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daryascurse · 1 year ago

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𝙲𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙰𝚃 𝙴𝙼𝙿𝚃𝙾𝚁 ── Part I: Caveat Emptor

Love, as Coriolanus Snow had long confirmed, held no value. But lust, lust was worth something. Lust was something more malleable. Lust was a currency of the realm just as money was. And lust could be given, dispensed of, much more freely, with little baggage.

pov : tbsos book compliant, chapters alternate bwn 3rd person coryo, 2nd person reader, AFAB reader, feminine pronouns ❀ tags: sεx work, smuτ, fingering, oraI, (male receiving), finger sucking, praise/ begging ❀ word count: ~6k ❀ ao3 ❀playlist

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Love, as Coriolanus Snow had long confirmed, held as much value as the rocks stuck in the treads of his boots. He rolled his shoe against the carpet, momentarily distracted in an effort to shake free the pebble that jutted unevenly out from the sole and scraped with each step. He didn’t have far to walk these days; he barely had reason to take the trolley. It must have taken only the few steps needed to cross the pavement into the nightclub from the car. But that was just how love was, in his experience, both lived fleetingly and observed from the folly of others. It only took a few careless steps to vex and ruin.

With another casual but sharp shake of his foot, the errant pebble popped free.

But lust, lust was worth some thing. Lust was something more malleable. Lust was a currency of the realm just as money was. And lust could be given, dispensed of, much more freely, with little baggage. All that was required of the parties involved was the regular care and discernment of any transaction on the market. Seller liability; buyer beware. Ever since he had cast aside love, it had, in turn, cast a new light on the value of this thing of lust that was somehow its inverse and shadow in one. It did, however, make it harder to look at or even think of Tigris, and so he turned his mind from the clinical analysis of lust to keep these ideas as separate as possible.

The thought of Livia Cardew snuck unbidden into his mind instead, and Coriolanus twitched his foot in irritation again, disguising it as a cautious step downward into the nightclub. It had simply seemed appropriate after dating for two years to invite her to move into one of the newly refurbished penthouse rooms. They shared a bed and little else. She would be awake when he returned, he was sure of it, with crossed arms and an arsenal of sharp words ready to volley from her tongue.

“The night before University graduation, really? Were you out skulking around all night? Do you know what time it is? We have to be on the grounds in only a few hours, and now I’ve had to stay up waiting for you. What is that smell on you?”

He dropped the deposit into the waiting hand of the Avox at the foot of the stairs.

She’d be Livia Snow before the year was out. No, Coriolanus reminded himself. The proposal should be tomorrow, and the wedding at the end of summer. Wouldn’t that be the cherry on top of the cake - the cake, weeping and souring in the June heat - of a beautiful graduation ceremony, where the University would prepare to send off its bright valedictorian? He would take both his diploma and his new title from the hand of Dr. Gaul, and in turn, ask Livia Cardew for her hand as the audience clapped, oohed, and aahed. A new Head Gamemaker, side by side with his new fiancée, would be a fresh angle and nice side plot for the Capitol to be entertained by. Perhaps another celebration for sore losers to focus their energies if the tributes they bet on died too quickly. It would certainly be a busy summer, with a wedding on the heels of the Games, but Coriolanus had decided on the broad strokes of this plan months before. Years, even. Now everything was just filling in the details.

Which is why he frowned at the Avox sweeping aside the thick purple velvet curtain to let him into the private room. Livia was part of that plan, and this room was not a place where any aspect of the plan had any concern. There was business here that Livia Cardew had no place for.

And if she attended to her own business the same way? That was no concern of Coriolanus’s, nor any care of his. They would need one child, just the one, and there was no rush for it yet; and anyway, that could be arranged through means other than the physical. Even though that would mean surrender of some quantity of his DNA, with no guarantee it wouldn’t be intercepted on the path to the intended petri dish…

The wide grin of Dr. Gaul was what came then to his mind, and Coriolanus shook his head vigorously.

What disturbing thoughts.

It must be the nagging obligation of graduation looming that was poisoning his mind with bizarre visions. But that, still, was for tomorrow. Tonight, he had a hole burning in his pocket, so to speak. It had been a while.

Too long.

He didn’t come to Pluribus Bell’s nightclub for these purposes. Of course he wouldn’t. Coriolanus didn’t need to think the reasons through, they were merely facts that he had accepted for years now - no, he would never go there, where the music played eternally, where the old man’s smile was still too kind and too knowing, even as Tigris’ lips tightened and her eyes began to dart away from his. And Tigris was another reason why he ordered the car to this, the seediest of nightclubs. He frowned again, bidding away wisps of concept before they could turn to real thought.

This is probably the last time, Coriolanus realized, as he shrugged off his coat and took his seat in the large leather chair. It was placed conspicuously at the front of the low stage and smelt sharply of disinfectant. He was already high-profile, but there were rakish joys a university student could enjoy innocently enough. Once he graduated, he would lose the cloak of that justification.

He picked up the glass pane nestled into a side pocket of the chair, and it chirped to life. The lights at the edge of the stage, which was only a foot or so off the ground and wrapped in the same velvet drapery as the rest of the room, lit in a pale, hesitant orange that darkened slowly to red. The tint of the glass panel adjusted with it as Coriolanus scrolled with an idle thumb through the pictures presented to him. All in forcedly promiscuous poses, all arching their backs unnaturally and pursing their lips too zealously to be convincing. He could see, through the digital glow, his fingers curling on the other side of the glass.

“That one,” he said abruptly, selecting a face without looking too closely at it and handing the pane to the Avox standing silently behind the chair. The face expanded to fill the screen, but Coriolanus turned away before he could see her features fully. In his periphery, the Avox’s head bent in a gesture of assent, before stepping away.

By now, his mind was more skilled at shielding his brain from fully forming certain recognitions, as if he could blind the rhetorical third eye. If he could, he would have driven a stake through it at the first hint of melody that began leaking from the tinny speakers announcing the dancer’s imminent entry. At least the quality here was poor enough that he could distract himself with scornful thoughts of that, of the static and hiccupping interruptions of the sound limping along. And at least he would have a better distraction soon enough.

Another Avox materialized with a tall glass of sparkling copper liquor, but Coriolanus shook his head in refusal, and the shadow retreated. Drinking, he had found early on, only unnecessarily prolonged the transaction - and didn’t help it come to a satisfactory conclusion.

The curtain parted then, and he bit back a grin.

He might have chosen indiscriminately, but his instincts had guided him well. The woman who came weaving out of the heavy drapes was nothing short of beautiful; so much so that Coriolanus caught himself wondering what she was doing here. Whatever she lacked, it was nothing in her appearance. Even her poise had an allure, some exudation that could intoxicate him more than alcohol. Her eyes flashed at him, then lowered, demure, daring to flick up again in a gaze clearly practiced and intended to draw a paying customer in. His body began to lean closer, and he corrected it into a straightening of his posture.

What about her was so enchanting? The gleeful urge of a pleased grin faded away, and Coriolanus shifted his weight again, adjusting his seat as he watched her. She wore the same as any other girl here - and by that, barely wore a single sheet of silky fabric wound suggestively around her frame. So how was it that it suited her more than any other? Barely a few yards away, with nothing but the air to separate them, she was closer than a finery locked behind a glass display, and he had already purchased her company. What, then, gave him this strange pause before taking what was his?

Well, no matter how captivating she was. Obviously that was part of the wares she marketed, and she was trained in the salesmanship. While he could always appreciate beauty, he was here to instill some training of his own.

