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laceymorganwrites · 4 years ago

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Crush

Word count: 2,011

Pairing: none

Warnings: swearing

Summary: Atsumu has a crush on you, a third year and misses all the chances to make something out of it.

Song: Crush - Tessa Violet

Tagging: @akaashichigo

Uh, alright I can't focus on what needs to get done

Why the fuck did this always happen to him? He had important things to do, to focus on, he couldn´t have you occupy his mind all the time.

Though it wasn´t really your fault, but then again it was.

You had no right being so beautiful, so intelligent, so funny, so charming, so fucking breathtaking.

Of course he had to catch feelings for you, even though you weren´t even in the same class. Of course he did. He always wanted what he couldn´t have and he kind of got off on the fact that you´d never look his way more than he liked to admit.

I'm on notice hoping that you don't run, ah You think I'm tepid but I'm misdiagnosed

His brother, friends and teammates had enough of him nonstop talking about you. They fucking knew. He had it bad for you, they knew. But that was no excuse for him being distracted all the time during training. They needed him, he was basically the most important part in their play.

It couldn´t go on like this, something needed to be done.

Luckily Kita had just the solution for it, they all thought it would be foolproof. Especially when even Kita had enough of Atsumu´s behavior and lack of concentration.

'Cause I'm a stalker I seen all of your posts, ah-ah

And I'm just tryna play it cool now

Everybody knew the plan and yet everyone was anxious because nobody knew how Atsumu would react.

It all depended on you.

So when you walked into the gym because Kita told you to wait for him there before you´d work on your project together, all eyes were on Atsumu.

It was like he froze in place, his eyes went wide like he couldn´t believe it.

And you didn´t even look at him, you just sat right down in the back and scribbled in your notebook.

But that's not what I wanna do now And I'm not tryna be with you now, you now Mhm

Atsumu tried his hardest to concentrate on the training, but he caught himself staring at you all the time, everyone else noticed too and they were unsure if that was a good thing or not.

“Yer know she´s not looking cause ya suck!” Osamu called out to him, startling his older brother.

And yet his words hit. Atsumu set the ball more accurately and one serve of his even made you look up, which he didn´t notice since he was too focused on the game.

You make it difficult to not overthink And when I'm with you I turn all shades of pink, ah

After practice Kita dragged Atsumu with him to meet you. It was strange how nervous he was, when Kita asked him when Atsumu first started crushing on you, he didn´t want to meet you at all. He cared way too much about what people thought of him, so it scared him that there was a possibility that you could hate him.

Now there was no turning back though, not with Kita dragging him behind him with an iron grip.

“Can we go now, Kita? I think if we hurry up we could finish the project today” you said, barely looking at Atsumu.

“Just a moment, I want you to meet Atsumu. He´s been too afraid to approach you and it´s getting frustrating” he honestly said, even sighing to prove his point.

You chuckled, knowing that he always talked about his teammates, so he must be one of the troublemaker twins. You also thought you saw him around in the hallways some time, but weren´t so sure.

“Just what the hell have you been telling him, Kita? I don´t bite… that hard” you responded, meeting Atsumu´s eyes. He looked at you really intensely, yet didn´t meet your eyes and the blush on his face betrayed him.

I wanna touch you but don't wanna be weird It's such a rush, I'm thinking wish you were here, ah-ahh

And I'm just tryna play it cool now But that's not what I wanna do now And I'm not tryna be with you now, you now

“I´m (Y/N) by the way, but I think you already knew that” you stretched your hand out for him to shake and noticed that his was sweaty and shaking a bit.

“It´s nice to meet you” he forced out, trying to be as polite as possible, he at least wanted to make a good first impression.

“You make a mean serve but I think you also already knew that” you noted, having trouble making conversation with him since he seemed so out of it.

But I could be your crush, like, throw you for a rush, like Hoping you'd text me so I could tell you I been thinking 'bout your touch like Touch, touch, touch, touch, touch I could be your crush, crush, crush, crush, crush I got a fascination with your presentation Making me feel like you're on my island You're my permanent vacation Touch, touch, touch, touch, touch I could be your crush, crush, crush, crush, crush Sorry

“It wasn´t that good, I still need to improve a lot” he said and the worst part about it was that he sounded like he believed it.

“Learn how to take a compliment, will ya?” you smiled, you couldn´t quite figure him out.

Atsumu didn´t seem like the type of guy to get insecure about his abilities, especially as his position as setter, he always seemed so sure of himself. You saw it in his games too, it was weird.

He at least had the decency to look sort of ashamed as you said that, Kita held back a chuckle.

I fill my calendar with stuff I can do Maybe if I'm busy it could keep me from you

Ever since then you came to their training quite often, which was more because you and Kita had to organize quite a bit for graduation and it was easier when you just waited for him. Atsumu became hyper aware of your presence, he wanted to impress you so bad but he knew that you only viewed him as a kouhai. He hated it.

