#Percentage Conversion Guide

[myonlinetools]

Percentage Calculator: Your Essential Tool for Solving Percentage-Based Problems

Calculating percentages is a vital skill used in various aspects of daily life, from solving math problems to making financial decisions. Whether you are trying to figure out discount percentages, understand interest rates, or determine percentage increases and decreases, a percentage calculator can save time and eliminate the guesswork.

In this comprehensive guide, we explain how percentage calculations work, provide examples, and showcase different types of percentage-based calculations. Use this guide to sharpen your math skills and make informed decisions in everyday situations.

What Is a Percentage? Understanding the Basics

A percentage represents a part of a whole, expressed as a fraction of 100. The word “percentage” is derived from the Latin term per centum, which means “by the hundred.” Percentages are often used in financial analysis, retail sales, taxation, population statistics, and much more.

For example:

50% means 50 out of 100.

25% means one-quarter of a whole.

100% represents the entire quantity.

Calculating percentages can sometimes seem tricky, but with the right formula and a reliable percentage calculator, it becomes a straightforward process.

How to Calculate Percentages: Key Formulas

There are three primary types of percentage problems that you may encounter:

1. Finding the Percentage of a Given Number

This is the most common type of percentage calculation. To find the percentage of any given number, use the following formula:

Percentage (%) = (Part / Whole) × 100

Example: If you want to find out what percentage 20 is of 200:

(20 / 200) × 100 = 10% So, 20 is 10% of 200.

2. Calculating the Percentage Increase or Decrease

This type of calculation is useful when you want to measure changes in values over time, such as price increases or salary adjustments.

Percentage Change = [(New Value – Old Value) / Old Value] × 100

Example (Percentage Increase): If your salary increases from $50,000 to $55,000:

[(55,000 – 50,000) / 50,000] × 100 = 10% This means your salary increased by 10%.

Example (Percentage Decrease): If a stock’s value drops from $150 to $120:

[(150 – 120) / 150] × 100 = 20% This indicates a 20% decrease in the stock’s value.

3. Finding the Original Number from a Percentage

In some cases, you may know the percentage and the resulting amount but need to calculate the original number.

Original Number = Part / (Percentage / 100)

Example: If 30% of a number is 90, what is the original number?

90 / (30 / 100) = 90 / 0.3 = 300 The original number is 300.

Practical Applications of Percentages

1. Shopping Discounts

Percentages are widely used in retail to calculate discounts and final prices. Imagine you see a pair of shoes that costs $100 with a 20% discount. To find out how much you’ll pay after the discount:

20% of $100 = (20 / 100) × 100 = $20

Final price = $100 – $20 = $80 So, you’ll pay $80 after the discount.

2. Financial Calculations: Interest Rates and Investments

In finance, percentages are critical for calculating interest rates, loan repayments, and investment returns. For example, if you invest $1,000 in a savings account with a 5% annual interest rate, your interest for the year will be:

5% of $1,000 = (5 / 100) × 1,000 = $50 After one year, your total balance will be $1,050.

3. Health and Fitness: Body Fat Percentage

Percentages are also used in health and fitness, particularly when measuring body fat percentage, calorie intake, and other vital metrics. Tracking percentage changes in body weight can help individuals monitor their progress toward fitness goals.

Why Use a Percentage Calculator?

A percentage calculator is a convenient tool that helps you perform percentage-based calculations quickly and accurately. Whether you are solving complex math problems or making everyday financial decisions, a percentage calculator can:

Save Time: Perform calculations in seconds without manual effort.

Reduce Errors: Eliminate the risk of making common percentage-related mistakes.

Enhance Productivity: Focus on analyzing the results instead of spending time crunching numbers.

Common Types of Percentage Calculators

Depending on your needs, you can use various types of percentage calculators, including:

1. Percentage Increase Calculator

Ideal for measuring growth over time, such as price hikes, salary increases, and population growth.

2. Percentage Decrease Calculator

Useful for tracking declines, such as stock price drops or reductions in monthly expenses.

3. Discount Calculator

Perfect for shoppers who want to determine final prices after applying discounts.

4. Tip Calculator

Helpful for calculating tips in restaurants. For example, if your bill is $50 and you want to leave a 15% tip:

15% of $50 = (15 / 100) × 50 = $7.50 So, you’ll leave a $7.50 tip.

5. Reverse Percentage Calculator

This tool helps you find the original number before a percentage was added or subtracted.

Tips for Mastering Percentage Calculations

To improve your understanding of percentages and become more proficient in solving percentage-based problems, follow these tips:

Practice Regularly: The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become in calculating percentages.

Use Real-Life Examples: Apply percentage calculations to real-life situations, such as shopping, budgeting, or investing.

Double-Check Your Work: Always review your calculations to ensure accuracy.

Leverage Online Tools: Use online percentage calculators for quick and reliable results.

Conclusion: Simplify Your Calculations with a Percentage Calculator

Understanding percentages is essential for making informed decisions in various aspects of life, from shopping and finance to fitness and beyond. By using a percentage calculator, you can solve percentage-based problems quickly, accurately, and effortlessly. Whether you’re calculating discounts, measuring percentage changes, or determining original values, this powerful tool can enhance your productivity and accuracy.

Mastering percentage calculations will not only improve your math skills but also give you greater confidence in handling numbers in real-world situations. Start using a percentage calculator today and take the guesswork out of percentage-based problems!

[recsspecs]

Source: Cracking the GRE Premium Edition with 6 Practice Tests, 2020 All the best to everyone for your upcoming exams

[distant--shadow]

Okay, I have three (3) thoughts about the state of cr's talkback shows atm and I've decided to write them in your ask box. Feel free to ignore:

I think the quality of the questions in the fireside chat was strongly linked to 4sd and, mainly, the tower of inquiry. As much as I like the idea of having a section where evergreen questions can be asked, they really lean towards the “what if the world was made of pudding?” genre of questions and I think that - combined with the attention that gets drawn to the questions by the Jenga game and the milque-toast-ness of the other questions on 4sd - has encouraged the fandom to discuss and focus on those questions more than we used to.

I also really miss the fact that talk machina had a presenter (who, for the sake of clarity, was fired for obvious reasons and I’m not, in any way, advocating for him to come back). The fact that both the presenter of 4sd and order of questions in the tower of inquiry and deep dive sections are random, means that whether the cast elaborate on their answers is up to chance. I feel like, with the cast being more detached from the fanbase than they used to (for good reason) there really should be someone on screen who knows what questions were answered in the past and can guide the conversation so that they don’t spend 10 minutes discussing “think about this AU” questions and then only give in-depth character analysis a single sentence before being distracted by a joke or running out of time. To be clear, this isn’t a criticism of the cast at all, you can’t both give really good, in-depth answers to questions while also coming up with your own follow-up questions and staying engaged in and shaping the discussion as a whole. I’d say Dani is the obvious pick for a presenter but I think her interests are more in the shippy/fanon side (which is fine, I’m not trying to police how anyone interacts with the show) so I’d prefer her questions to be interjections rather than the whole thing.

This campaign has had a significant percentage of it’s talkback shows taken up by overlap with other stuff (party splits, vox machina and the mighty nein getting their own eps, overlap with calamity and downfall etc.) and, in an ideal world, I’d want them to do separate that stuff out and do extra shows about that, rather than letting it eat into valuable question answering time for bells hells.

All this to say: if cr wants to make a talkback show specifically tailored to me, I'm down with them flying me out to America so I can host my new talkback show called “AU? No thank you!” where we exclusively talk about bells hells and all hypotheticals are banned. Nobody but me would enjoy it but I'm the main character of my story so...

appreciate you engaging and putting your thoughts out there via my inbox!

I agree with most of this, I can respect what they were trying with 4sd but yeah it did not deliver the meat that talks did, and I would love to have a simple discussion show like that back (at one point I would have suggested dani as host too, but if anything these fireside and 4sd eps have proven that she is way too fanon-brained/shipping inclined and I personally, can't stand when she interjects without being asked for an answer (though correcting lore is a different case and pretty much always appreciated))

I can deal with a little amount of what if the world was pudding type questions, but ultimately yeah, it does come across as "so what if we got a different story than the one you chose to give us?" there are cases when yeah maybe it wasn't as conscious as a decision or another factor where yeah, I would like to know the alternative, but i agree with ya there.

I will also say that yes, I do think the shape of the questions selected is in part to match the more laid back and goofy vibes of 4sd, the evergreen questions and such really are not a good choice and absolutely there wa sso much going on during this campaign that reaaaallly broke up the momentum (momentum which still managed to feel oppressive), but i would say I do also think an amount of it is just how modern fandom is, to sound like an old guy yelling at a cloud. so many things come into play here, parasocial stuff, attention spans, isolation and selfishness, populatiry contests within fandoms and how that births popular works/notions from fanon being perceived as canon law, etc etc.

as I keep saying, I want people to make, I want people to have fun, but it's a yeowch from me when that feeds back into the source material, or at least spin offs of it. I do think it is a case of both parties being somewhat guilty, ask baby questions get baby answers, if people engage with fanservice and it gets views then they're gonna cater to that because they need eyes on them to exist as a company. I'm really not the person to be doing the write ups about this, but i do think it's important to share my opinions on my most beloved piece of media, in some ways especially because I create so much "content" for it.