That was one of the problems with places like this, and a problem he would have to find a way to avoid in the future. Sitting in a chair, looking up at a woman he paid for as she swayed over him; that never sat right with Coriolanus. Never mind being a woman. That part didn’t matter. It was just a ridiculous concept to pay anyone to look down on you. Besides that, he wanted more than just a passive show with his cock half-fisted in limp fingers. He had seen Festus Creed like that when he’d first introduced Coriolanus to establishments like this. Festus had been pathetically miserable when Persephone dumped him. He’d looked even more pathetic that night when Coriolanus turned his head in the dark crowd of the bar, hoping his friend would have the decency to look abashed or have a jaunty smile, but instead his jaw was slack and pants half-down as he gawked up at the naked ladies on the stage. That incident alone had been what convinced Coriolanus it was worth the money for a private room. More so than potential embarrassment of his own was the disturbing possibility of seeing another man, or woman, looking so foolishly debased, and knowing that that same slimy hand and glassy gaze would the next morning likely be reaching for the same bread in hotel buffet lines or pushing the same elevator buttons as he. The more control Coriolanus could have over his surroundings, the better.

The customer is always right.

Coriolanus held up a hand, and she paused in her motions, her limbs like water. Truly, beautiful.

But even if he could appreciate beauty, he could not let it have any power here. He could still feel a small smile on his lips as he spoke. “Come here.”

She took that shallow step down from the stage, and Coriolanus leaned back in the chair. “No,” he said, interrupting her movement again, and his hand moved down in an inviting motion to his lap. “I want you to crawl to me.”

He had to lower her. She hesitated.

“That’s right,” he said, and he felt his lips split in a smile again as she lowered herself to the floor. He watched as she palmed cautiously, one hand forward, then a knee to match. Her hips swayed as she moved. The red light painted her skin in deep contour. “Slower,” he said, and her back dipped in inviting response. Her hips pushed higher.

Framed like a fucking heart.

Coriolanus shifted in the chair as she drew closer. Every detail about her was perfect, in a way that drove right through him, and made his thighs ache and open in a way that rarely reached him this deeply. The curve of her lip, the sweep of her eyes as she looked up at him again - if lust was a currency, he was ready to spend everything in his account. He swallowed.

She was between his feet, his legs opened to make space for her between them, and she had sat up to rock back on her heels. The fine satin sash that wound around her body wilted suggestively, as if begging him to rip it from her. His fingers itched.

“Would you like to know my name?” she asked, and even through the forced husk of a customer service voice, he could hear that she sounded beautiful, too.

“I’d like,” Coriolanus said softly, “you to do whatever I ask of you tonight.”

She tightened her eyes and opened her mouth, but Coriolanus cut her off before that harmonious sound could flow from her lips again.

He could affect his voice, too.

“I’m sure you’ve heard other men say that before,” he said, stressing his tone in just the right place and letting it lilt in others. “I’m sure you’ve heard men make requests that you act submissive, or perhaps that you act dominant. These men sit in chairs like this and ask to play along with some fantasy of theirs. But I’m not asking for an act of play-pretend.”

I want you to know your place, he thought, looking at the woman knelt at his feet. He needed it.

She lifted her face, and Coriolanus let himself caress the side of her cheek, his thumb falling to her chin and his fingers closing in a grasp. Her skin was soft.

“Can you give me what I want?”

“Show me what that is,” she murmured.

She was so evidently good at her job. Coriolanus had identified that immediately, even without needing to hear the snake charm of her voice. But when she finished her sentence, or when he heard what sounded like a natural pause, he turned his thumb up to trap it against her mouth, to keep that enchanting sound from doing its wicked magic. In turn, she let her lips open just wide enough to invite him in. Her tongue teased at the pad of his finger, gentle lashings of the muscle.

A clear acquiescence that she’s following his control.

“Good girl.”

It groaned from him without warning, and his instinct was to physically yank it back. But pulling himself from her wouldn’t retract the words. If anything, it encouraged her. A hand rose to clasp around his, and she pressed closer to his body. Coriolanus leaned forward, his back curving. His knees wanted to tighten around her, urges quickening at his thighs. It should be a concern, came that last whisper of unfogged mind, but Coriolanus closed his eyes, his other hand cupping the other side of her face and fingers lighting at the base of her skull as his free thumb stroked her jaw. Lust was settling faster than it usually did in this little velvet room, but why not enjoy it - one last time?

She looked at him, that carefully crafted demure glance below the silky curtain of her eyelashes. He withdrew his thumb and ran it over her lips, her own saliva glossing across her mouth in a glittering red mirage. The lights seemed to have turned an even richer shade of crimson, bathing the room in black, bronze, scarlet. His thumb shifted clumsily, a streak of silver left at the side of her mouth. She exhaled, the sharpness of breath skating warm across his skin. Coriolanus bent his neck and did something he rarely felt the urge to do in these transactions - he kissed the woman on the mouth. Her lips were chapped at the ministration of his touch, and it somehow bit at something inside him, unlocking a thirst for more, more, to drink from her in a way he hadn’t felt acutely parched for in so long. Her lips pressed gently back at his, as if this, too, was a professional line she didn’t cross often. A benefit reserved for the finest customers, perhaps. And Coriolanus Snow couldn’t imagine many men or women finer than he often visited a place like this . Festus certainly never bothered to shill out for a private room.

When the kiss broke, her hands had crept up to rest on the leather between his knees. Coriolanus saw the motion. His fingers curled at the back of her neck and his hips pushed wider, closer.

“Go on,” he said, and he heard the huskiness creep into his tone.

She palmed over him and found the fastening of his pants. Below the cage of his elbows, she had begun to slowly tug at his zipper. Coriolanus let go of her almost regrettably. He leaned back and lifted his hips, pushing even further to the edge of the chair, and her hands somehow made the yanking of his pants down his thighs to pool at the floor a graceful motion.

His cock was already hard, something that he felt no abashment for. Just a testament to the value of the transaction. He couldn’t see her expression as she skated her hands across his inner thighs to situate herself. The touch of her gentle hands made the fine golden dusting of hair prickle in the wake of her movement. Coriolanus stroked a hand along his length as her mouth opened. Once more, and then he urged the tip towards her. Her tongue had lolled from her open lips, and he slapped his cock gently against her.

“Mmh,” he heard her let out, almost involuntarily, and it sent another sharp, hot thrill down his spine. Her fingers wrapped around his to guide his full length into her, and as if to coax him into letting her show him she can do all he would ask of her. And so Coriolanus let go.

Her cheeks hollowed with the first suck, and Coriolanus hissed.

“Ah,” and it was from him that time. He sucked in the inhale as she dragged her tongue along the thick length of the tender vein branching up from the underside of his cock, cradling him in her mouth as her hand settled at the base to anchor herself. Coriolanus felt the muscles in his abdomen and back, wound tight, unwind with each ragged breath from his nose. He slowly fell back, relaxing into the leather embrace of the back of the chair, and his head lolled to the side.

Her mouth was warm, soft, a perfect fit, and Coriolanus pushed his hips up slowly in agreement with the pace she set. It was starting to send rivulets of heat spiking up below his skin, and his elbows rose to fumble at the buttons lining down his shirt, aching to cool off.

“Look at me,” Coriolanus rasped out, his hands settled at the hem of his shirt and so close to the anxious work of her head.

