#hopefully in Seattle I’ll be able to find friends and love and support I need | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

slippinmickeys · 5 years ago

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I got a prompt not long ago from @monikafilefan here on Tumblr. It was: "how about Mulder and Scully accidentally end up as roommates when their old ones back out? An instant friendship blooms into something so much more. I can just feel the palpable sexual tension already" From there, it... got legs.

I’ll be posting one chapter a day for six days. Don your blue sunglasses and enjoy some trope.

Dana Scully was running late. Flustered and out of breath from running the few blocks from the Metro stop, she pushed through the doors of the coffee shop, startling a young mom who was pushing a stroller out the door.

“Sorry,” she said, apologizing, and then held the door open while the woman slowly navigated the stroller through the narrow doorway. When she was out, Dana finally stepped in and scanned the store, looking for familiar auburn curls.

Her sister Melissa held up a hand and stood as Dana approached.

“Missy!” Dana said, relieved to see her.

Melissa gave her a long, tight hug before reclaiming her seat. Melissa’s hugs were the kind you always wanted to get. Like she’d cultivated them in a field, each one grown in a tidy row, just for you.

“Everything all right?” Melissa said, as Dana, huffing and out of breath, shrugged off her jacket and swung her purse over the back of a chair.

“No,” she said, laughing at herself and Melissa’s eyebrows came together in sympathy, “but tell me about you first. How was your flight? God, it’s been so long!” She reached across and squeezed her older sister’s hand.

Melissa had flown back to the States only the day before, having spent the last two years living in England.

“I’m great!” Missy said, “living abroad has been incredible. I almost hated to come back.”

“Oh, I’m so glad,” Dana said.

In truth, she was glad. She’d missed her sister terribly, but Missy had needed a big change. She’d dropped out of college several years before, much to their parent’s horror, and Melissa had been too spirited to live long under their father’s roof. Her sister looked wonderful. Clearly the time abroad had been good to her.

“But, what’s happening with you? What’s going on?” Melissa said.

Dana blew a raspberry.

“I’m in a tight spot,” she finally said, “We just found out this morning that Ellen got the internship in Seattle for the summer. It’s the one she wanted, and I’m really excited for her, but it’s not paid, so she won’t be able to cover her half of the rent -- she leaves in two days and rent for next month is due in five. We’ve got three more months on the lease. I’ve got to find someone to sublease her room, like yesterday.” She felt panic bubbling up in her gut. “I don’t suppose you have any interest in staying in DC for the summer?” she asked Melissa hopefully.

“Oh, I wish I could,” Missy said, “but I’m registered for massage therapy classes at the National Holistic Institute in Baltimore for the summer. Mom and Dad have calmed down and I’m going to stay with them while I get certified.”

“Missy, that’s wonderful!” She tried to smile at her, but she knew it didn’t reach her eyes. Dana was excited for her sister, but had been holding out a hope that maybe Missy coming back Stateside would be an answer to her prayers.

“What about Ethan?” Melissa asked, lowering her voice unconsciously, “Couldn’t he move in with you for the summer? It’s only three months, Mom and Dad don’t need to know.”

Dana bit her lip.

“We broke up,” she said. Melissa’s eyes widened.

“June and Ward Cleaver broke up?” Melissa said, in shock. “When? I thought….”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence. Dana knew what Melissa thought. What everyone had thought. She and Ethan, together since their sophomore year of high school and enrolled in the same post-grad program at Georgetown, were the all-American couple. They, and everyone else, had assumed they would be engaged after they got their PhDs, and married not long after.

“Last month,” Dana said, looking down at her hands.

Melissa reached across the table and put her hand on Dana’s arm.

“What happened?”

“We grew up,” Dana said simply, “we’re different people, now. At least, I am. I’ve been thinking about making some changes at school and Ethan… was not supportive.”

Melissa squeezed her arm.

“What kind of changes?” she asked.

Dana looked up at her sister, “I’ve been seriously considering med school for some time.”

“But you’re so close to your degree!” Missy said.

“That’s what Ethan said,” said Dana, “but he was just so… dismissive. Like he had this plan for me. Like what I wanted didn’t matter. It was bad, Missy.”

“God,” Missy said.

“Yeah,” Dana went on, “he found out I took the MCAT and lost it. I broke up with him then and there. I haven’t seen him since. Not even on campus.”

Melissa gave her a shrewd look.

“Can I say something that you may not want to hear?”

Dana nodded morosely.

“I’m so glad,” Dana shot her sister a look, surprised. Melissa went on, “I never liked him, Dana. I know Mom and Dad loved him, but he’s had a stick up his ass since high school and he always thought he was better than everyone else. I used to sneak out and sprinkle catnip under his bedroom window in the summers.”

Dana’s jaw dropped.

“He used to complain all the time about-”

“-Tom cats in the neighborhood gathering outside his house and howling all night? Yeah, that was me.”

“Missy!”

“He deserved it,” Melissa said, sitting up with an air of moral superiority, “I’m glad you broke it off with him.”

“To be honest, I am too,” Dana said, “but I’m in a real lurch with this roommate situation. I don’t want to take out another student loan and I don’t think I can ask Dad for more money. Especially when he finds out I’m abandoning the program.”

“So you’re quitting for sure?” Melissa asked.

Dana nodded. “I just got the MCAT results and I did really well,” she couldn’t hold in a smile, “I told my advisor last week. I’m finishing out the summer. I’m going to start applying to med schools.”

“Well,” Missy said, “I’m glad you’re following your heart. And I wouldn’t worry much about Dad. He’ll be thrilled to have a doctor in the family. But maybe not so thrilled about bankrolling a degree you don’t intend to finish.”

Dana squirmed in her chair.

Melissa leaned back, thinking.

“What about…” she stopped, assessing Dana for a moment. “I have this friend. Someone I met in England last year. Moving to DC to be closer to family.”

Dana sat up straight.

“Do you know if she needs housing? Oh my God, Missy, you’d be saving my life.”

“The thing is,” Missy said, “it’s not a she.”

Dana made a face.

“He’s a great guy, Dane,” Melissa went on, “PhD in Psychology from Oxford. I met him when he was dating my friend Emma. His parents passed away recently and he’s putting his sister through school. She was a freshman at American this year. I can call him if you want.”

“I don’t know…” Dana said.

“Dana Scully, you are a 25 year old woman and it’s almost 1990 for God’s sake. Surely you’re not so old fashioned that you wouldn’t consider a male roommate. Particularly one that I can personally vouch for.”

“I don’t suppose he’s… gay?”

“You heard me mention my friend Emma, right?” Missy said, “No, he’s most certainly not gay, and no one is going to care that he isn’t. This isn’t Three’s Company, Chrissy. You need a roommate, and he--last I heard--needs a place to live. It’s perfect.”

It was only three months. Surely in this day and age having a male roommate wouldn’t give her some kind of reputation. And she was desperate--she would at least meet the guy. She leaned back in her seat.

“He isn’t cute, is he?” Dana asked.

Melissa narrowed her eyes.

“Cute?”

“Attractive. Hot. Someone with pleasing facial symmetry who other people like to look at.”

“Like you?” Melissa said. Dana gave her an exaggerated eye roll, and her sister asked, “Why?”

“Because it’s the last thing I need right now,” Dana said.

Melissa took a demure sip of coffee.

“No,” she said, not making eye contact, “he’s not cute.”

Dana considered her sister a long minute.

“Okay,” she finally said, “call him.”

XxXxXxXxXxX

At precisely 3:00pm, there was a knock on her door. Shave and a haircut.

He was punctual -- more than she could say for herself that day -- and that usually boded well.

Instead of sticking around to introduce them, Missy had said she had other friends she was supposed to see while she was in town and had taken off after setting up this meeting, though she promised Dana she would still come over for dinner.

Dana opened the door. He was tall. At least a foot taller than she was, and he stood in the doorway with a smile on his face. He was wearing a black leather biker jacket, jeans and black boots and was carrying a motorcycle helmet under one arm. Dana was momentarily taken aback by his good looks. She would kill Melissa.

“Dana?” he said, expectantly, reaching out for a handshake, “I’m Melissa’s friend. Fox Mulder.”

“I thought you’d be British,” she said, the words fumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

He smiled.

Dana shook herself, embarrassed, and extended a hand.

“Dana Scully,” she said, “sorry. Come in?”

“I met your brother when he came out to visit Melissa,” he said as he shook her hand, “one more Scully and I win a set of steak knives.”

“You’re in luck,” she said, smiling, “we Scullys come in sets of four.”

He laughed and wiped his feet on the welcome mat before stepping past her and into the apartment. He stood a few feet in and looked around.

“Wow,” he said, “this is a really nice place.”

