#roy east : ⧽ conversations.

[lostrnkets]

closed starter for @tinkrbell ft. roy based on the link in the source

as the clock was rounding down to midnight, the loud countdown of those around him started and that's when he noticed the only person within his reach for the popular kiss was his ex. perhaps that was territory he shouldn't be exploring but it seemed harmless, it's not like it was going to change anything that already happened between them. "would it be stupid if we kissed?"

[dckweed]

NEXT THING YOU KNOW, gator tillman

in which gator tillman and his arranged bride figure out life and each other and what a real relationship means to them.

warnings: mentions and depictions of abuse, mentions of bruises, arranged marriages, romance, humor, dead parents, slow burn relationship (not completely but not not), basically we know the tillman men are asswipes so i 100% see Roy forcing gator into this kind of situation for money for his militia, eventual smut with kinks such as thigh riding, gun play, choking, spanking, lots of marking and possible spit play.

series masterlist here, series playlist here.

special mention to my girly @xxbookdrunkdemigodxx for listening to my rambles and helping me out with the playlist!

PART TWO: the ride

True to his word, Gator had become your friend. The first couple days of the week passed with the two of you holed up in the house together, pretending to work on the wedding planning even though neither of you knew what the hell you were doing. You kept to the upstairs living room, wanting to stay as far away from Boyd as you possibly could, still angry at him for the whole situation and not wanting to cross paths with him again for as long as you could, your stomach still hurting under the fabric of your shirt from the lashing you had been given from Boyd’s belt as soon as the Tillman’s had left the morning of their first visit. Three times he had hit you, the leather of the belt welting your skin through the thin fabric of the dress you had been wearing. That was typical Boyd, always harsh and quick, and always on parts of your body that were easily hidden by clothes. It had been that way since your mother had married him, though you had kept it a secret from her due to the fear he had built in your brain about what he would do to her if you told her. You didn’t dare tell Gator either, not sure if you really trusted him with that secret quite yet, and definitely not sure of what would happen if Boyd found out. You didn’t want anymore drama than there already was in this god forsaken house. 

You liked Gator well enough, he was easy conversation, a little dense in some areas but what he lacked in that he made up for in humor and the willingness to at least listen to you explain. The two of you talked about plenty of things but mostly school and whether or not either of you had been seeing anyone before you had been forced into your godawful situation. You weren’t sure if you were reading his face right, but for some reason you thought that he looked rather pleased when you said that you hadn’t ever exclusively dated anyone, strictly forbidden by Boyd. You learned that he had only ever had one serious girlfriend in his life, in the last years of highschool, though she had taken off to some fancy school on the east coast when they had graduated and he never heard from her again. You could see the swirl of emotions in his big brown eyes, and the way his mouth tensed as he spoke. He shook his head and changed the topic a moment later, picking up one of the magazines laid out on the ornate coffee table in front of the two you and asking what the hell the difference between Ivory and White was and why did it matter so much which shade your dress was. 

Those first two days were rather pleasant, you found yourself awfully comfortable in his presence, relaxed even, and the next day when he didn’t show up just after breakfast, you had to admit you were a little disappointed, but you got about your business none the less, trying not to dwell on it. He’s a Sheriff’s Deputy, you reminded yourself, he wont have time to talk to you twenty four seven..and then you kicked yourself for even feeling upset about not having his attention for the day. You’d known him for four whole days, what the hell was wrong with you? 

He texted you around lunch time. 

Gator: sorry for not being able to help today, even though i know im not much help to begin with..i’m on duty for 24hrs

You were slightly giddy and that made you slightly disgusted with yourself, you barely knew this dude and you were being essentially coerced into marrying him, what the hell is wrong with you?

You: you wont miss much, promise! Be safe out there..

You felt like that was the stupidest response you could have possibly sent, but oh well. You weren’t wrong though, he wouldn’t miss much. The day was mostly spent in the upstairs living room, sprawled on the couch as you called the bakery in town to schedule a tasting for next weekend, and the local bridal boutique to schedule a showing for this weekend..afterwards you spent the next few hours sorting through different styles of wedding dresses you thought you would like, sparing no expense on designers because if you were being forced to do this damn thing, then Boyd was certainly going to pay the fucking price one way or another. And then after you had spent as long as you could doing that, you begrudgingly made your way down the stairs, you had dragged your feet long enough on the girls’ dresses for the wedding, and if you picked them out without their fathers input, you feared you would face another lashing. 

You hesitated outside of his office door, taking a deep breath before raising your fist, knocking once, twice, before he gave you the okay to come in. He’s seated at his annoyingly large desk and just barely glances up at you from whatever paperwork he’s doing as you step into the room, closing the door behind you like he liked. “Ah, i was just about to send for you,” He says, setting down his pen as you step closer and closer to his desk, your magazines heavy in your hands. “Sheriff Tillman has requested that the ride with you be moved up to tomorrow morning, his wife has to go out of town this weekend and he’s decided to go with her.” You hum in acknowledgement and he notices your laden arms. “Whatever do you have there?” 

How could he speak to you so calmly? As if you weren’t sporting the markings of his rage on your skin? “I’m going to the bridal boutique this weekend, and I want to get the girls' dresses while I'm there, I thought maybe you’d like to help pick them out..” You say gingerly, he seemed to be in a good mood but you could never be too sure with him. 

He nods once, pushing whatever he was working on to the side. “Alright, let's see it.” 

You give a small smile, slightly relieved as you start setting some of the magazines in front of him. “These are some that I liked, but there’s a few more that I wasn’t sure about. Gator and I decided on a purple and green theme, pastel, summer colors..” You prattel nervously, leaning over to show him the styles that you particularly thought were pretty. He hums, glancing up at you over the rim of his glasses as you settle the magazines in front of them. 

“And how are things going with the boy?” He asks, inspecting the pages you had dog eared. 

You were rather taken aback by the question, you hadn’t really known him long enough to know how things were going, let alone marry the poor dude, but yet, here you were, planning a wedding. “They’re okay..he’s funny..” You shrug, not quite sure how to proceed. “He’s working today, but he was here the past couple of days to help..” You weren’t sure why you were telling the man, it's not like he didn’t already know who came and went in his house. 

Boyd hums and the office falls silent for nearly an hour. You’re about to excuse yourself, let him look at them alone so you can get the hell out of there and go eat some lunch or tack up Bubbles for a ride when he speaks up. “I like these ones best, i’m sure the girls will look lovely..” He says, handing you one of the first magazines you had handed him. You have a quiet breath of relief, but roll your eyes subconsciously, annoyed that he had taken that long. You start grabbing things as quickly as you can, itching to get away from him. “I’ll open up the limit on your credit card, spare no expense.” Are the last words he says, you hum in response and walk out of the office quickly, leaning against the door as you close it behind you. 

You’re up before the sun the following morning, your alarm clock bleating around four. You were awake well before it though, your thoughts on a never ending loop. You honestly weren’t even sure if you slept and sighed in annoyance when you trudged your way to your bathroom and noticed the dark bags under your eyes. How were you supposed to sleep? Your life was about to be tethered to someone else’s in a few short weeks, two months wasn’t that much time and you didn’t know this boy for shit. Sure, you guys were on friendly terms at the very least but..marriage? Why had you signed those damned papers? Why did you let him talk you into it? 

Shaking the thought from your head you turn the handle on your sink, letting the water run as you went about your skincare business. You’re dressed in less than half an hour, spending a few minutes at your vanity table to swipe some makeup under your eyes, an old habit you had picked up when you lived here full time before boarding school. You figured it wouldn’t take long before the sleepless nights would start again, and you couldn’t help but to wonder if they would be any better when you were with Gator. 

Gator..

He had never texted you again yesterday, though you had sent him a few messages throughout the day, and even late in the night just to keep your own sanity. Telling him how much Boyd irritated you, telling him that he needed the next weekend free for cake tasting because you didn’t want to choose something he didn’t like, telling him you were bored..sending him a pouty faced selfie when you noticed he had opened but not responded to any of your messages (that he had also opened and never responded to). 

You realized your fiance was a horrible texter and you were going to have to fix that, if you were going to be friends then he needed to at least respond to one of your messages, even if they were annoying. 

