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ask-the-lgbtqs-of-lovestruck · 3 years

Note

Hellooo My name is Anon gamer! I want to play a game!😆(I came from another blog who also did this game, so if some of ya'll came from that blog as well and you know the answers, just...ssshhh...🤫)

Let's play "Are you a psychopath?"😏(My fellow anons can play along if they want😆)

So basically, I will ask you serious of questions and if you get 1 right you will have a point, whoever has the most points wins, and if your wandering what's the prize, well..... the prize is you have a mental illness😆

Now.... LET'S BEGINNN!!!

1. Imagine living alone in a 4th floor of a apartment building in an isolate area, but 1 day before you go to sleep you gaze out in the window to another apartment building across your road, your eyes fall upon 1 of the rooms, in the room you see a man who's repeatedly stabbing the woman, as your momentarily stunned of what you are witnessing, the man makes EYE CONTACT with you and then stares at you for a few seconds and starts mouthing something and repeatedly pointing his finger at you. So what is the man actually doing?

2. A train is about to ran over and kill 5 people and your standing on a footbridge next to a larger stranger, your body is too light to stop the train but if you push the stranger on to the tracks, killing him you will save the 5 people. Would you push the man and why would you push the man?

3. It was winter when you were home alone watching news at night about a serial killer on the loose, as you wander about the killer in a middle of a pandemic, you go and gaze through your sliding glass door, and saw a man getting closer and closer to you, and thought it was the serial killer, you try to call 911 but when you look back at the man, he is suddenly in front of you now but.... there were no footprints. How come there's no footprints in the snow when he was walking towards you?

(If it's just too much for your brain just ignore it😂😂)

-gamer anon

‘Ooo! Ooo! Alright! So....

1. Now, this is hella specific so be ready... He was holding eye contact and was repeatingly pointing at you. He wasn't actually pointing at you, he was counting the floors of your building. That alone should be a goddamn warning to... Leave and don't come back!

2. See this could go either way. You could push the other guy to give the other five people a hint or vice versa. My mind says save the 5 people, but there's a chance if we save the one guy, that he'll figure out not to stand so close. That or tell them to move out of the goddamn way. But tbh, I don't want 5 people looking at me like I'm crazy for pushing someone in front of a train so... I won't push him.

3. It's... a glass sliding door... Glass is sometimes reflective. The "serial killer" you see is yourself.’

- 💎 Mod Vivien

———————————

“Ohhoh… gamer anon, huh...

1. He def counting the floors and which window to were you live.

2. I don’t think this large man could stop the train either... 🤣 But saving 5 ppl is tempting... but if the train can’t stop him and I still try to save the 5 ppl... and push... then I’d be killing 6 ppl instead of 5, lol... no good! 😱 (Ignore this babbling, I dunno.) 😅🤣

3. It was snowing? A snow storm, so it covered the tracks. 🤔 But the reflection thing Mod Viv is talking about is def a good one... hard!”

- 🍃 Mod Evina

——————————

“Hmm..

1: He's counting, so I'd turn off the light in the apartment and take a pic of him. Make it harder. 😏 I'd dare him to come find me, I now have the upper hand and I know what he looks like.

2: I'd go along the tracks to the junction and change it so the train doesn't hit anyone.

3: Reflection, he's already in the house... ATTACK!!!”

- Mod Vinca

——————————

“1. Counting floors, so I would hightail it out of there and call the cops from a mate’s flat.

2. I hope the person next to me is maybe an opera singer or theater actor, since I’ll need their help projecting our combined voices to tell the workers to move off of the tracks! 🙀

3. A reflection, whether it is us as the killers or the killer is already inside the house. Not a great scenario either way. 😅”

~ 🐺 Mod Mackenzie

———————————

‘People are literally not going to like me for these answers, so I apologize right off the bat.

1. The man is trying to figure out how the woman he's killing is across the way from him. He's stunned and shocked. I'm not aware of that though; I just know I'm a witness to a crime. (Also this was played out in “Love, Death & Robots”. The episode is called “The Witness”.)

2. So I'm one of those people that will see many sides of situation. But I will sacrifice one for the good of the many. It's kind of how I am. I will feel guilty after, but if only one person died while I saved countless others, I'll do it.

3. You're looking at a glass door which is also a reflective glass. No footprints means I am the killer because I'm looking at myself in the reflection.’

- 🐍 Mod Medusa

——————————

‘Okie doke, here are my responses...

1. The killer is a) pointing behind me because there's another killer in the room poised to take me out, or b) he's trying to mime setting up a playdate 'cause he's thinking I'm enjoying the show, since I'm not on the phone to the cops. 🤷‍♀️

2. If I thought for a *single second* that only one body could stop a train... [shakes head] That's a stretch for even my extensive willing suspension of disbelief. I'm of the same mind as Mod Medusa, I'm willing to sacrifice one to save many, though I'd be far more willing to sacrifice myself... Uh, is there a reason we're not all screaming our bloody heads off at the five idiots standing on the train tracks??? Are they tied to the tracks and being held hostage by some supervillian (and if the villian is a woman, is she single and can I gently show her the ways of redemption and love in enough time to save the 5)??? As you can see, I usually over think these things. 😂

3. Oh my lords and ladies, this is a simple one: it doesn't snow in Miami! Our idea of winter is anything under 88° F. But even if he is "the killer" I'm not too worried, our hurricane proof glass doors are shatter resistant, so I have plenty of time to call the cops before he faints from heat stroke trying to bash his way in. [stares at the slumped form and shakes my head in pity] Poor guy wasn't a Florida native or he wouldn't have exerted himself in such heat without proper hydration. 🤣’

Yours insanely - Mod Helena ⚔️

#anonymous #Anon gamer #ask mods #answered #ask the lgbtqs of lovestruck

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scriptflorist · 3 years

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Hi and thanks for sharing your knowledge with us writers!

I write about a near-apocalypse setting where the lands are barren and plants are getting rare. Gardening becomes an expensive hobby, and it is to become my MC's vice. What plants or flowers would you suggest my MC to nurture in their garden? Something with high endurance with low humus soil or low sunlight intake.

Florist’s usually don’t do a lot of planting, and if they do it’s almost always to make something pretty and not for gardening purposes. So humus seldom comes up for florists that don’t tend to plants outside their job, at least much less than pH-value and occasionally peat.

So let’s start with what humus is exactly, after all it is about the single most important soil component – even more important than organic matter. (Not to be confused with the food – hummus).

We are starting with all the things that are not humus.

Those bags labelled humus which can be bought at garden centres are no more than mislabelled compost, which probably has something to do with how in gardening and agriculture humus is sometimes used to described well-aged compost. To put it simply compost is slightly decomposed plant material that continues to decompose for years and most certainly not humus. A humus layer is also not humus. And while fulvic acid, humic acid and humin are sub-parts of humus they cannot be used as replacement words.

So what exactly is humus? In short humus is the leftover material from decomposed organic matter that can’t be used by plants or micro-organisms. Organic matter originates from dead plants and animals, and is something of an umbrella term for a wide range of molecules, for example starches, proteins, sugars and amino acids. All that decomposes and is broken down by micro-organisms (mostly fungi and bacteria). And when all the good stuff has been extracted by micro-organisms, so that at one point it can be used by plants again what’s left at the end when nothing else is left, that is humus. It’s exact composition differs depending on its materials.

