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et-lesailes · 4 years

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missing linc // chapter eight

series masterlist

pairing: ceo!dad!steve x reader

word count: 2620

chapter summary: a little backstory on tiana’s relationship with steve, and stella’s.

WARNINGS: implications of rape and violence, please do not read if this makes you uncomfortable.

taglist: @viarogers , @evanstush , @chibi-crazy , @cevanswh0re , @songforhema, @sebabestianstan101 , @bval-1, @wonderwinchester, @poerebel , @gogomez-509 , @patzammit, @a-distantdreamer, @jbug491writinghelp, @broklynbby, @lille-kattunge, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @firstangeldragonranch, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox, @honeyloverogers, @capsiclesdoll, @mcueveryday, @bangtan-serendipity, @heyyouwiththeassbutt, @cptn-sgrogers, @heyiamthatbitch, @captainscanadian, @kaithezaftig, @morganhoran1671, @booktease21, @hista-girl, @steeeeverogers, @okilover02, @sadella-adams, @rumoured-whispers, @aletteredaffair, @shannon124, @isawritesstories, @knuffeltuff, @wxntersoldiers, @kelbabyblue, @macgruberrr, @troublermalik, @societalfailure, @brastrangled, @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall, @anxiousstark, @captainsbxbygirl, @barbar126, @cevanswhores, @whimsicalatbest, @amazonian-strap-queen, @bookish-shristi, @hannie-stark, @beardburnsupersoldiers, @babyhua, @kind-sober-fullydressed, @whores4thor, @gingerninjaprincess16, @straightforwardly, @danathewitchywoman, @rosee-sensuelle, @angelicdisgrace, @thoughtfulcollectormaker, @sammyslonglostshoe, @mizariomi, @jadedhillon, @bohemian-barbie, @marvelouspottering, @denisemarieangelina, @mango--mango, @frencchfries, @xlanawriter, @littlemoistcarrot, @pottxrwolff, @arianatheangelworld, @ifuseekamyevans, @lovehatekickscream, @southerngracela, @nsfwsebbie

notes: okay FINALLY back home from traveling and FINALLY updating. i know you guys miss steve/reader interactions, but seeing this is more of an actual story with several relations involved, there’s a lot to unpack here so i apologize. maybe i’ll make it up to ya in the next chapter ;) as usual please give me feedback, i’m interested to see how you feel about all the characters after this! this is also a taglist check-- if you are on this taglist and do not at LEAST give this post a like within the week, i will be removing you!

TIANA

They met in graduate school. Both in their early twenties, figuring out life, trying to balance the demanding expectations of their classes and the fun times with their friends.

They had been in the “honeymoon phase” since before they even started dating. Tiana remembered every single detail about the night they first met. A mutual friend’s party, she was wearing a brand new top she had just bought that day itself on a spontaneous shopping trip with her best friends paired with jeans that made her legs look amazing, as Steve would tell her later that night. It was practically a cliche movie moment; they locked eyes across the room and couldn’t stop staring. Steve approached her, his blue eyes bright, blond hair neatly trimmed, jawline chiseled, the sleeves of his nice shirt hugging his built biceps. If she wasn’t in love already, their conversation was even more appealing. They found a corner to themselves and talked about everything under the sun. The little things, such as the weird insect Steve found under a rock while he was camping when he was six and the best piece of pizza Tiana had ever eaten in her life in New York City just last week. The big things, too. Steve reflecting on his mother’s death when he was young, and Tiana discussing her experiences with bulimia when she was a mere middle schooler.

She had never felt so comfortable with someone in her life. It didn’t take long for them to start dating. They had received plenty of criticism from all their friend groups. “You’re jumping into this too fast.” “It won’t last if you rush things.” “Don’t you want to get to know each other better first before putting a label on this?”

She knew every part of him. And he, her. He was truly her other half. And she, his.

He was a big romantic. On her twenty-fifth birthday, he surprised her by using money he had saved up to rent out the small diner her parents would take her and her sister out to dinner every Sunday night-- for a small and intimate party for her and their friends. One particular Christmas when she expressed being a little sad they did not yet have a proper home to decorate in pretty lights, he strung up lights around the inside of the entire apartment while she was at work, even putting up an inflatable snowman in their bedroom. She could still remember coming home that day, tired and weary, only to be met with absolute joy and brightness. The snowman looked so adorably ridiculous inside their tiny bedroom, she had burst out laughing and couldn’t stop for the next five minutes.

She could remember all of this vividly. It was when things all went wrong that it was a bit of a blur.

Steve studied hard. He worked hard. He found the time for her, it was never time management that had been a problem. He worked his way up in his company until he decided he wanted to start his own. It was a huge investment, but he had been saving. He refused to accept financial help from her-- not that she was in any better position. She had a great job as a data security analyst, but she was nowhere near as senior as Steve already was. She was getting there, but he was older, and he had put in more time to his business degree and certifications. This was something he had wanted since he was young.

And so he followed his dreams. He started a company, and it was incredibly small at first. Still, she was proud of him. More proud than she had ever been of anyone in her life. Watching him have so much ambition and drive only motivated her to do better. And so she did; she worked hard, making her way up her own company, doing whatever she could to be a girlfriend Steve could continue being proud of.

Perhaps it was this pressure that made their relationship implode.

He had never given this pressure to her. She could acknowledge this. He never acted in a way that made her feel inferior, in a way where he thought he was better for being a big CEO. She supposed she was the one who put the pressure on herself, who continued to feel more and more insecure as she watched her boyfriend, eventually fiance, eventually husband’s company grow and grow, his responsibilities becoming bigger and bigger. They had less time together, but when they did have time, he made up for it. He was always good about that. He always made it a point to communicate with her, to tell her in advance when he was busy, and to always ask and be genuinely curious about her day and how she was doing.

He was the perfect partner. And she felt like she was not.

She started to lash out more. Perhaps subconsciously pushing him away so that she did not have to face her insecurities so directly while standing next to him. She became more irritable, she spent more time with her own friends and prioritized them over him. He was confused, sad, upset-- it was all an ugly, convoluted mess. She hated herself more and more each time she broke his heart, but she continued to do it. His sadness began to turn into anger. “What did I do to you, Tiana? What did I do that was so wrong?” he would yell, his eyes even wet with tears from his frustration. “Why are you acting like this?” She didn’t know why she couldn’t tell him. She used to be able to tell him anything, and now she felt so small and insignificant next to him. She felt like she wasn’t doing enough. The more oblivious he was to this matter, the less he could help her or reassure her that this was not the case. It was not his fault. It was hers.

She knew that.

They decided to spend some time apart. Not an official break up, but a break, as much as she hated that term. They needed it. She needed to be alone, to work through her insecurities and crippling low self-esteem. He simply needed to be away from the confusing trainwreck that she was. They did not completely cut off communication; they checked in with each other at least once or twice a week, and that eventually turned into occasionally grabbing coffee or lunch together. It was like the process of dating all over again, and it was actually refreshing. She did not feel the pressure that came with living in the same home with him, watching all of his work endeavors and feeling shitty with her own. They could take it nice and slow, and she was enjoying it.

She thought he was, too.

Four months into their odd, friendship-slash-dating relationship, Steve called her one night, close to midnight. He sounded somber. Tired. Guilty. Ashamed. Scared, even. “We need to talk. In person. Can I come over?” She remembered her heart racing fast. The worst scenarios popped into her mind, one-by-one. Had he decided he no longer wanted anything to do with her? Had she messed up somehow, and didn’t even know it? Was he okay-- had he been diagnosed with some type of life-threatening disease, had he been in an accident? Was his family okay-- was there a death, did he need to travel home? Every single possible situation played out in her mind, anxiety racking her brain.

Never had she imagined that Steve would come to her home to tell her that he had gotten another woman pregnant.

Never had she imagined that this woman was her own, twenty-two-year-old sister.

STELLA

Stella had always felt like the black sheep of the family.

She was the late addition suffering from the terrible cliche of having a perfect, older sister while she herself was the mischievous troublemaker, always up to no good. There was a thirteen year age difference between herself and Tiana, and because of this, it was difficult for the two to ever get close. The more she watched Tiana excel in academics, extracurriculars, and relationships, the less motivated she became. She figured being the less successful sibling without actually trying to do better was easier-- if she did actually try and fail, how would she ever feel any better about herself?

She barely managed to make it through high school, and the only reason she did was because her parents forced her to. She certainly was not going to college. She picked up different jobs and eventually moved out of her family’s house, tired of her parents’ lectures and nagging. The shitty little apartment she resided in with two random roommates in the most dangerous part of the city felt far more like home than her birth home ever did.