Honestly, he knew that you´d never look at him twice, the only reason you even talked to him was because Kita basically forced you to. You didn´t want to talk to him, you never thought about him, you never imagined what it would feel like to hold his hand, if it would be calloused while yours was so soft, you never yearned to hear his laugh, you never dreamed about how soft your lips might be and you sure as hell couldn´t care less about him.

And I'm pretending you ain't been on my mind But I took an interest in the things that you like, ah-ahh

Kita was worried about the future of the team, you knew that. He always worried about his juniors which was nice, but still, he worried too much for his own good. They´d make it. You had to worry about your exams right now and so should he.

You tried your best to support your friend and get his mind off things but it was hard.

As you sat in the gym, waiting for him and watching the team, you felt a bit of nostalgia, you´d miss going to their games to support them.

Maybe you´d even miss Atusmu, maybe he wasn´t as bad as you thought, but then again, you´d probably never find out.

And I'm just tryna play it cool now But that's not what I wanna do now And I'm not tryna be with you now, you now

“Just ask her already, for fuck´s sake…” Kita groaned and everyone went quiet. He never swore, but then again, if there was a person who´d be able to make him, it´d be Atsumu.

Prom night was coming up and you casually let it slip that you still didn´t have a date, naturally Kita told Atsumu in hopes he´d take the hint. Which he didn´t of course. He was thinking way too much into it, he kept saying how he wasn´t good enough, how you could do so much better and didn´t even like him that way.

“And how the hell are yer gonna find out if all yer ever do is run away from yer feelings?” Osamu punched his shoulder.

In the end he didn´t ask you, chickening out like he always did. It was just a stupid crush anyway and you didn´t even want him to be there. He was the one who had stupid one sided feelings for you, it wasn´t like you did. It wasn´t like you cared, like you ever spared him a glance in the hallways.

He was just one of the annoying twins Kita told you about, he was just the setter of your school´s team, he was just a second year.

And yeah it's true that I'm a little bit intense, right But can you blame me when you keep me on the fence, like And I've been waiting, hoping that you'd wanna text, like Text like It's what I was born to do And yeah it's true that I'm a little bit intense, right But can you blame me when you keep me on the fence, like And I've been waiting, hoping that you'd wanna text, like Text like Ugh

You got ready for prom which you really weren´t looking forward to. It would be so boring with all the speeches from the teachers and the pretentious ones from the student council. Honestly, you weren´t even there yet and you wanted to go home already. At least your friends would be there. You didn´t want to think about graduation and all the responsibilities that would be dumped onto you afterwards. You just wanted to enjoy one more night without anything to think about.

And I'm just tryna play it cool now But that's not what I wanna do now And I'm not tryna be with you now, you now

Atsumu kept on training, it was weird with the third years being gone now and he caught himself look for Kita for advice every time. He missed his captain telling him and Osamu to behave, he missed having him around because it all felt so easy with Kita, he was the best captain he could´ve ever asked for and he vowed that he´d make him proud.

He nearly perfected his serve and was so caught up in denial that he didn´t even face the fact that you graduated and he wouldn´t ever see you again.

It was a week later that it settled in, he missed seeing you in the halls, missed you coming to their games and waiting for Kita at the gym.

Sure, you barely spoke a word, but still, he could´ve made a move if he hadn´t been such a coward. But it was too late for that now, he wouldn´t ever see you again.

It shouldn´t hurt this much, you were just a stupid high school crush.

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winterlinggg · 6 years ago

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Studyblr Tag!

GENERAL

What country are you studying in now? Eau Claire, America

What’s your major or specialization? Paralegal (Criminal Law)

What year are you in? First year of Paralegal, sixth year of college

What courses are you taking (/will be taking if on break)? Paralegal & Law Ethics, Civil Litigation, Legal Research, Economics, American Government

Favorite course? I loved my Web Design course and Cultures in Conflict courses at University

What languages do you know? Want to learn? English, Sarcasm, HTML/CSS

What language do you study in? Do you think in a different language? English, and nope!

Career aspiration? Paralegal for the District Attorney’s Office, and legal advocate for victims of stalking, especially in states whose laws offer perpetrators too many advantages via grey area and loopholes.

If you couldn’t be #8, what would you be? A web designer and developer

Moment you knew what you wanted to do? After I was stalked by a police officer who used work equipment, resources, databases and coworkers to stalk me. It is not legally considered stalking in Oregon (where it happened), but it is in my current state of Wisconsin.

STUDY ENVIRONMENT

Where is your favorite place to study? My computer, which has three 43″ monitors on top of an actual conference table. It’s nice for spreading out on.

When is your favorite time to study? My favorite is late night studying, between the hours of 10pm to 7 or 8am.

Clean desk or organized mess? Clean desk!!

