#its not like meds are the only way like you can go on youtube now

[ghostcrows]

Y do I have to get college fomo I literally went to college...but I did it badly what if I had done a good job...I waste so many opportunities 😀

[weirdwizardofoz]

1:18 AM (I’m an insomniac leave me alone lmao)

VERY self indulgent (finished at 2:18 AM)

TW: depression, lack of emotion (reader), vaping, mention of meds, if I missed anything let me know.

Send requests to my main account @gen0c1de and follow

Your room, dark, cold and messy. The silence of the night deafening, the video you have playing on your tv doing nothing to soothe the emptiness you are filled with. The laughter of the YouTubers playing games that you’ve seen a million times now failing to make you laugh as they always did. Your hope of it helping you sleep proving futile. You can’t move from your position, your cat laying straight behind the bend of your knees as always, preventing you from stretching your aching legs. At least you feel something, although it’s not pleasant. You squeeze your shark plushy slightly, comfort.

Your mind is racing, so many thoughts and voices of different volumes, you can’t focus on one, though you doubt you want to. The dull feeling of crying is there, but what would you cry about? Is there a reason to cry? If so, what would that reason be? Your legs don’t hurt bad enough to cry, your arm growing numb from holding up your head isn’t a reason either. What’s the point of crying? What’s the point of ANYTHING really?

Suddenly, you’re knocked out of your thoughts by a familiar voice.

“Y/N?”

An acknowledging hum.

“You okay there?”

Shrug

“Have you taken your meds like your supposed to?”

.

..

…

Shrug

He sighs, and the end of the bed dips. He sat down.

No words spoken, yet a conversation is said. You both looking at the tv playing, the video you were previously watching over and a new one replacing it.

“Do you wanna talk?”

He knows you better than anyone, knowing that sometimes you wanna talk but now about your feeling, sometimes you wanna vent, and times you just wanna respond with a hum or an action. But times like these, you don’t want to do even that.

Shrug

“This guy reacting to the funny videos is more entertaining to be honest.”

You hum

The YouTuber breaks into a laugh at a dog, his laugh making the man at the end of your bed chuckle. The side of your mouth twitches up, but your body refuses to laugh.

Reaching over to your night stand, you grab your vape, inhaling the Blueberry Mint air, hold, exhale. You place it back on the night stand and curl your right arm back to its previous position with your hand resting by your head. You move your left arm, now propping yourself up by your elbow, shoulder pushed closer to your ear. The feeling of pins and needles coming and going quickly and now it’s just cold.

You glance over to him, he’s adjusted himself so his back is against the wall below your window, you can tell he’s cold, the basement always being cold.

You glance at your phone.

2:01 AM

“Hey.”

He glances over, glad you spoke, but sadden by the tone. Numb.

“Lay with me… it’s cold… I have a heated blanket.”

He smiles, moving the blankets behind you and squeezing himself between the wall and you, trying not to disturb your cat.

Silence.

Shuffling slightly, your back comes into contact with his chest. He places his arm around yours, brushing his knuckles against the back of your hand in a way of comfort. A small smiles, vanishing as quickly as it came.

Removing your glasses and placing them on the night stand and hold your shark closer to you. Letting your head rest against your pillow and your eyes close.

You know he isn’t real.

You know it’s only you and your cat.

But the thought of your comfort character being there… helps you feel less alone. Even if just for a moment.

[buckyismybicycle]

I don't know how terrible this quality will be on Tumblr, but the higher resolution/original can be found on AO3!

Title: swim for the music that saves you Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers Tags: ShrinkyClinks, Social Media AU, WIP/teaser Summary: It all started when he sent a video singing Happy Birthday to his sister, not knowing that she would post it on her social media.

Now, JBuckyBarnes has millions of followers all hearing his story, following his recovery, listening to him sing. Little does he know, he's going to change the life of one follower in particular.

Steve Rogers, chronically ill and spending most of his days inside, has to live vicariously through others. He longs for adventure, trying new things, feeling the sun on his face. A/N: This fic has been sitting in my drafts for some time now... Thanks to @buckybarnesevents: Alternate June-iverse giving me a little kick, I've decided to post an excerpt/the beginning and the rest of it will come in due course.

“Hiya folks… Well, it was, uh.” The brunette on screen pauses and then smiles sadly. “Alright, you know I can’t lie to you. I wanna say it was fine and dandy, but it was honestly rough. That’s why this video’s a bit late, sorry ‘bout that, by the way. It took longer than I thought it would to edit so I honestly kind of gave up.”

He lays his head in a propped up hand, resting against his piano. 

“So, I got home Sunday afternoon and crashed. I don’t even remember getting into bed. Didn’t sleep through the night, of course. I never do. But! That’s just me, my body’s not a fan of the meds. I was feeling crummy — you know when you’re so hungry you’re nauseous but you can’t eat ‘cause you’re nauseous? Anyway, so that for like, six hours. Finally got to sleep when the sun was risin’ but only managed about an hour or so. You lot haven’t heard Brooklyn traffic.”

Steve can’t help but smirk at that because he has, and he is in fact listening to the god-awful Brooklyn traffic outside his window. He could always move his desk away from the window, but he needs some sort of sunlight from time to time.

The YouTube video plays on his phone while he takes a break from work, stretching and wincing as his joints crack.

“So, it’s like, ten in the mornin’ and I decide I’m gonna get something to eat. Nausea won that round, unfortunately, so by three o'clock I am starving. I was cranky for the whole day, and I don’t wanna make cranky videos for you guys. So, that’s enough rambling from me. My brain’s been a little all over the place so I haven’t written anything in ages, but how about a cover of the best of the best? Thanks for sticking around! Hope you like this one.”

Steve watches as Bucky lifts the cover of his piano and stretches the fingers on his prosthetic. Today, it’s the metal titanium one, with its beautiful plate work and a small Hydra Industries logo on the forearm. 

You gotta swim… Swim for your life

Swim for the music that saves you

When you're not so sure you'll survive

You gotta swim… Swim when it hurts

The whole world is watching

You haven't come this far to fall off the earth

The currents will pull you, away from your love

Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave begging to tear down the dawn

Memories like bullets, they fired at me from a gun

Cracking the armor, yeah

I swim for brighter days, despite of the absence of sun

Choking on salt water, I'm not giving in, I swim

You gotta swim… through nights that won't end

Swim for your families, your lovers, your sisters, and brothers and friends

Steve listens to the beautiful voice fill the empty space of his studio apartment, caught up in the soft yet powerful melody. What really hits him are the words, though. 

Bucky’s life is no secret — except maybe his real first name because there’s no parent on this planet that hates their kid that much. Steve doesn’t know exactly how Bucky had started off, but the channel was a newer discovery for Steve. 

Well, there it is. As always, thanks so much for tuning in! Hope you liked the song, and maybe I’ll see you guys next time with something original, huh? Bye!” 

[breathplayed]

12 - do you ever have trouble focusing on writing? how do you get around that? 

I need tips! xD

YES i have severe adhd it's been real fun trying to function in a society

what i do (some tips are replicable maybe some r not lol):

write when i Want to.... ofc this urge doesnt always strike, sometimes u do have to go force urself through a block, but i will listen to a fic playlist or daydream about the fic and it will make me Want to write down what im thinking about. having that actual desire helps lol. bc then, even if my brain is having trouble focusing My Heart/Dick still want to write so im more likely to keep pushing instead of give up

borderline sensory deprivation honestly, i can't listen to music or watch tv or anything when i write or read or think, so i blast white noise in my headphones and get completely sucked into the doc lol

i make a separate desktop on macbook that is just two windows, the fic outline on the left and the doc or writing program on the right. that way if i go to open a tab to google something for the fic i dont see other windows/tabs of Fun Stuff i was doing before that might distract me lol

i use the Forest extension with all social media blacklisted so that when my attention wanders and i open a tab to go to twitter or whatever by muscle memory, the extension puts me back in my place with the big "Ur gonna kill ur tree if u proceed" screen and im like "UUUGGHHHH thats right im supposed to be writing FIINEEE ill go back"

know when and how to give up..... sometimes writing rly isnt working but it's still good to try, if the words arent coming out right i try to settle for like. ok well i'll open the outline and i'll read over that, or reread earlier part of fic, to see if it reinspires me. if its really not working (if ur too tired/frustrated that will show in the writing style ukno) ill at least add bullet points of what the next parts of the scene should be. maybe i dont feel like writing fancy pretty sentences right now, but i can come back tomorrow and see the quick idea i jotted down on what i was thinking of doing next and that gives me a good jumping-off point

it helps to have external accountability!!!! write with a friend holding each other to a certain time period of Working on it, or just open a sprint site that has a global sprint bc then u can see other ppl working and it feels like ur racing them. body doubling with adhd helps with this too, if u go to a cafe/library and see others working it keeps u focused (like im not gonna open youtube and start watching some stupid shit with others able to see over my shoulder, im gonna Open My Doc)

this last point is only applicable if u have a stimulants prescription for adhd (or buy it somewhere i guess lol) but i definitely am 20-1000x more productive when i take my meds. the hyperfocus is way easier to kick into. sometimes when i pop my silly lil pill i can write like 4-7k average in a 3 hour sitting

Best of luck... Never give up........ also helps i think to pay attention to what conditions work for u and replicate them, like where u write best!! last summer i got one of them fancy clicky raised key keyboards + a riser for my laptop and that made typing fun, ill probably return to it eventually i just have it packed away atm

[floatingcatacombs]

annual music post.

