im so sorry to all of my podcast-fan followers.... the content i will be sharing is really not what i planned for this acc but.... COMMON WE WAITED 5 MF YEARS WE DESERVE THE RIGHT TO BE ANNOYING AGAIN- DAN AND PHIL GAMES IS BACK BITCHEEEEEESS!!!!!!!!

Is Cassie gonna be like her mother and be deeply attracted to assholes? Like Nick?

Hi there! Thanks so much for the Cassie question! And sorry it took me a bit of time to get around to it…work has been, as ever, crazy, it was my birthday, and now…the world is ending in real time…

I think the answer to this question is yes and no, and requires some analysis of Amy’s own psychology as well. 

First, I think it’s worth pointing out that while Dan is, of course, an asshole…so is Ed. They are just a different brand of asshole. And so is Buddy. (And so is Bill, but we’re in the BMTL universe where we don’t talk about S7). I’m certainly not defending Dan’s behavior in the show, but the idea that Ed or Buddy offered Amy a better relationship than one she would have had with Dan has always seemed a bit silly to me (Amy didn’t get this, obviously). We’re primed to reward “niceness” in men, but Nice Men can be just as toxic as men like Dan. (Also, I don’t think Buddy was ever nice or kind to Amy in a way that wasn’t actually rooted in his gross fetishization of her, and Ed was clearly dating Amy for professional reasons as well.) They’re all terrible, in their unique way. 

Still, there are some super loose parallels between Buddy and Ed. Both of them are kind of geeky (bordering on creepy), not especially confident around women. Neither is especially “conventionally” attractive, and Amy doesn’t have a significant physical attraction to either of them. They both make her feel bad about herself. They’re both just kind of…blah. And neither of them present much of an intellectual challenge for her.

In other words, Dan seems to be an aberration of Amy’s usual type. Handsome, confident, generally fun to be around, is there for her and builds her up in the ways that matter, and, crucially, willing to pick a fight with her. (Bill kind of complicates this distinction, because he’s different from both Dan and Buddy/Ed, but I don’t want to get too much into Amy/Bill analysis with this answer because I’m tired and also because what I actually think the writers did by putting Bill and Amy together is pair Amy with the male version of herself).

It’s pretty clear in the show that Amy’s insecurities drive her to seek out relationships with both Buddy and Ed, and, paradoxically, those same insecurities cause her to put up a wall with Dan. This is where I think Amy and Cassie fundamentally differ. As adult-Cassie has taken shape in my mind, I do see her as very similar to Amy in a lot of respects. But unlike Amy, Cassie will have a much stronger sense of self than Amy, and she’ll be much more aware of the fact that men are interested in her because of her appearance (and that, in turn, her beauty is something she can use). Amy is borderline naive about her looks in the show, and Cassie will be…the opposite. Come on—this is Dan’s kid we’re talking about. And unlike Amy, Cassie won’t grow up with a toxic sibling who is constantly shitting on her. 

So because of that, I don’t think Cassie would ever put with a guy like Buddy or Ed, the way Amy does. Will it cause her to end up with someone like her own father? I’m not sure.

What I’m positive Cassie will inherit from her parents’ fucked up relationship is the idea that if you can’t have a real fight with someone, you don’t love them. Love for Cassie is bickering over which channel to watch, fighting late at night about work, constantly insulting one another as a form of flirting, challenging one another to be better (or be worse, in Dan’s case with Amy). Fundamentally, it’s important to be able to argue with your partner, and Dan and Amy are very real with one another as a result. A relationship built on keeping up appearances and never airing your grievances isn’t a very solid one.

At the same time, I do think the need to be challenged, to have a fight, can often lead to a girl ending up with an asshole. Because…a lot of men who are assholes like to pick fights! It’s a fine line to walk, man. 

(Sidenote: as much as I wrote all that stuff a few weeks ago about how Dan would never think anyone is good enough for Cassie…it would also be hilarious if Cassie brought someone home and Dan actually liked him. Amy would be so horrified.)

Admittedly, my own biases as a writer are fully at work here. I enjoy writing charismatic assholes like Dan and my favorite relationship model has always been love-hate bickering. And Cassie is my character...she gets to live out my fantasies, haha. So…it’s certainly likely that she ends up with someone with whom she’s constantly bickering. But I like to think that person will be more of an adult than Dan. 

As for Nick, he’s an asshole because he’s a seventeen year old male who is incredibly privileged. Cassie won’t have anything to do with him until he removes his head out of his ass. 

Blanketed

Summary: When a classic snowstorm hits New York City the night before Valentine’s Day, Dan finds himself stranded and unable to catch his flight back home to London, so he does what any functional 27-year-old would do and hits the airport bar. It’s there that he finds another stranded passenger by the name of Phil. The two bond as they learn that they’re going to be stuck in the airport overnight, and in the morning they find themselves cuddled up for warmth underneath the same blanket. But what happens when the snow melts and they have to go their separate ways? 

Warnings: Alcohol

Word Count: 3.7k

Artist: @pine-tree-gi Beta: @themeoweclipse

Read it on Ao3 Read it on Wattpad!

A/N: This is one of two fics I’ve written for the @phandomreversebang, and I love this fic so much. It’s probably the first (fairly) pure fluff I’ve written in a while, and I really enjoyed writing something soft. I hope you enjoy it as well! I know it’s a bit short, but my second one will be longer, I promise :) 

“Bartender? Another drink, please?”

Dan looked up from his empty plastic cup branded on one side with “JFK Airport” in textured letters. The bartender walked over and poured more champagne into his cup. He gave the man a nod and he turned to serve other customers down the bar.

Dan took a sip from his third cup as a man slid into the seat beside him. “Champagne, please?” The bartender poured him a cup identical to Dan’s and then left the two alone. “Lemme guess,” he said, catching Dan off guard. “Snowed in?”

“News flash, buddy; we all are.” He thrust a thumb over his shoulder at the departures screen behind him. Every flight was accompanied by a red ‘cancelled’. “Not a single flight leaves until this damn snowstorm dies down and they clear the tarmac.”

“Good to know you’re just as annoyed as I am.” The man chuckled. Dan had never been one to talk to people in social settings, but he seemed to be a good-hearted man trying to make light of a shitty situation.

Dan rotated his barstool toward him and got his first good look at him. He had raven-black hair, and he was wearing a grey jumper covered in foxes along with a jean jacket the cold weather had prompted him to throw on over it. He could only see half of the man’s face, but, in all honesty, he was pretty attractive for an airport luck of the draw.

“I’m Dan.”