What’s left over is mostly carbon and some nitrogen, but it can’t just decompose further. It does decompose further, however at the incredibly slow rate of up to a 100 years or more which makes it incredibly stable. A very simple explanation for why it is able to persist for that long is that it basically hides in soil particles, if humus does not do that it usually decomposes within 10 years. This less stable humus contains few plant nutrients but still keeps the soil structure intact.

Humus has three main functions. The first is to absorb water. Lots of water. Like up to 90% of its weight lots of water. The second is that it has what is called negative charge, which basically means it’s like a magnet for plant nutrients and doesn’t allow them to get washed away by rain. Which allows the plants to siphon out what they need, like it’s a slow acting natural fertiliser. The third is that humus improves aggregation, basically it gives soil the nice loose, crumbly texture that makes it really good for your character to dig their hands in. Humus also affects the bulk density.

Generally humus is understood to be the dark organic matter that’s left after decomposition did all it could, it’s what gives healthy soil its black colour.

The thing about humus is that science doesn’t really understand it and we have no exact scientific definition for humus. It’s understood that it’s complex, but it has no determinate shape, structure or quality. Because science does not fully understand humus, science said in 2015 that humus does not exist. The paper was only followed up by some articles talked about it in 2016 for all that I could find.

The basic point of the paper is that since science cannot really detect humus in the soil, but only after treating it with pH 13 in a lab the only real humus is man-made. And so it doesn’t exist. However we’re not here to answer that question, and while there might be something to it given that it appears scientists have been doubtful about humus since they started studying it, it also has to be said that this discovery changes virtually nothing from a gardening perspective. Soil still needs organic matter. – The question we are here to answer is how can there be low humus soil (if possible) and how does it affect planting things?

For arguments sake we are going to say the soil in your character’s garden is old enough to have passed the 100 year mark and any humus that may have accumulated in the past decades was less stable and has already broken down and the most organic matter it receives is the occasional dead rodent and some leaves the wind blew in. Let’s say it’s all that the moment your character decides to make it their garden. Whether they can actually plant anything now heavily depends on the soil structure, and their water and fertiliser supply.

Depending on the soil structure the first thing your character might have to do is actually treat the soil, by adding compost and organic matter. Or compost containing organic matter. How long that would take would depend on the conditions in which their compost is kept.

An apocalyptic setting certainly is not the ideal environment for such an endeavour, however knowing how humus is created it should not be impossible for your character. After all humans require plants to survive and feel good, so surely somewhere in their world there are some fallen leaves or dead plants and other types of organic matter. Something always ends up decomposing unless everything is vaporised.

Other than that they will need a steady supply of water since with little or no humus the soil will hold much less of it, which is an especially big problem for plants freshly put into the ground as they still need to grow proper roots. (This takes about 2-3 weeks on average, which is why planting close to winter even for hardy plants is not recommended). And they will need the fertiliser to make up for nutrient deficiencies in the soil.

Fertilisers generally are made up of the same three ingredients – N-P-K. Nitrogen, phosphate and potash (potassium carbonate). Each of them is responsible for different things and plants have different needs when it comes to the mixture, and though there are all purpose fertilisers the exact mix differs between brands. Your character should also keep a book or some other way for looking up and comparing plant afflictions, to most efficiently combat what they notice on their own plants.

With that said, this was a very long way of saying plants can handle low humus soil if well-taken care off and finding plants that need little to no sunlight should be the bigger factor when your character goes shopping.

As for those, here’s a list of some:

athyrium filix-femina

begonia x semperflorens-cultorum

hakonechloa

chaenomeles speciosa

cornus

heuchera

hydrangea

impatiens walleriana

lamiastrum galeobdolon

lamium purpureum

lamprocapnos spectabilis

mertensia virginica

pulmonaria

spathiphyllum cochlearispathum

tiarella cordifolia

vinca minor

– Mod Jana

Disclaimer

This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.

https://www.gardenmyths.com/what-is-humus/

https://www.gardenmyths.com/humus-does-not-exist-says-new-study/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus

https://www.greenviewfertilizer.com/articles/understanding-n-p-k

https://www.tipsbulletin.com/low-light-outdoor-plants/

#gardening #plant care #writing advice #humus #low sunlight plants #ask answered #mod jana #Anonymous

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xwing-baby · 4 years

Text

Freedom (Mandalorian X Reader

Characters: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin), The Child, Reader, OC Vinca Dara

Warnings: Mentions of sexual abuse, canon level violence

Word Count: 5691

Synopsis: Y/N is a princess from a planet in the inner rim. Successfully escaping her fate as a Imperial wife, she unfortunately becomes a target for the Mandalorian.

A/N: WOW I look pretty good for a dead bitch! I’m back after a two year writing hiatus, with a fic nobody asked for. This is my blog I’ll do what I want. I noticed that there’s not much Mandalorian stuff here, and the only stuff is all smutty and romantic. No more. Strictly professional relationships here. Basically it’s what I would write if I got to be a writer on the show. ENJOY

Tagged: @tortles @inked-poet @dartheldur

My home planet, in the core of the galaxy, was rich and prosperous. I grew up happily oblivious to any struggle that surrounded me outside the palace walls. I grew up with two older brothers, both jostling for the throne from the age of ten. My mother died in childbirth with me, so my father ruled alone. I had no other family, as I would later learn they had all been murdered by my father and his men to ensure his unopposed ascension to power.

It wasn’t until I was nearly sixteen years old that I learnt about what my father had done and what was really going on behind the palace walls. The only time I’d ever been allowed out of the palace grounds until that point was for public events, I would stand and wave and smile at the people who came to see us while my father gave a speech about peace and prosperity. However, on my sixteenth birthday I met a boy named Han. Han helped me escape for that one night, showed me around the surrounding city, and my life changed forever.

A year later, I made my first escape attempt. I didn’t get very far beyond that city perimeter before I was dragged back by the royal guards. I tried again, getting to the next town before again being captured and sent back to my father.

On my eighteenth birthday, I decided I would try once more. This time I had enlisted Han’s help, now a smuggler, to get me off the planet. I crept out in the depths of night, managed to find the ship and I was gone. That was until the captain of the ship found out who I was, held me hostage and shot me in the arm for trying to escape him and the planet. As it turned out the captain was a great supporter of my father and returned me, with a small fee for the favour of course.

For the next year, my father kept me under close supervision. But unlike my father, I had sympathy and empathy. I managed to make friends with my supervisor, a old lady named Ellyn. She taught me a lot about what was really going on outside the capitol. The famines and the abuse from the royal guards to the local people. She also told me of the growing concern within the palace of my father’s changing allegiance from the New Republic. These concerns only grew when Storm Troopers were spotted on the outskirts of the city.

Then I got the news. My father was intending to marry me off to Vinca Dara, the son of an Imperial officer, to aid the new Empire. I was horrified. My uncle had told me stories of the Old Empire when I was little, the pain it brought into the galaxy. The thought of having to be a part of anything like that made me sick. I had to run away, for good this time.

With Ellyn’s help, I managed to barter a ship and escape the planet without anyone realising. I reached the outer rim before anyone knew. By the time anyone had started to look for me I had landed on a new planet.

And that brought me here. A small, dirty back street bar in the centre of the city. The outer rim was not somewhere good for a princess to be, so to avoid the risk of anyone recognising me, I cut my hair, changed my name and hid.

Of course, a few bounty hunter’s had made their way to me. But I seemingly had luck on my side because they either gave up or I fought them off before they could capture me. The last attempt was several months ago now, I was comfortable and certain that my father had just given up.