12 Days of Aniblogging 2022, Day 6

I am sick.

No, it’s not covid. My immune system and I have been doing a remarkably good job of dodging covid, all things considered. Nor is it any of the other 8 respiratory infections going around this winter. It’s something in my gut, and I’ve been dealing with it for quite some time now.

Back in October of last year, my acid reflux meds stopped working, leaving me with soreness and the lingering sensation of something in the back of my throat. My gastroenterologist wasn’t able to help and by January I was dealing with the new terrible symptoms of generalized abdominal pain and constant burping.

After months of delays due to the medical system collapsing from covid, I finally got some important tests done in May. They confirmed that the problems were real and esophageal in nature, but ultimately did not help one bit with trying to figure out how to treat them.

As this year has gone on, things have gotten slowly worse. The stomach pain has gradually intensified, as has the belching. More and more foods started giving me indigestion until finally it’s just every meal, no matter what. Some grosser symptoms which I don’t want to write out crept up on me. It’s no good, and while I’ve gotten my shit together and am much better at working with doctors, I’m no closer to being well.

If I hadn’t lucked out in being able to work from home, I would definitely be out of job and money by now. How am I supposed to be professional when I belch for hours after every meal? Or when I need to lie down for hours a day in pain? It’s as embarrassing as it is life-ruining.

_

When you’re in hell, and want to listen to music, there are two different routes you can go down:

Seek out the most downcast, most abrasive stuff you can handle and wallow in it.

Immerse yourself in fluffy, happy, relaxing, or otherwise escapist songs.

I’m really good at the former! If my previous music writeups and Spotify years-in-review are any indication, my taste leans strongly towards the negative emotions. But there’s only so much despair you can take, and sometimes you need a change of pace. So this year, I’ll be writing about the musical niche I carved out: Japanese musicians with English-language releases, most of which are a significant tonal shift from my usual.

Flipper’s Guitar

This is Keigo Oyamada’s band from before his work as Shibuya-kei legend Cornelius, and I feel like a lot of people gloss over them for that exact reason. But Flipper’s Guitar is a real delight throughout their quick 3-album run. Their first album is sung entirely in English, owing to its inspirations in 60’s American music and 80’s British jangle pop. It’s straightforward and cheerful stuff executed perfectly, and the second album is a solid rerun of these ideas but with more of it sung in Japanese. It’s their final album which is the most interesting, as it’s an eclectic mix with more of a psychedelic dance-pop sound that seems to have directly led to the development of Shibuya-kei. There’s even a shoegaze song for good measure! This album isn’t on streaming services, probably because of its extensive sampling, so the easiest way to listen to it was a Youtube upload by now-terminated channel Asian Shoegaze. The thing is, they fucked up and accidentally uploaded the tracks in alphabetical order. After listening through both this and the original track listing, I’m actually of the opinion that the alphabetical version flows better. Life is funny like that.

Poison Girl Friend

You know how the Spotify algorithm will occasionally propel an obscure musician into millions of streams? That’s how most people discovered Poison Girl Friend this year, similar to how Youtube turned Plastic Love into a decades-late international hit a few years back. But I, being a weirdo, knew about Poison Girl Friend years ago, from her being inspired by pervert pop artist Momus (her stage name is a reference to the second Momus album!). Her debut album, all self-produced, has a spacey trip-hop sound to it, right on the dial for 1992. The breathy vocals and relaxed tempos lead to an excellent atmosphere, with THOSE WERE THE DAYS getting stuck in my head the most.

In what should be a success story, Poison Girl Friend successfully caught the attention of Momus, who went on to produce her second album. The thing is, compared to her own work, his production here is dogshit! Never meet your heroes, I guess, especially when they’re Nick Currie.

Coaltar of the Deepers

not their best album, but easily the one with the best art

Oh man, these guys are legit. If my description of the final Flipper’s Guitar album made it come off as an eclectic genre mashup, then this band is downright overwhelming. We’ve got band members who are really into noise rock and abrasive metal. Others are clearly here for the shoegaze. And finally, there’s the one guy on synths who does electronica that sound like it’s destined for Ape Escape. Their early works jump between all of these from track to track at a breakneck pace, but they finally release a more coherently organized album with 2007’s Yukari Telepath. It starts off with some of the most aggressive metal you’ve ever heard, which gradually softens into shoegaze as the album goes on, with some spectacular dreamy electronica in the middle. When the breaks in Aquarian Age come on, or the jaw-dropping xylophone solos later on, you will understand.

Coaltar of the Deepers have a bunch of side projects with different lineups, and as expected they lean into the strengths of the members working on them. There’s the hardcore BP, glitchy electronica Watchman, and more atmospheric Sadesper Record. The CotD extended universe been one hell of a rabbit-hole to fall down, but they’ve kept me very busy.

Honorable Mention: Shonen Knife

Yellow Loveless is mostly a wash, but Shonen Knife’s cover of When You Sleep is better than the original.

_

I’ve spent most of this past year miserable. My physical health has decimated my mental health, and it’s bad enough that I couldn’t ignore the problems even if I wanted to. I’ve shied away from considering myself chronically ill so far, but when I write it all out and reflect on just how much all of this lowers my quality of life, it gets a bit more imaginable as a way to understand myself as I currently am.

One silver lining to all this trying meds and running tests and failing to be diagnosed is that we’ve eliminated a lot of the scariest possibilities. No cancer, no allergies, nothing that would show up on an abdominal CT scan, and my lungs are powerful and sexy and not the source of my intermittent breathing problems I forgot to mention earlier. I’m not going anywhere. But at the same time, it’s hard for me to even conceptualize a future where I continue to feel like this every day, for years or decades on end. I have to get better. In the words of Sufjan Stevens, I want to be well.

Hopefully next year’s music post comes with good news alongside the good tunes.

[trash-slvt]

Wow, this blew up. This was a silly post i made before i'd had my coffee or meds but its a sentiment i've been thinking about a lot recently. ive been reading through the notes and theres way too many to reply to. but they mostly fall into these categories: apollo dodgeball / if you knock on enough doors asking for the devil: I think thats actually a big part of why i made this. Youtube (or any corporation) will do everything it can to make more money. they would implement this in a second if it were both technologically feasible and socially acceptable (or at least, acceptable enough to not cause too much of a backlash). a decade ago, this concept met neither criteria. now its dangerously close to meeting both.

The web was built on a model where the website sends you content and a suggestion of how to render it - to give users the freedom to interact with it however they choose. Since then, there's been a battle between corporations and this principle as they use every trick they can come up with to force you to render the content the way they want you to.

The most effective way that corporations have achieved this is with apps. Paraphrasing Cory Doctorow[1], an app is just a website that its illegal to mess with. So many of the notes are people saying "i wish i could block youtube ads on my phone/smart tv/game console". this is a problem, and a bad sign of what to come.

another thing that makes this concept technologically feasible and socially acceptable in my opinion is face id. Having a camera scan your face automatically before letting you progress has become normal. Its common to put tape over your webcam, but nobody puts tape over their phone camera. Somehow, we've been trained to view it differently. more broadly, I dont think the web is meant to be profitable. The old internet was full of small forums run at a loss fueled by the passion of their creators. When corporations moved in down the road with enough money to drive the forums away and take over, those corporations still didnt turn a profit. and they havent for a decade. Now they're getting desperate and they're going to extract as much as they can from their users to try and recoup those costs. Your outrage over the concept of this is important. Visible backlash to hostile practices works. its important that we all say Fuck That loudly and often. Youtube is adding a five second delay for firefox users: I read about this immediately after making the original post. this is such a brazen move by google. I hope they get in some serious shit for leveraging one monopoly to bolster another but im not familiar enough with international law to know if thats likely.

Regardless, google has been showing their hand lately with so many hostile decisions. Their only leverage is their user base. Don't help them. Switch to firefox. if you need to, you can make firefox pretend to be chrome for specific websites Ads are getting worse / loud ads in asmr videos / pragerU and other evil ads: Ad blocking still works! please use an ad block! install ublock origin! Youtube is working hard break ad blockers but the ublock devs are working harder to keep them working. you just need to update the filter lists every now and then. here's a guide I still want to support creators: Find a way to support them directly! youtube is a notoriously unreliable income source. Check how the creator you want to support would prefer you support them. Chucking them a few bucks once will go a lot further than watching ads.