By four-forty-five you’ve pulled out of the driveway and are off down the main entrance of Boyd’s ranch, your jeep pulling the horse trailer with Bubbles inside of it with ease. Thankfully one of the ranch hands had woken up earlier than you (he had always been friendly towards you, and it was deeply appreciated because most of Boyds employees treated you like shit too) and attached the trailer to your car and loaded up your horde for you. You even found your saddle and other things in the back of the Jeep when you peeked in to look, surprised that your horse had even been loaded for you. 

You made a mental note to thank the man when you got home. 

The drive to the Tillman Ranch isn’t too long, hell, they were practically your fucking neighbors. You were so focused on survival when you were on the ranch that you had never paid attention to lands that surrounded you. When you arrive at the gate, your headlights shining on the metal and the dirt beyond it, two ranch hands are already there, pulling open the heavy iron for you. 

“Thank you!” You half shout, rolling down your window. The one on your drivers side nods once, tipping his hat at you and proceeds to tell you to follow the road towards the house and barn, he would be right behind you to help you unload. You’re surprised when the Sheriff is already waiting for you when you pull up near the barn. You see him on the porch of his house, arms crossed over his chest and hat perched low on his head and your stomach tightens, your hands shake. If you’re late and he tells Boyd, you’re done for, is all you can think as you slide your key out of the ignition and hop down from your seat, your boots kicking up dust.  

“Mornin’ Miss Augastine!” His voice carries out from the porch, the sun is only just now starting to rise, a dark glow low in the horizon. You breathe in and walk around your car, up to the porch. “Wasn’t expecting you for another hour or so..” You breathe out. “Interest you in some coffee? Breakfast? Karen just put away my breakfast but I’m sure she’d be more than happy to get something going for you.” 

You paint the smile on your face, your morning having been ruined by your brief panic attack. “No, Sir..thank you for the offer, but I was thinking I would go get breakfast with Gator this morning, or an early lunch..” You knew he was probably on his way home by now, and you had the sense that he would probably only sleep for a few hours. 

He hums as he meets you at the foot of the porch, staring down at you from the bottom step. Your cheeks flush and you look anywhere but at him as his eyes rake over your body. You hear him mutter something akin to ‘pretty little thing’ under his breath, but you knew you weren’t supposed to hear it so you pretend not to. You were dressed for a casual ride, blue jeans that fit tight in all the right places but loose on your legs, draped over your brown and pink leather boots, and you wore a pink short sleeved polo shirt, the buttons undone enough to show just the hint of cleavage that was sexy enough to keep men entertained but innocent enough to not get you in trouble. You had your own cowboy hat pulled down over your hair, resting comfortably on your head. 

“He’s not home yet.” Is all he says when you mention his son, his tone cool and slightly unfriendly. You furrow your brow, wondering why there was the sudden change in demeanor when it came to his boy. “That your show horse?” He steps down off the porch, and you look up to him still, the man being much taller than you even on even ground. 

“She’s for more than just show, Sir..” You say playfully, a smile on your face as you happily lead him over to the trailer. He helps you lead her out of the trailer, admiring her with you and then leads you on a slow walk to the barn. 

He seems kind, but you know its more for show than anything. You soak it up though, letting him open the barn doors for you even though you’re more than capable of doing it yourself, and you let him lead you into a stall near the back of the barn so you can leave Bubbles and go get the rest of your stuff to tack up. After a few more minutes of talking the two of you separate, you going off to your jeep, and he going off towards his horse to tack up. 

As you step out of the barn the sun has risen just a little bit more, and you hear a car pulling up next to yours. “What are you doin’ here?” His voice holds a tinge of familiar nervousness to it, and you can’t help but to soften up for it. He’d gotten out of his squad car before he’d even turned the damn thing off, the radio still on. Your breath caught as your eyes took in his uniform, he sure is somethin to fuckin’ look at, you said to yourself, swallowing back wicked thoughts. “Thought you weren’t doin’ this til the weekend?” 

“Plans changed.” You shrug, not really sure what else to say. You figured he of all people would have known that his dad was going out of town this weekend. “He’s in the barn.” Brown eyes dart behind you and then back to you, looking you over. “Want to go get lunch or somethin’ later?” 

He sighs, running  a hand down his face, shoulders relaxing. “Yeah..yeah lets get lunch later..”He says, turning on his heel. You shake your head, going to grab your saddle out of your car, just as you’re stepping around the front of it you hear him again. “I got it, Pearlie..” You sigh, but not from annoyance as he lifts it out of your grasp. You liked the way your name sounded when he said it, like it meant something and nothing all at the same time. You shake your head, feeling silly for the thought and follow him. 

Roy is headed out of the other side of the barn just as you follow Gator in. “Mornin’ dad.” He says, voice a hard and cold tone. 

The older man already mounted in his saddle merely tips his hat at his son, but gives you a friendly smile. “Miss Pearl, I’ll be outside when you’re ready.” He says as if there’s no rush, but you know from his sons body language that there most likely is. 

Gator’s shoulders are tense and you know it’s not from the weight of the heavy leather saddle he’s carrying. You rush in front of him to open the stall door, trying to be helpful, and you can see the pinched look on his face, the coldness in his big brown eyes. He lifts the saddle up and sets over Bubbles, who stands perfectly for him. He turns his hat backwards and you just about melt into the hay strewn floor, who knew that stupid things like a man you’re engaged to turning his hat backwards could be so damn hot? He doesn’t say a word as he starts fastening the gear in place, like he’s done it a thousand times before. 

It only hits you just then that he probably has done it a thousand times before, his father clearly loved the animals, why wouldn’t he teach his son how to tack up and mount? 

“You didn’t have to do that for me, Gator..” You say softly as he finishes. He only shrugs and straightens up, patting Bubbles on the belly gently as he does. “Thank you..” You whisper as you walk past him, grabbing the horn of her saddle so you could pull yourself up. 

Just as you’re about to put a boot in the stirrups you feel his chest against your back, the smell of whatever it is he smokes encompassing you as he grabs your hips firmly and lifts with ease. “Good?” He asks, watching you settle into the saddle. You nod once, hoping your hair and hat are doing a good enough job of hiding the flush on your cheeks and neck, not having expected such a display of obvious strength. “Good..off you go then..” He holds the stall open for you and you ease Bubbles out of it, just as you start to walk past him you feel his hand on your calf. He’s looking up at you with an expression you’re not familiar with on his face, and it makes you worry. “Be careful with him.” It comes out as more of a statement, but you can hear the pleading behind it, and it makes you worry even more, a slurry of questions forming in your mind. “..please?” 

“Okay..” You say. He lets you go and you don’t question farther, spurring Bubbles to follow out the way you had seen Roy going with his own horse. “Hey Gator?” You look over your shoulder at him, he has his hands on his hips. “Go take a nap the bags under your eyes are bigger than the ones in my closet!” You laugh as you leave him behind you, and you swear you can hear him chuckling too. 

The ride starts off in silence, you and Roy side by side as he took you on the scenic route through the ranch. You had to say that you really didn’t know much about the Tillman’s, you wouldn’t know how to start off the conversation even if you had wanted to, and you truly didn’t want to, not with Gator’s pleading words lingering in the back of your mind. 

The ranch really is beautiful, especially in the early starts of the summer, the rolling hills are green, and you can see where they have more cattle off in the distance. It’s a calming atmosphere, more relaxed than life was on the Augastine ranch. 

“How’s my son been?” His voice is deep and rough, startles you for a moment. You turn to look at him, adjusting your hat in the glare of the sun. “He bein’ nice?” Nice didn’t sound like a word that was normally in Sheriff Tillman’s vocabulary, you wanted to point it out, the smart mouthed bitch in you raring at the thought but you thought of what Gator had said, and then you thought of Boyd and your still aching ribs and thought better of it. 

“He’s been sweet.” You say, offering a small smile, the warmth of the sun hitting the skin of your face. “Real helpful with the wedding plans..he’s taking me to lunch after this too..” You say, rambling nervously. “Oh, before I forget, did he ever ask you about the twins being in the wedding?” 

Roy shakes his head at you, pursing his lips. “I don’t recall a conversation..Karen would have mentioned it to me i’m sure..” You notice his hands tighten on his reins and you furrow your brows at it. 