I've pretty much always felt like an outsider within fandom space, and whether that's because of what I want out of it, what I want to see for my favourite characters, or my behaviour, or my work - I don't know, but i do know that for years of watching this show I kept well away from the fandom space or even sharing my drawings caus I didn't want it to hinder my experience and enjoyment of watching, and when the stuff I've been trying to avoid is seeping it's way into the actual shows then yeah, it is something I wanna speak out on.

[gothamite-rambler]

W.I.P.: Cults, Mazes, and Relationships (Tim & Bernard ao3 story)

Tim: Be honest, was I a bad boyfriend?

Stephanie (not holding back): Oh yeah, ninety-nine percent. Maybe ninety-eight. The percentage is because we had our good moments, and you were really good at oral.

Tim: Damian, put your earbuds in.

Damian had already done so, blasting loud music to block out the conversation. Tim sighed and rested his head on the desk. Stephanie softly laughed, closed her spicy romance book, and continued the conversation with Tim.

Stephanie (crossing her arms): Sorry dude, we're friends now, but when we dated we had some good and some really bad. I am definitely guilty too, but you were a trash boyfriend. Not... the worse though. Why are you asking?

Tim (sitting up, somber): Because… I've never been a good partner with women, and even the guys I dated before Bernard fizzled out terribly. Why can't I do this right?

Tim's head dropped back onto the table as he emitted a loud groan of frustration. Damian glanced at him with a raised eyebrow but didn't care enough to join the conversation; instead, he took a sip from his smoothie.

Stephanie (tilting her head confused): Dude, what’s actually bringing this on?

Tim: Bear's parents invited me over, and they… were able to dig up a lot about my dating history. It was actually quite impressive.

Stephanie (dryly): Of course, you’d think that.

Tim: The point is, they told me they don’t care that their son is bi or that he dates men. They don’t trust me, they don’t like me, and at first, I thought they must be the problem. Then they brought up all my ex-girlfriends. God, what am I going to do?

Stephanie: I can’t believe I’m giving my ex advice, but you could try introducing him to your friends, stop being so flaky, and… share an important secret. Things you either didn’t do with me, or things that I hated but had to drag out of you. Have your other exes been treated the same way?

Tim (frowning): Yeah, I was going- I sucked as a partner. I’m not flaky anymore, and I… have introduced him to my main friends... I’m saying this to someone I broke up with without explaining why.

Stephanie patted her friend on the shoulder as he sat back up.

Stephanie: While I tease you for it, I’m over it. Trust me. But while you have Bear, actually be a better boyfriend, or you’ll end up single for way too long like Bruce.

Tim (horrified): Oh… God!

Damian (offended): Hey, keep his name out your mouth! The song ended when I heard that.

Tim: It’s true, though.

Damian: It may be, but he’s not here to defend himself. And while I don’t understand relationships, I can say I agree with most of what Stephanie said. You’ve managed to keep this guy around for reasons I have yet to discover, but if you want to keep that relationship strong, do what you failed to do in all your past relationships. Falling out of love, limerence, or blaming yourself is beside the point, just do the right things with Bernard. Or I will kick you in the balls if you frick this up!

Damian resumed listening to his music, leaving a speechless Tim and a laughing Stephanie.

Stephanie (shrugging with a smile): He’s got a point. You get what we’re saying?

Tim: Yeah… and I think I know what to do first. I’m not telling you, but wish me luck.

Stephanie: Godspeed.

Damian: May Allah guide you.

Tim: Close enough.

[radigalde]

Zain accident guide (fencing club route)

Well, first of all: accident in the fencing route is harder to pass compared to the polo accident. Unlike Pippa, Zain dies in most of the outcomes.

So... how do you keep him alive?

The best outcome is achieved by MC. You'll have to manually deflect all sword shards (#I strike down the flying mid-air shards with nothing but my blade alone. or #I duck and cover and-- no, why are my feet moving forward?! No, no, no I'm not trying to 1v1 an entire shower of sharp shrapnel!) through the power of anime and a whole bunch of stat checks:

have a body stat of 30 or higher or have a combination of body stat and magic stat be 30 or higher

or have a talent of agility and body stat of 20 or higher

or do a dance during conversations twice (or more) and have body stat of 20 or higher

and don't be too high on energy drinks from the vending machine before the duel (you are okay as long as you drink less than 7 of them).

Both body and magic stats start with 5 and are gained through the first chapter (yes, including the club routes). On the stats screen body stat is "Physical Strength + Athleticism", magic stat is  "Magic + Mysticism". Percentage equals to the score (i.e. 5% is the score of 5).

The dance thing may be a problem because there are only 3 instances when you can do it before the duel, and all of them come at the price of embracing a cuckoo 1 of them may be locked out for you:

#I say nothing, I merely start dancing the Tango de la Muerte. at the very start of the club segment. It gives you a bunch of small stat increases (including +1 for Adrian relationship), huge boost to boldness, and Simpsons reference. But it's available only if you chose Spandex Tracksuit as your main clothes.

#It's time to do the Dance of Joyâ! when you finish gearing up in the armory. Doesn't offer anything aside from cuckoo increase.

#I AM Michael Jackson. I put on a single glove and moonwalk to the piste. when you decide on how many gloves you are goin to wear for the duel. It gives a couple of small stats increases but can backfire with -1 HP if your body stat is less than 15. It also sets your gloves counter to 1 (since you are literally wearing only one glove). Luckily, this particular value won't backfire.

Upon failing the stat check, MC with luck talent and changeling MC get additional chance, but you are at RNG's mercy here, since the success requires a dice toss. MC with both luck and changeling childhood gets slightly higher chance of success in this toss, but it's still pure RNG.

The best outcome gives a huge boost to relationships with other club members, small boost ot relationship with Adrian, and fear stat reduction.

The second-best outcome is achieved by convincing Zain to wear his mask and not trying to deflect the shards. For the former right before the duel, when you decide on stance, pick #I gravely inform the audience that only masked eyes are allowed to behold my full splendor. The problem is: this option requires 4 or more in cuckoo score to be pickable.

This outcome doesn't have any boons aside from +3 to Adrian relationship, but it also has no downsides like HP losses.

For the third-best outcome instead of convincing Zain, force Adrian to help. For that, pick #I invite Adrian to a have a front row seat to my next match. at the end of Jianhua and Gil duel. However, this option will be blocked if:

you accused Adrian in being a stalker (#"Adrian, are you stalking me?" Might as well grab the bull by the horns and body slam it.),

or picked a violent option during the conversation about sleepover/sleeping in motel (#I make a violent slashing motion that sends Adrian staggering backwards several steps.),

or annoyed him by being rude during sleepover/motel discussion (#"Not a chance in hell and quite frankly that suggestion sounds completely mental in the first place."),

or spooked him by being weird during the discussion of intrusive thoughts (#Thiiiiis iiiiis completely riiiidiculous.). However, this fragment appears in this way (and with these consequences) only if MC told Adrian about at least one strange thing before going into intrusive thoughts topic or if Adrian knows that MC works as a security guard (i.e. you talked about murder beforehand with #"There was a murder during my last work shift..." or #I launch into a long involved story regarding my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. and its silent equivalent). Also, this option is the only one available in this branch for the possessed MC.

This outcome doesn't offer much aside from Zain survival, and Adrian is going to loose 10 HP.

In all other outcomes Zain dies.

Fuck you, Zain, Pippa was much easier to save.

[theoarfishexpress]

Plants are not generally thought to move much. Of course, there are dramatic exceptions, such as a venus flytrap’s predatory snap, or a sunflower’s daily turn to track the sun, but the truth is that many, if not most, plants move to a degree. Over time, leaves can be angled to catch the light from a new opening in the canopy, and tendrils can search the open air for a new anchor to climb from. And in shady, moist forests from the tropics to the temperate zones, a Germite demonstrates clearly that plants can be more active than anyone gives them credit for. Admittedly, they are most frequently seen as a crown of palm-sized, heart-shaped leaves nestled in the dark undergrowth, but just below the leaf litter, a 30-cm taproot dominates the mass of the plant. It is largely a quiet, peaceful life, but there are certainly dangers. The soil can get swamped by heavy rain if in a low-lying area, or it can dry out, the dappled sunlight that they rely on can get too sparse, or a fallen tree can expose them to too much, or herbivores can simply become too eager for their tender, palatable leaves. Now, no plant is helpless against these threats, but Rhizopods can simply leave. Stress causes hydraulic vacuoles in that big root to kick into action, pressurizing canals that loop into the many rootlets that line one side. Each is able to feel and taste its surroundings, making independent decisions that collectively dig the whole plant out. Now slowly roaming over the forest floor, the Rhizopod earns its name, and somewhat resembles a sea cucumber in the way it moves. If the quality of the light is the most important factor in the next place it settles down, it will move crown-first, using its leaves as makeshift eyes to pick up light intensity as it travels. Conversely, if it is in search of nutrients, it will move root-first, the rootlets at the end of the taproot guiding it by the taste of the soil and the air.