She had her looks going for her. She was the complete opposite of her sister, who while also pretty, took more after their father. Stella was her mother’s daughter; the classic supermodel body, blonde locks with natural waves, amber eyes, heart shaped face. She used this to her advantage. Her income consisted not only of her job as a bartender, but of being a sugar baby to random older men in the city. She refused to have sex with them. They were alright with this. They just wanted her company.

People could get desperate when they were lonely enough. Her string of one-night-stands proved she knew this.

She began modeling for an amateur photographer. Shoots in cute sweaters, leggings, and boots in the New York autumns turned into risque poses in strappy bikinis and high heels in the summer. It wasn’t long before the top came off, soft hands and long fingers shielding her breasts as she looked blankly into the camera.

The photographer wanted her to reveal even more. She declined.

He did not take that so well, despite being her own boyfriend.

She was twenty-two, bruised and black eyed as she stumbled out of his ratty apartment, legs sore and aching with tears running down her cheeks-- only to make her sob even more from the pain that came with the mere action of crying. She had gotten herself into a lot of sticky situations in the concrete jungle, but she was finally starting to feel fear.

She wasn’t sure why Steve Rogers was the first person who came to mind. Steve, her older sister’s golden boy, whom she had only met a few times at family dinners she actually bothered to show up to only when she needed free food. Perhaps because he was actually nice to her. Sure, maybe he was only being polite because he needed to impress his girlfriend’s parents. But sometimes, it seemed like he actually cared when he asked her how bartending was going and if she was safe and secure staying in the city. He did not seem judgmental in the slightest that she had passed on attending college, despite being a total scholar and businessman himself. He had even told her she was welcome to his and Tiana’s apartment any time, if she ever needed a place to crash; she remembered the dirty look Tiana had given him the second he had made this offer.

When was the last time she had even seen him? It had been a while.

She slowly took out her phone and pulled up his number. She only had it because Tiana had texted her from it one time when her phone was dead, telling her she better be at Thanksgiving dinner in order to not disappoint their grandparents who knew absolutely nothing about her mess of a situation.

When he told her that he and Tiana were separated, she was shocked. She would have never seen it coming. She remembered the way they’d look at each other, how they’d laugh over the dumbest things, how she had never seen her sister look so happy in the entire time she knew her.

He still wanted to help her, though. How could he not? She had been a sobbing mess on the phone as she recounted everything she had just gone through, all while wondering why she was suddenly being so trusting with a man she hardly knew. Perhaps because he was the only man in her life that actually seemed dependable.

She arrived to his apartment and he was shocked upon seeing her face. He wanted to call her parents, but she practically screamed at him not to. Begged. She couldn’t handle that, she could barely even handle being so vulnerable with him. He was reluctant but obliged, though insisted she stay with him in case her now ex-boyfriend tried to hunt her down and hurt her even more. She agreed, but was instantly on edge again once he told her he wanted to tell Tiana. “No. No, Steve, please, you can’t. She’ll drag me to my parents’ house, she’ll lecture me, she’s just-- she’s going to be a total bitch. I’ll stay here only for a few days tops then figure something out on my own. Please.”

Again, he reluctantly obliged.

She did not only stay for a few days. She found herself opening up to him more and more, she actually enjoyed spending time with him.

Strangely enough, she never developed feelings for him, nor he for her. It was a strong friendship, a strong bond, a good connection-- but all purely platonic. Perhaps it was her subconscious, reminding her that this man was involved with her sister. She knew they were still seeing each other from time to time, though it was nothing committal or exclusive. He had explained to her what had gone wrong between them, and she listened. Even offered him advice, based on the limited knowledge she had about her own sister’s personality and interests.

He kept pleading for her to let him tell Tiana that she was staying there, and she kept begging him not to. He was beginning to feel more guilty. Stella might as well have been living with him at that point.

“I’ll move back to my parents’.” She finally said one day, and he looked at her in surprise. “What? You hated living there. Besides, once you move back they’d never let you leave that place again. Especially if they find out everything that’s happened to you.”

“I’ll figure it out. You shouldn’t have to keep lying to my sister.”

And so it was decided. She would return home the next day, and Steve could live with at least a little less of a guilty conscience.

Or so they had thought. Their last night together turned from a simple pizza and movie night with beer to going out and hitting the bars, celebrating her last night in the heart of the city before she would have to return to her parents’ home outside of it. After several drinks and a fun night of dancing, the two came back to Steve’s apartment.

The rest was history.

They did not speak to each other even once after that night-- at least, not until the day she found out she was pregnant with Steve Rogers’ child. From there, she, Steve, and Tiana would be tangled up in one messy situation for the next nine months, until she could finally have the little blond, blue-eyed child and be free from her family thanks to Steve’s money supporting her in the city while he and Tiana moved and took the baby with them.

She had never wanted it, anyways. There was no way someone like her could be a mother.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #steve rogers au #steve rogers x you

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kellylewis · 3 years

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Blog Entry #2 – Representations of Gender in Shameless

Fiona – An Above Average Female Character

Children are taught from a young age how to distinguish a male from a female. It is more than our parents telling us that girls wear pink and play with Barbies while boys wear blue and play with trucks; the messages put out by the media is the main contributor. Misrepresentations of gender are common in most television shows, typically depicting male characters as strong and masculine while depicting female characters as weak and girly. The journal article “Depictions of Gender on Primetime Television: A Quantitative Content Analysis,” examines stereotypical gender qualities of 89 television shows, coding for 1,254 characters (Sink and Mastro 10). The authors predicted that male characters would notably outnumber female characters, and the results supported this hypothesis: 60.4% of the characters were male, while only 39.6% of characters were female. Do these findings compare to gender representation in Shameless?

It would be time-consuming to code the number of female and male character appearances across the ten seasons and over 80 episodes of Shameless. Still, one can examine the ten main characters: Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, Liam, Frank, Monica, Kevin, and Veronica. Only four out of the ten main characters are female, and six out of ten are male. Based on the main characters, it can be argued that Shameless does not equally represent all characters, but there is more than just the quantity, and that is the characteristics. For this post, I will focus on Fiona Gallagher, played by Emmy Rossum.

Here is one of my favorite fan edits of Fiona that does an excellent job showcasing Fiona’s best and worst qualities and moments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Aq9QDEe5g&t=76s

This video portrays the many layers of Fiona and the complexity of her character. The many scenes of Fiona breaking down and crying could be used to support the argument that Fiona is a stereotypical female in that she is emotional and vulnerable. On the other hand, Fiona possesses many stereotypical male traits. She doesn’t fit into one gender category, as most characters do. For example, Alexa Will, a writer for Study Breaks, explains how, “Fiona assumes both parental roles - necessary because of her parents’ constant drug- and alcohol-fueled absences - and is a strong figurehead that balances an active sex life with manning the household of five kids” (Will). Fiona is a stereotypical female in the sense that she takes care of her younger siblings like a mother figure, but at the same time, is hard working. Her hard-working and badass traits can be shown through the array of jobs she has held. Fiona becomes a manager of Patsy’s Pies, the restaurant she previously waitressed at, then an owner of a laundromat, and an apartment landlord. In addition to jobs, Fiona’s actions show her character, especially her decision in season ten to leave the Southside and her siblings behind, finally prioritizing her needs and putting herself first (Will).

Although Fiona is one of the main characters of Shameless, Joe Reid, a writer for the Atlantic, argues that she is also one of the most undervalued characters on television. He explains her character as having many contrasting impulses, such as hating her father while loving her siblings. He states, “Fiona’s the often frustrating, just as often heartbreaking soul of the show” (Reid). As mentioned previously, Fiona is a complex character who is ultimately addicted to a chaotic lifestyle, which is abnormal for a stereotypical female.

Also, it is significant to look at Fiona’s physical attributes that compare to gender representation. Fiona can be identified as a typical female, characterized by long hair, but not all females have long hair. It is also a common misconception that females wear dresses and appear clean, but Fiona crushes these stereotypes. She is shown wearing all different kinds of clothes, usually pants and a top, rarely a dress in only a few episodes.

In comparing Fiona to the content analysis, she can somewhat be characterized as a stereotypical female. The authors predicted that female characters would be sexualized more than male characters but found that “…men were significantly more objectified than women, yet women were significantly more attractive, more likely to behave sexually provocatively, thinner, and younger than men” (Sink and Mastro 13). Fiona is thin, young, and is shown wearing sexually revealing outfits in some episodes, such as wearing a short tight dress and high heels to the nightclub.

