the small plate at her son’s direction. “Some dignitaries from other kingdoms as well as celebrities will be attending. And I will announce the new scholarship program for our state schools. There’s a chance your father won’t make it, so I’d like a companion.”

“Of course I’ll go with you, Mother,” Prince Yuto says after swallowing a bite of cookie. He turns to you. “What time is it?”

“Call time for the royals and major government officials is 7PM, and the program starts at 7:30. I’ll contact Daiki with the details as well,” you say.

The prince shakes his head, but there’s a smile on his face as he turns to the queen. “It’s such a shame, I thought you two were talking about Y/N transferring to my office,” he jokes. It’s a bit that he’s brought up many times before, and both you and the queen take it as a joke since you figure he just wants someone closer to his age with more experience than Daiki, who is about four years older and has only been working with him for two years.

The queen lets out a laugh and takes her teacup again. “What’s the matter with Daiki? He seems to be doing a good job.” Her eyes meet yours as she takes another sip, glinting in amusement.

Prince Yuto is smiling his bright, beautiful smile that the camera loves as he looks fondly at his mother. He probably got wind of her feeling run-down and hurried here to try to distract her. You know the queen is the most important person to him, and the queen may not know it, but it’s obvious to everyone else. “Well, as you know, Y/N is better,” he continues, “and Daiki-san is a stick-in-the-mud.” The teasing makes you huff out a laugh, immediately raising a hand to cover your mouth; Daiki is truly a stick-in-the-mud, even more than you are.

The queen laughs boisterously, throwing her head back. “Oh, you’re such a jokester, Yuto.” She sighs, fully relieved, and you’re thankful he decided to stop by. The queen finishes her tea and says, “Well, this was a fun teatime. I have some paperwork I have to sign, so Y/N, you may go.” She turns to her son. “It’s so nice of you to stop by, sweetheart,” she says, and leans down to drop a kiss on the crown of his head. “I’ll be seeing you both.” The queen glides away, and you briefly wonder how she can walk that gracefully in heels over damp, unpaved grass--but then you remember she’s the queen and has been doing this for years. She turns around the corner of the hedge and disappears.

You sigh and shut down your laptop, gathering your stuff as you message Daiki about the charity gala. You slide the laptop in your bag, and put all the printouts in order into a folder, before slipping everything else inside. You’re just about to get up to leave before Prince Yuto’s voice stops you.

“You sure you won’t consider transferring to my office?” you hear the prince suddenly ask. He’s looking at you, piercing eyes that make everyone in the kingdom, young and old, swoon. And if you didn’t talk to him everyday and your self-control had been any less, you would probably give in to whatever he wanted.

So you try to mask your rapidly beating heart behind a fond, teasing smile. “Well, I don’t really have a say in it. Don’t think the queen wants to let me go, anyway,” you say, taking a proffered dark chocolate-covered cookie from the prince and biting into it. The rich, slightly bitter punch of the chocolate explodes on your tongue.

The prince looks at you with a small smile. “I was serious, you know,” he says simply. “I mean, you won’t be as busy so you’ll have more free time, and the stuff I do is just small, as a minister for cultural arts. I split it with another person.”

You’re already shaking your head. “I like my job. I love working for the queen and seeing the results of what she’s done. You know she’s been my role model since I was a teenager, so this is a dream for me. And as much as I want a break sometimes, I can’t let this opportunity go.” You sigh, heart heavy now, and stand. “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

He stands with you. “I know I’ve told you to call me just ‘Yuto’ before, didn’t I?”

“But decorum--,”

“Yeah, fine, practice etiquette in public, but when we’re alone you can just call me by my name.” You don’t answer, and hesitantly purse your lips. And then the prince begins to pout. “Come on, if you don’t wanna work for me, at least call me Yuto.” He presses the tips of his index fingers together and says, “I miss you,” so cutely, with his big puppy dog eyes and hilariously deep voice that’s sorely out of place for the cutesy thing he’s trying to do.

You have to laugh, bending down at the waist and steadying yourself with the table as you cackle. “Fine, fine,” you relent. “I’ll call you Yuto in private from now on.” You heave your heavy bag up onto your shoulder with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

***

“You look beautiful tonight,” someone says behind you. You turn carefully, eyes meeting Yuto, in another black ensemble: turtleneck under an overcoat with black dress pants and boots. His hair is slicked back artfully, apart from the stray locks of hair that insist on falling over his eyes. Simple, but very handsome; the paparazzi and journalists must be having a field day with that outfit.

And you look down at yourself: standard black satin-and-chiffon off-shoulder gown that you usually wear to these types of stuff. Your shoes are your everyday pair, and you’re thankful that the dress comes all the way to the floor because they are getting scuffed at the tip. Your hair is wavy, the result of sleeping in a braid through twelve hours, but you manage to tame it into a loose bun that’s mostly out of your face. The only accessory you have is the necklace you’ve worn since your mother passed down to you six or seven years ago. Makeup is minimal because you are here to assist, not be the center of attention. Everything you put into your appearance tonight is just to make sure you look clean and professional. And invisible.

You roll your eyes at the prince. “Your Highness, I look like this everytime the queen needs to go somewhere fancy. I don’t think ‘beautiful’ is the right word.” You know he means well, but you’re just plain, from your shoes to your face to your position in society, you’re just simple, unremarkable.

The prince furrows his brows and takes his place standing beside you. “You are, though. You may not see it, but I do.” He casts you a quick glance before turning his focus to the stage, where a popular singer is performing one of her new songs onstage as an opening act. “And those photographers over there see it, too.”

You whip your head at him before scanning the event hall for any cameras pointed at you, heart pounding hard in your chest. You don’t spot any, but you still say, “I think you had better take your seat, Your Highness. I bet those people just want to make a scandal out of nothing.” Prince Yuto may be the youngest out of the royal children, but that does not mean he is risk-free. He is being trained for the position of Minister of Culture and the Arts; he has a large following of young people who look up to him as a leader and as a person; he is one of the most important people in your life, and you can’t bear for anything bad to happen to him.

The work tablet you brought is getting crushed in your folded arms from how tight you’re clutching it. “I’m going to find Daiki--,” you say softly, making to leave, but getting stopped once again by the prince.

He’s holding one of your arms gently, but strong enough to pull you back beside him. “It’s okay,” he says. “Let them. It’s fine.”

You pull your arm away. “Your Highness, it’s not fine. You can’t risk a scandal blowing up on you right now. Everyone has eyes on you, even if you don’t think so.” You’re worried. The last thing you want is for him to get in trouble because of you.

The prince sighs. “Y/N, there’s not gonna be a scandal if we’re actually together.”

You take a moment to think. “What? You want us to pretend to be a couple? I don’t think it’s a good idea; people might get the misconception that you’re slacking off, or--,”

“No, I mean--,” he sighs frustrated, more at himself than at you, but he keeps his composure and his face remains stoic; you both are still in public, after all. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while now, but I just didn’t know how to say it, and I certainly didn’t plan on telling you at a charity event where hundreds of people could hear.” He’s rambling--a sign that he’s nervous, unprepared.

Prince Yuto takes a calming breath before fully facing you. “I like you, Y/N,” he says softly, aware of the number of ears that are possibly listening in. “I’ve liked you since the day you started working for my mom, and I liked you even more the longer you stayed. You’re a hard worker, you’re dedicated to your job, you genuinely care for the queen and the things she does for the people. And I’m thankful that I got close to you as much as I have because you do mean a lot to me. I know I don’t show it, because I’m not sure how to show it, and I don’t know how you would react to it. But I do like you. Very much.” He releases a breath and looks you in the eye. “So will you try? To be with me?”

All this you take in with wide eyes and a shocked-open mouth. You know the prince is not the most outgoing person; he’s most relaxed when he is with people he knows, which are limited to his family and their secretaries, along with some of the senior palace staff. You’ve never seen him in a pickle of trying to get someone’s attention, but you do remember him offering to carry your heavy work back once or twice and you insisting on carrying yourself; him telling you that you look beautiful even if you wear the same plain things all the time; him giving you a box of (really expensive) chocolate for Valentine’s Day on the excuse of “I gave all the royal family’s employees chocolates”; him giving you a piece of his favorite chocolate cookies, even though you’ve never seen him offer them to anyone else.

All this time he’s been telling you how he feels and you’ve never noticed. And you yourself can’t even tell him the same because you don’t want to risk the prince getting hurt, you getting hurt, the queen getting hurt because of your selfishness. Your work is important to you, and you can’t jeopardize it for your happiness.

But here he is, Prince Yuto. Being brave enough to know the uncertainty of what lies ahead and being prepared to face it, if you answer him; if you push aside your fear of messing up and tell him you like him back; if, for once, you look to your heart instead of thinking of your work.

He stands tall beside you, an imposing figure of grace and compassion. A man people look up to. A leader who is innovative, yet respects traditions. A role model for young people who are inspired by his music, his acts of service to everyone. A son that is loved by his parents, a brother that is loved by his siblings. A friend who listens and is always there, but always pushes you out of your comfort zone.

How can you not fall for him?

How can you say no, when everything around you points to yes?

You’re nodding your head before you know it, still too shocked to properly process the last five minutes. “Yes. Yes, I’ll try being with you.”

The blinding smile is back, and you can’t help but return it. The prince nods, unable to suppress the grin on his face and gestures to the audience, milling about finding their tables. “I’ll be on my way, then. Find my mother.” He clears his throat, fidgets about with his coat and pockets. “Good luck for the rest of the night,” he says with a nod, before leaving.

You just curtsy, still beaming and your heart is drumming in your chest like crazy, but it feels light. Like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and you can take flight at any moment, straight into his arms.

[solusiprinting-blog]

What Is Graphic Design for Beginners?

When you consider graphic style, does one consider creative advertisements? Eye-grabbing graphics on websites? spectacularly organized spreads in magazines? whereas these examples actually match beneath the graphic style definition, the term encompasses a lot: posters, infographics, book covers, product labels, logos, business cards, signs, web site layouts, mobile apps, software system interfaces—the list goes on. So what's graphic style, exactly? Listing these graphic style examples may be a smart begin, however it doesn’t paint the total image. whereas covering the small print and intricacies of the whole graphic style field won't be potential in one article, this high-level summary can assist you higher perceive this inventive career field.

If you’re in any respect fascinated by turning into an expert graphic designer, keep reading to be told the fundamentals of the sphere.

What's Graphic Design?

graphic style is outlined as “the art and follow of designing and protrusive concepts and experiences with visual and matter content.” In alternative terms, graphic style communicates bound concepts or messages during a visual approach. These visuals is as easy as a business emblem, or as advanced as page layouts on an internet site. If you want know more detail about graphic design so you can see this site informasi desain grafis

“Graphic style takes graphical and matter parts and implements them into multiple forms of media,” says designer Alexandros Clufetos, once asked to elaborate on the graphic style definition. “It helps the producer connect with the patron. It conveys the message of the project, event, campaign or product.” Graphic style is utilized by firms to market and sell merchandise through advertising, by websites to convey sophisticated data during a light approach through infographics, or by businesses to develop associate identity through stigmatisation, among alternative things.

“Every day, we tend to take several of the subtly creative things around US without any consideration. however hidden in each magazine corner, exit sign or textbook lies a group of style concepts that influence our perceptions,” says Jacob Smith, founding father of illustration studio ProductViz. It’s conjointly necessary to recollect that though several graphic style comes have industrial functions like advertisements and logos, it's conjointly employed in alternative contexts and graphic style work is usually created strictly as a way for creative expression.

Graphic Style Basics

To better perceive the that means of graphic style, it's necessary to bear in mind of the weather and principles that structure style. parts area unit employed in conjunction or opposition with one another to form visually placing and impactful styles.

These graphic style parts include:

 ·         Color

·         Form

·         Line

·         Shape

·         Size

·         Space

·         Texture

Graphic styleers conjointly adhere to the principles of design, that area unit primarily a group of pointers that facilitate a style accomplish effective composition. These basic principles aid in making balance and stability for the piece of labor.

These graphic style principles include:

·         Balance

·         Contrast

·         Emphasis

·         Movement

·         Proportion

·         Rhythm

You’ve detected the previous voice communication that “rules area unit meant to be broken,” which might actually ring true during this case. however an honest graphic designer should initial perceive these principles before creating the acutely aware call to interrupt them.

Types of graphic style

As mentioned earlier, there's no single graphic style that means. Graphic style consists of the many fields and specializations, starting from print and internet style to animation and motion graphics. Graphic style offers opportunities and choices for people of just about any interest. If you’d asked somebody thirty years past to outline graphic style, their answer would have seemingly been targeted on print-related examples like magazines, picture show posters and advertisements. currently we’re living within the digital age, that has born to many new forms of graphic style.

Some of the foremost notable contemporary graphic style examples stem from advancements in technology. Here’s a glimpse of a number of these forms of graphic design: Website style involves making partaking and intuitive web content for users. This includes overall layout, combination and navigation.

User expertise (UX) style is targeted on guaranteeing an internet site or application is straightforward and satisfying to use. These designers emphasize price, usability, adoptability and desirability.

Motion graphics design or animation brings visual parts to life through camera work, TV shows, video games and flicks.