Dana nodded and closed the door. It was a nice place. Much nicer than two broke grad students had any business living in. It had cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors and a large, spacious living room framed on one side with immense sliding glass doors that opened to a long balcony that ran the length of the room. On the other end of the living room sat a modern kitchen with a large island countertop that sat three people on the living room side, and had a 4 burner cooktop on the other. The appliances were pretty new. There was a hallway leading from the other end of the living room that led to one bathroom and a bedroom (Ellen’s), with a small in-unit washer/dryer at the end of the hall. Stairs led up from the left of the doorway to the master bedroom (Dana’s) and en-suite bathroom that had a separate tub and shower. The place was filled with hand-me-down furniture from various parents and siblings, but was decorated well and was quite comfortable.

“Rent controlled,” she said, by way of explanation, “my roommate’s brother had lived here for years. We got really lucky.” He nodded, still taking in the space. “You want a tour?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said, smiling.

She showed him the living room and the trick to opening the sliding glass door, then ran him through the kitchen and on down the hallway to Ellen’s room, which was a disaster area filled with half-packed boxes.

“This would be your room,” she said, “I promise to clean it before you move in.”

“Nah,” he said, peeking his head in the closet, “I’d be happy to do it. When would move-in be?”

“You could be in in two days,” she answered, “Ellen flies to Seattle tomorrow night, though you wouldn’t know it to look at her room.”

He smiled.

“I don’t know if Melissa told you about my situation,” he said, “everything has been happening kind of quickly. You’d really be saving my bacon, here.”

“She told me a little,” Dana said, “I’m really sorry about your parents, Fox.”

“Thank you,” he said softly. He cleared his throat. “Though, I uh, prefer to go by Mulder.”

“Fair enough,” Dana said. “Though there’s no way you ever got Melissa to call you anything other than Fox. I bet she was delighted.”

He laughed, a melodious, warm sound. Upon hearing it, she decided she liked him.

“And then some,” he said. “So what do I need to know?”

“Well, it would be a sublease for three months, until Ellen gets back. I may or may not be moving out in the fall, and our lease goes month-to-month after that.” He nodded. “Otherwise,” she said, “I mainly do a lot of studying. I have office hours and classes three days a week. I’m not big on house parties, and I like things quiet.” She looked at him, and he didn’t seem thrown by anything she’d said so far. “Do you…” she was sure how to put it, “have a girlfriend or anyone who would be coming over a lot?”

He smiled.

“No girlfriend at present,” he said, “though my sister is at AU and she may come over every now and then if she’ll deign to visit her stuffy older brother.”

His eyes crinkled with affection when he talked about his sister, and Dana found herself involuntarily charmed.

“And what do you do for a living?” she asked.

He winced.

“I’m currently looking for work,” he held his hand up when she raised her eyebrows, “I have enough in savings to more than cover three months of rent,” he said, “so you don’t have to worry about that. But I only got into town a few days ago. I’m still trying to figure everything out.”

“Melissa vouches for you,” she said, “that’s good enough for me.”

He fiddled with the helmet, which he was still carrying, and took a long, slow turn, looking around the apartment, as if making a decision. He finally turned back to her.

“Well, Scully Number Three?” he said, holding out his hand once again. “You’ve got a new roommate if you’ll have me.”

“No need to remind me of my place in the pecking order,” she said, “if you’re Mulder, I think just Scully will suffice.” Scully. She let it roll down her spine and liked the way it felt. She reached out and gripped his hand firmly. It was warm, dry, and completely enveloped hers. “Welcome home, Mulder,” she said.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Melissa breezed past her in the doorway without a word, arms laden with plastic bags.

“I brought take-out!” she said over her shoulder, kicking off her shoes and making her way to the kitchen to unburden herself of the bags. “Is Fox still here?” she asked, looking around, a little out of breath.

“He left about an hour ago,” Dana said, coming to stand in the doorway of the kitchen. “Melissa,” she went on, and Missy wouldn’t look at her. “You said he wasn’t cute.”

Melissa opened the fridge and helped herself to a beer.

“He’s not cute,” Missy said, finally turning to her, “he’s gorgeous. You’re welcome.” She twisted off the top and then shoved herself up to sit on the counter, taking a long pull.

“Make yourself at home,” Dana said sarcastically.

“Thanks,” Missy said, brushing her off. “How’d it go?”

“You’re right, he was really nice. He’s going to take it,” Dana said, and then decided she could go for a beer as well. She opened up the fridge as Missy punched the air in a yes! gesture.

“What did I tell you?” Melissa said, “kismet.”

“Yeah,” Dana said, tamping down her own enthusiasm, “I hope it works out.”

“It’s going to be great!” Missy said, “He really is the best guy.”

“Did you guys ever…?” Dana asked, wondering if she really wanted to know.

“Me and Fox? No,” she answered, “not that I wouldn’t have liked to,” she went on, “but I think the whole ‘thou shalt not date your best friend’s ex’ rule is pretty universal. Even across the pond.”

Dana was surprised to find herself relieved.

“I am privy to some information, though,” Missy said, arching an eyebrow.

“Do I even want to know?” Dana asked.

Missy ran her tongue along the corner of her mouth.

“He’s very well endowed,” she finally said with a grin.

Dana felt herself blushing and took a deep swig of beer to cover for it.

“Unless it’ll help him pay the rent,” she said, swallowing, “I don’t see how that’s any of my business.”

Melissa shrugged, looking coy. “I’ve also heard he loves to eat out,” she said.

“What does that have to do with-“ Dana finally looked at her sister, caught her eyebrows in the air, suggestively. “... Jesus, Missy.”

Melissa smiled, took a sip of beer.

“I’m just saying,” Melissa said, “a generous lover is a generous man.” Dana looked to the sky as if for help. Her sister was clearly enjoying Dana’s discomfort. She finally jumped down off the counter and turned her attention to the bags of food. “You could do a lot worse than Fox Mulder.”

“I’m not going to do Fox Mulder, Missy,” she said, and Missy let out a bark of laughter. “I need a roommate, not a boyfriend. And anyway, I’m going to be in med school soon. I won’t have that kind of time.”

“Make time,” Melissa winked, and then dug around in the bags, pulling out carton after carton of Chinese food. “You hungry?”

Dana set down her beer and hugged her from behind.

“I’m famished, you snot,” she said into her sister’s hair.

#the x-files #fanfiction #fanfic #MSR #AU #my fic #a companion unobtrustive #chapter one #prompt

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mirkwoodshewolf · 5 years ago

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Daughter of Freddie Mercury; Freddie Mercury x pre-teen/teen reader pt.1

*Author’s note*

Hello all! Okay now this fic had taken me literally FOREVER TO DO. This was a request that a Wattpad user had asked me to do for a friend of theirs and this fic specifically revolves around Freddie Mercury (can be read as either the real man himself or Rami Malek!Freddie). Now keep in mind this is ALL FICTION. So what I’ve written in regard to Freddie, please DON’T GIVE ME ANY HATE, THIS WAS SPECIFICALLY REQUIRED FOR THE REQUEST. Anyways this is only just the first part and I will have the 2nd part up in just a bit. I hope you all enjoy this fic you lovely darlings :)

Warnings: family abandonment, fluff, angst, SOB P**l P**nt**, hints of family neglect (previous parents, but it will be heavily induced in the 2nd part), mentions of drugs (again in 2nd part).

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural

@geek-and-proud

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*December 1978*

It all began with a conversation between Freddie and Mary. Freddie had just come back from yet another world tour and he was sitting with Mary in their living room on their couch. She was resting on his chest while he stroked her hair with one hand while the other hand was stroking his cat Romeo who was napping just on the other side of him.

"You know what would make this moment even more perfect my love?" Freddie suddenly spoke up.

"What is that?" Mary asked as she nuzzled herself closer to Freddie's chest.

"A child." Mary looked at Freddie in shock. Freddie looked at her and asked, "What?"

"Freddie.....it's just that....we've never really talked about having children yet. Plus you're always touring, how will we ever find time to even try for a baby."

"There is another option we can try for." He fully turned to face Mary and explained to her, "The last concert we did, the stadium was raising money for charity benefits for the foster children programs of Seattle. Apparently one of their foster care houses was falling to pieces, barely able to keep their kids safe and warm at night. I myself asked Terry to let me see the housing itself and oh Mary it was truly horrible. The windows were cracked, the bricks were almost crumbling. It looked more like a prison than a foster care housing. There wasn't even a playground for the children to play in. But thanks to our concert in Seattle, that foster housing will be able to get the full makeover it deserves. Mary, I think we can make a difference and give a misfitted child a second chance at love. Just like what the band stands for as a band."

"Freddie, you have to be sure. A child is a huge responsibility. They're not like an instrument that you can just put aside till you're ready to play with them again."