She had to almost pull off for that, her lips sliding up and higher from his cock and leaving the sheen of her saliva mixed with the beading precum beginning to leak from him. Drool still shone at the side of her split lips, and her eyes were bright as they rolled up at him. Perhaps an affectation of the profession, an ability to cry dewy tears at will, but, as he grabbed the side of her face, she blinked in a way that was too perfect to be fully an act.

Coriolanus let his lips curve into a smirk, and as he pushed his hips up to slide his cock back into her mouth, he relished in the muffled moan that choked in her throat. The rhythm began to beat faster, the heels of his palms hard on her cheekbones as he held her in place. The open billow of his shirt fell to his sides, the chisel of his stomach muscles stained crimson in the light tightening with a strain that began pushing through his body in response to the urgency that had built from his loins.

“Oh,” he heard himself say, and he closed his eyes as if to hide from the words he let spill. “Oh, oh, that’s it. Good girl, good, good girl.”

She made another choking whimper that was nearly enough to make him unravel, some coil loosening in his shoulders and tightening again below.

That might have been enough on any other visit to the velvet room. He would have held her face between his heads, the warmth of her breath enveloping him and her lips closing as he let that sensation within him erupt. When he was spent into her mouth, no matter what she did with that, he would leave a few coins in recognition of her service and pay the remainder of the club’s amount on his way out the door. He would button his coat to the neck and climb into the car, head back to the penthouse, and turn a deaf ear to Livia’s lectures as he readied for bed. But he found an aching in his bones that night - that he wanted more . It was his last night here after all.

Might as well get some bang for his buck, as that prehistoric saying went.

“Oh, oh,” Coriolanus said, and pushed with a gentler strength than he would normally, to ease her off his cock before it was too late. She acquiesced easily, strings of saliva beading out and connecting her to him still as she rocked back on her heels.

Her eyes were still weeping involuntarily - or, again, perhaps craftily - and she lifted a finger to wipe delicately at their corners. That satin, wound around her like a snake, shifted again, bent dangerously high in the valley between her kneeling thighs.

“Come here,” Coriolanus breathed before thinking.

She rose, and he saw it, her foot sway a little unsteadily. Perhaps more than a dance and a suck was something she wasn’t used to either. But she raised a leg around his hips to straddle him, and Coriolanus tugged at the satin. He ran his hands among the smooth length and she shivered under his touch, her eyelids sinking and another “ oh ” sighing from her perfectly parted lips. That, Coriolanus could appreciate, more than the forced falsity of the other women in the glass pane’s catalog. Even if it wasn’t natural, it was a convincing enough act.

As he found the knot at her hip, she reached up to her mouth, rolling each finger across her tongue in turn.

“Can I?” she asked.

Coriolanus raised his eyebrows at her. His fingers were busy on the knot. “Can you what?”

He knew what, and more than that, his body knew what.

“I want to hear you ask it,” he said in gentle facade when she hesitated for just the right amount of time.

“Can I touch you?” she barely whispered.

The light in her eyes shone like rubies in the red room.

Coriolanus paused, and he thought he would be undone at the heartbeats between the reply. “You can.”

She reached, her fingers wet and dripping red diamonds. He groaned, shuddering forward and letting his head rest on her shoulder, his own fingerwork frozen a minute when she wrapped around his cock. The warmth was back, that snug fit rolling through him as she stroked her fingers up and down. This, this was what the money was truly for, and this is what it was worth; better than his solitary work in the shower where he had to bite back grunts and groans as he spilled down the drain.

The determination not to do it yet was what gave him the strength to pick the knot free at last, and the satin slithered from her body in one fine sheet. There was a sense of a tug, and he felt that her other hand had fisted at the fabric of his open shirt. Coriolanus shook into the crook of her neck, and his hands pushed at the purchase of her hips.

“Oh!”

It was a yelp, a sign that something in the knead of his hands was more powerful than she was accustomed to, and he squeezed again.

“Move,” Coriolanus managed. “Move- up.”

She understood, lifting her hips - or perhaps he guided them higher up his lap before he freed his grasp - and her hands found his shoulders then to lean on, audaciously grasping his skin below the splayed shirt collar.

He moved his fingers between her thighs, keeping her from lowering entirely, and she gasped at the sudden contact of his fingers against her cunt.

“Oh- f-”

He allowed himself a heavy exhale at just how wet she was. That’s something even the best couldn’t fake. He slid his fingers through the folds and pushed two inside at the same time. Her body didn’t even give resistance, that’s how easy it was to swim in her velvet, but her fingernails bit at his shoulder and she choked on another wail as she dropped her head.

It was too sweet.

“I didn’t expect that,” Coriolanus raspsed. The truth came from him impulsively, in a rare moment of abandon. “You got so wet just from putting your mouth on my cock?”

The words sounded dirtier than they should have as they broke from his lips. She sucked in an inhale.

“Tell me.”

“I - mm hmm.”

He understood the message, but her gentle failure to fully admit it came across as less coy and more smug to his ears. She was no better than he, to refuse filthy words here. He turned his thumb up, pressing to her clit, and then he pressed hard. She gasped again, her inner muscles fluttering over his touch. Coriolanus gave a rub of his thumb, and she pushed her hips forward as if to seek more of the friction. He lifted his touch in denial.

“I said, tell me.”

“Yes,” she said in a whisper. “It - yes , you got me so excited, so, so w- wet.”

The keening confession earned her another gentle circle of his thumb. Her thigh muscles went slack in the hold over his. Before long he could work three fingers into her, massaging at her walls, and when he teased the side of a fourth against her skin, that’s when she broke.

“Plea- please,” and it made him grin again.

“What?”

“Please.”

“Please what?”

She shook her head in agony. “Please, please,” she whispered. “Please fuck me.”

The way she half-wailed drowned out the last of the pathetic music from the speakers, and he found he really liked it.

Coriolanus slipped his fingers out, dragged her wetness down to his cock where her saliva had begun to dry and tack in the arid basement. He urged it up, his other hand locked on her waist to guide her hips.

All she had to do was lower herself to him one more time.

Her hands steadied at his shoulder, and he could feel the head of his cock cresting at her entrance.

“Good girl.”

Because of how wet she was, he slipped right in, and Coriolanus shuddered. He let go as she sank down, leaning back against the plush leather. He could see the quaver of her limbs as she tried to ease herself. He was barely halfway in and she was visibly shaking at the way he must have started to stretch her. All she could do is moan, quietly, taking slow breaths as she went.

“Oh - ”

He held his hands at her hips and bit back a grating groan. Within him, the tsunami wave was drawing high, higher, almost crested when she finally took all of him in her and was flush against his body. Forget any clumsy fumbling of his cock alone over the shower drain. The one time he and Livia Cardew had tried to find a rhythm in the sheets; no, this urgency was not a rushed one to have the experience over with. This was a ravenous hunger.

She rocked on his lap, Coriolanus moving her with the strength still trained in his arms as his cock dragged inside her, gently tugged with each sway of her body. His fingers curved, dug into her back, unable to settle in just one place as the friction of her body rubbed against his. He could feel the stuttering of her breath as she rode him.

“Mm- fuck -”

“Fuck. You’re so - you’re sucking me right up.” Coriolanus licked at the corner of his mouth. “Good, good girl.”

He let his hand back for a moment and spanked her.

She howled and thrust her hips forward.

Sweat beaded at his hairline, and he could feel the lines of his face tightening in concentration. His hold hardened, and her chin jerked back, her eyes rolling and lips parted.

Coriolanus realized suddenly just how much he was holding back, and he thought - what for ? Her delicate grace was so clearly just a professional facade. The way she clawed at him and stuttered her breath, that was real. He was quite good, by now, at identifying fellow liars. She was evidently enjoying it as much as he was.