The bar was busy, as always. Full of criminals and outcasts from the inner rim searching the wild space to something to do, or to give them purpose again. I had to learn fast who and who not to joke with. I learnt a lot more about the galaxy in the last three months of being in this cantina than I had in my life so far.

“Hey! No droids!” I called, not even lifting my head from the sink as I spotted a glint of metal in the corner of my mind.

“That’s not a droid, you idiot,” My coworker, Tann, jabbed me in the ribs, “That’s a mandalorian!” He hissed. “Sorry, she’s new!” He apologised. The Mandalorian didn’t respond.

“New to the galaxy,” One of the creatures at the bar slurred into his drink.

“Alright Rex calm down,” I said, a little embarrassed. “I don’t know they were real,” I said quietly as we all watched the man sit down at an empty table on the other side of the bar. Rex laughed and shook his head.

“You really crawled out from under a rock or something?”

“Just go do your job, please,” Tann sighed.

I nodded and confidently walked over to the bounty hunter.

“What can I get you?”

“I’m trying to find Asker,” The Mandalorian said, looking around behind me. Asker was a regular, a troublemaker and a renowned criminal, but he was paid his bill so the owners of the bar never minded too much. I wondered why the Mandalorian was looking for him for a moment before answering.

“He left a little while ago,” I replied, “But I imagine he won’t have gone far, maybe try the hostel up the street. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you,” The Mandalorian shook his head and stood up to leave.

“Mando!” The pot bellied Asker bellowed through the bar, announcing his presence before he waddled inside. For such a small creature he certainly knew how to make himself known. Asker was just over four feet tall, with grey-ish skin. His large eyes took most of his face that wasn’t covered by a whiley red beard. For someone so small, he was incredibly strong and quick on a trigger, the blast marks that covered the walls of the bar were testament to that.

The Mandalorian and Asker walked together to the darker back of the bar, specifically reserved for Asker's shady business. Like I said, the owners didn’t really care as long as he paid the bills.

“You know Mando, it’s been for too long! I missed you,” Asker cried.

“You didn’t,”

“No, not really,” Asker barked a laugh, “but I did miss your talent. These new hands they’ve got at the Guild? Awful! Can barely even shoot straight! I’ve been trying to get this quarry off my hands for weeks! All of the have been unsuccessful, so I thought it’s high time I call my lovely friend Mando and get some real professional on the job,”

“I don’t work for you,”

“Not even for half a million credits?”

“Excuse me, gentlemen,can I get you anything?”

“The usual, thanks darling. My metal friend here can’t drink so he’s all good,”

“Coming right up,”

I stepped back to the bar, and they talked a lot quieter from then. I poured the drink and walked back over, back in earshot of the conversation.

“Kids a royal runaway,” Asker said quietly. “Her father is a pretty big deal out in the Mirrin Sector. Last I heard, she’s here in hiding,”

“Any name?”

“Y/n L/n,”

I put the drinks down carefully, trying not let either of the men see how much my hands were shaking. My heart was racing against my chest and I scurried away before I could hear anything else. I leant against the bar and took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. It was fine, I’d fought off the last guys I could do it again. It’s not like mandalorian are the best bounty hunters in the known universe, no. Oh stars!

“I’m going out for a minute,” I said quickly, already walking out the back door before he could even say yes. I pulled the apron off from around my waist, shoving it into a cargo box before stepping into the bright light outside.

I squinted and let my eyes adjust to the bright light. Looking back inside, the Mandalorian had not noticed me leave. I was safe for now. I walked through the city's crowded streets, back to where I was staying to come up with a plan.

I smiled to myself, I’d gotten away with it once again! But four times was too many to be nearly captured by bounty hunters. It was no use anymore just moving to the city, I had to get off the planet.

The port was quiet, as it would be late in the afternoon. Everyone was either eating or sleeping while the sun started to cool down. I tried the first few stations but each door was locked, the next was empty and the one after it was covered in druids working on the rusted shell. Then, bay 8. The door was open, there were no druids around and the ship looked in pretty good condition. It was old, pre empire but it looked steady. I quickly checked behind me, that no one had seen me, then went inside, pushing the large gate shut behind me. I had found my ticket out of here.

My uncle had taught me to fly when I was very little. He unfortunately was murdered by my father before I turned 12 but I cherished the memories I had with him and was extremely grateful for the skills he had passed on now. The first time I ran away I ended on a workers ship and learnt very quickly that the price to pay to get onto the ships and out alive was far too high. The blast scar up my right arm was a reminder of that. Being able to steal a ship and fly it on my own was a major boost. Unfortunately I had been caught before I had managed to leave a planet before. Now was my chance.

I ran around the ship first, checking it out and making sure there was no one hiding on it. Now, to get inside...

Before I could even step closer to it, the cargo load hissed and pulled open. I pulled out my blaster and aimed it at the door. I stepped onto the metal once it hit the sand, and barely had the other in step when I saw who had opened it.

The Mandalorian.

Shit.

I kept my blaster raised, and we both stared at each other down for a few moments.

“You’re Y/n L/n?” He asked carefully.

“Are you going to kill me if I am?” I retorted. “Cus you’re not the first Asker has sent after me and I know my father wants me alive there’s no way you’re gunna kill me if you want the credits,”

“Lower your weapon,” He commanded. I refused.

I kept it steadfast. I could do a standoff, all day. I was not going back home. The mandalorian sighed and shot once, barely missing my head, as a warning. I didn’t flinch.

“This isn’t my first rodeo, Tin Man. Asker must have said I don’t come easy,” I jeered, taunting him. He couldn’t kill me! Wouldn’t risk half a million credits on that. The mandalorian stepped forward, and I took two steps back. “I just want to get off this planet, I’ll pay you. More than you’ll

get for bringing me in,”

Before I could say anymore, the Mandlorian fired a dart into my chest. I looked down at it for a moment, then back at him then fell to the ground. Black.

I came too sometime later, handcuffed to the side of the Mandalorian’s ship. My hands and feet here tied. It was quiet. Looking around me, I was in the hold. A small ladder disappeared above me to the rest of the ship. I had no idea where we were, had he taken my request? Or was I on my way back to the hell hole that is my home planet.

I had to find some way out. Someway to get myself free. I tried to move to reach a tool box so cruelly just out of my reach, but it was no use. Then I heard a little squeal from behind a box. I turned to see where it was coming from but there was nothing. Again, another squeal and a giggle? Was it a rat? I wouldn’t be surprised if there were rats aboard, the place hadn’t been cleaned in forever. But rats don’t giggle, no matter where they’re from.

Suddenly, a tiny green creature popped up from behind the box. It peered at me for a moment, then hid again. It was so cute!

“Hey little buddy,” I said quietly, “I won’t hurt you,” The creature slowly stepped out and babbled something at me. I didn’t understand what it said, even if it was speaking any proper language. “Where’d you come from buddy? He got you trapped here too?” The baby giggled and waddled over to me. I smiled and curled my legs round underneath me to let it get a bit closer. I didn’t see any danger in a creature so small. “Why does Mandalorian have a little baby? You’re not his kid are you?”

“Hey! Get away from her,” The Mandalorian had appeared in the hold while I was focused on the baby. The baby babbled and toddled back happily to the Mandalorian.

“What is that?”

“Nothing,”

“It’s not nothing, it’s a baby,” Suddenly I remembered I had seen a drawing of a creature like that one before. My uncle told me about it, a Jedi master or something. “Do you know what it is? My uncle showed me a picture of one of those once, it was a jedi! I bet it can do weird stuff, right? Where did you get it?”

