#although it is going a long way in explaining how the views of the hashtag chapuyscult have been shaped | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the12thnightproject · 4 months

Text

Chapter 40: Alternate View: When it comes to time travel, it’s good to have a moderately awesome ninja in your corner.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

As it turns out, it is not possible to grow penicillin in the kitchens of a feudal Japanese castle. Granted… I had no idea what I was doing, and as easily as things had molded over in my fridge in modern Japan, it is not as simple as leaving food in a warm place and hoping for the best.

“What are you trying to do, Kats… er, Kaya?” Yuki peered at the bowl of yuzu peel that … hadn’t developed any mold in the three days it had been sitting out.

“Ummm, hopefully something medicinal.” At Yuki’s expression of complete skepticism, I added, “It’s better than doing nothing.” By this point, Aki had been delirious for over a day, and prior to that had had little energy for much talking. The evening he and I had arrived, Katsuko had managed to claim his attention for one, long private meeting. As much as I knew she deserved her time to be with him, to rebuild whatever it was that made things awkward between them, I didn’t miss out on what might be his final days. I was the one who pulled him off that battlefield. I was his daughter too.

“I don’t know. When Shingen was still sick, some of the medicines he tried made him sicker.” He poked at the hardened peels. “Seems like a waste.”

“It’s not like anyone eats this part of them anyway.” Probably they just would have been tossed into the baths to make them smell pretty. “And don’t touch them. I’m trying to grow penicillin, not boy germs.”

“Peni… um, boy what?” He made a face. “You’re weird. You look like Katsu, but you don’t really act much like her.”

Well, we hadn’t been the same person for seven years. Or eleven, depending on which date we were using, and… “This whole situation is weird.”

He scraped his hands through his hair. “I’ll say. But you’re still weird.”

“Did you come in here just to poke at me, or was there an actual reason?” Although at least he was willing to talk to me, even if he was kind of rude. The way most people here at Tsutsujigasaki castle avoided me, I was beginning to feel like the Yokoi that my sort-of nephew had accused me of being. Even the servants, who thought I was Katsuko’s younger sister, did their best not to look at me.

“Oh. Yeah. I was right. Sasuke got here already.” And then, because I was already halfway across the kitchen, he yelled after me, “Does this mean I can throw these out?”

By the time I caught up with Sasuke, he was just about to enter Aki’s room. “Greetings and salutations, Alternate-Katsuko.” His face was as impassive as the Sasuke from my timeline, but I was just happy to connect with someone who didn’t treat me like I was a demi-demon. “Katsuko-prime and Shingen have filled me in on the situation.”

“Um, hi, Alternate-Sasuke… um… do you have any idea how to make penicillin?” If anyone could, it would be Sasuke. Well, or Toshiie, but he wasn’t due back from China apparently for several weeks. Aki could not wait that long.

“Er… no, it’s not something I’ve thought to attempt. I have considered making a battery out of a potato, but it’s going to be another fifteen years before potatoes are cultivated here… so… hashtag time travel goals.” He glanced through the doorway where Aki was fitfully sleeping. “On a more serious note, I am happy to meet another Katsuko, even though it’s not under the greatest of circumstances. Has there been any improvement?”

I shook my head. Two days before, Shingen had fetched another healer – one who hadn’t fainted at the sight of Aki’s shoulder. She had packed the wound with some sort of poultice, which stabilized him somewhat, and the other-me had proven skilled at getting him to swallow willow bark tea, explaining that she had had a great deal of practice with that.

But now, even the effects of the poultice were gone, and no matter how much tea we forced down his throat, Aki’s fever still raged. “It feels like we’re running out of options… here.”

“I can hear you.” Apparently having one of his moments of lucidity, Aki signaled us to enter. “Hello Mister Mikumo.”

Sasuke greeted Aki formally, which was all the conversation that my father had energy for. Immediately he dropped off into sleep again.

“Ah. I see the need for antibiotics.” The smell of Aki’s wound permeated the room. "Although I am a theoretical physicist, not a doctor." The joke was stated with just a slight quirk at the side of his mouth to indicate the humor. "Have I made that joke to you before – your timeline’s alternate version of me?"

"No." I was not in the mood for humor. "What about modern medicine? I mean, I’m not a doctor either, but doctors in our time can cure infections, right? You can help me get him home, can’t you?”

After all that had happened, I refused to let Aki die.

"I've already checked." Sasuke pulled out what looked like a hand sewn notebook and flipped through it. It was full of numbers and calculations. "Honno-ji won’t open until the winter solstice – Togakushi a month later." He didn’t mention that Aki couldn’t wait that long, but the unspoken words hung in the air.

"So Shingen and Katsu didn’t tell you about the device?" A device, that during Aki’s lucid moments, he explained was a prototype. Maybe they’d forgotten (unlikely) or decided to leave that story up to me. “It… I’m not sure how, but it opened the wormhole that dumped me onto that battlefield.”

"Device?” He slapped his forehead. “I didn’t even think to question how you ended up here. But of course, if there had been wormhole activity, I would have known.”

“There was a wormhole, but before that, it wasn’t.” Once again I explained how I had ended up in 1586, this time to an audience who had scientific questions that were far beyond my patchwork high school attendance. After my third ‘I don’t know,’ I gave up and turned the device over to him.

“Fascinating.” Sasuke pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. He cautiously flipped the thing over in his hands, but it still just looked like a somewhat advanced version of a cell phone. He glanced at Aki. “He said it’s a prototype? That suggests that it’s still a beta. Do you have any objections to me studying it?”

“As long as you don’t zap us all into prehistoric Japan. I don’t think my heart could take the Jurassic period.” I paused, waiting for Aki to interject whether or not he had problem with Sasuke taking control of the device, but if he did, he wasn't saying. “This” I waved my hand to indicate my alternate’s home, “is already unsettling enough.”

"You mean the rare experience of meeting another version of yourself?" Sasuke seemed almost envious. "Have you noticed any unusual physical phenomena? Do you find yourself fading, or do you feel like you are losing parts of your memory?"

"No. In fact it feels like I'm instead gaining memories I've never had." I wasn't sure how to explain it further, although it had been a relief to confirm my theory that those odd moments of deja-vu-esque images were not my memories, but some kind of multiverse effect.

"Yes." Katsuko entered the room carrying another pot of tea. "Me too. Like the memory of a spider crawling down the front of a pink kimono - and I don’t even own one."

"I've not had that one, and I do have a pink kimono." Well, I did have one. I'd left it behind with Mitsuhide. "But a spider never crawled down the front of it." Just a kitsune. "Aki yelling at me for jumping out of a tree."

That one had been pretty vivid. Katsuko tapped her chest. "Actually happened. And then he abandoned me there." She sent Aki a look that was half anger, half exasperation. "It turned out to have been a con, but of course he didn’t warn me first."

"How very Mitsuhide of him." That dang kitsune. We’d been apart for over a week (not counting that one hour at Genba), but he was still hacking my brain.

The ninth thing I hate about Mitsuhide, even when I’m four years and an unknown number of timelines away, I can’t stop thinking about him.

She looked at me. "I have questions about that but-" She sighed. "It feels so surreal to talk to you."

Ah. That's why it had been so easy to avoid her. She'd been avoiding me, too. "I know. We're not twins, or clones. I've been trying to think of you as an older sister." Since this Katsu would have to be four years older than I am. Or maybe just three? Yuki had told me she'd been stuck in the wormhole (or a wormhole) and missed a year.

"Could you guys not talk over me?" Aki muttered, in another moment of lucidity. "I haven't departed this Earth yet." His eyes flicked over to Sasuke and greeted him as if he had not done so just twenty minutes before. "Hello Mister Mikumo. Still climbing things?"

Ok, not as lucid as all that then.

Sasuke bowed to him again, as if he had not done so before. "Professor."

“Katsu. I told you. Don’t bother me unless the world is ending. Don’t bother me then either.” He closed his eyes again.

"Not yet old man," Katsuko set the teapot down with a clonk, and poured a cup of willow bark tea. "Time for your medication." With Sasuke's help, she propped him into a sitting position and got him to swallow the tea, before he slumped back on the bed with a moan.

Again, I swallowed that feeling of envy that she, my other-self, had managed to get Aki to obey her. It wasn’t important. The important thing that was he had drunk it. That everyone was doing whatever we could to keep him alive until Sasuke could figure out how to get the device to open the wormhole.

Stand back! He’s trying science.

“I wondered where you were hiding.” I looked up from my failed experiment (Yuki had not thrown out the yuzu peel as threatened), to see my other self, my older self, who had returned to the kitchen with the empty teapot.

“Well, I figured it would just be easier if I stayed out of everyone’s way.” I sat back and watched her bustling about with some kind of wooden contraption, before I realized that it was a pulley system that retrieved fresh snow from outside without anyone needing to trek out into the weather to get it themselves. “That’s pretty cool.” I’d never seen anything like it before.

She smiled. “Shingen built it. He’s really good with his hands. Er… in an engineering kind of way.” The blush on her face suggested he was good with his hands in all kinds of ways.

“Of course he is.” Oh shit. I said that out loud. My sarcasm turned our moment into something seriously awkward.

“I’m jealous of you too,” Katsuko eventually said.

“Me? Why?” This version of myself seemed to have it all figured out.

“Because Aki told you he was our father. He didn’t leave you on the side of the road, feeling like everyone had abandoned her.” She slammed the now full of snow kettle on the brazier. “I mean, I know he did it to fool Shingen into taking me. I learned pretty soon after that he didn’t mean it. But it was cruel, and … he’s said a lot of hurtful things to me that he apparently never said to you.”

“Oh.” I reached in my kimono and pulled out Aki’s letter. It was the one thing I had on me when Iekane pulled us into the wormhole. “He didn’t tell me. He disappeared, left me holed up in an Inn for weeks and when I finally went in search of him, I found this letter at Francisco’s. I imagine, that if you were to go to Sakai, you might have this same letter waiting.”

I sat back on my heels, and watched her read the letter, noticing when she smiled – she must have hit the ‘cloud city moment’ line. Finally she folded it up and gave it back to me. “Thanks. I don’t know why it helps… but it does.”