“Oh, he probably just forgot is all.” You chuckle, wanting it to stay light hearted. Truly, you had never even asked him to ask anything about the girls and you hoped you weren’t about to get him in trouble because of your small fib..you just wanted to change the topic to something more neutral. “I’m going to the bridal shop this weekend to look for my dress, and I already have dresses picked out for my sisters but I was wondering if you’d like me to pick out dresses for the twins as well? I would absolutely love to have them in the ceremony..they could be my flower girls, or hold my train…” Your sisters were already taking the spots as your bridesmaids, you didn’t have a choice in that matter. Gator had three of his best friends stepping in as groomsmen and you only had one friend coming to the wedding, and she was going to be your maid of honor. 

“I think that’s a lovely idea, Miss Pearl.” He says and for a moment, everything is silent again as he hums a tune you’re not familiar. “Matter of fact..” You glance over at him again. “Karen and I are leaving to go out of town tonight, we’ll be gone through the weekend..we were planning to take the girls with us, but I’m wondering if you want to take them with to the Bridal shop if you want them fitted for dresses? Karen and I would love the alone time, of course if you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on them with Gator for the weekend?” You wanted to protest, but, you realized that it was probably a good excuse to get yourself out of Boyd’s house for a few days, and just the thought sounded heavenly, even if it meant carting around your fiance’s sisters and playing house with him. 

“You know what, Sheriff Tillman,” You say, giving him your dazzling, people pleasing smile, the kind that had man many a guy weak in the knees back at boarding school. “That sounds like a fantastic weekend, i’d love to get to know my new little sisters better, you and Karen go have fun on your little trip! Me and Gator can handle things!” 

He gives you an easy smile in return. “Well alright then.” He says, and then nudges you with his knee from his horse. “And please, little lady, call me Roy.” He gives you a wink that sends unpleasant shivers down your spine and you giggle politely in return. 

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[lostrnkets]

despite her words, he continued on trying to find a way to tickle. mainly because it was entertaining for him and partly from how easy it was to mess with her. "it's like one touch and you have a laughing fit. i'm not missing out on that." he laughed softly with eyes on the blonde.

open: m muse: lexi kline/21-24/trust fund baby plot: click me connection: pls give me a best friend's turned lovers!

"stop it!" the blonde-haired femme smacked his hand in a playful manner to try and get him to stop poking at her. lexi pushed at the male as a laugh left her lips. they have this brother-sister bond and have been inseparable since they were little.

[elizabro]

"With the international community eager to be rid of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinians' continued dispossession is regarded as the price of peace, not as a reason for conflict. So defined, Palestinian legitimacy, at least for some members of the international community, no longer derives from the justice and morality of its cause but from Palestinian willingness to agree to terms largely if not entirely imposed by Israel. Thus, with the Gaza Disengagement Plan, the Palestinian quest for minimal justice in the form of a state in 22 per cent of their homeland, once dismissed as utopian, is now derided as short-sighted and selfish. The asymmetries between occupier and occupied are not only sanctioned, but their institutionalisation is seen as progress. Like its predecessors, the Disengagement Plan is hailed as an act of courage, as yet another example of Israel's desire for peace, its willingness to make concessions and sacrifices without demanding equivalent concessions of the Palestinians, who are the real aggressors, repeatedly refusing Israeli generosity. What the disengagement initiative makes explicit, in a way that Oslo did not, is the fact that Israel is really negotiating with the United States, not with the Palestinians, over how far it can go in dispossessing them. Despite Bush's promises to Abbas regarding the contours of the Palestinian state and how it will be established, The U.S. will, in the end, accept, as it always has, what Israel wants and does. According to Aaron Miller, a former State Department official who was heavily involved with the Middle East peace process, during his 25 years in government there was never 'an honest conversation about what the Israelis were actually doing on the ground. Nor were we prepared to impose, at least in the last seven or eight years, a cost on the Israelis for their actions."

— Sara Roy, "A Dubai on the Mediterranean". 2005.

[limetameta]

Kimblee never went to prison au but he also works with Mustang lmao

Roy Mustang is a decorated war hero. He doesn't know what he's done wrong to be shot in the foot like this. (Riza: the genocide.)

''Youngest State Alchemist in history, youngest Colonel in history, HERO of Ishval, and how does your country repay you, Mustang? It buries you in East City, gives you menial responsibilities, and shoves all of the problem soldiers in your unit. I personally think you haven't only been shot in the foot, but rather in additional places, as well.'' ''Shouldn't you be in prison?''

Turns out they can't put you in prison for merely THREATENING to blow your superior officers up.

Turns out, also, and most importantly for Mustang, that Kimblee's worse at filling paperwork out than he is. A miraculous feat the likes of which Riza Hawkeye believed was impossible. It's not that he slacks off on it. This is genuinely something he has never done before. And while he could learn easily, he's a genius, he decides to become an expert on weaponized incompetence in the workplace.

''Didn't you fill out a single report in Ishval??'' ''I paid other people to do it for me with cigarettes.'' ''Didn't you have that stupid course in the Academy about these forms and regulations and stuff?'' ''Ah, no, I went to university and got my SA certification afterwards. So, no, I've never gone to the Military Academy.'' Mustang definitely agrees he's been shot more than ten times by now. He's barely got feet to stand on from all the bullet wounds.

They don't know what to do with Kimblee. Everyone has a particular role in their unit and Kimblee's standing out as the odd man out, mainly because he is. Because he wasn't hand-picked by Mustang himself.

So, any chance they get to send him on the field, they do so. Since he gets stir crazy sitting at a desk and filling out paperwork anyway. And when he gets stir crazy he gets reminiscent and when he gets reminiscent Mustang's halfway into tugging his gloves on.

They still invite him out for drinks because they're all a unit and they're all in this together. (god help them all)

''You want to be what?'' ''I want to make the country a better place for newer generations.'' ''I didn't ask for your manifesto, I wanted you to repeat what you said just a minute ago when the tequilla clearly hit you.'' ''Fine, Kimblee, I want to be Fuhrer.'' ''I've never met a man more naive in my life.'' ''I'll write you up for insubordination one of these days, mark my words.'' ''We are off the clock, I get to say whatever I want to you.''

Kimblee gets sent to Resembool to find this Edward Elric alchemist and recruit him. They just want him out of the office. He wants out of the office, too.

Roy Mustang gets a telephone call in his office, picks it up, it's from Kimblee, he sighs: What? K: You won't believe what I found! Roy: The alchemist? K: Well, yes, obviously, but you have no idea what he's done! Roy, just wants this conversation over with: Okay, listen, just get him to the testing etc, show him the ropes, I'm happy this all worked out. K: Mustang, wait, you should know there was a typo- Roy: Bye, bye! See you when you come back, Kimblee!

A year later: ''A TWELVE YEAR OLD?!" ''Yes, sir.'' ''A FUCKING TWELVE YEAR OLD, KIMBLEE?'' ''I tried telling you.'' ''OH MY GOD! THIS IS A CRITICAL HIT! THEY'RE SHOOTING ME IN THE FUCKING HEAD AT THIS POINT!'' ''You haven't heard the best part yet.'' ''...'' ''Kid did human transmutation.'' ''OH MY FUCKING GOD!''

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, August 14th

ANDREW: Ooh. This one has oxygen tanks. ANYA: They'd only be useful if something big was attacking, and then we could shove one down their throat and blow 'em up like Roy Scheider did with that shark in Jaws. (Andrew stares at her) What? ANDREW: You are the perfect woman. ANYA: I've often thought so. Wanna rob?

~~End of Days~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Whatever It Takes by badly_knitted (Buffy, Angel, PG)

Succeeding by apachefirecat (Faith, Buffy(+/Spike) with cameos from Angel and Dawn, rated G/K)

Always Prepared by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

This One's On Me by Anonymous (Cordelia/Gunn/Spike/Wesley, Explicit)

Возвращение из страны Оз by B_E_S (Buffy/Angel, T)

In The Spotlight by bunniesitmustbebunnies (Angel/Cordelia, T)

Permission by itsalwaysteatimeinwonderland (Spike/reader, NSFW gif in post, content warning: Smut. A lot of smutty smut.)

