#there too much gossip and hearsay on the internet

[portgas-d-rouge]

I've been following you on Twitter and you're really cool but I'm really concerned if you're normal or not. You have proship dni in bio, but you follow proshippers like lawlu and even acesabo and I know you used to follow a coralaw shipper. You keep interacting with lawlu and mipero shippers and are friends with proshippers' friends, too. Also your account is 16+ but you're following a 15yo kid. I'm worried if you're really okay to keep following or one of the weirdos that pretends to be normal.

hmm im really looking to stay out of any fights or drama buuuuuut ultimately i think its important for everyone to make informed decisions abt their own safety so ill just give a quick rundown of what im about 👍🏻

first of all... what 15 year old am i following?! i assure you its not on purpose.

second, ultimately i think "anti/proship" is kind of reductive discourse. i like psychosexual horror and toxic relationships and self shipping. and i dont think everyone who enjoys exploring dark topics is an abuse apologist. i do think sometimes people can be reactive and overcorrect with those things. there are plenty of grey areas!!

HOWEVER anyone who actively identifies as "proship", or believes strongly enough to start debating people about how "fiction doesnt affect reality" and has no bearing on rape/abuse culture is a fucking idiot. i especially cant stand anything shipping characters with their childhood caretakers or incest. which is what im trying to weed out w/ the DNI. ill always have more sympathy for "antis" even if i dont always agree with them.

that being said, theres certain things that personally ick me out that I don't find morally reprehensible/block worthy. i would never post or encourage la/wlu or mihawk/perona - the age gaps are gross to me - but i also don't think theyre really that bad. not nearly on the same level as something like coralaw or shanksluffy. like, peronas fully an adult and luffy only really gets to know law when hes 19 already. but i can promise id never retweet or reblog anything with those ships.

in general i try to give people the benefit of the doubt and don't hold people responsible for who they interact with (within reason). people are not necessarily friends with everyone they follow. people often use twitter much more casually.

im also like, a person, with a full time job, and i dont always extensively comb through someones twitter. sometimes i follow someone i think draws normal cora + law or asl brothers and i get jumpscared by nasty shit and it is! very unpleasent for me!

i care a lot about abuse/rape culture and how we as individuals are still complicit in it and can combat it, and I apply feminist analysis to all types of media - even fanworks. i was legit traumatized by 2010s fandom, and saw a lot of people get hurt and abused by fandom adults, so I know the effects of this "anything goes" mentality can have on people! i wish we could have these discussions without getting defensive and hostile and accusing nervous teenagers of being evangelical zealots (🙄) because theyre trying to protect themselves

if anything i said is something youre not comfortable with, then thats fair and block me if you need to. i encourage anyone, especially younger people, to enforce their own boundaries as they see fit. 👍🏻

[karlie-what-you-want]

Hi bestie, loved your last post about the hypocrisy behind defending Joe versus Karlie. Are you a Kaylor historian? 🤭 Or do you know someone who is? Does anyone have sourced reasoning tied to why people turned on Karlie? Or was it all purely based in rumors and hearsay? I just don’t know the history that well surrounding what caused the (supposed) rift (both them drifting apart publicly and anything that’s as said). Just the general fallout.

Calling on all Kaylor experts too!!

I just have always been curious because it feels like people always say she betrayed Taylor by telling Scotter personal details but is there any “proof” or “evidence” people use to base those claims in? Thanks!!

- ❣️ curious Kaylor/gaylor who doesn’t believe Karlie is the villain some fans make her out to be

Hi lovely anon! Thanks for the support 🥰

I am far from a historian, but I have enjoyed studying up on this myself. I’ll give it my best, and if I miss any important details, everyone else is welcome to chime in as well! We’ve got a great community around here with lots of knowledge. (If anyone has links to the many Tumblr posts documenting the below in more detail, please share! I know we’ve got so much of their timeline mapped out with photos and evidence. This is just my overview, as I’m currently in the office working.)

In short, the rumors were largely unfounded.

To fully get the context of the “rift” between them, I think it’s important to note that their public friendship which had once been very loud and affectionate dimmed significantly after they were caught on video kissing at the 1975 concert in December of 2014 (kissgate). People were already speculating that they were no longer friends anymore, but they were still occasionally seen together, and Karlie maintained in an interview that she and Taylor were still very close.

I think that background is important, as it had Swifties on high alert and ended up setting the scene for what happened next.

Come the masters heist just as Lover era kicked off, Perez Hilton posted a gossip tweet alleging that Karlie might have shared information with Scooter. This was a baseless claim which came only from the fact that she was contracted with Scooter as her manager at the time and thus was seen at gatherings where he was present. It’s worth noting that as soon as her contract with Scooter was up, Karlie ended that business relationship and found new management.

Swifties, however, ran with that narrative. From one gossip column whose author is known to create drama, rather than reporting news. This was not at all like with Taylor and Joe’s “breakup” news, which was reported by reputable magazines and publications that Taylor has always had positive relationships with.

The only proof these Swifties have of these rumors comes in the form of Ashley Avignone and Claire Winter, two friends of Taylor, “liking” Perez’s tweets regarding this. Those likes are gone now, though, and the tweets wiped from the internet (though their legacy unfortunately has lived on and mutated into something vile). I think it’s very interesting and important that the tweets are gone, because one has to wonder why. Who had it removed? What happened to those “likes?”

Meanwhile, Karlie has always denied any claims that they fell out, and she famously tweeted “I will not allow the media to misconstrue my words. Taylor has always had my back, and I will always have hers.”

That tweet is still there. Taylor did not have that one wiped from the internet.

And, as Taylor Swifts friends and family are quickly jumping ship and unfollowing Joe on social media (Austin, Ryan Reynolds, and the Haim sisters all did in the last day), many of Taylor’s closest friends continue to publicly support Karlie (including Ryan, Haim, and Selena Gomez, who is supposed to be Tay’s best friend). Even Abigail (Taylor’s childhood bestie) still follows Karlie, which I think is the most telling thing of all. If these people would all be moved to unfollow Joe because of an allegedly amicable breakup, it would make even more sense for them to unfollow Karlie and keep as much distance as possible—if there really had been this big, world-ending betrayal, that is.

But there was no betrayal. Just one—ONE—rumor started by one man, and an entire misogynistic generation that went on a witch-hunt to make Karlie as miserable as possible. To this day, people harass Karlie over it, and she remains polite and strong.

The treatment of Karlie has always bothered me, but it stands out even more now as I see the same Swifties jump to Joe’s defense over far less egregious claims (with far more evidence of truth to them).

Again, if anyone has links to outlines of kissgate, early lover era (or even how it appeared Taylor was about to come out at that time), or anything else I’ve mentioned here, please share! I know there are so many resources here on our little hellsite, but as I’m working right now, I don’t have time to dig for them.

Anon, I hope this was helpful and enlightening! There is so much history and context here that it can be kind of like opening a hot oven door and getting blasted with the heat 😅 but I encourage you to take your time and explore what the Kaylor community has to offer here on tumblr, because there is so much right at your fingertips.

Thanks for reaching out!

[heavymetalchemist]

I do think that the significant thing about Jin Guangyao's downfall is that it was orchestrated specifically to completely ruin his reputation.

Nie Huaisang is very much a background character in the first life, he doesn't actually go out to participate in the sunshot campaign, he's always behind his Da-ge. But he knew Wei Wuxian in the Cloud Recesses, they very much had been friends, and he was friends with Jiang Cheng, too.

Surely he saw how WWX's reputation was shredded. Even if he was no longer close to JC, he (at least in CQL) was there when JC defended WWX to JGS and said he'd take care of it. We know that despite his struggles as a student, NHS is not stupid, not at all.

The difference is that a lot of the rumors about WWX weren't true, and all/most of the stuff uncovered about JGY was true (I think there's some crimes that are a little unclear, like if he really actually killed his own son or just kind of... let someone else kill him because wasn't that assassin rather convenient). But MDZS has a major theme on hearsay and reputation, how important it is and how easily it can be distorted, how the mob is so ready to jump on the next hot juicy gossip and ostracize The Bad Person, Who Is To Blame (not that any of us experience that with modern internet culture, right?)

So it's a deliberate point that NHS went for the complete destruction. He burned JGY's reputation and salted the earth, he made it so that going forward anything good that JGY did would definitely be overshadowed by his many crimes. And there were crimes! There were! But it matters to the narrative that NHS did not only get him for what he did to NMJ. N went digging for more dirt to ensure he destroyed JGY.

Now, you could argue that NHS was also getting justice for the rest of the people affected by JGY's crimes, exposing all the things he'd done. And I hope that post-canon Sisi and Bicao get some peace - at least they're no longer locked up. I hope that any of the friends of the cultivators who were murdered for what they allegedly did to Jin Rusong finally know what happened and that their friends were not murderers. It is, of course, too late for poor Qin Su.

But I don't think NHS did it for them. I think he did it because of the way that what JGY did destroyed NHS's relationship with his brother before killing him, and for that he'd burn the whole world to the ground, even if NMJ wouldn't condone it.

[bealusith]

no preconception

tenth (!) in a series of missing scenes [ao3 link].

in which Isi and Sascha take a night bus home.

[Dec. 25] Saturday 02:23

They were waiting for the night bus. Isi didn’t know when it was supposed to come. When Sascha sat down after examining the timetable, Isi simply sat down next to him and contorted himself until it was physically possible for him to rest his head against Sascha’s arm. But why himself? It was the first word that came to mind. Herself, themself. None of these was more correct than the other. Isi couldn’t get over it: this was allowed. He, she, they, everything was allowed.

They yawned. “I had so much fun.”

“I saw,” Sascha said, smug.

They’d barely had any time together: Sascha at the DJ booth, Isi on the dancefloor, too self-conscious to come over more than two or three times, with nothing much to say but ask Sascha if he was getting a break anytime soon. When Sascha had his half hour off, he showed Isi around, introducing her to every person they met, until everyone at the party knew that their DJ had a very quiet, very star-struck friend. Strangers told Isi that she was looking great, but it felt as if they wanted to tell her that they saw what she was doing, and that it was good. Isi had thought that it was only Lou who saw it. Before Lou, nobody else got him. He did look great, and because he did, others didn’t have to get it. They wanted to have whatever he had, without knowing what it was. As the night went on, Isi realized that she might have been less unknowable than she had imagined. Every person in the room had a name-tag like hers, but whatever they had written on it, it meant a different thing to everyone. Everyone had a secret they didn’t know how to tell. But everyone in the room knew that there was a secret to be known, not in words, but in keeping others company.

After Sascha’s break was over, he and Isi didn’t talk until the very last hour of the night, when the remaining dozen people were mostly sitting on the floor, chatting and playing seventies disco from their phones. Somehow, everybody knew every song. Almost all of them were students, with common gossip, common course readings and Twitter threads. A few of them, when they noticed Isi listening in, made an effort to include her, but she didn’t get a large part of their rambling explanations, interrupted by unpredictable tangents, singing, drinking, and laughter when another person in the group said something too funny to ignore. Isi felt like a new arrival in a foreign country, with nothing but hearsay and Google Translator to guide them. They’d never considered going to a group like that, not before Sascha had mentioned it. It felt too earnest. Just because Isi got a few dresses on the Internet, it didn’t mean that he wanted to sit in a circle, hold hands with strangers and sing kumbaya. Consti would never let him live it down, which was a reason enough to never go. By the time Sascha’d joined, Isi felt that it was too late. He couldn’t go to his first meeting at almost eighteen and tell everyone that he had no idea who he was. He’d die of embarrassment. Now, safe on the couch next to Sascha, listening to the conversation loosely unfolding around them, Isi was surprised by the distance they saw extending between themself, and the person they were remembering.

They had to clean up before they left. Sascha was cleaning up with others – unplugging and rolling the cables, careful with the tiny lightbulbs – while Isi stood with empty hands, asking if there was anything she should do, or take, or carry somewhere, or, or, or. Sascha told him that he was a guest. “But I’m not,” they’d said. A guest wasn’t what they wanted to be. “Okay,” Sascha replied, directing them back towards the couch. “But you are falling asleep.” Isi wanted to help. “I know,” Sascha said. “I will ask you to do everything next time. Promise.” Isi would mind being made fun of so blatantly if Sascha wasn’t also looking at them as if he still couldn’t believe that they’d came and been there with Sascha for the last four hours. Isi knew how it felt: when she took it all in, she was so glad she couldn’t speak. They both paused, the cable half-rolled in Sascha’s hands. With every passing second, Isi discovered that he could be happier than he believed possible a second earlier. It was almost too much. Isi knew, waiting at the bus stop with her head against Sascha’s arm, that the feeling was still there, like a bottomless pool which she was crossing on a tightrope. If she didn’t focus, she’d slip and fall in.

“Isi.” Sascha moved, jolting Isi out of it. “Isi, the bus.”

After the generous darkness of the deserted streets, getting on the glaringly bright bus was as unpleasant as German border control. A group of drunk tourists hooted when Isi and Sascha boarded, as if the fact that they were all on a bus together at two in the morning made them natural friends. Isi and Sascha passed the party-goers, the unconscious drunks, and the single miserable woman dressed for work. They sat right next to the last door.

Isi stuffed his hands inside his pockets and took out the name-tag. She turned it around in her fingers. Sascha shifted in the seat next to her when he’d noticed. Isi considered the men and women on the bus, the men with the women, and the men together, and looked back at the piece of paper in her hands. The glitter was getting on her fingers.

