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inevitably-johnlocked · 3 years

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Hi Steph!

I’m sorry it’s my first time sending you an ask, so I dunno which button I clicked man. Sorry about that.

Ok, so what I wanted to request! I love your blog. You’re really kind and genuine, and I’ve found some great fics to light up my day from here. But sometimes, the posts are suuupppeeerr long, and I may not be looking for this info exactly? Like it clogs up a lot of my dash. So I wanted to request if you could use a “read more” feature after a brief, at least for the fic rec posts.

I hope I didn’t offend or anything. Thank u for all the kindness you put into the world each day. Have a good day fren!

Hey Nonny!

Ahh, okay, you’re not going to like what I am going to say, but you are very respectful and were smart and sandwiched your issue in compliments, so Ahhhh, I feel conflicted now.

With all due respect Nonny, this is my blog and I get more engagement on my lists if people can see the full list; many people prefer it that way, and honestly I get crapped on either way, so I’ve made the executive decision to not cut my posts. The only time I do is on “second” reblog on super long LONG lists so that I have a “cut” and “uncut” version of the post, but even those I’ve been reducing.

I’ve tried both ways, and full posts get better notice. All I want to do is share my love of fics and content with y’all, and the best way to do that is to just have it all there so people know what they’re getting.

Plus, am I to just “readmore” every single reply on my posts? A lot of the reason my blog has stayed as long as it has is because I’ve always been a very interactive blog. People LIKE seeing their replies added to a comment thread on my post, and it helps smaller blogs get noticed. It’s not much on the surface, but I’ve had smaller blogs come to me DELIGHTED that their name is now attached to one of my posts that are going through a “popular reblog cycle” (that is, a post that is being interacted with for a good few days before I actually finally add it to the month-reblog queue). It helps create a sense of community, I feel, and that’s one of the things I am very honoured to be: a starting place for community.

And this is just in a general sense and NOT directed at you, more at the people who shit on me in the notes of my long posts, but I don’t GET people getting upset about my TEXT BASED POST WITH NO IMAGES IN IT, but not on any of the image or playlist posts I reblog, which take FOREVER to load on mobile. I GENUINELY don’t get it. I don’t even use the app on my phone, I’m logged into the browser on my phone, because the app is garbage.

The problem is the app, in my opinion. That’s the gist of it. It loads slow, it scrolls terribly, and the UI is annoying, but instead app users blame the bloggers and not the fact that Tumblr staff ignore every suggestion we make. And because more of the newer people use their mobiles these days, us old-time Tumblr users are expected to microblog like the shitty sites that are Twitter or Facebook. Tumblr is a blogging platform, like LiveJournal, laid out all nicely and clean and honestly, (the royal you) you’re getting exactly what you signed up for: long posts, opinions, and interaction. If one wants shitty layouts, shitty comment threads you can’t follow and reactionaries, go to Twitter. Call me a boomer, whatever, I just find Tumblr so much more appealing now more than ever.

Sorry, I’ve needed to get this off my chest for awhile now. I don’t know. Maybe I’m being pedantic. I don’t care, really. My thoughts on this: if (the royal) you don’t like the content, or find stuff annoying, don’t follow me.

Because you know what a lot of my longest posts are? Helpline numbers at the bottom of posts. Useful links. And just stuff that make people happy. People in despair are not going to click on a read more of a post. People who want links to resources aren’t going to click on a read more. People who just want happiness after a stressful day are literally just scrolling to smile, and they ain’t gonna click a read more.

YES, there are reasons read mores are good, absolutely. I just PERSONALLY don’t like them because I like engagement. I don’t get much of it anymore on my posts, EXCEPT the fic rec posts, and THOSE work better as a full view.

BUT NONNY PLEASE KNOW I AM NOT UPSET AT ALL WITH YOU, and you’ve given me a great opportunity to discuss this thing that I’ve put off for awhile because the other people were less-than-kind, and it only made me NOT address it out of simple spite because I’m nothing if not a passive aggressive old lady.

So, here are a few ideas you can implement:

If you like my posts but not the longest ones, I always tag them “long post”. Tumblr finally has its own tag blocking feature, so just block “long post”. All of my very long lists will be blocked, and you can decide if you want to click on them based on what the additional tags are. I try my best to tag all my lists appropriately.

Similarly, you can “tag block” my username, and only click on the posts you like the tags for.

DON’T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY, PLEASE, this isn’t a “so there!” comment, I promise!!: You can unfollow me if you’re only following me for the fic lists, and instead follow me on Twitter at @inevitablyjohn1, which is used only to promote my new lists and art. Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday I post up the Wednesday Reblog, Five Fics Friday, Fic Rec Roundup, and Fic Rec Sunday, with a link to each post :) Then you’ll get all the lovely full lists I post 4 times a week. OF COURSE, this is the option I don’t want to happen, because I love all my lovelies and you’ll miss out on the random fics, insightful asks, and suggestions I get throughout the week, BUT I want you to enjoy your time on Tumblr, and if my blog is causing you stress, it’s the last thing I want to happen. I love all of y’all too much to see that!

THAT ALL SAID, Nonny, I’m really sorry to disappoint you, and I hope you understand my POV on this. I just don’t see any benefit on my part, for MY blog, which I run for MY happiness which has the side effect of making other people happy. I also hope you will still stick around regardless, but I care about your well being and I understand if you have to leave.

AND everyone, please don’t be harsh on this Nonny! They asked a question respectfully and deserve our respect in kind.

I truly wish you the loveliest of days, Nonny, and have a great week! <3

#steph replies #my blog #blog things #tumblr things #ironically:#long post #Anonymous

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isthisthingeven0n · 4 years

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it’s always been you : i.f

brief summary: ilya has always known that david is a womaniser, and he’s just in the background, a second choice. but when you turn up and capture the pairs attention, will it be the same case?

word count: 1.6k requested: yes by an anon! i hope you love it warnings: nope, it’s fluffy and all cuteness up in here

* masterlistin’ / masterlistin’ 2.0

m y e t s y s h o p

(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website know it hasn’t been approved me unless specified. all rights reserved. - i have to start doing this as I had some shit on my other blog with plagiarism)

DO NOT STEAL MY WORK - IT IS ALL MY OWN WRITING

“No, I’m serious dude, she’d go for you easily.” Ilya laughs into the microphone whilst David shakes his head in disbelief. “She would trust me. You’re so good and smooth-talking with girls and I’m just well,” Ilya trails off as Jason interrupts, mentioning the last time David flirted with a girl.

“I doubt that, Ilya. But if it ever happens, I guess we’ll find out.” David jokes, unaware of how soon that would end up happening.

Sitting across from the pair, you were deep in thought as your laptop remained on your lap, oblivious to the glances from David and Ilya.

Natalie beside you rolled her eyes, picking up on the looks. “She’s into you, dude.” Ilya mutters to David, nodding as David simply raises a brow. “It’s obvious, really.” He quickly adds, trying to hide the feeling of his heart sinking as he forces a smile, noticing a genuine one forming on David’s face.

“I don’t know, Ilya.” David remarks as he glances up, seeing you lifting your gaze up at the same time. “She’s just a friend, that’s all.”

Ilya shakes his head, knowing that is far from the truth based on what happened the night before.

“I’m serious, Dave, get off me!” You giggle as David continues to tickle you, your laughter echoing throughout the house as Ilya walks in with the pizza’s David ordered.

As he places the pizza’s on the counter, his smile begins to drop as he finds you in David’s arms, your face flushed as tears fall from your eyes. “You’re not getting outta this that easy.” David laughs.

“I got pizza.” Ilya speaks up, and immediately you fall from the sofa, landing on the rug with a soft thud.

Quickly, rising to your feet you clear your throat. “About time, I’m starving!” You avert your gaze from Ilya as you walk over to the pizza boxes, leaving Ilya oblivious to the fact you’re trying to calm your heart rate.

“What about that guy, he’s kinda cute?” Natalie nudges you as she hands you her phone, catching the attention of both boys as you shuffle in your seat.

Humming to yourself, you pass Natalie her phone back. ��He’s not my type,” You say with a shrug. “I prefer brunettes.”

“Of course I had to go bleach my hair.” Ilya mutters under his breath whilst David smirks to Natalie, wondering if his thoughts could be accurate.

“Well, most of the time at least.” You quickly add before moving your laptop from your lap and heading to the bathroom, hiding your hands in the sleeves of your hoodie to stop them from visibly shaking.

Once out of sight and earshot, Natalie groans loudly. “Guys, can you give her a break, seriously.” Natalie points to the pair, Ilya holding his hands up in defence whilst David merely chuckles to himself.

“It’s just a bit of fun, Nat.” David excuses it as he looks down to his phone and answers a phone call. “What’s up, Zane?” David asks, walking out and into his bedroom, the door closing behind him.

Yet, despite it being just Natalie and Ilya, the matter isn’t being that dropped that easily. “Like David said, Nat, just a bit of fun.” Ilya comments half heartedly.

“I don’t think so,” Natalie sings playfully as she nudges herself to the edge of the sofa, resting her hands on her lap. “just, talk to her, yeah?” Natalie adds just before you walk back into the room, running your fingers through your hair as you glance over at David’s absent spot.

“Is it just me or is it freezing in here?” You ask, wrapping your arms around yourself as Natalie shakes her head whilst Ilya remains quiet.

Looking at the absent spot beside Ilya, a light bulb flashes above Natalie’s head. “Why don’t you take David’s spot? He’ll be gone for hours now that Zane’s on the phone.” Natalie suggests to you whilst Ilya’s eyes widen.

Turning around, you smile shyly to Ilya. “Is that okay with you, Ilya? I don’t wanna invade your personal space.” You chuckle.

“Oh no, not at all.” Ilya rambles, moving David’s things aside as he pats the spot beside him. “I’m hot, I mean, I’m warm so hopefully you’ll get hotter, I mean,” Sighing to himself, Ilya stops as he closes his eyes, listening to your quiet laughter as the sofa dips.

“Thanks, Ils.” You mutter as you curl up beside him, resting your head on his shoulder as your eyes start to droop whilst you scroll through your phone.

A few hours pass by, and you’re fast asleep with Ilya on the sofa. It started off with a quick power nap, but when Ilya lifted his arm up and you moved to rest your head on his chest, he was a goner.

“You won’t believe what Zane’s done now-” David cuts himself off as he walks into the living room, Natalie shushing him as she motions to you and Ilya on the sofa.

David pauses, looking down as your face is buried in Ilya’s chest whilst his arms are wrapped around you securely, your legs tangled together.

“Oh,” David smiles at the sight, quickly taking his phone and recording you both.

Moving aside, something changes in David’s thoughts as Natalie follows him into the kitchen. “How cute do they look,” Natalie sighs happily, but David remains silent. “wait, are you okay?”

Resting her hand on David’s arm, Natalie can see a look of sadness in his gaze.

“Yeah,” Snapping out of his thoughts, David forces a smile. “I just, I didn’t think about it until now really,” David mumbles as Natalie quirks a brow. “how, how good they look together that is.” David adds. “And I think I’m being selfish, trying to take that away from him.” David adds. “And I think I’m being selfish, trying to take that away from him.”

“There’s someone out there for you, Dave.” Natalie quietly states. “But I’m proud of you for admitting that, they just have to tell each other now.” Natalie huffs, knowing it’ll be a while before she hears either of you admit how you feel.

“Wanna make a bet?” David smirks and Natalie rolls her eyes. “$100 says Y/n will admit before the end of the week.”

Natalie scoffs before holding her hand out as David shakes it. “We’ll see about that.”

* It was almost the end of the week, and neither you nor Ilya had mentioned what happened the other night.

Sitting in the garden, you were busy reading through a contract that you were emailed by your manager when Ilya wandered out.

“Oh, hey Y/n.” Ilya waves, but you remain quiet for a moment until you look over your contract, seeing the blonde standing before you.

Fumbling with the contract, you rest it by your side and sit upright. “Ilya, hey, sorry I was lost in my own thoughts there.” You admit, tucking your hair behind your ears as you smile up to him.

“That’s alright,” Ilya mutters as he sits down beside you. “I haven’t seen you much this week, guess you’ve been occupied with the sponsorship you’ve been working on?”

You nod in response. “Yeah, I mean I love it and I’m so grateful, but it’s kept me busy and as a result unable to spend time with you.” You pause, realising what you just said aloud. “And everyone that is.” You add, a nervous chortle leaving your lips whilst Ilya is unable to process what you just admitted.

“They’re hopeless.” David sighs as he leans back in from spying on you both. “I didn’t think it would be this difficult.”

Natalie tuts. “It’s Y/n and Ilya, what did you expect? They’re so alike it hurts.” She remarks. “Just give them time, and then I’ll be $100 richer.” Natalie says smugly before turning on her heels, heading back to her room.