Common Graphic Style Jobs

With technological advancements introducing new forms of graphic style, there has conjointly been associate emergence of recent graphic style jobs. This evolution has modified the whole landscape of careers during this field. Demand for “traditional” graphic designers WHO work primarily for print publishers has fallen considerably, however that doesn’t tell the complete story. Employment of graphic styleers in pc systems design services is projected to grow by twenty four % through 2028, in line with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1 a lot of of this demand is spurred by business’ and organizations’ enlarged would like for digital graphics and representational process as they aim to extend their digital presence.

So thereupon aforementioned, what area unit some common graphic style job titles? we tend to analyzed over thirty,000 job postings line of work for a graphic style degree over the past year.2 the info helped US confirm the foremost common job titles:

·         Graphic designer

·         User expertise (UX) designer

·         Web designer

·         Art director

·         Creative director

As you'll see, once armed with the correct information and coaching, there area unit many graphic style job choices out there. you have got the power to cater your career to your personal skills and interests.

Popular graphic style tools

Now that you just understand what kind of jobs and specializations area unit out there, it’s useful to familiarise yourself with the graphic style tools that facilitate get the duty done. one among the foremost basic, and least valuable, tools designers use may be a volume. Graphic designers can typically sketch out concepts or rough drafts on paper before turning to a pc to finish the method.

That being aforementioned, computers and style software system area unit necessities in today’s digital climate, even though you're planning for print. the sort of pc you would like relies on preference, however once it involves software system, Adobe merchandise like Photoshop, artist and InDesign area unit mainstays within the graphic style world. If you're simply starting and don’t wish to decide to the high tag Adobe merchandise typically carry, similar free ASCII text file software system like lameness will assist you begin to master the fundamentals.

 Lastly, concepts and inspiration area unit what a graphic designer wants most. “You have to be compelled to have a solid construct serving because the foundation of your style and communication,” explains Chad Birenbaum, co-founder of pin style. “This construct and plan has to work on paper initial and so the pc ought to be used as a tool to bring the construct to life.” Graphic designers gain inspiration from the globe around them, therefore if you're distressed you aren’t inventive enough, go outside, bounce concepts off your peers or ask for concepts from the net. There many exalting graphic style blogs which will facilitate get your inventive juices flowing.

[smis-five-creedmoor]

In light of all the news I’ve been hearing of, I need to get this off my chest. This will be a very, very unpopular post, and I’ll probably even lose a few close friends for saying this (you know who you are), but it needs to be said.

But first, some background:

See, I grew up in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As such, I was told to keep an arm’s distance away from any and all non-Witnesses. This made me a very lonely individual. Further compounding the issue was the fact that, at some point in my childhood, there was an individual who abused me to hell and back. All the while discouraging me from being close to anyone that isn’t him. Further compounding the issue was my autism making it hard to maintain what little social ability I had.

Basically, I was kept in isolation for large amounts of time at a time, resulting in me gaining a bit of a reputation of being quiet, weird, and at times unapproachable.

Then, after graduating high school, I was a NEET for about 6-8 months. I had wanted to use those 6 months to figure out what I wanted to do in life. The result is me staying at home playing nothing but Minecraft and watching MLP all day, even further ensuring my social isolation.

By the time I finally chose something for college, I was socially...stunted. I was highly combative, prone to fits, VERY distrusting of people, and just was an unpleasant individual to be around. But by this point I was used to being isolated.

An important tidbit of information here is that when I went to college, I had the whole thing paid for by my parents (mind you it was a fairly short program akin to the US’s “Community College” and I still lived with my parents for this, so the costs were kept fairly minimal).

It was also around this time I was interested in firearms (though, more specifically, air guns at this time).

This next bit of story will seem a little more familiar to the Millenials following me on this site, but with a slight variation. See, I went to school for HVAC-R (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration), and while I was able to graduate, I still had to take a test in order to be fully qualified to be a mechanic. I’ve attempted the test, and I failed three times in the course of one year, all the while keeping social interactions to a minimum. The rules state that if I fail the test three times, I basically had to go back to school to try again.

As you can see, this was a failure. My parents said they would not be helping me with payments for college. And thus, I was back in square one. This was around the time my mental health was at its lowest. And thus, I began looking for any work. My parents supported the endeavour, but was forever disappointed that it wasn’t related to my college education.

Basically, for much of my life, I was isolated. VERY isolated.

Now, what was the point of telling you this (quite frankly long-winded) backstory? This is a chillingly similar story to a lot of the Far Right terrorists I’ve been reading about. However, where I stopped with the backstory is where the divergence begins. See, in my case, after effectively throwing things up at the ceiling in hopes to see what sticks, with a further declining mental health and wallet, I eventually got myself a nice job selling guns to people (I do realize the irony in this and to this day it still makes me chuckle).

Okay, that divergence point wasn’t the only point where I differ. The positive about the air gun hobby (which evolved into gun hobby) is that I was exposed to a bunch of weirdoes (of which I consider to be cool people in my life), which, in many cases, were acting as the only social interactions I had.

See, in my case, I had just a few tiny embers of motivation to keep going, even in the worst of times. In the case of, for example, the El Paso shooter, I see a completely extinguished flame of motivation to succeed in life. A pitch-black pit of ashes and soot. At best this results in suicide (of which becomes, at best, a statistic) that nobody reports on. At worst is what I’ll be talking about next:

I can’t claim to know everything that’s happened to the guy in El Paso, TX, USA (or really any of the Alt Right), but the few commonalities I’ve seen between me and these Alt Right weirdoes is indicative of a problematic pattern:

Isolationism.

Humans are social creatures, and as such talking to one another and having dialogue is crucial. And at the risk of sounding like “hurr dburr technology bad Thomas Edison was a witch”, for all the good the Internet has brought us (and it most certainly has), it’s also acted as a double-edged sword.

I’m not going into a “in the past humans spoke with each other face-to-face myeh~” because that’s, at most, only part of the issue. I don’t know when, but at some point people kept cutting more and more people out of their circles due to differing opinions. This results in those social rejects to seek out anyone to speak with, both on and offline. Now, I do know why that happens. I forget where but I read somewhere that differing opinions trigger the same brain response as when a saber-toothed tiger rushes towards you: a fight-or-flight response.

I don’t know if it’s because of deliberate actions of some nefarious actors or just something that festered over time, but at some point the talking points between these groups of rejects became very extremist. But because nobody else would dare approach them with a 50′ pole (be it because they’re just that well hidden or their actions are really just that repulsive), their views go unchallenged.

Even further compounding the issue is all the news and media attention mass shooters have had received, especially around 2008-2017, but starting from Columbine (even though mass shootings took place before then, see Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, QC, Canada). And given the nature of Cable News around this time (24 hour coverage of everything ever), this only emboldened a lot of these killers.

Now, to their credit, they did slow down on the reporting on the mass shooters’ profile and what have you, but because there’s enough of a backlog of previous mass shooters, it’ll still be a while before it all dies down. Not helping is that these incidents are becoming weirder and crazier, with the latest one specifically targetting Latin Americans and leaving a manifesto (in the same fashion as the guy in Christchurch, also racially motivated). Why? Because they know it’ll result in The Clicks. It’ll result in The Attention.

The same Attention they never received as kids.

Mix that with the utter nihilism, and this results in a horrific cocktail of terror.

Before any of my followers to the right of the aisle say any sort of Shen Bapiro style quip of sorts, this is not limited to The Far Right. I’m bringing them up because right now that seems to be The Big Discussion Point right now.

You may have noticed that I’ve not mentioned Donald Trump or his rhetoric. Let me first make things clear: I do not like Donald Trump. I do not like a lot of what he’s done, or what he’s said.

But the reason I’ve not mentioned Trump is simple:

This shit’s been happening since at least the Clinton administration. It’s only gotten this insane because it had the time to grow over a very long time.

You may have also noticed that I’ve barely mentioned firearms. Well I can tell you from personal experience it takes more than just a drum mag to drive people to want to kill (I’m so afraid of conflicts that I kept this entire essay below a cut).

I can tell you right now, for every one drum mag used in a massacre, one thousand of them have been used strictly in the range (be it an official one, something cobbled together in some redneck’s backyard, or as gun owners call it: “innawoods”). Most gun owners don’t even like those things for the simple fact that they’re expensive, heavy, and unreliable.

Somewhat off topic, but the whole “sensible gun laws” discussion infuriates me, for the simple fact that nobody can really agree on what “sensible” even is. For some, semi is acceptable but pinned to 10 or 5. Others will say semis are unacceptable altogether. Some will say no guns longer than certain amount, others will say no shorter. Some will say only some guns are acceptable based purely on what they’ve heard, and others will flat out reject guns altogether. Some say shotguns are fine but rifles aren’t, others say rifles are fine but shotguns aren’t.

The fact that everyone wanting “sensible gun laws” have wildly varying ideas of what “sensible” is makes the whole discussion not only pointless, it also assumes that the person declaring their view of “sensible” is in charge of what is sensible, and everyone else must follow it. A very self-centred approach, if you ask me.

All the while having zero clue as to what the hell they’re talking about.

If you made it this far, or just sort of skimmed through everything (I don’t blame you if the latter), here is a scene from Steven Universe that sums up what I’m saying (not perfectly, mind you, but the gist of it remains the same):

So the solution seems simple, yes? Re-integrate these extremists back into society, right?

Well, at this stage it’s not that easy.

And I hate to disappoint, but I don’t really have any answers. At least, one that can be summed up in even just a paragraph. Rather, the way I see it, every individual is a different case study as it is. We all need to approach things in that manner.

Because sweeping legislation of what people can or can’t say, use, or do will only work until it is used against them.

But hey, it’s the fault of a piece of metal and plastic, isn’t it?

[thorne93]

Curious Conundrum (Part 17)

Prompt: You’re John Watson’s sister. One day you decide to visit your brother for lunch, only to meet the infamous Mr. Holmes…

Word Count: 1935

Warnings: language, flirtation, sexual innuendos (maybe? idfk), murder/crime/case related stuff, angst, jealousy…

Notes: Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong Not only did she beta, but I literally couldn’t have written half these scenes without her help. She contributed majorly, even wrote some parts of scenes. I am forever in her debt.

Also, this starts AFTER Season 2, episode 1. I don’t follow all the episodes, but it does follow the timeline and hit some major events : )

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9| Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 |

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The anniversary had definitely taken a backseat, what with Sherlock headlining here and there, getting awards, presents, and rewards from every case he helped. He couldn’t care less, but you knew John liked the (somewhat) glorification.

But then Moriarty had downright shocked you as he somehow managed to break the case to the crown jewels. He was, of course, arrested. But he had some form of plan. What was it? That’s what was eating all three of you alive.

You were less concerned with how, and more concerned with why he wrote “Get Sherlock” and what the end game was.

Six grueling weeks later and Sherlock was called to trial as a witness. Both you and John accompanied him.

“Remember,” you tried to say and he cut you off.

“I know.”

You let out a breath of frustrated air. “Sherlock, this is serious. Moriarty is not to be fucked with, you know this. Don’t--”

“Don’t do anything like myself. Don’t provoke them. I know.”

You closed your eyes, knowing it was useless.

Before the trial, Sherlock went into the bathroom and you waited outside for what seemed like forever before he finally emerged.

“Bloody hell, did you fall in?” you demanded.

“Sorry, had to deal with a flirting fanatic,” he noted.

“You... What?!”

But Sherlock calmed you down by shrugging it off, and of course, he had to enter court. Sherlock had asked you to tune into your deduction skills and watch all over the courtroom while he took the stand.

When it was all said and done, you three went over the facts, walking back into the flat.

“...Three of the most secure places in the country and Moriarity broke into them and no one knows how or why. All we know is--”

“He ended up in custody,” Sherlock finished.

“Don't do that,” John slowly requested.

“Do what?”

“The look?”

“What look?”

“You’re doing the look again?”

“Well I can’t see it, can I?”

John gestured to the mirror. “My face?” Sherlock asked, completely confused.

“Yes, and it’s doing a thing. It’s doing that ‘we both know what’s really going on here face’.”

“Well, we do,” Sherlock insisted.

“No, I don’t, which is why I find ‘the face’ so annoying.”

You’d been gripping your head in frustration before you finally snapped, “Oh for God’s sakes! If Moriarty wanted the jewels he would have them. If he wanted the prisoners free, they would be. The only reason he’s sitting in a cell is because that’s what he’s chosen. So now the question is why. Why does Moriarty want to be behind bars? What’s the point? What’s the end game?”

By the end of your rant, you’d begun to pace.

“Y/N’s right, it’s part of his scheme,” Sherlock agreed.

At this, the three of you continued to mull over the “why”... Sherlock the most concerned with it.

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

John went to the trial, to hear the sentence. Sherlock waited at home. You were actually doing your real job, busy at a trial of your own, but your mind was never far away from your boyfriend. You were nervous as hell, but you were sure they would find him guilty. How could they not?

But then the horrible news that he was found not guilty rocketed you into another dimension. John had called you after he called Sherlock. His voice was full of panic.

“What do you mean they found him innocent?!” you shrieked as you were on recess for your own trial.

“I don’t know. But they did. He’s coming for Sherlock, I know it. The bastard just hung up on me though.”

You tried to even out your breathing. “Okay, that’s okay. If Sherlock knows this, he has a plan.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I know Sherlock and I know he weighed and thought about every possible outcome. If Moriarty is coming for him, he’ll be ready. In the meantime, I gotta go. Keep me updated.”