"I understand my love. And I won't. We won't. I believe we can do this. Let's make a child happy and show them that someone is ready to take them home to a beautiful mother that will give them all the love in the world, and a father who is ready to spoil them to oblivion."

Mary looked at Freddie with soft eyes and she told him as she cupped his face with her right hand.

"If you're sure, I'll....I'll look around and find the nearest foster care home and see if any children are available for adopting. Do you have a preference?"

"A girl, I've always imagined having a little girl that I could spoil and give her all the riches of the world. But also protect her from the nasty little boys that try to tempt her." Mary smiled and shook her head playfully at him. And it was then they officially agreed together.

They were going to foster and hopefully soon adopt a little girl.

Due to the rise of Queen, Freddie couldn't really be as a part of the adoption process of finding a little girl that he and Mary can love together. He would try his best but scheduling would come up and Mary would insist that Queen needed him and that she can handle it.

During one rehearsal Freddie had been off in his own world when Roger tried to get his attention.

"Freddie? Oi Freddie!" Roger then tossed on of his drumsticks at him which made Freddie exclaim out in pain.

"What was that for you arsehole?"

"How else was I supposed to get your attention?" snapped Roger.

"You've been more distracted than usual Fred, is there something going on that we don't know about?" asked Brian. At first Freddie wanted to keep the fact that he and Mary were in the process of fostering their future child a secret, but he felt like the band needed to know.

I mean after all, they would be his future daughter's uncles so he finally decided to tell them.

"Alright my darlings, there is something that Mary and I are planning."

"Oh Christ you didn't elope did you?" said John.

"Don't be ridiculous Deacy darling, if we did elope I'd never forgive myself for not informing you lot first of all to bear witness to it. But no it's.....something a bit more.....drastic."

"Knowing you, how much more drastic can it be?" joked Roger.

"We're in the process of fostering a child." At that proclamation, Roger, Brian and John all stared at Freddie in shock. Silence rang through the air and it was then Brian finally spoke up.

"You're joking right?"

"I most certainly am not Brian." Freddie stated.

"Look Freddie no offense but.....do you know the first thing about raising a child?" asked John.

"Not a damn clue, but that's the beauty of it. Mary and I will learn together as we go."

"Freddie.....a child isn't something that you can just pick up like clothing at the shop. They're a big responsibility. And with Queen rising as fast as we're going, when will you help Mary out to raise it?" Deacy said speaking from experience since he himself was a father of a son.

"If you lads think that I will just flat out abandon Mary and my future daughter you're sadly mistaken. I will give my future daughter the love she was probably denied for so long. I want to help her find a second chance and show her that she was never meant to be alone. That someone out there beyond the reaches of the foster home, that someone is waiting to love her."

The rest of the band were surprised to hear this sudden dedication that Freddie had, like he was sure that he was ready to become a father to a child that had no father, plus god knows what else the child might've gone through.

Suddenly the phone rang.

Freddie walked towards the phone and picked it up and said.

"Freddie Mercury speaking darling,"

'Freddie.' Mary's voice was soon heard on the other end.

"Hello my love."

'Freddie......we've been accepted.' Freddie's body tensed and he straightened himself up and he choked out.

"Y—you sure?"

'Yes, The Central London's Foster care for children just got back with me and they've told me we've been approved to come and meet our future daughter.'

Finally, after months and months of being on the waiting list, going to countless interviews and housing inspections to make sure they were choosing the right parents, Mary Austin and Freddie Mercury were approved to finally foster the child of their dreams.

"That's....what's wonderful! Oh my love it's finally going to happen. You're going to be a mum!"

'And you're gonna be a dad.' Mary sobbed happily.

"When...when can we meet our little angel?"

'They asked to meet them in the next hour and a half. I told them that I had to talk to you first to see if you could make it.'

"Of course my love! Call them right back and tell them that I'll be there in 20 minutes. I can't believe this is happening."

'Me neither, I'll see you there Freddie.'

"See you soon love of my life." With that Freddie hung up the phone and he couldn't help with wide smile that spread across his face and the tears that secretly spilled down his eyes. He wiped them away and composed himself before turning to his bandmates and said to them. "Well my darlings, Mary and I are going to pick up your future niece, and I will introduce you all tomorrow at my place, be there at 10am sharp." And with that Freddie left right in the middle of their rehearsal time and drove towards the foster home.

And like he said, within 20 minutes, he arrived after having or having not disobey traffic laws and he soon saw his lovely wife Mary standing outside the building with the Foster home's leading director Miss. Boynton.

Freddie parked his car and raced up towards Mary and picked her up in a strong hug and spun her around. Mary laughed as she held onto Freddie tightly and once he set her down they both turned to Mrs. Boynton and Freddie said.

"We can't thank you enough Mrs. Boynton, for making our dreams come true."

"It was no trouble. At first I was skeptical that the leading man of Queen was looking to foster one of our children, but you've proven me wrong. That even with your busy schedule, you're willing to drop everything to help support your future child." She stated.

"Of course, I would do anything for my girls." Freddie said as he pulled Mary close in a one armed hug and kissed her temple which made Mary softly giggle. "So when can we meet her?"

"If you will just follow me to my office we can discuss that matter right away." Mary and Freddie soon followed Mrs. Boynton inside and she guided them to her office.

Once they got there, Freddie and Mary sat at the two chairs in front of a large desk while Mrs. Boynton came around and sat in her leather chair.

"Now you've already expressed that you both are interested in a daughter, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct." Answered Mary.

"Now what I have to ask is what age range were you thinking? Are you both set on the younger children or the toddlers, or are you looking for someone older?"

"We honestly don't have a preference. We just want to give our future little girl all the love that she has been denied." Answered Freddie. Mrs. Boynton hummed and nodded at Freddie's statement.

"Well, there is one girl here that might fit that description. But I must warn you she's.....been through a lot." She then sat up and went to a filing cabinet and took out a file and handed it to Mary. She opened it up and both her and Freddie read it as Mrs. Boynton explained, "Her name is (y/n) (l/n). She's....been our longest foster child in all my years of working here. Came to us as a baby around 5-6months old when she was found outside our doorstep. I was actually the one to find her when I was still an assistant here before I was promoted to the head of the foster home. She's had multiple interviews and been in multiple homes but for some reason within a couple months, she's back at our step. Soon no one would look at her file the older she got. As you can see based on her birthday she's 11 now, and I'm afraid if she isn't adopted or at least in a stable foster home by 13, then I fear no one will want her. Most people never want a teenager, they always prefer the younger kids."

Hearing her story just shattered and broke Freddie's heart.

"Where is the little dear at right now?" he asked.

"Where she usually is, in her room listening to her Walkman. I can try to bring her here if you want."

"Please do, I wish to meet her."

"Okay, but don't get offended if she doesn't answer right away. She's extremely shy when it comes to these things." And with that, she left her office to go fetch (y/n). As they continued to read through her file, Mary shook her head and said.

"How can people just be so awful to a little girl?"

"People can be bastards I'm afraid my love, but that won't be us. We'll always be there to look after her." Freddie said as he took her free hand in his. They both looked at each other and Freddie then said, "Who knows, within three days we'll probably be begging for the legal adoption papers." Mary smiled and softly laughed and it was then they heard the door open and peeked in was Mrs. Boynton.

"Ms. Austin, Mr. Mercury, I'd like you both to meet (y/n) (l/n)." She then fully opened the door and standing shyly behind her was a young girl of 11 years old with (h/l) (h/c), (s/c) skin, and the brightest (e/c) you had ever seen. "Go on, it's alright." The young girl slowly stepped out from behind Mrs. Boynton and shyly looked up at both Freddie and Mary.

Both Freddie and Mary looked at each other before turning to look at (y/n) with soft eyes. They both fully stood up and they knelt down in front of her and Mary did the introductions.

"Hello (y/n), we're so glad to finally meet you in person. I'm Mary and this is my love Freddie." When (y/n) turned to Freddie, there was a sudden realization of who exactly was standing in front of her. And it made her three times embarrassed because of the shirt she was wearing.

"Hello (y/n), we're so honored to meet you. I was almost expecting to see a normal little girl but you my darling are an angel sent straight out of heaven. Who also has good taste in music," he had to tease her as he pointed out the black Queen shirt of the boys in the Bohemian Rhapsody silhouette.

"So you're a fan of Queen?" asked Mary. (Y/n) played with her fingers and looked down shyly before surprisingly nodding to answer Mary's question.

"How would you like to see where all the magic that Queen makes happen?" asked Freddie. That got (y/n) to look up at him in surprise. "But you have to agree to at least come home with Mary and I and stay with us for a while, do we have a deal?" He held out his hand and stuck his pinkie up. (Y/n) looked between him and his hand before finally reaching up and wrapping her pinkie with his as a pinkie promise sealing the deal.