Piss kink references: Thank you tumblr for being tumblr. A lot of the replies have been pretty heavy so these silly responses have been surprisingly refreshing.

----

I highly recommend Cory doctorow's defcon talk about the state of the web and how we can fix it. it put words to things i'd been feeling for a long time and introduced me to new ways of thinking about some of this stuff. Its linked at the bottom.

Its been wild having this post break containment like this. Tumblr is my place for shouting into the void and im used to most of my original posts not getting much traction (which is fine, or maybe even the point). the concept of over thirty thousand people reading something i wrote is hard to even conceptualize. I wasn't at all prepared for this but its touching that so many people resonated with my anger and frustration.

Okay, i'm going to go outside and remind myself that there is still so much good in the world. Fighting corporations is important but don't forget to also marvel at a cool bug or something to balance it out [1] - DEF CON 31 - An Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet's Enshittification - Cory Doctorow [Invidious link] [yt]

[diaryof4fart]

A lot can happen in a week. In a week you can go from being a motivated energetic person to something so frail and so, so tired. After one week of the new meds I dropped 3 kilos, where I stayed at 40 until now. I got a little skinnier, but it wasn’t plenty visible. It wasn’t the kind of skinny that was pretty in any way shape or form, it was just sort of- sad. Though there wasn't much of a difference, my thighs grew apart by a little and my upper arm thinned out. That was enough for my body to start shaking in a disorganized instability. It’s a whole new brand of awful, being like this. I barely function on the daily basis, but something in my frail form still sparks jealousy in others. And then, the jealousy turns into hatred. Thats what I really fucking hate. Its the people who say they would rather look like me but i would rather be fat and fucking healthy than whatever the fuck i am. Be greatful that you have the luxury of being insecure about something that doesn’t fucking matter. This isn’t to say that fat peoples problems dont matter, its only to say that people need to shut the fuck up. You don’t know what it’s like to be me, so therefore thou shalln’t fucking envy me. Sometimes I think i could be a super popular internet personality, like i’m still not sure what that means but i swear if i started posting daily youtube videos of what's going on in my mind then most people will find it funny and a select few could actually relate. Or maybe i’m just a narcissist, who knows.

[aamethyst000]

DID YOU ALL SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?! (may 11,24 - 8:45pm)

DUDE!!!! the fckn northern lights were so gorgeous last night!!ive nerver been more happy to be alive than i did last night and propably tinght too!! the fucking colours were so goddamn pretty!! all that magick looking arouras. god i love the northern lights~ i hope the clouds clear up again tonight and that the lights are brighter!! right now, i am cleaning up my room and then rearranging them to fit me better and for "change of season" feeling. keeping myself occupied until the lights come out. the sad thing though is that there was a (very) young one just passed away not even 2 days ago. those parents are only a few years younger than i am. its baffeling. and very sad. i hope those two can recover well, and that no one bothers them about it. this village is already rude about the funerals that happen here. almost no one repsects them, and the ones that do, are a part of that family or it was one of their family members passing away. the respect never stays. anyway, enough about saddness and funerals, the northern lights will be going off soon enough and i want my room to be clean before that happens, and judging by last night, it wiill be cold af again tonight.

11:08pm - judging by the weather tonight, we wont be able to see the northern lights. im so glad the was got to see them last night, they were so bright. my mom got sick just 2 days before mothers day, which is gotta suck all round for her. poor ma, she says its not but what may have push her over was drinking the last cup of coffee last night at 2am. i also think she was slowly getting sick before that, but it was body soreness and even more insomnia. she didnt even smoke today, how bad she feels, which sucks because we dont have any meds for her to take to properly recover. got no fricken money either. its very unfortunate that this happens almost every single time. its ridiculous how often this happens, and even when we do get some meds for us, we still end up with nothing once one of us in the house get sick. so if my mother is sick right now, i wonder who in the house will be next. so far, ive been the only one in mums room, so it might be me. on another note, the moon tonight looks so pretty~ its too bad that the clouds wont clear up for tonight. such a shame. i was so exicted and preparing myself to go outside and take lots of pictures while also admiring it. the way that the lights looked right above us was amazing, like it was circling right above the village <3 if you want to see my northern lights pictures, go to my instagram: @photographer.amethyst

i am posting what ive edited there and they look amazing! if i do say so myself <3 there are a few people now, trying to message me about being a freelancer or not. hell, just to sell my photography in general. i only do this as a hobby, selling my picutres will be a last resort only. this is not my last resort. at least, not yet it isnt. but thats for another day. right now, im going to have a puff and watch youtube videos for the rest of the night. so i think that this entry will be short as well. just maybe.

1:05am - it doesnt seem to be like the night to watch the notrthern lights tonight. it kind of sucks but i am so glad i got lots of pictures to edit and post <3 i just find it weird that it is very cold out right now and i just want to go back inside and curl up in my penguins blanket, never come out of my little cuccoon that i have made for myself. i made a second pot for myself basically. my little brother isnt drinking coffee, which is okie, its his choice. but its just me drinking the whole pot for now and for however long my mother will be ill for. hopefully this doesnt last long, conidering that we do not have any medicine for her to take. unfortunatly. even though she didnt eat at all today, she seems to need to throw up, or feel like thorwing up. dry heaving and whatnot. it genuinly does sound like that shit hurts. lots of thought run through my head when she gets like this. lots of anxiety and worry as well. i wonder if this is how she felt with all of her kids while we were growing up, and to change perspective, i wonder if this is how she felt when she was looking after her mother(my gran) while she was sick for a bit too. if so, no wonder she does everything in her power to make sure that we feel better and recover quick with the medicine she manages to find for us. speaking of, i may have to use my savings to go to the store again to find some medicine for her there. anyway, i think ill stop for tonight, hope you enjoy today/tonights entry, have a good day/night, readers~

[inzaynety]

him: stoic & sincere ⤫

➢ summary: random scenarios that tell you about what zayne is like

➢ content: zayne x fem!reader, 2306 words, not canon au but he’s in med school (college au bc i can)

➢ notes: pls i just saw a youtube short about ready-to-be airport dads lmao so it made it into this; also yes ur roomie’s name is that and yk why 😭 not beta read 👍🏼

When he walks down the street he’s not stopped by many vendors. His face is enough to draw them away and while he doesn’t get much of that in the hospital, all his patients love him, the same thing can’t be said when he’s just out and about.

The rain doesn’t seem to be letting up and Loren watches as the sky is relentless in its attacks. The concrete is barely visible with the streams of water passing by and she’s grateful to have worn her boots to work that day, however, she forgot her umbrella. The coworker who left before and brought the lost-and-found umbrella from the back and the others were still working and came in their respective cars.

She stays under the overhang for a little more until she really has no choice but to move. The sun, though it was hidden behind the thick clouds, was going down and she would have an earful from her sister if she returned too late.

Taking a deep breath, she steels herself before a hand comes into her view. She whips her head over to the side and comes face to face with a stranger. His face was visible and she couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her, luckily muted by the rain and wind.

He was handsome, yes, and familiar.

Thinking back to earlier in the week, she was the one who served him during lunch. He seemed unapproachable when he walked through the door but spoke politely when guided to his table; sitting alone and reading over a small notebook he pulled from his coat pocket. His order was also something out of the ordinary for someone of his looks and she never saw him look up except to thank her for the meal and to wave over the check, but now that she was able to look him in the eye, she was speechless.

“Did you need an umbrella?” He offers the one in his hand and it must have been a few seconds too long as he asks again. Loren shakes her head after the second time and waves her hands.

“O-Oh, no thank you! I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in the rain either. The station’s not too far so it’s okay if I just run over!” She gives him a smile but the man raises a brow and shakes his head, insisting that she hold the handle.

“No worries, I insist.” Seeing as there was no way she was going to reject his offer, and seeing as how the rain did not let up, she accepted the umbrella with a nod.

“I can return this to you in that box,” she points over to the umbrella holder outside of the cafe, “I assume you come around this area quite a few times?” Loren thinks she’s imagining it when she sees a small hint of a smile on his face that disappears as quick as it comes. The man only nods and walks away towards the cafe’s doors. He must be having a quick dinner before he goes home.

Loren holds the umbrella tightly in her hands and rushes over to the crosswalk. Thankfully, his umbrella was sturdy and as she waits at the red light, she finds her gaze trailing over to the glass of her workplace. The lights inside make it easy to see who was in front and she’s surprised.

The man had his arms around a girl who looked excited over something she was saying and upon looking at his face, it was filled with nothing but adoration. The coldness was gone and replaced with a sight she felt she was intruding on.

Loren blinks and turns away, walking briskly when the light turns green.

What a gentleman.

Tara hasn’t seen you for the longest time due to your busy schedules, and what better than to have a double date with you, her, Zayne, and her new boyfriend.

You haven’t seen much of him except for the pictures she would send, but from her words he was a nice guy who genuinely loved her, and that was all you could ask for for your friend.