“Phil.”

Dan had done his part in the social contract, and they drank in silence for a moment before Phil finally spoke up.

“So, where-” he was cut off by a computerized voice ringing from speakers nobody could seem to locate.

“Attention all travelers. The weather forecast shows the current snowstorm continuing into the morning hours. Our crews cannot clear the tarmac until precipitation stops, so all flights are delayed until at least daylight tomorrow morning. We apologize for the inconvenience; thank you for flying through JFK International Airport.”

There was an audible groan from both men as well as everyone around them. Whines of tired children were heard even from outside the bar.

“Guess we’re gonna be here a while, huh?” Phil asked, shrugging off his jean jacket.

“Sadly,” Dan muttered, swirling the champagne remaining in his plastic cup.

“Hey, lighten up a bit!” Phil shouted, attracting a few glares from people around them. “You look plenty fun; you’re wearing a Christmas jumper in February.” He looked Dan up and down. “And it looks like you brought it through a wormhole from 2009.”

“Oh, thanks. Random strangers talking about my fashion sense is my favorite thing to encounter on an already shitty day.”

“Always happy to deliver.” Another moment’s silence passed. “I like your nails, by the way.”

Dan glanced down at his black-painted nails. He really did look like a 2009 emo. “Thanks,” he said monotonously.

“You seem upset. Like, beyond the level of upset a person would be just by this situation. I know we just met, but do you wanna talk?”

Dan sighed, throwing himself backwards and holding onto the bar to lunge himself back forward. “Boy, have I got a story.” He waved to the bartender. “Another round.”

“So let me get this straight,” Phil said, at least ten minutes later. “You wanted to use Valentine’s Day tomorrow as an excuse to confess to this guy you like, but there’s someone else he likes, and they’re ALSO planning to confess tomorrow, and now that your flight’s delayed, they’ll beat you to it?”

“Yup. I sound like a bloody teenager, but that’s what’s happened.”

“You really are having a bad day. I’m sorry, man. But come on!” he called out again, apparently the loud type. He threw his arm around Dan and shook his shoulder a bit. “Enjoy yourself! It’s not like you’ve got anything better to do.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Have you got any suggestions?”

“You wanna go grab a bite? Might as well get some food before everyone gets paranoid and buys it all up.”

Dan shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not? Might as well not spend the night alone. Besides, I should probably stop drinking, or else I’ll spend the night alone and blacked out.” The two of them looked at the bartender and called out in unison.

“Check!”

A few moments later, they were rounding out their ice cream cones as they strolled through the terminal.

“Remind me why we decided to get ice cream during a snowstorm?” Dan joked, making eye contact with Phil. He hadn’t gotten a good look at his eyes earlier, but they were absolutely gorgeous. They were a wonderfully mixed turquoise with yellow flecks around the pupils; he’d only seen them once, but he knew they would be impossible to forget.

“Because we’re inside a heated airport and there just happened to be an ice cream shop in this terminal.”

“Fair enough,” Dan smiled, taking his first bite of the cone.

“Speaking of, what terminal are you headed to?”

Dan thought for a moment, almost having forgotten the details of his flight after a few drinks. “Terminal three. I only checked in here because the website said the security wait times were slower. I have a bit of a tendency to be late for flights. I thought I was going to miss this one, but, you know...” he trailed off, gesturing to the snowflakes falling through the illuminated night sky.

“Oh, nice! Same here.”

“The terminal, or the irresponsibility?”

Phil laughed, and Dan couldn’t help but smile just at that laugh. “Both.”

After they each laughed and Dan gushed over Phil for a moment, he returned to normal conversation. “Do you think there’s a tram we can take over there? I’ve had enough exercise for one day.”

“Should be. I took a train in, and I’m pretty sure it runs through the airport.” Phil paused for a moment, forcing Dan to do a double take and walk back. “It should be...” he trailed off, looking around; they’d found themselves in a four way intersection. “that way.” He pointed left and turned that way.

“There’s a sign right in front of us, Einstein.”

“Let’s just say I got pretty bored earlier and I happened to be sitting near an airport map.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Nerd.”

After a short ride on the oddly fascinating tram, they were in terminal three, and they were both pleased to find that the terminal had a McDonald’s. Ice cream or no ice cream, Dan was planning to eat dinner on his flight back to London, and he was starving.

“A 20-piece McNugget meal, please.” Phil said to the worker at the counter, who clearly just wanted to go home.

“20 piece! I guess that ‘everyone’ who was buying up all the food out of paranoia was just you.”

Phil shrugged. “Man’s gotta eat.”

There ended up being two 20 McNugget meals in front of them as they sat in the far corner of the terminal. They hadn’t really discussed where to sit; they’d simply walked until they found an open outlet to plug their phones into, which took until the last gate in the terminal. That gate didn’t seem to have a flight planned to fly out of it, so there were no people gathered around it, allowing the boys to have their own little corner in the crowded airport. Sure, there were plenty of people within the vicinity, but it still felt as if they had a bit of privacy in their own space. And, most importantly, they could charge their phones.

“I cannot believe you got ketchup,” Phil scoffed at Dan as he dipped his McNugget into the ketchup pile he’d made on the open lid of his box.

“Don’t shame me for my dipping sauce choices!”

“Come on! Barbecue is obviously superior.” Phil made sure Dan was watching as he dipped a nugget of his own into his barbecue sauce and dramatically ate it.

“Do you wanna fight, Phil?”

“Do it, you won’t!” Dan quickly dipped a nugget in ketchup and shoved it in the direction of Phil’s mouth, smearing ketchup all over his face. “Hey!”

Phil glared at him as he dipped a nugget in barbecue and attempted to give Dan a taste of his own medicine. The two continued to shove nuggets in each other’s faces like children until finally Dan cried out. “Stop! Stop the violence!” The two paused, getting a few looks from random travelers in earshot. “I’ll eat yours, and you’ll eat mine.” They politely handed each other their nuggets and each took a bite. “Hmm,” Dan said, surprised. “This isn’t half bad.”

Phil looked up from the cup he was downing a sip of soda from. “Ketchup still sucks.”

Dan shoved him a bit, and they both laughed. Luckily, they ignored the dipping sauce choices for the fries and continued their meals until they’d each eaten to their heart’s content. They both smelled horribly of ketchup and barbecue sauce, but it was definitely worth it.

It was beginning to grow late, and the airport had dimmed the lights, allowing people around them to settle down and try to sleep. “This is so fucking uncomfortable,” Dan whispered, turning to Phil.