After getting the forms filled out that she would be legally fostered under Mary Austin and Freddie Mercury's care, (y/n) once again left the foster home and rode with Mary back to their house with Freddie following right behind them. Along the way, Mary thought it would be best to have some girl-to-girl time on the car ride home.

So she asked (y/n) some small questions like what her favorite foods were, what she liked to drink, what type of clothing she preferred, just small little questions to make her feel comfortable. Slowly (y/n) started opening up and she even began to ask Mary some questions like how she met Freddie and Mary went on to tell her, her story of how she met the man of her life.

Once they reached their flat, Freddie and Mary helped (y/n) get settled into her room and Freddie promised her that over the weekend the two of them would go out shopping to help make the room more hers than just a guest room. Freddie introduced her to all his cats who all wanted attention from the new girl that had entered the house.

The three of them got together for dinner and they all continued to just talk with each other and get to know one another better. Little by little, (y/n) found herself speaking out more than she ever did at her previous foster homes. Maybe it was Freddie's energy or Mary's warmness, she didn't know but she felt like she could really trust these two and hopefully one day call them mum and dad.

By nightfall, both Mary and Freddie were helping (y/n) get comfortable for the night. As Mary tucked her in she asked,

"How's that? You comfortable enough?"

"Yeah, thanks Mary."

"Now if you need anything, don't hesitate to wake either of us okay dear?" Freddie said.

"Okay Freddie." Soon already feeling the motherly instinct taking over and hoping she wasn't crossing any boundaries already, Mary leaned down and kissed the top of (y/n)'s head. (Y/n) soon felt a sudden warmth come over her as for the first time she had been given a motherly kiss. The two of them walked towards the room and (y/n) spoke up. "Goodnight Freddie, night Mary."

"Good night darling." Freddie said lovingly as both he and Mary stood by the door and looked at their newest addition to the Mercury-Austin household.

"Goodnight love," Mary said with a soft smile. She then reached over and turned off the lights and soon everyone had turned in for the night.

The next morning, (y/n) woke up to find an orange tabby cat sleeping on her stomach purring like a motorboat. Along with that she heard voices just outside, and it sounded more than just Freddie and Mary's voices. Soon lightly knocking at her door, Mary peeked in and she said.

"Oh good you're awake. How did you sleep (y/n)?"

"Good." She answered. It was then she asked shyly, "Is....is someone else here?"

"Oh I'm sorry dear, I tried to get Freddie to call them off telling them it was too soon but, he insisted on introducing you to the rest of the band today. Now there's no pressure in forcing you to do this, I'll just tell Freddie and the boys that you're still trying to adjust and that a visit isn't the best time, but if you do then I'll help introduce you to the boys."

"I—I wouldn't mind meeting the guys. I mean, they've came all this way just to see me. But....."

"What is it (y/n)?"

"But.....what if they don't like me? It's happened before and then I'm sent back there again." She spoke not another word and Mary didn't force her to explain, already coming up in her head with what she meant by that. So for some of the foster families she's been in, just because either guests or extended family didn't like her, they just brought her back to the foster home.

"That will never happen here. I promise, you will never get sent back to the foster home again. Do you understand love?" She looked at Mary and saw nothing but strong eyes staring back at her assuring her that that would never happen to her again, and for the first time she believed it. "Now, do you wish to meet the rest of the lads? Or should I tell them now's not a good time?"

"I—I want to meet them." Mary softly smiled and held out her hand and she guided her out of the room and into the living room.

As they turned the corner, (y/n) was star-struck to see the rest of Queen now sitting in her new foster home. Never would she ever imagine that she would ever see Queen in a concert, let alone actually get to see them in person, hell having Freddie Mercury come into her life and choose to foster her. She kept close to Mary's side clinging onto her shirt as Mary got closer to the boys.

"Ahh there she is. My darlings, Mary and I would like to introduce the newest member of our family, this is (y/n). Our little princess. (Y/n) this is Brian, Roger and Deacy." Freddie introduced the guys to (y/n).

There was silence throughout the room until finally John took the first dive and came up to (y/n) and extended out his hand.

"It's great to finally meet you (y/n)." A soft smile soon appeared on her lips as she took John's hand and they both softly shook hands and she said shyly.

"It's an honor to meet you guys."

"Come my darling sit with me." Freddie said as he guided his new foster daughter to the couch and they both sat close to each other while Mary took the opposite side of (y/n).

"So (y/n), Fred here tells us that you're a fan of ours." Brian said. Embarrassed by that fact, (y/n) shyly hide herself in Mary's shoulder while Freddie only cooed and brought her out and held her close to him and said as he stroked down her arm soothingly.

"There's no need to be ashamed love. Like I said, it just means you have good taste in music, and that you recognize talent when you see it, for one your age."

"So (y/n), do you have a favorite song of ours?" asked Roger. That was a hard one. To (y/n), all the Queen songs were her favorite. There just wasn't one that could be on top of the other. But she knew she had to answer otherwise she feared they'd get mad at her for taking too long to answer. She only just hoped she would say the right one without offending anyone.

"I'm in love with my car." At that the boys groaned all except for Roger who was stunned.

"Guess I was mistaken." Teased Freddie. (Y/n) turned towards Mary and she asked her quietly.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, they're only joking love, they just don't like being reminded of the drama Roger gave them to get the song recorded in the first place." She whispered down to her.

"Tell me (y/n), what do you like about the song?" asked Roger dying to know why his future niece loved that song in particular.

"It.....it's the song where the drums truly shine for a song. I've always found the drums to be my favorite instrument."

"You know if you ever come by the studio, I'll be willing to give you a drum lesson. Free of charge for my favorite niece." Roger winked at her as he playfully ruffled the top of her head which made her softly laugh.

As the day went on, Brian, Roger and John soon came to see (y/n) as their niece and seeing Freddie already step into the role of fatherhood, made them realize that maybe he could be a good father to (y/n). And together with Mary by their side, it was like they were looking at the picture perfect family.

*August 1979. My POV*

For the rest of the year, living with Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin was like a dream come true. The two of them have given me all the love in the world that I was denied by my own parents. I was so afraid that I was never going to get adopted, because I only had two more years before I became a teenager, and no one wants to adopt a teenager.

But when they found me and chose to foster me, I thought that my life was going to change forever. And not only did I gain a mother and father figures, I also got three uncles who also treated me like a member of their family.

Uncle Brian, Uncle Roger and Uncle Deacy each warmed up to me and like when my dad taught me how to play the piano, they each taught me how to play the instruments that they specialized in. They taught me the best tricks of the trade when it came to playing either the guitar, the bass and even the drums.

Some days when dad would allow me, once school was over mum would drop me off at the studio and I got to actually sit in the recording studio to see just how the magic of making an album. Sometimes I was even allowed play the tambourine if the song required it so if you hear a song that has a tambourine in it that was recorded in 1979, there's a good chance that that's me playing it.

Currently it was around 9pm, dad had been back from his world tour and we were about to watch the concert that they did in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. I had gotten my homework done just in time but before the concert could begin, my mom just had to say.

"It's time for you to go to bed (y/n) darling."

"Aww Mary, can't I stay up and watch the concert with you guys?"

"Sorry love but you've got that math exam tomorrow. And you need plenty of rest for it." She stated. I quickly turned to dad hoping he'd let me stay up since it was his concert.

"Freddie can't I?" I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. He smiled and cupped my face in his hands and said.

"Better do as your mother says my darling." I pouted at him and he kissed my forehead and said, "Don't worry, there's always next time. You're on winter holiday after your exams, the next concert that comes on I promise you can stay up."

"Okay." I whined out.

"That's my girl." He kissed my forehead. I stood up from the floor and bid them both a goodnight and they did the same thing.

I got changed into my pajamas and Jerry was curled up at the foot of my bed. Ever since my first night when I came to live with Freddie and Mary, one of the cats the orange tabby had actually came into my room and curled up right on my stomach and purred happily. I had been told the name the next morning from Freddie and for the past six months, Jerry was always ready to come with me to bed whenever it was my bedtime.

It was then my brain hatched an idea. Who says I couldn't watch the concert, if they can't see me? I stroked Jerry and heard him purr and then I quietly tiptoed around the corner of the hallways that would soon lead into the living room of the flat. I angled myself far enough to where I could see the TV but not so far that mum and dad had to see me.

But as I rounded the corner I heard my mum say.

"I've known there's something up Freddie. Just tell me what is it?" her voice sounded fearful almost as if she was scared to know the truth. There was silence in the room until dad finally spoke.

"I think I'm bisexual." My eyes widened. Now I'm not daft nor stupid to know the different kinds of sexuality. Back at the foster home, there were a couple of boys who got picked on because they had posters hanging in their room of actors instead of actresses, and due to that the other foster kids bullied them.

