#im not always consistent with things on this blog if that isnt obvious

[three-soulmates-askblog]

What’s the difference between, like, romantic and queer platonic relationships/soulmates?

Kusuo: and it's different for everyone this is just how it works for us

Mikoto: yeah every relationship is its own!

Reita: we just vibin'

//

I'd like to note I have never been in a queer platonic relationship myself. But I am an aroace individual. This explanation is based on the research I did for myself in writing this askblog. I feel it's important to note this bc everyone's relationship is really the peoples involved own thing. I didn't want to go too deep with their explanation bc like I said I don't have experience with it myself.

Anyway that's all 👍 thanks for reading my note

[sylsaccount]

rare ramble post

it is so hard to be like. yes i am a trans woman. yes i believe that i am biologically male. yes i hate males and i am literally kam about everything. yes i do not think of myself as a man but if someone were to ask me "does kam include all male people in general" i would say yes bc its kind of biased for me to say no and i dont think its worth it to spend the resources to figure out the like 0.001% of good ones. not that kam is a thing i realistically believe in just like. theoretically you know. idk.

its weird trying to live mostly separatist but not earnestly being part of the group u wanna separate with you know? and like. i literally dont believe in gender yet i am a gender haver. that is simplifying it for sure, its not like the way i think about things isnt consistent, but on the outside it seems like i dont make any sense. i dont get along with most rad-aligned ppl for obvious reasons, and i dont get along with other trans people for obvious reasons. ive met a lot of detrans folks lately that i get along with, but i am not and i doubt will ever be detrans myself.

ig i should say i dont get along with trans women, not trans people lol. ive known plenty of trans men over the years, some of which have been close friends. the truth is 99% of trans women act "like males", at least in my experience. and like. i just cant deal with that lol

i just made a post saying im the only real gender abolitionist so its kind of funny that i say "like males". i am not a biological essentialist nor do i like calling behaviors "masculine" or "feminine". yet any woman reading this knows exactly what im talking about. even the ones that claim to be the "good ones" that are "actually women" etc. are walking caricatures. if i have to see one more instance of that hsts slaaay yassss motherrrrr i love sabrina carpenter shit i will blow my brains out (you are fortunate if you have not encountered this group. i personally find them just as evil as those knee sock programmer catgirldick types)

i cant help but wonder if someone similar to me from an outside perspective would judge me the same way, u know? a lot of my interests are stereotypically male, i am autistic, i am kind of an asshole. ofc at the end im always like. well i have actual feminist values and i cant stand males and i always prioritize women over everything so like. its just me being anxious over nothing i think.

this is mostly unrelated but ive also been thinking a lot abt the ppl who follow me. ive had an influx of followers as of late, but there r others who have followed me for a long time. its kind of funny looking through... i have ppl that i know for a fact hate trans ppl. me being trans is not something ive ever specifically hidden, but its also not something i bring up a lot. i just realized bc of that weird anon the other day that its the first time ive explicitly mentioned it on my blog in a couple years. i couldnt help but be worried abt it! at the same time, i have some old friends i dont rly talk to anymore... a couple of which, despite knowing that i am respectful towards other individual trans ppl and that i am not truly transphobic, im sure have taken issue with the types of things i reblog and strongly personally disagree. yet as im looking over who im following, it doesnt look like ive lost mutuals from either camp.

id like to talk to more people too. its hard to dm people for me, as i think it is for many people here. i have some mutuals i would love to talk with, but i am kind of an ass, and they are kind of an ass, and thats why we follow each other, so its like... they may not even wanna be bothered like that u know? i know what its like when u have some coworker or acquaintance u like well enough but then they start trying to be buddy buddy with u and they become a nuisance. i dont wanna be that!!! i am extremely misanthropic myself so its easy to imagine being on the other end

my friend group (some irl and some online) has a little discord group chat we use. we just added someone new and its been very nice. i really do love meeting new ppl when i vibe with them...

u could say. sylvia why dont u just go meet people irl. well, unfortunately, i cannot tell people irl that i have extremely regular homicidal fantasies and think 50% of the population should kill themselves. i cant rant abt all the dystopian shit i am subjected to on a regular basis, bc they dont view it as dystopian. i cant even discuss my own life and perspectives on things because SOMEONE is going to have their feelings hurt (despite me being the one who has trauma abt it -_-). on the computer there are lots of intelligent people with interesting lives who r also kind of losers and hate everything. i like those people.

i dont rly have a point on any of this. just thoughts ive been having.

[actualbird]

okay i could have sworn i saw it on your blog (or maybe it was a wishful fever dream?) but i really thought you said that in your pool of fic ideas you had a ;; marius fic where he has like a competence thing?? or maybe feels incompetent compared to the other nxx members?? and whether thats in your idea pool or not;; i would . love to see either idea . BUT ALSO take care of yourself you write so much so consistently;; which is Wow (positive)

hello!!! okay so i must preface this with the fact i am SO FORGETFUL omg. when i read this i was like ".....i have no memory of this idea" so i dug thru my blog and found 2 things i THINK you might be pertaining to?

theres this short answer i wrote from a few days ago talking about how marius finds competence on the other nxx team members INCREDIBLY HOT. and then theres my analysis on marius von hagen being scared that he'll always be in his older brother's (giann) shadow (which isnt Really competence/incompetence but it's Very Related, imo)

THAT BEING SAID, THANK U FOR THIS ASK (and also ur kind words, yes i will take care of myself, hehe) BC I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO TALK MORE ABOUT----

character analysis: marius von hagen's inferiority complex + youngest child syndrome = dude...r u ok...

wc: 1.4k

SPOILERS AHEAD for Marius SSR Fabulous Feast!!!! and general warning for other marius related spoilers but i cant remember if i got that from global server content or cn server, sorry skdjfbsk. obligatory disclaimer that these r just my own thoughts and interpretations

an inferiority complex is, at its simplest, the prolonged/constant state of feeling inadequate in comparison to other people. i posit that marius has got one hell of an inferiority complex because of him being the youngest von hagen kid.

being the youngest child in a family has the tendency or possibility to create an attention-seeker. attention-seeking behavior happens because a youngest child is not alone, their sibling/s came first. the older ones got the love and praise and time before they could get any of it. now that the youngest is here, thats another kid the family has to pay attention to, and the youngest will do a lot of things to get that attention (because theyre "secondary", the family already had other kids, so theyre used to the song and dance of raising kids, yeah? youngest has gotta work more to make themself stand out). theyll play the agreeable charmer to get positive attention from the family. (keyword: positive. because negative attention...i'll get to that later)

but why is the youngest working so hard to get attention? surely, they must know that attention will come to them naturally, yes? well, when youre a "secondary" member, when you come to see yourself as a footnote to another person, attention from others seems harder to just get naturally. the youngest is not alone, there are others now, and where there are others, there will always, always be somebody "better"