“Do you mind?” They weren’t looking at Sascha.

“What do you mean?”

“If it’s not just for tonight.”

Isi stopped playing with the card and looked at it, properly. It had felt good when he’d done it, and when Sascha had seen it. It felt as if Isi had finally figured out how to give him something real. Himself, herself, themself. She’d finally had a grasp on it. It was terrifying, but she was doing it – and Sascha had understood her, this. But now that the party was over and Isi was on this bus, all she could think was, God, what a mess. They tried to hold on to the certainty they’d felt with the group, but it was dissipating. The people outside the centre would see Isi as childish, indecisive, an attention-seeking emotionally immature drama queen. It was okay to dress up to go out, but in real life there were rules: suck it up and grow up.

“Why would I mind,” Sascha said. He was upset that Isi had asked. Isi wished that they could let it go and stop ruining the mood, but they didn’t know how.

“Because.” They looked at Sascha helplessly. Wasn’t it going to be exhausting? For Sascha, too? Sascha could pretend that it didn’t matter, but it did. “It’s more than what you’ve signed up for.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

Before Isi had the chance to argue, Sascha took his hand, and the name-tag with it. “Are you happy,” he asked, very seriously.

“I –“ Isi looked around to see if anyone was watching them, but then she focused on the sensation of having their hand held by Sascha. They took a deep breath. “I am,” they said, steadier. “But it’s going to be hard, and…” Stop, they told themself. Go back. “But I am happy.”

“Then that’s all I want.”

Sascha let go of her hand and settled back into seat, but Isi was still looking at him. The bus, and the drunks and the hooting tourists receded, and Isi was aware again of the pool opening up under the very thin tightrope. Any second now, it would become too much, and they would fall in. It was the same feeling, they realized, as the one he had the day Sascha painted his nails. She’d begun to recognise it as wanting to kiss him. She waited for Sascha to see it.

Then, he did. They didn’t – they were on a bus and it had been only a few hours – but Isi knew that they were both seeing it, and that they both knew what it meant.

[penguiduck]

Writing Fight Scenes

I’ve had a lot of readers mention that they don’t feel comfortable with fight scenes.  Well, that’s understandable. It’s challenging writing about experiences you’ve never had.  But with some perspective and practice, you can most certainly work toward writing those fast-paced, heart-pounding scenes with ease.

To give you some background, I practiced competitive martial arts for six years.  I competed in tournaments and trained hard to perform well in the ring. It was a contact sport, and even if I wasn’t sparring, training often left me with bruises, usually of the physical nature, sometimes of the emotional persuasion.

This experience gave me a lot of perspective when it comes to writing fight scenes.

Whenever I step into the ring, I have a flexible strategy in mind that combines what I know about myself, my opponent, and what I’m going to learn about them in the next two minutes.  I’d like to share some of these thoughts and perspectives with you, and how your character may think before and during a match of their own. Of course, my fighting experience is limited to a contact sport.  Your story may very well be far more violent with higher stakes, but strategies may be of similar foundation. Once you take a fight into deeper consideration, aside from the depiction of two fighters merely exchanging blows, you can begin to enrich your writing experience.

I’m including examples from Yu Yu Hakusho because that’s the fandom I write the most for, and as you know, there’s a lot of fighting involved!  But remember — anime and writing are two completely different mediums. There's no one narrating everything that our beloved characters are doing on screen. You just see it. That is why you, as a writer, must paint those scenes through words for your readers.

Nevertheless, this advice really stands for any sort of writing, so do with this information what you will.

A well-written fight scene is never about just trading blows.  There are other conflicts at play, whether between the fighters or even in the heads of your protagonists.

Allow me to elaborate:

1. Who is your protagonist?

Whenever I am preparing for a sparring match, the first thing I worry about is me. I must be self-aware. 

I think about my own fitness.  How am I doing? Do I have any existing injuries or ailments?  How is my weight? My body type? What are my strengths and weaknesses?  What do I have in my toolbox? What techniques do I know? What techniques am I most versed and confident in?  

I also think about my overall wellness. Have I been eating well?  Drinking water? Sleeping? How is my emotional state of mind? What are the stakes?

Is my uniform clean and pressed?  What about my equipment? Headgear?  Mouth guard? Shin guard? Did I replace that torn lace?

I recommend using these questions to bring your character’s own reflection to the forefront in whatever way makes most sense for them.  How is your character’s fitness? Is she in good fighting condition? Has she been injured previously? What has happened since the last fight that might impact her state of mind? 

It’s possible that she’s recovering from an illness or injury.  Perhaps her mentor died a gruesome death. Maybe she’s frustrated because she lost use of her right hand, temporarily or permanently, and has had to compensate with her non-dominant hand.  Or perhaps she’s lost the will to fight, having experienced something traumatic.

Hiei had to constantly think about his own state of health throughout the Dark Tournament after his fight with Zeru.  His arm had been sacrificed to his Dragon of the Darkness Flame, rendered useless, and he was in terrible pain. He never let it impact him, of course, being the stoic warrior he is.  His personality allows for little inner dialogue to be shared with the audience, but as a fighter, he was most certainly considering what options he had with his handicap. And, as a writer, perhaps you would like to elaborate on his thoughts for your readers.

What has your character been practicing lately?  Is her weapon of choice the same? Has it been upgraded?  Has she been training with a different weapon or technique?  Is she perhaps nervous about using something new?

Maybe she just repaired her sword, and she’s unsure if it’s as strong as it was before.  Perhaps she’s been studying a new technique, and she knows she’ll need to use it in this battle.  

Remember when Kuwabara first introduced his spirit sword in Maze Castle?  He was so proud of himself, and that whole battle was an introduction to his newfound technique, how he manipulated his sword, and how he was able to harness his spirit energy.  It’s far more interesting to see this development and exploration than to just watch him stab at Byakko a dozen times.

My point is that while your character probably should keep her emotions out of the ring, she may not be able to.  There are so many things that could be on her mind, plaguing her thoughts, especially if there’s a lot riding on this battle.  I think it’s really important to not only acknowledge the physical part of fighting but the emotional toll it can take a fighter, too.

Think about the fight between Yusuke and Toguro.  Toguro had just killed Genkai, and Yusuke took that very personally.  This was not a simple battle of strength or wits. This was a battle of emotions, and it wasn’t until Yusuke was able to master his feelings and reach beyond that “six foot wall of crap” as Genkai so affectionately calls it that he was able to finally defeat Toguro.

And the catharsis that came from defeating Toguro? It was made all the more powerful because Yusuke went through that emotional journey. It wasnʼt just a fight — it was a calling, a purpose, and a lesson.  It was painful and potent, and it made him realize just how much these experiences shaped him as a person.

2. Who is the opponent? 

Before I participate in a tournament, I do my research.  Who is likely to be competing? Who is in my weight class?  What do I know about these competitors? If I don’t have answers, I would find them.  I’d chat with my instructor, my fellow martial artists. Has anyone else from my school fought these people before?  What were they like? Are there videos online of their performance?  

I find as much information as possible. I make calls, send texts, take people out to lunch, scour the internet for information.  Even if your character lives in a less technologically dependent world, I would imagine that he might talk with friends, look through old records, listen to gossip and hearsay.  He might watch battles leading up to his own fight in an effort to learn more.

And if this pre-work isn’t possible, that’s okay.  Fights in your story may be entirely unpredictable, but your character can also learn things about his opponent during the match.  

When I step into the ring and ready myself to compete, one of the first things I want to find out is on which side my opponent is dominant.  In other words, are they right-handed? Or left-handed? Right-footed? Or left-footed? Maybe they only focus on one side during training (which is silly, but that’s another conversation).  But there could be an underlying reason why as well. Perhaps they injured themselves in the previous round or maybe they just don’t like exposing one particular side of their body for whatever reason.

This information is critical because this tells me what I need to watch out for, which side of my own body I should be guarding, how I may penetrate my opponent’s defenses.  How can I catch them when they least suspect it? Where can I knock them off balance? My instructor always told me to watch the shoulders — shoulders move before the rest of the body.  You can tell what your opponent is about to do by watching their shoulders.

Your character may wish to discover the same thing.  Maybe his opponent uses a two-handed sword and is very clearly right-handed.  This may give him some information on where his blind spot is — or maybe he just needs to disable his opponent’s right arm.  The possibilities are endless, and understanding his opponent will give him leverage, offering him many options.

Understanding an opponent’s technique is also important.  In martial arts, practitioners often favor a strategy or skill.  This seems obvious, but it’s vital that you understand what it is — only then you can combat it.  

Consider Kurama’s matches with Gama and Toya during the events of the Dark Tournament.  The English dub did a wonderful job voicing Kurama’s inner conflict during these fights, struggling with first his inability to move and then his imprisoned spirit energy — if you were to put these scenes into writing, explaining his thought process would be fascinating.  How does Kurama overcome these obstacles? He seeks to understand his opponents before he defeats them, which, unfortunately, also means he risks injury to himself until then.

Your character’s thoughts about the fight, interpreting for your audience what he feels he might need to do to secure victory, is just as important as detailing the fight itself.

3. What about the writing?

The writing will come once you begin to dissect your characters and their motivations for fighting.  Your characters aren’t one-dimensional, or, at least, they shouldn’t be!  

Your fight scenes shouldn’t be, either.  It’s not about two fighters trading blows. It’s about an artfully curated dance.  Two opponents are engaged in a craft that they both know well, and whether they’re fighting to win a tournament or for their very lives, they have reasons and complex thought processes that should make their fight interesting.  

There are two players here, and unless the fight is grossly one-sided, they’re both thinking and acting independently of one another.  My advice is to thread their actions and consequences together — weave the fight scene as if it’s a stream of conscious thought, separated into paragraphs, each with a shift in perspective, for clarity.  

Instead of writing:

Yusuke charged at Kuwabara and punched him in the face.  Kuwabara punched him in the mouth. Yusuke then kicked him in the stomach.

Try this:

Yusuke had little patience for Kuwabara’s bad jokes, and he rushed toward him, landing a blow square in the side of his head.

Kuwabara flew backward with a grunt, stabilizing himself before launching himself at Yusuke, returning the favor.  His fist collided with Yusuke’s jaw, a blow hard enough to knock the teeth out of any regular human.

Yusuke expected him to retaliate, and although he was nearly knocked off balance, he swung his leg around, making full contact with Kuwabara’s stomach.

You may also find it useful to deviate from the fighting itself.  You can speak to a character’s inner dialogue or thoughts, whether about the fight or something else.  You may choose to have them begin a brief conversation. Or you may describe what other characters are feeling about the fight as onlookers.

There are many ways to make these fight scenes seamless and interesting — take some time to explore your options!

Just a few more general tips that might help:

If you’re going to use a thesaurus, be mindful about it. I use a thesaurus when I write because I suffer all day, every day from tip-the-tongue syndrome.  But words, even if they generally fit the same definition, can have vastly different connotations, so before selecting a word from the thesaurus, do some digging.  Look at the exact definition and perhaps Google some common usage. Punch, slap, and stroke do not mean the same thing, even if a thesaurus might say otherwise.

Read your writing out loud.  If you’re unsure, this is the best way to understand your cadence, the flow of the battle.  Use your best Morgan Freeman or Jorge the Ogre voice.

Consider a beta reader.  Sometimes having a second opinion is immensely helpful.

Remember that there are no strict writing rules.  You write whatever your heart desires in whatever manner your heart desires.  Experiment and explore with different styles and techniques to find whatever works for you.

I hope you find this information useful!  Please feel free to suggestion additional blog posts you would like to see from me in the future.  ^_^  Of course, please reblog this if you found it helpful!

Pictures are, of course, not mine.  They are shots from the anime or other official derivatives.

[anotheronechicagobog]

Enemies to Lovers Noah Sexton x dawson!reader

requested by: @bitweird1​

written by: @anotheronechicagobog​

Warnings: swearing, mature themes, child neglect, slightly Dawson bashing but they really just didn’t know, canon compliant threats

You had spent your entire life struggling and working your ass off. No social life, extracurriculars for the sole purpose of applying to universities, and spending the majority of your life studying because according to your dad at least one Dawson had to become a doctor and your older siblings had decided that it wouldn’t be them, leaving you to do nothing but prepare for the future that had been hand-picked by the man you felt abandoned you. And then Noah fucking Sexton just waltzes in having put in half the effort and riding the coattails of his much more intelligent sister who gave up a career as a doctor because of sexism. He spent far too much of his time flirting with everything that had boobs and a pulse. You didn’t like him because he took nothing seriously and didn’t have a responsible bone in his body, and he hated you because you were incredibly uptight and didn’t have a sense of humour.

“Maybe you’d have more friends here if you didn’t have a stick shoved up your ass.”

“I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to become a doctor.”

Everyone was getting really sick of your fighting, so they banded together and made things worse. They had badgered you until Doris had enough and dragged you to Molly’s. You refused to drink or eat anything, resulting in more snide remarks between you and Noah. Just when everyone was developing a migraine before they were anywhere even close to drunk your parents burst through the door and marched over to you. And suddenly, everyone in the bar, including your siblings, were subjected to and twenty-minute rant from your parents about how you should be grateful they pushed you towards medical school and all the activities that got you scholarships, that they didn’t abandon you, and that they clothed and fed you because a third child cost so much money, how you never took anything seriously and were always joking around, and how you were a disgrace to the family. Once they finished, your dad dragged you out by your arm, your mom followed muttering about why couldn’t you be more like Gabby and Antonio.