It’s a small family owned diner that you both settled on meeting and with Zayne’s hand in yours you guide him over to the table Tara and her boyfriend were seated at. Upon this being your first official meeting, he politely introduces himself as do both you and Zayne. You notice he’s a little nervous but that could just be due to first impressions; you are one of Tara’s closest friends.

But no. While Jack was nervous about meeting you, the piercing gaze and stone-cold features of the other man were enough to make his palms sweat a little. While you did most of the talking, Zayne would look between you, Tara, and him and with just a glance he could stop talking all together. He had this aura about him, but he just met the man for crying out loud.

Tara talked about you and Zayne from time to time mostly just about when you’d be seeing each other and all she gave about him was “He’s a doctor, tall, really nice, and I think you guys would get along!” That was clearly not enough information.

Being the best girlfriend with the ability to read his mind, Tara squeezes the back of his hand and he looks over to see her smile for his comfort. She suspected he’d had the same reaction she did when you first introduced him. She was skeptical at first from his expression being the most jaded thing she noticed, his actions around you were far from that.

“So, Jack,” Zayne says after you point out the things you wanted from the menu to him, “I heard you’re also into medicine.” Their conversation flows easily and he sees how well-spoken he is. There aren’t any awkward pauses or words he regrets saying: it’s all natural and nothing like how he felt only moments before.

When the waiter comes to the table in the middle of Jack’s story, Zayne recites your order perfectly along with his own all the while holding her hand beneath the table. And when the waiter leaves after going through everyone, he returns to the conversation, “What were you saying about the…”

What a nice thing to do.

Your roommate Xavia thinks Zayne is funny. Not in a funny “haha” way but a funny “he’s an interesting guy” way. You both were friends since diapers and moving into your shared apartment was a childhood dream. Where you were going for school, how you were going to decorate, and what things you guys could do were endless.

When you moved in now both in your last two years, Zayne, who had been your boyfriend for a years now since the beginning of college, helped unpack. He took the heavier boxes along with Xavia’s brother who made it into a friendly competition. You would think Zayne would have brushed it off, but he accepted the challenge and soon both men were walking up the steps with about five boxes in each arm. Even you had stopped and stared at them as they looked ridiculous coming up the steps with nothing but the top of their heads visible. In the end, unloading was probably the quickest thing done that day.

You offered to go down to the grocery store to pick up some drinks and Xavia’s brother was also tasked with helping when Zayne took a phone call in another room. Xavia was unpacking one of the living room boxes when he walks out from the hallway and asks about your whereabouts. After she tells him, he nods and asks her if she needed any help. She expected that he would be a lot better than her brother, which he was, but he was also meticulous. It was like he knew where things were supposed to go to look the best and honestly, she was thankful that he did.

A few minutes passes and you texted that you were on your way back. Xavia stands up and pats down her jeans but a small sounds stops her. She turns around and on the balcony is a kitten pawing at the glass. The sliding door was slightly open and it looks like it saw it as it quickly made its way over and squeezed through.

She panics a little as a small animal running through all the new furniture and boxes wouldn’t be the most ideal. Zayne sees it too and crouches down when it practically splints inside, quickly scooping up the kitten in both of his hands. It looks surprised but doesn’t move, the two of them watching at it nuzzles down into his palms and closes its eyes.

The door opens and both you and Xavia’s brother see her and Zayne frozen with a small ball of fluff purring loudly. Your boyfriend cranes his head to face you and darts his eyes from yours over to the kitten. Xavia can’t help but laugh at the sight.

What a funny guy.

Zayne’s apartment might as well be yours now too with how much time you spend the night. It’s gotten a lot more familiar with your presence from the drawer filled with you undergarments, the vanity cluttered with your skincare and makeup, and even the pantry overflowing with snacks he says he would never get but for you they’re there.

The heater is turned up for your sake, and since he runs a bit cold as well it’s for him too, but it’s just a little too hot for him though you never complain when he walks around without a shirt.

And you also rarely sit on the couch alone. Your legs are always placed over his as he massages your calves while watching your favorites. His attention is split between the dialogue between the main characters and your commentary should you have any, and you don’t usually need to repeat yourself because he listens to every word.

“This is such a dumb show, I love it,” you mumble after your breath and Zayne’s quirks his lips into a small smile upon looking you way. You mumble something about spine magic and creampuffs and he can’t help but let out a small chuckle. Humming in response, you don’t pause the episode but you do turn your head slightly his way. “What?”

“Nothing.” He comments and reaches down to roll out the tenseness in your muscles from the day. You watch in silence for a few more moments until he gets a text. Reaching for his phone, he unlocks it with a few quick taps of your birthday and looks up towards you again. “Are you packed for tomorrow?”

There’s a few beats of a pause and you’re rushing to your feet and down the hall to his (your shared) room. He’s got some suitcases you left there and practically a whole wardrobe of your stuff anyway. “I knew I forgot something!”

Zayne sighs, reaching over to the coffee table to pick up the remote and pause the show before getting up from the couch and following in suit.

The airport is surprisingly not as crowded at this time but you’re a bit upset. Zayne would laugh if it wouldn’t put you in a worse mood but you looked very cute in sweats and his hoodie, standing beside him as he got your bags dropped off at the terminal. But anyway, clearly you were not a morning person.

Winter vacation was a perfect time to see family and friends back home and he was more than happy to accompany you this time like you had for him the year before. At least the upside to arrive at the airport nearly five hours before your flight was that you were flying with him.

The attendant finishes up checking your larger bags in and hands Zayne your tickets. He thanks her and puts away your passports and papers into his coat before taking his carry on in one hand and your hand in his other, after making sure you have your own bag, and pulling you along to the security.

You don’t know exactly why he’s in a rush considering there’s not many people and your flight is literally a few hours away, though it’s a little endearing. You lift your phone to record a few instances.

After security, he grabs a cart to place your bags on and follows you around to the duty free stores so you can shop hands-free.

“You can sit down, you know?” You tell him and he only shakes his head.

“I’ll follow you around. Where are you going next?”

On the flight he’s clutching tightly to your passports as you know for sure you’re going to lose it, and when you land he’s already taking both of your carry ons down from the overhead compartments. You make it to the carousel for your bags and there’s an elderly couple who seem to be having trouble picking up their luggage and he rushes over without delays to get it for them.

Zayne leans down to hear one of them describe what their bags look like and he grabs it all, receiving a pat on the cheek and a bag of sweets from the elderly woman.

“You’re a kind young man,” he only shakes his head and thanks her for the treats as they go about their day. When he walks back to you, you smile and press a kiss to his cheek. Looking behind him here’s a lot more people around now waiting for their stuff. You beckon him to you and he leans closer.

“Our bags just passed by. We have to wait for it to turn around another time.”

©inzaynety 2024

[deadchovsky]

Ok nvm more yapping under the cut. Tumblr is my diary and baby, I'm writing in pink glitter gel. Ignore this <3

I'm formatting this like greentext bc its funny

Big Font.

😨

Ddo you like Wilbur soot. Cuz I do

Anyways:

>be me on NYE

>one of my friends asked me to take a picture out of this end of year video thing I post on my 15 subs youtube channel every year at the end of the year.

> he says because his phone screen is visible and hes worried about what's on it. Says it might be some rp server he was on at the time the picture was taken and thinks it could he embarrassing. (This is important remember this.)

>I zoom in on the picture, it literally looks like a black screen.

> he says hes still worried about someone seeing it

>okay whatever. I try my best to remove this picture that last for like 2 seconds out of a 15 minute long video. (Sidebar, this picture was already in a different video months ago and he was fine w it then and literally has never brought up removing it from that video once.)

> I save changes to the video

> "okay I think I got it, but there might be like .5 seconds of it still, bc YouTube's editing thing sucks"

> he says its fine, because it's a 15 minute long video and the longest that clip is in there for is like. A singular second.

> 2 months later

> be me

> this mf hasnt talked to me, or basically any of my friends since new years.

> guy literally dropped out of the play despite wanting to be in it since September

>guy is literally in all 4 of my classes and hasnt attended a single one since the second day of the semester.

>I'm walking around the school bc the gender neutral bathrooms are closed, so I'm going to the least scary girls bathrooms near the front of the school.

> guy and one of my friends show up and stop me in the hallway.

> friend: "hey guy needs to talk to you."

> me: "bro I have to piss rn can it wait"

> apparently not.

> Guy: "I know you don't understand why I feel this way" (most condescending tone possible)

> turns out changes didnt save in YouTube video and the picture is still in the video for literally 0.003% of the entire runtime.

> tells me to remove it because he thinks that he was "texting his mom about his attempt at the time"

> picture was taken a month before the attempt. also he told me it was the rp server the first time I tried to remove it.

> ok whatever. I say I'll remove the picture.

> interaction is very awkward(mind you we're standing in the middle of a high school hallway while hes telling me all this) I leave and go piss

> I go back to class after pissing

>friend (who was with guy) says that was the first time guys talked to her in a few weeks.