Music or no music? What type? If I listen to music, it has to be lyric-less music because I get too distracted by the words.

Name top 3 worst distractions. Twitter, my boyfriend (who I live with), and YouTube

Exam time, dress up or dress down? Dress down, because I like to be super comfortable in otherwise stressful exams.

Exam time, hair up or hair down? Hair up and out of my face. When I’m hyper-focused, the tickle of my hair gets extra annoying.

Favorite outfit for studying? Honestly, just undies and a tee-shirt

Favourite study scent? Always flowers, specifically jasmine, gardenia, or honeysuckle.

STUDY TOOLS

Name 5 things you would consider your ‘study essentials’. I would say my Pentel side-click pencil, my color-designated Staedtler pens, my midliners, and notecards.

Hardcopy books or pdf online? HARDCOVER - I don’t know what it is but I cannot stand e-textbooks or typing up my notes (despite the fact that I was a computer science major. There’s something special about highlighting an actual book and writing notes down. I feel like you get to spend more time with the material.

Favorite study snack? drink? White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cliff Bar and coffee.

Favorite pen (or pencil)? Pentel Side-click mechanical pencil - I cant stand back-clicks because it makes me change my grip on the pencil every time.

Favorite notebook/paper? I’d like to explore more notebooks, like the leuchtturm1917 but I’ve been a Five Star notebook buyer since grade school. Maybe next semester.

Name 5 apps/tools that help you be productive. GoogleDrive, FamCal (my boyfriend and I’s synced calendar), the recorder app on my phone so I can listen back to lectures... I don’t know, I use paper more than apps.

How many pens/pencils/markers are in your pencil case? 2 pencils, 1 pen, 8 Staedtler pens, 8 midliner highlighters.

Backpack or purse? Backpack, but a messenger bag.

How many notebooks do you have? Five notebooks (one for each class), and one leather portfolio with a legal pad for my volunteer position with the DA’s office.

STUDY HABITS

How do you motivate yourself when you’re not motivated? When I’m not motivated, it’s typically because I’m too anxious. So I’ll take a break, take a bath, have a snack, declutter my desk, and that typically does the trick.

Pump up routine before writing an exam? run through notecards, listen to metal music tbh (I know it’s an unpopular genre but it gets your blood going).

Crammer or pacer? For assignments and general studying, I’m a pacer, and for papers I am a crammer ~ but not a day-before crammer kind of way, just in a I’m-on-a-roll kind of way.

Type of learner (kinesthetic, auditory, visual)? Kinesthetic in the sense that if I don’t physically write it out, I am less likely to remember it. It forces me to take my time with each definition/equation/theory. Then visual in the sense that, when I’m taking a test, I visualize exactly where on what page that information is written on.

How do you plan? (digital, planner, lists, no plan, etc.) Depends. Generally speaking, for my day, I use FamCal which syncs my boyfriend and I’s calendars together. For studying, like which order I’m going to read chapters/start essays/etc, I use notcard to-do lists.

Preferred note-taking method? The outline method, although I am going to attempt the Cornell method this semester.

Do you make to-do lists? How? Yes, religiously. I go class by class, starting with the lightest homework first. For example I’ll start with readings for class A, followed by the online quiz for class B, then begin the rough draft for my paper in class C.

Do you stick to your to-do lists? Yes, about 90% of the time. If I don’t then it’s because it’s for the heavier homework like a rough draft paper in class C, in which case it’s me not following my to-do list because I’m taking a break and finishing later.

Group study or independent study? Independent is good for when I’m in a hyper-focused study session, but groups are really good at motivating me because I’m competitive I want to be the most productive one there.

Average number of hours of sleep during exam time? Probably 8? I have to sleep more than the average person - I’ve been that way my whole life (it’s not a laziness thing). I typically sleep 10 hours or so, and have difficultly sleeping from the anxiousness of the upcoming test.

Ever pulled an all-nighter? Back when my PTSD was really bad I could never sleep at night, so I’d begin studying at 10pm and go to bed at 7 or 8 when dawn starts peeking through my blinds. So I used to be an exclusive “all-nighter”

STUDY MENTALITY

What do you do to recover from getting a grade lower than expected? I figure out where the hell I went wrong. Did the test come from the textbook instead of class notes? Did I focus more on general theories or ideas instead of the specifics like when and where or vice-versa?

One advice you’d give others? There is more than one way to get to where you want to go. I did a lot more writing of papers than weekly assignments in university. For papers, my best advice is to tailor the paper to what the teacher would like for optimal grading leniency. For example, in my Anthropology 380 course ‘Cultures in Conflict,’ I had to write about two cultures that struggled when they met. I may have enjoyed writing about a culture clash such as native amazonian tribes who are expected to stay “primitive” to satisfy the curiosities of american tourism, but I knew my teacher was into anime. So, I wrote my 20 page paper on “The Proliferation of Japanese Anime in American Pop Culture.” I got 110% on that paper (there were XC opportunities for that paper which I took, but I ALSO wasn’t graded down for ANYTHING because she loved the topic so much), and because it counted for so much of my grade, I ended that semester with 104% overall in that class.

