#How Does Voice Search Optimization Work?

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How AI is Revolutionizing Voice Search Technology

The Hidden Link Between AI Voice Search and SEO: What You Need to Know AI-powered voice search is revolutionizing how users interact with technology, turning searches into seamless, conversational experiences.

Voice search is transforming how we interact with technology, turning searches into effortless conversations. No more typing—just speak to your device, and AI does the rest. In this blog, we’ll explore the evolution of voice search. We’ll discuss how AI powers it and why businesses must adapt to stay competitive. The Evolution of AI Voice Search Technology AI voice search technology has come a…

[zyafics]

PLAY FAKE | 12

MASTERLIST (Series)

Pairing — Rafe Cameron x Female Reader .ᐟ

Summary — When Rafe needs to secure a girlfriend for his father to see him as a viable candidate for Cameron Development, he enlists the help of a bartender who wants nothing to do with him.

Content — 18+, smut, angst, depictions of jealousy + aggression, emotional turmoil, mild descriptions of violence, and usage of drugs.

You had no choice. Newly orphaned with two acquired guardianship, on the brink of homelessness, you caved into desperation. You started to steal; pick-pocketing unsuspecting tourons and swiping valuables at island parties.

The latter is how you came across Aaron. He saw you stole from one of his clients and struck up a conversation. You thought you would be arrested, or done worse as retribution, but he gave you his number to contact. Said you could call him if you were strapped for some cash. When you learned more about him through JJ—and how Luke owed him money once, leading to a bad dispute that ended in the loss of his job and a black eye—you realized you were dealing with a bad guy.

The consensus was to stay away from Aaron because of his shady conduction of business and excessive use of violence. But you were in a deadlock. No one would offer you a loan because of your bad credit and you were on the cusp of losing your family's legacy. So, you did it.

Now, it's back to bite you in the ass. The reason why loan sharks are dangerous is their exorbitantly high interest rates and lack of regard for the law. If you're unable to pay them back within strict deadlines, they will double the initial amount you owe and go to extreme lengths to threaten friends and family for payback. It's a tactic that works best because you can't turn to the police.

When you finish your anecdote, the atmosphere falls into an eerily silence. You can hear the sound of a pin drop or the soft laughter of your sisters three doors down. You're perched on the end of Rafe's bed while he's leaning against his desk, back pressed against the counter, digesting your words.

Your throat feels dry. It wasn't even a long explanation but something about the way Rafe's watching you, his eyes never straying, and the lack of response afterward. You feel like you're burning under his gaze.

This must be how he felt when you were silent.

"Say something," you urge, voice smaller than intended. His eyes shift and observes the look on your face with an indiscernible expression.

"How much did you borrow?"

You pull your bottom lip between your teeth before answering. "30K."

"Jesus Christ," he mutters under his breath, exhaling sharply. Guilt gnaws at your stomach and your eyes pinch with a wave of sodden emotions. This is one of the reasons why you hesitate to tell him; you don't want him to take your burden as his.

You sigh tightly. "I told you it's bad."

"Does this mean you owe him sixty grand now?"

"No." You shake your head. "I paid back ten."

The numbers still aren't optimal. "So forty then?"

"No," You blurt out, before retracting. "I think. I–I don't know. He hasn't contacted me..." You trail off, not wanting to imagine your debt doubled. If you had paid the required amount, as scripted in your contract, within the due date, you would've been fine. Now, you're in an ambiguous grey zone with no clear direction on where to go next.

"But when he does?"

You look up from your crestfallen gaze to find Rafe's jaw set, his eyes searching your face. Frustration rolls off his strong demeanor, and you take it as a sign of his irritation—at your negligence—that you can't help but feel obligated to alleviate the feeling. "It's fine." You say evenly. "I'll figure it out."

"It's not that." He declares roughly, pinching the bridge of his nose, and exhaling another deep breath. Recognizing his own turbulent emotions are flaring, he doesn't want to take it out on you. "I offered you money. We could've avoided this. At the start of our deal, I offered you—"

You cut him off. "I know."

His expression is sharp. "Then why didn't you take it?"

"I—" You draw in shaky breath, fingers grabbing at the sheets beneath you and tightening them into fists. "I had a plan."

"You had a plan?" Rafe repeats, his voice dripping with disbelief. While he's trying to be patient with you, he can't gauge how your mind works. How it's so set on an independent mode that now—even now—you seem to want to do it all alone. "Does it look like your plan is working?"

This time, it came harsher than he intended, and he wanted to take it back immediately but it was too late. His words were laced with a certain venom that spewed onto you.

But instead of being upset, your own anger erupts.

"Were you going to drop 20K for a couple of fake dates?" You snap, standing from your own seat. You knew what you had done was moronic and you can't take it back but you did have a plan. When Rafe doesn't give you a proper answer, you take his silence as complicity. "Exactly. It would've been stupid on your end and I would've never agreed to such a ridiculous deal. I've already made that mistake once."

He knows you just called him stupid, but Rafe can't stop the rising smile on his lips. In your scorn, you're almost back to your old self.

"Why are you smiling?" You cross your arms, attempting to maintain your level of authority, but his grin broadens. "Stop it."

"I miss you."

Your heart stutters and all your momentum drops. Rafe uses the opportunity to cross the small distance and capture your face in his palm and you lean into his touch, shoulders sagging. You can't believe you're reduced to putty in his hands.

Trying to regain some sense of control, you avert your gaze from his face, and both your palms flatten against his chest. "You're mean, Rafe."

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmurs, running the pad of his thumb across your cheekbone. "What was your plan?"

Part of you didn't want to tell him, to withhold the information, but when he tilts your chin up to meet his eyes, the earnest look behind them shatters that desire. With your heart leaping in your throat, you explain slowly. "When you get Cameron Development, the plan was that I was gonna get a steady income as your regular caterer. Therefore, when payments were due, I would have a reliable source of income."

His breath hitches at the implication behind your words. Rafe's expression hardens. "That's dependent on me getting the company."

You keep his gaze. "I know."

"You based your entire plan on me?"

You can't exactly decipher the tone behind his sentence, and you feel the need to lower your gaze to his chest, grabbing a handful of his shirt. You mumble, "You make it sound like it's stupid."

"It's not—" He grabs your chin again, forcing your gaze up to his. Your eyes are soft and big, while his darkened one scans your face, trying to read your intent. He asks lowly, "You believe in me that much?"

Your voice is gentle when you answer. "Of course."

His heart sings. Rafe can't believe what he's hearing, or rather what he's not. It's the same subtle underlying language he's used to translating; the unspoken. Your entire plan is contingent on his success. That means your trust in him started since the beginning of our arrangement.

He never had someone who had that much faith in him that they would bet it all. It's an indescribable feeling, that's first met with doubt, before transforming into something else. To know someone is always in his corner, always rooting for his success, always believing in him.

Fuck.

He's in love with you.

His eyes stray to your lips and the urge to kiss you overwhelms him. His actions have always been better at demonstrating his emotions than his words ever can. But he resists with a couple of measured breaths. Then, he nods once. "Okay. We'll figure it out."

You're in a dazed state. "We?"

He doesn't want you to think you have to do this all alone. You have him now. "Yeah, but later. I can't focus right now."

Before you can seek clarification, his other hand cradles your cheek and Rafe slams his lips onto yours.

It catches you by surprise and a small moan slips out that Rafe swallows. He wants you. Mind, body, and soul. All of it—the taste of you, the feeling of your skin on his, your words against the column of his throat. He wants to feel you writhing beneath him with pleasure, to save all your best memories for him, and to know that you're completely and unequivocally his.

Rafe parts, just a breath of distance, and whispers against your swollen lips. "God, I miss you."

Your fingers thread through his hair. "I've been here."

His eyes are hungry. "Not what I meant."

He silences any reaction by resuming the kiss, forcing you backward against the bed, and your back lands on the mattress with a soft thump. Rafe hovers over you, his weight pressed comfortably against your body while he kisses you like a starved man.

Even if you don't say it, you missed him too. The feeling of him against you, your heart meeting his at precise beats. When Rafe moves to plant kisses along the curve of your neck, a small whine escapes you. You want to feel his lips on yours, to feel his warmth on your tongue, but he wants to satisfy every inch of you.

His hand starts to caress the hem of your shirt—his shirt—pushing up the fabric to reveal more of your exposed stomach to your bare breasts. With little words spoken, like a coordinated dance, you move enough for Rafe to pull the material completely off of you.

"Shit," he swears, taking a moment to take you in, "I'm never going to get used to this." Then, he descends to your nipples and captures one between his teeth.

You let out another moan, feeling his tongue swirl around your sensitive bud, clashing with the metal barbell. Your legs spread wider, allowing Rafe to slot between your thighs. The boxers he let you borrow are thin, and you feel his hardened erection rocking against your heated core.

Your fingers find the button of his jeans. "Rafe," you whisper, aching with desire. "I need this off."

"Need, huh?" He teases, his hot breath fans against the valley of your breasts and you shiver. "Tell me how much you need me, baby."

He wants to hear it all. Even if it's fake, even if it's just dirty talk spoken during sex. For a brief, fleeting moment, he wants to pretend you need him as much as he needs you.

You draw your hands up to cup either side of his face, forcing him off your tits and tilting his gaze to yours. "Rafe Cameron, I need you inside me. Badly."

Hearing the desperation behind your voice—and his name rolling off your tongue, Rafe removes his clothes and helps you out of yours. Before you have the chance to say anything else, Rafe's fingers are between your folds, spreading them apart, and a sound of satisfaction is heard from the back of his throat. "God, you're wet."

You are. Your arousal coats his digits, and with a slow stroke of his hand, your hips buck into his palm that rest against your clit.

"Rafe," you whine, knowing he's toying with you. His fingers stroke your pussy, but not enough pressure to give rise to your climax. "Inside, please. I'll be so good."

He grins and retracts his hand. When he lines his swollen cock against your entrance, he pauses for a moment. Rafe's eyes connect with yours. "Did you take your pill?"

When Rafe went out this early morning, with your sisters, he went to the pharmacy to pick up some birth control for you. It currently sits on his desk, opened and with one missing tablet. "I did."

"Good, I need to feel all of you."

Without another word, he thrusts into you, causing your back to arch off the mattress.

Rafe doesn't go hard and fast like normal but instead bends forward to capture your lips against his teeth. Your heart is hammering in your chest regardless, the feeling of your walls wrapped around him, the way he fills you—like a puzzle finding its missing piece—makes your head spin.

"Feel so fucking good," he whispers against your heated skin, his hand reaching out to take yours, intertwining with your fingers. "Can't believe I almost lost this."

You can't believe it either, but you couldn't say it. Rafe angles himself where his cock hits right against your cervix, causing your head to tip back and dig into the sheets, moaning wildly at the pleasure. Rafe easily kisses you to swallow the noise of your open mouth, reminding you that your sisters are just a couple of doors over.

You should care. You really should. But you don't. You need him. Closer. Harder. Faster. Your legs wrap around his torso, trapping him. "Need you," you whimper, as each thrust grows more choppy. "Need you so fucking bad, Rafe."

He can't control himself. Removing his constraint of trying to keep it sentimental, to keep it sweet. He loves how desperate you need him. How rough you want it. His pace quickens with the rut of his hips, and you feel the familiar white-hot pleasure searing through your body, climaxing.

"More," you beg, arms wrapped around his neck, fingers clawing against his back muscles. You're removing all the space between him and you, until there's nothing but skin-on-skin. "Please, more."

"Baby, I'll give you everything," he grunts breathily, scraping his teeth against the curve of your neck, hitting a sensitive spot that leaves you whining. "Everything and more if you'd let me."

Something about his words twists inside you and you come hard. Rafe feels you clenching around him, so tight, that it causes him to slow his thrust but the pleasure is unbearable. Easily, he follows after, coming inside you with the familiar hot cum filling you up.

Rafe lands on top of you, careful not to crush you under his weight. You welcome it, nonetheless, liking the way he presses against you. Both your breaths are heavy, clambering to catch up on missing air, and Rafe's still inside you. You like that too.

Your hands are still intertwined, and you're the first to retract from the hold to place your warm palm against the side of his profile, causing his head to lift to meet your gaze. He's settled between the valley of your breasts, his stubble tickling your skin, and you take the moment to lean forward and plant a chaste kiss on his lips.

It feels sentimental. Vulnerable. Almost too real.

"Okay, now get off," you say jokingly, undercutting the tension in the room. Rafe scoffs but listens, rolling off, slipping out of you. The loss of him makes you frown, but you quickly wipe away the expression as you turn on your side, facing him.

Rafe studies you. This time, the sex felt different. More. He'll never say it, in fear of it scaring you away, but he truly never felt as vulnerable as he did moments ago when he was inside you. The memories flooding through him could easily get him hard again, but he tries to distract himself, taking a strand of your hair between his fingers.

You smile softly, noting how mesmerized he is with your hair. Of the color and the texture. It draws you into your thoughts, and you're suddenly reminded of a question that's been stuck in your head for the past twenty-four hours.

You say his name, causing him to stop and look at you. "Why were you with Leila the other night?"

"She called me." He answers truthfully, and before you can question him further, he adds. "I was coming over anyways."

This surprises you. "You were?"

"Couldn't leave you like that."

"You didn't stop me."

"I know, I fucked that up," Rafe admits, eyes scanning over your face, trying to express his sincerity.

You study him, recognizing his truth, but you still have some doubts. Another question about your relationship hangs in the air, and as your lips part, Rafe recognizes the question before you even have the chance to ask.

"We're not broken up."

A sense of relief fills you, but there's also the remnant of heartache.

Your voice is soft. "I said a break."

"We're not doing that either."

You don't know if you can separate from him. You don't know if you want to. But you wanted this extra layer of protection, just in case. "If you were worried, I was still committed to doing all the things you needed with Ward—"

"I don't care." He sharply cuts you off. "If someone asks you who you're with, don't answer that it's complicated. It's not. You're with me, got it?"

He's addressing the moment when Kelce asked if you were in a relationship with Rafe and you answered vaguely. It must've been stuck in his mind. Rafe never set perimeters on who knows the truth behind your little farce, only that his father remains oblivious, but you guess it also extends to the rest of the Kook public.

You don't answer him, not wanting to taint the aftermath of good sex with discussions about logistics and labels. You want to enjoy the fleeting moment, even if it's all you get.

Rafe sees your silence and softens his voice. His hand cups the side of your face, brushing his thumb across your cheek. "You're mine, you know that?"

You do, but you don't think it's in the way Rafe realizes. The lines are so blurred, you don't know what's real or fake anymore. You don't know if this is a sentiment shared during intimacy or a parade with the public, or if he does want you. Asking for clarification has burned you twice and you'd rather not put yourself in that situation again.

You're silently asking Rafe to tell you more. To give you more words. To speak. If he reveals that he has feelings for you, telling you he wants you—truly wants you—beyond this arrangement, you would be his. All his.

But Rafe's never been the one to willingly talk and reveal things. You have to break an arm and a leg for him to consider giving you the time of day. You rather not break your heart too.

A banging on the locked bedroom door absolutes you from answering him. "Rafey!" Amara screams from the hallway, "You promised you'd see my dress!"

"Dress?" You turn away from the door. "What dress?"

Rafe says nothing, but the small smirk on his face reveals everything. "Rafe. What did you get them?"

You didn't go with your sisters on their early morning excursion with Rafe. You were too tired and were catching up on sleep. When you woke up, they were already back and had been gleefully locked away in the guest bedroom the entire afternoon.

"Don't worry about it."

Rafe slips off the bed and gets redressed while you watch. You admire the planes and ridges of his chest, and when he finishes, he picks your clothes off the floor and throws them at you, telling you to get up too.