“We’ve both got carry-ons, right? We’ve got to have some useful things in there.” Phil sat up and unzipped the bag he was resting his head on. “I, for one, never travel without a blanket.”

“Phil, you’re a life saver.” Dan opened his carry-on, which was significantly smaller than Phil’s. “I’ve got a pillow, but it isn’t big. I think there’s still one store open down the terminal we can buy some small pillows from. If they’ve got enough, we can buy some to sit on and to rest our backs and heads on. Here’s some money; we can pool some together.”

“That’s a great idea!” Phil exclaimed, rummaging through his bag and pulling out about the same amount of money as Dan. “Stay here; I’ll go buy them out.”

“You really like buying people out of things, don’t you?” Dan asked, a smile crossing his face.

“It’s my specialty.”

A few minutes later, Dan looked up from his phone to see Phil waddling back down the terminal with pillows stacked up over his head. He jumped up and took a few from him so that he could see his face. “How did you get back down here in the dark with all those blocking your view?”

Phil shrugged. “Luck?”

Dan rolled his eyes and set down a couple of pillows for them to sit on. “Guess you didn’t bring back any change.”

“They had a lot of pillows,” he said as if to defend his actions. They each took a pillow and placed it behind their backs, topping it off with a pillow behind each of their heads.

“Clearly.”

After sitting independently on their phones for a while, Dan decided his phone had enough charge and unplugged it, favoring a pair of headphones and a dongle. “You want to watch some Netflix?” Dan asked, nudging Phil.

“Hell yeah!” he gravitated closer to Dan to see the phone. “What’ve you got?” Dan scrolled through his Netflix for a few seconds before Phil reached out and scrolled back up and settled on an icon. “You watch Queer Eye?”

“I love Queer Eye! I’m only halfway through season 2, though.”

“I don’t have Netflix, so I’ve never seen it, but I’ve always wanted to. Pick up where you left off; I’ll get into it quickly.”

They dove immediately into the show. Dan had to explain the premise and characters to Phil, but he really did pick up quickly. Then, every now and then they’d have to pause to discuss a good joke or especially gay moment. Ultimately, it ended up taking them an hour and fifteen minutes to watch 46 minutes of content. After the one video, they were both about ready to doze off.

“You know, Phil,” Dan said, plugging his phone back in. “I’ve never really had anyone to discuss Queer Eye with before. I really enjoyed that.”

Phil’s face was difficult to see in the darkness, but Dan could tell he was smiling. “I enjoyed it a lot too.” Phil bit his lip, avoiding eye contact. “I enjoyed... you.”

“What do you mean enjoyed?”

“Huh?”

“I’m still here.”

“What?”

“You said enjoyed. Past tense. But I’m still here. Enjoy, present tense.”

“Oh. Well, I enjoy your presence, I guess.”

“Hey Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“You know why I said that?”

“No. In fact, it just made this situation extremely awkward, so I can’t imagine why.”

“Because it would be significantly more awkward if I told you I liked you in the past tense, when, in fact, I like you. Present tense.”

“Oh.” They sat in silence, the sound of people shifting in their sleep around them filling the void. After a few seconds, Dan felt a hand slide into his underneath the blanket. He turned his head to see Phil grinning wildly at him. “I like you too.” Then Phil was leaning in, and before Dan even had time to think about it, Phil was kissing him. Dan’s eyes bugged out of his head, but he settled into it and eventually began to kiss him back, a feeling of peace filling his stomach. For that one moment, they forgot that they were complete strangers. They forgot that they didn’t even know each other’s last names, and they definitely forgot that they’d wake up in the morning and go their separate ways. In that one moment, none of those things mattered. After what felt like an eternity that somehow wasn’t long enough, they disconnected, but their fingers remained intertwined at their waists.

“Goodnight, Phil,” Dan said, nestling his head into the crook of Phil’s neck.

Phil kissed his forehead and settled himself under the blanket with him. “Goodnight, Dan.”

Dan awoke to sunlight pouring in through the airport windows. He yawned and checked his phone before slipping it in his pocket; it was a bit past 8:00. Other travelers were moving about the terminal and getting breakfast, but there was still no movement at any of the gates.

Dan immediately and painfully realized that he hadn’t gone to the bathroom in about twelve hours and tried to carefully slide out from under the blanket so as to not wake Phil. It took him a few seconds to stand up, but when he did he looked down and saw Phil still asleep, and he exhaled a sigh of relief. He started to walk in the direction of the bathroom when he heard stirring behind him. He clenched his face up in knowledge that he had failed and pivoted to face Phil, who was blinking his eyes open.

“Morning,” Dan said, looking down at him.

“Morning,” Phil groaned, his voice deep from sleep.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom; you start getting our stuff together.”

Phil nodded groggily as Dan made his way down to the strip of stores in the middle of the terminal. He glanced at the flight screen to find that no flights had been announced to be leaving soon; he was thankful for that, as his gate was in the half of the terminal on the other side of the stores from where he and Phil had set up camp, and he definitely didn’t feel like running back and forth that early in the morning.

The trip to the bathroom took ages; the line was so massive that he was sure Phil could have packed twenty bags in the time he was gone. Eventually, he returned from emptying his bladder to find Phil extending his bag to him. It was significantly puffier than it was the night before. “How many pillows did you put in there?”

“Two.”

“I can’t believe you fit the other four in your bag.”

“I’m magic.”

They walked down the terminal and back to the McDonald’s. “You know, Dan,” Phil said, a grin on his face. “I know McDonald’s serves breakfast, but I’d rather have a McFlurry.”

“Do you always eat this much ice cream?”

Phil laughed. “I wish!”

They stood in front of a window as they each downed their respective M&M McFlurry. The tarmac was blanketed in a layer of white, and trees in the distance glimmered in the winter sun. Dan could see a snowplow clearing off the tarmac in another terminal. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Dan asked. “I love to see the world blanketed in snow.”

“Yeah,” Phil said, turning to look at Dan. “But not as beautiful as you,” he said, pulling a bouquet of chocolate roses out of nowhere. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Dan.”

Clearly Phil was thinking of another kind of blanket. A dark, anxious feeling made its way into Dan’s stomach. “Where did you even get those? And when?” he asked, reluctantly taking them.

“Airports have everything. I found them this morning while you were in the bathroom.” He smiled, seeming quite proud of himself.

Dan sighed. “We should probably talk about this.”

“What? Did I overstep?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just-I met you yesterday, and we’re complete strangers. After this is over, we’re probably never going to see each other again. Are you sure we should do this?”