You walked into the ED the next day as robotic as ever. The pitiful and awkward stares were ignored with ease, it was something you were quite used to if you were honest. Your parents were always scrutinized by your teachers and DCFS. At the end of the day, though, they weren’t abusive enough for any charges or housing changes to be set. They weren’t like that with Gabby and Antonio, who had mostly moved out by the time you were in kindergarden, you were their last chance to help them prove to their family that they didn’t fail as parents. And they made sure you knew it.

“Dr. Dawson, you’ve got a patient in treatment one. Also, uh, are you okay? I feel pretty bad about last night.”

“Oh, don’t worry about anything. I’m fine, and my parents were right I should’ve been studying. It was a poor decision on my part not to. I’m gonna get to this patient, but you really don’t need to feel bad, okay?”

She nodded absently as you turned your back to her. ”Hi, I'm Dr. Dawson, can you tell me what brought you in today?”

---------------------------------

Your patient had just gone up to the OR to have a blood clot removed and you made your way to the doctor’s lounge, followed by Noah Sexton. ”Hey, Y/N, are you-”

”Yes, Noah, I am okay. Yes, I'm sure. I am fine, I am always fine.”

”From my experience when people say they're fine they're usually not.”

”Noah, I am okay.”

“I don’t believe you.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few weeks were a maze of pitiful stares, hushed concerned words, and a silent Noah. All of it was completely unnerving. It all came to a head when Dr. Charles approached in the ED you about starting therapy with him, talking continuously about all the points ‘brought to his attention’, not even giving you the time to tell him the majority were false. “Excuse me?” 

Your stomach coiled in anger at his words. Not only were you more than capable of doing your job, but you already had a therapist. With basket case parents like yours, it was blatantly obvious that therapy was required. But the audacity of your co-workers to gossip so much that it came to the point over half the points Charles brought up were complete BS was astounding. Not only that, but he’d apparently spent the last few days internet stalking you to try and find some of your demons. “Dr. Charles, do you consider me a danger or liability to any of the patients or doctors at this hospital because of my relationship with my parents?”

“No, you actually seem to be well balanced mentally.”

“Then what, on earth, made you think it was appropriate to go around behind my back asking everyone at the hospital their opinion about me and what happened at Molly’s, or stalk me online to try and get a read on me, and then ask me blatantly at work, in the middle of the shift, in front of all my co-workers and superiors? What made you think it was okay to loudly bombard me with rumours and hearsay while I’m working?”

“Well, I thought that since it’s my job to check on all the ED docs, I’d check on you.”

“... You’re joking, right? I am the only person in this department who goes to therapy. Don’t kid yourself, you don’t check on anyone here. You judge them and make sure they know it. And quite honestly, you don’t have the best reputation for looking out for the mental and emotional state of your colleagues. This confrontation was not only completely inappropriate, but rude, obnoxious, presumptuous, riddled with unchecked errors, and unprofessional.”

“That’s not how I would word it.”

“It’s how I see it, and how I’ll word it with HR.”

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No one was pitying you anymore, not since the tongue lashing you gave Dr. Charles, who was on very thin ice with the hospital. While bringing up Robin and Sarah may have been a bit of a low blow, it exposed some issues with Dr. Charles that needed to be addressed. The only person who acted as if you were made of glass was Noah Sexton. While he had been a bit of a pain in the ass, this was worse. He was being sickeningly nice to you and it was getting on your last nerve. Yes, your parents were abusive. Yes, you had a messed up and traumatic childhood. But did that limit your abilities? No. Did that make you mentally unstable requiring therapy and fragility from your coworkers? Absolutely not.

He came in with coffee exactly the way you liked it, again. With a muffin, again. “You have to stop.”

“Stop what, Y/N?”

“Stop acting weird. You don’t like me, you hate me, actually. The only reason you’re being nice to me is because my parents resent my existence. I do not need or want your pity. So stop treating me like a china doll, and start treating me like your coworker.”

“Okay, okay, I uh... I’m sorry. I just, I feel guilty, okay? I gave you such a hard time for being so frigid and then when your parents showed up at Molly’s and started screaming at you for existing and having a life of your own, it just all made sense. And I gave you shit and trouble for coping with your crazy-ass parents. And then Dr. Charles came by to talk to you and I just felt even worse because even though I didn’t tell him anything, it was our fighting that put the spotlight on you in the first place. You shouldn’t have had your dirty laundry aired to the entire hospital, that’s happened to me a few times and it’s horrible, and I feel bad because I know that I was a contributing factor to all the shit you’ve had to deal with at work.”

“I get where you’re coming from, but let’s be real, everything would’ve turned out exactly the same way if you weren’t involved. The gossip mill runs strong at Gaffney.”

“Yeah, it does. I still feel bad.”

“Well, you’re forgiven then. So you can stop treading delicately, buying me coffee, and being creepily nice to me.”

“I am not being ‘creepily nice’! And how can being nice be creepy anyway?”

“Yesterday you followed me around offering to help me take my gloves on and off constantly, to the point where a patient who came in for falling out of the ceiling above the women’s changeroom said ‘that’s just weird’.”

“... Okay. I’ll stop. But I gotta be honest, I don’t think I can go back to arguing with you all the time.”

“That’s fine, just stop acting so weird that a couple I caught having kinky sex after an STD swab said ‘that made us really uncomfortable’.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice. Seriously, you didn’t have to tell me twice.”

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SIX MONTHS LATER

You and Noah had actually managed to become good friends and roommates. Shortly after he started acting like a normal person around you, not an instigator or a psycho, you found yourself enjoying his company. And yesterday, when you’d come home to find your room completely torn apart by your mother because your father had tried to frame you for using weed, you were done. Most of what you owned had been destroyed in your mother’s search, which sucked, but it made packing up all your stuff into your car much easier.

So far you’d ignored 43 texts, 12 calls, two visits from Gabby when she brought in a patient, and one visit from Antonio who didn’t even bother trying to lie to you. He also threatened to impound your car, you threatened to tell Voight about the time he and Lindsay got drunk and hooked up. It didn’t even matter that she was in New York now, Voight wouldn’t even blink before bludgeoning him down. He swore at you, “how could you break mami’s heart like this?”, and “can’t you just behave and do what you’re told for once?”

You looked him dead in the eyes, heart beating erratically at you older brother supporting your parents belittling and abusing you, “You sound like dad Antonio.”, watched his face fall, and left. Noah stopped him when he went to follow you. “You good?”

“Uh, not really. I don’t have a place to go tonight.”

“Did your mom kick you out?”

“No, I left. I can’t do it anymore. I break out in hives whenever I even think about my mother now. I just can’t go back.”

“Well, you don’t have to. I have been looking for a roommate, we can move you into my place after shift.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Now come on, it’s prank week. Stohl pissed off Manning last week and she’s been planning revenge ever since, you do not want to miss this.”

And you didn’t. You entered the ED to find one of the most hated doctors in med spitting out Gatorade. “WHaT thE heLL?! That was sooo-ughghghg-” he couldn’t even finish his sentence before running to the doctor’s lounge to throw up in the bathroom. To Natalie’s credit, she didn’t crack a smile or react at all as she gracefully stepped over the spilled orange Gatorade. She briefly reminded you of a fae, graceful, beautiful, and cunning as all hell. You made a mental note never to cross her. Later at lunch, Natalie opened her sushi container, slightly deconstructed each piece, loaded all the pieces up with wasabi, reconstructed them, and popped one in her mouth. Everyone sitting near her had their eyes flash in recognition. Stohl had a habit of stealing other people’s food, and no matter how many times anyone told him to stop, they were just bullied into compliance. As a result, everyone had to dictate their food choices around his palette. Which meant no spicy food. Something that sucked for nearly everyone because hot food was a favourite for most people in the ED. But Manning wasn’t taking his shit. Not today. Something that worried everyone sitting around her because she would get in trouble for eating her own food how she liked it. It wasn’t until one of the HR workers, Holly, sat down beside Natalie and engaged in conversation that everyone realized the full scope of her plans. Stohl plopped down beside you and stole half of your sandwich right out of your hand. Ranting and raving, insulting everyone, stealing food, he made his way all around the circular cafeteria table until he got to Nat. He scooped up to pieces and threw them in his mouth just after he finished the words ‘insolent underlings’. Everyone held their breath as they watched his pale face redden exponentially. His eyes widened. And then he screamed. 

He yelled, he swore. “I’m going to report you to HR! You tried to poison me!”

“You stole food from everyone, something inappropriate, unethical, and unprofessional. You stole her food. That she made spicy to her tastes. She didn’t try to poison you.”

“And just who the fuck do you think you are?!”

“Holly Scott, from HR.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You and Noah were doing great, as roommates and as friends. “Hey, do you have any plans for dinner tonight? My parents invited me over for dinner and they asked me to extend an invite to you. It’s nothing major, they wanted to meet my previous roommates, too. Make sure you’re not a hooligan.”

“Okay, sounds fun. What should I bring?”

“Yourself...?”

“It’s rude to show up at someone else’s home without a gift.”

“You don’t need to bring my parents a gift.”

“Oh, I’m bringing a gift. I’m just asking you for some input.”

“Okay, well they really like wheelie shoes-”

“Ha, oh my god, I meant for what your parents would like, not you. And want wheelie shoes? Those have been out for a while, Noah.”

“Hey, do not laugh at me! They are just a very effective and fun way to get around.”

“Would you like them to light up too?”

“... Is that an option?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You knocked on the door while Noah rolled his eyes at you. “I grew up here!”

“Well you don’t live here anymore and it’s rude to just barge into someone’s home and act like you own the place.”

“Oh, you must be Y/N! I wasn’t expecting anyone to knock, usually, Noah just barges in and acts like he owns the place. Come in, come in. It’s freezing outside.” You gave Noah a side-eyed smirk as you took off your coat, while he looked bashfully embarrassed. “Uh, here Ms. Sexton, I brought some homemade empanadas, they can be put in the fridge or kept in the freezer, and it’s best to reheat them in the oven. 350 F, ten minutes from the fridge and about 20 if they were put in the freezer.”

“Oh, you really didn’t have to do that.”

“I was raised that when you go over to someone’s house for dinner or an event, you bring a gift. And it was either this or a house plant.”

“Ha, good idea going with the food, it’s a Sexton family trait that will kill all the plants we touch. Thank you very much.”

“Hello, you must be Y/N. It;s wonderful to meet you- and what smells so good?”

“Y/N brought empanadas, and they are going away so that you and I can enjoy them later. Now everyone, to the dining room, dinner is just about done.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things started to change a bit a few months later when Choi had to physically restrain Noah from attacking a drunk bar fight patient who called you a slut in the middle of the ED. You’d been confused but Maggie just kept saying that it was a matter of time.

When you’d been hanging around at Molly’s with Noah, Sarah, and Darren, Noah had his arm casually wrapped around your shoulders, something your sister gave you the eyebrow for from her place at the bar.

After you’d been mugged and beaten, you’d run to the 21st, where your brother promptly unleashed the most fearsome demon hell has ever cowered from, AKA Hank Voight, he also called Noah. And when your brother finally made an arrest and got Voight to calm down a little, he’d entered the breakroom to find you fast asleep, curled up against Noah. Who sat in an incredibly uncomfortable position, holding you and stroking your back. You missed the dark look that crossed his face, or the one of fear that had crossed Noah’s but something of an understanding had fallen to Noah. The two of you needed to talk.

So you did, and it went well, so well that you planned a date. Then another one. And another one, until you two had been dating for six months and figured it was time to tell your families. You were shaking in your boots, the Sexton’s were all incredibly close and incredibly doting on Noah, so even though they liked you, you had absolutely no clue as to what the reaction would be. To your relief, it was happiness, they loved you as much as Noah apparently, and they relished in the changed you’d caused in Noah.

Your family, on the other hand, did not react well. Which was why you’d made sure that you told them in a very public place, and had only ordered waters before you told them. There was yelling, screaming, your father waving his arms around so much Antonio had to use his cop voice on him. In the end, you and Noah had been there for around five minutes before throwing some cash at the waitress as a tip for leaving her with your family, and hauling ass out of there. The two of you had ended up just eating pizza on the boardwalk in your fancy clothes and heading back to the apartment late.You both had work the next day, but while you were an intern, Noah was not. And while you were off giving a patient a sponge bath, your siblings cornered Noah at the nurses desk. “Sexton, is there a place the three of us can talk?”

“Uh, sure, this conference room is free...”

“Perfect.”

“So, I take it this is about-”

“Nuh-uh. You do not talk. We do.”

“You are dating our baby sister.”

“We may not be as close to her as you are with your sister, but she still means a lot to us.”

“We love her. We are two people with some pretty dangerous skills. It is for these two reasons that you will not hurt her. Ever.”

“And if you do, don’t forget who I work with.”

“No one will ever find your body.”

“Are we clear?”

“Uh, hmmh... Clear. Crystal clear.”

“Good. Now do you know where Y/N is? We’d like to take the both of you out to lunch or something, just the four of us, to make up for the dinner of many disasters.”

[sometimesrosy]

Anonymous said:I dunno why you are looking down on Bellarke shippers? This fandom has done so much for the show and we got shat on constantly around 2016 on and off screen other fandoms were being spoiled non stop. I used to like your meta and I used to follow you here, but I just don't see Bellarke on screen anymore. And I don't like you acting like you are superior. This ship has TOO many interpretations. People have the right to be done. Stop acting like Bellarkes who don't see Bellarke now are stupid.