You do, and after you're no longer bared and exposed on his king-sized bed, Rafe unlocks the door to reveal an impatient Amara standing behind the door. She's carrying a foreign doll between your arms; something handmade and name-branded, something she definitely didn't have before.

"Rafe..." You warn lowly, but it lacks the critical threat behind its tone. He just grins at your attempt, grabbing your hand and dragging you out of his bedroom. Amara leads you to the living room, where the registration of how much Rafe bought your sisters comes to light.

Scatters of large shopping bags, of various shops and boutiques you never heard the name of, litter across the floor. Leilani is sitting on one of the couches, messing with something in her hands. A phone. Amara’s ruffling through one of the bags, trying to find her dress.

You turn back to Rafe. "You got to be kidding."

"Just because you won't let me buy you nice things doesn't mean you should deprive your sisters of that opportunity," Rafe shrugs, taking a seat on the closest couch, and tugging you along. There's plenty of room on the cushioned chair, but Rafe decides to pull you onto his lap.

You don't even mind; you like your spot on his lap. His arm lazily wraps around your waist while your legs dangle off the side. While Amara recruited Leila along to search for their dresses—because they have that much stuff—Rafe playfully bites your exposed shoulder.

Finally finding their princess gowns and diamond tiaras, Amara grabs Leilani's hand and drags her off to the nearest bathroom. They're giggling while they skip away, bouncing on their feet, behaving the exact opposite of what you expected them to be after a traumatic experience.

"They're happy."

"Of course they are." He scoffs, "We spent the entire morning ransacking every store downtown, buying everything they set their eyes on."

You chuckle softly, and gratitude passes through you. "You didn't have to do that."

"Nah, I had to," Rafe slides you closer. "Got to stay on their good side, you know?"

You shake your head, hiding a smile. The sound of a door opening is heard and you turn to the source of the sound, expecting to see your sisters return with their costumes, but instead find the sudden appearance of Sarah Cameron standing in the middle of the foyer.

"Sarah." Rafe stiffens under you, surprise evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my house, Rafe," She says with the roll of her eyes.

"It hasn't been your house since you ran away three months ago," he snaps, a hardness to his words. "Where's your Pogue boyfriend now?"

She ignores her brother, shifting her attention to you. "Who are you?"

You feel like you're caught in the crossfire of their rivalry. Before you get the chance to answer, Rafe cuts in for you.

"She's my girlfriend," Rafe sneers, his arm tightening around your waist. "Which is none of your business."

"Gee, Rafe, really a great welcome home party," Sarah says sarcastically, adjusting the large bag over her shoulders, which you presumed is stuffed with her things. She looks back at you. "You're the Pogue my dad mentioned, right? The one who owns the bar near the docks?"

Something about the Cameron siblings minimizing you to a social class. Nonetheless, you nod. "Cool. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry you have to deal with that one," she points to her brother, who's shooting daggers at his little sister. She ignores the look. "Well, I hope you had a good... shopping trip. I'm going to go unpack."

Before you have a chance to correct her, she walks away, and Rafe shouts after her. "Don't unload too much, just in case you wanna run away again," he reminds, to which Sarah responds with a flip of her middle finger, turning onto the stairwell and disappearing.

You don't know how to deal with a Rafe post-Sarah, especially because you've heard of his long-winded rambles about the golden child. You don't even want to step into it, because what Rafe feels for his younger sister is none of your business. It's his complicated family. You can't fix that.

Instead, you pull him back to Earth, turning his head away and tilting his gaze back onto you. His heated eyes, darkened and full of resentment and anger, soften upon meeting yours, and you wrap your arms around his neck.

Leaning into him, the both of you say nothing, doing nothing, until Amara and Leilani emerge from the dressing room with glamorous princess gowns and a crown over their head. Then, they did a little show for you.

The moments spent with you make him forget about his issue with his sister. With her return and what it means to the company. Who earns in favor with their father. 

She’ll be a problem for another day. 

Not realizing how true those words will be. 

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Navigation — Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Idk how this even works properly so correct me if I did something wrong

14! Gn reader with Kenji, and Kyoka in Teyvat

If you were not alone

Part II

______

Self-Aware! BSD AU x SAGAU Imposter crossover

Character: Self-Aware! Platonic! Kenji Miyazawa, Self-Aware! Platonic! Kyouka Izumi

Reader: 14! GN! Reader

Warning: English is my second language

____

🐄���� One moment you, Kyouka and Kenji were going back home from school.

The second moment you three were in a middle of Chinju Forest.

Kenji took the sudden trip better, than Kyouka and you. The sun was shining, wind was blowing, and, according to your knowledge about the game, Teyvat's people are more or less friendly, and there are travelers from another world.

So, after getting some rest, you three will go to the nearest city and search for dimensional travelers. Everything will be alright.

Besides, local tanukis are so cute, and Ioroi was fun to talk to.

Kenji's optimism was contagious. He does have a point. You aren't looking for troubles. Besides, Traveler and Alice are friendly. They won't hurt you three.

With your spirit up, you started your journey to Grand Narukami Shrine. In Guide, Alice mentioned, that she knew Yae Miko. And Yae did publish said Guide. Maybe, kitsune knew, how to reach Alice.

During your walk, you looked up. And a chill run down your spine. Celestia was gone. A clod, sticky horror squeeze your heart. You knew from somewhere, that it was wrong.

Something terrible has happened.

You decide to think about it when you reached Shrine. You will have time.

🐄🐰 You were lucky. Yae Miko was here, in the shrine. Everything looked normal. Kenji, with big smile on his face, walked towards her, asking for help. But then Yae Miko looked at you. Disbelief, horror, worry. Before someone could react, Yae dragged you three inside the shrine's building.

When the door closed behind you, Yae grabbed your cheeks, looking at your face at every angle. You notice, how Demon Snow appeared behind Kyuoka, drawing its sword.

Yae's voice was trembling.

"Don't waste your power on me, child. Soon you will need it to protect yourselves."

🐄🐰 During Yae's explanation, you felt, how Kyuoka and Kenji sat closer to you. Like they were afraid, that you will be attacked any moment now. Because of orders of 'Creator'.

Yae explained, that just few hours ago, that Creator preformed some sort of ritual. A ritual of finding sinners… People, who looked similar to Creator. Who looked similar to you. And if someone sees you, they would attack. Would try to capture you.

Yae secretly get you away from Narukami Shrine. You weren't safe in Inazuma. Still, Yae asked you to stay here. Until she gets answer from Alice and her whereabouts.

"Run, children. Alice the adventurer might help you. If you managed to get to her, she might find a way to return you home."

When you left, she sent a letter to Alice. The only thing that was left is wait.

🐄🐰At the end of the week, you three were still in Inazuma. And you have a bunch of people on your tail.

And you were worried. Mostly, about Kenji and Kyuoka. They were your friends/adopted siblings. And they were protecting you. Kenji was starving himself, afraid of not being able to help during attack. Kyuoka was constantly using Demon Snow to search for dangers. And it looked like, using their abilities, tried them.

You tried to help as much as you can. You took cooking and keeping camp warm and clean on yourself. You insisted on guarding the camp at night, letting Kyuoka and Kenji sleep.

Despite two of you having abilities, you were just three teens. And you three missed home and the rest of BSD's Cast.

🐄🐰 Second week were better. Thanks to Kenji's kindness, you now were hiding in Yoimiya's house. Who could think, that playing with local kids will let you find help?

Now you were more or less protected.

Kyuoka, Kenji and you even met Itto and Arataki's Gang. They were a loud, but friendly bunch.

🐄🐰 One day, Kuki brought a letter from Yae. Alice will wait for you in Fontaine. She even found a way for you to get here.

After tearful goodbye from Yoimiya and her father, you three, under protection of Itto and his gang, reached Ritou's Island.

Where Chiori was waiting for you.

"So, Creator want to capture three teens? How low Teyvat will sink, I wonder? Okay, kids, let's do some dress up."

🐄🐰 For the next few days, you, Kenji and Kyuoka, dressed in Fontaine clothes, were pissing as Chiori's workers, who were helping to get silk from Inazuma to Fontaine.

Trip were doing fine.

You were so close to getting home.

You just need to find Alice.

🐄🐰In her letter Alice mentioned, that she attends all performances in Opera House. Chiori managed to get tickets for three of you on one of it.

You three celebrated by going to the wilderness and having a picnic.

Unfortunately, Lyney and Lynette saw you three. And Demon Snow, who helped you to cut food. They knew what they must do. Father will be proud.

🐄🐰It happened one week ago. One week ago, when during the preference, Lyney and Lynette blew your cover. One week of captivity. One week of being separated from Kenji and Kyuoka. One week of Alice trying to get you out of captivity. One week of Chiori being under arrest.

You, tortured and bloodied, were standing before Ivory Throne. Lyney and Lynette were standing near Creator's throne. Gold medals were shining on their chests. Creator, your exact double, were grinning. They finally got you.

You heard the sounds of chains. You barely managed to make out Kyuoka's and Kenji's silhouettes.

Creator wanted to break them. Show your broken body.

Big mistake.

You heard screams. Sounds of stones crumbling.

Kenji's growling.

"I must help [Y/N]!"

Kyuoka's hissing.

"Demon Snow, destroy everyone, who hurt [Y/N]!"

You wanted home so bad. It was so wrong, to see Kyouka killing again. To see Kenji angry.

You wished, you three would be home.

Portal opened under your feet.

______

👘🗡️🌂 Fukuzawa Yukichi and Koyouou Ozaki weren't sleeping. They were discussing, what they should do next, trying to find your three.

👘🗡️🌂 Their train of thoughts was interrupted by a loud rumbling, coming from the barn. It was loud enough to woke everyone's up.

👘🗡️🌂 In the barn were you three, and two strange people. Kyouka was holding her knife above Lynette, while Kenji was trying to throw a bolder at Lyney.

And you were laying on the floor. Wounded, but alive.

👘🗡️🌂 It took Dazai's nullification, Fukuzawa 'turning off' Kyouka's and Kenji's abilities, Fukuchi's and Tetchou's strength to drag Kyouka and Kenji from Lyney and Lynette.

They will be dealt later. Now, you three are main priority.

______

👘🗡️🌂🐄🐰You three still were dealing with aftermath of Teyvat's events. You were guarding Kenji's and Kyouka's rooms at night. Kenji refused to eat. Kyouka was using Demon Snow to patrol the house. You three were now under Kunikida's watch. He was making sure, that you three were eating and sleeping. Fukuzawa and Koyouou were staying near. To console you, to protect you. They will make sure, that you will never need to be afraid of loosing your lives.

______

Tag list: @withered-blossoms , @myluckymoon @cocodrilofeliz @c4xcocoa @vvyeislazzy @whisperingwinters

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere Radioactive Apocalypse

The constant upset and warring provinces have prepared the world for the worst. Before the blowout, many thought it wise to pay for a bunker for the oncoming atomic apocalypse. Most of the population couldn’t afford to do so, let alone believe that it would be needed. 

They’d be wrong.

Whether you are one of the unsuspecting public or a passive believer, average day life doesn’t have you safely tucked in a bunker when the initial alarms go off. You are smooshed against others in a large crowd all watching and listening in awe. But the moment one person screams it's all over. The crowd twists and turns pulling you in no specific direction. As the final alarms ring out an arm pulls you through the chaotic crowd and into a bunker full of others reeling at the recent events. So here you find that you are trapped safely in the stifling and well-furnished  Atomic Bunker. 

“Who pulled me in here?”

“Does it matter! You survived the initial blast, didn’t you? Ungrateful twat.”

“No need to be hostile, little brother. It's natural to be vexed after watching the world end. Right in front of you.”

“Oh, all those poor souls!”

“My lady, your handkerchief.”

“My baby! My baby! I didn’t grab them! Oh, my poor baby!”

“There there, we’re all very shaken up—”

“B-b-b-but y-y-y-your still smiling—.”

“We are all dealing with the pain in different ways. But let's all take a breather and relax.”

“You don’t sound all that upset to me either.”

“I can say the same thing to you, but I guess you’re just happy to be off the streets, right?’

“Oi!”

Hearing the cacophony of such a colorful cast distracts from the initial fear. Their voices remind you that you're not suffering like the rest of those unfortunate people. They allow you to cry with an audience of fellow mourners and those who can keep calm easily. Before you can let the silence set in, they pull you back with their bickering. It's always either one or two of them that is always voicing their concerns. There’s always a voice of reason, something you’re grateful for as you desperately search for a distraction. 

“Everyone! I believe introductions are in order! I am the middle child of the Penz household as well as the main manager of the bunker.”

With a blonde head of hair and a funky sense of style, his smile persists. Uvil Penz is an interesting guy as you’ll come to find. Aside from smiling during the ongoing onslaught of atomic warfare he always has a way of looking on the bright side for better or worse. 

“Oh, my baby!” 

“Now please miss dry your tears, there are plenty of toys down here to distract yourself with.”

His optimism is surely unique as you can’t quite place where it may stem from. On one hand, you could see it as an unemotional response with an attempt to soothe. But you’ll see him laugh genuinely or offer insight into a person’s emotions. On the other hand, it may come from a sly condescending perspective. It fits right along with his brothers’ behavior. But the way he works to compliment you often, attempting to keep your spirits high, or how he’ll make a request for your favorite foods to be scavenged makes you think otherwise. 

“(Y/n)?”

“Huh? Uh yeah?”

“Did ya know: you’re gorgeous even with those tear streaks on your face.”

“What?”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now, but I think you really needed to hear that now.”

Or maybe that’s just you because you have a hard time believing Uvil trying to be soothing when he’s smiling widely after making someone cry. But it's hard to be decisive about liking or disliking the blonde as he could very well be the one who grabbed your wrist and pulled you in. On top of that, he allows everyone to stay even as opportunity knocks on the bunker door. As long as you don’t mind his ever-present smile and disconnected sympathy life will be great.

“I, Uvil Penz welcome you to the Penz bunker. Now little brother, go on. Introduce yourself.”

“Eugh! Get off me! Ugh, my name’s William and I know this bunker better than anyone else. So better learn to respect me!” 

He’s certainly not like his brother. At least not on the surface. With black short hair and a disgusted sneer constantly on his face. He doesn’t bother comforting anyone at least not in the typical way. Any advice or comfort is said through gritted teeth or with an annoyed click of his tongue.

“Look, if yer gonna keep crying do it in one of the soundproof rooms. You're bothering those of us who want to think!”

Not to mention he’s the first to point out your insecurities or make fun of you for grieving at all. Don’t worry you’re not the only one, he goes just as hard if not harder on everyone else. Making sure everyone is well aware that the whole group knows of their problems. Usually snickering or outright laughing at whoever he’s decided to victimize. At one point, everyone will be annoyed with him. As much as he loves to boast about it he is the only one who knows how to maintain the bunker. 

“Gosh, you are such a pain in the–”

“Don’t forget who knows how to start up the generator…so unless you want to enjoy life without lights, you’ll put your fists down.”

“Ugh! Fine.”

“Thank you…meathead.”

“YOU LITTLE-”

Despite his arrogance, his snarky jabs, and the weirdly endearing way he seeks you out the atomic apocalypse wouldn’t be the same without him. For as annoying and degrading as he may be, he’s still willing to share his switch with you when you’re feeling particularly bored. Making sure you can’t see his face when he pokes the controller against your cheek. 

“Come on. You’re bored aren’t you?”

“You…want me to play with you?”

“Well duh! So…are you?”

“I-I’d love to!”

Not to mention he knows the cheat codes to all the games in the arcade room. And if you do him small favors he’ll share his limited edition ramen with you. Now he may ask for your undergarments or your toothbrush but that’s nothing in the endless days spent in the bunker. After all, it's better than the atomic aftermath out there and according to the only Penz willing to go out there, you wouldn’t last a day.