The Mandalorian ignore my questions and picked up the creature, walked across to the other side of the hold and put it away in a large cupboard. Cruel. I became spiteful.

“Fine, ignore me then. I’ll just report you to the Guild when I get back home. Tell them you have that thing! People would pay good money for information on a Mandalorian gone rogue! And to think Mandalorian and Jedi were enemies for years, didn’t they murder your kind to near extinction? Seems weird you’ve got one in a box as a pet,”

“It’s not a Jedi, and you won’t tell anyone. If I find you have, I will kill you, on sight,”

“You’ll be doing me a favour,” I spat.

I could tell he was angry, the way his hand waved over his blaster for just a second. I should have been scared of him, deep down I was. But the fate that awaited me at home was worse than being killed by this bounty hunter. I knew we can’t be far now. I didn’t have much time left to convince the Mandalorian not to send me back to my father. If it came down to it I really would rather die.

The Mandalorian disappeared up the ladder once more, satisfied that I wasn’t going to cause anymore fuss right now. Before I could even call after him to try and make amends and get him to actually help me, the hatch slammed shut and it was too late.

---

A few hours later, I had dozed off but was harshly awoke by the Mandalorian shaking my shoulders.

“We’re here,” He stated, pulling me up by the shoulder. I shrugged him off, and stood up on my own. My feet had been untied already, I rolled my ankles and sighed as my body clicked. The bounty hunter wasn’t having it, grabbed my arm harshly and dragged me down the ramp to the ground. “Come on,”

The site of my home planet made me sick. It was happening. For months I had managed to be unknown, successfully getting away from this place. But I was now being dragged back, by a Mandalorian none the less, to be dragged through my city like a criminal.

The Child reappeared as we stepped off the ship, babbling quickly and waddling as fast as it could. The Mandalorian grumbled unintelligibly and dragged me back up, collected the child and locked it away, pulled me back down to the soil of the planet. I could hear the creature complain from its little box and wondered if it was trying to help me. Whatever it wanted, the Mandalorian ignored it, closed the cargo door and we walked into the city gates to my family's palace.

The site of the grand building made me sick. When I was younger I didn’t know of anything different, I didn’t know of the suffering of the people beyond the city walls. The people who worked tirelessly everyday on the lush fields only to be paid single credits for the hard labour, and all the food going to my family and court. I never knew of the suffering and poverty that my father ruled over while we lived such lavish lives inside. I had tried to explain it to my brothers after my first escape attempt, they just laughed. Said that that was just the way the world worked. There was a set order. I hated it, actively spoke out against them but all it did was get me slapped and set away to my chambers.

We were met by my father and two brothers in the great hall. Staff stood to attention around the perimeter, glaring at me like I was dirt, as I was dragged in in disgrace by a bounty hunter.

“My daughter, you’re safe!” My father exclaimed, throwing his arms up in praise. There was no kindness or love in his voice. “Get her inside, we can’t have her escape again,” He gave a cold laugh as I was given to a new set of guards. My brothers jeered and laughed in unison with their idol. “I understand you’ve been paid by Asker to do this?” My father addressed the Mandalorian now. “Fucking idiot couldn’t catch his own breath. Here,” He threw a large bag of credits at the bounty hunter. “A million in full.” The Mandalorian nodded, putting the bag into his belt. “You don’t know how great a service you have provided to the galaxy,” My father continued with a wicked smile stretched across his wrinkling face. “A girl like her will surely be the mother of our new empire,”

I nearly threw up, the enormity of my situation now crashing on top of me. I tried to look to the Mandalorian for help but again it was no use. I was marched off into my new, secure, chambers to await my fate.

The Mandalorian frowned beneath his helmet but said nothing whilst in the presence of the King. He’d finished the job, there was nothing else for him to do here. He’d never got involved in politics before and now was not the time. He knew these were not good people but he was not in a place for judgement either.

He returned to his ship, pleased with the doubling of the earnings from this trip. That amount of credits meant he could lay low for a long while with the Child and finally work out what to do with it.

Back in the ship, the Child would not settle down. In the few months the Mandalorian had the creature he had never seen it like this. It cried and grumbled, wouldn’t sit still or fall asleep. He knew what the problem was.

“I can’t do anything about it!” He explained to the Child. “It’s not my problem. The credits I got from that job will keep you in food for weeks!” The Child grumbled and wailed. “Go to sleep,”

-- 4 Months Later --

It was a simple quarry for a quick bit of cash. The ship needed to be patched up after it had run into an asteroid field. The quarry was from a jealous man on Corellia after his wife’s lover. Easy.

The planet was rich and bustling with people, making the Mandalorian disappear into the background. He swept through the city in search of his bounty, following the tracker in his hand. He was only slowed down by a large crowd which had gathered at the town’s centre. A small stage was set up across the square, with many people surrounding it on all sides. People even hung out of their windows to listen and watch what was going on.

A familiar face on the stage caught the Mandalorian’s attention. It was Y/n. Now looking like the shell of her previous self. A black cloth covered her head and moth, leaving only sunken sad eyes on show which were covered in gold makeup. She stood smaller, next to a man talking passionately and animatedly about something. The surrounding chatter from the town’s people drowned out what the man was saying.

The Mandalorian carried on on his mission, shaking off any guilt he had. Bad things like this were always happening throughout the galaxy. There was nothing he could do.

- --

My new life as Vinca Dara’s wife was awful. Far worse than I had ever dreamt.

I was dragged from planet to planet, city to city trying to recruit and inspire rebellion. We travelled to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, as far from the New Republic as possible to try and gain sympathy for a new regime.

I was miserable, abused and exhausted. My husband’s forcible attempts at producing an heir were proving futile and he was getting restless. It was like my body even rejected the idea of giving him a child. I figured it was only long before he killed me. He’d been close before when I lost the last child.

This was a big event. There were already a large group of rebellion supporters on the planet and Vinca Dara and his team were hopeful. I was to stand next to him, looking pretty while he addressed the city, then be his arm candy to a private event with the planet’s leaders.

The evening’s event was filled with the planet’s most horrible people. I wore a tight royal blue dress, my hair down and flowing over my bare back. Vinca Dara had left me to my own devices a little while ago, instructing me to convince some of the ladies of ‘our’ new ideas for the galaxy. So I stood and mingled with the guests wive. They were not interested in politics and rather talked back local gossip which was rather refreshing after months of nothing but plans of death, destruction of the New Republic. A little alarming that they did not care, but I welcomed the break nonetheless.

As I listened to the women, my eyes wandered around the party. Many different species and races all in one room with staff waiting hand and foot, scurrying between the clusters of people. Then, something caught my eye. A flash of blue baskar, glinted in the light from the corridor just outside the room. That had to be the Mandalorian! I thought I had seen him in the city but I thought I was imagining it. He was here!

“Excuse me ladies, I just need to freshen up,” I excused myself from the group and went to find him. This was my chance. Summoning all the courage I had in me, I followed him.

It took a moment to work out which way he went but a sharp shot from inside one of the servants quarters told me exactly where it was. He was lucky the party was so loud, I thought.

Checking nobody was following me, I carefully pushed the door open As soon as I entered the small dark room the Mandalorian held his gun to my face, finger on the trigger ready. I threw up my hands and pushed myself back against the door.

“Don’t shoot!” I exclaimed. The Mandalorian did not lower his gun.

“What are you doing here?”

“I-I’m hosting the par-,”

“Here, I mean here right now,” He interrupted, obviously agitated.