“I’m sorry,” You eventually break the silence, turning to face Ilya as your knee brushes against his. “I, I’m not really good at talking about feelings and shit, but I think, no I know I have to say this.”

“Okay, I mean, only if you want to.” Ilya comments, reaching out as he rests his hand on your knee, causing goosebumps to erupt across your skin.

“I like you, Ilya.” You admit, focusing on his eyes as they widen, and then a small laugh leaves his lips, causing your heart to simultaneously break.

“Wait, no I didn’t mean it like that!” He quickly reassures you. “I just, are you sure?”

Slightly stunned, you nod slowly. “Yeah, but if you don’t feel the same that’s totally fine!” You tell him, but Ilya shakes his head, his hand tightening on your knee for a moment.

“No I, I do. I’m just, just surprised.” He half laughs. “I always thought you liked David.” He admits and listens as you laugh lightly.

“Wait seriously?” You ask, slightly dumbfounded as Ilya nods.

“I just thought, I mean, why wouldn’t you?” Ilya questions, looking up to you as your eyes remain locked on his and a smile crosses your lips.

“Ilya, I like you, it’s always been you, you dummy.” You chuckle, shuffling closer as your hand rests on his. “That okay?” You mutter as his face edges towards yours.

His lips brush against yours as he breathes out a yes before kissing you softly.

“And with that, you owe me $100.” David laughs to Natalie who groans before taking out the cash and passing it to David.

“I hope you’re happy.” Natalie comments, looking back at you and Ilya in each other’s embrace.

“Couldn’t be happier.” David mutters as he counts out his cash, glad to have won the bet and have his best friend get the girl.

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hazellvesque · 4 years

Text

Some Kind of Miracle - Chapter 9

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: G

Pairing: Adrien/Marinette

Summary: If Marinette had her way, she would have had nothing to do with Alya’s latest celebrity crush. So how did she get roped into stalking him around Los Angeles? When fashion icon Adrien Agreste quite literally crashes into Marinette’s life, they have no choice but to put up with one another or risk ruining both of their potential careers forever.

An AU based on the iconic Disney Channel Original Movie, Starstruck.

Read on Ao3

Chapter 9 - Searching

<<< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >>>

At first, the silence had been a welcome respite from the non-stop hustle of the trip thus far. Marinette had uttered a silent thank you to Gabriel Agreste and his obscene fortune, as it was the main reasoning behind her overwhelming sense of serenity and downright coziness as she burrowed further under the endless expanse of blankets on her expensive hotel room bed.

Until now, she’d never realized just how comfortable a pillow could be. If she ever came into possession of a massive inheritance or managed to marry rich, she decided, her first order of business would be to invest in half a dozen down pillows. With silk pillowcases. The highest thread count she could find.

And to think, some people lived like this every day . All tall ceilings and open floor plans and the most expensive materials making up every inch of their living space, never needing to share with or see anyone, having every possible thing they could want in the world right at their fingertips.

Incredible was one word for it. Intimidating was another. Yet glancing around the massive space with nothing but the sounds of morning rush hour traffic in the distance to distract her, Marinette couldn’t help but wonder how quickly this life would turn from luxury to loneliness. Owning everything you could ever want, but having no one to share it with? No doubt the novelty would turn stale eventually.

Admittedly, as the hours dragged on, the quiet and comfort quickly turned to restlessness and an odd tickling sense in the back of her mind that she should be doing something. Anything besides lying around and letting the day waste away.

At this time of morning, the only shows on television were overacted soap operas and old childrens’ cartoons, which could only be entertaining for so long. Scrolling through other people’s pictures and posts was never very rewarding, and opening her sketchbook only helped to make her realize just how lacking her brain was in the inspiration department. She couldn’t think of a single new idea.

Compared to the past couple of days she’d been having, a single afternoon of relaxation and silence was dull at best, and downright torture at worst. The most productive thing she’d done all day was rummage through Alya’s bag for ibuprofen and wander to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. In retrospect, caffeine probably wasn’t the best for a headache, but the energy was worth the side effects.

All Marinette could think about, honestly, was how much she hoped Alya wasn’t going to completely freak out being in the Agreste mansion. It was all fun and games until her best friend got so excited that she popped a blood vessel or fangirled too hard in front of the wrong snobbish elite.

At least Alya was having more fun than she was.

Alya Césaire had never been more stressed in her entire life.

Her nerves were a direct reflection of her mother’s, who was pacing back and forth as she read over her to-do lists. If her incessant circling went on any longer, she might very well leave a permanent rut in the Agreste’s perfectly manicured back lawn.

It seemed neither of them were very good at handling last-minute wrenches in their plans.

Nathalie Sancouer had greeted them as they entered the car outside of their hotel, giving only a brief apology for the last minute addition to Mme. Césaire’s itinerary and ensuring her that she’d receive a substantial pay raise as a result. Putting a face to the mysterious assistant’s name was the first thing that put Alya on edge. The woman had a fierce stare, even as she remained watching straight ahead and hardly spared her backseat passenger a second glance.

The next source of tension came from what Alya thought was an innocent question. Slicing through the thick silence, she dared to ask, “So, do you plan and hire people for all sorts of celebrities like Gabriel Agreste or is this a one time thing?”

Nathalie’s smile - though it seemed more like a knowing smirk - quirked just slightly enough for Alya to see in the rearview mirror. “I am Mr. Agreste’s personal assistant,” she said coolly. “I handle all of his affairs.”

Alya had suddenly felt as motion sick as she did on the plane. She tried her best not to gape at the woman like an idiot. Instead, her shock was directed towards her mother, who sat innocently looking out of the window of the passenger seat as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Before Alya could open her mouth, Nathalie cut in. “I’ll be adding your name to the non-disclosure agreement your mother signed upon accepting the job. You won’t be telling anyone about the things you do as part of this job. Understood?”

Even if the words seemed harsh, Nathalie still had a hint of amusement lingering on her face. A threat hidden under a smile was enough to send a chill down Alya’s spine.

“Understood,” Alya gulped.

By the time the tables were set up and guests began arriving, Alya had stress-eaten about five cupcakes. Maybe six. But who was counting?

Stand up straight. Smile politely. Don’t let your hands shake too much. She plastered on a cheery demeanor as she passed plates of sugary confectioneries to anyone who approached the table.

Nathalie watched her from the other side of the garden, a small approving smile on her face.

The guest list seemed to be entirely incohesive. Attire ranged from business casual to black tie and everything in between, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the conversations happening around her. So far, there was no sign of Adrien or his father.

There were, however, many guests her age. Young people, likely models and musicians and the like. And there in the distance, a familiar spectacled face in the crowd. Alya squinted to get a better look, but that proved unnecessary as the boy and a female companion approached the desserts.

She prayed there were no cupcake crumbs or icing remnants on her chin. She cleared her throat once to get his attention, then again to try and look casual. “It was Nino, right?”

She remembered at the last second that she should speak English, so her vowels were slurred in all the wrong ways, but at least it sounded vaguely understandable.

Nino’s eyebrow raised in recognition. He nodded. “Nightclub girl. Anna, or-?”

“Alya,” she supplied.

“Right,” he tapped his temple with his index finger, as if he were committing the name to memory this time.

Alya’s eyes slid to the blonde girl. If her glossy high golden ponytail weren’t recognizable enough, she made sure to stand out with her insanely high shoes and little black dress. No surprise that she was the best dressed person here by far. ‘ Posh ’ was one of the kinder words that Alya’s blog followers used in their comments about her. “And you’re Chloe Bourgeois.”

“You know who she is?” Nino frowned.

Chloe scoffed. “It’s about time someone did, right?”

“She’s Adrien’s friend,” Alya said too quickly, too matter-of-factly. Her eyes widened as her mind scrambled for a cover. “At least, I assume you both are. That’s why you’re here, right?”

“Well, you’re here too,” Chloe looked her up and down. Not disdainfully, but quizzically. “Alone?”

“Chef Césaire is my mom, I’m here to help her set up and serve.”

“Serving? Oh please,” Chloe rolled her eyes, placing her hand on the small of Alya’s back and guiding her away from the table, not bothering to ask if she actually wanted to leave. “These people may have enough cash to get everything handed to them, but they’re not entirely helpless. You shouldn’t have to stand there all night and kiss their asses.”

Alya looked to Nino for help, but he seemed just as confused. He snatched a cupcake from the table before trailing behind them, biting into it as if it were movie theater popcorn to accompany the entertaining scene about to unfold.

“Are you sure Natha- er, Miss Sancouer won’t mind? She seemed pretty serious about this whole thing.”

“Oh, she’ll mind,” Nino smirked, taking another bite. “But you’re not her kid, so she can’t get mad at you for whatever trouble you might get in like she does with Adrien-”

“Except she’s not his mom,” Chloe grumbled, “and she should stop acting like she is.”

Alya nearly flinched noticing the way Chloe’s grip suddenly felt like claws in her back.

Nino continued on, either not noticing the icy shift in tone or choosing to ignore it. “Besides, there’s nothing to do tonight to even get you on her bad side. This whole thing is just another scheme of hers to make Adrien look good. ‘Stand around, eat some food, talk to some guests, don’t say or do anything questionable, be mundane all night so no one can bad mouth you later.’”

The three of them had made it over to the bandstand, where a guitarist had just finished setting up. Chloe sat on a white stool, immediately leaning down to unfasten the buckle on her stiletto heels. She removed her shoes and folded her legs under her, somehow effortlessly poised in her odd seated position. Evidently she was very comfortable here. Nino wasted no time making himself comfortable too, swinging an extra stool around to use as a footrest.

“Is this a normal thing?” Alya asked. “I mean, a band, a caterer, a whole huge crowd of people to entertain. Just for some flashy pictures?

“Welcome to Hollywood,” Nino gestured as the last open seat next to him, urging Alya to relax. “Enjoy your stay while you can.”

As the guitarist plucked out the first few notes of a soft rock song, Chloe leaned over to talk with Alya. How she had perfect posture even when sitting so precariously was a mystery. “Is it your first time at something like this?”

Alya swallowed nervously as she sat down. “How could you tell?”

“You don’t fit in,” Chloe said bluntly. “Trust me, that’s a good thing. You haven’t let any of this stuff go to your head. Don’t let it corrupt you or else you’ll feel obligated to start wearing stuff like this-” she gestured to her discarded shoes, “-to impress people you don’t even know.”

As the song picked up, Alya’s two new companions lapsed into comfortable silence. A few people had wandered over to listen as well, still huddled in their odd exclusive conversation circles.

Chatter and a half a dozen camera flashes in quick succession to Alya’s left caught her attention.

There, coming out of the sliding glass doors of the large house, was the reason Alya’s heart suddenly started palpitating. Adrien had finally arrived, fashionably late to his own party. That, too, was probably calculated down to the minute.

He looked exactly like his pictures, which was probably why her brain hadn’t entirely processed yet that he was indeed a real person, standing less than 10 meters away, totally accessible. Alya took a deep breath as she watched him descend the short steps and properly enter the garden area. Stay calm, she reminded herself for the tenth time that night.

Various partygoers struck up conversation with him immediately as he put on a show for the cameras, smiling and shaking hands all around. Knowing it was all mostly fake left a weird feeling in Alya’s gut.

“There he is,” Chloe looked up, quickly fastening her shoes back on. “I’ll be back,” she said, abandoning her seat.

Nino tipped his head back and sighed. “No you won’t,” he said to no one.

The band’s guitarist strummed out the last notes of their song to polite applause from the small crowd. Alya cast a nervous glance back at the dessert table, but her mother was deep in conversation with other party guests, laughing and even enjoying some of her delicacies for herself. Nathalie stood in her own circle not too far away, not seeming to care in the slightest that Alya had abandoned her post.

Chloe had made her way to Adrien’s side, planting quick bises on both of his cheeks and gesturing for him to come join them near the band. He smiled and gave her a ‘later’ gesture before turning to greet the rest of his guests while Chloe shrugged and dissolved into the crowd.

And then there was Nino, still lounging beside Alya, nodding along to the opening notes of the next song, completely lost in the music. His glasses had slipped down the bridge of his nose. His tie knot was slightly loose, hanging around his neck revealing that the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. Casual. Like he didn’t care at all about the crowd and cameras. He was completely in his element listening to the music.

He was kind of cute, now that she thought about it.

“I’ve never heard this song,” Alya tested the waters.

Nino smiled just a little, his eyes still closed blissfully. “Neither have I. It’s got a nice beat to it though. It’s probably an original, not a cover.”

His foot tapped against the stool to the steady rhythm. His fingertips twitched, as if he were playing an air instrument.

Alya tilted her head. “Is that how you and Adrien met? You’re a musician? What do you play?”

