#like. 27k members easily

[lover-of-skellies]

For the swear, 'cunt'

It's weird because fuck is a grade a curse but then you think about if we're including slurs which I would call a curse.

That's a valid point, yeah. I hadn't thought of including slurs in the poll simply because there's so many of them (and also I made the poll when I was half asleep), but yeah, I see your point

[stardust-falling]

stardust_falling 2023-24 Gift and Giveaway Fics Masterpost!

While SVLPO has been on hiatus, I've participated in several gift exchanges and also written three fics for a follower milestone giveaway, so I decided I would go ahead and list them all in one big post!

SV Summer Solstice Exchange:

Mirror's Reflection

Pairing: Shen Jiu/&PIDW!Native Shen Yuan Rating: M (read warnings!) Length: 63k

After killing his cruel shifu at the Immortal Alliance Conference, Shen Jiu rejects Yue Qingyuan’s attempts to bring him to safety and flees the conference. By chance, while fleeing the cultivation world’s pursuit of Wu Yanzi’s accomplice, he happens to run into a boy who shares his face and surname. This boy, Shen Yuan, is nothing like Shen Jiu— he’s the third young master of a wealthy family, who has lived his life without a single moment of hardship, and spends his days reading novels and daydreaming about traveling the world. Shen Jiu, jealous of his double’s easy life, is surprised and a bit baffled to find that Shen Yuan is discontent with living his life safely inside the walls of his family’s manor, and even a bit jealous of Shen Jiu’s ability to go where he pleases and do what he wishes without worrying about his family’s reputation or concerns. After Shen Jiu is mistaken for the lookalike by members of Shen Yuan’s own household, he proposes an solution: that the two switch places, letting Shen Jiu live Shen Yuan’s comfortable, idle life while the other boy travels the world.

SV Winter Solstice Exchange:

Basic Instincts

Pairing: Gen Luo Binghe & Sha Hualing & Mobei-jun, background Luo Binghe/Shen Qingqiu Rating: T Length: 5k

Keeping the demon world from collapsing into shambles isn't an easy task. Sometimes, Sha Hualing needs to let out a bit of pent-up tension with a nice friendly brawl against her fellow rulers.

QiJiu Secret Santa Exchange:

The Weight of a Promise

Pairing: Yue Qingyuan/Shen Jiu (pre-slash) Rating: M (read warnings!) Length: 27k

Yue Qi made a promise, and he will do whatever it takes to keep it-- even if he nearly destroys himself in the process.

At Cang Qiong Mountain's sword trials, Yue Qi rashly draws the ancient, powerful Xuan Su sword from Wan Jian Peak. He hopes that such a powerful weapon will give him the strength he needs to rescue and protect the friend he left behind, but when the backlash of a failed sword bond nearly costs him his life, he learns that impulsive decisions can have far-reaching consequences.

SV System Server CNY Exchange:

Counterfeit Jade

Pairing: Luo Binghe/Shen Qingqiu, referenced Yue Qingyuan/Shen Jiu Rating: M (non-explicit sex) Length: 11k

Shen Qingqiu would have been perfectly content to live the rest of his life as Shen Qingqiu, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the system had other ideas. It seemed that Shen Qingqiu— no matter which soul had donned this persona— was doomed to have the secrets of his past dragged out into the open and laid bare for everyone to see.

100-Follower Milestone Giveaway:

Twists of Fate

Pairing: Shang Qinghua/Shen Jiu (pre-slash) Rating: T Length: 8k

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky's one goal as Shang Qinghua is to live as long and comfortably as possible in this world-- and to that end, he has resolved to stay as far away from the scum villain, Shen Qingqiu, as he possibly can, since nothing good could come from that association. Now, if only the two of them could stop being sent out on missions together!

Unfortunately, when someone makes a mistake, it's usually left to the two of them to clean it up-- and sometimes, Shang Qinghua can't help but be reminded of some of his own mistakes that can't be untangled so easily.

Two Birds

Pairing: Yue Qingyuan/Shen Jiu (pre-slash) Rating: T Length: 5k

Newly-ascended peak lords Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu are still adjusting to their new roles. When they attend a meeting for the upcoming Immortal Alliance Conference, Yue Qingyuan notices that his shidi is very tense, and he resolves to do what he can to ease his mind.

An Unlikely Mediator

Pairing: Yue Qingyuan/Shen Jiu Rating: T Length: 5k

Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan find a stray kitten while out on a mission and decide to bring it back to Cang Qiong Mountain. This makes all the difference.

OR

The unstoppable force of Qijiu's Communication Issues meets the immovable object of Cat-Induced Inertia.

----

Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, & gives kudos, and I look forward to another year of writing!

[falsegoodnight]

some fic recs from the past months:

(this is for the person who requested via an ask!)

i haven’t been reading as many fics as i would like to be reading especially in the past few weeks, but here’s a bunch that i’ve either read or reread in the past couple of months (in no particular order):

make this feel like home by @soldouthaz | 43k

The house on West 28th Street in London is twice the size of Louis', more expensive than the price of all of his house and car payments combined, and is falling apart at the seams.

like it’s a game by @soldouthaz | 32k

there is little harry hates more than truth or dare.

and louis.

let me carry your weight by @soldouthaz | 29k 

louis is fresh out of a bad relationship with someone who made him feel awful about how he looked. on his journey to better himself, he meets harry - the ridiculously attractive and fit personal trainer.

call if you need me by @soldouthaz (a reread!) | 11k

If anyone asks later on, Louis plans to tell them that it’s all Niall’s fault.

* as you can tell, i’m very much biased when it comes to sarah :) especially her last fic which i beta-read! go read!

shouldn’t cry (but i love it) by @bloubird | 7k

They're roommates. They're quarantined. There's a small problem coming up.

Until by @allwaswell16 | 38k

Rural Eagle County, Colorado wasn’t the type of place to find a famous musician or actor. At least not until songwriter Louis Tomlinson showed up with pop star Niall Horan to visit his uncle’s horse ranch, and they just happened to find themselves next door to a reclusive former movie star.

Ours are the moments I play in the dark by @holdingthornsandroses (reread!) | 31k

Jane Austen's Persuasion AU. Nine years ago Louis Tomlinson was persuaded to break off his engagement to Harry Styles, a poor sailor. Since then Louis has come to regret being so easily convinced to give up his one chance of happiness. Now Louis' family is in debt and his childhood home is being sold. In a complete reversal of fortune, Harry has returned to England a wealthy bachelor looking to settle down. Events conspire to bring them together once more though Louis is- must surely be- the last man on earth that Captain Styles would think of now.

Ghost Note Symphony by @crazyupsetter | 96k

Louis is on tour when he first hears about it. It’s all over the news – Harry Styles Attacked By Fan runs in headlines for days. It’s not even just the gossip rags, either. Actual journalists are covering the story. It would have been impossible to avoid hearing about it. Technically, Oli is the one who tells Louis about it, but it’s not exactly being covered up. Harry doesn’t answer Louis’ text asking if he’s alright, but that’s not really surprising. They haven’t spoken for months, and it’s been a lot longer than that since they’ve had a real conversation. The sting of the text going unanswered is still there, less painful than it might have been a few years ago.

It’s not that it’s easy to forget about, exactly. Louis has a whole life outside of One Direction now, though. So Louis goes on with his life, figuring that if Harry was seriously hurt he would have heard about it by now. He might currently be in the same country as Harry, but being on opposite sides of it puts enough distance between them that putting it in the back of his mind is easy. There’s nothing Louis could do, even if he thought Harry might want him to.

That’s why everything that happens next comes as a complete shock to him.

Love’s Truest Language by @smrwine (a favorite of all time) | 53k

The first part was meant as a joke. He didn't really expect Harry to buy anything. It was just Louis’ way of softening the ‘get the fuck out’ blow.

“Where's your order forms, then?”

“I don't want your flowers.” Louis chided before directing all of his attention to the arrangement in front of him.

Harry laughed under his breath as he stood to his full height, “Who said anything about them being for you, love?”

Tainted Saints and Velvet Vices by Toomanytears (reread!) | 126k

A self-fulfilling Hogwarts AU in which Louis is new to seventh year and Harry is the resident devil-may-care Slytherin set to make his entire experience a living misery. Due to less than favourable circumstances they're forced to forge an unwilling, tentative relationship for their own survival. Repressed emotions, decidedly unromantic ballroom dancing, Triwizard Tournament tasks, creative jinxes and twilight flying above the Forbidden Forest ensue.

a trail of honey through it all by @yvesaintlourent | 27k

The boy in front of him, well really, the man in front of him, was like something out of a confusing wet dream. Built, tall, tan and muscular, his skin glistened with sweat after a long day of working outdoors with his hands. He was wearing a cut up old American football shirt, the bottom hem was torn and the sleeves were cut off to the point where the t-shirt was really just a loose tank top. The shorts he had on had clearly been full length jeans at one point, and were now just crudely cut off above the knee. His white socks were pulled up too high on his calves, and the brown work boots he had on were old as fuck, the leather peeling along the edges of the soles. Curly brown hair stuck out from the edges of his backwards snapback, and there was a smudge of grease wiped along his brow bone. The smattering of hair along his jaw proved that he hadn’t shaved in a week or two, the hair growing in thicker across his upper lip and around his chin. His sinfully bowed mouth was pink and plump, and Louis was suddenly hyper-focused on the way that he chewed at the toothpick stuck between his lips. He looked like he needed a shower. Louis wanted to lick him.

Or, the TPH fic we’ve all been waiting for.

kiss like fire by @louizsv | 9k

Harry watches as his uncle's new omega walks around the backyard, serving canapés and drinks to all of the family members gathered. Harry is surrounded by his cousins, all sat together, too young for the adults but too old for the kids and teens. He lifts his beer to his lips and takes a sip when the omega crouches down by one of Harry's younger cousins and hands her a small cracker, sending her off with a sweet smile.

He watches as his uncle comes out of the house, sliding the patio door shut behind him and quickly making his way over to his omega. The omega looks up at him when he wraps an arm around his waist. His pretty lips move with soft-spoken words. Harry has to fight to keep his alpha in check when his dirty old uncle's hand dips down, grabbing at the omega's ass and making him jump.

"Dude," one of his cousins says, "Uncle Darron's new omega is such a milf."

Also, this one isn’t completed yet but I still recommend: 

Lidocaine and Palm Trees by @boldbabe | currently 40k, 4/5 chapters posted

Heat, fake tans and lots of traffic.

Harry never expected to earn his living this way when he moved to LA.

Louis didn't think he could ever be the same after his divorce.

A lighthearted story about two guys trying to find themselves in the vibrant, sprawling city of Los Angeles, with a side of technical porn industry stuff.

that took much longer than anticipated but i hope you (or anyone) enjoy! if anyone asks, i’ll maybe do a rec list for my favorite fics of all time... we’ll see.

remember to give kudos and consider commenting if you check any of these out!! they’re all fantastic!