“Well, good. I’d hate it if I hated me. Er, well… you know.” Yup. Still surreal.

“Yeah. I do.” She paused…. Then. “Um I sort of don’t want to know, but I also do want to know. What is up with Mitsuhide and you?”

Ugh, I can’t even pass the Bechdel test with myself! “It’s a long story that probably doesn’t even matter, because he’s in love with Mai. Unrequitedly, but it’s still not something I want to hang around to watch.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I kind of thought he was in this timeline too. But, I only met him for like two hours, during which he threatened to kill me, beat me at shogi, then turned around and gave me some really good advice.”

Well…. That’s on brand at least.

It was another day before Sasuke emerged from the room where he was mad-sciencing it all.

Once again, we were gathered in Shingen’s private office, and again drinking tea that Yukimura had prepared and Katsuko had helped to distribute. Shingen also produced another basket of pastry that he claimed was from his private stash. Given that he always seemed to be able to produce a basket of pastry from somewhere, I suspected his ‘private stash’ was actually a sweatshop full of bakers kept prisoner somewhere on the castle grounds.

“First of all, some background on our wormholes. It isn't merely that the atmospheric conditions need to be correct, for the wormhole to actually form, there needs to be enough charged ions to, in layman's terms, shock it open." Sasuke took a moment to to gulp down some tea, and rubbed the corner of his eyes. "That’s what Iekane's device does, it concentrates a jolt that opens up a corridor to the closest wormhole."

It kind of sounded like something out of Back to the Future…

"A mini flux capacitor?" There went Katsuko, voicing aloud what was in my own brain. Aki aside, I needed to get out of this timeline for my sanity.

"Flock's capacity? You want to bring birds into this?" Yuki bypassed the pastry and glared a bit at the double serving on Shingen's tray. "What will that do?"

The others ignored him beyond giving him a fond smile.

Katsuko nodded to Sasuke. "Makes sense. Thunder-snow. Yuki, do you remember there was thunder and snow when we encountered Iekane at Togakushi? But our timeline’s Iekane didn’t have a device – or I suppose he didn’t need it. We were already expecting that wormhole to manifest."

"And unfortunately, we don’t have time to wait for the solstice. Therefore, I believe our best course of action would be to try to use the device to send Kaya and Aki to the future. Her timeline." Sasuke pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Theoretically, this timeline’s Iekane does not have the prototype, or one would think he would be using it often.”

Shingen looked at Sasuke and nodded. “I trust your best guess. That said, we don’t know where ended up after he and Katsu went into the wormhole, so my spies will keep searching for Iekane."

"As will mine." Katsuko grabbed a scroll and brush and jotted down a note.

“You have your own spies?" Not only does this timeline's Katsu have what appears to be a perfect partner, she gets her OWN spies?

"Birthday present," she murmured. Ok. That might blow Mitsuhide's gift of a lock pick set out of the water.

He also got you that pretty robe, and he played the flute for you when you were unconscious…

My inner voice was apparently feeling especially snarky today.

Sasuke brought out the device. "I've managed, theoretically, to override the device’s initial coding." Sasuke proceeded to go in to a technical explanation that was at its basis, a pretty sophisticated form of hacking. "So, Kaya, all that I need is your thumbprint and you can use it to take Aki into the future."

That’s all?

I was a bit nervous to have control over the device. "You don't want that honor for yourself?" After hearing about Katsuko’s terrifying experience, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be the pilot on this adventure.

"While I would, in fact be otherwise thrilled to do so," Sasuke exchanged glances with Katsu and Shingen. "I’m afraid I could set it off course."

Oh right. If Sasuke had control over it, we'd just end up going to his future - which would be fine for Aki, but would keep me in the wrong timeline. Although at least if that happened I would never have to run into the version of Mitsuhide who was in love with Mai (although apparently he loves her here too, so… I was kind of SOL no matter where I went).

The thought was brief, and somewhat selfish. Who knew what kind of chaos would come about if I continued to stay in the wrong timeline? And, I still needed to return to my timeline’s Sakai and follow up Aki's information on Toshiie.

“For a similar reason, I have come to the conclusion that I will be unable to accompany you on a journey to your own timeline.” With a slight attitude of reluctance, he set the device down on Shingen’s desk. "I would relish the opportunity to have a long discussion with another version of myself."

Was I imagining that everyone else seemed a bit scared of that idea?

He looked down at his paperwork. "However such a conversation could present a danger to the balance of the multiverse, and with no guarantee of returning to this particular timeline-" He gave a sideeye to Shingen, "although I am relatively certain between myself and I, I could figure it out- I have decided not to make the attempt."

Subtext: he had been planning to go anyway, and Shingen talked him out of it.

With Aki’s condition worsening by the hour, we decided not to waste any more time waiting. Shingen and Yuki helped carry Aki to a deserted area behind Tsutsujigasaki Castle. In the distance were some archery targets, so I figured that was what it was normally used for. Good plan to leave from here – the castle inhabitants would avoid this area when Katsuko was out here, to avoid getting hit by stray arrows.

Although, since she was me, there wouldn’t be any stray arrows. We’d both learned accuracy one stable wall repair at a time.

Sasuke handed me a packet containing his contact information and a letter I was to give to his other self. "I hope, that at some point, he will be able to figure out how to communicate with me – or however many versions of me there are."

Unlike me, Sasuke seemed not at all weirded out by the prospect of a multiplicity of selves.

While Katsuko took a private moment to say whatever she needed to say to our father, I gave my goodbyes and thanks to Lord Shingen and Yukimura. "It must have been strange for you two, thank you for putting up with me."

"Surrounded by another vision of my devil? Not strange at all." By now, I knew Shingen well enough to know that the flirting was second nature, as was a dry sense of humor, so I simply bowed to him again.

Yuki just grinned at me and punched me in the arm. "You’re not so bad, dummy." High praise from that one.

Katsuko left Aki’s side and I found myself in a long hug with my alternate… no this isn't weird at all. "Good luck. With everything." That was all she said. But maybe she figured I would know what she meant by 'everything,’ since she was me.

Then, per Sasuke's instructions, I put my arms around Aki, activated the device, and once again, hoped there wouldn’t be any dinosaurs.

There was that sharp buzzing noise, and the world dissolved into grey once again.

All sounds muffled, then faded out.

@selenacosmic

@lorei-writes @bestbryn @lyds323 @tele86 @akitsuneswife

#10things #10 things i hate about Mitsuhide #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #ikesen mitsuhide #mitsuhide monday #mitsuhide akechi #ikesen shingen #ikesen yukimura #ikesen sasuke #oc community #oc katsuko #katsuverse

13 notes · View notes

mollytatlisu · 1 year

Text

Primary Survey Analysis Pt.1

As I began to explain on my first primary survey post; I am going to research into the various characters / films ‘ / musicians that my magazine target market currently view as being in the gothic spotlight, to identify if, how and why they are going to be influential in the future of goth.

Wednesday & The Addams Family

The first appearance of Wednesday Addams on our screens was in the 1964 sitcom the Addams family, which followed the lives of a dysfunctional family, their unusual lifestyle and supernatural abilities. Although this was revamped with a new series in 1998 named “The New Addams Family”, the spin off thats really drawing peoples attention is Netflix’s 2022 show “Wednesday” which as you can imagine focuses on Wednesday, daughter of Morticia and Gomez in The Addams Family. The first and only series tells the story of Wednesdays expulsion from her “mainstream” school, forcing her parents to send her to Nevermore Academy, a school for all types of outcasts; where she uncovers the mystery of the monstrous “Hyde” . But why has this show and Wednesdays character gained so much traction? Based on my research on our societies current landscape, I think the polycrisis state we are currently in is causing young people to strive for an outlet to escape, with Wednesdays mysterious, rebellious, lone wolf portrayal acting as the perfect way for youths to express themselves in such confusing times. This is furthered by my primary research in which I asked why people think they associate, Wednesday in this case with goth. Most peoples reasoning was based around her attitude and the way she holds herself, with some mentioning the indisputable theme of black throughout her wardrobe. The combination of peoples association of Wednesday with goth and their allure towards her means traits of hers could begin to present as a trend.

Evidence that Wednesday has become an influential pop culture icon for Gen z is not only proved by my primary research, but also by statistics on applications such as TikTok and Netflix. For example, according to WGSN, the hashtag #WednesdayOutfit on TikTok has 20.8 million views, and includes thousands of videos in which people attempt to style themselves like Wednesday, using items they have available in their wardrobes. Not only this, but the show itself has broken Netflix streaming records, overtaking the fourth series of stranger things with it racking up a whooping 27 million views just 12 days after its release Campione (2023). This demonstrates how known her character is, increasing the likelihood of her long term influence; and this generations longing to mirror her.

Wednesday does exemplify gothic traits such as her taste for the colour black and her uninviting demeanour, but the scene that was most favoured by it’s audience was what she wore at the “raven dance” this amongst the rest of her outfits illustrates a more glamourous goth aesthetic, that encompasses the staple goth attributes such as chunky boots and … but is less rough around the edges.

In conclusion, based on Gen Zs fascination and glorification of Wednesday Addams fashion choices and attitude demonstrated by her popularity and the millions of videos on TikTok imitating her i believe she is going to be a key driver of my gothic trend; with her character informing a portion of gen zs interpretation of future goth. Based on the comparison of Wednesday Addams and a traditional goth, i think this will translate to dark looks that are much cleaner and almost formal, such as the elegant dress Wednesday wore to the dance which took the internet by storm. Something crucial i also noticed was the similarities between Wednesdays fashion and the mourning attire of the victorian era. Not only are the two connected by fashion but the shows typical gothic scenery such as the school is reflective of the scenery in gothic literature as well as the gloomy industrial wasteland of Britain at the time. Therefore i think that Wednesdays added glamour and the victorian periods inherent romanticism with lead to dark but hyper feminine looks, which is furthered evidenced by gen Zs gender awareness that i explored previously. More specifically, i think this will result in a fixation on dresses amongst all genders, and delicate, sheer materials such as organza and lace; with elements seen sported by Wednesday and Victorians.