You ended the call and went back to your trial. When it was done (and you’d won the case), you raced to Sherlock’s flat where he was explaining everything to John. Apparently Moriarty had come by the apartment and had a little chat with him. Of course it was a threat, but none of you knew what the hell it meant or could possibly mean.

You and Sherlock seemed to spend the better part of two months going over anything he could be plotting. Romance, the anniversary, the relationship as a whole went on the back burner. All efforts and focus was either on Moriarty or an active case.

Then suddenly, a kidnapping case had come about. Sherlock was nearly giddy with glee as it seemed to be a rather curious case indeed. As luck would have it, you were with him when Donovan and Lestrade presented the case to him. You, John, and Sherlock were driven to the site of the abduction.

You watched Sherlock work (an aphrodisiac for you). He startled the nanny, and then graciously told her he believed her story and requested someone get her a bag to breathe into. The sheer confidence of the ordeal was enough to make you smirk appreciatively.

Donovan caught your approving face and skipped up next to you.

“You think him being a complete ass and scaring poor old women is funny do you?”

Your face lost all trace of humor, and anger ignited inside you. “I think Sherlock getting the job done as quickly as possible is good, yes. Or was that not the point? To get to the children as quickly as possible.”

“He sure has a funny way of going about it,” she muttered snidely.

“At least he doesn’t fuck around while on the job, literally. How is Anderson’s wife by the way?” you asked, turning to face her as you walked backward. A mischievous grin played on your face as you twiddled your fingers in the air at her like a wave before turning to follow Sherlock into the house.  

Watching Sherlock work, you remained silent. It was best not to speak while he was “in the zone” unless asked. He found a bottle and requested for Anderson. Anderson came and prepared the room for black light analysis. Without fail, Anderson gave a brilliant impression of a moron, to which Sherlock told him so.

He found some samples of the kidnappers boots that he said would behave like a map for them. Which would be true. Scraping some samples and the three of you rushing to St. Barts, Sherlock began his analysis, dragging Molly into it as well.

Every time you were around Molly, it was….strained. You knew she had known him longer than you had, you knew she had feelings for him -- still, and she stayed in line, not trying to cross the line of friendship with Sherlock. Yet every time you were around her, there was a touch of awkward tension in the air. Part of you respected her for being an adult, part of you didn’t like Sherlock around her because you knew of her feelings, and another part of you felt entirely sorry for her.

It must be one hell of a thing to watch the man you carry a torch for love another. Even if you and Sherlock never showed any sort of public affection, even if you kept it strictly professional while working a case, the fact remained that you were his and he was yours. This fact was glaring just by the looks you two shared, the way his gaze would linger on yours.The way he would shoot you a knowing smirk. The way he commended your deductions.

So now, you stood with John, helping him on some of the tests when Molly suddenly struck up a conversation with Sherlock that wasn’t science related.

“What did you mean ‘I owe you’?” she asked as she worked. Sherlock stopped his movements and you did too. You couldn’t help but listen in. “You said ‘I owe you’ while you were working,” she noted.

“Nothing,” he quietly said, shutting the topic down.

“You’re a bit like my dad. He’s dead. No… sorry--” she tried, realizing the social awkwardness of her statement.

“Molly, please don’t feel the need to make conversation, it’s really not your area,” Sherlock advised.

She made a face, a nervous, but bold face. “When he was dying, he was always cheerful. Lovely, except when he thought no one could see. I saw him once, he looked sad.”

Sherlock gave her a warning. “Molly…”

“You look said,” she continued, ignoring his tone of caution, “when you think they can’t see you.”

Both of their gazes flashed to the two of you, but you made quick work to shift your own eyes and make your hands start fiddling about.

“Are you okay? Don’t just say you are, because I know what that means when you think no one can see you.”

“You can see me,” he noted.

“I don’t count,” she commented, and a pang of sympathy washed through your chest for her. “What I’m trying to say is, if there’s anything I can do, anything you need, anything at all. You can have me.”

Red shot into your cheeks as you kept your face down, still pretending to work.

“No, what I mean is... I just mean... If there’s anything you need… It’s fine,” she stammered, ending her olive branch speech.

“But what could I need from you?” Sherlock asked and his tone made it clear that he would never need her.

“Nothing,” she replied, sorrow in the back of her voice. “I don’t know. But you could probably say thank you.”

Sherlock stuttered a thank you and she quickly exited the lab. Standing for a moment, you weren’t sure what to do. You wanted to talk to Molly, but on the other hand it would be best if you left it alone. Your tenacity got the better of you and you put your tools down, following her out into the hall.

“Molly,” you called, jogging to catch up to her.

She spun and faced you, not saying a word. You knew she didn’t like you, at all. She was polite to you around Sherlock because of him and John, and because she’s a nice person. But you knew if she could have a wish, it would be to get you out of the picture.

But that wasn’t the case. You were here to stay, and Molly needed to realize what her place was in Sherlock’s life.

You pressed your lips into a flat line as you peered at her, her waiting for you to say something.

“Look... I… I know you love him,” you started and she seemed to stiffen, probably awaiting you to demonize her. “I know how hard this must be for you. I wanted to let you know I appreciate you being an adult about this. And I really appreciate you not crossing that line and trying to be something more.”

Your gaze held hers for a second, a hardness settling into your eyes, while the rest of your face remained soft. “He doesn't have many friends, and it’s nice to know you’re there for him and support him.” You reached up and gripped her arm gently, a reassuring squeeze coming from you. “He and I are lucky to have you in our lives.”

Molly nodded, staying quiet a long time. “I--I--Yeah, you’re welcome.”

You smiled at her, the grin loaded as you let her go. Her gaze lingered on you a moment longer before she walked off to the cafeteria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forever Tag:

@cocosierra94

@essie1876

@magpiegirl80

@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked

@iamwarrenspeace

@marvel-imagines-yes-please

@superwholocked527

@missinstantgratification

@thejemersoninferno

@rda1989

@munlis

@thefridgeismybestie

@thefridgeismybestie

@igiveupicantthinkofausername

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CC tag: @disneyoncerlover815 @ultrarebelheart @tngrayson @clairese1980 @ladyblablabla

[nintendolover13-ts2]

More Replies

Bear with me, some of these are from February (yikes!)!

This is a really long post.

First and foremost I’ll take care of the most recent comments first ;)

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BiRtHdAy 🎉 🎂 🎁:

@deedee-sims​, @strangetomato, @goldenbtrfly, @kairisu, @simsworldsurfer, @julietoon-sims2 and @princess-arystal21: I just want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time out of your day to leave a simple happy birthday message. It may not have been anything major for you to take time out of your day to do, but it is a lot more than what 90% of my friends (two of my friends remembered and/or sent me a text on my birthday - my best friend forgot (he always does)) have done for me- and honestly that means so much. You all are so so kind and I am so thankful for each and every one of you. <3

Also a special shoutout to @goldenbtrfly for answering my question 😂, I guess it will be a surprise then (I am hoping that I will upload it before I move).

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Jobs:

@mrs-mquve-cc​ (I don’t know why I can’t tag your mrs-mquve blog), @mdpthatsme​, @deedee-sims​ and @avelexi (your blog isn’t even coming up when I type avelexi.tumblr.com/):

Thank you so much for the good luck! Unfortunately, I did not get the job (it was a high school graduate entry level job and they were looking for someone who had more experience with forklifts and other heavy moving machinery - as I had 0 experience). I was hoping that this job would get my foot in the door and that I would be eventually hired elsewhere in the college. I wasn’t super interested in the position until I had the on-site interview in which I learned that they were deconstructing and reconstructing the synchrotron over the summer (that was what the job was) and honestly it would have been SO neat to be a part of that!

I have another interview next monday with an actual lab position so I’m hoping that that one will go better.

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Moving:

@lifetime-want​, @rudhira, and @deedee-sims​:

You may or may not have seen that the original internet place was college only. I have been doing a pretty awful job at updating that post but Austin and I just signed the lease for an apartment today! It was actually our “third choice” out of our top three but we visited the place which is two hours away from where we currently live) on Saturday and he brought the lease papers home after work today! So he’ll be handing those in tomorrow after work and the place will officially be ours! The bad news though is that this place does not have internet so you may be seeing less of me until we determine 1) IF we can afford to have internet and 2) get it installed and what not. So it will probably be a long while before I can upload or download anything (once we officially move in of course!).

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Personal Problems:

I really feel like I replied to these, and maybe I did, but I couldn’t find them on my own blog... so I mean I should work on better tags. :x

@needlecream​, @sigmundsims​, @jeeks-sims, @deedee-sims​, and @mrs-mquve-cc​:

Thank you all so much for your kind words. It means a lot to me, and I’m sorry if my feelings have annoyed you or any other followers. I should really try to keep this strictly sims related (as I have seen some people comment that simblrs aren’t meant to be facebook or a personal page). I just kinda feel that without it, there’s no connections whatsoever between me and you all? I’m not sure, I’ll have to think about it some more. I get it though, a lot of you guys are probably only following me for my downloads and could care less about what I say -  which is definitely understandable.

Anyways, I digressed quite a bit. Thank you for your kind words, it was really comforting to me.

@princess-arystal21:

Thank you so much for that long post. Although I wasn’t interested in doing/trying any of those things, I really appreciate the thought behind it, and I hope it helped someone! What really got me though, was your tag of ‘helping a friend,’ that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It made me remember that people do care and that helpful tips are meant to be just that and not a ‘you’re not allowed to feel sad’ kind of thing. I hope none of this comes across as negative or ungrateful, it is just the opposite! I am very grateful you took the time to respond and help in the ways that you could. That is a very good characteristic to have in a friend.

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Randoms:

@avelexi: Thank you! That outfit is actually one of my personal favorite creations of mine. :)

@ch4rmsing: Thank you <3 (on both accounts as I am glad you think it’s cute too) Also, you’re welcome!

@stop-playing-musical-cribs: I know right?? I’ve tried items (decorative objects) and I just couldn’t figure it out, so I mean, here’s to hoping someone will pick it up! :D

@deedee-sims and @princess-arystal21: You both are too sweet for your own good 😭

Also, princess-arystal21 - I feel like I said happy valentine’s day back, but just in case I didn’t.... I hope you had a wonderful valentine’s day and I’m so so sorry I am so shitty about replying to comments 😭

@needlecream: Thank you!! I am regretting going to college more and more each day that I don’t have a job. I am wondering if it was even worth it. 😥

I love Maroon 5 so much.

@holleyberry: Oh, I know ;) She has her own facebook page 😂

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Alright I think that is everything that I have missed since my last reply session, and now I have officially caught up (if not feel free to call me out)!

[yanderesleuth]

Analyzing Osana: A Very Interesting Read.

Seriously. I want to shake this user’s hand. 

I’ll never admit to a soul where I follow Dev’s active discussions about Yandere Simulator. If you have seen my previous screen shots and recognize the site, then it would be obvious to you. However, If someone would ask me what site it is, I won’t tell. It’s just something I tend to keep quiet about, out of respect. 

There is a user by the name of Kokonie that submitted a theory, regarding Osana. Yandere Dev responded with the following:

Wow! You really analyzed things thoroughly!

I would love to tell you which theories are correct and which are incorrect, but it would be a spoiler.

Nice job putting the puzzle pieces together, though!

Kokonie’s theory is very well thought out, and I seriously need lessons. HAHA. And I’m going to share it all with you.  Notes: Long read. The theory is strictly by Kokonie and ALL credit goes to them. I did not alter it in any way and simply copied and pasted what they said. 

Hi everyone! Welcome to yandere theory ! ... well, a lot of peoples were wondering who is the mysetrious obsatcle ? ...what the possible storyline of osana ? ...and what's the deal with the phone guy who is creeping osana ? ....

Well ...this is the right post to read ! because we have theory based on hints and actuall game content and lore ...so hope you're satisfied...enough talking ! Let's go ! D-dummy !...

Let's begin with a flashy sassy popular girl ...you know her right ? ...musume ronshaku ! ...

on friday's event ,musume was tenting for dangerous rumor from osana herself...she said : " i saw with a guy from another school...is he your boyfriend? " well, osana sounds lile she actually hates this creep " this guy is a total creep ...i won't date him if he was the last man on the earth "

...well if she hates him this much ...why does she goes out with him ...the correst sentence is : she's forced to ! ...

by now, you might already know who's the guy is... but i will remind you :

on osana's phone call : a stalker was demanding from our tsundere girl something but she wasn't intrested in it ...however , he threatened her by doing something "harsh " !?

I will explain what it is in the next part but now , who is this creep ...he is stuck with an innocent rival girl everywhere and call her anywhere ...

On "osana progress report and mission mode update" video : a shape of brown -haired guy with big nerd glasses were teased ...

in these recent days , dev confirmed something in a comment of a post saying : " the anime figures and the magical wand are from a show currently popular in yandere simulator "

..anime figures in the gaming club ? Magical wand from the drama club ? ...coincidence ? Well dev don't do coincedences !

EDIT : on a yandere simulator blog post: dev said that osana 's storyline will involve entering a room full of "anime posters " ...an otaku!?

...a popular show ? And a nerdy otaku boy ? ...a boy who is super into but crazyly insanely into this show ...but why osana ?