“Musician is one word for it I guess,” his voice was low, allowing the other party goers to enjoy the music. He spoke only loud enough for Alya to listen. “I’ve tried picking up strings and keys but none of that really suits me. I leave the original work to the more talented folks, but finding ways to remix and mashup songs is my favorite. I’m trying to think of a way I can use this bass line.”

His hands continued their odd little dance, moving through the air as if he were placing invisible notes on a floating staff.

Alya was glad his eyes were closed, so he wouldn’t notice her staring.

As often as Nino’s name came up in tabloids alongside Adrien, not much was known about him. No one really knew who he was - and judging by the way he chose to blend in tonight, all casually clothed and careless air, that was probably intentional. All he was known for was being Adrien’s best friend. But clearly there was more to the story.

She waited until the song was over and his hands came to a rest at his side to speak again.

She decided to try a new topic, one that wouldn’t have her gaping like a fish out of water while he went on and on about a hobby she knew nothing about. “So Chloe seems. . . nice.”

“She can be when she wants to,” Nino said, leaning his head closer to whisper, “but to be honest, I was the one who saw you over there stressing yourself out and I figured you could use a break. I guess her getting your attention was her way of being nice to me today.”

“Oh.”

Before she could think of a response, Nino stood and shrugged his head towards the growing crowd at the center of the party. “Come on, let me go introduce you to the man of the hour.”

Alya’s stomach dropped to her toes. Nino led the way through the throngs of people, having no trouble making his way up to the superstar model. It was like the red sea of flashy glitz and glamor parted perfectly to make way for best friend privileges.

Adrien immediately lit up at the sight of Nino. “Dude!” They did that strange boy shoulder-bump handshake-high-five combo.

“Adrien, this is Alya,” Nino turned and waved her forward, politely taking a step back and giving her the floor.

“Um, hi!” She didn’t know if she should shake his hand. She could hardly breathe, now was not the time to be considering social etiquette. Part of her almost wanted to curtsey, but to save herself the embarrassment, she just waved politely. “Alya Césaire. Nice to meet you!”

“So you’re the daughter of the chef. Lucky you, getting to eat amazing food like that every day,” he smiled, and Alya practically melted into a puddle right there.

“Yeah,” she gulped. He was real. And talking to her. He was an actual living human person and she was in his backyard and this was his party and suddenly it felt hotter than it should even for July. “I’m pretty lucky.”

An odd look crossed his face. “I thought Nathalie told me there were two girls working with Mrs. Césaire during her stay?”

“My friend Marinette, she wasn’t feeling well tonight.”

“That’s a shame, you’ll have to tell your friend hello for me.”

If she could remember how to speak after this conversation was over, she would gladly. “Speaking of work, I should probably get back to helping my mom. But, uh, it was nice to meet you Adrien.”

“You too, Alya,” he held his hand out to her, and she steadied her breathing before shaking it briefly, afraid that if she held on any longer than a second she might burst.

She turned on her heel to leave and came face-to-face with Nino. That quickly, she had already forgotten he was standing behind her. And now he was standing incredibly close.

Nino took an awkward step back, chuckling.

“It was nice seeing you again,” he said. “I don’t want to keep your mom waiting, so I’ll tell Chloe to stop bothering you.”

Alya laughed at that. “Yes, well, tell Chloe I said thanks for kidnapping me for a little while. I had fun. And when you figure out how to mix that bass line, you should let me listen.”

Before she could embarrass herself any further, she hurried back to her spot at the dessert table.

For the rest of the night, every time she glanced up and saw Adrien and Nino in the crowd, she had to swallow down the feeling of her heart leaping up into her throat. Actively resisting the urge to stress eat more tiny desserts proved to be a difficult challenge.

And oddly enough, she didn’t think Adrien was entirely the reason why she was so nervous now.

The moment Alya left earshot, Adrien’s mouth morphed into a sly smile. He walked quickly, leaving the camera circle and following Nino further out into the mass of partiers.

“So Alya seems nice,” Adrien said. Casual, yet straight to the point. He applauded himself internally.

“No,” said Nino.

So much for that.

Adrien scrambled for a response. “I mean, you think she’s cool, right?”

“What scheme are you about to get me tangled up in next?”

“Just answer the question, please?”

“Yeah, she’s cool,” Nino grumbled under his breath. “I still don’t appreciate you making me her chauffeur the other night, but I can look past that now. Why do you need to know?”

“No reason,” Adrien may as well have been twiddling his thumbs and whistling a jaunty tune under his breath for how hard he was pretending to be aloof. “I just thought it might be nice for her to have someone to hang out with.”

“Right. You mean other than her best friend who she came halfway across the world with. The same girl who you keep sneaking off to talk to.”

“Well, I think Alya likes you.”

“That’s not the point,” Nino deflected, though the look in his eyes seemed to say he wasn’t totally against the idea.

“And if you, my best friend in the entire world, could do me a massive favor and distract Alya tomorrow so that Marinette doesn’t have to worry about getting caught leaving her hotel for a few hours…”

“You want me to entertain Alya so you and Marinette can go on a da-”

“I promised I’d show her around the city,” Adrien insisted. “I kind of owe her a favor, all things considered.”

Nino stood silently, his brows furrowed. Finally, he muttered, “You’ll be owing me a favor too, after all I’ve done for you.”

Adrien clapped Nino on the shoulder. “You’re the best.”

“And you’re the worst,” Nino replied.

Just before drifting off, Mariette noticed her phone screen light up.

She had a single notification from the app she had installed the night before. A new message.

A little birdy told me you weren’t feeling well tonight. A shame you had to miss out on the fun. Let me make it up to you tomorrow? Be ready at 9am.

- AA

#miraculous ladybug #ml fic #adrienette #ml #some kind of miracle #my writing #tumblr I hate you and your stupid formatting #don't ask me why this took nine months I don't have an answer

2 notes · View notes

seenashwrite · 5 years

Text

The Fall ‘18/Winter ‘19 Edition of…

It’s a better-late-than-never situation, but it’s finally here!

*~* New to The Nail? *~*

The Nail isn’t about perfection. It isn’t about award-level contenders. It isn’t for highlighting certain genres of fics or specific ships. It’s about seeing real effort and hard work radiate off of the screen - the sole focus is quality. Character dimension. Writing with clever readers in mind. Well-built worlds. Killer starts and clutch endings. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. More shows, less tells. Big emotion.

Find past editions HERE. Find what factors are considered when constructing this rec list, and learn how to get your recommendations to me HERE. Find info on the structure of these rec posts HERE, with answers to FAQs such as “Why did someone make up a title for my piece?”, and more.

>> The Basics On What’s Below <<

- All from the world of SPN (unless otherwise noted, i.e. cross-overs), across all genres; these are organized by length for the most part, so you’ll need to click thru to see if it is a theme of your preference; I aim to not have too much that’s of the same genre/length in a given edition, and limit the times a writer can appear on a given list (if they had more that fit the bill, I’ll chuck ‘em to next edition’s list); when applicable, unique projects, original stories, and any anecdotes/personal essays/family stories/etc. are near the end.

- You’ll see icons throughout…

If it has NSFW elements / walks an NSFW line - ⚠️

If it features / blatantly alludes to a specific ship - 🚢

If it has less than 100 notes (at time of this post) - 📌

And that last item is very important.

- A main priority of The Nail is to have at least 50% of these one-and-done SPN stories (so, drabbles and one-shots) be those which have less than 100 notes (give or take a few self-reblogs by the writer, and not counting mine) in each posting, and for this edition, out of 36, these comprise 26 so the goal was met!

Highly encourage you to at minimum hit the heart, ideally reblogging along with a note of feedback if you enjoyed. To do my part, I’ll be queuing these low-note fics one per day after this edition is published.

- Reblog of this rec list by “big blogs” (let’s say 1K followers and up) is especially appreciated, and not for my sake; it’s to get these wonderful writers with low note fics as much exposure as possible.

- Writers, make sure you scroll - you may be on here more than once!

- “Notes from Nash" at the very bottom of the post.

- For your mobile convenience, here’s The Nail Master Post of Editions

- And finally, shameless plugs....

See Nash Write: Master List

You Totally Made That Up podcast - @youtotallymadethatup

Note: Just a line or two excerpt to paint a little picture - no specific feedback on these drabbles because each writer nailed it in the entirety - all are poignant, well-structured, thoughtful, and they did it all in a limited amount of words. Well done, all of you.

181 words

The Wishes 📌 - @sixtysevenandwhiskey

It’s a lot of nothing, until nothing is all there is.

182 words

Stars 📌 - @covered-byroses

She loved looking at the stars.

223 words

Storytelling 📌 - @always-keep-writing

He shouldn’t be surprised that it ends up being a story.

230 words

A Long Forty Years - @babybluecas

Sometimes, he’d wish he was so much older.

352 words

Control 📌 - @idreamofhazel

If only Dean knew the other, more biting things he holds under his tongue.

370 words

His Hair 📌 🚢 - @gabrielfallstonight

He often wondered if, by spending as much time on Earth as he did, he was growing almost human.

427 words

Topper - @alleiradayne

Coffee. He just needed a cup. Or four. Okay, maybe the whole pot.

483 words

Tedium 📌 - @smi727

This situation was something Michael simply could not abide.

555 words

Kids These Days 📌 - @revwinchester

A little behind-the-scenes interlude wherein Dean has an interaction with some kids in town. In medias res, OCs developed in a short amount of space, thoughtful/nice message without being preachy.

560 words

Four Months Expired (But Still Good) 📌 🚢 - @bendingsignpost

A delightful scene based on a premise that could've gone saccharine but stays the just right amount of sweet and humorous.

(I cannot tag this lovely, if someone would be so kind as to try to do so in the comments, it would be appreciated!)

570 words

Black 📌 - @sculptorofbeginningslibrary

An introspective look at Dean in the time between waking up with his demonized soul and when he left the bunker; doesn't merely recap what we know; nice take on the physical changes; excellent characterization.

633 words

Smoked - @ameliacareful

A snicker-worthy tale of what should be an ordinary shopping trip, but as we know nothing can ever be simple for the brothers; well-structured, solid characterization, concise descriptions that put you right there with them.

(I cannot tag this lovely, if someone would be so kind as to try to do so in the comments, it would be appreciated!)

664 words

Last Night - @atwistoffate

A brief interaction between you and Dean that is a perfect balance of snarky and cute, and (thank Chuck) Dean is portrayed realistically, and I personally salute the writer for not uttering a single Y/N or sweetheart (it can be done, folks). I'd also be remiss not to highlight this beauty: “You know what? I don’t even care,” Dean says, caring deeply.

714 words

Stay - @there-must-be-a-lock

Absolutely beautiful moment between you and Sam that doesn't get weighed down by over-dramatic pining, in part thanks to a sandwich. In medias res; descriptions that paint the picture without diving too deep; lovely from beginning to end.

812 words

Carolina 📌 - @atc74

A first-person, introspective tale of an interaction Dean has with a stranger. In medias res; sets the stage from the opening paragraph, putting you right into Dean's shoes; well-developed OC in short amount of time; great closing lines.

841 words

Strange Gifts 📌 - @lastactiontricia

Michael gives you the "gift" of knowing your potential fates. In medias res; great structure/descriptions that convey the mood without being belabored; clutch open-ended ending.

1.1K words

Syruped and Feathered 📌 - @mrswhozeewhatsis

A snicker-worthy on-the-hunt tale where you and the Winchesters get in a... well... a sticky situation. Ahem. Sorry, couldn't resist. Oh, and there's a surprise guest star that'll make you grin. In medias res, nice flow, creative use of prompts.

1.2K words

Don't Panic 📌 - @koedeza

Beautifully written, somber tale about what eventually happens in the lives of hunters. In medias res, excellent structure/flow, fantastic characterization, clutch ending. Keep an eye out for this writer - they are consistently solid and do not disappoint.

1.3K words

'Til It All Falls Apart 📌 - @lipstickandwhiskey

Angst done right in this story about what Dean might've gone through after Michael was cast out. Good flow, no laborious explanations of what we already know, reasonable actions/reactions from all.

1.4K words

Bite Me, BitFit 📌 - @shy-violet-soul

Exactly what you think from the title - a funny story about Dean's battle with healthy living. In medias res, nice structure, great characterization, several killer lines.

1.4K words

Eggshells 📌 - @hunenka

A coda to Nightmare Logic, this tackles Dean's internal processing of life as he now knows it, Sam in charge and what feels like a million people in his home. Beautifully written, Dean is as accurate as it gets, excellent flow, plausible scenario.

1.7K words

Told You So - @there-must-be-a-lock

How to do hot and sultry without smut - read and learn. This is a story about what should have been just an ordinary post-hunt night back at the bunker, when it turned to something more. Great opening paragraph, easy flow, trifecta of snarky-sweet-sexy.

