#i actually WOULD be willing to pay a small premium if the experience was genuinely good I WANT THIS TO BE GOOD I WANT IT TO BE GOOD SO BAD

[smute]

you know what? i am just so glad that we dont have to worry about the climate crisis anymore. apparently it has all been resolved and honestly, it is so so good to see that everything is normal and the world makes sense. i have to see my thesis supervisor in january. a flight from hamburg to stuttgart with a stopover in munich is both cheaper and quicker than a train ticket for the same dates 6 weeks from now. it just makes sense! i swear it makes sense. haha 😀 i could fly to london ON FRIDAY (that is the day after tomorrow) for €28,39 (granted, with ryanair, or i could wait until next week and fly with a real airline, BA, for €60 😃) but it would cost me anywhere from €12 to €25 just to get to the airport half an hour from my house. (half an hour by car that is. two hours by train lmao) i was also thinking about visiting my dad sometime between xmas and new years. sure, it's a busy travel week, so €121,80 for two train tickets doesn't seem too bad, right? only for €137 i can book a return flight with lufthansa. and that's 50 minutes on a plane vs 4+ hours on a train. 😌 what a world we live in! i mean honestly, they could PAY me €137 and i still wouldn't book a domestic flight. this is germany, not fucking australia. but please explain to me how any of this makes sense. you cant. because it doesnt. but yeah. it's even more infuriating with intra-european travel, and especially travel between mainland europe and the uk. like isn't it so wonderful that the channel tunnel is treated like some sort of carnival ride and you have to include 1-2 hours of check-in time in your itinerary because eurostar have delusions of grandeur and make you take off your shoes airplane style and also close their ticket gates 30 min before departure so they can sell you overpriced coffee and sandwiches? isnt that fun? like come on be serious for a moment. its a train. choo choo bitch why is your platform walled off? it shouldn't take a degree in international relations and 5-7 years professional experience in passenger transport for me to book a train from redacted germany to london england and yet here we are. i mean right now you can't even book eurostar trains via deutsche bahn directly lmao, and if you do a silly little preisermittlung, DB will charge you more for the eurostar train than what you'd pay if you booked the eurostar train directly on the eurostar website (rofl even) so of course you buy two separate tickets. but then if you arrive late in amsterdam or brussels or paris and maybe get stuck in the security or uk border control lines eurostar will just close the gates on you and go whoopsie ha ha bummer you have two separate tickets did you really think 2 hours transfer time was enough lol. and even if all of your trains happen to be on time and you do make the connection in a-dam/brussels/paris, you have to be so generous with your planning that you end up turning what could have been a 7 hour train journey into a day-long ordeal.

#this is not a hypothetical scenario btw #i went to london multiple times in 2019/20 and got stuck in brussels TWICE #the first time they said fuck you #i had to book a new ticket for the next day and get a hotel #the second time i got lucky and they just put me on the next train #like i am a certified plane hater #i am a licensed train lover #i actually WOULD be willing to pay a small premium if the experience was genuinely good I WANT THIS TO BE GOOD I WANT IT TO BE GOOD SO BAD #I WANT it to be a PROPER alternative to air travel #i want to be able to RECOMMEND it to people #but if its between this #and a 90 minute flight that is also cheaper?? #like come on #anyway #this wasn't meant to turn into a rant #also gemma and diana if youre reading this #i know its been 86 years (well. one and a half) since we planned this trip but i really hope that i can make it happen soon #ish #🥴 #&

[tlbodine]

Things That Do (And Don’t) Sell Books (in my experience)

I’ve just finished reading this book:

I am both amused and a bit disheartened to have read the whole thing and discovered that I knew pretty much everything in it. Amused, because I guess I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge over the years. Disheartened, because it clearly has not led to me becoming the break-away success I always dreamed of. Ah well. Live and learn. 

I’m all about transparency in this business, so I wanted to talk honestly for a while about book marketing and what I’ve experienced in terms of what does and does not seem to work. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so chime in with your own experiences! 

Branding and Audience 

The first third of Burke’s book is dedicated to this aspect, and it’s an important marketing step that’s easy to overlook. The idea is basically that you can’t market a product unless it has a brand identity. To create your brand, you need to do the following: 

Identify the audience who you are trying to reach with your work, or who would be most receptive to what you’re writing

Identify your dreams and goals so you have a clear picture in mind of what you want to accomplish 

Figure out how to position yourself in such a way that you a.) stand out from the competition but b.) people can still relate to and understand at a glance

Find a way to communicate your brand consistently in terms of the language used, your aesthetic, the way you act online, and so forth. 

When it comes to brand-building as an author, I think I’ve got a bit of a corner nailed down. I at least hope to be perceived as someone level-headed, thoughtful, generally positive/empathetic and humanist, but also critical and looking deeper into the meanings of things -- all of which are traits I personally possess and which are baked in to the work I do. In support of that branding, I curate my activity online as best I can: I post things that are of a certain horror aesthetic that I feel overlaps with my own interests/style; I give writing advice and boost people in the community where I can; I wade into discourse selectively and thoughtfully; I give media reviews and analysis that I think would be interesting to like-minded people. 

The “identify the audience” part is much harder for me. I’m still honestly not sure who my ideal reader is, or where exactly to go to find my audience. At this point I’m kind of scattering crumbs of myself out into the wind and hoping it will attract people who will, in turn, be interested in the work that I do (and both willing and able to support it financially). 

Things I’ve Done With Varying Degrees of Success: 

Aforementioned blogging activities. I have slowly but steadily grown my following her on tumblr and other social media sites as well as my author newsletter on substack, but it’s not clear to what extent that following translates into book sales. My writing advice posts vastly out-perform all of my other content, but I haven’t seen compelling evidence that the people interested in my writing advice are especially interested in my fiction -- it seems to be two separate groups, with maybe a sliver of overlap. 

Content marketing with more short fiction. This seems like it should be the safest, surest way to find more readers, but it’s time-consuming and discouraging because of the discoverability cycle. My horror flash fiction posts don’t get nearly as many notes as my advice posts. My attempts to get into the big anthologies that pop up have so far amounted to little, although I do need to write more. It’s just that coming up with new ideas and writing them all the time is a lot of work, and if it’s not paying off maybe I’m still better off dedicating that work to my novels. 

Sending ARCs to book bloggers/reviewers/booktube etc. I sent out dozens, if not hundreds, of these and got next to no response. I do think part of the problem is that, at the time, I had no Twitter presence, and -- like it or not -- there seems to be a bit of cliqueishness to this aspect of the book world. Now that I’ve spent more time on Twitter ingratiating myself with the horror community, I suspect I’ll have a somewhat easier job securing blurbs and reviews at least from the people in my extended social circle. But I won’t know until I try it again. *I also know I would have greater success with this if I’d been sending paperback ARCs instead of digital. I didn’t, because the cost of buying more author copies + shipping was prohibitive. 

Author Newsletter. I maintain mine in conjunction with my Patreon account. I send a monthly news round-up, making a point of shouting out both industry news and the milestones/achievements of others in the community as well as providing what I hope to be value-added or interesting content (in the form of blog posts my patrons vote on). It does OK. I average a couple of new sign-ups per month this way and tend to hover around a 25% open rate, which isn’t terrible. But it’s not great, either, and I won’t know for sure whether any of those opens will actually yield sales at any point. 

Interpersonal relationships/community building. Hands down the most successful “marketing” thing I’ve ever done is make friends with people. My writing discord group is small but very close-knit and interacting with them is one of the genuine highlights of my day. I didn’t really make it with mercenary intentions of selling books, but it has directly resulted in sales. Similarly, there are a handful of authors from Twitter and Wattpad that I’ve developed genuine friendships with, and we buy each other’s books and support one another. This whole community aspect is extremely rewarding and I’d do it whether or not it sold books, but it’s also not exactly easy to scale. I can only maintain genuine friendships with so many people. 

Posting in reading groups. The books that allow self-promo are so saturated with it that nobody pays any attention. The good groups do not allow self-promo, unless it’s in the form of getting down in the comments and recommending a book on a per-person basis to people looking for a specific thing, and only then if you’re not being spammy. Again, this is time-consuming. You could spend your entire life in these groups, hand-selling books to these people, and maybe picking up a few sales. They do seem like a good place to identify trends, though, so they’re good for market research if not direct selling. 

Things I Have Not Done, But Which I Suspect Would Sell Books 

Paid promotions. The golden ticket for book sales still seems to be landing a BookBub promo. If you’re unfamiliar, this is where you price your book at 99 cents or free and then pay bookbub to include it in their deals newsletter. Bookbub is very popular and moves a lot of copies. Ideally, you want to set it up so that your cheap book is the first in a series, and people snap that up and then come back to read the rest. This requires you to have written a series. Also bookbub is expensive because these are premium ads. We’re talking hundreds of dollars for one ad. There are other book promos that are cheaper but don’t have the same buy-through rate. 

Ads on facebook/amazon. I’m only dimly familiar with the ins and outs of these ads. They can be relatively cheap, but the amount of visibility they have is tied to your budget -- so the more you can spend on a campaign, the better your performance will be. 

Calling bookstores/libraries and asking them to order. I should do this. I have not done this purely because I am a coward. 

I am not certain what more I can do to promote my books without spending money. 

I understand the “spend money to make money” concept, but I also understand the “I have a limited budget and cannot spend it willy nilly on things that still might not actually pay off, especially considering how expensive self-publishing is when you want to do it right.” 

...This post ended up in a much more bitter place than I meant for it to. Sorry. I’ll check in if I remember additional points that could be successful strategies. 

#writing #publishing #writing advice #publishing advice #writeblr #long post

[spaceskam]

Something’s Coming, Something Good

for @andrea-lyn for 12 days of malex ( @malexsanta)! Here’s an absurdly long Austenland au! I hope you enjoy it:) (special thanks to my betas @zuluoscarecho and @pippsmcgee)

ao3

“Michael, this was cute when we were kids, but this has got to stop.”

Michael frowned as he looked around his apartment. He didn’t really see what he had to stop. Sure, he had a particularly strong interest in old fashioned love stories and Jane Austen in particular, but he still had a job and a place of his own. His special interests weren’t destroying his life, so why did he need to stop? Perhaps his place was a little too covered in floral and he had a stack of books a little too high, but that was his own business. And the large cardboard cutouts of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet respectively were just as personal.

“I like it this way,” Michael argued. Maria sighed loudly and gave him that ‘sweetie, no’ look that she gave him a lot. It was basically all she gave him whenever he spoke about anything he was serious about.

“Michael, your obsession is ruining your love life,” Maria said, eyes full of sympathy that he didn’t think he needed. He was fine. “You have these impossible standards for men and women alike and I’m scared that you’re going to keep searching forever for something you won’t find.”

“I don’t think I have impossible standards, I think I’m just not willing to settle for something less than I deserve,” Michael said stubbornly, “I’d rather be alone forever than settle for someone.”

“Okay, that’s not what I meant,” she sighed, sitting beside him, “I just don’t want you to be disappointed all the time. This was the fourth girl you said wasn’t for you in the last few months and it was over something silly.”

“She fake laughed at my jokes that weren’t funny!” he argued, “I don’t want to date a girl who I can never tell if she actually thinks I’m funny or not!”

Maria dropped her face into her palms. It felt like a good time to tell her what he had planned for the next couple of weeks. Well, actually, it felt like a bad time, but when it came to Maria and his fascination with 19th-century romance it was never really a good time.

“And because of my lifelong appreciation,” Michael said, watching Maria slowly peek back up at him, “I’ve decided to go to this place called Austenland.”

Maria blinked very dully at him for almost an entire minute. Michael, on the other hand, was nearly bursting with excitement. He tried to keep it under wraps for her though. If he got too excited, she would get anxious on his behalf all over again.

“Excuse me?”

“Okay, so, it’s this place where you get fully immersed in a Jane Austen experience. Period costume, period events, all that fun stuff. You even get a romance with one of the actors and everything, it has great reviews and I’m just… It’s going to be great, I think,” Michael said, keeping his smile tame even though he’d spent all night watching the introduction video over and over and over. 

“Michael,” Maria said slowly, those pitiful ’sweetie, no’ eyes back in full view, “Michael, how much did that cost?”

He pressed his tongue to his teeth and smiled. “Only, like $10,000.” Maria’s eyes bulged.

“Honey, you cannot do that! That is way too much! That-that’s like ten month’s rent!” she said and Michael just smiled tensely. He knew it was a lot, but, God, it felt worth it. All he wanted was to be immersed in that life‒$10k felt like a small price to pay for a lifelong dream.

“It’ll be okay,” Michael said, “Actually, it’s going to be perfect.”

“Okay, you know what, I support this,” Maria decided, nodding as she put her hands over Michael’s, “I want you to go and get all of this out of your system.”

Michael rolled his eyes but nodded. He couldn’t see the issue with enjoying something with his whole heart. He didn’t need some romance that was less-than when he could have the world. There was nothing wrong with knowing what you wanted and going after it and refusing to settle for less. To him, that sounded more healthy than anything he’d seen anywhere.

“Okay. I will.”

-

“Oh, I didn’t know we were supposed to show up in costume!” 

Michael managed a smile as he looked down at his own period garb and then to the woman before him who was dressed to the nines. In fact, it looked far too extravagant for someone just stepping off a plane, but she gave him a kind smile, so he gave one back.

“Yeah, me neither,” Michael joked, “Are you going to Austenland too?”

“Yes!” she said excitedly, eyes lit up like she was bubbling with joy. It was a nice change from the bleakness and the negativity that surrounded everything else back home. “My name is Isobel… Windsor,” she giggled, “I made it up.” 

Michael chuckled, “I can hear that. I’m Michael.” She shook his hand firmly.

“Ooh, Micahel, fun!” she cheered, clapping happily. He couldn’t help but smile fondly at her. “I’m so excited!” 

“Me too,” he agreed just in time to see a horse-drawn carriage pull up. Excitement began to stir in his bones even more and he helplessly bounced on his toes. 

A woman in expensive period garb that he recognized from the introduction video stepped out, grinning a truly sinister grin. Another girl hopped off the front of the carriage from where she had been driving the horses. She had on an outfit not too unlike a traditional stable boy’s, her long hair braided down her back. Michael couldn’t help but smile at them both.

“Good evening,” Mrs. Pennington said, smiling between the two of them, “I am Mrs. Pennington. How was your flight?”

“Great,” Isobel said. Michael barely opened his mouth, before Mrs. Pennington already began to cut him off.

“And this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, get their bags,” she instructed, snapping the girl with the braid into place. She grabbed both of their bags and smiled at them. “So, Miss Windsor and‒”

“Oh, about my pseudonym,” Michael began, but Mrs. Pennington just shook her head.

“We already assigned one to you,” she said, “Mr. Gilkes.” Michael blinked a few times and thought about arguing, but chose to smile. No sense arguing over something as silly as that.

“Alright, Gilkes,” he repeated.

“Miss Windsor, you can step into the cab,” she said and then turned to Michael, “Unfortunately, it’s only a two-person cab, you’ll need to sit on the back of the carriage.” Michael took a deep breath, but nodded with a smile. 

Liz came around the back and helped him get all settled on the back and she gave a sugary sweet smile before mouthing ‘don’t mind her’. He nodded curtly and bowed his chin to his chest. He wasn’t going to let something like sitting on the back of a carriage ruin his time.

This is all he’d ever wanted. He was going to have a good time.

-

“We don’t usually have men coming here, Mr. Gilkes, you are a rarity.”

Michael managed a smile as Miss Pennington stood behind a nice, old fashioned desk. Isobel had been holding his hand for some time, squeezing every time she got too overwhelmed with excitement. Michael would squeeze when he got too overwhelmed in general. He squeezed right them.