Monster high, hex girls etC

Combination of nostalgia, looking back to simpler times & trying to escape current societal landscape

Twilight

Still a huge emphasis on peoples association of vampires with goth dating all the way back to the Victorian period and gothic literature

0 notes

xwestcoastwassyx · 4 years

Text

Short Answer Quiz #3// Due- 20 NOV 2020

1. Determine what kind of social media site you are creating. Then answer the following questions, explaining your decisions. (Remember the key here is to create an ethical algorithm model).

I would create a social media site that run as a microblog – like Twitter or Tumblr – in the sense that I would allow for users to share images, textual work, voice audios and would be able to like and repost another person’s work. The name of my microblog would be “Can You hear Me Now?” and would predominantly be used to openly discuss global issues of oppressions, racisms, sexisms, and further discriminations. The objective of “Can You Hear Me Know?” is to explicitly share your point of view on systemic issues across the glob – with no filter – urging people to listen to what they have to say. The social media blog would call for attention all across the globe and would consist of an inclusive online society where individuals are able to share posts and comment on posts to express their stance on a certain issue. Users would be “heard” as they practice a form of online social activism to address concerns that need to be addressed. My microblog would have people step out of their comfort zone, where they can search for their holistic identity to gain a better sense of who they are as a person and what major change they can do in the world by speaking their voice. However, racist remarks/comments and oppressions will be flagged and will not be acceptable on the microblog. I would establish an online culture that welcomes all ages, race, genders, and nations to come together to address the uncomfortable notions of the White Nationalists who are trying to dominant global culture. I would welcome activist and encourage them to go beyond the form of slacktivism and encourage them to create online movements that are powerful enough to be addressed offline. The algorithms I would use would, again, be tailored to an inclusive online environment. There would be no such thing as virtual redlining – as redlining can be dangerous and can be seen as a form of oppression and further discriminations among the minority races. I would make “Can You Hear Me Now?” easily available to all people coming from all types of social economic statuses. By that, I would create this microblog and structure it in the form of an application – which can be downloaded on a smartphone – and via the Internet on a computer-based tablet or desktop. For those who cannot afford technology, I would encourage users to take their online movements out to the real world – out in the streets – where everyone can be a part of the culture and join in on the new revolution to freedoms.

2. What will you measure? (ex: likes, hashtags, how long someone stays on a page, etc) Be sure to explain all your decisions.

I will measure the amount of likes a blog post receives to better understand the direction to where my online culture is headed. For example, if I see that a Black Lives Matter page is receiving thousands of likes I will address the need and the importance in highlighting the domains that lie between the issues of oppression and discrimination against the male and female Black body. I will encourage all users to come together on this online platform to address this issue of racism and encourage users to continue to fight for what they believe in. Hashtags are a major part of modern online culture; therefore, I would encourage my users to keep enlisting hashtags in their blog posts so that it will be displayed on the majority of user’s feeds. These hashtags can share the importance of a “Blacktag” – as the “blacktag” is huge on other social media platforms for sparking an online and offline movement. As previously mentioned, I would not limit anything and would encourage my users to feel comfortable to vocalize what they believe in and would offer a platform for all cultures, race, ethnicities, and genders to vocalize the issues they face – whether it be Black Lives Matter, etc. The hastags – or blacktags – will allow other users (who may be allies) to join forces on the online blog and continue the conversation on the importance of the global issue and global movements like Black Lives Matter.

3. How will you weight these factors? (rank factors from most important to least important)

These factors will be weighed through carful analyzation as to why users choose to go on “Can You Hear Me Now?”. For example, my executive team – software developers – would ensure that my microblog website has no restrictions and provides a free space for social activisms. However, the microblog will take into consideration the social issues the user is interested in vocalizing in. For example, Tommy is setting up an account for “Can You Hear Me Know?”, as a part of activating his account he will be asked what political issues he would like to discuss and be involved in when logging into the microblog. Let’s say Tommy says he is deciding to join “Can You hear Me Know?” because he is a gay male who constantly faces harassment and discriminations out in the offline world. He wants to be heard, he wants to connect with people who feel his pain and who want to spread love and peace in the offline and online culture. This allows for “Tommy” to connect with other users who share similar and common interests and address the issues gay men – around the globe – face in their residing country. Tommy, an American male, is now connected to gay men from Australia, The United Kingdom, Russia, etc. where they can all express their common experiences of oppression. Tommy is now able to join forces and connect on “Can You Hear Me Now?” because he feels that he is being heard for the first time and wants to vocalize how he feels. This is the most important factor of my microblog. A moderate factor would be asking for Tommy’s age so that he can be around people the same age as he is, that way they can have more of a connection and may feel more relaxed and willing to open up to one another. My microblog would be so diverse and act as a safe haven for those who wish to escape the offline world. A minor factor would be providing your religious background – although religion can be seen as a major factor, “Can You Hear Me Now?” is directed towards hearing everyone for who they are, for the social oppression they face in the offline world that stem from systemic issues. Religion is beautiful and an incredible thing to share and talk among one another, however, my blog would be more directed towards – yet again – social oppression of race, sex, culture, and gender.

4. What factors will not be measured? (what will not be measured in your algorithm and why)

I have previously mentioned religion as being a minimal factor that would be measured, or not measure, because of the fact that my microblog aims at correction and fixing social oppression and allowing for individuals from all over the world to be heard and share their struggles they have gone through. Relationship status would not be measure in my microblog, a lot of blogs and social media websites ask for too much information – such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, no one needs to know if Tommy – a newer user of “Can You Hear Me Now?” – is single, married, in a relationship, or divorced. They only need to know what Tommy stands for – Tommy is a gay American male who is fighting for his right to live in an offline world where people would no longer judge him for his sexual preferences. Tommy is trying to connect with gay men from around the world – not for the purpose of dating – but for the purpose of expressing his hurt through vocalizing the hardships he has experienced through the act of posting a picture, a textual post, a video recording, or even the movement of a hashtag.

5. How will the model learn or adapt to new information? (this can include changes in language, etc)

The algorithms that are place on “Do You hear Me Now?” would include programing that would make appropriate suggestions that cater and benefit to the individuals needs. This entails that if Tommy is constantly looking up Gay Rights Movements in his search bar, the algorithms and technology will automatically introduce him to a feed of the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage across the nation or a historical event such as The Stonewall riots. This is crucially important to recollect on because Tommy lives in America, the algorithms know this because when Tommy was creating his profile on “Can You hear Me Now?”, he mentioned that he lived in the United States. The algorithms will be structure to benefit the individual rather than harm them or “redline” them out of oppression and unethical standards. The algorithms work together to help Tommy stay connected and to help him on the issues of gay rights in the American offline culture.

6. What biases will be built into the model? How will this change the algorithm’s outcome?

I think my own personal biases would definitely interfere with the creation of my microblog, which is why I would hire a team that come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences – a diverse technological team that creates the computational inputs and outputs of the algorithms. However, if I hired a group of people who thought just like I did or who went through the same experiences I did it would lead to the problem of personal bias. Being a gay male in my mid-twenties, I would probably focus too much on gay rights issues in American culture. Knowing this, as previously mentioned, I would hire a diverse team who comes from multiple backgrounds – nationalities, sex, gender, etc. – so that we can complete the mission statement of tailoring each experience to our online users.

7. How will the model live out the (un)ethical practices we have discussed?

The model and formulation of my blog would be inclusive as it would take ethical standards into consideration. Recently – in this course – we have learned about the systemic issues of racisms in the American culture and how mass media portrays the Black body as “thuggish” and “unnatural”. “Do You Hear Me Now?” would address these issues and would promote the beauty of the Black body and black hair by applying ethical standards that help destroy the issues of oppression. I would encourage users that my blog is definitely an open space for communicating on all issues, however, I would not want my users to get too comfortable on the online platform and would want them to take their measures offline so that they can make an even bigger impact and difference in the world. I mentioned that all were welcome, and they are. But, if they are members of a hate group – such as the White Supremacists – I would not allow for that type of hate to grow any further, especially on my microblog and for what I represent. This is how I can provide an ethical standard, by allowing for all groups and people from all over the world to vocalize their oppressions and to be heard – encouraging social activism both online and offline – but, I would not tolerate the continuity of hate groups to be on my blog.

#wgst320 fall2020

8 notes · View notes

crazy-little-cool-cat · 5 years

Text

Hand in Glove - Chapter 24 | Ben Hardy x OFC

A/N: I’m a shooting star leaping through the skies like a tiger, defying the laws of gravity. Don’t stop me now. Also, y’all can thank the Jewish holidays for giving me so much free time to write. This chapter was written in collaboration with @ramibaby. My dear, thank you for sacrificing your fics for this chapter. You are a champion.

Word Count: Laughs nervously.

Warnings: There’s smut. Also, I’m kind of making fun of fanfics in this one, which means I’m making fun of myself, mostly, so please, fellow writer - do not take this seriously. This is pure fun. If you’re confused by this statement, just read the chapter and your issues will be resolved.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14 , Chapter 15 , Chapter 16 , Chapter 17 , Chapter 18 , Chapter 19 , Chapter 20 , Chapter 21 , Chapter 22 , Chapter 23

“Bullocks.”

“I’m telling you, Jamie. They hated it.”

“Sweet Clara,” Jamie shook his head and pursed his lips, “they’re lying. At least one of them is.”

“Who’s lying?” Annie startled them both.

“You are.” Jamie said, tongue in cheek.

“Enlighten me.” Annie crossed her arms.

“We’ve kissed, what, trillions of times?” Jamie asked. “Not one of them was like kissing a croc. Or an eel.”

“How do you even know -”

“The Snitcher here told me all about it.” Jamie patted Clara’s head. “Anyways, someone’s lying.”

Annie took a deep breath.

“Well, then?” Jamie tapped his foot as he waited for Annie to either tear him a new asshole or come clean. “Which one is it?”

“I mean, it wasn’t that bad.” Annie said, looking at the ground.