1.8K words

Brother 📌 - @sixtysevenandwhiskey

An exquisite look - to use the writer's words - at Dean over the years, through Sam's eyes. Excellent structure/verbiage, no unneeded repetition of things we already know, good use of song inspo, plausible within canon, feels genuine throughout.

1.8K words

The Lie 📌 - @sophisticated-angel

Stunning tale (and add this to the pile of "Why the hell doesn't this have more notes?!" stories) about what happens to those who are left behind after a loved one dies - but as always in the Winchester world, nothing can ever be routine. In medias res, creative plotline, moving and heart-grabbing that leaves you with both a sense of rightness and a sense of unease.

2.9K words

The Unexpected Guest - @crispychrissy

Per the writer's summary - "A day of researching takes a turn when you see something from your past that leads to some interesting discoveries." But, wait - this is so much more. Pay attention as you read, because the writer has left you clues along the way (starting with the title), and it's done quite deftly. In addition - nice blending of humor and drama, time taken to research the creature featured clearly evident, clutch ending.

3K words

Easier To Be Me 📌 - @alleiradayne

A Sam + Reader story labelled "floof" by the writer, but it's sweet without bending saccharine; in medias res; great opening/closing lines.

[Nominated by @atc74 who said - “So I have read a couple things of hers, this I read a while ago, but it deserves some love, because it is just that good. Hope you like it This was so wonderful. Well written and beautiful."]

3.1K words

Teeth 📌 - @lastactiontricia

Do you want to read something spooky that’s based on a true story, with a fantastic plot that has roots in a true story, which features well-developed characterization/accuracy in characterization, and is - in case I didn’t mention it - based on a true story?!

Read this. Find you a cozy corner, grab the drink of your choice whether it’s bourbon or hot chocolate, wrap up in a blanket, and Read. The. Story. It is unique, it is well-written, quality top to bottom, and it’ll give you the feels, tips to toes. Stop wasting your time on the same ol’, same ol’.

READ THE STORY

(Part of a collection, all are fantastic, so see also: Halloween Horror SPN One Shots Masterlist)

3.3K words

Lay Me Down 📌 - @stusbunker

A solid case fic here that balances itself with some cheekiness thrown in amongst the drama (and a bonus for me, not a "Y/N" in sight - it can be done, folks). In medias res, moves at a quick clip, great line here: "The spell spread quickly, like spilled water on a tabletop..."

4.9K words

Shadow's Edge 📌 - @saenalife

A story of what happened one night when a routine retrieval of an item goes sideways. In medias res, excellent opening line/paragraph that perfectly sets the scene/mood (I mean - "Dark seems like too shallow a word for this. It goes beyond the absence of light - more like the light has never existed here at all..." - hello), creative plot, great structure (specifically: flashback/forward done right), and bonus kudos for switching things up with a feature not seen with regularity, that of a gender neutral lead.

5.6K words

The Wonders of Modern Technology ⚠️ - @littlegreenplasticsoldier

If you aren’t familiar with Greenie, she’s another one of those rare writers ‘round these parts who gives us consistently solid stories with a unique style that’s all her own, and this one is no exception, a humorous tale of a piece of equipment that doesn’t exactly malfunction, but we’ll just say there’s, ah, user error [wink].

5.7K words

Like Ocean in the Desert 📌⚠️ - @saenalife

Borrowing the writer's summary - "Baby needs some work before Dean can get back on the road. He went to the salvage yard for parts, but what he found was a human connection." In medias res, well-developed OC, nice premise, great structure/flow.

[Nominated by @littlegreenplasticsoldier who said - "Here’s a prime example of notes misaligning with quality. Pfft. Criminal. This is the third time I’ve read this."]

6.4K words

The First Bite 📌 - @shy-violet-soul

A story from the way-back-when, and as for feedback, I’ll let the curator take it away....

[Nom'd by @mrswhozeewhatsis who said - "Confession: I love Weechesters. So, this fic was already up my alley from word one. Add in pie mentioned just in the author’s note, and I was already a happy camper! Imagine my surprise when I was sniffling halfway through because wee!Dean was just killing me! The OCs are very well fleshed out, without being distracting, and the whole story was just so well-written I finished it just wanting to hug everyone. The grammar and other technical stuff was at least flawless enough that I didn’t notice it, and the whole story just unfolded in front of me like a cootie-catcher. I think I’m in love, and I might go read it again, even though I should be writing. *swoon*"]

6.8K words

Gutted - @idreamofhazel

A case fic with some Dean + Reader sweet-n'-sultry on top. Nice opening paragraph that sets the tone, solid characterization, very creative plot/creature featured, excellent structure.

6.9K words

About Dean's Dreams ⚠️ - @fanforfanatic

This writer has yet to disappoint - and this story is damn near pristine from start to finish. It’s an actual, on god, Dean-in-character dive into the woman of his dreams. Sound fluffy or angsty? Nope. You’re wrong. It isn’t either. What it is, is just right. I’m not telling you any more - when you next have time to sit and read and really absorb an introspective Dean piece, make this your first choice.

Say hello to a new (-ish!) writer, @salt-n-burn-em-all !

Doors 📌

You will not believe this is just her 2nd SPN fanfic - captivating and moving, and even if you're swiping a tear away, I think you'll find yourself with a smile at the last three words.

East of Nowhere ⚠️ - @thecleverdame

You and Sam are strangers trapped in a desolate mountain town where you live alone, isolated from the outside world, for five years.

Very creative scenario that takes you on an intimate journey and - most importantly - has quite the satisfying reveal.

How You and I Will Be - @katehuntington

When a hellhound case in the mountains goes sideways, Dean and you find yourselves trapped in a small cabin, miles from civilization. Rescue is on its way, but will it be in time?

Opening paragraph sets the scene perfectly, you'll find yourself there immediately, and it's a plausible scenario of a hunt gone wrong. (We do love our case fics here at The Nail!)

If This Is A Dream 🚢 - @wendibird

Sam receives a tip about a restless spirit haunting a particular patch of woods in South Carolina - one who has asked for him by name. He must now deal with the thought of putting to rest someone he once cared for, but will things go that simply?

Phenomenal opening line/paragraph that puts you in Sam's headspace from the jump, and boy howdy can we all empathize with him, and it's a plausible scenario, one I personally haven't seen tackled til this.

Men of Cold Cases - @smi727

Sam had uncovered hundreds upon hundreds of cases the Men of Letters had never closed, [and the] idea was to investigate what those stodgy old nerds never got around to. Given the cases were at least 60 years old, the chances that any were still active were slim to none. They should all be milk runs…

Fantastic concept, completely original, and well-written to boot. Bonus? The writer has based the plots on actual cold cases and mysteries, and provides you links to the stories behind the story so you can learn more.

The Ellison Lane Legacy - @sixtysevenandwhiskey

Sam finds a case. You’re reminded of a past you want to forget.

Cheers for a well-rounded original female character who is tough and vulnerable all at once. Interesting and creative story that's heavy, yes, but thanks to skilled writing the flow keeps it moving vs. getting mired down.

Wrath 📌 - @waywardjoy

Shakespeare gets a run for his money here with a small fic inspired by some of his words. Beautifully composed, from the title to the usage of the lines, flows like a dream, evokes big emotion, and puts you right there in the action, breathtaking from start to finish.

The Runaway Vessel 📌 - @butiaintgonnaloveem

A creepy re-working of a popular children's story that will stay with you after you read it. Killer first line, clutch ending, and a detailed, stunning piece of artwork to boot from @lostmymuseagain, what a match made in heaven. This one dug deep, and definitely read like a cautionary fairytale about fate and choices that grandparents would tell/read to the children on a dark night around the fire, give ‘em a bit of a chill in spite of it.

Ring-A-Ling - @winchester-writes & @littlegreenplasticsoldier & @mrswhozeewhatsis

To think, it all started with an innocent post about a tiny bell - get ready to laugh.

Ten Years Gone - @cinnamonanddean

This is a short-and-sweet, most worthy exception to a The Nail rule that no RPF will be on the list, wherein Jensen reflects upon his time on the show.

Carriers - @violetwolfraven

Daddy Loves To Be Murdered - @gabesnonnie

Slay Ride - @bendingsignpost

The Awakening - @rmeisel

The Chosen One - @copperbadge

The Night - @later0varies

Bedtime Stories & How Chad Got His Name - @lostmymuseagain (also see the artwork related to the Chad story here)

The Author - @thebibliosphere

Notes from Nash

The document with my little summaries and personalized feedback for each of these got eaten - basically, I had to re-do the list and time’s been scarce, so forgive me for the lateness.

Also, there was a good handful of stories that disappeared due to what I presume was the purge/people deleting or losing their blogs. I did make effort to check AO3 but I’m afraid some stellar work has been lost for good.

There were a lot of repeat writers and folks I’m friendly with in this edition, more than I typically feature - I strive to highlight mostly lesser known writers and, as noted, mostly fics with <100 notes - but they earned it (and I even chucked a few more from some of these peeps into the folder for the next edition, that’s how hard they’re rockin’ it). That’s why it’s so important y’all let me know about the unsung writers and their undiscovered jewels - submit the story links and your reviews to me (links to your reblogs with your comments is perfectly fine) any ol’ time.

That’s it! What’re you waiting for??? Get to reading!

#The Nail #Supernatural Fanfiction #SPN Fanfic #and more #Nailed It!#Quality Writing #Must Reads #Fic Recs #Queueby Dooby Doo #Dad's on a blog post and #he hasn't been queued in a few days

88 notes · View notes

argentdandelion · 5 years

Text

Fatal Anniversary

A celebration of Undertale’s anniversary goes horribly wrong.

Based (loosely) on a true story. ---

September 15 started as a normal day. Slender fingers tapped away at the keys of an old laptop as their owner browsed Tumblr. The user, called “ChromeTooth” on Tumblr, checked out various blogs. She briefly hovered over the name “Garbles” on a blog checker. That veteran of the Undertale fandom often published delightful things. But no: nothing today.

Perhaps I’ll get a like or two. Maybe even a reblog, ChromeTooth thought. She'd been on Tumblr for so many years, but, still, she wasn't popular. But it was only a matter of time until finally people saw the beauty of her posts, and then, then Tumblr would be worth all the time she spent there.

A post caught her eye. Happy birthday, Undertale! It said.

Today is Undertale’s 4th anniversary. I just wanted to thank this game for all I have learned in this fandom. Thanks to Undertale, I’ve learned all sorts of things, like animal byproducts and why Papyrus is probably a better boyfriend than Sans. Thank you, Undertale.

She titled it “Undertale: Thank You” and published it without much effort.

Within an hour, she noticed something strange. Her dashboard, normally so sparse, was stuffed with likes and reblogs. Oh, that’s strange. Perhaps someone really liked one of my posts again?

Danklepham liked “Undertale: Thank You”.

MalayTai liked “Undertale: Thank You”.

Googilex liked “Undertale: Thank You”.

Yeehman99 liked “Undertale: Thank You”.

It just kept going. ChromeTooth sat back in her chair, tilting her head. Perhaps they’ll pay attention to my other posts, she thought. Perhaps this little quirk will mean my worthy posts get the praise they so deserve.

Refresh.

The notes came pouring in. 15 likes, within an hour! It normally took two days to get so high before it petered off forever. And it was all for....“Undertale: Thank You”.

ChromeTooth raised an eyebrow. She noticed a few users, the bolder Tumblrites, had bothered to comment, and opened up the reblogs out of curiosity.

"Sans! More Sans plz" said one user.

"OMG soo good gimme dis stuf" said another.

What are they talking about? I barely mentioned him, ChromeTooth thought. And why would anyone respond to proper English with degenerate text-speak?...and why wouldn't they check out my other posts, too, if they wanted the good stuff?

Bafflement and tension built in the back of her brain. She clicked on the third reblog. "adsfg", they said, and in the reblog's tags: "MMM finally somethin GOOD from her".

"What." ChromeTooth's brow crinkled, and she frowned. "I make good stuff once a week, all the time. What is that user saying?"

She went to the chat window: her friends Cosmet and Vanillaspez were probably active now.

"I have a problem," she started in her messages to the two. "People just keep liking and reblogging this one post, the thank you-post I made a few hours ago. It's so brief and unremarkable that I'm baffled. Do you know what is causing this?"

A pause.

"Ummm..." Cosmet started.

"'cuz tastty. Tasty post. Yum. More."

What? ChromeTooth thought. Cosmet never talked like that..

A little blue pop-up by Vanillaspez's avatar. "Well, at least Vanillaspez can help..."

"More." was the only word in the message. In a few seconds, she saw another: “more”. No period. No capitalization.

Blue pop-up. "more more more".

ChromeTooth grimaced, her hands twitching away from the keyboard.