(sidenote: it's pretty obvious that marius is an attention-seeker, yea? i dont have to prove that, right? because uh. just go thru any card story of his kJBKSJDF. //whiny marius voice. JIEJIIEEEEEE🥺🥺🥺)

anyway, the seeds of inferiority are present already, theyre getting sown into the ground of the mind as early as childhood. the notions of second best and stuck in another person's shadow can already begin to take root (and heres a previous analysis about marius being in giann's shadow. wait i already linked it up there. BUT I ALREADY LINKED IT HERE im too lazy to undo it, have it again)

the von hagen family is pretty small tho, when marius is brought into the world. mom von hagen died very quickly after marius was born which only left dad austin and older brother giann. i dont think austin or giann did anything outright to make marius feel inferior, the family seems to be a kind one to each other and marius has mentioned he loves his family a LOT but like, even if u dont mean to make somebody feel inferior, it might just happen for a lot of reasons anyway.

one huge thing that hammers the inferiority complex further into marius' mind is how people OUTSIDE the von hagen family see him, especially when marius takes on the mantle as CEO of PAX. marius is saddled with a whole lot of responsibility and duties and work and that in itself is hard enough but then oopsie daisy, the attention-seeking personality is now hit with its worst nightmare.

aka he gets attention but in the Most Negative Ways. hello negative attention!!

marius doesnt even have to lift a finger to get bombarded by people thinking hes doing a shitass job at running the company. people think him a brat who doesnt know what hes doing. in some instances, marius is compared to his father or older brother. marius is pit against them and hes the loser, the weakest link in the von hagen family, the kid whos out of his depth.

in SSR Fabulous Feast, we get to see Mr. Darby act as a microcosm of people who are against marius for this reason. mc witnesses Darby shittalk marius behind his back (and mc was SO CLOSE to marching over there and throwing her cards at him, god bless her heart).

it's marius though who explains Darby's behavior to mc. Darby was apparently an okay dude back when giann was in charge, but when marius came in, thats when Darby changed. marius then says:

granted, after mc is like UR NOT INFERIOR, dont compare urself to others!! (again, bless her heart, i lov her sm). marius then goes on to say "no no. i AM inferior to giann but also thats okay because i have my own special way to solve problems" and then for the rest of the story he goes on to solve the problem just like he said thru an unconventional yet incredibly effective way

(sidenote: it's fascinating to me that marius' way to solve the problem in Fabulous Feast (and other problems, like that journalist in main story 5.3) is to use Performance and Spectacle as a method, then as threat, then as a cage. in main story 5.3, marius gets the information from that journalist by first acting dumb (performance as method) and then once the jig is up marius goes on to say how this will be a bad scandal for journalist (spectacle as threat) and THEN goes on to trap journalist into folding bc of prev points (performance and spectacle as cage). same in Fabulous Feast, Darby is brought into marius' performance, the spectacle of his "donation" is used as a threat, and then the performance and spectacle traps Darby into doing what marius wants. this is....a WHOLE OTHER ANALYSIS ACTUALLY ABOUT how marius has lived his life with performance and spectacle as his own shackles and thus knows how to weaponize it. BUT IM GETTING OFF TOPIC. LEMME GO BACK)

RECAP: marius is the youngest -> being the youngest lays the bedrock of inferiority -> the inferiority is further cemented by outsiders -> ....now what?

well im going to loop back to ur actual ask, HAHA.

u said "[marius] maybe feels incompetent compared to the other nxx members..." and personally i think this is VERY POSSIBLE YES. because hes in another group. and as he slowly grows to trust them all, i see the nxx team turning into a found family, thus another family where he is STILL THE YOUNGEST.

yeah he works his ass off just as much as everybody else in the team, but the fear is hard to shake, yknow? marius will hide it behind smirks and jokes and slightly asshole-y vibes, but deep down hes scared he isnt good enough for them, like how he isnt good enough for so many people in the ENTIRE WORLD. when the team start giving him positive attention (something he thinks he has to earn by being the charmer and whatever the hell else they want him to be) a new fear can surface:

...when will they see hes nothing but a whiny brat trying too hard for scraps of love?

......when will they stop giving him positive attention because of this?

marius feels incompetent not because he actually is incompetent in reality. he plays an important part in the team, just like everybody else. marius feels incompetent within the team because the patterns and experiences of his life has calibrated him to think himself inferior.

if i were to write a fic exploring all of this (and i use the word "if" because my gdrive folder for tot fic wips is...IT'S A LOT....) i would write a fic where the team is kinda just like..."hey is marius okay because lately the media has been particularly ruthless towards him, unprovoked"

and marius waves away whoever asks him and hes like "im fine, but awwww, youre worried about me, thats so sweet!!! you like me more than you let on, eh ;)" and then after luke or vyn or artem or mc rolls their eyes at his antics hes like "[internally] good theyll NEVER KNOW that im actually getting hugely worn down by the current media shitstorm and that their worry means so much to me but if i let them help theyll see me as the incompetent brat i am and they can NEVER SEE ME LIKE THAT OR ELSE I WILL WITHER AND DIE"

and like the team obviously see hes upset and they try to help. every instance of help hammering more and more fear into marius. the more help he needs, the more "useless" marius becomes

and it's a whole mess but eventually the team and marius come together and like, FRIGGING TALK HONESTLY ABOUT FEELINGS and then nxx fluff time of emotional healing

THIS ANSWER NEEDS TO END NOW IT'S TOO LONG KSFDSJ. I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE!!

[latetaektalk]

hi there ^^' i'm... kinda new to this whole tumblr thing and have been wanting to write on here for a while but this huge place is kinda scary sometimes haha ;; do you have any writing tips or tricks that would be good to know for newcomers? (also your music taste is immaculate, i love it)

hey love 💕 first of all, welcome to tumblr!! its a fun place,, youre gonna love it, and learn to hate it lol second of all, thank you for complimenting my music taste 😳

now im not quite sure if you want only writing tips or writing blog tips, so ive included tips and tricks for both!

WRITING BLOG TIPS :

have a masterlist. this might seem stupid and obvious, but ive seen people with no masterlist. people are lazy, so if they cant access your writing easily, they will just click away.

have a clean theme. aesthetics are important. they are. people love clean and easy to navigate themes. again, people are lazy, so if you make it easy to click through your blog and get to your writing, youll increase the chance of people reading your stuff!

how to get your work show up in general. putting links in your fanfic might lead to your story not showing up in the search. ive also heard that a banner thats too big can cause that. even using too many tags can lead to your work not showing up. its complicated.

the first five tags. im sure youve heard abt this already but the first five tags are the tags that will actually show up! so if someone follows #bts fluff and you tag your fic with that, your fic can show up on people's dashes as a recommended post!

tag accordingly. speaking of tags, please tag accordingly! theres nothing more annoying than finding a jimin fanfic in the taehyung fanfic tag. i really discourage you from mistagging your stories. if im scrolling through the taehyung fanfic tag and find a jimin fanfic, it makes me want to not read it. just tag your fics accordingly.

reblog your fics. i mean it. seriously, reblog them as much as you want! people live in different time zones or sometimes forget abt wanting to read your stuff, so reblogging it consistently for a week or so to get it on people's dashes helps!

teasers and taglists. i recommend doing both! teasers help to get people excited for your story and taglists ensure that people will read it, or at least remember to!

dont stress abt notes. now, this is less of a tip but rather something i just really really really want to tell you! i know youve heard this before, but please do not stress about notes. tumblr fame does not exists! it doesnt matter if your writing gets 2 notes or 300 or 5k notes! i do understand how getting a lot of notes can be motivating (every fics deserve all the love in the world by the way!!) but in the end, it should not be your motiviation to write. focusing on notes will ruin writing for you. it will. the amount of notes your fic will reach has nothing to do with how good your writing is. dont let something as superficial as notes ruin the fun of writing for you. its seriously not worth it! write for you and no one else!