Her lithe beauty wouldn't break.

He gripped her hips hard with both hands and thrust his hips up, pounding into her body at an urgent pace. The pleasure was making his muscles tremble. Focusing that strength steaded him, concentrated him on each rolling wave, on that tsunami threatening evermore to break. He squeezed again, spanking her again, and then again, as it made her keen and rock her hips faster.

“Fuck - t-touch me - please?”

“Hmm?”

“Please,” she said, almost sobbing and her voice hiccuping with each unsteady bounce.

The way she begged made him grit his teeth and focus, and he waited a moment - to tease her, to steady himself - before he let go with one hand, returning his thumb to the space where their bodies met. His skin was sheened with sweat and the shining, crimson-lit trail of her arousal marbling the base of his cock, barely visible with the launches of her body. Coriolanus worked his finger between and felt for a place that made her raise her voice in that delightful way again.

It worked.

She cried out something that, for a moment, didn’t quite make sense to him. “I’m coming!” Coriolanus hadn’t heard those words in a place like this, where she was already here, not these words from a woman, but his body recognized them as soon as she finished her wail. Something in the walls of her cunt tightened, sucking around him, and then throbbed in hot, rushing convulsion.

“Oh- ”

“Oh, fuck, yes,” Coriolanus said, and it made him shudder at the raw agony he let into his voice. But it was impossible to hide the difference this made, and he withdrew his finger to focus on fucking into her again.

A half-formed thought flew across his mind, and he pushed his glistening fingers to her lips. “Suck.”

She curled closer to him, one hand still pushing at him for balance, as she clasped the other around his forearm. Coriolanus thrust his fingers into her mouth and groaned as her tongue smacked him clean of her.

His strokes came quicker, faster, rougher, a cacophony of skin and creaking chairs and hot, heavy breaths from two sets of lungs. And without much warning, he threw his head back, throbbing inside her warm cunt, and let loose an anguished cry. She shook as he came, hard, each spurt pushed from him until he felt boneless. The feeling of her still wrapped around him kept him weak.

It was a few moments before her hands slid down his chest, and he managed to tap the side of her hip.

“Alright,” Coriolanus said, and it didn’t sound as casual, as strong as he would have liked. He swallowed, almost moaning when she pulled herself off him, the arid chill of the room prickling over his flushed and sweaty skin. He almost patted his pocket for a handkerchief before remembering it was in the jacket behind him - dangerous, how much this was rattling his mind from the simplest things. Instead of standing yet, he lifted a corner of his shirt to wipe at his face.

The mismatched sound of laboring breath still filled the room. When Coriolanus looked up, she had sunk to her knees again, drawing the satin sash between her hands to re-wind it around her body. The wild thought seized him, how she would look with his hands binding her with that very sash - perhaps even in his penthouse bed, where he could put her properly on her back, and he had to shake his head to make the fantasy flee.

A very worthy farewell.

He was almost sad to see this part of his life go, and he tipped extremely generously with little hesitation.

Coriolanus slept sounder than he had in a while, even with Livia prodding at his ribs before the sun fully rose and snarling at him to get ready. Even the curt note left from Tigris at the dining table leaving her clearly insincere regrets, but she didn’t think the Grandma’am had strength enough to muster for the ceremony and they would stay in with Mrs. Plinth, could dampen the strange warmth settled in his chest. It struck him, as he took his place at the head of the graduation line, that this was perhaps satisfaction. Sincere satisfaction in a way that all the little moments of pride through his time at the University had been building to, all tied with a nice little bow. Every want, every need attended to, and more within his reach waiting to be handed to him at the denouement of the ritual. Festus Creed passed him on his way to his seat, clapping him on the shoulder and giving him a childish thumbs up, and Coriolanous let his teeth split in genuine glee at his friend. The weight of the ring box knocked in the pocket of his graduation gown, but even that heaviness was not an anchor, but a sturdy climbing hold. One of the last ones he had to clamber over. He felt like a cat lapping up the last dregs of a rich bowl of cream.

Livia was somewhere down the line, her pinched face hidden in the sea of matching caps. Coriolanus took the stage to give his valedictorian speech, planning to polish it off with the proposal. As he shuffled his papers, more prop than necessity, he waited for the commencement speaker to finish - some lofty, thin-voiced broadcaster the graduation committee had accepted with the wheedling donation of the Flickerman family - and scanned the rows of his classmates looking for her in preparation of that moment. It struck him how many faces he didn’t recognize. Though the University was small and elite, and while he, of course, was notorious to all, Coriolanus hadn’t spent his years bothering to make new friends or to oogle classmates. Anyone he hadn’t recognized from the Academy was likely some scholarship student from one of the less-prestigious secondary schools at the outskirts of the Capitol, and not worth his time. But here, he was forced with the fact that he would be speaking to a notable statistic of strangers. There was Festus, of course, and Lysistrata in the row behind him. He squinted, looking for Livia.

And then he saw another face he recognized, a face that made him start, lean forward, and almost miss the way the commencement speaker had stepped back and extended his hand to introduce Coriolanus to the podium.

“...your valedictorian, Coriolanus Snow!”

He rose automatically, the papers beginning to slip between the sweat gathering between his fingers. The anticipatory applause began to rise from the sea of classmates and spectators.

Except one person wasn’t clapping, a young woman eying him below the brim of her cap.

That joyous satisfaction alighting his bones began to settle into unease. This, too, was a feeling he recognized as one he hadn’t felt in a while. A very long while. This was the reeling sense of control threatening to slip from his fingers, and he clenched his papers.

Coriolanus still hadn’t found Livia in that crowd. But he did see the woman from the velvet room, waiting, with the rest of his class, to graduate.

Part II: Ferae Naturae

#tbosas #coryo x reader #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus x you #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus snow x you #coryo x you #daryafics #divider by saradika #banner by cafekitsune #caveatcoryo

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zoikomobile · 1 year ago

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Why Should I Buy a Refurbished iPhone Samsung Phone Online?

In a world where smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, iPhones have carved a special place in the hearts of tech enthusiasts. With their sleek designs, innovative features, and unparalleled user experience, iPhone products and Samsung phones have established themselves as the epitome of luxury and sophistication. However, the hefty price tag attached to these devices often becomes a barrier for many potential buyers.

However, Zoiko Mobile makes your dreams come true, price should not be a barrier from today onwards, for iPhone lovers and Samsung phone lovers. Thanks to significant improvements in refurbishing technology. You can finally get ready to purchase your refurbished iPhone or Samsung phone online from Zoiko Mobile and enjoy new-like iPhones and Samsung phones without facing any financial constraints.

In this blog post, we'll explore the reasons why considering a refurbished iPhone or Samsung phone from reputable sellers like Zoiko Mobile is a smart choice.

Cost Savings:

One of the most compelling reasons to buy a refurbished iPhone or Samsung phone is the significant cost savings it offers. Refurbished iPhones online or refurbished Samsung Phones online are devices that have been previously owned but have undergone a thorough inspection, refurbishment, and testing process to ensure they are in excellent working condition. As a result, these refurbished devices are priced significantly lower than brand-new iPhones or Samsung Phones, making them a budget-friendly option without compromising on quality.