---

ChromeTooth laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her laptop laid in a corner of the room. If she only booted it up, there she'd see that Tumblr dashboard exploding in popularity, just as she always wanted. But if she got up...it would probably just be the same post. "Undertale: Thank You" over and over. Those little red hearts and green reblog loops, by the avatars of people who have never heard of her before. Check it, maybe it's different, a little voice in her head said. Maybe you'll get what you've wanted for years. Someone like you. Someone who loves those 1,000-word posts, who smiles at enriching, long essays and articles.

ChromeTooth turned over. No. No. It's just the same thing, that same accursed post.

The blue-and-white of the website flickered.

The hibernating computer made a brief crackle⁠—and then fell silent.

---

But she had to check the next morning. She always checked Tumblr in the mornings: some people had irregular hours, or lived at opposite sides of the world. No matter the time, Tumblr's community was always churning, always flicking up some tiny treasure from the great earth of human experience.

Her dashboard had several blue alerts. No matter the update, it always glowed blue, enticing her with its ambiguity. But it was surely something worthwhile: after all, ChromeTooth had set up her dashboard to be as relevant as possible. Those little blue bubbles were a promise: "Come here, and you shall be happy."

Mothersdaughter22 liked "Undertale: Thank You".

MordleyPink liked "Undertale: Thank You".

Jadeanemon reblogged "Undertale: Thank You".

Warugua liked...

Those splinters of broken promises just. Kept. Going. It was more than she had ever faced, stretching the dashboard, uninterrupted by anything else. ChromeTooth held a hand to her head as she hunched over. As she furrowed her brow, a bitterness rose in her throat. She scrolled and scrolled, but it said nothing else. Nothing about that popular essay post from a while back, nothing about that post about ants and ducks and dogs she had spent 12 hours making....

Likes were what she wanted, wasn't it? Those little red symbols...they meant: "I enjoy what you have to say.” “I want to keep coming back."

But that little thank-you wasn't at all like what she typically posted. It was so...minimal. So short and low-effort. Why would it attract so much attention? Why would they do this? The computer’s soft hum grew to a cicada-like drone.

EEEEAAAGKH!

ChromeTooth flinched. "Just...just a coincidence, right? This laptop is really old..." She shrugged the oddity away and returned to the screen.

Her inbox blipped. "A message? Maybe someone has something to say..."

"Sans. Please write morre."

She wasn't going to justify that with a response.

The chat window, too, was quite busy. How had she not noticed it?

Cosmet: "sans. make more. like it."

Vanillaspez: "hey can you make more sans it's the best".

And someone she had never heard of before, some “Jamesneu”, sent a message too: "Undertale: Thank You. Undertale: Thank You." "More more more."

Another message:

"sans MORE!"

Is...is there a way to screen out these people? Chrometooth wondered. I’ve never been so popular as to need that...

Finally there was something worth noting. Her auto-checker told her Garbles had updated!

Garbles's stuff always makes me happy, Chrometooth thought. I could sure use some cheering up. If...only I was...no, no, you'll get there someday.

It was a reblog, from someone who had such high reblog standards. It was:

"Undertale: Thank You."

In the comments: "I just had to spread this :)".

Her computer creaked. Its screen splintered. ChromeTooth straightened in her seat.

A few little pink droplets crept from the cracks in her screen, with a too-sweet, sickly smell.

That's...that's not normal.

A crack.

And her room was flooded with a sludge of fetid pink hearts.

Everyone liked her now.

#Story #Horror Story

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enter-the-bear-circle · 6 years

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Hi, can I please have a Director's Cut for your fascinating story, Walk away from the sun? I'm really interested to hear about your thoughts on it.

Thank you so much for this ask! I didn’t think I would get anything, so this makes me really happy. Long rant ahead, putting it under the cut not to bother anyone. Ok, in this essay I will

First of all, Wafts was orginally meant to be a little fluffy oneshot. In summer I got this idea where Fabrizio worked in a music store and Ermal was a new regular, very flirty and very cute. What started everything was the phrase I saw while casually scrolling through random things: “I liked talking with you so much I even started listening to what I buy” (later I included it in chapter 3). But later I came up with the idea of a soulmate au and decided to put these two thoughts together. I’m going to go through some concepts, or layers, call it how you want.

When I was coming up with the timeline I knew modern metamoro won’t fit, so in this au Ermal is 21, Fabri is 27. This way I could picture them still unsure about their musical career, their soulmate situation and life in general. This is a tough period for both of them for various reasons, and they meet exactly when what they really need is another person to “climb out of hell” together (I’m using In This Moment reference here, I could never phrase it better myself).

Speaking of songs, I spent a long time choosing the title. I wanted it to be a verse of the song that inspired the au, but there were so many of them that I simply couldn’t choose just one. That’s where the chapter titles thing came from. Walk away from the sun by Seether is a song I love to death, and I feel that Seether music in general really fits Fabrizio in this story. He wants to do something right, to escape his past that just keeps returning, but he feels cornered by his fears and doubts. He is sure he will only bring down those close to him, especially Ermal. Also I once saw a discussion on some forum where people talked about the meaning of this song, and they mentioned drug addiction, heartbreak, isolating yourself from the loved ones but also still feeling a tiny glimpse of hope. And to me this screams Fabrizio in this story, even though in this case there’s another meaning of the title, and it will be revealed closer to the end of the fic. Also the songs that hugely inspired Wafts are Pace - Fabrizio Moro, Vietato Morire - Ermal Meta (as for the characterization) and Nobody by Halestorm (as for their relationship).

When I thought about soulmates, I immediately knew I won’t make them ones. Two reasons: I love angst and this opportunity was too good to pass, and I legit don’t know how to deal with the plot where they are soulmates. The world where love is defined by your mark and anything else is disapproved leaves a harmful impact on everyone, even those who found their love in their soulmate (like Romina). Ermal and Fabrizio aren’t afraid of judgement from society, but they still fear for their relationship, especially Ermal who has a very valid reason for that (it will also be revealed in the future chapters).

I have a soft spot for brother-sister relationships, and Romina is one of my favourite characters to write. In chapter 7 Fabrizio called himself and Romina the only bridges between past and present for each other. Their bond is very strong, but even with all the horrible past in the world they escaped together sometimes it’s hard for them to be there for each other. Both of them are very stubborn and fierce, and I love writing moments when their love for each other collides with their bad temper and impulsive nature. Romina is the definition of family for Fabri also because of Chiara, his niece. At first I thought about adding children to this mess, but they didn’t fit the au at all. Still I needed Fabri to have some true light in his life before meeting Ermal, and Chiara became that light. One of his biggest fears is letting Chiara encounter the same things that were a huge part of his own past, that’s why he is so protective over her, especially in the case of his father.

Fabrizio’s father isn’t a villain, but he has some traits that severely harmed his son in the childhood and teenage years and caused the decision to cut ties with every Mobrici. For Fabrizio it was supposed to be the start of another life, life of Moro, a young independent singer. Romina had to make a tough choice between her brother and the rest of the family. She chose Fabri and fought her way through the walls he built around himself. When she tells Fabrizio that she reconnected with their father, she is absolutely sure that man isn’t going to harm her, her brother or her daughter. Fabri himself, however, thinks the exact opposite.

I had a lot of fun writing the shop gang and Giada. There is this light comfortable atmosphere in the shop, and the group has their happy moments, but all of them are there for one another and under their drunk parties and many jokes there’s genuine friendship. Out of everyone Fabri has special connection with Claudio who came around at the worst time in Fabri’s life and dragged him out of the abyss he was falling into, and Giada, the woman who could be the one for him but instead became one of his best friends, the person who was and will always be there for him no matter in what state he is (chapter 8, yeah). She is also sick of trying to fit into the frame, so she and Fabri find comfort and understanding in each other. Honedtly, if I could marry her, I’d do it instantly ;)

I have to mention A. His character was never meant to play such a big role, and chapter 4 was supposed to be only a brief encounter with just one of Fabri’s “old friends”. This chapter was the hardest for me to write as it was the most personal one. Around that time I cut ties with the girl I called my best friend for years. It was a messy breakup, it took me time to realise it’s really over and come at peace with it. Writing helped me a lot to cope. A and his story with Fabrizio are partly based on her and our story, some lines are just took from life and put into the story. Luckily, I never saw her in the dark alleys at night and hopefully never will :)

The concept of later chapters is mainly fragility (thanks to Marjo for giving me this idea). One of the main problems for Fabrizio is his overprotectiveness. It comes from many times he had to face the world alone, the times when he hated himself for having feelings, for being "weak". He struggled a lot to swallow his emotions and keep them bottled up, so he's afraid to mess up with letting all his feelings out. Ermal sees it and fries to reach out to Fabri, but his soft gentle ways don't work, and only when he loses control, something in Fabrizio changes. Ermal is scared to lose Fabri, especially when there are so many things to lose him to: alcohol, painful memories, his soulmate. So every time you see Ermal trying to reason with Fabri or help him in any way, you see him being terrified.

I should end this rant before it swallows my whole blog. Honestly, I’m very moved by all the positive feedback I got, all the kudos, comments, kind words and support in general, especially since I’m new to the world of fanfiction. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I will continue this story. I have a plan, I have determinarion, I have love I received from people who liked it. If you read to this point, you are my hero. Seriously. I hope this was at least in some sense informative and I didn’t bore the hell out of you. Once again, thank you for the ask and for the compliments 💜💜💜💜

#wafts #director's cut #thank you so much #crawls back into her hole

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billyharris · 7 years

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Underneath the Same Sun ☼

Okay so this fic is inspired by the amazing headcanons @t0ziers wrote. And encouraged by a comment on said post by @richietoaster. Honestly I fell in love with the idea of a long distance Reddie AU and knew I had to write it. But I wanted to write it from Richie’s point of view. And some other facts are different. whoops. Also huge shoutout to my name twin, @buttercup-irwin for inspiring me in general to write fics. This is my first official one. Here goes nothing ~

✧ Chapter One ✧ Chapter Two ✧ Chapter Three

Words ;; 1,824 ･ﾟ Pairing ;; Richie Tozier / Eddie Kaspbrak & some hints of Stan Uris / Bill Denbrough (It) ･ﾟ Warnings ;; Strong language, Talk of penises, 18 y/o boys kissing (omg) ･ﾟ

❝ — Richie Tozier knew he wasn’t internet famous. In the grand scheme of things, his shitty meme blog and dead vine account were nothing compared to all the models on Instagram paid to post pictures of their abs. But damn, 4,000 followers and some change was nothing to sneeze at in Tumblr terms. And he did it all without posting porn. His best friend, Stan, might not understand just how big of a deal that it is, but his followers knew he was top tier. If you weren’t following ‘trxshmouth’ - you were causing yourself a disservice.

Out of all those 4,000 followers Richie had, he almost never spoke to any of them. He had mutuals that would sometimes tag him in their posts or follow forevers. But no one really, honestly knew the man behind the memes. That was until ‘pastelgazebo’ followed him.

As soon as the notification on his phone popped up, Richie had to stop what he was doing and open the link. The boy literally stopped walking to quickly scroll through the soft pink aesthetic filled page, his mouth plastered with a wide grin the whole time.

“Earth to Richie…We’re going to be late to class…RICHIE?!” Stan was rolling his eyes now - a usual occurrence when your best friend is Richie - vape naesh - tozier. Stan waved his hand in front of Richie, but the boy just kept typing on his phone, not looking up for a second.

“Celebrity stuff, Stanley, you wouldn’t understand.” Richie finally lifted his head taking the time to push in his pop socket of the dancing snapchat hotdog and shove the phone into his back pocket, before beginning to walk again.

“You’re not famous, Richie. I have a blog - So does Bill. We all do. You’re no different.”

“Wow okay - your blog is all pictures of birds. Literally no one cares about birds except for you. You can’t possibly compare my blogging experience to just you sitting on your bed looking at pictures on the internet. It’s not even on the same level and fairly i’m concerned that you would ever think you compare to me.” A ding goes off in Rich’s pocket, and the boy slapped his ass before pulling the phone from it and transfixing his gaze on the screen once again.

“You forget, Richard. I’m the one with boyfriend now, and you are the one stuck having to look at pictures on the - Are you even listening to me insulting you ?? No you’re not - Of course” And the eye rolls were back.

“Haha yeah - you and Bill make out all the time and all I do is watch porn - ha ha very funny Stan the man - but not for fucking long !! ‘Cause this trashmouth might’ve just found the love of his life !!” Richie was talking like a schoolgirl raving about JTT. He was making no sense at all. And then he was shoving his phone into Stan’s face.

The blog was ‘Pastelgazebo’ An organized studyblr with the description written in bright pink font. ‘Eddie ✧ 18 ✧ pre-med at NYU ✧ Bev made me do this.’ The icon was not of the boy’s face. Instead of a bunch of lilacs scattered around a cup of tea. The most recent post was a public answer from none other than trashmouth himself. In all caps the question read ‘SO DO YOU LIKE MEMES?’ with a simple ‘uh yeah’ answer from the other blog. “Wow yeah - you two are a real modern day Romeo and Juliet” Now Stan was sure he should start charging his roommate for all these eye rolls.

