#branded anchor text

[grandlinedreams]

|| special thanks to @miloonmetis for this specific brand of rot on discord yesterday lmao and happy fingering friday to my bbs iykyk

[Heads up!: inappropriate joke about Law's fingers, fingering (reader recieving), oral (also reader recieving), kinda mean dom Law]

You spend an inordinate amount of time staring at Law's hands. They're pretty, after all, almost as pretty as the man himself. Long, slender ㅡ with the letters of 'DEATH' tattooed on them in dark ink against tanned skin.

You toy with his fingers, curling and uncurling them, feeling the delicate work of the tendons and veins beneath. Your fingertips dance between the gaps, then you sigh. "You know, about these fingers of yours..."

"Hm." Law, having tuned you out about fifteen minutes ago, does not pay much attention to the deliberate bend of his fingers under your control.

"I think I'd like you to do these three to me." You wait patiently for him to drag his attention off of his text book review and to his hand. The index, middle and ring are extended out, pinky and thumb bent.

'EAT', it spells, and it takes Law a good minute and a half to register that, then what you're implying. You grin wickedly as color flushes his face.

"Oh."

He does as you ask, though. He's nothing if not a generous lover in terms of what you can ask for ㅡ what he gives you is an entirely different story.

"Close? Already?" His tone is teasing, hard edge of something else in his voice as 'e' and 'a' curl within you. His head tilts as you writhe, hips rocking to meet his shallow thrusts into your warmth as best you can when his other hand is trying to pin you to the bed. "Come on, you can take another finger, can't you?"

It's equal parts condescension as it is genuinely a question, and your cheeks burn for how eagerly your body responds to his words. You nod, and Law's lips curl. "That's what I thought."

The breach of his third finger aches in the best of ways, makes you whine as your cheeks burn, heart hammering and tummy clenching at how close your orgasm is.

And then Law stops. 'E', 'a', and 't' halt their delicious stretch inside you, the denial of your orgasm a cold bucket of water as you gasp, half-worded pleas spilling from your throat. "Keep going, please, please, I was so close ㅡ"

"Hush." Law's lips meet your thigh, pressing against the soft swell of skin, admiring the plush expanse as sticky fingers curl against you ㅡ and then his tongue is against your hot, achy center, and you almost wail in relief.

This too is something Law is familiar with, follows every jerk and twitch of your body as he curls his tongue, kneads at your thighs in comfort even as your orgasm begins to crescendo once more.

This time you anchor a hand in his hair, yanking hin closer to you ㅡ thighs squeezing in a bid to make him stay. He isn't going anywhere though, renewing his efforts as your noises pitch higher before you still against him, yanking as you cum.

Law lets you ride it out, waits until your hand eases up in his hair to pull away and peer at you from just below your groin. "Can you take another?"

It's clear what he means for the way he looks at you as if he's going devour you, and you shiver breathlessly before you nod, preparing yourself for a very long night.

[exhausted-archivist]

In regard to my last reblog, I kinda want to expand on it.

The novels are 100% optional flavour text. They aren't required for you to really understand what is happening in the world. With the exception of Asunder, that one for me is a bit of a grey area but that is only because it covers aspects of two companions (Cole and Vivienne) that are glossed over and is rehashed entirely in an aspect by another companion's personal quest (Cassandra's).

Not even World of Thedas, the lore books are required because a big chunk of them are put in the game as codices. And the character stuff that's not? That's also flavour text and the fact that Leliana doesn't share background reports on your companions or you can't find them is a missed opportunity in utilizing Leliana. The whole "Game" aspect of Orlesian politics could have also been better incorporated through Josephine and Vivienne.

This is long so... cut.

But TLDR: Nothing is mandatory. World of Thedas, Asunder, and Masked Empire are just under utilized flavour text. They better not do the same or worse with Tevinter Nights.

We know they cut Cole from having Evangelina and Rhys appear for his personal quest and instead we got that weird thing with Varric and Solas being disagreeing dads on nature vs nurture. Rhys and Evangeline, but more so Rhys, are so important to Cole's background that I feel they could have brought them on with a little codex or preamble and it would have worked fine. They could have touched more on Cole's fear of becoming a demon again, his sense of identity and self, and even explored his whole concept of "helping" and his unique brand of compassion - because really Cole's form of compassion is a little off the beaten path.

But, that isn't because Asunder is mandatory, but because Cole isn't well anchored to begin with. They don't really explore him as a spirit/demon, they mostly use him as a way to tell you about other characters, and he's really wishy washy on even establishing what happened at the White Spire or with Seeker Lambert and just gives these sort of teasing/tantalizing starting points.

Which leads into a weak point with Vivienne. She has issue with how the war started. She has issue with the vote. She has issue with everything that happened with the White Spire. Which again, isn't explored and is just flippantly mentioned in banter with Cole or when she's snarking at Fiona.

We know she has issue with the vote because it was made when everyone was already dealing with Circles falling and templars killing people and extremist mages were killing other mages that opposed them. The vote was made not by people who were elected by the Circles - not entirely. They were made by whoever happened to get to Andoral's Reach and it was very much an emergency vote. She wasn't there for the vote and that's the start of the issue for her. Which, understandably this was written before Vivienne even existed, but with that they never resolve why she wasn't there for the vote or even aware of the chaos of the Circles. You kind of guess it's because of Bastien's health but yeah not really clear.

Both Cole and Vivienne's stories would be better anchored as well as give the Mage Templar war and the factions with in it more nuance if they even tried to incorporate the cliff notes of Asunder. It would also make it more of a flavour text and less of this murky grey area.

Which to make it even more murky and grey, Cassandra's whole plot of discovering the reversal to tranquility? Yeah that was discovered by a tranquil mage at the request of Divine Justinia. Literally every circle mage and Chantry person (of a certain rank) knows of its existence. Which they cheekily hide in ambient dialogue between Mother Giselle and another cameo character from Cassandra's past, Avexis. An elven mage who was turned tranquil because of the danger from her abilities to not only control small creatures but dragons.

That story Cassandra is known for? The dragons attacking the Grand Cathedral? Avexis was involved with that. Whole big thing in Dawn of the Seeker. But I digress.

Mother Giselle and Avexis talk about the reversal to tranquility in Haven. Everyone already knows but Cassandra's personal quest misleads you cause she's so pikachu-faced about discovering that there was a reversal and the Seeker's knew about it. Only half of the information should be new to her, the rest everyone knew about for a year and could have been beautifully folded into her story as to not only her mixed feelings on how she didn't feel as close to Justinia as Leliana was - because Leliana was in on it and Cassandra wasn't even aware that the Divine requested this happen behind the Seeker's back in 9:35 Dragon.

It would have been a great point to fold into the story to not only give more context to Cassandra questioning the Order but also feeling out of control and lost. Honesty would have been a good point in tension for her and Leliana to have.

But instead Cole goes largely explained, Vivienne is under explored and barely connected to the Mage Templar War conflict, and Cassandra is a (in my opinion) much less interesting rehash of something most people connected to the Chantry and Circles already knew for the most part.

Asunder is less required reading and more of discarded world building that amounts to a lot of missed opportunities.

Something I think that Tevinter Nights is at risk of if not worse. Either under utilized world building or they go full tilt in the wrong direction and it becomes the first required reading.

Specifically reading, because the first required additional media is the Legacy DLC of which they yoinked Corypheus and the whole start of the red templars from. And then again with Tresspasser which establishes and reveals so much vital information for the next game. Both DLCs, I think should have/be updated to free. Especially since it's been so long and they are required for the story now. And any "well players had to pay for them previously" is bs because new players can get the whole trilogy on sale for like 15USD. Deluxe editions included so they come with the DLCs - except for DA2.

Asunder and DLCs aside, lemme now circle back to the whole World of Thedas/Leliana and co thing.

The thing that grinds my gears about the World of Thedas bits is that a large part of them... are written to Leliana as reports. In game Leliana talks about doing background checks - how she isn't thorough enough with Solas because there wasn't enough time and more pressing things were coming. He slipped through the cracks. But everyone else? She got dirt on. Sera included. Leliana could have been a great vector to not only divulge more flavour text lore of our companions, but it could have also given us more aspects of conversation. How do they feel knowing Leliana gave us reports? Is sera annoyed because of the questions you can now ask? Is Blackwall sweaty because you might know details he doesn't? Does Iron Bull want to compare notes and see how good Leliana's network is?

There was so much they could have done with Leliana to not only make her more involved but made us more involved with the characters. It would have lead to more interactive story telling and folded in making the meta knowledge less meta as our Inquisitor actually used the resources of our spymaster.

Still, not required reading, but a way to fold in all the world building you've done to make the characters feel more real and give us a chance to bond with them. Even if we can't talk to them about it because "leaving it open ended for headcanons".

This also goes into how "The Game" is under utilized in Inquisition. So much of Inquisition is telling vs showing us or letting us experience something. Having more scenes where we walk in on Josephine dealing with combative knowledge, using our origins and background perks to play the game introduces us to the concept of Orlesian politics and perhaps we get perks - more soldiers, resources, gold, higher starting approval at the Winter Palace. Something that has more relevance to us and folds in this supposed system all of Orlais is beholden to.

A similar system could have also been used with Vivienne. Whether she was hosting nobles or if she wanted to gossip with you over a letter she received that she thinks could be of use to you if you know how to properly use The Game. It would have also been interesting if it impacted the noble npcs hanging out in the hall, if it became weighted depending on just how good you were. Less Orlesians meaning less support from Orlais and more reliance on other nations to legitimize the Inquisition. More Orlesians? A stronger army, more standing with the court and the Chantry, more ammunition for when you're dealing with Celene and Gaspard in the Winter Palace. Things like that. Simple story threads that didn't really need to go anywhere but perhaps impacted the ambient state.

It would have helped tie in Masked Empire and give it more weight (and also make Michel de Chevin be more than the rando the Imshael maybe killed).

Just saying... It's just under utilized world building in an interactive media.

[15-lizards]

SUBMISSION FROM: @timcurry-imgoinghomedotmp4

It is I, swimming modern braime anon! Here is what I have so far, snipping up your "worst couple on god's green earth" post and using it as an outline:

they met while she was on her daily 5 am jog outside of campus and found him hungover on a park bench after a two week bender with coke in his pocket and 30 missed calls and 55 suggestive texts from Cersei.

She’s a college sophomore on a sports scholarship just trying to get through her classes. She’s managing but she also has insomnia so running and training her body helps.