What are you most proud of right now? Honestly, my desk. I took so much time on setting it up exactly the way I like it, and it’s so big and aesthetically pleasing that it’s EASY to WANT to study.

Favorite quote to keep you going? Someone somewhere is having a worse day than you. (So even if I don’t want to get up at 7:00am, I should appreciate that it’s my biggest struggle today)

Favorite way to destress? A BATH WITH A LUSH BATH BOMB

OTHER

Favorite 5 studyblrs? I can’t think of them all now, but I will make another post of people that pump out the type of content that made me love Studyblrs in the first place soon.

How often do you check Tumblr? 2x-3x a day?

Hobbies when you’re not studying? Playing video games (overwatch), taking care of my succulent garden (I easily have over 100), and watching political/social commentary on YouTube.

Favorite compulsory-reading book? Suspense/Crime books. I just Finished ‘Women in the Window’ which I read all in one day.

First nerdy joke that pops into your head. There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t.

#studyblrtag #studyblr #studyblr tag

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elegancea · 8 years ago

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Please take time to read.

Jan 14, 2010, I got the perfect christmas present in my life. This is my shih tzu Sky when he was around 1 year old or so. I would say, out of all the pictures I took from the moment I got him up to this day, this is the best photo of him. As of now he is 7 years old so obviously, age has caught up with his face, which means to say he’s not as cute as he was before. Despite that, for me, he is still perfect in my eyes. I’m an only child so you see, having my very first dog was the best thing that every happened in my life.

I guess it was safe to say that I see him more of as a younger brother instead of just a simple pet. March 2011 was when I graduated in grade school. March 2015 was when I graduated in high school. In short, Sky has been with me through my past graduations. I remember my high school friends always joking about the idea of Sky dying because they know that’s the fastest thing that would make me cry. They knew how important he is to me. I remember my best friend laughing at me because I didn’t attend our field trip because I don’t want to leave him alone at home. My silly self would sometimes think that if an apocalypse might even happen, I would probably save my dog first before myself. That’s how important he is to me.

When I saw this picture on facebook about a guy attending his graduation together with his dog wearing the same graduation outfit that he was wearing. It then came in my mind that it would be nice to graduate college with Sky by my side. Only one graduation left, which is my college graduation in 2020, I would be able say that Sky was there with me all through the graduations I’ve had in my life.

However, these past few days, he started being lethargic. He wasn’t eating and it seemed as if he was having a difficult time in breathing. We brought him to the vet and the tests done to him concluded something. He’s diagnosed of Pneumonia, which causes him to have a difficult time in breathing. The doctor said he has water in his lungs. He’s also diagnosed of Ehrlichia, a sickness transmitted by tick/flea bites. This sickness is really not that dangerous for those who are in the acute (early) stage. However in Sky’s case, his sickness is at the chronic (3rd) stage already which means that treating him would be difficult. Based on studies, survival rate in this stage is low since it is the stage wherein the disease attacks its host’s bone marrow and other vital organs. Dogs diagnosed in this stage should undergo serious and expensive medication.

Here’s the picture of the lab results of his blood. Here’s a picture of him just in case you want to know how he looks like right now.

I remember the days wherein I would lie down the couch and he would automatically run by my side to pull and hug my arm to play with him. I miss the time wherein we would go hide and seek and he would find me in no time. I miss those days where how he would jump and put his head on my legs as I eat, clearly begging for some scraps of what I’m eating. I miss the time when I scold him when he did something bad, he would find a corner to sulk in and look at me from a far with those puppy dog eyes, trying to convince me not to get mad at him anymore, which he often succeeded in the end. How can one not succumb to puppy dog eyes? I miss how when we play, he would get annoyed with me and give me a warning growl but when I say the word “Ok ok I’m sorry” he would drop his attitude and lick my hand and then goes back as if nothing happened. I miss the time when even if I’m busy with school and can’t really spend time with him, he would just walk towards me and sit by my side. I miss the time where he would follow me around the house when he’s hyper, as if asking me to play with him. I miss the time wherein I would laugh at him for believing that I threw something over his back and he would go search for it, not knowing that I didn’t throw anything in the first place. I miss the time wherein he would bark at my friends entering our house, clearly strangers to his eyes, and would run away and hide under the dining table when they tried to pet him. I miss how he would forget what he is doing as he hears the car windows open and would run his way to stick his head outside and look at the sceneries we’re passing by. I miss the time when he would only listen and follow my commands (sit, lie down, beg...etc) when I have a treat in my hand. I miss how he would be annoyed and bark at me every time I hide from him and won’t come out of my hiding place. I miss how he would tilt his head side ways whenever he hears an unusual sound. I love how he would bark, get mad and tries to run after me every time I would say the word ‘bye’ as I leave the house. And lastly, I love how he would tightly hug my arm whenever I carry him around. (tbh I think there’s not really an end to how much I love him but if I continue on and on I doubt you guys would ever finish this post)