Quality and Reliability:

Contrary to common misconceptions, refurbished iPhones online or refurbished Samsung Phones online are not simply used or damaged devices. Reputable sellers like Zoiko Mobile carefully refurbish these devices, replacing any faulty components, and thoroughly cleaning and testing them to ensure they meet stringent quality standards. This means that when you purchase a refurbished iPhone or refurbished Samsung Phone online, you can expect a device that functions just as reliably as a brand-new one. Many sellers also offer warranty periods, providing further peace of mind.

Environmental Benefits:

Opting for a refurbished iPhone or refurbished Samsung Phone is not only a financially smart decision but also an environmentally conscious one. By purchasing a refurbished device instead of a brand-new one, you are extending the lifespan of the product and minimising electronic waste. This contributes to reducing the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing new phones, making it a greener choice for tech-savvy individuals interested in sustainable living.

Access To Newly Launched Models:

If you prefer a particular iPhone model that is much more expensive, or newly launched Samsung models available. Buying a refurbished iPhone or refurbished Samsung Phone online opens the door to owning your desired model at the lowest price. Refurbished iPhones or refurbished Samsung Phones often include a range of exclusive offerings, allowing you to enjoy the features and functionalities of your preferred model at a more affordable price.

Trusted Warranty and Customer Support:

Reputable sellers of refurbished iPhones like Zoiko Mobile typically provide warranties and reliable customer support. This means that in the unlikely event of any issues with your refurbished iPhone or Samsung Phone, you can count on their support to resolve any concerns. This peace of mind is invaluable, as it ensures that you can enjoy your device without worry and have a positive customer experience throughout your ownership.

Flexibility in Choosing Network Providers:

Another advantage of purchasing a refurbished iPhone or Samsung Phone online from our website is the flexibility it offers in choosing network providers. Unlike purchasing a locked device from a specific carrier, refurbished iPhones or Samsung Phones are often unlocked, allowing you to use them with any compatible network provider of your choice. Zoiko Mobile gives you the freedom of flexibility to select a plan that suits your needs and provides the best coverage and price options.

Similar Performance and Features:

Refurbished iPhones or Samsung Phones offer similar performance and features to their brand-new counterparts. The advantage of buying a device from a trusted seller like Zoiko Mobile, is that we have gone through rigorous testing and refurbishment processes. As a result, the performance, functionality, and features of a refurbished iPhone or Samsung phone are on par with a new device. Whether it's the camera capabilities, processing power, or software updates, a refurbished iPhone or a refurbished Samsung Phone can provide the same user experience as a brand-new one.

What to consider when you buy a refurbished iPhone phone online?

When purchasing a refurbished iPhone online, there are a few important factors to consider to ensure you are getting a reliable device. While refurbished iPhones are generally a better option than buying a used one, it checks certain aspects of the device to make an informed decision.

Here are some key points that you wouldn't want to miss:

Battery Check: One crucial aspect to verify in a refurbished iPhone is the battery condition. Over time, batteries can degrade, impacting the device's performance and overall user experience. Check if the refurbished iPhone has a new battery or if the existing one has been properly tested and replaced if needed. This ensures that you won't encounter issues with sudden battery drains or a limited battery lifespan.

Water Damage Assessment: If you're considering purchasing an older iPhone model, it's essential to check for any signs of water damage. Water damage can lead to various issues, including malfunctioning buttons, a distorted screen, or even permanent damage. Inspect the device thoroughly for any corrosion, discoloured spots, or irregularities that may suggest water damage. This will help you avoid potential headaches in the future.

Quality and Warranty: Ensure that the refurbished iPhone has undergone a thorough inspection and refurbishment process. Reputable sellers will provide details about the quality assurance measures they undertake, such as testing various components and replacing any faulty or damaged parts. Additionally, check if the device comes with a warranty to guarantee support in case of any unexpected issues.

Software and System Check: Verify that the refurbished iPhone comes with the latest software updates and runs smoothly. Check if all functions, including the touchscreen, camera, speakers, and microphone, are working properly. Run a diagnostic test, if possible, to ensure that the internal components are functioning as expected. This will help you confirm that the device is in good working condition.

Return Policy and Customer Support: Before finalising the purchase, familiarise yourself with the seller's return policy and customer support options. A reputable seller Zoiko Mobile has its experienced customer support managers and has a fair return policy in place, allowing you to return or exchange the device within a specified period if you encounter any unforeseen issues. Also, ensure that you have access to reliable customer support should you require assistance or have any questions about the refurbished iPhone.

Buying a refurbished iPhone online is an excellent way to save money while still enjoying the benefits of owning an iPhone. Checking the battery condition, assessing for water damage (especially with older models), ensuring quality and warranty, and examining the systems are quite excellent and prompt if any kind of issue persists.

What to consider when you buy a refurbished Samsung Phone online?

When purchasing a refurbished Samsung phone online, there are several important factors to consider to ensure you get a reliable device.

Here are some key points that you wouldn't want to miss:

Quality Assurance: Opt for refurbished Samsung phones online that are quality-assured. Look for devices that have undergone a comprehensive inspection process, typically consisting of more than a 100-point check. This ensures that each Samsung phone passes through an A - To- Z phone health check, that meets stringent quality standards and is in like-new condition. Additionally, consider purchasing from reputable sellers that offer a one-year warranty, giving you peace of mind in case of any unforeseen issues.

Certified Renewed Devices: Choose Samsung Certified Renewed smartphones, as they are refurbished to the highest standards by the original manufacturer. These devices undergo meticulous testing, and any faulty components are replaced with new ones. Additionally, Samsung Certified Renewed phones come with a brand new battery, ensuring optimal performance and longevity.

Affordable Costs: Consider refurbished Samsung phones online from Zoiko Mobile as a smarter way to save. You can enjoy premium features and a like-new device at a fraction of the cost of buying a brand-new phone. Some sellers also offer great trade-in value rewards, allowing you to save even more on your purchase.

Eco-Conscious Approach: Support the eco-conscious promise of Samsung by choosing a refurbished device. By participating in their trade-in program, you contribute to extending the life cycle of used devices. This not only helps the environment but also allows you to have a powerful, like-new Galaxy device in your hands.

Buying from Registered and Trusted Online Stores: It is crucial to purchase refurbished Samsung phones online from registered and trusted platforms. Buying from an established and reputable seller like Zoiko Mobile ensures that you receive a genuine device and that the transaction is reliable. Avoid purchasing from unverified sources or local shops that may not provide proper invoices or warranties. An invoice is essential for claiming warranty services if any issues arise in the long run.

When buying a refurbished Samsung phone online, our commitment towards all these aspects, you can confidently choose a reliable and like-new Samsung phone online that meets your needs and budget, while being environmentally conscious.

Conclusion:

Owning an iPhone or a Samsung Phone online, the cost factor can be a significant hurdle for many individuals. However, by considering a refurbished iPhone online from a reputable seller like Zoiko Mobile, you can enjoy the benefits of owning an iPhone without considering the extra burden on your pocket. The cost savings, quality assurance, environmental benefits, access to older/newly launched models, and flexibility in making refurbished iPhones online is a smart choice.

Get the opportunity to own a high-quality device, and accessories at a more affordable price from Zoiko Mobile and join the ever-growing community of satisfied refurbished iPhone or Samsung Phone users.

#Refurbished iPhone online #Refurbished Samsung Phone online

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klaineccfanficlibrary · 5 years ago

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hello! was hoping (if you have the time) you could please recommend some fics :) i like fics where kurt is older (by a lot or even just the one year like in the show), bottom!blaine, not too many chapters (under 30 preferably), i do enjoy mpreg if it’s well written and blaine is the one pregnant (but i feel like i’ve read most?). thank you for your help w this blog! sorry if this ask seems demanding; i read in your faq that you like when ppl provide detail. thank you again for this great blog :)

I did some searches on AO3. There are ten results for mpreg!Blaine. Many authors only tag mpreg without specifying Kurt and Blaine - there are 190 results.