I don’t really know what you mean about saying fandom has done so much for the show? Do you mean the fandom games? Getting tags going and such? Do you mean the contests where people cheat to get their ship to win? If effort is what is important, then why do you dismiss the effort that the cast and crew have put into this show to give it to you? Why are you so ungrateful? And how are you shat on? You mean... FOR HARASSMENT?  You should not be harassing people. You deserve to be shat upon for that. 

For loving a ship? No. But it’s entirely possible to love a ship to be a shipper and to NOT force your opinions on other people or demand they give you what you want. That’s not shipping. That’s BULLYING. Loving a ship is not declaring war. Love your ship. Ship your ship. Ship and let ship. Do NOT send nasty anons. (ahem.)

As for thinking bellarke is dead, you have the right to have whatever opinion you want. 

That doesn’t mean your opinion is correct. Keep it on your blog, like I keep mine on my blog. Literally don’t even reblog anyone else’s meta anymore. Just share my thoughts right here. On my blog which you are free to unfollow, blacklist or scroll past.

There isnt’ any evidence for bellarke being dead in the text. Bellarke is 100% alive and is, in fact, the central plot now. 

I base my theories on canon, not gossip. Most of the evidence for Bellarke being dead is gossip, hearsay, social media, and the theory that anyone who uses evidence from the text to support Bellarke is “delusional.” That is literally not what delusional means. 

You can have a billion trillion feelings about the 100, bellarke JR, and me, and they simply don’t affect me because they do not seem to be based in the reality that I exist in. Not the show. Not my life. Not logic. 

Acting like I’m superior.

Because I don’t like people harassing others.

That’s not the meaning of superior. That’s the meaning of the word MORAL. And why are you supporting internet harassment? What is wrong with you?

Do I believe my interpretation over yours? YES I DO. And I have evidence to back my interpretation up. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have that interpretation. I think my interpretation is better. Oh well. HEre’s a million words of meta to back it up. Yours doesn’t have evidence in canon. I’m trusting my education and experience as a life long geek, english major, english TEACHER, and professional writer that I know how to analyze a freaking story.

If you want me to think I am wrong because you don’t agree with me you’re gonna have to give me more reasons that the blorke antis have given me, because none of their evidence holds water. I’ve been listening. I need CANON evidence, from the show, logic, lit or film analysis, storytelling or any other ACTUAL way to understand content other than “but he said something online.”

What the antis are giving me as evidence is mostly egocentrism driven by fanon and the belief that fans have the right to dictate the story, instead of being consumers of the story.  So no. Your interpretation is not better than or equal to mine. If you have a problem with that learn how to prove your case better. It’s not my fault that your reasoning doesn’t convince me. Do better. Believe me if you guys had good ideas I’d be with you. I dump shows easily. (TWD who? Arrow where? GOT don’t get me started.) But you don’t. You’re ignoring the story on screen because it doesn’t fit your idea of what Bellarke should be and you’re mad about the freaking love triangle because you dont’ like Echo. And you’re having LOTS of tantrums about it. 

I’m an artist and writer, and I respect creators too much to treat them like servants who should do our bidding 

And you are, my dear, a coward on anon who is blocked. 

[psychic-refugee]

Sometimes I get basic and like to read gossip.

So, there’s this thread going about that mainly focuses on Dove Cameron.

https://prettyuglylittleliar.net/topic/3903-dove-cameron/?page=37

I cannot and do not make any claims to the validity of the thread’s contents.

This is all internet gossip from an anonymous “set employee” who does not name themselves. Please take this with a grain of salt. I do not necessarily believe this gossip, and I write about it mostly for entertainment purposes. Remember, this is the internet, anyone can make up anything. Whatever you happen to believe is true is based solely on your own preconceptions and biases, as nothing is substantiated, and it all amounts to hearsay.

Please also remember that any anecdote is solely from one person’s point of view. A point of view they are expressing behind the back of said celebrity who is not given a chance to defend themselves nor have they put forth their version of events.  

It does not paint her in a flattering light. It literally goes on for 61 pages of mostly people ragging on her plastic surgery (“PS”). I am not a plastic surgeon, so I cannot 100% say what she has gotten done, but as a layperson and from my own opinion, I would suspect that she has had fillers (specifically for her lips), a nose job, and something done to her cheeks. I do agree with that she looks vastly different in each movie, with more work done as time progresses. I’ve also seen her stint on Shameless and bearing in mind that she was 15/16 vs 19/20, I still think she had a lot of work done. I don’t think her transformation can be brushed off as losing baby fat or growing into her looks.   

I’m not super offended by PS. There’s this notion that celebrities maintain this impossible standard, but I think it goes both ways. The public isn’t interested in flaws. They want and even demand perfection from their idols. Fans are quick to “cancel” people or they move on to the next hot new thing. It’s kind of a destructive co-dependent relationship. Like honestly, how many celebrities would you “stan” if you didn’t find them attractive? And what do we find attractive? How quick are people to point out flaws in candid photos? I’m not saying everyone does this, but it’s enough to be pervasive in celebrity culture and I think it’s unfair to try to say it doesn’t exist or to not acknowledge the extreme pressure celebrities are under. The thread itself is an example of it. It’s mostly people ragging on Dove about how bad they think she looks now.

No one is famous without our permission and I have yet to see anyone boost anyone who wasn’t at least conventionally good looking. If they are selling an impossible standard, we are the ones buying it.

So, no. I do not find PS all that problematic in itself. I will agree there is something disingenuous about going on about self-love while heavily filtering/photoshopping pictures on top of PS.

But I also find it disingenuous to talk about body dysmorphia or the mental health dangers of PS and then rag on someone and speculate about every PS they may have had.

Pot, meet kettle.

People bring up that young people look up to her and while I agree that she does have great influence, I just don’t know if it’s really her (or any celebrities’) responsibility to be a good role model. A human is a human, is a human, right? No one person is ever going to be perfect and while they may do something admirable in one part of their life, that doesn’t mean they have to be admirable in every part of their life. That’s another impossible standard fans put on celebrities. I think we should all critically think when giving our time, attention, energy, etc…to anyone. Learning how to critically think is a parent’s job. My mother specifically raised me without celebrity magazines and to take into account what they do and say, and to be skeptical of anything anyone tries to sell me.

Why is it a celebrities’ job to be a third parent?

They’re only responsible for what they do, you’re responsible for what you do.

Holding celebrities accountable for false things they say or try to hock is different. Example, if X celebrity says that this specific tea or vitamin is what they owe their beauty and success to when really it’s the lifestyle they can afford and genetics. Then yes, point out that what they’re selling is snake oil and a lie or just don’t buy it. At some point we have to take personal responsibility for what we consume. Or if these are impressionable young people, then hold their parents accountable as well. If they’re so young, then they’re not buying this stuff, their parents are. And we should take into account what celebrities associate themselves with. I think it’s telling if a person literally doesn’t care what they sell as long as they make money. If someone is willing to sell you dangerous laxatives and call it a diet, that should clue you in on how much they respect their fans and you should rethink giving them your money.

Again, the celebrity is just the spokesperson/seller. It’s up to us to actually research and determine if what they’re selling is worth it or safe. It’s also up to us to figure out if the celebrity uses their fame wisely. If no to either, then it’s also up to us to keep admiring them or not. Celebrities tend to change their tune if their money is threatened.    

I feel like Dove’s PS in itself is a non-issue. Whatever pic of herself that she posts on Insta or any surgery she admits to is her own business. How I react and what I spend my money on is my business. I do not buy into her proclamations of self-love, I do not buy into her vitamins, I do not buy into the highlight reel of the life she’s trying to portray. I see her for what she is: a celebrity. No more, no less.

I am interested in the reports of her diva behavior. Throwing fits, stealing from set, and yelling at set employees does give a bigger picture of her as a person. And it also helps shatter the illusion of a perfect, happy, person. I don’t want to demonize her, but it is good to humanize celebrities. I do think people should take into account how celebrities treat people that are their subordinates.

I don’t think anyone is so talented or famous that they should be given a pass to be a monster to people.

Dove is not so unique in looks or talent where she can’t be replaced.  

There were implications that she is struggling with an eating disorder, it kind of fed into why she may be getting all this PS and the types of photos she takes for Insta. I also wonder if it explains (not excuses) her behavior. She’s probably constantly hungry!

They also alleged that she had been taken “illegal” diet pills. The illegal part might be relative, because the commenter mentioned it may have been Hydroxycut. In the States, it’s an over the counter diet supplement that is mostly just a high dose of caffeine and some herbs. It’s not like an upper or some prescription. Hydroxycut is legal in the States and she probably just brought it over with her. I don’t think it’s a controlled substance, merely just banned for sale in Canada. I’d be more worried that she’s taking it with other stimulants like coffee and soda.

There’s also allegations that she had been cheating on her former fiancé with Thomas during filming of Descendant’s 2, while Thomas also was in another relationship. These things happen, they’re human. It’s a personal issue they should deal with. I wouldn’t want either as a significant other in light of it, but that’s about it. I would be weary of anyone who has an affair as potential mates. If they’ll cheat with you, chances are they’ll cheat on you. But I’m never going to date either of them, so it’s not really my place to judge.

Another tidbit that came from the thread that I’m interested in is Mitchell Hope’s alleged drug use. The comments didn’t specify what he was on, only that he seemed “strung out.” So, if I were making a bet, then it’d be on him to write a tell-all book. I’m pretty jaded on the fact that there are drug addled teen stars. I think it’s just par for the course. Disney makes sure they have a clean image while making and promoting the movies, they literally will protect and pay for good coverage. But once that protection is over then everything comes to light. Mitchell isn’t even really the most famous of the stars for Descendants. He hasn’t really done anything worth noting outside of Descendants. It looks like he has a role in a Netflix Christmas rom-com coming out, but again nothing to really be too impressed with.

I don’t see him lasting long if he’s already showing up to work high. Money goes quick between jobs, especially if you’re blowing it on drugs. There’s also an allegation of hooking up with a set employee. I don’t see anything wrong in terms of two consenting adults, but it’s bad form professional wise. It’s especially in poor taste if he’s 1) obvious about it and 2) makes it public knowledge that it’s just a hook up. Have your fun and all but be discreet and classy about it. Otherwise you’re burning bridges. I think she’ll have more issues than he would, which is why discretion should have been practiced. Like even if he had no intention of getting into a relationship with her, at least respect your partner enough to not endanger their livelihood. But I guess she’ll live and learn.

I was glad to see that Cameron really wasn’t mentioned, at least not in terms of anything bad like diva behavior. He was implicated in stealing items from the set (like costume pieces) but the commenter used the universal “everyone,” so they didn’t outright name him like with Dove and Sofia, so they may have been hyperbolic. Otherwise they said he was always nice, which is good to hear.

I saw a post from another blog asking their opinion about Cameron being friends with Dove despite the behavior alleged in the thread. I want to say that I think their friendship is over conflated. Most of their interactions have been for promos/BTS for Descendants. I don’t think I recall ever seeing them hang together on a purely platonic level, not like he did with Sophie and Karan.

I think people, mostly kids, want to see their movie best friends be best friends in real life. I feel like all the promo stuff insinuated that they all LOVED each other, and they all got along ALL THE TIME. I think most people know that there’s never an instance where literally every person in a large group gets along all the time. They might be cordial and polite to them to be professional, and I think we need to remember that the cast are co-workers.

We also have to remember that they’re young and want to do well in the industry. They won’t want to get a reputation of being difficult or even a snitch. So, while Cameron may or may not have liked Dove that deeply on a personal level, I’ve always felt he was the utmost professional. He’s not going to antagonize her or call her out unless she did something super egregious like hit someone (and maybe not even then, I did not know him personally). From the thread, Dove threw tantrums and yelled at people, none of that warrants risking his reputation for. Even the original poster of the thread wouldn’t give out their name for fear of reprimand and possible legal action. On some level, they too do not think it’s worth calling Dove out for any real consequences.

They’re willing to gossip about it, but they’re not willing to give actual credibility to their story.

When his manager was indicted, he immediately fired him. I think that speaks to his character and if Dove had done something truly heinous, he would have stood up to her.

We also have to remember that it’s possible that this entire thread in terms of Dove’s behavior might be completely made up. We have nothing to go on besides this one person’s account, and we have no idea who this person is. Literally anyone can create a username, open a thread account, and say “I work for X company and I had Y position with Z celebrity.” I can’t verify any of that. One person can also make dozens of accounts, say they’re different people, and try to tell the same story. Again, that doesn’t make any of it true. Even if we took their account as true, we only have their side of the story.

I would never judge Cameron or the others on who they’re friends with based on salacious gossip.

[army-author]

jin scenario | very punny

❝ You sign up for a Christmas pen pal project to keep the boredom at bay over the holidays... but your pen pal partner might be a lot closer to you than you think... ❞

➸ prompt: You and I both sign up for a Christmas Pen Pal project to exchange postcards letters over the holidays.

➸ pairing: jin x reader

➸ warnings: contains a lot of terrible dad jokes

➸ requested by @felifli | 7.6k words | fluff, university au

Christmas is the most boring time of year.