Due to the energetic demands of moving this way, Rhizopods on the move will often make pit-stops at any carrion or feces that they happen upon, nestling into it and secreting weak solvents to more easily absorb it. Their nutrients and calories topped up, they continue on their way. They hold their crowns of leaves up to protect them from damage, giving the impression of alertness, and they are indeed on guard while uprooted. If harassed, they will turn and flee, even burying themselves to escape the curiosity and hunger of other wildlife. Nevertheless, they aren’t difficult to collect for human foragers, and productive forests can yield hundreds in one day of work. Their roots are bland and spongy, but their leaves are very agreeable and nutritious raw or cooked. The tradition in most areas is to take half the leaves, and release the Rhizopod to regrow them. Though kinder to the population than simply taking the entire plant, the stress of repeated collecting tends to shorten their impressive lifespans. Unstressed Rhizopods regularly achieve 15 years, and the oldest surpass 30. They first set flower in only their third summer, putting out globe-shaped clusters of tiny, white blossoms that are visited by gnats and other flies. Once fertilized, these become dry capsules, and the fruiting Rhizopod will travel more frequently to scatter the tiny, black seeds more widely over the forest floor. Rhizopod seedlings are translucent and worm-like, just a couple millimeters long, and much more mobile than adults. Though moving frequently does burn some of the sugars needed to grow, their long seedling-hood is spent in relative safety compared to most plants. The biggest dangers to a sprout are an unstable microhabitat, and insect herbivores, but Rhizopod seedlings need only move to a safer patch of leaf litter to overcome these. As such, a higher percentage of seedlings reach adulthood than most plants, meaning their populations are both stable, and capable of bouncing back quickly in the wake of habitat damage or overharvesting.

The germ bodies of Rhizopods emerge from the center of their leaf crown, and resemble the leaves surrounding them as they are flattened, heart-shaped, and green. They drift slowly and aimlessly over the vegetation, their luminescence easily mistaken for fireflies at night.

[lover-of-mine]

So with everything we have seen and been told and with what’s happened in the show from 8.1-8.5

Eddie and the Priest.

What percentage out of 100 do you think it’ll be about Shannon

What percentage out of 100 do you think it’ll be about his sexuality

What makes you think that conversation can't be heavily about Shannon and still be heavily about Eddie being queer? Letting go of the idea of what he could have had with Shannon is the key. Eddie accepting that they were gonna get divorced and it would be for the best and that she doesn't really represent the life he wants, she represents the life he thinks he should have and not so gently guiding him to the realization that he already has the partner he wants is about Shannon on the surface but could be heavily implied as being about his sexuality. I don't think Eddie is gonna say "I'm gay" or "I'm in love with Buck" or anything of the sort, but Eddie having a moment of clarity about letting go of Shannon because she was never the love of his life even tho he did love her is putting Eddie in the path to accepting he's queer. Depending on the way they decide to word that scene, it can be ambiguously about both. That being said, I think it's gonna be about letting go of the fantasy and accepting he doesn't really want that fantasy with some heavy implications that he's on the path to getting out of the closet.

[absolxguardian]

I meant to post this when Into The Light first released, but Andor Day is good enough. The High Republic book Into The Light features Kenari in one chapter (and some very interesting nuance to the Republic's expansion and general policies). In the story, its purpose is to establish that the Drengir are back at it again for the reader. I've decided to just include the section that establishes worldbuilding for Kenari here. This is approximately two centuries before Andor. (Also for context, while Czerka seems to be a non-entity by the time of the Clone Wars, they're an ancient mega-corporation that predates the Republic, and thus are allowed to keep literal slaves. In Legends, they were the cause of Tatioone's original settler colonialism.)

Someday, all the humans and near-humans of the galaxy would speak Basic, thought Romila Kaveh, acquisition negotiator for Czerka Corporation—soon to be senior acquisition negotiator, if she could lock this deal down. Also someday, protocol droids would be programmed to handle even more languages than they already did, including the most obscure. Until that blessed day came, certain backward planets would require people to work as translators.

Sometimes maddeningly irritating people such as Tolor Patewick. “Of course we appreciate the exquisite biome you have here on Kenari,” Romila said as she made her way through the lush undergrowth, trying not to grimace as her designer shoes encountered vines and snails. From far overhead, through the clouds, a shaft of light bathed the nearby meadows; the scene would have appeared idyllic to anyone attuned to nature and its beauty. It was of no interest to a Czerka negotiator. “Rest assured that any gas mines established by Czerka will be built to the highest environmental safety standards.”

Tolor spoke to their guides, a small party of local leaders, all of them with wary dark eyes. He then turned to Romila and translated—or, rather, did his version of translation: “They very politely indicate that they know you’re full of mudhorn poodoo, just like the corporation that sent you, and they’re almost positive that you’re going to make a mess of it like you have on countless other planets.”

Romila held on to her temper. “How much of that was the Kenari, and how much of it was you?”

The reply came with a shrug. “Language doesn’t break down into mathematical percentages.”

That meant almost all of it had come from Tolor, who seemed to think he could make a principled environmental stand while still getting work as a translator for major corporations. This was a misapprehension Romila couldn’t wait to cure.

“Tell them, via a faithful translation, that our technology is constantly evolving, and the gas mines built here would represent the very highest state of the art. Past incidents have sometimes been…”

“Fatal?” Tolor said. “Devastating? The Kenari have a word that can encompass both—”

“Have sometimes been unfortunate,” Romila cut in, “but they have also provided opportunities to learn, and Kenari will benefit from that education.”

Tolor spoke to her next, rather than the Kenari: “Do you ever get tired of lying for Czerka?”

She shot back, “Do you ever get tired of working as a translator? Because you’re steering yourself towards another career.”

“The answer is that sometimes I do tire of it,” Tolor said, “when I’m obligated to have conversations like this one.” He looked so weary then, so sad, that Romila felt a small, rare quiver of remorse. Accidents did happen, too often—but Czerka didn’t profit from accidents, either! Their profit and local safety ideally went hand in hand. If Czerka focused more on profit, well, didn’t the locals focus more on safety? That meant they had people looking out for both interests!

Before she could say any of this, though, Tolor had launched into his latest translation for the Kenari. He raised an eyebrow. Then he smiled. Romila didn’t like the look of that smile.

“What?” she asked as a breeze softly rustled the leaves surrounding them. “What are they telling you?”

Tolor turned to her with his arms crossed over his chest and a huge grin. “They’ve just informed me that they’d feel better signing over the gas rights to the Republic, who actually happen to have sent a team here last week.”

Damn them! Czerka did its best to beat the government to the punch, but they didn’t always succeed. Romila knew the Republic offered better terms and higher safety standards; still, there were other negotiating tricks to try. “Tell them that governments change. Regulations change. What if the Republic loses this system to the Nihil? Do you think Marchion Ro will give you as much consideration? Or what if the Republic chose a much more profit-minded chancellor than Lina Soh someday? Those regulations they’re tempting you with—they can be repealed and replaced at any time.” Romila raised her voice slightly as the rustling of the leaves became louder. “Whereas with Czerka, you’ll have the benefit of contract terms, in writing, that—”

[glassesntea]

Levi and female!reader developing a relationship (Canon Universe)

Part 2/2

How your foolish idealism land you into the Survey Corps

After your guard duty he invited you to a tavern where he has gathered some of your comrades. Sat on a bench with other soldiers you listened to Floch musing about the situation of the island.

"Commander Hanji shows too much trust in these outsiders. She is far too lenient and for what? A technological advancement? As if it can erase a century of being nothing else but meat for Titans."

The others grumbled an agreement. Many in the army were not happy about the government's plan: working with the Marleyans was challenging at best and you were wary about Hizuru's involvement.

Mikasa hadn't said a thing to you regarding her official meeting with Kyomi's delegation, but the somber shadows in her eyes suggested that they weren't the allies you all hoped for. In the end, the island was alone against the world. Pretending otherwise would have been stupid.

Was it really possible at this point to really trust anyone who didn't suffer as the people on the island?

Floch invited you out with his group several other times.

You hung around with them, exchanging the same worries, and it was during one of your convos that you first met Levi Ackerman.

You all were in the mess hall, finishing the supper before the afternoon drill. It seemed that the new recruits would've been training with the infamous Captain of the Survey Corps.

Up to this point you and the others have never met him. Floch and some other soldiers that followed him religiously knew him pretty well.

"He really is that strong?" You asked, and you saw Floch's face produce a tiny grimance "What?" You tilted your head but his expression turned neutral once again.

"He is." He said, drinking from his mug "But not enough, if you want my opinion."

You frowned "What do you mean?"

"I mean that letting your personal feelings play a role in life or death's situations could potentially waste other's sacrifices," he looked at you "and doom everyone else as a result. That's his weakness: he cares far too much. "

"But he effectively guided the soldiers through difficult times. And since he joined the military the percentage of death outside the Walls has decreased a lot. It seems to me that he knows what he's doing and he takes objective decisions."

Floch pressed his lips together, abruptly turning his head to the side "And yet a single foolish decision may have changed everything. And what are we gonna do at this point?"

It seemed something personal, this veiled distate tinged with anger, but you didn't have the time to pry further that a scuffle broke out at your table.

Two boys of your cadet's regiment that participate to Floch's little assemble have started to push one another after shotting up of their seats. You have heard their mumbled conversation getting progressivly more heated while speaking with Floch. One was your friend but the other you couldn't stand him since the training day.

"Oi!" snapped Floch "Quit it, already!"