Phil took Dan’s hands, and Dan elected to stare at the floor. “Look at me.” Dan sighed and looked into Phil’s colourful eyes. “Maybe we’ll never see each other, or maybe we’ll come across some sort of miracle and we will. Regardless, what have we got to lose?”

Dan bit his lip and took a deep breath. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Phil said, giving Dan a short kiss.

“Attention all travelers,” said the computerized intercom voice. Both gasped and separated to listen to the message. The entire area settled into complete silence. “The tarmac is currently being cleared, and flights are beginning to be rescheduled. Arrivals will continue as scheduled, and departure times will depend on whether your plane was here when the snow began or if it still has to fly in. Please check the departure board for specific flight details. Thank you for flying through JFK International Airport!”

A cheer erupted through the terminal as a whole wave of passengers made its way towards the arrival and departure screens. “Something tells me we should finish our ice cream before going over there,” Phil said.

Dan watched people shouting at each other as they attempted to jump and shove each other out of the way to see their flights. In all honesty, it was purely terrifying. “Smart.”

After the area cleared up some, the two gathered their things and strolled over to the screens. Dan found his flight fairly quickly. “Mine’s back on. Leaving in half an hour.”

“Mine is too.”

The two turned to each other, a somber look on each’s face. “Guess this is goodbye?” Dan said, taking Phil’s hand in his.

“Guess so.”

They fell into a tight embrace. “Thanks for the blanket.”

“Thanks for the ice cream.”

They fell back into a kiss lasting longer than their first. This time, Dan felt a spark he didn’t feel the first time. He bit his lip, angry at himself for falling for someone in the last moment they’d ever be together. “I’m gonna miss you, Phil.”

“I’ll miss you too.” They smiled faintly at each other before Dan turned and began walking toward his gate. It wasn’t long before he realized Phil was still beside him. After walking about half the terminal, they were still side by side.

“Well, this is awkward,” Dan chuckled. Could Phil just leave already so he could mourn in peace?

Dan began to trail off towards his gate. “Dan?” He turned to see a genuine smile on Phil’s face. “Don’t tell me you’re flying into London.”

“Oh my God,” Dan said, doubling over in laughter. “We’re on the same flight, aren’t we?” Phil nodded, unable to speak from laughter. “Do you live in the city?” Phil nodded again, attempting to compose himself. “I do too!” Dan sighed as they wandered to take two empty seats in the corner. “How do these things happen?”

“I have no clue.”

“We were together for twelve hours; how did we never one ask each other where we were going?”

“I was going to when I first met you, but that dumb announcement cut me off!”

Dan couldn’t help but laugh again. “We both have British accents; how did we not expect this?”

“Two Dumbasses in an Airport: 2018′s worst romance movie.”

Each of them laughed so hard their stomachs hurt. When Dan finally wiped the final tear from his eye, Phil gave him a bit of a nudge. “Hey Dan?”

“Yeah?”

“When we get back to London, do you wanna go out sometime? Like, on a date?” Phil asked, excessively awkward for the context of their situation.

“Of course, you dork. I’ve kissed you what, four times now? You think I’m going to turn down a date?”

“Hey, you never know. You were talking about that guy earlier.”

“Hey. I found someone else.” The corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile.

An intercom beeped on near them and this time a real, male voice spoke from the desk near the gate. “Flight 1728 to London is now boarding.” The two jested of their stupidity as they turned their boarding passes in to the attendant and boarded the plane. Dan found his seat about midway through the plane, but Phil kept walking.

“Guess this is goodbye,” Phil said, altering his voice to sound like Dan.

“That’s a horrible impression of me,” Dan said, rolling his eyes. He smiled at Phil as he took his seat. “See you in London, valentine.”

“Or sooner,” Phil said with a wink, taking off before Dan had a chance to respond.

Dan stared off into space as he put in his earbuds. It was going to be an interesting seven hours.

❓- Did they ask a lot of questions when they were younger? Did they like to explore the world?

“This is Daniel Molloy, Boy Reporter, coming to you live from Mrs. McGrath’s backyard, where I am joined by Pop-Pop and Shannon. Thank you for joining us. Miss Molloy, what can you tell us about what happened?”

“I sat here yesterday an’ I was helping make the posters an’ an’ this, big, huge, it was enormous, this enormous dog came up an’ licked my face!”

“And what was that like?”

“Gross! Haha! An’ wet! I’m gonna go see if Kaitlyn’s home. Be right back.”

“No wait! Shannon! Come back!”

“Thanks for your patience, folks. The one finger to my ear means the studio has a small technical difficulty. We go now live to Pop-Pop, local expert and friend of the show, to get to the bottom of this mystery. Why do dogs lick your face? Welcome back, Pop-Pop.”

“Thank you, Danny.”

“Pop-Pop! We talked about this!”

“Oh, excuse my manners. Thank you, Boy Reporter. This is so different from your news studio. Where’s the camera? Is that why I couldn’t find the oatmeal this morning?”

“I was gonna put it back!”

“Whoa, buddy, you’re not in trouble, okay? Now how’d you manage to make the oatmeal canister work like a camera? Was it magic?”

“Magic’s not real, Pop-Pop. Everybody knows that.”

“Uh oh, then somebody better convince me it isn’t!”

“But that makes no sen—”

“Danny I’m baaaack! I brought the dog!”

“You said it was an ‘enoooooormous’ dog!”

“He has a big personality!”

“That thing is tiny! You got licked by a before-dog, Shannon! That’s not news!”

“Sure it is! Better’n who ate the last slice of pie in the fridge!”

“I know it was you, I saw you!”

“Kids—”

“Prove it, DAN-iel!”

“I will! You can’t hide the truth!”

“Agh! Nobody cares! Why can’t you just be NOR-mal?”

“Shannon, that’s not—”

“Takes one to know one, dweeb!”

“Loser!”

“Liar! Liar liar pants on fire liarliarpantsonfire Shannon is a lia-aar! You better put ab-ses-tos in your pants and get some burn cream because your pants are on fire! Ow! Ow-ow no hitting! She’s hitting me! Shannon’s hitting me! Stoppit!”

“Snitch! Snitch! You’re not my brother! You’ll never be a reporter!”

“Break it up, you two. Shannon, go wait in your room. Daniel…”

“I’m sorry. Sir.”

“C’mere, buddy. C’mere, sit next to your grandfather.”

“She started it! She lied about the pie and I got in trouble and I didn’t get to go to Great America that summer and I’ve never been and she lied about the dog and—”

“Do you still want to know why dogs lick your face?”

“Well duh. C’mon, Pop-Pop.”