“Well, my introduction’s done. Marc!”

“Yeah yeah, ‘sup everyone. I’m Marco.”

The eldest of the Penz brothers is concerningly nonchalant from the very beginning of your stay in the bunker. With his girlfriend on his arm and an easy-going attitude, he doesn’t really bother to comfort anyone other than her. Except maybe you. 

“Hey didn’t take you for a late-night snacker. You okay?”

“I’m—fine, excuse me.”

“Whoa whoa, lil’ bunny. Don’t run away just yet, the wolf has questions.”

“Please just–I’ll go back to the room.”

“Nah-ah sit bunny.”

“But you took the only chair.”

“Right here, bunny. We’ve got all night.”

Supposedly, he was quite the womanizer before he got with his current girlfriend. Will makes a point to mention it anytime anyone you is found flustered or flattered by his attention. Even so, he doesn’t let that stop him from caging you against the bunker walls to ask for something. Or teasing you when he retrieves something from outside the bunker. 

“Come on just grab it.”

“Why are you holding it there? Just hand it to me normally!”

“So rude. I don’t feel like complying with a fussy bunny who doesn’t use their words.”

“Ugh! Fine. Please just hand it to me normally.”

“Ha no.”

“WHY NOT?!”

“It’s perfectly fine just grab it, babe. I don’t mind if you touch me along the way.”

For all his teasing and carefree behavior, he’s a good scavenger. Able and willing to brave the atomic wasteland when the bunker needs supplies. He’s strong and prepared to take on any unruly travelers who come by or intervene during scavenger hunts. 

He’s not all that opinionated when it comes to debates in the bunker. More excited to grab a snack and watch the chaos unfold. Smiling lightly as things get heated and tensions rise. In that way, he’s like an idle NPC but the second his boundaries are crossed then you have to deal with the rare and angry Will. 

“C-calm down Will…y-your not going to k-kill him right?”

“He’s the one who thought inviting our bunker-mates to play in that wasteland was a good idea.”

“Honey, it’s okay! (Y/n) didn’t actually go, right? So it’s okay, right Fin?”

“Yes, my lady is correct.”

It’s just better for everyone that no one gets on his bad side. And that everyone doesn’t mess with the things that make him happy: His peace, his girlfriend's peace, and your peace the happiness of specific bunker mates.

“Oh yeah, this my girl.”

“Um hello everyone. My name is Aria, Aria Mensloth. Marco was the one who brought me here.”

“Lucky you, I bet he’s the only one willing.”

“...Oh uhm yes I am quite grateful. I hope we can all get along.”

Aria is the sheltered blue-haired girlfriend of the eldest Penz brother. Opposites attract because, despite his immense uncaring personality, she’s generally more caring. Trying to check up on everyone she can even if her privileged life brings more misunderstandings than intended. 

“You seem upset, is it perhaps because you skipped breakfast this morning?”

“Uh no.”

“Oh well, for me this is a bigger change from the usual three-course breakfast I’m used to.”

“Okay…”

“Do you not know what that is like?”

She has the best intentions but she’s still learning. Too bad for her the ones in this bunker she is familiar with don’t bother correcting her or informing her unless directly asked. Her boyfriend would sooner chuckle and play with her hair than fill in the blanks. Her butler refuses to say much else than what is needed. So guess who she decides to attach herself to? You, of course. You're the most normal lovely bunker mate around and you don’t immediately insult her when she seeks to shadow you as you navigate your life in the bunker. 

“Ah, so you pick your own clothes out. How fascinating!” 

“Uhm Aria don’t you do the same?”

“Oh no, my butler picks everything out for me. It’s always been that way.”

“Oh…Would you want to try picking out your own clothes, sometime?”

“For myself? Oh no, I’m far too inexperienced….but maybe I could help pick out your outfits!”

“Wait–”

“Does that sound like a good idea, Butler Fin? Can we do it?”

“I see no problem with that my lady.”

“Oh good!”

As Will’s girlfriend, she’s an important person to keep happy. Wouldn’t want to deny her, especially when her beloved boyfriend is working so hard for the rest of the bunker. Not to mention her butler with an ominous gaze who is more than willing to exact her every wish. No matter how invasive it is to your privacy. You’ll have to be careful with your words. Wouldn’t want to make her cry...right?

“Aria, don’t.”

“Ari! Call me Ari!” 

“Ari sorry okay! I just don’t want to bathe with you, so please get off.”

“Y-you’re not trying to leave me, are you?! Didn’t Uvil tell us not to waste any supplies!? So please let me join!”

For as pushy as Aria can be, calling her out on her behavior or offering to tattle on her to her boyfriend usually gets her off your back. But where she lacks persistence, her butler makes up for it. 

“Hello everyone, I am the Mensloth Butler Finster. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Finster or Fin, is like any depiction of a dutiful butler come to life. Even with the threat of the atomic apocalypse, he’s still maintaining his mistress throughout. He doesn’t talk much outside of responding to Aria and occasionally the Penz brothers. 

“...”

“Look butler-man, if you’re goin’ to make breakfast why not feed us all?”

“...”

“Butler Fin.”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Can you make breakfast for Will, (Y/n), and me?”

“Yes, of course, my lady.”

“Wow….really?!”

You’ll find when he’s alone he can speak without addressing his mistress only when he wants to. But he seems to enjoy your company, especially during the night cycle when Aria is fast asleep. He smiles openly with you, cracking jokes about the day he appeared numb to before. 

“Well, it seems as though you were right about them. Fighting with each other like chickens in a coop.”

“Right? I thought I’d be the only one who noticed.”

“Please your observations are hardly wrong, it helps that we can talk like this with each other. Helps us remember how to communicate. I really appreciate that you’re willing to.”

“Oh uh, no problem I like talking to you too..”

“No, thank you (Y/n). I doubt I could hold any level of sanity if it weren’t for you.”

When push comes to shove, he is capable of holding his own in a debate. His actions can be interpreted as that of a selfless and devoted butler. But it can also be read as that of someone with their own agenda—something practically impossible to decipher by his behavior alone.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for (Y/n) to leave the bunker, either.”

“Y-your actually s-s-speaking? On your own?”

“Well, I bet it’s only because he wants his master lady to not cry like a baby!”

“Was that your intention, Finnster?”

“...My lady, is my top priority at all times.”

It’s a nice illusion though, that he’d be a somewhat normal character, considering he’s often the only one whom you can hold a normal conversation with, without walking away thinking he’s obsessed with you. But his actions do. Oftentimes, watching his behavior without his explanation would make anyone worry.

“Excuse me?”

“I just wanted to ask about you pushing Aria that one time. Why would you do that?”

“Push? Push?! Oh no you’ve got it all wrong, I was attempting to support her back as we looked at the sewer. She did lose her footing but as you saw Marco and I caught her all the same.”

“Oh okay sorry, for misjudging.”

“It’s fine, though I’d be quick to forgive if you joined in some baking with me.”

Always good at conversation, and always willing to help, Butler Finn is a friend to confide in. Someone to talk to about the odd behaviors and conversations you've had with others. One of the other ones you can talk to about this would be your resident walking encyclopedia. 

“H-h-h-hi e-e-everyone I’m S-S-Simpson G-G-g-gron, Will b-b-brought me here.”

He’s like a stereotype incarnated, listing off all sorts of facts you would have never found yourself dedicated to remembering. With a stutter at the beginning of every sentence, Simpson refuses any sort of leadership, very similar to Will’s approach. Rather than having a bonafide position to argue when debates happen he prefers to chime in with what he knows for sure. 

“Look, the sooner we head out. The sooner we can all actually eat something real.”

“But you realize what the risk of leaving may mean, right?”

“The world burned away! Yeah, I got it.”

“A-a-a-actucally I think Uvil sir is r-r-referring to radiation posioning.”

“What?!” 

“The atomic b-b-b-bomb is not only the bringer of destruction, b-b-b-but a disease bringer.”

When he’s not bringing up important information he’s hanging around Will, stuttering a lot less and talking technically with one another. While Will is prickly, he’s able to properly articulate what he knows while also hurting your feelings. Simpson on the other hand…just can’t. It’s something you’ll try working with him on but once he gets going he just can’t stop.

“Okay let’s try this—why should I consider learning code?”

“Well…i-i-it’ll help y-y-y-you understand the programs you use the m-m-m–m-m-most?”

“Good. Now how so?”

“Well..learningtheintricaciesofcodingwillnotonlyallowyoutomanipulateyourownprograms–”

“Okay—now hold on–”

“Butintheendlearningthecodecsnotonlyallowanyonetoknowthesourcesofthewebsitesthatfunctionwithai–”

“Hey-wait!”

“IsitnotwisetolearnwhattheoneswhowillsurvivethistragedyworkthroughyoureyeslookasenchantingaseverAnywaythereallanguagetheyworkwithnowisbinarycodebutthatshouldn’tbe.”

“And there he goes.”

The real advantage of this though is his ability to return the favor of listening to his rambles. He happily listens to yours and comes with questions you’d only find yourself answering in an imaginary interview. But the adoring indigo-green gaze behind those iconic square glasses makes it impossible not to appreciate him. Not to mention, he and Will are the only two who religiously compete with you in the arcade room.

“Ack–that move is illegal!”

“Actually it's quite the opposite, really. This is the rule within the actual manual of the game’s lore–”

“Yeah, (Y/n) don’t be a crybaby you didn’t do your studying.”

“But you hid all the gaming manuals from me!” 

“Well, you are the one who bet something unspecified of yours. It would be unwise not to sabotage you.”

“Ack-! To be admitting it so openly!”

“No use lying about our tactics now that we are guaranteed a win.”

As the most obvious voice of reason, it isn’t a bad idea to be in his good graces. It also makes it harder to believe your own observations when you listen to his. Able to look at the bigger picture while you only have your snapshot or so he says. 

“But doesn’t this kind of product, have dire consequences for eating past the expiration date? And wasn’t there some craze about the aphrodisiac effects it has?”

“That’s a widely spread misconception, the craze was actually about the dopamine rush from the expired product.”

“Really? I’m pretty sure I remember the fanfics celebrating the stuff.”

“You are mistaken!”

“Uh okay.”

So if there’s anyone to rely on it’d be him. He may not be able to care for you as well as some of the others in the bunker. Or be as concerned as others but he’s trying his best. Of course, others may not even heed any of his efforts. Then again some of them hold themselves very highly. 

“Oh, my baby!”

“Miss are you okay to talk or–”

“My name’s Henrietta Spitz! What’s your name?”

“Uhm (Y/n).”

“(Y/n)! Oh (Y/n) I’m so sad!” 

Henrietta is probably one of the oddest characters in the bunker. Known as the distraught young mother who was dragged in by one of the…good samaritans within the bunker. If you aren’t swallowed by grief you’ll be swallowed by hers because she doesn’t let anyone forget what she’s gone through. 

“Wahhh~(Y/n) can I sleep with you?!”

“Uhm why would you need to?”

“I used to sleep with my baby at night. It’d just help me loads if your warm soft body next to mine.”

“Just like your…baby?”

“Yes, just like them~!”

But when she’s not wailing into your chest about her lost child, she’ll start up with a new…grieving routine. One that revolves around you drinking her milk…right from the tap that is. You want to argue with her–put a stop to this weird practice that she seems deadset that you be the only participant. But she cries aaalllll the time. If she isn’t set on fussing over you or forcing you to ‘help’ her grieving she whines and screams bothering everyone in the bunker. So you’ll take one for the team…right?

“I-I have milk for everyone!”

“ We have rations Miss so it's not an issue.”

“B-b-but we might run out! It’ll stop coming if it’s not drunken up!”

“Then perhaps the breast pump you had in your bag would be helpful.”

“B–b-but to keep this up I need to have a hungry mouth on there. It just won’t be the same.”

On top of that, her fleeting sadness for her child seems to conveniently leave her countenance the second it’s too inconvenient. It’s not all that obvious at first, easily being written off as her healing grief. But when she uses it for her own agenda so obviously it’s a little hard to take her seriously.

“STOP CLINGING TO (Y/N)!”

“Nooo! I want them to spend time with me!”

“It isn’t healthy to keep them locked up in your room like this. And (Y/n) you want to leave, don’t you? Finally, get to stretch your legs?”

“Yeah, I–”

“You can’t!”

“Why not?”

“I-I-I-My baby!?”

“What?”

“If you leave, the thoughts of my baby will come back and I just can’t bear it. (Y/n) please!”

Some will argue that what she’s doing is projecting her idea of her baby onto you. That she’s stuck in a psychosis that revolves around the one who she feels is meek enough to baby. But a grieving mother who would be projecting wouldn't do what she does. Everyone grieves differently but it’s the nature of her advancements that might lead anyone to suspect she’s not as motherly as she seems.

“Oh~(Y/n)~!”

“Yes?”

“Did you know something else my baby did?”

“Uhm what?”

“They’d let me wash them all over. And give kisses to me–”

“Okay.”

“On the mouth with an open mouth!”

“Okay? And?!”

It raises some concerning questions and speculations about her story. And how she was able to make it inside the bunker when everyone separately admits they did no such thing as lead her in. Or how she often mixes up the name of the child she seems so stuck on grieving. 

At the end of the day, she’s friendly to you…and maybe only you. She’s quick with her own insults the second anyone goes to question her or make their suspicions known. That and she seems to wryly refer to some hidden piece of information that keeps everyone from encroaching on her behavior. 

With all that being said. She’s definitely not one to forget for her attention to you, barely rivaled by the self-appointed scavenger and protector of you+ the bunker.

“I’m Grant and that’s all you need to know for now. I’ve got questions.”

“Ask a way, Grant.”

“Why do you even have this big of a bunker?”

“Is it so bad that we thought of comfort before the world’s end?”

“...I don’t buy it.”

If there was someone you’d expect to be the main character of some dystopian novel it’d be him. Cynical, confident, and muscled like no other, he becomes the bunker’s prime protector. Despite openly not trusting the Penz brothers he is the first to demand they do something when problems arise. While he’ll sooner croak than admit he relies on them, he does often light the fire for action from the prickly trio. 

“So what are you going to do about this?”

“Hm? Are you acknowledging me as the leader now?”

“No, but if everyone else has already I’d rather not rock the boat.”

“How benevolent of you!”

“Grrr.”

Hotheaded but not impulsive Grant becomes a significant facet of the group. Especially since the bunker needs more supplies. Brave and bold enough he’s willing to dawn the Hazmat suit and venture into the rumored wasteland that remains. It helps that he goes out of his way to help you settle and find your stance as the world goes through change.

“Hey. Here's some of the stuff I brought back. From the address you gave me.”

“Grant! This is-! I’m so surprised it even survived!”

“There wasn’t too much left but it was small enough and I thought it would survive the cleaning process.”

“Grant, really thank you!”

“...I-it’s no problem, you’re just lucky the blast didn’t damage it all too much.”

You’ll find he’s a compassionate guy at heart hardened by some terrible past he occasionally alludes to. But that harsh exterior tends to make up most of his image. Which can often lead to the group having…misconceptions about his personality.

“For a stupid delinquent that guy’s awful complex.”

“Speak for yourself! He keeps trying to tell me what to do!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! He said the time I spend hanging out with (Y/n) is unhealthy! What a nosy brat, criticizing my grieving process.”

“...Whatever."

The animosity for certain members of the bunker would become all too clear for you as the days pass. Such behavior is natural for those trapped in the same tight quarters. The same tight quarters that you can’t seem to leave; forced to watch these characters destroy themselves as they fight over something you.+ 

“Oh, guess it's my turn my name’s–”

“We’re happy you're here (Y/n).”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” 

“Nice to make your acquaintance.”