“I need your help,” I said honestly. The Mandalorian didn’t reply, but lowered his gun and returned to the dead body on the floor. “Please. My husband will kill me if he doesn’t get a child soon and… and I can’t do it. Please, I need to get off this planet. Away from him,”

“I’m working,”

“I’ll pay you!” I exclaimed desperately. “I’ll give you everything I have. I just need to get out of here, out of this solar system,” The Mandalorian stopped and looked at me for a moment, the helmet completely unforgiving in guarding his expression. “Please,” My bottom lip began to tremble and tears welled in my eyes.

“No. Go back to your husband,” The Mandalorian turned back to his task. My desperation turned to anger in that moment, I stormed over to him.

“You know he’s been looking for the Child,” I said spitefully, looming over him as he knelt down with his victim. The Mandalorian looked up at me and stood up slowly. “That green thing you keep as a pet? If you won’t help meI will go to him and tell him you have it, that you’re on this planet,”

“Are you trying to blackmail me?”

“Help me and Dara will never know,” I said slowly, staring directly into his visor.

The Mandalorian was quiet for a moment, I held my breath. This was it. My last chance at freedom and even this was the man that brought me to be in this situation in the first place he was my only hope.

“Put that on,” He finally said, gesturing to the pile of servants' clothes piled on a table to the side of the room. “And help me move this body”

I nodded quickly and moved to the clothes. I untied the neck of the dress, the bounty hunter respectfully turned back to his victim as I undressed. The clothes were far too big and made of a very itchy material but I didn’t have much choice. I tied my hair up in a ponytail. The only reminder of who I was, was the gold makeup across my face and sandals on my feet.

I stood on look out while the Mandalorian pulled his bounty into a bag and dragged it out the building. A transporter waited outside.

“Take that one, with the bounty. My ship is out on the east fields. You’ll see it,”

“What about you?”

“I’ll meet you there,”

I nodded, unsure of why he was trusting me with his bounty but it was the easiest way to go out of the city unnoticed. I dodged in and out of people on the streets, finally coming to the East gates. Two guards sat asleep at the post and didn’t even wake to see me go. As I rode out into the open land, I began to laugh. The suns were setting beautifully over the horizon casting beautiful colours into the sky. I was free!

I sped through the fields, towards the familiar ship a little way away. The noise another transporter hummed behind me. I figured it was the Mandalorian so I didn't bother to look back until a red shot flew past my head, narrowly missing me, and exploding in the grass. I screamed and swerved violently, nearly losing all control of the vehicle.

I turned back quickly, to see who was attacking me. My husband led a band of four guards on smaller bikes. That bastard Mandalorian must have told them I was trying to escape!

I sped up, racing towards the hills in the distance. I skipped down between ditches and ploughed through crop fields to try and evade capture once again. They remained on my tail.

Another two shots fired out, missing me again. “Stop! Y/n! Stop right now!” My husband called out. I held my hand up in an offensive gesture, turning back to narrowly miss a large boulder. I was getting into the forest now, it was becoming more difficult to maneuver the heavy vehicle through the trees.

The trees became denser and I decided I could move better on foot without the extra weight.

“I’m going to fucking kill you Y/n!” My husband screamed. I could imagine his horrid sweaty red face, that awful vein that pops on his forehead when he’s angry. I shuddered, and kept running.

I jumped into a small creek, the water soaking the ends of my trousers and nearly bare feet. The hum of the transporters had disappeared, they were on foot. I noticed a cave and decided it would be best to hide there while they were some way behind. I crouched down and sat in the warm water, my body pressed against the back wall, hidden from sight.

“Y/n!” Vinca Dara screamed again. This time multiple shots followed and a crash as something fell into the water. “You can’t hide forever!”

They were getting closer. A red shot splashed into the water in front of the mouth of the cave. I jumped and hit my head on the low roof, making me yelp. I clamped my hand over my mouth praying that I wasn’t heard. I pushed myself further into the dark and shut my eyes as more shots rang out. Shouting erupted from above me and heavy footsteps splashed through the water.

I whimpered and curled up into my knees, screwing my eyes shut, waiting for the end to come.

“I told you to go to the ship,” A metallic voice said from the front of the cave. I opened my eyes and gasped in relief. It was the Mandalorian! I pushed myself up out of the water and walked over to him, my relief turning into rage.

“You sold me out!” I screamed, pushing him as hard as I could. “You fucking told them!” The bounty hunter remained calm, and was not at all affected by my attack.. “You fucking bastard!”

“If I did, why would I be here now?”

“You-,” I stopped and saw the three bodies floating in the water around us, “You killed them?”

“I thought you still had my bounty,” The Mandalorian said nonchalantly. I smiled.

“Thank you,”

Seemingly satisfied that I wasn’t in any more danger, the Mandalorian turned and began to walk back to his ship. I quickly followed behind, not wanting to be left behind again. I stepped over my husband’s dead body, pleased by the multiple shot wounds that had killed him. He deserved a bloody death. I ran to keep up with the Mandalorian, and jumped back on the abandoned transporter, following him back to the safety of his ship,

“Thank you again. And I promise I will send those credits to you as soon as possible,” I thanked him again once we were inside. I sat on a crate, and pulled the ruined sandals off my feet.

“It’s not necessary,” The Mandalorian said, his back turned to me as he put away his weapons.

“Yes it is. I am a woman of my word, I owe you my life,” I said sincerely. The Mandalorian shut the cabinet and turned back to me.

“Where would you like to go?”

“I don’t care. Just drop me off wherever you are going next. As long as there's opportunity for work and a place to sleep I will be fine. I just need to be as far from all of that as possible,”

“I’m going to Nevarro next,”

“Sounds perfect,”

I sat in the back of the cockpit while the Mandalorian flew off the planet. I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face as the planet soon disappeared into the vast black of space behind us. I had finally made it out, with both my father and husband dead I knew no one would come looking for me. I was truly free.

“Hello again,” I cooed to the Child as he toddled over. The baby babbled and giggled when it recognised me and raised its arms to be picked up. I happily obliged. “You’ve grown! Yes! Oh aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” I tickled its large ears, making the child laugh. “I don’t know how you get anything done with this thing around. He’s so cute!” I said to the Mandalorian. He didn’t reply.

I shrugged it off, and went back to playing with the baby. The stress of the day finally settled in, and I yawned, absolutely exhausted. The little creature in my lap, copied and babbled at me. I smiled softly as sleep began to take over me and stroked its little head until I fell asleep.

A rumble awoke me, we had entered the Nevarro atmosphere. I sat up from my slumped position and sighed as I stretched. The Mandalorian turned around, I smiled and he turned back. The Child was sitting on the desk, playing with a silver ball too busy to notice I was now awake.

We landed without any trouble.

“So I guess this is it,” I said. “I will forever be indebted to you Mandalorian,” I bowed my head in reverence, “Are you staying here very long?”

“A few days possibly,” He said as we walked towards the small settlement. “I’ve got some business here,” We walked in silence for the rest of the way until we reached the gates. “There’s a cantina not too far from here, tell them I sent you and they’ll give you work. There’s plenty of rooms to stay in here,”

“Thank you,” I smiled, “I will sort those credits out as soon as possible,”

“It-,”

“I swear bounty hunters don’t usually refuse money,” I laughed. “Take it, and I’ll see you around, hopefully not too soon,”

“See you around,”

We shook hands and parted ways. My life had finally begun.

#mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian #mandalorian x you #star wars imagine #star wars imagines #star wars x reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin x y/n #x reader #x y/n #star wars fan fiction #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fandom #star wars #baby yoda #fanfiction

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bimbles-and-simbles · 3 years

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Founder Fun Time 1/8

Decided to get all my founders [that i still have] together to play around and have some fun as we approach all the wonderful celebrations of the season. Their ages are based on when I first started working on their saves/when i made them, with the youngest being this year and the oldest being around 12 years ago now! List of those in the shot below the cut:

Karmel - Burnt Sugar/Around The Mulberry Bush My first legacy/rainbowcy founder! He was made in TS3 originally, and his family’s story ran 5 generations.

Dapple - Prism Pop!/Ashes to Ashes I originally made Dapple as an extra for Burnt Sugar back in TS3. When I got into doing BPRs she got remade in TS4.

Silver Bell - Mystical Magical Moppets One of my first TS4 founders! She was the founder of a 100 baby challenge on my old blog that got 2 generations in. I’ve attempted to restart it on my youtube channel but keep forgetting to edit the videos i’ve done.

Rosa - It Takes A Queen Founder of my original Disney Princess Rainbowcy, Rosa is in fact berry, despite looking more Vanilla!

Urs - Kismet Made for a Tarot Storytelling Challenge, Urs has resurfaced this year as my History Challenge founder!

Rosewater - Dacquoise Delights Founder of my Pastel Patisserie Challenge playthrough, this one is a perpetual WIP, with me re-shooting the first generation when it got ported to this blog.

Bee - Perfect Sim Challenge A never posted challenge, Bee was the founder of my Perfect Sim gameplay.

Vinca - Floret, A BPR Founder of a supernatural BPR I was writing for a while that took on a new view on storytelling where it was told through the main character recording their thoughts on a video camera. This one was scrapped when I lost all i’d written :(

Daisy Luminosity - BPR CAS Legacy My first CAS Legacy! This one is no longer on the blog, but I still have the sims and pics if anyone wants me to repost it.

Aspen - Stardew Valley Challenge Another unposted gem, this one I still have the pictures for. It was going to be story heavy talking about Aspen’s life in Stardew Valley. Complete with banilla’d characters from the game it was fun to play!

Mint Chip & Papaya Rose - Tea-Too Not So Berry From my NSB Portrait/CAS Legacy, these were the founders! It was also kind of a perfect genetics challenge, where the kids needed Mint’s eyes, and Papaya’s magic to become heir. Needless to say there are a lot of kids in this save. Dahlia - Literary Twist A secret squirrel project i’ll one day finish!

Pearl Semibreve - LMDS/LMDS CAS Legacy Founder of my failed LMDS and ongoing LMDS CAS Legacy, Pearl is a sim I love and hope to be able to use elsewhere.

Meadow - Seven Songs CAS Legacy To be honest, Meadow should be further up on the list. I made her several years ago but her story never took off. Imagine finding a portal that took you elsewhere in the world, or to another dimension. What would happen if you found someone who had fallen through? And you fell in love?

Winter - Genesis The protagonist of my NaNoWrimo work, and the founder of what will hopefully be a very interesting story. Stay tuned for this one, it’s due to start in 2021!

#founder fun time #berry sweet Sims #lot and wagon poses by #hula-zombie

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ofthethousandblossomsfanclub · 4 years

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Alright, I know it’s been quiet from us but we’ve come together to form this union! So listen up all members and followers of this fan club!

Me (Makenna), Stacie, Hildred, and Abbi have been talking for days about what to do since half the members here don’t want to respect the new Prince’s OR us. We’ve brought up a lot of concerns we’ve been having, both old and new. And we’ve figured something out! We’re going to change this fan club into something better! Something greater! The PRINCE OLEANDER BITTERBLOOM FAN CLUB!

Only a few of us actually knew Prince Tyrion Magnolia Aster Dianthus Camellia Vinca Bitterbloom of the Thousand Blossoms (or at least, we didn’t know him beyond being a childling), a lot of us were just told stories about him. And now that we’re comparing him to the new prince... why did we even like him? What blinded us? Why should we celebrate someone like that when the living prince is right before our eyes?

You know, Stacie gets bored with making the same pink face and pink hair for everything she makes! She wants something different! Oleander is different! He’s new, fresh, and everything people want these days. Didn’t you see that selfie he just posted? And you know what that means? More profits! More visitors to our freehold! Everything we want can come from this.

And thinking about everything the prince has said to us... maybe Prince Tyrion Magnolia Aster Dianthus Camellia Vinca Bitterbloom of the Thousand Blossoms is gone. Maybe Prince Oleander Bitterbloom is all that’s left. And you know what? That’s fine! That’s great! This is what we need!

We will be trying our best to take over the blog and the club- but with Cordelia’s money and power, Nadeen’s knowledge, Wendi’s brute strength, and... Mariabella, it will be a tough one. Stacie is gonna try her best to lock them all out of the blog, Abbi is gonna spread word about the new prince, and Hildred will make sure no one messes with us. Please help us in supporting the true Prince!

LONG LIVE PRINCE OLEANDER BITTERBLOOM!

- Makenna Ó Flannagáin 💰

#makenna #announcement

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gothy-froggy · 21 days

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I actually want to crawl into my bed and never be seen again omg

Ok so the day this was made, tumblr didn’t post this and I just realized that this is in my drafts. So um…here’s my rough day at work lol

Work SUCKED BALLS today. Guess who spilled barbecue sauce all over the ground and on themselves in the walk in at work today 😀

So whoever put the barbecue house in the container didn’t close it fully. So I grabbed it, talking to one of cooks who’s doing stuff in there on how the containers are so heavy.

Right when I lean over to open the door, the sauce spilled ALL OVER THE FLOOR, MY SHOES, AND MY SLEEVES.

So another guy opens the door and helps the other guy clean it up. I’m in the back of the walk in, drenched and lost in the sauce while shivering because it’s cold as HELL in there.

My work buddy, come over since I’m not back at my station which he knows means that the container for the sauce I’m getting is too heavy for me (because there’s three sizes. One is like up to my knee full of sauce), comes to see the walk in door is open and there’s sauce all over the floor.

He’s joking with the two about them spilling the sauce all over before asking who did it.

Y’all

Your girl just slowly peeks over looking embarrassed as fuck saying “it was me” in a soft voice because I feel so bad that they’re cleaning it up.

Bro really looked at me and said, “did my sweet little Vinca do this?”

I WANT TO OFF MYSELF SO BADLY.

So they’re getting rags, I walk out of the walk in and the miss girl who works in the back of the kitchen looks at me, looks down at my barbecue sauced up Mary Janes, gasps and goes “oh noooo” I WAS ABOUT TO CRY.

They get me outside to sanitize my shoes, I got sauce all over in my socks yall im am not doing great.

But because I’m on my period, my cramps are SO BAD and my thighs get really weak. I’m in pain while trying not to fucking fall (because that happens when I’m walking around let alone standing while my legs are weak like this). My work bestie asks what wrongs, saved my life by getting ibuprofen.

And I was given a cookie after so shout out to him

yall as im writing this im getting a huge wave smell of barbecue sauce 😭

And if you don’t believe me…

IM QUITTING I SWEAR 😭

@madame-fear

#today sucked #sucked ass #work #so embarrassing #storytime #bad day #really got lost in the sauce #vinca talk blog #vinca talk #vinca rambles

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samanaiirburtininkes · 7 years

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Today I learned (Sep 28, 2017)

Maths: trigonometric functions graph transformations

Lithuanian literature: was discussing Vincas Mykolaitis Putinas’ “In the Shadows of Altars” in class, talked about Vasaris’ aspirations for going to Seminary vs what were the actual purposes of Seminary and priesthood. Discussed the contrast. Discovered that Vasaris was a perfectionist and that is the reason he was suffering inside.