Always Prepared by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, anthology rated PG-13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Strange Estrangement - Chapter 1-13 (COMPLETE!) by purple_mechanicalpencils (Andrew/Xander, Andrew & Anya, Andrew & Spike, T)

Choosing Peace, Pt. 11 by itsalwaysteatimeinwonderland (Spike/reader, not rated, content warnings: None)

Bound, Ch. 63 by RavenLove12 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Reclaimed, Ch. 10 by Holly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

East of Nevada, Ch. 15 by Blissymbolics (Buffy/Spike, R)

A Tumble in Time, Ch. 1 by thedoppleganger (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Regency Slayer, Ch. 1-5 by vampirische liebe (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Love Can't Fix Us, Ch. 3 by calikocat (crossover with Herbie/The Love Bug and Teen Wolf, Xander, FR15)

Stiff Pole, Ch. 1 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Comic: I'm not calling you "good girl" Faith by aa-arttss (Buffy/Faith, worksafe)

if i were a weapon, you said i'd be a gun. by snakeliciousbaby (Oz, Xander, worksafe)

Vid: BtVS season 4 tribute by Faith Victoria (ensemble)

Digital drawing: Willow vs. Salem from RWBY by Blueflymagic (worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

The Pack Fashion Part Two by theoverlookedoneedits1997

Angel [the episode] Fashion Part One by theoverlookedoneedits1997

Stake fodder's rewatch: S2.9 & 10 What's My Line?

Buffy S7E7: Conversations With Dead People (feat. Ben Gierhart) | Booze & Buffy

Episode 69: Something Blue (w/ Dean Jurhs) by Gym Was Cancelled: A Buffy Podcast

[Recs & In Search Of]

Please recommend me some time travel fanfics... by sunnydaleslayer

[Fandom Discussions]

In my dream version of season seven... [Faith, the jacket from Him] by 5bi5

Re: s7 hot janitor!Faith by explosionshark

call willow's s6 relationship with tara what it is. + willow has one thousand fatal flaws by greensaplinggrace

how losercringe (affectionate) (but also a little derogatory) it is that angel named himself angel by imunbreakabledude

One of the bits I’m really enjoying with In the Company of Witches and Slayers by lightdancer1

nonsensical to try to apply labels like ‘abuse’ to angel & darla’s relationship by moistvonlipwig

xander is a character i have many complicated feelings about by moistvonlipwig, zorilleerrant

They could give some other reason for Giles to leave. by redhatmeg

I also think a lot of people misinterpret what the monks did with Dawn. by theredpharaoah

Just to clarify, I do not call Faith Buffy’s boyfriend because... by fictiongods

Reasons why I ship Buffy/Spike by deird

What kind of magic would you have liked to have seen in Buffy? by Kat-Attack-52

La importancia de Buffy y Joyce para mi ❣️ [in Spanish] by MineRepulsive

The metaphor of Willow and Oz's relationship by spectacleskeptic

Willow question by Tsole96

Kind of feel bad for Kathy by shey-they-bitch

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[influencer-agency123]

Influencer Marketing for Fintech Brands in Dubai, UAE, GCC, MENA Region

Fintech companies are quickly gaining popularity all over the world, and Dubai, UAE has identified itself as a potent player in carrying Fintech companies. The core of this sector is innovation and therefore it is in a continuous search on how to reach the target market in a unique way. This is where influencer marketing for Fintech brands in Dubai comes into play.

That is why, the Influence marketing for Fintech brands in UAE becomes mandatory rather than a luxury. The discussion reveals that such an approach can be used by fintech organizations to improve the gap between products and consumer knowledge.

This blog post will explore the various ways in which FinTech brands can leverage creators, the value of influencer marketing, and how brands can effectively work with social media influencers.

How Can FinTech Brands in UAE Strategically Collaborate with FinTech Creators in the Middle East?

Choosing the Right Influencers

The first significant challenge that Fintech brands have to contend with is the finding of the right fintech influencers. This means that the strategy needs to be distinct from general consumer niche marketing since the target audience is structured within the financial sector. Some of the usual popular opinion leaders in this area are financial analysts, technology bloggers, and investment consultants who would usually have a large fan base among potential FinTech consumers in GCC region.

Establishing Clear Objectives

Collaboration with fintech influencers should be focused on certain goals, which should be written down. Regardless of whether the aim is to generate brand recognition, drive leads, or increase users’ engagement, such objectives are going to be set at the beginning to help identify the most suitable influencer marketing agency for FinTech brands in UAE, Middle East.

Creating Authentic Content

Authenticity is key. It is something that fintech influencers should be allowed to do to tweak the message in a way that they find will appealed to the audience. To increase people’s trust and credibility some ideas of content creation can be tutorials, live Q&A sessions, and financial planning webinars.

Leveraging Data and Analytics

There is also the aspect of performance tracking when working with an influencer marketing platform for FinTech brands. Evaluation enables changes to be made to the strategies so as to enhance the results. These are the types of data: engagement rates, conversion rates, and ROI.

Why Should FinTech Brands Choose Influencer Marketing to Reach Their Potential Customers?

Enhanced Trust and Credibility

Another major benefit of influencer marketing services for FinTech brands in MENA region is the passive or inherent trust, which audiences have placed on the promoters themselves. This is because when one influential personality comes out to recommend a given brand to his or her followers, such a brand will definitely gain a lot of recognition from the targeted group.

Targeted Audience Reach

Thus, brands benefit from fintech influencers because they help them attract a more specific audience. Whether you are looking at Facebook Influencer marketing for FinTech brands in UAE, Tiktok Influencer marketing for FinTech brands in Middle East or variations in other social platforms, the audience segmentation is very achievable.

Cost-Effective Marketing

Compared to other forms of advertising such as the print, electronic or billboard, this form of advertisement is cheaper. It’s about getting access to the audience of a person who already has their trust and attention partially earned.

Improved Engagement Rates

Awareness is usually considered to be an undeniably valuable component of any marketing plan and the same can be said about engagement. Fintech influencer content is likely to appeal more to the audience because it is considered to be much closer to reality and everyday life. The upshot of this higher engagement is usually a corresponding better ROI.

How to Use Social Media Influencers for FinTech Brands?

Facebook Influencer marketing for FinTech brands

Facebook Influencer marketing for FinTech brands in UAE can be even more beneficial because Facebook provides shifting and diverse advertising opportunities and sir for branding. The use of Facebook Live sessions, advertisements, and posts from money influence personalities can go a long way.

TikTok Influencer marketing for FinTech brands in the Middle East

Another path is Influencer marketing for FinTech brands in MENA region using TikTok which is still not highly explored but promising. Specifically due to its content sharing mechanism, TikTok is a great way to reach the younger audiences with short and entertaining pieces of content. Simple financial tips, a few tricks to make investment, or possibly cheerful animations will help to attract the attention of potential users.

Instagram Influencer marketing for FinTech brands

Instagram Influencer marketing for fintech primarily focuses on visuals. It is Instagram Stories, IGTV, and posts that showcase personal finance tips, and technology updates arranged in an appealing manner that can generate more traffic. Getting in touch with influential fintech social media personalities who are indeed savvy in matters concerning finances will aid in establishing content that will be appealing to the eye as well as filled with lots of informative data.

Linkedin Influencer marketing for FinTech brands

In regards to the best platforms, influencer marketing through LinkedIn is appropriate for B2B FinTech brands in GCC region. This platform enables FinTech brands to target the professional user group. LinkedIn has enabled its influencers to hold webinars, author articles, and proffer case studies that in turn boost your B2B FinTech solutions, thereby amplifying a brand’s reach.

Conclusion

The rise of influencer marketing shows that it opens various prospects for FinTech brands in Dubai. Evaluating the customer experience, focusing on the target audience, and a multiple-approach approach are the foundations of effective influencer marketing. Whether your niche is Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, or Linkedln let the right influencer marketing company for FinTech brands get your products closer to consumers.

To tackle FinTech’s dynamic marketing strategies, it will be vital in the future to adapt these strategies to constantly target a more refined audience.

Want to raise the bar of your audience interaction? Get in touch with Grynow now to avail unmatched expertise!!

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 10

This chapter gives me the same vibes as the episode "Joker's Favor" from the 90s Batman cartoon.

2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Danny Brosh are the real stars of this chapter. They are two very ordinary military officers with no connections to Alchemy, the Elrics, or anything for that matter. And we get to see how freaking weird these boys are through their reactions to everything going on.