Photo above shows Fiona in two opposite outfits and appearances: clean vs. dirty

Finally, gender is represented in the television series through Fiona’s romantic relationships with about eight different men. And with all these relationships comes many scenes, including sex and nudity. Emmy Rossum deserves all the recognition for her amazing performance as Fiona. Rossum discusses her nudity scenes in an interview with Huff Post. Rossum notes that she is not comfortable with being nude, but it is okay when in character because Fiona is open with her sexuality.

Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=LLIjD0c4YsDfCg9eMh61B6vg&v=J_SJytH3-4Y

Although men have come and gone through Fiona’s life, she proves she does not need a man in her life; she is a strong independent woman, rare for many television and movie characters. It is crucial for all media to include more counter-stereotypical characters or even characters with both female and male traits, like Fiona.

Photo above shows Fiona and one of her many boyfriends: Jimmy AKA Steve

It is important to hear what Rossum has to say about her character because she knows Fiona best. Here is another video in which Rossum discusses her character - Fiona Gallagher - in the upcoming season of Shameless and explains how Fiona is coming into herself and succeeding for the first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftDprjWx21M

Citations:

Reid, Joe. “Why Isn't Shameless' Fiona Treated Like the 'Difficult Men' of TV?” The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/why-isnt-shameless-fiona-treated-like-the-difficult-men-of-tv/385028/

Sink, Alexander, and Dana Mastro. “Depictions of Gender on Primetime Television: A Quantitative Content Analysis.” Mass Communication & Society, vol. 20, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 3–22. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/15205436.2016.1212243.

Will, Alexa Katherine. “'Shameless' Continues To Be a Show About Living Life on the Margins.” Study Breaks, 19 Oct. 2020, https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/shameless-shamelessly-real/

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sapphos-darlings · 4 years

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Tips for the women out there who wish they were more GNC but are afraid to live the dream:

Giving up the feminine routines that exhaust you and which you don’t want to carry on with essentially only stings once. Let’s talk about shaving: few of us enjoy shaving. The feel of smooth skin can be enjoyable, but I’ve rarely met a woman who thinks it’s worth the effort it takes to stay smooth and hairless every day of your lives. Face it: this is not the natural state of your body, and the expectation that you meet this unnatural and frankly pedophilic standard is ridiculous. But you can’t just drop it, can you? People will stare at your hairy legs. You can’t go out with your legs exposed anymore if you stop shaving them. And even if you cover your legs, people will notice your arm hair. You might be WOC, and your hair is not only judged for being there in the first place, but being there so obviously, and you’re not only going against the current as a woman but as someone whose worth is already questioned in our society even when you do everything they ask of you. You’re already told that you’re never quite good enough, and more than just your own reputation hangs on you. Doesn’t it? The truth is, the vast majority of the people you pass by in this life will not care about you, hairy or otherwise. And the people who do are either not worth your time to begin with, for example the men who demand that you bow to their desires, or they need to mind their own business and cannot dictate how you exist in your own body, such as your friends, coworkers or other women in your family. Maybe you can’t shut them out, but you can resist, you can and you should question them. How are you bad for being how you were meant to be as a human being? What material, spiritual benefit does a beauty routine and the constant outside eye on yourself to judge whether you’re performing properly bring you, as opposed to all the other things you could be focusing on instead? They might call you ugly or say that you’re letting yourself go. This is social conditioning talking, and is not the truth of it. Your body was made to be a certain way - letting yourself exist as you naturally are is neither ugly nor lazy. It’s not a crime. In fact, demanding that someone alters herself for aesthetics every single day of her life is a horrible thing to ask of somebody: you are essentially told that you’re not good enough as a person, only as an object. Your worth is not tied to how desirable you are to the male gaze. Especially as a wlw, the best thing you can do for yourself is reject the male desire and the male standards such as hairlessness and the expensive, often painful, beauty routines. Re-evaluate everything you do for your looks, figure out which things you’re really doing for yourself, why you’re doing them, and how they help you - if they do - in your everyday life. Choose convenience and comfort and real confidence over the safety of conforming. Your womanhood and your personhood are not dependent on how well you perform the role of a sex object, a decoration. You are human.

Now, you’ve done something that seems radical: maybe you stopped shaving, or you shaved your entire head. Maybe you wore something you wanted to instead of something that makes you look beautiful. You expect repercussions. They might come, and they might sting hard the first few times, but you’ll learn quickly that you do not die. There are no cosmic consequences for unshaved legs or a makeupless face, or for cropped hair, or for wearing a pair of comfortable shoes that don’t make your feet ache and sting. God herself will not descend from the skies and smite you for your disobedience. The world is, in fact, quite silent - and you may feel more comfortable in your own skin already, even if you face consequences. After all, words are just words, but what you feel and how you carry yourself are your material reality, your whole perspective to this world. This is your point of view. You’ve made it more comfortable for you. You’ve made the vessel for all that you experience here better for yourself. Who else matters? Or maybe you’re actually just itchy, because regrowing your hair might irritate your skin for a while, much like breaking it open with microcuts with the razor would. The ends of your body hair are sharp, and the stubble doesn’t bend with your body. It’s like a thousand needles digging into your skin. Use lotion or oil on it - body safe, of course, especially if we’re talking about the genital area - or take a bath every now and then to soften the hairs, but remember not to dry your skin needlessly. The itchiness will go away with time. You may notice you smell less, too. Battling against your body odours gets easier with more fluff here and there to regulate your skin’s bacteria. The rewards aren’t instant, but they’re there... other than for the relief you’ll feel for not having to wake up early or spend time you’d rather be watching Netflix by performing a routine that demands your obedience every single day, or else. That one comes for free and it comes the second you decide to desist. Else what, you’ve asked it. And nothing happened. You’ll get less comments about your changes over time. People are very resistant to change and nonconformity scares them; stepping out of line will always make others nervous around you. But they’ll learn, as you do, that what you’ve done is in fact quite harmless. Your body will feel more comfortable. Your confidence will grow once you realise that you are good the way you are, and that the world will not collapse around you if you stop adhering to rules written for somebody else’s pleasure.

But surely, no one will love a woman who’s not beautiful - and you can’t be beautiful without makeup, without long and well-maintained hair, without manicured nails, heels and a thin body. Right? Look around you. Look at real women, women who haven’t been rendered mere Barbie lookalikes by the powers of Photoshop and extensive cosmetic surgery. She’s fat, and she still has a boyfriend. She’s got bags under her eyes, she’s got wrinkles, and she’s engaged to marry her wife-to-be this coming June. It’s like those around her don’t care she’s “let herself go”. And she’s muscular, mannish, everything you were taught was wrong or unattainable for women - and she’s adored by women all over the internet. People share her pictures with that emoji with the heart eyes, all over. “I want to be like her.” “I wish I was that brave.” Maybe you said the same thing when you saw her before, before you did what you’ve done now, before you decided to become like her. Who’s in the wrong here? These women who have committed the cardinal sins of breaking against the laws of objectification, or maybe the laws themselves, this expectation that you change yourself to be desired? Desired by who? Who is this invisible spectator in your life you so desperately wish to please? Do you love him? Does he love you? Do you want him? Question him; change him to her. What does she want from you? When I ask the trapped girl within me what she wants, she answers “freedom”. To be herself, to do what she wants, to wear what she wants, to be comfortable and safe. She wants to be seen for the human person she is, to be respected for what she can do, not for a plastic body detached from our mammalian reality of stretchmarks, curves, wrinkles, layers of fat and the little fur that keeps her clean and dry and regulates her temperature. So your mother or your sister or the man you work with told you that you look sick today, or that people will feel ashamed by you because you’ve let your leg hair get out of control. Ask them why does it matter - who is the audience for your performance? Maybe they reply: “it’s basic hygiene.” If it’s basic hygiene, why is it only expected from women?

You can prioritize your comfort and your needs over this commercialized idea of “beauty”. There is no wrong way to be a woman. Love your body. Wear what you want. Perform for yourself only. If someone won’t love you for what you don’t provide, find someone whose love is worth your time and not dependent on your performance in a full-time reality show. Someone will love you for who you are, because you are a human being in a human body, and anyone who demands you to be something else is out of their mind. The cardinal sins of womanhood and attractiveness are a lie imposed onto you to sell you products and beat you down every day so that you won’t question whether the pain and shame you endure is justified or realistic. Fat women, thin women, women of colour, hairy women, petite women, “masculine” women, “feminine” women, non-conforming women are all women, we’re all proper women, we’re all good enough, and we were all made to be jiggly, we were made to be fuzzy, we were made to be rough around the edges, to have smells, to have desires, to mature and show the signs of our maturity. There is nothing wrong with the way nature created you.