*let me know if i made any errors :)

[florenc-ia]

These are my last reads, took me some time but oh well. Enjoy

Give Me Truths 110k

Louis is a psychology student with a tattoo count as high as his genius IQ. Harry is in a (sort-of) relationship with a homophobic man and hates himself a little more every day. Things fall apart and Louis puts him back together.

Or, the one in which Louis falls in love with a fragile boy and tells him every beautiful truth in the world, as long as it makes him happy.

chances under the purple sunrise 28k

“You’ve been taking my shoes?” Louis asked, scoffing. “I paid a lot for them!”

“How unfortunate for you.” Harry smiled bitterly. He peeked over Louis, eyeing the hook that still had the worm.

The red box was open right next to him. Harry saw that inside, it had a couple of transparent containers that were filled with worms, too. He eyed Louis skeptically before nodding. “Right. I’ll give you your, er…. little boats back if you let me have the tub of worms.”

A groan crawled out from Louis, his head falling back and his eyes landing up at the clear sky. “I need those.”

“They’re food for myself and others, not to be used as bait.”

*

Or the one where Harry is a merman, prince of the Atlantic Ocean, whose curiosity and healthy envy takes over him and he steals Louis' shoes every time he fishes.

Absolutely amazing it’s so beautiful and cute I loooooved it

Oh Glory 21k

Tomlinson looks Liam over, tilting his head. “Are you a swimmer as well?”

“Yeah,” Liam says, a little cautiously. Harry wonders if it’s Tomlinson’s fame or the unimpressed eyebrow that’s making Liam wary. “Distance, I’m doing the 1500m. Harry here’s a sprinter.”

“Ah,” says Tomlinson, turning his glinting eyes back to Harry. “So you’re not an endurance man.” A beat passes, and his grin grows, wide and filthy. "Shame."

Harry Styles is Team Great Britain's newest swimmer, and has spent his whole life training for this moment, a chance at the gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympics. All his training, hard work, and dedication to no distractions is tested when he's assigned to the same Rio apartment as Louis Tomlinson, British gymnast and Harry's childhood crush.

Torn On The Platform 27k

AU where harry and louis are strangers but they always get the same train to work in the morning and one day harry falls asleep on louis’ shoulder. louis wants to be annoyed because harry just broke a least seven rules of tube conduct but he looks so soft and peaceful that he just lets him sleep and wakes him ever so carefully when it’s his stop. it happens again and again until it becomes a regular thing where louis will let harry snooze and then gently nudge him awake, hand him the cup of coffee he took from him so it wouldn’t slip and spill everywhere and send him off with a “have fun at work, love” and after the tenth time harry isn’t even embarrassed anymore.

In a sky full of stars, be my Northern lights 13k

It's one of those nights there's nothing on the telly that Louis absently scrolls through Tinder. After swiping left on a bunch of profiles he comes face to face with a picture that stops him in his tracks. The picture is..almost sweet. It’s a boy with brown curly hair, wearing a very low cut yellow blouse, paired with a black jacket. He’s got a smile on his face and his tongue sticking out, but it’s not in any way lewd or suggestive. He just looks like he’s having a good time, and something about the innocence of it has him swiping right rather than left.

He’s barely checked the other pictures on the boy's profile before Tinder confirms that he’s got a match. The shots are so different from the pictures Louis is used to on Tinder - half naked boys who are smoldering at the camera - that he can’t help but smile.

It quickly turns into a frown when he opens up the message he’s just received.

Harry: Hello!

Harry: Thank you for swiping right

Harry: I have a proposition for you

baby we could be enough (I’ll make this feel like home) 52k

“Did you clean the table?” Harry asks Louis once Rose is done speaking, now occupied with trying to see if she can reach over and touch Harry’s hair from where she’s sat. At Louis’ nod, Harry frowns. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guests here, I could’ve dealt with it later.”

Louis just smiles easily, though, adjusting Rose on his lap so that she’s facing Harry better. She manages to tug on a loose wave of hair, and she makes a noise of triumph that both Louis and Harry smile at.

“I don’t mind,” Louis murmurs to Harry, even though he’s looking at Rose. “This one here seemed very excited to talk to you.”

And, okay. Harry can’t help but think of how domestic this feels, all of a sudden.

[harry is a photographer who's trying to find his place. louis is a single father with a smile that feels like home.]

That’s How I Know 19k

Louis Tomlinson has just landed his dream job, coaching soccer at Augustus University. When he moves into a new house near campus, he meets his very fit new neighbor, English professor Harry Styles. Although their first meeting leads to an instant mutual dislike, the more Harry gets to know Louis, the more he likes what he sees.

Or the one where Harry’s African grey parrot spills his dirty secrets to his very hot neighbor.

Never Too Late 18k

Harry’s confused for a moment before it hits him: the little boy is signing. Harry squats down to get to the boy’s level again and mirrors the same action.

“Dad?” He inquires. Harry learned basic sign language after having met a fan who was deaf. He made it his mission to learn signing so that he’d be able to communicate with other fellow hearing impaired fans.

The little boy smiles brightly, his tears now long gone. He goes on to extend both hands, palms up as if he’s asking where? Followed by the previous sign which means Dad. Harry smiles to himself at the amazing little guy standing in front of him.

He stands up taking the boy’s hand, “Let’s go find your dad,” he tells him making the motion with his hand.

Just having come out of the closet and recovering from vocal surgery, famous recording artist Harry Styles needs to get away from LA to work on new music needing to prove to his label that his career isn't over. Little does he know that his life is about to change forever when he runs into an old friend at the city he's decided to escape to.

Truth Be Told (I Never Was Yours) 76k

Harry watches Louis as he scrunches up his nose and bites the end of a pen in concentration. He’s been working on seating arrangements for the past hour and getting more frustrated by the minute. Louis huffs out a breath and glances down at Harry with a soft smile on his lips before he returns to the task at hand. It’s easy, right then, for Harry to let himself believe that they’re planning a seating chart for their own wedding and bickering over who is going to sit where from a list of their own family members. He can let himself daydream about a white picket fence and a dog that they could have within the next year.

It’s like a cold slap in the face when Harry looks to the top of the page to see “Aiden and Louis Grimshaw” at the head table, and Harry has to mentally remind himself for the thousandth time that Louis is not his. Never was, really. He’s just the wedding planner that’s been in love with Louis since he was sixteen.

(or the one where Louis and Harry have a complicated past, Louis is getting married to someone that’s not Harry, and the universe has decided to have a laugh and make Harry the wedding planner.)

Even Angels Have Their Demons 53k

Louis is appointed the role of Guardian Angel, and his first mission is a boy named Zayn Malik. Unfortunately, it seems that a certain Demon has gotten to him first.

Or... an Angel/Demon AU where Angel Louis hates Demon Harry, but somewhere along the way that stops being so true.

Three French Hems 20k

In which Louis is a designer at Burberry and Harry spends December wearing Lanvin… and Lanvin… and Lanvin.

In Dreams 23k

AU. When Harry moves to a new city, his new flat come with a number of sweet, anonymous gifts and surprises that brighten his days. Could it be a friendly ghost? Another friendly presence in his new building is his tattooed neighbor, Louis, who seems determined to put a smile back on his face.

Say It Somehow 129k

Louis Tomlinson may be one of the most respected actors on the West End, but he's terrible at knowing how to act around Harry Styles.

The story of two people who find each other at just the right time, featuring first dates, sleepovers, heartbreak, lots of sex, baked goods, overpriced bedsheets, and musical theatre references galore.

A Darker Shade of Love 750k

Louis is a 30 year old multi-billionaire with a very dark past. He is violent and is a sadist with a taste for pain.

Harry Styles is a 19 year old student who sets out to London after being kicked out by his homophobic father to follow his dreams. He wants to go to the best University to study but he needs a lot of money so he starts to work as a part time stripper at a gay club to support his studies and his life.

The club he works at, Garland's, is part owned by Louis Tomlinson. When they meet, its life changing for the both of them.

Ok so this one has very sensitive content. It’s very well written but if you can understand this is all fiction then you’re good. Be careful reading it if you think you might get triggered

A Sea Without Water, A Compass Without Direction 84k

”Tell me, Louis,” Captain Styles said, leaning forward a little. ”D’you think I’m an idiot?”

”I—what?” Louis asked, surprised by the blunt question. He had expected something different, something along the lines of how he learned music, or how he ended up as a prisoner on the other ship.

”Do you think I’m an idiot?” The captain repeated, putting emphasis on each word as though Louis couldn’t understand him otherwise.

”Of course not,” Louis said, shaking his head. He’d be a fool for thinking such a thing, and an even bigger fool for saying it out loud. ”Captain.”

Captain Styles nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. ”Then why did you lie to me?”

”L-Lie?”

”Out on the deck. You lied to me,” he said. He held up his hand, three fingers up.

”Three lies total. I hate liars.”

Waiting for the tides to meet 59k

Louis lets out a deep breath, thinking about Harry’s soulmate. Thinking about how Harry’s soulmate is probably as beautiful as Harry, some person that Louis cannot compare to, and how the universe has chosen them to be Harry’s. Fuck the universe. “Fuck you,” he calls out to the universe. He’s aware of how crazy he sounds.

Maybe he is crazy, with how he’s falling for Harry. And fuck that, too.

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart.

Featuring a lovely cup of OT5, a road trip down the coast, and a scene where Harry eats a whole head of lettuce. Don't ask why.

[daggerandrose]

I can’t believe it already November 28th, this month has gone by so quickly! Here are some of the Famous/Non-Famous AUs I’ve read! These are focusing more on Famous H/Non-Famous L. I’ll definitely do a part 2 where it’s Famous L/Non-Famous H.

As always, make sure to leave a nice comment for the authors and leave a kudos!

Whirlwind, 21k, by @haydolce 

AU. Acclaimed actor, Hollywood heartthrob, and Oscar nominee, Harry Styles, seems to have the world at his feet, but seeks out an old friend when he needs a date for his big night.

lock me up with love, 29k, by @liltinylouis

“So you must go out more often than I thought,” Harry said. “I see you all the time now!”

“Well, one of those times you literally came to my door.”

Harry laughed, a loud honking sound, a shock to Louis’ ears. He couldn’t remember the last time he made someone laugh, not so easily and genuine.

Harry didn’t seem embarrassed, but his eyes were hazy, hair a bit mussed up, cheeks red. Oh. He was drunk, or tipsy maybe. That explained a lot.

“That’s true,” he said, then frowned. “Oh no, do I seem like a stalker?”

“Eh,” Louis said, “just a little bit.”

Louis had a messed-up knee, ruined career, and labradoodle to take care of. Harry had a normal knee, perfect career, and concern for his recluse neighbor. Harry's baking skills were enough to bring them together.

When It’s Late At Night, 25k, @all-these-larrythings

Louis has zero interest in an ex-boybander turned solo artist when his appearance on the show gets announced, but that's exactly who he gets stuck with when Harry Styles shows up at the Late Late show to promote the release of his debut album. For an entire fucking week.

Or

The Late Late prompt that we all need to get through this excruciatingly hard time.