It’s the time of year when your university friends all travel home to their family, leaving you alone on campus, lamenting over the price of plane tickets that stand between you and your home far away. It’s the time of year when you have the city to yourself, with no one to explore it with, wasting free hours in cafes, sipping on gingerbread lattes, and staring out the window at the skies that promise snow, but never deliver. It’s the time of year when the only conversation you get is with your family over Skype, asking you how you’re doing. And while you make sure to show a smile for them, as soon as they disconnect your face falls back to blank, losing all Christmas joy.

You’re desperate for this year to be different. You’ve piled up your work, asking to help with articles for the university newspaper, and planning to get ahead on reading for your course. But already the idea of three weeks with only work is freezing up your heart. Even if you won’t admit it.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay this Christmas?” your friend Hoseok asks over a rushed cup of coffee as you hurry to your last lecture of term. You had both agreed that you were going to try and get to it, just to say you’d been, even if it was unusual for English Lit students to get out of bed any earlier than one in the afternoon.

“I’ll be fine!” you assure him, smiling as you hold open the lecture door for him, and follow him into the almost empty lecture hall. It seems the other students are still lying in at nine AM. “I’m doing a lot of stuff this year. I won’t be bored.” But even as you say it, a weight settles in your heart, reminding you of the lonely holiday you have ahead of you.

Hoseok raises his eyebrows at you as you slide onto one of the benches. “Yeah… but doing a lot of work won’t fix the fact that you’ll barely be seeing anybody for three weeks. Won’t you go crazy living all alone?”

“Hoseok…” you hum, “You’re worrying too much.”

But you know he’s probably worrying just the right amount.

“I still think you should try and find out who else is staying in town over the holidays,” Hoseok says, “You need friends.”

You’re about to retort that you’re perfectly capable of making friends without his input, that you’re not going to sit sad and lonely the whole Christmas, even though you know that’s exactly what you’ll do, but before you can say anymore, the lecturer is flurrying into the room with a bundle of notes and a quick apology to the group of ten that actually deemed the lecture worth the cold walk from dorms to class.

You’re left for your mind to ruminate over all that you’ll miss out on during Christmas as you sit in the lecture, worrying about what you’ll do with yourself over the break, and barely listening as the lecturer talks about villanelles and sonnets.

By the time you leave the hall you wish you had just stayed in bed and slept, rather than leaving yourself to stew in your own worries for a whole hour, learning nothing from the minimal notes you wrote in the time. But as you leave the lecture hall and cross the foyer to get to the campus café for your second coffee of the morning, Hoseok lets out a yell, which he is prone to doing frequently, so you barely bat an eyelid, until his hand falls your arm, giving a squeeze.

“What? What is it?” you demand to his excited face, dimples digging into the sides of him mouth as he smiles.

Without a word he drags you over to the faculty’s notice boards, and points out one particular poster:

‘Staying in town over the holidays? Sign up for our Christmas Pen Pal programme and chat with students staying in uni during December!’

You stare at it, then blink back to Hoseok. “Yeah? Why are you pointing this out?”

“Why? This is perfect for you!” Hoseok rolls his eyes, like it’s obvious, “You’ll get to know someone else staying in town during the holidays, and hopefully not feel so lonely!” Hoseok’s excitement is so bubbly that you don’t have the heart to pop it all at once, and so, even though you don’t like the sound of it, you don’t shoot him down, giving a neutral nod instead. But you don’t enjoy pen pal projects – your only other experience of something like this was in high school, when you were made to exchange emails with students from France to improve your French grade. But after one exchange your French pen pal conveniently forgot about you, and that was the end of it.

“I’ll think about it,” you say, while Hoseok grabs a flyer from the pile just below the notice board and stuffs it into your coat pocket.

“Please do.”

As you exit the English Lit faculty building with another cup of coffee as energy for the walk back to your dorms, you bump into one of the other students crossing the street to get to the library. Almost in slow motion, you watch your coffee splatter his white sweatshirt with brown splodges.

“Crap. Sorry!” you mumble, looking up to the face of the man you just graffitied with your drink, to see a face you hadn’t expected to see. Kim Seokjin. A high achieving medical student, a couple of years above you, who you’ve only heard of through hearsay. He’s the main editor of the university newspaper, the student welfare officer, and on top of that, he helps out with the drama society, all while still finding the time to study well. The times you’ve heard his name mentioned most is from girls gossiping over how handsome he is, looking like he’s been pulled out of a drama and placed in the real world. You thought he looked okay in pictures you saw of him performing on stage, or smiling in prize ceremonies, but in person you now completely understand why his name is on the tip of everyone’s tongues.

He blinks down at the few spots of coffee on his sweater, then looks to the coffee cup in your hand and grins, “Did I just get mugged?”

You frown at him for a split second, before he explains, “… because you spilt coffee… which you usually find in a mug?”

You keep on staring, while Hoseok groans behind you at the terrible pun. But some part of you, a very immature and childish part, wants to laugh. Instead you just mumble another brief apology, while he waves it off with a flick of his hand, and buttons up his coat to cover the sweatshirt you stained. With a final smile, he leaves and you watch after him, still in awe that someone so beautiful can exist in real life.

“Uh oh…” Hoseok grins as you watch the medic leave, “Has someone fallen for the charms of Kim Seokjin?”

“Oh shut up,” you huff, as you turn back towards your dorms, “You can’t look at that face and tell me he’s not handsome…”

Hoseok grins, “You were thinking a bit more that that just now, weren’t you?”

“Whatever,” you speed up, the cold and Hoseok’s teasing making you grumpy, “Be nice, or I won’t help you with packing.”

“Aw come on…”

♡♡♡

But despite the teasing with Hoseok, you’re sad to wave him off on a frosty Saturday morning as his older sister helps him carry his suitcases down to the taxi outside.

You stand by the door of your own dorm room, with a smile on your face for his sake, and when his room is cleared of his bags, he runs back to give you a hug. “Look after yourself.”

“I will,” you promise.

“Don’t stay lonely and sad all Christmas!”

“I won’t.”

He pulls away from you with a grin, and then runs over to his waiting sister. One last wave and then the door closes on his heart-shaped smile, and you’re alone for three weeks, Hoseok being the last of your friends to leave.

Already restless from the uneasy quiet of your corridor, no students talking in their rooms, and no music blaring over the speakers, you pace for a few minutes across your carpeted floor, then sit down to work on one of the newspaper articles, before getting bored. Your room feels drabber and plainer without the knowledge that Hoseok is just across the corridor, and that you can go knock on his door to ask for something fun to do. Not wanting to drive yourself crazy from staring at the same room you’ve known for all of last year, you throw on a coat and scarf, and head out into the freezing air, hoping a walk will keep you occupied.

The city is lit up with the same Christmas lights you’ve seen before, shining blue snowflakes that reflect off rain puddles, and golden specks of light strung up on the bare trees to make them feel less dead. You wander aimlessly through the streets, trying to decide what to do with yourself. All the shops are tempting with their displays that promise nothing for a broke student with no money to spend, and after ducking in and out of a few doors, picking up books that seem interesting, and clothes that look cute, you decide it’s best not to tease your empty purse, and instead head back to your dorms again. But once you reach the familiar streets leading to your accommodation, you can’t push yourself the extra few steps inside. Nothing waits for you there but a dark room, with a faulty lamp and a strained internet connection. So instead, you take a turn and step into the closest café, one of your favourites for studying. The familiar smell of coffee and syrup puts you at ease.

You sit down at your normal seat by the window, resting your chin on your hand as you stir the froth of your latte, and watch the outside world pass by, wondering how you’re supposed to survive three more weeks of this.

At that moment, a face you recognise passes by, pulling you out of your own head, and you can’t help but stare at Kim Seokjin, just outside the window, looking like a model with his coat clinging to his wide shoulders, and a blue scarf wound up tight to his chin. His eyes fall to you as you stare, and recognition spreads across his face along with a smile, although you wish it wouldn’t. You don’t want him to remember you as the one who spilled coffee over his white shirt.

But already he’s stepping into the café, looking your way before he goes up to order himself an Americano, and then he steps over to you with: “Hi.”

“Hello,” you smile politely, hoping your face doesn’t give away too much of your awe, reeling over his perfected features.

“Are you staying in town over Christmas?” he asks, “Or are you just leaving late?”

“No, I’m staying…” you clarify, and he nods, blowing on his cup of coffee, before taking a sip of it:

“Yeah… me too. It’s only the first day and I’m already bored.” He laughs at himself, a high-pitched sound, not the sort of laugh you had expected from a man who’s so well known around campus. You would have expected him to be serious, with a low laugh that was rare to hear. But then you remember his terrible jokes, and think maybe you judged him wrong from the start.

“Ah… well, it can only get more boring from here,” you sigh, and then wonder if you should say anything else. If Hoseok was here he would encourage you to ask Jin if he would like to spend some time with you over the holidays, to help alleviate each other’s boredom. But Hoseok’s not here, and you don’t have your friend’s lack of inhibition, so you bite your tongue and stay silent.

Jin doesn’t say anything, just sticks the hand that isn’t holding coffee into his coat pocket and nods with another sip.

You sit watching him awkwardly, wondering if he has more to say, or if he’s going to leave, until at last, he cracks the ice by pointing to the spoon resting in your coffee.

“Did you hear the joke about the doctor and the coffee?” he asks, and you shake your head.

With no need for any more encouragement, Jin launches off, “Well, a man went to the doctor asking about a stabbing pain in his eye every time he drank coffee… and the doctor asked him… ‘do you take the spoon out of your cup before you drink?’”

You fight an eye-roll as Jin falls to laughing at his own joke.

“Does your repertoire only consist of coffee related puns, or can you do others as well?” you ask.

“Oh, I know many more,” Jin says, giving you a wink, before adding, “But, I won’t interrupt you and your latte any longer. I hope you have a good Christmas, and who knows… maybe we’ll bump into each other at some point during the holidays?”

“Yeah… maybe…” you smile after him, watching him leave the café again, giving a wave through the glass before he melts back into the crowd of Christmas shoppers.

♡♡♡

When you get back to your dorm room, you’re still bored, tired and bored, and have nothing to remedy it. You flop onto your bed, and stare blankly at the grey of the ceiling, with your brain squelching through all possible options of what you can do over the holidays to keep yourself occupied. And that’s when the Christmas pen pal exchange programme slips back into your mind again. You feel in your coat pocket, and sure enough, there’s the flyer, still folded up inside, courtesy of Hoseok.

You pull it out and stare at it for a few minutes before finally deciding that you’re bored enough for it, beyond bored enough for it.

So you get up, grab your laptop and search up the correct email address, reading through the rules.

From what you can understand, the welfare office set up the system to allow students who stay in the city over Christmas to exchange letters over the holidays, all anonymously, so that there’s no embarrassment about what is said. You figure that even if your pen pal ends up being a jerk, or completely ignoring you, at least it will steal away a few seconds of time that would have normally been spent empty.

With your application sent, you’re left with nothing to do, but check through your friends’ messages, cute pictures of Hoseok’s dog, who’s glad to see him home for the holiday, making you wonder how your own family are doing without you.

♡♡♡

The next morning, after making yourself breakfast in the strangely empty shared kitchen, now clean and tidy, not like the days you would normally walk in to a stack of unwashed plates and the smell of take-out food, you go back to check your laptop, and find an email, telling you that you’ve received a partner for the programme.

You make a note of the address you’re to send your letters to, along with some general pointers from the welfare office about what you should write. Closing your laptop again, you bite your lip and think. Now that you’ve gone through with it, applying on a bored whim, and tired out of your mind, you wonder if you can get away with not responding. The idea of writing to a complete stranger about your experiences in an empty university, normally packed with students, seems too daunting. Even if it is anonymous the whole thing is frightening for you. You’ve spent your whole course writing essays, and articles in your spare time, but when it comes to writing a letter to a stranger you have absolutely no idea where to begin. It would probably be best to ignore the email, pretend you never got it, and continue on as if the whole thing hadn’t happened.

But then you think of your partner, this person you don’t know, supposed to alleviate your loneliness while your friends are all away, and you know you’ll feel guilty if you do nothing. You can’t leave them hanging, no matter how much you wish you would.

So, with a deep sigh, you push away your anxieties, pick up the nearest notepad to write:

‘Hi.

‘This is your pen pal. I’m sorry if I sound awkward in this letter, I’m not really used to doing this, but I hope we can get on well.

‘I don’t know what to start with, so I guess I’ll just ask some basics?

‘So... what’s your favourite colour? Do you prefer cats or dogs? Tea or coffee? And what do you study here?

‘Alright… I guess that’s enough for now… write back soon if you want to?

‘Okay, bye.’

It’s not the most poetic letter you could come up with, but you can’t think of any better way to word it. Anything else seems too formal, over-produced, so after staring at your own words until they don’t look like words anymore, you fold it over, put it into an envelope and leave your dorm room to post it.

The walk down to the well-being office where the mail box is kept specifically for the pen pal project, seems agonisingly long, with every step giving you an extra second to reconsider, to run back to your room, rip up the letter and leave it in your bin.

It doesn’t make sense to be nervous you tell yourself. It’s all anonymous anyway, so if it doesn’t work out, your partner will never realise it was you that embarrassed yourself in front of them.

By the box, decorated with red and gold tinsel, you heave a resigned sigh and slip the letter in, then scurry back to your dorm, before you reconsider and go back to pull the box open and steal your letter out again.