Yes, it is weird that a guy walks around in a full suit of armor. It is quite wild to meet someone who can copy thousands of pages from memory. I'd be just as freaked out if a kid casually handed me a check for a life-changing amount of money. I'd be shocked if they had a casual conversation with someone I'd never dare speak to unless spoken to.

Over in the B plot, We learn Roy is not on the best terms with Major General Hakuro with the implications Hakuro thinks Mustang is out to take his position, which is true. Back in chapter 4, Roy casually said Hakuro should just die in the train hijacking. And we learn Roy wants to take over the entire military. The panel where he says this paints him in a more sinister light. His eyes are a different color.

Oh look! A map of East City. ...It's worthless. There aren't any discernible markers and we never go back to East City anyway.

Lust mentions not needing to tail Ed now that he's in Central most likely meaning someone else in her organization will take over from there. I wonder who this new tracker could be that Lust would withdraW RATHer than continue her assignment.

Scar gets into a fight with Gluttony and still has a small wound from when Hawkeye shot at him.

Back in the A plot, we learn State Alchemists hide their research notes in code. Ed's looks like a travel log and Roy's looks like a dating calendar. I have to wonder what part of Marcoh's recipe book corresponds to a human soul. I'm going to assume either love or cinnamon sugar.

As a side note, this chapter takes place over 15 days. It took Sheska 5 days to write down all of Marcoh's notes and another 10 days for Ed and Al to decode it. The scene with Scar happens before any of that in the chapter and we can assume it happened before that chronologically from some extra context clues.

We can assume the trip from Central to East City takes less than a day because Hughes and Armstrong managed to do that back in chapter 6. Meanwhile Pinako said she'd get Ed's arm made in 3 days and no one said she didn't pull that off.

Assuming the trip to East City and Resembool takes a day, even with the detour to meet Marcoh, here's a rough timeline of events since chapter 8 as far as I can tell:

Chapter 8: Ed, Al, and Armstrong head to Resembool. Along the way they meet Marcoh and get the location of his research. Lust later forces Marcoh to give her the same info.

1 day after chapter 8: Ed and company arrive in Resembool. Pinako and Winry begin working on making new automail for Ed.

4 days after chapter 8: Ed gets his new arm and leg.

5 days after chapter 8: Ed and company leave Resembool for Central City, likely with a layover in East City. Lust destroys the 1st Branch Library.

6 days after chapter 8: Ed arrives in Central City and meets Sheska. Sheska starts transcribing Marcoh's notes. Lust returns to East City. Gluttony attacks Scar.

11 days after chapter 8: Sheska finishes her work. Ed and Al begin decoding it.

21 days after chapter 8: Ed and Al finish decoding. End of chapter 10.

Anyway, I'll explain why I got so hung up on this next chapter cause it's more relevant there and this has gotten long enough already.

Hughes brought up Tucker.

Nina Trauma Count: 3

back

[qs63]

I'm actually curious about more than one of them, so I'll ask and you can choose one, or share a snippet or each, your choicr

1. Barril's because I've read the ch1 and I'm intrigued

2. Roy de-aged

3. Rebecca's fic

4. Marianne's gift

Thank you for asking! I'm more than happy to provide an answer for each of them. x)

Barril's

So yes, this is now called "Voices of the court" (named after a Hiroyuki Sawano song "Voices of the chord") and the first chapter was posted earlier this week. This is the same continuity as "The King's Counselor" and it's set almost a year after that fic. I don't want to give out too many plot details yet, but it is a bumpy ride for Roy and Riza. Here's a little excerpt from chapter 2:

Riza rolled the sleeves of her jacket and walked into the small kitchen. She occupied herself washing the dishes and throwing away some of Roy's spoiled food while she waited for him to finish showering. She was just putting some glasses inside the cabinets when Roy's larger hands pressed against hers, effectively stopping her from moving.

"You don't have to do that."

"You told me to make myself at home."

She couldn't see his face from that angle, but she could practically feel him glaring at the back of her head. He'd never liked when she cleaned after him. Not when he'd been her father's apprentice, and not now that they were sleeping together. He allowed it more at work, and even then that had taken her years of reminding him that taking care of him was part of her job.

She expected him to shush her away and take over the cleaning like he usually did. Instead, she was surprised by the weight of his chest against her back, and by the feel of his lips against the scar on her neck.

Roy de-aged

This is a very silly fic that started because of THIS tomochingus art and a conversation with Scienceoftheidiot. It's about Fuhrer Roy getting de-aged into academy Roy, and discovering all the wonderful and horrible things his future has for him.

The door suddenly opened, and a beautiful blonde lady entered the room. She looked at him and frowned. "What's the meaning of this, Havoc? Where is my hu–"

Roy squinted hard at her. There was something utterly familiar about her appearance. She looked just like… "Riza?"

Her breath hitched. She blinked and turned back to him with an increasingly fearful expression. "Roy?"

Wow.

What the hell.

Was that really little Riza Hawkeye?

Rebecca's fic

This one —also referred as the Hayate fic — is about Rebecca finding out Riza is sleeping with Roy thanks to Hayate. It's fun but also very angsty. This is almost complete and probably what I'm posting next.

"You're telling me that, all these years, you have been pinning after this dumbass and you hadn't jumped him?"

"It's complicated."

"Oh, I'm sure it is. Starting with the fact that you could get Court Martialed for it. But seriously, how stubborn can you be?" Rebecca sighed. "At least tell me you're getting a transfer request."

"No," Riza said immediately. For some reason she looked scared. "I can't. I– My duty comes first."

"Then what? You'll be the Mustang's dirty little secret until one of you retires? You can't seriously be okay with that, Riza. You deserve better than that."

Marianne's gift

I have posted about this one before. The code name is snow. This is about one of the East-Briggs training exercises going wrong and Riza getting injured. Roy is out of his mind with worry, and Lieutenant Ross is done with it all.

"I see an arm!" Sergeant Grey yelled. Roy was immediately running after him.

Please, let it be her.

He prayed with no small amount of guilt. He should be equally worried about all his men, but he'd never quite mastered how not to separate her from the rest. He needed her to be alright. He wasn't sure what he would do if she wasn't. She was his tether to sanity. The only thing keeping him from wandering off the right path.

Roy took a deep breath, and put his fear back inside the box at the bottom of his soul. He had no time for it right now. He had a role to play.

current list of wips for ask

[lostrnkets]

open: f/nb/25+ (for romance plots but for platonic can be anyone.) muse: roy east. 27. ​plot: gimme all the angst. literally throw whatever scenario you want at me and let's roll with it. also i am soft and will eventually turn it into fluff lmao.

he immediately scoffed upon opening the door, immediately regretting answering it to begin with. "are you kidding? i thought i told you not to come back here. i don't want to talk to you."

[batshieroglyphics]

[FICLET] Home With Broken Hearts ~ Fullmetal Alchemist ~ Hyuroi ~ General

Title: Home With Broken Hearts Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist Author: Batsutousai Rating: General Pairing: Maes Hughes/Roy Mustang, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes Warnings: time travel, polyamory, established relationship, canon character death, grief Summary: Roy wakes to find himself back in time, a few days before Maes’ murder.

This fic was one of a selection of prompts from @surferofdreams, and was requested as Hughes/Mustang, time.

"Roy!" Maes shouted, voice familiar and dearly missed, and Roy found his eyes watering quite without his say, as Maes continued, "I completely forgot to drag you out while I was in East, so you never got a gift for my precious Elicia! Do you know what that means?"

They'd had this conversation. Roy had been tired and sour, trying to keep on top of the whispers of the Elric brothers finding Dr Marcoh during their trip south to get Edward's automail repaired, and upset that everything with Scar had stolen so much of his rare time with Maes. Maes had said he was going to buy Elicia something ridiculous and unnecessary and Roy would have to pay him back, Roy had snapped something back that...had probably been ruder than strictly necessary, but anyone tapping lines and listening in would have shrugged it off, especially if they often listened to Maes and Roy's conversations.

Maes hadn't shrugged it off, had gone stiff in a way that Roy knew meant he'd landed a hit, and he'd felt guilty about it for days, finally calling Maes at home and having to give his apology to Gracia, before she would let him give it to Maes.

And then, three days later, Maes had been murdered.

Read it on Archive of Our Own.