You stand up, gripping your friend's arm and putting a hand on the other's chest "Stop it, you two, you want a squad leader to put you on stable duty?"

"This moron has the gall to feel pity for fucking Marleyans POW when you Wall Rose people looked down on us when these fuckers brought down Shiganshina. You left us starving in the street!" He pointed at your friend "And now you talk about pity?!"

You lightly pushed him when he tried to come closer "Cut it, Otto. He isn't guilty of what happened then. We shouldn't..."

"Mind your buisness, Y/N! Always getting in the way, alway flaunting your good nature bullshit act as if we don't see how much of a poser you actually are."

You rolled your eyes "Wow, straight for the throat? Tell me something you haven't already said to me in training."

"Gladly." He hissed, ignoring Floch's call for order "You and Franz pretend to be, oh so good, but you know nothing of real suffer. You are nothing more than a Sheena bitch" he shoved you "that grew tired of fucking rich boys and wanted to see misery like it's the next exciting thing before sweeping in and proclaim to have the solution for everything. We are not your fucking playground for you to feel pleased with yourself!" He shoved you harder and Franz shouted and bolted forward just for him to be hitted by a punch.

However you were able to intercept Otto's arm when he retracted it and you twisted your body to slam him on the table, back first.

Otto spranged to his feet, ready to retaliate. Your fist closing, your arm pushed back ready to collide with his smaug face, but someone clasped your wrist thightly and before you knew, Otto was sent tumbling on the floor by a swift kick in the stomach.

You turned around, startled. A short man with a dark undercut, dressed with the old Survey Corp uniform, was looking at Otto weezing in pain. The mess hall was eerily quite.

He lifted his eyes, letting go of your wrist "Care to explain why you three were bawling like lunatics?"

Levi Ackerman. You have seen his portrait on newspapers. He was a legend in the military. And you realized that he must have seen your three make a fool out of yourselves and throwing fists like foolish children.

"I asked you a question."

You composed yourself "My apologize, sir. I didn’t mean to cause a ruckus.”

You looked down at Otto, rolling on the floor and groaning, holding his stomach as if it threatened to spill out. You winced, bringing your eyes again on the Captain’s.

“He… uh… he started to insult me and my comrade. I…”

Levi crossed his arms “And you body slam him onto the table because of it?” He turned to Floch “What did he said?”

Floch was less than thrilled to be dragged into the mess and he shot you a dirty look before answering “He said Wall Sheena’s brats shouldn’t talk about how hard life is since the Fall of Maria.”

It was a pretty sanitized version of the truth, but the core was legitimate. You winced again, fuck I’m such an idiot.

“So you hit him because he badmouthed you,” his voice was dry as a leaf “that’s a pitiful excuse, if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Captain, I…”

“You three are soldiers now, not tugs ready to rip each other apart just because your pride got hurt.” He lowered his stare to the groaning figure “Get up. I fully expect you all to be this lively in today’s training as well.”

He called for everyone in the room “Everyone out. Start with ten laps around the perimeter.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Regarding you three, I hope you don’t mind the smell of horse shit, bacause you will shovel it around for two weeks.” He turned his back to you after your response and you ran outside the mess hall with your cheeks burning in hot shame.

That was humiliating, but served you right for not thinking things through.

Your first meet with Levi went on like this: as a mumbling brutish idiot who kept on smelling manure on the clothes for the following weeks.

To be continued...

[seedlessmuffins]

Are you new to hockey and confused about stats? Are you an old hat at this sport but still confused about stats and too scared to ask? Do you think you are proficient in stats and then, all of a sudden, a new acronym comes out of nowhere to re-confuse you about stats?

This season, seemingly more than any other, every other hockey tweet and article mentions an incomprehensible acronym jumble and a percentage sign. With the NHL making more advanced statistics accessible to the public, these different stats seem to have more of an impact than ever on how people talk about and analyze the game, but it can feel like explanations of these numbers and codes are hard to find. 

I’ve written a handy guide to some of the most common stats, talking about what the acronyms stand for, the data that the stat is looking at, and why each stat is important so you can better understand the tweets and articles from all the hockey analysts.

There are three main categories of stats to look at: skater stats, goalie stats, and team stats, and these stats were accurate as of 5:00 pm on Saturday, March 2. 

Skater Stats:

SH%

Shooting % (SH%) is the percentage of shots a player attempted that resulted in goals. This is calculated by multiplying goals by 100 and dividing by shots. This shows a player’s conversion rate, or how many goals they score for every 100 shots. It's useful when looking at goal pace, and whether a skater is just on a hot/cold streak or if their goals are indicative of their average abilities. 

An average shot conversion rate is between 9% and 13%, but skaters can have seasons where more of their shots go in or less of their shots go in. SH% fluctuates from less than 1% to over 20% depending on the skater’s luck. It is also important to look at the sample size. On Natural Stat Trick, if you sort by pure SH%, it shows you that Vasily Ponomarev (CAR) has the highest SH% of the players who have more than 1 goal on 1 shot, with a 33.33% SH%. This is because he has scored 1 goal on 3 shots, so the low sample size inflates his SH%. 

Highest SH%: Sam Reinhart (FLA) with a 25.31% SH% from 41 goals on 162 shots. It would seem like this year, lots of bounces are going Reinhart’s way. 

Average SH%: David Pastrnak (BOS) with a 12.67% SH% from 38 goals on 300 shots. This is league average, despite how many goals and shots he has. 

Lowest SH%: Seth Jones (CHI) with a 0.90% SH% from 1 goal on 111 shots. This is extremely unlucky, his SH% says he is due for some bounces. 

+/-

Plus/Minus is a stat to measure defensive efforts. Every time a player is on the ice when their team scores a goal, they get a +1, whether they are involved in the goal or not. When a player is on the ice when the other team scores a goal, they get a -1. If a player is on the ice for 2 goals for their team and one goal for the other team, they would end the night with a +1. If a player ends the night with 0, they were on the ice for equal amounts of goals for and against. 

However, a disclaimer; +/- is an imperfect stat, and it is not always useful without context. It is a useful at-a-glance stat to quickly see defensive performance, but more context is necessary to see if a player is good defensively or not. This is because +/- is often influenced by factors outside of a player’s control, highly variable factors. Some variables that can influence +/- without player input are goalie SV%, the amount of time the player spends on ice and whether they are spending that time in the offensive or defensive zone, and the amount of time a player spends on the power play or penalty kill. Nick Suzuki (MTL) has a +/- of -14, but he also has the fifth-highest TOI of any forward in the league and has very positive defensive numbers in other areas, such as takeaways and offensive zone time.

Highest +/-: Gustav Forsling (FLA) with +39 in 59GP

Average +/-: Mikko Rantanen (COL) with +5 in 61GP

Lowest +/-: Philipp Kurashev (CHI) with -32 in 53GP

Goalie Stats:

GSAA

Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) is the difference between a goalie’s goals against and a goalie’s goals against with the same shot against and the average save % (SV%). If you were comparing Goalie A with Average Goalie, who has the same goals against and shots against just an average SV%, GSAA measures how many more (or fewer) goals against Goalie A would save over Average Goalie. 

For example, if Thatcher Demko (VAN) was compared to Average Goalie, with the same goals and shots against and an average SV%, Demko would have saved 6.80 goals more than Average Goalie. This is useful for evaluating how goalies perform compared to the average, as well as how much they need to bail out their team. For example, a goalie like Sam Montembeault (MTL) might have a lower SV%, but a higher GSAA because he faces many more shots than a lot of goalies but saves many of them. This is a good stat to evaluate goalie quality. 

Highest GSAA: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) is +26.74 GSAA, which is crazy. Hellebuyck is crazy good. 

Average GSAA: John Gibson (ANA) is -1.09 GSAA, the closest to the hypothetical Average Goalie this season. 

Lowest GSAA: Arvid Soderblom (CHI) is -17.34 GSAA, yikes! 

SV%

Save % (SV%) is the percentage of shots against a goalie that a goalie saved. This is calculated by dividing the number of saves by the amount of shots against. This is useful as an initial evaluation of a goalie’s quality and should be used in conjunction with GSAA to evaluate a goalie’s performance more accurately, as SV% doesn’t account for any extenuating circumstances. Igor Shesterkin (NYR), for example, has had some stretches of poor SV% this season. These weren’t entirely his fault, as he was not getting the defensive support he was used to, therefore he was letting in more goals. 

League average SV% this season is around 0.903% and typical SV% ranges from 0.870% to around 0.930%. Similarly to SH%, it is important to look at the sample size for SV%, as the number of shots a goalie has faced can affect their SV%, and can show whether it is just a hot/cold streak or a reliable measure of performance. 

Highest SV%: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) with a 0.940% SV% by making 948 saves on 1008 shots. 

Average SV%: John Gibson (ANA) with a 0.913% SV% by making 752  saves on 824 shots. 

Lowest SV%: Jonas Johansson (TBL) with a 0.895% SV% by making only 513 saves on 573 shots. 

GAA or GA/G

Goals against per game, known as GAA or GA/G (I will be referring to it as GAA, but different websites use different acronyms), are the average amount of goals per game that a goalie allows. This is calculated by multiplying the goals against by 60 and dividing it by the goalie’s time on ice. This number is indicative of how many goals on average a goalie gives up, which isolates a goalie’s performance and is indicative of how good a goalie is, separate from their defensive core. It is especially useful when looking at good goalies on bad defensive teams, as it isolates the goalie from the skaters. A lower GAA means a goalie lets in fewer goals per game, and a higher one means a goalie lets in more. In this case, a lower number is better. 