“I’ve been reading Jane Austen’s novels since I was eight,” he told her, “I really love them. I could recite passages from Pride and Prejudice by the time I was thirteen.”

“How quaint,” she said, standing a bit taller, “Now, we have several different packages. You, Mr. Gilkes, are signed up with the basic, copper package while the women have signed up with the premium, platinum package. I feel it would be in your best interest to upgrade seeing as you will be excluded from some things.”

Michael squeezed Isobel’s hand again. He got the cheapest package?

“I’m alright with the package I got, ma’am,” he said as kindly as he could. Mrs. Pennington stared at him for a moment and then gave a really tight smile that had him questioning if he should really break the already broken bank just so she would stop staring at him like that.

“Alright, well, as you already know, with your stay here, you are promised a romance experience with one of our fine actors to truly reenact a better time when love was pure and untainted,” she said wistfully. Isobel squealed softly and squeezed his hand. Michael stayed quiet and chose not to point out just how common affairs were back then. He felt like it would ruin the mood.

“Oh, Michael, this is going to be wonderful,” Isobel said as she leaned closer to him. He nodded. Even if everything was exactly how he pictured it, he knew that he was signing up to get a truly fantastic experience with a Mr. Darcy type. Or, Elizabeth Bennet. Or anyone, really. That’s all he’s ever really wanted, really. Someone who could both sweep him off his feet and challenge him. Maria didn’t seem to understand that. 

“If you follow me, now, we’ll get you both dressed up before we head towards the main estate,” Mrs. Pennington said. 

They both followed her, Michael being led into one room by a group of stern-looking women and Isobel being led into another. Inside, he was surrounded by men’s clothing ranged from the insanely posh to rags. He genuinely would’ve been happy to play inside that room for days. Hell, if they’d let him, he would’ve enjoyed the women’s clothing for a whole nother day. He wanted to dress in both. Besides, he was very curious to see how he might look in a corset.

Instead, however, he was ushered towards an array of bleak and ragged clothing. He smiled through it all, letting them remove his own outfit and dress him in a loose, billowy white shirt with high waisted breeches to tuck them into. They were paired with uncomfortable shoes that felt a little too snug, but they fit the outfit too well to complain. Michael sat still as they combed his hair, tugging and gelling it to slick back like they wanted. When they showed him a mirror of his curls all tamed, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh, Michael, you look so cute!” Isobel squealed when the met in the hall. She had on a large blue dress that seemed to have a million layers, her hips looking impossibly wide in it and a nice corset hugging her tightly. Her blonde hair was done up big and probably heavy on top of her head, curls spiraling down around her naturally pretty face that had very faint makeup covering it.

“And you look beautiful,” he said, laughing as she teasingly scoffed and tossed hair over her shoulder. 

They were once again put back on the carriage to head towards the main estate and this time Michael couldn’t find it in him to complain about sitting on the back. It was a never-ending gorgeous view of luscious gardens and woods and carefully tailored, well, everything. There were barns and stables and little sheds and they all looked so accurate. Michael had spent a lot of time studying this period of time and it really felt like he was in the right place. This was where he was meant to be the entire time, truly.

This was his time period.

When they arrived at the main building, he had to pause and take a deep breath. Again, he bounced on his toes and gazed up at all the wonders this week would hold. Just looking at it made it hard to imagine leaving. Couldn’t he just stay right there forever?

“Come along now.”

Micahel and Isobel followed dutifully as they were led into the house and towards their rooms. They went to Isobel’s first, a large room packed with little trinkets and figurines with a massive canopy bed in the middle. It felt like a queen’s room and it seemed very fitting. When she stepped inside, he wondered what she could’ve possibly looked like in a normal house. This seemed to be her space.

Michael was then led down to the servants’ quarters and into a much smaller, less extravagant room. Still, he couldn’t find any complaints in him. It still looked like everything he’d ever wanted. It felt good. If only Maria could see it, she would tease him about just how in his element this happened to be.

“We’ll have dinner in the dining room later,” Mrs. Pennington instructed, “I trust you can find your way.”

He turned to her and tried not to bounce on his toes. He did anyways.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

-

Finding the dining room was much more difficult than anticipated.

He’d found the kitchen first and one of the sour-faced chefs had to boot him in the correct direction. He wasn’t late, though, and that was really all that mattered. He arrived at the door beside Mrs. Pennington at the same time that Isobel did, still looking stunningly gorgeous. She did a little shimmy when she spotted him, raising her eyebrows and sticking the tip of her tongue through her teeth.

Mrs. Pennington opened the doors.

“Good evening everyone, may I introduce our guest of honor?” Mrs. Pennington said, stepping aside to make way for Isobel first. “Miss Isobel Windsor, heiress of the Windsor fortune.”

“Good evening,” one of the men said, standing to be ungodly tall. Michael wished he still had Isobel’s hand to squeeze. Or he wished Maria was here to hug him from behind whenever he got overwhelmed. 

“And this is Mr. Michael Gilkes, an orphan of no fortune who we took in from the kindness of our hearts,” she introduced. Michael smiled through it, ignoring the stabbing feeling he had from hearing his truth on display. But she didn’t know that‒that wasn’t her fault.

“Hi,” Michael said, almost cringing outwardly at how bad that sounded.

“This is Mr. Maxwell Evans,” Mrs. Pennington said, ignoring him, “The fourth son of the Earl of Essex.” He bowed with a curt smile. “And this is my dear nephew, Sir Alexander Manes.”

Michael eyed the man who did nothing more than salute with a single finger. He was genuinely gorgeous, dark hair and tanned skin. His hair seemed just as forcibly tamed as Michael’s and he had a little bit of stubble that dotted across his jaw. Michael wondered if that one was for him.

“And, let us not forget, Lady Jenna Cameron,” Mrs. Pennington said and another very pretty blonde woman stood to greet them. Micahel smiled and nodded to her, suddenly feeling outnumbered. Two beautiful women and two gorgeous men and then… him.

The evening dragged on like that. Mrs. Pennington, Isobel, Jenna, and Maxwell speaking and speaking and speaking while Michael sat out of place and Alexander stuck with his nose stuck in a book. Michael had spent a lot of his life imagining what this would be like and he was ruining it, letting it waste away while he sat awkwardly.

"C'mon, Michael," Isobel pressed as they sat down for dinner, "Say something fancy."

Michael smiled at her and nodded, taking a deep breath as he looked around the table to people making small talk. The only one not engaged in small talk already was Sir Alexander Manes.

"Sir Manes," he said, trying his best not to seem too irritating. The man looked up at him. "I know there's a ball to look forward to at the end of the week. Are you attending?"

"I suppose, though I'm not sure it's something to look forward to," he said. 

Michael gulped softly, "Oh? Why not?" 

"There's something so very ingrained in the human psyche that says we should enjoy social events like that and I disagree," Sir Alexander said, "There's no need for an event that only serves as a place for faux niceties when I can gather whatever from a person like this."

"Like what? A simple first impression?" Michael asked. 

Sir Alexander nodded. "That's all that's needed."

"Well I do hope my first impression of you is incorrect," he said. He licked his lips and looked down after that, hoping it wasn't too obvious that his hands were shaking. That was a very Maria thing to say. He hoped he didn't sound rude. 

Isobel squeezed his hand under the table. When he looked up, he saw Sir Alexander still staring at him.

"Oh, and Michael, are you planning on going to the ball on your own?" Mrs. Pennington asked. He turned to face her, seeing a simple tight smile on her face.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, I know you've failed at love in the past," she said. Isobel squeezed his hand as he just stared at her. “I mean, how sad is it that you’re nearly 30 and haven’t had a single romantic relationship?”

Michael looked around the table and found a mix of snickering and pitiful faces. It felt like dinner back home all over again‒full of disappointment for Michael’s love life. Great. Beautiful. Pushing through it all, Michael smiled.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said softly, pushing himself out of the chair and walking into the halls.

He considered escaping back to his room but reaffirmed in his mind that he couldn’t let it ruin his night. Instead, he decided to go exploring. He wanted to truly revel in this old house and just play pretend for a little while. Maybe he was unlucky in love, but so what? He didn’t need a person when he had a whole world to explore.

Michael wandered around, managing not to run into a single person as he did so. It made him feel at ease. He considered that maybe he should’ve just rented an old house with the money he spent here and spent a few nights pretending he was Dorian Grey or something. Well, not Dorian Grey‒just maybe as beautiful and lucky as him.

About an hour of wandering led him to the ballroom. Michael grinned as he walked into it, closing his eyes as he breathed it in. It reminded him of when he had a girlfriend for about a month back in high school whose mother made her go to cotillion and he had to escort her to her coming-out party. He’d enjoyed it so much that she had dumped him, but still.

He slowly started doing the waltz alone, murmuring a rhythmic one-two-three under his breath. It wasn't too unlike what he did in the privacy of his own house, but this time he had the extra benefit of the way his shoes sounded on a real ballroom floor. It made him feel at home.

Until a voice broke his peace.

"Are you having fun, Mr. Gilkes?" Sir Alexander asked. Michael stumbled to a stop, staring towards the doorway with wide eyes. He was leaning against the doorway, nothing but amusement on his face. Michael couldn't find words. He tried to think of what Maria would say, but somehow 'more fun than I would ever with you' sounded unwarranted. "I still can't believe people actually pay money to come here. Do you actually enjoy this place?" 

Michael blinked a few times, still not knowing what to say.

"You don't speak much, do you? You know that's considered rude in many social circles," he said, stepping further into the ballroom with that smile still on his face and a cane in hand, "And then when you do speak, that in itself feels rather brash."

"Is the cane there to make you look more full of yourself?" Michael asked and then nearly retreated into his body. Why did he have to say that of all things? Thankfully, Alexander just smiled.

"Probably," he answered, but tapped the edge of the cane against his leg and Michael knew his face paled at the hollow sound it made.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean–"

"You said what you were thinking," Sir Alexander said, "So you meant it."

Michael stood there and took a deep breath, waiting for his payback for that stupid, stupid sentence to come. Why did he always speak before he thought?

“Nonetheless, you didn’t deserve to be called out. There’s no shame in taking a while to fall in love or never falling in love at all,” he said, tapping his cane on the ballroom floor. Michael gave a single nod and wished he would leave so he could stop this never-ending cycle of embarrassment. “Felt you should at least hear that.”

Alexander walked away before Michael could construct a response.

-

“Don’t worry, darling, I’ve got you.”

Michael clutched his sketchbook behind his back as they walked around the gardens. It was nearly impossible not to take note of how Jenna was hooked onto Maxwell’s arm and Isobel was hooked onto Alexander’s and he was hooked onto absolutely no one. He wasn’t even jealous as much as he was irritated. This didn’t feel very fair.

Maxwell helped Jenna step up beside a fountain and she gave him a kind smile and Michael took that as his cue to escape. He’d learned very quickly that if he third wheeled, he did something stupid or annoying that ruined it for everyone. Like that time Maria was about to get her first kiss at the movies and he reached between them to steal a twizzler. 

He let them get lost in themselves for a moment before quickly taking a step back. Then he took another step back and soon he was out of the garden altogether. Michael very quickly wandered towards the barn that was close by and collapsed into a mound of hay. 

“Excuse you, this definitely qualifies as cramping my style.”

Michael scrambled to a sitting position and peered over to the other side of the mound and found Elizabeth sitting there with a pile of hay on her head and her book in her lap. He gave her a sorry smile.

“I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry,” he said. She just giggled and shook the hay off her head. Her hair was in a braid once again and she was still the only woman on the grounds who was wearing pants rather than a dress.

“You’re fine,” she promised, smiling in a way that lit up her whole face. Michael reached over to pick a few strands of hay from her hair. “Needed an escape?”

“I guess,” he said. She scooted closer to his side of the hay bail. “I’m not even really supposed to be out here. Mrs. Pennington is probably going to be really irritated with me for running off.”

“Maybe so, maybe not. I’m sure she’s not really keeping tabs,” Elizabeth tried. Micahel huffed a breath and plucked the last bit of hay from her hair.

“Hopefully. ‘M Michael, by the way. I know she said your name was Elizabeth.” 

“Yeah, but call me Liz.” 

Michael nodded curtly. “Alright, Liz.”

Michael leaned back into the hay, letting out a slow breath and closing his eyes. He needed a break. And a phone, perhaps, to vent to Maria. This was the longest he’d gone without her in some way and it was making him anxious.

“Not to insult you or anything,” Liz said, swinging her knee to bump his, “But you paid a fuck ton of money to enjoy the fancy shit and you’re sitting in a barn.”

Michael quirked a smirk and looked over to her. She was easier to talk to than the rest of them. It helped that she wasn’t as fancy.

“Honestly, I thought I would be better at all this. I spent so much time studying the time period and wishing I was there, but turns out I’m just as bad here as I am at my own time,” he sighed. She leaned in close and raised her eyebrows.

“Maybe you just need something a little more your speed.”

-

“I disagree that this is my speed.”

“Hush,” Liz laughed, handing him a bow and an arrow.

Michael looked over beside him to see Maxwell guiding Jenna to shoot her arrow semi-towards the target and then Alexander was helping Isobel shoot it directly at the bullseye. Isobel saw him looking and then gave him a very hyperactive thumbs up. He nodded back and then looked back to Liz. He could do this.

“Come here,” Liz urged, sidling up behind him despite being much shorter. Maria didn’t have to be present for him to hear her teasing him. 

She placed her hands on his hips, turning them to some probably specific angle and put her lips by his ear. He looked over at her and felt a bit jittery at how long her eyelashes were and the fact that she was all pressed up against him. Then he remembered it was probably bad to be jittery whenever you had an arrow in your hand.

“So you’re gonna pull it back with three fingers,” she whispered, “Balance your weight. Keep your back straight and push your hips forward just a little.” He gulped when she pressed into him to guide his hips. “Steady and… release.”

It flew and flew and flew straight into the ground about four feet in front of him.

Liz let out a sweet little laugh, “Well, let’s try that again.” Michael nodded and couldn’t really take his eyes off her for a moment.  Yeah, sure, he failed, but he failed at a lot of things and most of those things didn’t involve a pretty girl pressing up against him.

“Do you need me to teach him or are you just messing around?” Sir Alexander asked suddenly which made Michael’s eyes very reluctantly move away from Liz. Alexander was staring at them with a look very similar to when Michael had rudely said he made a shitty first impression.

Michael just stared back.

“No, I’ve got it,” Liz said and Michael felt that fuzzy feeling return as she grabbed his hips again.

It took a few shots, but Liz eventually got him to hit the target. Maybe not the bullseye, but it hit the target and it got him squeezed by Liz and that made it a million times worth it. 

“Maybe you’ll be better with the horses?” Liz suggested as they started walking towards the stables. He had a permanent smile etched onto his face as he watched her.

“Yeah, maybe.”

He did not.

Michael spent about twenty minutes attempting to get on his horse. Poor thing probably got kicked in the side a million times and Michael would take a second each time to apologize. He would say sorry and pat her on the nose before he tried to climb onto her again and then would promptly kick her in the side again. In all that time, everyone else had managed to go so far with their own horse that they were completely out of sight. Anxiety built in his stomach and he moved to the horse’s face.

“Hi,” he said, giving her his best smile, “I know I’m really bad at this, I know, but… can we just do this one thing together? Maybe you could bend down? Is that bad for your legs? Don’t do it if it’s bad for your legs. You know, I heard that running upstairs is really bad for your legs and that scene in Game of Thrones when Jamie ran up the steps on a horse was probably actual hell on that horse, so...  I am rambling to a horse.” Michael sighed and pet her face as she just huffed in his direction. “Could we make a deal? Just let me ride you long enough to get back and I’ll never kick you again.”

Michael really did think they were on the same page, so when she responded by running away, he was a little more than irritated.