Under the cut there are eight fics - either ones that I have enjoyed or ones I haven’t read but are written by authors that I like. Unfortunately, none of them have the age gap you are looking for. Chapters is not a good indicator of length of fic as they vary enormously by author. Word count is a better measure.

- HKVoyage

Apple of My Eye by idoltina

A fill for this GKM prompt. AU after The Break Up. Blaine finds out that he’s pregnant after Kurt breaks up with him (with Kurt’s child, no less). He tries telling Kurt about it, but Kurt refuses to talk to him. Blaine decides to finish his senior year at home and give the baby up for adoption. Only he doesn’t. He ends up keeping the baby – a daughter – and takes her to New York with him when he leaves for college. He raises her partially on his own with some help from his parents, and tries to juggle parenthood, school, and work. And everything works out okay for a little over two years – until he runs into Kurt.

~~~~~

The Odds by @gleeana

Canon compliant with the show through the Klaine wedding, with the rather major twist that in this universe, men can become pregnant … and Kurt learns Blaine is pregnant soon after the wedding. A little too soon, given the circumstances.

This is a story about the power of love and family, and about the consequences of secrets.

~~~~~

Hold My Heart by universalromance

GKM Fill: Blaine is a carrier who is sold by his parents when they are in need of money. He is gifted to Kurt by his buyer in order to gain favour with newly elected Congressman Hummel. He is expecting to be mistreated the way he was always told but soon discovers that there is still good in some people.

Note: Part 1 of the Treasure My Heart series

~~~~~

What I Call Life by warblerslushie

Kurt broke off the engagement and left Blaine. Three years later, Kurt’s at a strip club for his bachelor party and sees Blaine working. Blaine’s been working there and enduring uncomfortable glances and touches for a year to make sure that his son was properly cared for. MPREG. Based on a tumblr prompt from blangstpromptoftheday.

~~~~~

thought i could do this on my own by ShanleenKinnJaskey

Prince Kurt Hummel falls in love with Blaine Anderson, an orphan servant boy, and thankfully he returns Kurt’s affections. But what will happen when one night Blaine disappears, leaving only a letter behind that contains an unbelievable explanation? When, years later, Blaine appears with two sons in tow (one deadly ill), will Kurt finally learn the truth?

Note: Part 1 of the to be loved series

~~~~~

We’re In This Together Or Not At All. by zigzag18

Blaine Anderson’s life is about to be turned upside down. After a hook-up with head Cheerio Kurt Hummel, Blaine finds out he’s pregnant. He didn’t tell Kurt that he was a carrier, so how is he suppose to tell Kurt? How is he, a 17 year old high school senior suppose to take care of a baby?