And even now that he’s not his healthy and active self, there are still tons of reasons that I love about him. I love how I can see that he’s trying so hard in fighting his sickness. I love how he doesn’t give up and succumb to the disease, clearly doing his best not to leave me behind. My heart swells every time I see him trying his best to get up even if he would sway a little bit, from being lethargic, just so he could lie down between my legs, just like he always do.

And it just pains me to even think of giving him up just because I cannot afford the medication. I have a side job but it’s not enough since I am also a college student and the university I’m going to right now have a very expensive tuition fee. As of now, enrollment for this sem (2nd sem) would start next week and the money I saved is clearly not enough to support both his medication and my education. I have to choose one. I tried asking help from my mom and she gladly helped and is currently funding the expenses of Sky. However, she’s starting to complain and say that once the expenses reached P8,000 or $164, she would stop funding his medication. (The expenses as of now reached around P6,000 or $123 already)

If that happens, the only thing I could hope for is to have a miracle.

Lately, I would have sleepless nights thinking if Sky’s condition and how I could help him. Heck I even prayed and said to God I could give up 10 or 20 years of my life, he could take it and it would be ok, just make him healthy and well again.

You guys might think I’m crazy and stupid right? Maybe you guys would say “who the fuck gives his/her own life for a dog” right? But I would. That’s how important he is to me. I’ve had him since I was 12 years old. (I’m 19 now).

Although this is the case, I still want to believe in that small possibility that he will still come back to me alive and kicking.

Medication costs P1,500 per day in my country or around $31 a day since the antibiotics that he should consume is being rejected by his body (he vomits it out every time we try to make him drink his medicine). The vet then decided to inject the antibiotics (different from the one he should be drinking) through his dextrose. It costs P750 per shot or $15.3 and it needs to be injected twice a day so the total amount would be P1,500.

Now all I’m asking is if you guys could please please pray for Sky’s health please. I would definitely pray for him but what’s the harm in having hundreds or even thousands of people to pray for him to recover as well right?

#Iris

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markmceachran · 5 years ago

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Tokyo Tourist

Having just returned from my fifth trip to Tokyo, I think I’m finally comfortable offering some tips, tricks and a short-list of fun sights to see. This is by no means a comprehensive list. It’s just enough to facilitate your basic mobility needs and your curiosity. I’ll start with the airport.

Narita

Terminal One at Narita International Airport is part airport, part train station, and part shopping mall. Your other international hubs have cute stores and all, but how many choices of kitch and foodstuffs and ramen shops can you find? Chances are you won’t find half as many as you do at Narita. The trick is that you have to hit both sides of T1 if you want to catch ‘em all. Unfortunately you’ll be locked into one or the other, depending on your airline. Worry not, wayward traveler, you win on either side.

Downtown

I’m still searching for the best way to get to downtown Tokyo from the airport. Right now I’m getting a full-fare ticket on the Narita Express (NEX) on the JR East railway. Unfortunately you have to pay cash, about 3,000 yen, if you want to use the automated machines. Your western credit cards won’t work in them. If all you’ve got is your Visa, you’ll have to wait in line and get it from an agent. If it’s your first time in JP, you might want to do that anyway. Some of the machine jibber jabber can be a bit confusing for a non-native, even when you set the language to English.

Getting a ticket to Shibuya will put you into one of the central transit hubs in Tokyo. Almost all the commuter trains run though the big station. If you’ve packed light you might consider popping your head above ground to check out the famous Shibuya crossing. You know that big 3-way intersection that they show in movie clips, the one where masses of Japanese humanity all cross the street at once? That’s Shibuya. Go grab a Starbucks and head to the second floor of the cafe for the best view.

From Shibuya you can grab a train to your hotel. Google maps is your friend and will tell you which line and stop. The commuter train stops are not only named in English, they also have numbers. Just be sure you’re heading in the right direction.

A note about rush hour – it’s as packed as you’ve heard and often times there are agents squeezing every last passenger onto the trains. Be mindful of the big pink stickers on train car windows. They indicate that those cars are for women only during rush hour. Japanese commuter trains, with their squeezy-tight manifests, can leave ample opportunity for the rare, gross gropy man to cop a feel. It’s a problem. There’s the solution – pink cars.