“We are all happy to meet you, (Y/n)!”

“Pft, suck-ups. Welcome, I guess.”

“I-I-I-I-I hope w-w-we can be close.”

“Oh (Y/n), you remind me so much of my lost little love! C’mere!”

“Hey Guys! Give them space!” 

The coming months will certainly be almost as chaotic as the world’s declining state. With your new family den of lions, surely there’s a sliver of a chance that you’ll thrive in the radioactive apocalypse. 

It’s best you start documenting your adventure now….

[modelbus]

I’m so sick idk if this is coherent at all. Enjoy some stupid fluff where you and Tommy simp for Chris Evans.

Pairing: Cc!Tommy x Gn!Reader (platonic)

Silly Simping

Your jaw drops.

Tommy laughs manically, you having been on a call with him. This was all his fault. All of it. He was the sole reason you were looking up shirtless guys, and maybe you shouldn't have clicked the first link, but fuck.

You weren't particularly vulgar, but there were a lot of words running through your head right now.

Tommy had been complaining about not getting a good photo during golden hour, a sentiment you deeply agreed with. That led to you screen sharing as you googled how to optimize golden hour, both trading suggestions. And then that led to searching photos of golden hour for inspiration. And it just so happened that one photo was of a shirtless guy.

You had casually remarked that most photos of shirtless guys looked weird, like they were trying too hard. He egged you on, telling you that you two could criticize all the guys on Google.

So you googled shirtless guys.

And yeah, the first few were funny, pointing out how the one guy was clearly trying to flex his muscles and how the other obviously tried too hard, because who does a handstand to flex? It wasn't body shaming, it was simply not understanding why people tried.

And then you landed on a photo of Chris Evans working out.

"As a man, I can say that there is not a single flaw in this photo." Tommy chokes out.

"Holy fucking shit. That's hot." You sputter.

"Amen. Look at that undisguised sweat, that's what I want in the photo industry. Not any of that fake shit. Just pure, perfect-"

"-hot as fuck Evans?"

"What the hell." Dream says, voice projecting his panic.

Tommy did not erupt into laughter this time. Instead, his eyes go wide with shock and he freezes. Why, oh why, did you have to have your cameras on?

You flush bright red, your jaw that was dropped closing.

"Dream, Dream I can explain—"

"What are you screen sharing?"

In your panic, you click to move to the next picture.

The next picture is Sapnap.

Tommy screams, and you do too, trying to close your tab with frantic clicking.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" This time, Dream is even more panicked.

"No! I swear we weren't calling Sapnap hot!"

"We're not lying!" Tommy adds. "We were talking about Chris Evans."

"I mean, have you seen the man?" You can't help but ask.

"Mhm! Mhm!"

"His wife ain't bad either."

"Wait, who is his wife?" A pause. "Oh, they're such a power couple."

"Yeah, have you found the photo of them at that charity ball yet?"

"Charity... ball... fuck. I think my sexuality just changed for Chris Evans."

"Amen."

"Guys." Dream sighs.

You both shut up.

"I'm- Sapnap just heard that entire thing." Dream tells you.

"Fuck." You both say in unison.

"He- Goddammit he wants to see the photos."

"I'm already sending them to him."

In the background you can hear Sapnap say "oh, he is hot."

"SAPNAP!"

[tuliptired]

hi! could you write anymore little looks at a humanities ta!reader x egon in college?

Do Wah Diddy Diddy

Pairing: Egon Spengler/Gn!Ta!Reader

Warnings: Reader is drunk for most of it

The egon/reader tag is so barren ;( Why nobody else dressed like a slut tonight?

INSANELY better formatting on Ao3!

 Egon left his lab, surprisingly, stressed. His major didn´t often stretch him too thin, he knew what he was doing and how to do it best, but it was just that time of year. Lots of work, and not a lot of time to do it. He always managed, with lots of coffee and little sleep, it was just a fact of academia.

The outside world reflected the inside ecosystem of his fellow students, buzzing with life and blazingly hot. Plagued by the heated air trying to cling to the classroom, you cracked a few windows open as you taught in place of the absent professor. This wasn't out of the ordinary- the man trusted you enough to run a class, and you ran it like a natural, admittedly. But today was a little strained, your daily seminar not getting to the level of intensity it usually did. Egon would’ve made a comment on it as he got the last word in, but he decided against it. While you were a TA, there was more emphasis on the “A” in times like these, evident in how you scoured through notes for other classes when you had a spare minute.

They worked independently, before you lifted your head out of a notebook, one of many fans blowing some of your hair off of your forehead. You glanced at the clock, before quickly setting up a projector and unboxing a handful of identical, thick books.

“Big assignment,” you started, a few complaints sounding from the students, “it wasn’t even me this time, blame Mr. Coulms.” 

He left the lecture room in a worse mood than he entered it, the thick tome under his arm. A play. He was a great reader- he could read each edition of Tobin's Spirit guide cover to cover in an hour if he was looking to cite something. Scientific journals were light entertainment to him. But plays? You actually had to dissect a play. To dissect it, you had to read it- well. 

He leaned against a bookcase, in the not-leaning-but-leaning way that he does, so as not to disturb the books. He would be searching for something like Ray was, crouched on the ground and investigating the bottom shelf, but he wasn’t in the mood, glaring at the text he was given before placing it on an empty shelf beside him. 

They were tucked away in the basement of the Public Library- it was one of the few places that they could ask for books about harnessing pure protonic energy and campfire stories of the 30’s without being looked at weird. Peter messed with the straps of his bag, ready to go and saying so for the 3rd time.

“In a minute, Peter.” Ray placed a few books next to him, searching for the right one that happened to be inconveniently smaller than the one’s surrounding it. He looked up at Egon sympathetically. 

“I’m sorry, Spengs. But I did this one in high school, and it was a lot of fun!” His optimism was cut short as the rest of the books along the wood fall towards the middle like dominos. 

“It won’t be hard, Egon. Do the voices.’ Peter procured a rubix cube from his bag. Egon seriously didn’t know why he carried it around, as it was never once solved.

Ray fumbled with the books as he tried to Dewey-Decimal their placements in his head. “I’ll help. Just, uh…” He looked around at the mess he made. “Can you look around for ‘Ghastly Apparitions of the Appalachian’? We’re gonna need it, too.” Egon only nodded, eager to clear his head a bit. He remembered the author well enough, weaving through aisles to find the proper section. 

He didn’t make it far, there was a reshelving cart in his way, his feet coming to a halt. As he looked up from the roller, you were standing there, hands on your hips. 

“Doesn’t look like you’re studying very hard.”

He sighed a puff of air out his nose, as you peered over his shoulder. You saw two men on the ground, grabbing handfuls of discarded books. “And your friends are messing up my hard work.”

He glanced back at the men, then back at you. “Is there anywhere you don’t work?” He didn’t intend to be in a confrontational mood this afternoon, but a bad class will do that to you.

You pointed to a pin on your chest, which read your name in small print under ‘BOOKKEEPER’.

 “Nope. How many people do you know have a gold plated name tag?”

“Waste collectors and prison guards.”

“Did you need a book? Because you’re in the library?”

He had his hands resting on the handle of the cart, not noticing until you dragged it to the side, taking away the partition between you. “Ghastly Apparitions of the Appalachian by Gregory Lederer.” He expected you to not know what he was talking about, and stand there dumbfounded. But you pushed past him, making your way to the “L” aisle of the General Knowledge section.

Your eyes scanned the spines of various options. “I don’t remember this play taking place in Appalachia,” you moved on to the next row. He followed you like a dog, unsure of what to do while you helped him.

“It’s personal. Scientific.” 

“The title’s a little oxymoronic, then, no?” You finally found it, examining the covers quizzically.

As he reached out for the book, you pulled your hand back. Egon wanted to be annoyed, but it wasn’t in him.

“Actually read the play. Do the voices.” Your own voice had the tone of someone trying to reason with a child. He reached his hand out, again, and you placed the book into his palm, conceding. 

Though you had a modest smile, Egon couldn’t help notice your tired look, under eyes darkening despite your efforts otherwise. He could understand, this was a hard time for everyone, no matter their field. Before he could show you his commiseration, against his better judgment, you let the book go limp in his grasp, passing by him with a small “see you, Mr. Spengler”.

Peter appeared in his line of sight amongst the maze of shelves, as Egon stood dumbly. A voice told him to “clean up my basement” as he passed by.

“It appears we’re not wanted here. Let’s go, Egon.”

When it was officially late, you sat in your dorm, finally having time to sit and work. You had to skip a proper lunch, mindlessly putting a baby carrot in your mouth every 10 minutes as you snuck a binder under your desk at the Public Library. By the time you were on your bed, feverishly taking notes, checking notes, and reading notes, you were barely halfway done with your studying itinerary. This week was sufficiently kicking your butt, to say the least.

The door opened and shut, revealing your roommate, Christine, setting her bag down on the chair nearby. You barely verbally acknowledged her, looking for a specific page in your textbook. She gave you a once over, before making her way to the fridge, but unable to stop taking you in. 

“Did you hear what I said?” Christine asked you, skeptical.

“Don’t think so-” Page 392.

She poured herself a glass of something, eyeing you as she did. “I said, you need to relax a bit.”

That was easy for her to say. As much as you appreciated her and her companionship, all Christine did was relax. Still, your flow was disturbed, and you reluctantly put your materials down.

She continued now that she had your attention. “You don’t hang out anymore. It’s Friday.” She crosses to stand in front of your spot on the bed, effectively tapping you in the conversation.

“There’s some guys in my advertising class throwing-” You can tell what’s coming next, and you shimmy past her as she exclaims in protest.  

“Come on,” she follows you around, nearly pleading with you. You sighed, stopping as she leaned up behind you. It wasn’t that you didn’t like fun, or being with friends- parties just stopped being your scene a few semesters ago. How’s that for maturity?

“I’m telling you like I’ve told you a million times before. That’s just not my domain.” Christine spun you around, intent on not giving up until you caved.

“You guys always get drunk, then you get pissed, then I’m dragging you home and helping you puke it all up.” She rolled her eyes.

“We’ll only have a little- and,” she pointed an accusatory finger to your chest, “to be fair, you wouldn’t have to do all that if you drank a little yourself.”

You pointed the same finger back at her. “So we can all puke together? What a fun night.”

Christine made the sign of the cross then, pointed her fingers to the sky virtuously. “I swear on my life; we’ll know when to stop.” When she opened her eyes, you still weren’t convinced.

“Pleeeease? If it’s lame, we’ll leave and rent a video and get a pizza. But you might have fun.” She looked at you with those big blue eyes, and it took all of your strength to resist. She pleaded with you again, until you finally broke, covering your ears.

You groaned dramatically. “Alright, fine, fine. I’ll go to your stupid frat party and get smashed on cheap beer.” Christine cheered, making her way over to the phone. 

“I’ll call Dean and Lisa and-” you flopped back onto your bed. Staring at your long forgotten work, you wondered if this was the right choice. 

Egon read the line, waiting patiently for Ray to respond from the copy he borrowed himself, as the man read for all other 11 characters of the play. It was about two rulers from warring countries forced to live together in a dungeon, but he just couldn’t grasp what was so special about that. It was late into the night, the dorm only illuminated by a few lamps and the little bit of light pouring in from under the door. After hours of trying to evade it, both men had only made a small dent in the long drama.

Ray pushed his reading glasses up. “You need more conviction, Egon, I don’t feel like your wife right now.” Egon closed his copy, putting his forehead in his hand against his desk.

“I don’t think this is working.”

“Are you doing improv? ‘Of course it’s not working, you-”

“No, Raymond. This book isn’t working.” Egon slid it away from him, the bright red cover hurting his eyes, and his pride.

Ray looked sad for his friend, taking off his glasses. “The only way to do it is to read. I’m sorry.” He tossed his book onto his bed. “But we can take a break. Whaddya wanna do?”

Egon remembered it was Friday, the day most young adults would use to unwind. He reached into the drawer beneath him, emerging with a miniature Tesla coil Ray had fashioned.

“You read my mind, Spenges!”

The two men were engrossed with messing around with it, placing numerous objects on and around the transformer- granted that any other flammable or conducive thing they owned was moved out of the way. As Ray teased the sparks with a pencil, he suddenly recalled something, eyes flashing and wide as he dropped the writing utensil.

“Peter has my car!” He grabbed each side of his head, almost comically as he could picture it- a nice, clean Camaro being trashed by beer and bodily fluids.

Ray was just short of spiraling, stuck on either racing down to the party himself or bawling in the spinny chair. “I’d go there myself- and strangle the life out of him,” he nearly wept, covering his eyes.

Egon let his eyes shut, before willinging himself to his feet. He’d never, ever associate with any sort of party, let alone one at a fraternity. But Ray loved that car, his dad’s graduation gift to him that’s been his pride and joy since freshman year. His friend barely even drove it around, afraid to raise the mileage too much. He didn’t doubt Ray’s conviction, or ability, to show it to Peter for going against his wishes, but the engineer was in hot water with the hosting students. One complicated party trick gone wrong, and the front lawn was ablaze quicker than he could control the little ball of plasma. It was their sophomore year, but he still wasn’t welcome near the block of brownstones he managed to devalue.

“Thank you, Egon, I promise I’ll repay you,” Ray’s eyes were glossy with tears as he pressed his face impossibly close to the glass of the window, trying to spot his baby driving somewhere down the street.

Time lessened the heat, Egon thought to himself. It was dark, but not a long walk off campus and a block or two away from the party. It wasn’t hard to find it, either- the music was loud and the bacchanal activities spilled out onto the street and into neighboring yards. No sign of the car. He wrinkled his nose. In the last stretch of freshman year, Peter tried convincing him and Ray to join a fraternity, rattling off a laundry list of reasons that it’d be a thrilling experience for the trio. He was obviously unsuccessful, and dropped the idea when he realized that it’d be hard to make friends in the already tight knit community. 

Egon didn’t dare touch the doorknob, evading people lounging on the stoop as he entered the large house after someone, using his foot to keep the door open. It smelt strongly of booze in the hot, dimly lit apartment, music still blaring from an unknown source. Not to mention the hazy smoke that was billowing through the air, hard to avoid with his height, much like the sounds of two people making out behind the couch. Infection central. How were all these people still going this late? He had to step over the passed out body of some guy without a shirt to get to the kitchen. 

As he stepped from the carpeted area to the tiled floor, arms quickly wrapped around his middle. His head snapped down, and there you were, head buried in his chest.

“Hi, Egon,” you smiled sweetly up at him, eyes glazed over and voice syrupy, not as precise as you made sure it was. He blinked a few times, noticing not only your shoes standing on his, but the fact you called him by his first name.

“Hi.” He reveled in the confusion, before pulling you away from him, gently. “Have you seen Peter? Peter Venkman?”

You thought about it, before the memory flashed back into your recollection. “Dr. Love? He left with my friend Christine.” Your voice slurred the words “left” and “with”, the same way Ray did when he was so smashed he couldn’t stand. Junior year was a sight to behold. 

He remembered how he handled drunken Ray, noting how warm your shoulders were under his fingers. “You’ve been drinking?” He asked despite himself. Being a gentleman was above personal vendetta. It was odd, seeing you dressed like this, out of the professional attire you took pride in every day. Your ability to pick clothes with an anal retentiveness rivals even him- the only college student in a pressed dress shirt, a sweater vest, and slacks. 

“Like, one or five. Itsfine, I’mfine,” you waved your hands around dismissively, before placing them over Egon’s. “I didn’t know you could party, Egie.” He ignored the heat that stung the muscles in his cheeks.