❝ — It’s been two months since Richie and Eddie became mutuals. Sixty days since the boys began to talk every day through tumblr messenger. Giving Stan the Man a run for his money when it came to Richie’s coveted best friend slot. A spot that Stan has said many times he did not sign up for and would very much appreciate someone taking. He was everything Richie wasn’t. Clean, organized, short. But he was sassy and not afraid to call Richie out on his shit. Richard Tozier was in love. It was real. He wanted to marry this kid. It was really fucking unfair that all Richie could do was text Eddie when Stan was across the dorm just first basing his boyfriend right in front of his glass covered eyes. Rubbing salt into the hormone filled wound of Richie’s.

↪ trxshmouth - They’re doing it again

↪ pastelgazebo - Leave your roommate alone. He’s allowed to kiss his boyfriend if he wants to.

↪ pastelgazebo - Shouldn’t you be studying ?? I know I am.

↪ trxshmouth - The least they could do is invite me to join. It’s only fair after being forced to listen to Bill stutter his way through dirty talk

↪ pastelgazebo - BEEP BEEP RICHIE!

↪ trxshmouth - I regret telling you about that every fucking day

❝ — Three months now. Three whole months of friendship all built on an ask about memes. Richie now knew that Eddie accidentally followed Richie instead of exiting his blog. And although it sort of hurt - he couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that only Eddie Kaspbrak would meet his best friend by accident.

Richie was officially calling Eddie his best friend now. Stan lost that privilege when Rich had to wake up to a nearly naked Bill trying to sneak out of his dorm at five in the morning. Honestly the audacity !! Like, really ?! The Uris/Tozier residence was a place of fucking high class. He gave the culprit the stink eye to let him know that he saw everything. ( and damn he meant everything - those boxer briefs were not leaving anything to the imagination. No wonder Stan is keeping him still. ) All Billy could do was giggle as he pulled up his jeans and darted for the door. From then on Richie only referred to his roommate’s boyfriend as ‘Big Bill’ and Stan knew right away where the name came from and - oh boy, he was not happy about everyone knowing about his private life. He didn’t seem to care about privacy before ; when he was letting his boyfriend walk around their dorm dong practically out.

So now Eddie was Richie’s official best friend. But Richie was lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he wanted so much more from the east coast boy. The two had finally exchanged Skypes and tonight was going to be the first time Richie would be able to hear Eddie’s voice - see Eddie’s face that wasn’t in a blurry snapchat with a filter. The trashmouth was actually freaking out. The whole day he was shaking and his ADHD was off the charts. He’s wanted this for three fucking months. And it’s finally here. The skype ring blared through the UCLA dorm and Rich was sure it sounded like the wedding march for a second. He answered the call and had to hold back from gasping. “Wow Eds, you’re really cute.”

The boy was in a pale yellow polo, cross legged on his dorm bed. His cheeks flared as red as his short shorts. Oh did Richie not mention his short shorts ?? Because wow this boy was not afraid of showing some leg. “Thank you. You’re not too bad yourself - Oh and don’t call me that.” Richie couldn’t help but laugh at how easily embarrassed Eddie got. He deserved every compliment in the world.

They spoke for hours about classes and their lives before college. Turns out both were from different towns in Maine. They were so close before - and it took Richie moving all the way out to California for them to be driven together. It really was a small world. Eddie opened up about his mother and how she was driving him crazy now that he wasn’t living at home. Mrs K. makes Eddie get tested like every other week - making sure he wasn’t being slowly killed by the filth of New York. Richie shared that his parents haven’t called him since he moved out. And how when December break comes up, he was probably going to stay with Stan’s family in San Diego. Eddie had this destroyed look on his face when Richie talked about his home. He looked crushed on the other boy’s behalf. And all the freshman wanted to do was jump through the screen, hug Eddie and never let go.

❝ — Four fucking months had gone by since Richie made contact with the love of his life. They skype nearly every night. They know everything there is to know about one another. ( Okay. So Eddie didn’t know Richie smoked. But the boy was willing to cross that bridge when they got to it ) It didn’t matter that a whole country was separating them. When the two spoke - it was as if they were in each other’s laps.

Except Eddie wasn’t sitting in Richie’s lap. He wasn’t running his thin fingers through the boy’s curls and telling him that there was no where else he would rather be than right there. All of that was in Richie’s dreams. He was too afraid to make a move and actually ask Eds out. Stan, Bill, Bev, even Eddie’s roommates Mike and Ben have started to get on the pair for how flirty they were.

Richie was doodling in his notebook as Eddie was telling a story about how his psych professor misspelled professor on the first day of the semester and now no one can take him seriously. Eddie’s voice was like music to Richie’s ears. It inspired him to be better. It made his crazy nerves calm for once. It was like nothing else existed when he spoke. The brunette looked up to his mac and couldn’t help himself but to mutter. “I really wish we could date.” A second went by before Richie heard what he had actually said out loud. He covered his mouth and turned bright red.

Eddie was matching in blush to the cross country boy. He chuckled for a moment and asked “Richie will you be my boyfriend?” And now Richie was covering his whole face because holy fuck, was this real ?? Did his actual dream boy really ask him out. And he said it so calmly. Richie thought he was going to be sick. He could feel his stomach churning. Then it occurred to him that he actually hadn’t answered the boy yet. He’d been waiting for this day for four fucking months and for the first time ever - Richie trashmouth Tozier was speechless. His mind was racing and to stop himself from breaking down and crying there and then, he revealed his flushed face to the webcam, with the dumbest smirk on his features.

“Sure, Eds - but only if you answer this question - Do you like memes ??”

Note ;; This is like half of the headcanons. So let me know if I should write chapter two !

#richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #reddie #reddie au #reddie fic #[ F ]

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exxar1 · 4 years

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Chapter 12: “The Solitary In Families”

3/9/2021

- 1 -

Last week, one of my Facebook friends posted a Lent devotional that was centered around Psalm 68. The title caught my eye as I scrolled through my feed. “God Sets The Lonely In Families.” That phrase grabbed me, and, after reading the short devotional (which was quite good), I opened my Bible app and looked up Psalm 68. Verses 5 & 6 made me pause.

“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” (NKJV)

The verse that my friend quoted was from the NIV, and it had substituted the word ‘lonely’ for ‘solitary’. God sets the lonely in families.

As I announced in my New Year’s resolutions back in December, one of my goals for 2021 was to join a church. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic restrictions still in place in this blue communist state of Nevada, my Google search only turned up the larger churches with congregations of more than a thousand. Thanks to a recent battle with the Nevada supreme court, COVID restrictions were eased in December to allow group meetings of no larger than 250 or 25% of the allowed legal capacity of any one place. (Or something to that effect. All I remember from the headlines was that this was a victory for local churches.)

However, the two Baptist churches that Pastor Sjostrom and I thought might be a good fit for me – based solely on the info from their websites – were only offering the live stream option. Their auditoriums were – and are – still closed for in-person services. So, for all of January, I contented myself with enjoying Grace Baptist’s live stream from Twin Falls, Idaho, every Sunday morning in my pajamas, with my coffee and my Bible close at hand.

But then, one Saturday morning, as I unlocked my front door, I saw a small flyer tucked into the bars of my outer screen door. It was from a small Baptist church right in my neighborhood. From the brief outlines of introductory info on the card, it appeared to be exactly what I was looking for! I immediately plopped on the couch, woke up my MacBook, and pulled up the church’s website. The info there was even more encouraging, so I emailed the pastor. I introduced myself, asked him if he was holding in-person services, and if so, I would love to come visit.

I didn’t hear back from him. The first week of February passed, and every day I would check my junk mail folder several times to make sure I hadn’t accidently missed his reply. So I emailed him again, and this time I caught his response the following morning. This church was indeed holding in-person services, and the pastor said he would love to see me that following Sunday. I emailed him back with a couple other questions based on the info from his website, and he responded later that day. His answers were what I had been hoping to hear, so I told him I would see him on Sunday!

Now, I’m going to pause here, and tell you something you already know about me – both from my previous blog entries and those of you who know me in real life. But, for those who don’t know me, or haven’t read my previous posts (and why wouldn’t you? My journey started back in September of last year. You should start there as well, or a lot of this isn’t going to make sense. Why would you start a book in the middle anyway?), let me tell you something important about me.

I’m an introvert of the highest order. My current rank is Grand Admiral. I really don’t like people, especially when I’m forced to meet and interact with total strangers in anything more than the cursory “Hi, how are you, how can I help you?” part of my daily job. My work doesn’t require me to actually get to know strangers and befriend them. Nor do I really want to. At least, I didn’t used to want to. (Again, read my previous posts on being born again and God’s changing of my old attitudes.) And yes, I have been more cordial and polite with the people that have crossed my path every day in the last few months, and there are a small number of them that I have chatted with enough to get to know them somewhat. Turns out not everyone is as annoying or uninteresting as I used to think.

But (and this is a big ‘BUT’), there’s a HUGE difference between helping a customer at work and strolling into a totally strange place with a strange crowd on Sunday morning and having no idea whom I will meet or what I’ll find there. Forget butterflies. I get a damn fleet of moths, lizards, birds – basically a whole frakkin’ jungle of nerves in my stomach – just thinking of doing something so extroverted as that! And that’s not much of an exaggeration. I’m like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. I have my customary spot on the couch that no one else is allowed to sit on, and I don’t like large, unknowable social situations or interactions.

But, unlike my old life, I had no choice here. God was giving me my first real test. Hey, son, I know you don’t like this, but this is necessary, and I’ll be with you the whole time. You know that.

“Yeah, God, I know. But do I really have to? I can just keep watching Grace Baptist’s live stream every Sunday, and I don’t have to leave the comfort of my house. I don’t even have to get out of my pajamas! I’ll just wait until one of those larger churches opens up, and then I’ll go. I promise!”

Umm…no. You need to do this. Now, go.

“Ugh! Fine.”

So I did. And, truth be told, I was looking forward to it, but I was so, SO nervous and anxious that second Sunday in February. (Which was, by coincidence, Valentine’s Day.) And, of course, it turned out to be better than I had been expecting. The pastor was quite warm and welcoming, and he gave me a short tour of the cozy, one story building. (He wasn’t kidding in his email. This church was indeed small – both in physical size and in congregation.) The service went great, the preaching was rather good, and I left for work afterwards feeling very excited, hopeful, and spiritually nourished.

See? God said. I told you you would be fine. And this will get even better as you keep putting yourself out there until I let you know if this is the right family for you.

I replied with a short prayer of thanks and then ordered my usual iced coffee from the Dunkin app on my phone while waiting at the red light.

He was right, as usual. In the last three weeks, as I’ve spent more time with the pastor, and as I’ve gotten to know his small flock, I have felt even more keenly the working of the Holy Spirit within me. God wasn’t kidding when he commanded his believers in the New Testament to gather themselves together in order to spiritually nourish and sustain one another. It’s also been nice to get out of my introverted shell and meet new people. It’s not enough yet to change my ranking in that highest order of introverts – I’m still calling myself Grand Admiral of the Lonely yet Happy Brigade – but it’s a start. I will be probably be demoted to captain in the near future.

Which brings me back around to Psalm 68. Yes, I’ve been keenly aware of my loneliness for the past several weeks. Or rather, God has made me feel keenly aware of my loneliness. I have had a strong desire to be placed within a new family, and, until just a few days ago, I had hoped that this pastor and his very young church would be the family that I was seeking.

It turns out that God may have a different, better family in mind for me.

- 2 -

There’s a couple reasons I haven’t told you the name of the pastor or his church. Those of you that follow me on Facebook will know, and I was probably premature in my post a couple weeks ago about the one night I joined this pastor and some of his congregation for an hour of street preaching. But since this blog is probably going to reach a wider audience than just my family and friends on Facebook, I’m now reluctant to give specific names here because of what I’m about to say next.

The other reason that I’m not naming names is because I will probably not be staying with this church (hereto after referred to as Church #1). The main reason for that is because, as I have listened to the pastor’s preaching (hereto after referred to as Pastor #1) for the last three Sundays, I’ve heard some points and/or comments that have caused a few warning blips on my spiritual radar. Pastor #1 asked us during his sermon a couple weeks ago where in Genesis did we think that Lucifer’s fall occurred. The general consensus from the congregation was in the first chapter. The pastor confirmed this by saying that it happened between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

“Does God make anything that is not perfect?”

Well, no, of course not.

“So then why does verse 1 state that God created the heaven and the earth, and then verse 2 says the earth was without form and void?”

Wait. Say what again?