~~~~~

Apartment 143 by idoltina

Six years into their marriage, Kurt and Blaine are starting to be established enough in their careers to want to settle down into a more permanent residence. When they happen upon a refurbished apartment in an old building at a price that’s a steal, they immediately snatch it up. They settle into their new home over the summer, and after a fairly intoxicated and intimate Halloween, they find themselves expecting their family to grow by one more. But as the pregnancy progresses, so does the level of paranormal activity in their home. It doesn’t take long for them to bring in paranormal investigators to figure out what inhabits their home, if they can get rid of it, and how to protect themselves and their unborn child from it – if they can.

~~~~~

Spark Like Empty Lighters by atticrissfinch

It was supposed to just be a hook-up between student and teacher…and it was. But what will happen when Blaine reveals to Kurt that he’s pregnant with Kurt’s child? an mpreg!blaine au.

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anachef · 6 years ago

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What’s New in Hollywood Studios this Week: Eats, Decor, Merchandise, New Entrance, Skyliner Update, and MORE!

Hollywood Studios is one of our favorite places to be during the Holidays. Between the Flurry of Fun, Sunset Seasons Greetings, Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM show, decorations, and so many eats, and a new car entrance along with Skyliner progress there’s just so much to see and do here. Our visit this week including collecting everything that’s new in one super-post for you!

Happy Holiday Greetings from Hollywood Studios!

Find out about all the new “normal”/non-holiday eats, holiday eats, merchandise, decoration updates and so much more!

What’s New on Hollywood Studios’ Hollywood Boulevard

Our stop in the Trolley Car Cafe (Starbucks) was quite seasonal! We spotted another Flurry of Fun eat, a Large Mickey Shortbread Cookie. And this isn’t just one cookie — it’s a shortbread cookie sandwich — our favorite kind of sandwich! It’s filled with raspberry jam.

Large Mickey Shortbread Cookie

We tried the Cranberry Mousse, another Flurry of Fun special. Read our full review here.

Trolley Car Cafe Cranberry Mousse

And, if those two desserts aren’t enough, the Trolley Car Cafe is also offering a fun-looking Santa Mickey Caramel Apple.

Santa Mickey Caramel Apple

What’s New in Hollywood Studios’ Toy Story Land

We were pretty excited to see the amazing Christmas decorations around Toy Story Land last week — including a 10 foot tall cookie! Now, Woody, who welcomes you to Toy Story Land, is wearing a giant scarf.

Happy Holiday Greetings from Woody!

Any visit to Toy Story Land means a peek over the construction walls to check on the progress of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — this new Land opens in Fall 2019!

Views of Star Wars Land Construction Progress

What’s New on Hollywood Studios’ Commissary Lane

The Sci-Fi Dine-In’s car that was sitting outside the restaurant for fun photos has been missing for a little bit — but now it’s back! Grab your friends and family, take a seat, and snap a pic (then tag us when you post it @disneyfoodblog)

Sci-Fi Dine_in Car Photo Opp

What’s New on Hollywood Studios’ Grand Avenue

Baseline Tap House is serving up a new brew — North Coast Red Seal Ale, replacing the North Coast Cherry Berliner Weisser. You can also snack on some Flurry of Fun eats here, the Holiday Festive Popcorn and Santa Macarons. Plus, there’s a new seasonal cocktail, The Angry Elf, made with Angry Orchard Cider and Fireball Whiskey.

Baseline Tap House Menu

Baseline Tap House Seasonal Treats

If you’re looking for cotton candy you can grab holiday colored cotton candy at the Grand Avenue Snack Cart near the entrance to Muppet*Vision 3D Show.

Grand Avenue Snack Cart Holiday Cotton Candy

Guess who is back on Grand Avenue? None other than Santa himself! He wasn’t here for the start of Flurry of Fun, but is here now!

Welcome Back Santa

What’s New on Hollywood Studios’ Echo Lake

The refurbishment of Tatooine Traders is complete. The shop seems much more open now and easier to navigate. There is still some work being done on the outside of the shop, but that has no impact on the shopping experience in the store.

Newly Refurbished Tatooine Traders

Tatooine Traders Exterior Refurbishment

Backlot Express is home to one of our favorite Flurry of Fun eats, the Chocolate Chestnut Pinecone, which has proven to be extremely popular. This is so popular it has been selling out pretty early in the day, so when it is available pop-up menus are out for it, when it sells out you won’t see it on the Holiday menu or as a pop-up menu. When we were there it was sold out.

Chocolate Chestnut Pinecone keeps selling out!

You will find the Flurry of Fun Frostbite and Frosted Gingerbread Cocktails here — plus the must-have Mickey Ornament Stein. You can also sip on Frozen Hot Chocolate here during the season.

Backlot Express Holiday Menus

Hollywood and Vine is hosting Minnie’s Holiday Dine again this year.

Minnie’s Holiday Dine is Back

Dockside Diner has some new Flurry of Fun Eats. The Caramel Eclair, filled with a caramel filling, is available here along with that red Prep and Landing Gingerbread Cupcake. A Peppermint Milkshake should be added to menu soon as the seasonal milkshake.

Dockside Diner Holiday Menu

Caramel Eclair

Gertie’s Santa’s Hat is back! And Echo Lake is decorated with the giant floating ornaments that tell us it’s Christmastime in Florida!

Gertie is Ready for Santa

Echo Lake Decorations

What’s New in Hollywood Studios’ Stores! New Merchandise!

If you love Flurry of Fun as much as we do there’s some new merchandise just for you! Check out the new Flurry of Fun tumbler! So sparkly and festive!

Flurry of Fun Tumbler

There’s also some new Flurry of Fun shirts in two styles, Raglan and a traditional short sleeve tee.

Flurry of Fun Shirt

If the Toy Story Land decor makes you happy there’s a shirt for you! Plus the drawings of Woody and Jessie are adorable.

Toy Story Land Flurry of Fun Shirt

Disney Trading Pin collectors, there’s a new Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM trading pin this year!

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM Trading Pin

Hollywood Studios New Entrance and Skyliner Progress Update

A new car entrance was announced for Hollywood Studios, and it opened up November 8. This was our first experience going through the new entrance, and we snapped some photos for you!

New Hollywood Studios Entrance Signs in the Resort

New Hollywood Studios Entrance Ramp

As you take the new ramp you’ll get a view of the Art of Animation resort.

New Hollywood Studios Entrance

You’ll then approach the new car entrance gates for the Park.

New Hollywood Studios Entrance

New Hollywood Studios Entrance Gates

After you pay you’ll go on an overpass that takes you into the parking lot.

Going to the Hollywood Studios Parking Lot

In the Parking Lot there’s a newly repaved area used for Handicap Parking and Golden Oak and Disney Vacation Club Pick Up.

Newly Repaved Parking Area

We’ve been watching the progress of the Skyliner Station at this park every week. Now in addition to the steady progress, we got to see Cables are threaded for the Skyliner System for the first time!

Hollywood Studios Skyliner Station Progress

Cables for the Skyliner System are Threaded

Seeing all this progress makes us even more excited for the opening of the system in the Fall of 2019!

Cables for the Skyliner System are Threaded

There is so much going on in Hollywood Studios — and even more to come this weekend as we celebrate Mickey’s 90 birthday with even more eats in all the parks! Be sure to follow us to get all the news, photos and reviews!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Check out our NEW video 25 Must Do Holiday Activities in Disney World! When you’re done – check out all of our Videos on You Tube!

youtube

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney World Fun This Holiday Season!

The DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World® Holidays 2018 is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. Order The DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World® Holidays 2018 now!

It includes over 400 pages of must-have information, including:

A full What’s New!! chapter for the 2018 Holiday Season

A full Monthly Schedule of Events for the Holiday Season

How to avoid the crowds on Disney World’s busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!)

ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM.

And of course we’ll tell you where to eat! ;-D

Order your 2018 Guide now and get 20% off with code PEPPERMINT!

As always, our e-Books are 100% guaranteed! If you don’t love it, you get your money back!

What’s New in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios: 11-4-18

NEW Eats, Merch, and Construction Updates: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

What’s New in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios: 10-19-18

from the disney food blog https://ift.tt/2DHKTaF via https://ift.tt/LNvO3e

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dillenwaeraa · 6 years ago

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SearchLove Boston 2018: The Great Big Round Up

On June 7th and 8th, we made our annual return to Boston for our east coast edition of SearchLove. This year’s conference moved to a brand new venue, the newly refurbished Revere hotel, situated in the heart of downtown Boston, just a stone throw from Boston Common. 200 attendees, 15 speakers from across the globe, an endless amount of coffee consumed, all on a single track stage.

2 days of SEO full immersion ⁦@mocainteractive⁩ ⁦@distilled⁩ #searchlove pic.twitter.com/TIRdnyq8kH

— Caterina Girbu (@Caterina_girbu) June 7, 2018

This post is a quick-fire summary of the knowledge our speakers had to share plus their slides. Their whole sessions will be available with a DistilledU membership in a couple of weeks' time. And if you enjoyed all of that you can sign up for reminders to join us next year!

Will Critchlow - ‘From the Horse’s Mouth: What We Can Learn from Google’s Own Words’

Early web spam was fine as long as it didn’t make Google look stupid by flooding the SERPs with low-quality sites. As this spiralled out of control, this forced Google to produce more complex algorithms to protect their reputation.

Adsense is one of the most underrated things Google has ever done. It incentivised the creation of a vast amount of long-tail content, but it also created the monster that eventually required Panda to fix it.

Where is Google going next? Given their recent purchases, Google is (most likely) coming for the cloud computing space.

Facebook is going through many of the learning curves that Google has already experienced, e.g. content spam/fake news.

SearchLove Boston 2018 | Will Critchlow | From the Horse’s Mouth: What We Can Learn from Google’s Own Words from Distilled

Ruth Burr Reedy - ‘Scaling JSON-LD Using Google Tag Manager’

Google doesn’t always pull knowledge panel information from your website.

Both Google and Bing have a very clear understanding of markup implemented using JSON-LD, and it is now their preferred method of implementation.

Structured data is a massive driver of voice search.

The best part about doing schema markup with JSON-LD is that you can do it with Google Tag Manager and NEVER BOTHER A DEVELOPER@ruthburr #searchlove

— Greg Gifford (@GregGifford) 7 June 2018