“Oh, no…” Clara took a step back while Jamie lifted his closed fist and released it, dropping an invisible mic. “Annie, what are you saying?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Annie shrugged. “Did I make a whole show of it to get you knuckleheads to stop? Yes. But so did Joe.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, the plot thickens!” Jamie leered.

“Fuck off, Jamie.” Annie shot back. “Look, did I like the way Joe kissed me? No. Not really. He’s too gentle.”

“But?” Clara prodded on.

“But it wasn’t as horrible as we both said it was.” Annie said casually. “Will I do it again now that I know what it’s like? Nope.”

“Jamie?” Clara looked at the tall redhead.

Jamie squinted suspiciously at Annie, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

“She’s telling the truth.”

###

“How many more of these do we have left?” Ben rubbed his face with both hands and threw his head back against the back of the sofa he, Gwilym, Rami and Joe were crammed in since the morning. “If I have to answer the same bloody questions again…”

They finally got a break. Gwilym decided to go stretch his legs a bit and Rami went out for a smoke, leaving Ben and Joe alone in the room.

“I know, right?” Joe grumbled.

“Can I ask you something?” Ben removed his hands and turned his head to look at Joe.

“Shoot.”

“You liked kissing her, didn’t you?”

“Look, Ben, I don’t want to hurt your feelings…”

“So, you did.”

“It wasn’t as horrible as we made it seem, no.” Joe started. “But I didn’t like the way she kissed me, man.”

“What?”

“She’s too aggressive.” Joe shrugged. “The lip biting thing? I don’t like it.”

“Wait -”

“I mean, she’s not a bad kisser at all.” Joe rephrased. “Very... passionate.”

“Huh.”

“Just a bit too much for my liking.”

“Good. That’s good.” Ben straightened up. “So it won’t happen again?”

“No.” Joe smiled. “Although, her kiss did make me wonder what your sex life is like.”

“Amazing, actually.”

###

Annie stared at her phone, scratching her head in confusion. After looking through her texts while Ben filled the car with petrol, she had half a mind to pay someone to build a flying saucer for her and her family leave this planet forever.

“What’s wrong?” Ben said as he put on his seat-belt.

“The world.”

“Uh?”

“There’s people out there pining over Clara and me. Like, romantically.”

“Come again?” Ben adjusted the rear view mirror and smiled when Rory’s reflection appeared. “What are you on about?”

“They call us Clannie, Ben.”

“What?”

“They’re writing stories about Clara and me as a couple. Graphic stuff.”

“Can you send me a link to one of them?” Ben smirked.

“No!” Annie shuddered. “You sick, sick man!”

“Could be hot.” He shrugged.

“So could the stories about you, Gwilly and Joe.” Annie smirked back.

“What, like Gwil and me, Joe and me, and Gwil and Joe?”

“No, no,” Annie stifled a chuckle. “All three of you at once.”

Ben blinked, staring at the road ahead.

“Da!”

“Yeah, baby?” Ben replied instinctively, before slamming his foot on the breaks. “Did she just call me Da?”

“She’s six months old, I’m not sure babies start talking at that age.”

“She called me Da.” Ben insisted.

“She’s a babbling blob, Ben.” Annie rolled her eyes. “She didn’t call you Da.”

“She said her first word and it was Da.”

“Ben, you’re being irrational.”

“You’re jealous.”

“Da! Ba! Bfffffffffff!” Rory continued.

“I know, Rory,” Annie turned around in her seat, “but doing press interviews can make anyone hear things.”

“Sssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“You’re absolutely right.” Annie replied. “But we love him anyways.”

###

If there’s one thing Annie hated the most about promoting season two of Greensleeves, it’s doing the interviews and late-night talk shows. Same questions, different people. It got tiresome. She managed to play the “Baby Card” more times than she’d expected... Until the producers realised what she was doing and the proverbial party was officially over.

“So, is the cast really that close?” Jason, the host, asked Clara and Annie.

“Some are closer than others.” Annie replied, surprisingly diplomatically. “Jamie and I have known each other before and Clara and I basically grew up together, so that was inevitable.”

“The previous George Boleyn was alright, I suppose. He didn’t last too long, though.” Clara chimed in. “But the new guy? We love Mike.”

“Oh yeah, he fit right in.” Annie smiled. “As far as the older cast members - we look up to them, but we don’t share our nonsense with them too much.”

“What about Jane Seymour’s character?” Jason asked.

“Well, we haven’t met her yet.” Annie confessed. “The production team’s goal was for art to truly imitate life and they want my reaction to be as genuine as possible. We haven’t filmed the part she comes into the picture just yet.”

“We don’t even know who she is, to be honest.” Clara added.

“I suspect someone messed up and forgot to cast a Jane, really.” Annie shrugged.

“Careful, there, Annabelle.” Jason chuckled. “Keep calling the production team out like that and you’ll end up fired.”

“I’ll be beheaded either way.”

“And what a glorious sight it will be.” Clara cheekily teased her.

“You two seem to have an amazing bond.” Jason admitted. “Do you ever fight?”

“All couples do.” Clara answered and Jason audibly gasped. “We don’t like to be too public about our tiffs.”

“Clara, you blithering fool…” Annie smacked her own forehead dramatically.

“Well, since you ladies brought it up -”

“Not this lady.” Annie muttered, pointing at herself.

“- what exactly is Clannie? I assume you’ve heard the term before.”

Clara and Annie exchanged amused smiles and sighed simultaneously.

“The bane of my existence.” Annie replied.

“Basically, I stumbled upon it the other day after a fan sent me a private message on Instagram, saying there’s an actual hashtag people use when they talk about Annie and I.”

“Sounds innocent enough.” Jason shrugged.

“Oh, you dirty, dirty man.” Clara joked. “You know damn well where this is going.”

“You seem to be enjoying this!” Jason laughed.

“Believe me, she loves every bloody minute of it.” Annie chimed in.

“Right, so as I snooped around I found that Clannie is like a code name for Annie and I as a couple.”

“Aha.”

“And the more I delved in, the more entertaining it got. People are writing some pretty wild fanfiction stories about us.”

“Is it really all fiction?” Jason asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you’ll look at the screen here,” Jason turned back a little where a huge image behind the scenes of Greensleeves appeared. It was one of Annie licking cake off Clara’s face, “the show’s Instagram page is like fodder for the Clannie enthusiasts.”

“Oh my God, I forgot about that!” Annie burst out laughing. “It was Clara’s birthday! Season one! Jamie took this picture, actually. Right after I smashed Clara’s face into that cake.”

“It’s tradition.” Clara explained. “The cake licking part was definitely improvised.”

###

“Ben?”

“In here!”

Annie followed the sound of Ben’s voice and found him in the living room, folding laundry while watching whatever was on the telly.

“I am absolutely shattered.” Annie wrapped her hands around Ben’s waist and looked up at him. “Longest day in my entire life.”

“Likewise.” Ben murmured and kissed her. “Just got home a couple of hours ago. When I picked Rory up from my mum’s she was already asleep.”

“God, I wish I could be her for a day.”

“Yeah? Want me to give you baths and carry you in my arms and nibble on your little bum after I change your nappy?” Ben raised an eyebrow. “Just say the word. Also Joe and Gwil shot a weird little bit today when they read what Tumblr users said about the movie and cast and do people not wank anymore?”

“I, uh…” Annie was at a loss for words.

“How was your day?”

“If I have to hear about Clannie again I will definitely clock someone.” Annie released her grip on Ben and collapsed on the sofa. “Why are people so obsessed with this?”

“Two hot birds doing naughty things?” Ben shrugged. “I can see the appeal of it.”

“Ben, no.”

“Don’t be such a prude, now, love.” He put the last item of folded clothing in the hamper and flopped down next to Annie, his hand trailing up her thigh.

“Ben…”

“I missed you, alright?” his fingers poked their way under the waistband of her leggings. “I can’t stop missing you.”

“Ben, seriously, I’m so tired.” She grumped as he slid off the sofa and positioned himself in front of her, nudging her legs open. “I missed you too but -”

“Let me do all the work.” He looked up at her through his eyelashes as his hands gripped her waistband again. He looked up at Annie with his best puppy dog eyes and waited for her consent. With a sigh, she lifted her bum up, letting Ben pull her leggings and knickers down in one swift motion. “Good girl.”

###

When Ben’s phone rang for the fifth time and Gwilym’s name showed up on the screen yet again, he knew something was either horribly wrong or that Gwilym is drunk and emotional. Glancing at Annie, they both sighed in resignation before taking the FaceTime call.

“Have you been drinking?” Annie asked when Clara showed up on the screen. “What kind of fuckery is this?”

“We found a good story and we just had to share, alright? Calm your tits, Annie. It’s not a Clannie.” Clara rolled her eyes. “Why won’t Joe pick up?”

“I just texted him to pick up.” Ben shoved the screen into view. “As his husband, he’ll surely listen to me.”

“Bugger off!” Gwil turned his phone around and flipped him the bird.

“Why have I been summoned?” Joe asked, his face appearing on the screen.

“Well, we have a treat for you!” Clara practically sang.

“A treat?”

“Yours socks are going to fly right off, mate.” Gwil added as Clara pulled the story up on her phone. “You’re not ready for this.”

With a devilish smile to the camera, Clara cleared her throat and began.

“’Joe…?’ Ben croaked, eyes still closed, brow low and fingers wrapped firmly around his length over his jeans.” Clara started reading.

“Off to a good start.” Annie teased.

“It gets better.” Clara commented. “Right, where was I? Ah. There.” She snickered. “Suddenly, his eyes shot open and they landed on you once again; glassy and dazed they were as he stared you down, stroking himself with more purpose. He looked at you with such focus and intent, it was as though he was about to devour you whole. You looked at him with such longing, it was as though you were about to let him. ‘Undress… h-her.’ His words came out in a strangled whine and he bit his lip, looking over your body expectantly as Joe wordlessly obliged.” Clara raised her eyes from the screen and huffed. “Gwil, stop smiling like that!”

“What in the bloody hell is this?” Ben was visibly annoyed. “I do not whine. Annie, tell them I don’t whine!”

“He really doesn’t.” Annie nodded. “But Joe doing everything Ben says? That person hit the nail on the head right there.”