Dance: watched the performance by Sasha Platz (?) “Body”

Contact staff: first steps towards the Jesus roll B)

Poi: taught of this cool combo with pendulums, going from wall plane antispin to wheel plane antispin

Fire fans: became better at side to side 3bt weaves

chinese: how to say older and younger sisters

More detailed summaries will soon be available on my blog

#learning #reading #mathematics #books #fire spinning #dance #altoriu sesely #vincas mykolaitis putinas #forever learning

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meadowstoneuk · 4 years

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Growers and suppliers start to beat the lockdown

AG news editor Ruth Hayes talks to two groups of growers who are helping to get plants to the people who want them

Ellie Richardson of Johnson's of Wixley with some of the shrubs they are selling through hedges Direct

Cometh the hour, cometh the solution! As garden centres struggle through Coronavirus lockdown, with jobs on the line and millions of plants facing almost certain destruction, horticultural companies are working together to solve the problem.

Over the past couple of days alone we have heard of two excellent initiatives at opposite ends of the country.

amateurgardening.com/blog

Yorkshire-based Johnsons of Wixley is a three-generation family firm of growers specializing in growing and supplying trees, shrubs and plants to planting schemes all over the country.

They have teamed up with one of their customers, Hedges Direct, to beat the crisis with ‘garden rescue packs’ of plants and shrubs that can be delivered directly to your garden.

The Pallet 1 ‘rescue pack’ of 50 2litre shrubs available thanks to collaboration by Johnsons of Wixley and Hedges Direct

The packs are available in two different options:

Option 1: 50 x 2L shrubs to include a mix of foliage and flowering plants plants including Acuba japonica, Berberis, Buddleja, Ceanothus, Choisya, Escallonia, Euonymus, Photinia, Vinca and Weigela.

Option 2: 25 x 5L specimen shrubs will include a similar mix with Nandina, Osmanthus, Convulvulus, Halimium and Viburnum.

Both pallets cost £299.99 and will be delivered to your door.

amateurgardening.com/blog

A spokesman for the company said: “Unfortunately we can’t accept requests but we will endeavour to provide a good combination and all pots will be clearly labelled so that you know what you have received

“At present, garden centres everywhere are closed, which means that UK nurseries now have a surplus of garden centre stock and no available outlet.

“Hedges Direct has kindly offered to support us to ensure surplus stock can find a home and garden.”

For full details and orders go to hedgesdirect.co.uk or call 01257 494007/494187

The Bundle of Joy lilies collection including ‘Perfect Joy’ and ‘Sparkling Joy’ are just some of the plants available from Solent Growers

Meanwhile growers in Hampshire have banded together to form Solent Growers to deliver plants initially within an 10-mile radius of Lymington, but with hopes to expand over the coming weeks. The nurseries involved are Pinetops, Mr Evergreen and The Plant Yard.

amateurgardening.com/blog

Rory Paton from Pinetops said: “We’re working on our range it is all a very new experience for us as growers although nearly 30 years ago we did have a postal flower service, so I’m confident we’ll get our heads around it in these difficult times.”

He went on to thank web designers Tinstar Design for heling them create a working website in ‘barely any time at all’.

Ranks of hydrangea ‘Rosita’ ready for distribution by Solent Growers

Solent Growers has a wide range of ornamental plants including Aeniums, alliums, lilies, bay and box trees and shrubs, Callistemon bushes, palms, camassias, a wide variety of evergreen shrubs, herbs and much more.

They can be reached at solentgrowers.co.uk

We are keen to hear from any other growers and nurseries who are working together to get plants out to the people they want them. Please contact us via [email protected]

We are here for you

Although many people are coping well with self-isolation, others are really struggling and feeling completely forgotten and alone.

Here at AG we are doing our best to keep connected to our readers though the magazine, this website and also through social media.

Our gardening ‘agony uncle’ John Negus is also still working hard. Send him your problems and questions, with pictures if you can, and he will get back to you with an answer withing 24 hours, as he has been doing for decades. Contact him using the AG email address at [email protected]

amateurgardening.com/blog

We already have thriving Facebook page but are also on Twitter and Instagram. These sites are a brilliant way of chatting to people, sharing news, information, pictures and just saying hello – we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Best of all, as gardeners are generally lovely folk, more interested in plants, hedgehogs, tea and cake than political shenanigans and point-scoring, so the chat is friendly and welcoming.

So please drop by, follow us, ‘like’ our posts and say hello – the Instagram feed is in it’s really early days so the quicker we can get that going with your help and support, the better!

You can find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/AmateurGardeningMagazine

Twitter: Twitter.com/TheAGTeam

Instagram: instagram.com/amgardening_mag

Don’t forget to give someone you know or love a call. They might be feeling low and lonely and hearing from you will make their day. Happy gardening!

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135640 https://ift.tt/2yFCeEt

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135640

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sempiternalsandpitturtle · 5 years

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What makes great evergreen marketing content?

Did you know that the world’s oldest known tree is a type of evergreen? Its common name is the bristlecone pine, and the most aged of its kind is just a few centuries shy of 5,000 years old. It looks like this:

As marketers, we’re always in pursuit of the bristlecone pines of the content world – that explainer video, how-to blog post or timeless eBook about proper boot maintenance – that will maintain its relevance for years to come, repeatedly cycle back into new generations of marketing campaigns, and even appreciate in value as time passes.

This type of content creation is aptly referred to as “evergreen marketing,” and we’re going to show you what it’s made of.

Topical vs. evergreen content: Understanding the utility of each

Topical content is any blog post, article, press release or other piece of marketing collateral that has an element of timeliness to it. This includes news articles, coverage of a recent talk at an industry event, a product announcement on social media and other content that is created with the purpose of explaining “what happened”.

In a way, topical content is like the grass of the marketing landscape. Users will generally spend less time engaged with it because new information is constantly cropping up in our always-on digital lives. This makes it great for driving top-of-funnel web traffic. But today’s news will be a hard sell by tomorrow.

By contrast, evergreen marketing content is a resource that users can come back to time and again, sometimes many years after initial release.

If topical content is grass, evergreen content is a landmark for your brand (yes, sort of like a really captivating tree). Evergreen marketing content can take a number of forms, but it most commonly manifests as one of the following:

How-to articles.

Webinars.

Listicles (“8 benefits of cloud-based HR software”).

Instructional videos.

Best-practice collateral (white papers and eBooks).

Product reviews.

FAQ pages.

Landing pages.

Checklists.

Case studies.

Interactive online quizzes.

Social media pages (more on this later).

At first, evergreen content might not generate as much web traffic as topical content. The difference, though, is that evergreen content’s value appreciates over time, which is in direct contrast to topical content.

Every time someone references your how-to videos or links back to your FAQs, that asset gains credibility in Google’s eyes. Slowly but surely, that content takes root as an established source of trusted information. Consequently, it will surface above the ranks of the top SERPs for that particular subject matter.

Equally important, evergreen content can be recycled in marketing campaigns and shared multiple times on social media channels. A post from 2012 with a title like “10 easy steps to a healthier head of hair”, has a better chance of garnering attention on Facebook than a news article from 2016.

The simplest way to think about evergreen content is this: Information that still has utility to your target audience will continue to perform on the web many years after it has been released.