She thinks he’s a bum but gives him her water bottle out of pity. She heads back to her dorm, where she changes into the the team logowear athleisure she lives in. t-shirt, hoodie, basketball shorts, leggings, all in combination, and of course parka. Socks regardless but sneakers or slides depening on weather. Or timbs in the winter, Wisconsin gets fucking COLD. Showering before grabbing huge breakfast and heading to classes.

A week later is the ribbon cutting on the new recreation and fitness center. Tywin Lannister's name is on the brand spanking new natatorium.

Jaime’s there bc he works at Daddy Tywin Roy’s multi media empire as a nepotism. He doesn't know what his title is. Director of management of talent, or talent management director, or something. Whatever.

He’s at the party bc again, nepotism, and also he has a bunch of swimming records on the books from the 00s when he was on the team there. He could not tell you the last time he was in the pool (he was burning out while setting those records, and then he got in the car accident and had an excuse to lose himself in cersei and booze and drugs and a bunch of pr girlfriends who thought they were his beard bc he was so disinterested in them. a real jude law's character in gattaca situation.

Anyway, he was drinking champagne and trying to decide if the high he would get from sneaking away to do a bump of coke would be worth the judgement from his father and had just decided he couldn't be fucked to care.

She's there because she's currently swimming and breaking her own records, in a Katie Ledecky-type situation of competing against herself in the women's races and being among the faster men. But she's there as STAR SCHOLARSHIP TALENT and is also very aware that she's so busy swimming that she's passing classes bc she can only afford to take "rocks for jocks" type stuff. anyway, oh baby she does not belong here. And also why does her dad have to be here too?

they meet eyes and immediately feel some kind of godawful connection they are Locked In now. He beelines over to her bc he subconsciously thinks she’s Mother Teresa but then verbally starts making fun of her for having a social climber daddy. She asks how his monthly detox at rehab was. They’re snippy with each other all night.

Next few days on Jaime’s end, Tyrion notices he can’t stop talking about how huge and strong Brienne looked in her dress. So big and fit? Just. I mean it’s like weird how she was so powerful and had also saved him in the morning and oh  remember how big Dayne was? Tyrion remember he had the 50 and 100 free records before I did, and he was HUGE and Brienne is so mannish like that. Strong. TOTALLYYYYYYY gross though ewwwww imagine if she was into me? and I had to talk to her and her awful father and her records and her swimmer's shoulders and. Tyrion yearns for death.

A few days later for Brienne, she’s getting coffee with Sansa after class. Sansa looks over to see who Brienne’s texting and goes why are you arguing with a thirty two year old man about whether he got touched out anchoring the medley relay at olympic trials thirteen fucking years ago?

More to come!

NOTE FROM ME USER 15-lizards: incredible impeccable no notes

[aspiring-writer-hidden-voice]

🎲

[Katsuki POV]

“You rolled the dice and that’s what you get, birthday boy~” You purred while regarding me from across the table, a smirk playing upon your lips.

I was too busy clutching the cloth of the restaurant’s table to even hear you. The blood was pounding in my ears so damn loud and the heat under my collar was getting to be too much. “S-shut up, you damn dumbass…”

Sometimes…I hated those dice.

The second I had woken up this morning, you were standing on the side of the bed wearing that big grin and those cursed dice in your hands. I wasn’t even fully awake yet and you pulled that crazy stunt while singing “Happy Birthday”. I still rolled them and fucking hell it had to be “no penetration”, “all day”, and “use anything”. At least you eased me into this stupid as hell tradition of birthday sex dice by simply giving me a reach around while I was showering…albeit at the time I wasn’t too damn happy since I just want to bend you over and—

“And for you, sir?”

I growl lowly at the waiter who had interrupted my train of thought, my red eyes glaring at him. “Garlic Parmesan steak with grilled -not fried- shrimp, red mashed potatoes and collard greens on the side. If the chef knows what’s good for ‘em those spices better be hot.”

My gaze shifts to you as I hear your giggle. Damnit, you look so damn gorgeous tonight. You’re wearing that outfit I love so much…where it hugs your curves so damn perfect, gives me that peek of your breasts, and the skirt so short that if I peeked under the table and you had your legs open I could see—

“And anything to drink, sir?”

My teeth gnash as I stare daggers at the waiter. “Give me the strongest spirit you’ve got in this damn place.”

“Katsuki!” You reprimand, apologetically smiling up at the waiter. “Sorry about his tone. It’s his birthday and it’s been quite a long day for him.”

I knew exactly what you were doing and I wanted to come over there and bend you over the damn table! Your sweet smile doesn’t fool me, damnit! You slipped that on purpose!

“Oh, pardon me, I shall notify the staff immediately!”

The second he walked away, I leaned forward and rested my chin on my own laced fingers, elbows resting on the table as I glared at you. “You sneaky, conniving fox…”

“Oh, Katsuki, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

I swallow thickly when you effortlessly smirk with a comeback.

The wheels in my head start to turn. All day long you’ve been playing by the rules of those cursed dice; sending me pics of yourself while I’m out on patrol, dirty texting/calling, you even stopped by my agency office earlier so we could make the reservations you’d made and gave me a quick hand job while I drove us here!

It’s evening, the end of a torturous day, but it had been spicy in its own sense.

“Katsuki~”

My red eyes narrow at your tone. I knew it very well and whatever was about to come out of that pretty, gloss-lined mouth of yours was going to be trouble. “What?”

“I’m going to powder my face. Keep an eye on my drink, please?

Now I was even more suspicious as I watched you walk away towards the restrooms. What are you scheming? I found out exactly what you had in mind not a minute later when I get a text from you complete with a selfie of your dress unzipped far enough to show me the lingerie set that is brand new from my merch; fiery red and orange lace, dark green corset-like ribbons, black garter and cups that perfectly—

“A complimentary appetizer by courtesy of the restaurant, sir.”

I nearly slam my damn phone down onto the table with one of my explosions when the waiter slips a plate of calamari and various other little morsels. Damnit, you’re driving me insane with your interruptions!, I internally scream at him.

A sudden and unexpected touch suddenly makes me jump but then I’m clutching to the table like it’s me sole anchor in the world as I feel something warm and wet wrap around my cock, my jaw nearly dropping when I feel that tongue of yours lap at my now tight balls.

When the hell did you get down there?!

Shudders start slipping down my spine as I can do little but remain as stoic faced as possible despite the now raging desire in my veins pounding like a damn drug as I peek down and see you smirking from around my length. The tablecloth reached the floor so no one knew you were under there but-

A choked groan catches in my throat when I feel you suckle and lick my swollen tip like it’s a lollipop, my hands on the table wanting nothing more than to grab you by the hair and—

“Refill on your drink, sir?”

“N-none for me!” I manage to huff, every muscle in my body tightening as I feel you slowly slip me into your throat and making my eyes widen and entire body break out into a sweat. “S-son of a…”

I spare another peek down at you and bite my lip when I see you give me clear view of the bulge in your throat that is me, sealing the deal and making me cum right there with a strangled and hoarse cry from behind my hand.

“Y-y-you’re such a f-freak…” I whisper as you clean me up and carefully settle me back within my pants before you move back to your seat.

“But I know you love it.”

The blood in my veins freezes when you wink while licking your lips. Something felt off. But what? My hands reflexively drop to my thighs then slowly feel around my groin. Everything felt normal enough. I raise my gaze back to you. “What did you do?”

Heat erupts into my face when you simply hold up your phone and drag your finger across the screen…resulting in an all too familiar vibrating sensation to start within my pants. Which pair of boxers did I put on today?! Tell me it wasn’t the ones I think they are!

That smirk on your face tells me all I need to know as the patterns and intensity of what I was feeling changed depending upon your finger. Just when I thought I was safe, you pull a stunt like this?! A shaky smile raises my lips.

“G-god, I love you.”

“I know. Now let’s enjoy our dinner then we can go home for your desert, birthday boy.”

“Marry me.” My own smirk appears when you wiggle your left hand, a ring so damn big it would make Todoroki’s wife jealous whenever he got one, flashing brilliantly in the light. “I know. Marry me again.”

“We go through this almost every year, Kats, but I’ll show you how much I really love you when at home.”

I internally curse as the vibrations intensify for a few seconds thanks to your finger on the phone screen before they lower to a dull hum that makes my blood buzz.

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

@bakubunny @zazter-den

[14dayswithyou]

Sorry Ren/Redacted (actually not sorry), how could I love and be with you when I have Mer Ren? Look at him, he's so squishy and soft and says 'plz' and 'yoo' and gives me all the fish and shells I want. He's also packing double if you know what I mean. *lipbite*

✦゜ANSWERED: For a bit of context, Winndy is the CEO and creator of Mer Ren, and there's even a discord bot with silly lil prompts dedicated to him!! They're meant to come across like Mer Ren is texting you (or at least, trying to), which is why he sometimes uses "plz" and "yoo" ^^

Also just a small note: there's going to be slight 14DWY spoilers/references that allude to Ren's bad end if you squint hard enough!! This also isn't proofread because I need to stay on brand hehe

"Is... Is that what you want? W-Would it make you happy?" There's a hint of sadness laced within his tone before Ren's bittersweet expression turns into a fabricated smile. So... you've already moved on from the Haruko hyperfixation and wanted something more fishy?

Consider it done.

Ren would've walked to the ends of the earth if you asked him to. Hell, he'd even rip out his own heart and put it on a platter if it brought a smile to your face. There was nothing he wouldn't do to make you happy, and if altering parts of himself was necessary, then he'd do it without any hesitation.

But it was altering your memory that had him second-guessing his actions.

Shaking his head to steel his thoughts, Ren offers you one last look of reassurance before he takes a step back and closes his eyes. And just like that fateful day when you met him in the library, you can only stand there helplessly as reality begins to flicker, bend, and glitch around the both of you.

But just when you thought you were getting accustomed to the unfamiliar feeling surrounding you; a blinding white light envelopes your vision as you feel everything snap back into place.

Blinking once, twice, then once more, you notice that everything remained much the same as you remembered, except...

Wait.

Did Ren always have dark hair and wide, beady eyes? Has that jellyfish-like bell cape always sat atop his pale, purple shoulders? And since when were you inside a dimly lit bioluminescent grotto?

You're pulled away from your thoughts when Ren — your Ren, you remembered; who you rescued from a tangled mess of netting all those years ago — reaches a webbed hand towards your face to gently cup your cheek. That very same bittersweet smile rests on his countenance as you watch it slowly morph into that of melancholy, turmoil, and finally, dedication.

Well, it seems that just a single glance at your awed expression was more than enough to calm Ren's racing thoughts and put his mind at ease.