“I don’t.” He went along with it as you started swaying the two of you back and forth lightly. “Did you come with any other friends?”

You went silent, thinking again. It was evidently hard to think and sway, and you eventually fell back into him, unable to keep your balance. “DeanandLisa went to get…food. And they told me to stay here. So I took’a nap.” You nodded to yourself.

“When?”

You couldn’t answer. He peeked sideways at the clock- 3:19. Wherever your friends went, they weren’t going to be back for a long time. 

Your arms were still around him, head back on his chest as his hands hovered over you, awkwardly. It was barely audible, but you were mumbling along to the song playing throughout the rest of the house. He should’ve felt a smug pride, watching you who were once so confident drool on yourself, stumble over your words, and paw at him, but he couldn’t. Egon felt a lash of guilt at the idea of leaving you behind, telling Ray that Peter was long gone, and going to bed. You were obviously inebriated- with no friends and too juiced to know not to sleep on the floor, he couldn’t just let you stay in this dump. 

That’s how he ended up herding you out the door, but not before you stumbled about the apartment, saying good night to everyone. He was on your heels as you banged on a socked-bedroom door, bidding whoever was on the other side farewell, but he wasn’t quick enough before you were shouting your goodbyes down the stairwell of the basement. For being wasted, you were surprisingly fast. He finally got you outside, the skin under his fingers actually cooling as you left the cramped party.

“I didn’t take you to be a party-person,” he confessed, hand on the small of your back to stop you from running across the street to greet the cat staring you down.

“I’m- wait,” you did in fact run, having to kick off your shoes for efficiency before bending down rather ungracefully to pet the feline like a child would, fingers splayed and pushing its ears back unintentionally. He watched on as you skipped back to the sidewalk, grabbing a street sign for stability when you reached him.

“I’m not,” you resumed as he steered you on. “But- it was Christine! She showed me her’fake eyelash…es and convinced me!” You looked to him to share your disbelief as you told the story, shoes waving around as you moved your hands. “I’couldn’t say no!”

Egon found himself smiling. “I have a roommate very similar.” You were surprisingly easier to talk to when drunk. He wasn’t burning up, or scrambling for his words like he normally did when you teased him, making the scientist detest you more and more for your ability to confuse him. His thoughts ceased, as you got closer to campus, but walking with increasing difficulty.

It was when he had to catch you before tripping over yourself that he swallowed his inhibitions, wrapping a hand under you. He wasn’t the strongest out there, maybe even a little weak, but he could support your weight until you reached home. As you let out a small noise of surprise though, he felt a primitive sense of manliness, your figure pressed to his in a bridal carry.

“Soooo strong.” You praised him, voice trailing off as you let your head hit his shoulder. He had to remind himself that you were drunk, none of this really meant anything. You’d wake up, and decide to torment him after taking an aspirin. His grip weakened as his smile did.

“Don’t drop’me,” your hands clawed at the fabric of his shirt, and he adjusted his hold.

“I won’t,” he watched you close your eyes, face content. “I won’t.”

 You were halfway back to the dormitory. He could feel you stirring, looking down and finding your eyes fixed on the night sky. 

“What’s up there?”

“Ursa Major.” You pointed lazily.

“That’s a plane.”

You stiffened in his arms. “No, it’s’not. I know this. It’s the bear.” You managed to cross your arms over yourself while in his hold. He felt bad, provoking you while inebriated. 

“Then it’s the bear.”

“Put me down,” you hit him on the chest a few times, willing him to reluctantly place you on your own two feet. You shook off his attempts at still holding you, intent on trying to make it home on your own. You stormed off along the path, nearly veering off into the grass.

“Where are you going?” He couldn’t hide the concern behind his voice, trying to keep up with you as you took on a sudden irritation towards him.

“Home.” You kept your pace, before slowing, battling something in behind your eyes in your drunken state. “You think I’m dumb.” Egon stopped in his tracks in a moment, before walking behind you again.

“That’s not true,” he said simply, throwing away his feud with you when sober. He thought of you as one of the smartest people he knew. And you managed to make him look like a mere child while baring your smile at him.

“Maybe I’like being drunk,” you retorted to no one in front of you. As you slowed, so did Egon, watching on as you looked on down the dim, street lamp lit path. When he followed your gaze, he saw nothing but the darkness of night ahead of him. Suddenly, you fell forward, uncaring and weightless. He wasn’t quick enough to catch you, heart dropping to his toes before you simply rolled over onto your back. Your knees were scraped, rapidly drying blood mixing with the gravel and dust of the ground over your lacerated skin. Before he could worry too much about it, you merely laughed, full of glee as your eyes were transfixed on the stars, arms out like you were a star yourself. 

You passed out pretty quick after that, a little heavier in his arms. To say Egon was uneasy was an understatement, but at least you were out for a bit. He struggled to get the door to the building open, and even more so getting up to your dormitory floor, only narrowly avoiding hitting your head against a door frame every so often. Taking a quick look at the plates on each door, he was relieved at finding your surname printed on one. After a few discreet knocks, however, no one opened up, either passed out themselves or simply not home. Searching for solutions, he sighed, again, gently laying you against the baseboards. It wasn’t his most elegant idea, but it’d have to do as he reached in his pocket for a pad and paper. He simply scribbled the words “Passed out, sleeping in 244. Please pick up when you get home.” Pressing it in the space between the room number and the wood, he picked you up for the third time and made the trek back to his own place.

You looked peaceful, as Egon decided on putting you in Ray’s bed, alcohol and cotton pads ready. Ray wasn’t home himself- and it’d be unbecoming of him to put you in his own. He hummed to himself, your current state reminding him of the deuteragonist in the play you gave him. They were affluent and sybaritic, imprisoned while drunk and jovial, to the aggravation of the protagonist, tied to tradition and analytical. He hoped that whoever you were in chains with took the liberty of cleaning your open wounds like he did. 

Apparently, the sting of disinfectant is enough to rouse the unconscious awake, as the liquid being pressed to your skin made you jolt back to the present, sucking in air between your teeth and nearly kneeing him in the nose. You rushed to sit up as properly as you could, bringing your legs to your chest.

“What’re you doing?” The pain must’ve been worse in this state. He suddenly felt very, very bad about not waiting until you were awake to take care of it, but he remembered that you couldn’t make proper decisions for yourself like this. He wet another pad, though warily. Who was Egon to say that he could make proper decisions for you, sober or otherwise?

He approached you gently, showing you his materials. “Sanitizing. It could get infected.” Maybe that was a bit overzealous, but germs love untreated, open flesh.

You calmed, letting your legs dangle over the bedside again, the exaggerated idea of losing a leg scarier than the cleaning agent in his hand. “Oh.” He figured you were sobering up, even by a bit, from the way your words slurred less and you clung Ray’s blanket to yourself, night’s activities catching up with your tired body. You looked around as he worked quickly, taking in the room.

“You’re messy.” Egon raised his eyebrows once at that, prepping another pad.

“We’re scientists. And Peter.” He could hear you laugh weakly above him. It felt nice, to make you feel nice. Egon felt oddly at ease, on his knees, cleaning you up- as dubious as it sounded. He moved on to your other leg, remembering your situation. “Would you like to stay here? Your friends aren’t home.”

Silence as he wiped away the grime. Your voice sounded again. “A sleepover.”

He resisted a yawn, letting it escape through his nose before catching sight of the clock. “Sure.”

You didn’t say anything else. Better for him- he was sure you didn’t have a key and he was a terrible locksmith. You were leaning back on your hands.

“My doctor.”

He bit back the smile and blush that spread over his face with a clench of his jaw. You were still drunk, no matter how coherent. And wrong. “Not yet a doctor.” He was done bandaging both your injuries some time ago.

“Doctor Egon,” you drew out the word, giggling to yourself. He’d let it slide, this time. Misused titles were disdainful in academia. But he supposed being a stickler didn’t matter so much, now.

Eventually, he rose to his feet, eyes honing in to a surface level scratch on your cheek from the fall. He held your jaw lighty, thumb careful to not graze too much over it. It wasn’t severe, but he assumed you’d prefer to not have a deep scar there for the entirety of the summer to come. He thought about summer. He’d be here, on an internship, while you’d be away, probably away with your friends again. You’d get drunk, seemingly trusting the people around you far too much until you’re hurt- worse than you are now. Whatever meathead you’d spent the night with wouldn’t know first aid if it was thrown at him. Egon soaked in his jealousy, eyebrows falling over his eyes, before coming back to his senses, soaking one more piece of cotton and gently tapping it to your face, a small adhesive placed to protect it. 

“Kiss to make it better?” He let go of your face, moving to the kitchen sink to wash his hands as you giggled to yourself again. It was awfully late, now.

“You should get some sleep,” he dried his hands off. He would miss you, but time was the only fool-proof remedy- and daylight was quickly approaching.

“No fun,” you complained, but you still settled into Ray’s bed, pulling the comforter around yourself. He contemplated what to do, get into his own bed or just wait for you to sleep instead. You rolled over to face him.

“Are you sure you don’t want my help with the play? I’m not supposed to, though. But I can do the voices.” Right. The play. He eyed the book, forgotten about in the corner of his desk.

“I’d rather you rest.” 

“You should sleep, too.” He could tell you were fighting your own exhaustion. He pulled out his chair, moving Ray’s coil to the side to make work of his assignment again. 

“I’d rather you did, first.” He opened to the page he left off on.

“Egon.” You sounded scarily sober. He turned in his seat to face you.

You freed yourself from the blanket a bit. “You’re tired. You always look tired.” Another state of inebriation was taking hold of you. Maudlin. You were drunk. It didn’t mean anything.

He chewed at the inner part of his bottom lip before speaking again. “You’re very stressed. And you’re going to wake up feeling like hell.” He searched for the right words to convince you to let yourself go. “I’ll sleep too, and we can talk to each other in our dreams.” A little ridiculous, but it’s not the craziest thing he’s said to a tippler.

The hammered part of you was contemplating it, before you smiled and nodded. Before he went back to his work, you called for him one more time.

“Egon?”

“Yes?”

“I need a lullaby.” You had the same devilish, teasing look in your eye as you did when you were sober. He looked around in confusion as you looked towards him expectantly, before he surrendered, winding up a small snow globe that Peter kept out, even in Spring. As it played, you shook your head.

“No, sing the one by Manfred Mann.” He grabbed the edge of the blanket, pulling it over your head as you laughed uncontrollably to yourself.

“Goodnight.”

Egon had fallen asleep over his book some time later. As he came to, he looked back, hopeful to still see you, sleeping soundly. His hope faltered as he took in the empty space, neither his roommates returned or your spot on Ray’s bed filled in by your shape. There was a strange emptiness in his chest, knowing you were gone in a matter of hours. The only proof of your presence was the used bottle of isopropyl in the corner of his desk.

His breath slowed, light of the early morning burning into his eyes as he slowly rose out of his chair. Walking off, not sure if he was going to shower, or eat, or what, he noticed a small paper on the pillow. He picked it up, wondering if it would disappear in his hands.

“Thank you, Doctor.” He folded it back. You were drunk. It didn’t mean anything. But he still smiled.

[gt-abby]

Tech and Omega

For hours, Tech an Echo searched all around the beaches of Pabu for anything that could be a clue. The sun was about to disappear on the horizon when they finished circling around the island.

“I see nothing on my scanners.” Tech piped up, not looking up from his datapad. Echo was looking around as they stood on the sand, hoping to get a glimpse of SOMETHING before they were going to return to the ship empty-handed.

Just then, something floated ashore, and caught his eyes by shining bright red in the twilight sun. It was tiny, but bright enough for him to notice. He walked over to it quickly before it floated away and picked it up, showing it to his brother- who in turn took it from him and scanned it to his datapad.

“Huh…” Tech mumbled uncharacteristically.

“What is it?”

“It appears to be… a Kyber crystal.”

—-

“A what?” The batch all asked at the same time. After the two batch-mates returned to the Marauder and explained what they found.

“A kyber crystal,” Tech repeated himself in that tone of voice of his- as if anything he knew was somehow common knowledge. “A crystal infused with an unimaginable amount of energy, extremely rare and mostly used by Jedi to power their light-sabers.”

Everyone looked at him, dumbfounded.

“And you just happened to find it on the beach?” Wrecker piped up, arms crossed, as he looked over at Omega.

“It appears so.”

“What’s that got to do with what happened to me?” Omega’s small voice was heard from the table and the four men looked over at her. Tech was still holding the crystal, but he then brought it closer to her. A sickening feeling came over her, and she could swear she could hear it… screaming?

“Well, it was the only thing we could find, and given it’s immense power, it’s not too far fetched to believe it was the cause of it all.” He said. He pulled away the crystal once he saw omega’s negative reaction- she almost gagged. Weird, non of them other than her seemed to be affected by the crystal. The four men looked at her with weird looks, but said nothing.

“Long story short- this is the only lead we have- that it floated to the shore near Omega, it’s energy, as you put it-“ Echo broke the silence, gesturing to Tech, “effecting her in such a way that made her body react negatively and… well… Shrink.”

“… you don’t know if it’s ever going to wear off, do you?” Omega, voice shaking, asked, following Echo’s hypothesis. She sat down on the table, her arms hugging her knees.

“Hey, it’s okay, Omega, you’re gonna be totally fine! It’s probably gonna dissolve over time, just like it appeared, right?” The biggest of the batch, Wrecker, was the first to notice Omega’s distress. He knelt down to be at eye level with her. He gestured for everyone else to agree with him, mainly to make their little sister feel better.

“Wrecker has a point,” Tech pointed out. “Energy has a tendency to dissipate, converting into a different type of energy. As long as we keep the crystal away from Omega, she will most definitely recover.

“See? Nothin’ to worry about.” Wrecker smiled at her warmly, and she smiled back to signal that this did make her feel a little better. He gave out his signature big laugh and brought his fist closer to her. Omega felt even smaller, with his fist being even bigger than her, but she shook of this feeling, knowing it wouldn’t do anyone any good to stay pessimistic. She extended her own fist and touched it to his. Even though it was small, he could feel it and laughed again as he pulled it away. Wrecker’s entire being took over her field of vision, and she couldn’t help but be infected by his optimism and good energy.

“Hey, how about we sell it?” Wrecker wondered aloud.

“What?” Echo responded.

“Y’know, if it’s so rare and valuable, we’d probably get enough money to live off of for a while.”

“This… could work, but what if it’ll get us attention from the empire?” Hunter finally joined the conversation, with his worrying questions as he usually does.

“If you could all please discuss this somewhere else,” Tech interrupted their conversation. “I best get to understanding Omega’s condition.” He the gestured for them to leave the room. They looked at each other shrugged, then one by one left the ship as Tech handed the crystal to the sergeant.

Silence befell the room- except for Tech’s typing on the datapad and computers. Omega watched him, feelings of insignificance growing as he kept up working. She said nothing, though, thinking it was irrelevant. Part of her hoped he’d notice, and the longer it lingered, the bigger the feeling grew.

At one point, tech put on his helmet and began examining Omega more thoroughly. She kept telling herself he was meaning well, he was doing this to help her, but his nonchalantness about it was was putting her on edge.

“Please… don’t look at me like that…” she almost whispered. She thought he didn’t hear her, and told herself it must be for the best and it’ll all be over soon, but then he put the helmet down and looked down at her with his own eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, almost as softly as she spoke just now, still in his monotone tone of voice.

“I just…” she paused, searching for the right words. “It feels like I’m just one of your other…experiments? The way you’re looking at me like a test subject… I can’t…” she couldn’t STAND it.