Calling them fags or freaks and of course none of the assistant caretakers really did much about it. In fact some of them didn't even talk to those kids anymore and would point out to some of the potential parents that those boys weren't 'right in the head' because of their sexual preference.

"Freddie, you gay." my mother asked. He remained silent.

I saw my mum walk towards the window seeming to be upset while my dad stayed on the couch.

"I've known for a while now I just never wanted to admit it. It's funny really this is what I always settled for. I love you but. I love you Mary but I need space. I love you Mary but I've met someone else.....And now I love you but I'm.....and this is the hardest because it's not even your fault." She turned towards my dad before turning away from him. It was then I saw her reach out and touch her wedding finger to take off the ring.

"No. No you promised me you wouldn't take it off!" I heard my dad's voice quiver with pure sorrow as he stood before mum.

"What do you want from me Freddie?" she asked. My dad just kept his eyes on my mum before he finally choked out.

"Almost everything." My mum cupped his cheek and I heard her whisper.

"Your life is going to be very difficult." And with that she walked out of the flat without another word. He stood there in utter despair and he looked so broken. I slowly stood up and as I rounded the corner, the floor squeaked under my foot. Freddie turned to see me standing there with the same sad eyes as he had.

As he now stared at me, I knew we didn't have to speak to each other to ask how much I had heard, because I heard enough. He slowly walked towards me with tears ready to spill out of his eyes and I walked up to him before he sunk to his knees and I wrapped my arms around him while he did the same.

And for the first time ever, I had seen the great Freddie Mercury be brought to the ultimate low point.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry my darling....I'm sorry you heard that....please forgive me." He sobbed out praying that I would forgive him. I just held onto him tighter burying my fingers in his hair as for the first time I had called him.

"Daddy, are you okay?" He sniffled and sobbed out.

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm okay darling we're gonna be okay. We're okay." I kissed his head and held onto him for the remainder of the night.

*1981*

It was now the summer of 1981 and things were certainly changing. Ever since they split up, dad had taken full custody over me but he still wanted Mary to be a part of my life and allow visitation rights, so that way I would still have a mother figure in my life.

With the help of Uncle Roger, dad has us move out of the flat and into a bigger house that felt more like a mansion than anything else. My new room was like fitting three master bedrooms in one. Even the cats had their own rooms in the new house. With the changes of the new house there was also changes in lifestyle too.

My dad's physical appearance changed as he now sported a tache and his hair was more sleeked back and shorter than usual. There was also some signs of him and Paul getting closer together. Hell they were practically starting to look like each other, wherever my dad was, you can bet all the money in the world that Paul was right there hanging over my dad like a shadow. And I feared for the worse, because anytime I would try to even talk to my dad, Paul would always take him away from me.

Like one time when I needed help with an astronomy project for science class, I needed dad to help me with the hot glue gun but the second I approached him, Paul came right up and had said and I quote.

"Freddie, the caterers need to go over again on what to serve for the party next week. There's also the matters of the performers coming and we need to check the guest list again." With that dad had said that he would get back with me shortly and help me out.

But shortly went on for almost half the day. In the end I called up the one person who I knew would be interested and be willing to help out with a project like this. And within ten minutes, Uncle Brian arrived at the house and he helped me build my astronomy project of Sally's comet. All the while telling me all that he knew of the cosmos since he was studying astrophysics.

Once the project was done and dad still didn't come back home with Paul, uncle Brian worried for my safety being left home alone so he told me to get my overnight bag and that I would be staying the night over with him. He phoned Mary to tell her where I would be in case dad ever did decide to come back, lord knows when though, and tell him that I was being kept safe.

The sad thing is, I always had my overnight bag packed and stored away ready to go. Because ever since Paul came into the picture and taking my dad god knows where, and with all the parties they would host, I'd always stay over at either Uncle Brian's, Uncle Roger's or Uncle Deacy's place, depending on who was available.

I'd always feel guilty going over because I feel like I was a burden to not only them, but their family as well. Of course each of my uncles would tell me that it was no trouble and that their house was my house, that I was welcome anytime day or night.

Now back to the present; the current big costume party was tomorrow and I was currently getting the mail. Of course most of it contained confirmation of the invitations sent out, some bills, letters from Miami but then a manila envelope caught my attention. I turned it over and it read out.

LEAGAL ADOPTION PAPERS FROM CENTRAL LONDON'S FOSTER HOME.

For weeks now whenever Paul wasn't in the picture, I had asked dad when the official agreement to adopt me would happen. Because legally I'm still a foster child being fostered by Freddie Mercury. He had told and reassured me that it would happen soon, it's just with work and all he's been busy.

But I guess finally he managed to squeeze some time and ask for the official documents for him to sign.

"(Y/n) darling come up here won't you?" I could hear his voice echo from upstairs.

"Coming dad!" I said as I quickly set the mail aside and raced up the slight-spiral stairway and met my dad in his personal dressing room where he kept all his concert and party clothes. All the extravagant and over-the-top stuff like his kingly robe and crown, his military uniform, things like that.

"Ahh there's my girl. Come in, come in it just finally arrived today and I want to see you in it." He said as he handed me a neatly tied box. I took it from him and untied the pink lace knot and opened it up and pushed away the packing paper inside to reveal the top bust portion of a dress.

"Dad I—I don't know about this. You know how I feel about parties." I tried to tell him but he told me.

"Oh come off it darling, you will have fun tomorrow night I just know it. Now please I had this dress specifically made for you, please at least just try it on for me." He gave me his best puppy dog face and I agreed to at least try it on. "That's my best girl." He said as he pecked my cheek and gestured for me to go behind the Japanese screen doors.

Once I was behind the changing screen, I fully took the dress out of the box. It was a beautiful light blue ballgown with a sweetheart outline and exposed from the back, a darker shade of light blue sash was tied around the hips of the dress. Inside the box there was also very long light blue gloves that looked like they would go up to my mid-bicep.

I placed the gloves aside and started to get out of my daily clothes and put on the dress. Once I had it on, I took the gloves and put them on trying my best to have it rolled up past my elbows till they went to the halfway point of my bicep just like I thought they would.

When I was finally dressed and had adjusted the dress, I slowly came out from behind the screen doors and the second my dad saw me in the dress, I could see tears in his eyes.

"Oh.....my darling. Look at you, you're as pretty as a magnolia in May. But something's still missing...wait I know." He soon took something out from his back pocket, a small jewelry box and opened it up to reveal a beautiful silver necklace with a diamond shaped, blue gem at the center. He came up to me and placed it around my neck and said as we now stood before his full length mirror. "There, now you look complete. For behind every good king, is an even greater Princess at his side, and my little darling is going to be the fairest of them all." He said as he now placed on top of my head a silver princess tiara.

"Freddie! Freddie mail's come in and....." Paul soon stood before us and the minute he saw me, his body tensed up and he said. "(Y/n)."

"Paul dear doesn't my little darling look absolutely beautiful?" Freddie proclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me, for that move I smirked at Paul telepathically telling him that my dad was praising me for once and not him.

"Indeed she does." I could tell he was pissed as he strained out to even agree with my dad. He then straightened himself out and handed my dad the mail but I noticed that the folder that held the adoption papers wasn't among the pile.

"Excuse me Paul, where is the manila envelope?" I asked.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked as he glared down at me but making sure not to let my dad see the annoyance clearly written on his face.

"There was a manila folder in the mail today. I would know because I got the mail just a moment ago before dad called me up here. So where is it you prick!?!"

"(Y/n)! There's no need to be crude to Paul. It probably slipped out of his hand or is still lying on the counter where you left them. Now I want you to apologize to Paul right now."

"But—"

"Now!" my dad ordered me. I turned to Paul who wore a smug grin on his face. I turned to dad and he only just looked at me, ordering for me to apologize.

"I'm sorry Paul, you're not a prick". Says sarcastically.

"There, now that that's done. Paul and I need to go over some last minute plans for the party. And I expect to see you in that dress tomorrow my darling." And with that dad guided Paul down the hallways leaving me in my dad's dressing room alone.

From that afternoon into the next day I looked high and low for those papers but it was like they had disappeared out of thin air. Finally it was an hour till party time. I was now all dressed up and my dad was doing my hair and makeup. As we sat down before my white vanity makeup set, I had barely recognized myself all dolled up like this. Dad continued to give my hair some waves with the curling iron, and then once he was satisfied he said.

"Oh my beautiful darling, while I've always said no one could be more beautiful than I, you truly outshine me right now. Everyone is going to love you." I didn't respond verbally back but only gave him a soft smile and a slight nod. "Well we best get going darling, the guests are waiting for us." My dad soon left my room leaving me alone once again.

"I look like a frilled up American Barbie doll, why did I agree to this?" I took a deep breath in before exhaling out. There was no turning back now, and I'd hate to be pestered by my dad about ditching the party tomorrow morning, or have Paul come in and putting words into my dad's head like he's always done and make me look like the bad guy.