Tending Left

Japanese tend to the left. What I mean is that if you approach a person head-on while walking on the sidewalk, they will generally pitch to the left to make way. And they expect you to do the same. This runs contrast to what we do in the US. We tend to the right. The tendency makes sense when you realize that they also drive on the left. With the hyper-organized nature of the Japanese, however, this cultural phenomenon shows up, visually, everywhere. When you walk around train stations there are often arrows on the ground indicating how traffic should flow. In rare cases there are even passing lanes on pedestrian paths. Of course, you pass slower traffic by cruising around to the right.

The left-ness also appears on escalators where you’re encouraged to stand on the left, so that climbers can move past you on the right. After spending enough time in Japan you might find yourself tending left in the US. We have far fewer pedestrian instructions guiding our walkers so you’ll have to remind yourself from time to time to tend right.

Smoking Indoors

Even at the dinner table, there might be smoking. Be ready for that. In many American cities and states you can’t smoke in public places anymore. Heck, you can’t even smoke in the parks in L.A. In Japan they’re still working toward that. Some places restrict it, others don’t.

The Yen ¥

One Yen in Japanese currency is roughly equivalent to on US Penny. This makes for an easy mental process when calculating the price of whatever fun trinket or plate of sushi you’re picking out. Just add a decimal point in the appropriate place and you’ve got dollars and cents. Of course, they won’t accept US dollars. They do take plastic at most places, however, even if they may not often be familiar with our antiquated print & sign routine. Be sure to ask to sign if your merchant forgets. You’re doing them a big favor when they forget. The Japanese don’t like failing in matters of protocol.

Tokyo Favorites

Of course I have a few favorite places in Tokyo. It’s a massive International city, so I won’t have a comprehensive list of sights, but I think I’ve got a good set of fun destinations.

Shibuya

vimeo

It’s more than just a giant crosswalk. Beyond the excellent people-watching, it’s an amazing shopping destination with wonderful stores in every direction. From an over-priced, Bathing Ape t-shirt shop, to a tiny, hole-in-the-wall sushi bar, you can find nearly anything there.

Starbucks – As I stated above, having an espresso or latté here is a treat because you get the best view of the Shibuya crossing.

Cigar Bar – This place doesn’t have an English name, so far as I can tell. You’ll just have to search for “cigar bar” on google maps and find, ル・コネスール渋谷店 It’s a great place to enjoy a little smoke and a nice sip of whisky or beer.

Kiddy Land toy store – Multiple floors of odd little toys from all over Japan are collected here. You’ll also get popular, hard-to-find toys from the Star Wars universe.

Tower Records – A dinosaur by Western standards, this music store still shines with 5 floors of music from Japan and around the world. The prices are a bit steep so you might opt to browse and discover, but not buy.

Meiji Shrine – With a little walk you can make your way through Harijuku to find the Meiji Shrine. The expansive grounds offer a taste of the outdoors in the midst of city. It’s a favorite spot for wedding photos as well.

Shinjuku

The very top attraction in Shinjuku, in my opinion, is Robot Restaurant. It’s an awesome, tongue-in-cheek showcase of Japanese culture. Giant indoor floats parade around the center of an intimate theater. Highly choreographed robots, dragons, drums, guitars, dancers and acrobats flit or slog around to loosely scripted stories straight out of manga comics. It’s the Tokyo equivalent to Chicago’s Blue Man Group. My advice – grab a meal before or after the show. All reports indicate that the food is not the main attraction here.

Be advised, Shinjuku is also the red-light district of the city. While a robot show most certainly is family friendly, some of the other attractions in the area might not be. That being said, there are still mostly G and PG rated sites to see. The district is also home to a quaint Samurai museum, wonderful temples, more shopping, more ramen, and more sushi than you can shake a sword at.

The Fish Market (Tsukiji)

Perched on the docks is the Tokyo Fish Market. If you show up early, and I mean before sunrise early, you can watch the throwers. Seattle’s tossers look like tossers when you consider the mass of fish they move every morning from ship to shore in Tokyo. Here you can get the freshest sushi you’ll ever have, for breakfast! You won’t regret it.

You can also pick up some of the finest kitchen knives in the world at one of several shops within the market. Pick your steel, pick your size, and get them engraved if you can. Reminder – you’ll need to check those blades at the airport. Plan accordingly.

Update – Tsukiji fish market will be closing on October 6th, 2018. A new market will open to replace it in Toyosu on October 11th.

Roppongi

Tokyo’s higher, high-end of town is Roppongi. Here your beer will maybe cost an extra Yen and you might actually catch them detailing the sidewalks with a toothbrush… no, not really. All of Tokyo sidewalks are impeccably cleaned, with toothbrushes. One of my favorite sites near Roppongi is the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Technically it’s in the Chiyoda province… but close enough! If you’re a runner, it’s a great distraction to include in your jog. You can run all the way around it on a path, which keeps you away from traffic.