“Hey!” Joe’s brows knotted. “I don’t do everything he says!”

“But you do.” Ben and Annie choired.

“Shut up, you two-headed-monster.”

“People, can we please focus on the important stuff? There’s more to read here.” Clara scolded them. “Let’s see… Oh, this is good! Your nerves grew as a pair of warm hands rounded your shoulders from behind. Joe must have felt you tense up a little as he leaned down to murmur in your ear, ‘Alright, Y/N?’ The ghost of his words made you shiver on their way past.”

“Who the fuck is Whyanne?” Ben interrupted.

“Sounds like some hillbilly from a West Virginian trailer park with a potato gun and a cousin with missing teeth.” Joe added.

“What?” Clara was visibly confused.

“Who’s Whyanne and why did I tell Joe to undress her? This makes no bloody sense.”

“It’s written as Y-slash-N, you knobs.” Gwil explained. “Carry on, doll.”

“Anyways.” Clara continued. “You smiled at his redundant question - of course you weren’t.”

“I don’t like where this is going.” Joe commented. “Sounds a bit rapey.”

“Just let me finish!” Clara groaned. “You were certain your panties were soaked through at the mere sight of them - a fact you felt too compelling to keep to yourself. With that in mind, you shook your head slowly from side to side, eyes still on Ben before you, your chest inflating as you drew in a deep breath. Ben shot you a confused look, concerned you were having second thoughts.”

“Yeah, this is definitely rapey.” Joe concluded.

“Joe, if you won’t let her finish a bloody paragraph, so help me God…” Annie threatened, clearly invested in the story.

“Thank you, Banana!” Clara put a hand over her heart with a grateful smile. “Wait I lost my spot again… duh-duh-duh… there it is!” She smiled triumphantly. “Here we go. Hold on to your manties, gentlemen, this is about to get steamy.” She took a deep breath and got into character. “‘No,’ you breathed, tilting your head back to look at Joe. You reached a hand up to cup his jaw as he looked down at you, a look of worry overtaking his soft features.”

“My features aren’t soft.” Joe muttered. “They’re manly and feral.”

“Of course they are, bub.” Annie reassured him.

“Guys! Come on!” Clara snapped her fingers at the camera. “Focus!”

“Sorry.” Annie said sheepishly.

“’I’m so fucking wet and…”

“Whoa, whoa!” Ben cut her off. “Gwilym, control your woman!”

“She’s reading the story, you saggy tit.” Gwil explained.

“Joe emitted a soft whine -” Clara paused, knowing an interruption is due. “Joe, sweetheart, this sounds like something you’d do, don’t even think about denying it.” She pointed at the camera. “- Joe emitted a soft whine and his expression shifted; his eyes dark and nostrils flaring as his grip on your shoulders tightened. Pushing your ass back against his crotch, you disclosed, ‘…I think I’ve ruined my favourite…” Clara burst out laughing. “Sorry. ‘I’ve ruined my favourite -” the pitch in her voice rose ten octaves at the last syllable as she tried to stop laughing like a madwoman. “My favourite…” Clara was absolutely wheezing. She tried to finish the sentence, but all that came out of her was a screechy, “laaaaaace-pannnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeee”.

“What?” Ben looked at Annie in utter bewilderment. Annie shrugged in response.

“What was that last part?” Joe scratched his head as he tried to make sense of Clara’s incoherent shrieking.

“Lace panties.” Gwilym’s voice saved the day and translated his hysterical girlfriend’s nonsensical mumbling. “She ruined her favourite lace panties.”

“Oh.” Joe, Ben and Annie choired.

“Clara, compose yourself.” Gwil chuckled as she physically doubled over, tears running down, her laughter leaving her breathless. Moving to sit next to her and switch to the front camera on his device, he took Clara’s phone from her. “Right, guess I’m going to take charge now. You furrowed your brow, your mouth ajar as you began to slowly grind against him, your hand never leaving the side of his face as his eyes bore into yours.” Gwilym paused. “Seems anatomically impossible if her back is against you unless you have a freakishly long neck.”

“I thought she was looking at Ben?” Joe asked.

“She’s clearly looking at you, Joe.” Annie quipped.

“Joe tried to keep his composure - to play along in the same teasingly innocent tone as yours, but the feeling of you moving against him must have been a little to much to bear as he stuttered ‘oh n-no…” Gwilym snorted. “Wow Joe, got a little excited there, hm? His hands trailed down your waist before resting on your hips. He held onto them tight as he pushed his clothed hard on against you with such force you drew in a deep breath.”

“Oh, wow.” Annie leaned back, her eyes wide. “The power of Joe’s boner really got her there.”

“His voice was low as he murmured, ‘surely we can - ugh,” he licked his bottom lip, eyes closing a moment as you felt his cock twitch against your ass - he was just as worked up as you.” Gwilym paused there, mulling over what he had just read aloud. “Joe, whoever wrote this seems to think you have a speech impediment.”

“Right?!” Joe asked, “Why do I keep stuttering?! I’m the most charismatic one!”

“Anyways.” Gwilym said, ignoring Joe’s last comment. “His eyes fluttered open and he continued, ‘surely we can make it up to you’. ‘I’d like that Joey…’ you smiled.”

Joe, Ben and Annie waited, not sure if that was it or if there’s more to the story. After a minute of Clara’s heaving and the rest sitting in silence, Annie finally spoke.

“To be fair,” she looked at Ben, “if it weren’t for the lace panties, I’d be willing to bet cold hard cash that Gwil wrote that for himself to read.”

###

“Hey, Joe! I bought something for you to take on your tour!” Annie beamed mischievously.

It was the night the guys - minus Ben - were leaving for the press tour and Annie went out on a whim earlier that day and decided to tease Joe in the best way she could possibly imagine.

“Well? What is it?” Joe asked impatiently.

They were all gathered at Annie and Ben’s, from which the car to the airport was picking the rest of the guys up. Ben was mopey and miserable, a stark contrast to Annie’s cheeriness.

“Close your eyes.” Annie drawled.

“I’d rather keep them open, actually.”

“Alright then.” Annie shrugged and left the room to fetch Joe’s present. She returned with a life-sized cardboard cutout of Ben. “Ta-daaa!”

“I love it!” Joe gushed and rushed over to her, taking the present and looking it over. “What’s his name?”

“I call him Ben Cardy.” Annie said proudly. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh Ben!” Joe’s smile was so wide, his face could split in half. “It’s like you’ll be with us after all!”

###

Ben was staring at his phone intently, his hand lazily palming his crotch. He knew he shouldn’t have done that. He should not have gone down the Clannie rabbit-hole. But Annie was away at work, Rory was napping, and he just felt compelled to at least give it a look. He almost hung from the bedroom ceiling fan when Annie cleared her throat, announcing her presence. He dropped his phone with a yelp.

“Jesus, Annie!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Annie choked back a chuckle. “Also, surprise!”

“Why are you home?” Ben fumbled for his phone.

“Well, this is not what I was hoping you’d say.”

“Sorry, I mean -”

“I can leave if you want me to.” Annie suggested.

“What? No. Shut up.” Ben rambled. “Why are you home so early?”

“I figured you’d be sad and lonely now that the guys are away and decided to surprise you and come home early.” Annie shrugged. “Clearly, this isn’t the reaction I was expecting.”

“Christ. I’m sorry.” Ben’s face was beet-red. “I’m happy you’re home, obviously.”

“What do you have there?”

“Nothing.” Ben powered the screen off and tossed his phone aside. “C’mere.”

“No, there’s definitely something.” Annie stepped back and shook her head. “Was that porn?”

Ben had only a split second to think about a satisfactory answer that wasn’t also a total lie.

“Yes.”

“Well, that explains the tent you’re sporting.” Annie smirked. “Were you just getting started?”

“Uh.” Ben furrowed his brows.

“Alright. What’s up?” Annie pointed at Ben’s crotch. “Other than that.”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Shame flashed in Ben’s eyes. “Just regular porn, y’know.”

“Ben.”

“Annie.”

“Give me the phone.”

“No.”

“Are you…” Annie grimaced. “Are you sexting someone?”

“What? No!”

“You’re hiding something.”

“Annie, just let it go.”

“Fuck off. Give me the phone.”

Ben bit his bottom lip as he contemplated his next course of action. Either he tells Annie what’s on his phone, or he tries to distract her long enough for her to forget about it. When Annie lunged forward and made grabby-hands at his phone, his instincts kicked in. He physically blocked her.

“Annie, stop.”

“What the fuck!”

“It’s a Clannie story, alright?!” he almost growled at her. “There. Now you know.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Ben, that’s…” Annie struggled to find the proper adjective.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Ben looked mortified. “I was bored and lonely. It’s horrible.”

“Then why are you hard?”

“Because it turns me on.”

“I’m confused.”

“Look, it’s not Hemingway, alright?” Ben groaned. “But the stuff this person wrote? The mental image I have planted in my brain now?”

“Good Lord.”

“Just come here. Listen.”

“Have you gone utterly bonkers, Jones?”

“Seriously. Come here.” He patted the empty space on the bed next to him.

Muttering to herself, Annie did as asked and snuggled up to her boyfriend.

“Right, so I’m skipping the beginning because that was just all kinds of blah.” Ben’s voice had an animated quality to it as he scrolled. “There. Listen.”

“You’re awful.” Annie mumbled. “This is domestic abuse.”

“Shut up.” Ben got comfortable and began. “’I’ve never been with a woman before…’ Clara confessed shyly, avoiding Annie’s piercing gaze.”

“Starting off with a lie, I see.” Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes, trying to stop Ben from reading any further.

“Annie simply smiled at how bashful Clara had become. Reaching out, Annie tucked a wayward strand of hair behind Clara’s ear. Clara leaned into it smiling softly as her eyes met Annie’s once again. ‘Would you like to?’ Annie asked boldly -”

“Alright, stop right there.” Annie sat up straighter. “I am sick and tired of everyone feeling like Clara is this sweet, innocent, baby angel all the time and I’m some she-devil, maneater, sex-crazed banshee.”