>I show her the picture on my phone, bc I feel like I'm going crazy. The phone literally only looks turned on bc you can see a slightly outline of a white keyboard. Not to mention the photo is BLURRY.

>friend confirms that you can't see fucking shit on the phone in the picture.

>thank god because I thought I was somehow wrong for thinking you cant see shit

Also, bro saw that video that the picture was in once, freaked out bc he thought you could see his rp server in it, then tried to tell me TWO MONTHS LATER (and almost 10 months AFTER the picture was taken and posted in a different video THAT HE SAW) that he was talking to his mom about a suicide attempt in there. I didnt even remember about that bro how tf did he manage to keep that in his brain for two fucking months. Get different meds you fucking dweeb like oh my god. Clearly whatever you're on now isnt working.

[foxfairy06]

Ollie here again. does really matter whether i point that out so whatever. u said you weren't rude and then called me a pissbaby so, And the "saying super homophobic shit" I'm aro/ace myself nor do i believe legit anything of what i said that was homophobic, u will not believe me. i do not care.

You diagnosis a "brief" examination

I myself am diagnosed and that was the way i was diagnosed myself, i explained another version which I myself was also diagnosed under, as you can see we cannot relate with how we were diagnosed, so this is proving my point that how you have gotten diagnosed is not a universal thing so you can now see why i was skeptical, because even with telehealth if you don't have insurance, it still costs money. which this also depends on where you live, because in America they do not care about free healthcare. and from the places that i understand that do give free healthcare like Canada if your a birthed citizen , and like Australia or smth, How you got diagnosed is not universal, it depends where you live and what hospital you go to ect.

hypocrisy: the examination.

You clearly weren't understanding the meaning of what this word is so i will put it here along with the example i previously stated. from the Merriam-Webster "a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings" you say you support Trans ppl but if they don't meet your criteria of what YOU think a trans person should be you, exclude them. your reply was also not related to the point i was attempting to make, "It's not hypocrisy to provide a safe space for a group and exclude people" You should have worded that better with the point you were attempting to make, Ill use a similar example to one a friend told me "i joined a adhd club and they kicked me out because i wasn't "adhd enough" Its what you are doing and its hypocrisy, you are telling people "yep i support trans people but oh if you don't have a diagnosis something that sometimes cost quite a bit of money, you aren't valid and you aren't transgender because i say so", not a exact quote but you should get the idea.

I was incorrect: a analysis.

I will say i was incorrect about rad meds and trans meds. "If you would actually interact with trans meds instead of foaming at the mouth and screaming in all caps whenever you see one you would know that."

Sorry that i don't wanna associate with someone who's harming the transgender community and states that the multiple years of my transition aren't real because i wasn't diagnosed, and that I've basically only been a actual trans man as of recent because i got my diagnosis within the last 6 months. so all of that experience i've had was just me being a tomboy..

Do you hear how that sounds crazy, that everything i learned in all those years, I've labeled myself as trans is now just me being a tomboy woman who was just struggling with their mental health and how their body looked ect. ect. that's saying that my entire transition was just me pretending to be a man. that's so heartbreaking knowing that some trans people in my own community didn't see me as a man because i didn't have a diagnosis. but maybe you got a diagnosis before you started transitioning so you might not even know how that feels, but what do i know right?

You arent a poor child: a small examination

Yes i did look into this, now if you mean the term like poor as in lack of dollars maybe, that could be the cause and I'm not going to discriminate against that.

You could have meant poor as in "woe of me" type of way.

But you aren't a child. your in college , as u stated on your Youtube video, which is public, and i will ask you to please ask non trans meds about the information in your videos because me and my inclusionist friends definitely saw false things in your "lgbt 101" episodes, which you say are based of your opinion and how there are others that exist but you never actually go over those opinions and let a watcher think about which one they believe themselves.

And harassment in America means: " It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person,"

I haven't attempted to lower you statue in the trans med community and i do not care to do so.

I did attempt to humble you, but the information that i believed was to be correct was false and you instead humbled me so, its whatever.

and i will say i took the screenshots incase you did delete anything or attempt to spread a false narrative, but i did not have any mean to actually use the photos against you in any way. as i said in this message which you have most likely seen "its possible they are sending screenshots of not the whole story so i have the whole thing", saying "gathering stuff on the owner" was false and i do not care enough about you, which u could say "oh you do, you've sent me 2 asks and talked to me on discord" being blind sighted by rage is a interesting thing. i cared about making a impact, because i was angry.

You told me i needed to get help, some people can not afford to get a therapist, i don't want a therapist that i wont feel comfortable with and have been taking my time searching for one that will fit me. I'm glad that you are able to get the therapy and help you need for little to nothing but i able unable to do so.

-ollie,

I'm still annoyed but I'm not angry so.

hopefully this is enough for you.

> you said you weren't rude and then called me a pissbaby

Because i wasn't rude in the chat. I wasn't rude to you, until you were rude to me. See how that works?

> I'm aro/ace myself, nor do i believe the things i said, not that you'd know that though

I know you were trolling. However you thought the best thing to do was harass a server that is open and accepting of asexuals and run by several asexuals was to pretend like you avidly oppose asexuals, and make homophobic claims you do not believe in because you wanted to hurt people. And we're the group that's harmful? Right.

> the way i got diagnosed is different from the way you gotten diagnosed, so you can see it's not a universal thing, blah blah blah.

I live in america. In a red state. I have zero insurance. I have not spent nor will I spend a single cent and yet i am being diagnosed in two appointments, one in person and one over the phone. I am not using telehealth. I also have an entire server full of diagnosed people. Some have been diagnosed for no additional costs to the physical medical services they attended to in the ER, physician visits, PBH, ect. So don't give me that. It is not difficult to get a diagnosis if you attempt to do so.

> your example of why you aren't a hipocrite isn't true because i had a better one, and adhd club that kicks people out with adhd for not being ADHD enough.

That isn't what this is. Ths isn't a "trans enough." Debate. This is a "trans at all" debate. Only trans people.

> your belief that you must be diagnosed

I never said you must be diagnosed not has any common transmed ever said that. It's a strictly radmed thing. We believe you must have reportable or "diagnosable" dysphoria. Which includes persistent euphoria in most cases because euphoria is caused by dysphoria.

> sorry i don't want to spend time with people who told me my years of transition aren't real because i wasn't diagnosed

I can't confirm this isn't true but my other mods have seen your account and know that you are likely a minor so imma take that with a grain of salt. I highly doubt transmeds have been telling you your transition isn't real because you weren't diagnosed. A, because transmeds are quiet irl. B, because there is only a very small portion who believe you need to carry a diagnosis to be trans. C because if you're willing to cry and scream to get your way you're willing to lie too. I used to be like you, I've played this game.

> you aren't a poor child

I never said i was? That was a comparison. You must be either dim or completely unable to read context clues to come to the conclusion that i made that claim-

> Which you stated in your YouTube video

Lemme get this straight, you are so pissed, so mentally unstable that not only did you troll my server, send super long messages to the mods, and send THREE 3 (•••) super long asks, but you also stalked my YouTube channel and got pissy over there? Jesus man. Get your issues under control.

> Your LGBT 101 series was wrong and you should have used inclusionist points blah blah blah

I used to be an inclusionist. I know that stuff is incorrect. Not only this, but if anyone wants to know the inclusionist set of beliefs i have an breakdown of that on my Discourse Academy series that breaks inclusionist and exclusionist beliefs down. I stated in the beginning that my beliefs are not everyone's. If they want to see other people's beliefs they can literally go to every other lgbt education channel. Which are almost all explicitly inclusionist.

> behavior that demeans, humiliates, or intimidates a person

• demeans

- name calling, personal attacks, homophobia, transphobia, acephobia

• humiliates

- name calling, personal attacks against members

• intimidates

- horrible statements that all of us associate with actual conservatives who have harmed us in the past. Which you would not do to other LGBT people if you had experienced because you would know what that feels like.

>I do not care... ...I cared because I was making an impact and was angry

You did not make an impact, you looked like a screaming monkey to everyone else involved.

You clearly did care because you send THREE (3) {•••} Novel long asks, which i know because you referenced the radmed one, you looked through my entire YouTube channel, send novel long messages to all of the mods for muting you for saying fucked shit, and you went out of your way to troll because you can't get your shit in order.

You are being a hypocrite by making this statement as you directly contradict yourself in literally the next sentence.

> you told me to get some help but I can't do that before I can't afford it

If you can't afford therapy than maybe you should think before doing something that clearly shows you need therapy. You can always check into an ER and they can send you to a mental hospital. Normally medicaid covers those.

This is not a brag. This is you displaying your complete lack of self control, and obsessive behavior, as well as a lack of anger management. You need to see a therapist. I promise you there are places in your area that do it for free or very cheap. If you don't want to go to a therapist you don't like, have you considered you don't like the therapist because they're breaking down your bad behavior?