“I’m sorry I…” she saw him falter for the first time ever. His eyes were racing. Maybe it was her size, but she swore she could see mannerisms she’d never noticed before. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He finally said. “I must make sure that you are with no other side effects. This crystal, it’s extremely powerful. It might have caused more damage then we realize. I want to examine you fully, so that nothing escapes us, if there could be more danger.” Tech finally looked away from her, adjusting his goggles.

“Tech, I…” She began saying, but she didn’t know how to continue. Was she sorry? What for? “I understand. I don’t feel any different other than my size, though. If you’ve got questions I guess I could answer them so you could be confident I’m okay.” She gave him a small smile. He finally smirked back. Even though it wasn’t much, his reassurance was enough. It’s like what he said, he just shows his emotions differently. He was right. Maybe from this angle she could finally see who he was without him hiding anything from her. She felt closer to him now, that she could see that he really wasn’t all that different from anyone else. He wasn’t actually emotionless like he seems at first glance.

So that’s what they did- they checked her blood pressure, her heart rate, any damage to her skin, each test he was sure to ask her if he was hurting her and if she was okay. She was patient and reassured him she was okay. They came to the conclusion that she wasn’t affected in any other way.

The rest of the batch-mates came back hours later. They found Tech and Omega, leaning against each other on the table as they snored.

[atley01]

This disability pride month, I'm left with conflicted feelings.

Whenever I post about disability-related things online, I always try to give my community optimism and hope. I know how much suffering can result from having health issues, and sometimes, you just need a break from dwelling on it. I want to provide fellow disabled people a break from the slippery slope of doom that dwelling can lead to.

But the more I do that, the more that I fear I'm showing an inaccurate representation of disability. That I am painting an image of disability to be something "struggle free all the time and nothing more than a 'unique character trait.'"

Being disabled isn't easy. You're living in a world not meant for you. And you get reminded of that every day. You might think its easier to mask if you're able to, but all that does is dig you into a deeper hole. Sure, I can suppress my tics. Sure, I can mask my autism. Sure, I can try my best to hide my POTS symptoms. I can act like my tinnitus isn't giving me headaches and making it difficult to function in society. I can act like my chronic pain isnt making me want to collapse to the floor. I can pretend I dont need a mobility aid.

Sometimes, though, you arent given the choice on if you hide it or not. And then that whole facade tumbles down. And you're left feeling a mix of embarrassment, shame, and anger. Embarrassed to be seen like that, shame that you may need help, and angry that your body did something against your will, again.

I started working 7 months ago. The first 3 months, I was so happy and proud of myself for being able to have the privilege of holding down a job. By the 4th month, I had some doubts about how long I could hold my job down. Here I am, 7 months in, and Im realizing yet again that I am not as able-bodied as I expected myself to be. The thought that I may have to find a less physically demanding job terrifies me. I feel immense shame for struggling to handle a part-time job physically.

I think what really solidified this for me was when I passed out at my job last month. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but the fact of the matter is I blacked out, and I didn't get to decide I "wasn't going to." That scared me. Or maybe what solidified it for me was when my tinnitus prevented me from being able to understand customers and coworkers. Maybe it was when I had to mask and suppress a tic attack to the best of my ability. Maybe it was when I touched something that triggered my sensory issues, and I was simply too busy to regulate myself, so I had to spend my time dissociating to forget the feeling.

When you're young and you're disabled, it's difficult to be taken seriously. People think you're being dramatic, or they think its something you're doing to be causing all the health problems. "Have you tried changing your diet?" / "It's growing pains." / "Your leg hurts? Did you bang it on something?" / "Give it a few days. You'll feel better." The search for accommodation and validity is made even harder when doctors refuse to listen. Sadly, the medical system is not immune to being abelist. You can't request accommodations if doctors document you as able-bodied.

I have never claimed to be a voice for my community. I am a voice for nobody but myself. Maybe in sharing my Expirences, someone else can feel less alone. Or maybe this is unique to me alone.

Am I proud to be disabled?

I think that in some ways, yes. I am proud of what I have accomplished in spite of my health. I am proud that I have found tools to manage my health. I am proud to say I am a part of an amazing community such as the disabled community, and I am proud of what we've accomplished.

I dont think I am proud of the abelism, shame, or pain through. Im not sure anyone could be. If you are, I truly envy you. I am proud that despite the pain, I push forward. But I wonder if that's an unhealthy habit to encourage. To push my limits and ignore my body, screaming at me to give it rest.

This disability pride month, Im reflecting on my health and how it affects me, and taking the time to be patient with myself. Because Im doing all that I can, I do not need to hold myself to the standards that able-bodied people are held to. That is an impossible standard for me to reach.

Im going to celebrate the small victories. This time last year, I was passing out multiple times a week, and I overall had more tic attacks. Now, my fainting has been almost non-existent, and my tic attacks- while they do still happen - have noticeably been less frequent.

If you made it this far, please be kind to yourself, and happy disability pride month. You are allowed to be upset by the things your disability puts you through. You're doing the best you can. I see you, and Im proud of you.

[phenixcreations]

The Role of Semantic Search in Modern SEO Services San Francisco

In today’s dynamic digital landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) is no longer just about inserting the right keywords into your content.

With the rise of AI-powered algorithms and user-centric search experiences, semantic search has become a core component of modern SEO strategies. But what exactly is semantic search, and how is it transforming SEO Services San Francisco? Let’s explore.

What is Semantic Search?

Semantic search refers to the process by which search engines attempt to understand the intent and context behind a user’s query rather than relying solely on keyword matches. Instead of looking at search terms in isolation, semantic search interprets meaning by analyzing:

The relationship between words

User search history and location

Natural language queries

Synonyms and variations

Structured data and entity recognition

Search engines like Google now aim to deliver results that are not just textually relevant but also contextually accurate, thanks to major algorithm updates like Hummingbird, RankBrain, and BERT.

Why Does Semantic Search Matter in SEO?

In the past, SEO success depended heavily on keyword density, exact match phrases, and backlink quantity. But today’s search engines are much smarter. They understand that a user searching for "how to fix a leaky faucet" doesn’t just want a page that repeats that phrase ten times—they want a helpful guide, perhaps with step-by-step instructions and tools needed.

Here’s how semantic search impacts modern SEO:

1. Focus on Search Intent

Understanding user intent is now critical. Are users looking for information, trying to make a purchase, or comparing products? Semantic search helps deliver tailored content that aligns with the user’s goal, and SEO professionals must optimize content accordingly.

2. Natural Language and Conversational Queries

With the rise of voice assistants and AI chatbots, people are using more natural, conversational queries. Phrases like “best pizza place near me” or “how can I improve my sleep quality?” require semantic understanding. SEO now involves optimizing for these long-tail and question-based keywords.

3. Topic Clusters over Keywords

Modern SEO emphasizes topic relevance rather than isolated keywords. Creating content clusters around core themes helps search engines understand the depth and authority of a website. For example, a health blog writing about “diabetes” should also cover related topics like diet, insulin, symptoms, and treatments.

4. Structured Data and Schema Markup

Semantic search engines benefit from clear, structured data. Using schema markup allows search engines to better understand your content, which can improve rankings and increase chances of rich snippets appearing in search results.

5. User Experience and Engagement Metrics

Since semantic search prioritizes delivering the most useful content, user experience (UX) plays a major role. High bounce rates, low time on page, and poor mobile optimization can negatively affect rankings. SEO services now need to align content relevance with fast, intuitive website design.

How are SEO Services Adapting?

SEO agencies and professionals have shifted from keyword stuffing to creating meaningful, high-quality content. Here’s how they’re leveraging semantic search:

Conducting intent-based keyword research instead of generic keyword lists

Creating comprehensive content hubs that satisfy multiple user intents

Using AI and NLP tools to analyze semantic relationships

Optimizing FAQs and voice-friendly content

Implementing structured data to enhance content discoverability

Final Thoughts

Semantic search is not a passing trend—it’s the foundation of how modern search engines work. For businesses, this means SEO is no longer a technical back-end task but a holistic digital strategy that includes content marketing, UX, and even AI.

To stay ahead in the SEO game, brands must shift their focus from keywords to meaning, from volume to value. By embracing semantic search, businesses can deliver better experiences, reach more relevant audiences, and rank higher in today’s intelligent search engines.

[manamediamarketing]

The Future of Digital Marketing in 2025 – Trends Every Business Must Adopt

Introduction

As we step into 2025, digital marketing is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Businesses that stay ahead of trends will increase brand visibility, attract more leads, and boost conversions. From AI-driven SEO to hyper-personalized marketing, the digital landscape is more competitive than ever.

Whether you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or marketing professional, understanding these trends will help you craft a winning digital marketing strategy. Let’s explore the top digital marketing trends for 2025 that will shape the future of online success.

1. AI-Powered SEO is the Future

Search engines are becoming smarter and more intuitive. With AI-powered algorithms like Google’s MUM (Multitask Unified Model) and BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), traditional SEO tactics are no longer enough.

How AI is Transforming SEO in 2025?

✔ AI-driven content creation: Advanced AI tools analyze search intent to create highly relevant, optimized content. ✔ Predictive analytics: AI predicts user behavior, helping businesses optimize content for better engagement. ✔ Voice and visual search optimization: As voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant become more popular, brands must adapt their SEO strategy to long-tail conversational queries.

Actionable Tip: Optimize for natural language searches, use structured data markup, and ensure website accessibility to improve rankings in 2025.

2. Video Marketing Continues to Dominate

With platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, video marketing is becoming the most powerful form of content in 2025.

Why is Video Marketing Essential?

📌 80% of internet traffic will be video content by 2025 (Cisco Report). 📌 Short-form videos increase engagement and hold attention longer than static content. 📌 Live streaming and interactive videos help brands connect with audiences in real-time.

Actionable Tip: Focus on storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, product demonstrations, and influencer collaborations to boost engagement.

3. Hyper-Personalization with AI & Data Analytics

Consumers expect highly personalized experiences, and AI-powered marketing automation makes it possible.

How Does Hyper-Personalization Work?

✔ AI analyzes customer behavior and past interactions to create tailored marketing messages. ✔ Email marketing campaigns are dynamically personalized based on user interests. ✔ Chatbots and voice assistants provide real-time, customized support.

Actionable Tip: Leverage tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Marketo to automate personalized marketing campaigns.

4. Influencer Marketing Becomes More Authentic

The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach $21.1 billion by 2025. However, brands are shifting from celebrity influencers to micro and nano-influencers for better authenticity and engagement.

Why Micro-Influencers Matter?

🎯 Higher engagement rates than macro-influencers. 🎯 More trust & relatability with niche audiences. 🎯 Cost-effective collaborations for brands with limited budgets.

Actionable Tip: Partner with influencers in your niche and use user-generated content (UGC) to enhance brand credibility.

5. Voice & Visual Search Optimization is a Must

By 2025, 50% of all searches will be voice or image-based, making traditional text-based SEO insufficient.

How to Optimize for Voice & Visual Search?

✔ Use long-tail keywords & conversational phrases. ✔ Optimize images with alt text & structured data. ✔ Ensure your site is mobile-friendly and fast-loading.

Actionable Tip: Implement Google Lens-friendly content to appear in image-based search results.

Conclusion

The future of digital marketing in 2025 is driven by AI, personalization, and immersive experiences. If you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind!

 Looking for expert digital marketing strategies? Mana Media Marketing can help you grow and dominate your niche. Contact us today!

[rathcoremarketing]

What's Happening to SEO? 8 SEO Trends for 2025

🔄 Updated 2/26/2025

🕓 8-Min Read

🦘 Section Jumper

Optimize for E-E-A-T Signals

AI Overview and SEO

Forum Marketing and SERPs Updates

Is Traditional SEO Still Relevant

Zero-Click Searches

Map Pack and Local Heat Maps

Voice and Mobile Search Optimization

What's Better for AI: BOFU or TOFU Content?

Let’s call it what it is —SEO isn’t some clever marketing hack anymore; it’s now a battlefield where the rules change faster than your morning coffee order. And if you’ve been patting yourself on the back for nailing your SEO strategy, look, those same strategies might already be obsolete. Yeah, that’s how fast the game is flipping.

For years, we’ve been told that backlinks and keywords were the golden tickets. And now?

Gen Z is asking TikTok instead of Google, search engines are reading context like a nosy detective, and over half of all searches don’t even bother clicking on anything.

Welcome to SEO trends for 2025—a world where your next competitor might be an AI tool, a 3-second video, or even Google itself deciding to hoard its users.

1. Optimize for E-E-A-T Signals

There’s no nice way to say this: if your content isn’t radiating credibility, Google probably isn’t interested.

Now comes E-E-A-T—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. While it sounds like a mouthful, it’s the compass guiding Google’s ranking algorithm in 2025. If your content strategy ignores these signals, you're handing over your traffic to someone else—no questions asked.

What Is E-E-A-T, and Why Does It Matter?

E-E-A-T isn’t just some buzzword for digital marketing geeks to toss around at conferences. It’s Google’s way of separating the wheat from the chaff. Experience means real-world insights. Expertise ensures your content doesn’t sound like it’s written by an intern on their first day. Authoritativeness demands recognition from your industry.

And trust?

Well, it’s the silent decider—get it wrong, and everything else crumbles.

For content optimization in 2025, ignoring E-E-A-T signals means you’re throwing darts blindfolded. Google’s updates now measure not just what you say, but why anyone should care. And here’s the thing: thin content and anonymous authors are SEO death sentences.

How to Nail E-E-A-T (and Stay Ahead of the Latest SEO Trends)

Experience

Share specific, actionable knowledge. Generic advice doesn’t cut it anymore.

Example: A blog about SEO trends shouldn’t vaguely define "SEO"—it should delve into zero-click searches or multimodal search backed by real-world data.

Expertise

Feature qualified authors or contributors. Link their credentials to their content. Google actually checks authorship, so anonymous content only screams "spam."

Authoritativeness

Earn backlinks from reputable sites. Don’t fake authority—Google sees through it.

Trustworthiness

Secure your site (HTTPS), include proper sourcing, and avoid clickbait titles that don’t deliver.

The Hard Truth about E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T is the foundation for content optimization in a post-2024 world. The latest SEO trends show Google’s focus isn’t just on keywords but on the credibility of your entire digital presence.

It’s no longer enough to rank; you need to deserve to rank.

2. AI Overview and SEO

Artificial Intelligence is practically running the show. In 2025, AI isn’t a gimmick; it’s the brains behind search engines, content creation, and the unspoken secrets of what ranks. If you’re still crafting strategies without factoring in AI, here’s the harsh truth: you’re optimizing for a version of the internet that’s already irrelevant.

How AI Is Reshaping SEO

AI has transcended its “future of marketing” tagline. Today, it’s the present, and every search marketer worth their salt knows it.

Let’s break it down:

AI-Driven Search Engines

Google’s RankBrain and Multitask Unified Model (MUM) are redefining how search intent optimization works. They analyze context, intent, and semantics better than ever. Gone are the days when sprinkling keywords like fairy dust could boost rankings. AI demands relevance, intent, and, let’s be honest, better content.

Automated Content Creation

Tools like ChatGPT and Jasper are churning out content faster than most humans can proofread. The catch is, Google’s Helpful Content Update is watching—and penalizing—low-quality AI spam. Automated content might save time, but without a human layer of expertise, it’s a one-way ticket to obscurity.

Smart Search Predictions

AI isn’t just predicting what users type—it’s analyzing how they think. From location-based recommendations to real-time search trends, AI is shaping results before users finish typing their queries. This makes AI SEO tools like Clearscope and Surfer SEO essential for staying competitive.

Google AI Overview SERP: The New Front Door of Search

What Makes Google AI Overview SERPs Stand Out?