#wlw #gnc #lesbian #bisexual #c: sade

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nayeon-sadly-owns-me · 7 years

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Due to common request, I have decided to do another breakdown but this time it will be of Stormy’s Fool's Gold . This will be split into two parts as it is very long because of the content it is going over.

I do not claim to have any of this be correctly what Stormy had intended but I do try my best. There will be grammar mistakes of course. I do hope you enjoy reading this though. 😊

If you get anything out of this, I want to provide evidence for why Sana’s attachment is unhealthy and why Nayeon isn’t a bad person for being able to provide Momo the happiness that she needs. If you don’t agree, then by all means it won’t hurt my feelings if you skip this : )

Spoilers beyond this point

We begin with a crying young Sana. She’s young enough to still be in the developmental stage of having to learn how to manage and control emotions. Enters in a young Momo who has no care in the world other than wanting to drink non-toxic glue and show off her Barbie sneakers. It’s interesting to point out that Sana’s crying probably saved Momo from a hospital visit or even death if she managed to swallow most of it.

This scene shows how well their dynamic is. Sana unintentionally saves Momo from herself, meanwhile Momo manages to unintentionally take away Sana’s need to cry at everything. It’s only natural that they end up sticking together, figuratively and literally thanks to Momo’s gluey fingers.

They’re a match made in sweet chaotic-matrimony. Sana gets an impressive house ban at the mere age of 6 just because they can’t contemplate the mess they made with ice cream. It is harsh to punish children because of a situation like this because they truly do not know. In their mind, the mess will be cleaned up by the time they leave the room because that’s how it usually works.

This ban leads to Momo staying at Sana’s house regularly to the point of being able to refer to Sana’s parents in a family manner.

However, it is here that a potentially unhealthy attachment develops on Sana’s part. Think of it like, a child being allowed to sleep in a parents bed every night without being forced to sleep on their own. They are unable to cope without the parent and become solely dependent on them. You might be thinking “What are you talking about?? Having a best friend is healthy???”.

Yes, having a best friend is very important for the social development process, but only having one friend by choice hinders them from being able to understand other perspectives and learn valuable lessons.

For now though, they make each other happy and that’s enough.

In playing pretend, Stormy made an interesting word choice by claiming that Sana is naturally the captain or the leader in other play situations. This perfectly sums up their friendship because Momo will follow what she does to the ends of the earth if it means making her happy. Think back to the scene that talked about Momo bringing an inedible cake and presents each year because that is what Sana wants. We never get a mention of what Momo wants.

(Fool’s Gold/Gold Dust parallel #1- Momo dreams of the stars.)

The scene of Sana getting revenge against Jaebum for simply making Momo cry, shows how clever she really is when she puts her mind to it. Her devotion to a happy Momo trumps any guilt for the act or even getting an entire class in trouble. All she takes away is that the stunt made Momo happy enough to kiss Sana’s cheek (Thus starting their “Totally-platonic-not-romantic-at-all” kissing of all kind).

An interesting thing to point out, is that the kissing began and ended with Momo. More on this later.

Another act of proof about Momo’s unconditional love for Sana would be redecorating her room to give it enough of a glow to relieve Sana of her fear of the dark. She thinks far enough to including a torch simply if she leaves the room and its dark. It’s pure and utterly adorable how Momo does whatever she needs to do in order to make Sana feel safe.

In return, Sana takes care of Momo because the poor girl needs somebody to look after her.

We get our first glimpse at a jealous Sana, it’s a very innocent jealousy though that comes from realizing other people know who Momo is too.

As somebody who has now spent quite a while studying children’s behavior and how it can reoccur later on in life, it’s hard not to point out how these early scenes contribute to Sana’s heartbreak.

It’s innocent, how much Sana prioritizes Momo and how she feels insignificant if she doesn’t get it in return. It’s not so innocent when these feelings grow and manifest later on in life.

Nether less, Momo knocks the valentine cards to the floor and prioritizes Sana’s because she knows that’s what’s going to make Sana happy. They’re both still happy and content with each other.

By the time Sana is 10, her jealousy of others showing Momo attention has grown to showing it physically. Any 10-year-old might feel grossed out at the thought of their best friend kissing someone, but marking said kisser as their mortal enemy because of it is a little much. I remember always supporting my friends in their “dates” and never feeling jealous.

Instead of acknowledging the idea that she should calm down because she might be a little ‘overprotective’ she picks the option to fight about the moral obligations she felt about kicking Jaebum. To pacify Sana, Momo kisses her. This is the first sign that their feelings aren’t exactly equal. While Sana’s heart is beating fast and she can’t talk- Momo does it with no hesitation or appearing the least bit phased. Why? Because Momo doesn’t see the big deal in kissing her and moves on quickly. Meanwhile, it means everything to Sana.

“They don’t bring it up, don’t talk about it, but Sana certainly doesn’t forget, even if Momo does.”

It takes Sana until she is 11 to be able to decide that she is ready for a friend that isn’t Momo. My opinion is that Momo could have made friends, but why do that when she is already making Sana happy. A happy Sana is a happy Momo after all.

Jeongyeon is the missing piece of the puzzle in terms of the SaMo dynamic. They’re so focused on each other’s happiness that they miss out on the times that they need to be more on earth. Jeongyeon plays a key role in keeping them out of trouble but allowing them to be themselves at the same time.

It also shows just how obvious Sana’s feelings for Momo are. How? Because she doesn’t treat Jeongyeon the same as Momo. She treats her as much of a friend that she is excited to get to know more about. It’s already early signs of being a much more balanced, healthy relationship.

The skate park scene makes me understand why people are so keen to believing that Momo returned those feelings. She is the one to make sure Jeongyeon wasn’t looking at them before kissing Sana briefly. I interpreted this as Momo doing the one thing she knows for sure how to do, and that’s make Sana happy. If kissing Sana will keep her from crying then she’ll do it as many times as she has to.

It becomes a thing about them, that they kiss. This aspect of them makes my job harder because it can totally be used to justify Momo’s underlining feelings towards Sana. I just don’t think that is the case and I’ll continue this when we get to later scenes.

We do get context on the fact that Momo has no interest in dating or marrying a man. Because of her close intimate relationship with Sana, it’s actually pretty common that she says she’ll marry her. She hasn’t met anyone remotely interesting in comparison to Sana after all. Even the gummy ring flashback showed how Momo interpreted marriage as a binding of two people- completely skipping over the love aspect because love is a concept that can’t be easily understood at the age of 7.

It’s at 12 that she is taught that what makes marriage special is that it’s about being with the person she loves. This is all thanks to an awkward dinner conversation in which her homophobic mom is clearly hyperfocused on the fact that her daughter’s friendship with Sana is not “normal” and can become “immoral”. Bullshit that I don’t agree with, with every fiber of my being but that is how her character is.

Momo’s mom clearly resents Sana because of the notion that if Momo does end up gay (which she is) then it will be Sana’s “fault”. A reputation that darkens the mother’s perspective of her to a large degree.

It’s only natural that Momo defends her, thus stepping out of line for the first time. She keeps the event and her punishment a secret from Sana because she knows that it will upset her. This is the first time we see that Momo prioritizes Sana’s happiness over own. She chooses to kiss the girl, openly showing that it is a tool to distract her from asking questions about Momo’s own well-being.

Even when she is rejecting boys (something Sana detests for obvious reasons) she is still focused on making sure Sana is happy by holding her hand. I’d like to point out that Sana has never had anyone pursue her of any kind. She really is that obvious.

When we spend a lot of time online or in our own world, we forget how cruel the world can be. Jeongyeon recognizes that and provides the protection that keeps them safe. She is not only the lame but entertaining friend but also the one who will keep them safe.

Like I’ve talked about previously, Momo is a self-sacrificing person in regard to Sana. She doesn’t talk about her feelings because she views herself as a beacon of happiness that shouldn’t go out. It’s when Sana is 13 that she starts to express her dissatisfaction with hearing Momo say she is “fine” when she clearly isn’t.

(FG/GD parallel #2 Momo’s parents forgetting about her to some extent)

This leads to Momo becoming very ill at the expense of her parent’s neglect. It’s also a revelation for Sana that if Momo can keep this a secret then what else has she kept?

Momo knows how much Sana cares about her, so when Sana comes in to scold her, she stops her. She puts blame onto herself and shines a golden light onto Sana by claiming that she was right. She is feeling guilty for keeping her feelings to herself. In the grand scheme of things, it pushes their friendship forward. It makes Sana realize that she can’t ignore what Momo feels even if the girl says she’s fine.

Sana wears her emotions on her sleeve, that has been obvious since the very first scene of this fic. It becomes common sense to Momo that a kiss can be the thing that makes things right. It’s gone from a fun thing to a more serious endeavor. This was their first genuine kiss that wasn’t a peck. Momo wants Sana to know that she won’t do it again, and this is how she shows that promise.