Ps. I know you're angry because no calm or rational person sends an anonymous ask this long

Everyone else... This little guy is such a riot huh? It's hilarious honestly, I'm gonna see if he left any mean comments on my YouTube videos.

[damacbycavalli]

What is Social Media Marketing and how can it help your business?

Social media marketing, also known as social media management or social media optimization, describes the practice of building and managing an effective presence on social media platforms (like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn) to promote your business and drive new customers to your website or landing page. 

Social media is a powerful tool that no small business can afford to ignore in their marketing strategy – especially since 72% of marketers use social media networks to promote their businesses. But what exactly is social media marketing? And how can it help your business? This guide will answer all your questions and more!

Introduction to SMM

Social media marketing involves promoting your business through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, as well as blogs and forums related to your industry. Social media marketing can be an effective way to connect with potential customers in real-time and to make them aware of your business and its offerings, but it also has some potential drawbacks that businesses need to keep in mind before diving into this form of online promotion.

The Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Social media has become a huge part of our day-to-day lives. It’s no longer just Facebook and Twitter – now you have Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is using different platforms to create a brand that stands out in an increasingly saturated market. The key here is to use SMM as a tool, not as a replacement for old-fashioned marketing. You still need traditional marketing methods like PPC or SEO, but combining them with SMM will give you better results than either by themselves. 

For instance, you could use paid ads on Google to get more traffic to your website and then post content on Facebook groups about what they found when they got there. That way you’re targeting people who are interested in what you’re selling while simultaneously advertising. If you’ve been thinking about dipping your toes into SMM but don’t know where to start, consider this checklist: 

1. Research which channels will work best for your company 

2. Establish which goals you want to achieve 

3. Select a schedule for posts 

4. Determine what type of content works best 

5. Find ways to track ROI 6. Create a budget and time frame 

7. Remember that quality is important too! Use professional images and videos for a polished look. 

8. Don’t be afraid to fail! Posting frequently means that even if only 10% of your posts are successful, you’ll still reach many people over time. 

9. Track analytics carefully so you know what’s working and adjust accordingly. Social Media Marketing may seem scary at first, but with these steps, it becomes much easier! So why should you bother adding social media marketing to your arsenal? 

10. A study from CMI revealed that Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter are driving a significant increase in Web visits from search engine queries. 

In other words, being visible on these sites doesn’t just build awareness for your product/service; it increases exposure via search engine ranking. 

The 2 Biggest Mistakes Made by Small Businesses

1) Not understanding the difference between public, private, and personal use of social brands. 

2) Not realizing that you have to have a plan for when you are not at work. For example, what will happen if someone tags your business in an offensive post on Facebook or Instagram? Will you just ignore it or respond with professionalism? Will you allow every customer complaint to go unanswered? How do you handle posting from staff who live in different time zones? Are there policies about what you share as a company during natural disasters? How does your company handle negative reviews from customers on sites like Yelp or Google Reviews? What steps should your company take before running a paid ad campaign on social media? 

What tools do you need to manage a social media account successfully? First, you’ll need a clean computer that’s connected to the internet so you don’t miss out on opportunities while offline. Next, set up accounts with all relevant social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn). You’ll also want a good camera to capture high-quality images and video content – iPhones work well here. Then think through all of your content strategy questions: Who are we trying to reach? How often will we publish content? What types of posts will we make? Is our message consistent across platforms? Should we run contests or promotions on social media? Do I need to be involved in day-to-day decisions about my brand online? 

To maintain a social media presence without overloading yourself, consider hiring a virtual assistant to run your accounts and other tasks. Keep reading below for more information!

Types of Social Media Ads

Sponsored post: A post that a company pays to be featured on a social media platform. 

Promoted Tweet: A tweet that is more likely to be seen by people who don’t follow you. 

Promoted Story: A story (available only on Instagram) that a company pays to have higher visibility. 

Influencer Marketing: When an influencer posts something about the company’s product or service, and the company in return sends them free products in hopes of influencing others to purchase the product or service. 

Giveaways: Contests where people are rewarded for sharing their opinions about your products or services with their followers. 

Banner Ads These types of ads appear at the top of Facebook pages and profiles, or at the bottom of web pages. 

News Feed Ads: On Facebook, these ads usually show up in the middle column next to friends’ recent posts, but they also show up on Instagram as suggested stories that you might want to read. 

Carousel Ads: These types of ads are like banner ads except they scroll vertically instead of horizontally across a page. They generally take up less space than other kinds of ads because there are fewer images per screen. One downside is that carousels tend to be more expensive. 

Video Ads: Short clips (no longer than thirty seconds) that advertisers upload to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter so users can view them in their feeds. 

Social Media Challenges: Examples include following a certain person, posting pictures of yourself eating a certain food type and then tagging the person who challenged you in those pictures, taking selfies wearing different outfits each day and challenging three friends, etcetera.

How To Create An Effective Strategy

It’s worth noting that there’s no such thing as a silver bullet when it comes to getting more people to read, share, or engage with you on social media. The best strategy for success will always be one that combines multiple tactics. That said, here are a few tips that might help you get started. 

1) Share what people find interesting, not just what you want them to know about. 

2) Ask questions 

3) Be interactive 

4) Keep things brief 

5) Include graphics 

6) Engage in dialogue 

7) Tell a story 

8) Use hashtags 

9) Respond 

10) Make sure the content isn’t too self-promotional. 

People don’t like feeling like they’re being sold to so make sure the vast majority of the posts are fun, entertaining, or informative. While this may sound difficult at first glance because most marketers think their products and services have intrinsic value and should therefore always be shared online – don’t give into this temptation! 

Too many promotional posts on Facebook can create an image of inauthenticity among followers who notice the difference between personal updates and those about work. If a company posts only promotional messages, customers start to feel like they are being marketed instead of having a conversation. 

They may also decide that all your posts aren’t worth reading and unfollow you altogether. By posting a mixture of informational and educational content along with engagement strategies, companies can keep followers interested while still providing useful information about themselves.

4 Types of Social Media Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business

Social Media Marketing isn’t just about posting photos on Instagram, or tweets on Twitter. There are many different ways that you can use Social Media to grow your business. You can use these three strategies to implement Social Media Marketing into your overall strategy: 

1. Promote Your Website 

2. Develop Your Brand’s Voice 

3. Engage with Prospects/Customers 

4. Monitor Channels for Feedback

One way to engage in Social Media is by monitoring the channels you’re using and looking for feedback from others who have interacted with your content. Do they like what they see? Did they find the information useful? By getting feedback from those who have interacted with you, you’ll know what works well for them so that you can continue delivering a positive experience to them when they return. And if something doesn’t work as well as anticipated, don’t be afraid to experiment! 

Just make sure you monitor the channels carefully for customer feedback so that you can adjust accordingly. It may take some time, but implementing one of these Social Media Strategies will eventually lead to success. These strategies are simple, yet effective for any type of company. 

To get started, think about what goals you would like to accomplish with Social Media and then choose which strategy best aligns with those goals. From there, start thinking about a plan and what steps need to be taken first. Once you have all this figured out, create a game plan for each month during the year and put it in writing so that everyone in your company knows exactly what needs to be done at all times.

Promote Your Website

Have you ever noticed that every day there are more people on social networks than the day before? If you’re not actively participating in these networks, then you’re missing out on an opportunity to reach a large number of potential customers. 

With a little patience and creativity, businesses may find that the time spent on Facebook or Twitter quickly becomes one of the most cost-effective ways to connect with customers. Statistics show that for every $1 invested into a social media campaign, an average return of $4 – $5 is generated. The key to generating this kind of success on any given platform depends largely on understanding the user base and targeting content accordingly. 

For example, if you post an advertisement to LinkedIn without taking the time to target your audience, then chances are it will be met with a low click-through rate (CTR). On the other hand, if you take the time to identify which types of professionals make up LinkedIn’s user base and target them specifically based on their interests, then suddenly everything changes. You’ll see higher CTRs because you’ve successfully reached those who are most likely interested in what you have to offer.

Engage with Prospects/Customer

Social Media Marketing is the process of promoting a product or service through various types of social media channels. Social Media includes platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. 

There are two types of Social Media Marketing: Organic (free) and Paid (where you pay a company to post on your behalf). Promoting yourself through these channels will not only help your business be found by people who may be interested in what you offer but also engage with potential customers. 

For example, when someone clicks on one of your links from another site and likes your page, they have liked you! They’ll see updates about you that show up in their newsfeed. When someone visits one of your pages on a site like Facebook, they have liked that page too! Their friends will then see any status updates or photos posted to that page.

Develop Your Brand’s Voice 

Everyone has a voice. Whether you’re a person, brand, or company, you have something to say. And so does everyone else. The trick is to find the best way to say what you want to make an impact on others. Your voice should be authentic, unique, and consistent with your overall brand strategy. As such, it’s important to think about who your audience is and what they need from you before developing content for any given platform. 