“Come back!” he called, trying to run after her, but there wasn’t much to do. Chasing after a horse was basically pointless.

This really was not his day. Or week. Or month. Or year. Maybe Friends was right.

It took a few seconds for Michael to rationalize that he was going to be stuck on foot. Which was fine, he’d definitely experienced worse in life. Walking through a field and some woods wasn’t going to be the end of the world. So, he started trekking after them. He knew he’d probably get there well past when everyone else did, but that was fine. Truly, he needed a good walk in silence. Maybe the horse sensed that and gave him what he was desperately needing. What a kind horse.

Only when it started pouring rain did Michael consider that maybe this just really wasn’t meant to happen. He’d only been there for two days and it had gone about as smoothly as riding a unicycle over gravel. If he hadn’t paid so much money, he probably would’ve just got on a plane and gone home. Maybe Maria would be down for a pity round of rom-coms and popcorn. That sounded better than anything that was happening to him here.

“Mr. Gilkes, did everyone abandon you?”

Michael whipped around to see Sir Alexander riding towards him on his big white horse. He had a smile on his face despite the rain and despite the fact that Michael's hair had completely come untamed and was starting to curl hectically and despite it being too cold to be walking or riding in the rain. Michael could only take it as mocking.

“I’m fine,” he answered. He didn’t like being mocked, he got enough of that in every other goddamn aspect of his shitty life.

“You aren’t, it’s raining and even your horse abandoned you,” Alexander said. He dismounted the horse with a shocking amount of grace for a man who had only one leg. Michael wondered how long he practiced that.

“I can just walk, it’s fine,” Michael insisted. Alexander shook his head.

“What kind of man would I be if I left you lost in the woods while it was raining? I’m not evil,” he chuckled, gesturing towards the horse, “Come on.”

“Well, see, I don’t think we can both get on one horse because I-I don’t, I can’t, and your leg, like‒”

“It’s fine,” Alexander insisted and then suddenly Michael was being lifted onto the horse.

“Oh my‒” he gasped and Alexander just laughed, helping him swing his leg to the other side so he was straddling the horse.

“Now scoot forward,” he said and Michael tried to while Alexander helped push him a bit. Then Michael tried not to have a heart attack when he climbed up behind him.

“Sorry,” Michael mumbled, putting all his focus into keeping from doing anything stupid. Sir Alexander laughed behind him.

“Sorry for what?” When Michael didn’t answer, he added a simple, “I’ve ridden horses since I was a kid, I’ve got you.”

Michael’s face flushed and he nodded. For a moment, he tried to figure out which Maria would tease him for more: Liz pressing up against him to shoot arrows or Alexander lifting him onto a horse and pressing up against him on the horse. He could hear her voice in his mind, ‘Oh, Sir Alexander, what big strong arms you have!’ and then Michael would say, ‘you’re embarrassing me, he’s going to throw me off the horse’ and then Maria would say, ‘no, he won’t, he’s trying to get serious dick’ and then Michael would say, ‘oh my God!’. 

Though, he would admit that he liked being held from behind by a guy strong enough to lift him onto a horse.

When they got back to the stables, Alex helped him down and then led the horse away without another word. Michael went inside and tried to figure out if he was embarrassed about what happened or not.

He chose not to be.

-

“It’s rude for a gentleman to doodle the entire evening, Mr. Gilkes.”

Michael blinked a few times as he looked up to where Mrs. Pennington was all but glaring him to death. He licked his lips and looked around. There wasn’t really anyone to talk to. Sure, Isobel would quickly pull him into the conversation if need be, but she seemed to be trying really hard to seem interested in forcing Sir Alexander to talk about his book. Jenna, who was nice enough, seemed to enjoy the overwhelming attention she was receiving from Maxwell. Then Mrs. Pennington was focusing quite hard on her needlepoint when she wasn’t trying to send daggers into his head with a single look.

“Right,” Michael said, peering down at his sketchbook and then back to Mrs. Pennington, “Men should be outside doing… manly things.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and Micahel was pretty sure everyone else was looking at him too. Which made sense. They were all doing their period things and Michael had come here to also do period things, but instead, he was just drawing pictures of a boy who was acting and thinking of a girl who wore pants in a time where she shouldn’t.

He suddenly had a very strong urge to go find that girl. She probably wouldn’t be staring at him like everyone in this room was.

“I’ll go… do manly things.”

Michael excused himself and very quickly made his way outside. He didn’t exactly know where to find her, but he was sure that he could find her and that he would be able to make it seem like he found her by happenstance and not that he was being creepy. The last thing he wanted was to be super creepy towards her. She’d been the only one who hadn’t made him feel completely out of place here. It reminded him of summer camp whenever he hung out with the camp counselor the whole time because he couldn’t seem to make any friends that like was supposed to. 

He eventually heard the faint sound of Dancing Queen by ABBA summoning him towards a tiny shed and decided that was a good place to start. Even if it wasn’t Liz, it was obviously someone infinitely better than anyone inside the house. So, he knocked.

The music stopped and he heard some quick stomping inside that made him smile. When the door flew open, Liz stood there with her braid undone and legs bare with only a long, billowy period-shirt. He smiled childishly large at her and she reciprocated it.

“Hello, Mr. Gilkes,” she said, “What brings you my way?”

“I was just wandering and I heard the music, thought I’d come see what’s going on,” he said, keeping his eyes on hers and hoping beyond hope that she’d invite him inside. He needed to be around someone like her for a little while. She reminded him of Maria in all the ways that he needed.

“Ah, well, I know it’s technically inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together,” Liz said, shaking her head teasingly, “But… you wanna come in?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Michael stepped up into the tiny little shed and saw that it was basically functioning as her bedroom. It was quaint and homey and modern and it made him relax a bit. Liz made no move to put on pants or tame her crimped, frizzy hair and she still looked insanely gorgeous. Honestly, nearly everyone here was gorgeous. Was that a requirement?

“How do you feel about an ABBA dancing session?” she asked.

“I feel like it’s exactly what I need.”

Whenever Michael and Maria were teenagers and he either slept in his truck or on her bedroom floor, his only release from hell was blaring Queen and ABBA while he and Maria danced around the room. It was hard to be sad whenever Freddie Mercury was boosting you up and how could they possibly be stressed about life whenever they decided to perform an entire production of Mamma Mia! with just the two of them. And now, how could he be upset about awkwardly being a third or fifth wheel whenever he was jumping around and singing Money, Money, Money with a girl who was this stunning?

They danced through a few songs until they ran out of breath and collapsed onto the little futon in the corner in a pile of laughter. It was the best Michael had felt in days and it actually had nothing to do with the amount of skin he could see of hers. That was just a bonus.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” Liz said after they caught their breath, “For yesterday. I should’ve stuck around in case the horse decided to abandon you. That was my bad.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Michael said, waving it off, “I said I could do it. I just didn’t wanna ask for help. And then Mr. Perfect strolled up to save the day. Still not sure how to feel about it.” Liz snorted a laugh.

“Between you and me, the actors are paid to be perfect, you can’t really hold it against them,” Liz explained, turning to face him completely. For a moment, he considered touching her, but he didn’t. It felt too out of place. “But Alex is sweet, so he probably just genuinely wanted to help.”

Michael gave her a skeptical look. “Sweet? He always looks mildly to extremely irritated with my general existence.”

“Yeah,” she laughed, “I think that’s just his face though.”

Michael chuckled along with her for a moment and then they quieted down and just looked at each other. Maria would really like her. He could see the three of them hanging out and bingeing silly romcoms together. If he got anything from this trip, he hoped he’d gained her friendship.

“You think we could play another song? I didn’t realize how much I’d miss music being here,” he admitted. Liz flashed a big smile.

“Absolutely,” she said and stood up. She walked over to her phone and typed for a second and then the opening to Lay All Your Love On Me started playing and Michael was on his feet. That was easily a favorite of his. There was something about it that felt so unabashedly freeing even when it was literally about being possessive.

They started jumping around again, dancing closer and closer until she was touching him and he was touching her. She was a lot shorter than him, but it didn’t take away the charm of having her move against him as she held onto his hands. He barely noticed when they stopped moving.

He did notice when his forehead touched hers.

“You know,” she whispered, her eyes flickering down to his lips. He tried not to get excited. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this.”

Michael moved away instantly. “You’re right, I’m sorry for being so forward.” 

Liz rolled her eyes.“Don’t be silly, I like your forwardness. It isn’t there that often, but I like it,” she said. He chewed on his bottom lip and it was the only thing keeping him from smiling. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I think I can arrange that,” he said. She giggled and shooed him out the door.

He felt much better.

-

“Jesus, you are way too good at that.”

Michael let Isobel lean over his shoulder to get a better look at his needlepoint. He found it wasn’t too hard if you didn’t think too much about it. Whenever he looked to hers, though, he saw that she should’ve probably thought a little harder.

“Isobel, what is that?” he laughed. Jenna leaned over to see the monstrosity Isobel was creating. She quickly joined in on the laughter.

“Is it Cthulu himself?” she asked which had them all laughing harder.

Isobel tried to pout as she held it out in front of them. “No, it’s supposed to be an elephant.”

“An elephant?” Jenna nearly cackled, “From what planet?”

“Ours!” Isobel whined, but it was quickly cut off by infectious giggling, “Listen, we can’t all be Michael.”

“You don’t want to be me,” Micahel said, shaking his head as he put his needlepoint in his lap, “That’s basically the only thing I’ve done right since I’ve been here.” 

“Oh c’mon, you can’t let Mrs. Bitchington ruin your time here,” Jenna said encouragingly. Michael shrugged.

“It’s not just her,” he admitted. Isobel grabbed his hand and he immediately calmed down a bit. She had a magic touch sometimes. One squeeze and a weight would lift off his shoulders.

“You know, I feel pretty shitty about the way she excludes you all the time. I still can’t figure out why,” Isobel admitted. Michael had an idea about why, but he chose to shrug. “You want to be here more than either of us do. It’s just not fair.”

“Do I?” he asked. He’d been under the impression that they were both as excited about it as he was. Or at least Isobel since she was the one who always seemed so eager to play along and engage Sir Alexander in conversation.

“My husband is super rich,” Isobel admitted, “He’ll basically pay for me to do anything if it means getting out of his hair.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Isobel said, waving him off, “It doesn’t bother me. It means I can do whatever including coming to this super fun place.” 

“Not sure if fun’s the right word,” Jenna mumbled before clearing her throat, “It’s not the worst, but… I don’t know, I’m trying to enjoy it. It’s just not my type of thing, you know.”

“Why’d you come then?” Michael asked. Jenna sighed and leaned back into the uncomfortable sofa.

“My sister loves this stuff,” she began, pulling loosely at the thick fabric of her dress, “She always wanted to come and she planned to one day. But, uh, then she got sick and now she can’t come, so she forced me to so she could live vicariously through me.”

“Man, you’re a good person,” Isobel huffed, “I don’t think I could do something I didn’t want to do just for my sibling.” 

“Really? I think I could do something insane for my best friend if she wanted me to because she couldn’t,” Michael said decidedly. He, in fact, had done a lot for Maria and she had done a lot for him. If she wanted him to do something crazy that he didn’t want to, he was sure he could do it for her.

“Still, it’s really sweet of you,” Isobel said, nudging Michael. She had that heartfelt smile on her face though and he felt warm inside. “But, if we’re gonna talk about Mrs. Bitchington, I find it super weird that it’s always the three of us and then two of them. Like, that’s so unfair.”

“It is unfair,” Jenna agreed, “I mean, apart of this whole thing is a romance, right? Where’s your romance?”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Michael said, but his mind immediately jumped to Liz. He hadn’t seen her since the night prior and she was still hovering around his brain. He was eager to see her again and the more he thought about it, the more he itched to get away.

“I know that face,” Isobel said.

“What face?” Michael asked. She gave him a distinctly Isobel expression that he hadn’t actually seen on anyone else and he was struggling to decide what, exactly, it meant.

“That one,” she said, circling his head with her finger. Jenna chuckled beside him. “The one a boy gets when he’s thinking about a girl.”

“Okay, so maybe I’m thinking about a girl,” Michael agreed. Isobel’s eyes lit up.

“Is that girl around?” When he didn’t answer, she shoved his shoulder. “Michael! Go find the girl!”

Michael didn’t want to say no, so he didn’t.

Wandering around outside, it wasn’t hard to find Liz sitting on the bank of the little lake that wasn’t too far behind the house. He plopped down beside her and focused on his sketchbook. Or, pretended to be focused on his sketchbook even though he was very aware of the way she leaned closer and how she was smiling at him.

“Are you supposed to be out here?” she asked. He scribbled in the weaves of her braid that he happened to be drawing, trying to seem busy.

“I’m drawing.”

“You’re supposed to be inside,” she teased. He licked his lips and tried his best to channel his inner Maria. He looked over to her and grinned, letting his eyes trail up and down her. 

“I mean… I don’t have to be drawing.” Liz’s eyes went wide and she giggled, shoving his shoulder gently. “No, but I’m tired of being cooped up in there and playing third wheel all the time. Show me around, Liz, please?”

“How very scandalous,” she mused, “Didn’t you pay to be cooped up?”

Michael gave an exaggerated frown and kicked her foot. Her nose scrunched up and she looked so cute he thought about kissing her right then. He didn’t, though Maria would’ve been proud if he had.

“You’re right,” he sighed dramatically, “I guess I’m going to go be all bored and alone somewhere with no WiFi.”

He pushed off the ground and went to stand up, but Liz quickly grabbed his arm. He hit the ground again and barely had any time to adjust before there was a small hand at the back of his neck and lips on his. He melted into it, letting her set the pace and the boundaries. It was a good kiss. She was a good kisser.

And it was the first kiss he’d had in over two years and kisses were nice.

“Are you sure you can sneak around with me today?” she asked as she pulled away. He realized that, for at least the next couple hours, he was completely at her beck and call. And he was completely okay with that.

“Yes,” he said, “Absolutely.”

Liz stood first and grabbed his hands, tugging him up onto his feet. He smiled down at her when he got there and felt that strong urge to kiss her again. He didn’t really get the chance to even say that before she was on her toes, their noses smushing together as well as their mouths and his heart was slamming in his chest. He missed kissing someone.

“If you stay right here, I’ll go swipe us some lunch from the kitchen,” she said against his lips. He nodded dumbly.

Michael watched as she ran towards the house, impressively light on her feet. His first instinct was to call Maria, to tell her he actually kissed someone, but he knew he couldn’t. He just had to revel in it by himself which, honestly, was a lot to handle. He managed to do it if only so he didn’t embarrass himself in front of Liz.

She returned with a picnic basket in her hands and a mischievous glint in her eye.

Liz led him away from the lake and towards the back garden that he hadn’t actually been to yet. It was secluded and she laid out a blanket before laying on it herself. Staring at her with the sun on her face and the clothes she wore made Michael crave the idea of stealing one of the dresses they had and fixing his hair up like women did back in the day. He wanted to layout in the garden in one and he wanted to feel pretty. He wanted to feel pretty and be kissed senselessly for it and be told things poetically that had his mind reeling.

That wasn’t an option, so he just laid beside her instead.

They spent at least two hours talking and laughing and feeding each other and discussing their lives outside of this place. Liz explained it was a summer job she took on and that for most parts of the year she worked on her Ph.D. in biomedicine. Michael tried not to feel too much less than when he said he was an English teacher at a middle school.

When they weren’t speaking, they were kissing and Michael decided he could get used to being kissed all the time. He honestly didn’t think it mattered who or where, as long as he was being kissed and felt like he wasn’t unwantable. Well, actually, he was fine with being unwantable in most aspects of his life, but if he could kiss for a few minutes a day with a stranger, that sounded fine.

“Mmm, you should probably go back inside,” Liz said eventually. Michael sighed pathetically and pouted.