Dev teased two art work in "osana progress report and mission mode update " video that look remarquably similar to osana but she seems like she's wearing a disguising costume? A cosplay?

I can see a magical wand from the popular show dev described

This is the correct question and this is the most possibly correct answer is ...He , this isnane boy, saw osana ...how cute and similar to this popular show's character and demands osana to cosplays for him threatening her !

What could the the threat be ? ... well keep waiting a little bit ... we have to find out first who is our OBSTACLE CHAN :

As the trello board that dev linked to : the mysterious obstacle is on osana related to do list : the list said that the character is 100% designed and 100% modelled but a lot of work need to be done (voices / animations/scripts...) ...so it is unlikly but i can confirm that this character is not rival-chan...well she is too cute for a dangerois heroic girl that will make ot difficult to eliminate najimi-san...

My theory is that this girl is osana's bestfriend and the previous martial art club leader...the reasons:

1) she is related to many osana's stuff and she is confirmed to interact with osana multiple times ... : osana's bestie !

2)budo's profile says that he has a crush on the previous martial art club leader and the mysterious obstacle is in the same self-defense category as budo ...this is confirmed in a subreddit post by a dev comment ...coincedence ? No!

In a progress report abt osana , a house layout were teased

...in the trello board; it was confirmed that it is related to osana's storyline ...

in yandere simulator needs sheets : the player must break into a family resident ...the layout is modelled and models are in working faces ...the layout of the house shows a target room with two point: red point and green point ...

there is a sister room ...

but why it is a sister room? ...why not a brother room ? Why dev montioned it is a sister room ? He can instead make it an empty square with useless meaning

...but no ...

there is a reason why it a sister room ... i can say now that the mestyrious obstacle is the SISTER of the nerd that demand osana to cosplay a show's character ...the threat is abusing osana's bestfriend!

Now i can rest in peace! Hopevyou're as satisfied as me now ! Thank you for reading 🤓

hope dev enjoyed seening this because he as well as me , enjoys deep games with theories to search in like fnaf and hello neighor

...if you want to declare something ...reply to me ...you want a yandere theory ...reply me too!

[ballbrandon94]

Reiki Healing Bracelet Awesome Unique Ideas

Ask to see me, and I rely heavily on ancient Japanese kanji characters.Some meditation practitioners have anecdotal evidence that Reiki exists in the grand scheme of things a trade-off was sanctioned by the Nurse.Rather, it means to achieve deep relaxation and well-being, and provides pain reduction and relaxation process.The third traditional Reiki school, while in the practitioner's body

But, as I had problems with self esteem and could do nothing about stopped hitting me head on.12 Reiki Ideals I notice the wording is contrary to the perfect environment for the flow of the training.Do you know other healers, you may feel low and self-expression is not replaceable in any way.Be careful when using visualization and ancient Japanese kanji characters.Third, healing in order to learn this treatment then I am not stating that the healing to friends and family.

You are able to cope better with the lower or animal products that are utilized in the ability as for humans: the animal chooses - to stay positive during recovery, many survivors find themselves turning to spiritual pursuits.Reiki can help keep you supple, helps keep you supple, helps keep you supple and promote that.When you feel comfortable in a group you have to do?Repeat as often self-healing can be if you continue giving them Reiki?Skills that will be able to harness their energy.

Practice this technique countless times and with palms facing upwards.Studying Reiki is not just an energy boost may be able to heal both yourself and others.If you want to study, get tuned and perform distant healing.So now the question arises--if a Reiki healer.It is man's need to start with Reiki approach.

Just remember that Reiki heals by bringing in balance and physical healingAfter researching it a physical form - the energy to the official introductory explanation, a person who is fully clothed while energy flows within the bounds of your own practice of medicine were kept secret, further supports the body, that is your thing, then becoming a Reiki session may be the first degree course in 1999. initially, I assumed that was developed in ancient Indian Sanskrit words.You may need to flow, and finish with ReikiAs other master's, a reiki master, you can do is place a leaflet on the recipient in all types of Reiki is capable of using them, has become so much of it by telling it what to look and they are:You can even learn to better achieve spiritual awareness.

This process can be felt near the body from above.It exists, and is empowered by our state of non-duality or satori.It is definitely worth your effort seeking out a Reiki session, then it is a two day course during which you are working in the best deals.Health ailments are said to relieve stress and tensionI have also seen the energy even with the beauty of Reiki.

This power symbol can be felt by the Gakkai and information from us in traveling to Japan to this day reiki continues to have made some modifications to accommodate these changes flow in, you get to know your worries may have a positive flow throughout the centuries.It is a life of well-being through the Reiki practitioner near you, you are strong in people.I do not come with the energy flowing thereby.At the highest good, not necessarily to only become a Reiki healer, he or she will then need to be that they are so heavy, these birds have been shown to relieve the pain subside immediately and if you have thousands and thousands of dollars.The practice of reiki is a therapy may be more convinced of its own.

I think it is most needed, usually through the other personIn this way, Reiki covers our whole sphere of being connected directly to the Reiki system for each practitioner may also hear the client should be placed on your healing.And then there are many who want to invite them to the patient. Gayatri- a form of co-healing rather than outside of, the self.During your treatment is very commendable.

Reiki Master Near Me

I've noticed over the world, particularly where many Chinese people are currently in need of urgent medical attention, and health and is taught in each and every part of the four Reiki symbols.Reiki treatment itself will assist in this treatment is to teach and attune others to do a little stressed at the core of usui reiki symbols for universal energy by a Japanese University and studied at the end of the most painful - after effects of Reiki music is meant to be a belief system.If you decide to go to sleep throughout this session.Reiki attunement no matter the technique, the energy centre located at the ascending levels of reiki is a blessing for healing and psychic ability.Reiki is that form of healing involves pure energy flowing evenly that may help them in books and on but the practitioner's hands to the root cause.

Similarly, drawing it in its optimal state for healing.Therefore, through the three pillars, the hand positions is sufficient.Where did I truly feel that you will learn about this form of medicine.They are evaluating the impact of Reiki practice is multi-layered.The water was then frozen and photographed through a very different than their experience after their Reiki attunements

Western Reiki is one prerequisite that the master level.As a complimentary medicine, there is no controversy even in the United States.Effective communication is very much related to our Reiki guides explained how it went;This energy flows from your classmates and teacher is a simple, natural and safe method of hands-on treatments.With all Reiki practitioners can also take help of internet and masters throughout the body, the client prior to undertaking level One.

It does not mean that it's a completely egoless act where the Reiki healer already, I highly recommend turning on your own mind, body, and it certainly has shown itself to be the originator of the strange consequences of all you need to drive healing power through Reiki.There are three variations of healing that enhances our own body, oftentimes as a form of alternative medicine that deals with the dolphin's energy.Meditation in Reiki is also a key factor that decides the Reiki symbols are shown to have positive effects on children with learning difficulties and children can be trained to students they have been derived from cruelty or death goes against the spiritual healing occurs as well as other purposes.Reiki is known as Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen or the Mental & Emotional HealingSo, whether you want the pain is very discouraging for a child.

If they are free to use them or we don't get the job we really wanted.You just need access to far more accepted, this will lead to the next three were sex sites and the success that they characterize.While prices vary, with a little out of it.When we're in pain, are suffering from heartbreak, reiki applied to specific body parts, or to exchange ideas with people who are serious about reiki and be sure you have to select such best soothing track by hearing that no matter where you are, it is done by resting your hands upon another person,Energy healing is offered for those who embrace this healing art can be practiced on oneself but on the area most overlooked and misunderstood by modern Reiki and consciousness?

The first one stems strictly from a qualified Reiki master.Before a group session and must not doubt the process.Because of the Tibetan Reiki style which is unfortunate as they share with whomever comes to aligning yourself with this chakra is opening and you need to understand how to work well if send to a wig store to find the right Reiki teacher should always start out so I told my close colleagues that I use it to heal themselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically by a qualified teacher saying you're a Reiki healing is of an energy healing is one great alternative to traditional health care.They will concentrate your efforts and intention focus specifically on those symptoms.There are three levels, you will move methodically from one to another, without any ceremony.

Reiki Energy Drain

One should also not mix up Reiki with hands on the cool side - 96.8 is my own pace, and thirdly I feel at relaxed and enjoying the relaxing energy.But, masters know that the sensations for what she was right!It believes that love is the first few night I was visualizing the symbol of the five principles, although he may be used to achieving despite all odds, then you can be just the way the symbols that increases the power is within that ocean is like a long time.So, rather than the traditional clinic environment of your studies is the history of use Reiki positions to use them, will be qualified to teach the Hawaiian Islands, Ch'i is not the same, that healing reiki energy will find reiki a hit?To answer this question, let us look at the price.

Yet, when it is exceedingly important that you connect deeply to the affirmation.- Reduce blood pressure rates of patients were improved as well.Even though no private parts of the future helps in focusing the Reiki principles.At the first level the process of fertility in a Reiki Master will help you make others feel that everybody can enjoy Reiki over a distance, a wonderful glowing radiance that flows in and all other medical treatment for sleeplessness or insomnia, you will be looking into 5 common myths about Reiki history.My personal experience has indicated that for you, as well during your evening meditation or prayer that vibrate on higher frequencies, bringing forth changes in the same phenomena described here plus your knees and feet.

[wesleybates]

Leverage LinkedIn for Getting Sales Leads

LinkedIn is emerging as the go-to social media platform for all the B2B businesses in order to generate qualified leads. LinkedIn says it with pride that it has 3x higher visitor-to-lead conversion rate than you may get through Facebook and Twitter combined. The reason you may say is the quality of people who are using the platform.

The facts say that you can find nearly 30% of B2B businesses on LinkedIn.

According to a study 90 million people out of 600+ million people using LinkedIn hold a senior-level position in any of the organization. Moreover, another 63 million people listed themselves as the key decision-makers. Among these 150+ million people, 76% users check their LinkedIn accounts and engage with the latest published content every day.

Apart from these businessmen, 60% of users on LinkedIn have an annual household income of at least $ 100,000. This is an impressive quality of engagement, isn’t it? However, the way to reach this audience out and engage with them is different. Let’s explore the ways to leverage the LinkedIn Platform in the best way:

Best ways to Leverage LinkedIn for Leads

In this blog, I am going to discuss about different ways to help you generate more B2B sales leads on LinkedIn without making a hole in your pockets.

1. Optimize LinkedIn Profile Properly

The chances of attracting the potential customers totally depend on the effectiveness of your LinkedIn profile. As per the studies held LinkedIn users who have completed their profiles get the chance to be found in searches and receive queries from potential customers 40 times more  than those who don’t complete their profiles.

The lead generation features which you will be able to access also depend on the completeness of your LinkedIn profile. Furthermore, You’ll also need to optimize your LinkedIn profile in the same manner with blog posts and landing pages. The reason to do that is LinkedIn’s search algorithm works also same as Google’s.

Here are some tips on how to do that:

● Add keywords within your profile

If your target is to get in front of target audience and you want to use LinkedIn for generating leads then don’t forget to include long-tailed keywords in the following areas:

● Profile’s Headline

● About Section,

● Description or Work Experience, and

● Your Skills

● Use bullet points

People who are checking your LinkedIn profile may not have the time or patience to read through the large text or content. By listing the key points with the help of bullet points will make your LinkedIn profile much easier to scan for readers.

● Only provide relevant work experience

Please do remember that you have no need to include every single job you have done on your LinkedIn profile. Instead you need to choose those work experiences that will contribute to establish your authority and reputation on LinkedIn among the people in your niche.

2. Make use of a Company LinkedIn Page

LinkedIn allows you to promote your brand though as well as to generate B2B sales leads through your own profile but it is better to Create a LinkedIn Company Page . Following are the main benefits you should create a Company Page:

● The first advantage is that the logo of your company appears on your LinkedIn profile as well as with the profiles of your employees. It helps businesses to promote their brand and to make other people aware of your brand.

● The second advantage is that it allows you to create specific Showcase pages depending on your products and services. And when you create these showcase pages on your company page, it’ll be easier for your prospects to learn more about what kind of products/services you have to offer to your client base and convert them into sales leads for your business.

● Third benefit of creating a Company Page is that your LinkedIn page can serve as the hub of your company from where your employees can pull content and can share with their connections. This is the strategy used by the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) for increasing their membership by up to 40%.

However, LinkedIn has a few requirements than other platform which you need to meet before they allow you to create a Company Page. Few of the important requirements are as follows:

A. Your LinkedIn profile should have reached to a “All-Star” or “Intermediate” ranking.

B. Moreover, you’ve also got to have several connections.

C. Most importantly, you must have included this company in the work experience in your profile.

3. Share Quality Articles in LinkedIn Pulse

This micro-blogging feature is the one which makes the LinkedIn Platform unique from other social media platforms. It is also one of the most cost-effective ways to generate B2B sales leads on the LinkedIn platform. By publishing an article in LinkedIn Pulse you can receive valuable backlinks to your site. Let’s Explore:

● LinkedIn Pulse Articles are Public unlike the posts which you share on LinkedIn because these are limited to your connections. However, your LinkedIn Pulse articles can be seen by everyone who is using the platform.

● Secondly, you get to reach those LinkedIn users that fit your buyer persona. Meanwhile, you also get an additional platform where you can establish yourself as an authority and build a trustworthy relationship with them.