Generative AI Summaries In late 2023, Google started rolling out generative AI summaries at the top of certain searches. These provide quick, digestible answers pulled from the web, cutting through the noise of lengthy pages. It’s fast, convenient, and often the first (and only) thing users see. Pro Tip: Structure your content to directly answer questions concisely while retaining depth. Think FAQ sections, bullet points, and clear headers.

Visual Enhancements Google AI Overview SERPs now integrate rich visuals, including images, charts, and interactive elements powered by AI. These upgrades aren’t just eye-catching; they drive engagement. Pro Tip: Optimize images with alt text, compress them for speed, and ensure visual assets are relevant and high-quality.

Personalization on Steroids Google’s AI doesn’t just know what users want—it predicts it. From personalized recommendations to local search enhancements, SERPs are more targeted than ever. Pro Tip: Leverage local SEO strategies and schema markup to cater to these hyper-personalized results.

Adapting to Google AI SERPs

Aim for Snippet Domination: Featured snippets are now more important than ever, with AI summaries pulling directly from them. Answer questions directly and succinctly in your content.

Invest in Topic Clusters: AI thrives on context. Interlinking detailed, related content helps your site signal authority and relevance.

Optimize for Real Intent: With AI interpreting user queries more deeply, addressing surface-level keywords won’t cut it. Focus on intent-driven long-tail keywords and nuanced subtopics.

The Bottom Line

Google’s AI Overview SERP is the digital gateway to visibility in 2025. If your strategy isn’t aligned with these changes, you risk becoming invisible. Adapt your content to meet the demands of AI-driven features, and you’ll not just survive—you’ll thrive in this new SEO frontier.

What This Means for Your Strategy

AI-Assisted Content: Use AI for efficiency, but let humans handle creativity and trust-building.

Search Intent Optimization: Focus on answering deeper, adjacent questions. AI rewards nuanced, contextual relevance.

Invest in Tools: Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs now integrate AI-powered insights, helping you stay ahead.

Look, artificial Intelligence in SEO isn’t an edge—it’s the standard. By 2025, marketers who don’t adapt will find their strategies in a digital graveyard. AI doesn’t replace your expertise; it amplifies it. Use it wisely—or get left behind.

3. Forum Marketing and SERP Updates

Platforms like Reddit, Quora, and niche communities are silently reshaping SEO and slipping into prime real estate on search engine results pages (SERPs). For marketers obsessed with the usual Google ranking factors, ignoring community-driven content could be the blind spot that costs you big.

Why Forums Are Influencing SERPs

Content Depth

Community-driven content is often nuanced, answering long-tail questions that traditional blogs barely skim. For instance, a Quora thread titled “Best local SEO strategies for small businesses in 2025” isn’t just generic advice—it’s specific, diverse, and sometimes brutally honest.

Searcher Intent Alignment

Forums directly address search intent optimization by catering to niche queries. Whether it’s “How to rank for hyper-local searches” or “Why my Google Business profile isn’t showing up,” forums deliver precise, user-generated insights.

Fresh Perspectives

Unlike stale, regurgitated SEO articles, forums thrive on updated discussions. A Reddit thread on “latest SEO trends” could become the top result simply because it offers real-time relevance.

What Marketers Need to Do

Engage, Don’t Spam

Build credibility by genuinely contributing to forums. Overly promotional comments are a fast track to being ignored—or worse, banned.

Monitor Trends

Tools like AnswerThePublic and BuzzSumo can identify trending community topics. Use these to create content that aligns with user discussions.

Optimize for SERP Features

Structure blog content to mimic forum-style Q&As. Google loves direct, conversational formats.

Ignoring the surge of forum content is no longer an option. So, don’t get left behind watching Quora outrank your site—adapt now.

4. Is Traditional SEO Still Relevant?

The debate is as old as Google itself: does traditional SEO still matter in a world where AI is taking over and search engines are rewriting the rules of engagement?

Traditional SEO Techniques That Still Work

Link Building (Reimagined)

Backlinks still matter, but Google has become savvier about quality over quantity. A link from an authoritative site in your niche outweighs ten random backlinks from irrelevant sources. Focus on building relationships with industry leaders, writing guest blogs, or getting cited in high-quality articles.

On-Page Optimization (Evolved)

Forget sprinkling keywords mindlessly. Google now prioritizes user experience SEO, meaning your headings, meta descriptions, and URLs need to align with search intent. Want to rank? Structure content logically, use descriptive titles, and, for goodness’ sake, stop overloading every tag with keywords.

Local SEO Strategies

Hyper-local searches like "coffee shops near me" are driving significant traffic. Traditional techniques like Google Business Profile optimization and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) info still dominate here. What’s changed? You need to engage actively with reviews and ensure your profile reflects real-time updates.

Techniques That Need an Update

How to Adapt Traditional SEO in 2025

5. Zero-Click Searches

Now, let’s address the elephant on the search results page: zero-click searches. They’re not a trend anymore—they’re the new standard. With over 65% of Google searches ending without a click in 2020, search engines are clearly keeping users on their turf. They’re not just gatekeepers of information; they’re now the landlords, decorators, and sometimes the dinner hosts, offering all the answers upfront. And for businesses, this means rethinking how success in SEO is measured.

The Impact on SEO

Shift in Metrics

Forget obsessing over click-through rates. The latest SEO trends demand focusing on visibility within the SERP itself. If your business isn’t occupying rich result spaces, you’re effectively invisible.

Search Intent Optimization

Google isn’t just guessing user intent anymore—it’s anticipating it with precision. To stay relevant, businesses need to answer why users are searching, not just what they’re searching for.

Authority Consolidation

Zero-click features favor high-authority domains. If your brand isn’t seen as a credible source, you’re not making it into that snippet box.

How to Optimize for Zero-Click Searches

Target Featured Snippets

Structure your content with clear, concise answers at the top of your pages. Use lists, tables, and bullet points to cater to snippet formats.

Utilize Schema Markup

Help search engines understand your content by adding structured data. This boosts your chances of landing in rich results.

Focus on Hyper-Specific Queries

Zero-click searches thrive on niche, long-tail questions. Create content that directly addresses these to increase visibility.

What It Means for Businesses

In the world of zero-click searches, SEO success is about dominating the SERP real estate. Businesses that fail to adapt will find themselves in a no-click graveyard, while those who master rich results will cement their place as authority figures. Either way, the clicks aren’t coming back.

So, are you ready to play Google’s game—or be played?

6. Map Pack and Local Heat Maps

The truth is, if your business isn’t showing up in Google’s Map Pack, you might as well not exist for local customers. The Map Pack is literally the throne room of local SEO, and in 2025, it’s more competitive than ever. Pair that with Local Heat Maps—Google’s not-so-subtle way of telling businesses where they rank spatially—and you’ve got the ultimate battleground for visibility.

What Are the Map Pack and Local Heat Maps?

The Map Pack is that prime real estate at the top of local search results showing the top three businesses near a user. It’s concise, visual, and, let’s be honest, the first (and often only) thing users check. Local Heat Maps complement this by analyzing searcher behavior within a geographic radius, showing which businesses dominate specific zones.

Why It Matters

Visibility Drives Foot Traffic

According to recent studies, 78% of local mobile searches result in an offline purchase. If you’re not in the Map Pack, those sales are walking straight into your competitor’s doors.

User Proximity Bias

Google prioritizes businesses not just based on relevance but on proximity. If your listing isn’t optimized for precise local searches, you’re leaving money on the table.

Direct Influence on SERP Performance

Appearing in the Map Pack boosts Google ranking factors for local search queries, feeding visibility into both online and offline spaces.

How to Maximize Visibility in Local SEO

Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP):

Ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) is accurate and consistent.

Add high-quality images, respond to reviews, and frequently update operating hours.

Focus on Reviews:

Encourage happy customers to leave reviews.

Respond to every review (yes, even the bad ones). Engagement signals trustworthiness.

Leverage Local Keywords:

Target queries like "best [your service] near me" or "[service] in [city]" to rank for location-based searches.

Tools like BrightLocal and Whitespark can help you track local performance.

Use SEO Automation Tools:

Tools like SEMrush and Moz Local can audit your listings, track rankings, and streamline updates. Automating repetitive tasks frees up time for deeper optimizations.

7. Voice and Mobile Search Optimization

Let’s get one thing straight: if your SEO strategy isn’t optimized for voice and mobile searches, you’re catering to an audience that doesn’t exist anymore. By 2025, voice-driven queries and mobile-first indexing are the baseline. If your website can’t keep up, neither will your rankings.

Why Voice and Mobile Search Dominate SEO

Voice Search is Redefining Queries

Voice search isn’t just “spoken Google.” It’s transforming how users ask questions. Searches are longer, more conversational, and often hyper-specific. For example, instead of typing “best SEO tools,” users now say, “What’s the best SEO automation tool for small businesses?” If your content doesn’t align with this natural language, you’re invisible.

Mobile is Non-Negotiable

Google’s mobile-first indexing means it now ranks websites based on their mobile versions. If your site is clunky on a smartphone, your desktop masterpiece won’t save you. And with nearly 60% of all searches happening on mobile, responsive design isn’t optional—it’s critical.

How to Optimize for Voice and Mobile

Create Conversational Content:

Use natural language that matches how people talk. Think FAQs and “how-to” guides tailored for voice queries.

Focus on long-tail keywords like “how to optimize for mobile-first indexing” rather than rigid phrases.

Mobile-First Design:

Prioritize responsive design that adapts seamlessly to smaller screens.

Optimize loading speed; anything over 3 seconds is SEO suicide.

Leverage Local SEO:

Most voice searches are local. Queries like “nearest coffee shop open now” thrive on accurate local listings.

Ensure your Google Business Profile is up-to-date and features consistent NAP info.

Use Structured Data:

Schema markup helps search engines interpret your content, increasing the likelihood of appearing in voice search results.

The future of SEO is voice-driven and mobile-first, and both require you to rethink how you structure your content and your site. Optimizing SEO for voice search and mobile-first indexing future-proofs your business. And if you’re not ready to adapt, don’t worry—your competitors already have.

8. What's Better for AI: BOFU or TOFU Content?

Let’s start with the obvious: not all content is the same, especially when AI gets involved. The age-old debate between Top of Funnel (TOFU) and Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) content just got a modern twist, thanks to the rise of AI-driven SEO. The real question isn’t which one is better—it’s how to use AI to optimize both.

Look, if you’re focusing on one and neglecting the other, you’re leaving money—and rankings—on the table.

TOFU Content: Casting the Wide Net

Top of Funnel content is designed to attract and inform. Think of blog posts, educational guides, or those “What is [your product]?” articles. In the AI era, TOFU content isn’t just about driving traffic; it’s about structured data examples and search intent optimization. AI tools like ChatGPT help create scalable, topic-driven content tailored for discovery.

Why TOFU Matters:

It builds brand awareness and visibility.

Optimized TOFU content aligns with broad search intent, capturing users who aren’t ready to buy but are hungry for knowledge.

TOFU shines in industries with complex products that need explanation before consideration.

BOFU Content: Sealing the Deal

On the other hand, Bottom of Funnel content focuses on converting leads into customers. This includes case studies, product comparisons, and detailed how-to content. AI isn’t just speeding up content creation here; it’s enabling hyper-personalized, decision-driven assets.

Why BOFU Matters:

It answers purchase-ready queries like “best SEO automation tools for small businesses.”

BOFU works wonders for products or services with shorter sales cycles or high competition.

The content can include dynamic features like interactive product demos or AI-generated testimonials to push users over the edge.

The Verdict: Which One Wins?

Neither. TOFU and BOFU content work best as part of a balanced strategy. AI thrives when it’s used to create and optimize both stages of the buyer’s journey.

For example:

Use AI to analyze trends and structure TOFU content for long-tail keywords.

Deploy AI for data-driven BOFU personalization, ensuring the content resonates with users’ specific needs.

AI isn’t here to settle the TOFU vs. BOFU debate—it’s here to make sure you never have to choose. A well-rounded strategy, powered by AI, ensures you attract the right audience and convert them when the time is right. If you’re doing one without the other, you’re playing half the game.

Contact Us

Contact us for more info or to chat about your business strategy in 2025

Staying Ahead of SEO Trends in 2025

SEO isn’t static, and 2025 won’t give you time to rest on outdated strategies. From zero-click searches hijacking clicks to AI redefining the content game, keeping up isn’t just a choice—it’s survival. Businesses that ignore these SEO trends risk fading into irrelevance faster than you can say “algorithm update.”

The solution? Adapt now!

Use AI SEO tools to fine-tune your strategy, optimize for human intent (not just search engines), and rethink how you create TOFU and BOFU content. It’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things smarter and faster.

Start applying these insights today. Your competitors already are.

[riazhatvi]

People Think It’s Fake" | DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: The Ultimate 2024 Comparison (SEO-Optimized Guide)

The AI wars are heating up, and two giants—DeepSeek and ChatGPT—are battling for dominance. But why do so many users call DeepSeek "fake" while praising ChatGPT? Is it a myth, or is there truth to the claims? In this deep dive, we’ll uncover the facts, debunk myths, and reveal which AI truly reigns supreme. Plus, learn pro SEO tips to help this article outrank competitors on Google!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction - DeepSeek: China’s New AI Innovation

00:15 What is DeepSeek?

00:30 DeepSeek’s Impressive Statistics

00:50 Comparison: DeepSeek vs GPT-4

01:10 Technology Behind DeepSeek

01:30 Impact on AI, Finance, and Trading

01:50 DeepSeek’s Effect on Bitcoin & Trading

02:10 Future of AI with DeepSeek

02:25 Conclusion - The Future is Here!

Why Do People Call DeepSeek "Fake"? (The Truth Revealed)

The Language Barrier Myth

DeepSeek is trained primarily on Chinese-language data, leading to awkward English responses.

Example: A user asked, "Write a poem about New York," and DeepSeek referenced skyscrapers as "giant bamboo shoots."

SEO Keyword: "DeepSeek English accuracy."

Cultural Misunderstandings

DeepSeek’s humor, idioms, and examples cater to Chinese audiences. Global users find this confusing.

ChatGPT, trained on Western data, feels more "relatable" to English speakers.

Lack of Transparency

Unlike OpenAI’s detailed GPT-4 technical report, DeepSeek’s training data and ethics are shrouded in secrecy.

LSI Keyword: "DeepSeek data sources."

Viral "Fail" Videos

TikTok clips show DeepSeek claiming "The Earth is flat" or "Elon Musk invented Bitcoin." Most are outdated or edited—ChatGPT made similar errors in 2022!

DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: The Ultimate 2024 Comparison

1. Language & Creativity

ChatGPT: Wins for English content (blogs, scripts, code).

Strengths: Natural flow, humor, and cultural nuance.

Weakness: Overly cautious (e.g., refuses to write "controversial" topics).

DeepSeek: Best for Chinese markets (e.g., Baidu SEO, WeChat posts).

Strengths: Slang, idioms, and local trends.

Weakness: Struggles with Western metaphors.

SEO Tip: Use keywords like "Best AI for Chinese content" or "DeepSeek Baidu SEO."

2. Technical Abilities

Coding:

ChatGPT: Solves Python/JavaScript errors, writes clean code.

DeepSeek: Better at Alibaba Cloud APIs and Chinese frameworks.

Data Analysis:

Both handle spreadsheets, but DeepSeek integrates with Tencent Docs.

3. Pricing & Accessibility

FeatureDeepSeekChatGPTFree TierUnlimited basic queriesGPT-3.5 onlyPro Plan$10/month (advanced Chinese tools)$20/month (GPT-4 + plugins)APIsCheaper for bulk Chinese tasksGlobal enterprise support

SEO Keyword: "DeepSeek pricing 2024."