Friendly request to REBLOG, not just like, fic posts! It's hard, as a creator, to care about posting links on tumblr, when I know people won't share them.

[anthro-geography]

A stay fit for an Emperor - Part 1

« Voilà la vraie demeure des rois, la maison des siècles » Napoleon ---------------------------------------------------

The carriages movement could be a soothing one, if rocked ever so slightly and given one isn't motion sick easily, sleep could be reached easily. If one wasn't tense, or struggled with sleep. Marie suspected it was the latter over the former, sleep could qualify in every way as an old enemy, though it's one she neglects in face of older enemies, or more proactive ones. Nonetheless, a certain strain inhabited her composure when she graciously took the valet hand and helped herself out. 

The silence between her and the monarch was  not innocent. His majesty, François 1er would take one peek at her to which she, very graciously thank you very much, feigned a lightness. "It must be the humes. Or maybe I've taken one bath too much." Marie said in a small voice, it could be just as well her lack of proper eating. She added a trembling smile and asked to be escorted to her chambers. 

There was no certainty she'll be back in time for dinner, one wouldn't underestimate such a stubborn nature after all. Yet she did, as silently as she made way to her seat, as casually she started conversation with the nobles in her vicinity. It's only later, much later in the evening that she made her way towards the library, a sight which had gone through a certain derarification in those times, it was mostly studies that drove her in that place and she still preferred oral communication, but she did not circle around the place and understood the place of written words.

It wasn't a book she was looking for though, she looked for one, she spotted just the place she wanted and stared at the blurry pages and lines for a few good long minutes. Finally, she spoke up flatly., without crossing gazes. "His majesty wasn't serious about his proposition to house our Habsburg neighbours, was he?"

"We do not believe to have been making any pleasantly, so yes." 

"Ah." France flipped a page, her hand went to trace the rough surface of the table. She sucked in a breath and noted with a frown, that she could still feel scars underneath the tissue. Italy had not been a kind campaign to her beauty, her eyes were tired and scar laid hidden from any peeking eyes as possible. "His majesty knows we admire his generosity, amongst Christians virtues. And surely, hospitality is one of them. But he can also understand; Habsburg is…" She made a pause, making a gesture of searching for the right word to describe her counterpart. "Habsburg."

"We would know that, would it pause any particular issues?" The King's answer came curtly but she did not let go, starting bolder than the last. "Mostly some concerns. We have a lot of Habsburg around already. There's at the north, the south too is Habsburg, our east would know and well, not our close west but take some distance further the ocean and, would you look at that, here is some more Habsburg." Marie talked and stopped herself from grinding teeth, it was humiliating really, that ring like a chain around her neck, threatening to get ever tighter when she moved.

"Speak more clearly,  what would those concerns be then?" There was something daring in the way those words articulated,  any wiser men by now would have retracted their words and buried themselves in excuses. Marie was no man, and so she took for herself the right to scoff and slam close the book."That if I get served more Habsburg, I might get a Habsburgian overdose and commit a very Habsburg inspired act." She nearly spat out, glaring at a spot on the wall. "So you don't want me to invite them." His eyes were on her, she could just tell and felt the need to roll her eyes. "As of current no, but understand certain circumstances, which would be at large, in proper and concise terms, taking a liking for ruining my Christmas, I may reconsider."

"Don’t be unreasonable by seeing this as an insult to you." Marie's golden pupils met his and her spiel seemed to moderate himself. "It makes for a strange present, Christmas and birthday counted. We would like to remind his Majesty that the Anglois already were a great effort of charity on our part." Her nose curled, and they had naught, or near, to show for it, in fact as of now, it seemed to make each of them even more determined in being an annoyance. Some that are qualified as wise would say it was foolish to expect anything from that treacherous bunch to start with, Marie wouldn't be inclined to contest now.

"We aren't misusing our words here, who is talking about charity at any point? Didn't you, as it is still fresh in memory, have quite some fun at Calais?" Fun? She but the inside of her cheek but failed to conceal a small smile when that ravishing time came to mind, it was relaxing in many ways and she, admittedly, did not regret the events that transpired then.

"I did enjoy partaking in the fine sports of noble men, but it does not bode well in this discussion." But back to reality, to their present away from a perfect red. The King on his part moved from his seat, placing the book on the way. Some would claim fortune, its place was right next to her chair, Marie believed less and less in fortune these days. "It shows that you can get the best out of a situation, even those you treat as infamously unbearable."

"Let's imagine ourselves there, the Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Duke of Burgundy" A sneer that was meant as a smile formed on her face. " King of Naples and Sicily, Duke of Milan," She didn't miss the way his lips twitched and she doubted it was a pleased expression. "and Archduke of Austria will be there. And his representative for the occasion too, and as for us?" If her attention started to wander through that listing of exhaustive titles, it was grabbed by the mention of her slightly more than acquaintance, not to say rival. Marie stilled and her heart beat soundly in her chest, the night felt warmer suddenly and she would say through the worst of pain, it's the hellish poison of hatred that caused these burns. 

"We will welcome them in a resplendent Palace, feed them well, entertain them, they will stay for festivities and what kind of impressions will they keep after they leave on their way to the Spanish part of the realm?" He didn't need to say more, she saw it with unspeakable clarity. Not only a good reputation wouldn't hurt, not only they might get in their favour though it was a lot less likely…

"...This will put them both in great disposition." Marie's good mood manifested itself through a more than appeased, excited gleam in her eyes. Oh she could more than see it now, she could near taste it, there were few things as humiliating in their business, than for your rivals to seem better off than you are. To picture Autriche's face now, to see her so well dressed, to be welcomed, and warmed though it won't budge the ice cube Marie daringly called a heart, but the thought, just the thought, imagining red going to her cheek, taking over that pale skin,  clouds of trouble in those blue eyes – Her heart swelled with what she decided to call pre emotive pride, her head had started to spin a little still. 

 "And our efforts might be well rewarded." Marie would have frantically nodded. A duchy of Milan, the accomplishments of a literally, a jealous Autriche? She cleared her throat. "Pray tell, when should I have a letter sent Fontainebleau about this great moment, incredible occasion? It is not any day, the.one where two great Christian rulers will share the same roof, especially when the age of the crusades has passed." It seemed impossible to keep still now, she needed to move, so much, so much to be done.

 "As soon as possible." King François, with a royal firmness, gave her the authorisation to go as if she were a child waiting to play

So much to do indeed, afterall how could one ever be quite ready to have a memorable stay for an Emperor?

[scotianostra]

W. H. Murray was born on March 18th 1913 in Liverpool.

Murray may not be Scottish by birth but he is credited with being one of the great popularisers of mountain climbing in Scotland in the 20th century, especially because of his inspirational books on the subject. He was also brought up here.

Always known as Bill to his friends and WH in his professional career, Murray was born to a Scot of the same name and his wife Helen nee Robertson. WH Murray senior was an inspector of mines who joined the Royal Marines as a sapper and was killed at Gallipoli when his son was just two.

His mother relocated Murray and his elder sister to Glasgow and he was educated at Glasgow Academy, where he excelled at English.

Instead, he joined the Union Bank of Scotland in Glasgow and studied for four years to become a qualified banker. He had always been a voracious reader and his real ambition was to be a full-time writer.

At the age of 19 he overheard a conversation in which a climber described his traverse of An Teallach in Wester Ross, and after researching the subject, in April, 1934, he set off by train for the nearest mountain whose name he knew – The Cobbler, or Ben Arthur, near Arrochar.

This he climbed by himself in a wintry April, and without maps, proper clothing or equipment, spending many minutes at he summit. As he recalled in his book Undiscovered Scotland: “I never dreamed that my own country held wild land so vast. From that day I became a mountaineer.”

At the outbreak of World War II he enlisted in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and saw action in  the Middle East and North Africa, but was captured by a German Panzer division in Egypt in 1942.  A passage in Mountain magazine from 1979 describes the moments after his capture:

  To my astonishment, he [the German tank commander] forced a wry smile and asked in English, ‘Aren’t you feeling the cold?’ … I replied 'cold as a mountain top’. He looked at me, and his eyes brightened. 'Do you mean – you climb mountains?’ He was a mountaineer. We both relaxed. He stuffed his gun away. After a few quick words – the Alps,  Scotland, rock and ice – he could not do enough for me.