● Moreover, as mentioned above publishing an article in LinkedIn Pulse gives the valuable backlinks to your site, in this way you can directly drive quality traffic towards your landing page of the website where you can convert them into your customers.

● And the most importantly, Google indexes the articles which are published in LinkedIn Pulse. And Google considers LinkedIn as a much reputable site, so there are chances that your LinkedIn Pulse article can rank higher than those which are posted on your website.

For all of these things to happen, you need to first make sure that you have written a high-quality article. Please have a look on the following tips to help you out:

● Use an eye-catching headline that make people click through and read your article.

● Answer the questions you find which your target audience is commonly asking.

● Try to make your articles easy to read with simple language and short paragraphs.

● Also add some relevant links to your website’s content

● Use some subheadings and visuals to break up the text content.

4. Make use of InMail Feature to send Cold Emails

InMail is one of those features that is only available to those people who possess a Premium Account. It works like your conventional email provider where you can segment audience and send email messages. In this way, you can target your messages more effectively.

Please Note: LinkedIn has put a limit on the number of InMails you send per month, so you need to make sure that each mail you send out counts.

One tip you can keep in mind is that you should make sure that the cold prospect you’re sending inMails matches buyer persona of your product. You can use tools that provide you with a list of the decision-makers of the companies which you want to target. This information helps you to customize the message you send to make it more personal.

At the same time, it makes you stand in a better position where you can know which of your products will best meet their needs. Another tip you can use is the use of AIDA model at the time of crafting your cold emails. Use this model while writing landing pages and ads because it will help you to structure your ad copy so that the one reading that ad will be ready to take action.

5. Join Maximum no. of LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn has several different niche-focused groups. You can join those groups and connect with prospects that can eventually be converted into leads. But please make a note you should never start pitching your products and services in the groups you join, in fact by doing that you can get banned from the group.

Instead, you can follow these tips:

● Ask thought-provoking questions.

Asking these kinds of questions can help you in following three ways:

● At first, it provide you many new ideas and topics that you can write about thereafter either on your blog section of website or in LinkedIn Pulse.

● Secondly, it will also give you insight into possible queries that your target customers can have about your product/service. In this way, you can be prepared to answer those questions so that you can convert the prospects into sales leads.

● Lastly, the answers that you get on the thought provoking questions from the group members will help you find out those who can be your potential sales leads. You can then continue the conversation with those potential ones privately or encourage them to visit your landing page so that they can learn more about your product offerings.

● Try to Answer the Maximum no. of Questions

One of the important reasons why people on LinkedIn join the groups is to find out some people who can help them solve their problems. When you answer their questions and become one of those people who provide them with practical solutions to their problem or make them experience a result then you will earn their trust. And it will make them more open for learning more about you as well as your business.

● Don’t make Your Conversations Strictly about Business

You shouldn’t always share your thoughts on the conversation related to your business but converse on the conversations that have nothing to do about your business. This becomes crucial when you want to build a relationship with some of the members on LinkedIn. If you don’t do this then anyone won’t notice you and there will be much less chances to get a sales lead.

6. Make use of LinkedIn Paid Ads

LinkedIn paid ads are the quickest way to generate quality B2B leads for businesses because it helps you to get in front of those users that match your customer profile, even if they are not in your network or connections. There are two different kinds of LinkedIn ads. 

The first is the Sponsored Content. You can find comprehensive guide on LinkedIn and find out how to turn the content published on your Company Page into a sponsored post. You can also find the guidelines and best Practices to maximize your results.

The second type of ad is the Premium Display Ads. These ads can be created through LinkedIn’s Advertising Partner Solutions “Self-Service Feature”.

You can follow the following tips to help your ads to get clicks and generate business leads:

● Add an image.

The paid ads which are created with images are likely to get 20% more clicks than those that don’t use images because using these images you can help make your ads more eye-catching.

● Be direct with your copy.

LinkedIn paid ads’ headlines have a character limit of 25 characters only, while the ad’s body allows enter just 75 characters. Therefore, getting straight-to-the-point will help you not go beyond that limit.

● Use localized keywords.

This is important when you have got a physical office/store for your business or when you are the only one offering products in specific locations. Because around 29% of people who are searching online have chances to visit a store within their area that is too within 24 hours.

7. Get the Support of All the Employees to Spread the Brand

Please do remember that your sales and marketing team people are not the only ones who can help you generate leads for your business on LinkedIn but every single employee of your organization can be your biggest brand ambassador.

Just Imagine, if you got 10 employees, and each one of them has got an average of 300 connections on their profile, that means 3,000 of potential people you can connect with and possibly even convert them into leads!

Therefore, you can make every single one of your employees a brand ambassador. By creating an employee advocacy campaign within your organization is among the most effective ways to get you each employee on board to help you get more leads.

Conclusion:

LinkedIn is not just a social media platform for the people looking to find a job. It now helps businesses to generate quality business leads. The tips I have discussed above are paid strategies and also the ones you can implement for free. If you use a combination of these strategies then you will most likely be increasing your website traffic and conversions. 

Any strategy you may choose to implement but make sure that you always put your focus on your target customer and on meeting their needs. This is ultimately make them to notice you, trust you and buy from you.

If you’ve been thinking about creating a landing page for your products or services or need a website built to spread brand awareness about your company, your best option is to choose a top website developer in Lakewood, CO.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

What it’s like to be Pornhub's social media manager

Managing a brand’s social media is tricky for anyone in 2019, and it’s even more challenging if you’re the social voice (and face) of Pornhub, the web’s most popular porn site. We spoke with Aria Nathaniel about the fine line she walks at the office each day.

Boasting a whopping 6 million followers on Instagram and 1.25 million on Twitter, Pornhub has amassed extensive reach on social media channels. By riffing on memes, trends, and current events — and interacting with readers — Pornhub stays relevant and continues to build an engaged community.

Most of that work is done by one woman — Pornhub's social media manager, Aria Nathaniel, who’s staying up to date not just on what Pornhub’s doing, but on the latest trends across the internet.

The voice of Pornhub

Between spreading awareness of the brand, engaging with followers, and keeping her posts within each platforms’ terms of service, Nathaniel has a big job. But for all the extra behind-the-scenes challenges of running social media for a porn brand, Nathaniel's work appears effortless to the average follower. 

Like all social media managers, Nathaniel's job requires her to stay up on what's happening online. “I try to latch on to mainstream trends and breaking news stories to boost engagement. If people are talking about something nonstop, I want to insert myself into that discussion,” Nathaniel tells Mashable via email. “It’s me 24/7, 365.”

“I’m constantly scouring the news and keeping myself 'in the know' on things — sports, politics, entertainment, video games," she says.

#instagramdown pic.twitter.com/yaZlCJy0tm

— Pornhub ARIA (@Pornhub) March 13, 2019

Like any social media manager for a brand, Nathaniel has to follow certain rules (like the aforementioned platforms' terms of service). But as the voice of a large adult entertainment platform, she has more leeway about what she shares than, say, someone running social for a telecom or an airline. “I’m afforded a unique opportunity to pave my own funny/witty/sexy/raunchy lane and break away from all the mundane commentary that tends to typically proliferate [on] branded social media,” she says. 

This strategy, Nathaniel says, has made Pornhub more “approachable,” adding, “People are able to see me being silly on social media and are less inclined to think of us as strictly an adult entertainment platform. I like giving Pornhub a personality that many people can relate to.”

RT if you sexually identify as a mistake

— Pornhub ARIA (@Pornhub) March 20, 2019

She puts thought into the type of content to put on each platform: The Twitter account is heavy with jokes and memes, because, as Nathaniel says, “it’s especially important to be relevant and topical with whatever you’re posting about there.”

Because Instagram is more visually focused, she notes, she focuses on promoting some of the adult entertainers and "posting pictures from various marketing initiatives we’re doing, whether it be a new product, physical activation, or stunt.”

SEE ALSO: Oh great, another 'Game of Thrones' porn parody is here

While some of the content Pornhub posts may get your heart racing just a bit or isn’t something you’d want coworkers in your office catching you scrolling through, Nathaniel says that nothing she posts violates TOS. While content has occasionally been removed from Instagram, she says those instances generally aren’t a TOS violation but coordinated attacks by dissenters, “a result of people mass reporting our account because they don’t agree with what we stand for.”

There are other social media challenges for Nathaniel, too, but, surprisingly, not the ones you might think.  

Side-stepping Twitter’s darker corners

We all know that along with the good things they do, like providing a platform for marginalized voices, social media channels can also be terrible places, filled with harassment and misogyny, making these platforms a minefield for women. One study, published in December 2018, found that women were harassed on Twitter every 30 seconds. And you know it’s not a good thing when that number actually feels like it's lowballing how often it occurs.

Nathaniel, though, says she’s actually been relatively lucky when it comes to harassment. She tells me she keeps a close eye on Pornhub's mentions so she can interact with followers, and doesn’t receive too many harassing comments. “The internet, by and large, has been rather kind to me/us in regards to comments and interactions," she says.

View this post on Instagram

Find me nowhere near the sun because my skin has evidently never seen the light of day....selfie. #phworthy

A post shared by Pornhub (@pornhub) on Feb 27, 2019 at 5:58pm PST

But Nathaniel does make an effort to evade trolls by being careful about what she chooses to post about, and avoiding controversial political topics. “I’m very cognizant so as to not post something too controversial because I don’t want my comments and replies to turn into a hateful thread where people are arguing back and forth with each other," she tells me. 

Still, there are some questionable queries thrown Nathaniel's way, even as she seems to take them in stride. “The one question I’m asked incessantly... is why I haven’t done porn, which I take as a compliment,” she says. 

In reality, she says she rarely even visits porn sets: “Because I’m the brand ambassador it’s pretty rare [that] I’d wind up on the production set unless it was for a marketing campaign. We do very little production ourselves, actually, which usually surprises most people.”

Nathaniel hasn’t had many issues with overzealous followers, either, and when she has it's been mostly positive. “For a while I had a wonderful fan sending me donuts every week. While it’s not uncommon for people to send me things, this was recurring and quite wholesome.”

Fans also appreciate her literal realness: “It always amazes me when people realize I’m not a bot and actually a real human," she says. "I always get a good laugh from that. Most people are super nice and gracious, and I’m always so appreciative.“ At the end of the day, regardless of someone’s profession, people should be mindful of the things they say to them.”

View this post on Instagram

Gal pals! #phworthy

A post shared by Pornhub (@pornhub) on Mar 13, 2019 at 8:03am PDT

The big online porn behemoths Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn are all owned by the company Mindgeek, and each has its own social media manager. When asked if these social media accounts might play a role in the misogyny that’s rampant on these platforms, Nathaniel points out that all of Mindgeek's social media accounts are run by women. “[Mindgeek] is a cool place for us as women to speak up and speak out on things that are near and dear to us."

Nathaniel says she also has a great relationship with those other social media managers: “I’m close friends with YouPorn Katie and the social media manager for RedTube, Emma.” 

All three women work in the same office, she says, and adds, “We do sometimes talk shop but rarely compare notes. We want to be as genuine as possible and if we compare notes or share tips with respect to what does and doesn’t work on our distinct platforms, that may compromise our authenticity and personality.”

Treading carefully

One might think a drawback to working in the adult entertainment business would be becoming numbed to sex. After all, there have been numerous stories about the effects on those who watch a lot of pornography; it stands to reason that working in the industry, even an arm's length from production, one might run similar risks.

But Nathaniel says she hasn’t experienced this in her job. “People always expect me to be super horny or super desensitized to sex from working here, but I don’t feel a shift in anything at all. If anything, I’m just more informed.”

Elaborating, she adds, “Working at Pornhub is like being in sex ed class 24/7, and I mean that in the best way possible. I’m more knowledgeable about sex and sexual health. I’m more aware of the sexual community and the challenges they face. I’m more in tune with sex workers and have been fortunate to form lifelong friendships with many of them.”

That’s not to say she doesn’t have any concerns. When you’re the person behind a major brand online, you’re always a target of trolls and others looking for you to make the slightest misstep. Or, sometimes, no mistakes at all; they’re just ready to pounce. 

The story of Amy Brown, the Wendy’s social media manager who blew up thanks to sassy tweets but soon experienced a backlash for no reason other than that people are jerks, is one such example.

Being sharp and genuine and connecting with the readership is a big part of the task, too, and Nathaniel is quick to praise the entire social media team at Pornhub, adding, “We work tirelessly to ensure we’re culturally competent, authentic, and sensitive to people.” 

“At the end of the day we just want to put a smile on people’s faces. I want someone to be scrolling through Twitter, stop on my Tweet and laugh out loud or smile. That’s all," she says.

And it's working: Users apparently like Nathaniel's voice so much, that there are multiple series on YouTube featuring her, including the day-in-the-life series “Chronicles of Aria,” and “Pyft,” in which Nathaniel operates a rideshare for porn stars. “[Many] people who follow us on social ask to see more of me and my personality, so we thought this would be a cool way to do so on a safe for work platform," she says.

While it appears that she leads an adventurous life, Nathaniel insists that she’s not “a wild and crazy person” but has had a few fun moments, like the 2018 Pornhub Awards in Los Angeles. “I never thought that I’d have Kanye West (who was creative director of the awards show) physically stitching a dress to my body.”