Developing evergreen topics

And where to work your products in …

Say you have a gardening blog and you current goal is to create a “Gardening for beginners”campaign to establish your brand (personal or commercial) as a trusty source of authority for novice gardeners.

If you’re a seasoned gardener, you’ll probably have plenty of ideas sprouting up in your brain just from experience. You might even want to start with the obvious question: What does a newbie need to know before getting his or her hands dirty?

That alone can be a four-part series of articles, if not a full-length eBook with visuals, that introduces the basic ingredients of any good garden. The topic is a great opportunity to pepper in some references to your product offerings if, say, you’re a supplier of some of the basic starter materials.

But once that well of inspiration dries up, there’s always Google. The snapshot below was taken in a Chrome Incognito window:

Notice the search phrase “gardening for beginners” at the top right. Something as simple as scrolling down to the bottom page of SERPs can show you similar queries to the one you’ve entered.

Then, of course, there are the big guns. The image below was taken within SEMRush’s Topic Research tool. We used the same search term “gardening for beginners” to look for relevant content topics that are driving traffic.

Notice “Green Beans” at the top left corner has a search volume of 60,500. Beneath that is a list of topics that are performing well for that term. Maybe you already knew that “Green Beans” was a hot keyword among your target audience. Maybe you didn’t.

Granted, you may not have access to SEMRush, and “gardening” may be a watered-down example compared to your niche B2B product offerings. The point is, there is a science to topic ideation, and even niche markets can benefit from it.

In some cases, your industry experience will be your most fertile source of evergreen content ideation. But in others, you may be surprised to learn what you should be covering in your attempts to create SEO-powered evergreen content.

How to weave your products into your evergreen content

Often, this is something that needs to happen in execution. And usually, it’s not that difficult. For example, say you’re selling disaster recovery-as-a-service. In your evergreen post, “5 best practices for optimal data durability”, you can easily tie in the value of off-site, air-gapped redundancy.

Whether or not you call your solution out by name and/or link back to a product page is up to you. Either way, the nod to your value proposition is implicit, because you’ve chosen to cover a topic that is directly pertinent to your products and services. Additionally, this topic will most likely be as relevant to prospective customers in a year as it is now.

Of course, “most likely” is the operative phrase. Google’s algorithms are always evolving. Not to mention, competitors and other content creators will influence SERPs for your keywords over time. Then there’s just the fact people’s habits change over time. Case in point: Who ate quinoa 20 years ago?

That means the inverse is also possible. It’s possible to create something that is “accidentally evergreen”. If you notice a particular blog post from more than six months ago is performing well, don’t shrug it off as a fluke. Try to figure out why that content is still performing so well. And if it only just got hot, try to find out why.

Like most things in content marketing, the goal is to create something as deliberate as possible with the information you have available to you at that time.

Do that, and your odds of seeing ROI on your evergreen marketing content will shoot up.

Resonating with your prospective clients

And using evergreen content as a sales tool …

Audience is everything when it comes to evergreen content creation. First you have to define that audience, preferably by persona. Create fictional character profiles if you have to.

For example, if you’re selling DIY gardening tools, you’ll talk to a seasoned gardener very differently than you would the yuppy who just wants some petunias and vincas to spruce up his apartment porch now that the weather is getting warmer.

Understanding these types of characteristics will help you pinpoint buyer intent. In turn, this facilitates a deeper understanding of the types of content that will resonate with your potential buyers.

Cue sales

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Sales people talk to a lot of prospects. Accordingly, they’re invaluable in helping your marketing team develop audience personas. Sales can also provide concrete examples of specific pain points or questions based on real conversations they’re having with leads.

Your job as a marketer is to take those pain points and use them to create evergreen content topics that get to the heart of the issue. If you can do that – and you’re able to subtly tie those pain points to your products – you’ve essentially created evergreen content that can be used at different stages of the sales funnel.

At the top as a traffic generation vehicle.

As a resource for prospects in the consideration and / or intent phase (sales enablement).

An FAQ-style eBook or even just a blog post that answers a specific question are great examples of content formats that have the potential to work simultaneously as a top-of-funnel asset and as a resource that helps sales teams close deals.

Long story short: Work with sales to get to really know and understand your audience; use that knowledge to create versatile evergreen marketing content that is not only relevant in 6 or 12 months, but can also be used in more than one way at that time.

Advocacy marketing and evergreen content

Different branches of the same tree.

Advocacy marketing is when you transform existing customers into advocates for your business. Social media is the most obvious way to do that. If your customers or regular readers share your high-quality content because it’s useful to them, they’re advocating your brand indirectly.

Where does evergreen content fit into advocacy marketing? Great question:

Obviously, when people share your evergreen content on social channels or email it to friends, they advocate your brand.

Some types of evergreen content are inherently advocacy-driven. Case studies and customer testimonials, for example, demonstrate the value your brand has brought to specific customers.

Evergreen content with information useful beyond the here and the now is akin to reference material. And every time your customers link back to that content (either in their own blog, on a customer review site or on a forum such as Quora or Reddit), they advocate your brand to search engines. Google, for example, rewards pages with backlinks by pushing them higher up in the list of search results, thereby making them more visible to other searchers and prospects.

It’s no secret that great customer service creates brand advocates. Sometimes the best way to help a customer is to provide evergreen reference content like an FAQs page. Apple does this all the time. It might share proprietary content after a support call about how to reinstall the OS or perform a RAM reset. If you use your evergreen content on the frontlines of customer support, you’re using it to help build business advocates.

Inversely, advocacy marketing can be used to inspire evergreen content. Flagging down the author of a strong customer review on the web, for instance, can lead to a case study opportunity. Questions that arise on social media in response to someone sharing your evergreen content can inspire new topics.

A powerful symbiosis exists between evergreen content and brand advocacy. Develop a strategy or marketing plan that can help the two complement one another to improve business outcomes.

Cycling through evergreen content on social media

Is there such a thing as evergreen social media content?

Social media plays an interesting role in the world of evergreen content creation. First, each of your channels is technically evergreen, even if the content on those channels (user generated or otherwise) is often topical in nature.

In other words, the channel itself sticks around. Meanwhile, industry news, discount announcements, events promotions or product reviews are typically transient.

But what about your evergreen content? Can you continually cycle that on your social media pages to simultaneously promote time-insensitive content and boost impressions on social?

You betcha.

According to Social Media Hat contributor, Mike Allton, there is indeed such a thing as “forever sharing” in which you continually post all of your evergreen content in a repeating cycle, on all of your channels. In fact, several tools exist that actually help automate the scheduling of these posts. There are obviously some best practices to keep in mind:

As a rule of thumb, wait four weeks before resharing the same content.

Make sure you actually have enough evergreen content to cycle through.

Be mindful of trends and recent events that you can use to justify sharing your evergreen content ahead of schedule (i.e. social media is a discussion; sometimes your engagement efforts need to be ad hoc).

It’s an interesting concept – sort of like creating seasons for your evergreen content on social media.

If done right, it’ll give your “how to …” and “Top reasons …”-type pieces the exposure they need to continue performing for years to come …

… And that’s the whole point of evergreen content

Which brings us full circle to the claim that evergreen content actually has the potential to increase in value as time passes.

And no, nothing lasts forever, so that value will eventually fizzle out as the great circle of content production buries it under new web matter.

But you might be surprised by how long your well-constructed evergreen assets withstand the test of time.

Even the 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine had to get past day one, after all.

from http://bit.ly/2N8Rspc

#content marketing

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