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Scaling Json-LD Using GTM - Ruth Burr Reedy from Distilled

Samantha Noble - ‘Beyond the Reach of Keyword Targeting: The Evolution of Paid Media’

Organic clicks are continuing to shift to paid ads.

The number of ad extensions has increased significantly, and they can be used in combination with each other improving CTR, quality score and taking up more space in the SERPs. Naming a few we now have:

site links

structured snippets

call/message

location

affiliate location

price (even if it's free you can put $0)

app

review

promotion

previous visits

seller/consumer ratings

Most search queries now contain four ads at the top of the SERP. But we are now beginning to see four ads at the foot of the SERP as well.

We should be thinking about what Google will monetise next. Google Shopping was previously free; now it is only pay to play.

79% of adults online use Facebook. The amount of data Facebook has on us is incredible and allows impressive levels of targeting.

Facebook made $40.5 billion in 2017.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Samantha Noble - Beyond the Reach of Keyword Targeting: The Evolution of Paid Media from Distilled

Ryan Charles - ‘Newsjacking: How To Add to the Story and Earn Big Links in Real Time’

Newsjacking requires agility. Can you build something and ship it within 24 hours for that story?

For newsjacking it's best to have a connection to the story, there are varying degrees of connections required to newsjack. Do you have a unique and original angle? You need this in order for it to land with the audience.

Reporters have to generate news 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, they are on the look-out for a story. HARO... Help a reporter out by adding to their story.

If you’re looking to newsjack a story, start local. If you see success, this will create a ripple effect into larger news organizations.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Ryan Charles - Newsjacking: How To Add to the Story and Earn Big Links in Real Time from Distilled

Lisa Schneider - ‘The Ecosystem Effect: How Our Social Voice Boosted Our SEO’

Merriam-Webster recognized that they were a well-loved brand with a very sleepy social presence.

They have a team of people who are passionate about words and wanted to help people understand language better.

They used their own search query data to generate interesting social content by identifying new words that were seeing spikes in search volume.

Conversations that are happening in your internal Slack channel might be the next best piece of content you produce.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Lisa Schneider - How Our Social Voice Boosted Our SEO from Distilled

Casie Gillette - ‘The Power of Data: 15 Keys to a Successful Content Strategy’

2 million blog posts are published every single day and 3 days worth of video is uploaded every minute.

Over 90% of your traffic will most likely come from less than 10% of your content. Find new and engaging ways to repurpose this content and distribute it further.

27% of search queries are questions. Make sure you are answering the questions your customers are asking. Answerthepublic.com is a great starting place to find these questions, along with Keyword Tool and BuzzSumo.

It’s not new or shiny but we still find clients with site search reporting turned off in Google Analytics. Turn on-site search reporting. It shows what customers are looking for!

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Casie Gillette - The Power of Data: 15 Keys to a Successful Content Strategy from Distilled

Bartosz Góralewicz - ‘JavaScript: Looking Past the Hype When the Dust Finally Settles’

The absolute minimum JavaScript testing you should be running is to put your site through the Google mobile-friendly test, and Google Search Console fetch and render to see how Google is handling your JavaScript.

JavaScript SEO isn’t just a geeky SEO option anymore. All SEOs need to start understanding this as it is impacting the bottom line of companies across all niches.

Indexing of modern JavaScript files continues to be a big challenge for Google.

Google is working on a new web rendering service that will most likely be rolled out in 2018. This new WRS will allow them to crawl and index JavaScript better than ever before.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Bartosz Goralewicz - JavaScript: Looking Past the Hype When the Dust Finally Settles from Distilled

Greg Gifford - ‘Zorg's Tips for Utter Domination Through Local SEO’

Any business that has a physical location or that serves a certain area needs Local SEO.

What works in one vertical or area, won’t necessarily work in yours. You need to constantly be testing.

Pay attention to the annual Local Search Ranking Factors

When creating content for Local SEO, read it out loud. It should make sense to a human and read naturally.

Citations still work. Your business needs to be listed where Google would expect it to be listed.

Respond to every single negative review. This can actually turn potentially lost customers around.

Link building sucks, but it matters. The secret is to remember to act like a business rather than an SEO. Look for opportunities:

Be involved with local meetups

Event sponsorships

Sports organization sponsorship

Work with local charities

Local newspapers

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Greg Gifford - Zorg's Tips for Utter Domination Through Local SEO from Distilled

#searchlove doodles @distilled pic.twitter.com/24xDlDL9Ys

— Madeline Krause (@Downstate_NY) June 7, 2018

David Levin - ‘Social Content Masterclass: Platform Specificity’

500 million people are watching Facebook videos every single day. Things to consider when producing content for Facebook:

Video and more video.

Consider the length of your video, use sound where suitable and make sure you offer subtitles as an alternative. Design for sound off, delight with sound on.

Be relatable.

You need to use paid. Facebook organic reach is limited so put money behind your diamond content.

Facebook offers a whole range of content options, from Facebook Live to 360 videos to canvas pages.

Video content is just as crucial on Instagram. 300 million users use stories each day.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - David Levin - Social Content Masterclass: Platform Specificity from Distilled

Emily Grossman - ‘The Marketer’s Guide to Performance Optimization

Google's Speed Update impacts rankings not indexing. It primarily hurts slow pages and does not provide a boost to fast pages.

“There's a difference between optimizing actual site speed and optimizing UX to change a user's perception of site speed.”

Use the Webpagetest, Google Lighthouse, GTmetrix and Pingdom to build a simulation of your site speed.

Gather scalable user metrics that will help identify your real pain points by using real user metrics. These can be benchmarked using mPulse, New Relic and Google Performance Observer.

Improving site speed involves getting everyone on board. That means simplifying KPIs, clarifying the importance of page performance to everyone in the organization, and tying site speed to actual $$$.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Emily Grossman - The Marketer’s Guide to Performance Optimization from Distilled

Tom Anthony - ‘Hacking Google: what you can learn from ethical vulnerability research’

Use social network login URLs to detect users' preferred social networks and if they are logged in or not. Use this information to serve custom social sharing icons or even aggressive discounts if you can see they are logged in to a competitor's site.

If you find a security flaw, Google responds pretty quickly. In fact, it took them just 11 minutes to respond to an issue with Google Search Console identified by Tom.

Google offers a bug bounty reward system to incentivise hackers and users to report issues.

Tom used a flaw in submitting XML sitemaps to have a site with no links ranking for highly competitive transactional terms in just a few days. Disclaimer: Distilled does not condone black hat, and any security flaws were reported to Google.

To protect yourself from these types of attack it is recommended to ensure you have no open redirects, have a sitemap with hreflang and media entries, and hide your sitemaps, e.g. LinkedIn.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Tom Anthony - Hacking Google: what you can learn from ethical vulnerability research from Distilled

Chris Savage - ‘The Future of Video is One to One’

The future of video is one to one. We’re already living in a world where video content is on the increase, as the cost of producing high-quality footage is on the decrease.

Video content is now being used everywhere in the funnel.

The latest product from Wista is Soapbox, which allows fast production of high-quality video.

Through mobile phones and apps such as SnapChat and Instagram, ordinary people are now producing video content every single day.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Chris Savage - The Future of Video is One to One from Distilled

Justine Jordan - ‘The State of Email: Insights from 3,000 Marketers’

As email marketers, we need to find a balance between our needs and our customer's needs.

57% of humans report spam because they are sent irrelevant emails or too many emails. 43% unsubscribe because the email didn’t work on their mobile device.

Your email is the invitation to the party. Make sure your landing page is the party! It isn’t enough to just get users opening your email.

To prevent screen-readers reading out your tabled data, add to the table element role=”presentation”.

Make emails easy to unsubscribe from to prevent users adding you to their spam folder.

Don’t trick users with misleading email subject lines.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Justine Jordan - The State of Email: Insights from 3,000 Marketers von Distilled

Dewi Nawasari - ‘Optimizing when Google is your competitor.’

Google currently holds more than 80% of total search engine share.

Google has over 70 products just for consumers.

Google conducts their own form of keyword research to decide which vertical to create unique search results for. Recent examples include flights, hotels, things to do and jobs.

As a result, Google takes anywhere between 25-70% of the traffic for any of these unique verticals.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Dewi Nawasari - Optimizing When Google is Your Competitor from Distilled

Jes Scholz - ‘Looking Beyond Keywords: From Visual Search to New Realities’

74% of consumers say keyword-based searches are not helping them find the products they want.

Optimize the quality of your images for image search.

Visitors are 2x more likely to convert if you have user-generated content on your site.

Augmented reality presents users with the opportunity to try products before they buy.

SearchLove Boston 2018 - Jes Scholz - Looking Beyond Keywords: From Visual Search To New Realities from Distilled

Day 2 is a wrap! @distilled #searchlove pic.twitter.com/hQCWfA6m3K

— Madeline Krause (@Downstate_NY) June 8, 2018

Images from SearchLove Boston 2018

Further Write-ups

If you want to read more about SearchLove Boston, you should head over to KoMarketing and check out their write up of SearchLove Boston 2018.

from Marketing https://www.distilled.net/resources/searchlove-boston-2018-the-great-big-round-up/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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heavenwheel · 6 years ago