♡♡♡

Your partner is quick to respond, faster than you had imagined, and your letter arrives by your dorm room the next day, delivered by the welfare officers that are still roaming around the campus over Christmas.

Fingers trembling, not quite sure what you’re expecting, but imagining the worst, like a letter that just tells you how much they hate you without even knowing you – the anonymity leaves a lot of room for people to be rude and cold-hearted - but instead, inside your find a folded piece of paper filled with words, and smelling faintly of cedar cologne.

You unfold the page to read your partners response:

‘Hello, partner!

‘(It feels weird calling you partner, I sound like a cowboy or something, haha! Can I call you by a nickname? You can call me Prince, since we’re meant to be going anonymously. Cheesy name, right? Haha… maybe it’ll make you feel free to chose an equally ridiculous name for yourself… or not...)

‘Anyway, your letter wasn’t awkward at all. Well maybe a little bit, but I honestly liked it that way. I felt like I was talking to a real person, rather than just receiving a formal letter. And we’re still strangers, so it should be awkward at first, haha!

‘To answer your questions: My favourite colour is blue, although pink’s pretty nice too. I prefer dogs, and like coffee over tea, although tea has its charms as well!

‘And I study medicine here… in case you couldn’t tell from my handwriting! (I don’t know why but a lot of people say that medics have bad handwriting, and although I’d like to disagree, my writing’s pretty terrible… so I guess I fall into that stereotype…)

‘I guess I should ask you some questions myself:

‘Why did you sign up for this programme in the first place, and what are you hoping to get out of it?

‘Hmm… I sound like a job interview!

‘Oh well, to lighten the mood, have a joke:

‘To go with the theme of writing letters, it’s about a piece of paper! Should I tell you about it…? Oh, forget it! It’s… TEARable!

‘Haha…

‘Feel free to tear this letter if my jokes frustrate you! I understand…

‘From, the pun prince!

‘Write back soon!’

Despite yourself, you can’t help but chuckle at the joke. You really shouldn’t be finding something like that so funny.

Still, when you pick up a pen to write back, you can’t find it in your heart to tell off your partner for his bad sense of humour:

‘I would never rip up your letter! It was too nice to do something like that to it… even if it was quite cheesy as well (and yes! The nickname Prince is totally cheesy too!)

‘As for nicknames… I don’t know… I quite like you calling me Partner! I read your opening in a cowboy accent, which made it much funnier.

‘Also, as a side note… I don’t find your handwriting bad at all! I could understand it perfectly well!

‘To answer your question… well… to be perfectly honest, I signed up because I was feeling lonely. It’s quite embarrassing, and I would never admit this if it wasn’t anonymous, but I really hate staying at uni over Christmas. I miss my family, and I miss my friends, and there’s nothing I can do to distract myself from the feelings. It’s just a fact, being alone over Christmas sucks… so yeah… I guess what I’m hoping to get out of this is a friend…

‘… maybe saying that makes things awkward for you… and you’ll feel pressure to be nice to me, but don’t worry about that. I just wanted to be honest with you. And I’m glad you’re so nice. I was worried that my partner would be a jerk, but you’re not like that at all, so I’m glad!

‘I hope you write back soon, Prince,

‘All the best, from your Partner.’

With a sigh, you set down your pen and stretch out your cramped hands, unused to writing so much. It feels strangely freeing to unload your stresses onto the page only a stranger will see. Folding your paper to place in an envelope, you head down to the campus welfare office again, ready to sneak your letter into the tinsel sprinkled box. But just as you’re stepping across to it, Jin exits out of the office, carrying his laptop under his arm.

“Oh, hi!” He smiles when he sees you, as you whip your letter behind your back. For a reason not even you can properly explain you don’t want him to see it - despite the fact that the personal worries spilled within the pages are hidden behind the white case of an envelope, protected from his eyes.

“Hello,” you reply, as he closes the office door behind him, “Do you still have welfare duties over the holidays?”

“Yeah, that’s right!” he says, and then gives a nod to the pen pal mail box. “I have to deliver these all over campus.”

“Ah,” you nod your head, not entirely sure what to say. His face is still intimidating to you, so far removed from the reality you’re used to inhabiting, where people live with imperfections. He mustn’t be from this planet, you decide. Those looks aren’t human.

“Actually, the box was my idea,” he says, giving the nape of his neck a scratch, “So I guess it’s only fair that I help with delivering them!”

“You came up with it?”

“Yeah!” he smiles, “I’m pretty proud of it as well. It’s had a lot of positive responses. And I’ve actually been using it myself, you know… since it can get pretty boring during the Christmas holidays.” It’s then that he seems to notice your hands held behind your back, where your letter is still clutched in your fingers.

“Were… you going to use it?” He points to the mailbox.

You panic, floundering with one free hand to wave it in the air, “Ehm, yes! No! Maybe I was…” You bite your lip to shut off your babbling.

“Ah… you want it to be a secret?” Jin asks, and you reply with a quick nod, face flushed. “Alright,” he says, “Then I’ll leave you to deliver it in peace… or, I mean, I’ll leave you to do… whatever it is you’re doing. I have no idea what you’re doing. I saw nothing.” With a wink, he turns and heads down the corridor. At the corner, he gives a wave without looking back, not turning to see you drop your letter into the mailbox.

♡♡♡

A day later, you receive your answer, and quickly sit down on your bed, getting comfy to read it:

‘Dear Partner,

‘I’m glad you found my letter nice enough to not rip up, it fills my heart with warmth!

‘And I’m glad you’re being honest with me! That’s the whole point of this programme - so we can speak truthfully, and admit when we’re not particularly happy, even at a time of year when we’re supposed to be incredibly cheerful. But I can’t be content when I know I’m going to spend the days alone… ah… I wish my friends had stayed in the city over the holidays. I’m pretty lonely myself. It feels odd to admit that because, well… not to sound conceited, but I’m actually quite a popular person. If I say I’m lonely people don’t believe me. But I feel like my problems these holidays are similar to yours, so hopefully you’ll get it.

‘I just wish I had someone to spend Christmas day with…

‘Ah… again… I don’t like ending my letters on a sad note, so here’s another joke from me:

‘What’s the loudest pet you can get?... A trumPET!

‘Haha

‘I hope you write soon, from your local pun Prince!’

By the end of the letter you have a silly smile plastered across your face. Knowing that there’s someone out in the city feeling as lonely as you shrinks your empty feelings by a small fraction, leaving a glowing light in their place that spreads deliciously through your blood stream.

You quickly pick up a pen and notepad to write back:

‘That was a pretty terrible joke, Prince!

‘But I’ll forgive you since the letter made me smile. It’s nice knowing there’s someone out there who understands what I’m feeling.

‘And I wish I had someone to spend Christmas with as well…

‘But a thought just crossed my mind... if you’re popular then I wonder if I’ve heard of you… I doubt you would know of me though, but still, it would be weird if we actually knew each other outside of these letters. The uni campus isn’t that big… we’ve probably seen each other at some point, even if we didn’t realise it! Weird, huh?

‘Anyway, I’m rambling…

‘Write back soon,

‘From your partner!’

♡♡♡

The next day finds you in your favourite café again, sitting with one of the books you’ll be studying next term, and blowing on your coffee to cool it down.

A tinkling of the bell by the door has your head snapping up automatically, and you smile to see Jin entering, bundled up against the cold, with a bag slung across his shoudler.

“Hello,” he smiles, walking over to your table before he even orders anything, “Imagine seeing you here!”

“Hi,” you return.

“What are you reading?”

You show him the front cover, ‘An Introduction to Medieval Poetry’. He wrinkles his nose. “Is it any good?”

You shrug. “It’s a little bit boring, honestly.”

“Great,” he laughs, “I have some pretty boring reading with me as well.” He shows you inside his bag, where he has a couple of books on anatomy. “Would it be okay if I joined you to study? I won’t interrupt or anything…”

You wonder why he would possibly want to sit with you, and then it crosses your mind that maybe, just maybe, even popular boys like Jin can get lonely at Christmas. So you quickly nod your head, and he leaves his bag of textbooks on the chair opposite yours before going up to order a drink.

Just like your pen pal partner, Prince, you realise that it’s possible that Jin isn’t enjoying the holidays, despite his smiling, well-loved face. Yeah… just like Prince…

You glance across at Jin’s blue bag, at the medicine books inside, remember his awful jokes…

And it hits you. Not like the pun Prince. He is the pun Prince.

As Jin sits down across from you, you clamp your lips shut, wondering if you should say something like: “Tada, I’m your partner!”

But you’re held back by a fear of being wrong, of upsetting Jin after all he opened up to you about under the cover of anonymity. Maybe you should remain quiet, leave him to guess for the rest of his life.

As he works opposite you, you find yourself glancing across to check the writing in his notebook. Messy. Like a stereotypical medic. Your heart picks up its pace inside your chest, and although you choose to blame the coffee for your palpitations, you know it has more to do with the man sitting across from you.

As the day drags on outside, sky shifting from frozen blue to dusky pink to deep navy while the lights flicker on in the streets outside, still snowless, you calm your heart, continue reading, and leave Jin oblivious.

When the café workers begin making their rounds to let you know that they will be closing in the next ten minutes, you and Jin both pack up your books, leaving your coffee cups, emptied ages ago, on the table.

“Hey,” Jin begins as you both step out into the freezing air, “Would it be okay if we did this again sometime?”

“What? Like a study date?” you ask, and then flush at your use of the word ‘date’, “Uh… I didn’t mean… just, like… do you mean to meet up and study again?”

His cheeks look red in the glow of the city’s Christmas lights, but that might just be the bite of the cold. “Yeah… that’s what I meant.” He hesitates, and then says, “You know… just… it gets a bit boring by myself.”

You nod, with the unspoken agreement that you’re both lonely, and in need of some company. “It would be lovely to do this again,” you say.

“Same time tomorrow?”

“Same time tomorrow.”

♡♡♡

The day after, you wake up to yet another letter, written in the scrawl you now know to be Jin’s:

‘Hi Partner,’

‘Update on my loneliness: I’ve someone to study with now. Which is nice! Haha. It’s good to have company. But that still leaves you alone... Actually, to be honest, I’d really love to meet you myself. After all that we’ve talked about, I feel I know you quite well… of course… I know that defeats the whole purpose of staying anonymous… but I want to know who you are, what you’re like. I want to hear you say these things to me, rather than read them off a page. I want to know you.

‘… maybe I shouldn’t say this, but since we’re being honest here… is it bad that I think I might like you? Like, as more than a friend I mean?’

You almost drop the letter, as if it caught on fire in your hands. The words ‘like… as more than a friend’ shine out from the page, overpowering every other sentence. You don’t know what to feel, or think, or do. Jin thinks he likes you. And he doesn’t even know you… or at least doesn't know that his partner is you. Maybe it’s all a joke. Maybe it’s another silly pun of his. If you read on there’ll be a punchline to punch you in the heart, and all this will be a massive overreaction. You take a shaky breath and continue reading:

‘Maybe it’s just because you’re the first person I’ve opened up to about being so lonely, and how stressful it is being popular, and maybe it’s because I feel deeply thankful to have you in my life… but on the other hand, maybe this thankfulness is itself a part of what love is.

‘Sorry. I’ve never actually been in love, so I don’t know what it’s like. I’m just going off what I’ve heard from friends and what I’ve seen in films… so maybe I’m wrong here…

‘I hope that you don’t feel angry reading this. But since you’re the one person I can be honest with… I figured I could tell you this as well.

‘Haha… you probably don’t want to meet me after that. Maybe you don’t want to even write back… but I’m glad I opened up to you. My chest feels lighter now,

‘From your Prince!

‘PS. I thought maybe a joke at the end would be inappropriate this time. It might ruin the tone. I hope you can forgive the lack of puns.’

You set the letter down on your desk and stare at it for a long time, the words ‘like you’ staring back. Your heart is thumping furiously in your chest, but the rest of you feels numb. You don’t know what emotions you should be experiencing. Jin loves you. It’s not a joke. No pun intended here. He really thinks he loves you. Or at least, he thinks he loves the version of you he discovered in your letters. Your brain flickers through all of this, trying to pick the correct response, but there is none: not happiness because you’re loved, not fear because you might not be what Jin wants, not anger because he destroyed the comfortable relationship you had in your letters. There is no response.

You sit down with a pen and notepad and begin your letter fourteen different ways, and none of them seem suitable, so you crumple them up, and leave them in the bin.

♡♡♡

That afternoon is your scheduled ‘study date’ with Jin, although it’s not a real date you tell yourself. You both established that.

But if Jin knew who you were, if he realised you were his ‘Partner’ would he want it to be a proper date?

You reach the café with your heart in your throat to see Jin waiting there, looking handsome as always. His letter still burns in your mind, and you wonder if he can see through you when you arrive, how your cheeks burn, how you notice little things about him that never struck you before – like the soft curve of his cheeks that contrast to a sharp-cut jawline, like the delicateness in his dark eyelashes, and the gentleness in his manners that makes your lungs flutter with fresh air rushing in.

This man thinks he loves you. And you think there’s something stirring inside you in return.

The thought makes you want to run. But to him, or from him… you can’t decide.

Instead, you approach at a normal speed and raise a hand in greeting.

“Hi!” he smiles at you, “I was worried you might not show up.”

“Yeah, sorry,” you say, “I just… got a  little distracted.” Distracted by fourteen drafts of a letter never sent.