WRITING TIPS :

write self indulgent fics. i seriously think all fics should be self indulgent. writing fics should be fun, so please write whatever you want! also, theres no such thing as an overdone trope. if you want to write a fake dating enemies to lovers fic, please write it! you might think there are already a bunch out there and its not worth writing another one, but youre wrong! there isnt one out there thats been written by you yet. go write it!

make playlists. now this is a bit specific to me because im absolutely obsessed with music, but making playlists that fit the mood of the fic has always helped me while writing and gotten me out of writers block before!

take your time. writing is freaking hard and when writers block hits, theres rarely ever something that you can do. try not to stress too much abt it! it happens to the best of us!

balance dialogue and detail. its important to find a middle. if im reading a fic and theres paragraph after paragraph after paragraph of detail, the chance of me just skipping that part is really high. because even though i love detail, it does get boring. so use dialogue to spice it up!

reading. okay, this sounds weird because youre asking for writing tips, but reading seriously help your writing so much! if you wanna improve your writing skills, reading a lot is going to be key. now, im not saying reading is necessary, but i do think that it can help you to better! whats even more important though is that you try to analyse people’s writing while reading. when i say you should analyse people’s writing, i do not mean you should write an entire analysis of a book, but to take a second and think to yourself how the authors just did that. how did they convey oc’s sadness? why did they just describe the weather? whats the purpose of this scene?

switch up sentence/paragraph length. shorter sentences/paragraphs = emphasise something and pick up the pace. longer sentences/paragraphs = slow down the story and allow for more detail. its important that you do a mix of both. utilise the length to your advantage. a well placed short sentence/paragraph can pack a lot of punch and turn your sad story in a heartbreaking one.

outline your fics. look this is very personal again because some people dont like to outline their fics, but i recommend outlining your fics. and when i say outline your fics, you can do it as little or as much as you want! it can be a few notes, or a long list of every detail you want to include. i just want you to know where this story is headed. its so easy to write yourself in a corner and trust me, you dont wanna end up there.

allow yourself to be free. this connects to the previous point i just made. even though i do recommend outlining your fics, i am also a firm believer of taking the story somewhere else if you feel like it. ive scrapped complete outlines before. half of the scenes i write also arent in my outline at all. you dont have to stick to the outline. if you think that a specific scene would add something to your story, then please go ahead and write that scene. just always remember where youre headed and dont loose focus.

have fun. i just really wanna reiterate this point again. its just so important to me that you have fun while writing! seriously. its just fanfiction. it should be fun. go crazy. i support you!

okay bub i hope this was helpful 💕 if you have any other questions/want more tips/want me to elaborate on something, please just hit me up! my ask box is always open!

[thesunnyshow]

Name: reya

Writing Blog URL(s): @chu-ni

Age: 19

Nationality: african-british

Languages: english, swahili, korean

Star Sign: libra

MBTI: enfp/entp (it always changes lol)

Favorite color: purple!

Favorite food: i really love chicken burgers

Favorite movie: princess and the frog

Favorite ice cream flavor: vanilla!!

Favorite animal: elephants

Go-to karaoke song: fancy - twice

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? caramel frappe with whipped cream, in general i prefer tea though

Dream job (whether you have a job or not)? secretary general at the UN….or an author

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose? making anyone agree with me and do what i want them to do

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose? ancient egypt!!

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?.....no.

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken? neither if i could lmfao but i’d go for 100 chicken sized horses

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been? the nerd who’s actually really pretty after she gets a cool makeover 

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures? im not sure about aliens, but i definitely believe in ghosts and spirits.

What are some small things that make your day better? when i can have moments to myself to enjoy my own company. or when someone asks me what i want to eat and they bring it for me 🥺

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know? uhm…...probably the fact that i write fanfiction lol..but outside of that! i sing in the shower. and i talk to myself a lot.

What fandom(s) do you write for? nct dream currently, but in the future i want to expand to other groups!

When did you post your first piece? 17th of June 2018.

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? i can never write just one genre. predominantly i write fluff with a dash of angst for spice simply because i love a story that has an issue and then having that issue be resolved for a happy ending. when i started my blog i was 17, and so i said i wouldn't write smut. now that i'm older im feeling more and more comfortable writing suggestive content at the very LEAST.. so maybe in the future i might write smut, who knows? i like writing fluff because i like making people feel good, but i like adding angst to it because i feel like the contrast between the two is very *chefs kiss* to me.

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc? i only write x readers!

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr? i first got tumblr when i was 13 years old and i was a fresh kpop fan lmfao. i wanted somewhere that shared my interests. of course i discovered x reader fics on here and i was in awe, i guess of how much power writers had in contributing to fandom content and keeping readers satiated. i’d always loved to write and so i’d always wanted to start my own writing blog, and for 2 years i did write for other blogs! it wasnt until 2018 that i finally took the leap and decided to start my own, because i wanted to impact people's emotions and take them on a journey through my writing.

What inspires you to write? what inspires me….teen movies, music!! music is a big one for me, and also the books that i read. i also grew up playing otome games so the plots and writing from those influence my writing a lot.

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most? i really enjoy writing royalty!aus as well as exes!aus. i love to do them cause they require me to build a world and with royalty aus specifically i love weaving together bits of political intrigue, or arranged marriages, etc. its so much fun!!

What do you hope your readers take away from your work? that if this world is too rough or too much, you can always escape from it. it might not be physical, but immersing yourself in a universe that's entirely different for a little while can help soothe you.

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively? usually i try and take breaks. the problem with that is that my breaks can go on for longer than i’d like and im trying to fix that. so my other solution is to read read read!! read as much as i can, or go back to books that i loved. ask myself what i liked about the writing, what are some parts that i thought were amazing examples of good writing - i note them down then see if i can apply that to my own work. another thing i do is take a break from writing my longer, fleshed out works and write blurbs! blurbs are a great way for me to write but not feel like its tedious because i don't have to spend as much time on them and it gets me into the groove of writing without feeling stressed out.

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful? my favourite piece of work is miscommunication. it took me months to write that, even after i lost all the work halfway through, and its the longest piece of work i have written so far, so its kinda like my baby. my most successful is candy jar. its also the work i owe my blog exposure to - it was the first piece i published, and it was also the first piece of writing i did in around 4 years.

Who is your favorite person to write about? i don't have much out for them, but i really enjoy exploring mark’s and jeno’s characters. they're people, but in my work i enjoy analysing them and judging how they’d act in different contexts.

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose? the only difference for me is that fanfiction (depending on the fandom) has some of the stuff fleshed out for you already, such as the world its in. if youre the type to write AUs then the only thing you already have is the characters - the planning, the writing, the drafting, and everything else is still the writer's responsibility. therefore there isn't much of a difference between the two for me.

What do you think makes a good story?  a good story, to me, is one that takes me on a journey. it could be any genre, but i like to feel immersed and connected to the characters and the world in it. also aside from the obvious, like good grammar, a good story feels natural to read. i don't feel like skim reading half of it.