One of the main benefits of social media marketing comes from knowing exactly who your target market is, as well as identifying their needs so that you can address them in real time. 

For example, if someone mentions that they are looking for information about gluten-free recipes, then you would post those types of recipes back at them directly. You may also share these sorts of posts with your followers and fans by tagging them in the comments to let them know that they will like this post too. 

People like brands who take care of their customers’ interests, so this tactic can go a long way toward building relationships.

Conclusion:

Social media marketing (SMM) refers to the process of developing and implementing strategies that help you grow your business through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and many more. Because there are so many social networks out there, it can be hard to know where to start, but here in this guide, we have mentioned some ways that SMM can benefit your business in 2023.

Source: What is Social Media Marketing and how can it help your business? .

[renytherat]

must fucking terrifying nightmare ever.

《《was falling asleep in a sleeping bag/tent and dad walked by to give me smth to fall asleep better. said it was his restless leg syndrome meds. called it torrent??. i had like 7 of them in my hand for some reason. he thought he dropped one on my pillow and tried looking for it. searched under my pillow too. i said i need water to take these. so i get up and cant fucking see a thing. start walking on a sandy path. hes nowhere to be found anymore (i only ever saw his hand). my sister randomly pops up in front of me and is now leading me on this path. i grab a stick and start putting perpendicular ditch marks into the path to tell me where ive been. sister comments, says she does the same thing. we eventually come up on a bend in the path (my vision is a little better i can see the sand and trees around me). i say wait a sec. i know where i am. i turn around and happen upon and old building. looks kinda like a tiny church/the building where you would rent these kayaks and paddle boats at a vacation spot i know well. suddenly the entire vacation spot appears and im standing on the beach i know very well. but the kayak shack is still a bathroom. i cant see anything inside but i know the toilet is there smwhere. i try turning on my flashlight on my phone. it turns on for a split sec and then never again. as i sit on this toilet i wonder to myself, i need to get to the shop/game center this place has for some internet bc its the only place with some stable wifi. and for some reason thats when i realise im dreaming. so i finish using the restroom and walk out (now holding a lot more stuff?? sunglasses, a blur which i can only identify as my hanquokka stuffie bc its blue and brown, a bag that usually holds my money, earplugs, and rocks and crystals, and smth else. as my sister and i make our way back to the tent i was sleeping in i say 'im dreaming' to her. shes like lol no you arent. and i say 'yes i am. youre wearing sunglasses in a pitch black area. i need to wake up. watch this' and all of a sudden the sandy path we are walking on is actually a dock and theres a large lake in front of us. i fucking leap off and she freaks out cuz why the fuck would i just jump into a lake in the middle of the night holding all this important shit?!. a flash scene happens and shes now standing over my dripping body, assumingly done resecitating me. i still know im dreaming. then that reality fades out and another fades in. im now in a supermarket like a target or ikea (never been in an ikea btw) and im being dragged around by what i can only assume are my parents in this reality as a cat (who i look at and just know is actually my sister) drags a cart behind her that has a large portrait of smone (a king george i think) in the cart. my parents (keanu reeves and jamie lee curtis with a fluffy auburn bob haircut) are fighting as they pull my arms to where they want me to go. im resisting bc i still know im dreaming. i start shaking my head violently. a ringing in my ears starts and i am now experiencing the dream world in 4d instead of my usual 3rd person pov. and i can feel my real head moving just a tad. i start shaking more violently and the dreamworld "moves farther away and gets smaller" (kinda like if you were watching a youtube video on your phone right up against your eyes and then moved it away to arms length)》》 i am now awake. groggy as fuck and hot and sweating. i open my eyes and check the time: 3:34 am. i turn on my phone. blinded by the bright light knowing i need to write this out for some reason.

so yeah it wasnt even all that terrifying of a nightmare it was just terrifying in the sense that i knew i was dreaming and couldnt wake up for the longest time. i lump it in with my nightmares because i didnt really have control over what was happening. (i can lucid dream 80% of the time. 19% of the time i have no dreams. that 1% are nightmares)

[stormblessed95]

We Don't Talk About This Enough...

As jikookers all know there are many moments that are universally known and we never stop talking about them.

Moments like Rosebowl:

GCF in Tokyo:

Coming of Age Ceramony:

Singing Serendipity to each other on stage:

The "You are Me, I am You" moments:

The "Let me Just hug you one time real quick" moments:

MAMA 2018:

The Dynamite Holiday Remix:

And MMA Black Swan:

.... sorry, I DID have a point here other than just a bunch of legendary jikook moments in gif form, I promise. And this isn't even including all their live stream moments, RUN moments or photoshoot moments and many many more. But what I want to talk about is THIS moment right here....

This moment is from the YouTube Documentary Burn the Stage, episode 2. I think its about 8 minutes (give or take) in. In case anyone wanted to go watch the whole moment for yourself. I think you should if you haven't seen it already! You know me, always preaching about going to go watch OG content and form your own opinions... anyways, here is MY personal opinion over all this and WHY this is such a huge a telling moment about Jikook and their relationship to each other.

This moment. This one and the many others that are similar are so incredibly TELLING and LOUD about the relationship between Jimin and Jungkook. Its unique and its special to them ONLY. They are the ONLY ones who react like this in tense, medical situations. And this is literally nothing against the rest of the members. When Jungkook got so overheated and dizzy that he practically passed out backstage, Tae was shook and teary eyed. Yoongi locked himself in the bathroom to cry with worry. Hobi and RM looked devastated, continually reminded everyone else to be careful and desperately wanted to check on JK. Jin looked extremely worried and unsure of what to do to try and help. They all cared so much and were so worried.

Jimin though, Jimin was THERE. He was NOT moving, no one expected him to move or leave. He was allowed to assist the staff with moving his legs to change his position. He was in the room the entire time, even after the members, the extra staff, the cameras and all were kicked out... Jimin was still there. He left the room talking to the medical staff about what we can only assume was Jungkook's condition. This is literally peak committed relationship stuff right here.

As soon as the staff said that they needed to take off JKs pants, RM and Hobi herded everyone else out of the room. But not once did they even glance at Jimin. They all knew that order did not apply to him. The staff even offered him a chair so that he could sit more comfortably while he was there. He wasn't just allowed to stay in the room, he was practically expected there. And yes, all the members undress, etc around each other and other staff all the time. But there is a huge difference in vulnerability when you are quickly changing clothes between stages, or changing/showering/washing up for the day and getting stripped and worked on by medical staff. Their is a loss of control and vulnerability there that is not the same in other situations. The way that Jimin is allowed to be there for Jungkook during those vulnerable moments and we can even say, makes him feel more comfortable during those moments as they talk through it, is very telling over what they mean to each other.

Now, I'm sure we ALL know that medical practices and procedures are only allowed to be talked about with biological family members or spouses. Am I saying that Jikook are blood brothers? No, ew. Am I saying that jikook are married? Also no. Do I think the rules are probably looser for a personal med staff that travels with you and their only concern is for the health and safety of the same 7 people than the rules would be for any random Dr office or hospital? Yes, I definitely do. Does this mean that just anyone would be allowed to discuss medical treatment and/or stay during possibly invasive and embarrassing treatment procedures? No, it doesn't. And yet, Jimin stayed.

To give a more personal example, I have a lot of experience being in and out of hospitals. I have experiences passing out and waking up with medical staff cutting my clothes off to get me the treatment I need. I have had friends kicked out of my hosptial room, siblings kicked out, etc when bandages needed to be changed or procedures needed to be done. I have personally asked my parents to leave during those moments sometimes too. My partner though? He was always there, to hold my hand or to hold my leg up and out of the way, or to help the doctors move things that they needed a possible extra hand for. There are times when your partner makes you feel safe in otherwise out of control, scary and vulnerable situations that no one else really can help with. No matter what we call their Relationship, Jimin was that person for Jungkook in this moment, and they were that person for each other in multiple moments involving medical emergencies.

And this was also the same moment we have seen a video of Jimin rushing past cameras in order to get to Jungkook. He completely ignored their normal backstage comments to the camera crew. We saw Namjoon and Taehyung looking worried, but getting through their comments. We saw Jimin glance at the cameras and rush past them. The next time we saw him it was when the other 5 BTS members came into the room to check on Jungkook, who was on the floor. Jimin was already there, its safe to assume that this is where he was rushing to when he skipped all camera formality. Jungkook not feeling well was way more important to him.

This was in 2017. We seem the same type of thing in 2018 when Jungkook injured his heel. We see Jimin staying with him the entire time that Kookie was on the ground getting examined. We see him running to make sure he was there with him. We see him taking charge, talking to the med staff about what needed to be done to take care of JK, about getting chairs for him to sit on, to having staff carry him, to telling the managers where to take him.... We see Jimin sitting there with JK while he got his stitches and then again later when he got his stitches removed. We see them during rehearsals and Jimin requesting chairs or other aid for Jungkook, making sure he is taking care of himself and not straining his injury too much. We see them direct med staff to each other when they are worried for the other person more than themselves, even though the exhaustion is evident in them both. We see them diet together or talk the other out of extreme diets when its not healthy. We see them take care of each other like this and in similar, but smaller ways so so often.