Jin holds the café door open for you, and you step into the fresh smell of coffee. Your study time feels a lot different today. Whereas yesterday you spent your time absorbed in your book, now, every few sentences you feel the urge to look up at Jin, see him smiling your way, and, embarrassed, bounce your gaze away again.

You’re all the more aware of what he’s doing across from you, every time he shifts his position, crossing his legs and uncrossing them, resting his cheek in his palm sometimes. Every little movement is distracting.

By the time evening has settled in and you’re leaving the café to part ways once more, you’ve come to a realisation a lot scarier than Jin’s confession to you – that you might actually like him back.

You debate with yourself the whole way home, but by the time you arrive at your dorm, you know you like a lot more than just his looks.

♡♡♡

When you arrive back at your room, you pick up your pen and notebook again, ready to finally return his answer.

‘Hello Prince,

‘I feel that since you were honest with me, I should be honest with you as well… I know who you are. What I mean is… I know that you’re Kim Seokjin, prince of the university with your broad shoulders and your good looks. It took me a while to figure it out, although I guess your nickname should have given you away!

‘And I should add that I think I like you as well. But I don’t think you like who I am in real life… not the way you described in your letter.

‘I hope you can figure out who I am, because I know I’m not brave enough to tell you myself… I’m scared you’ll give me up once you know who I am. Pathetic, huh? But we’re being honest here, and I’m honestly pathetic.

‘I hope you can uncover me, because I can’t do it myself. Figure out who’s behind these pages, and still love me,

‘From your Partner

‘Good luck.’

♡♡♡

When you meet Jin for your next study date (you don’t even try to correct the word ‘date’ in your mind anymore, they are practically dates, the hurricane in your heart tells you as much) you’re nervous to know if he’s you figured out, or if he’s still oblivious.

As you both set out your books on the table next to your cups of coffee, you notice some papers poking out from one of Jin’s folders, and recognise your own handwriting on the pages. While you continue on with Medieval poetry, you can’t help but steal glances at Jin, to see that he’s not studying his anatomy textbooks, but is instead frowning at your most recent letter, blinking his long-lashed eyes and furrowing his brows.

When he catches you staring, he quickly covers over the letter with his text book pages and pretends to be invested in the chambers of the heart diagrammed on the page.

Seeing him struggle, you want to give him a hint. But you also don’t want to make it obvious. You sit, pretending to focus on your book, but instead wondering how you can possibly give yourself away without giving yourself away.

But as the day passes with the sky getting darker, Jin frowning over the poem hasn’t yielded any results and you have no idea what to say to him.

As you leave the café once more, ready to go your separate ways, you turn back to Jin, as he asks, “So… can we be study partners again tomorrow?”

Which gives you the perfect opportunity to give him the last puzzle piece he’s been missing, “I’m always happy to be your Partner,” you tell him with a smile, and then, quickly, before he can make the realisation, you turn around with a brisk wave, and walk fast towards your accommodation, trying your best not to slip on the frozen ground, and trying not to blush furiously.

♡♡♡

There’s no letters the next day. You keep checking at your door all morning, thinking it’s arrived late, but there’s no more responses from Jin, and your thoughts start scurrying to anxiety, worrying that he’s given up on you.

But you still have a chance to see him at the café, and you wonder if he’ll mention something then. Yet, when you arrive, he’s the same as always, awkwardly smiling at you over his textbooks, and telling bad jokes to make you feel better when you get too stressed. Nothing seems to have changed, except the lack of letters.

That’s how the next couple of days go, no response, and a lot of study dates, and Christmas creeping ever closer.

The whole thing is driving you crazy. Does Jin know? Or doesn’t he? As you slip into the final days before Christmas, you decide that you need to tell him face to face – explain who you really are. It was never fair to expect him to recognise you and the person you were in your letters, since you weren’t nearly as honest in real life as you were in the secrecy of the folded pages. While you complained of boredom in the cafe, you worried about loneliness in your letters, coding all your feelings to his face, but spilling them honestly in ink. It’s time you told the truth without a pen to guide you.

When you meet him at the café on Christmas Eve, you ask, “Would it be okay if we didn’t study today?”

He blinks at you, and you continue to explain, “I mean… it’s Christmas Eve. We really shouldn’t be working on today of all days. Besides… I haven’t seen the Christmas tree in the park yet. We need to go see it.”

For an awful moment, you worry he’s going to refuse because he only wants to study, and he’s really not interested in your company at all. But then he nods, and slides his arm through yours, “Lead the way.”

With his warmth against yours, arm wound around your own, you wonder if you look like a couple, walking together, huddled close against the cold. The thought is enough to fight off the iciness in your numb cheeks and nose, as blood rushes up below your skin.

You need to tell him. You can’t go on like this. Going on almost dates, almost being a couple – it will drive you to insanity. But speaking up now seems wrong, the mood isn’t right, and if Jin doesn’t like you the way you like him, if your confession sends him away, then you want to enjoy your last day with him, stretching it out for as long as possible.

So as you walk through the icy streets, pointing out pretty, festive displays in shop windows, and winding your way towards the city park, you take these moments to appreciate all you have with Jin. You enjoy his smile, his high-pitched laugh, his terrible jokes, his gentlemanly manners, his care and concern, and all the loneliness that he drove away over these normally empty holidays.

Before you know it, you’re standing in front of the tree in the centre of the park, staring up at the star high above you, at the candy-canes and glitter tinsel swathing the branches.

Now. You need to say it now, or you’ll never say it. You glance over at Jin, who’s looking back to you. His dark eyes are still a shock to your nervous system, making your body react with pumping endorphins and rushing blood.

Your mouth feels stuck shut, which is just as well, since Jin’s already talking:

“Actually, I’m glad we didn’t go to the café today,” he says, “It gives me a chance to ask you something that maybe I should have asked you a while ago…”

You’re left to stare at him while he continues on, whirling around possibilities in your head.

“You see…” he says, “I’ve suspected that you’re my pen pal partner for a while… stop me if I’m wrong here… but ever since I saw you dropping the letter in the welfare mailbox, the though crossed my mind, and then when you told me that you knew who I was I was pretty convinced, but there was still a lot of worry that maybe I made a mistake. And that maybe I’d scare you off if I mentioned it as a possibility… I’m sorry, but I just wanted to keep this going a bit longer, wanted you to stay by my side and meet up with me for study dates… so I kept quiet. It was so nice to have you there for me, both face-to-face, and in your letters, and I worried that if I brought up anything more serious than just friendship I’d scare you away. But the reason our letters worked so well was because we were honest with each other… and I know I need to be honest again. So I’ll go ahead and tell you… I like you. I like you a whole lot. I like you so much. And, it’s probably wrong of me, but I’ve been thinking of these times that we meet up to study as actual dates…”

He takes a breath after his long ramble, mist sighing from his lips in the winter air.

Your brain tells you that you should respond, but you don’t know what to say, or rather, you don’t know how to give voice to all of the feelings in your heart. So instead, you grab onto his scarf and pull his lips down to meet your own, letting your body do the talking for once, rather than your pen.

♡ END ♡

Author’s note: We all know Jin is the pun prince :’) Sorry if this was super cheesy and self-indulgent! I couldn’t help it.

[josephpauldigitalagency]

How To Create Brand Awareness For Free

Just think about it. How many times have you shopped, and ended up picking a product you’ve never heard about before?

  Now, compare that with the number of times you’ve gone for that specific item you can relate with.

  Not much of a comparison, is it? Ok, let’s be fair and introduce something extra to balance out the parameters in these two scenarios.

  Well, remember that time you went to a convenience store to buy a product you had no idea about? Then on the shelf were several almost similar versions of the product, each from a different company?

  Confusing, right? I know the feeling.

So, to help yourself out, you decide to call the attendant. But, just as you raise your arm, you spot a brand you’ve heard about before.

  All the other versions of the product are quite unfamiliar. But there’s this specific one you’ve seen before.

  I’d love to know what you’d do at this point. Proceed to seek help from the attendant? Or drop the whole idea altogether, go for that familiar brand, and move on with the rest of the shopping?

  Chances are, you won’t even think much. You’ll probably just pick that specific brand without worrying that others could potentially be superior.

  Let’s face it. That’s the mind of a typical consumer. That’s why 77% of marketers agree that brand awareness is fundamentally important to future growth.

The Importance of Creating Brand Awareness

Creating brand awareness is the reason why large enterprises like Coca-Cola seem to be everywhere.  

  You might hate the fact that its all-too repetitive commercials are persistently interrupting your TV viewing time.

  But, admit it. Coca-Cola is the first thing on your mind each time someone drops the word “soda”. Even when you know very well that your taste buds would appreciate a different brand.

  That’s the sheer power of brand marketing.

  You thought selling should be your principal focus? Well, get this. 70% of brand managers say that rallying an audience around your brand is far more important than converting sales.

  Ok, this is where you pause for a minute. Oh, no they didn’t dare. Who would have the nerve to make such a claim?

  If you went through the 2017 State of Branding Report by Onbrand, you’d notice that the survey respondents were essentially marketing decision makers. They know their stuff.

  Still doubt it?

  Consider this. Back in 2009, Adobe expanded to the e-commerce and digital marketing space. They acquired Omniture,and dived head first into an industry already dominated by the likes of Oracle and IBM.

  As a relatively new solution, Omniture had no chance against its established competitors. But, something came up in 2012 that shook the entire industry.

  No. Omniture didn’t boost its features to surpass its competitors. And no, IBM and Oracle didn’t close shop.

  Here’s the interesting bit. Adobe simply retired the name Omniture and shifted to Adobe Marketing Cloud.

  Now, that was the ultimate turning point. Because everyone, particularly digital entrepreneurs, recognizes the name Adobe.

  I won’t deny that feature upgrades in the system had something to do with its subsequent exponential growth. Or the fact that IBM, Oracle, and Salesforce have been putting up a notable fight.

  But, let’s not ignore the fundamental point here. That the name Adobe has been the primary attraction for its ever-growing user base.

  By 2017, according to the then Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Campaign Management report, Adobe ultimately overtook its predecessors. In a space, it previously had nothing to do with. Then became the overall market leader.

  The bottom line?

  You’ve probably figured it out by now. That the whole point of a branding strategy is establishing trust. Then using that as a stepping stone to build a following. And that’s when you’ll be able to seamlessly convert the corresponding opportunities into sales.

  As a matter of fact, the bulk of CMOs can attest to this:

But, there’s one problem.

  So, let’s address the elephant in the room.

The Problem With Creating Brand Awareness

  I know. I’ve only mentioned large enterprises.

  And I assume it makes sense to you. At least to a certain extent. Because brand awareness is seemingly a game for the big guns. Only large enterprises with enough money to splash around.

  Well, I understand why you’d feel that way. And for what it’s worth, you’re not alone in this school of thought. Most people actually assume creating brand awareness needs money. Loads and loads of it.

  To be fair, that was true at some point. When TVs and newspapers were the primary sources of information.

  But not anymore. That period is long gone. The internet has not only expanded the audience base. It has also drastically changed how we approach brand awareness.

  Of course, you could spend some bucks on it to market your brand. But one thing’s for sure. You could as well achieve extensive brand awareness without spending a dime.

  Yes, totally free of charge. That’s the magic of the web.

  And for clarity’s sake, I’ve only used large brands as examples to drive the point home. Because everyone can relate to Coke and Adobe, right?

  I tell you what though. I’m willing to share my story. Just to show you that a small time business can make it too.

  Now, a while back, I found a clever way to wake people up. I developed an iOS app that would help you deal with all the sluggishness in the morning.

  It pretty much woke people up with engaging puzzle games. So, to keep things simple, I named it Game UP Alarm Clock.

  Yes, you’re right. My friends loved it. But I had a huge problem. A significant hurdle ahead of me.

  You see, my friends were barely enough to make up 20 users. I had to find a way to create widespread awareness.  But I could not afford to spend even a fraction of what large enterprises use for marketing just an app update.

  So I turned to what I knew I could do best. Doing it for free through SEO.

  With the right tactics, I was able to spread the word quite extensively. Media houses interviewed me, and tech authority sites like Lifehack featured the app.

  Then awareness developed into trust. And trust gave rise to converted sales.

  Eventually, Game Up Alarm Clock became a top 12 app in the US, 7 in Japan, and 3 in Ukraine for Utilities.

  This taught me that free is the way to go. If anything, 59% of consumers don’t trust sponsored campaigns.

  The best way to capture their attention and generate an organic following around your brand is leveraging SEO. And we’re not talking about typical run-of-the-mill strategies.  

  I am all about using proven tactics to promote your business. And yes, I’ll walk you through all that.

  But, before we do, let’s get the basics right.

How Your Brand Fits Into Moments

We’ve seen how Google algorithms are developing at an astronomical rate. The main objective has always been improving the overall user experience.

  And one way it currently does this is identifying distinct micro-moments;

Want-to-buy moments

Want-to-do moments

Want-to-go moments

Want-to-know moments

  Think about it this way. All Google users live through these micro-moments. They might change from time to time. But the bottom line is that you’re definitely in one of them as you run a search.

  How’s that?

  Well, let’s see how Google explains it:

Does it all make sense now? It really is that simple.

  So, what am I driving at?

  Basically, your brand will appear in the search results if you effectively interpret such moments through SEO.

Let’s see how you can do this…

Tell Compelling Brand Stories

Allow me to take you back to 2016.