"...Happy now, yes? You'll stay here with Ren forever? Please?" Ren's voice comes out hoarse (almost like he wasn't used to talking in your language) as his other webbed hand moves to rest on your arm and anchor you close to him — though you knew you could easily brush it off if you really wanted to.

"Ren—" A shake of his head, "Your Ren will always make you happy! Ren promises! So stay here forever and ever and ever! ...Please."

[aotopmha]

My biggest issue with Dawntrail is that the story is starting to repeat itself thematically, but my second-biggest one is that all of the concise, meaningful scenes are sandwiched between walls of text. So it's nice to see some acknowledgement regarding that issue.

(Spoilers for all of Dawntrail.)

What I'm worried about is them going to the complete opposite direction regarding writing because that's the vibe I get from most of their corrections.

I hope that the takeaway from the criticism isn't Wuk having flaws at all or there being world building at all in the MSQ.

Because Wuk is such a ballsy character to exist: unconventionally attractive, flawed main female lead; if the takeaway is that we just need a confident character that never screws up and doesn't need to grow, we just get a boring character.

And exploring new cultures and new perspectives is part of not only what makes a great adventure story, but is a great basis for character struggles.

The issue with Wuk aren't her flaws in themselves, just that there is too much of her and comparatively less of the other characters.

And the issue with exploring cultures in the MSQ isn't that they exist at all, just that they're presented in a wall of text and ultimately only matter "thematically" and for Wuk's growth, with other characters' stories being behind her's in priority.

A plot hook, connection to the past, a mystery and answers to it and having a specific focus point (for example, a character) immediately make a story more compelling. And a bunch of the areas did not really have that or repeated it with Wuk.

Shadowbringers did the character distribution the best because each zone was essentially about a character, so nobody of the central cast got left behind.

I really think Wuk should've been a throughline character like the Exarch and Krile, Erenville, Koana, Bakool Ja Ja and Zoraal Ja should've had a zone each to themselves as characters, with connective tissue between and it all coming together at the end.

We even kind of get it. The emphasis is just not always on character arcs, but instead very specifically the fictional cultures themselves, the world.

Which doesn't necessarily always create emotional attachment.

In Shadowbringers the Chais, Runar, Tesleen, the miners and Fae Ul are "new" anchor points in a new world, while the Scions are "old" anchor points in a new world.

Their cultures still exist, but their culture is mostly expressed and explained through them, as part of their clearly defined characters, rather than kind of next to them by comparatively generic faces.

In Tural Wuk Lamat is often the only anchor, with no outside or inside distinction.

I realised, out of any of the "local" characters in the first three zones, next to the claimants, Wuk Evu is the strongest actual individual personality.

I think this is why Mamook and everything after it is so much more positively viewed: the world building and character writing become much more balanced after that point.

Mamook was a clear focus point for Bakool Ja Ja and his family (father and mother) and how their culture effects and relates to them.

Gulool Ja Ja's death creates specific strong character motivations that drive the rest of the story.

Solution Nine is a clear focus point for Erenville and Cachiua (and Sphene and Otis – see you can share screentime between characters) and about its specific brand of culture shock and the tragedy that comes from everything to do with the moral aspects of the system.

And Living Memory brought everything in all of the zones together.

The scenes with Namikka and Krile's parents are in part such successful scenes to me because we finally not only got actual character substance, but also interesting world building next to it. And Otis and Cachiua are right behind.

Even some of the scattered scenes with Thancred and Urianger, Alisae and G'raha become highlights because instead of reading a wall of text, it's just characters talking to each other.

I hope they'll take away the right lessons from this.

[kiastirling-fanfic]

Tranquil Week Day 5: Fearless

Warden-Constable Boranehn holds no fear.

Read it on Ao3 Here or find the full text below the cut

Rating: G Wordcount: 387 CW: none in particular?

@tranquilweek

They said he fought like a golem. Not tireless, he was a man of flesh and blood, but fearless. He did not quail before a hurlock, nor he did not panic when they were ambushed by shrieks. When confronted by an ogre, he gave his commands with a calmness that bolstered his fellow wardens and he peppered his foes with arrows at a measured pace, always striking with the greatest efficacy.

Boranehn was the perfect Grey Warden on all accounts, enough so that it sent waves and rumors through the ranks.

How was a Tranquil mage so highly skilled in the art of war?

Was it truly only his status as Tranquil that made him so unshakable when facing down the darkspawn?

Who had recruited a Tranquil in the first place?

They were answers Bora would dispense easily if any dared ask them.

He was skilled because he was trained. All Dalish children started learning a weapon to prepare them to hunt or protect the clan as they grew older, and that training was expanded upon after he escaped the Circle and was taken in by the Wardens.

It was true that being a Tranquil made him incapable of feeling fear, but it did not rob him of the will to survive. His first encounters with darkspawn were very different affairs; it was experience that made him a force to be reckoned with.

It was Warden Blackwall who found him wandering, who stuck a bow in his hand to ward off Templars who sought to reclaim their lost Tranquil, and who sent him to the Warden outpost in Jader. And it was those Wardens who saw a wiry young elf with a sunburst brand on his forehead and honed him.

But no one would ask Bora. The Warden-Constable lacked the warmth those who retained a connection to the Fade needed in the unsettled ranks, and even the dwarves who lacked such connection looked on his blank face and turned away.

It was fine. He did not need for his men to like him. He needed them to obey when he gave orders on the field, and they did. All else would be handled by those suited to the task as he was to his; to be their beacon and their guide, to anchor their fears and lead.

[bookishbilly]

August 6th, a Tuesday afternoon just like any other. Only, for Billy it wasn’t. For Billy it was a reminder of the worst day of his life, the day he lost the only man he ever thought he’d love. 

The anniversary of Julian’s death seemed to come around at a violent speed for Billy, always catching him off guard as the banality of life took hold, distracting him from the impending weight that was about to come crashing down against his chest. In the early days, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. He’d count each passing day that had passed. Julian’s birthday, February 20th, exactly 198 days after his passing. Their anniversary, November 9th: 461 days. He’d counted each week, each month, each year. Down to the final detail, each day, slowly inching towards the day that they'd reunite. Then, suddenly, he lost count. He hadn’t realised he’d stopped counting – not at first, it had taken him weeks, possibly even months, to realise. Yet, Simon’s presence in his life had been a brand new distraction, a weight lifted from his chest and replaced with something gentler, something far more forgiving than the grief that had burrowed so deep inside of him that it had carved out a new home for itself. 

Then, of course, the counting of days was soon replaced by guilt. The guilt that Billy could have somehow forgotten, lost sight of the love he’d shared with Jules, all in the name of a warm smile and a tender touch. 

“I think I fell apart the moment you left me, baby,” Billy sighed, his voice low as he stared at the smooth granite across from him. 

He was propped on the grass, not a care in the world for the creamy-white of chinos – an image that Ariadne would no doubt be appalled by if she could see him – with his hand pressed to the grass below, legs curled beneath him as stared at what remained of his fiancé. Nothing but a headstone with a few clinical lines etched into the stone, acres of grass and dirt and almost-identical headstones stretching across the land surrounding it. It seemed like such a redundant thing to some, visiting a grave that laid home to nothing but a now-empty coffin, when Billy had far more memories to remember Jules by, but it was a tradition he’d never break. This was the last place Julian would have ever been seen as he was laid to rest, the one place anchoring him to this world, to Billy. 

“It’s weird... I felt happy this morning, before it hit me. I woke up to a text from Simon – I've told you about Si, about how much you’d like him – and for those few moments, for the most startling few minutes, I felt at peace, Jules.” 

There was a lump in his throat as he spoke, his voice hushed as he tried not to disturb the peace around him. The cemetery was fairly quiet, only a few lone visitors passing by, the occasional family. Honestly, most years Billy didn’t even do the trip alone. He usually woke up on this exact day to Rhodes at his door, the other man immediately wrapping him up in a cuddle as he smothered Billy’s cheeks in kisses. The two of them would sit around Billy’s dining room table as they ate breakfast, swapping stories until they cried, or laughed, or sometimes both. Then, they’d make their way hear; Rhodes would drive, Billy would play Jules’ favourite music, and they’d spend a couple of hours chatting; Sometimes to each other, sometimes to Jules. They always left a pause for him, as though one day he might chime in. It just felt right. He’d promised to do the same this year, the same as he always did, but Billy had asked him not to. Autumn had a huge piano recital today, a real big deal, and Billy had to practically beg and plead with his best friend not to miss it on his behalf. 

So he sat there, alone, squinting up at the August sun as he sighed to himself, wondering what life would have been like if he’d never lost Julian. It was a thought he’d plagued himself with for years, conjuring up a parallel universe where he was still a teacher, married, a house full of their own children running around, chasing Scoob as they try to catch him for bathtime. Those fantasies used to come naturally to Billy, monopolising his days as he wasted hours away dreaming of something that could never be. Now, he found himself intruding on his own daydreams, rapid images coming to a halt as he asked himself another question: What would his life be like if he hadn’t met Simon? 

Lost in thought, Billy had barely heard the crunch of footsteps on grass, his gaze lifting only when he’d felt a shadow wash over him, blocking out the sun above in the form of Ariadne. He looked up at her, the faintest of a smile on his lips as he asked, “How’d you know where to find me?” 

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#OnThisDay: Jun 21st, 2014

Title: Cuteness Member - Flapjack

As they say, "A Pirate is life for me!". Whether you're at the seven seas on earth or the solar system from the space atmosphere. 🏴‍☠️🌎🌌 And the latter was Flapjack 🧒⚓ travels through space and enrolls to the "Cuteness Defender Academy" and later a highly-skilled pirate crew known as the "Crossbone Vanguard" army (after a hard work of being an ensign). As of 2024, Flapjack still holds two "Cuteness Mecha Armors" from the aforementioned "Crossbone Vanguard"; the armored "Crossbone X-3", and the "Crossbone X-1 Kai Kai "Skull Heart / Full Cloth". 🙂🤖🤖

Crossbone Flapjack X-3 Based on: XM-X3 Crossbone Gundam X-3 [CLICK ME!]

Armament(s):

Vulcan Gun (Optional) • These head mounted shell firing weapons have a high rate of fire, but little power and are generally ineffective against "CMA" suits. However, they can damage lightly armored areas such as the sensors, and are ideal for shooting down small, lightly armored targets such as missiles or small vehicles.

Mega Machine Cannon • The armored "Crossbone X-3" is equipped with a pair of mega machine cannons in its chest and they are stronger than the vulcan guns.