It’s an intimate scene that shows how much they care for each other. They are each other’s soulmates. That’s what makes it soul-crushing to watch Sana fall for Momo. Up until this point, any reader can think that Momo must be falling for her too. That is how normal fic clichés work. If you should know anything about Stormy, it’s that she tries to avoid following the norm.

It is broken by the angry display of Momo’s homophobic mother. She forces Sana out of bed in what can be considered to be child abuse behavior. The mother must be still seething from the lecture she got from Mrs. Yoo. Blaming her bad parenting on Sana because anything that goes wrong with her daughter must be her fault somehow.

By the end, we get the fact that Sana has decided that no one can care about Momo the way she does. The innocent affection has now begun to turn less innocent through this rough encounter.

In Asian culture, being rude to a parent is something unthinkable. It shows how high she thinks of Momo when she apologizes and doesn’t feel the least bit guilty. In fact, she feels more agitated that she has to in the first place. It’s an upgrade from pouring paint in Jaebum’s shoes, and not a very good one.

(For anyone caring- Tweedledee is Sana and Tweedledum is Momo)

Something to point out, Momo apologizes for ruining the Dirty Dancing signature dance move. She continues the trend of being the one to blame herself for anything that goes wrong with Sana. Minus Sana taking the blame for the ice cream at Momo’s parents house. It’s a brush away moment, but significant nether less.

We’ve now entered the years where denial begins to play a role in their relationship. Before that stage though, there must be a period of obliviousness. Someone might say that at 14, a person should be well aware of their feelings by then. Well, when you’ve grown up with someone and live in a homophobic world, you can convince yourself otherwise.

It also doesn’t help when your best friend kisses your face the way Momo does to Sana. Stormy does an excellent job at showing how confusing Momo’s antics can be. Have I mentioned that it’s hard to justify my previous statements because of this? Well it is.

Leave it to Jeongyeon to disrupt the moment. This leaves Sana moving away in a panic, clearly affected by the kiss like the day Momo first kissed her. Momo continues to act unaffected and moves on like it was just a casual thing. Because to Momo it is a casual thing.

The dreaded boarding school scene happens and it’s hard not to root for Sana to follow her impulse and sign up too following Jeongyeon. It’s clear that Sana’s parents are rooting for her and Momo when they let her follow Momo without any further arguments. They always were the cool ones though. Whether their cool parenting style had any negative effects on Sana’s development is up to your interpretation though.

Boarding school gives them the freedom that they never had. It also gives them the freedom to meet new people. We begin to meet the other 6 members through introductions and shenanigans that bring them all together. Although they have more friends than ever, Sana still finds her mind stuck on Momo alone.

Momo, on the other hand, finds herself instantly smitten with Nayeon. Whether Sana wants to admit it or not, she is ultimately threatened by Nayeon’s presence and chooses to dislike her like she was with Jaebum.

Their innocent kisses have now turned into full on make out sessions. Sana is still oblivious to her own feelings but is able to unknowingly satisfy them with kissing Momo. We do not get any context on what Momo is feeling (something done completely on purpose). My idea is that is has something to do with her want to feel something, whether it is to be wanted or to simply be with Sana. Theres no indication behind her motives as to why she takes kissing further.

All we get is that there is passion between them that never gets addressed. They’re exploring their sexuality with each other because it seems so perfectly ideal. Why kiss or have sex with someone who isn’t your favorite person in the world? We know it can’t be all innocent based on the fact that Momo apparently ripped Sana’s shirt open, breaking 5 buttons. (Im so proud of her)

It’s not innocent when there is marking and moaning involved either. We know though, that they’re extremely into it. The question is, are they into it for the same reasons. Well the answer isn’t simple. With Momo moaning her name and holding her so shes basically riding her thigh- it’s extremely easy to get caught up in the momentum of going SHE LIKES HER. GOD WHY WON’T SHE REALIZE IT. It’s so frustrating to argue against because it feels so right in the moment.

Leave it to Jeongyeon to walk into it again, but also leave it to her to believe that it really is platonic making out and refusing to believe that there really isn’t something there. (This is from Ultraviolet)

For the third time, we get a shell-shocked, hormonal Sana who wants to make it look like nothing happened. Momo continues to act like nothing is out of the ordinary. She doesn’t understand why they should act like anything is weird about it because it’s the thing that they simply just do. In concerns to everyone else, it is not just something that people just do. That’s why it’s hard to grasp and understand why Momo may not feel anything for Sana. She just simply likes making Sana happy and liking the way Sana makes her feel.

We know it’s not as serious as Sana makes it out to be when Momo is able to openly joke about it like it’s nothing despite the fact that they haven’t told anyone about their thing ever.

What Jeongyeon doesn’t believe is that it’s completely platonic and can tell that it means more to Sana. After all, Sana had a pretty noticeable reaction. That’s my reasoning as to why Jeongyeon holds her back so tightly when Sana gives her an apologetic hug. It’s a way of saying “Tell me when you’re ready”. Although Sana doesn’t understand this yet.

This scene in the botany club plays a role in providing substance for Nayeon and Momo’s scene later on.

We finally get to a first temporary love interest for Sana, Eunha. Who catches Momo and Sana playing a ‘platonic’ game of slapping each others buts and trying to get a reaction out of each other. The first glance that the two share is intriguing. It’s something Momo supports of completely as she encourages it by leaving them alone. It’s the first time we watch Momo practically give Sana to someone else and no hesitation.

It’s further supported by the fact that Momo is glowing with pride at knowing that Sana and Eunha are a thing now. There are no bad feelings compared to how Sana would feel if the situation was reversed. It’s here that I really got the feeling that Momo really doesn’t see Sana in that way. It’s not her being oblivious to her own feelings. Of course, you don’t have to agree with me.

Even Jeongyeon questions it because she thinks that Momo has to have feelings for Sana too if they platonically kiss as much as they do. Momo knocks it down by showing her complete enthusiasm towards the aspect of Sana dating with no hint of sarcasm or ill-will.

We get more context on Jeongyeon’s feelings for Bona, who is her roommate. We get a piece of information that Momo is still waiting on her own special girl. Cue Nayeon knocking on the door of course. The only thing I regret about this fic is that we didn’t get more of Nayeon before her and Momo became a thing. Instead, we get to watch Momo develop a crush on a girl that we had only heard bad things from (aka ultraviolet where her and Jeongyeon are mortal enemies) up until this point.

Of course, even when Sana is supposed to be ecstatic about being with Eunha, it feels empty like something is missing. Even when Eunha makes a comment about how she thought they were sisters makes Sana and Jeongyeon crack up. They are anything but sisters.

Things begin to break for the two when Eunha asks her to go all the way with her, but Sana realizes that she can’t. She isn’t Momo. That spells the end for their relationship. Eunha is fed up with being number two when it comes to who Sana pays attention to. She makes the interesting comment that Sana isn’t even sorry about not paying attention to her because Momo is involved.

Everything comes alive again when she kisses Momo though. Everything is good until it isn’t.

Sana wants more whether she realizes it or not. Even if that little push comes from a wet dream about her best friend that she totally doesn’t have a lot of feelings for.

Regardless, they continue on in their Summer adventures. Sana is troubled by her dreams and Momo has to figure out how to get her out of her own head without being too invasive. So she settles for ice cream.

The ice cream shop is owned by a lgbt+ ally who convinces herself that the two must be dating because of how they treat one another. Although Momo wants to argue back that they aren’t a couple, because they’re just best friends, Sana whole-heartedly agrees that they’re very happy together. Because what would their world look like if they really were a couple? We get to see though, that Momo doesn’t feel that same happy feeling that Sana gets to feel. Even if they got free ice cream out of it.

Sana doesn’t know how Momo feels. She never asked. It plays into the ‘there is hope’ aspect that is really tragic to read about. They haven’t talked about it, about any of it. So, when Sana has to keep her hormones in check, she has no idea if Momo is struggling too. In fact, I wonder if she ever even considered the possibility of Momo not feeling the same way.

Sana is so wrapped up in her own feelings, that she neglects Momos. It’s one of the first signs of an unhealthy attachment.

Their entire “friendship” is a gray zone that I doubt many of us could actually understand. If you think I can say something clever as to why Momo tries to turn Sana on during an animated movie- you’re wrong. I got nothing. Im just as puzzled as you are. These are the moments where it really does feel real for them both. That’s what makes the ending seem so promising.

They want their first to be with each other and everything continues to feel very right.