“It’s because they love you.”

“What? But it’s slobbery and gross.”

“Sometimes love is slobbery and gross. It’s one of the ways dogs show you they love you. Dogs can smell all the ugly feelings you have, so they help you lick it off.”

“Oh.”

“Now do you love your sister?”

“Yeah. I guess. Yes.”

“Your mother told me about the pie.”

“I saw her—”

"Let me finish, now. Do you think you were showing her your love, just now?”

“…no. I was not. But she hit me!”

“You’re right, and that was wrong of her. I’m going to talk to your parents about that. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Didn’t hurt. Pop-Pop?”

"Can you not tell Mom and Dad?”

“Why not?”

"It was nothing. It didn’t even hurt. I was making it sound like it did. I…wasn’t showing her my love.”

“I’m proud of you, Danny. You’ve got spirit and you’ve got courage. Now if you could have some wisdom too with that, you’d be set for life. You can’t do that without love.”

“D’ya think Shannon was right? About…the reporting? Sir?”

“Oh a leanbh. So is it the ‘truth’ that’ll be the end of you one day and not a fine whiskey after all?”

“Pop-Pop, I’m almost thirteen. I don’t need this Lucky Charms crap.”

"Oh are you now? I couldn’t tell, with you mentioning it all the time. And you say there’s no magic in the world already?”

"Santa Claus isn’t real. The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy don’t exist and never have. Oh my God, Pop-Pop, I’m not a kid anymore.”

"That’s all well for you, but what if I were to tell you that I don’t believe you? I think magic is real. I swear. Cross my heart. Spit and shake my hand.”

“Huh? I don’t get it.”

“Prove me wrong, Danny. Get eyewitnesses. Tell their stories, about stone circles and dancing to the moon and all that good old rot. Report on the abnormal until not a single soul in the world thinks they can’t live as who they are.”

"Pop-Pop, you sound like a hippie.”

“Would a hippie take you to Great America?”

Mr Daniel Molloy—with his newly-minted Press Pass as staff and not just struggling stringer for KQED—sits in the back of the bar, admiring the celebratory amber liquid in his tumbler. His grandfather tends to pop up in his dreams whenever he considers his career. 

The men in his family are known for their thirst. For life, for love, for drink, and for a certain brand of violence. The senior Molloy’s had been for family until he died of a broken heart and ten bottles of 92-proof. But before he died, he’d recognized Daniel’s own thirst for the truth in a way certainly his parents never had.

“And still don’t,” Daniel thinks to himself, eyeing the handsome dark-haired stranger cohabiting the back of the bar. He hefts his bag of blank tapes onto his shoulder and picks up his drink. The stranger is gone when Daniel looks back up. Like magic. He grins abruptly, delighted at the mystery unfolding before him, and begins his chase.

Do You Crave White Delicious chocolate?

. And also a server was normally utilized to aid put her garments on. Pieces included her alright linen white smock, stockings, bum roll, over dress (typically broken up the face), bodice, French or spanish farthingale (band dress), waistcoat (underskirt), ruff, partlet and fine accessories such as plumes, cuffs, jewelries, bands (often worn on every finger apart from the middle) and pendants.

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New Post has been published on http://simplemlmsponsoring.com/attraction-marketing-formula/copywriting/chief-content-officer-a-year-of-insights/

Chief Content Officer: A Year of Insights

Has it been a whole year already? Well, not really. As I write this it’s still November and as you’re reading this, it’s the third week in December. A lot can happen in that time. But, assuming this ball of rock we live on successfully completes its routine circuit of the sun once more without major incident, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on how much has changed over the previous 12 months.

One of the biggest changes for Chief Content Officer magazine happened at the beginning of 2018. After seven years and 36 issues, Clare McDermott handed the editor’s red pen over to me in an emotional ritual involving arcane incantations, a branding iron, and a pledge to forever cast out the Oxford comma. (Stares hard at the blog editor. Get out of that!) (Blog editor’s response: Sorry, we use that comma here. We can’t afford any penalties resulting from missing commas.)

While I waited for the burning pain from the ritual to subside so I could sit down again, Clare’s final issue in February set a high bar for me to follow.

Finding the right words (February 2018)

The theme of content effectiveness – never mind how many people clicked on the content but is it any good – popped up more than a few times across 2018. Fergal McGovern kicked things off in February with an article on the UX of words.

I’m a word nerd, grammar pedant, and clarity zealot in the same way a car mechanic is a pedant about the right and wrong way to connect the flange to the whotsit. (The last sentence is also why I don’t service my own car.) So, Fergal’s article felt like a rallying cry for me and any other writer who has had to argue with stakeholders about why their buzzword bingo content does not sound more “professional.”

Fergal points out that the average U.S. resident reads at a seventh- or eighth-grade level. Before you complain about the education system, a user’s experience isn’t just about reading capability. As he argues, “even highly educated people disengage rather than spend the mental energy to unpack dense, complicated prose.” If you’ve ever struggled to get past the opening paragraphs of an overly formal, dry-as-biscuits white paper, you’ll know what he means.

People don’t have the mental energy to unpack a dry-as-biscuits white paper, says @kimota. Click To Tweet

“While web analytics can show page views, dwell times and usage paths, they won’t reveal issues with the content itself,” he writes. Now that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

Also in February, Dan Hatch explained How to Train Your Journalist. Disappointingly, his piece wasn’t a low-budget sequel to the popular animated film series about dragons. Instead, Dan described how to overcome the challenges many journalists face when they first start to write on behalf of a brand.

“Journalism is a vocation,” he writes. “It’s also a profession that has a special place in democracy – holding governments, corporations, and individuals accountable.

“Gosh, but that can give you an ego. For some reporters, that can be hard to let go. And what you, as the person employing them, end up with are writers who think they’re too good to be writing the content you’re commissioning.”

Ouch. But before you think Dan is arguing that journalists are prima donnas to be avoided, he provides advice on how to harness a journalist’s nose for a strong story and knack for compelling and highly readable prose.

“They will adjust, I promise. But they might find this uncomfortable to start with – after all, someone who likely isn’t a writer is telling them how to write.”

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

A Primer to Boost Your Content’s Readability 4 Real-Life Ledes: Why They Work (and What Could Be Better)

Changing tools and strategies (May 2018)

The May issue was my first as editor, so I’m incredibly indebted to the rest of the team for helping me to make it such a great one. I still adore the cover by CCO designer Crystal Madrilejos, who has an enviable knack for turning vague, half-baked ideas from me into incredibly striking imagery.