Beam Saber • The beam saber is the standard close-combat weapon of many "CMA" suits, it emits a blade of plasma contained by an I-field that can cut through any physical armor not treated to resist it. The armored "Crossbone" is equipped with two beam sabers stored in shoulder racks. They also serve as the beam guns for the drone fighter.

Heat Dagger • An alternative close combat weapon, the heat dagger is unlike most heat weapons as its blade is heated using leftover heat from the leg's thrusters. The heated blade can melt the enemies armor on contact. The heat daggers are stored in the legs, one in each calf. Normally, it is handheld when in use, but it can also slide out of the sole as a surprise attack.

Scissor Anchor • Each "Crossbone" armor is equipped with a pair of scissor anchors stored on the front skirt armor. These anchors are attached to the "CMA" by long chains and use scissor claws to grip objects. While these are not offense weapons per-say, they provide several uses in combat. They can be used to grip the limb of an enemy machine to ensnare it, or to reel it closer to the "Crossbone" armor for melee combat. They can also be used to turn ensnared "CMA" suits into bludgeoning weapons by pulling on the chain. The scissor anchors can also be used to stabilize the Gundam's footing in case of emergencies, such as when fighting the wind force of an explosion.

Beam Shield/Brand Marker • Like its brother units, the X-3 could be equipped with the beam shield/brand marker unique to the "Crossbone" armors, mounting them over the I-Field generators. However, these were never equipped to the X-3 before its first sortie, after which it was never properly resupplied with fresh weapons.

Muramasa Blaster The Muramasa Blaster is a unique weapon exclusive to the model armorr "XM-X3" "Crossbone X-3". It resembles a straight rapier with a gun handle in the guard and with a skull and crossbones painted on the sides. The weapon is quite large, at least half the length of the X-3's height if not longer. It mounts a total of 15 beam emitters, one beam gun on the tip of the sword that can also emit a beam saber and 14 beam blade emitters that line the sides, making it usable for both long and short range combat. Unfortunately, the Muramasa Blaster is a prototype weapon and because of its power intensive nature, it can only be used for a limited operational period. When not in use, the weapon is stored on the left side armor.

Beam Gun ◘ The Muramasa Blaster mounts a single beam gun on its tip, allowing it to be used for ranged combat.

Beam Saber ◘ The Muramasa Blaster mounts 14 wide beam saber emitters along its sides, 7 to each side. The sabers emitted are quite short but are wider than average, giving the Muramasa Blaster an appearance similar to a sawed-tooth weapon.

Beam Zanber • The beam zanber is a high power beam saber and is the primary weapon of the "Crossbone" armor. The hilt of the beam zanber is modeled after that of a traditional pirate cutlass, as does the beam blade when it is formed, and is stored on the left side armor when not in use. The power of the beam zanber is significantly higher than that of ordinary beam sabers, such that it is easy for the armored "Crossbone" to overpower an enemy in melee combat or even "cut" through the beam of an ordinary beam saber. Behind the guard of the beam zanber is a gun handle that is used in the zanbuster configuration.

Buster Gun • The buster gun is the primary ranged weapon of the "Crossbone" armor. This beam pistol is modeled after a flintlock pistol and is typically used with only one of the "CMA" suit's hands, leaving the second hand free to use a melee weapon. Stored on the right side armor when not in use the buster gun can combine with the beam zanber to form the zanbuster.

Zanbuster ◘ A beam rifle formed from the combination of the beam zanber and the buster gun, the beam it fires is stronger than those of the buster gun. In this configuration, the butt of the buster gun is connected to the beam emitter of the beam zanber. When a grenade is attached to the Zanbuster's emitter, it can also function as a single shot grenade launcher.

Rifle Grenade ◘ The rifle grenade is a high yield explosive that can be attached to the beam emitter of the zanbuster. Typically not used against opponent "CMA" suits, the rifle grenade was used to intercept a nuclear missile that was targeting the Mother Vanguard.

Atomic Shell ◘ An alternative weapon that can be fitted to the beam emitter of the zanbuster, it is fired in the same manner as the rifle grenade.

Special Equipment & Feature(s):

Dummy Launcher • Thanks to Minovsky particle interference, warfare in the Universal Century era relies heavily on visual sensors, which can be tricked by inflatable decoys that mimic "CMA" suits, asteroids, and even warships. More sophisticated varieties are equipped with small maneuvering verniers, allowing them to move in a realistic manner and register on infra-red sensors. The dummy launchers mounted in the XM-X3's hands can deploy several dummies in the shape and color of the "CMA" suit. With these dummies, the "CMA" suits can confuse an enemy long enough to get close to use its weapons.

○ Special Weapons Targeting Sensor

I-Field Generator • A unique feature of the armored "Crossbone X-3" is its pair of I-field generators, one mounted in each arm. The I-field is generated around the hand and can bend any beam, whether it is from a beam rifle or a beam saber, and can even protect the X-3 from a high-energy cannon from close range. Despite being far more advanced than any previous I-field generator, the units mounted on the X-3 still suffer from overheating problems. Each generator can only be used for a total of 105 seconds and require 120 seconds to cool down. If the X-3 is not equipped with a beam shield, this leaves a window of 15 seconds where it has no defense against attacks. Also, the I-field cannot protect against physical weapons.

Anti-Beam Coating Cloak • As with other Crossbone Vanguard "CMA" suits used, the X-3 could be equipped with a cloth cloak that had been treated with an anti-beam coating. Functioning similar to the old physical shields that had received the same treatment, the cloak was used to protect the "CMA" suit from beam shots. With its size it could completely cover the "CMA" suit, with the exception of the head, providing full body protection. However, despite its advantages, one of which is conserving power, the cloak has two disadvantages. First, unlike a beam shield the cloak can only handle about 5 shots before the coating wears off, rendering the cloak to simple cloth. The second disadvantage is that the cloak offers no protection from physical weapons.

Heat Radiation Face Open (optional) • Like its brother units the X-3 can temporarily "Open Face" to release Heat and increase performance. This allows the X-3 to perform otherwise extremely demanding maneuvers or attacks that would normally be considered impossible.

○ Booster

Crossbone Flapjack X-1 "Full Cloth" (Kai Kai "Skull Heart") Based on: XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1 Kai Kai "Skull Heart" [CLICK ME!]

Armament(s):

*Same armaments as his armored "Crossbone X-3" from "Vulcan Gun (Optional)" to "Atomic Shell"*

Peacock Smasher • This crossbow-like weapon mounts nine separate beam guns which can be fired in any arrangement, but simultaneous use drains its energy and requires the replacement of the barrel parts.

Special Equipment & Feature(s):

○ Special Weapons Targeting Sensor ○ Bio-Computer ○ Anti-Beam Coating Cloak ○ Heat Radiation Face Open (Optional)

Flapjack - The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack © Cartoon Network Armors (Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam Manga series) - Gundam series © Bandai Namco Filmworks, Inc. (SUNRISE), Sotsu

[caparrucia]

17 and/or 18 for writer ask meme, please?

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

So glitter and gold started as a prompt response to @garbria, and in the replies to that post we started bouncing ideas and then I realized the idea of a fake dating AU would be hilarious. But I wanted to do a fake dating AU where the issue is not miscommunication, but kind of the opposite. Over communication. And also for the fake dating to have stakes but not the usual fare that comes with a bit of betrayal or hurt.

And I wanted to write a comedy, just something lighthearted and fun, and so the final prompt was: fake dating AU, where Nyx volunteers to be Cor's lover to get Cor out of hot water, but where no one actually believes them, while they go extra hard into it. So now Nyx and Cor have this very complicated story they've sold themselves on, but the people they're trying to con (Regis and Sylvia) have seen through them since day one, and are instead popcorn-gif-ing at the shenanigans.

The fun is the fact they're so well matched and they're very in love with each other but privately doing the song and dance about how much the other likes them and if the other is interested in like... long term relationship, as opposed to the fun back and forth of their con. And like, everyone around them can see the obvious resolution, but they've got hangups and their own stuff to work through.

And then I just keep throwing shit at them because it's fun.

Like, I didn't need to do the worldbuilding for it, but like. Why not? Why not a new world with new rules and new shenanigans? Why not a Cor that's actually a LC and then what that would mean for the world? Why not add an entire massive subplot about magic and the gods and what's going on in the world? It's a brand new romantic comedy about Cor and Nyx and their idiot life choices, written by me, why the hell not.

So there we are, bits and pieces have been shared but I don't want to spoil what's coming. I'm having a lot of fun for it! :D

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

So this is an awful passage to choose but I think it's something a lot of people missed? And it's one of my favorite bits of characterization in the sun is out, and how it anchors Cor and shows his connection to Aulea:

Specifically, Cor declaring that he's "decided" on the answer, regardless of what the actual answer is. It's the kind of nonsensical thing you don't really expect from him. He's so solid and composed and generally agreeable. Cor is very chill throughout the sun is out, he makes a point to not get ruffled or angry. And when he is, he's very clear on why he's upset.

So this blindsides Nyx, because the whole fight over Nyx's stasis is very... it's not fun. It hurts and it's awkward and it's a solid mess. But I wanted to highlight that bit, because I wanted to show what Cor is like, when he's pushed into a corner and he's lashing out: and what he is, is basically Aulea. He treats Nyx the same way Aulea treated him, because Aulea is still the measuring stick he uses to figure out the world, and when he encounters something he can't deal with, he legitimately regresses into that dynamic, toxic as it was.

Here's Aulea's version of it:

"I've decided" is the code phrase: it means taking agency from the other and setting the rules and refusing to negotiate. It's deeply, profoundly fucked up. Cor knows, viscerally, how upsetting it is to be on the receiving end of that.

But Nyx has accidentally triggered him and basically set his PTSD on fire without meaning to - Nyx asked him to kill him, or at least try, and Cor thought he was over Aulea, he really did, and then he remembers she asked him to kill her to, in a way, only she didn't have the decency to tell him doing what he did was going to kill her, until he was done, and welp.

Welp.

It's a very vulnerable moment, for Cor, it's the closest to shattering Cor has been in the entire series. And I love that Nyx snarls and hisses and doesn't bend to it, not the way Cor did to Aulea, when she did it to him. If Prompto hadn't been hurt, they'd have been in a very precarious situation, but Prompto being hurt reminded them both, viscerally, that they're in it together, and therefore allowed them to put their feelings on hold until they were sure their son was fine. That reminded them of their priorities and the larger picture and allowed the feelings to soften somewhat.