What is your writing process like? my writing process consists of me getting inspiration - usually from a song, or a film or a book ive read or a game ive played - i note down my idea and who i want the story to be about, and then bullet point the whole story, with some snippets of particular dialogue i want the reader or the other person to say at certain scenes. i then open another document ( i have a writing app on my phone, called werdsmith, so i use that!) and set a word count goal i want to hit so i can track my progress and start writing the fic, with fleshed out language and exposition. when im done (usually after a couple weeks up to a few months, depends on the length of the plan) i read through it to fix any mistakes, then i transfer it to docs so i can read it again and italicise any areas i feel need it.

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story? i...don't think so. mainly because the original fiction i read and would like to write for myself is predominantly fantasy, whereas the fanfic i write on my blog is usually non-idol, normal fics. 

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand? im a SUCKER for enemies to lovers, royalty ofc, “and they were roommates”, and i think superhero aus are really cool but there isnt enough of them :( idol/you as member aus....not feeling her… also abo/werewolf/vampire aus….not feelin em

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you? a LOT. a HUGE amount!! i said before how i like giving my readers somewhere where they can immerse themselves as an escape, even for a short while. hearing about how my work affected them, made them feel, makes me feel less insecure about what im writing and thus more confident to publish it.

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)? i’d say reblogs. and also putting out more content. when i first uploaded candy jar i went to my one of my favourite writers (jaeminlore) and asked her if she'd be okay with reading it and giving feedback. to my surprise she loved it and her reblogging it to all her followers is literally what gave me a bunch of followers all of a sudden who loved what i’d written. to keep that momentum i created more and more content, and while i haven't uploaded as often as i've wanted to or written as much as i’d wanted to, i can say i have a good amount of work on my masterlist for people who are looking for more to read.

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged? 100%. fanfic has an unfair reputation for just having bad writing and cringey fics (and i feel like this is because of the way society views the demographics who predominantly consume and create it), when in reality i feel like those who write fanfiction are extremely talented and selfless people. they're on the internet creating content for free for people to enjoy and like any other work of art they're putting time and effort into it. i think it should be respected. any form of art is going to have its good and bad sides.

Do you think art can be a medium for change? hmmm….yes. i feel it can be a way to reflect the thoughts of people and also be a way to inspire people to do more.

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself? sometimes. sometimes i feel like i'm forcing myself to write because i feel like if i don't then people will forget about me or they’ll forget about my blog. while what i choose to write about is for me, i feel like the speed of my writing and what im writing isn't to the quality i want it to be cause i feel like i gotta get it out for people to read.

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times? i've never felt that way!

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr? only 2 of my friends know, and i only told them like. a week ago!

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers? i wish you guys would message me more! i'm quite a sociable person, and i’d love to have regular anons who talk to me 👉🏽👈🏽

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there? i think one common thing amongst all writers is that we write what we want to read. so don't feel like nobody's gonna read your work, cause somebody will. you gotta act like your work is top tier even if someone says it isn't - always write the best you can, and just do it! like don't even give yourself time to overthink it, write that fic, make it look pretty, upload it onto tumblr and do not be afraid to ask your favourite fic writers to read your work once its up!! i’d be happy to read and give feedback for any fic writers as well so don't feel afraid! 

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr? ive been on here for 7 years….i grew up on this site lmfao. but i don't think i regret joining tumblr once.

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? shes not very active anymore and i miss her very much but user hyuck-s was so supportive and i love her!!

Pick a quote to end your interview with:

she believed she could, so she did.

BONUS ROUND: K-POP CONFIDENTIAL 

[viridescent-lament]

someone paying an absurd amkunt of attention to my recent rbs may have noticed all the art i rbed is tagged with inspo and favorites. and that is because. i can look at so many things i love in all this art. and look at my art and realize i cant even begin to mimic that. i cant compare. 

im going to back up because theres a bit more i think. just a dump of things that have affected? my mood

a few days ago. i look at my face. i see bumps. i am very concerned (im supposed have a clear face because thats one of the few consistent compliments on my face thats the one measurable thing that i liked about it -)

i do a mask or two (a rare event, and a different maskni havent used before) it doesnt gok away. but while im looking. i realize i dont hate my face (at the time). i recognize several things that arent bad and some that are neutral. from this point on ive cokntinued to do an apricot scrub but those bumps remain (they were there befoe school but i suspect wearing a mask all day has worsened it.)

i work on an art piece for a few days. i am not happy wiuth it but it doesnt look bad.i post it before school.

now that im finihed with that piece i need something to do during school. i crochet. made a coaster in one bus ride to school, another between classwork, and most of one during a mostly free period, which was completed on the bus. (to be fair. its 5 rounds and described as quick to work up)

the first i give to my teacher before school. she is nice about it. notably, i offered it to a teacher i had last year first, who mentions she still has a doily i  gave to her last year, and she thinks of me when she sees it.

i gave the second to my art teacher. he is very nice about it, which is not unusual but always makes me :D

also during art. i work on a pinch pot and recieved positive feedback relating to it beijng a square and alsl me adding orbs to the corners. notably. i placed the pot on my friends desk and said something along the lines of 'i crave [feedback/attention]' (dont remember exact wording)

i try to finish the last coaster in last period to give to my teacher but fail. i do give it to my friend while we're in the bus and she has a very sweet reaction (involving gasping and compoiments and i noticed her staring at it for awhile after)

sometime after that on the bus ride i think about how nice positive feedback is and vaguely wish my friend from last year who always had an extreme good reaction to gifts and kind acts was still here.

the art has not had any feedback beyond the requester/my friend (who is the requester). thats not too bad but i dont rb it to main bcs i want to post the speedpaint first.

i start working on getting the speedpaint up. i need a song. i ask my sisters while we r outside about songs i can use. the twins are alsok planning 'celebration days' for mema. we end up singing and they stol and say my voice is good. a bit more singing and me being embarrassed and sinking to the floor with my hands covering my face at one point. i have been convinced to join them in singing a song for mema.

at this point i was excited. i am critical of my voice and have not sung much since third grade choir (i auditioned the next year but did not make it, which was discouraging for a small child).

next day. another apricot scrub to maybe get those bumps off. excited messing around with twins in morning. printing out pictures of myself at emmas request. and printing song lyrics. mema is mowing outside. i begin to practice. i doknt hate it. i stop and drink water. i try to memoripe lyrics, although i donot get ti the end. considering posting my singing on blog. twins go swimming. i take a small break. post speedpaint. 

twins come inside w kai. they are all in a bad mood. i try to start again, slightly nervous/embarrassed to sing in front of people. 'im a little pitchy' 'yeah you are' - kai. kais always like that but. emma also says its not good. notably emma is never like that. i dont really care cuz its obvious shes in a bad mood even without avas reassurance. 

ava convinces me tok play tea party. kai clinks spoon against ceramic cup and it hurts my ears. i tell her to stop and she does. kai tells me to go off my tablet. i cokntinue with the internal justification 'its overwhelming to focus on them only (not exact words)'. ear still hurts from cup clinking. small snarking between kai and i. twins and kais voice eventually becoming more and more irritating. i leave tea party.

later twins trying to get my attention and i answer aggressively and they say nevermind. internally i amthinkung that this isnt even overstimulation/bad noise (cant remember word for that) just me being annoyed at them for no reason. 