“I really don’t want to.”

“I really think you should.”

She ran a hand through his hair, tucking the already gelled strands behind his ear. She gave him one last kiss before she started folding up the picnic blanket. 

“So, can I see you tomorrow?” Michael asked. She grinned and nodded.

“You can count on it.”

He started making his way back towards the house, working on taming the smile on his face. The last thing he needed was Mrs. Pennington gaining another reason to be irritated with him. He was just fine with the current reasons.

Except, when he got back, the only person waiting around and looking irritated was Sir Alexander.

-

“Good news!”

Michael looked up from his plate at Mrs. Pennington’s announcement. She was beaming in a way that Michael felt was almost sinister. He wondered if he could get away with sneaking back out to find Liz if only so he wouldn’t have to see Mrs. Pennington do… that.

“Mr. Kyle Valenti will be joining us for the remainder of our time here!” she announced.

As if one cue‒most likely actually on cue‒a man burst in through the doors with an air of importance. He was actually gorgeous with a chiseled face and an easy smirk. His cheeks were stubbly, but it worked almost too well and Michael’s mind scrambled. He’d seen attractive men before‒hell, Sir Alexander was a force to be reckoned with‒but this man knew he was attractive and therefore carried himself to make it even more so. Confidence itself was no match for him.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, his words coming out as natural as breathing.

Isobel kicked Michael beneath the table. He tore his attention from Mr. Valenti to look at her. Her eyes were wide with excitement, her smile so big that her teeth were showing. She was interested. Which made sense‒they were both beautiful enough to be models. Michael gave her a quick little thumbs up.

“And who might you be?”

It took Michael a moment to realize that basically everyone had been introduced to Mr. Valenti except for him and that he was sitting beside him and that he was leaning all close. He had to blink a few times to catch up with what he had clearly missed. When did that happen? 

“Oh, um, Michael. Michael Gue- Gilkes,” he fumbled. Mr. Valenti grinned and grabbed his hand, kissing it once and then a few more times.

“It’s a pleasure to meet someone who graces the Earth with such beauty, Mr. Gilkes,” he said and Michael gulped. What the fuck was happening?

“Oh, thanks, you too,” Michael fumbled. Mr. Valenti chuckled and Isobel gave Michael a look that said ‘damn, look at you’.

Dinner went on with the new addition, only Michael was no longer left out of the conversation. Not that he typically minded being in his own headspace, but he was here to experience everything. Mr. Valenti made sure that he was constantly being talked to, showering him in attention. Every extensive ramble would end with, “And what do you think of that, Mr. Gilkes?”, and Michael would have to answer. It was overwhelming and alluring all at the same time.

When dinner began to wind down and they went to the sitting room, Michael felt like he was in a haze. This is what it was supposed to feel like. He was supposed to be fuzzy and flattered. That was the whole point of this entire trip. He couldn’t wait to go home to Maria and gush about all the attention he was getting, even if it was all acting.

“So, there I was, and there was a bear,” Mr. Valenti explained, standing up in the sitting room as he told his story. Michael mimicked the way Isobel had looked at Sir Alexander and the way Maxwell looked at Jenna, that wide-eyed interested look. He seemed to feed on it. “And he came towards me! Running, growling‒I had to act fast.”

“Bears don’t attack unless provoked,” Sir Alexander said, voice dull with disinterest as it had been every time he spoke this evening. Which was very little.

Mr. Valenti glanced at him for a moment. “This one did.”

“Unlikely. Unless it was a mother and you got too close to her baby,” he said, then paused, “Or this entire story is bullshit which feels more accurate than anything.”

Mrs. Pennington gasped at his language, looking over at him with overly mothering eyes. Sir Alexander just stared back with a face that said ‘what?’. She tilted her head and he took a deep breath, looking away.

“I need a different book,” he said, standing with his cane in hand. He spared Michael a glance before not-so-subtly hitting Mr. Valenti with his cane. Michael tried not to smile because that wasn’t nice.

But the look Sir Alexander gave him was.

Still, Michael was quite sure Mr. Valenti was there to be his romance and he would at least give Mr. Valenti the attention he so clearly wanted. It wasn’t until much later when he ran into Liz in the hall outside the kitchen that he realized maybe he shouldn’t have been so eager to play along.

“Oh, you look normal. I thought you would never get that ‘oh, sir’ look off your face,” she teased. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he tried to gauge if she was mad at him or not. She didn’t seem mad, but most people weren’t too happy when they saw you flirt with someone else after making out with them.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Liz rolled her eyes.

“It’s okay, you aren’t required to be attracted to women,” she said, leaning against the wall with that fond expression on her face. Michael blinked dumbly.

“No,” he said, “I am, I just… have a broad taste.” Bisexual didn’t sound like a very early-1800s thing to say, but the fact that he didn’t say it made him feel kind of stupid too. He bowed his head and heard her little giggle in response. He didn’t realize how tense he was until she smoothed her hand over his shoulder to make him relax.

“Are you having fun being doused in manly attention?” she asked, nose scrunched up as if she knew she was slamming the ’make him blush’ button.

“You aren’t upset with me?” he whispered. Liz scoffed, her hand moving to his cheek.

“Michael, we just kissed a little, I’m not your keeper and I don’t think you feel like I am. Go! Swoon over all the sexy ass guys that you literally came here to be courted by,” she insisted, “Don’t be ashamed of wanting that‒that’s the opposite of the point. You’re supposed to be proposed to by the end of the story, aren’t you?”

Michael nodded and breathed slowly, quietly thanking her with the tilt of his head. She slipped her hand into his hair and tugged him closer.

“Get up in the morning, dress nice, do your hair how you want, and make them all stare. Stop being scared when you’re here to be someone else,” she whispered, ending it with a firm kiss to his lips. 

He went to bed with a plan to do just that.

-

“Can I speak to you for a moment, Mr. Gilkes?”

Michael would be lying if he said he wasn’t shocked to see Isobel and Jenna outside his bedroom door. While they were friends and very friendly, they never really came down to the servants quarters where he’d been set up.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, moving to let her in. The moment they were behind closed doors, Isobel gave a big wild smile that was a whole lot more Isobel than the structured sentence she had greeted him with.

“Me and Kyle started talking last night,” she said, so giddy that he grinned right back.

“Oh yeah?” he asked. Jenna just smiled and shook her head.

“Yes!” Isobel said, giggling, “I really like him, so… I was wondering how you’d feel about possibly switching.”

“Switching?” he repeated, looking between the two women.

“Yes, you get Sir Alexander and I get Mr. Valenti.”

“Or Maxwell, if you want,” Jenna added, “I don’t really mind.”

Michael blinked a few times and tried to order things in his head. They only had about half a week left here and they were all so ready to switch. That wasn’t a part of the story. However, he didn’t want to ruin her time here. She was actually enjoying it and Michael was having fun with Liz… even if she had just told him to get showered by male affection. It was fine. So, he nodded.

“Sure, I’ll take Alexander,” he said. He was the most attractive of them all, in his opinion. Even if he was sort of a dick who Michael clearly annoyed.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Isobel asked. He nodded.

“Of course not, go be happy.”

-

“I have a fun little task for you all!”

Michael nearly sighed when Mrs. Pennington announced that. He found that the best way to enjoy this place now that Isobel had asked for Mr. Valenti was to quietly sit beside Sir Alexander and sketch while he read. He wouldn’t say it was accurate bonding time, but it had resulted in some of the calmest moments he’d had since he arrived. He was pretty content on doing that until the ball where Sir Alexander would probably propose to him even though they’d done nothing but annoy each other at the least.

“I have written a play that I would like you all to star in!” Mrs. Pennington said cheerily. Isobel, Kyle, and Maxwell all made sounds of intrigue, Michael and Jenna managed a smile, and Sir Alexander…

“Absolutely not,” he said. She gave him that motherly look like she did quite often. “No, I’m not doing that.”

“Yes, you are, so split into pairs,” Mrs. Pennington pushed. Alexander scoffed, dropping his head into his hand. Michael eyed him for a moment. It felt ungodly disrespectful. He almost smiled. “Ladies choice?”

“I guess we can be a pair, Mr. Evans,” Jenna said. He grinned with what could only be described as heart eyes.

“And, Mr. Valenti, I would enjoy your company,” Isobel said. Kyle looked supremely excited about that. Which left Michael to be paired with Alexander, which was expected since Isobel had asked him to switch suitors. Still, it felt weird. He kept replaying that moment in his mind where he insulted his cane only to realize he had a false leg.

“I guess that leaves us, Sir Alexander,” he said. Alexander picked up his head and looked at him, nodding with a sigh. He looked extremely disinterested in the entire prospect. Michael understood because he wasn’t really keen on the whole thing either.

Still, Mrs. Pennington pushed them to go run lines.

Michael found himself walking through the garden with a man who probably hated walking through the garden with his cane. It added an extra layer of guilt to the whole situation.

“I’m sorry about this, Sir Alexander,” Michael said, holding back a tree branch so it wouldn’t hit the man, “I’ll do my best not to annoy you.”

“You don’t annoy me,” he said almost before Michael finished speaking, “You make me nervous.” Michael froze for a moment and blinked at the man who walked past him. “And call me Alex.”

Michael watched him continue to walk and mulled over his words. Oh, he thought after a moment, this is the pairing I was supposed to have. He cleared his throat and ruffled his hair in hopes that his curls looked alright. Mrs. Pennington had given him a look from hell when she saw it. But, hey, he looked better and Liz had said to enjoy himself and look good. And he was going to look good for the guy he was supposed to be paired with.

“So, you like horses?” Michael said as he followed Alex towards the bench he was sitting at. Alex huffed a laugh and nodded, straightening out the leg with the prosthetic. Michael eyed it for a moment before he realized he was probably being extremely rude. When he looked up, Alex didn’t seem to mind.

“When I was first starting PT, they asked me to decide on a goal-- what I wanted to be able to do again-- and focus on it. I chose horseback riding,” Alex admitted, “It’s the only reason I was able to save you the other day, so… you’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” Michael said, sitting beside him, “That’s really impressive.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Alex said, shaking his head. When he looked towards Michael, the fact that they were always intended to be paired made even more sense. “Can I ask you a question? Why did you come to this place?”

Michael chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. I really enjoy everything about the time period‒well, most things about the time period. I like the dramatics of it all.”

“Really? I think the only thing I like is the simplicity. It’s so easy to just exist in a place that feels cut off,” Alex admitted. Okay, this was easy. Holding a conversation with him was easy.

“Absolutely. And the clothing is super fun,” Michael added, nodding towards the proper garb Alex had on. Michael’s was loose and peasant-y, but it was still comfy and simple.

“And it’s quiet. Super quiet. No constant noise like it is everywhere else,” he said and Michael again agreed. He lived in an apartment, quietness was a virtue.

“And,” Michael said, pausing for a moment as he tried to build up his inner Maria. He could be ballsy too, “The men.”

Alex stared at him and a slow smile slinked onto his face. It was world-altering. It was a very comforting thing to see and Michael had to wonder why he didn’t do it more often. He should do it all the time.

“The men,” Alex echoed.

Michael breathed slowly as they stared at each other for a moment. He could feel his cheeks heating up and his mind swim frantically as he tried to think of something to say so he didn’t sound stupid. He found himself desperately trying not to embarrass himself that he hadn’t even felt around Liz. Well, he always wanted to avoid embarrassing himself, but this felt like a life or death situation. It wasn’t… but it was.

“I-I like that there’s time to draw here,” Michael added limply. Alex’s head tilted in interest.

“Right, you’re an artist,” he said, casually snatching Michael’s sketchbook from his arms like that was something you do. He clearly didn’t have the same panicky thought process that Michael did.

“Uh, yeah, but don’t‒”

Michael’s protests didn’t really do much of anything as Alex continued to flip through his sketchbook and seeing drawing after drawing of his own damn face. Michael wondered if perhaps the dirt was loose enough to bury himself under.

“You seem to have a lot of me,” Alex said casually. There was nothing condescending in his tone or anything mocking on his face. He was just curious. Michael imagined Isobel or Maria squeezing his hand and nodded.

“You’re aesthetically pleasing and… quiet and curious. You’re, like, a token Mr. Darcy figure. You’re created to be a fantasy,” Michael answered.

Alex’s fingers gently traced the lines that Michael had drawn of his face, having tried and failed to capture the beauty of him. Still, Alex seemed impressed and entranced and Michael thanked whoever was listening that he wasn’t being shamed.

“So… I’m your fantasy?” Alex asked, tilting his head towards Michael. He felt his heart drop into his stomach and he tried not to gulp. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. He channeled Maria once again.

“Well, you do your job very well.”

Alex didn’t smile at this, he just nodded and turned to look back at the sketchbook. Michael wasn’t sure if he’d fucked up or not.

He hoped not.

-

Three hours of not-so-successful line-running, Michael and Alex made their way out of the garden. It went as well as one could imagine practicing a shitty play would be. They got distracted and talking more about things that felt much more interesting than the play itself. Like Alex’s penchant for cooking and his history in the Air Force and Michael’s job as an English teacher and the existence of his best friend Maria. It had him feeling a little more jittery than expected.

That jitteriness was immediately shut down and replaced by worry when he saw Isobel and Mr. Valenti making out against one of the sheds, hardly even trying to hide behind shrubbery. It immediately soured Michael’s mood and he scoffed.

“What?” Alex pressed. Michael gestured haphazardly towards the pair.

“That’s not right,” he said simply.

“Two straight people kissing?” Alex asked. Michael stuck his tongue out at him without thinking which earned him a smile that he quickly ignored.

“She’s kissing an actor, right? Where’s the line at? Where does truth end and fantasy begin when you do stuff like that?” Michael pointed out. He knew Isobel, not incredibly well, but enough to know that she probably wouldn’t understand that it wouldn’t carry on past this week. It was asking for heartbreak when Valenti turned out to be nothing more than an actor doing his job for a paycheck. Perhaps, more than his job description, actually.

“It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, I suppose,” Alex said. 

Michael shook his head.“She’s going to end up heartbroken because of a stupid game and he won’t even feel bad,” he decided. Alex breathed in so deep that Michael had to look over at him. He was already looking right back.

“I don’t know,” he said softly, “A week prior, I never would’ve seen any of this as anything other than a game, but now…”

He never finished his sentence. They stared for a moment until Michael decided that it was far, far too overwhelming and gave him a small nod before walking away. The entire trip back to the house was full of his mind trying to decipher what the hell that meant and then having to remind himself that this was indeed a game. It meant nothing. He couldn’t be stupid.

Which caused him to stupidly bump into Liz.

“Hello there, Mr. Gilkes,” Liz said, smiling up at him fondly. He had the urge to kiss her if only so he would stop thinking about kissing Alex which was a really terrible reason to kiss someone. So, obviously, he didn’t do it.

“Hi,” Michael said. She laughed at him, stepping up close to him and reaching up to spring one of the loose curls.

“So, how’s it all going?” she wondered. He huffed a laugh and shook his head.

“It’s all right out of a storybook,” he answered, sarcasm dripping from his tone. She smirked.

“That’s the point.”

When she walked past him, he didn’t bother to watch her leave. As gorgeous as she was, he had more pressing matters on his mind. Like the fact that Isobel was kissing an actor or that he was going to have to act in a play even though he was a shitty actor.

The main culprit invading his mind, however, was Sir Alexander Manes himself.

-

Alex was shaking.

“You know, for an actor, you’re pretty shit at this,” Michael whispered to him playfully as they stood backstage. Michael wasn’t really fond of acting on stage, it was actually the worst, but this didn’t feel like acting. There was no audience, it was just the six of them fucking around for Mrs. Pennington.