This is honestly what makes me think they are in a relationship. This is more than skinship. This is more than closeness and bts are family moments. This is dependability, this is vulnerability, this is exclusivity that is all unique to the bond that Jimin and Jungkook have. This is special. These are not loud moments that are focused on in memories or documentaries. These are moments that were there and gone. They were not focused on, but they were LOUD in their own way of telling us exactly how much Jimin and Jungkook mean to each other. They were LOUD in telling us exactly how close and intimate their relationship with each other is.

Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts over this moment. If you have anything else you want to hear my thoughts over, let me know! I did turn on anonymous asks, but if they get used for weird hateful comments, I will turn them back off!

Thanks, have a wonderful day! 💜

[barbiegirldream]

A little break down of the absolute shit show that was Yesterday. 

-The day before Yesterday, Dream releases an animated version of his song Mask. Most people are supportive and happy. 

-Then twitter is made aware that there is a scene where Dream dumps his meds. They then proceed to attack Dream for his personal experience with medication for his own ADHD. Essentially invalidating him because it doesn’t fit a mold of what they think someone with ADHD should be like. A lot of the ableists come out to play when they see Dream has negative attention on him again. 

-Dream responds to this with a joke about 🎵Drugs Drugs🎵 being perfectly okay. Basically trying to point out that people saying he’s influencing kids say nothing about the tons of other songs that talk about drugs. 

-Some members of the Black community expressed discomfort and distress at this. Basically it is a microaggression, so a small comment or action that on its own is not malicious but can be offensive to a minority. Basically if you’re a minority you know but it’s little things that pile up and up and most often people are not being racist/homophobic/ableist etc but their learned behaviors and internalized behaviors can come out. It’s draining to be confronted with them all of the time and you never know what will be the final comment that breaks your back. 

-Dream then deletes his response and apologizes saying he never had any intention of offending Black individuals and that he only wants to foster a community where black individuals feel safe to speak. So basically thanking them for calling it out and to his attention because he wants to learn. He also linked a list of black creators he thinks would be good to follow. 

-On the flip side Dream also stated he does not think his community is anti-black. Now young and newer content creators like Dream often conflate their communities as reflections of themselves so it is likely to Dream he doesn’t think his community is anti-black because he himself is not. This is something most content creators soon realize is false. Dream’s fanbase is anti-black. And there is hate against well everyone all of the time. It’s a massive fanbase. 

-Now what should have happened was Dream’s black fans because he does indeed have them should have this opportunity to talk to their cc and explain that there are issues within the community. Because if there is one thing Dreams fans know it’s that he is honestly so willing to learn and grow. 

-What did happen instead was Twitter went on a cancelling crusade. They stated claiming Dream posted that tweet to hate on black people and that he does hate them. They started dragging up the faked tweets of him saying slurs. They began sending self harm and gore videos to his fans. They began saying vile shit to black members of Dream’s community. (Slurs and accusing them of being race traitors essentially... for liking a Minecraft youtuber) They dug up shit that was already proven false or wildly out of context and have been addressed before which adds nothing to the conversation. 

-Then a picture of a teenager, from what I’ve heard, at a sport game was circulated out as “doxxed” Dream. This young boy who is not Dream was then dragged through the Twitter ringer. People used the unpopularity of Dream to express their fatphobia (the same way they do with ableism) onto this poor kid. I hope to god he never hears about this. 

-Okay so now Dream has stated he is going to be taking a break from Twitter which he deserves.

-Dream made an off color comment. immediately admitted he saw later how it could upset people, deleted it, and said he wants to do better. And despite what people think Dream really does not repeat his mistakes it’s just so many things about him being racist are faked it’s hard to see that. But instead of this being a learning opportunity for Dream’s non black fans or a platform for Dream’s black fans to speak out, this turned into a vile and toxic stream of shit where the people calling out Dream were being far more toxic than he ever has been. It was in general a usual day on Twitter but it got much more out of hand than usual. 

-Twitter is not a good place for any growth or change to happen. They don’t want it to happen. The mob has decided that viciously attacking someone to the point is has severe effects probably not just on their mental health but on many others is social justice. It’s not it is frankly just disgusting. 

-Honestly Yesterday was a good chance for an honest discussion about Dream’s community and what he could do to help. Which I feel like I saw happening on Tumblr. Yet it got so out of control so fast that I can’t even imagine the pressure. 

I am absolutely positive my brother and I have made slightly off jokes without even thinking about it. And yes we have no platform like Dream does but imagine being 21 so maybe a little younger a little older than you but still without a fully developed brain and a joke defending yourself from ableism is taken so wildly out of context people start sending you death threats knowing full well you struggle with mental health. I just- I the thought of being so heavily watched all of the time makes me sick. Calling someone out can foster growth. Trying to literally ruin their lives never will. 

I hope some actual discussions can come of this once Twitter gets down off their dumpster fire they call a horse and everyone is more calm.

[zz-chikorita]

Are any of the characters in your Jolly Rogers series wimps when it comes to watching horror? Is anyone a movie buff, or perhaps REALLY into something like the MCU, or a movie snob in some way? If they had a movie night, would they argue over what movie to watch, or all want to see the same thing?

Leon. Is. The. Biggest. Horror. Wimp.

After watching something scary, he can't be by himself and thus will usually have Charizard out with him everywhere he goes, including within his own flat. If he's having trouble sleeping, Char will sleep with the front half of his body on Leon like he's a big ol' weighted blanket.

Leon's favorite thing to do was to put his hands on his hips and puff out his chest, getting all up into Rai's face and forcing their chests to touch. Of course, to anyone else, it looks like they're doing some sort of manly posturing, but in reality, Leon is communicating to him something along the lines of "You got me worked up you rat bastard now find us some privacy and take responsibility."

Also, Raihan loves scary movies, so Lee would watch them with him and then get extremely clingy for the next couple days; he always had to be close by Rai, leaning against him, arms wrapped around him, or curling up in his lap when they're in private. In public, if they walk together, they would always be brushing shoulders.

They've actually had a whole system in place for a long time of various gestures and excuses to touch each other in public that, from the outside, simply look like friendly rivalry. Things like a pat on the shoulder, a light shove, pulling Leon's snapback or Rai's headband down over their eyes. It's all an unspoken code for "I am with you," "I'm still here," "I love you."

Ah, but I've gotten off track.

Guzma is indifferent to horror. He'll watch it cuz Plums enjoys it, but it doesn't really bother him. He's really not a big movie guy in general. There's maybe a few he really likes, but for the most part he doesn't care. He blames it on his shit attention span- courtesy of his many concussions. Guzma gets bored too easily and usually ends up falling asleep during anything they watch. However, the big bad boss man does love himself some cartoons. He used to be embarrassed about it but now he don't give a fuck. If there exists a pokemon world equivalent of Ed, Edd, n Eddy, he would watch the shit out of that cuz I feel like that would be exactly his brand of comedy.

Really the only other thing he'll watch is nature documentaries. Of course, they have to be about bugs. If it's about anything else, he'll fast forward until he gets to the bug stuff. Strangely, he still gets embarrassed from time to time about watching them.

Plumeria is extremely well read and she's also very well versed in the art of film. She loves watching and picking apart movies and watching horrible thrillers or scifi to laugh about the horrible sfx. She loves the MCU just so she can tear it apart for its lackluster writing and gratuitous use of cgi.

Guzma will sit and watch all that stuff with her and listen to her go on and on about it. He doesn't follow half of it, but he listens anyways because he knows how much she loves it.

Based on his personality and demeanor, what movie, or genre of movie, do y'all think he'd pick in this situation? Scifi? Comedy? Drama? Something sophisticated to try and impress Leon? Maybe something scary to try and get the champ to grab onto him in a dark room? Whaddya think?

Just some other quick thoughts on smaller characters: 'Lani loves crime dramas and standup comedy. A. and B. like watching YouTube let's plays together. Charizard enjoys sitting and watching footage of battles with Leon. Golisopod won't watch TV, he'd rather go sit somewhere quiet and meditate. Nanu watches the news and occasionally a telenovela he can't even understand because that's all that's on when he can't sleep at like 4am.

Whenever Team Skull as a whole has a movie night there is so much arguing. Plumeria is obviously the mediator while Guzma is pretty indifferent, unless it's like, a really shitty Adam Sandler movie. It sometimes, but not always, ends with Guzma slamming his fist down and picking one of whatever they're all arguing about so they can all just shut up and watch something. If Leon were to join them on a movie night, all the grunts would be wanting him to watch their favorite movies and asking him what he's seen and what he hasn't. Guzma actually starts getting jealous and ends up putting in effort and picking out one of the few "big boy" (<- Plumeria's words) movies he likes.