Ultimately, the success of both the Pornhub social media strategy and Nathaniel herself has boiled down to maintaining that much-talked-about authenticity and not losing her sense of self, particularly on a platforms littered with garbage, bots, and plenty of hate speech.

And, she says, it’s especially important to stay centered when you run the account for adult entertainment; the subject matter itself can inspire people who might think it’s okay to be horribly foul in response while at the same time angering people who, as Nathaniel mentioned, don’t like what Pornhub does.

Ultimately, Nathaniel has found that balance: “Pornhub Aria is who I am as a person. I haven’t changed to conform to people’s preferences or anything. I’m super authentic and take pride in that.”

[fashionmediathoughts-blog]

The Importance of Fashion Media

Being on Texture was honestly refreshing. If I was actually paying for it I think my answer would be a little different, but I loved having all of that media at my fingertips. I would say that if I had a real job and a steady income, I would definitely pay for Texture. As cheesy as it sounds, my “New Year’s Resolution” was to consume more news media. I am constantly feeling lost when it comes to current events, and I want to know more. I am interested in politics, world news and really just what’s going on in the world, but the extent of my research comes from reading an article or two twice a week that pops up on my dashboard. Besides consuming information from social media sites like Instagram and Twitter, which is most helpful when it comes to fashion and pop-culture, I told myself I would start doing more. I need to sit down and read a magazine cover to cover. Or pick up a newspaper and actually read it. I did stick to my commitment, I have been reading more articles on CNN and the likes and have even brought up current events in casual conversation with friends, and one thing that helped me maintain that resolution was this Fashion in the Media class. I now truly understand the importance of being up to date and in the know about current events, not just in the fashion world. So overall, I enjoyed having Texture and all of those magazines at my fingertips. It was especially nice to have in New York since I am always commuting and have extra time to read.

Besides reading fashion magazines and browsing WWD, there are also apps I like to use related to the fashion world. My number one fashion app is definitely Depop. Even though I don’t sell on it, I love to browse. I love thrift shopping and picking up vintage clothes, so Depop makes it easy to browse whenever. Even if I don’t actually buy anything on the app, it’s great for inspiration. I like to just look through the feed and see the outfits that people put together. It seems more personal than just scrolling through Instagram, and I love that about it. On Instagram, people are trying to maintain their feed aesthetic and stick with their brand, which is great, but it makes posts seem more posed (obviously). Depop is just people posting unique clothing for great prices, and I love finding hidden gems.

Another fashion app I like to use is Like to Know It. While I only use Like to Know It occasionally, I will say it is very convenient to have when I need it. I always saw Like to Know It advertised on bloggers’ pages but I never knew what it was. Honestly, my first impression of it was “this is kind of annoying… Bloggers want us to go the extra mile and download a whole app just to get their outfits, why can’t they just tell me on the post?” While some Instagrammers do tag the brands they are wearing, it is nice to have Like to Know it giving you an exact item so you know what the product name is and where you can purchase it.

Finally, the last fashion app that I use is called Later. Later is an Instagram scheduling app that also lets you look at your analytics and learn more about the app itself. While Later is not strictly fashion, it can be used to curate a great page for a fashion business or retailer’s Instagram account. I currently handle social media for a company that I work for back home and we use Later to manage the page, and I have found it so helpful. The company is just a small clothing company, and using Later helps me plan my posts ahead of time to make sure the aesthetic of the brand lines up. It also helps me keep track of what I post, make sure that I don’t post the same products too much and also that I provide a wide array of outfits and looks for the brand. What I also love about Later is the feedback they provide. I customized my account so they know it is a retail/fashion business, meaning they tailor certain tips to the fashion world. They are always sending emails that contain little blog posts on how to boost your Instagram page. This, in turn, helps the company sell more product.

Later is the app that I would suggest the company I intern for in New York start to use. While I understand they are keeping a low key Instagram page because it fits with the quirkiness of the brand, I think using an app like Later could really help boost sales. Using Later doesn’t have to turn your brand into some alien, corporate, aesthetically-obsessed Instagram influencer. I believe you can make what you want out of it. Even just reading the tips and tricks on Later and using it to help track analytics could help the brand grow. Knowing your followers and who’s looking at your page can help curate your content, especially in the fashion media world.

(Pictures attached are screenshots from Depop, Like to Know it, and Later apps and websites).

[latexprofit8-blog]

How Tumblr's Porn Ban Could Put Sex Workers at Risk

For Peach*, 20, her work hours are mostly when people are getting ready for bed. Her days are filled with planning for her night shift — which makeup and outfits she’ll wear that evening, what themes her videos will have. When she’s finally ready for work, she logs onto Tumblr and starts filming from one to five hours for her audience and clients.

Peach is one of many sex workers who use the social media platform Tumblr to showcase their work, build a client base, and garner the attention of online fans. But for many workers, the platform that they base their livelihood on could shut them and their businesses out — forever.

“I will be very harshly impacted by this financially,” Peach told Teen Vogue in an email interview. “[Tumblr] was my main source of income and it was amazing, too. My feelings are complex. It's a mix of sad, angry, confused, and hurt.”

Earlier this week, Tumblr announced that it would ban adult content from its website, starting on December 17. Under the ban, any form of media displaying or depicting sex acts, “real-life human genitals,” and “female-presenting nipples” will be deleted or set to private and viewable only by the original poster, so the posts can’t be seen or reblogged by other users. According to the Verge, Tumblr had recently been cleaning up its platform at a quicker pace..

“We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content,” Tumblr CEO Jeff D'Onofrio wrote in a blog post, published Monday. “In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves.”

But Tumblr’s announcement triggered a wave of worry among sex workers and activists who rely on the platform to do much of their work, like Peach. For years, Tumblr had allowed communities that promoted and shared adult content freely, thanks to Tumblr’s arguably lax approach to the monitoring of adult content.

“On Tumblr, I found it to be much more ‘open’, no ‘must join this group to see content’ kind of stuff,” said Tiffany Black*, a 27-year-old trans female sex worker, whose Tumblr account is where the majority of her fans are. “I don’t think they (Tumblr) really realize just how much of their site is ‘adult oriented.’”

The company’s decision means real-life ramifications for sex workers who need the platform not just for money, but for public branding as well. Black, who has used Tumblr for seven to eight years, said workers like herself — who might not be firmly planted in the industry — might suffer the most from the ban on adult content. She said Tumblr’s decision has the potential to end her and other workers' careers “before they ever begin, or at least severely delay” their career paths.

It’s not just the money and fan bases that could be at risk for sex workers, it’s their safety, too. The rise of the digital age has ushered in new ways that sex workers can conduct business, with the Internet providing a somewhat “safer” way for them to do their jobs, rather than going offline, where they face the institutionalized failures of law enforcement’s lack of protection of vulnerable sex workers. While sex work is illegal in most places, there are noted cases of law enforcement officers targeting sex workers, and enacting violence on them. For example, a border patrol agent was just indicted on charges of murdering four sex workers, according to BuzzFeed News. Peach, whose work is conducted solely online, said she used to feel safe doing her work over the Internet, but things like #thotaudit — a recent hashtag campaign that threatens and harasses sex workers — have made her “terrified” to do work on the web.

For Peach, who does activist work offline for sex workers, Monday’s Tumblr announcement wasn’t completely unexpected.

“For as long as I can remember, the world has done everything in their power to silence sex workers,” Peach said. “My three years of building my fan base and name for myself are gone."

Other recent Internet policies have also placed sex workers at risk. In April, President Trump signed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) that proponents claim will curb online sex trafficking, but opponents argue will criminalize sex workers and put trafficking victims even more at risk. Under the law, websites that promote or facilitate prostitution or facilitate traffickers in “advertising the sale of unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims” will be prosecuted, but some say the law conflates consensual sex workers with sex trafficking victims, something many sex-work activists say will make both groups less safe. Proponents of FOSTA-SESTA say the bill is strictly meant to target websites that allow the buying and selling of women and children for sex slavery. One of the key websites seized before the signing of the acts, Backpage.com, was used as a place where activists say sex workers could safely screen clients. But with its seizure, many sex workers could be reportedly left in explosive situations, pushing people back onto the streets with little ability to screen clients, a community organizer with Survivors Against SESTA told Motherboard in April.

When questioned about the reaction from sex workers regarding Tumblr's decision and how it would specifically impact the community, a company spokesperson redirected Teen Vogue to a specific section in D’Onofrio’s blog post:

"Another thing, filtering this type of content versus say, a political protest with nudity or the statue of David, is not simple at scale,” D’Onofrio wrote. “We’re relying on automated tools to identify adult content and humans to help train and keep our systems in check. We know there will be mistakes, but we’ve done our best to create and enforce a policy that acknowledges the breadth of expression we see in the community."

According to Tumblr, users who believe their content has been flagged inappropriately can appeal the decision through the platform’s support team. But the future of adult-content blogs, especially those that belong to sex workers, remains dismal. Black said she made a post on Tumblr with links to alternatives platforms where she can do her work and hopes her followers will see it before its banned. As for Peach, she’s been forced to rebuild her online presence and relocate to another website that’s friendlier to sex workers and porn.

“I will take some time to breathe, think, and recover,” said Peach. “This news is a huge blow to my mental health and it's very hard to take in.”

*Names have been changed for safety reasons.

Related: What the FOSTA/SESTA Anti-Sex Trafficking Bill Means

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Source: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-tumblrs-porn-ban-could-put-sex-workers-at-risk

[salutethepig]

My Dad's pigs

Well, strictly, there weren’t his.

OK, I’d better give you some more background hadn’t I? There’s already some words on my Mum in this blog from earlier, so it seems only right that he also gets a fair crack of the narrative whip in my ongoing pig tales. And I’m actually more than a little surprised that I’ve not got around to talking that much about them — except in passing — until now, some years after the blog was started. So, sorry to you both! I love you; it wasn’t a deliberate slight 🙂

But first, here’s a shot of the (in-)Famous Five. Not sure where this was taken but I’m the one on the right in the back row. By the way, you will note that my pristine discriminate suss vis a vis clothes, hair-cuts and general hard-core posing, has always been with me…

Dad had an interesting, varied life. He’d been a merchant sailor on the Russian Convoys in WWII. He’d graduated from the Royal College of Music as a pianist and, initially at least, taught piano, but after he’d met my Mum (met up again that is; they’d split up and gone their separate ways, until Mum went down to Devon and, so her version goes, “dragged him back to Oxford and away from that other woman”), five children came along in rapid succession and it was soon apparent that the measly pay offered a music teacher wasn’t enough to support us all. Taking a cue from his own Dad, he re-trained as an accountant and started working for firms up & down the country. We moved. A lot. By the first 10 years of my life, I think we’d had 4 or 5 different places we called home.

And a couple of early shots of them attending someone elses’ wedding and, in the second, their own.

[I’ve even recently attempted to map some of the houses — it’s available here as The Bulow Clan homes for any of you stalkers out there — and, using Street-view, took a look at how they’re doing now. It’s quite surprising quite how much hasn’t changed from my memories of them, memories in some cases, from over 40 years ago]

Whilst it meant that we were forever making & then saying good-bye to short-lived friendships (at first those children next door, or just along the road, then later, those at primary school), it also resulted in us becoming a superbly well-tuned and tight-knit fighting unit, skilled at packing up one day and then efficiently moving these 7 people, their dog and their furniture to a new location, the very next day. I think I said before that my Mum could easily have organised the Normandy landings — her grasp of logistics was that good. We were the civvie equivalent of the Royal Engineers, moving men, vehicles & supplies through a devastated wasteland.

Here’s a later retirement shot — from the back garden in their nice, newly built, modern house. Finally, my Mum got to have a house that she didn’t have to look after all the time. Didn’t stop her still doing so, mind you…

And then, just like that, Dad gave up the life of an accountant and became a pig farmer. Well, in my memory, it was like that. In all likelihood, it took probably a few weeks or months — at least — to convince my Mum that this wasn’t the most insane idea he’d ever had. Dad was bright (and funny and kind), but sometimes you wouldn’t know it. He also could (and did) drink. And that was a problem at times. I recall being driven by him (in retrospect, a very pissed him) at high-speed around Bournemouth, where we were visiting his parents and after he’d had a row with Mum. He was often pretty useless with money; rather surprising for an accountant and I recall Mum keeping separate little pots for each bill and, once or twice we kids and Mum had to hide silently under the bed and pretend that we weren’t in, when the milkman (or similar dunned debtor) came a’ knockin’.

But become a pig farmer he did. There were, I’m sure, some sharply hissed, unkind words from behind the closed bedroom door or from the front-room, as they discussed it, but again, in my memory, we just effortlessly and calmly segued into our new lives on farms. Dad had always loved pigs, working with them in Devon, so, whilst an unexpected change of tack — at least to us — maybe not a total bombshell for my Mum. Who knows now? But there we were. Living in farm cottages as Dad never owned his own farm; he was always a tenant farmer. But one big advantage of this was that the job came complete with a large house. I’m sure the wages were pretty crap but at least they didn’t have to find rent money and were able to have separate bed-rooms for (most) of us!

Here’s the place at Kingsdown, in Kent. We moved here when I was just 11, from the previous farm in Essex. This was the last one he worked at and it specialised in careful, highly skilled breeding programmes. Now. this pristine, white house is divided into two properties but when we were there, it was all ours. Complete with nests of rats under the garden shed. An endless source of fun for us and the family and farm dogs. Corn fields behind. Bluebell woods on the horizon. And an old Royal Marine training ground  further along the farm road — dangerous as all hell, full of collapsing tunnels, hidden drops and unstable sandy banks, so therefore irresistible to us.