In addition to the fortifications, Roppongi also offers world-class fine dining from chefs like Joel Robuchon and many more. Just be ready for the prices. I didn’t actually jump at Joel’s place, I’m more than fulfilled on sushi delivered by conveyor belt or little boat on the lazy sushi river.

Tokyo Retrospective

Smile, because they’ll smile. Be nice, because they’ll be nice. If there’s one thing about the people of Japan it’s that they are incredibly nice. Smiling is in their nature when they interact with you, and each other. Follow the rules. They may not remind you to follow them, but follow them. They all follow the rules. In a city with millions and millions, the rules are there so things run smoothly, so people don’t annoy each other and everyone can just get along.

The post Tokyo Tourist appeared first on Mark McEachran.

https://j.mp/2VTAXD7 September 25, 2018 at 11:06AM

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cesarhcastrojr · 8 years ago

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About a month ago, I published an article that provided a few areas of consideration when diving into conversion rate optimization, with ideas to help kick off brainstorming discussions. I love conversion rate optimization (CRO) because it is one of the few things that you can do that will have an impact on the performance of all of your digital channels at once. In other words, it is time well spent.

Still, some of us don’t have the time or resources to brainstorm landing page tests, so this post goes one step further to provide concrete testing ideas (46 ideas, to be exact) that you can try on your landing pages today!

Improve your call to action

The call to action (CTA) is a great place to start testing because it can be very impactful. There are several options for testing what works best for your CTA:

Try using a button for your CTA instead of a link (or instead of text, if it is a phone number).

Test the button color — no matter what or where the button may be (a phone number, a download, or even if it is within the form).

Test the placement of your CTA on the page. For example, are your phone numbers in the header image? In the top line of the page? At the bottom?

Test multiple CTAs, even if they are the same. Often I see a CTA above the page but nothing at the bottom. This sort of assumes that people will perform the action before reading any of the content. If they’ve read the content, that’s the perfect time to invite them to learn more. Test having the same CTA at the top and bottom for ease of use.

Test your CTA text. There are tons that you could try – in fact, there are probably entire posts devoted to this type of testing. Off the top of my head, here are a few: learn more, buy now, call now, get a free quote, request your copy, request a quote, talk with an experienced _____ now, find out how we can help, and the list goes on.

Capture the information

Ah, the forms. One of the most popular landing page components. There are so many different options for testing forms, and even small changes can have substantial lifts.

Test the form placement on the page: right side, left side or centered; above the fold and below the fold.

Test the form color to see if it stands out more.

Test the form layout: vertical versus horizontal, drop-down fields versus radio buttons, and so on.

If at all possible, test requiring fewer form fields. Sure, it’s nice to know everything there is to know about a prospect: first name, last name, credit card for the free trial, mother’s maiden name, dental records and so on. But could you live without some of that information if it meant higher lead numbers?

Test discreet pop-ups while the user navigates, if you are able to execute them without disrupting the user experience. For example, HubSpot has lead flows that can be triggered based upon certain parameters. They can also be executed without interrupting the user’s ability to navigate the site. (If you are driving ads to the page, depending on the network that you are using, ensure pop-ups are not a violation of their policies.)

Test a pop-up when the user leaves the site. (But make it valuable, not annoying! And, as mentioned in the previous point, if you are driving ads to the page, ensure pop-ups are not a violation of the ad network’s policies.)

Test different imagery

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Images can provide context and direction that visitors can use to quickly understand if the landing page is relevant to their needs. Not to mention the aesthetic appeal of images that are used to supplement the text on a page.

However, there are also images that don’t add value, and some that can even drive people away by misleading the visitor as to the page’s content or intended audience. To ensure your image game is strong, try running some of these tests:

Try testing photos with people vs. photos without people. Often photos with people look staged and unnatural, but on the other hand, images with people can help visitors build a connection with the brand.

Test icons and vectors instead of photographs. Sometimes photographs aren’t able to illustrate key points as well as vectors or other images.

Test the size of the image on the page.

Test where the image is placed — or whether there’s an image on the page at all.

Test product pictures and screen shots in place of pictures with more abstract meanings. (This is especially for things like SaaS. Of course, product pictures would be used for things like e-commerce, restaurants and retail.)

Test a new header image.

Test a banner with text, on top of or in lieu of a header image.

Rework your layout

Sometimes your landing pages need a structural overhaul. It can be tough to get there with A/B tests, but it can be done. And although the general best practice is to only test one element at a time, sometimes there is value in multivariate testing.

Most people read content in an “F” pattern. Test placing your most important elements so that they fall within this line of sight.

Test a page with a header image or banner versus a page without.

Test including the CTA as part of the header image vs. entirely separate.

Put your copy to work

Your landing page copy tells your story. We all know that content is king, but it still, arguably, gets the short end of the stick when landing pages are created on the fly. It can be beneficial to revisit the value of your copy and to test different strategies in order to make the copy more impactful.