Lowest GAA: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) with 2.23 GAA through 43 games played. 

Average GAA: Jake Oettinger (DAL) with 2.92 GAA through 38 games played. 

Highest GAA: Arvid Soderblom (CHI) with 3.97 GAA through 22 games played. 

Team Stats:

P%

P%, or Points %, is the percentage of available points a team has won. For example, if a team has played 50 games and won all 50, they would have the maximum amount of points: 1.000 because every win is 2 points. Therefore they would have a 100% P%. If they won 40 of those 50 games, they would have 80 points and a 0.800 P%. If they won only 30 games but lost the remaining 20 all in overtime or a shootout, they would also have 80 points and an 80% P%, as OT and SO losses still gain a point. 

P% is useful to look at throughout the season when teams have not played the same number of games. As of the time of writing, some teams have played up to 60 games while other teams have played only 55. When comparing the two teams, P% is a more accurate way to look at the standings, because it levels the playing field when there is a discrepancy in the amount of games played.  

Sometimes people talk about being above or below “500 hockey,” and this is talking about P%! “500 hockey” is when a team has won 50% of the available points. Above 0.500 is usually seen as a positive. There is only one team exactly at 0.500 P%, and that is somehow the Buffalo Sabres!

Highest P%: Florida Panthers, with 0.700 P% from 84 points in 60 games played (wow!)

League Average P%: Washington Capitals, with 0.551 P% from 65 points in 59 games played

Lowest P%: Chicago Blackhawks, with 0.292 P% from 35 points in 60 games played (yikes.)

PDO

If you are a fan of the Vancouver Canucks like I am, you have probably heard this acronym from both the media and opposing fans all season. PDO, also known as “puck luck,” is just adding a team’s combined shooting % with a team’s combined save %. The team’s combined shooting % is the average of the shooting % for all a team’s skaters, and the combined save % is the average of all a team’s goalies. 

PDO is important to know what percentage of a team’s shots are going in the net and how many shots are being saved by the goalies; basically, just puck luck! The average PDO in the league is 100.0, but depending on a team’s SH% and SV% throughout a season, these numbers usually fluctuate between 95% and 105%.

Highest PDO: Vancouver Canucks, with 103.4 from a combined 11.36 skater SH% and a 92.09 goalie SV%, those lucky ducks.

Lowest PDO: San Jose Sharks, with 97.4 from a combined 6.78 skater SH% and a 90.59 goalie SV%. Better find some four-leaf clovers, SJ. 

Corsi/CF%

Corsi is a number that combines any shot attempt outside of a shootout. This includes goals, shots on the net, shots that miss the net, and shots that are blocked by the opposing team. There are two types of corsi, corsi for (CF) and corsi against (CA). CF is the amount of shots that Team A makes on Team B. CA is the measure of how many shots Team B takes against Team A. 

For example, if Team A has 3 goals, 30 shots, and 30 blocked shots or missed shots, their CA would be 63. If Team B scored 2 goals on Team A and also had 20 shots and 20 blocked shots, Team A’s CA is 42. 

Got that? Great! Stay with me for this next part. 

CF% is the important stat, as it measures the percentage of total Corsi while a team is on the ice. It shows how the percentage of CF a team has vs CA. In other words, CF% measures how many more total shot attempts Team A has on Team B’s net than Team B has on Team A’s net. 

Hold on – don’t close the page, I know it’s confusing. Maybe this will make sense with some examples. 

The team with the best CF% is the Carolina Hurricanes, with 59.56 CF%. They have 3468 CF, or total shots, and 2355 CA, or shots the other teams took against them. Of the total goals, shots, and shot attempts on the ice in any Carolina Hurricanes game, the Canes have just under 60% of them. That is an impressive share of the shots. This stat helps you evaluate offensive versus defensive possession, as a high CF% (like the Canes) indicates high offensive possession. The more time spent in the offensive zone, the more goals, shots and shot attempts, and therefore a higher CF%!

Highest CF%: Carolina Hurricanes, as I said, super impressive!

Average CF%: Ottawa Senators, with 50.15% of the total shots on the ice in their games (or just over 50% CF%). Sens the most equal offensive zone vs defensive zone time? Makes sense!

Lowest CF%: San Jose Sharks, with 43.48% CF%. San Jose is not great at controlling play, but what did we expect? 

These are some of the most common stats and acronyms that you will come across in your analytics research, happy reading!

Stats were retrieved via Natural Stat Trick and ESPN’s NHL Player Stats, and definitions were retrieved with the assistance of Natural Stat Trick’s Stat Glossary. 

[velvetvexations]

The Vasiliki Velvet Guide to Never Misplacing Your Sexual Characteristics* has one guideline and it's "get them so big they can be seen from orbit."

*I hope that's the right term

And it also reminds of cis women getting personally offended when a trans man gets a mastectomy (or just talks about wanting one), or even worse with bottom surgery, as if them disliking their own body is an attack on everything feminine and womanly. (*There are some trans women who also act like this, but I personally notice that specific behaviour from cis queer women much more often.) (Obligatory not every trans woman is like this, and not every cis queer woman is like this, yada yada. I've met plenty of extremely cool queer women who'd happily beat up the women that do this shit to me and other trans men and transmascs.) (Again, sorry for bringing this back up, I just saw a screenshot of a post by a terf spewing terf-shit and it's just so annoying.)

Include me in those extremely cool queer women. <3

King Gizzard! I've never listened to them before but my very first MiniDisc was Lemon Demon's Spirit Phone and King Gizzard had, I think, just put out a new album on the same store so there's a pleasant association.

As for metal, nu-metal and metalcore mostly, like, percentage-wise. Linkin Park, Disturbed, early Falling in Reverse. If it was popular in AMVs in the mid-2000s to early 2010s I probably love it.

That said, I like a few songs from Metallica and Guns N' Roses, and you might not have heard of Bigelf but a lot of their stuff fucks hard. I also enjoy a ton of symphonic fantasy metal like Dragonforce and HammerFall.

But possibly my favorite band ever is Blue Oyster Cult. Please, dear God, listen to Blue Oyster Cult, especially Fire of Unknown Origin, which has possibly my favorite song ever, Veteran of the Psychic Wars.

Good and strong transmasc vibe.

The first notable Jasper to me was the SU character, so I always have to take a moment to remember that it's actually more a masculine name.

I also like this! Thank you, anon.

Here you go. I'm even angrier now because I didn't initially realize the OP was only 19.

I want to scream until I faint and hit my head on a rock killing me instantly.

The conversation did start with Cavetown, although that's an accidental transfem song for me.

The fact that acceptance of trans men means less girls does also play a huge part in transradfem thought as much as it does for radfems.

Every day I feel this meme in my heart of hearts:

[joealwyners]

Joe Alwyn for 'The Guardian Saturday' on April 30, 2022, interviewed by Rebecca Nicholson.

Photographed by Elliott Wilcox.

Joe Alwyn on Conversations With Friends and sex scenes: ‘They’re like filming fights – quite mechanical’

He’s about to make you swoon in the new adaptation of the Sally Rooney blockbuster. The actor talks about earning the author’s seal of approval and winning a Grammy alongside Taylor Swift.

The plan was to meet Joe Alwyn at an old‑fashioned pub in the area of London where he grew up. It’s a nice pub, tiny, a selection of beers with wacky names on tap, percentage proofs that would make your eyes water. But we both arrive just before noon, and the doors are locked, so we awkwardly hang around outside, peering in through the window, looking to all the world as though we are desperate for a late-morning drink.

I am not sure that Alwyn is as desperate to speak to me, though over the course of a slow and steady pint, he is very polite and easy company. The actor, 31, has been on the brink of being a big star ever since he left drama school in 2015, but his route to fame has run at a slightly different angle from his route to acting success. His partner is Taylor Swift, one of the most famous women on the planet, so there is that. He is tall, handsome, with floppy 90s heart-throb hair. He is quick and funny and confident, low-key in a fleece and jeans.

For a while, we are the only people in the pub. He uses humour to deflect awkwardness, and I suspect it suits him that nobody can hear what we’re saying. Alwyn is about to star as Nick, the married, maudlin actor who has an affair with a student, Frances, in Conversations With Friends. The adaptation is the second of Sally Rooney’s novels to be made into a television series, after the lockdown-fuelled smash hit Normal People. The director of both, Lenny Abrahamson, said he cast Alwyn as Nick in part because he was “soulful”. “What does that mean?” Alwyn splutters. You tell me, Joe. “I’ll take it. I don’t know! So soulful,” he repeats, with a hint of embarrassment.

Rooney had a say in who played her characters. “I was told she was doing this and that,” he says, waggling a thumb up and down. “I mean, not literally doing that, like a gladiator or an emperor. She was involved in casting and watching tapes.” When he got the part, due to his soulfulness presumably, he contacted the author, and they exchanged a few emails. The shoot was going to be in Dublin, where they planned to meet, but late in the day it moved to Belfast. “So we didn’t. But I sent her an email just being like, ‘Thank you’, basically. Thanks for the thumbs up, Sally.” Rooney’s books are full of highly articulate emails and texts. “She does a good email,” he nods. So how did you approach the pressure of emailing her? “Many, many drafts. I did my best email. It just felt really nice to have her blessing.”