Inside, I interviewed the always fascinating Joe Chernov to get to the bottom of account-based marketing (ABM) and why content marketers should care. “Yes, the funnel still has a top,” Joe explained. “It’s just a narrower top.”

You still need that top-of-funnel content, but you need to resist the temptation to aspire to a larger audience. What you want is a greater composition of the right audience.”

ABM resists the temptation to aspire to a larger audience in favor of the right audience, says @jchernov. Click To Tweet

A couple of pages later, Clare talked to strategist and cultural mythologist John Bucher (winner of this year’s coolest job title award) about whether the oft-heralded virtual reality boom is ever going to arrive. “VR is a popular buzzword, but as far as everyone having a headset … we’re not quite there,” he said.

VR is a popular buzzword, but as far as everyone having a headset … we’re not quite there. @johnkbucher Click To Tweet

However, John’s enthusiasm for VR isn’t dampened. He is encouraged by the ways in which some companies have begun to experiment with augmented reality (AR), which he sees as a gateway into VR for many people. “Creators of this technology are using the tools people already have, their smartphones, to add practical functionality to their daily experiences – something that lies at the core mission of so many brands,” he said.

If you’re still not convinced, Clare and John provide examples of how brands are using AR and VR successfully today. AR/VR may not be everyone’s reality just yet, but it has certainly become enough of a reality for some brands to create powerful new experiences for their audiences and consumers.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 13 Smart Brands Using Technology to Power Their Content Different pathways to great content (August 2018)

The August issue celebrated the gaming theme of this year’s Content Marketing World by turning the magazine into a choose-your-own-adventure book, which some of you may be old enough to remember (please don’t let me be the only one). Every article concluded with a series of options to determine which article to read next and which page to turn to.

Whether any readers followed these options from article to article or merely chuckled at the running gag, I don’t know. But I can assure you, all the possible pathways through the magazine link up to lead the intrepid reader to the final confrontation with Andrew Davis’ Unsolicited Advice column on page 54. I know because I spent far more hours than I should have making sure all the options and pathways worked.

Click to enlarge

Speaking of Andrew, one page is never enough to contain his genius. I was more than excited when he agreed to also give me (and you) a feature article for this issue as well – Capture and Keep Your Audience’s Attention. This article was also the perfect appetizer for his knockout keynote at Content Marketing World, which kept the audience hooked to the end while telling us how to hook an audience to the end.

“If your ‘learn more,’ ‘download now,’ or ‘buy now’ buttons are the destination and your content consumers never make it to the end of the video, how can you expect them to take action,” he asked.

Andrew described how to create suspense within your content – not by adding monsters or serial killers but by keeping the audience curious, holding back the answers to central questions until the end. “When someone says, ‘Your content is too long,’ what they’re really saying is ‘I ran out of questions before you ran out of content,’” Andrew writes.

Create suspense within your #content by keeping your audience curious, says @DrewDavisHere. Click To Tweet

One of the most fun articles I worked on this year was Comics: The Most Powerful Medium You’re Not Using. Not only could I release my inner geek, but I got to interview content marketer Buddy Scalera (about his other life as a comic writer) and Darren Sanchez of Marvel Custom Solutions.

“We are visual learners,” Buddy said. “A picture can help somebody to understand what you want them to do, whereas prose requires an abstract to concrete translation that not everybody’s going to be able to do.”

Of course, most people associate comics with certain genres and particularly superheroes. In the same article, Elissa Johnsen of Takeda Pharmaceuticals described how partnering with Marvel resulted in a graphic novel and ongoing comic series designed to spread information and provide support to people suffering from inflammatory bowel disorder. “Using superheroes and the world of graphic illustration allowed Takeda to help empower people living with IBD to overcome the unpredictability, anxiety, and stigma around the disease,” Elissa said.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

The Content Marketer’s Guide to Story Structure 2 Things to Know About Visual Content Strategy in 2019

Data crunching or data crunched (November 2018)

The November issue delved into data-driven content, with a series of articles that explored data’s changing role at different stages of the content strategy. Carmen Hill spoke with Julie Wisdom of London agency ALIAS Partners about the types of data that can sharpen the focus of your content strategy before you really begin. Meanwhile, Clare discussed data’s role in the production stages, and how conducting some original research can give your content greater authority.

Finally, Sarah Mitchell took to her soapbox in 20/20 hindsight to argue that some commonly used metrics don’t actually reveal very much. With additional comments from Rand Fishkin, Sarah describes why certain metrics might look impressive but are quite useless when determining how the content impacts the business bottom line.

Too many marketers mistakenly rely on the same metrics regardless of #content’s purpose, says @SarahMitchellOz. Click To Tweet

“The marketing metrics we use are disconnected from the things that actually impact the business goal,” Rand said.

Beyond the numbers

My wrap-up started with Fergal McGovern arguing that most metrics don’t reveal that much about content quality. It ended with Rand Fishkin making a very similar point.

So what is quality content? What are the opportunities (and limitations) of data? I think it’s safe to say these are just two themes CCO will continue to poke with variously shaped sticks — and expert opinions — throughout 2019.

Ready for one more spin around the sun?

Want to make sure you’re one of the first to know when CCO 2.0 arrives on site? Subscribe today to the free weekday newsletter.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post Chief Content Officer: A Year of Insights appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

Read more: contentmarketinginstitute.com

Chief Content Officer: A Year of Insights

Has it been a whole year already? Well, not really. As I write this it’s still November and as you’re reading this, it’s the third week in December. A lot can happen in that time. But, assuming this ball of rock we live on successfully completes its routine circuit of the sun once more without major incident, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on how much has changed over the previous 12 months.

One of the biggest changes for Chief Content Officer magazine happened at the beginning of 2018. After seven years and 36 issues, Clare McDermott handed the editor’s red pen over to me in an emotional ritual involving arcane incantations, a branding iron, and a pledge to forever cast out the Oxford comma. (Stares hard at the blog editor. Get out of that!) (Blog editor’s response: Sorry, we use that comma here. We can’t afford any penalties resulting from missing commas.)

While I waited for the burning pain from the ritual to subside so I could sit down again, Clare’s final issue in February set a high bar for me to follow.

Finding the right words (February 2018)

The theme of content effectiveness – never mind how many people clicked on the content but is it any good – popped up more than a few times across 2018. Fergal McGovern kicked things off in February with an article on the UX of words.

I’m a word nerd, grammar pedant, and clarity zealot in the same way a car mechanic is a pedant about the right and wrong way to connect the flange to the whotsit. (The last sentence is also why I don’t service my own car.) So, Fergal’s article felt like a rallying cry for me and any other writer who has had to argue with stakeholders about why their buzzword bingo content does not sound more “professional.”