speedpaint has recieved no attention. i shoukdnt care but am slightly disappointed. i try going through open tabs to rrb things. all the art is amazing. i tag everything as inspo and favorites, because its all amazing. i keep noticing littke techniques that each piece does. two handle lineart color differnces better than i did on that request. one has a sketchiness to the lines that adds to it. one has beautiful flowers that i could never get. i think about improving. i dont know how. i cant figure out how to learn. and other self depreciation.

that self depreciation continues with my singing. i cant do it. im not good at singing. i cant memorize the words. etc. mema is out of the house and i try practicing again. i cant get myself to sing. i eventually tell twins i cant do it. 

throughout this. i try to listen to music. watch videos. something to blockbout the noise and get the right noise. nothing works. currently settled on a song that almost does it.

theres alot of internal emotion that i dont know how to describe. 

logically i know myart didnt get nktes bcs it was posted while my friends were offline. and art not getting notes is one thing thatas nkt even a major part of this. but.

i am disgusted by my face right now. i doknt know whats wrong with it. i dont know whats wrong with my body.

ive been thinking about cutting my hair. i like how it looks now. and have recieved a random compliment from somebody i dont know at school. who said i could really pull it off. but. i want to experiment. ill probably come back to this style. but i want to try some stuff.

[asexualdoctorwho]

Hi! I'm a huge fan of your blog :) I was just wondering, do you think the sexual-Doctor is something that has mainly come from New Who? I've always thought that it was the weakest part of the series and added more complications with the doctors characterisation than it did develop it. Thanks!

Yeah the Doctor being implied to be romantic or sexual is basically just a New Who thing. Classic Who really kept The Doctor pretty asexual and aromantic. And obviously, I personally do not view this as a positive change. (I am, however, very glad that 12 has helped move us back into the realm of a pretty aroace coded Doctor) I mean there is still a bunch of stuff with 9, 10, and 11 that can be considered ace coded, and Matt Smith said 11 is asexual, but those Doctors were not as consistently portrayed as clearly ace. In Classic Who they basically had a ‘no hanky-panky’ in the TARDIS rule, which meant The Doctor was portrayed as very very asexual and pretty ding dang aromantic. New Who does not have this same rule and has insisted on some romantic subplots and sexual jokes, and therefore doesn’t characterize The Doctor as clearly ace, or at least not nearly as clearly as they were in the Classic series. That doesn’t, however, mean that the New Who Doctors are no longer asexual. New Who has made that characterization less obvious and more debatable, but has not done anything that explicitly invalidates their asexuality, and has on occasion in actually supported the idea in some ways. Its just less obvious ace coding. The Doctor is still ace, and I will fight anyone on it, but New Who isn’t as loyal to that characterization.

New Who has also caused some serious problems for an aromantic interpretation of The Doctor. I mean I’m not saying its completely ruled out the possibility of a 100% aromantic Doctor but it has definitely... made things more difficult. And that upsets and disappoints me. The Doctor being aro ace is very important to a lot of people, myself included. And New Who has basically thrown the idea of an aromantic doctor under the goddamn bus. And that pisses me off. I don’t wanna be like ‘new who!doctor isnt aro’ and make it seem like im invalidating peoples headcanons, esp since its a headcanon I share, but I also don’t want to ignore the fact that New Who has been pretty bad about its portrayal of The Doctor’s romantic orientation, and that is a problem. As far as I see it The Doctor, as a character, IS aromantic (or at aro-spec), and New Who is just not doing a good job of protraying that, but that doesn’t change the fact that The Doctor themself is aromantic/aro-spec and should be written as such.

And honestly part of what bothers me most about this is that its... basically just fan service. Like, making The Doctor romantic or sexual doesn’t add anything to character. It’s just throwing some sexual jokes and romantic subplots in just because. Like they threw a-spec fans under the bus for... basically nothing. 

So, in summary:

Yeah I think implying The Doctor is in anyway romantic or sexual is mostly a New Who thing

I don’t think it really adds anything to their character, and I suspect its basically just fan service in the form of unnecessary romance

I still think The Doctor is hella a-spec though, and nothing in New Who disproves this, and I will gladly meet anyone who disagrees behind the Arby’s for a 2 hour lecture, a powerpoint, and an ass kicking.

basically I agree with you 100%

[sunjaesol]