Alwyn had read Conversations With Friends and Normal People already, long before his involvement in the former. “I read Normal People before I knew they were making a show out of it, and I remember when I saw it thinking, I’d love to be in something like that.” Normal People’s sex scenes between Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) became such a talking point that people began to lust over Mescal’s silver chain, as if everything else about him had been exhausted. In Conversations With Friends, Nick has a heated affair with Frances, and Alwyn is fairly regularly, if tastefully, naked in it. “We were guided through it with an intimacy coordinator, Ita O’Brien, who is great,” he says. “They’re essentially choreographed. So they’re like fight scenes. They’re quite mechanical. And obviously they’re weird, funny, strange things to do with your friends. But when Lenny’s in the room, cracking jokes, and there’s 10 crew members around, and it’s freezing cold or boiling hot, it just takes all the sexiness out of it.”

Besides, he says, the sex scenes are there for a reason. “They are kind of extensions of the conversations, in their own way. Each one, hopefully, should feel slightly different and mean something different to the people involved, and they’re not just kind of gratuitously thrown in. But, I mean, obviously, it’s a weird part of the job.”

Normal People and Conversations With Friends are different stories, and different series, in many ways, but if his series follows the Mescal trajectory, is he prepared for the idea that he might become a pin-up? “I honestly just don’t have any thoughts about it,” he says. They only finished filming four months ago. “I haven’t let myself think, ‘Oh God, people are actually going to see it’, so I haven’t thought about that side of things. Which is a boring answer, I know.”

Anyway, this is a serious drama, not a bonkbuster, and it deals with serious themes. Nick is married to Melissa (Jemima Kirke), a successful writer, and their marriage has not always been monogamous. But when Frances (newcomer Alison Oliver) and her best friend and ex-girlfriend Bobby (Sasha Lane) start to entangle themselves in their lives, the four of them are forced to ask grownup questions about love, jealousy and honesty. Nick is certainly a complicated character who runs hot and cold, and he is difficult to pin down. “When you meet him, he’s in a place of recovery – he’s been through a storm and is slightly numb to the world. And he’s just kind of functioning, and we meet that version of him, but we don’t really know why,” Alwyn says. It isn’t until later in the series that we start to learn who he is. “He can be a real enigma, and sometimes frustratingly so. He’s quite aloof and enigmatic and unreadable.”

I am not sure that Alwyn is aloof, but he has more than a touch of the enigmatic and unreadable about him. He has been a steadily successful actor since 2016, when his first job was to star in the Ang Lee-directed Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, alongside Kristen Stewart. He followed it up with smaller roles in a series of award-winning films, including The Favourite, Mary Queen of Scots, and Harriet. He has fronted campaigns for Prada, and has also won a Grammy, after collaborating with Swift on her 2020 album Folklore. Despite all of this, I say, I don’t know very much about you. Few details of his life are public, which he seems to prefer, but it does mean we have to start at the beginning. So you grew up …

“I grew up in this pub,” he cuts in, grinning. “I was born in this garden and I’ve never left. Very happy here, thank you.”

He actually grew up near where we are today, in Tufnell Park, a well-to-do neighbourhood in north London. His mother is a psychotherapist. “I never felt like I was lying down on the couch and being analysed every evening, which is probably a good thing. I managed to escape that. But she’s great with people and great to talk to. People always think that must be strange, having a mum who’s a therapist.” Well, it is interesting. “It definitely is. It’s an amazing job. I actually think if I didn’t do this, I would be interested in doing something like that.”

His father is a documentary film-maker who also teaches film-making. He instilled a love of films in the young Alwyn by giving him stacks of VHS tapes for his birthday and Christmas presents. “He makes fly-on-the-wall, observational human stories. When I was growing up, he was often away, and I remember him being in these far-flung places a lot, bringing back cool gifts for me and my brother.” Did you ever go with him? “I was never invited.” He leaves a beat. “Don’t worry, I spoke to my mum about it,” he quips.

He has two brothers, one older, who works for an NGO, and one much younger, who was born when he was at secondary school, and has just left school himself. Alwyn went to a private boys’ school, on a scholarship and bursary. He enjoyed it, and made a group of friends that he still speaks to all the time, even today. He didn’t really act at school; he mostly played sport. “I was good at football. Tennis. I just like athletics, generally.” He squirms. “Just generally’. It sounds so arrogant! ‘All of them’.

"I’m aware of people’s interest in my relationship, and the more it’s fed, the more you open a gate for intrusion."

Were people surprised that he wanted to be an actor? “I feel like I’d given enough hints that it wasn’t a complete bombshell when I wanted to do it, but I do think there was probably a feeling of, why?” He studied English and drama at Bristol University, and then went to drama school in London. Immediately after his final showcase, so the fairytale version of the story goes, he signed with an agent and was asked to audition for Lee, the Oscar-winning director of Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility, and The Ice Storm.

Was it really that simple? “It was as mad as that,” Alwyn says. He sent over a tape, and got a call saying Lee wanted to meet him that weekend. “So they put me on a plane. I hadn’t been to America before.” He landed in New York, in the snow, and immediately went out to find a New York slice of pizza. “Within five days, I’d left school, had a visa and was in boot camp in Atlanta. As it went on, I managed to relax and enjoy it. But at the beginning, in the first week or two of shooting, I was shitting myself.” And then it was over. “Everyone else stayed in America. I had to go back home and walk the dog the next day, it was pouring rain and I was back in this garden,” he smiles. “And life continued.”

After Billy Lynn, Alwyn had a run of nasty characters, historical figures, and sometimes both. He was a slave-owner in Harriet, and the son of a Nazi in Operation Finale. In The Favourite, he has a comic turn as Masham, who seduces Emma Stone’s Abigail, dances a silly dance with Rachel Weisz as Lady Sarah, and is a thorn in the side of Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne. “All three of them are amazing. Just down-to-earth, funny, nice people.” He says that it is fascinating to watch Colman work. “Because it can be so easy to sit in the corner full of nerves hyping yourself up for a scene, but she is so chilled and fun and cracking jokes, and then she’s just in it and out, and then it’s done.”

Masham is a supporting character, a small-ish role, but Alwyn decided early on that he would rather take smaller parts with directors he admired than always go for the big, splashy jobs. “There are a couple of things I probably did just because I wanted to work, but I’ve tried to be pretty picky,” he says. Does that require a healthy ego, to be happy to play the supporting role, rather than insisting on being the star? “The idea of being the lead role just for the sake of it seems ridiculous,” he says, then catches himself. He likes to make sure he is being understood. “Well, it doesn’t seem ridiculous. Each to their own. But I’d much rather play an interesting support role in an interesting film. I find that more attractive.”

Since 2016, if the internet is to be believed – details are sparse, and will remain so, largely – Alwyn has been in a relationship with Swift. His film career brought him a level of recognition, but the level of fame he has been exposed to around his relationship is something else entirely. Was that a shock? “It’s not something I think about, unless I’m in situations like this, and someone says, ‘What’s it like?’ and I have to think about what to say about it,” he says, though he does have plenty to say on it, which suggests he has thought about it at least a little bit. He is more clipped when he talks about this side of things, and a bit less jokey, as if practised in being firm. “It’s just not for other people,” he says, of their relationship. “And I don’t say that with aggression.”

He will concede that he can see why people might be interested in it. And people are interested. Her 2019 song London Boy, about fancying a charming, sporty north London boy with lots of mates, is rumoured to be about him, but, other than that, they say very little about each other in public. I tell him I watched a nine-minute compilation on YouTube that collected everything they had said about their relationship in public into one handy video. “Well, I hope that was illuminating,” he says, drily. It wasn’t, actually. “That doesn’t surprise me, because I don’t know what people would be going off.”

He pauses, for what seems like an age. “I don’t know how best to talk about it. I mean, I’m aware of people’s … of that size of interest, and that world existing. It’s just not something I particularly care about, or have much interest in feeding, I guess, because the more it’s fed, the more you are opening a gate for intrusion.” He is aware that this makes him sound guarded. “I think that’s just my response to a culture that has this increasing expectation that everything is going to be given. If you don’t post about the way you make your coffee in the morning, or if you don’t let someone take a picture when you walk out of your front door, is that being private? I don’t know if it is. So I just don’t really feed that.”

"The songs came from us messing around. It was like baking sourdough in lockdown. The Grammy was this ridiculous bonus."

His own Instagram is strictly work-based, and there is little hint of anything beyond a film set. “If you and I were having a conversation, and having a shandy in my house, and it wasn’t being recorded, then, of course, other things would be said,” he says, echoing what Swift told this paper in 2019. (“If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it – but it’s just that it goes out into the world,” she said, back then.) Did they decide, from the beginning, to have a party line, and not to talk about each other? “Erm. It was just like, well, why? There are more interesting things to talk about and I just think it feeds into a weird part of the culture that I’m not really interested in being a part of.”