Fergal points out that the average U.S. resident reads at a seventh- or eighth-grade level. Before you complain about the education system, a user’s experience isn’t just about reading capability. As he argues, “even highly educated people disengage rather than spend the mental energy to unpack dense, complicated prose.” If you’ve ever struggled to get past the opening paragraphs of an overly formal, dry-as-biscuits white paper, you’ll know what he means.

People don’t have the mental energy to unpack a dry-as-biscuits white paper, says @kimota. Click To Tweet

“While web analytics can show page views, dwell times and usage paths, they won’t reveal issues with the content itself,” he writes. Now that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

Also in February, Dan Hatch explained How to Train Your Journalist. Disappointingly, his piece wasn’t a low-budget sequel to the popular animated film series about dragons. Instead, Dan described how to overcome the challenges many journalists face when they first start to write on behalf of a brand.

“Journalism is a vocation,” he writes. “It’s also a profession that has a special place in democracy – holding governments, corporations, and individuals accountable.

“Gosh, but that can give you an ego. For some reporters, that can be hard to let go. And what you, as the person employing them, end up with are writers who think they’re too good to be writing the content you’re commissioning.”

Ouch. But before you think Dan is arguing that journalists are prima donnas to be avoided, he provides advice on how to harness a journalist’s nose for a strong story and knack for compelling and highly readable prose.

“They will adjust, I promise. But they might find this uncomfortable to start with – after all, someone who likely isn’t a writer is telling them how to write.”

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

A Primer to Boost Your Content’s Readability

4 Real-Life Ledes: Why They Work (and What Could Be Better)

Changing tools and strategies (May 2018)

The May issue was my first as editor, so I’m incredibly indebted to the rest of the team for helping me to make it such a great one. I still adore the cover by CCO designer Crystal Madrilejos, who has an enviable knack for turning vague, half-baked ideas from me into incredibly striking imagery.

Inside, I interviewed the always fascinating Joe Chernov to get to the bottom of account-based marketing (ABM) and why content marketers should care. “Yes, the funnel still has a top,” Joe explained. “It’s just a narrower top.”

You still need that top-of-funnel content, but you need to resist the temptation to aspire to a larger audience. What you want is a greater composition of the right audience.”

ABM resists the temptation to aspire to a larger audience in favor of the right audience, says @jchernov. Click To Tweet

A couple of pages later, Clare talked to strategist and cultural mythologist John Bucher (winner of this year’s coolest job title award) about whether the oft-heralded virtual reality boom is ever going to arrive. “VR is a popular buzzword, but as far as everyone having a headset … we’re not quite there,” he said.

VR is a popular buzzword, but as far as everyone having a headset … we’re not quite there. @johnkbucher Click To Tweet

However, John’s enthusiasm for VR isn’t dampened. He is encouraged by the ways in which some companies have begun to experiment with augmented reality (AR), which he sees as a gateway into VR for many people. “Creators of this technology are using the tools people already have, their smartphones, to add practical functionality to their daily experiences – something that lies at the core mission of so many brands,” he said.

If you’re still not convinced, Clare and John provide examples of how brands are using AR and VR successfully today. AR/VR may not be everyone’s reality just yet, but it has certainly become enough of a reality for some brands to create powerful new experiences for their audiences and consumers.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 13 Smart Brands Using Technology to Power Their Content

Different pathways to great content (August 2018)

The August issue celebrated the gaming theme of this year’s Content Marketing World by turning the magazine into a choose-your-own-adventure book, which some of you may be old enough to remember (please don’t let me be the only one). Every article concluded with a series of options to determine which article to read next and which page to turn to.

Whether any readers followed these options from article to article or merely chuckled at the running gag, I don’t know. But I can assure you, all the possible pathways through the magazine link up to lead the intrepid reader to the final confrontation with Andrew Davis’ Unsolicited Advice column on page 54. I know because I spent far more hours than I should have making sure all the options and pathways worked.

Click to enlarge

Speaking of Andrew, one page is never enough to contain his genius. I was more than excited when he agreed to also give me (and you) a feature article for this issue as well – Capture and Keep Your Audience’s Attention. This article was also the perfect appetizer for his knockout keynote at Content Marketing World, which kept the audience hooked to the end while telling us how to hook an audience to the end.

“If your ‘learn more,’ ‘download now,’ or ‘buy now’ buttons are the destination and your content consumers never make it to the end of the video, how can you expect them to take action,” he asked.

Andrew described how to create suspense within your content – not by adding monsters or serial killers but by keeping the audience curious, holding back the answers to central questions until the end. “When someone says, ‘Your content is too long,’ what they’re really saying is ‘I ran out of questions before you ran out of content,’” Andrew writes.

Create suspense within your #content by keeping your audience curious, says @DrewDavisHere. Click To Tweet

One of the most fun articles I worked on this year was Comics: The Most Powerful Medium You’re Not Using. Not only could I release my inner geek, but I got to interview content marketer Buddy Scalera (about his other life as a comic writer) and Darren Sanchez of Marvel Custom Solutions.

“We are visual learners,” Buddy said. “A picture can help somebody to understand what you want them to do, whereas prose requires an abstract to concrete translation that not everybody’s going to be able to do.”

Of course, most people associate comics with certain genres and particularly superheroes. In the same article, Elissa Johnsen of Takeda Pharmaceuticals described how partnering with Marvel resulted in a graphic novel and ongoing comic series designed to spread information and provide support to people suffering from inflammatory bowel disorder. “Using superheroes and the world of graphic illustration allowed Takeda to help empower people living with IBD to overcome the unpredictability, anxiety, and stigma around the disease,” Elissa said.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

The Content Marketer’s Guide to Story Structure

2 Things to Know About Visual Content Strategy in 2019

Data crunching or data crunched (November 2018)

The November issue delved into data-driven content, with a series of articles that explored data’s changing role at different stages of the content strategy. Carmen Hill spoke with Julie Wisdom of London agency ALIAS Partners about the types of data that can sharpen the focus of your content strategy before you really begin. Meanwhile, Clare discussed data’s role in the production stages, and how conducting some original research can give your content greater authority.

Finally, Sarah Mitchell took to her soapbox in 20/20 hindsight to argue that some commonly used metrics don’t actually reveal very much. With additional comments from Rand Fishkin, Sarah describes why certain metrics might look impressive but are quite useless when determining how the content impacts the business bottom line.