Without that buffer, though? Oh, they would have fought horribly and possibly split up for a while before they cooled down and figured out how to reconcile, but it would have been fairly painful, because they're in the space where they'd be saying things they probably don't really mean, but they're hurt and triggered and frothing about it.

It's such a big thing for them to survive, together, that everything that comes after is just "I mean, we survived that, anything else is child's play." I had a tremendous amount of fun mapping out that fight. :D

[dealsxciting]

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[purrincess-chat]

Fashion Faux Paw CH5

Only one chapter left! Tensions are rising in this chapter. Thanks as always to my beta @avrilmaria for putting up with me. The last chapter will be posted on Monday with my second artist’s work, so please be ready to show her some love! I hope you all enjoy~

Read on AO3

Chapter 5

“Girl, wake up!”

Marinette rolled over with a groan, blinking up at Alya kneeling next to her on the bed. Her best friend’s shoulders heaved with each pant, sweat glistening on her forehead.

“What’s going on?” Marinette checked her phone for akuma alerts, but other than a slew of missed calls and texts from Alya, her phone was quiet. “It’s 7 AM on a Saturday. Why are you here?”

“Your blog is on TV!”

Marinette pulled her blanket back over her head, the siren call of sleep weighing her eyelids after a long night of sewing.

“Can we talk about it later?” She yawned.

“M.” Alya yanked the blanket down again and quirked a brow at her.

The gears in Marinette’s brain turned slowly, each word grinding until they broke through the fog. Her blog was on TV? Her blog was on TV?! She shot up, following Alya down the stairs to the living room where she turned on the morning news.

“Almost as viral as a superhero herself, this young collége student’s fashion blog is feline the love. This isn’t the first time Marinette Dupain-Cheng has made headlines, having designed the cover of rockstar Jagged Stone’s most recent album as well as a derby hat featured in world-renowned fashion designer Gabriel Agreste’s fashion show earlier this year. It seems the young stylist is packing yet another celebrity endorsement under her belt, this time in the form of one of Paris’s own superheroes,” the news anchor said. “Dupain-Cheng began uploading photos of Chat Noir to her fashion blog last week, garnering thousands of likes and comments overnight, but the real catalyst driving her success are the recent outfits and accessories inspired by the cat king himself. Fans of the hero are going rabid asking where they can purchase the merch in question. Marinette Dupain-Cheng might only be fourteen, but she’s stitching her name at the top of everyone’s watch list. What else does this trail-blazing teen have in the works? We’ll just have to wait and see what she does next.”

“Girl!” Alya yanked Marinette’s arm with a squeal. “I knew this Chat Noir merch would be big for you!”

Marinette’s phone rang in her hands, a number she didn’t recognize flashing on the screen. Tilting her head to the side, she answered it apprehensively.

“Hello?”

“Is this Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” A woman asked.

“Uh, yeah? Who is this?” Marinette shrugged when Alya quirked a brow.

“My name is Alize Lemieux, the event coordinator for tomorrow’s fashion expo, and we would love for you to display your designs. It would be a great opportunity for you to network with real people in the business,” the woman said.

“For… For real?” Marinette blinked.

“Of course. We have a lot of promising upcoming designers featuring their work, and everyone is talking about you,” Mme. Lemieux said.

Marinette glanced at Alya who took the phone and said, “We’ll be there.”

“Excellent! I look forward to seeing your designs in person, Marinette.” She hung up, leaving Marinette standing stunned in the middle of her living room.

“Girl, this is huge! Real live people in the industry have their eye on you. This is your chance to show them what you’re made of!” Alya shook her shoulders.

Marinette’s lips curled into a smile, an elated squeal bubbling up from her chest. “Will you help me with my display?” She took Alya’s hands.

“Duh, I’m part of your team,” Alya said. “I’ve got your back. Let’s go see what you have.”

The moment she’d been dreaming of since getting her first sewing machine as a child was finally happening! People were taking her seriously as a designer, and she was going to show her work to real industry professionals. Soon she’d be flying all over the world opening boutiques for her brand. She’d fly back to Paris in her private jet, and Adrien would see how amazing and successful she was. He’d be so impressed that she’d finally get the opportunity to ask him to the movies! She owed Chat Noir a thousand croissants for his help.

“-is she okay?”

“I think her head’s stuck in the clouds. She’s been like this for hours.”

Marinette blinked out of her daydream to see Alya and Chat Noir giving her curious looks.

“Chat Noir, when did you get here?” She tilted her head to the side.

“Like five minutes ago, girl.” Alya shook her head, zipping a pink dress into a garment bag. “You’ve been zoned out since you got that phone call earlier. You even almost packed your lunch into a box for the display.”

Marinette gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry. It’s still sinking in.”

“Alya told me you’re going to show off your work at the fashion expo tomorrow. That’s incredible news, Marinette,” Chat Noir said.

“I couldn’t have done it without you. Really, thank you.” She stretched up to hug his neck.

“Tell you what, why don’t I come down tomorrow and model a few things for you live? It’s sure to impress some people, and as the official superhero spokesperson for your brand, I feel obligated to promote you as much as I can,” he said.

“That would be amazing! I’ll pack the mask and ears.”

“Great, then I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Chat Noir gave a two finger salute and took his leave through her skylight.

Marinette patted her cheeks and took a deep breath. Alya was right, she needed to get her head out of the clouds and focus on impressing everyone tomorrow.

“Should we pack any of your Chat Noir stuff?” Alya asked.

Marinette pursed her lips, examining the pile of cat sweaters and skirts, and shook her head. “Nah, I want to show off my regular stuff. The Chat Noir designs are more of a side project, and I want them to take me seriously.”

Alya shrugged and hung another garment bag on the rack. They finished packing everything for the display, and Alya called her sister to bring over clothes for a sleepover. The following morning, with the help of Marinette’s parents, they brought all of the items for her display down to the venue to set up.

Nervous butterflies fluttered in Marinette’s stomach, but she swallowed them down as they arranged her display. She could totally do this. Everyone was going to love her work, and pretty soon she and Adrien would be flying off into the sunset in her private jet and-

“What’s all this?” A tall woman in a fitted green blazer examined a pink dress on a mannequin with a peculiar look.

Marinette recognized her voice from the day before.

“You must be Mme. Lemieux. I’m Marinette, you invited me yesterday on the phone.” She offered a hand for her to shake, but Mme. Lemieux’s eyes were fixed on the items in Marinette’s display.

“It seems there was a bit of a miscommunication,” she said. “When I invited you to present your work, I just assumed you’d bring your Chat Noir pieces to display.”

“Oh…” Marinette deflated. “Well, the cat stuff isn’t what I primarily design. I do a variety of things as you can see, I’ve got-”

“Yes, yes, but no one wants to see variety. We want to see what you’re known for,” Mme. Lemieux said.

“What I’m known for?” Marinette recoiled.

Mme. Lemieux gestured to her display with a dismissive wave of her hand. “The event starts in a little over an hour. Can you swap all of these bland designs out for the Chat Noir line?”

Bland?! Marinette’s jaw clenched, the hammering of her heart burning her chest. As much as she wanted to scream and defend her work, Marinette didn’t want to ruin her chances, so she swallowed her pride.

“Sure,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Excellent. I look forward to seeing your true work.” Mme. Lemieux offered her a smile and disappeared up the aisle.

“Ugh!” Marinette growled when she was out of earshot. “Seriously? They invited me here to show off my stupid cat merch?”

“What’s the big deal, girl? You wanted to show off your work, and you did design all of the Chat Noir stuff.” Alya shrugged.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to be known as Chat Noir’s personal stylist! This was supposed to be my moment.” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest.

“And it still will be.” Alya paced over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s just run home and grab your Chat Noir stuff and get it set up before the event starts, okay? There will be plenty of time in the future to show everyone your other stuff, but right now you’re riding the Chat Noir express.”

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance for me to hop off at the next station?” When Alya gave her a look, she let out a huff. “Fine. We’ll go get the Chat Noir stuff.”

They managed to make the swap in time, but as people flocked to her display, Marinette felt no sense of pride as she fielded questions about what Chat Noir was like (annoying) or what his favorite color was (who cares?). No one was even looking at her designs, and to add insult to injury, her live model was running late. When he finally dropped in from the ceiling, everyone abandoned her to gawk over him.

“Chat Noir!”

“Is Ladybug with you?”

“Are you single?

“Will you sign my face?”

“Whoa!” Chat Noir held up cautioning hands. “One at a time, girls. This cat needs to talk to his purrsonal stylist.”

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest, grinding her teeth together. “How nice of you to finally join us.”

“Sorry, I got a little caught up, but my incredible physique is all yours for the rest of the afternoon.” He flexed a bicep, sending his fangirls into a tizzy of excited shrieks and squeals.

“Great.” Marinette grabbed the nearest articles of clothing from the rack — a green cat jacket and a black kitten skirt — and thrust them at him. “Go put these on.”

“Uhh…” His mask furrowed.

Alya stepped in and linked her arm through his. “I’ve got you. Chat Noir will be back shortly, ladies.”

“Yay.” Marinette rolled her eyes.

She retreated back to her display while Chat Noir’s fans crowded around to await his return. When he reemerged in a green and black biker jacket, pawprint shirt, and dark jeans, his fans went wild.

“Whoa, whoa, back up! One at a time.” Alya forced herself between Chat Noir and dozens of grabby hands. “Single-file, everyone will get a turn to take pictures with Chat Noir.”

Marinette watched them all bounce up to him twirling their hair and batting their eyelashes, asking him what his favorite TV show was or if he and Ladybug were together. They commented on how cute he looked, giggling in delight when he’d flip his hair or strike a pose. Not a single one of them complimented her craftsmanship or even cared about the tiny cat-shaped buttons she’d molded by hand. No one cared about her designs, not even on her blog — they only cared about him. And Marinette had enough.

Squeezing through the throng of teen girls, Marinette tapped his shoulder. “Chat Noir, I need to talk to you.”

“Sorry, but you’ll have to wait your turn like everyone else,” he said, smiling for another picture.

“I don’t think I will.” Marinette yanked his collar to face her.

“Oh, sorry, Marinette. I didn’t realize it was you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Your display is really popular right now, and I’m kind of busy, can we talk later?”

Marinette bit a sharp retort on her tongue, opting instead to say, “No. We’re gonna talk right now.” She took his wrist and dragged him away from the crowd.

“Hey? Where are you taking him? It was almost my turn!” One girl whined.

“Chat Noir is going to model another outfit for you, he needs to change. It’ll just take a minute,” Marinette called, shoving him behind the curtain of her booth.