The situation that I talked about before with Sana trying to get her feelings in check without knowing Momo’s, has changed. It’s a change that is going to break Sana later on when she realizes that sex did mean different things for each other.

She believes that there is something between them, so when Nayeon comes in- it devastates Sana to find out that she isn’t the one.

Until then, Momo is still all of Sana’s and vice versa.

Theres a harsh realization that Sana is in love with Momo. It’s a feeling that many of us has been there. It’s a reason why so many of us rooted for Sana to get her girl by the end of it and why the ending was so heartbreaking. Because sometimes the girl doesn’t get the girl. It’s not because they weren’t good enough for each other, it’s because it wasn’t meant to be. But it’s harder to resist rooting for the one who was in your shoes before.

She does what many of us have done, she shoved her feelings to the back of her mind and decided that it would be an issue for another day. Because Momo is next to her and that’s all she needs (or so she convinces herself).

We get reminded how easily Sana can get jealous, even if it’s from Momo playfully flirty with Tzuyu. As much as Sana would deny it, she doesn’t like seeing anyone with Momo who isn’t Jeongyeon at this point.

Sana gets that soft reminder to her subconscious though that Momo has to be hers because why else would Momo beg her to fuck her on a trampoline. It doesn’t sound remotely comfortable. It’s such a soft and loving scene that it HAS to mean that they’re destined to be together. It could be just so easy for them to just talk and be together. It just isn’t that way.

We get another brutal reminder of how harsh the world is when Eunha and her goons are in the same board game club as Sana and Momo. It’s only natural that Eunha and her gang try to fuck with Sana anyway they can because they believe that Sana had led her on. Doesn’t make it right of course.

It especially doesn’t make it right when said fucking around entitles to trying to out SaMo and make everyone in the room acknowledge the fact that there HAS to be something going on between them. Because everyone, including themselves, conveniently ignores it.

Sana continues her habit of covering for the two, conveying a master response by playing pretend that they are in the game via request of Eunha. Momo happily agrees because how can she question Sana. This leads to everyone else playing in, ruining Eunha’s chance at revenge. It was a cheap trick that didn’t work.

Sana would be ecstatic if it weren’t for the fact that Momo later becomes occupied with miss Im Nayeon. A girl who isn’t Sana. When Sana gets her attention, Momo is dazed and taken back. A state that she has never been in with Sana before even when they were caught making out.

Sana feels that ping of jealousy.

(FG/GD reference #3 She’s forgetting something important)

#namo #fool's gold

23 notes · View notes

soonacolumbi · 4 years

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Apr 15, 2020

heyy so im actually in the middle of studying but then I suddenly feel like writing so here goes nothing I guess?

well I haven't written much for 5 days because I swear that I nearly did something that worth writing for lol. but oddly, for tonight, I really wanna pour my heart out and just write all the things that's been bugging my mind. like the things that I cant tell my friends since I don't have the guts? haha. alright but give me a sec since I still have 4 questions to do.

okay so lets start from here. growing up, I know that im someone who is very sensitive over everything, except boys. haha. if we’re talking about my own journey to become who I am right now, the story wont be a fairytale-like, it’d be something dark and painful for u to read in one-sitting. I was a lil kid who had so much ambitions, I felt like I am THAT person who is capable on doing and achieving all the things that I wanted, a goody two shoes. and that's when the reality hit me. I realized that u cant always get something that u want, and theres always something u have to sacrifice along the way, like, life is so bitter unlike the one that u saw in barbie series.

I don't wanna talk about something related to volleyball and shit because ive talked about it way too much, lol. but what I realized about myself during that time of growing up is that, I find it hard to open up and just say all the things that I want to say. or just to tell someone about my own feelings, I tend to hold it back and prioritize someone’s well-being over mine. and that is mental. lol. because I thought that there’s nothing beneficial about saving myself first before the others since im damaged enough to be fixed.

I was like, a complete shattered pieces that people would find it hard to set it back together into a solid foundation. but theres a little part of me that still made me feel like I have the obligation to get myself together and fix it.

right now though, my friends know me as someone who has a good state of mind. and a girl who loves herself a lot. I love how people tell me about how I radiate the positive energy, well even if they do not really know about what happened In the past. but im glad that I found my way to be who I am right now.

0 notes

maryhare96 · 7 years

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Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

Posted by ronell-smith

According to our calculations, MozCon 2017 is a mere 158,000 minutes away. (But who’s counting, right?) As you might have guessed, we’re quite excited about our latest event, in large part because we have some new tricks up our sleeves. (More on that at a later date. We promise.)

Aside from a few tweaks here and there, though, the next MozCon won’t be much different from those in years past.

That is, it'll be unique and awesome in equal amounts.

MozCon 2017: July 17–19 in Seattle

You can still expect world-class speakers sharing original information in a one-of-a-kind, charged atmosphere. Plus great food, plenty of snacks, and conversations that’ll have your mind humming for days.

And for you last-minuters who haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, now’s the time to... um... grab that ticket you’ll be crying over if you wait too long:

Grab your tickets now

We've kept you waiting long enough, so take a look at some of what's in store for you at MozCon 2017.

Emcee

Last year, we tried a format that included three emcees — Rob Ousbey, Zeph Snapp, and Ronell Smith. The test was a success, with each doing an amazing job.

However, this year we’re returning to a single-emcee format, with Ronell Smith, a Moz Associate, taking the reins.

Ronell Smith Strategist at RS Consulting @ronellsmith Ronell Smith is a content nerd who loves nothing more than seeing brands help themselves by recognizing content as more than mere words on a page.

The MozCon 2017 Agenda (Sneak Peek Edition)

With more than three months to go until the event, many of the details are still being finalized. Therefore, you should see this agenda as an appetizer for, say, a five-course meal. There’s plenty more where this came from. For example, several speaking spots are yet to be finalized, and we’ve yet to send out the call for community speakers. We’ll share those details in later posts. However, we'd like to showcase our awesome lineup of speakers, many of whom will be familiar to you for the great work they do and share with the Moz community.

TBD Dawn Anderson Move It Marketing/Manchester Metropolitan University

Dawn Anderson is an International and Technical SEO Consultant, Director of Move It Marketing, and a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Up and to the Right: Growing Traffic, Conversions, & Revenue Matthew Barby HubSpot

So many of the case studies that document how a company has grown from 0 to X forget to mention that solutions that they found are applicable to their specific scenario and won't work for everyone. This falls into the dangerous category of bad advice for generic problems. Instead of building up a list of other companies' tactics, marketers need to understand how to diagnose and solve problems across their entire funnel. Illustrated with real-world examples, I'll be talking you through the process that I take to come up with ideas that none of my competitors are thinking of. Matt, who heads up user acquisition at HubSpot, is an award-winning blogger, startup advisor, and a lecturer.

Reverse-Engineering Google's Research Into What People Want Rob Bucci STAT Search Analytics

The SERP is the front-end to Google's multi-billion dollar consumer research machine. They know what searchers want. In this data-heavy talk, Rob will teach you how to uncover what Google already knows about what searchers are looking for. Using this knowledge, you can deliver the right content to the right searchers at the right time, every time. Rob loves the challenge of staying ahead of the changes Google makes to their SERPs. When not working, you can usually find him hiking up a mountain, falling down a ski slope, or splashing around in the ocean.

TBD Stephanie Chang Etsy

Stephanie currently leads the Global Acquisition & Retention Marketing teams at Etsy. Previously, she was a Senior Consultant at Distilled.

Inside the Googling Mind: An SEO's Guide to Winning Clicks, Hearts, & Rankings in the Years Ahead Rand Fishkin Founder of Moz, doer of SEO, feminist. Searcher behavior, intent, and satisfaction are on the verge of overtaking classic SEO inputs (keywords, links, on-page, etc). In this presentation, Rand will examine the shift that behavioral signals have caused, and list the step-by-step process to build a strategy that can thrive long-term in Google's new reality. Rand Fishkin is the founder and former CEO of Moz, co-author of a pair of books on SEO, and co-founder of Inbound.org. Rand's an un-save-able addict of all things content, search, and social on the web.