He saw out the war in camps in Italy, Germany and Czechoslovakia and it was in these camps he started writing, paper was in short supply and he used  the only paper available to him – rough toilet paper supplied by The Red Cross. The manuscript was found and destroyed by the Gestapo. To the incredulity of his fellow prisoners, Murray’s response to the loss was to start again, despite the risk of its loss and that his physical condition was so poor from the near starvation diet that he believed he would never climb again. The rewritten work was finally published in 1947, Mountaineering in Scotland and it’s follow up Undiscovered Scotland were best sellers and have an honoured place on the bookshelves of many enthusiasts.

Incarceration left its mark on many PoWs, but Bill Murray continued the activity he loved and in 1950 led expeditions to Garhwal and Almora in the Himalayas. He was deputy leader on the reconnaissance of Everest in 1951, but difficulties in acclimatising to the altitude excluded him from the successful assault by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing on the world’s highest peak in 1953.

In later life he wrote extensively - guidebooks, works of topography, magazine articles and fiction. He was awarded the Mungo Park Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1953, his work includes The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, Glencoe, Blackmount and Lochaber : a regional guide, Companion Guide to the Western Highlands of Scotland and Rob Roy MacGregor – His Life and Times, as well as several works of fiction

W.H. Murray played an increasingly important role in issues to do with the environment of Scotland from the 1960s onwards. In 1960 he surveyed Scotland’s mountain areas for the National Trust for Scotland, and he served on the Countryside Commission for Scotland from 1968 to 1980. He was also Chairman of the Scottish Countryside Activities Council from 1968 to 1982; President of the Mountaineering Council for Scotland from 1972 to 1975; President of the Scottish Mountaineering Club from 1962, and Honorary President of it from 1989; and a founding Trustee of the John Muir Trust until 1986.

  His autobiography, The Evidence of Things Not Seen: A Mountaineer’s Tale, was completed on his death by his wife Anne, he passed away on March 19th 1996 a day after his 83rd birthday.

[limetameta]

Riza Hawkeye: If you ask Kimblee about anywhere in Amestris, he's able to tell you one important landmark to visit there. He's like a walking travel log.

Roy Mustang: Let's test this out.

Maes Hughes: Oi, Kimblee, ever heard of this *tiny town in the South of Amestris*? There anything cool to see there.

Kimblee: *gives detailed account of many things to see there*

Roy: How about North City?

Kimblee: *gives overview of all local attractions* Do you want to travel there? It's a bit cold for me. *lists temperatures in different seasons*

Riza: You've never been to these places?

Kimblee: Oh, no, no. :D I just read about them.

Maes, narrows his eyes: Why?

Kimblee, as if waiting all his life for someone to ask him this: My alchemy teacher would code her research in travel logs. I know more about Amestris than I care to, if I'm being honest. I wish she'd coded her alchemy in cooking recipes - I might have learned something useful... now I just know all about the material and immaterial cultural heritage of Amestris. :/ Ask me about the rainiest town in Amestris, Hughes.

Maes: No, that's all right.

Kimblee: No, ask me. Ask me about the rainiest spot in Amestris.

Riza: What's the deal with our climates?

Kimblee: Don't get me started on the climates! We have a mountain climate, some sort of moderate-continental climate, a continental climate, a desert climate, and then whatever near-tropical monstrocity we have going on in the west. Amestris is a wonder. I don't understand how such a country can exist. Ask me about the wind.

Roy: What's the deal with the wind?

Kimblee: Why, Mustang!! I'm so glad you decided to ask -

Maes, whispering: Holy shit we unleashed something.

Riza: He really looks like he's been waiting for this moment all his life.

Roy: Please, I think I've learned enough.

Kimblee: Oh! Oh but no - how could you forget to task me about the foreign currencies! Amestris didn't have cens throughout the entire country until 1899, you know! My teacher would have me learn all of the currencies and the conversion rates because she'd hide critical alchemy information after calculating how much one coffee cost in South City while using the Aeruogonian lir - which South Amestris used! Because of inflation that hit the entire country!? And then from the Aeurognian lir you'd have to convert it to whatever currency they used in the North in 1857. Do you know which currency they used in the North in 1857?

Riza: Cens?

Kimblee: No! Central and West used cens. East and Ishval used their own thing that was brought over from Xing of all places. South used the lirs. Try and guess - really - try and guess what the North used. South using the Aerugonian lir makes complete sense due to their geographical proximity.

Riza: The Drachman rubbes?

Kimblee: No. No, you'd think so, wouldn't you? That would be the logical conclusion to this thought exercise - but you would be wrong.

Roy and Maes, pensive af: We're stumped. Tell us.

Kimblee, all but vibrating with sheer loathing at what he's going to say next: The Aerugonian lir. There was a brief period of time in Amestrian history when the North of Amestris self-accepted and integrated the Aerugonian lir into their economic system. There's no legal document that says they got anybody's permission to do this. They just decided to do it on their own because it was the most stable currency. Central even imposed a ban on the lir in South Amestris because it was seen as unpatriotic - there was political play here. But even then! Even after the ban - North Amestris continued to use the lir even after Aerugo got rid of it in 1859. There was a moment when the only part in this continent that was using the lir was North City. Not even all of NA - no, just NC! Briggs invented its own currency, but luckily that was shut down only after seven months. This entire pandemonium lasted for close to 20 years all because in 1850 State Alchemist Pare transmutated an obscene amount of gold and just released it into the wild!

Mustang, patting Kimblee on the back: Maybe you should talk about Ishval in order to calm down, huh?

Maes, jumping in at seeing Kimblee's murderous look: THE WAR, Kimblee, not whatever travel log you read about Ishval. You know, the civil war you served in. *sweaty thumbs up*

Riza: I'm still curious about the rainiest spot in Amestris, tbh.

Kimblee: You know that small town in the forest bordering East and South Amestris? It's called Blost.

Riza: Yes.

Kimblee: Well, there's this cute monument in the shape of a bucket on a small hill. The bucket's constantly full because it rains so often over there.

Maes: That's actually a really interesting piece of information and I'll be sure to note it and take Gracia sightseeing. You got any more cool stuff to share? *getting his notepad and pen*

Kimblee, murder in his eyes: There's a cave system in West Amestris that has never been explored. It's got a 100% mortality rate. Would you like to go there?

[markonikuae12]

Top Google Ads Marketing Agency in Dubai for Maximum ROI

In today's competitive digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to boost their online visibility, attract customers, and maximize their return on investment (ROI). One of the most effective and results-driven strategies for achieving these goals is Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords). Dubai, a hub for business activity in the Middle East, has seen an increasing demand for Google Ads marketing expertise. In this article, we explore how the top Google Ads marketing strategies can help businesses in Dubai achieve maximum ROI.

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an online advertising platform developed by Google, where advertisers bid on keywords to have their ads displayed in Google search results or on Google’s advertising network. With billions of searches conducted daily, Google Ads provides businesses with the opportunity to reach potential customers when they are actively looking for products or services related to their offerings.

Google Ads allows businesses to set a budget, target specific demographics, and tailor their ads to match the intent of users. The platform operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning businesses only pay when someone clicks on their ad, making it a cost-effective way to generate leads and sales.

Why is Google Ads Essential for Businesses in Dubai?

Dubai is a global business hub, attracting entrepreneurs and companies from various industries. Whether you are running a small local business or a large multinational corporation, Google Ads can be a powerful tool to increase your visibility and connect with your target audience.

Reach a Larger Audience: With a significant number of people in Dubai actively using Google to search for products and services, businesses can ensure they are reaching potential customers when they are most likely to make a purchase decision.

Targeted Advertising: Google Ads allows businesses to target specific locations, devices, times, and even user interests. This ensures that your ads are seen by the right audience, improving the chances of converting clicks into sales.

Scalability: One of the key advantages of Google Ads is its scalability. Businesses can start small with a limited budget and gradually increase their investment as they see positive results, making it a flexible solution for companies of all sizes.

Measurable Results: Google Ads provides comprehensive analytics and reporting tools that help businesses track the performance of their campaigns in real-time. This allows for data-driven decisions and optimization to ensure maximum ROI.

How to Maximize ROI with Google Ads?