One thing he will talk about is their musical collaboration, which turned him into a Grammy winner. I did want to ask about music, I say. “Go for it, and I will sing for you,” he jokes, happier to be back on solid ground. When Swift released Folklore, two of the songs, Betty and Exile, credited a mysterious co-writer called William Bowery. Fans speculated as to who it might be, and Swift later revealed that it was a pseudonym for Alwyn, who also co-wrote some of the songs on its follow-up, Evermore. “That was a surreal bonus of lockdown,” he says, checking himself. “That’s an understatement.”

What was it like to work with your other half, in her line of business? “It wasn’t like, ‘It’s five o’clock, it’s time to try and write a song together,’” he says. “It came about from messing around on a piano, and singing badly, then being overheard, and being, like, ‘Let’s see what happens if we get to the end of it together.’ ” He liked it because there were no expectations and no pressure. “I mean fun is such a stupid word, but it was a lot of fun. And it was never a work thing, or a ‘Let’s try and do this because we’re going to put this out’ thing. It was just like baking sourdough in lockdown.” But not everyone’s sourdough resulted in a Grammy. “The Grammy was obviously this ridiculous bonus.”

Did he have any musical ambitions before this? “I like music, and I played a bit of guitar awfully in a school band when I was 12.” They were called Anger Management, and they covered Marilyn Manson’s version of the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). “I can play piano pretty badly, but never with the intent of, ‘Right, it’s time for my jazz-fusion album.’” He grins. “Unfortunately.”

He’s joking, but if a jazz-fusion album does emerge one day, it wouldn’t be such a curveball. He is about to take some time off and has no immediate jobs lined up, he says, which is fine by him, as last year was so busy. His recent work indicates a Robert Pattinson-style swerve into the arthouse. He had a small role in Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir: Part II, and his next two films will be Stars at Noon, an adaptation of a Denis Johnson novel directed by Claire Denis, and Catherine, Called Birdy, a medieval comedy directed by Lena Dunham. “Again, I think that all comes from working with Ang Lee, and the luxury of that at the beginning,” he says. “I would just much rather do that for now and ‘build’, which sounds awful,” he says, beginning to collapse into a cringe, “and like, oh, grow as an actor, which also sounds awful.” He looks mortified. “Do you know what I mean?”

I think I know what he means. He sounds like someone who is satisfied with life as it is, and where it’s about to take him. We finish our pints. Alwyn is heading off to meet someone on Hampstead Heath, and we shake hands, politely, as we say goodbye. He heads out into the street, eyes on the path just ahead.

[digitxlagency]

How Can You Improve Conversion Rates in Digital Marketing?

In digital marketing, conversion rates are the ultimate measure of success. Whether you’re aiming to increase sales, generate leads, or drive downloads, improving conversion rates ensures that your marketing efforts yield tangible results. Knowing the ways to effectively increase your conversion rate is essential for achieving these goals and optimising your campaigns.

This blog explores actionable tips and strategies to improve conversion rates, helping you create a seamless user experience that encourages your audience to take action. By implementing these strategies, supported by experts like a CRO agency, you can transform website visitors into loyal customers.

What Is Conversion Rate and Why Does It Matter?

A conversion rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action on your website, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. High conversion rates indicate that your audience finds your website engaging and your offerings compelling. It’s a key metric for measuring the success of your digital marketing campaigns.

If you’re looking for tips to increase your conversion rate, start by analysing your user journey and identifying potential barriers. Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) focuses on enhancing the user experience and aligning it with your audience’s intent.

Ways to Effectively Increase Your Conversion Rate

Here are proven strategies to boost your conversion rates in digital marketing:

1. Simplify Your Website Design

A clutter-free, user-friendly website improves navigation and encourages visitors to stay longer. Ensure your site is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly. Use clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons to guide users toward the desired actions.

2. Optimise Landing Pages

Landing pages play a crucial role in conversions. Focus on:

Crafting compelling headlines.

Using high-quality visuals.

Highlighting benefits with concise, persuasive copy.

Test different layouts and designs using A/B testing tools to identify what resonates best with your audience.

3. Leverage Social Proof

Showcasing reviews, testimonials, and case studies builds trust and reassures potential customers of your credibility. People are more likely to convert when they see others have had positive experiences.

4. Improve Page Load Speeds

Page load speed directly impacts user experience. Slow-loading pages can frustrate visitors, causing them to leave before taking action. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to diagnose and improve performance.

5. Personalise User Experiences

Tailored experiences make users feel valued. Use tools to analyse user behaviour and deliver personalised recommendations, dynamic content, and targeted offers.

6. Streamline Forms

If your goal is lead generation, simplify your forms. Ask only for essential information to reduce friction and increase the likelihood of users completing the form.

7. Collaborate with Experts

Partnering with a conversion rate optimisation agency in Australia can help you implement advanced CRO techniques. Experts bring a wealth of experience, ensuring you maximise your marketing ROI.

Best Practices for Conversion Rate Optimisation

Test Regularly: Continuously test and tweak elements such as CTAs, images, and layouts.

Focus on Customer Pain Points: Address common objections or concerns within your content.

Analyse Data: Use analytics tools to track user behaviour and identify drop-off points.

Follow Up: Implement retargeting campaigns to engage users who didn’t convert initially.

Conclusion

Improving conversion rates in digital marketing requires a combination of user-centric design, data-driven insights, and effective strategies. By focusing on the ways to effectively increase your conversion rate, you can achieve better results and drive significant growth. For expert guidance, consider collaborating with CRO agencies or seasoned SEO marketing professionals who can help elevate your campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to increase conversion rate in digital marketing?

To improve conversion rates, optimise your website for user experience, create compelling CTAs, and use social proof like testimonials. Personalisation and faster page load speeds also make a significant difference.

Which three actions can improve your conversion rate?

Simplify your website design and navigation.

Leverage A/B testing for landing pages.

Highlight social proof to build trust.

How do you get a good conversion rate?

A good conversion rate comes from understanding your audience, delivering relevant content, and creating seamless user experiences. Regularly testing and refining your strategies is key.

What is the conversion rate for digital marketing?

Conversion rates vary by industry, but an average rate across industries is typically between 2% and 5%. With effective CRO strategies, it’s possible to exceed these benchmarks.

[digitaldetoxworld]

Best Influencer Marketing Strategies: A 1000-Word Guide

 Influencer advertising and marketing has come to be one of the best strategies for manufacturers seeking to construct consciousness, growth engagement, and pressure conversions. As customers increasingly more accept as true with hints from people they respect over conventional classified ads, leveraging influencers can create genuine connections and compelling narratives round products and services.

Best Influencer Marketing Strategies 

This guide will explore influencer advertising strategies in-depth, masking how to pick out influencers, marketing campaign making plans, execution, and measuring success.

1. Understanding Influencer Marketing

At its core, influencer advertising and marketing is a collaboration among brands and individuals who have a faithful following on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). These influencers can sway purchasing selections because of their authority, understanding, or relationship with their audience.

Influencer advertising and marketing techniques usually goal to:

Increase emblem awareness

Promote new services or products

Drive site visitors to web sites or bodily shops

Encourage conversions or app installs

The key to fulfillment is strategic alignment among logo values and influencer personality.

2. Identifying the Right Influencers

Not all influencers are created identical. Choosing the proper influencer calls for a thoughtful evaluation of several factors:

a. Audience Relevance

Ensure the influencer's target market aligns with your target marketplace. For instance, a vegan skincare emblem could advantage greater from a beauty influencer who promotes cruelty-loose products than from a tech influencer.

B. Engagement Rate

High follower count number doesn’t always mean high engagement. Analyze likes, feedback, stocks, and the nice of interactions. A micro-influencer (10K–100K fans) would possibly have extra engaged followers than a celeb influencer.

C. Authenticity

Look for influencers who create actual content and percentage proper tales. Followers are short to notice when a collaboration feels compelled or inauthentic.

D. Platform Fit

Different platforms serve unique content types. For instance:

Instagram is super for visuals and product showcases.

TikTok is good for short, innovative, and viral films.

YouTube fits long-form storytelling or evaluations.

Blogs paintings nicely for exact evaluations and search engine optimization-pushed campaigns.

3. Setting Clear Goals and KPIs

Define your marketing campaign goals prematurely. Are you aiming for focus, engagement, or conversions?

Common KPIs consist of:

Reach and impressions

Engagement price (likes, comments, shares)

Click-via charge (CTR)

Conversion fee (income, app installs, sign-ups)

Follower increase

These metrics will help degree the campaign's overall performance and manual future strategies.

Four. Types of Influencer Campaigns

a. Sponsored Content

Brands pay influencers to create posts, testimonies, or motion pictures providing their services or products. The content material is commonly labeled as "subsidized" or “paid partnership.”

b. Product Seeding

This involves sending loose products to influencers within the wish they’ll publish approximately them. While there’s no guaranteed insurance, it’s a low-threat way to construct relationships and earn natural merchandising.

C. Giveaways and Contests

Influencers host giveaways to force engagement and brand attention. This tactic is specifically powerful for increasing followers and reach in a quick time.

D. Affiliate Marketing

Influencers sell merchandise the usage of unique referral hyperlinks or cut price codes. They earn a commission for each sale generated, making it a overall performance-based totally approach.

E. Brand Ambassadorships

Long-time period partnerships wherein influencers represent a brand continually over the years. This allows construct deeper agree with and more sustained visibility.