I left my room and slowly walked towards the staircase. Already the party had been in full swing for about an hour and a half. Lord knows how many people were here already, not to mention my anxiety was through the roof. I took a few more deep breaths and tried to calm myself down.

Slowly step by step as I gripped onto the railing with my gloved hand, I walked down the steps to hear 'Crazy little thing called love' was now blasting through the speakers. Already hundreds of people were lining up along the halls in either party suits or costumes of various things or types of people.

I tried to weave my way through the crowd but I kept getting shoved or pushed around. I would hop up and down hoping to spot my dad or at least someone that I knew so that way I wouldn't feel alone in my own house. Suddenly fire shot out in front of me and I jumped back fearfully as people applauded for the fire eaters that just performed.

"Dad? Excuse...excuse me dad? Dad where are you?" I called out but due to my anxiety, it only came out as faint which was easily drowned out by the music. Soon the music suddenly changed and the people around me cheered loudly as they began to frantically dance and jump around.

Due to the dancing now, it made going through the house even more difficult. Suddenly I felt someone slam into me and I was knocked into the snack table which sent some of the food and drinks spilling out everywhere. Champagne now stained my dress and around my face and hair was hummus and god knows what other dips there were.

"Ahh my new spring dress! Why don't you watch where you're going you little brat!" a strange woman yelled at me as I saw that some of the marinara sauce for the shrimp on her dress. She glared down at me with hateful eyes before walking away hearing her calling me names, just like the names some of my other foster parents in the past used to call me.

Tears filled my eyes and I could barely pull myself up from the ground as I felt like huddling up and cry my eyes out. Where was dad at? Why didn't he wait for me at the foot of the steps? Why.....

"(Y/n)?" my head shot up and I must have a Guardian angel watching over me or something for coming up to me were my uncles.

"What happened? Are you okay?" asked Uncle Roger. Since Uncle Deacy was the closest to me, I spoke not a word but just embraced him as tight as I could as I wept hysterically. I cried and cried and cried until I felt like my heart was going to sink and my voice would crack. I felt him wrap his arms around me and he tried to comfort me as best he could by rubbing my back, stroking my wet hair, and whispering in my ear.

"Shhh, shh. It's alright love, it's alright. I'm here. I'm right here." I felt him place a kiss at the top of my head as well as my temple but soon everything just tuned out, all I wanted was to just disappear inside my Uncle's embrace.

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hogbullpup · 5 years ago

Text

Ruminations-life, love, relationships

For the past nine months I haven’t been pursuing a boyfriend or boyfriends until either 1, my mental health improves, 2, I can move on from being a part-time caregiver for my mom and let my brother take over, 3, I can find a better job/career, or all of the above, but I’ve been feeling so lonely lately that I’m wondering if I should just say “fuck it” and get back on both growlr and twitter. Still, I feel like I haven’t gotten out a lot of my own thoughts about my personal shortcomings in my last relationship and other concerns before pursuing another one, and this is as good a place as any as no one’s really here anymore, so long story incoming...

About 6 years ago, after coming out as a proud lover of large, hefty men I started exploring chub/gainer communities around in the area and after a while found a big fella who ended up becoming my best friend, whom I’ll call C. We bonded very quickly; after a while we were hanging out once a week consistently and I soon developed feelings for him.

Around the time C and I were hanging out and bonding, my dad was diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer and 3.5 years ago passed away. 6 or so months after that C asked if I wanted us to be more than just friends, but I put him off because I was in a bad mental state, partly from my dad's brutal battle with cancer and partly from my own insecurities. This hurt C far more than I knew at the time, and I still don’t forgive myself for causing him that much pain.

Early 2018

Some time later, March 2018, I told C I was being dumb and that I loved him deeply, and we started dating, but he told me that in that time he had discovered the pup community and found a sir/handler, S, who was moving to the area soon with his other 2 pups. I on the other hand in that time had been looking for community with the Seattle bears and chubs, however I felt their scene was kind of cliquey, financially discriminatory, and on occasion racist (despite how physically attractive I found a lot of them--this was really frustrating for someone who is only attracted to bigger, fluffier men).

So in the first couple months of C and my relationship I started exploring the pup scene/fetish online and in a couple of gatherings, and enjoyed a lot of what I saw, but it also left me with more questions than answers (turns out I'm far more switch than dom) and C certainly couldn't answer all of them given the fact that he was still a very new puppy. He specifically admitted that the details of our relationship became harder because I wanted to explore pup play, but at the same time wasn't at all sympathetic because I was partly exploring pup play just because he was into it, which he really didn't like (I also lied about this which still makes me feel sick, and danced around the issue instead of just being honest and saying "babe I just wanted to explore and be involved in the things you like"). This became even harder for me because C was being quickly welcomed into S's family, and got his collar soon after they moved to the area. I didn't want at all to intrude on their family because it would be psycho rude and I didn't even know any of them, but I was also deeply protective of C at the same time, and didn’t know how to handle my insecurities. I wish I had the emotional knowledge then that I do now. Starting to date C was a big change for me going from open-but-committed to my first poly relationship, so I was upset that I couldn't explore poly WITH C. It didn't seem fair.

Jealousy took over and I started telling C that I might want to pursue a family like S had, because if he was able to build a family exclusively of cute, chub pups than so could I. C cautioned me that S got very lucky compared to most, and that the likelihood of me being able to find a few gay partners all of the chubby variety and all of whom are compatible was very unlikely, and even if possible would take years (but, to my frustration, he would never give me a clear NO). While this sat heavy with me and I knew he was most likely right, it didn't help with my feelings of complete helplessness and isolation in my situation. I continued to ruminate. A big part of it that I fully regret and admit to is jealousy, and I had no idea before this whole situation that I was such a jealous person. But there was also massive anxiety--the feeling that there was nothing I could do, a feeling I don't handle that feeling very well, and I think it made my jealousy worse.

So instead of being patient, exploring pup play, enjoying the chub/chaser relationship I had with C, and just seeing how things went, I BADGERED C for some 7-8 weeks with impossible questions like...

"how would dom (me) and sub (him) pup interactions work given the fact he already has a handler?"

or "how can we ever belong to a larger family unit together (this was a big one for me) if your family is full," (I wasn’t his handler’s type anyway. He likes big chubs like I do so deep down I knew this was putting pressure on C to expand our relationship without asking if that was ok first),

or "what if in my explorations I discover I want want to be a handler or just part of a larger family, and somehow want you to be a part of that with me together without stepping on your handler's toes? How will that be possible?" (I knew C was an introvert and probably wouldn’t really have the energy/time to put into another complex relationship like that with me).

I knew that these questions were impossible to answer but still I continued to harass him, even though C told me on multiple occasions I was stressing him out and needed to back off and handle my jealousy and insecurities ("jealousy is poison in poly relationships", he said, and wasn't wrong). And in Fall, after a heated argument, he requested we take a 1 month break, which I spent learning to meditate and mitigate my anxiety and insecurities, while also begging fate for us to be able to stay together. When we met back up, I made my case that I was working hard to overcome anxiety and jealousy, but he told me the damage had been done. I was crushed.

Late 2018

After we broke up I continued to pursue meditation, but to be completely honest it barely kept the anxiety at bay and eventually I just gave up. I lost sleep over losing C for some 5 months, unable to clear my head of all those unanswerable questions for at least 2 hours most nights before falling asleep. I had lost both my best friend and lover, and at the time he was still rooming with my gaming friends and it was awkward for me to hang out, so I just felt alone, which is, without doubt, my one driving fear and what I wanted to avoid at all possible costs.

I remember thinking over and over again that I wished I had never put C off in the first place and had admitted my feelings to him sooner, but at the same time wouldn't have wanted anything to change as far as him meeting S and family. I just wanted things to somehow work between us as I explored what it meant for me to be poly.

Nov-Feb

In the months following our breakup I fought to recover from these feelings of loneliness by STILL continuing to attending pup social events and even a mosh (though I didn't participate in the mosh). It was hard when I would see S and his three pups show up, and I had to fight off nagging bad thoughts every time it happened. Still, I met a couple of very nice chubby pups who I bonded with and became friends. Sadly, despite liking both of them, one couldn't afford to live in Seattle anymore and moved back to Wisconsin, and the other (whom I really liked but was too damaged from my breakup to pursue) got adopted by a couple of husbands and moved just outside of Milwaukee with them. It felt like the universe was picking on me for my fear of being left out or rejected. I was alone again.