  Can you guess what closed the year as the world’s highest selling album? Ok, I’ll give you a hint. It was composed around an infidelity theme, taking listeners through various stages a victim goes through. From discovery all the way to forgiveness.

  Yes, you’re dead right. Beyonce’s Lemonade album.

Admit it. This was an unusual one, to say the least. No, at least not because of the fact that it was a visual album. We’ve seen that concept quite a couple of times now.

  Its success had everything to do with the story surrounding it. It was emotional. And most importantly, admittedly compelling to the pop culture audience.

  It turns out that the plot started unrolling as early as 2014. A rather controversial video was leaked, showing an infuriated Solange (Beyonce’s sister) fighting the singer’s husband, Jay–Z.

  The web was excited. And the video went viral. Consequently triggering rumors that perhaps the husband might have been unfaithful to the singer.

  And for two years, the rumors were just that. Nothing more than hearsay gossip, which only increased overall curiosity.

  Then boom! The album dropped and it let the cat out of the bag. Everything was confirmed and the singer even revealed further details.

  The result? Let’s just say that the storyline was worth over $50 million. Since the album ultimately sold more than 2.5 million copies.

  Now, this is a perfect example of how compelling brand stories can build a substantial online following. You just have to find a way to connect with your target audience. Through stories that actually matter to them.

  This is precisely where content marketing comes in.

  Take prospects within the want-to-do micro-moments for instance. They could very much use educative content.

  Their want-to-do counterparts, on the other hand, would be more interested in entertaining pieces.

  But one story is never enough. You have to do regular engagement stories spreading across multiple moments. 47% of consumers usually view about 3-5 content pieces before proceeding to buy.

  Thanks to such consumer behavior, marketers prioritizing on blogs usually attract 13 times more leads. Certainly one of the most effective ways to get noticed by Google and create brand awareness.

  And you know what? Any content doesn’t cut it. It has to provide actual value. Coming to think of this, it makes sense why the average length of Google’s top content pieces is 1,140-1285 words.

  That said, you have to admit that written words alone might be bland. And Google knows this. That’s why its algorithm goes further to factor in other content types.

  I’m talking about things like videos, infographics and images. Precisely what your audience would be interested in.

  So far, we’ve seen blog articles with images attract about 94% more views. You could say we all like our articles with some dose of graphics and pomp.  

Optimize Social Media Engagement

  Social media is, by far, the most expansive online platform today. No doubt about that. It hosts more than 2.5 billion users and still growing.

  Then, going by the fact that users are increasingly registering multiple accounts, the overall number of accounts might soon surpass the total human population. Fascinating, huh?

  What does this mean?

  Well, of course, companies like Facebook will continue keeping their accountants busy. And so will your business, if you tactfully capitalize on this opportunity.

  You’ve probably seen how enterprises have been trying to do this.

  From 2008, up until sometime in 2015, they were particularly fond of Facebook. They overwhelmingly registered pages and bombarded users with brand messages.

  And to be honest, some of them actually got impressive results. That’s why 92% of marketers, by 2014, were already convinced that social media was extremely important for their businesses.

  Until Facebook finally decided enough is enough. According to them, users’ timelines were predominantly filled with irrelevant content from multiple brand pages.

  So, in response, they scaled down organic page posts. Then users started connecting more with their actual friends than brand pages.

  It also meant more income for Facebook. I actually believe that this might have their principal objective.

Source: ConvinceandConconvert

  But, let’s save that debate for later. And focus on the bottom line instead. That social media engagement for brands has changed drastically.

  Even Youtube and Twitter joined the bandwagon with algorithm changes that favor user connection over brand engagement.

  Consequently, social media organic reach for brands has dropped sharply in recent years. The Financial Times, for instance, reported a 42% decline in organic Facebook reach.

  Marketing Land also did a follow-up assessment and established a 52% drop.

  Quite devastating, right?

  Wrong! The most strategic brand marketers actually love this. Because it gets rid of the spam and bots. Then leaves the game to the real gurus who understand what brand awareness is all about.

  So, no. You don’t have to pay even a dime to promote your brand on social media.

  The secret is pretty straightforward. Simply dance to their tune.

  Instead of fighting their user–optimized engagement algorithms, find ways to leverage it to boost your brand.

  Take Facebook, for example. Content shared by a user will ultimately be posted to all their friends’ timelines. And the more the engagement frequency on that post, the wider Facebook’s algorithm will spread it.

  Now, which specific content type can’t social media users get enough of?

  Yes, of course. Videos.

  55% of internet users watch online videos on a regular basis. And Facebook is responsible for about 8 billion video views every day.

  Catch my drift? Your page post might only reach a fraction of your followers. But, if it’s a compelling video, they’ll watch it and subsequently share with to their friends. Who’ll then watch it and the cycle continues.

  Even Facebook agrees that videos engage way more prospects than other content types. Including photos, regular status updates, and links.

Source: Facebook

Reach Out To Influencers

One thing that large businesses might have an edge over you in is celebrity advertising.

  And from what we’ve seen in the past, some of these celebs have cult-like followings. They might even be more popular than Santa. Or the Eiffel Tower.

  It’s understandable that they possibly seem like a buffet rich in prospects at first. That’s why they charge money that would only come by if you robbed a bank.

  But, take a minute and think again.

  Going by recent trends in band marketing, most people can actually see through their paid promotions. As a result, prospects end up ignoring everything altogether.

  Mainstream celebrities have been overtaken by digital influencers, who now sit at the top of the brand marketing food chain. And no, not by a foot or two. But by several miles.

  Consider this. 30% of consumers are more likely to purchase items suggested by influencers, as opposed to celebrities.

  All because of one simple reason. Individuals essentially feel more connected to non-celebrities.

  Collective Bias even conducted a study on this by interviewing more than 14,000 consumers based in the US. It subsequently established that 70% of the millennials consider peer recommendations in the whole buying process.

  Now, this is literally driving all marketers insane. Everyone now wants in on the action. Hence the following remarks on the developing role of influencer marketing:

Source: Statista

  Pretty exciting, right?

  But, hold your horses for now. While this type of marketing is proving to be increasingly effective, not all influencers would be ideal for your brand.

  Secondly, remember we are only reviewing free tactics? So, no, you will not be paying anyone.

  Where does that leave you?

  Simple. Just search widely and reach out to your friends in high places. But focus only on selected influential websites that are relevant to your business field. That’s how you generate organic interest in your brand.

A thoughtful approach would be running a parallel complementary campaign along with your influential partners. Promoting their brand as they push for yours is a good way to keep your marketing invoice at zero.

Distribute Valuable Guest Content

Remember those few occasions your school hosted guest speakers?

  What did you think of them?

  Well, I admit that I didn’t actually recognize more than half of my share of speakers. But, I always thought of them as big shots for being invited to such platforms.

  And, of course, I’ve always remembered the talks that were exceptionally captivating.

  Undeniably, that’s pretty much how guest posting goes.

  Just one small exception. Don’t hold your breath for an invitation. Or you might be waiting around till a second big bang.

  Take your time to scour the web for the most outstanding platforms that are relevant to your field. Then reach out to their editors with your guest content proposal, and see how it goes.

  At the very worst, some might not bother getting back to you, which isn’t that big a deal. But, you’re bound to get a couple of positive replies, especially if your content is exquisitely valuable.

  Now, this is where it usually gets complicated for most people.

  Typical run-of-the-mill content doesn’t cut it. Because you’re not just seeking SEO links. You need the audience to respect you as a thought-leader, and subsequently recognize your brand.

  This is only achievable through valuable, engaging guest content.

  So, surprise the audience with something they never expected. A deep composition that’s very helpful that it compels them to excitedly share it with their friends.

  And guess what? 94% of individuals who share content actually do so to help others.

  Valuable content, therefore, potentially expands its audience reach quite substantially with each new viewer.

  That’s how BufferApp was able to raise awareness and acquire about 100,000 users in just 9 months.

  Let’s just say that Leo Widrich, its co-founder is one remarkably persistent guy. Within that time, he had written and distributed 150 solid blog posts.

  Admittedly, this entire process wasn’t easy at all, not by a long shot. The initial pieces were particularly poor since they drove very little traffic.

  But things gradually improved as he widened his channels and optimized traffic analytics.

  Ultimately, 100,000 new users were quite a rewarding catch, to say the least. And that formed their baseline users, from where they were able to escalate their brand marketing to boost the users tenfold.

Source: Buffer

Conclusion

You thought selling should be your principal focus? Well, get this. 70% of brand managers say that rallying an audience around your brand is far more important than converting sales.

  The whole point of a branding strategy is establishing trust. Then using that as a stepping stone to build a following. And that’s when you’ll be able to seamlessly convert them into sales.

  Of course, you could spend some bucks on it to market your brand. But one thing’s for sure. You could as well achieve extensive brand awareness without spending a dime.

  If anything, 59% of consumers don’t trust sponsored campaigns.

  Consider using compelling brand stories to build a substantial online following. You just have to find a way to connect with your target audience. Through stories that actually matter to them.

  And you have to do regular engagement stories spreading across multiple moments. 47% of consumers usually view about 3-5 content pieces before proceeding to buy.

  Instead of fighting social media user–optimized engagement algorithms, find ways to leverage it to boost your brand.

  Then search widely and reach out to your friends in high places. But focus only on selected influential websites that are relevant to your business field. That’s how you generate organic interest in your brand.

  Finally, take your time to scour the web for the most outstanding platforms that are relevant to your field. Then reach out to their editors with your guest content proposal, and see how it goes.

Action Steps To Remember:

Go through the article

Implement each tactic to your business as you see fit

Measure the results on a weekly basis

Adjust your strategy accordingly

Do you know of any tips we missed? Let everyone know in the comments below!

The post How To Create Brand Awareness For Free appeared first on Joseph Paul Digital Agency.

[richardlowejr]

16 Habits to Break to be More Successful

Do you have a hard time being successful? Do you run out of time before completing your goals? Does life seem so overwhelming that you can barely keep up?

Perhaps it’s because you’ve accumulated some habits that work against success.

Here is a short list of habits that you can change about your life that will produce more time and give you more energy to get things done.

Turn off the TV and video games. Sure, there are some great shows on television, and videos games can be fun, but sitting on your couch is not healthy for your body and mind. When you watch television, you are being hypnotized and fed propaganda and advertising. You want to improve your life immediately – turn off the television.

Go outside and breath the fresh air. Go for walks. Meet people. Look at things. Enjoy the beauty. By getting out of the house, you expand your view and relax your mind. Just get out, go to the mall, the local museums or botanical gardens, or the many national parks throughout the country. Believe me, you’ll feel better.

Stop criticizing. When you criticize someone, it makes you look pitiful and weak. Instead, spend your energy building up people who deserve your praise.

Turn off social media except at certain, set-aside times of the day. No one needs to be constantly looking at and posting on their social media. It’s a huge time waster. Set aside a certain amount each day, week or even month, and leave it alone. When you do this, you’ll find you have more time available for productive pursuits.

Set daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals and meet them. Set some goals. Even small goals, such as “pay all the bills at the end of the month” can be helpful. Larger goals, such as “go to Disney World at the end of the year” or “pass the exam” are very useful. But make a rule that if you set a goal, you meet the goal.

Give abundantly. When you give, others give back. It’s a basic rule of the universe. Giving creates the baseline for success. You must give BEFORE you can be successful. What kind of giving? In your job, coach a new employee or mentor someone who is having trouble. Give to your church, your community, and volunteer for groups that you believe in.

Get a good job or create one yourself and produce. Be employed. If you can’t find a job, then create your own business. Today, everyone has the internet at their fingertips. You can use it to sell products, even hobbies. When I was young, I walked from house-to-house to sell seeds to earn enough money for my own toys. Earning your own living gives you a feeling of accomplishment and freedom.

Pay your bills and taxes. Pay your debts, including your taxes, on time. You’ll feel better without the financial pressure.

Don’t get too deep in debt. Don’t get more debt that you can afford, and build up a savings so minor problems don’t become dire emergencies.

Get continuously educated. Always be working on your education. Take classes, get certifications, read books. The more you learn, the better you will become.

Stop doing anything that is harmful to you or others. Give up your bad habits – you know what they are. drinking to excess, smoking (anything), illicit drugs, pornography, gambling, spending too much money, and so forth. All of these bring you down, cost you money, and make you miserable.

Practice daily random acts of kindness. Every day make a point to do something good for someone. This could be as simple as paying for someone’s groceries or meal at a restaurant, or carrying bags to a car. Just do something nice for someone.

Find something you believe in and support it. Find something you are passionate about and get involved. Some examples: saving the whales, getting people to vote or volunteering at the local soup kitchen.

Brush and floss daily. You like being in extreme pain? You enjoy visiting the dentist? No? Then brush your teeth and floss twice a day. Just do it.

Understand that everything said on the internet is suspect and act accordingly. Take the attitude that everything you read on the internet is false until proven otherwise.

Validate everything with facts before acting. People lie all the time. Don’t act on hearsay, rumor or gossip. Research and confirm facts for yourself.

And here’s a bonus: One of the biggest bad habits is to be unhappy or negative.  Remember to have fun! Life is meant to be enjoyed. Read a good book. Lay back under a tree and look at the clouds. Talk to a stranger at the mall. Go to a movie at a theater or watch a play.

I hope this has been helpful.

Share your successes in the comments.

The post 16 Habits to Break to be More Successful appeared first on The Writing King | Ghostwriter | Blogger | Writer.

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Girl Questions.

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