‘Til I Tasted You, 14k, by @icanhazzalou

Louis is Harry Styles' biggest fan. It doesn't matter that Harry is famous for being a food blogger and Louis can't cook to save his life.

At least, until Harry offers to give Louis a cooking lesson. Then it matters just a teensy bit.

tangled up in you, 45k, by @missandrogyny

Harry blinks once. And blinks again. And says, his voice dangerous: “Niall, did you get me a mail-order bride?”

Because what the actual fuck. It kind of looks like Niall’s just purchased a person. For Harry.

Niall blinks back at him for a few moments, before throwing his head back and howling with laughter. Harry throws a pillow at him. Hard. “No, what the fuck, Harry.”

“A prostitute then?” Harry also doesn't want a prostitute.

“Of course not!”

“A stripper?”

“No!”

Damn, he’s running out of ideas. He settles for launching another pillow at Niall’s head. Niall bats it away easily, still laughing. “Stop!”

“What did you get me, then?!” Niall must hear the tinge of hysteria in his voice, because he’s pulling himself together, trying to stop himself from laughing.

There’s still a big grin on his face, though, when he says, “I got you a professional cuddler.”

A professional…what. “What?”

Something Great, 31k, by @infinitelymint

In which a coincidence, instagram, a party, a piano and a planned coming out all come together to make two people fall in love. As it happens, it turns out to be a rather effective combination.

or, Louis is a student and Harry is the mega-famous singer that happens to post a photo with Louis in the background. Together they kind of break the internet.

Rise up like the sun, 41k, by @tommosgun

“I wasn't taking a sneaky pic.” Louis blurted out, the guy stood at one of the urinals taking a piss. “You were.” The guy answered coolly. “I would've taken a pic with you if you'd just asked.” “No I didn't want a pic with you.” The guy turned his head, quirking his eyebrow sardonically. “No you're far too cool for that, you just wanted to violate my privacy.” Louis squeezed his eyes shut. “I'm sorry. Look..” He walked towards the guy flicking his phone out. “Hey.” The guy hunched over, hiding his junk. “Oh no no, I wasn't gonna take a pic. Fuck.” Louis threw his hands up, stopping in his tracks. “Look I'm going to show you I'm deleting it.” Louis turned his phone and the pic disappeared. “You looked familiar, I was going to send it to my friend and ask who you were, I'm sorry, dick move.” Louis sighed, smiling apologetically. The guy zipped and walked to the basin. “So you invade my privacy then insult my level of fame by pretending to not know who I am.” The guy was turned away from Louis. “Look I'm...shit.” Louis inhaled noisily. The guy turned, a grin spread over his face. “I'm fucking with you.”

Not Quite, 34k, by @lads-laddylads

Niall gives Harry an exasperated look, nodding slowly. “Okay...so do you want to explain why we’re hiring Louis? And do you want to explain it without making any mention of his soft hair or ample buttocks?”

As Harry prepares for the premiere of his first blockbuster film, his manager encourages him to hire a bodyguard as a precautionary measure. Harry ends up making an unusual choice.

24K Magic, 32k @justalittlelouislove

“I know, I bet you want an autograph.”

An...what? Louis’ jaw drops open, actually hangs open, as he gapes at him in absolute and utter disbelief. Right here, on a Friday night in London, Louis has happened upon the biggest douchebag in the history of the world. Surely he should contact someone. A record-keeping organisation or something.

“You think I want an autograph,” Louis repeats slowly. Maybe if the guy hears the words back clearly enough he’ll comprehend the level of asshole he’s throwing out into the universe.

It doesn’t work, Mr. Douchebag of the Century just smirks and leans into Louis’ space, well more into his space, “Mmhmm, we’ll have to go up to my Penthouse. That’s where I keep my pens.”

or

A fic based on 24k Magic by Bruno Mars, in which Harry's a mess and famous, Louis is a mess and not, Liam and Zayn are probably hiding something, and Niall is a horrible flatmate.

Kiss Me With Adventure (”Til I Forget My Name), 31k, by summer_roses

Harry is the big new thing in the music industry and in a mad search to find a makeup artist before his first ever world tour kicks off. Louis is an internet famous beauty guru/YouTuber who drinks too much tea and a habit of cursing excessively. When a fan tweets Harry the link to Louis' YouTuber channel it starts something neither of them could have ever imagined.

**

Based on the prompt: Harry's the biggest indie star in the music industry and just as his first world tour starts his makeup artist leaves. Harry's team is frantically searching for a new one but they can't seem to get a hold of one Harry actually likes?? Cue Harry, alone in his apartment a week before tour, he sees a tweet from a fan saying that "this is my favorite youtuber!! blah blah", Harry clicks it and there's youtuber!Louis who //conveniently// is also a beauty guru. Harry thinks he's cute n stuff but he also wants him on his team and all that.

Is This Seat Taken, 35k, by lainy122

A borrowed suit from Zayn, a cigarette and the right attitude, and Louis went from security breach to misplaced celebrity instantly. He could practically see the wheels in the security guy’s head switch from ‘could be dangerous’ to ‘could get me fired’. L.A was so predictable.

Louis makes a bet with Zayn that he can sneak into a music awards event without getting caught, and when he ends up posing as a seat-filling member of staff he runs into superstar Harry Styles and sparks fly. Que the music.

Tis the Season for...Love?, 27k, by @alarriefantasy

Prompt: Harry seems to have it all: A successful career as a pastry chef, a Victorian home in London, and a dedicated boyfriend who he's been with for years. One day he stops by his boyfriend's apartment to surprise him and finds out that he's not so dedicated to Harry after all. Shocked and too depressed to celebrate, he decides to skip Christmas and on a whim leaves on a plane to New York. In New York he meets Louis…

Or...Louis might just be what Harry's needed all along.

A Pleasant Side to You, 8k, by @smrwine

Louis brought his palms up to his temples, easing the roaring headache that was quickly developing beneath his skull. His entire day spent half dressed out in the sun was all leading up to this show, and hearing their new songs, and being twenty feet away from his only teenage heartthrob and coming of age inspiration. It had been nearly a decade since he saw them perform live, and this was something he was genuinely looking forward to. Louis shook his head and cringed inward at his disappointment.

“Well who’s replacing them, then? They were the headliners.”

“I dunno,” Nick said with a fleeting hand movement. “Some bloke named Harry Styles.” or Louis ends his summer with a festival and a man whois almost too good to be true.

One Week, Eight Hours, 3k, by daggerinrose

Louis doesn’t have a reason to hate Harry Styles (which, to be fair, is a reason of its own.)

or: a production assistant with no experience in front of a camera interviews a rockstar with old shoes and a distasteful attitude.

Please let me know if there’s anymore recs you have! Happy 28th!

[bettydgunter90]

Appraisal Institute Board of Directors Tried To Sneak Sham Bylaw Changes Past Membership

Back on December 4, 2020, I wrote about the sham bylaw change being floated by the Appraisal Institute to avoid the embarrassment of the recent sham election process: The Sham 45-Day Bylaw Modification Process To Keep Jim Amorin’s Sham Petition Process Explained

To rush this through, the Appraisal Institute Board of Directors meeting is being held Wednesday, January 6th with sketchy notice.

Don Boucher, SRA and Jennifer Marshall, SRA, AI-RRS came through for membership and forwarded notice of the meeting. - send Joan an email requesting the login as presented below

_________________________________________ Dear AI Professional, We hope that 2021 will be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you! Sorry about the late notice but we wanted to make sure that you know about and request an invitation to the Special Board Meeting on January 6th at 3 EST. At the Meeting, the Board will be discussing and voting on changing the Bylaws based on the recommendations in 45-Day Notice on VP Election Process and memberships comments. To request the link to attend the meeting please contact the Board Secretary, Joan Barngrover, at jbarngrover@appraisalinstitute.org. Thanks for continuing to be proactive and staying involved. Regards, Don Boucher, SRA and Jennifer Marshall, SRA, AI-RRS _________________________________________

Everyone who reads this post and who is a member of the Appraisal Institute should attend the virtual board meeting. As members, you have the right to log in to the meeting. Here's how:

_________________________________________

Thank you for expressing your interest in attending the Special Board Call, January 6, 2:00 pm CT. Following is the GoToMeeting connection information to observe this meeting. Please mute your phone when entering the event and please do not share your webcam. You will want to log on at least five minutes early as the meeting will begin right at 2:00 pm CT. Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/876886637 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 Access Code: 876-886-637 New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/876886637.

_________________________________________

These changes being floated are so blatantly corrupt that it is beyond unethical. The purpose of these proposed bylaw edits to the existing bylaws will enable FOJs (Friends of Jim Amorin) to keep their own exclusive club paid for by the membership with salaries at 2x the market rate, first-class travel all over the world including wives and friends, and cornering control of lucrative teaching stipends as they have for the past 10+ years.

As a further sign of the lack of transparency, notification of the board meeting to vote on these sham maneuvers wasn't adequate. Some members only received notice today (Tuesday) for a board meeting on Wednesday. The cynical me believes that this meeting was timed to occur at the moment there will be a massive global media circus in Washington, D.C. (Wednesday) to decide whether to confirm the state results in the federal election. In addition, it is three days into the New Year and they were clearly counting on rushing this under the radar before people wake up from their holiday grogginess. This is a strategic move pure and simple - to continue to wrestle control of the organization from membership and it marks the beginning of the end of the Appraisal Institute.

All eyes will be on the new AI President-Elect Rodman Schley, MAI, SRA at the Board of Directors meeting - who has created a favorable reputation with the membership as someone who believes in transparency and has showed signs of pushing back against the FOJ pillaging of this once-proud organization.

This is Rodman's moment - if he allows for these sham changes without a fight and hides behind the use of "executive sessions," he will be just another annual decorative rotation in the Presidential position - Jim Amorin's posse gets to keep running AI National into the ground until it takes its last breath (in about 5 years).

Incidentally, I've been told a member has reached out to the Illinois State Attorney General for their interpretation of "executive sessions" as a tactic used by the Board of Directors to hide their actions - apparently it is not permissible because Illinois is an open session state.

At the end of the year, in the middle of the holidays, 76 Appraisal Institute members signed and sent a letter to their Board of Directors outlying what was wrong with the suggested bylaw changes in the 45-day notice letter. To wrangle 76 members in the middle of the holiday season in late December represents how upset these members were. All the signers are heroes as far as I'm concerned who care more about the future of the Appraisal Institute than its executives do.

Here it is:

Here are my thoughts on yet another sham election maneuver to ensure the continued corruption of The Appraisal Institute:

Any member of the Board of Directors who votes for these changes is corrupt and should be removed from their position immediately. They are in favor of self-dealing and not membership. The BOD should not be afraid to hide their votes.

The proposed changes are being made to enable CEO Jim Amorin to override the NNC after they thoroughly vet a candidate proposed from membership like they tried to do to Craig Steinley and failed because of the membership uproar. These bylaw edits are being made to tidy up the loopholes to make it happen next year.