“You were cast as Anne Boleyn for a reason, love.”

“That’s besides the point! Clara is a filthy, naughty little elf!”

“Right. Anyhow.” Ben cleared his throat. “‘Would you like to?’ Annie asked boldly sitting up on her heels so their faces were only inches apart. She could feel Clara’s warm breath ghost her cheeks as she replied quietly, ‘yes.’”

Ben paused and waited for Annie’s outraged reaction.

“No comment?” He asked, genuinely surprised.

“Nope. You know, with me being such a bloody whore and enticing sweet blondes into sex all the time and whatnot. Carry on.”

“I mean, where’s the lie, though?”

“In case you forgot, you kissed me on our first date. And convinced me to have unprotected sex.”

“You should thank me for it.” Ben booped Annie’s nose with his finger. “Gave us Rory.”

“Goddamn it. You’re right.”

“Let me just find where I was when you so rudely interrupted me and scared the shit out of me…” he scrolled through the story. “There. ‘Fuck Clara, so good!’ Annie moaned, bare chest heaving as she grasped at the bed sheets beneath her. For someone who had never been with a woman before, Clara certainly knew how to use her tongue in a way that had Annie screaming in delight.”

“This? This makes you horny?” Annie snorted.

“Shut up.” Ben kept scrolling. “Oh, this bit is juicy. ‘Thought about this for so long.’ Annie breathed, her fingers parting Clara’s slick folds and spreading her wetness around. Slick folds?” Ben blinked at the screen.

“My ears feel like they’ve been sexually assaulted.”

“Slick folds. Okay.” Ben took a second to recover. “Hmmm… ‘Thought about what your sweet voice would sound like moaning my name.” Annie continued. Clara’s breath hitched and hips jerked as Annie began lazily circling her engorged clit -”

“Oh my God that’s not even remotely sexy.” Annie covered her mouth with her hand. “Engorged clit?!”

“-’Fuck, Annie, make me cum!’ Clara almost sobbed.”

“Alright, stop. I’m the one almost sobbing.” Annie looked up at Ben as if she’d seen a ghost. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know, but my cock is throbbing.”

###

“Do you two even realise what you’ve done?” Greensleeves’ executive producers were beyond livid. “The fans are furious!”

“They’re furious?!” Annie barked back. “Did you even see the utter shit that’s out there?!”

“It’s not that bad.” Clara shrugged. “Some of it’s pretty good.”

“Clara, if you don’t zip it -” Annie muttered, clenching her fists.

“Ben seemed to like it.” Clara blurted out in anger.

“Oh?” Jamie’s ears perked up. “Our little Benny Boy wants to see his girl get it on with her best friend?”

“Stay out of it, James.” If looks could kill, Jamie would be dead, resurrected and killed again, for good measure.

“Not a chance, Annabelle.”

“You imbeciles need to stop being so rude to our fans.” The executive leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, pointing at the trio. “If they want to write porn about the three of you, you shut up and look the other way. You don’t go on national television and bitch about it!” he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“I’m guessing Ben won’t be into any Jannie stories, then?” Jamie quipped and earned a slap to the back of his head. “Ow!”

“Any publicity is good publicity?” Clara asked timidly.

“I mean, some of our fans loved our honesty. They’re all about Team Clannie now.” Annie said.

“Yeah, and some of them are planning to assassinate you for being evil enough to seduce Ben Hardy and Gwilym Lee with your witch-magic superpowers.” Mike finally spoke. “You two are in for some serious rounds of online shit-talking, ladies. Enjoy.”

#########

TAGLIST: @ramibaby @xgoingdownx @qweenly @violetpond @sweeterthancheese @drummerqueenrmt @westansstuff @justgivemethekeys @blondecarfucker @cheeseedreams47 @deacy-dearest @pinkmarvel @onceuponadetectivedemigod

42 notes · View notes

michaelconlon-blog1 · 4 years

Text

Keep Buffalo Clean

Michael Conlon

Keep Buffalo Clean

Littering is an issue that occurs across the planet. Living in the United States of America, when I travel, I always see garbage laying around, where it shouldn’t be. I never realized how bad of a problem it was until I was lucky enough to travel to different countries, and realized how clean they were compared to us. When I got back home, the first thing I saw as I left the baggage claim of the airport was garbage laying in the street. Not only that, but I also witnessed multiple people throw garbage from their cars out the window. This is when I realized that this sort of behavior was not acceptable, and their needed to be a change. That’s when I came up with the idea of Keep Buffalo Clean.

Compared to where I live on Long Island, I can honestly say that Buffalo looks a lot better than my hometown, although it is not perfect. Buffalo has some spots where there is no garbage, but they have spots that are filled with garbage. The Buffalo News posted an article about some areas of buffalo are covered in plastic and other forms of garbage then can do bad things for the Environment “A big issue with today’s litter is that it is plastic-based. When it gets into the environment, it creates problems. ‘Fast-food packaging and grocery packaging including bags, cigarette butts, bottles, straws, etc., are common things that we find littering our landscapes.’” Litter is always bad for the environment, but plastic itself can be the most toxic of all. Because some forms of plastic are easy to break, it can spread to many areas. Plastic being broken down into small pieces can find their ways into waterways. When this happens, it can affect the human health. Now, you have litter affecting the health of not only yourself, but the people around you. That’s a whole new kind of dangerous. Luckily, this article also states that people are aware of this problem, and some people even organize an event where they come together and clean up certain areas of Buffalo. “Later this spring, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper will host its 14th annual Shoreline Sweep. It’s scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon May 11. The event is the largest single-day cleanup in the Buffalo Niagara region with more than 2,000 volunteers picking up trash from about 60 sites. ‘Last year we removed over 20 tons of trash from our shorelines in that two-hour period,” said Jennifer Fee, spokeswoman for Waterkeeper. “This year, the sweep is an anchor event in Waterkeeper Weekend, which kicks off Western New York’s water season.’” It is very encouraging to see people in the area actually care about the environment, but more people need to be involved, and this is definitely a step in the right direction.

There is an article on a website called Buffalo Rising, and they posted an article called “Addressing Litter in Buffalo – What’s the Answer?” This article does a very good job of bringing to light the issue of littering, and they do this by comparing the snow cleaning to garbage cleaning. They bring up a point in how when it snows, the city of Buffalo makes sure that the streets are clear, so the snowplows can clear all the snow out of the area. But “Unlike snowplows that are let loose on designated sides of the street, depending on parking ordinances, there are no designated days to clear a side of the street for street cleaners. Even if there was a street cleaner on the prowl. Is that why there are no sightings of street cleaners anywhere? Is it because they can’t get to the curbs?” The point they are trying to make here is that there is absolutely nothing getting in the way of the snow plows when they are cleaning, but when street cleaners are trying to clean, the roads are completely filled, with running traffic as well as cars parked along the sides of the roads, making it very difficult for people to clean up the streets. They then show a picture of a bunch of garbage piled up along a street in Buffalo, proving their point. If the city really cared about cleaning up the streets of Buffalo, they should make a time during the morning or night times to make sure the roads are clear for street cleaners to do their jobs. The article also mentions how there was a person who sent the author an email explaining how much the litter he saw bothered not only him but his entire family. The city of Buffalo was nice as a whole, but the litter made it a bad experience for them. This is exactly why we need to work together as a community, because the reputation of Buffalo is not as good as it should be.

The Buffalo News has an article titled “My View: Litter is laying waste to our cities and towns”, where a citizen of Buffalo talks about all the garbage they see on the commute to their job. They also talk about the most common types of garbage that they see. They top the list with cigarette butts. There are many of those scattered around the sidewalks and they just increase in numbers day after day. Another common item are a variety of different cans and bottles. They also mention how the 5-cent deposit of trading those in must not matter to some people, because they throw them out their windows anyway. Maybe an increase in the amount you get for recycling would lead to more people saving their cans and disposing them properly. They also mention liquor bottles that are all over the place. It is mind boggling how people just do not care about this. “Team coaches and parents, as your teams come and go from our parks have your team clear the area of litter, leaving the area better than when you arrived.

Landscapers and lawn services, please do not just mow over the litter, shredding it into multiple pieces and making it more difficult to pick up. “Business owners, please do regular rounds of your property, parking lots included. Just 15 minutes a day would go far. City and town sanitation departments, please have more frequent pickups for public garbage cans, and maybe more such containers available. Construction site managers, please be aware of the litter you are creating to minimize its effect on your surroundings. Clubs, organizations, schools, please take up the cause, even teach what littering does to our environment.” When people see litter, most of them thin that someone else will clean it up. They don’t bother. Other people even add on to the litter because they think they are doing no harm, because it is already there. If people actually cared and picked up after themselves, they wouldn’t have to worry about seeing litter. Little things like picking up something you see on the floor can make the city of Buffalo much cleaner then it currently is.

Although littering in Buffalo is an issue that needs lots of work and awareness, there are some people in the community that have actually got involved in helping cleaning the streets. The article “This week in Litter – University Heights, Grant Street, and Allentown” found on Buffalo Rising, a group called the Allentown Litter Mob goes around their town and helps clean up the litter on their streets. They gathered up around nine volunteers to go out to different parts of the city and collect litter. They meet every third Thursday of the month from 6pm-7pm. If they had more volunteers, they could most likely work a lot more, but because of the lack of people in their group, it is difficult for the people to take time out of their days to help out with this cause. “This group, which meets the third Thursday of the month at Fat Bob’s, from 6pm, could use a few more helpful hands. If we all pitch in, this city will be more beautiful than ever, right?” If more people get involved, they can change the perception that other people may have about Buffalo. The article also talks about how they have now increased the fine of littering in Buffalo to $75, which is an upgrade If this law is actually enforced, then it should limit the amount of people who think that it is okay to throw leftovers out their window. One thing that is also mentioned is that only one sign has been located that states this fine, which is not good because less people will see it. If more signs are made, then more people will see it, which will limit the amount of litter that is found, hopefully. If people simply don’t care, then the fine for littering should be increased even more. The higher the fine is, the less likely people will litter. They don’t want to pay the fine. Whatever it takes for people to stop. The city knows this, and they should not be afraid to take advantage. It seems that the Allentown Litter Mob appreciated the shutout that they got, because they ended up inviting the author of the article I just mentioned in their next cleanup. In a different article, “This Week in Litter – Buffalo Trash Talkers”, the author who was invited from the previous article talks about her experience in helping this group clean. “After posting a shout out on Buffalo Rising, nine volunteers met earlier today to tackle the mess on West Ferry, emanating one block east from the corner of Grant Street. We met over at Albert’s café for coffee at 10am, before embarking upon the cleanup. I’ve been involved with a lot of cleanups over the years, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Over the course of a couple of blocks, we accumulated upwards of ten garbage bags of litter.” This group does an outstanding job of helping clean the streets of Buffalo, although it may not sound like that much, they do it with a small number of people, and they work very hard to clean their home. If more people get involved in groups like Allentown Litter Mob, Buffalo can be a much cleaner place. WKBW Buffalo news had a clip on their news cast that explained a new hashtag on social media that is made for motivating people to stop littering, called #Trashtag. People post this hashtag with a picture somewhere in Buffalo where there is a lot of garbage, and then following that picture is a picture of the area fully cleaned. It is so good to see people using social media to raise awareness for littering in Buffalo, and it has been spreading across users in Buffalo.