Test new copy to try to make the page more persuasive.

Look into the traffic stats for the page in question, and then test creating different pages for your highest-volume markets and personas in order to provide an experience that is hyper-relevant to those visitors.

Sometimes the volume of text on a page can be a little overwhelming. Most people scan a landing page, as opposed to reading the whole thing word-for-word. Test breaking the content into smaller paragraphs so that it seems a little more approachable.

Test bulleted lists instead of paragraphs.

Test emphasizing the key points with block quotes, images of quotes, or by incorporating them into subheaders.

Try adjusting your landing page copy to be written in active voice versus passive voice.

Test creating copy and imagery that is solution-oriented instead of feature-centric.

Test how much content is visible above the fold versus below the fold. Bonus: consider testing exactly what text falls above the fold.

Test interactive content such as videos, quizzes or pages that users can interact with.

Test personalizing the content on the page. There are several tools that can help with this, including some marketing automation tools.

Test whether the inclusion of testimonials begets a lift in conversion rate.

You can also try updating your meta-title and meta-description to see if that boosts traffic to your page through organic results or other channels such as social, which show the page description. This can be especially beneficial for landing pages that didn’t have meta-descriptions to begin with because they weren’t meant to rank.

To nav or not to nav, that is the question

The way visitors navigate pages (or don’t!) is an important component of the way your story is told, so it is important to be mindful of the way you want your visitors to interact with your page(s). I’ve rarely seen a landing page perform best that had full navigation, but sometimes a page with limited navigational options has performed better than no navigation, because it allowed the visitors to explore more information about the product before committing to a demo.

Test landing pages with no navigation versus full navigation.

If full navigation performs best, try testing a secondary navigation option to help them find more information about the product or service that they’ve shown interest in so that they can easily find more information.

Test the winner of the above test against a few select navigational options.

Provide content and collateral

If you know me, you know that I am a big proponent of micro-conversions, in the right situation. You can provide useful content to buyers to help them continue their journey, while also obtaining more information about them and where they are in their journey. With that will come several testing opportunities.

Although the call, purchase or demo request may be the main CTA, you might want to test a secondary CTA (such as an email newsletter sign-up or a white paper download). Then, follow through to see if the addition of those conversions is leading to more sales long-term.

Test whether gating or not gating generates more leads. For paid search, you can do this by building audiences off of the piece of content and then tracking what happens to those audiences. Or you could use Google Analytics to analyze flow reports, but know that there are some limitations given these are based upon sessions, not users.

Test a different content offering to see which performs better. For example, if you’re currently using an e-book, you could try recording yourself reading the e-book and create an audiobook. Then you can test which of those draws more conversions.

Go for the upsell (or cross-sell)

Most CRO opportunities focus on the main selling goal, but there is a lot of opportunity for upsell and cross-sell conversion rate testing as well. Here are a few opportunities:

Before the purchase (or lead submission) is completed, suggest other items the customer may like.

Suggest additional features and add-ons the customer might like access to before the purchase is completed.

Before the purchase (or lead submission) is completed, suggest other products that complement the customer’s needs.

After the purchase, provide content and information about additional relevant products and services.

Focus on continued engagement

After the purchase, test providing additional content to ensure customers get the most use out of their purchase.

After purchase, create opportunities for customers to share their purchase or experiences with your product.

After the purchase, invite customers to follow your social networks and provide product or service feedback.

Review the quality of traffic

If you’ve tested and tested your pages, and you still find that your conversion rates are fairly low, it might be that the traffic isn’t as relevant as it could be. Take a look in your analytics platform to determine if there are traffic sources or keywords that aren’t performing as well as others. Then dig in further from there.

Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Amy has built and implemented multi-channel digital strategies for a variety of companies spanning several industry verticals from start-ups and small businesses to Fortune 500 and global organizations. Her expertise includes e-commerce, lead generation and localized site-to-store strategies. Amy is currently the Director of Digital Marketing & MarTech at

ZirMed

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markmceachran · 6 years ago

Text

Tokyo Tourist

Narita

Downtown

Tending Left

Smoking Indoors

The Yen ¥

Tokyo Favorites

Of course I have a few favorite places in Tokyo. It’s a massive International city, so I won’t have a comprehensive list of sights, but I think I’ve got a good set of fun destinations.

Shibuya

vimeo

Starbucks – As I stated above, having an espresso or latté here is a treat because you get the best view of the Shibuya crossing.

Kiddy Land toy store – Multiple floors of odd little toys from all over Japan are collected here. You’ll also get popular, hard-to-find toys from the Star Wars universe.

Shinjuku

The Fish Market

Roppongi

Tokyo Retrospective

The post Tokyo Tourist appeared first on Mark McEachran.

http://j.mp/2O7Ojsl September 25, 2018 at 11:06AM

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