Alex gave him a pretty nasty glare which didn’t really hit the way it should because he looked downright terrified. It didn’t make sense considering he knew they were going to have to put on this damn play eventually. You’d think he’d be comfortable. But, no, he was nervous.

Still, they galloped on stage at their cue.

“Alas, my dear friend,” Alex mumbled. Michael gave him a smile. 

“Louder,” he instructed softly. Alex took a shaky breath and nodded.

“Alas, my dear friend!” he announced, so loud that his voice cracked. Michael squeezed his eyes shut to try to suppress his laughter. “You’ve been stabbed!”

Michael looked at him with wide eyes. He’d casually skipped half the damn script. With a small laugh, Michael got on the ground to pretend to be dead. Alex stood frozen for a bit before he awkwardly went to sit beside him, overly cautious for his prosthetic leg. 

“You’re supposed to be crying,” Michael told him carefully. Alex blinked and then frowned, sniffling in quite possibly the least believable way. Michael almost started laughing out loud. With a shake of his head, he said his next line. “Tis but a scratch.” 

“Let me hold you, my dear friend,” Alex said, scooting closer. He didn’t actually make any move to hold him which didn’t matter, but it had them both snickering under their breath.

“Oh, this life we have led,” Michael began, gazing up at Alex in the most loving way he could. He wasn’t an actor by any means, but he’d spent enough time playing Maria’s fake boyfriend to pretty accurately capture an ‘in love’ face. “I fear the day we let it go.”

“We will meet again. Ours are meant to be in every lifetime,” Alex spoke back, again too softly but Michael didn’t bother correcting him. He just smiled at him.

“Ah, for this moment, if it may be my last, it seems we are alone in this world. Just you and I in this very moment,” Michael recited dramatically. Alex just stared at him.

“I love you,” he blurted suddenly. Michael’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at him. That wasn’t in the script. Had he really forgotten the script that badly? Alex’s eyes widened at his mistake and Michael just managed a comforting little smile.

Maxwell badly galloped onto the stage behind them in an off-kilter rhythm. 

“You’re supposed to be dead,” he whispered to them. 

“Oh, yeah,” Michael said, dropping to the floor completely in his death and Alex managed an ‘oh no’ that almost revived him with laughter.

A little commotion went on around them as Michael played dead, the image of Alex saying ’I love you’ cycling through his mind over and over and over. What a weird thing to throw in. 

“And they all died!” Jenna announced a little too early or perhaps not, causing a slow slinking of his fellow “actors” to the floor. Alex laid on his chest.

If anyone asked him, he would say it was a very successful performance.

-

High on the adrenaline of the play, Michael grabbed Alex’s arm the moment they got off stage.

“Let’s get out of here,” he pressed. Alex blinked curiously but nodded with a smile. 

Michael gave Alex time to grab his cane before they began rushing away from the makeshift stage, speed walking away from it all and towards the house. Alex stayed close as they moved, smiles on both of their faces. It was hard to pinpoint where it all came from. He just knew one minute Alex was laying on his chest and the next he needed to get him alone.

They found themselves huddled behind the door of Michael’s bedroom, bodies all but touching as they took each other in. Alex had been beautiful since the first day, but seeing him smile like that felt like a brand new type of gorgeous. It flurried into Michael with new knowledge of his shitty stage acting skills and soft hair and the way he felt on his chest. 

This is what it should feel like. 

Michael remembered Maria trying to explain to him what it felt like whenever she really, really liked someone, especially back in high school. She’d explained the heart-pounding, mind-numbing, euphoric feeling of it all. He always thought it was bullshit. While he wanted something out of a book, he couldn’t understand how anyone real could make you feel that way. Now, here he was, giddy to be alone with a boy for once. It didn’t feel like dread or duty like he usually felt whenever he found himself alone in a room with someone. This felt like he wanted it.

He didn’t let go of his hand.

“I feel someone in the early 19th century might have a few words to say about two men who close themselves in a bedroom together,” Alex whispered, though he made no move to back away or let go.

However, his words shattered Michael’s thoughts and rudely reminded him that he was an actor. This wasn’t real. This was a game that he signed up for. He shouldn’t feel so comfortable.

But he did. And, for a moment he considered pleading him to stay.

Instead, he said, “Maybe I should let you go then. Wouldn’t want to get either of us into trouble.” He paused for a moment, squeezing Alex’s hand. As long as he was aware this wasn’t real, he could be a little reckless. Just a little. “I had fun with you.”

“So did I.”

Alex stared at him for a moment before he blinked and looked to the side. He took a deep breath and then gave a curt smile before turning to open the door. He turned the handle and everything, but he paused before he pushed it open.

“Mr. Gilkes, during the ball tomorrow… may I steal a dance or two?”

“Yes, of course, Sir Alexander,” Michael agreed, that giddy feeling slowly but surely rearing its head again.

Alex nodded and then very quickly seemed to make a decision, turning back to Michael and capturing his hand again. Michael held his breath.

“When I look at you, I feel right for the first time in my life,” he admitted, completing the romantic fantasy in Michael’s mind. He truly was the perfect actor.

Alex pressed a kiss to the palm of Michael’s hand and let it linger for a moment. It felt more intimate than anything Michael had ever experienced in his life. It made his heart pound. 

“Good night, Mr. Gilkes,” Alex said softly, quickly disappearing outside of the door and leaving Michael alone.

His mind was in a haze as he went to his bed, laying down fully clothed. He wanted to replay those last few minutes in his mind forever. He wanted to tell Maria. He wanted so much.

He wanted that feeling to never, ever go away.

-

The ball was everything a young Michael could’ve ever dreamed of.

Fancy costumes, beautiful men and women, live early Romantic era music, dancing. He couldn’t even help the smile that overcame his face as he, Jenna, and Isobel made their way into the ballroom. It was the real answer to his fantasies and suddenly the whole week was worth everything awful that had happened.

In the sea of bodies, he spotted Liz who gave him a little wave and a wink. She was wearing a dress for the first time, dressed up in a way similar to Isobel and Jenna. It was different, but she still looked gorgeous. Jenna got whisked away by Maxwell, Isobel got whisked away by Mr. Valenti, and Michael considered whisking away with Liz until a familiar face stood in front of him.

Alex looked even better in his special occasion fancy garb than he did in his daily fancy garb. The pale blues of the suit made his skin look even darker than it usually did and accented his already dazzling eyes. Michael was immediately brought back to the night before whenever they had snuck off to his room for nothing more than a kiss on the hand.

“May I have this dance?”

Michael held out his hand, allowing him to pull him into a very Regency-esque dance that had been taught to them through the week, but Michael had already known. It was something he did in his free time, something he did when he needed to remember what the point was. It was natural to him. Doing it with a good looking man, however, was new.

“You know, I seem to recall you saying you didn’t like social events such as this,” Michael pointed out with a grin.

“I can make an exception, I suppose,” Alex said softly. Michael raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh, I can make you enjoy this?”

Alex stared at him for a moment, confliction on his face before he quickly pulled Michael off the dance floor. Michael let him, though the confusion never left his face.

“Michael, can we speak for a moment? I need to tell you something that-- that I'm not supposed to tell you,” Alex said, his eyes shifting over to someone. When Michael followed his gaze, he saw Mrs. Pennington all but staring them down. Alex gave his hand a little squeeze. “Please?”

“O-Okay,” Michael said dumbly, letting himself be pulled through the crowd. He overheard Maxwell wistfully propose to Jenna and then Mr. Valenti wistfully propose to Isobel. His stomach started churning. 

Alex tugged him outside onto the balcony, closing the door behind them and creating a world for just them. He stood close, his cane beside both of their feet as he leaned in. His eyes were so big and worried and nervous that Michael couldn’t help but listen attentively.

“I-I know that I made quite a horrible first impression on our first meeting, but I hope I’ve changed that. You see, I had no intention to even speak to anyone here more than I had to, much less fall for anyone, but I did and I have and I… I feel connected to you in a way I haven’t before and I just can’t imagine never seeing you again,” Alex gushed, seeming so sincerely honest. Michael stared at him, eyes growing wider each moment. He was a fantastic actor. “Is there any hope that I can see you after this is over?” 

There was something awful about how conflicted Michael felt in that moment. The illogical side that was still caught up in the feeling of the night before wanted to say yes. He wanted to tug him close and kiss him and never leave. But this wasn’t real. Every single emotion he was feeling was intended from the start. 

“Oh,” Michael whispered, slowly pulling away from him. Alex’s face dropped. “I didn’t realize this would feel so…”

Alex’s eyebrows pulled together, his head tilting like a desperate puppy would. “So what?”

“Fake.”

Michael took a large step away, watching as Alex got a downright pitiful expression on his pretty features. It made it harder to leave.

“No, but it’s not‒”

“No, you were right, this is a dangerous game that I shouldn’t have played in the first place,” Michael said. He didn’t think it would’ve felt so bad had he not had that moment of belonging and security in his bedroom the night prior. That felt too good to be fake. But it was and that made him feel uncomfortable. “I want something real.”

Michael didn’t stay long enough to hear anything else Alex might have to say, instead quickly escaping into the ballroom again to find the one real thing he had experienced in the entire week he’d been there. It took him a moment, but he did eventually find Liz’s short stature in the sea of people, talking to an elderly woman with a smile on her face.

“Liz,” he called. She turned him with pleading eyes. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Yes, please,” Liz agreed, taking his hand.

Her laughter followed him as they all but sprinted away and out of the house. He made sure she had a good hold on her dress before making a beeline through the grass to the little shed they’d danced in earlier in the week. He didn’t really let himself breathe until he fell onto her couch.

“Any reason in particular we just made a great escape?” she asked teasingly. He closed his eyes, breathing in slow. He tried to push away the conflicted feelings he had about leaving Alex. He was a fucking actor. 

“I realized that you were the only person who hasn’t been putting on a show for the whole week,” he said softly. It helped convince himself just a little bit more that he indeed made the right choice.

Until she didn’t respond.

Liz stayed quiet until he pried his eyes open. She looked downright guilty. He felt his heart drop into his stomach. God, he needed Maria.

“I don’t think I was really putting on a show, but,” Liz said, grimacing as she spoke slow and controlled, “I was originally intended to be your love interest. I’m an actress.”

“Of fucking course,” Michael groaned, slapping his hand over his eyes. Of course. The one real thing wasn’t even fucking real.

“But I really do like you, you know, as a person. I had so much fun with you and I felt bad about tricking you like that, so I put some space between us. Nothing I did with you was acting, though,” Liz explained. Michael sighed dramatically all over again. Suddenly, he realized that he was indeed getting all of this out of his system. This was all one giant mindfuck.

“Well, thanks for telling the truth, I guess,” Michael whispered. It suddenly made a bit more sense that Alex didn’t really start giving him any attention until halfway through. She backed out and Alex had to swoop in and save the day. How very Mr. Perfect of him.

“I would want to be told the truth, so…” Liz explained, shrugging. He lulled his head back on the couch and tried to let it all sink in. If he knew how badly this was going to feel, he never would’ve blown so much money on it in the first place.

“Can I admit something, though?” Michael asked.

“Sure.”

“Alex’s character was pretty convincing,” he said softly, again imagining that safe feeling in his bedroom paired with the soft kiss to his hand, “There were moments where it felt real.”

Liz just gave that comforting smile of hers and placed a hand on his shoulder. He decided that would have to do.

“I know.”

-

“I think me and Kyle are going to keep seeing each other after this.”

Michael looked up from where he was packing his bags and saw Jenna staring too. Isobel seemed very blissfully into the idea that whatever they were was legit. Michael wasn’t sure if he should say something. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. He didn’t know and he didn’t want to upset her for anything.

“I have to admit,” Jenna said with a smile, “They could be pretty dreamy when they need to be. My sister is gonna love all the stories.”

“My friend is too,” Michael agreed. As much as he knew Maria was fed up with his obsession, he also knew that she was a sucker for any story that involved a gushy romance. He was walking away with two different versions of that.

They finished packing up their things before heading outside. The carriage was waiting for them, all ready to wheel them away so they could go home and return to modern life. Michael couldn’t tell if he was sad to leave his childhood dream or glad to get away from the drama. 

“You know, I had a lot of fun with you guys,” Michael said, sighing softly as he took in the large house behind him, “I hope we can keep in touch. Like, on social media.”

“Aw, me too,” Isobel gushed, squeezing him in a hug. Jenna laughed gave his arm a little squeeze.

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile.

Maybe this thing wasn’t a total bust. If he was walking away with friends, then maybe it was worth it.

“Wait!” 

They all turned to see Alex hauling ass after them with his cane in hand. Michael furrowed his eyebrows as Alex came towards him, desperation on his face. Really?

“Michael, please,” he said as he got close, “I never lied to you, you have to know that.” Michael shook his head, giving the nicest smile he could manage.

“It’s okay, I know you’re just doing your job. And you were the perfect fantasy. You can stop now.”

“But I‒”

“No, it’s okay,” Michael assured him, seeing Alex’s face scrunch up in a panic, “I’m over it.”

Michael made his way towards the carriage and gave Alex one last look. The man looked torn, like he didn’t know whether to keep at it or to let him go. He let him go. Michael let out a heavy sigh as he sat across from Jenna and Isobel.

They were silent for a moment as the carriage got going. No one said anything until the large house was completely out of sight. Isobel reached across to put her hand on his knee and gave it a little squeeze. He was able to relax just a bit, even if Alex was still on his mind.

“You know, Alex did a very good job at pretending to fall in love with you,” Isobel noted kindly. Michael snorted, nodding his head.

“Yeah, he really did.”

“He asked me if there was any way I could go with Kyle so he could spend more time with you. Good thing, though, since we really hit it off,” she informed him like it was something to ignore. Jenna’s eyes widened a little and shot a look at Michael. He was already feeling overwhelmed. He gulped.

Michael spent the rest of the ride to the airport trying to rationalize why Alex would have requested him. That didn’t make sense, especially since he was supposed to be with Liz originally. Why would he do that? And, hell, why would he have asked Isobel and not Kyle or Mrs. Pennington?

He got on the plane, trying to convince himself that it didn’t matter.

-

Dorothy was right, there really was no place like home.

Michael instantly curled up on the couch the minute he got inside, breathing in the comforting smell of home and nothing more. He was going to be alright. Whatever that experience was, it was necessary for him to move on.

He glanced around at all his floral and antique decor and decided that could all stay. Just because he no longer felt the need to pretend he was going to have a great Mr. Darcy love, that didn’t mean he couldn’t like his aesthetic. He would have to remove the giant cardboard cutouts, though. 

Michael stood up after a moment and lit a candle, letting it make the room smell like home even more. He needed that comfort. As he settled into the soothing smell of lavender, his phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see follow requests from Jenna, Isobel, and even Liz. That made him feel even more at home. He didn’t need a boyfriend or a girlfriend or anything to be at home. He just needed friends.

He called Maria.

“Hey!” she answered, sounding as cheery as ever. Michael smiled. He missed her a lot. It felt like too long. 

“Are you home?"

"Yeah, don't have to be at the bar until later."

"Well, you were right, I’m over it,” he sighed, “Even perfect guys aren’t perfect.”

Maria made a mournful little noise, “Oh, honey. I’ll be right over.”

“See you soon.”

The call ended and he put his phone down. Michael closed his eyes for a moment as he stood there, taking in the smell of the candle and the security that came with Maria being on her way. He was going to survive this. He didn’t need Alex.

Alex, Alex, Alex. The confusing man haunted his mind. The confusing man he wanted out of his mind. Whatever that was, it wasn’t real. Alex was an actor and he played his job well. Too well. Honestly, dangerously well.

A few minutes later, Maria knocked on the door and Michael smiled thankfully. He quickly made his way to open it and prepared himself for the backbreaking hug she was going to give him, only to not receive it. Instead, Sir Alexander Manes stood across from him nearly out of breath and wide-eyed and in normal clothing. Hell, he even had a leather jacket.