Yeah. Apparently, Pastor and Church #1 believe that God had created a perfect earth and heaven, and then Lucifer’s fall destroyed that first paradise and God had to start all over again.

Ummmmm. Yeah, that’s not how I read verses 1 and 2, nor was that what I was taught at Grace Baptist Church when I was a kid. Although God does not say specifically anywhere in the Bible, it is believed by most theologians and pastors that Lucifer’s fall occurred between chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis. The proper way to read Genesis 1:1 and 2 is that verse 1 is a statement of the end result, and verse 2 begins the story of how God created that end result stated in verse 1.

That’s the biggest warning blip thus far. Some examples of minor blips:

1) Pastor #1 used the verse of 1 Kings 18:28, which talks about the prophets of Baal, “And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them”, as proof that God does not approve of Christians getting tattoos. Doesn’t matter what kind of tattoo, they’re all a sin. (You’ve all seen the pic on my Facebook page of the tattoo of the cross and date that I had done last month as a way to commemorate my salvation.)

2) Pastor #1 is not a fan of C.S. Lewis or The Chronicles of Narnia. In his opinion, the fact that Lewis used the half-goat, half-man creature as one of the main Narnian characters proves that Lewis was not a true Christian. The faun – who was named Pan in Greek mythology – is actually one of the many symbols of Satan. (And, apparently, the English word ‘panic’ comes from the Greek root word of the name of that mythological character.) Also, for that matter, is the symbol of the fish that many people put on the bumpers and rear windows of their car. That symbol is actually connected to the pagan god Dagon. (No, I promise I’m not making any of this up.)

3) Pastor #1 believes that Hell is actually at the center of the earth. This was from a sermon three weeks ago, and it was mentioned in passing with no specific scriptural passage to back up such a claim. I’m fairly certain, however, that there is no Biblical proof for such a bold statement.

4) This pastor is also a vehement opponent of ‘Christian rock’. Now, this isn’t a big deal to me, as there are many Baptist denominations that believe Christian music should be separate from anything that sounds like secular rock music, so I wasn’t surprised when this comment came up in a sermon two weeks ago. (Also, Grace Baptist is a church that has always held this view. I had many, many arguments with my parents about my love for Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman when I was in high school.) I only bring this point up here to show how dogmatic Pastor #1 is turning out to be.

I should also note here that Pastor and Church #1 believe that the ONLY acceptable translation of the Bible is the 1611 King James version. All other translations (NKJV, NIV, NLT, etc.) are false and pervert the true Word of God. This belief is something new to me, and I asked Pastor #1 about this stance in my second email to him after he responded to my introductory email to let me know that his church was hold in-person services. He listed and quoted a few verses from both the Old and New Testaments, including Revelation 22:18-19 where God says no one shall add or take away from the scriptures, lest their names be removed from the Book of Life. (Which is what all other translations, especially newer ones supposedly do when they substitute specific words or phrases in order to match modern English in order to make the Bible more readable and accessible for today’s generation.)

I’m not sure that I totally agree with this belief. I was raised on the King James version, and, therefore, those words are what have stuck in my memory all these years from the verses that I had to memorize in Sunday School and the various other youth programs that I was involved in throughout my childhood. And, now, as I have begun to re-read the Bible, I really love the poetic beauty and the formality of the old English.

However, I am also reading the MacArthur Study Bible which is published in the New King James version, and it is a little easier to read, especially the Old Testament, where specific phrases and idioms have been updated to be a little more closer to modern English. In his introduction of that Bible, John MacArthur states that when the NKJV Bible was first being produced in the late seventies (it was first published in 1982 by Thomas Nelson), all translators had to sign a statement of integrity, faith and belief, saying essentially that they would remain faithful to the true Word of God, and that they would not change or omit any part of the scriptures that would in any way, no matter how small, alter the spirit and message of that Holy Word.

In my reading of the NKJV, I have not seen any huge difference between it and the KJV, other than that the former is a bit more readable, mainly because it doesn’t have a lot of the ‘thee’, ‘thou’, ‘begat’, and so on, that the KJV has. It’s only minor details like that that have been changed. Also, the translators of the NKJV used the same original, preserved Hebrew and Greek manuscripts that were used by the translators under the reign of King James in the first decade of the 1600s.

So, to claim that ALL other translations except the original KJV are absolutely false and perverted is a bit of a stretch for me. It’s a little too dogmatic, but if that’s the only issue here, then I have no problem being part of a church family that holds this view. Unfortunately, due to the some of the other concerns I listed above, I feel that God is leading me away from Church #1. It appears that family is not where he wants to set me.

- 3 -

This past Sunday, as I drove home from Church #1, I felt very discouraged and, frankly, emotional. Why in the world would God lead me to this church only to tell me a month later that this wasn’t where He wanted me? I felt disappointed and despondent, and I called Dad as soon as I got home, unloading all of this on him in what he must have thought was some kind of breakdown. (And, in fact, I was near tears. That’s another thing about this whole sanctification process. My emotions lately have been living very close to the surface, and I never know what will set them off. Some days, all it takes is a cat food commercial or a particularly poetic verse in Psalms. Go figure.)

My dad, to his immense credit, was able to talk me down from the ledge, and I felt much better after hanging up the phone. I took a nap, and then, as I was fixing a late lunch, I remembered something that Pastor #1 had mentioned to me when we were on the street corner a couple weeks ago. I was asking him about his church, specifically how he knew God was calling him to form his own church. He replied that he and his congregation separated from a church (hereto after referred to as Church #2) about six years ago after that church’s elderly pastor had passed away. Though Pastor #1 didn’t give a lot of details – and our conversation was constantly being interrupted as we handed out tracks to passers-by – it sounded to me like the separation was caused by the congregation’s vote to have someone else besides Pastor #1 lead them.

After lunch, I Googled the name of Church #2. Their website looked promising (yes, they too believe that the KJV is the only acceptable translation of the Bible, as well as all the other typical Baptist beliefs – i.e., Pro-life, the traditional Biblical views of marriage & sexuality, etc.), so I immediately emailed the pastor (hereto after referred to as Pastor #2) to ask if he was holding in-person services. He responded almost right away that his doors were indeed open, and the evening service was at 6. I told him I would be there.

Once again, that whole jungle of critters and nerves was back in full force as I pulled into the parking lot of Church #2 (which was also in the same general of area of North Las Vegas as Church #1.) This church building was much larger than that of Church #1, and the congregation was very warm and welcoming. Within just a few minutes of chatting with Pastor #2, I learned that he was originally from Nampa, Idaho, and an alumni of Boise State University. Wow! Talk about a small world. When I told him that I, too, was a former BSU Bronco, he immediately called his wife over to introduce her and pass on the good news.

My visit only got better from there. By the end of the night – which concluded with an ice cream social in the fellowship hall behind the auditorium – I had met, shook hands, and chatted at great length with no less than a dozen fellow believers, all around my age. From what I could estimate during the worship service, the size of the congregation appeared to be about a hundred and fifty, and there was a good mix of old, young and in between. (There was also a good number of elementary and high school age kids.) In many ways, this church reminded me of Grace Baptist back home, and I drove away feeling much more excited and spiritually refreshed. I said a quick prayer of thanks to God, and I really can’t wait for this upcoming Sunday morning service!

- 4 -

All of this church scouting has only intensified my homesickness for Grace Baptist Church back in Twin Falls. Ever since Aaron’s passing a few months ago, my mind has been wallowing in memories of my childhood within the halls of that church and its school there. What I had once upon a time despised in my adolescence and couldn’t wait to get away from I now yearn for with all my heart and soul.

As a kid, there were two places I spent the majority of my time: home and church/school. If I wasn’t at one, I was at the other. My parents were married in Grace Baptist on June 18, 1977, and I arrived on the scene a year later. My earliest memory of Grace Baptist was the hideous shade of orange that was the carpet in the auditorium. It was a burnt orange that was most assuredly made only in the 1970s, and there were no pews at that time either. Instead, we all sat in plastic, yellow chairs that, to my amazement, are STILL being used in the gym for special events. (I sat in one at Aaron’s funeral, and boy, those things are NOT very comfortable after a half hour or so.)

I have many fond recollections of me and my brothers tearing up and down the main hall of the church building, racing one another while waiting for our parents after evening church on Sundays. More often than not, we were scolded by one of the older ladies (I will not name names here, either, mainly just for privacy’s sake, not because I resent them now) who would order us to go find our parents. At one end of that hall is the nursery, and back then the door was separated in two so that the lower half could be closed while the upper half could remain open. In junior high, my friends and I would try to run and jump that door when just the lower half was closed. Again, one of the adults would scold us as they walked by.

More often than not, my brothers, friends and I would be out on the school playground during Sunday afternoons when dad had choir practice before evening church. On one particular Sunday, my brother Jeremy and I were playing tag with a couple other boys, and Jeremy ran headlong into a steel bar at one end of the playground. He had been glancing behind him to see how close his opponent was, and he turned his head back around just in time to slam it into the bar which was at just the right height for his forehead. To this day, I can close my eyes and hear, as clearly as if it had happened only a few minutes ago, that sound of flesh, bone and steel. I was on the other side of the playground, and that THRANG! resonated like the peal from a steeple bell. It’s also the only time in my life that I have seen that much blood at once. Needless to say, mom and Jeremy spent that evening in the ER instead of church service.

(Come to think of it, that was not Jeremy’s last bloody incident. He was around eight or nine, I believe, and during the remainder of his youth he would go on to experience the following: tearing up his face when he crashed headlong into the gravel of the alley behind our house while trying to jump a poorly constructed ramp on his dirt bike; shooting himself in the leg with a gun that one of his friends borrowed from the dad’s unlocked cabinet; breaking that same leg a year or so later during a soccer game – due, in part, to the way the gunshot wound had healed around the bone; and, finally, having his right foot shattered when the third baseman jumped to catch the ball and then landed on Jeremy’s foot with just right angle and weight as Jeremy slid into base. That incident occurred just last year, in fact. My brother has never been one to shy away from living life to the fullest, amen!)

There were numerous weddings, funerals, high school graduations, afternoon potlucks, and other such events held within the halls of that church over the course of my childhood. When my second grade teacher, Miss Sherri Bohne (pronounced ‘Bonny’), was married, I asked her for a picture of her in her wedding dress. I thought it was the most beautiful gown ever, and I’m sure I still have that photo somewhere in an album in one of my closets. (Once again, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone when I emerged from the proverbial closet roughly twelve years later.) There were grade school plays, piano recitals, and high school choir performances that make up the bulk of both my fondest and cringiest memories. (I absolutely HATED the glasses that I had to wear for all of junior high and most of high school. I was never so happy as when my parents’ medical insurance finally allowed me to get contacts halfway through my sophomore year.)

My dad believed that our family should be in church anytime the doors were open. Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday night youth group, Cubbies, Sparks, Awana, Vacation Bible School in the summers, week long special revival meetings throughout the year – you name it, we were there, front and center for every service and/or event. The only exceptions were if we happened to be out of town on our annual summer vacations. When I was a kid, I didn’t resent all this church attendance that much. Everything that was church – all the services, songs, rituals, preaching, teaching, Bible verse memorization, family devotionals every night before bedtime – it was normal life for me and my brothers. It was in my teen years that I really started to resent and dread all the weekly services and activities. And, especially, when I started to realize I was gay and I had to keep that a secret it was even harder to find a good reason for all this religious nonsense. I was never happier than when I left high school (no, never graduated, see previous posts), and I could finally be free of all that hogwash.

Now, twenty-four years later, I feel much differently. I believe that, if we are truly lucky, the places where we grow up become part of us. Their essence weaves itself into the DNA of our very souls through the lifetime of memories and experiences that we carry with us, no matter where or how far we walk in the world. In 1998, when I was in the army and stationed in Hanau, Germany, there was a knock on the door of my barracks room one weekday evening. When I answered it, I found two gentlemen who were from a local non-denominational church. Their congregation was primarily U.S. service members from the base, and they invited me to their upcoming Sunday service. I agreed, though at the time, I couldn’t say exactly why. Looking back now, I know why. I was halfway around the world, very far from home and from almost anything familiar, and I was lonely. I had only just arrived at my posting, so I hadn’t yet become acquainted with my fellow soldiers.

I attended that little church for only a few weeks. It was a taste of home that I had been desperately craving, and I sang along with the traditional hymns, allowing my childhood memories of Grace Baptist to comfort me. But, once I got settled into my new life on base, I no longer needed the weekly church service. I was fine without God once more, and I quit attending. I had better things to do on the weekends. A year later, after my courts-martial, when I arrived back home in Twin Falls, I continued my life without God or religion. Eventually, I found a place of my own, and I lived my life as I wanted. I finally came out to my friends and family, and charted my own course. I would occasionally attend Grace Baptist as a courtesy to my parents, but I hated every time that I had to cross that threshold. It dredged up nothing but bitter memories from high school, and I had to force a smile and a handshake whenever one of the older folks was happy to see me.