The 6 year period to lockout executives after NNC membership should not be reduced to 4 years because it makes it easier for FOJ's to self-deal.

To raise the 20% board member vote requirement to 30% is a pure sham. I believe most organizations require a supermajority to override. My goodness, the absolutely embarrassing procedure to insert FOJ Tankersly instead of the NNC's Steinley thoroughly vetted nomination because Jim asked him to is unconscionable. Unconscionable that it was proposed and that Tankersly gladly accepted.

This bylaw edit more easily enables the Board of Directors and the executive team to publically smear and shame a vetted candidate who won. Guess what happens? Quality candidates won't apply anymore. Only FOJs.

This bylaw edit is clearly an act of misconduct by the board. It is a blatant abuse of power and board members who vote for these edits could very well have legal exposure in the future.

"Executive sessions" or voting in secret is unethical - if you have to hide how you voted, then something is wrong with your motivations - you see yourself as answering to Jim Amorin and not the membership - you can't have it both ways.

The proposal to ban any input on a candidate is bizarre and reflects the AI's drift towards irrelevance through self-isolation. Elected officials, competing trade groups, regulators, etc. should all be relevant to weigh in on the quality of a candidate. This proposed edit essentially dictates that a candidate has to get recommendations from FOJs for an application. Incredible.

Finally, this bylaw edit is not being done for the membership - it is being done for FOJs exclusively. Imagine Jim Amorin explaining his edits in a public meeting - membership would be booing and throwing beer cans at him for the basic audacity of it.

Over the last decade, the Appraisal Institute went from 27K members to 17K members. That's a 37% drop, trailing basic U.S. credential trends over the same period. What's AI National going to look like in another decade with only 7K members?

The membership needs to apply the heat to the Board of Directors NOW. I'm also waiting for a board member to step up and get state and federal law enforcement to look at the sham election maneuvers as evidence of corruption.

My goodness Board of Directors, are you there only to pad your resume, or are you there to uphold the responsibility of the position? If you do nothing but go along then you're just as corrupt as the FOJs.

The post Appraisal Institute Board of Directors Tried To Sneak Sham Bylaw Changes Past Membership first appeared on Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers & Consultants. from Real Estate Tips https://www.millersamuel.com/appraisal-institute-board-of-directors-tried-to-sneak-sham-bylaw-changes-past-membership/

[alarriefantasy]

heyy just wondering do u have any exes to lovers fic rec? thxxx!

Yes yes!!! Surprised I haven’t made this already!

                                             Exes to Lovers

Sometime Around Midnight by cherrystreet

Words: 3k

Or, Louis is trying to get over his ex, and he thinks that paying their favourite band a visit might help bring him some closure.

He’s wrong.

it’s not the flowers in your hair by Awriterwrites 

Words: 4k

Then, Harry’s mouth is on his and it’s wet, almost vicious, and God, this is everything Louis has ever wanted. Louis hears himself gasp in surprise but he welcomes it — invites Harry in by gripping his forearms and widening his stance so Harry can push closer, closer, closer. Harry’s skin smells like the woods in late spring and his tongue is insistent as it pushes into his mouth and God. The taste of his mouth. Louis fucking missed him so much.

We Gotta Get Away From Here by AFangirlFantasy

Words: 4k

Or a Royal AU where Prince Harold needs saving and Louis is his Knight in shining armor…sort of.

In Like a Lion by Cori Lannam (corilannam) 

Words: 7k

Of all the frozen yoghurt joints in all the world, he walked into Louis’.

Or, Louis got over Harry a long time ago. Sort of.

Now That It’s Over by lululawrence 

Words: 8k

Or the one where Harry and Louis broke up two months ago, and Harry just might be sabotaging Louis’ dates.

 I Built This Bed For Two (I Built This Bed For Me and You) by eli_ssabeth

Words: 8k

OR Harry and Louis broke up after uni and haven’t seen each other since—until they’re roped into doing a Buzzfeed video together. Featuring awkward cuddling and a reunion that just needed a kick in the arse, gleefully provided by Niall.

Imposter by thewherethefislouisface (theycallmelolo)

Words: 8k

Louis needs a wedding date and his ex-boyfriend might not be the worst option!

give me things to stay awake by embodied

Words: 10k

It’s shitty and it’s counterproductive and it’s self-indulgent, but he lets it become a thing. On Saturday nights Harry goes out and gets so pissed he can’t stand, and when the bartender cuts him off he rings Louis and is in his car within an hour. It’s not a cycle he’s proud of, but it’s also something he can’t resist, and he keeps doing it as long as Louis keeps showing up.AU. It’s been a year since Louis broke up with Harry.

Over by allwaswell16 

Words: 11k

Harry still thinks about the one who got away. Louis still wonders what went wrong with the man of his dreams. A year after their breakup, fate intervenes in the form of a photographer looking for strangers to pose as a couple.

Seven Simple Words by jacaranda_bloom

Words: 15k

OR the one where you don’t always get what you want the first time around, but sometimes the universe decides to give you a second chance at getting it right.

a twist of fate by orphan_account

Words: 16k

He knows that voice.

It’s the voice that told him “I love you” so many times, the one that could leave him blushing and glowing and enchanted with just a few simple words. It’s Louis fucking Tomlinson, standing there in a white dress shirt with a black stripe on the collar and a disheveled bowtie and a pair of Vans, hair done into a perfect sexy swoop, eyes brighter than any star Harry’s ever seen, with a smirk on his pretty face.

He Was a Different League (When I Was Nothing Much) by AFangirlFantasy

Words: 21k

Sick of being alone, Marcel is forced (by Niall) to join an online dating app. The idea is well and all, except for the inconvenient fact that he hasn’t moved on from his childhood sweetheart - Louis. If only Marcel could learn to let go, he might actually be able to love again.

Or, an AU where finding that ‘someone new’ actually leads to finding that ‘someone old,’ and Marcel is painfully oblivious.

Things Gone Cold by MediaWhore

Words: 24k

With his soulmate’s thoughts about him written on his skin and the world’s eyes trailing his every movement, Harry Styles is having a bit of a rough time releasing his second album in peace. And that’s not even counting the breakup. Or the car crash.

Take Me Back to Where We Started by amory

Words: 27k

Harry and Louis haven’t spoken since they broke up four years ago. As boarding school sweethearts they once spent every waking moment together, but now they can hardly stand to be in the same room. When their five year class reunion comes around, both boys decide against their better judgement to return and (hopefully) have a good time.

The only problem is, they’re both still hopelessly in love.

Starring Harry as the petty ex, Louis as the new James Bond, Niall as a boy genius and fake boyfriend extraordinaire, and Liam and Zayn as two friends just trying to make it out of this weekend alive.

If I had no love to give (I wouldn’t give it to you) by kingsofeverything

Words: 30k

Small town restaurateur Louis Tomlinson needs someone competent to work in his kitchen.

Chef Harry Styles needs a job.

Sounds Like Heaven by captainsftlouis

Words: 30k

Or, a very painful au where singer/actor Harry Styles and songwriter Louis Tomlinson are married and have a daughter, but are not together any more. Except of course, it’s not that simple.

like a timebomb ticking by infinitelymint

Words: 31k

Louis loses everything. Harry’s still there.

The End Should Be A Good One by bananasandboots

Words: 43k

Or, the one where Harry loses the love of his life on New Years Eve and finds him again, six months later, ready to open some poorly-stitched wounds.

No One Does It Better by nodibs

Words: 49k

Harry’s an alcoholic and Louis is a bartender. The first time they meet isn’t the first time they’ve met.

The Second Hand Unwinds by FullOnLarrie

Words: 51k

Louis Tomlinson is one of the first members of NASA’s top secret Chrono Exploration Program. When things go wrong and he’s sent further back in time than planned, he has no other option than to show up on his ex-boyfriend’s doorstep.

Feels Like Coming Home by phdmama

Words: 60k

The last thing Harry Styles expects when he’s hanging out at the Someday Cafe in Somerville one rainy October day is for his ex, Louis Tomlinson to walk through the door, but that’s exactly what happens. After a spectacularly ugly break-up three years prior, Harry hasn’t heard one word from Louis, and he’s moved on. Gotten over him. But having Louis back in his life, not to mention working at the restaurant where he’s a chef, isn’t easy, and the feelings that Harry thought he’d left turn out to be not so easily forgotten.

This is a story about love and the power of forgiveness, and how the hard choices we make define us, and change our lives.

don’t tell the gods (we left a mess) by bottomlinsons

Words: 71k

After a misunderstanding with Liam’s mother, Louis agrees to accompany his best friend to a family wedding and pretend to be the world’s best boyfriend. But their simple plan goes awry when he learns that Harry, ex-boyfriend/ex-love of Louis’ life, will also be in attendance. (aka: fake!boyfriends with a twist ft. bromance, romance and cake.)

Truth Be Told (I Never Was Yours) by JustForTommo

Words: 76k

or the one where Louis and Harry have a complicated past, Louis is getting married to someone that’s not Harry, and the universe has decided to have a laugh and make Harry the wedding planner.

Perfect Storm by @cherrystreet 

Words: 80k

What do you do when your best friend asks you and your (now) ex to be the best men at his destination wedding? You can either tell him the truth, tell him you’re not together anymore, and deal with the consequences, or you can pretend you’re still together and roll with it, just pray you don’t spiral. Fake it ‘til you make it. You know, for the sake of the wedding.

Harry and Louis choose the latter.

somewhere in between lightning by jassy117, nauticalleeds, shiningdistractionwrites

Words: 99k

A summer gone wrong (or very right) when, under Liam’s persuasion, Louis finds himself drunkenly applying for Love Island, and getting accepted. Oh, well. A summer spent on an island paradise couldn’t be all that bad, right?

Imagine his surprise when Louis arrives in sunny Majorca to find that his first love and ex-boyfriend, Harry, is another contestant, about to capture the hearts of everyone in the villa. Most normal people don’t have to face their ex on an otherwise straight TV show. Most normal people don’t fall for their ex again in front of the whole nation, either. Too bad this whole situation isn’t normal.

Mine Would Be You by crinkle-eyed-boo (KimmieRocks)

Words: 114k

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn’t intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

got the sunshine on my shoulders by hattalove

Words: 124k

five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn’t have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.

now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he’s rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he’s forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who’s spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.

(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)

Don’t Let It (Me) Break by falsegoodnight

Words: 168k

Or the one where Harry is oblivious, Louis is broken, Zayn and Liam are in love, Gemma and Lottie are lovely, and Niall is just waiting for everyone to get their shit together.

And it’s all Malcolm’s fault

♡ credit to the owner of the manip

♡ updated: 3.18.21

♡ past themed recs here

[maggieisalarrie]

Titles: B

baby we could be enough by loudippedincaramel (26k)

“Sorry. About the whole,” the man waves his hands at the door, probably trying to convey ‘trying to break into your house.’

“Trying to break into my house?” Louis arches an eyebrow at how the man goes red, scuffing one of his boots against the other. Louis is helpful what can he say?