He looked her up and down apprehensively when she pulled the curtain shut and cocked a hip.

“Uh, are you gonna stand back here while I change or-”

“You’re not changing, dummy!” Marinette snapped, rolling her eyes.

Chat Noir shrank, lips puckering into the perfect pout that she wanted to slap off his face.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

Marinette took a deep breath, forcing her shoulders to relax. “No, I’m sorry. It’s not you, it’s just… Today isn’t really going how I thought it would. I was hoping to show off my original designs, but then the event coordinator told me no one wanted to see my real designs. This is all just a lot, and it’s really frustrating.”

“Marinette, you’re worrying about nothing. You made this outfit with your own two hands. It is your original work, and everyone is looking at it!” Chat Noir said.

“No, everyone is looking at you.” Marinette jabbed his chest with her finger.

“I mean, can you blame them? I am incredibly handsome.” He flashed her a smug grin, but she wasn’t in the mood.

“Kittycat? What’s taking so long? I was hoping to get a picture with you.” One of his fangirls poked her head behind the curtain as if to prove Marinette’s point.

“I’ll be out in just a sec!” he called. “I gotta go, but don’t worry. I have this in the bag for you.”

“Oh, do you? How generous,” Marinette said, not bothering to mask the bite in her voice.

“Whoa, hey, I’m just trying to help you out.” He held up defensive hands.

“Help me out or boost your own ego?”

“Here, kitty-kitty!” His fans called.

“Me-ouch! You’ve got a temper to match Ladybug’s. It’s not my fault I’m so popular!” Chat Noir huffed. He pulled back the curtain and waved to his adoring fans.  

Marinette’s nails dug into her palms, cheeks burning hot. Her annoyance bubbled into her throat, poisoning her tongue with red-hot rage.

“You are the most selfish, self-absorbed, egotistical boy I’ve ever met!” she shouted. “You were supposed to be doing me a favor, but all you’ve done is inflate your own big head! I’m tired of making designs with your stupid face on them!”

Chat Noir’s eyes widened, the shock of her words sending a hush over the room, but just as quickly as the words left her lips, Chat Noir’s fangirls turned on her.

“Ugh, she’s just jealous.”

“Yeah, no one would ever look at her ugly designs without you, kitty.”

“She should be thanking you!”

One girl pushed over a mannequin in protest, another ripped a page of unused designs from Marinette’s sketchbook off the wall and crumpled it up. Two girls flipped the table of shirts for sale while another set ripped a sweater in half.

“Whoa, whoa, girls!” Chat Noir attempted to catch another mannequin as it fell. “Marinette worked really hard on all of these, so please just-”

“No, go ahead!” Marinette urged. “Make sure you rip every last stitch!”

“Marinette!” Chat spun on her, eyebrows knitting together.

She pursed her lips when his eyes watered and shook her head. “Just transform and go home. I’m done.”

She turned and stalked off, leaving his rabid fangirls to do their worst. Kicking open the door to the women’s restroom, she locked herself in the nearest stall and rubbed her temples. She should have listened to Alya from the beginning and been more patient. Then her blog wouldn’t be filled with Chat Noir’s stupid fangirls. At least when it was just her friends, the comments came from people who actually cared about her work. Getting attention quickly came with more drawbacks than she anticipated. Why did she ever agree to let Chat Noir model for her? She should have known she’d get buried under his fame.

“M?” Alya knocked on the stall door.

“I’m not coming out.”

“Okay, then let me in,” Alya said.

Marinette pursed her lips and unlocked the door, letting Alya slip into the stall with her before locking it again. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.

Alya looked her up and down, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, girl. You tried to tell me earlier that the Chat Noir stuff bothered you, but I didn’t listen. I guess I just didn’t want you to miss an opportunity to get your name out there, but I never considered that this wasn’t the attention you wanted.”

“It’s just so annoying! This was supposed to be my chance to shine, but as far as they all care, he could be modeling a potato sack. No one’s even looking at my designs, and truthfully, I don’t want to look at them anymore either! I never wanted to be Chat Noir’s official brand ambassador.” Hot tears stung her eyes, spilling down her cheeks in streaks.

“Then we’ll start over and put out something you’re proud of next time, okay?” Alya placed her hands on Marinette’s shoulders. “You don’t have to work with him anymore, but I think you owe Chat Noir an apology. When I took him to change into the first outfit, he said he was really happy for you. I know he can be kind of full of himself, but he just wanted to help. I don’t think he ever wanted to upset you.”

Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat and shifted her weight. Alya was right. Chat Noir was a lot of things, but the last thing he’d ever want to do is hurt someone. Even if his theatrics got on her nerves at times, he was a good friend. A good friend that just wanted to help…

“Ugh!” Marinette buried her face in her hands. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him. He probably hates me.”

“He was pretty hurt, but… I think he realized how out of hand things had gotten. We both ran off to look for you. You should go try to find him. I’ll go do damage control at your display,” Alya said.

Marinette wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled. “Thanks, Alya.”

“What are best friends for?” She winked, pulling Marinette in for a tight hug. “Go make things right. I’ve got your back.”

Marinette unlocked the stall and retreated from the bathroom. Alya split off toward the showroom, while Marinette started up the hall. When she rounded the corner, she collided with a soft shirt, stumbling back. Gentle hands caught her as she scrambled to find her footing, and Marinette found herself looking up into woeful green eyes bordered by a black mask.

“Hey!” She blinked.

“Hey…” He steadied her, then let his hands fall back to his sides.

She bit her lip. He shifted his weight, and silence stretched between them as neither one knew quite what to say.

“I’m sorry!” They finally blurted at the same time.

Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have blown you off when you told me you were upset. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Marinette said. “You were trying to help, and I lost my cool. I guess I was just jealous that everyone cared about you more than me.”

“You had every right to be mad. Today was supposed to be a big opportunity for you, and I let all the attention go to my head. I didn’t mean to steal your thunder. Will you forgive me?” He hung his head like a scolded kitten.

“Only if you forgive me. I shouldn’t have yelled at you and said such hurtful things,” she said. “Are we cool?”

He nodded, a smile breaking over his lips. He pulled her in for a tight hug, but just as her shoulders relaxed, Chat Noir flipped her to the ground, narrowly dodging a cat-shaped throwing star.

[cindylouwho-2]

Recent SEO & Marketing News for Ecommerce, November 2023

As promised, here is the separate report on marketing and SEO news for ecommerce businesses, up to the end of November. This is now separate from the ecommerce report (which will be out in the next week or so).

I probably won't be posting SEO and marketing news again until the new year, so this is my chance to remind you that I plan on leaving Twitter soon. You can still keep caught up here on Tumblr, plus daily on Bluesky and on LinkedIn. My plan is to have a new way to follow my news posts in a more timely fashion early in 2024, so stay tuned!

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google launched another core ranking update on August 22, which ended on Sept. 7. eBay, Amazon and Etsy lost a fair amount of page visibility in the UK, according to this analysis. The US version of the same study saw large drops for the same 3 sites, while sites with “user-generated content” did well. Then Google released a Helpful Content update, which finished on September 28. Sites with poor UX (user experience, for example too many pop-up ads) and too much focus on on-page SEO seem to be experiencing the worst effects. Google also gave out tips on what might be considered “unhelpful.” Then, Google rolled out the October Core update, which ended October 19. But wait, there’s more! They also did a November core update, which finished at the end of the month. 

Google has long denied using click data to determine search ranking, but the current antitrust hearings have revealed a different story. We also learned that it cost $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to buy spots as the default search engine in many browsers and devices. Here are more revelations about search ranking from the trial. 

Deleting old content will not necessarily help your Google rankings or traffic. However, if Google is penalizing your pages because it deems them “unhelpful”, removing those less-helpful pages will probably help the site overall. 

Internal links on each important page of your website will generally result in better Google traffic. The study covers 23 million links, but the author notes it only demonstrates correlation, not causation. Different anchor text for the same link is an even better predictor of Google search traffic. Note that Google staff recently stated links aren’t a top-3 ranking factor any more, though. 

Optimizing category/collection/section pages can provide a big SEO boost on an ecommerce website. Here are some tips. 

Google recently started showing follower counts for social media links in search results, but says they are not a ranking factor. 

Large media sites overwhelmingly rank at the top of Google search for common queries in many areas. It’s an interesting read. 

My periodic reminder that “LSI keywords” don’t help your SEO. LSI is an outdated method of data analysis that tries to find connections between words, but it was invented before the internet as we know it existed, and simply isn’t relevant for Google. Yes, related words are good, but LSI is not the way to find them. 

Semi-advanced content: how to figure out your potential buyers’ path to your product through Google data. This is a little more detailed than figuring out which problems people have and how you can solve them, but the basic idea is there. 

In case you missed everything on Google in August, here is a roundup, then you can catch up on September, and finally, October’s changes. 

Not Google

Bing Chat (basically, regular Bing search with Chat GPT involved) is now known as “Copilot”. The name change alone is unlikely to increase traffic, though, which is showing very little gain on Google despite the AI-driven search experience. 

Yahoo’s search redesign is expected to start appearing in early 2024. 

Yandex, the top Russian search engine, is for sale.

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

Branding is an important part of social media for businesses; here are some good tips on representing your business well and getting seen. As I always remind folks, you don’t need to be on every platform; that can actually be harmful. “It’s unlikely your audience will be active on every single social media platform, especially considering how many are out there in this day and age. Be thoughtful about which platforms you want to leverage for your social media presence. Once you know where your audience is most active, ask yourself whether the platform itself aligns with your brand values, story, identity, and tone of voice.”

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

European users can soon pay a subscription to opt out of advertising on Facebook and Instagram. 

Facebook uses member information to train its artificial intelligence models, but you can opt some of your data out of that process. Unfortunately, “[t]here’s no guarantee from the company that it’ll delete it, or that it’ll provide you with the information you’re asking for, even if it’s yours.” Also, this only includes the outside data and not your actual posts. 

Meta has new AI-tools for its ads, but not all accounts have access yet, as they continue to test. Ad revenue was up 23% in the third quarter.  

Instagram

Just like many other platforms, Instagram has issues with people advertising illegal things for sale. They are also blocking people posting research on the problem, instead of blocking the illegal ads. 

The basics of Instagram SEO: “The platform says there isn’t one Instagram algorithm. Instead, there’s a personalized set of classifiers and processes for each user.”

LinkedIn

Like most sites, LinkedIn is looking to upgrade some features with AI, but unlike most sites, it is planning on summarizing the feeds of its Premium subscribers so they don’t have to read everything. 