He looked even better.

“I tried to catch you at the airport and I missed you by a few seconds, so I got on the next flight here and I ran and I wanted to give you this,” Alex said, leaning harder on his cane as he held out the sketchbook he’d forgotten. Michael’s eyes went wide and he stared at him, more than a little confused.

“You came all the way here to give me this?” Michael asked, very hesitantly taking the book from Alex’s hand. He nodded sincerely.

“Yes.”

“That’s a little extreme,” Michael pointed out. Alex’s face fell again and he nodded once, licking his lips.

“Right, sorry,” he said, using the wall to help him balance. He almost took a step in the opposite direction to leave, but then he stopped. Michael would never admit how thankful he was that he stopped. “Look, I’m an ex-Airman. I just got discharged because of my injury and I haven’t done anything in a long time, so my aunt basically forced me to come play stand-in before Kyle could come. I’m not an actor, I’m just some guy who… who fell for you. Really, really hard. We just connected like something wild, like something…”

Michael took a slow breath and tried not to smile. This felt too overwhelming, too much like a romcom, too fake. But he was here. Would he really be here if it was fake?

“Cosmic?” Michael offered. Alex smiled.

“Yes, cosmic,” he agreed, adjusting his stance to stand up straighter. He fixed his grip on his cane. “I used to think my aunt’s work was ridiculous and I thought all the people went there were too. But, the truth is, I really enjoyed it, just like we talked about. For a moment, love that simple was very real to me. Then I realized it was because it was that simple. Love is the easiest thing and I want that with you if you’ll let me.” 

Michael smiled so simply and almost leaned forward. He almost gave in, he almost melted. But this really was too good to be true.

“You don’t even know me,” Michael said softly. He didn’t walk away like his brain was telling him to, though. He didn’t close the door. He wanted so badly to be convinced.

“But I would like to.”

“Alex…” Michael trailed off. Please be real, please be real, please be real.

“You said you didn’t want fake. I don’t want that either. Do you think… we could try to be something real together? I promise I won’t show up at your door without warning ever again,” he said with a warm smile. 

The tone he used reminded him of the kiss on the hand he’d given him and how comfortable he felt being alone with him. Even now, he couldn’t find himself to be weirded out that he’d come all this way to give him back his book. It felt sincere. He seemed so, so sincere. 

For a moment, he got lost in how sincere the kiss on the hand felt.

For a moment, he wondered what it would be like to kiss him for real.

For a moment, he almost did.

“No, no, this isn’t real! Don’t you get that?” Michael laughed, turning and walking a bit deeper into the apartment before turning back to him. Space would help get his mindset back. Alex never crossed the threshold, he just stared with hope in his eyes. “This is a story, this is a fantasy. You can’t be real.”

“Michael, can’t you understand that you are my fantasy?” Alex asked. Michael sighed and his shoulders dropped, his heart thudding wildly in his chest. God, he wanted to kiss him.

“You can’t say stuff like that when you don’t mean it,” Michael whispered as a last-ditch effort. However, he was already gravitating back towards Alex. “You don’t know me. I don’t know you.”

“And I will tell you everything there is to know. I will prove to you that everything is real, I swear,” Alex promised. Michael couldn’t even fight the stupid smile from taking over his face even though he wished he could look a little more serious in this situation. “You say I’m a fantasy or something, but you’re the one who is too good to be true. You're kind and talented and beautiful. You're shy while also somehow managing to speak your mind. I'm just so intrigued to learn every little detail about who you are. Please, let me."

“Man, I really wanna kiss you now,” Michael huffed, still smiling. This was real. This was his. He was allowed to have this. 

Alex smiled right back.“Then do it.”

Michael closed the distance between them, both of his hands grabbing onto Alex’s face and kissing him. It was easily the best kiss he’d ever had, something better than he could’ve ever imagined. He was so comfortable. He was at home. This was it. This was everything.

This is what he was supposed to feel.

He really was going to get his true fairytale ending.

#malexsanta #malexsanta2019 #malex #malex fic #michael guerin #michael guerin fic #alex manes #alex manes fic #roswell new mexico #roswell new mexico fic #rnm #rnm fic #my fic

[transparentzombieking]

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Hello miss camila you do not know me obviously but not surprising since I am small time compared to the position you have attained in life and society it is not likely that we would ever meet not probable that you will even respond to this all I have is aspirations and my hope that you see something enough in me to know that I am worth your time I will do my best to show you in short manner that this is the truth I cannot promise anything but what I believe and anything else is an assumption on what I would hope you know or think which is unknown to me so it is something found to be less desirable I was getting a Tattoo Assuming I'm Just An Old Lady Was Your First Mistake T Shirt From AllezyGo tattoo yesterday finished it today actually the reason this is mentionable is because the guys in there were talking about ladies after this very attractive and happy little asian lady got a tattoo she quickly became the talk of the place even the ladies that were there were happy to help this lady because of how she carried herself and the grace she posed so as they were talking about their interests and different girls they had been with or what they saw as being attractive or how it was so cool that such a pretty lady wanted a tattoo and more things it started coming to a point where the conversation shifted to a more masculine intent and the guys were talking about things better left un repeated here it was mentioned that someone wanted something certain they desired it and in the mix they were breaking down how they sought after something and it made me think of you because they were all talking about things like how they could not have this or needed that or other more unmentionable things so I showed one of them a picture of you because from everything I have seen of you in my time spent watching videos with you being what I think is yourself at your best I realized that I needed to meet people who were intelligent and who knew how to value things I cannot accurately say that I know something about you from the short views I have had into who and what you are but I have a slightly educated guess now about some of these things and what I can see in you and your being is something that is beyond the regular person exceptional I understand that it is not likely I will get a response or that I might even be noticed I am only reaching out to see what might happen because when I showed your picture to that guy we talked a little about how gorgeous you are and then he mentioned that I should write you a letter I thought about it a bit and decided that the only way to know if I was worth your time and notice was to make an attempt so I am starting here this is the best I can do for this moment I will try this a few times and if nothing happens I will look towards writing you a letter which will look kind of funny because my handwriting sucks go figure I write well but my presentation is terrible looks like a gradeschooler wrote it no joke I had the idea of sending it to your record label if I could find it and understand also that it is not likely to reach you but it is still possible there is a lot to share with you and I can promise that from my perspective I know that you will not ever be disappointed in taking the time to respond to me if you ever come across this or anything else and actually read it my intention is to make an impact to help fix the balance that has been off kilter for a long time since the dawn of this species as far as mainstream history will teach you I am an equal rights producer of philosophy and perspective a revolutionary and a rainbow warrior you can look up the rainbow warrior if you are interested and revolutionary is a title I choose because I like it and my efforts span beyond the physical realm this is a unified effort and I believe that a large part of it is introducing exception to the feminine bringing ladies to their place of righteous entitlement this species has been sick for a long time look at the world of the human race mankind has been hurting for long enough to leave us in a position of self that is in poor nature women around the world have been hurting for a long time and it has not ceased only grown in confusion and need this is where I believe that our sisters need a way to understand what is happening to them this is where consciousness comes into play which I will describe later if there is a chance and you decide that I am interesting enough or worthy of your awesome attention my revolution is made to fit this world outside of the species we are a part of and beyond the third dimension as well call it the spirit realm or the energetic planes higher vibrating dimensions synchronicity is a revealed part of my life now and it is regular I would like to show as many as are willing and able what this means and how to pay attention to it exactly there is so much love and compassion that this world needs the life upon this planet and all of those who exist beyond it are crying for the salvation of this species since we exist by my belief and experience in multiple planes of existence under the energies of creation itself I see a sickness that has spread into all of the rest of reality bringing the feminine back to where you rightfully belong as creators of life worthy of every respect is what you deserve and more as an individual and as a collective this is where you shine the most because of your successes and your ability to reach the mass of ladies who are more likely hurting and not able to know why my truth is not everyone’s truth it is my perspective and what my experiences have taught me and that is the best I can hope for if you parallel these expressions then we are kindred in this but I have no hopes of ever brainwashing you or converting you to something you do not consciously choose for yourself I bring my everything to show you consciousness my form of it but no less I will literally give everything I can and am able to for you to know that I am legitimate within myself and genuine in every word I have had rough times as have many but I have overcome them and reached to the stars beyond them even but that is a talk for later times I want to show you a life that shines in a way to set trends people never knew existed and those same trends will be the undoing of abuse in this world as they take hold and come to fruition this may not be as doable in my life time and I know this but I am doing what I can to show the world that our future deserves better than what we have now and with that that they have every entitlement also called a right to a future that is less in servitude and more in harmony and love this centers on you as a lady assuming the position you have earned through all of time as a creator of life you are called upon now and always as what will save this world and all life beyond it from the torments of a masculine world I will show you exactly what I mean through time as you venture with me I will do my best to reveal to you exactly what I see in other higher frequency realms of reality and how that ties into your beauty as one who creates life with your very essence along with your ability to grow and nurture a spirit and consciousness inside of you simply because you are able to because it is a gift from creation itself because you are the goddess that the bible ignores not to be worshipped but to be revered to be honored and to be appreciated along with being heard and many other things it is your duty to yourself to know everything you are not my place to tell you anything unless you wish to hear it but that does not stop me from giving you what I can to provide a true first impression I am here to bring you the truth as best as I am able to you decide if it is the truth for you or not I have no intention of forcing anything on anyone but there is so much adverse control in this life that I know I must make a statement to combat the airwaves of dissonance even if I am not looking for conflict this species is going down hard right now and we are taking all life with us upon the planet at least but it can be a lot worse if we survive in this state I am asking for your time and enough trust to give me the chance to connect with you to share myself with you and for me to enjoy your blatant spirit of intelligence and beauty in this life along with what you offer in the spirit realm I understand if you think I am crazy or something I get it if you judge me poorly this information is not for everyone and to be honest I am pretty far past the curve that everyone is beginning to round not to sound full of myself this is what my experience has taught me I am ready to be proven wrong your time and energy is what I seek after and if that turns into something that can help us prosper in so many ways then we will know there is no way I would ever abuse your trust or look to advertise your connectivity with myself not unless you were looking to do that yourself if you chance it and connect with me truly I can truly say within myself that you will never be let down maybe a little sometimes but that is what expression and understanding is for compassion and empathy and love for life along with forgiveness and intent I will introduce what I believe is consciousness to you and anyone who will listen and I seriously adore when people ask questions but so much more love it when you provide your own input both are essential I am an awesome talker but I am an exceptional listener as well if you ask me multiple questions I will answer each one to the best of my ability and will always give you the most honest answer I can provide no matter what it is about anything always my name has a bit of bad energy attached to it but when you understand my story better you will know that love does crazy things to people and I am a true lover I wish to bring light to the darkness love to the world and truth to the children to all forms of life give me the chance and this is what will happen you will never meet another like me we are all unique but this is something different which will be known throughout time it is my sincere hope that this reaches you at the least so that you can know your life and those of everyone around you is loved and someone is looking out to help improve the quality of existence even if people are not aware that there is pain in all the ways you are needed I am as well but that may or may not be in your presence of any sort love that is my life my name is pearce lane leckenby I want to show you the kingdom of zion from my heart the surviving bastion of hope in times when people have lost faith in themselves and eachother I bring you true revolution evolution and a break from absolution it must be time to shut up now not sure if you will enjoy this or not but this is a portion of my all there is so much more I could write books on this if I had it in me to do so and I am not sure what it would take to do that but it is possible this is the best way I express myself talking to people peace be upon you harmony be within you and love be all of you I am what I am that I am not a character from a book but a life with a story my hope is that you find it worth your time thank you for reading and sticking through with this if you make it this far if anyone else reading this decides that I might be worth your time you can always add me or if you want to be around me to talk and learn you can always join my group it needs help so I must get back to it after a long time away this is my group I will talk to you about pretty much anything always send me a message anything your time in not ill spent this is my revolution this is my life this is the way and I will show you the truth forever and always. 113 years of chelseafc a win and my 200th premierleague game great to be a blue thank you everyone 113 ans de chelseafc une victoire et mon 200ème match en premierleague formidable d être un blue merci à tous les supporters cfc onestensemble. Feliz de sumarme al proyecto de sirin labs como embajador para hacer blockchain más accesible con su próximo sistema operativo para teléfonos inteligentes visita sirinlabs com ethereum iota bancor I am usually busy trying to decentralize defences and after digging deeper into blockchain and decentralized systems i’m excited to join sirin labs as an ambassador to make blockchain more friendly with their upcoming operating system for smartphones check out sirinlabs com ethereum iota bancor lio See Other related products: Tattoo Assuming I'm Just An Old Lady Was Your First Mistake T Shirt From AllezyGo

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[breakingmllc]

God Knew My Heart Needed Love So He Sent Me My Boston Vintage T-Shirt

Roma genoa domenica 28 maggio 2017 l ultima volta in cui potrò indossare la maglia della roma è impossibile esprimere in poche parole tutto quello che questi colori hanno rappresentato rappresentano e rappresenteranno per me sempre sento solo che il mio amore per il calcio non passa è una passione la mia passione è talmente profonda che non posso pensare di smettere di alimentarla mai da lunedì sono pronto a God Knew My Heart Needed Love So He Sent Me My Boston Vintage T-Shirt ripartire sono pronto per una nuova sfida. Want my jordan iv’s donate over at stockx before the end of the weekend for a chance to win them all proceeds go to hurricane relief donate now stockx com hurricane. Let s debate what urban city in america has produced real legends in all genres sports music and movies los angeles atl nyc chicago detroit let s debate