Thoughts whilst watching 6x11

- SCOTT IN THE BEGINNING MINUTES IM LIVING (Now we can all forget the tragic beginning of 6x01) - Assistant coach awwww yes - Thank the fucking Gods Hayden is gone. I’m sure the actress who played her was very nice but her character was cheesy and useless and I’m glad she’s gone. Also, I like Liam more when he’s single. - Mason is basically Stiles 2.0 but in a good way.  - Well, Corey didn’t annoy me.  - Interesting how they call back on the mantra that was central in s4. Like Liam said later on, he doesn’t need it anymore. What triggered him for hil to need to use it again. It doesn’t really make sense. He was very much in control of his powers in s5 and s6A. - Also, seniors? That doesn’t make sense. Liam joined BHHS in the end of Freshmen year (s4), then in s5 and s6A they should be Sophomores (which is legit since they can drive a car). Now they should go to Junior year, NOT senior year. It just doesn’t make sense. But oh well, it’s not the first time Teen Wolf fucked up dates.  - Liam and Scott casually go into the forest with no explanation leaving everyone else on the field. Definitely not suspicious.  - ... bugs out of a wolf? Is this 3B all over again?  - more... dead wolfs? Hunters? That’s what 6B would be about, right?  - DYLAN (excuse me, Stiles) ISNT IN THE FUCKING INTRO WHAT - Also, besides him not being in the intro, I still hate it in general. I know amateur editors who can make an intro that’s a hundred times better than that.  - MALIA AND LYDIA HANG OUT THIS IS FANFICTION COME TO LIFE - wHAT happened to all of their rooms anyway? Scott’s room has changed, Lydia’s as well.  - Malia going to France? Nod to the Argents? Isaac x Malia fanfics come to life? Where is Isaac anyway? Did he die?  - Is it me or do Lydia’s eyebrows look odd?  - “I want mysterious men. French ones.” Trust me, Malia, you don’t want mysterious French men.  - They both look cute btw. True to their style. (Although Lydia’s style has changed a lot since junior year. We don’t get to see her in dresses and braids a lot anymore.) - Did anyone see the parallel of Scott and Liam sitting together on the bed with Stiles and Scott staring at the load of money in s4?  - Suitcases don’t do that. And please, have they never learned to fold clothes? Boys.  - AND SPECIAL GUEST STAR DYLAN O’BRIEN IS THIS WHAT HE IS DERATED TO? A GUEST STAR? FUCK EVERYTHING (kidding im glad he’s even in 6B) - Is Dylan Sprayberry little? I feel like he is.  I viewed his resume on imbd: he’s 5′7″. So he’s small for a male. I’m taller than him lol.  - Another hellhound? Locked since 1912? And why the hell is Eichen House still around? You would think that after everything with Lydia in s5b, that Natalie would sue the constitution for practically murdering her daughter. Of course, she would need to exploit all supernatural, but still. Even the non-supernatural people they treat poorly. - I suppose we’re going to find out later who the white haired dude is? Or did he die? And is the black guy dead? And how did the nurse not know about this? If he is able to get in this part of the facility, he must have known about this.   - “Everyone says it’s an easy A.” Bitch please you need to WORK for Latin. It’s fun though. Anyways...  - The counsellor gives me the creeps. She knows shit. Also, after this many seasons, we all know not to trust new employees at BHHS. Except for the Yukimura’s. (#KiraDeservedBetter)  - ugh Corey, can you be any more obvious?  - “and yet you never come into my office and share any of these thoughts”, well... perhaps it’s none of your business.  - Nolan is the new character right?  - So, he’s going to be the snitch? I get it though. After three years of constant supernatural it would be odd no one from the outside never said anything.  - Lol. The Beast Of Gevaudan was supposed to be an animal attack? Right. Can you guys believe that was Mason? Wild.  - Honestly, I would be that bitch that would pick every book from the Mythology and Superstition section.  - “Why does this keep happening to our school?” idk Sydney, I don’t know.  - Also I feel like their CGI just keeps getting worse? - And I also suppose it will be later explained how there was a rat attack? - How did “Hellhound 1912″ get these clothes that fit him so well? Did he have time to go to H&M? - Sydney has such pretty hair btw - Oh look we’re there again. Where everything shitty happens. - A... rat massacre? - Rat King? - Principal Martin allrrighht go her. - oh no it’s the butterfly sweater girlie no - not about teen wolf but it hurts when I move my neck,, anyways - well they are your students and if they have supernatural issues you should know about them and help them. they can’t learn if they have shit going on.  - “and you have to go rule in one” yessssss Lydia will be the baddest bitch of MIT.  - The taser. Another nod to the Argent’s. - I love Scott and Melissa’s relationship. It feels organic. It really reminds me of my relationship with my mum. (Without the supernatural part, of course.)  - Scott’s look when he sees she knows about the herbs is incredible. Melissa’s kind of like their new emissary. I always thought Stiles would be it, but I suppose the role is for Melissa. (Deaton seems to not be present so... ???) - I feel like this is what Malia did in the hiatus between 5B and 6A. Like, Stiles called up Lydia if he thought something was happening and then he called Malia to investigate. She’s doing it very routinely so this was not the first time she’d one something like that.  - Mason standing back is like Stiles being afraid of needles.  - Ah, I love Malia.  - Poor Melissa. Thought she was getting some lumpia’s.  - Great. Now the whole hospital saw Liam shift. Fucking great. More patients for Eichen House.  - Lydia has a key to Scott’s house. She probably got that idea from Stiles (ehehehehehehehehe i’m trash) - Wop. The lights fall out. This can’t be good.   - I love how this is shot. The eerie sounds, the shadows, yet her face is perfectly lit. It’s great. - Did Holland’s breasts get bigger since 6A?  - Never pick up the phone when you’re in a horror movie.  - The spider webs(?) is a bit like the red strings in 3B when Stiles went missing. The rules of her powers stay consistent which is very nice. - “You let it out, you were supposed to ride with the Hunt forever.” Okay, so the Wild Hunt still plays a part in 6B, but how does that tie in with everything else? And what is “it”? Stiles? - That Toyota promo though. Doesn’t make sense though that Mason has a new car. He got one from his parents for his 16th birthday in s5B and that was a different one. (I pay attention, guys) - Late Night Study Hall in the Library. Is that a thing? That’s a thing? Is it an American thing? I think it is.  - *cue Western music* hellhound vs hellhound. ready, set, fire! - ah, so the counsellor has all the books. alright. shady bitch. - when you casually have a gun with you at school. she’s a guidance counsellor god damn it.  - “If the Wild Hunt couldn’t keep you, nothing can.” So he has a connection to the Wild Hunt? Right, hellhounds are connected to them. right right right. So the wild hunt was also there in 1912? - “No... no, it’s not you.” WHO IS IT? Scott? Stiles?  - Huh. When Stiles uses his bat it often ends better than that. Oh well, Mason has time to learn. - When Derek said Liam will become strong he wasn’t kidding.  - This episode is just shot really great. - STILES HIS CAR - “Be Gentle” fuck im emotional how does a fucking character do this to me - wow Lydia could you be any more creepy.  - “We can’t leave.” Stiles really influenced her damn - Out of context but I like skinny Liam more than buff Liam. Also his hair is hideous. - bromance on point - “OUI OUI!” oh my god Malia is this how Americans act? Like is this it?  - I love this so much, these pack feels. yes yes yes.  - oh honey, that’s a hellhound. - that tree trunk did not hit him hard jesus - well. he’s dead.  - what the fuck. is she an Argent? or just a Hunter from the Argent dynasty? and where is she? she couldn’t have run that fast. Scott’s a werewolf for fucks sake. -  it’s interesting how now this isn’t something new for them. it’s a routine. something happens, they help. they figure things out faster.  - omg is this the scene with stiles? - am I the only one that started crying when I heard Dylan’s voice.  - oh and I could make a whole seperate blog post on my reaction to Stiles in 6x11 but here is the td;lr i cried. - Oh Derek, what are you doing? - Jep, that is a triskelion. Stop zooming in gosh. 

[4youjin]

q&a tag

i was tagged by: @ohheejuns ty!!!

RULES: ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN A NEW POST AND TAG 20 BLOGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER (lol no das a lot)

answers under the cut sorry 2 mobile peeps

nickname: mal/mals 

gender: cis femme

height: 5′9″ 

time right now: 8:30pm

last thing i googled: mashed potatoes taste like dirt (idk what they taste like i dont eat them i hate the texture/consistency) 

favorite bands: i listen to solo artists more i guess but knk, wonder girls, 2am, nct idk those are like daily listens 

favorite solo artists: beyonce, fela kuti, rihanna, hayley kiyoko, gallant, dean 

song stuck in your head: sleepover - hayley kiyoko

last movie watched: moana....again

last tv show watched: this is us

when did you create your blog: december 2015

what kind of stuff do you post: posts abt youjin and the boys, flowers, hearts, corny posts, and kpop

when did your blog reach its peak: idk always i like to think im constantly in my prime

do you have any other blogs: no i just have saved urls lmao

do you get asks regularly: yea?? idk what regularly is

why did you chose your url: isn’t it obvious

following: 283....that’s like....rlly low... i wanna follow more ppl yikes :-/

posts: 9,866 what’s considered a lot that’s a little bit isnt it idk

hogwarts house: i literally dont know nor do i care

pokémon team: i dont remember i deleted it when my phone broke

favorite colors: i like all colors but when theyre really pretty?? dunno how to explain it

lucky numbers: 3 i guess??? 10 is also a lucky # (me + youjin were born on the 10th)

favorite characters: im literally in love with all of the characters from the reply series :-((

what are you wearing right now: jeans and a bra lmao

how many blankets do you sleep with: 1 but when when it’s really cold at school i sleep under like 4 blankets and a sleeping bag.......im poor i cant afford to turn on the heat

dream job: i wanna do nothing with my life literally that’d be so great only do what i want dont have to be a slave to capitalism 

dream trip: i wanna go to cayman :-) and somewhere cold but not freezing so idk depends on the time of year i guess!!! i just wanna wear cute, warm shit always

i tag: @bicontaeyang @diamond4yamv @kimyoujinis186cmofpuregoodness @loveisnotoverfullversion @confusedsapphic @seunqjun @seyensay @walkby @bronzegyu @radicalex

[ericsburden-blog]

Why Problem Solving Should Be The Only Value Proposition You Use

There’s more than one reason why people love brands like P&G, Warby Parker, and Apple.