Yes, SEO can help you get found on LinkedIn.

Pinterest

Pinterest is now a bigger shopping destination for Gen Z, who are now the site’s “fastest-growing audience”. 

Reddit

Reddit removed its awards earlier this year, and will be replacing them with gold awards only, and will also pay top creators who earn at least 10 gold a month. 

Reddit may end up blocking Google and Bing from crawling the site, as a way to stop AI training. 

Snapchat

Snapchat ad revenue led to an improved 3rd quarter for Snap, but the company is still losing money. 

Threads

Threads - Meta’s Twitter competitor - continues to get upgrades, with polls and GIFs added recently. Apparently the site has almost 100 million users every month. They are now planning to launch in the EU by the end of the year.

TikTok

TikTok may be considering a ban on links to products for sale on other sites, although the company denied it. This may be to protect their own shopping platform: “Consumers in the U.S. are currently spending around $3 million to $4 million a day on TikTok Shop, up from around half a million to $1 million a day in June, the report says. TikTok staffers expect this number to exceed $10 million by the end of the year.”

That beta test is now live: TikTok Shop is officially in the United States. “As part of the rollout, the company is bringing features such as a dedicated shop tab on the home screen, live video shopping, shoppable ads and affiliate programs for creators…TikTok execs told The New York Times that more than 90% of sellers on TikTok Shop were based out of the U.S.” 

Longer videos may be a TikTok goal, as they are easier to place ads with.

Twitter

Twitter continues to die, losing users since it was sold. Advertisers are leaving completely, and others are not posting content. (Etsy has not posted any promotions on Twitter since November 14.)

Musk keeps stating Twitter may start charging users, and the company is forcing new members in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 a year if they join via the web and want to tweet or retweet, i.e., they can still read without paying. A phone number is also needed for verification of new accounts in these countries. 

Twitter removed headlines from news link cards, but will be bringing them back soon. 

Tumblr

Tumblr will be rolling back some changes and focussing on “the core functionality” of the site, after many new features failed to gain traction. 

YouTube

Look for new AI video tools on YouTube in the near future; the new “Create” app is currently in beta for Android. 

If you produce Shorts for YouTube, you will want to know how that algorithm works. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Gmail, Yahoo and AOL are all implementing new email rules in 2024 that may impact some types of email newsletters, although most major companies have already complied with the new requirements. 

While Gmail hides your promotional emails, Yahoo is now offering new AI tools that will find those missing “gift cards, discount codes and store credits that people may have forgotten about.”

Newsletter option TinyLetter is being shut down by Malichimp. 

Substack users: be aware that your subscribers may see your address and phone number unless you change the default setting. 

The first step in writing content isn’t necessarily doing SEO keyword research [I’d argue that products are different than content, though, and that even forum or social driven content could benefit from a bit of SEO.] 

Looking for content marketing topics for December? Here are 5 ideas to get working on, and if you have some free time, get a head start on January.

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Did you know there are tools to track ads from different companies on many ad sites? Some are even free. [includes TikTok, Meta, Google and LinkedIn]

Ecommerce advertisers may find Amazon a better place to spend their budget compared to Google Ads. “Amazon’s search volume comprises 54% of all product-related searches in the United States.”

Google’s third quarter was decent, but Cloud revenue was below projections while ad money was up. Microsoft’s ad revenue also improved. 

Chrome plans on ending all third-party cookies by the end of the third quarter 2024, and will start with 1% of users in early 2024. This will affect some types of ads, if you are wondering why platforms start changing. 

Anyone using Google’s Performance Max campaigns may be interested in this overview of how to get the most out of them, with screenshots. 

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Since a lot of people still can’t figure out Google Analytics 4, here is yet another good overview. 

This new YouTube video from Google shows you how to figure out traffic sources in Google Analytics 4. 

Still working on moving to GA4? Here’s a bit more info, including how to save your old UA data. 

For video learners, here is “5 reasons for using Google Search Console”. [YouTube, 3 mins.]

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

A report out of the UK on small business use of online platforms calls for the UK government to better protect small businesses from the power differential often evident in these relationships. 

Amazon’s Prime Day sales barely beat last year, while their competitors actually dropped. [Washington Post gift link] Some analysts think this bodes poorly for the holiday season, and that consumers are looking for discounts.

Around 50% of Generation Zers in the US plan to shop in malls this holiday season, and people in general plan on spending less this year. But another study said nearly half of Gen Z shoppers will make at least some purchases on social media, while the US average is just ⅓. Most online holiday shopping will take place on mobile instead of computers, and ecommerce shopping will be up less than 5% per some reports, and over 10% according to others. Black Friday stats also indicate that mobile outpaced desktop - smart phones delivered 54% of online sales. “Global data from Shopify also showed strong mobile performance for merchants on that platform. Mobile versus desktop 76% to 24%, respectively.”

Large companies report that various types of consumer fraud are on the increase, and cost $100 billion annually. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Thinking of using AI to create some products and images to sell? Be aware that AI art is not copyright-protected, at least in the US at the moment. A recent case led the court to rule that “human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright.” [article includes a copy of the entire case]

Need some free web design tools? Practical Ecommerce has a recent list of 19, and an even more recent list of 17. 

MISCELLANEOUS (including humour) 

A snarky article in the Verge had SEOs all worked up, and some were very defensive about it. I thought the whole thing was hilarious. 

Reminder that there are usually consequences for (and laws against) improper use of a customer’s private information, which includes asking them on a date. “Almost one in three people aged 18-34 have received unwanted romantic contact after giving their personal information to a business, a UK poll has shown.”

Do you know what happens to your website and social media accounts when you die? Sometimes, even the platforms get confused about this, and there are few laws. 

Jewellery finding company TierraCast is closing by the end of 2023. 

UPDATED: December 4, 2023

[tanenigiri]

We got a spin-off episode! And "spin-off" is very apt as it's all brand new scenes not found in the manga. As much as I wanted to see the manga's epilogue adapted, the show's had a pretty good track record in terms of adding new scenes and elevating the manga's plot. I'd even say it's one of its greatest strengths, so how does this attempt fare?

Here are some thoughts and ramblings on Our Dining Table's spin-off episode:

I'll start with my favorite part: A new bento box is 500% the best gift Yutaka could've ever thought of to celebrate the anniversary of them meeting up. Sorry to the matching Christmas scarves but this takes the cake. There've been a lot of posts made about how deliberate the choice of items are in this show and I look forward to reading about all of that with this bento box. I also have to mention the utter sweetness of Yutaka wanting to commemorate the date where he first ran into the Ueda brothers - that's definitely the mark of a year of character growth.

Ueda-san continues to be the best dad. Sure, he isn't as prominent here as in the finale, but he continues to read the room so well and know what to do before Yutaka and Minoru even realize it. Love the Minoru teasing at the beginning too - it reminds me of how he was when he was witnessing Minoru's blatant pining. (That tidbit about how Minoru being antsy reminding him of his wife was both really funny and really sweet.)

Glad to know that they've recognized that Tane is the one keeping this whole thing together. (Half-joking but really, how they've made this child not only relevant to the main dynamic but also his very own character is one of my favorite things about this series.)

Ok, I have to be honest: I wasn't feeling the conflict. It's not helped by the fact that the misunderstanding trope is a bit tired for me - one of my favorite things about the manga, actually, was how it generally avoided this and actually made it a point that being open about their issues was a prerequisite to them getting together - but I think my biggest issue with it was how it seemed inconsistent with the characters? Minoru especially, and I haven't been shy with my overall praise for how the show had not only expanded his character but elevated it from the manga because of how well they executed his plot. But him getting jealous over a text he doesn't know the full context of seems a bit much, even if you anchor it to his fear of Yutaka leaving him just like Nao and the rest of his friends did. And even then, that anchor wasn't really brought up, as how he acted over it seemed quite possessive instead of insecure. If anything, the insecurity came from Yutaka, which I do think is consistent with his character, but it's the sentiment I expected from Minoru instead?

I think the closest thing I can compare this to is the bonus Valentine episode of Cherry Magic (spoiler warning if you haven't watched it), where Kurosawa finds a Valentine's gift in Adachi's desk drawer and panics over who could've given it to him. He's seen to be pretty jealous of the mystery admirer and laments over how he's no longer the only one who's noticed Adachi's charm, only to find out that the gift he found was actually Adachi's gift to him. It's a similar misunderstanding situation, but I think what made this one work better for me (aside from how Cherry Magic is a comedy while Our Dining Table's tone is a lot more serious) was how it was very consistent with Kurosawa's character, as he's shown to be quite possessive and easily jealous over Adachi several times throughout the show.

I can't say the same thing for Minoru at all, as while as a boyfriend he definitely has the right to feel jealous over a potential threat to their relationship, this is the same person who, in last week's episode, told Yutaka that if there's anything bothering him, they should talk to each other, especially if it's about their relationship. Why wasn't he following his own advice until the very end of the episode? (The actual answer is to prolong the episode but still.)

I don't know, I feel like they could've executed it a lot better if they wanted to stick with this conflict. The misunderstanding could've come from how they communicated, as I think that would not only be consistent with the takeaway from the previous episode, but it would also be quite realistic as Yutaka has shown to not be the best with words. I'm not saying that how Minoru acted was invalid - he absolutely has the right to feel jealous about a misunderstanding, especially with how rocky his experience with relationships had been - but I think they could've showed this insecurity in a way that didn't make it seem like he was moping over Yutaka having friends who weren't him. (If anything, shouldn't he be happy that Yutaka now has other people he regularly talks to? He was quite literally traumatized from eating with other people.)

(And yes, I absolutely think that if Ohata just showed up and explained everything herself, the episode would've been much better lmao I'm gonna miss her character so much.)

Bit random but the balloons showing "bad day" tripped me up a bit because I was genuinely confused since there's only one 'D' in "Happy Birthday" until I realized that they used the same 'D' balloon for both shots lol.

Sorry if those bullet points were a doozy, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on if you agree or disagree. But like I said in my previous post, I'm glad that the show has things that I don't necessarily think highly of, as a 100% perfect show would be quite boring. I may have some gripes with it, but I still enjoyed the spin-off for what it was - and more Our Dining Table content is always welcome.

And honestly, despite these gripes, I'm still gonna rewatch this show so many times and never get sick of it because I think it's such a fantastic adaptation. They absolutely knocked it out of the park with it and I hope that the team gets their hands on other titles. (I would love a Koimonogatari adaptation but I would very much prefer new chapters instead lol.)