Data-Driven Design Oli Gardner Unbounce

Data-Driven Design (3D) is an actionable, evidence-based framework for creating websites & landing pages that will increase your leads, sales, and customers. In this session you’ll learn how to use the latest industry conversion data to inform copywriting and design decisions that impact conversions. Additionally, I’ll share a new methodology for prioritizing your marketing optimization that will show you which pages are awesome (leave them alone), which pages aren’t (massive ROI potential here), and help you develop a common language that your teams of marketers, designers, and copywriters can use to work better together to collectively increase your conversion rates. Unbounce co-founder Oli Gardner is on a mission to rid the world of marketing mediocrity by using data-informed copywriting, design, interaction, and psychology to create a more delightful experience for marketers and customers alike

The Tie That Binds: Why Email is Key to Maximizing Marketing ROI Justine Jordan Litmus

If nailing the "omnichannel" experience (whatever that means!) is key to getting more traffic and converting more leads, what happens if we have our channel priorities out of order? Justine will show you how email — far from being an old-school afterthought — is core to hitting marketing goals, building lifetime value, and making customers happy. Justine is obsessed with helping marketers create, test, and send better email. Named 2015 Email Marketer Thought Leader of the Year, she is strangely passionate about email marketing, hates being called a spammer, and still gets nervous when pressing send.

The Truth About Mobile-First Indexing Cindy Krum CEO and Founder at MobileMoxie, LLC Mobile-first design has been a best practice for a while, and Google is finally about to support it with mobile-first indexing. But mobile-first design and mobile-first indexing are not the same thing. Mobile-first indexing is about cross-device accessibility of information, to help integrate digital assistants and web-enabled devices that don’t even have browsers, to achieve Google’s larger goals. Learn how mobile-first indexing will give digital marketers their first real swing at influencing Google’s new AI (Artificial Intelligence) landscape! Marketers who embrace an accurate understanding of mobile-first indexing could see a huge first-mover advantage, similar to the early days of the web, and we all need to be prepared. Cindy Krum, the CEO and Founder of MobileMoxie, LLC, is the author of Mobile Marketing: Finding Your Customers No Matter Where They Are. She brings fresh and creative ideas to her clients, and regularly speaks at US and international digital marketing events.

TBD Joanna Lord ClassPass

Joanna Lord is the CMO of ClassPass, the world's leading fitness membership. Prior to that she was VP of Marketing at Porch and CMO of BigDoor. She is a global keynote and digital evangelist. Joanna is a recognized thought leader in digital marketing and a startup mentor.

TBD Ian Lurie Portent, Inc.

Ian Lurie is founder, CEO, and nerdiest marketing nerd at Portent, a digital marketing agency he started in the Cretaceous era, aka 1995. Ian's meandering career includes marketing copywriting, expert dungeon master, bike messenger-ing, and office temp worker.

Facing the Future: 5 Simple Tactics for 5 Scary Changes Dr. Pete Meyers Moz

We've seen big changes to SEO recently, from an explosion in SERP features to RankBrain to voice search. These fundamental changes to organic search marketing can be daunting, and it's hard to know where to get started. Dr. Pete will walk you through five big changes and five tactics for coping with those changes today. Dr. Peter J. Meyers (aka "Dr. Pete") is Marketing Scientist for Seattle-based Moz, where he works with the marketing and data science teams on product research and data-driven content.

TBD Britney Muller Moz

Britney is a MN native who moved to Colorado to fulfill a dream of being a snowboard bum! After 50+ days on the mountain her first season, she got stir-crazy and taught herself how to program, then found her way into SEO while writing for a local realtor.

How to Get Big Links Lisa Myers Verve Search

Everyone wants links and coverage from sites such as New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC, but very few achieve it. This is how we cracked it. Over and over. Lisa is the founder and CEO of award-winning SEO agency Verve Search and founder of Womeninsearch.net. Feminist, mother of two, and modern-day shield maiden.

How to Be a Happy Marketer: Survive the Content Crisis and Drive Results by Mastering Your Customer’s Transformational Journey Tara-Nicholle Nelson Transformational Consumer Insights

Branded content is way up, but customer engagement with that content is plummeting. This whole scene makes it hard to get up in the morning, as a marketer. But there's a new path beyond the epidemic of disengagement and, at the end of it, your brand and your content become regular stops along your customer's everyday journey. Tara-Nicholle Nelson is the CEO of Transformational Consumer Insights, the former VP of Marketing for MyFitnessPal, and author of the Transformational Consumer.

Thinking Smaller: Optimizing for the New Wave of Social Video Platforms Phil Nottingham Wistia

SnapChat, Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, Periscope... the list goes on. All social networks are now video platforms, but it's hard to know where to invest. In this session, Phil will be giving you all the tips and tricks for what to make, how to get your content in front of the right audiences, and how get the most value from the investment you're making in social video. Phil Nottingham is a strategist who believes in the power of creative video content to improve the way companies speak to their customers, and regularly speaks around the world about video strategy, SEO, and technical marketing.

Powerful Brands Have Communities Tara Reed Apps Without Code

You are laser focused on user growth. Meanwhile, you're neglecting a gold mine of existing customers who desperately want to be part of your brand's community. Tara Reed shares how to use communities, gamification, and membership content to grow your revenue. Tara Reed is a tech entrepreneur & marketer. After running marketing initiatives at Google, Foursquare, & Microsoft, Tara branched out to launch her own apps & startups. Today, Tara helps businesses implement cutting-edge marketing into their businesses.

I'd Rather Be Thanked Than Ranked Wil Reynolds Seer Interactive Ego and assumptions led me to chose the wrong keywords for my own site — yeah, me, Wil Reynolds, Mr. RCS. How did I spend three years optimizing my site and building links to finally crack the top three for six critical keywords, only to find out that I wasted all that time? However, in spite of targeting the wrong words, Seer grew the business. In this presentation, I'll show you the mistakes I made and share with you to approaches that can help you to build content that gets you thanked. A former teacher with a knack for advising, he’s been helping Fortune 500 companies develop SEO strategies since 1999. Today, Seer is home to over 100 employees across Philadelphia and San Diego.

Marketing in a Conversational World: How to Get Discovered, Delight Your Customers, and Earn the Conversion Purna Virji Microsoft

Capturing and keeping attention is one of the hardest parts of our job today. Fact: It's just going to get harder with the advent of new technology and conversational interfaces. In the brave new world we're stepping into, the key questions are: How do we get discovered? How can we delight our audiences? And how can we grow revenue for our clients? Come to this session to learn how to make your marketing and advertising efforts something people are going to want to consume. Named by PPC Hero as the #1 most influential PPC expert in the world, Purna specializes in SEM, SEO, and future search trends. She is a popular global keynote speaker and columnist, an avid traveler, aspiring top chef, and amateur knitter.

Stay tuned

Again, consider this morsel of information as simply the first of many courses to follow. In upcoming posts we'll share details regarding after-hours activities, including MozCrawl.

Don't forget your tickets!

Also, you didn't hear this from us, but there may even be a few exciting, totally new changes for 2017. Mum's the word.

We'll be back soon.

Tell us — who are you most excited to see and hear speak this year?

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

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#Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

0 notes

rodneyevesuarywk · 7 years

Text

Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

Posted by ronell-smith

Aside from a few tweaks here and there, though, the next MozCon won’t be much different from those in years past.

That is, it'll be unique and awesome in equal amounts.

MozCon 2017: July 17–19 in Seattle

And for you last-minuters who haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, now’s the time to... um... grab that ticket you’ll be crying over if you wait too long:

Grab your tickets now

We've kept you waiting long enough, so take a look at some of what's in store for you at MozCon 2017.

Emcee

Last year, we tried a format that included three emcees — Rob Ousbey, Zeph Snapp, and Ronell Smith. The test was a success, with each doing an amazing job.

However, this year we’re returning to a single-emcee format, with Ronell Smith, a Moz Associate, taking the reins.

The MozCon 2017 Agenda (Sneak Peek Edition)

TBD Dawn Anderson Move It Marketing/Manchester Metropolitan University

Dawn Anderson is an International and Technical SEO Consultant, Director of Move It Marketing, and a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Up and to the Right: Growing Traffic, Conversions, & Revenue Matthew Barby HubSpot

Reverse-Engineering Google's Research Into What People Want Rob Bucci STAT Search Analytics

TBD Stephanie Chang Etsy

Stephanie currently leads the Global Acquisition & Retention Marketing teams at Etsy. Previously, she was a Senior Consultant at Distilled.

Data-Driven Design Oli Gardner Unbounce

The Tie That Binds: Why Email is Key to Maximizing Marketing ROI Justine Jordan Litmus

TBD Joanna Lord ClassPass

TBD Ian Lurie Portent, Inc.

Facing the Future: 5 Simple Tactics for 5 Scary Changes Dr. Pete Meyers Moz

TBD Britney Muller Moz

How to Get Big Links Lisa Myers Verve Search

How to Be a Happy Marketer: Survive the Content Crisis and Drive Results by Mastering Your Customer’s Transformational Journey Tara-Nicholle Nelson Transformational Consumer Insights

Thinking Smaller: Optimizing for the New Wave of Social Video Platforms Phil Nottingham Wistia

Powerful Brands Have Communities Tara Reed Apps Without Code

Marketing in a Conversational World: How to Get Discovered, Delight Your Customers, and Earn the Conversion Purna Virji Microsoft

Stay tuned

Again, consider this morsel of information as simply the first of many courses to follow. In upcoming posts we'll share details regarding after-hours activities, including MozCrawl.