But, can you guess what these three brands have in common?

They all solve consumer problems.

P&G invented a better way to mop with the Swiffer.

Warby Parker created affordable, stylish glasses.

Steve Jobs of Apple introduced the iPhone as a “smarter mobile device.”

These brands manufactured their own value propositions by solving problems. They are creative problem solvers.

In the spirit of these creative problem solvers, I’m going to analyze the concept of designing a value proposition by thinking outside the box with problem-solving.

But before we dig in, we first need to understand how we got to this point.

We used to live in a world where “marketing strategies” boiled down to bombarding audiences with messages about how your product was the best.

If that seems a bit simplistic to you, that’s because it was.

And that begs an obvious question: Did it actually work?

It absolutely did.

Why did it work? Well, it was largely because of the media channels that dominated consumer attention.

Television and radio promotion had a massive impact on the effectiveness of a brand’s marketing efforts. Television advertising alone accounted for 2% of the US GDP beyond 1950.

And if I had to point to one thing that made these kinds of marketing strategies so successful, it would be the culture of the traditional consumer.

Passive media channels were a staple of that culture. Television and radio were constantly interrupting the user experience to throw in some ads.

With no other options available, the traditional consumer got used to the idea of repetitive ads being a part of daily life.

But all of that changed once the Internet started gaining traction.

Embrace the nature of digital media

The marketing rules of engagement changed suddenly and completely.

The experience went from passive to interactive. The average person gained the ability to pick and choose what marketing content they consumed with a simple little search engine:

This transition would end up determining the future of digital marketing strategies and fundamentally changing the way businesses communicate with consumers.

And it’s not that surprising when you stop and think about it.

In a world where ads were the status quo, consumers didn’t have much of a choice.

But the moment consumers became aware of a life without ads was the moment traditional marketing began its quiet death.

It’s how we ended up here today with 615 million devices that use adblock and 59% of millennials skipping ads on YouTube.

With their 92 million consumers, Spotify has a large usership that doesn’t even mind paying extra for ad-free streaming services.

Of course, all of this speaks to a bigger issue.

To put it bluntly, the modern consumer plays by a different set of rules.

They reject the idea that a jingle or a self-promotional TV spot should be enough to earn their business.

If you want their attention, you’ll need to give them something that traditional marketing strategies can’t: real value.

Real value is about problem-solving

At this point, some small business owners might say, “Isn’t my product/service value enough?”

Well, the answer is yes and no.

Real value isn’t about how often you self-promote. It’s about problem-solving.

Having a valuable product or service is important, and it always will be. There’s no doubt about that.

Buffer didn’t become Buffer just because they had a nice interface. They built a brand around offering a social media solution for consumers looking for an easier way to share content.

There’s a reason Buffer has 82,156 paying customers. They have a 19-person advocacy team that helps their customer solve problems.

In this highly competitive, ever-changing digital media landscape, you need to stand out before and after the sale.

One of the easiest ways to convey the problem you are solving is with content marketing.

Particularly on social media, content is the key to developing a relationship with consumers.

Audiences are in constant need of new content that’s worth their time.

And when you’re trying to solve problems with your content, there’s one approach that just about every small business can get behind:

Educational content.

It’s the cornerstone of most successful brand blogs, and that’s for good reasons.

Sites like NerdWallet pride themselves on their ability to provide users with this kind of content.

NerdWallet ranks for more than 1.3 million keywords in the personal finance advice industry.

Here’s what NerdWallet’s VP of Content, Maggie Leung, explained during an interview:

“At NerdWallet we see content people as an investment.”

But getting here isn’t easy.

To begin content ideation to achieve NerdWallet-status, you have to understand your audience.

And, to better understand your audience, you’ll need to use tools and strategies to help generate content ideas.

Your content isn’t just convenient. It’s the backbone of online authority, and it gives you the opportunity to connect with consumers.

And that leads us to the most important reason to focus on educational content:

It effectively sells the brand without selling a product.

Think about the American Express OPEN forum.

Here’s what Courtney Colwell, Director of Content Marketing at American Express OPEN Forum, told Entrepreneur about the forum:

“It all stems from our mission of helping these businesses do more business. With our small business customers, their growth fuels ours. It’s a win-win if we can help them succeed.”

They have 109.9 million cards in circulation and a valuation of around $18.3 billion. They don’t need to worry about selling their brand. This forum does it for them.

Or, take Irene Pavico, a videographer and post-production professional, for example.

Irene created a course called THE iPhone Film School to help people get started with video marketing that only uses an iPhone.

She explains that those who are just starting out with making videos may not want to invest in an expensive camera. So, she wants to show you how to start off with the technology that everyone has: an iPhone.

Irene’s approach shows that she understands her audience. She breaks down pain points they have when getting started with video marketing and then solves them.

As far as educational content goes, there are typically two categories that you can focus on.

The most common one that businesses tend to tackle is the tangible solutions category.

Tangible solutions are all about the here and now.

No matter what industry your business is in, your audience likely has plenty of issues and questions that they need help with.

That’s why consumers are 131% more likely to buy from a brand after they consume educational content.

It may not be glamorous, but consumers need and appreciate actionable advice that helps them deal with these immediate problems.

Bux implemented a knowledge base, and it helped them improve their first call resolution by 18%.

It’s easy to follow, it doesn’t ask for anything from the reader, and it’s objectively valuable.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

While actionable, tangible solutions are important, there’s more to value-driven content than the immediate future.

Can you focus on solving specific problems for your audience? You absolutely can.

Is that all your content can do for them? It certainly isn’t.

The flip side of the coin is thought leadership.

If tangible solutions are all about the short-term, then thought leadership is all about the long-term.

This is the kind of content that you’ll see industry leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk post:

Gary is a thought leader that connects with his fans to inspire loyalty. He’s worth more than $160 million, and he employs more than 700 people.

When you’re creating thought leadership content, you’re not just looking to solve someone’s problem today. You’re looking to address the source of that problem altogether.

Just take a look at how brands are becoming thought leaders by addressing changes.

SEMrush does a weekly chat on Twitter where they talk about the latest SEO trends.

Or, consider Content Marketing Institute’s webinars.

With thought leadership, you layer educational content with a breakdown of marketing principles that small business owners should be adopting.

And don’t think that this is exclusive to digital media. Any business can benefit from thought leadership.

According to CEO Omar Sayyed, the tie company Ties.com saw a 30% growth in revenue over the last five years by earning trust with digital content.

Here is an example of one of their top-performing pieces of content on how to tie a tie.

Thought leadership doesn’t just pay attention to symptoms. It identifies the illness and helps your audience cure itself.

As you can probably imagine, this is the most difficult kind of content to create. It requires a strong understanding of industry-wide issues and, more importantly, how to solve them. But if you do it well, the results will be well worth the effort.

Of course, there’s more to problem-solving than just crafting blog posts.

You could create e-books and give them away in exchange for email newsletter sign-ups like Mike Gingerich does.