Or: When Louis comes back to London after not having been for five years, a beautiful stranger tries to break into his house. Louis gets to know the beautiful stranger only to find out something rather surprising. Lots of fluff and smut and general happiness ensue during Louis’ stay in London.

baby we could be enough (i’ll make this feel like home) by orphan_account (52k)

“Did you clean the table?” Harry asks Louis once Rose is done speaking, now occupied with trying to see if she can reach over and touch Harry’s hair from where she’s sat. At Louis’ nod, Harry frowns. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guests here, I could’ve dealt with it later.”

Louis just smiles easily, though, adjusting Rose on his lap so that she’s facing Harry better. She manages to tug on a loose wave of hair, and she makes a noise of triumph that both Louis and Harry smile at.

“I don’t mind,” Louis murmurs to Harry, even though he’s looking at Rose. “This one here seemed very excited to talk to you.”

And, okay. Harry can’t help but think of how domestic this feels, all of a sudden.

[harry is a photographer who’s trying to find his place. louis is a single father with a smile that feels like home.]

baby, you and i are undeniable by graceana (8k)

AU. Louis is Gemma’s bestfriend and Harry’s the little brother with a crush, but he may not be the only one.

Louis’ a menace and Harry can’t help but love every minute that Louis tries to embarrass him for his own good.

So the only thing to do is to do is to it right back.

Back to Seventeen by crimsontheory (27k)

As a first grade teacher in a small town in Illinois, Harry’s life is pretty simple. He loves his job, is close with his family, and has a best friend he would go to the ends of the earth for. When a new soccer coach starts at the local high school, things start to get a bit more exciting for Harry. Because that coach just happens to be Louis Tomlinson; the guy Harry was unrequitedly in love with in high school.

Or the one where Louis moves back to his hometown and Harry realizes he’s still not over his high school crush.

Behavioural Ecology by turtlekz (82k)

Louis Tomlinson is a primatologist working with the Jane Goodall Institute for primate conservation; and Harry Styles is the photojournalist sent from National Geographic to write a piece promoting awareness about the endangered species. They meet, and love is never, ever simple, as we know.

Featuring Eli the chimpanzee, bickering humans, storytelling, and five men who come to gain an understanding of what it means to be human; all stationed in the Republic of the Congo.

Bigger Than Life by rippedgloves (49k)

“Boybander Harry Styles spotted leaving West Hollywood joined hand in hand with new beau, Xander Ritz”

His heart drops in his chest as he scrolls down, ignoring the short irrelevant article and looking desperately for a picture. Sure enough, there’s pap shots of Harry and Xander, walking hand in hand, looking drunk and cheerful and together.

And that’s—that’s really not what Louis was expecting at all.

Black And Blue by alison (20k)

Louis is a barista who is a bit damaged from a previous relationship. Harry is a musician who is all warmth and light. Rebuilding a life takes time.

Both Showing Hearts by kiwikero (114k)

Louis Tomlinson is, in fact, not straight.

Harry Styles isn’t sure what he is.

Together, they figure it out, and maybe fall in love along the way.

Or, the Uni AU where Louis helps Harry figure out his sexuality, Niall crashes a bachelorette party, Liam works in a printing centre, and Zayn happens to need lots of printing done.

Series

Part 1 of All of Me

Breathing in the Same Light by amberdowny (21k)

Louis Tomlinson has made a great start on his first year of uni. He gets on really well with his three flat mates, who’ve just become his mates. The lessons themselves aren’t bad. And even though he’s not sure when they started dating (no one told him about it) he likes his girlfriend Eleanor well enough.

Then he gets an accidental @reply from this @Harry_Styles kid. Which would be no big deal, except it keeps happening. Soon Louis has struck up a friendship with Harry, but can a relationship online ever really be real?

bring out feelings in me i never show by tomorrows (25k)

“I really think you should stop reading,” Liam says, having moved to hover behind Louis’ back at some point. “I can already see the cogs turning in your head, Louis, and I don’t like this.”

“Shut up,” Louis waves him off and continues reading.

I can do these things, at your request: openly hit on other female guests while you act like you don’t notice; start instigative discussions about politics and/or religion; propose to you in front of everyone; pretend to be really drunk as the evening goes on (sorry I don’t drink, but I used to); start an actual, physical fight with a family member, either inside or on the front lawn for all the neighbors to see.

[Louis accidentally hires a felon to be his fake boyfriend for Thanksgiving. Or, the fake boyfriends au no one asked for, inspired by this.]

burn to ash by bethaboo (116k)

Harry is sitting there, so fucking casual, and Louis realizes in a split second he was not ready. When Harry walked out in Detroit and never looked back, he was a boy verging on a man, still only twenty years old, but there’s a man in his place now. Hard and resolute, yes, but still, for the first time in a long time, Louis can kind of see the old Harry in him. The soft, directness of his gaze, the hesitant smile he gives to Lou, the way he wrings his ridiculously large hands in his lap.

He’s a little bit the eager sixteen year old puppy dog again, his innocence and sweetness resurrected miraculously, and Louis freezes in place. He was prepared to face the asshole Harry. He was prepared to meet a whole new Harry.

Louis is not prepared to meet one of the old incarnations of Harry, and it absolutely tears him up.

Or the fic where Harry spirals out of control, the band breaks up, and then he shows back up, five years later.

Last edited: September 6, 2017

Done here? Go back to my Recommended Fics → 

[cathrynstreich]

Fast Track to the Top: How One Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Team Is Dominating Their Local Market

South Carolina team lines itself up for continued growth by leveraging powerhouse tech platform, kvCORE, by Inside Real Estate

Despite only being a team for a year, the Top Charleston Agents Real Estate Team with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolina Sun Real Estate in Charleston, S.C., is in the top 2 percent in the country in total GCI and is the No. 1 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices team in the local market.

Michael Smith leads the team of 13 agents (and growing).

With many years of varied business experience under his belt, Smith knew that when he entered his real estate career, he had to build it the same way he would build a traditional business. “If you don’t go into real estate with the attitude that you are building a company, you will likely struggle,” says Smith. “Building companies, building infrastructure, finding the best ways to do things and using the best technologies are the foundation of my business, and also the things I teach my team members,” he adds. “My first year in real estate, I realized right away what I wanted the business to look like,” says Smith, who hired a closing coordinator right out of the gate before bringing on a brand-new agent to help with showings and inspections so that he could focus his time on working with clients and getting sales written up.

With this combination, Smith did $10 million in sales his second year out and $16 million his third year before deciding it was time to build a team and teach what had been successful for him.

A big part of growing his business has been tied to the technology, systems and tools he provides to his team members. At the foundation is kvCORE, the all-in-one platform from Inside Real Estate, which was recently awarded the top real estate platform provider in G2’s Top 100 Software Companies. “The automation, lead gen tools, lead nurturing capabilities and accountability features give my team a huge advantage,” explains Smith.

“I checked out 10 different platforms, and kvCORE was by far the best,” says Smith. “As a team leader, it’s difficult to find solutions that are designed to function as a team would function. Accountability is a huge deal, and kvCORE gives me the ability to log in everyday and see who’s been on the site, who hasn’t shown up for a few days, who is following up and who isn’t. This gives me the opportunity to reach out to my agents to help keep them on track before they drop off.”

Cassie Grant, director of sales for the team, joined Smith at the beginning of her real estate career and followed his guidance to quickly become a top producer in their market. Grant is now a crucial part of the team’s training and growth, and relies on their technology platform, kvCORE, to keep the team operating at its fullest potential.

“I love that kvCORE has so many ways for us to generate reports on our team performance and KPIs, which are critical for us to understand where to put our marketing dollars,” says Grant. “Our team is very structured, and we have a very specific way that we require all new leads to be handled, and being able to look at this information at a glance in kvCORE makes it incredibly easy for us to manage our team effectively.”

Grant also leverages the automated agent accountability settings in the platform, which are unique to kvCORE. “The accountability settings let me monitor how each agent follows up with leads,” says Grant. “Our team works as a unit, so if someone isn’t able to handle a lead or a showing or an open house, our team is set up so that we have the support of every team member to help push that along. Being able to see how many phone calls they’ve made and how they’ve followed up with their leads is so valuable when I meet with them each week. I can also see if someone is a little stronger with open houses vs. leads coming from our kvCORE-generated Google click leads,” adds Grant. “I love being able to see the lead sources and who’s better with which type of lead, as it helps us place the right leads in the right hands so that we get the best performance.”

Grant can also route leads to her team based on their specialties or geographic preferences. “I have some agents that are luxury certified, so we point those price points to them, and other agents that are focused on specific areas in our market.” The one thing Smith feels is most important to his agents? “It all boils down to leads,” says Smith. “Their biggest struggle seems to be where to find hot leads, but every lead is hot. In a site like kvCORE, people are coming online, registering their name, phone number and email before they start looking at houses or property. I don’t know how much more I could tee someone up,” says Smith, who helps his agents understand that everyone is a potential client. “It’s what you do with it, how you nurture it, how you take it from informational to getting them to know, like and trust you so that they want to use you as their agent.”

“I love that kvCORE is so intuitive. If I have somebody that I put in my sphere and they come back on and start looking at homes, kvCORE will put them in the active category, communicate directly with them and then notify me,” explains Grant. “It talks directly to my clients. I’ve had clients that came into town that I’ve never talked to or met, but they thought that because of my intuitive responses from kvCORE that I was always looking at my account, yet I had no idea who they were. It’s a huge feature,” she adds.

Grant also explains that the system helps reactivate leads that haven’t been on their site for a while. “The alerts help put the bright and shiny object in front of the client so that they want to click on it and come back to our site. Then the automated nurture kicks in again and makes us look like we are on top of it so that when we reach out with a personal touch, the client feels like they know us, and is appreciative of our attentiveness. It helps us look like we are on top of everything at all times,” says Grant.

Behind the scenes, kvCORE is capturing important information on every lead, including the homes they are viewing and the characteristics of the home, thanks to image recognition run on every property image across the MLS. “As an agent, when you make that phone call, that moment may be the only shot you get, so being able to speak specifically on what their interests are by seeing the properties they have looked at is a critical piece when it comes to providing value,” says Smith. “The platform kvCORE provides, in my opinion, is second to none.

“kvCORE has been fundamental to not only our lead gen, but also, our ability to nurture leads and our sphere and turn them into solid relationships,” notes Smith. “We love the ease of use and how quickly we can capture a customer out in the field. I could be sitting at a ballgame and turn to the guy next to me and ask for his address and send a quick report on the value of his home. And just like that, I’ve captured a potential seller,” adds Smith. “I can then follow-up with a multi-channel campaign that includes mailers, Facebook and Google ads, in addition to offering an exclusive list of properties that meet their criteria.”

The team also uses mobile dialers on a daily basis to generate and nurture leads. They have a two-pronged approach, and use the kvCORE mobile dialer for calling specific lists or active leads, and Mojo Dialer for reaching out to their extensive 27k database. “Our agents love that both of these dialers are so intuitive and easy to use,” says Grant. “The kvCORE mobile dialer ensures that our agents can easily call through their priority leads each day and add notes from those calls that load instantly into kvCORE.”