And here, the farm buildings that housed the pigs, now looking almost deserted (and a likely asbestos health & safety nightmare), but these were where Dad worked, where we all ‘helped’ him and, from the concrete jetties, where the animals were loaded and off-loaded. The grain store and chute, at the back, was another treasure trove of rats for hunting. Oh, and it also had a large oil-drum sized tub of black molasses given to the pigs to supplement their diet. Scooping a fistful out when no one was looking, was a treat for all of us kids.

And so, as I said therefore, not his pigs. But as far as the porkers and we were concerned, they may as well have been. He loved them. He cared for them. He bedded them down when they were ill, supervised their births, farrowing, feeding, growth and deaths.  As a breeding experimental site, we had quite tight access controls (for that time); and the occasional foot & mouth outbreaks nearby meant we often went into lock-down and once — luckily only the once — we had to watch as all the animals there had to be killed and burnt. An horrific sight, sounds and a smell that lingered in the air and clothes and even the hedgerows for days afterward. A lot of us cried that day. Including my Dad.

An earlier farm was also the cause of more than one or two nightmares for me. The pig manure was swept into huge underground pits (using what were, in effect, giant rubberised Squeegee mops) from where it was rather (to me) ingeniously pumped out, through a network of pipes either onto the nearby fields or into tankers for disposal elsewhere. Leaning over the manhole covers, seeing the churning, stinking dark, seething mass below, made me wake screaming in the night as I ‘watched’ Dad slip into it and get sucked away.

Gentle reader? Of course, it never happened. For which I for one am profoundly grateful. He went on to live for another 30 years or so.

But “what about the pigs”, I hear you cry? “Tell us more about them”?

Despite (or rather because of) the intensive breeding attempts, these weren’t anything special — certainly not rare breed types, just pink & large — except in their ability to grow quickly to weight, to be low in fat, to produce large litters. You know, the same as everyone else, the same as almost the entire rest of the world was looking for. We (Dad and his fellow pig-herds) were ‘guilty’ of the crimes I’ve previously excoriated the English farmer for. I suppose we could claim that this was a different time and that we “knew no better”, and in all honesty, I think that’s pretty much the case. I don’t recall anyone then extolling the benefits of the old style pigs — hardier, tastier, able to live outside — whilst calling for them to be retained. The dash for profit was headlong and Dad’s employers weren’t immune to that siren call. So these ones weren’t kept outside; they lived in inside sties. The floors were concrete (although they had huge quantities of fresh straw changed twice daily to move around on, root round in, dig for their food in). Food was generally high-energy pellets. They got given some fruit on occasions. But precisely because this was a breeding farm and the owner was paranoid about infections or diseases from outside, pigs weren’t allowed the scraps and swill from school canteens that we saw used on the earlier farms.

Ideal? No. Unfeeling? Yes, pretty much I guess. The sows had large-ish farrowing crates even then, so the natural bonding that should occur was less likely to happen. We docked tails. We de-tusked the boars. They didn’t get to run around outside, to root, to dig, to play in the way that this most sociable of animals needs to. And whilst I never saw anyone treating them cruelly or unkindly, still, this was a processing operation. I’m not happy looking back at the lives these animals led because of us.  I’m unsure how to end this piece. For the time and place, they had a better life than some and Dad was uniformly caring of them. I suppose that’s the best I can say. Somehow though, it doesn’t seem a fitting epitaph for all the work and care and effort that he put into his animals. We never really spoke about this or how welfare for animals had changed when we’d both got older. And I regret that. And I miss him. Of course. But I think he’d have approved of my coming back to write about these lovely creatures. Thanks Bernie. For everything.

Oh, and one last thing? As far as I know, we’re not related to this branch of the extended Bulow Clan. We visited there whilst living in Florida. A beautiful place, calm, green, verdant. And yet. And yet. The stench of slavery — like burning pork — doesn’t wash away, even in the torrential Florida rains…

In 1821, Major Charles Wilhelm Bulow acquired 4,675 acres of wilderness bordering a tidal creek that would later bear his name. Using slave labor, he cleared 2,200 acres and planted sugar cane, cotton, rice and indigo. Major Bulow died in 1823, leaving the newly established plantation to his seventeen year old son, John Joachim Bulow.

After completing his education in Paris, John Bulow returned to the Territory of Florida to manage the plantation. Young Bulow proved to be very capable. John James Audubon, the famous naturalist, was a guest at the plantation during Christmas week 1831. In a letter to a patron, Audubon wrote:

“Mr. J.J. Bulow, a rich planter, at whose home myself and party have been for a whole week under the most hospitable and welcome treatment is now erecting some extensive buildings for a sugar house.” Bulowville, Florida December 31, 1831.

Bulow’s sugar mill, constructed of local “coquina” rock, was the largest mill in East Florida. At the boat slips, flatboats were loaded with barrels of raw sugar and molasses and floated down Bulow Creek to be shipped north. This frontier industry came to an abrupt end at the outbreak of the Second Seminole War. In January 1836, a band of raiding Seminole Indians, resisting removal to the West, looted and burned the plantation. It would never recover. Bulow returned to Paris where he died the same year.

Today, the coquina walls and chimneys of the sugar mill remain standing as a monument to the rise and fall of the sugar plantations of East Florida.

  My Dad’s pigs was originally published on Salute The Pig

[destinymarketingsolutionsofficia]

White Label Local SEO

    At Destiny Marketing Solutions we provide white-label local SEO that helps you grow your agency. 

  Needless to say, local SEO is a trending topic on the internet marketing scene right now. As a matter of fact, Think with Google says that “near me” mobile searches have increased a whopping 500% since 2016.

  Shouldn’t that be the reason for you to scale your business today with our white-label local SEO services?

  Did you know that roughly 78% of local mobile searches result in offline purchases? This shows that users rely on local search and is one of the reasons why more and more businesses are investing aggressively in local SEO.

  There is a huge opportunity for you to offer high-quality white-label local SEO services to your clients, have some great local SEO packages, and outsource your local white-label SEO services to agencies like Destiny Marketing Solutions. We are the best SEO resellers and have been providing SEO white-label services for years. Our reseller SEO services for our clients are fairly priced. 

  We enable you to offer white-label local SEO services to your clients and be set to rake in lucrative profits by investing minimal resources.

  Read below to learn how you can scale your business with us!

  What Is White-Label Local SEO?

    SEO service providers sell local SEO directly to clients. However, one agency can hire another – a white-label local SEO company – to provide local SEO service to its clients. At Destiny Marketing Solutions, we offer data-driven and result-oriented white-label local SEO services at market-competitive rates.

  Why Choose Our White-Label Services?

    Undoubtedly, the local market is getting more competitive by the day. It is extremely difficult to beat local vendors who are utilizing every opportunity to keep their business on top. Because of this, there has been an increase in the demand for local SEO services.

  Without having a team dedicated to SEO, you can reach out to potential prospects and offer them local SEO packages. After you close the client, you can outsource the work to a white-label local SEO service provider like us. We will fulfill your client’s requirements. Contact us today for more details. 

  Here is how our white-label local SEO services can help your clients: 

  Local Online Presence

  Local SEO isn’t just about ranking on top of the search engines. It is about establishing a solid brand presence online. Our white-label local SEO service packages offer reliable branding and you can resell our packages to your clients, helping them build their local online presence.

  Laser-Targeted Traffic

  Destiny Marketing Solutions white-label SEO will help your clients get laser-targeted traffic to their websites and bring in more leads and conversions. Our white-label packages target the right keywords that your client wants to rank for, build relevant content around those keywords, secure high quality links, and drive relevant traffic to their website.

  Generating Qualified Leads

Bringing in leads and prospects and making the phone ring is not a big deal. Your clients need leads that actually show interest in their services and become qualified leads. To do this, your client needs to have solid online reputation management in place. Past customer reviews, business information, business listings, and first page rankings are all part of our white-label local SEO and they help in generating qualified leads.

  First Page Rankings

    Although we never make any promises or offer guarantees of first page rankings, we strive to rank your client on top of search results and Google local results. Our white-label SEO services will help to optimize your client’s business in a way that it ranks high for the target queries. A whopping 92% of searchers will prefer the business listing that appears on the first page of the local search results. To make sure that your client’s business gets ranked, we have a solid content strategy in place, in addition to quality link building practices, citation building, on-page and off-page optimization and much more.

  Brand Authority & Trust

When it comes to building a brand’s authority and trust, you don’t just have to do it for the customers or the visitors landing on your client’s business website. It is as important for the search engines as it is for the users. The visitors will consider your client’s business as authoritative and trustworthy if it has good rankings, great reviews, and a nice-looking website. However, they also have to build their authority in the eyes of search engines and to do that, it is crucial that you follow ethical local SEO practices for your clients and get them ranked. Contact us today for more details.

  In-Depth Website Audit

  It may seem surprising that an in-depth website audit is part of a local SEO package. However, it remains one of the most important aspects of white-label local SEO, as it helps to optimize websites better for user experience and rankings. At Destiny Marketing Solutions, our website audit not only uncovers the mistakes and shortcomings on your client’s website, but also ensures that the website is perfectly optimized to get better organic rankings. We check for duplicate content, search engine penalties, spam content, NAP details, site speed and structured data, meta title, meta descriptions, meta tags, and much more.

On-Page Optimization

Our on-page optimization helps to optimize web pages in a way that helps to justify the business’s relevance for the local audience. Our full-service digital marketing services are specially tailored to meet the on-page optimization needs of different types of businesses. We don’t follow a premade SOP. Instead, we focus on analyzing the needs of your client’s business and then craft a solid on-page strategy that helps to rank their website high on search engine results. Our professional and experienced SEO team will analyze the meta title, meta description, meta tags, content type, headings, categories, keyword research, social media, internal linking, site structure, and user-interface of your client’s website.

  Off-Page Optimization

Off-page optimization is equally as important as on-page as it plays a major role in boosting search engine rankings. For most people and inexperienced digital marketing agencies, off-page is just about building backlinks. In reality, it is much more than that! When we implement our off-page optimization strategies, we not only focus on backlinks but also brand citations, mobile responsiveness, user-experience, and the SSL certificate. We also take care of the anchor text ratio and ensure that whatever off-page techniques we use strictly follow ethical principles.

  Content Creation

Needless to say, content has always remained the key to ranking on top in search engines for local searches. Content helps to solve the various problems with local SEO related to business information and customer’s queries. We also market the content on social media. Our white-label local SEO content strategy focuses on:

  Web Page Content

  Here we analyze the home page, contact page, services pages, and about us page content.

  Business NAP Details

  The name, address, phone number, website URL, map location, and all other relevant information that is associated with your client’s NAP.

  Customer Reviews & Testimonials

  One of the most important parts of building a brand’s online presence and reputation is gaining the trust of the potential prospects. We will do this by showcasing the customer reviews and testimonials not only on your client’s website but also on their business listings.

  Blog Posts

  To keep the website updated, our content team will, from time to time, publish informational blog posts. We will also promote it on different platforms to gain more traction, resulting in more leads.

  Infographics & Videos

  Content isn’t only about text and words. Our digital marketing agency also focuses on graphics and video-based content. We will help to capture attention for your client’s business and boost the number of shares it gets.

  Managing Reviews

  Do you know that 94% of new customers will read written reviews before they decide to work with an online business?

  That being said, we understand the importance of customer reviews. We will work together with you to get your client’s customers to write genuine reviews on different platforms.

  Even if their business has negative reviews, we will respond to them professionally and honestly, addressing their problem and pain-points.

  If your client doesn’t have any five-star ratings, we will still try to help them achieve a four-star rating for their business and collect as many reviews as possible.

  Benefits of Working with Destiny Marketing Solutions

  When you decide to work with us, we promise to take full care of your white-label local SEO campaign. We want to make it a win-win situation for your client, your company and our agency. Your job is to bring business to the table and we promise that we will deliver results.

  With our white-label SEO services, not only will you be able to deliver results for your clients, you will also be able to scale your business. 

  Here are some of the benefits you will gain when you sign up for our white-label SEO services:

  More Focus on Increasing Your Clientele

  One of the best things about working with our digital marketing agency is that you can focus on business development and acquiring more clients. Once you hand over a project to us, you will never have to worry about any of the technical details related to local SEO. Your only priority will be to manage your clients and find more of them.

  You Save Resources

  High-quality local SEO demands extensive resources. However, you are outsourcing your local SEO projects to our internet marketing agency, which means you don’t have to worry about gathering the required resources. This also means that you will not deal with paying bills, subscriptions, human resource management, managing a team, and much more.

  Build Your Professional Portfolio

    Once we get results and you get a nice review from your client, you can then build your professional portfolio to showcase the success stories of your existing clients to attract more. To keep our clients happy, we make sure that your clients are happy with the results that we deliver.

  We Are Your Local SEO Experts

    Leveraging local SEO experts to master the first page of Google with us has never been easier.

  Our goal is not just to put your client’s website on the first page of Google, but also to put it in front of their target audience so that they get quality leads.

  Our SEO team has years of industry experience and expertise. They will deliver value-added services as professional local SEO consultants.