There are many people in buffalo trying to make a difference and clean up after themselves, but much more people are needed to be able to truly make a difference. My organization, Keep Buffalo Clean, is hopefully going to make people want to come together and make that change. I will definitely be using the Trashtag hashtag and try to unite as many people as I can to clean this place up. Let’s make Buffalo a better, cleaner place.

Works Cited

Pignataro, T.J. “Buffalo's Windy Winter Gives Way to a Litter-Filled Spring.” The Buffalo News, The Buffalo News, 28 Mar. 2019, buffalonews.com/2019/03/27/trashy-leftovers-from-wnys-winter-beckon-calls-for-citizen-cleanups/.

Queenseyes. “Addressing Litter in Buffalo - What's the Answer?” Buffalo Rising, 14 Aug. 2018, www.buffalorising.com/2018/08/addressing-litter-in-buffalo-whats-the-answer/.

Queenseyes. “This Week in Litter - Buffalo Trash Talkers.” Buffalo Rising, 22 Sept. 2018, www.buffalorising.com/2018/09/this-week-in-litter-buffalo-trash-talkers/.

Queenseyes. “This Week in Litter - University Heights, Grant Street, and Allentown.” Buffalo Rising, 16 Aug. 2018, www.buffalorising.com/2018/08/this-week-in-litter-university-heights-grant-street-and-allentown/.

Thornburg, Rebecca. “#Trashtag Challenge Motivating People to Stop Littering.” WKBW, 14 Mar. 2019, www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/trashtag-challenge-motivating-people-to-stop-littering.

View, My. “My View: Litter Is Laying Waste to Our Cities and Towns.” The Buffalo News, The Buffalo News, 30 June 2018, buffalonews.com/2018/06/29/my-view-litter-is-laying-waste-to-our-cities-and-towns/.

2 notes · View notes

blackgirltalksback · 6 years

Text

Loud Mouth: Deria Matthews

Photos by Alex Revina

"Black women will always be too loud for a world that never intended on listening to us."

Growing up I quickly learned that it was dangerous for a Black girl to speak up for herself. My voice was policed from the jump and if I had a response I was seen as talking back or acting grown or ghetto. These labels made me fearful of using my voice to provoke change and making noise about things I felt were unjust. However, as I've grown older I've recognized the ways that asserting your ideas as a Black woman is imperative in dismantling and transforming an oppressive society that has always expected silence from us. Thus, the Loud Mouth hashtag is for me is a reclaiming of a label that is often given to Black women who are too loud, too angry, and too ready. Black women who speak up and out against oppressive systems are my biggest inspiration and I coined the term in celebration of their writing and of the mounds of brilliant knowledge they have shared with us. For this series, I will be profiling one of those #LoudMouth writers of nonfiction once a month. I often feel that there is not a space for solely Black nonfiction writers of women/femme/gnc identity, and I wanted to create that hub for myself and other upcoming writers.

The first person is me :) I thought this would be a great way for you all to get to know me and learn more about my journey to writing nonfiction. Get into it!

Did you ever get in trouble for talking back?

“Who do you think you’re talking to?!” That was my mother’s favorite line when I said something “smart” to her or responded (often with wit) when silence was expected of me. Growing up, I knew good and well that I wasn’t supposed to talk back to adults but in the heat of things that didn’t stop me. If I felt that I needed to explain myself or if something didn’t make sense to me, then I expressed that. It got me in trouble often, with that death stare Black mamas have perfected, with a verbal whipping, or with a simple pop in the mouth. The pop was always the worst and I got it a couple of times, and I remember the red of embarrassment and shame that came over me. I also remember later in life just not speaking or trying to fight back to get what I want. It felt futile to me so I would start to just do as I please without conversation, that got me in more trouble but at that point, I stopped caring.

When did you first learn that your voice held power?

I think I was in 10th or 11th grade and it was a day or two after Kanye had hopped onstage to defend Beyonce when she lost Video of the Year Award to Taylor Swift. I was in Sociology and our teacher asked what we thought. There was a lot of conversation but most of my classmates were saying “Yes, Beyonce should have won, but the way that Kanye went about it was wrong. I was kind of annoyed so I started to speak up about it and referenced Kanye doing a similar thing for New Orleans and people being fine with his speaking out then. I think what really annoyed me was that in my household Kanye was praised, he did what was right because he said what we all knew to be true. How he did it was not really a concern, but that he did it, that he stood up for the work and art of a Black woman was enough to defend him. But I remember after I spoke up, the conversation shifted and my teacher making note of that. He was a Black man and he was really respected in my school so for him to acknowledge how I articulated my thinking provoked a shifted the thinking of others really stuck with me. I later went on to argue for the legalizing Marijuana in a debate and he said I should consider being a lawyer. For a long time I wanted to be a lawyer because of that class, but I’m a long way from that now.

Have you ever been told your voice was not welcomed or there wasn’t a space for your voice? How did you deal with that?

My first year at NYU I was so insecure about my voice. I was often the only Black girl in the room and I was experiencing all of these microaggressions, that I was really questioning myself and what I cared about. At one point I was considering transferring and going to an HBCU. I felt that no one understood my point of view, and honestly, that’s how I was going to deal with it. I was going to leave. But I had to take these creative writing classes my first year and those courses really saved me. I was putting my thinking on the page and on the page I had the room to pull from my own experiences and histories that I didn’t feel were taken seriously elsewhere. And my professor really saw me and saw what I was trying to do. She was one of the first people who encouraged me to pursue writing as a career. I remember calling my mother up and being really excited about this new direction.

What are some of your earliest encounters with another #LoudMouth?

My earliest memory of #LoudMouth women were of the women in my family. My mother was always about pushing back against systems especially for the wellness of her daughters. Although she often punished me for talking back to her, she is the one who taught me to talk back. I grew up listening to her “cuss someone out” get what she knew she deserved.

Also, my late grandmother is the biggest shit talker I know. I still think about her cracking on my dad when he tried to shut her down about something. They would always be carrying on about this and that, but I remember my grandmother really standing her ground about the labor women take on to care for children and not letting up on men holding their weight either financially or by doing more.

And lastly, bell hooks. The same professor who encouraged me to write was the first person to introduce me to hooks. We read an essay from Real to Reel and I just remember being blown away at how direct she was, but also how she was pulling from her own personal experiences. bell really taught me that our personal lives are a source of information that can support theory, and by our, I mean Black folks’.

Why do you write, and why nonfiction?

I write because I think. I write because I feel. Writing for me is an extension of my thinking and feelings. It is a way for me to move through and process both of those things. I write nonfiction because it is for me the most direct way to engage in the public sphere, in a public conversation that I find deeply personal. Public conversations about Beyoncé or Nola Darling or Cardi B are important to me because I share an identity with these women and how people think about them not only impacts how they perceive me and other Black women but also how they make political decisions about our bodies. If you don’t believe that Black women have the fundamental right to their bodies and that comes up in how we talk about Beyoncé’s body suit or Nola’s sexual partners or Cardi’s decision to have a baby then how you feel about laws and policies around street harassment, access to family planning, sexual assault prevention, etc. That’s why it’s really important for me to write on pop culture because I think it is a way to get at the fundamental beliefs we have about society in a way that is interesting and not so philosophical and distant. It gives some grounding, a shared language if you will.

Who is one of your favorite contemporary #LoudMouths right now?

This is such a hard question, there are so many, and that’s why I create a weekly list of them! But someone I always enjoy reading and being challenged by is Doreen St. Felix. I would love to see some long-form stuff from her but I’m also just super impressed with how quickly she gets a take on paper. It takes me weeks to put my thoughts together on something. (That’s most likely my Taurus Sun and Sagittarius Rising working against each other.)

But yeah, I also really love Kimberly Drew as a writer and thinker. Whenever I see her speak or when I read her work I’m always just like YES!! and not in an agreement kind of yes, but like yes this bitch is shaking the table yes!! I love when people push the conversation and or just my own thinking deeper (that’s my Scorpio moon speaking). I think that’s the mark of a really great writer and what I aspire to do in my own work.

Oh and my absolute favorite is Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, she makes me want to write and just be a better nonfiction writer in general. She has been quiet recently, I think maybe because she’s working on her book, but if you have a chance read her profile of THE GOAT, Toni Morrison. Its a gem.

3 notes · View notes

rolewatch · 4 years

Link

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

#Instagram algorithm is what decides which posts people see every time they open their feed. How does the #Instagram algorithm actually work? It’s a question that has caused tons of confusion for businesses on #Instagram. Ever since the controversial move to get rid of the chronological feed way back in 2016. The good news is once you understand how the algorithm works, you can fight fire with fire and build a killer #Instagram strategy to make sure that you get your posts seen and liked by your followers.