Somehow I persisted and survived, but my memories of the few months after that are such a dull blur I'm not sure I was even alive at the time. C and I are good friends again and I have a core group of friends (including him) who I feel close to and game with about once every 2 weeks. I still love him a lot but he's not looking for anything and I need to moderate my attraction to him. Also, time I spend hanging out with him is time I'm not spending looking for a big partner to call my own so I feel weird sometimes when I play around with him and my feelings are so fucking strong. I would like to find a guy I have that connection with who also wants to live together. It's depressing how hard something that simple is to find.

Anyways this has gone on for far too long, but I needed to write down my ruminations somewhere and also double down on goals and reminders for future relationships so I don't make the same mistakes I did before:

-If I'm attracted to a guy as much as I was attracted to C, I need to remember and understand that there probably will be major consequences to putting them off, even if it's for my own comfort.

-If a guy asks me to give him space, legitimately do it, and don't be actively looking for the next opportunity to talk about difficult things.

-If I date a man and he has a master or another family, I need to be happy for him, and not try to follow in his path, unless that's something he would enjoy/welcome (C didn’t, and I didn’t want to accept that). But also emphasize that a family like that is what I’m looking for and ask him to be gentle/supportive with me while I pursue it.

-If I date a man with a master, I need to be patient, respectful, and willing to communicate with him at his pace. After a while I can hopefully ask if I can work to earn the handler/master’s trust to not have to ask permission to do most things with my partner. If that option isn’t available, then it’s probably not the relationship for me.

-Accept that large men who are happy being large and soft are few and far between, and finding one into me is going to take significantly longer than a typical gay relationship, and that if I'm not out there looking, the few opportunities that are there are going to come and go.

-Learn to balance being flexible with knowing my limits, and knowing when to put my foot down. I honestly should have been the first to cut my relationship off with C because he didn't want his partners to cross or for sexual experiences in one bedroom to be shared in the other's bedroom. And right away that should have been a huge warning sign for me because that's something that's very important to me in a poly relationship (though at the time I was very new to poly so that was the first time I discovered what I wanted). I think I partly held on to him so hard because, other than my emotional feelings for him (which built up over some 3+years), there just aren't that many 300+lb non-judgmental guys who are going to find me as attractive as I find them. Regardless, no matter how many boxes a guy ticks for me, if something bugs me that much then I need to not settle.

-Patience. Patience. Patience. I need to learn to relax. It's possible that everything between C and I would have worked out if I'd just been patient. Perhaps not, but I'll never know how much I can accomplish with patience unless I try.

Well, I guess it's time to get back on growlr, dig up my old twitter, and hope for the best.

#chubbychaser #humanpuppy #life is hard #gay relationship #ruminations

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paras-atashnak · 7 years ago

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NICOLAS’ SIMS BIG BROTHER SEASON ONE: CAST REVEAL PART 2

Its time to meet the second 8 cast members for Nicolas’ Sims Big Brother Season 1!

Click HERE to see Part 1

Miracle Robinson

@normani-x-kordei

Name: Miracle Robinson Age: 22 Hometown: Bothell, WA Current city: Seattle, WA Occupation: Youtube Star Three adjectives that describe you: Sarcastic, musical, and athletic. Favorite activities: Football (Soccer), vlogging, and playing the guitar. What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Not being able to see my girlfriend! She’s my biggest support system and best friend, and it's gonna be hard not having her there if things get rough. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? I loved Bridgette Dunning from BB18, her competitive nature and personality were just so likeable. It’s a shame she was robbed but i base my strategy on her own! I really didn’t like Jessica and Cody from BB19, they were so bland and problematic. They managed to win over America solely on their looks and “charisma” or whatever but it was total bull crap! Do you have a strategy for winning the game? I know the “majority alliance” strategy is poor, so I wanna a strong core group of about four to five people who I can utilize for my game, without presenting myself has the bigger target in my group. I wanna use my athleticism to keep myself safe, but only really win com petitions that’ll utilize my own game, such as Power of Veto competitions. I want to undermine my game, up until the point that it’ll be good to share where I stand. Honesty is also very important once people are evicted, so i'm gonna try and avoid getting into pointless fights. My life’s motto is… When you can't find the sunshine, be the sunshine! What would you take into the house, and why? A soccer ball, so that i could play whenever I want! My guitar, cause I love to express my creativity whenever I can! My girlfriend, cause I love her! Fun facts about yourself: I’ve released a full scale album, I have 8 million subscribers on YouTube, I started YouTube when I was 14 years old! I'm the youngest woman of my family and I used to be in an all-girl punk band in college! ’ve released a full scale album, I have 8 million subscribers on YouTube, I started YouTube when I was 14 years old! I'm the youngest woman of my family and I used to be in an all-girl punk band in college!

Ryder Bates

@bugguhl

Name: Ryder Bates Age: 28 Hometown: Houston, Texas Current city: Houston, Texas Occupation: Carpenter

Three adjectives that describe you: Relaxed, Fun, Happy Favorite activities: Building stuff, going hunting, spending time with my family What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Being away from Texas Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? Cody Nickson. He seems like a good guy. Do you have a strategy for winning the game? Sure. My life’s motto is… work hard, play harder What would you take into the house, and why? The Texas Flag Fun facts about yourself: I like building stuff, going hunting, and spending time with my family.

Rafael Torres

@ika-rogers

Name: Rafael Torres Age: 22 Hometown: Hartford, CT Current city: Los Angeles, CA Occupation: Tattoo Artist Three adjectives that describe you: Artistic, Intelligent, Sensitive Favorite activities: listening to music, hanging out with friends, hoeing What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Being away from friends and family and not being able to express creativity. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? Janelle Pierzina Do you have a strategy for winning the game? Stay laying low for the first few weeks and building relationships, then making one loyal ally im honest with and snaking our way to Final 2 together. My life’s motto is… Like I mean I don't even know why you girls bother at this point. Like give up, it's me, I win, you lose. What would you take into the house, and why? I would take my phone in if I could, but just for grindr or something because im sure these men will be a bunch of straight demons. Fun facts about yourself: I am an aspiring model as well as an actor!

Elizabeth Latour

@pizzapocket24

Name: Elizabeth Latour Age: 32 Hometown: Cornwall Current city: Cornwall Occupation: Hairstylist and Aesthetician Three adjectives that describe you: Funny, Loud, and Respectful Favorite activities: Reading, sleeping, doing hair, doing make up, taking care of people and knitting What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Not being able to do my favorite things! Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? I’m a big fan of people that are able to use strategy so people like Ika Wong, Dr. Will, and Vanessa Rousso. People that are very strategic but sometimes actually win competitions. Do you have a strategy for winning the game? Wing it, I guess Fun facts about yourself: When people first meet me they think I’m very shy and quiet but actually I’m very explosive and loud and talkative.

Salem Westcroft

@pantaires

Name: Salem Westcroft Age: 22 Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland Current city: New Orleans, Louisiana Occupation: Psychic/Tarot Card Reader Three adjectives that describe you: Spiritual, Friendly, Intelligent Favorite activities: Reading tarot cards by far What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Being away from my cats. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? Jun Song. Do you have a strategy for winning the game? I'm gonna meditate a lot. Keep a level head. Hopefully if I keep to my rituals, the path to the end will reveal itself to me. My life’s motto is… What goes around, comes around. What would you take into the house, and why? My cards. I've given myself a reading every day since I was twelve. It's helped me prepare myself for things coming my way, and that would be very helpful in this game. Also my cats. I'm not used to falling asleep alone. Fun facts about yourself: I've lived in 20 states, I have seven cats, and I can stick both feet behind my head.

Alexander Thompson

@vanessacries

Name: Alexander Thompson Age: 23 Hometown: Seaside, Oregon Current City: Seattle, Washington Occupation: Scientist Three adjectives that describe you: Kind, Quiet, and Emotional Favorite Activites: Working in a lab, painting, and anything where he can work with animals. What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Not being able to be around a ton of animals, and having to socialize constantly with strangers. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? Rachel Reilly, she was smart and outrageous and not afraid to shake the game up. Do you have a strategy to win the game? Lay low initially and observe everyone to see how they tick. Try to adjust to the dynamic of this house because every big brother house is different. Play big brother like I play chess. My life motto is... don’t show all your cards at once. If you have an advantage, hold it. What would you take into the house and why? My pet fish Paul because he is my favorite friend, my microscope so I could take samples from the backyard and houseguest and do some beneficial research, and a good book, because sometimes I’ll probably need good entertainment. Fun facts about yourself: I have 47 animals that I live with and they are my family and I love them and I hope that they are safe while I’m gone.