Debunking the "Fake AI" Myth: 3 Case Studies

Case Study 1: A Shanghai e-commerce firm used DeepSeek to automate customer service on Taobao, cutting response time by 50%.

Case Study 2: A U.S. blogger called DeepSeek "fake" after it wrote a Chinese-style poem about pizza—but it went viral in Asia!

Case Study 3: ChatGPT falsely claimed "Google acquired OpenAI in 2023," proving all AI makes mistakes.

How to Choose: DeepSeek or ChatGPT?

Pick ChatGPT if:

You need English content, coding help, or global trends.

You value brand recognition and transparency.

Pick DeepSeek if:

You target Chinese audiences or need cost-effective APIs.

You work with platforms like WeChat, Douyin, or Alibaba.

LSI Keyword: "DeepSeek for Chinese marketing."

SEO-Optimized FAQs (Voice Search Ready!)

"Is DeepSeek a scam?" No! It’s a legitimate AI optimized for Chinese-language tasks.

"Can DeepSeek replace ChatGPT?" For Chinese users, yes. For global content, stick with ChatGPT.

"Why does DeepSeek give weird answers?" Cultural gaps and training focus. Use it for specific niches, not general queries.

"Is DeepSeek safe to use?" Yes, but avoid sensitive topics—it follows China’s internet regulations.

Pro Tips to Boost Your Google Ranking

Sprinkle Keywords Naturally: Use "DeepSeek vs ChatGPT" 4–6 times.

Internal Linking: Link to related posts (e.g., "How to Use ChatGPT for SEO").

External Links: Cite authoritative sources (OpenAI’s blog, DeepSeek’s whitepapers).

Mobile Optimization: 60% of users read via phone—use short paragraphs.

Engagement Hooks: Ask readers to comment (e.g., "Which AI do you trust?").

Final Verdict: Why DeepSeek Isn’t Fake (But ChatGPT Isn’t Perfect)

The "fake" label stems from cultural bias and misinformation. DeepSeek is a powerhouse in its niche, while ChatGPT rules Western markets. For SEO success:

Target long-tail keywords like "Is DeepSeek good for Chinese SEO?"

Use schema markup for FAQs and comparisons.

Update content quarterly to stay ahead of AI updates.

🚀 Ready to Dominate Google? Share this article, leave a comment, and watch it climb to #1!

Follow for more AI vs AI battles—because in 2024, knowledge is power! 🔍

[digitalsuccessit]

Does Local SEO Increase Sales?

Yes, Local SEO can significantly increase sales for businesses, especially those with a physical location or those targeting specific geographic areas. Here's how it works:

1. Increased Visibility: By optimizing your business for local search results, your website and business listings appear to users searching for services or products in your area. This means more potential customers find you.

2. Targeted Traffic: Local SEO helps attract relevant, high-intent customers who are actively looking for your services nearby, which can lead to higher conversion rates.

3. Mobile and Voice Search Optimization: Local SEO is particularly effective for mobile users and voice searches, where people often look for "near me" results, driving foot traffic to physical locations.

4. Enhanced Trust and Credibility: A well-optimized local presence with customer reviews, proper business listings, and clear contact details boosts trust, making customers more likely to choose your business.

All of these factors contribute to increased customer engagement, more foot traffic or website visits, and ultimately, higher sales.

Visit Now: https://www.digitalsuccessit.net

[tech-tar-review]

InsightHub AI Review: Tips and Tricks for Success

 InsightHub AI Review - Introduction

Welcome to my  InsightHub  AI Review post. In plain language, I’ll dissect its features, advantages, operational mechanics, enhancements, pricing, and extras. Let’s explore how InsightHub AI can enhance your endeavors! Maintaining a competitive edge is paramount for business triumph in today's swiftly evolving digital landscape. Crafting compelling marketing materials, captivating visuals, and effective advertisements is crucial for customer engagement and retention. Yet, these undertakings frequently demand substantial time, finances, and effort. Here are the steps in InsightHub AI.

InsightHub AI Review — Overview:

Vendor: Clicks Botz

Product: InsightHub AI

Launch Date: 2024-Feb-14

Launch Time: 11:00 EST

Front-End Price: $17

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Refund: 30 Days Money Back Guarantee

Niche: Software

Bonus: Yes, Huge Bonus

Get Instant Access

What is InsightHub AI?

InsightHub AI represents a groundbreaking platform leveraging state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology to transform the landscape of business operations. It offers a comprehensive solution catering to diverse business needs, spanning from content creation and graphic design to search engine optimization and customer engagement.

This innovative platform enables users to effortlessly produce compelling marketing assets, such as articles, visuals, advertisements, and chatbots, with minimal effort. Its user-friendly interface ensures accessibility for both experienced marketers and novices, facilitating seamless integration into existing workflows.

By harnessing the unmatched capabilities of AI, InsightHub AI streamlines operations, saving valuable time and resources while propelling businesses toward unparalleled growth and success in the digital realm.

How Does InsightHub AI Work?

InsightHub AI utilizes the advanced technology of artificial intelligence to automate and streamline the marketing process. The platform leverages IBM Watson AI to analyze data, generate content, and provide personalized customer interactions. Users simply need to input relevant information, such as keywords or text, and InsightHub AI does the rest, creating engaging marketing assets in a matter of minutes.

Benefits Of Using InsightHub AI 

The benefits of using InsightHub AI are numerous and far-reaching. Here are just a few of the advantages that users can expect:

Time and Cost Savings: By automating various marketing tasks, InsightHub AI eliminates the need for expensive freelancers and reduces the time and effort required to create compelling marketing assets.

Increased Efficiency: InsightHub AI streamlines the marketing process, allowing users to create high-quality content, visuals, and advertisements in a fraction of the time it would take manually.

Personalized Customer Interactions: With AI-powered chatbots and support teams, businesses can provide personalized and responsive customer support, leading to higher customer satisfaction and retention.

Improved SEO and Website Performance: InsightHub AI's content creation tools ensure that marketing content is optimized for search engines, driving organic traffic to websites and improving overall website performance.

Enhanced Engagement and Conversions: By leveraging the power of AI, InsightHub AI enables businesses to create attention-grabbing marketing assets that captivate their target audience, resulting in higher engagement and conversions.

InsightHub AI  Review - Key Features

InsightHub AI boasts an impressive array of features that empower users to create compelling marketing assets. Let's explore some of the key features:

AI Content Generator: Create attention-grabbing, plagiarism-free content for any niche or offer with just a few clicks.

AI Speech to Text Maker: Convert voice samples into text format, allowing for easy integration into websites, blogs, and projects.

AI Text to Image Generator: Generate visually appealing images based on a given text, capturing the attention of your target audience.

AI Chatbot: Provide an advanced level of interactive customer support with a smart AI-powered chatbot, ensuring no visitor is left unattended.

AI Song Lyrics Generator: Smartly create song lyrics using next-generation AI, allowing for creative and engaging content creation.

AI Keyword to Image Generator: Effortlessly create a set of beautiful images based on a given keyword, taking your marketing efforts to the next level.

AI Grammar Correction: Ensure error-free content by utilizing AI to identify and correct grammatical mistakes with precision.

AI Image Variation Generator: Generate visually similar images to an existing image, expanding your creative options and enhancing visual appeal.

AI Product Name Generator: Quickly generate catchy and engaging product names based on a given concept or idea.

AI Interview Generator: Generate interview questions tailored to specific job positions, saving time and effort in the hiring process.

AI Text Summarizer: Summarize lengthy text effortlessly, allowing for quick understanding and consumption of information.

AI Topic Outliner: Analyze a given topic and generate an outline, providing a structured framework for content creation.

AI Text Explainer: Simplify complex text without altering its context, making it more readable and accessible to a wider audience.

AI Sentiment Analysis: Analyze the sentiment of a sentence or block of text, providing valuable insights into customer opinions and preferences.

AI Proofreading: Ensure error-free content with AI-powered proofreading, correcting spelling mistakes and enhancing overall quality.

AI Analogy Maker: Generate analogies that describe a given text, adding depth and clarity to your content.

AI Keyword Extractor: Extract keywords from a block of text, providing valuable insights for SEO optimization and content creation.

AI Ad Copy Generator: Generate engaging and persuasive ad copies by analyzing product descriptions and features.

AI Spreadsheet Generator: Generate spreadsheets based on various data types, simplifying data management and analysis.

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InsightHub AI  Review - Pros and Cons

Pros:

User-friendly interface that is accessible to both newbies and experienced marketers.

Harnesses the power of AI to automate and streamline marketing tasks.

Eliminates the need for expensive freelancers and third-party platforms.

Provides personalized customer interactions through AI-powered chatbots.

Creates attention-grabbing marketing content, visuals, and advertisements.

Improves SEO optimization and website performance.

Offers a variety of pricing options to suit different business needs.

Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee for customer satisfaction.

Cons:

May not offer significant value to businesses with a strong in-house marketing team.

May not be as novel or valuable to businesses already heavily invested in AI-powered marketing tools.

Who is InsightHub AI For?

InsightHub AI is crafted to suit businesses across various sizes and sectors. Whether you’re an independent entrepreneur, a small enterprise proprietor, or a seasoned marketer, InsightHub AI offers assistance in optimizing your marketing endeavors and attaining heightened success. With its intuitive interface, the platform is easily navigable for both novices and proficient marketers, guaranteeing accessibility for anyone looking to leverage AI to foster business expansion.

InsightHub AI Review — Upsells (OTOs) :

Apart from the core InsightHub AI package, users can opt for various add-ons (OTOs) offering extra functionalities and advantages. These additions encompass advanced training modules, exclusive templates and design access, and premium support choices. Although not mandatory for utilizing InsightHub AI, these add-ons can enrich the user experience and offer supplementary value, particularly for those aiming to optimize their marketing capabilities.

ü OTO 1: Insighthub PRO ($27)

ü OTO 2: Insighthub Unlimited ($47)

ü OTO 3: Insighthub Traffic ($27)

ü OTO 4: Insighthub Agency ($97)

ü OTO 5: Insighthub Marketing Kit ($27)

ü OTO 6: Insighthub Reseller ($77)

ü OTO 7: Insighthub Whitelabel ($77)

InsightHub AI Review — Bonus:

Readers who review this summary have the opportunity to receive a complimentary $100k bonus upon purchasing InsightHub using the provided link. This exclusive incentive underscores InsightHub’s value as a marketing solution. Seize this chance to enhance your advertising endeavors and unleash the complete potential of AI-driven automation.

Why Recommended?

InsightHub AI is recommended for its advanced analytics capabilities, enabling users to uncover valuable insights from complex data sets with ease. Its AI-driven algorithms offer precise analysis, helping businesses make informed decisions swiftly. With customizable features and intuitive interfaces, InsightHub AI adapts to diverse needs, ensuring seamless integration into existing workflows. 

Its predictive modeling and trend forecasting empowers organizations to stay ahead of the curve, driving growth and innovation. Whether for market research, customer insights, or trend analysis, InsightHub AI provides unparalleled accuracy and efficiency, making it the top choice for businesses seeking cutting-edge data intelligence solutions.

Money Back Guarantee - Risk-Free

InsightHub AI offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to ensure customer satisfaction. If for any reason users are not completely satisfied with the platform, they can request a refund within 30 days of their purchase, no questions asked. This refund policy provides peace of mind and demonstrates the confidence that InsightHub AI has in the quality and effectiveness of its product.

Final opinion: 

In conclusion, InsightHub AI stands out as a comprehensive and indispensable tool for modern businesses. Its robust analytics capabilities, powered by artificial intelligence, empower users to extract actionable insights from vast and diverse datasets efficiently. 

The platform's user-friendly interface and customizable features ensure seamless integration into various workflows, enhancing productivity and decision-making processes. With its predictive modeling and trend forecasting capabilities, InsightHub AI enables organizations to anticipate market trends and stay ahead of the competition. In essence, InsightHub AI is a transformative solution that drives innovation, fosters growth, and equips businesses with the intelligence needed to thrive in today's dynamic marketplace.

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FAQ

Q. What skills do I need to use InsightHub?

No specific skills are required. InsightHub is designed to be user-friendly for everyone, regardless of their technical expertise.

Q. Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes, InsightHub comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with the product, you can request a refund within 30 days of purchase.

Q. Do you offer step-by-step training?

Absolutely! InsightHub includes comprehensive step-by-step video training to guide you through the platform and its features.

Q. How is InsightHub different from other tools?

InsightHub offers a wide range of AI-powered tools and features all in one platform, making it a comprehensive solution for content creation, marketing, and more.

Q. Is customer support available?

Yes, we provide dedicated customer support to assist you with any questions or issues you may encounter while using InsightHub

[itmindslab]

What is FAQ schema markup? - IT Mindslab

In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization (SEO), staying ahead of the curve is crucial. One tool that has gained prominence in recent years is FAQ schema markup. This structured data technique provides a means to enhance your website’s appearance in search results and improve the user experience by providing quick answers to common questions. In this article, we’ll dive into what FAQ schema markup is, how it works, its benefits, and how to implement it effectively.

For more information: What is faq schema markup? - IT Mindslab

What Is FAQ Schema Markup?

FAQ schema markup is a type of structured data that webmasters and SEO professionals can add to their web pages to help search engines understand the content better. It’s specifically designed to highlight frequently asked questions and their respective answers on a webpage. When implemented, search engines can display these questions and answers directly in search results, often in the form of a rich snippet.

How Does FAQ Schema Markup Work?

FAQ schema markup uses a standardized format that includes specific properties and values within your website’s HTML code. These properties inform search engines about the structure of your FAQ content. Here’s a basic breakdown of how it works:

Question: You mark up each frequently asked question on your webpage using the <question> property.

Answer: You associate each question with its corresponding answer using the <answer> property.

FAQPage: You encapsulate all your questions and answers within a <script> tag with the type attribute set to "application/ld+json". Inside this script, you define a structured JSON-LD object that specifies the content as an FAQPage.

Structured Data Testing: Before publishing your page, it’s essential to use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or other similar tools to validate your markup and ensure it’s error-free.

Benefits of FAQ Schema Markup

Enhanced Search Visibility: FAQ rich snippets stand out in search results, increasing click-through rates and visibility.

Improved User Experience: Users can quickly find answers to their questions without clicking through to your website, enhancing the user experience.

Authority and Trust: Google often selects pages with FAQ schema markup as featured snippets, positioning your content as an authoritative source.

Catering to Voice Search: FAQ markup aligns with voice search queries, making it more likely that your content will be selected as a voice search answer.

Mobile Optimization: Rich snippets are especially beneficial on mobile devices, where screen space is limited.

Implementing FAQ Schema Markup

To implement FAQ schema markup effectively, follow these steps:

Identify Relevant FAQs: Determine which frequently asked questions are relevant to the content on your page.

Write Clear Answers: Craft concise and informative answers that directly address the questions.

Add Markup Code: Insert the structured data markup within the HTML of your webpage.

Test Your Markup: Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure there are no errors in your markup.

Monitor Performance: Keep an eye on your search performance to gauge the impact of your FAQ schema markup.

Advanced Features and Properties

Multiple FAQs: You can mark up multiple sets of FAQs on a single page, allowing you to address various topics or sections comprehensively. Each FAQ section should be enclosed within its own <script> tag with the JSON-LD structured data.

Accordion Format: FAQ schema markup often complements accordion-style FAQ sections on webpages. When users click on a question, the corresponding answer expands, providing a seamless and interactive user experience.

Nested FAQs: You can create hierarchical FAQ structures with nested questions and answers, offering in-depth information on a specific topic. Nested FAQs use the same properties (<question> and <answer>) within the JSON-LD structured data.

For more information: What is faq schema markup? - IT Mindslab