The platform also helps this Charleston team attract new customers. For instance, Smith likes to run carousel ads with high-definition photos on Facebook, which come connected to a form that people fill out. Once completed, the lead gets imported into kvCORE, which kicks off a sophisticated nurture campaign, and the lead is passed to an agent. Grant also makes sure that everyone on the team takes advantage of the huge lead gen opportunity with the landing pages and squeeze pages that come with kvCORE. “Our team is very heavily focused on these because of their overall effectiveness, and it’s an extremely cost-effective approach to lead gen. We make sure to train all of our agents on how to use these tools, and they are all pretty hooked on them,” says Grant.

Both Grant and Smith weigh in on the impact kvCORE has had on their recruiting, as well. “When we are recruiting people, we sit them down with kvCORE on the screen and show them the software and how it works,” says Grant. “If we put kvCORE in front of somebody and they see how the system works, there is nothing else like it out there. Equally impressive is the level of support and training provided, which not only makes a huge difference, but also sets kvCORE apart from everyone else. Everyone says, ‘Oh my gosh, does this really actually work? And I’m like yes, it totally works,’ and I can speak to it and show proof of it working. It makes newer agents feel more comfortable, while the seasoned agents that come in are amazed and ready to go.”

One more big advantage has been tied to cost savings. “Our agents come from brokerages where they have had to pay for systems like this on their own, so it’s a major selling point for us to be able to offer kvCORE to them if they are part of our team,” says Grant. “The cost savings is a big factor in their success. They all recognize the enormous value they are receiving in the technology, systems and training we offer as a team.”

Another feature that has played into recruiting is the personal database privacy provided within kvCORE. “A lot of people are scared to put their sphere into systems like this because of the fear of losing their leads if they were to leave the team,” says Grant. “We’ve been able to promise them that we can pull those out if they were to leave, which provides our agents comfort and security in knowing that their database and contacts are private and secure.”

“Providing kvCORE to agents is central to my recruiting efforts,” says Smith. “Agents quickly see the value they are getting with the combination of technology, tools, systems and training.”

What sets this team apart from the rest? “We have a structure with leads, and also, a better technology platform than most of our competitors,” says Grant. “That being said, we focus on our team, their personality types and the areas in which they’re best. A lot of teams just plug and play the same structure for every single agent, and I don’t believe that works well,” adds Grant, who goes on to explain how they do DISC profiles for every agent that joins the team to better handle their personalities, as well as how to nurture them and hold them accountable.

“There is a ton of competition in our area, and in order to be on top and be the best, you have to have processes in place, a good technology platform that is intuitive and keeps multiple things going at the same time, while also being efficient. And that’s what kvCORE has done for us.”

With their “secret sauce” for building a successful team, Grant and Smith have big plans for growth.

“We want to expand to different areas, and the goal is to scale each team the same way and replicate what we are doing now,” concludes Grant.

For more information, please visit www.insiderealestate.com.

Keith Loria is a contributing writer for RISMedia.

The post Fast Track to the Top: How One Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Team Is Dominating Their Local Market appeared first on RISMedia.

Fast Track to the Top: How One Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Team Is Dominating Their Local Market published first on https://thegardenresidences.tumblr.com/

[jamiekturner]

UI Designer Salary: How Much Does A UI Designer Make

Have you ever thought about the UI designer salary you could get if you’d be in this field? How much does a UI designer make anyway?

As key members of a software development team, user interface designers are responsible for creating and arranging a software’s user interface.

For many software users, this is the only part of the program they will ever see and interact with. It’s an incredibly important element of software design.

Sometimes user interface designers are hired under titles like user experience (abbreviated as UX) designer or user interaction designer. Regardless of the title, a user interface designer has the same duties and responsibilities.

Some companies and organization may have slightly different expectations for specific competencies like programming languages or understanding of particular software packages.

The job is almost entirely mental office work and most user interface designers are employed full time—though, like all software designers, a user interface designer may end up putting in a lot of overtime as deadlines and due dates start looming.

A user interface designer should understand the entire software development cycle, as well as be an excellent programmer. Most employers expect a user interface designer to have a bachelor’s degree in relevant fields like human-computer interactions, graphic design, or other information technology related degrees. Other proficiencies will depend upon the position and employer.

Like other positions in the IT industry, the average UI designer salary has gotten large due to the development of the internet industry around the world. With the importance of user interfaces and the high education requirements needed from a user interface designer, how much does a UI designer make?

Should you invest time, money, and energy into the field? How important to a UI/UX designer salary are updated skillsets? Does experience level make any difference to user interface designer salary?

What is the Average UI Designer Salary?

You can expect the annual UI designer salary to be between $84,500 and $95,000. What’s particularly interesting about working as a user interface designer is that it is a profession that ranks quite highly for work-life balance.

In Forbes’ article “29 Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance”, user interface designer and user experience designer rank at 5th and 2nd respectively.  User interface design is an excellent profession to pursue if you are looking for a high salary while maintaining a nice balance between work and personal life.

What Difference Does Experience Make For User Interface Design Salary?

Quite a bit. A junior UI designer salary is normally about $40k to $60k a year. The exact number will depend in your education level and any related experience may you have. Job satisfaction rates fairly high among junior user interface designers.

Women slightly outnumber men at this level. It can be hard to start at the bottom and work your way up, but take comfort in knowing it’s a satisfying job and there are plenty of opportunities after all your hard work.

With work and time, you’ll find your footing and start earning more. The senior UI designer salary is often six figures. Major tech hubs and larger cities have more competition for user interface designer positions. However, there are still plenty of opportunities (and good user interface designer salaries) to be found in other locations.

What Companies Need User Interface Designers and What Do They Pay?

On Glassdoor it says that the average salary for user interface designers in the United States is approximately $85,000. $57k is on the low end of the pay scale and $121k is on the high end. For large companies like Google, a user interface designer can expect to make $112,000 a year.

The average at PayPal is a little less, coming in at about $93k a year. Apple, as you might imagine, pays quite a large salary to great user interface designers, around $123k per year.

Social platforms also pay a pretty large annual UI designer salary. User interface designers at LinkedIn earn $116,000 a year on average. Twitter offers from $104,664 to $116,501 per year. YouTube is quite similar. Facebook offers a smaller UI/UX designer salary, around $85,000 a year.

Microsoft is one of several companies that outsource their user interface design to freelancers. Freelance user interface designers work on contract, normally at hourly rates.  Most freelance user interface designers working for Microsoft can expect $43 an hour. Indeed.com states that freelance designers in general have yearly earnings of about $59k.

Does the Country Matter For User Interface Designer Salary?

Yes, though more experienced user interface designers notice less of a difference. There’s a lot of evidence that user interface designers make less in the UK than in the United States.

Glassdoor lists the average starting annual salary for junior user interface designers at an average of $53k (in U.S. dollars).  Junior user interface designers tend to start at $27k at the low end. Senior user interface design salaries in the UK can be as much as $200k a year.

Canadian user interface designers also tend to make less on average than their counterparts in the United States. For Canadian user interface designers with 1-3 years of experience, $57k is the average salary.

However, for those user interface designers with five or more years of experience, Canadian user interface designer salaries are very similar to user interface designers in the United States. At the very top, though, senior directors and designers make more in United States.

For Asia, user interface designers make about $60,000 in Singapore dollars a year. Starting out in a junior or mid-level research position will net you $3,500 to $5,500 a month. At the top level in Asia, a user interface designer can expect $10,000 to $15,000 monthly.

Australian user interface designers will find a sharp increase in annual salary rises very sharply within the first 5 to 10 years. More experience does not seem to make a significant impact on user interface designer annual salaries in the region.

While Northern European countries tend to have higher user interface designer salaries, anyone looking to work there should also keep in mind their cost of living and annual GDP as well.

Some general takeaway about UI/UX designer salary differences, regional and otherwise:

Men and women make almost the same amount in entry level UI/UX positions.

Women earn much less than men in top level UX/UI design positions across the world.

Every year of experience generally adds approximately $5,000 to a UI/UX designer salary.

After about a decade of work, user interface designer salaries level out.

Are In-House or Agency UI Designer Salaries Better?

In-house user interface designers typically make more money than those who work for design agencies. However, competition for these positions is often quite fierce. There are a lot of people looking to take them and the higher salaries.

Many of these user interface designer positions are located in major cities where large tech companies operate, so consider cost of living when you’re thinking about applying to these jobs. If you’re looking for one of these in-house positions, you need to be on the top of your user interface design game.

With that in mind, you might be asking…

What Helps a User Interface Designer Make More Money?

You can do things to help yourself make more money as a user interface designer.

The first thing you need to do is master basic UI/UX design skills for the job you want. You should be skilled in the use of prototyping and wireframing tools like Axure, Mockplus, Proto.io, and Sketch.

Photoshop or Sketch skills are a good idea, as well, so you can draw out wireframe models to help out the development engineers. Be able to use these applications well and easily. Understand how all their tools work and know the shortcuts to get the results you want quickly so you don’t waste time.

Make sure you understand basic UI principles. User interface is perhaps one of the most studied fields of IT design, since it has so much to do with whether to not a product succeeds.

Take a look at some of the more academic information out there about what foes into effective user interface design. Look for case studies that talk about both successes and failures. Understand how the human eye and brain work together to process information.  And, of course, make sure you stay up to date!

As with all other aspects of the IT industry, user interface design is a constantly evolving field. Keeping yourself up to date on the most recent trends and tech developments is a must if you want to succeed and make more money.

Take look at the blogs, websites, and work of other user interface designers who have succeeded in the field to get a look at their inspiration and creative processes. See if technology developments can inspire you to create fresh new user interface designs. Stay ahead of the user interface design curve as best you can, since this will give you a competitive edge.

Take a look at the recruitment requirements for your dream job. Note both the general and more specific requirements. You may find that you need to learn new programming languages or get a new certification.

These additional requirements will require the investment of at least a little time and possibly an investment of money. These things are usually broadly applicable, so even if you don’t get the job you’re looking at, you will probably be able to use them for another position. It’s smart to always keep learning new user interface design skills, even if you’re not looking for another job.

Build your user interface design portfolio up. Show off what you have done and what you can do. Pick work for your portfolio that stands out and reflects your own design processes. It should demonstrate why you should be the UI designer the company hires instead of someone else.

Make sure all the images you use for your portfolio, especially if it’s on your website, load properly and are high resolution so potential employers or clients can see their details clearly. Include a nice diversity of the designs you’ve worked on, from traditional to trendy. Make sure to highlight your very successful designs if you have any.

Make sure to keep your LinkedIn profile updated. A lot of companies who work in IT used LinkedIn for their recruiting. It’s a great resource to show what you’ve done and what skills you have. If you want recruiters to see you, make sure you allow your profile to show up on searches.

If you have 500 connections, you’re more likely to show up in those searches. Make sure your connections endorse your skills for even better results.