Shae Patel

@tahny-lew

Name: Shae Patel Age: 24 Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah Current City: Sacramento, California Occupation: Pro FPS Gamer Three Adjectives that describe you: Committed, lazy, open-minded Favorite Activities: Gaming, napping, doing make-up, watching tv What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? I don’t really like being bossed around. I love working as a team. I need to do that on the daily. But don’t tell me how I should do things. That gets me worked up. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? Can I have two? I’m gonna say two people. I loved Bridgette from season 18. She didn’t take shit from anyone and was really vocal about being a feminist, which I admire. I also loved Ian in season 14! I thought he was so adorable and likeable. I still think Dan should have beaten him, but I loooved Ian that season. Do you have a strategy for winning the game? My favorite person game-wise was Jun from season 4. She had almost no loyalty to anyone and people still kept her. I want to play like that, except be more discreet about it. I don’t want people to know that I don’t have 100% loyalty to anyone. What would you take into the house, and why? I’d take my cat! His name is Lucio and he always knows just how to cheer me up if I’m feeling bad about myself. I’m gonna miss him so much! Fun facts about yourself: I know Hindi and ASL fluently, I’m allergic to seafood, and my favorite color is blue! But like navy blue.

Thaddeus Purdue

@davonnelickey

Name: Thaddeus Purdue Age: 27 Hometown: Palm Springs Current City: New York City Occupation: Computer Programmer Three adjectives that describe you: Friendly, happy, and quiet What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Not being able to have alone time or decompress Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most? Danielle Reyes! She’s the robbed queen. I wish I had the heart to manipulate people like she did! Do you have a strategy for winning the game? I’d like to lay low and become friends with everyone. I want to feel people out before I decide who to pretend to trust and who not to. I’m not afraid to backstab, and I’ll definitely be the one to strike first. Hopefully I’ll get the alpha males out first and only work with women. My life’s motto is... Shit Happens. What would you take into the house and why? My nail clippers. I got some gnarly toenails. Three interesting things about me: I shower with the lights off. Demi Lovato once called me ugly. I have a murse (man purse)

The Premiere will be posted later tonight!

#ns4bb1 #bb19

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goodra-king · 6 years ago

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Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Using a spreadsheet or index cards to manage your clients may make sense when you’re first starting out: there aren’t that many to keep track of, and the clients you do have don’t have a long history with your business.

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

That’s where a client relationship management (CRM) tool comes in. CRMs are not just for big multinationals. There are tremendous benefits to the technology even for small local businesses. The tool is designed to make it easier for both your sales and marketing teams to work effectively and drive even more conversions. Read on, and I’ll take you through all the benefits of incorporating a CRM tool into your workflow.

Scale More Easily

A lot of small business owners are happy to manage their client information in a spreadsheet or word document. At the same time, business owners hope to see their companies succeed and grow. When you’re creating your own haphazard method for tracking your customers, you’re practically ensuring an information bottleneck as your business continues to expand.

CRM tools are designed to grow with your business. When you acquire new prospects, upsell existing customers, add new products and services, or begin a new outreach campaign, these tools are designed to meet you where you are and then keep pace as you broaden your horizons.

A spreadsheet doesn’t have the same flexibility; you’ll soon find yourself struggling to add new columns and tabs, and information will get lost in the shuffle. A spreadsheet also doesn’t integrate with your other marketing and sales tools or provide reports and analytics in the same way that a CRM tool can.

Enhance Customer Experience

Customers today are won and lost based on the experience they have interacting with your business. There is a lot of competition out there, and with the digital landscape being what it is, it’s likely that your customer can find another business that does what you do. So it’s a highly personalized customer experience, with strong attention to detail, that will allow you to stand out from the pack and turn your prospects into return customers.

CRM tools allow you to track all interactions with a customer across platforms. When did they last make a purchase with you, and what was it? Did they submit a review of the product or service they bought? Did they reach out via phone, email, or online chat with a question about their recent purchase? Are they on the mailing list for your newsletter?

There are so many ways in which you interact with customers, and it’s near impossible for a human to track all of these touchpoints effectively and accurately. Having this information all in one place allows all members of your team to better serve customers.

Marketers can send targeted messaging to users who have expressed an interest in a particular good or service your provide. Salespeople can be more proactive about reaching out to customers that they haven’t heard from in a while, and can make a thoughtful reference to something they discussed in their last conversation when they reach out to reestablish contact. Your customer service team can see a history of issues a user has had with a given product and can meet them where they are, rather than making the customer rehash their issue each time they contact you with a question.

Knowing what your customer has done in the past allows you to be thoughtful about your interactions in the future. Adding a personal touch to your interactions is what distinguishes your brand. You increase trust—a key part of the customer relationship—when you show that you not only know what you’re doing, but that you care about the customer and their individual needs.

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Customer segmentation is what gives your marketing efforts that personalized touch. CRM tools allow you to group prospects and clients based on a variety of different attributes: where the lead came from, how they’ve engaged with you in the past, what they’ve purchased from you, or demographics like age or location.

You can then easily send relevant messages to those who meet certain criteria in a given group. All leads that came from attending an event you hosted last month can receive an invitation to your next event, complete with an early bird registration discount. All customers who purchased a given service in the past year can be sent a free copy of your latest white paper on a related topic. All of your customers in the Northwest can be notified when you’re speaking at a conference in Seattle.

Now, sending a message about your Seattle conference appearance to your clients in Pennsylvania might lead them to unsubscribe, since you’re clogging up their inbox with irrelevant messaging. But if that same client receives a personalized note from you, following up on their recent purchase and providing them with a training video about how to better use the item that they bought they’ll likely have a very different reaction. Email segmentation allows you to not only build trust, but also make sure that the right offers are getting in front of the right people, thereby increasing the likelihood of a conversion.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

CRMs don’t just allow you to track the behaviors of existing customers, you can use them to manage your prospects, too. When you can see where all of your prospects are in the customer journey, you can better understand what changes you need to make to your approach to win over more new business.

CRM tools can allow you to see bottlenecks in your sales pipeline. Is there one particular area where conversions just don’t seem to be happening? Once you can see that issue, you can begin to address it. Maybe lots of prospects are eager to sign up for a free trial of your service, but then they’re not converting. That means you should focus on what’s happening with their free trial experience—are they underwhelmed with their experience, or are you not providing adequate follow-up after the trial in order to get them to commit to the paid version?

These tools will also allow you to parse your data based on factors like deal size, expected close date, and last point of contact so that you can direct your sales team to go after the most promising leads or those with the most pressing deadlines attached.

Finally, you can keep better track of the deals that you’ve lost. When you understand when and where you lost out on business, you can then begin to gather the information around the why. Did you drop the ball and wait too long to provide them with information? Did they find a similar product or service at a much lower price? This is the kind of information that allows you to improve your approach with future prospects and ensure your success next time around.

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

Hopefully I’ve convinced you of the many benefits to adding a CRM tool to your business. But now the question becomes, with the myriad of options, which one is best for you? The systems run the gamut in terms of capabilities, so the real key to finding the right one is selecting the tool that best aligns with your goals and needs.

Just because your friend uses and loves a given CRM for their business doesn’t mean it will serve you just as well. Find the CRM that allows you to collect the data that you most want to track and provides the marketing automation features that are most important to you. You’ll also want to consider your team’s level of tech-savvy and workload and select a CRM that lines up with their abilities and bandwidth.

A tool like Hubspot’s CRM is free to use and is very comprehensive. The downside here is that the tool is complex. There will be a learning curve when you implement any new tech, but some CRMs are more involved than others. No matter what program you settle on, you’ll want to be sure that you’re providing your team with the appropriate training and support to make sure that you get the most out of your new system.

A nice middle ground for small business owners is ActiveCampaign‘s CRM. The system allows for marketing automation alongside more traditional sales and CRM features. The platform is fairly intuitive and they offer a variety of pricing options based on your needs and budget.

Today’s business owners are able to collect a lot of information about their customers and prospects, and it comes from a lot of different sources. As a business continues to grow, it’s nearly impossible for a person to accurately track, manage, and analyze all of this data on their own. And when you’re not able to see it all in one place, you’re missing out on valuable conversion opportunities. Turning to a CRM tool to help you manage the information, streamline the way you interact with customers and prospects, and get specific about the way that you approach each individual can empower you to take your business to the next level.

from http://bit.ly/2zGotDj

#Marketing Plan

0 notes

personalinjurylawyer93555 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

restatebrk24219 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

duiatty48170 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

duilawyer72210 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

repumktg61602 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

seocompany35203 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

inetmrktng75247 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

famlawatty6000 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes

constructionsworkr3053 · 6 years ago

Text

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

However, as time goes on, your client list grows, your track record with existing clients becomes longer and more complex, and you need a better way to manage these relationships.

Scale More Easily

Enhance Customer Experience

Send Targeted Messages

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the major benefits to marketers using a CRM tool is the ability to undertake customer segmentation based on past behavior.

Manage Your Sales Pipeline

I’m Sold! How Do I Find the Right CRM?

https://ift.tt/2zIU0od

#Why It’s Time to Embrace a Real CRM Tool for Your Business

0 notes