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Hello miss camila you do not know me obviously but not surprising since I am small time compared to the position you have attained in life and society it is not likely that we would ever meet not probable that you will even respond to this all I have is aspirations and my hope that you see something enough in me to know that I am worth your time I will do my best to show you in short manner that this is the truth I cannot promise anything but what I believe and anything else is an assumption on what I would hope you know or think which is unknown to me so it is something found to be less desirable I was getting a God Knew My Heart Needed Love So He Sent Me My Boston Vintage T-Shirt tattoo yesterday finished it today actually the reason this is mentionable is because the guys in there were talking about ladies after this very attractive and happy little asian lady got a tattoo she quickly became the talk of the place even the ladies that were there were happy to help this lady because of how she carried herself and the grace she posed so as they were talking about their interests and different girls they had been with or what they saw as being attractive or how it was so cool that such a pretty lady wanted a tattoo and more things it started coming to a point where the conversation shifted to a more masculine intent and the guys were talking about things better left un repeated here it was mentioned that someone wanted something certain they desired it and in the mix they were breaking down how they sought after something and it made me think of you because they were all talking about things like how they could not have this or needed that or other more unmentionable things so I showed one of them a picture of you because from everything I have seen of you in my time spent watching videos with you being what I think is yourself at your best I realized that I needed to meet people who were intelligent and who knew how to value things I cannot accurately say that I know something about you from the short views I have had into who and what you are but I have a slightly educated guess now about some of these things and what I can see in you and your being is something that is beyond the regular person exceptional I understand that it is not likely I will get a response or that I might even be noticed I am only reaching out to see what might happen because when I showed your picture to that guy we talked a little about how gorgeous you are and then he mentioned that I should write you a letter I thought about it a bit and decided that the only way to know if I was worth your time and notice was to make an attempt so I am starting here this is the best I can do for this moment I will try this a few times and if nothing happens I will look towards writing you a letter which will look kind of funny because my handwriting sucks go figure I write well but my presentation is terrible looks like a gradeschooler wrote it no joke I had the idea of sending it to your record label if I could find it and understand also that it is not likely to reach you but it is still possible there is a lot to share with you and I can promise that from my perspective I know that you will not ever be disappointed in taking the time to respond to me if you ever come across this or anything else and actually read it my intention is to make an impact to help fix the balance that has been off kilter for a long time since the dawn of this species as far as mainstream history will teach you I am an equal rights producer of philosophy and perspective a revolutionary and a rainbow warrior you can look up the rainbow warrior if you are interested and revolutionary is a title I choose because I like it and my efforts span beyond the physical realm this is a unified effort and I believe that a large part of it is introducing exception to the feminine bringing ladies to their place of righteous entitlement this species has been sick for a long time look at the world of the human race mankind has been hurting for long enough to leave us in a position of self that is in poor nature women around the world have been hurting for a long time and it has not ceased only grown in confusion and need this is where I believe that our sisters need a way to understand what is happening to them this is where consciousness comes into play which I will describe later if there is a chance and you decide that I am interesting enough or worthy of your awesome attention my revolution is made to fit this world outside of the species we are a part of and beyond the third dimension as well call it the spirit realm or the energetic planes higher vibrating dimensions synchronicity is a revealed part of my life now and it is regular I would like to show as many as are willing and able what this means and how to pay attention to it exactly there is so much love and compassion that this world needs the life upon this planet and all of those who exist beyond it are crying for the salvation of this species since we exist by my belief and experience in multiple planes of existence under the energies of creation itself I see a sickness that has spread into all of the rest of reality bringing the feminine back to where you rightfully belong as creators of life worthy of every respect is what you deserve and more as an individual and as a collective this is where you shine the most because of your successes and your ability to reach the mass of ladies who are more likely hurting and not able to know why my truth is not everyone’s truth it is my perspective and what my experiences have taught me and that is the best I can hope for if you parallel these expressions then we are kindred in this but I have no hopes of ever brainwashing you or converting you to something you do not consciously choose for yourself I bring my everything to show you consciousness my form of it but no less I will literally give everything I can and am able to for you to know that I am legitimate within myself and genuine in every word I have had rough times as have many but I have overcome them and reached to the stars beyond them even but that is a talk for later times I want to show you a life that shines in a way to set trends people never knew existed and those same trends will be the undoing of abuse in this world as they take hold and come to fruition this may not be as doable in my life time and I know this but I am doing what I can to show the world that our future deserves better than what we have now and with that that they have every entitlement also called a right to a future that is less in servitude and more in harmony and love this centers on you as a lady assuming the position you have earned through all of time as a creator of life you are called upon now and always as what will save this world and all life beyond it from the torments of a masculine world I will show you exactly what I mean through time as you venture with me I will do my best to reveal to you exactly what I see in other higher frequency realms of reality and how that ties into your beauty as one who creates life with your very essence along with your ability to grow and nurture a spirit and consciousness inside of you simply because you are able to because it is a gift from creation itself because you are the goddess that the bible ignores not to be worshipped but to be revered to be honored and to be appreciated along with being heard and many other things it is your duty to yourself to know everything you are not my place to tell you anything unless you wish to hear it but that does not stop me from giving you what I can to provide a true first impression I am here to bring you the truth as best as I am able to you decide if it is the truth for you or not I have no intention of forcing anything on anyone but there is so much adverse control in this life that I know I must make a statement to combat the airwaves of dissonance even if I am not looking for conflict this species is going down hard right now and we are taking all life with us upon the planet at least but it can be a lot worse if we survive in this state I am asking for your time and enough trust to give me the chance to connect with you to share myself with you and for me to enjoy your blatant spirit of intelligence and beauty in this life along with what you offer in the spirit realm I understand if you think I am crazy or something I get it if you judge me poorly this information is not for everyone and to be honest I am pretty far past the curve that everyone is beginning to round not to sound full of myself this is what my experience has taught me I am ready to be proven wrong your time and energy is what I seek after and if that turns into something that can help us prosper in so many ways then we will know there is no way I would ever abuse your trust or look to advertise your connectivity with myself not unless you were looking to do that yourself if you chance it and connect with me truly I can truly say within myself that you will never be let down maybe a little sometimes but that is what expression and understanding is for compassion and empathy and love for life along with forgiveness and intent I will introduce what I believe is consciousness to you and anyone who will listen and I seriously adore when people ask questions but so much more love it when you provide your own input both are essential I am an awesome talker but I am an exceptional listener as well if you ask me multiple questions I will answer each one to the best of my ability and will always give you the most honest answer I can provide no matter what it is about anything always my name has a bit of bad energy attached to it but when you understand my story better you will know that love does crazy things to people and I am a true lover I wish to bring light to the darkness love to the world and truth to the children to all forms of life give me the chance and this is what will happen you will never meet another like me we are all unique but this is something different which will be known throughout time it is my sincere hope that this reaches you at the least so that you can know your life and those of everyone around you is loved and someone is looking out to help improve the quality of existence even if people are not aware that there is pain in all the ways you are needed I am as well but that may or may not be in your presence of any sort love that is my life my name is pearce lane leckenby I want to show you the kingdom of zion from my heart the surviving bastion of hope in times when people have lost faith in themselves and eachother I bring you true revolution evolution and a break from absolution it must be time to shut up now not sure if you will enjoy this or not but this is a portion of my all there is so much more I could write books on this if I had it in me to do so and I am not sure what it would take to do that but it is possible this is the best way I express myself talking to people peace be upon you harmony be within you and love be all of you I am what I am that I am not a character from a book but a life with a story my hope is that you find it worth your time thank you for reading and sticking through with this if you make it this far if anyone else reading this decides that I might be worth your time you can always add me or if you want to be around me to talk and learn you can always join my group it needs help so I must get back to it after a long time away this is my group I will talk to you about pretty much anything always send me a message anything your time in not ill spent this is my revolution this is my life this is the way and I will show you the truth forever and always. What s my 2019 anthem level up and earn up sponsored check out the first of many ways I plan to crush goals with chase alwaysearning. Honored to have fernando belasteguin the best padel tennis player in the world by my side on my zenter court at padel zenter See Other related products: Wine In A World Full Of Princesses Be A Witch Poster

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11 Quick Tips for the Liberty Seated Dollar Collector

By Brishen Foley 

Editor’s Note: The following article has been reprinted from the E-Gobrecht Newsletter, Vol. 16, Issue 7, with the express permission of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club.

Here are some tips I think would be helpful to people that are contemplating starting a Liberty Seated dollar (LSD) set. They are not in any particular order and can all be equally important. One thing that goes without saying (even though I’m about to say it), join the LSCC! It is an incredible value and has been beneficial to me along the way. Hope these “Eleven Quick Tips” can help some newer collectors avoid some hard lessons and painful tuition.

Buy Coins with Original Surfaces                                                                      Most people start off buying the cheapest example they can find for each hole in the set. After assembling a handful of these examples you should be able to notice that while they may be straight graded, they certainly are not problem-free. Instead, they were deemed market acceptable. If the cheapest market acceptable coins are what floats your boat then more power to you. But make sure you do not pay a premium for them because you will have a tough time recovering any premium paid.                                                                                                                          For me, it is much more rewarding to pay more to find a problem-free example that is original and PQ. It may sound easy enough for those who are new to collecting Seated dollars but I can assure you that after years of building this set, it is tougher then you could ever imagine trying to locate PQ examples. I have spent countless hours searching for these rare treasures and with the help of a few great friends and dealers, I have managed a humble 41 of the 43 (minus the 1870s) I originally laid out as my goal. There is no way to get a precise number of surviving examples with original surfaces, but I lean heavily on the CAC population to get a rough idea of the number of original coins for each date. Another way to get an idea of how tough it is to find a nice original Seated dollar is to do a quick, simple search on eBay. I would guess nearly 90 percent of the dollars on eBay have been dipped, cleaned, damaged, or abused at some point in the past. That includes both raw and certified examples. If you are lucky enough to finally find a date you need that is strictly original and PQ… buy it!

Learn to Grade the Series Before You Buy                                                             There is an endless amount of knowledge to learn about LSDs. It is fairly easy to find out the basics such as how many coins are in a full date and mintmark set, which year was a proof only issue, and which coins are considered to be a key date. So I won’t bore you with those basic details. Learning to grade is an important part of becoming an expert in the series. You can not rely solely on what the plastic says. There are many dates that suffer from poor strikes and learning how to grade them yourself is essential. I would also strongly suggest getting a grasp of the survival estimates and how rare each particular date is taking into account originality. There are many dates that are considered “common” (if there is such a thing in this series), but I’d bet some of these “common” dates will take years to find a fully original PQ specimen. Once you’ve mastered this, you’ll be able to make a quick decision if you come across a date on your want list.

Buy LSDs that are Slabbed                                                                                              The market is flooded with counterfeit dollars from China. The best way to avoid buying a counterfeit is to purchase dollars that have already been authenticated by the top two grading services. Another benefit when buying certified coins is they are protected from future potential damage. These coins have managed to survive 150 years worth of wars, silver melting, natural disasters, the Great Depression, etc. The least we can do as owners is protect this large heavy silver coin from a rim bump from an accidental fall. Lastly, you’ll have a much easier time finding a buyer for a slabbed Liberty Seated dollar when it comes time to sell. Yes, we have all heard “Buy the Coin, Not the Holder,” however, when it comes time to sell, there is definitely a hierarchy and PCGS CAC approved coins are king followed by NCG CAC approved examples. Then comes a PCGS non CAC coin followed by NGC non CAC. I have bought and sold all of the above, and this has been my experience.

Send Your Coins to CAC for Approval                                                                    Whether you love them or hate them, CAC has proven itself in this market. There is absolutely no reason not to send your Seated dollars to CAC. The demand for CAC-approved coins is undeniable and is proven through the higher prices realized at auctions time and time again. I can not think of any other series that this approach is more profound. Seated dollars can sell for multiples of price guides’ listed value and in my opinion, they are worth every single penny and in many cases more.                                                                                                        Failure to send your coins to CAC simply leaves money on the table when selling choice PQ dollars. Luckily, if you are a collector member of CAC, it means you only pay for coins they actually sticker. A fair deal if you ask me… whether you divest your Seated dollar set yourself or you leave it to your heirs. CAC will ensure the most money possible at the time of sale. Another benefit of handling CAC coins is you can learn a lot about grading and identifying coins with problems. JA is very tough on Liberty Seated dollars and his eye has taught me a lot.

Ensure You Are Not Buying a Mis-Identified Proof                                           Once you’ve narrowed down the field to just strictly original pieces, you’ll be faced with an additional challenge. While building a set of business strike dollars, you will inevitably come across a circulated proof that is identified as a business strike. Research on this topic was almost non-existent until Dick Osburn and Brian Cushing put in the time and effort required to study the dies and published their book “Liberty Seated Dollars, A Register of Die Varieties” in January 2018. This is a must-own for those building a set. This is the only way to identify your coins by OC variety. Some years seem to be plagued by this more than others (hint: 1862.)

Take Time to Choose a Grade Range that is Manageable to Your Budget                                                                                                                      When I started collecting Liberty Seated dollars, I chose EF-45 as my target grade. I felt it was manageable and offered the best bang for my buck details-wise. I still believe this to be true, but realized quickly that an all EF-45 set of choice original dollars is almost an impossible task. The closest I’ve seen is the Old Chelsea Collection (which can be viewed through the PCGS registry). This set was actually the catalyst for the start of my own Seated dollar set. I can tell you what he has managed to do is absolutely amazing and probably can never be duplicated again. And any attempt to duplicate this feat would have to involve many years of waiting, searching, and a bottomless wallet. My set is falling short of my initial goal and now spans a wider grade range. I’ve found that the grade of the coin is less important than the originality of the coin. So do not get hung up on a single grade. I suggest you open your range up a bit to allow yourself a chance to actually complete this challenging series. I also suggest keeping the grade range as close as possible to avoid a coin looking too out of place.

Meeting Fellow Collectors is a Must!                                                                         I’ll let you in on a well-known secret… Most choice LSDs never appear on the open market. They sell amongst fellow collectors. I have met a lot of people since I started my set and a few of them have become some of my best friends, not just coin buddies but friendships beyond coins. We buy, sell and trade amongst each other and constantly look out for each other’s want lists. Simply put, I would not have the set I have today without them. This hobby is so much more rewarding when you have friends who are like-minded and who are looking out for each other. If possible, try to have multiple people to bounce things off of. This can help a newer collector identify coins that have problems that may be beyond his knowledge when starting a new collection.

Choose a Mentor Wisely                                                                                              When attempting to put together an original set of business strikes, I highly advise you to gain a mentor who has knowledge of the series and who genuinely has your best interest at heart. Just because a person has knowledge of LSDs doesn’t make them a mentor. One must take the time to properly vet this individual… Ask around, you’d be surprised how small this Seated dollar world is. Any Seated dollar specialist will inevitably have a reputation. In this business, reputation is everything.                                                                                                Some guys have a reputation of being solid as an oak while others will do or say anything to make a buck. Ask the dealers off the record about a potential candidate and their answer should give you a decent feel for the situation. In this hobby, your word is everything. There are guys I’ve never met in person, but have done 5-figure coin deals with nothing more than a phone conversation. Literally, sending coins before payment and vise versa. That is the level of trust I have built with certain LSCC members. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone and this must be learned through experience and word of mouth. Everyone has their own level of trust they are willing to extend, but no matter the level you feel comfortable with, a good mentor is necessary.

The “Time to Buy” is When You See Her                                                                Once you have found a choice PQ original example of a date you need and you feel comfortable with the price… it is time to buy! Even the slightest hesitation can turn into you waiting a decade or more before another premium example presents herself in your desired grade range. I have a want list open with several well respected, high integrity dealers and have gotten some incredible coins that way. When they call, you should be able to make a pass or play decision fairly quickly. That is the least you can do to show the dealer you appreciate having a shot at his material. That being said, I’d suggest only purchasing coins that are good enough to have in your set forever. This takes a tremendous amount of patience and willpower which I myself have fallen short of many times. Upgrading constantly can be, or shall I say is, an unnecessary cost in an already expensive series to collect. So try to avoid constant upgrading when possible.

Stay Focused                                                                                                        Attempting a Liberty Seated dollar set with this approach will test you in many ways. For one, you’ll have to find these rare gems. Once you’ve found them, you’ll have to have the financial means to complete the purchase. Once you’ve gotten through half the set you’ll find the coins you need are all extremely scarce, and months or even years can go by without finding a coin that is needed towards your set. This downtime can cause a collector to lose focus and spend his or her money elsewhere sometimes moving on to other series or worse another hobby. I would suggest trying to resist the urge although I am actually guilty of this myself and have admittedly started a Trade dollar collection to fill in the time in between Seated dollar purchases. I justify this to myself by the fact that in a second’s notice, I am willing to sell off my Trade dollar set in order to purchase the right Seated dollar.

Take a Few Coins Around to Shows                                                                           Once you have a small group of Seated dollars in your possession, take a few representatives to a coin show and show them around. You may be surprised at some of the feedback. Ask them what they believe your coins are worth. This will give you a rough idea of how well you did with your purchases.                    Speaking to dealers that are knowledgeable in the series can be a great educational experience. Once you develop a relationship with these dealers, they will keep in touch as they locate nice examples. They can also look at coins in auctions for you and provide some great feedback from their first hand, in-person inspection of the auction lot. A relationship with a good group of dealers is important and needs to be maintained to get a crack at fresh material coming on to the market.

  The post 11 Quick Tips for the Liberty Seated Dollar Collector appeared first on Numismatic News.

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Finding A Good SEO Agency

Finding A Good SEO Agency

 Effectively done online search engine marketing, frequently called SEO for brief, is actually made to make it possible for internet sites to appear in search results when individuals seek products and services as opposed to simply provider names. The tip is actually that individuals seeking factors online manage to discover an organisation website with no prior knowledge of the business or even its name. There are actually various methods as well as methods which drop under SEO, however the really good lasting techniques (additionally occasionally contacted "white hat SEO") are actually based around the suggestion of producing your web site less complicated for search engine to read and also recognize, meaning they rate you much higher in seek suitably relevant conditions SEO Agency Australia.