Maximizing ROI through Google Ads requires more than just setting up a campaign and hoping for the best. It requires a strategic approach, continuous optimization, and an understanding of the key factors that drive successful campaigns. Here are some tips for businesses looking to maximize their ROI through Google Ads:

1. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research

Effective keyword research is the foundation of any successful Google Ads campaign. By understanding what keywords your potential customers are searching for, you can bid on the most relevant and high-converting terms. Using tools like Google Keyword Planner, businesses can identify search terms with high search volume and low competition to get the best results at the most cost-effective prices.

2. Refine Targeting

Google Ads offers powerful targeting options that allow businesses to reach their ideal audience. By focusing on specific geographic locations, interests, and even the devices users are using, businesses can ensure that their ads are shown to the most relevant users. This precise targeting not only increases the chances of conversions but also ensures that advertising spend is used efficiently.

3. Create Compelling Ad Copy

Your ad copy plays a crucial role in driving clicks. It should be clear, concise, and relevant to the keywords you're targeting. A compelling call to action (CTA) is also essential to encourage users to take the next step, whether it's making a purchase or filling out a contact form. A/B testing different versions of your ad copy can help identify what resonates best with your audience.

4. Optimize Landing Pages for Conversion

Having a well-designed and optimized landing page is critical to converting clicks into actual sales or leads. When users click on an ad, they expect to be directed to a page that matches the content of the ad and offers a seamless user experience. A fast-loading, mobile-friendly landing page with a clear CTA will significantly improve conversion rates.

5. Monitor and Adjust Bids

To achieve the best ROI, businesses need to monitor their bids closely. Google Ads works on a bidding system, and businesses can adjust their bids based on the performance of keywords. For example, if certain keywords are converting well, it may be worth increasing the bid to capture more traffic. Conversely, lowering bids on underperforming keywords can help reduce costs.

6. Use Ad Extensions

Ad extensions are a great way to provide additional information to users without them having to click on the ad. These extensions can include phone numbers, location information, or links to specific pages on your website. By providing more context, ad extensions can increase the likelihood of users engaging with your ad, thereby improving your click-through rate (CTR) and overall ROI.

7. Track Conversions and Adjust Campaigns

Tracking conversions is essential for understanding whether your ads are achieving the desired results. Google Ads offers robust tracking tools that allow businesses to see how their ads are performing, which keywords are driving the most conversions, and where they can improve. By continuously adjusting campaigns based on this data, businesses can improve their ROI over time.

8. Leverage Remarketing

Remarketing is a powerful feature within Google Ads that targets users who have previously visited your website but did not convert. By showing tailored ads to these users as they browse other websites or search on Google, businesses can encourage them to return and complete their purchase, improving overall conversion rates and ROI.

Conclusion

Google Ads is a highly effective tool for businesses looking to drive traffic, generate leads, and maximize their ROI in Dubai. By conducting thorough keyword research, refining targeting, creating compelling ad copy, and continuously optimizing campaigns, businesses can ensure they are getting the best possible results from their Google Ads campaigns. Whether you're a small startup or an established company, a well-executed Google Ads strategy can make a significant difference in achieving your business goals.

[aimarketingdubai]

The Future of AI in EMEA Marketing

The EMEA region, encompassing Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, presents a unique tapestry of cultures, languages, and economic landscapes. For marketers, this diversity demands a nuanced approach, one that resonates with local preferences while maintaining a cohesive brand identity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as the key to unlocking this complex market, offering tools and strategies that can revolutionize how brands connect with their audiences.

Navigating the EMEA Landscape with AI

EMEA is experiencing a surge in digital adoption, with consumers increasingly turning to online channels for information and purchases. This digital transformation presents both challenges and opportunities for marketers. AI offers a powerful toolkit to navigate this evolving landscape. By harnessing AI's ability to analyze vast amounts of data, personalize experiences, and automate tasks, marketers can craft highly targeted and effective campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences across EMEA.

AI-Powered Marketing Strategies for EMEA

Hyper-Personalization: AI enables marketers to move beyond traditional segmentation methods. By analyzing a wealth of data, including browsing history, purchase patterns, and social media interactions, AI algorithms can create granular customer profiles that capture individual preferences and behaviors. This allows for hyper-personalized messaging and offers, fostering deeper customer relationships and loyalty. Imagine an e-commerce platform that tailors product recommendations in real-time based on a user's current browsing session, significantly increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Multilingual and Cross-Cultural Marketing: EMEA's linguistic and cultural diversity requires marketing strategies that are sensitive to local nuances. AI-powered translation tools can ensure consistent brand messaging across different languages, while sentiment analysis can help gauge consumer reactions and adapt campaigns accordingly. A global brand launching a new product in multiple EMEA markets can leverage AI to not only translate marketing materials accurately but also to ensure they are culturally appropriate and avoid potential misinterpretations.

AI-Driven Content Creation: Creating engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences can be a significant undertaking. AI tools can automate various aspects of content generation, from writing product descriptions to creating social media posts, freeing up marketers to focus on strategy and creativity. A travel agency, for example, can use AI to generate personalized itineraries and travel guides based on individual preferences, saving time and providing a unique customer experience.

Predictive Analytics for Enhanced Decision-Making: AI algorithms can analyze historical data and market trends to predict future consumer behavior, enabling marketers to make proactive decisions and optimize their campaigns. A retailer can use AI to forecast demand for specific products during peak seasons, allowing for optimized inventory management and targeted promotions.

Programmatic Advertising with Precision Targeting: AI is revolutionizing programmatic advertising in EMEA. By analyzing user behavior, preferences, and real-time data, AI algorithms can optimize ad placements, bidding strategies, and creative elements to maximize campaign performance and ROI. A financial institution can use AI to target specific customer segments with personalized ads for financial products based on their individual needs and risk profiles.

Conversational AI for Enhanced Customer Engagement: AI-powered chatbots are transforming customer service in EMEA. These intelligent virtual assistants provide instant support, answer queries, and guide customers through their purchase journey, enhancing customer satisfaction and freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues. A telecommunications company can use AI-powered chatbots to handle customer inquiries about billing, technical support, and service upgrades, providing 24/7 support and improving response times.

Ethical Considerations and Challenges in AI Marketing

While AI offers immense potential for marketing in EMEA, it is crucial to address ethical considerations and potential challenges.

Data Privacy: EMEA has stringent data protection regulations, such as GDPR. Marketers must ensure that AI applications comply with these regulations and prioritize transparency in data collection and usage.

Bias and Fairness: AI algorithms can perpetuate existing biases if trained on biased data. It is essential to ensure that AI models are trained on diverse and representative datasets to avoid discriminatory outcomes.

Transparency and Explainability: As AI algorithms become more complex, it can be challenging to understand their decision-making processes. Marketers should strive for transparency and explainability in AI applications to build trust with consumers.

Job Displacement: The automation capabilities of AI can raise concerns about job displacement. It is crucial to reskill and upskill the workforce to adapt to the changing marketing landscape and leverage AI as a tool for enhanced productivity.

The Future of AI in EMEA Marketing

The future of AI in EMEA marketing is brimming with possibilities. As AI technologies continue to evolve, we can expect even more sophisticated applications that further personalize customer experiences, optimize marketing campaigns, and drive business growth.

Increased adoption of AI across all marketing functions: AI will be integrated into all aspects of marketing, from content creation and campaign management to customer service and market research.

Rise of the "AI-powered marketer": Marketers will need to develop new skills and competencies to effectively leverage AI tools and interpret data-driven insights.

Greater emphasis on ethical AI and responsible innovation: As AI becomes more pervasive, there will be a growing focus on ensuring ethical AI practices and building trust with consumers.

AI-driven innovation in emerging technologies: AI will play a key role in driving innovation in areas such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the metaverse, creating immersive and personalized brand experiences.

Conclusion

AI is revolutionizing the marketing landscape in EMEA, offering unprecedented opportunities for businesses to connect with their audiences in meaningful ways. By embracing AI-powered tools and strategies, marketers can navigate the region's complexities, personalize customer experiences, optimize campaigns, and drive sustainable growth. However, it is crucial to address ethical considerations and ensure responsible AI practices to build trust and foster long-term customer relationships. As AI continues to evolve, the future of marketing in EMEA promises to be dynamic, innovative, and customer-centric.