Or, you can build brand authority through your email list with help from your blog at the same time. After all, email marketing has a median ROI of 122%, which puts other marketing formats to shame.

Or, you can treat social media like an extension of customer support by focusing on one-to-one interactions and addressing customer issues directly.

KLM, Europe’s airline industry leader, used Facebook Messenger to increase customer interactions by 40%.

At the end of the day, your marketing strategy exists for one reason:

To convince people that they should do business with you.

And if you want to showcase just how valuable you are, you have to solve consumer problems more efficiently and more consistently than your competition.

Focus on understanding your audience

At this point, it’s pretty clear that treating marketing as an opportunity for problem-solving appeals to the needs of the modern consumer.

So far, I’ve only covered what that looks like in a general sense.

If you really want to get your hands dirty, you need to see what it looks like in action.

That’s why I’m going to take a look at three brands that have managed to create compelling, valuable marketing content.

More specifically, I’m going to analyze how their particular audiences dictated their marketing strategies.

Why? Because understanding your audience’s needs guarantees that your marketing content will be meaningful, impactful, and valuable to them.

Here’s how Seth Godin puts it:

“Trying to appeal to everyone is almost sure to fail, for the simple reason that everyone wants something different!”

So, how do you do this? My advice is to start by creating buyer personas.

You’ve probably already created them for your product or service. Now’s your chance to expand on them.

If you haven’t updated your buyer personas in a long time, you can use this template from Xtensio:

Overall, there’s a pretty clear correlation between your attention to customers and the success of your business.

In fact, one study found that 65% of businesses that exceeded their lead and revenue goals had updated their buyer personas within the previous six months.

The more information you have, the more you’ll be in tune with the problems of your customers. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

What social media platforms do they like to engage with you on?

Who are the industry influencers that they actively pay attention to?

What problem does everyone in your audience struggle with on a regular basis?

General digital media marketing principles are important, but they aren’t worth much if you can’t apply them to your unique marketing situation.

Businesses that have used problem-solving effectively

In this next section, we’re going to look at some marketing strategies from successful businesses. But as we do so, keep in mind that the goal isn’t just to copy them.

Instead, use them as a reference point for your particular marketing strategy.

No matter what tactics you choose, your content still needs to appeal specifically to your audience and provide them with value at every opportunity.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some businesses that have found success with problem-solving.

Mint

If you’re not familiar with Mint, here’s what their elevator pitch might sound like:

Struggling to keep your finances in order? Use our service to stay organized, get back on track, or start saving up enough cash to buy a house.

After the company started, it grew rapidly. They managed to acquire 1.5 million users in their first two years.

But marketing a service like this is actually a bit tricky.

After all, who couldn’t use more help keeping their finances in order? How do you make a marketing strategy that targets most of the population?

Mint came up with a solution: Market to their two types of users.

The first group is already relatively financial literate. They’re looking to build wealth.

The second group is trying to budget as efficiently as possible. They’re more interested in keeping their bank account in the green than anything else.

How can I tell that these are their two types of users?

Taking one look at their official blog tells me everything I need to know.

These blog posts target the extremes of their buyer personas, and Mint appeals to both equally.

With most of their audience likely falling somewhere between those two extremes, it’s fair to say that Mint managed to effectively cover their bases without diluting their message.

As for the content itself, it focuses on tangible, actionable advice.

And that makes perfect sense when you consider the audience they’re speaking to. People looking for concrete financial advice won’t appreciate vague tips.

Someone who’s struggling to manage their finances wants a roadmap to get back on track, not a study on the growth of a Fortune 500 company:

Mint’s content is a mix of blog posts, interviews, and infographics that target younger audiences who are beginning to manage their money.

Largely because of their blog posts, their SEO strategy drove 20% of their total site traffic.

Mint drives thousands of visitors from their budgeting templates and budgeting spreadsheets alone.

So, what’s the lesson?

You shouldn’t just make your content relevant to your audience’s problems in general. To make it as effective as possible, you have to be sensitive to their particular situation.

Slack

If you’ve spent any amount of time in the tech startup scene, you’ve probably heard people raving about Slack.

And it’s worth all the hype it’s receiving.

When you need a messaging app that prioritizes productivity and ease of use, it’s hard to find anything better (especially if you’re working with a remote team).

This is why they’re worth about $5.1 billion.

With all the tools and integrations they offer, it’s easy to see why their taglines are “be less busy” and “where work happens.”

In fact, instead of focusing on content marketing, Slack aims to rank for keywords related to their integrations.

With that in mind, you can already start to see what the Slack audience looks like.

You can picture a startup C-level executive looking for a credible solution to her workplace productivity issues.

Slack’s onboarding process is really where the magic happens. Slack has a deep insight into what their audience needs and they create a unique approach to onboarding.

Right off the bat, you’ll see content that they’ve designed to improve overall workplace efficiency.

Slack even has articles for advice on naming channels and email templates for introducing Slack.

Beyond that, Slack also opts to provide value with updates about their own product.

And, admin users can opt-in for weekly summaries of activities.

They also offer instant notifications.

Slack also keeps a blog with product updates, integration announcements, and tips for improving productivity.

The design their blog posts to ensure that the audience can use Slack to the best of their ability.

For them, it’s not about selling the product as much as it is about improving the user experience.

So, what’s the moral of the story?

Support consumers whether or not they’ve spent their hard-earned money on you. Always provide solutions to their problems as they develop.

Dollar Shave Club

At this point, you’re probably tired of hearing about how impressive the marketing strategies of Dollar Shave Club are.

But acquiring 12,000 customers in their first two days is a little too impressive to ignore.

There are plenty of digital media marketing experts who are fascinated with this brand, and I’m one of them.

Why? Well, mostly because it’s a success story that proves that sound marketing tactics, regardless of the audience in question, can help your business excel.

To put it simply, Dollar Shave Club excels in their ability to create a unique consumer experience in an industry that desperately needs it.

And their audience, which is primarily men looking for a stylish, playful, and witty brand, can benefit from the content on the Dollar Shave Club blog.

The articles have clear, eye-catching headlines, and they’re full of value — all while maintaining that unique DSC brand voice.

They even send personalized emails based on previous purchase history.

If you take nothing else from Dollar Shave Club’s example, remember that your ability to create compelling customer experiences is just as important as the advice you give in your content.

It’s not just what you say. It’s how you say it.

Conclusion

I get it.

Digital media marketing can be a bit overwhelming.

But there’s no getting around the fact that you need to stand out in your industry if you want your business to stay competitive.

The age of traditional marketing is over. Don’t waste time trying to plug holes in the Titanic.

Whether you’re new to the game or you’re trying to rebuild your marketing strategy, focus on the big picture: problem-solving.

Value drives sales. And if you want to increase sales, you’re going to have to find new and exciting ways to offer consumers more value.

With your blog content, be sure to address the problems of today as well as underlying issues that will lead to problems in the future. This will help you stay relevant while also establishing yourself as a thought leader.

In order to solve the problems of your audience, you need to understand your audience. You need to determine exactly who they are so that you can address the specific problems that they have.

And as you think through your strategy for solving the problems of your users, look to innovative brands for ideas. Just be sure to make each strategy your own and adapt them to your audience.

How have you focused on problem-solving in your marketing strategy?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

Why Problem Solving Should Be The Only Value Proposition You Use