 It is actually certainly not unheard of to make a decision to contract out SEO to outside marketing agencies and other business, but there are actually far excessive phony kinds available that as if to take firms seeking SEO - small and also specifically nearby services - for an extremely costly trip. Just how at that point does one really set about locating a great, genuine and honest online search engine online marketer? SEO Experts Sydney

 It is really incredibly quick and easy to locate a nice SEO organization online. Most likely to a search engine like Google or even Bing as well as key in "SEO organization." Disregarding the paid ads on top, whichever company has actually landed on top of the search engine result are what you really want - they must be actually decent at SEO or even their own site wouldn't be actually so high in the organic directories!

 To narrow factors down a bit, you could attempt prolonging your hunt. Claim you live in Essex as well as desire a nearby agency - simply enter "SEO company Essex." Or if your internet site is specialised and also you yearn for specific assistance with it you may incorporate your business or internet site style - "SEO tourist" or "SEO eCommerce". This could be a terrific technique to find particular niche SEO firms that possess specialist expertise in your area.

 Occasionally SEO companies (or even at least individuals asserting to become SEO companies) attempt to request firms through delivering them e-mails or submitting get in touch with types with several enticements as well as provides. Having said that if you observe one thing like this can be found in after that it is best to neglect it - if a provider which allegedly specializes in internet search engine marketing is actually lowered to junking mail inboxes to acquire company as opposed to, mention, performing SEO so their own website positions highly and also folks may discover them in any case, chances are they aren't excellent. The exact same holds true of SEO services promoted on spent advertisements at the top of search engines or on ensign ads on other websites. If their hunt advertising and marketing is actually any good, why are they having to spend for their placements?

 One more thing to consider is to steer properly away from any SEO agency that promises you "best opening for x keywords" or one thing comparable. Nearly all contemporary online search engine made use of personal looking, suggesting that everyone observes web sites in slightly various ranking positions relying on their personal search record. Outright rankings are actually a distant memory, any type of anyone claiming to supply this sort of solution is being located via their teeth. Modern SEO will certainly use sustainable "white colored hat" methods so as to bring valuable web traffic to your web site, not make use of ventures as well as dangerous techniques, which are going to regularly get them slapped by online search engine updates like Google's infamous Panda and also Penguin formula modifications SEO Agency Australia.

 As soon as you've found an SEO company that searches typically good you'll need to inquire some questions just before you jump into their services. In addition to the standard examinations like existing customer checklist and testimonials, it is an excellent concept to speak to somebody straight on the phone or personally. Here are actually some great questions to inquire.

 Who performs their hunt marketing work? Is it dealt with by internal team? Do they carry out any sort of outsourcing, particularly to foreign firms? A lot of firms contract out to inexpensive hyperlink builders in Asia that usually tend to produce very poor quality work that may have a damaging effect on web sites in the tool to lasting.

Exactly how frequently perform they report, and also what style carry out these reports take? Any sort of qualified SEO agency need to be actually providing regular updates to all its customers, in addition to composed records specifying activities taken as well as improvement brought in SEO Agency Australia.

What type of skills as well as qualifications do they possess? Take a look at their existing customer listings for any sort of recognisable big stars, and find if they possess any person who is Analytics trained. Some firms even use premium specifications like ISO 9001 which is actually an outstanding indicator.

What else do they do? A considerable amount of these providers are primarily internet site developers who are actually resellers for outsourced SEO services to enhance their incomes. It is far better to search for an online marketing expert to ensure you obtain a high quality company SEO Agency Sydney.

, if you do not possess the funds to tap the services of a specialist SEO firm there are other alternatives offered.. Some companies are going to permit you pay for a one off internet site assessment to create recommendations on exactly how to improve your internet site from a search advertising and marketing point of view, or you could investigate existing procedures and also suggestions to perform SEO on your own SEO Agency Sydney.

 Several online marketing procedures reside in truth amazingly straightforward. Boost your domain name authorization through getting various other appropriate web sites to connect back to your own. Obtain a back links increase along with basic advertising perk by using social media like Facebook. Maintain your web site filled with routinely improved as well as top quality content to motivate folks to connect to you along with develop the web site's visibility and also importance. Make use of a great, strong SEO plugin for your web content management device, as well as see to it your internet site's code is actually error free SEO Agency Sydney.

 Exactly how to Choose an SEO Agency

 When searching for an SEO organization it may be incredibly tough to develop a listing of requirements specifically when you do not recognize the SEO method. Virtually every SEO buyer will assume a really good SEO organization to seem in the leading of the primary search engines for all their pertinent crucial expressions. Although this concept seems quite reasonable it does not always reflect upon the various other organizations which aren't. There are literally lots of SEO business out there and also with a fairly few of postures on the very first webpage, it is actually inconceivable for all the agencies to confirm their value through performing the initial page. It's merely when you start to break down the existing high conducting SEO agencies that you start to cultivate a better understanding regarding why they exist as well as very most essentially why you must certainly not utilize them. There are never-ending inspections you may do on an SEO company but I will definitely recommend any individual to accomplish the ones listed below observed by any sort of additional checks you feel to be suited SEO Agency Sydney.

 Explore their firm name

 Searching their provider label will undoubtedly bring up their directory listings, post submittings and also social media pages however if the business is pretty sizable, there will definitely be actually some responses someplace. It is actually strongly very likely if somebody has had a negative or even excellent experience with an SEO business, they would certainly have mentioned it on a webmaster discussion forum or even a blog site. It's quite essential certainly not to take these customer reviews at stated value because some underhanded SEO firms market their companies through this, if it's an online forum examine their blog post matter, join day as well as feedback coming from other discussion forum consumers SEO Agency Sydney.

 Check out their profile

 Don't be actually worried to talk to the firm for previous examples of their job if an SEO firm is really good at what they perform there are going to be actually an unlimited supply of testimonials. Inquire them why or also a lot better talk to the managers of these sites if an SEO provider markets a sizable quantity of clients but yet simply features a collection few of testimonies. Web designers are actually extra willing to inform you what's not functioning or even hasn't operated in contrast to what's operating properly SEO Company Sydney.

 Check their backlinks

 A large percentage of internet marketing is actually backlinks as well as there are countless quantities of totally free resources to examine the back links of a specific site. The premium of the sites linking to this SEO Company are going to contemplate the reliable standard of their work. If you discover a company to have an extensive quantity of back links coming from sites you would certainly consider as being spam it is highly probably this is the approach they are going to take to marketing your web site which is against all primary online search engine suggestions SEO Company Sydney.

 5 Benefits of Hiring a Reliable SEO Agency for Your Business

 You may think about hiring the companies of an SEO organization if you have a qualified service web site however you do not know just how to enhance it for SEO. You ought to perform your research prior to tapping the services of one. The correct company will definitely assist your website obtain a higher area on Google, which will certainly result in even more customers for your company. Offered beneath are actually some usual benefits of choosing a trusted SEO organization.

 Execution of Best Techniques

 For any business website, internet search engine Optimisation is actually of vital value. Nowadays, every organisation encounters a ton of competitors. It is actually necessary that companies carry out whatever it takes to reach their would-be clients SEO Company Sydney.

 An SEO company can easily assist you carry out the most effective approaches that can aid you strengthen your visibility in the leading search engines and boost your possibilities of obtaining your information to your possible customers. Other than this, industrying your product or services with the aid of your website can easily reduce your advertising costs.

 Exterior Review

 Specialist do not check out your organisation the means you look at it. An SEO agency will definitely examine your company as well as advise certain methods that can easily aid you expand your company. Nevertheless, your service web site will definitely be useless if people can't discover it while searching on Google for details key words SEO Company Australia.

 Save Time

 If you are actually a business owner, you will certainly have a great deal of tasks to look after to run your organization. For that reason, you might not have a bunch of opportunity to concentrate on other parts of your business. With help from an agency, you can easily meet your organisation needs. Experts are going to deal with the SEO part.

 Cost Reduction

 Search Engine Optimisation is actually a type of industry that is actually going through modifications on a regular basis. If you manage an internal team, it is going to cost you a bunch of money as you are going to need to who qualified and also observe the whole entire group and also through pricey SEO resources for them.

 This will definitely cost you a ton of money often. On the contrary, An SEO agency has all the called for tools to train their professionals. Hiring the solutions of an organization can easily conserve you a great deal of time. Additionally, you are going to have satisfaction that your job will definitely be completed by experienced professionals SEO Company Australia.

 Diversified Skills

 Nowadays, SEO firms team up with a ton of an experts to take care of different sorts of ventures. Additionally, these firms possess a team of professionals along with branching out skills. For that reason, you can easily rest assured that different professionals along with different capability will certainly manage your tasks. So, the best kind of approach will be actually used to take care of various components of your project.

 The Search for the Right SEO Agency

 There is an expanding demand to turn to a SEO company which can deal with the search engine optimization requirements of an internet organisation. As even more firms resort to the Internet for more service opportunities, there is actually a noticeable scarcity of SEO competence available. Therefore, a lot of enterprising entrepreneurs are setting up their own web ventures as a SEO company with their knowledge of technology as well as imaginative capabilities SEO Company Australia.

 Nevertheless, not all will definitely do well in establishing a SEO organization with a little of know-how and resolution. More is actually demanded to hammer the competition that is actually expanding rigorous on the market.

 Expectations

 Along with the increasing demands of businesses online, the desires of a SEO business improves proportionally. Certainly not all companies online recognize along with online marketing. There would certainly be actually different levels of expectations from various organisations that go online.

 The correct SEO business is actually important to supply the right SEO solutions and components to the business. Certainly not every SEO may handle all the different sorts of services available. As a result, some SEO organizations often tend to provide services for particular specific niche markets to sharpen their abilities as well as ingenuity. There may be actually exclusive criteria from particular niche market markets which imaginative and also just experienced SEO agencies can easily manage. These might cost a bit much more than the various other standard SEO company specialist. It depends upon the SEO field vision and method operandi SEO Experts Sydney.

 Workflow

 Every SEO business will run in a different way depending on their method operandi and also organisation purposes. Most possess similar offerings as well as solutions, some may stand up out more than others in conditions of service standard and creative thinking.

 The SEO firm that succeeds in the marketplace has to have the capacity to get the depend on and commendation of the individual market; namely, the web company owner. Any SEO company that desires to be successful out there has to be actually well developed with a great image. Their company specifications as well as success level in their SEO offerings recommend them to pull in more organisations. The market place approves of these companies along with a stronger acknowledgement of their experience, experience and also solution in seo.

 Evaluations might be actually created among SEO agencies to recognize the most ideal amongst the greatest. Features and companies will be actually reviewed to accept the much better SEO organization among the pack. It is difficult for any type of SEO organization to continue to be at lead in the business if they are certainly not constantly impressive, qualified as well as innovative.

 Essential Tips for Choosing an SEO Agency

 After having helped and along with a number of SEO agencies before, I may observe which are excellent, which contain hot air and which are actually the most effective. What you are actually searching for in an SEO firm may not coincide as what every person else is looking for. Our team're mosting likely to look at your requirements as much as the business around in an attempt to steer you towards the very best SEO business for your necessities.

 What exactly are your ideas on the sector?

 The first thing you need to think about is what your viewpoints perform SEO. Many individuals are skeptical on this business. A great SEO company will definitely take the time to explain the market and also minimize your fears or even scepticism. You must not enter into a venture that you're unsure of, it won't assist you or the business you opt for if you question the method SEO Experts Sydney.

 Do you have opportunity to aid?

 If you can possibly do several of the SEO job on your own, while the SEO company takes care of most of the work, it can easily lower your expenses. Certainly not every person has the skill-sets to do each one of the work demanded, hence why you're hoping to work with somebody, yet there are actually likely a few activities that you can easily tackle. This are going to also aid you receive some real ownership in the project to ensure that you're entailed as well as proud of what is performed.

 Exactly how can you assist yourself?

 There are actually a lot of so phoned 'specialists' around that don't really recognize your business. You are going to need to take a while to read a couple of blogging sites on SEO as well as get knowledgeable a few of the jargon. You will then be prepared to inquire inquiries as well as remove the negative ones from the great ones.

 Once you've limited your listing of firms

 After sorting via an SEO firm or more it is actually opportunity to take a more challenging consider a handful of additional. See and also obtain quotes what their paperwork resembles. Beware if it seems to be like a kind with your title lost in at key factors. A cookie cutter machine technique does not constantly work as well as you'll want to deal with an SEO organization that prepares to manage your certain organisation SEO Experts Sydney.

 Don't simply use the very same business that made your internet site. Make sure to use a pro in the SEO area. Your web site contractor may have the capabilities but do not only take their term for it. Place them via the exact same procedure as any other business.

 The moment you have subscribed

 Always keep a submit the method whatsoever times. Having studies and also measurables delivered your technique is important. You desire to find true end results and a wonderful SEO company are going to have the ability to reveal you measurable results.

 Looking for an SEO Agency?

 There is absolutely no much better way to market your company than online. It is as a result significant to check out search engine optimization to ensure your organisation. A lot of services have actually used this means of advertising and marketing as well as it has actually generated an atmosphere where there are actually lots of SEO firms on call.

 This creates it a bit complicated to find the best one. Nevertheless, you can easily locate one along with a little bit of idea.

 Indicate Keep in Mind

 You need to have a different agency or even division in your service that would take care of this aspect of the marketing. You need to have to take a look at the following points to find an organization:

 You require to have basic know-how of SEO. It is essential that you understand what Google as well as various other search engines require of your site. This will certainly place you in a far better opening to see that the package deals on offer hold as well as are going to work with your project. You will be able to detect the agency that will take your initiative to the next level if you are actually effectively informed.

 Prior to you participate in an arrangement along with a company, you need to prepare your own goals and also strategies for your firm. See to it that you recognize specifically what your sort of organisation is actually, the kind of items you have available and the services you use. This will help you discover a company that will align your online project along with your details requirements. By analyzing your own demands, you will manage to negotiate the package you require for your campaign.

 Search Engine Optimisation procedures perform certainly not work overnight. It could take so long as 5 months to receive the end results you desire. It is actually therefore important that you possess the budget to observe the project through to its own completion and also beyond. The budget plan as well as patience are required to carry on the method for as long as it takes.

 Comments is very important in this process. You ought to certainly not wait on the organization to respond to you, but you should perform your very own surveillance of the initiative. You need to certainly not police the company, yet must track what is taking place during the course of the project. You must check out that the business is actually working effectively to achieve the goals that were actually evaluated the beginning. A number of things you can do to monitor the condition is actually to:

 Explore some of the keywords your own self to find whether there is some progression.

Keep track of your own site to make certain that the company is actually certainly not using any type of spam techniques.

 There are actually all fashion of techniques and also methods which drop under SEO, but the good lasting techniques (additionally in some cases contacted "white colored hat SEO") are actually based around the concept of making your internet site much easier for hunt motor to read through and also know, implying they place you greater in searches for properly relevant phrases SEO Agency Australia.

 In some cases SEO companies (or even at minimum individuals declaring to be actually SEO companies) try to obtain firms through sending all of them e-mails or sending connect with forms with different attractions and deals. It's really significant not to take these assessments at face market value due to the fact that some unethical SEO companies advertise their solutions this means, if it is actually an online forum appearance at their post count, join time and feedback coming from other forum individuals SEO Agency Sydney.

 If you possess an expert business internet site however you do not know just how to improve it for SEO, at that point you might consider tapping the services of the services of an SEO agency. If you can easily perform some of the SEO job on your own, while the SEO firm deals with the a large number of the work, it can decrease your costs.

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