If you’ve made the UI designer salary a priority, you may find that you have to move to where the job is. Decide whether or not you really want to make that leap. Many companies are very happy to have candidates who are willing relocate, possibly several time in only a few years.

The changing field of IT may land you in some interesting places, especially as laws and the industry evolve. If you are ready to pack your bags on a regular basis, make sure you let potential employers know.

Last but far from least, work on your so-called ‘soft skills’. Communication, cooperation, and organization count for a lot in a team environment. In-house user interface designers will be a part of a large team, as will UI designers who work for design agencies.

These user interface designers will have to understand how to work with other in a professional way if they want to keep moving up. You can be a very skilled user interface designer, but if you don’t have good soft skills, you will hit a ceiling.

Your technical skills will only take you so far. Even if you plan on working as a freelancer, you will still need to learn how to communicate effectively with your clients.

Ending thoughts on UI designer salary

A user interface designer salary is very impressive, especially for a job that so many people seem to enjoy. If you have the technical skills and the right interest in graphic design, see if it’s a profession you want to pursue.

If you liked this article about UI designer salary, you should check out these as well:

Mobile Dashboard Design: Android and iOS UI Examples

10 App Design Trends for 2018

Search In Mobile User Interfaces: 42 Search Bar Design Examples

Tab Bars In Mobile UI Design: Showcase of Impressive App Designs

The post UI Designer Salary: How Much Does A UI Designer Make appeared first on Design your way.

from Web Development & Designing http://www.designyourway.net/blog/user-interface-design/ui-designer-salary/

[loradmurphy]

Getting to Know – Alive Network

This post Getting to Know – Alive Network first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

Company Name: Alive Network

Interview With: Gemma Cater, Entertainment Coordinator

Location / Coverage: We’re based in Staffordshire, but our artists perform UK-wide and globally!

Who are Alive Network?

Alive Network is the UK’s biggest and best loved source of live wedding entertainment and wedding bands.

How many people work at Alive Network?

23 music-obsessed people work for Alive Network…

Nine Entertainment Coordinators (the lovely voices at the end of the telephone).

Four sound engineers and producers working in our in-house studios.

Three in our Talent Team, scoping out and supporting the latest and greatest artists for our customers.

How did Alive Network get started and how long have you been going?

Dave Bevan founded Alive Network in 1999. Back then, Dave was a full-time (curtain-haired!) professional guitarist with big ambitions. He wanted to give couples access to stylish, professional-calibre bands and artists, playing the kind of music that cool young couples loved, and similar to the chart bands they were fans of… rather than amateur fogeys playing tired hits from days of old!

As a musician himself, Dave knew there were artists out there who could do better, and that wedding guests would totally love (we all deserve a good party!). Coupled with that, he wanted to help talented musicians make a living from music (cue Dave’s *eureka!* moment!). And so began his quest in sourcing, developing and supporting the best of the UK’s musical and artistic talent. Hooking them up with promoters, event organisers and music fans (like you!), providing access to great live music.

Nearly two decades, 5,000+ artists and 100,000+ events later, Alive Network has its own in-house recording studio, supporting original artists in their pursuit of success in the wider music industry, while developing our catalogue of the UK’s best bands, musicians, DJs, entertainers and suppliers, so you can pick the cream of our crop, making amazing memories for your biggest day ever.

Dave has shorter hair, but still messes around on guitars, and still believes that live entertainment makes everything better. We’ve seen it. It really does.

Where do you cover?

Most of our artists perform all over the UK and internationally.

What services can Alive Network provide for a wedding?

Alive Network exists to help you find the perfect live wedding entertainment ideas for your most special wedding day moments, and we offer a range of cool services just for you, including…

Scouting the Best Talent

Founded and run by entertainment obsessives, Alive Network is dedicated to discovering and developing the finest new talent, all hand-picked for perfection so you can be sure your big day will be amazing. All you need to do is review the tracks and clips on their profile pages and choose your fave… Simon Cowell would be proud!

Helping You Find ‘The One’

Alive Network has the UK’s biggest and best collection of exciting party entertainers, musicians and wedding DJs. From pianists and photo booths to Motown bands, tribute bands and magicians, from acoustic wedding guitarists to gospel choirs… bubbleologists to big Ferris wheels… and everything in between!

Our website is crammed with ideas, inspiration, and planning tips, and you can easily check the prices and availability for your favourite artists.

We know it’s hard to book a musician you’ve never heard before. That’s why we’re constantly adding live recorded samples of their work to their profile pages. There’s also videos, sound clips and photos, so you can see what you’re getting before you book.

Personal Shopper Service

While you can narrow down your search online, you can also book a consultation with one of our expert Entertainment Coordinators, at a time that suits you. They’re great listeners and can discuss your style and preferences, make suggestions and create a totally bespoke entertainment plan for you, removing all your entertainment wedstress.

Keeping You Safe (+ Insurance 24/7)

We’re honoured to provide live music and party entertainers for over 10,000 weddings every year, and have over 27,000 great reviews on our website to show for it (*blushing*). Our helpful team of music devotees have an average of 8 years’ experience, and genuinely love what they do.

On your wedding day you don’t need to stress about finding a new band at short notice if something goes wrong. You’re in safe hands with us. You’ll have 24/7 access to a dedicated contact, in case there is an entertainment emergency, so we can find you an awesome replacement from thousands of the UK’s best artists. Plus, booking with Alive Network means you’ll have access to exclusive, pre-vetted artists, expert advice and secure contracts. So go on – relax, savour every moment and enjoy yourselves!

What sets Alive Network apart from other wedding entertainment and live music agencies?

Alive Network is the original online entertainment agency, and we continue to raise the bar, scouting out and developing the finest new live entertainers so you’ve got the best to choose from for your wedding day. We’re the biggest and best-loved by you, with the widest choice of talented musicians, DJs and entertainers in the UK.

We pride ourselves in unparalleled customer service, unparalleled bands, and unparalleled talent. Here are our numerical creds:

8 years: average experience our team has in helping couples plan their perfect days

24/7: your emergency cover. We’ve got your back, always.

5k: amazing musicians, entertainers and suppliers for you to choose from

99% of you would recommend us to your best friends (shucks!)

5 stars: Your average review score

27k: number of positive reviews on our site

For the last two years Alive Network has been proud to partner with prestigious music school BIMM, the British & Irish Modern Music Institute. This means we can support exciting new musicians and give our clients access to the next big thing, before they become the new Beyoncé or Bruno Mars!

What type of music acts can you provide?

Alive Network provides a massive range of musical talent. Anything from gramophone DJs and gospel choirs to jazz orchestras, jive and swing bands, harpists, string quartets and ceilidh bands to steel bands, singer-guitarists and even surprise singing waiters!

Most of our artists also offer options to add members or musicians to their standard performance, so you can tailor their sets perfectly to your unique day.

As well as live music, can couples book DJs with you?

We’ve got some of the best party DJs in the UK. Many bands also provide DJ sets as part of their package. Your dedicated DJ can setup at the same time as the band, and kick-in once the band’s set is complete. You can check out our range of wedding DJ’s here.

What type of entertainer can Alive Network provide?

We have a wide range of wedding entertainers in our stable, including:

Caricaturists

Celebrity Lookalikes

Children’s Entertainment

Circus Performers

Comedians

Dancers

Fairground Rides

Funfair Stalls

Food and Drink Suppliers

Magicians

Mix and Mingle Entertainers

Mobile Cocktail Bars

Toastmasters

If couples are looking for something a little different, what type of themed acts do you offer?

There’s a wide range of artists and suppliers you can choose from on Alive Network, but if you’d like to create a specific theme for your big day, we’ve put together a list of themed artist collections, such as:

Summer

Boho

Country Garden

Rustic

Vintage

Fairytale

Enchanting

Outdoor

Unusual

Alternative

The Crowd Surfing Bride Collection

1920’s Great Gatsby

The Winter Wonderland Collection

1940’s Themed Collection

1950’s Rock n Roll Collection

The Swinging ’60’s Collection

1970’s Themed Entertainment Collection

and many more on our collections pages here

What have been Alive Network’s top music acts of 2017?

When it comes to filling the dance floor, our top ten are expert at rocking out. Your faves this year mainly consist of rock and pop function bands, but leading the way is master-mixer DJ Anthony Parella:

Anthony Parella

The Good Habits

Hipster

Fraudio

Happy Hour

The Hot Shots

The Royale

Swamp Cats

Dexter

Season

What have been Alive Network’s top entertainment acts of 2017?

Magicians and caricaturists are ruling our entertainment roost in the last year, wowing wedding guests UK-wide with their mix of mayhem and masterpieces. Our top ten entertainment acts of 2017 are:

Mathew Knight, magician

Sam The Caricaturist

Jake Monroe, magician

Draw A Crowd Caricatures

Keven Starl, magician

Sam De Vere, magician

Francesco Caricatures

Mark Reeve, caricaturist

MK Caricatures

J Winter, magician

What do you think will be hot trends for wedding entertainment next year?

Couples are loving a real mix of styles when it comes to their big day entertainment. Hot trends we’re seeing are…

Vintage Wedding Entertainment

The love for all things vintage shows no sign of fading in 2018. Whether it’s ’40s swing and jive, victory rolls, polka dots and florals, the rock and roll of the ’50s, headscarves, Lindy Hopping, retro wedding cars, smooth crooning, and bright colours – it’s always fun!

Entertainment trends in this style include modern-vintage – fun, uber cool and unique artists, often performing contemporary hits with a retro or quirky spin. Epitomising this style are the likes of The Long Straws, gramophone DJs, retro vinyl jukeboxes, swing, jazz and vintage singers, like Billie Knowlson, as well as the ever-hot gin and cocktail bars, like the Campervan Cocktail Bar.

Folksy-Meets-Rustic Barn Dance Wedding Entertainment

Think banjos, hay bales, lanterns, drinking punch from a jars, jigs and reels, roaming musicians, ceilidh, bluegrass, and Mumford and Sons-style bands, like The Nameless Three. It’s simple, honest fun.

DIY Wedding Entertainment

Artisan, super personalised, and lovingly-handmade. From DIY-ing your own disco with a bespoke silent disco soundtrack, to including entertainment in the speeches, having special songs written (check out Will Herring’s talents), and having bespoke stationery created by their caricaturist.

Art Deco

The trend for gorgeous Gatsby-style glamour is still going strong. Elegant, chic and champagne-filled – what’s not to love? Think roaring twenties, Charleston, jazz, beaded dresses, feathers, beads, Absinthe, opulence and extravagance.

Hot entertainment trends include 1920’s jazz and swing bands that perform cool chart tracks in a swing retro style like Hot Harlem, The Bentley Brothers Inc., and Bella and The Bourbon Boys, along with entertainers like the Twin Charleston Dancers, and vintage-style photo booths such as Splendid Booths.

Country Garden Weddings and Village Fetes

Think bunting, lawn games, lively jazz bands like The Quartones, Pimm’s in the park and mobile cocktail bars, artisan ice cream, hot summer days, twinkling fairy lights, fireworks and dancing as the sun goes down. Bliss.