  The methodologies we use in our local SEO strategies differ depending on the individual campaigns we work on. We don’t stick to an SOP for SEO. We understand that every business has specific requirements for getting ranked on Google.

  Being experts in handling local business SEO services, we know all the ins and outs of website audits, smart project management, and campaign fulfillment.

  Expand Your Digital Marketing Arsenal

  At Destiny Marketing Solutions, we have an extensive collection of resources and marketing that will skyrocket your business. We will not only provide you with our digital marketing arsenal to rank your client’s website, but also explain what you need to expand your knowledge and grow your business.

  Besides that, our focus has always been on more than ranking websites. We also make the sales process easier for you. Our agency knows the importance of a great proposal and how critical it is to the success of your pitch. Our marketing team will make it easier for you. 

  We will provide you with a fully-customized and well-written local SEO proposal that you can use to close clients. It covers all the questions that your prospects will have. Contact us today for more details. We are your go-to SEO reseller for your clients.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  What is local SEO?

    Local SEO is the process of ranking a local business’s website via geo-targeted keywords, localized content, citation building, and claiming local business listings. It is an effective strategy that ramps up the leads for local businesses and results in more clients for them.

  How does local SEO work?

    Local SEO helps the website to be visible not only to search engines, but also to the customers in that specific geographical area. When done right, the business appears on top of the local search results for the most relevant search queries. This usually happens when the search engines pull business information from various sources like online directories, news websites, blogs, local forums, and review websites.

  How long before my client sees an improvement in their rankings?

  Over the years, SEO has changed a lot. Gone are the days when you could stuff your web page with keywords and get ranked the next day. Now, it takes anywhere between one and three months to see some positive ranking movement. Moreover, for your client to attain first page rankings on Google and other search engines, the usual time frame is four to six months on average and up to eight months on highly-competitive markets.

  Do you work on a contract basis?

  Yes! We believe in developing long-term relationships with our clients. We are confident in the quality and reliability of our services. We know that your clients will want to continue business with you thanks to our work. Ultimately, we know that you will want to continue working with us for a long time. 

  Is our local SEO package right for you?

  Our white-label local SEO packages are perfect for small marketing agencies who are working with small business enterprises focusing on getting their website ranked. We have different packages to choose from, and each has been tailored to certain business needs. You can head over to our service page for more details or give us a call today.

  Get Started Today!

  Working with Destiny Marketing Solutions will give you a head start. Our white-label services are simply a win-win situation for everyone. You close a client, sign up for our services, and we take care of your client’s business.

  All you need to do is get all the details of your client’s requirements, pitch them with a suitable SEO package, and close the deal.

  Feel free to reach out to our team by giving us a call.

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White Label in Local SEO

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The post White Label Local SEO appeared first on Destiny Marketing Solutions | Houston SEO Company.

https://destinymarketingsolutions.com/digital-marketing-services/white-label-local-seo/

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White Label Local SEO

    At Destiny Marketing Solutions we provide white-label local SEO that helps you grow your agency. 

  Needless to say, local SEO is a trending topic on the internet marketing scene right now. As a matter of fact, Think with Google says that “near me” mobile searches have increased a whopping 500% since 2016.

  Shouldn’t that be the reason for you to scale your business today with our white-label local SEO services?

  Did you know that roughly 78% of local mobile searches result in offline purchases? This shows that users rely on local search and is one of the reasons why more and more businesses are investing aggressively in local SEO.

  There is a huge opportunity for you to offer high-quality white-label local SEO services to your clients, have some great local SEO packages, and outsource your local white-label SEO services to agencies like Destiny Marketing Solutions. We are the best SEO resellers and have been providing SEO white-label services for years. Our reseller SEO services for our clients are fairly priced. 

  We enable you to offer white-label local SEO services to your clients and be set to rake in lucrative profits by investing minimal resources.

  Read below to learn how you can scale your business with us!

  What Is White-Label Local SEO?

    SEO service providers sell local SEO directly to clients. However, one agency can hire another – a white-label local SEO company – to provide local SEO service to its clients. At Destiny Marketing Solutions, we offer data-driven and result-oriented white-label local SEO services at market-competitive rates.

  Why Choose Our White-Label Services?

    Undoubtedly, the local market is getting more competitive by the day. It is extremely difficult to beat local vendors who are utilizing every opportunity to keep their business on top. Because of this, there has been an increase in the demand for local SEO services.

  Without having a team dedicated to SEO, you can reach out to potential prospects and offer them local SEO packages. After you close the client, you can outsource the work to a white-label local SEO service provider like us. We will fulfill your client’s requirements. Contact us today for more details. 

  Here is how our white-label local SEO services can help your clients: 

  Local Online Presence

  Local SEO isn’t just about ranking on top of the search engines. It is about establishing a solid brand presence online. Our white-label local SEO service packages offer reliable branding and you can resell our packages to your clients, helping them build their local online presence.

  Laser-Targeted Traffic

  Destiny Marketing Solutions white-label SEO will help your clients get laser-targeted traffic to their websites and bring in more leads and conversions. Our white-label packages target the right keywords that your client wants to rank for, build relevant content around those keywords, secure high quality links, and drive relevant traffic to their website.

  Generating Qualified Leads

Bringing in leads and prospects and making the phone ring is not a big deal. Your clients need leads that actually show interest in their services and become qualified leads. To do this, your client needs to have solid online reputation management in place. Past customer reviews, business information, business listings, and first page rankings are all part of our white-label local SEO and they help in generating qualified leads.

  First Page Rankings

    Although we never make any promises or offer guarantees of first page rankings, we strive to rank your client on top of search results and Google local results. Our white-label SEO services will help to optimize your client’s business in a way that it ranks high for the target queries. A whopping 92% of searchers will prefer the business listing that appears on the first page of the local search results. To make sure that your client’s business gets ranked, we have a solid content strategy in place, in addition to quality link building practices, citation building, on-page and off-page optimization and much more.

  Brand Authority & Trust

When it comes to building a brand’s authority and trust, you don’t just have to do it for the customers or the visitors landing on your client’s business website. It is as important for the search engines as it is for the users. The visitors will consider your client’s business as authoritative and trustworthy if it has good rankings, great reviews, and a nice-looking website. However, they also have to build their authority in the eyes of search engines and to do that, it is crucial that you follow ethical local SEO practices for your clients and get them ranked. Contact us today for more details.

  In-Depth Website Audit

  It may seem surprising that an in-depth website audit is part of a local SEO package. However, it remains one of the most important aspects of white-label local SEO, as it helps to optimize websites better for user experience and rankings. At Destiny Marketing Solutions, our website audit not only uncovers the mistakes and shortcomings on your client’s website, but also ensures that the website is perfectly optimized to get better organic rankings. We check for duplicate content, search engine penalties, spam content, NAP details, site speed and structured data, meta title, meta descriptions, meta tags, and much more.

On-Page Optimization

Our on-page optimization helps to optimize web pages in a way that helps to justify the business’s relevance for the local audience. Our full-service digital marketing services are specially tailored to meet the on-page optimization needs of different types of businesses. We don’t follow a premade SOP. Instead, we focus on analyzing the needs of your client’s business and then craft a solid on-page strategy that helps to rank their website high on search engine results. Our professional and experienced SEO team will analyze the meta title, meta description, meta tags, content type, headings, categories, keyword research, social media, internal linking, site structure, and user-interface of your client’s website.

  Off-Page Optimization

Off-page optimization is equally as important as on-page as it plays a major role in boosting search engine rankings. For most people and inexperienced digital marketing agencies, off-page is just about building backlinks. In reality, it is much more than that! When we implement our off-page optimization strategies, we not only focus on backlinks but also brand citations, mobile responsiveness, user-experience, and the SSL certificate. We also take care of the anchor text ratio and ensure that whatever off-page techniques we use strictly follow ethical principles.

  Content Creation

Needless to say, content has always remained the key to ranking on top in search engines for local searches. Content helps to solve the various problems with local SEO related to business information and customer’s queries. We also market the content on social media. Our white-label local SEO content strategy focuses on:

  Web Page Content

  Here we analyze the home page, contact page, services pages, and about us page content.

  Business NAP Details

  The name, address, phone number, website URL, map location, and all other relevant information that is associated with your client’s NAP.

  Customer Reviews & Testimonials

  One of the most important parts of building a brand’s online presence and reputation is gaining the trust of the potential prospects. We will do this by showcasing the customer reviews and testimonials not only on your client’s website but also on their business listings.

  Blog Posts

  To keep the website updated, our content team will, from time to time, publish informational blog posts. We will also promote it on different platforms to gain more traction, resulting in more leads.

  Infographics & Videos

  Content isn’t only about text and words. Our digital marketing agency also focuses on graphics and video-based content. We will help to capture attention for your client’s business and boost the number of shares it gets.

  Managing Reviews

  Do you know that 94% of new customers will read written reviews before they decide to work with an online business?

  That being said, we understand the importance of customer reviews. We will work together with you to get your client’s customers to write genuine reviews on different platforms.

  Even if their business has negative reviews, we will respond to them professionally and honestly, addressing their problem and pain-points.

  If your client doesn’t have any five-star ratings, we will still try to help them achieve a four-star rating for their business and collect as many reviews as possible.

  Benefits of Working with Destiny Marketing Solutions

  When you decide to work with us, we promise to take full care of your white-label local SEO campaign. We want to make it a win-win situation for your client, your company and our agency. Your job is to bring business to the table and we promise that we will deliver results.

  With our white-label SEO services, not only will you be able to deliver results for your clients, you will also be able to scale your business. 

  Here are some of the benefits you will gain when you sign up for our white-label SEO services:

  More Focus on Increasing Your Clientele

  One of the best things about working with our digital marketing agency is that you can focus on business development and acquiring more clients. Once you hand over a project to us, you will never have to worry about any of the technical details related to local SEO. Your only priority will be to manage your clients and find more of them.

  You Save Resources

  High-quality local SEO demands extensive resources. However, you are outsourcing your local SEO projects to our internet marketing agency, which means you don’t have to worry about gathering the required resources. This also means that you will not deal with paying bills, subscriptions, human resource management, managing a team, and much more.

  Build Your Professional Portfolio

    Once we get results and you get a nice review from your client, you can then build your professional portfolio to showcase the success stories of your existing clients to attract more. To keep our clients happy, we make sure that your clients are happy with the results that we deliver.

  We Are Your Local SEO Experts

    Leveraging local SEO experts to master the first page of Google with us has never been easier.

  Our goal is not just to put your client’s website on the first page of Google, but also to put it in front of their target audience so that they get quality leads.

  Our SEO team has years of industry experience and expertise. They will deliver value-added services as professional local SEO consultants.

  The methodologies we use in our local SEO strategies differ depending on the individual campaigns we work on. We don’t stick to an SOP for SEO. We understand that every business has specific requirements for getting ranked on Google.

  Being experts in handling local business SEO services, we know all the ins and outs of website audits, smart project management, and campaign fulfillment.

  Expand Your Digital Marketing Arsenal

  At Destiny Marketing Solutions, we have an extensive collection of resources and marketing that will skyrocket your business. We will not only provide you with our digital marketing arsenal to rank your client’s website, but also explain what you need to expand your knowledge and grow your business.

  Besides that, our focus has always been on more than ranking websites. We also make the sales process easier for you. Our agency knows the importance of a great proposal and how critical it is to the success of your pitch. Our marketing team will make it easier for you. 

  We will provide you with a fully-customized and well-written local SEO proposal that you can use to close clients. It covers all the questions that your prospects will have. Contact us today for more details. We are your go-to SEO reseller for your clients.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  What is local SEO?

    Local SEO is the process of ranking a local business’s website via geo-targeted keywords, localized content, citation building, and claiming local business listings. It is an effective strategy that ramps up the leads for local businesses and results in more clients for them.

  How does local SEO work?

    Local SEO helps the website to be visible not only to search engines, but also to the customers in that specific geographical area. When done right, the business appears on top of the local search results for the most relevant search queries. This usually happens when the search engines pull business information from various sources like online directories, news websites, blogs, local forums, and review websites.

  How long before my client sees an improvement in their rankings?

  Over the years, SEO has changed a lot. Gone are the days when you could stuff your web page with keywords and get ranked the next day. Now, it takes anywhere between one and three months to see some positive ranking movement. Moreover, for your client to attain first page rankings on Google and other search engines, the usual time frame is four to six months on average and up to eight months on highly-competitive markets.

  Do you work on a contract basis?

  Yes! We believe in developing long-term relationships with our clients. We are confident in the quality and reliability of our services. We know that your clients will want to continue business with you thanks to our work. Ultimately, we know that you will want to continue working with us for a long time. 

  Is our local SEO package right for you?

  Our white-label local SEO packages are perfect for small marketing agencies who are working with small business enterprises focusing on getting their website ranked. We have different packages to choose from, and each has been tailored to certain business needs. You can head over to our service page for more details or give us a call today.

  Get Started Today!

  Working with Destiny Marketing Solutions will give you a head start. Our white-label services are simply a win-win situation for everyone. You close a client, sign up for our services, and we take care of your client’s business.

  All you need to do is get all the details of your client’s requirements, pitch them with a suitable SEO package, and close the deal.

  Feel free to reach out to our team by giving us a call.

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White Label in Local SEO

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