In this article, we’ll be demystifying the algorithm confusion and clearing up any rumors once and for all with information straight from the source #Instagram. In a recent series of Instagram Stories on their @creators account, Instagram finally addressed some rumors about the algorithm separating fact from fiction once and for all. Now when it comes to how the algorithm works there are tons of rumors and most of them just aren’t true.

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

People get really really worked up about the algorithm and there are so many rumors things like your comments need to be a certain number of words in order to count they’re just not true so we’re really excited to see that Instagram finally set the record straight. We’re just going to be sharing the facts about the algorithm. Did you know what everyone’s Instagram feed is personal to them – no two feeds look alike. What you see on your feed isn’t just based on who you follow also on what you like and who you engage with regularly.

This is why you’ll likely see a post of your mom at the very top of your feed even though she might only have 100 followers because Instagram algorithm basically understands that, well, she’s your mom so what you see in your Instagram feed is determined by what Instagram thinks you will care about the most this is why the stories that you watch the most well appear right at the beginning of your stories feed. It’s also why if you go and watch a video of slime, or like a few videos of slime, suddenly your explore page will be filled with slime videos.

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

#1 Comments, likes, shares and views impact your feed ranking Comments, likes, shares and views really do impact your feed ranking. When it comes to feed performance we’ve long suspected that the algorithm prioritizes content that receives the most engagement but with so many ways to measure engagement which one does the algorithm care about the most. According to Instagram the most important engagements for feed ranking are comments, likes, shares and for video posts views which is really helpful to know as you plan out your content and your captions.

Although it’s not listed as a key engagement indicator at the moment the hottest engagement metris right now is saves, especially for influencers who are working on branded content so you can think of a save as a “super-like” because it basically shows that your content is good enough and people will want to come back to it again.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

#2 Photos and videos are treated equally Yes, photos and videos are treated equally, contrary to what you might have heard one type of content doesn’t really perform better over another. The algorithm is super clever and it creates a personalized experience for each account based on what that account historically engages with the most. So if a person regularly spends more time engaging with videos, chances are they’re gooing to see more video content in their feed. So how does this explain the very common myth that videos get more engagement in the algorithm? Well it’s interesting for brands to note because video automatically attracts a longer viewing period because of its extended format.

Videos also gets 4x more real estate on the explore page so that could be why you are seeing a boost of engagement on your videos instead of your photos and since videos perform so well from the explore page, posting videos is also a great strategy for getting more followers because it brings new people from the explore page over to your profile.

#3 Instagram algorithm is always changing based on user trends Instagram algorithm is powered by machine learning so it is constantly evolving based on the huge amount of data it gains every minute of every day. Don’t worry though, anytime new verified information comes out we are the first to know.

Instagram insights explained 2020

#4 All comment lengths count as engagement So you might have heard this rumor that comments with less than three words aren’t counted by the Instagram algorithm. As long as interactions are authentic the reality is that all comments are taken into account even if they only contain one word or one emoji so you can stop freaking out now about what you leave as a comment and just be genuine.

#5 All account types are treated equally Want to switch to a business profile but worried that that might affect your engagement? don’t be. Instagram has confirmed that all account types; personal, business, or creator are treated equally. When it comes to the algorithm the algorithm serves up content based on accounts and sees who you have a genuine relationship with meaning who you engage the most with regardless of account type so we’re going to say this once more for the people on the back, switching to a business profile will not affect your posts in the algorithm .

#6 The first 30 minutes does not determine your ranking The first 30 minutes is no longer as crucial as you might think. According to Instagram posts are now not prioritized by the algorithm, just because they get more engagement in the first 30 minutes. Llike we’ve kind of said a few times now, the algorithm will still show your post to users who regularly engage with your content which means you can still gain traction even after the first 30 minutes of posting. But honestly in my personal experience you’ll probably get a pretty good sense of how your content is going to end up performing after the first hour or so.

This is why it’s really important to post at your best times when your followers are most likely online and scrolling Instagram. So there you have it those are six facts straight from Instagram explaining how the Instagram algorithm works. The next time that you hear an Instagram romour that’s false be sure to drop your knowledge and set them straight.

Knowing exactly how the algorithm works is a huge advantage for anyone looking to grow their following and build a business on Instagram do you want to get your post seen by more people on Instagram this year? Check out this and more similar articles on Social Tipster.

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

hotfleck · 4 years

Link

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

ministraight · 4 years

Photo

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

https://socialtipster.co/how-instagram-algorithm-works/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-instagram-algorithm-works

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

daysdo · 4 years

Photo

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

https://socialtipster.co/how-instagram-algorithm-works/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-instagram-algorithm-works

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

perkdistrict · 4 years

Photo

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

https://socialtipster.co/how-instagram-algorithm-works/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-instagram-algorithm-works

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

tailortatted · 4 years

Photo

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

https://socialtipster.co/how-instagram-algorithm-works/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-instagram-algorithm-works

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

clarityclaim · 4 years

Photo

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

https://socialtipster.co/how-instagram-algorithm-works/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-instagram-algorithm-works

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

ownfact · 4 years

Photo

How the #Instagram Algorithm Actually Works in 2020

How the #Instagram Algorithm Works

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram Stories: The Do’s and Don’ts

6 facts about Instagram algorithm So now,we’re going to share 6 facts about the Instagram algorithm.

How to master Instagram hashtag research in 2020

Instagram insights explained 2020

How to get more visibility on Instagram in 2020

https://socialtipster.co/how-instagram-algorithm-works/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-instagram-algorithm-works

#Instagram #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

0 notes

somiibo · 4 years

Link

The Importance of Social Media In Improving Your Brand’s Public Relations

Over the last few years, the popularity of social media has dramatically redefined the way businesses communicate and promote themselves online. The advent of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a dozen other platforms has allowed companies to reach their audience faster, broadcast public announcements, market their products and services, and cultivate excellent reputations. In fact, the most successful communication and marketing strategies (which often overlap), nowadays, often utilize social media as a preferred channel. With all these powerful attributes, it stands to reason that, as an entrepreneur or business manager, you should harness the power of social networks to improve your brand’s visibility and public image. In the following article, we explore how using social media can help you win the public relations (PR) battle and build a solid business reputation.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Reaching a Wide Audience Faster

Whether it’s existing clients, potential customers, stakeholders, journalists, trendsetters, or any other meaningful actor, social media has made it possible for businesses to reach a greater audience quasi-instantaneously. With billions of monthly active users, it’s an efficient way to widen the scope of your business and increase visibility online. Since the goal of any brand or company is to broaden their exposure, maintain relationships, and generate leads and sales, these communal platforms allow PR and marketing strategists to target and reach millions of users and interested parties better than never before.

Creating Engagement

Invariably, any venture who wishes to make a long-lasting impact and grow must concentrate on building engagement. It’s the key that enables businesses to sustain themselves, attract new customers, and retain their existing ones. So, without a proper social media PR strategy, it can safely be said that keeping your audience interested and ‘hooked’ can be a major challenge. That’s why the experts over at this PR firm in San Francisco believe your best chance of spreading your company’s message and entertaining your audience is to call on the services of dedicated professionals who will help you achieve your vision using the power of social media. They will help promote your brand identity and tell the world who you are as a business.

Making Announcements

Social networking sites have made communication and information broadcasting easier and more convenient than ever before. That’s a great asset in a fast-paced and competitive world. Now, whenever your brand wants to inform of a new product launch, an upcoming collaboration, or any company-related public statement, doing so through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn is a fast and efficient way to let the world know what you’re up to. It significantly reduces the time required for the information to reach your audience compared to traditional newsletters or press releases and keeps you close to your followers.

Shaping Public Opinion

What better tools than your online business profiles to influence how people perceive your brand and products? Image is everything, and this is one of the ways social media can be incredibly powerful for your PR efforts. By periodically sharing posts, stories, company updates, visual content, inspiration, and more, you’re able to actively shape and develop your brand image in a positive light. This works to keep people engaged and helps you maintain a relationship of trust with your customers and followers.

Identifying Brand Threats

Most PR specialists nowadays rely on social media to avert possible reputation crises for the brands they represent. This is done through a practice known as social listening, which basically involves following and paying close attention to trends, hashtags, and general topics of interest that can cause serious damage to a company’s image. Similar to the point mentioned above, proactiveness can go a long way in safeguarding your reputation.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Responding to Negative Press

In today’s ultra-connected world, the ability to swiftly respond to bad press is crucial, as it could make or break the success and credibility of your business. With this in mind, social media PR allows you to issue statements quickly and take control of the narrative before things go out of hand. No matter the allegations against your brand, whether it’s animal cruelty, poor labor conditions, relationship with sketchy suppliers, or all else, using social media to communicate with your audience can help contain the issue, establish the truth, and help redeem yourself in the eyes of millions of people.

View Larger

Taking a Stance

Although companies are not technically considered individuals, brands nowadays are expected to contribute to positive social change. In a global landscape that’s rhythmed by issues of politics, war, immigration, gender or racial inequality, and much more, businesses use social media platforms to communicate their stance on a certain issue that matters to them. This is an opportunity to inform the world of your values, what causes you support, and how you contribute to making a positive impact.

Bringing in Influencers

The power and outreach of social media influencers are well beyond debate. With their thousands of followers, they can be extremely useful allies for brands to promote their products and services, help build awareness, and advertise the company in a positive light. This explains why PR specialists love to build relationships between brands and influencers; not only as a marketing channel but also to act as a line of defense against negative press.

Measuring Success

Last but not least, the array of analytical tools that come with social media allow businesses to gauge the effectiveness of their online communication and visibility strategies. By reviewing the figures pertaining to likes, comments, shares, and user engagement, they can assess their areas of performance and address their shortcomings with precision.

All things considered, social media platforms are powerful and effective tools through which companies and brands can majorly increase their exposure, craft their communication strategies, improve marketing and branding efforts, and reach a larger audience than before. They also serve to shape public opinion and respond to the damaging press. Seeing as everything has moved online, any business needs to dedicate a portion of its budget to hiring a social media PR expert to achieve the objectives and reach success in a highly competitive environment.

Read more on Somiibo's Social Media Marketing Site.

#The Importance of Social Media In Improving Your Brand’s Public Relations #social media #social medi

0 notes