Don't forget your tickets!

Also, you didn't hear this from us, but there may even be a few exciting, totally new changes for 2017. Mum's the word.

We'll be back soon.

Tell us — who are you most excited to see and hear speak this year?

http://ift.tt/2o94WXF

#Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

0 notes

byronheeutgm · 7 years

Text

Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

Posted by ronell-smith

Aside from a few tweaks here and there, though, the next MozCon won’t be much different from those in years past.

That is, it'll be unique and awesome in equal amounts.

MozCon 2017: July 17–19 in Seattle

And for you last-minuters who haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, now’s the time to... um... grab that ticket you’ll be crying over if you wait too long:

Grab your tickets now

We've kept you waiting long enough, so take a look at some of what's in store for you at MozCon 2017.

Emcee

Last year, we tried a format that included three emcees — Rob Ousbey, Zeph Snapp, and Ronell Smith. The test was a success, with each doing an amazing job.

However, this year we’re returning to a single-emcee format, with Ronell Smith, a Moz Associate, taking the reins.

The MozCon 2017 Agenda (Sneak Peek Edition)

TBD Dawn Anderson Move It Marketing/Manchester Metropolitan University

Dawn Anderson is an International and Technical SEO Consultant, Director of Move It Marketing, and a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Up and to the Right: Growing Traffic, Conversions, & Revenue Matthew Barby HubSpot

Reverse-Engineering Google's Research Into What People Want Rob Bucci STAT Search Analytics

TBD Stephanie Chang Etsy

Stephanie currently leads the Global Acquisition & Retention Marketing teams at Etsy. Previously, she was a Senior Consultant at Distilled.

Data-Driven Design Oli Gardner Unbounce

The Tie That Binds: Why Email is Key to Maximizing Marketing ROI Justine Jordan Litmus

TBD Joanna Lord ClassPass

TBD Ian Lurie Portent, Inc.

Facing the Future: 5 Simple Tactics for 5 Scary Changes Dr. Pete Meyers Moz

TBD Britney Muller Moz

How to Get Big Links Lisa Myers Verve Search

How to Be a Happy Marketer: Survive the Content Crisis and Drive Results by Mastering Your Customer’s Transformational Journey Tara-Nicholle Nelson Transformational Consumer Insights

Thinking Smaller: Optimizing for the New Wave of Social Video Platforms Phil Nottingham Wistia

Powerful Brands Have Communities Tara Reed Apps Without Code

Marketing in a Conversational World: How to Get Discovered, Delight Your Customers, and Earn the Conversion Purna Virji Microsoft

Stay tuned

Again, consider this morsel of information as simply the first of many courses to follow. In upcoming posts we'll share details regarding after-hours activities, including MozCrawl.

Don't forget your tickets!

Also, you didn't hear this from us, but there may even be a few exciting, totally new changes for 2017. Mum's the word.

We'll be back soon.

Tell us — who are you most excited to see and hear speak this year?

http://ift.tt/2o94WXF

#Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

0 notes

dainiaolivahm · 7 years

Text

Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

Posted by ronell-smith

Aside from a few tweaks here and there, though, the next MozCon won’t be much different from those in years past.

That is, it'll be unique and awesome in equal amounts.

MozCon 2017: July 17–19 in Seattle

And for you last-minuters who haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, now’s the time to... um... grab that ticket you’ll be crying over if you wait too long:

Grab your tickets now

We've kept you waiting long enough, so take a look at some of what's in store for you at MozCon 2017.

Emcee

Last year, we tried a format that included three emcees — Rob Ousbey, Zeph Snapp, and Ronell Smith. The test was a success, with each doing an amazing job.

However, this year we’re returning to a single-emcee format, with Ronell Smith, a Moz Associate, taking the reins.

The MozCon 2017 Agenda (Sneak Peek Edition)

TBD Dawn Anderson Move It Marketing/Manchester Metropolitan University

Dawn Anderson is an International and Technical SEO Consultant, Director of Move It Marketing, and a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Up and to the Right: Growing Traffic, Conversions, & Revenue Matthew Barby HubSpot

Reverse-Engineering Google's Research Into What People Want Rob Bucci STAT Search Analytics

TBD Stephanie Chang Etsy

Stephanie currently leads the Global Acquisition & Retention Marketing teams at Etsy. Previously, she was a Senior Consultant at Distilled.

Data-Driven Design Oli Gardner Unbounce

The Tie That Binds: Why Email is Key to Maximizing Marketing ROI Justine Jordan Litmus

TBD Joanna Lord ClassPass

TBD Ian Lurie Portent, Inc.

Facing the Future: 5 Simple Tactics for 5 Scary Changes Dr. Pete Meyers Moz

TBD Britney Muller Moz

How to Get Big Links Lisa Myers Verve Search

How to Be a Happy Marketer: Survive the Content Crisis and Drive Results by Mastering Your Customer’s Transformational Journey Tara-Nicholle Nelson Transformational Consumer Insights

Thinking Smaller: Optimizing for the New Wave of Social Video Platforms Phil Nottingham Wistia

Powerful Brands Have Communities Tara Reed Apps Without Code

Marketing in a Conversational World: How to Get Discovered, Delight Your Customers, and Earn the Conversion Purna Virji Microsoft

Stay tuned

Again, consider this morsel of information as simply the first of many courses to follow. In upcoming posts we'll share details regarding after-hours activities, including MozCrawl.

Don't forget your tickets!

Also, you didn't hear this from us, but there may even be a few exciting, totally new changes for 2017. Mum's the word.

We'll be back soon.

Tell us — who are you most excited to see and hear speak this year?

http://ift.tt/2o94WXF

#Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

0 notes

mariasolemarionqi · 7 years

Text

Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

Posted by ronell-smith

Aside from a few tweaks here and there, though, the next MozCon won’t be much different from those in years past.

That is, it'll be unique and awesome in equal amounts.

MozCon 2017: July 17–19 in Seattle

And for you last-minuters who haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, now’s the time to... um... grab that ticket you’ll be crying over if you wait too long:

Grab your tickets now

We've kept you waiting long enough, so take a look at some of what's in store for you at MozCon 2017.

Emcee

Last year, we tried a format that included three emcees — Rob Ousbey, Zeph Snapp, and Ronell Smith. The test was a success, with each doing an amazing job.

However, this year we’re returning to a single-emcee format, with Ronell Smith, a Moz Associate, taking the reins.

The MozCon 2017 Agenda (Sneak Peek Edition)

TBD Dawn Anderson Move It Marketing/Manchester Metropolitan University

Dawn Anderson is an International and Technical SEO Consultant, Director of Move It Marketing, and a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Up and to the Right: Growing Traffic, Conversions, & Revenue Matthew Barby HubSpot

Reverse-Engineering Google's Research Into What People Want Rob Bucci STAT Search Analytics

TBD Stephanie Chang Etsy

Stephanie currently leads the Global Acquisition & Retention Marketing teams at Etsy. Previously, she was a Senior Consultant at Distilled.

Data-Driven Design Oli Gardner Unbounce

The Tie That Binds: Why Email is Key to Maximizing Marketing ROI Justine Jordan Litmus

TBD Joanna Lord ClassPass

TBD Ian Lurie Portent, Inc.

Facing the Future: 5 Simple Tactics for 5 Scary Changes Dr. Pete Meyers Moz

TBD Britney Muller Moz

How to Get Big Links Lisa Myers Verve Search

How to Be a Happy Marketer: Survive the Content Crisis and Drive Results by Mastering Your Customer’s Transformational Journey Tara-Nicholle Nelson Transformational Consumer Insights

Thinking Smaller: Optimizing for the New Wave of Social Video Platforms Phil Nottingham Wistia

Powerful Brands Have Communities Tara Reed Apps Without Code

Marketing in a Conversational World: How to Get Discovered, Delight Your Customers, and Earn the Conversion Purna Virji Microsoft

Stay tuned

Again, consider this morsel of information as simply the first of many courses to follow. In upcoming posts we'll share details regarding after-hours activities, including MozCrawl.

Don't forget your tickets!

Also, you didn't hear this from us, but there may even be a few exciting, totally new changes for 2017. Mum's the word.

We'll be back soon.

Tell us — who are you most excited to see and hear speak this year?

http://ift.tt/2o94WXF

#Feast Your Eyes on the MozCon 2017 Initial Agenda

0 notes