You all know the rest of the story. While 2020 was the year that the world fell apart and went off the rails, it was the year that God woke me up and saved me. Back in January, when I started to watch the weekly service from GBC via the live stream on their Facebook page, I felt like I had come back home. The orange carpet and yellow chairs have been replaced by a lovely gray-blue flooring and more comfortable pews, but the spiritual essence is the same. For the last couple weeks, as I’ve attended church services here in Las Vegas, my homesickness has only intensified. I have been fortunate to reconnect with many of you from GBC through these blog posts, and I feel so blessed because of that. That’s what I miss most about Grace Baptist. My brothers and I weren’t reared by just our parents. We were brought up by a godly village of people who believed in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Boy, ain’t that the truth??? (This also, unfortunately, meant that it was a rare victory for me, my brothers, and my friends whenever we actually got away with some form of mischief or trouble.) Many of those ‘godparents’ have long since moved away from Twin Falls to serve the Lord in other ministries in other states, but their impact on my life is being felt anew. Others are still there, now teaching their grandchildren the same way they taught and nurtured me.

I miss that church family terribly, and I yearn more than ever to find a family of that caliber here in Las Vegas. I sincerely hope that church #2 is it. But, if not, I know that God will eventually lead me where he wants to place me. It’s not His desire that anyone should be solitary for very long.

Until then, I’m content to be Grand Admiral of the Lonely yet Happy in Christ Brigade.

Okay, maybe just captain.

#Christian #personal growth #God #church #family

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jimmyjohnsmnm · 4 years

Text

11 Proven Ways to Increase Dwell Time

Are you doing everything you can to rank for a specific keyword? Are you struggling to get on even the first page, much less the top?

Here’s the thing: there’s a good chance you are making a ton of mistakes that sends users back to the SERP.

After developing hundreds of high-ranking pages, I’m here to show you the role dwell time plays in ranking and how you can increase it.

Before I share 11 strategies to increase your dwell time, let’s look at what dwell time is and why it matters.

What is Dwell Time?

Dwell time is the length of time a user spends on your page before returning to SERP. Most SEOs consider dwell time to be a ranking signal, though Google hasn’t confirmed it.

As an example, let’s say you want to establish a better morning routine. So you Google “morning rituals.”

You click on the first result. But the page is hard to navigate, and the content’s not useful.

Within a few seconds, you hit back on your browser and click on the second result.

The second page has excellent content, and the website is easy to scroll through. You end up spending six minutes there and then go back to the SERP.

Now, if other people also spend more time on the second page, Google may factor that in their page rankings and demote the current first result. That will bump the #2 result up to #1.

Although Google hasn’t gone on the record to say dwell time is a ranking factor, the closest thing we’ve got so far is a Google engineer sharing this tidbit:

“So when search was invented… they wrote heuristics that had figure out what the relationship between a search and the best page for that search was. And those heuristics worked pretty well and continue to work pretty well.

But Google is now integrating machine learning into that process. So then training models on when someone clicks on a page and stays on that page, when they go back or when they and trying to figure out exactly on that relationship.”

Here’s another strong indicator that dwell time is at least a mild ranking factor: Google used to let you hide specific websites on the SERP after visiting them.

If you bounce fast from a page, you could block all results from a domain – because Google knew that if people left a page quickly, there was a good chance they didn’t like the content.

Over time, that feature was dropped, likely as Google better understood which sites were most useful.

Dwell Time Versus Time On Page

You may have heard of time on page, which is the amount of time a user is on a page until they go anywhere else.

Time on page is based on two clicks:

1. A user visits your website.

2. The user then clicks on another page on your website.

The big difference between time on page and dwell time is whether or not the visitor went to another page on your website. With time on page, they have to visit a second page on your website for Google Analytics to take the session into account.

If a user only visits one page on your website, Google Analytics shows time on page for the session as zero.

Here are 11 strategies to increase your pages’ dwell time.

Hook Readers In

You have one shot at making a great first impression from the SERP. One web usability study found the first 10 seconds of a page visit are critical for determining if a visitor stays or goes.

Are your blog post introductions reeling in readers? To encourage dwell time, each introduction needs to be interesting and relevant to your target keywords.

Take this example from a recent post about spying on your competitor’s SEO.

The open-ended question is the hook. The follow-up sentence is brief and touches on a universal pain point. It also acts as a transition guiding the reader to the thesis.

This hook isn’t like a traditional university paper thesis, though. It’s a teaser of what readers can expect in your article.

Divide Into Snackable Sections

Your introduction gets site visitors engaged and excited to continue reading.

Use H2’s to break content into sections, so it’s easy to read. It also makes it easier for folks to go back and reference your content later.

A good example is this article on defining your target audience.

Another way to make your content easier to consume is to turn succinct lists intobullet-pointt format. These make content easier to read and help users find the meat of the content faster.

Another way to engage readers is to use a ton of screenshots and other visuals to illustrate your points.

Create a Multimedia Experience

Infographics aren’t just great for referral traffic. Visuals can also help keep your site visitors engaged.

For example, check out this content layering infographic. It makes a complex topic easier to digest and understand.

Image source

Here are a few tools you can use to create visuals for your content quickly:

Canva

Venngage

Piktochart

Visme

Video can also encourage visitors to stick around. 80% of marketers said in a Wyzowl survey video increased the dwell time on their website. Embedding videos in your content can too.

Here are a few different strategies to increase the effectiveness of video:

Use an eye-catching video thumbnail so users will click and watch.

Customer testimonial videos and product videos can be a powerful way to push conversions.

Embed video explaining a specific strategy or concept you touch on within your content. Use the video for diving deeper into the strategy.

Share a video from a popular YouTube channel in your content. Then reach out to the producers, as there may be opportunities for social referral traffic.

Insert a video containing information with related content.

Match Search Intent

If you’re looking to rank #1 for a keyword on Google, you need to be the most relevant query. In other words, the content on your page needs to reflect a searcher’s intent, the reason for the search.

Let’s say you’re trying to rank for “best spa” in NYC.

Google knows the most relevant results from millions of searchers who have either bounced or stuck around pages. In this case, spa options based on a searcher’s location and the best spas worldwide are the top results.

A landing page spotlighting a specific spa won’t work. However, charts showing different destination spa’s amenities and price comparison tools may be effective.

The four most common types of search intent are:

Information

A searcher is looking for general information (“How can I interpret my dreams?”) or an answer to a specific question (“How old is Elon Musk?”)

More examples of information searches:

“When is NBA draft”

“LAX Terminal 4 to 5 directions”

“Howard Schultz”

Brand

The searcher is looking for a specific website or brand. They may forget the URL or find it easier to Google a brand than type out the site’s address.

Examples of brand searches:

“Instagram login”

“Ubersuggest”

“Neil Patel guide to Local SEO”

Inquiry

With an inquiry search, a searcher shows interest in an item or solution but is still researching and comparing their options.

Examples of inquiry searches:

“best spas”

“United versus Delta”

“Ubersuggest reviews”

Transaction

In a transaction search, the searcher is ready to buy. They are either looking for the best price or trying to find a specific item or service.

Examples of transaction searches:

“Chipotles near me”

“buy iPad pro”

“athletic greens coupon”

Now let’s say a spa decides to target “corporate wellness retreats.” Here are the steps they can take to do competitive research on Ubersuggest:

First, review search volume and keyword difficulty under “Keyword Ideas.”

Next, analyze the top SERP results for that keyword.

Are the top results product pages, blog posts, or another format? For a search of “corporate wellness retreat,” we can see most of the top 10 results are landing pages.

As you review each page, take notes on the page’s content to see how you can improve.

You can also review on-page optimizations, such as the use of keywords in headlines and subheadings and any other factors encouraging dwell time.

Then review the top results off-page SEO strategy. Copy the URL of any result into Ubersuggest and select overview to see more about the domain, including:

The number of backlinks pointing to their domain

Domain score; the higher the number, the more authoritative a site is, and the higher it will rank in Google

The number of unique domains linking back to their domain

Craft In-depth Content

In most cases, longer content gets more traffic. Since it takes more time to read, more robust content boosts dwell time.

Help encourage visitors to stick around by providing the go-to resource for a specific query using the Skyscraper technique (a term initially coined by Brian Dean of Backlinko).

All skyscraper content has one or more of the following elements:

Useful: Does it provide step-by-step instructions where possible? Are you providing your reader with clear takeaways?

Entertaining: Does your content draw in your reader either through a compelling narrative, hook, or funny bits?

User Experience: Is your content easy to navigate and skim? Does content logically flow? Is the content accessible in tone and style? In particular, it doesn’t read like a post-graduate paper or use larger words than needed.

Each of the eight steps in this article on monetizing your blog shows you don’t need a massive amount of traffic to start making money. Readers can also see a ton of examples where they can draw inspiration.

By creating thorough content it ranks #1 for highly competitive keywords and readers spend an average of over 4 minutes on the page.

Enable Comments

Open up your blog to questions and discussion in the comments. Just like here, where I try to reply to all comments.

People want to read others’ comments. Other readers likely have the same questions and can contain additional valuable responses from the author.

As people read or add in their own comments, their dwell time goes up.

Plus, you can get a ton of great feedback with your site visitors, like the comment below.

Create Interactive Elements

Interactive content not only keeps users on your page longer, it can also improve the user experience.

Quizzes, polls, downloadable assessments, and calculators are all features that can help site visitors work through the specific issue they came to your site to solve.

Establish Next Steps

If someone wants to learn more about a specific topic you’ve covered, make it easy to access with an internal link.

Internal links not only help keep users on your site, but are another key feature for on-page optimization.

Your internal links can also guide users to take the next step along your inbound funnel.

As you may know, a pillar page is a central piece on a website covering a topic in-depth.

Let’s say you’re looking to target a keyword with significant volume like “camper living.”

Once you create a pillar page targeting the keyword, you may develop a blog post reviewing an RV essential like a mobile hotspot. Then link to this piece on your pillar page.

Increase Your Site Speed

Part of making a great first impression — and preventing people from hitting the back button on your site — is ensuring your pages load fast.

47% of consumers expect a page to load in two seconds or less.

A few tools to help speed up your site:

Page Speed Insights

Pingdom Website Speed Test

WebPageTest

GTmetrix

Mobile First

More than half of worldwide traffic comes from mobile devices, which means you need to provide a mobile-first experience on your website.

What does that mean? Your site needs to perform well on mobile devices, not just desktop.

Here’s how you can double-check your pages are optimized for mobile:

Visit Google Search Console.

Click “Mobile Usability.”

If any errors show in Search Console, click the error for details on how to fix the issue on your site.

Google’s support documentation that is linked in the results also provides more info on specific errors.

Level Up the Copy

You can have the best content but still fail to resonate with your readers.

Are all the sentences in your content the same length? Do paragraphs begin the same way? It will get boring.

Copywriting techniques are the ace up your sleeve. Here are a few strategies to keep your writing engaging you can take from copy masters:

Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.

-Leo Burnett

Can you say the same thing in fewer words? Are their compelling stories or statistics you can use to draw in a reader?

Copy is a direct conversation with the consumer.

– Shirley Polykoff

Keep the conversation going by mirroring your customers. Not sure what your audience is thinking? Survey your current and existing customers.

Have sections where readers may get overwhelmed or bored? Use Bucket Brigades, a term penned by Brian Dean. These phrases that help bridge two sentences and lead readers through content.

These phrases are instant attention grabbers and keep readers from bouncing:

Pro-tip:

Here’s the deal:

Now:

What’s the bottom line?

You might be wondering:

This is crazy:

It gets better/worse:

But here’s the kicker:

Want to know the best part?

Conclusion

All of these techniques can help increase dwell time. But let your rankings and analytics reveal the most effective elements for your content. Start at the top of the list and try each strategy. For example, you might find that your users respond to interactive elements or that they prefer lists.

Once you see what works, you can fine-tune your strategy.

Which strategy will you try first?

The post 11 Proven Ways to Increase Dwell Time appeared first on Neil Patel.

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jjpocketbook · 4 years

Text

11 Proven Ways to Increase Dwell Time

Are you doing everything you can to rank for a specific keyword? Are you struggling to get on even the first page, much less the top?

Here’s the thing: there’s a good chance you are making a ton of mistakes that sends users back to the SERP.

After developing hundreds of high-ranking pages, I’m here to show you the role dwell time plays in ranking and how you can increase it.

Before I share 11 strategies to increase your dwell time, let’s look at what dwell time is and why it matters.

What is Dwell Time?

Dwell time is the length of time a user spends on your page before returning to SERP. Most SEOs consider dwell time to be a ranking signal, though Google hasn’t confirmed it.

As an example, let’s say you want to establish a better morning routine. So you Google “morning rituals.”