[parfumieren]

Garden Lace (Princess Livia)

I found it in a display case at a local ladies' consignment shop: a slender tablet of transparent pale-green glass surmounted by a milky celadon cap.  Though unfamiliar with the brand, I could tell from the white Madonna lily imprinted on its face that it was grade-A bridal material.

I prepared to be bored off my tits.

"Lily white florals envelop you like a veil of delicate lace..."  So runs the descriptive text offered by Princess Livia's parent company, the Chicago-based beauty corporation Cosmetíque.  I'm sure the symbolic import of the color white carried a different weight back when brides actually were virgins, their innocence enforced by the twin authorities of God and Good Breeding.  But these are obsolete standards to which few modern women subscribe.  What does "lily white" mean today?

In Garden Lace, it means green, green, green.  Green is the color of growth and fertility, and I admire the makers of Garden Lace for choosing the spectrum's most fecund hue over the predictable purity of white.  A woman is not a pillar of cloud, after all; rather, she's far better off emulating the primitive Eve described by Stella Gibbons in Cold Comfort Farm: "as close to the earth as a bloomy greengage". In a similar spirit, Garden Lace's green is fresh, sappy, and slightly bittersweet, like the sticky juice produced by broken flower stalks.  I'm not certain it's bona fide galbanum -- there's something a little too tinny and synthetic about it -- but it acquits itself honorably as the dark, shady background against which this sweet spring floral can pop.

Speaking of flowers, I'd say there's more lilac than lily in Garden Lace-- but again, this is not a drawback.  Lilac plays well with others, particularly muguet. Here, the two friends mingle with a subtle spice dimension that further erodes the vision of bridal purity.  I only wish they'd been given more playmates, in the form of one or two anchoring resins.  (Styrax or benzoin leap to mind-- lighter than amber or labdanum, and powdery enough to counterbalance that sticky sap element.)  The drydown is a mild, lactonic thing as opaquely milky-minty as that plastic cap.

Not bad for an Avon wannabe priced at $1.50!

Scent Elements: Lily, muguet, violet, lilac, peony, jasmine, rose

[damacbycavalli]

What is Better for Your Business: SEO or Digital Marketing?

SEO and digital marketing are closely related, but they’re not quite the same thing. Digital marketing takes many forms, from search engine optimization (SEO) to social media management to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on sites like Google and Facebook. Together, SEO and digital marketing help businesses maximize their visibility and engagement with potential customers, which leads to increased sales, subscribers, and foot traffic in the door. So which one is better? Search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing are both important parts of online business marketing, but what’s better? Which method should you use to help grow your business? The answer depends on the stage you are in right now as well as what your ultimate goals are. Read this carefully to know in detail.

On-page tactics

To be found in search engine results, you need to optimize your website for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These are tactics that are done on your website to make it rank higher on search engines. It can be as simple as creating an about page on your site and filling it with keywords and phrases that people will search in the search bar.

Advertisement

In addition to SEO, you should also invest time and resources into Online Marketing (OM), which is all the marketing done over the Internet. OM can include social media promotion, email marketing campaigns, influencer relations, and more. OM includes Search Engine Optimization so these two terms overlap a bit but OM doesn’t always include SEO as part of its strategy. For example, if you’re looking for someone to write blog posts for your company blog then SEO is important because blogs depend on Google searches.

On the other hand, if you want to promote a coupon code online through Twitter then Online Marketing might be best because Twitter does not affect SEO rankings while still promoting content across many different platforms. Online Marketing is better when you’re looking to get a quick burst of traffic to your site. SEO, on the other hand, is more effective long term because it requires less maintenance and will help keep visitors coming back month after month. You’ll have a steady stream of revenue throughout the year instead of just one short burst. In short, they both work well together, but one isn’t necessarily better than the other.

Link building tactics

Link building is a great way to improve your SEO and get more traffic to your website. In addition, it helps you rank higher on search engine results pages. Link building isn’t hard, but it does require some time and effort. The first step is determining which websites are relevant to your industry or topic. You can find these by using the Google Search Console Tool – an invaluable tool that will help you identify any websites linking to the competitors that aren’t linking back to you yet. Next, reach out to them via social media and email; use call-to-actions like Hey, I noticed you linked back to our competitor instead of us.

Can we swap links? In this message include where they can find your link (e.g., in the footer of your homepage). Be sure to follow up with those who don’t respond on time. To increase the chances of getting a link, include keyword-rich anchor text when possible. Finally, be persistent!

When done correctly, link-building can have a significant impact on your digital marketing efforts and performance. It not only increases your rankings in search engines but also helps gain recognition from influencers in the industry. If you’re not prepared to put some time and effort into reaching out to influencers, then focus on other digital marketing strategies such as content creation and social media management.

These two strategies work together to create brand awareness and drive traffic to your site. They also make it easier for people to find you online. However, if you want a little bit more guidance with your strategy, consider hiring an experienced marketing consultant. Doing so could prove extremely beneficial because consultants have the expertise needed to effectively execute campaigns through all avenues of digital marketing – including content marketing, social media management, paid advertising etcetera. Keep reading to know more in detail.

Content marketing tactics

Which marketing tactic is better depends on what you’re looking to get out of it. For example, if you want to increase your site traffic, then search engine optimization (SEO) might be a better option than digital marketing.

If you’re more interested in increasing sales, then digital marketing would be the best bet. Social media platforms can be great ways to boost brand awareness and encourage customer engagement. So, should you focus on social media marketing or SEO? It all depends on your goals and objectives.

If your goal is to build a large audience for an upcoming product launch or event, then social media marketing might be the way to go. On the other hand, if you aim to rank higher in Google’s organic rankings, then SEO may be the most effective strategy. Ultimately, you’ll have to figure out which avenue best suits your business needs and resources. What are you trying to achieve? What has been successful for your competitors in the past? Who are your target audiences and how do they typically engage with content that they find valuable?

These are just some of the questions that need answering before settling on a marketing strategy. The answer will depend on your company and its objectives. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Experimentation will always be necessary. You never know until you try! A combination of both SEO and digital marketing could work well depending on the type of business you have. Get creative!

Social media tactics

Don’t be afraid to experiment with social media platforms! You may find that you love Twitter, but find Facebook a waste of time. Not only will experimenting help you determine what works best for your business, but it will also show the people who follow your business that you’re open to change and willing to try new things. It’s also important to note that not all content is created equal- not everything needs to go on every channel.

Choose one platform where you want to focus and put most of your efforts into perfecting your content for this platform before branching out again. That being said, don’t forget about the other networks either; just because they aren’t as popular doesn’t mean they should get ignored! Just like in any other aspect of marketing, it’s vital to diversify your tactics.

A lot of digital marketers are finding success by implementing a series of micro-posts rather than uploading a single post once per day or week. Posting more often can lead to higher engagement rates due to the human tendency of reciprocity- if someone likes or comments on your content, we’re likely to do something nice for them in return.

Additionally, posting more frequently (even if it’s less than 10 times) can lead to a higher number of followers over time since these consumers see that you’re constantly sharing updates and staying active. Lastly, when crafting your message it’s important to keep in mind the differences between platforms. For example, Pinterest has a very visual aesthetic while Instagram is much more focused on imagery than text.

Though there are no hard and fast rules here and different approaches work better depending on what type of content you’re posting, always ask yourself will my audience appreciate this? before pressing send.

Paid advertising tactics

Marketing is never a one-size-fits-all scenario. What might work well for one company may not be the best fit for another. One of the most important parts of any marketing strategy is figuring out how to spend your advertising dollars so that they have the maximum impact on your business. To figure this out, you need to understand which type of advertising will give you the best bang for your buck. That’s where digital marketing and SEO can help – let’s take a look at each in turn. SEO stands for search engine optimization. When executed properly, it boosts the website rankings for targeted keywords in search engines like Google and Bing so more people are likely to find your site when they do an online search. It also helps with generating organic traffic by attracting links from other websites.

The benefits of SEO are substantial, but the downside is that these benefits don’t typically show up immediately. You could be looking at a 12-month timeline before you start seeing real results from SEO efforts alone. The best way to get started with digital marketing is by creating social media profiles for your business and then investing in paid ads such as Facebook Ads or Google Adwords campaigns. These platforms allow you to create compelling ad copy targeting specific demographics and interests who are likely to become your customers. They also allow you to set goals such as clicks or engagement rates, allowing you to monitor success rates easily over time.

The advantage of digital marketing is that the ROI (return on investment) often shows up much quicker than with SEO because there’s no waiting period involved in producing measurable results. The disadvantage is that the costs of digital marketing can add up very quickly – especially if you invest heavily without knowing what works and what doesn’t. SEO takes longer to produce tangible results, but it offers a sustainable long-term approach to building customer loyalty and trust through quality content.

The key takeaway here is not about choosing one option or the other – both approaches offer advantages and disadvantages, meaning that every company needs to weigh them against their own needs to decide which suits them best. If you want to see quick results in your ROI, go ahead and explore options like Facebook Ads. If you’re able to spend a little more time and money upfront, put your energy into finding a top-tier SEO consultant who can guide you along the process of making your website rank higher in search engines.

Video marketing tips

Video marketing is a great way to get your message across and in front of more people. Studies show that videos can increase your viewers by up to 300%. Here are some tips on how you can start video marketing today.

1. Create a video with a call to action at the end. This is a great way to encourage viewers to take an action like signing up for an email list, following you on social media, or buying something from your store. Make sure that whatever you ask them to do has value so they will be likely to act on it.

2. Promote your video everywhere possible! You want as many people as possible to see it. Share it on social media, put links in your blog posts, send out emails with a link back to the video and post it on any other websites you may own or have access to.

3. Include subtitles in other languages if applicable.

4. Use captions instead of subtitles if possible because captions make it easier for hearing-impaired individuals to watch your video.

5. Incentivize viewers to watch your entire video by including quizzes, polls, surveys, and games related to the content throughout it. They will then feel rewarded when they finish watching it.

Remember to include a call-to-action near the end again so they know what you would like them to do next. Even after all this, there are still tons of other ways you can promote your video such as paying for advertisements. Hopefully, these five tips help you get started with video marketing!

Conclusion:

You might think that SEO and digital marketing are interchangeable terms, but they’re different processes for accomplishing slightly different goals. While both can help to improve your search rankings and attract new clients, it’s important to know the differences to decide which strategy will work best for you. In this guide, we have looked at the unique features of each service, so you can choose what’s better for your business: SEO or digital marketing. So, this guide is worth reading!

Source: What is Better for Your Business: SEO or Digital Marketing?.