Five. Crafting the Campaign Brief

A specified quick ensures influencers recognize your expectations and may supply aligned content. Include the following factors:

Campaign objectives

Key messages and hashtags

Visual fashion and tone of voice

Mandatory call-to-moves (e.G., “Swipe up to shop”)

Posting schedule and time limits

Disclosure requirements (#ad, #sponsored)

While hints are critical, permit influencers innovative freedom to hold authenticity.

6. Budgeting and Compensation

Influencer expenses range broadly based on reach, engagement, content layout, and platform. Micro-influencers may price a few hundred bucks per publish, while top-tier influencers can command thousands or more.

Also don't forget:

Production prices (e.G., video editing)

Giveaway prizes

Paid amplification (boosting influencer content material through commercials)

Negotiate pretty, and do not forget providing a mix of financial compensation, free merchandise, and affiliate opportunities.

7. Legal Considerations and FTC Compliance

Influencer marketing is situation to advertising policies. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that influencers truely expose sponsored content. Typical disclosure techniques encompass:

#ad or #sponsored at the start of captions

Verbal disclosures in motion pictures

Clear labeling of paid partnerships

Ensure contracts define deliverables, utilization rights, deadlines, and confidentiality clauses to guard both events.

8. Amplifying Influencer Content

Once content is stay, maximize its reach through:

Sharing to your brand’s social media channels

Featuring it in e-mail advertising and marketing

Embedding movies or opinions for your website

Running paid ads using influencer content material (with permission)

This technique extends the content material’s lifespan and boosts ROI.

Nine. Measuring and Analyzing Results

Use monitoring equipment and analytics to evaluate the overall performance of your influencer campaigns. Key metrics consist of:

Engagement (likes, comments, shares)

Reach and impressions

Website site visitors (via UTM hyperlinks or Google Analytics)

Conversion metrics (sales, downloads, sign-ups)

Some famous influencer advertising gear consist of:

Upfluence

GRIN

AspireIQ

HypeAuditor

CreatorIQ

Use this information to become aware of top-acting influencers and content material formats for future campaigns.

10. Building Long-Term Relationships

Treat influencers as partners, now not simply content material creators. Long-time period collaborations foster:

Greater logo loyalty

More actual endorsements

Improved audience consider

Engage with their content, offer everyday feedback, and contain them in product development or distinct occasions to deepen the connection.

11. Trends in Influencer Marketing

To live in advance, hold an eye fixed on rising trends:

Nano-influencers (1K–10K fans) are gaining traction for hyper-local engagement.

AI influencers like Lil Miquela are starting new frontiers in digital advertising.

Live purchasing via platforms like TikTok Shop is blurring the road among content and commerce.

User-generated content (UGC) from influencers is being repurposed in paid advertisements and branded pages.

Best strategies for influencer outreach in 2025

[heathermarielocke]

Breaking Down the Factors That Affect Market Perception in Auto Transport

Market Value Over Time

Resale value is a critical factor when purchasing a vehicle, as it represents the predicted market value of a car, truck, or SUV at the time of sale. It is essential to understand that a new car that depreciates faster than its competitors can lead to a lower trade-in value, potentially costing the owner more in the long run if they owe more than the vehicle's worth on a long-term loan. According to Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards, vehicles that maintain the highest 5-year residual values, expressed as a percentage of their original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), are recognized for their ability to retain value. These awards are determined by experienced automotive analysts who utilize extensive data, including millions of transactions, vehicle specifications, economic conditions, and auction results, to predict and track vehicle depreciation effectively.

Brands like Lexus and Audi consistently rank near the top for value retention in the luxury segment, indicating that these vehicles are likely to depreciate less over time compared to others.

Conversely, brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo may struggle with maintaining high resale values, especially when compared to high-volume models like the Honda Civic or Toyota Sienna.

Brand Prestige and Consumer Perception

Brand perception significantly influences a vehicle's market value and resale potential. Consumers' perceptions are shaped by direct and indirect experiences with the brands, and this perception influences their decision-making process.

For instance, Lexus is often seen as the epitome of high resale value, which enhances its appeal among luxury buyers who consider future trade-in values.

On the other hand, mainstream car buyers who have experienced strong resale values with brands like Honda or Toyota may find the depreciation rates of luxury brands like Jaguar or Volvo less appealing.

The automotive industry's perception is also affected by factors such as safety, reliability, and operating costs. Dramatic events, such as Toyota's large-scale recalls, have been shown to impact brand perception negatively, affecting resale values.

Conversely, brands that manage to maintain strong safety reputations, like Volvo, despite challenges, can sustain their position in the market.

However, as consumer preferences evolve and more brands begin to excel in multiple categories, the perceived difference between top car brands and challengers is diminishing, making the competition for high resale value more intense.

In summary, understanding the factors that influence resale value and consumer perceptions can guide consumers in making informed purchasing decisions that consider both immediate benefits and long-term financial implications.

Making the Right Choice for Your Needs

Assessing Personal Needs and Preferences

When selecting the right vehicle for city driving, it is crucial to assess personal needs and preferences thoroughly. One should consider how the vehicle aligns with their lifestyle, budget, and driving conditions they frequently encounter.

For individuals residing in urban areas, factors like vehicle size, maneuverability, and fuel efficiency take precedence. Compact cars with a tight turning radius are particularly advantageous in cities, where parking spaces are scarce, and streets are narrow.

Understanding one's commitment to vehicle maintenance is essential. A car is not merely a tool for transportation; it reflects one's responsibility and care. Regular maintenance such as timely oil changes and adherence to service schedules extends the lifespan of the vehicle and ensures reliable performance. Prospective buyers should ponder whether they are prepared to maintain a luxury car, which often requires more attention and higher costs, or if an affordable, reliable model better suits their practical needs.

For finding a reliable and responsible auto transport services, you can browse around this website. Lucky Star Auto Transport provide a professional car shipping services in California and nationwide. They offer direct car shipping guide, with fully insured car carriers and transporters that are reviewed for excellent service and competitive prices.

[radigalde]

Pippa Accident guide (Polo Club route)

So far, the only way to get Pippa outright dead is to choose to become possessed during the spooky segment in the horse trailer (#I poke my head out the window to see what's really going on outside..., unavailable for already possessed MC and MC with fear phobia) while either not feeding at all or overfeeding Adrian's horse during your conversation before the trailer.

For overfeeding Foreshadow either give him all 7 of your carrots one by one each time he asks for it, or give the entire bag of treats at once. You can check it by the achievement "Pigging Out on Treats".

Dead Pippa also results in Adrian getting badly hurt (-20 HP for him).

In all other outcomes Pippa survives.

To save Pippa with the best outcome MC has to go to the rescue, grab the reigns (#I loop the reins around my left hand and lean as far to the right as humanly possible as I reach for Enchanter Moon's bridle. or #Full speed ahead! for the second attempt) and pass the stat checks. Note that in order to go to the resque in the first place you'll have make sure that your fear level is less than 10 (some options allow to bypass it with having greed vice). And your horse's saddle should be buckled properly (relevant only for Midsummer Knight's Dream and Knight Rider who will try to trick you during the preparations).

To pass the first rescue attempt (#I loop the reins around my left hand and lean as far to the right as humanly possible as I reach for Enchanter Moon's bridle.) you'll need to:

choose Knight Rider or Midsummer Knight's Dream as your horse or just give a treat to any other horse (do not give them all 7 carrots or entire bag at once!);

and either have body stat of 30 or more or have the combined score of body and charm to be 50 or more.

To pass the second rescue attempt (#Full speed ahead!) you'll need to:

choose Queen of the Knight or Fly by Knight as your horse or just give a treat to any other horse (do not give them all 7 carrots or entire bag at once!);

and have body stat of 20 or more or have the combined score of body and charm to be 40 or more.

Both body and charm stats start with 5 and are gained through the first chapter (yes, including the club routes). On the stats screen body stat is "Physical Strength + Athleticism", charm stat is  "Charisma + Diplomacy". Percentage equals to the score (i.e. 5% is the score of 5).

MC with luck talent and changeling MC get additional chance after failing the second rescue attempt, but you are at RNG's mercy here, since the success requires a dice toss. MC with both luck and changeling childhood gets slightly higher chance of success in this toss, but it's still pure RNG.

The best outcome (for both successful attempts) gives a huge boost to relationships with other club members, small boost ot relationship with Adrian, and fear stat reduction (-3 for success on the first attempt and -2 for the second). However, it also results in HP loss both for you (-10 HP and injured shoulder) and Adrian (-5 HP).

For the second-best outcome you'll need to leave rescue to Adrian while feeding (but not overfeeding) his horse beforehand. For that either don't chase Pippa at all (this includes voluntarily possessed MC who can't help either way), back off from the rescue after the initial failure, or fail both attempts.

With the second-best outcome MC can avoid HP losses (except for the voluntarily possessed MC who fell off their horse and MC who failed rescue), and Adrian will loose 10 HP. Some versions of this outcome (depending on how you achieved it) also give a small fear reduction.

Every other outcome not covered above (mostly achieved with hungry Foreshadow or overfed Foreshadow) will result in saved Pippa but badly hurt Adrian (-20 HP) and possibly MC (depending on them falling off their horse).

Damn, Adrian, feed you goddamned horse yourself, would you?