What’s your top tip for couples choosing their wedding entertainment?

Go with your heart. It’s easy to forget in all the crazy planning and spreadsheeting that your wedding is about you as a couple. It should reflect your personalities and celebrate the things you both love in life.

Look for artists who reflect your style and experiences as a couple (who can play your song or favourite film theme, or remind you of a favourite gig or festival you went to), and who seem the sort of folk you’d like to have at your wedding, helping you celebrate.

Finding your perfect entertainment will make your hearts sing – you’ll both know it when you hear it. And if you need help, that’s why we’re here!

What’s the best thing about your job?

The lovely couples, the artists, helping to make couples’ dreams come true – who doesn’t love a good party? There’s nothing more special than making a couple’s start together the best and most memorable it can be.

Random question… If you could provide entertainment for anyone’s wedding, whose would it be and what would you provide?

It’s got to be Queen Bey and Jay Z! They’re heading towards their 10-year anniversary in April 2018, so they could renew their vows with another ceremony and celebration – we’d love to do the entertainment if they did!

Their private and very intimate wedding at Jay-Z’s New York apartment was very spiritual and emotional. The pics make it look like a lavish winter wonderland, in a monochrome style, with branches festooned with icicles hanging from the ceiling, curtains of snow-white orchids, and hurricane lamps filled with candles.

So, to honour this, we’d like to throw them a 10-year anniversary vow renewal with the sparkle and fizz of a Gatsby glitter ball! It’s all about sizzling sophistication, endless extravagance and jaw-dropping opulence.

They’ve made their careers by melding past and present music styles, so it’s got to be modern vintage glamour for their 10-year vow renewals – glittering glam and super cool! As well as both being at the cutting edge of modern music, Jay-Z wrote the score for Baz Luhrman’s 2013 film The Great Gatsby, and Bey has always touted the musical strength of early soul singers, like Etta James and Aretha Franklin. In fact, Bey performed a version of ‘At Last’ at President Obama’s inauguration, a song that is synonymous with Etta James.

Ceremony

So, for the ceremony, we’d choose a classical string quartet performing modern tracks. ‘At Last’ as Bey takes to the aisle, and John Legend’s ‘All Of Me’ for the signing of the register.

Bey’s elegant $5mil wedding rock epitomises the modern vintage bling and opulence of the Gatsby era. The word ‘bling’ just doesn’t do it justice – it’s a stunningly simple 18 karat symbol of their enduring love. Once Jay-Z has put a ring on it for the second time, it’s party time! Bey is a big Stevie Wonder fan, so the quartet could perform a jubilant version of ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ as she and ‘renewed’ hubby join hands and take to the aisle together after the ceremony. *cue the shoulder shimmying*

Drinks Reception

At their drinks reception, the celebratory Stevie Wonder theme could continue with a big brass band performing his classics, in a New Orleans jazz band style. BrassWerk would be perfect to raise the day to the next level.

Jay-Z’s own champagne, Ace of Spades, would launch the drinks reception, served up in style by Alive Network’s professional Mixology Bartenders – champagne cocktails, anyone? With champagne of that name, maybe he’d like a cheeky bit of rock? Rock and pop trio, Ride The Fire, could perform ‘Ace of Spades’ while the mixologists work their magic on his cherished bubbles!

A Bubbleologist could provide some bubbles for the kids, wowing wide-eyed kiddie-winks Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir Carter, as well as the adults. Dare you not to chase their colourful, enchanting and larger-than-life bubble displays! *pop*

Wedding Breakfast

Keeping the modern vintage glamour and Gatsby style of the roaring twenties, there would have to be some ostentatious touches. Perhaps the Magical Snowdome, or aerialists spinning above guests’ heads at their wedding breakfast? Dramatic, high-energy and expertly-choreographed Aerial Silk Displays, for example.

Evening Party

For their evening party, the couple could have a vintage jazz band headlining, like Bella and The Bourbon Boys, with some accompanying flapper dancers for full on entertainment, like the Twin Charleston Dancers or the Chicago Dancers. Bella and the Boys perform some swinging versions of contemporary tracks – a bit of Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ would go down a storm!

A Gramophone DJ could perform a bespoke set of tracks from a collection of vintage vinyl from the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, for that real retro vibe, mixed in with some East Coast hip hop, of course!

What’s your typical day like?

A typical day in the Alive Network office consists of working for clients and artists.

Between the Talent Team and the studio, they’re responsible for:

Welcoming artists into the recording studio, recording, directing, mixing, filming, photographing for their profile pages, to ensure their promo is bang up-to-date.

Gathering feedback from clients and ensuring everyone is on top of their game.

Pulling their Simon Cowell trousers right up tight, and auditioning potential newbies.

Our Entertainment Coordinators are the friendly voices at the end of the telephone. They’re responsible for:

Liaising with clients and artists, and helping to arrange their perfect days.

Researching new acts and entertainment ideas.

Familiarising themselves with venue set-ups (eg. access, where the performance areas are, volume restrictions/sound limiters) so they can best advise clients

Where can couples find out more about Alive Network?

Website: www.alivenetwork.com/wedding-entertainment

Twitter: @alivenetwork

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alivenetworkentertainmentagency

Instagram: www.instagram.com/alivenetwork

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/alivenetworkltd

Pinterest: www.pinterest.co.uk/alivenetwork

The Wedding Community: www.theweddingcommunity.com/14049/Suppliers/Alive-Network-Entertainment-Agency

Images from Andrew Billington Photography

This post Getting to Know – Alive Network first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

[joeyreptilia]

Contextual Research

Being firmly rooted in the Emo/Alternative Rock scene, which has its audience either side of the Atlantic, (Songkick, 2010), the E.P. that myself and my band, Midweek, have recorded will be extremely hard to promote and get our image/band/music out into the mainstream.

 As the genre is still mainly an underground scene (with very few bands having major label backing), there is limited opportunity for a band such as ourselves to get into the mainstream. Compared to similar genres such as Indie Rock (who often have major label backing and are supported by the likes of NME, BBC and Pitchfork), there isn’t many major platforms that will take a chance on our genre because they don’t think there is a big enough audience. However, there is an audience, and that audience invests a lot of time and money on bands that they love because they like not being part of the mainstream, they like being the underground.

 Record Labels

 Indie Labels-

 Hopeless (Neck Deep, Moose Blood, Taking Back Sunday)

SideOneDummy (PUP, Superheaven)

Run For Cover (Basement, Modern Baseball, Pinegrove)

Anti- (Title Fight)

Epitaph (Touche Amore, Weezer, The Menzingers)

Pure Noise (The Story So Far, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim)

Rude (Decade, Catch Fire, Homebound)

No Sleep (Moose Blood, WSTR, La Dispute)

Hassle (Casey)

 Major Labels -

 Vagrant (Thrice, Balance & Composure)

Roadrunner (Creeper, Milk Teeth)

  Nearly all the bands in our genre are signed to these record labels. Even though the tradition method of ‘getting signed’ is considered old and outdated with other genres such as Electronic Music (where you can a massive fan base by simply putting a song on Soundcloud), it is still a crucial part of our genre, as that’s how most up and coming bands get noticed because fans have their favourite labels, and then will listen to the bands that are signed to that particular label. As new and exciting acts usually come through these labels, playlisters usually will directly see who these labels have signed and then put them on the Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music rock playlists. Also, most of the labels mentioned say in their FAQ that they will listen to all submissions, so if I sent all these labels the E.P., they will at least hear it and hopefully like what they hear.

Radio

 Radio 1 - Daniel P Carter Rock Show/Huw Stephens

Kerrang Radio

Scuzz Radio

BBC introducing

BBC Gloucestershire

Tone Radio

US College Radios

 With radio, there is quite a limited airplay space for our genre as mainstream music is absolutely dominating radio currently (Spinditty, 2016), but there is some space for us.

We could send our songs to BBC introducing, which then could be played on BBC Gloucestershire and Huw Stephens, if we potentially got signed, then Daniel P Carter’s Rock Show (easily Britain’s biggest Emo supporting radio show) perhaps might hear what he likes and he’ll play us.

 Playlists

 Spotify Rocked (61k Followers)

Spotify New Noise (233k Followers)

Slam Dunk Festival playlist

Download Festival Playlist

Hit the Deck Festival playlist

2000 Trees Festival Playlist

Amplified Festival Playlist

 Audiotree (244k Subscribers)

Hopeless Records (842k Subscribers)

BVTV (114k Subscribers)

Anti- (125k Suscribers)

Epitaph Records (1.6m Subscribers)

Pure Noise Records (175k Subscribers)

Run For Cover (75k Subscribers)

Rude Records (7k Subscribers)

No Sleep Records (27k Subscribers)

SideOneDummy (47k Suscribers)

 Playlists would be a crucial part of our E.P. taking off. If one of our songs got on a Spotify Rock Playlist it would drastically increase our audience by the thousands. If we sent a copy of the E.P. to Allison Hagendorf (who is Spotify’s UK Rock chief tastemaker), she might take a liking to one of our songs and potentially add it to the playlist. Getting signed by a label would also be a huge boost, as the label’s YouTube channels have subscribers in the thousands, people would get notified when our video would be uploaded and it would get instantly thousands of views. Also festival playlists are big thing lately, as people want to listen to the bands they haven’t heard before who are playing at that particular festival. So they experience your song before they see you.

 Blogs

 Altpress (1,230,968 Facebook Likes)

Punktastic (16,423 Facebook Likes)

Kerrang (877,429 Facebook Likes)

Scuzz (47,392 Facebook Likes)

Rocksound (633,733 Facebook Likes)

UK Pop Punk (11,263 Facebook Likes)

New Noise (31,148 Facebook Likes)

Bring the Noise (14,845 Facebook Likes)

Noisy/Vice (1,189,753 Facebook Likes)

Spilt Milk (361 Facebook Likes)

Punk Online (830 Facebook Likes)

RPM (415 Facebook Likes)

Black Velvet (3,290 Facebook Likes)

Punk News (82,255 Facebook Likes)

DIY (256,776 Facebook Likes)

 Blogs and Magazine websites are also a crucial part of our E.P. getting coverage. If we got featured in Spilt Milk magazine (which is a local zine), then our local fanbase would potentially grow and more people would come to our shows. Also, if say Punktastic released just a article mentioning that we have released our new E.P., then that’s 16,423 more people that would potentially hear and listen to us. UK Pop Punk is a giant Facebook forum where you can just put a Facebook post saying, “listen to our new song” and link the song, then the 11,263 members get a notification and quite a few of them would listen to it. Again, gaining us a bigger audience. Rocksound also concentrate on promoting underground and unheard of bands, and they have an extremely big audience (633,733 Facebook Likes), so If we got featured on there, that would also extremely beneficial for promotion. Overall, even though it’s considered not necessary and old fashioned to get signed, I still believe that getting signed is the best and most beneficial way of promoting our E.P., as it so very hard to make it in our genre without label backing.