Too many marketers mistakenly rely on the same metrics regardless of #content’s purpose, says @SarahMitchellOz. Click To Tweet

“The marketing metrics we use are disconnected from the things that actually impact the business goal,” Rand said.

Beyond the numbers

My wrap-up started with Fergal McGovern arguing that most metrics don’t reveal that much about content quality. It ended with Rand Fishkin making a very similar point.

So what is quality content? What are the opportunities (and limitations) of data? I think it’s safe to say these are just two themes CCO will continue to poke with variously shaped sticks — and expert opinions — throughout 2019.

Ready for one more spin around the sun?

Want to make sure you’re one of the first to know when CCO 2.0 arrives on site? Subscribe today to the free weekday newsletter.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post Chief Content Officer: A Year of Insights appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/12/cco-year-insights/

Chief Content Officer: A Year of Insights

Has it been a whole year already? Well, not really. As I write this it’s still November and as you’re reading this, it’s the third week in December. A lot can happen in that time. But, assuming this ball of rock we live on successfully completes its routine circuit of the sun once more without major incident, it seems as good a time as any to reflect on how much has changed over the previous 12 months.

One of the biggest changes for Chief Content Officer magazine happened at the beginning of 2018. After seven years and 36 issues, Clare McDermott handed the editor’s red pen over to me in an emotional ritual involving arcane incantations, a branding iron, and a pledge to forever cast out the Oxford comma. (Stares hard at the blog editor. Get out of that!) (Blog editor’s response: Sorry, we use that comma here. We can’t afford any penalties resulting from missing commas.)

While I waited for the burning pain from the ritual to subside so I could sit down again, Clare’s final issue in February set a high bar for me to follow.

Finding the right words (February 2018)

The theme of content effectiveness – never mind how many people clicked on the content but is it any good – popped up more than a few times across 2018. Fergal McGovern kicked things off in February with an article on the UX of words.

I’m a word nerd, grammar pedant, and clarity zealot in the same way a car mechanic is a pedant about the right and wrong way to connect the flange to the whotsit. (The last sentence is also why I don’t service my own car.) So, Fergal’s article felt like a rallying cry for me and any other writer who has had to argue with stakeholders about why their buzzword bingo content does not sound more “professional.”

Fergal points out that the average U.S. resident reads at a seventh- or eighth-grade level. Before you complain about the education system, a user’s experience isn’t just about reading capability. As he argues, “even highly educated people disengage rather than spend the mental energy to unpack dense, complicated prose.” If you’ve ever struggled to get past the opening paragraphs of an overly formal, dry-as-biscuits white paper, you’ll know what he means.

People don’t have the mental energy to unpack a dry-as-biscuits white paper, says @kimota. Click To Tweet

“While web analytics can show page views, dwell times and usage paths, they won’t reveal issues with the content itself,” he writes. Now that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

Also in February, Dan Hatch explained How to Train Your Journalist. Disappointingly, his piece wasn’t a low-budget sequel to the popular animated film series about dragons. Instead, Dan described how to overcome the challenges many journalists face when they first start to write on behalf of a brand.

“Journalism is a vocation,” he writes. “It’s also a profession that has a special place in democracy – holding governments, corporations, and individuals accountable.

“Gosh, but that can give you an ego. For some reporters, that can be hard to let go. And what you, as the person employing them, end up with are writers who think they’re too good to be writing the content you’re commissioning.”

Ouch. But before you think Dan is arguing that journalists are prima donnas to be avoided, he provides advice on how to harness a journalist’s nose for a strong story and knack for compelling and highly readable prose.

“They will adjust, I promise. But they might find this uncomfortable to start with – after all, someone who likely isn’t a writer is telling them how to write.”

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

A Primer to Boost Your Content’s Readability

4 Real-Life Ledes: Why They Work (and What Could Be Better)

Changing tools and strategies (May 2018)

The May issue was my first as editor, so I’m incredibly indebted to the rest of the team for helping me to make it such a great one. I still adore the cover by CCO designer Crystal Madrilejos, who has an enviable knack for turning vague, half-baked ideas from me into incredibly striking imagery.

Inside, I interviewed the always fascinating Joe Chernov to get to the bottom of account-based marketing (ABM) and why content marketers should care. “Yes, the funnel still has a top,” Joe explained. “It’s just a narrower top.”

You still need that top-of-funnel content, but you need to resist the temptation to aspire to a larger audience. What you want is a greater composition of the right audience.”

ABM resists the temptation to aspire to a larger audience in favor of the right audience, says @jchernov. Click To Tweet

A couple of pages later, Clare talked to strategist and cultural mythologist John Bucher (winner of this year’s coolest job title award) about whether the oft-heralded virtual reality boom is ever going to arrive. “VR is a popular buzzword, but as far as everyone having a headset … we’re not quite there,” he said.

VR is a popular buzzword, but as far as everyone having a headset … we’re not quite there. @johnkbucher Click To Tweet

However, John’s enthusiasm for VR isn’t dampened. He is encouraged by the ways in which some companies have begun to experiment with augmented reality (AR), which he sees as a gateway into VR for many people. “Creators of this technology are using the tools people already have, their smartphones, to add practical functionality to their daily experiences – something that lies at the core mission of so many brands,” he said.

If you’re still not convinced, Clare and John provide examples of how brands are using AR and VR successfully today. AR/VR may not be everyone’s reality just yet, but it has certainly become enough of a reality for some brands to create powerful new experiences for their audiences and consumers.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 13 Smart Brands Using Technology to Power Their Content

Different pathways to great content (August 2018)

The August issue celebrated the gaming theme of this year’s Content Marketing World by turning the magazine into a choose-your-own-adventure book, which some of you may be old enough to remember (please don’t let me be the only one). Every article concluded with a series of options to determine which article to read next and which page to turn to.

Whether any readers followed these options from article to article or merely chuckled at the running gag, I don’t know. But I can assure you, all the possible pathways through the magazine link up to lead the intrepid reader to the final confrontation with Andrew Davis’ Unsolicited Advice column on page 54. I know because I spent far more hours than I should have making sure all the options and pathways worked.

Click to enlarge

Speaking of Andrew, one page is never enough to contain his genius. I was more than excited when he agreed to also give me (and you) a feature article for this issue as well – Capture and Keep Your Audience’s Attention. This article was also the perfect appetizer for his knockout keynote at Content Marketing World, which kept the audience hooked to the end while telling us how to hook an audience to the end.

“If your ‘learn more,’ ‘download now,’ or ‘buy now’ buttons are the destination and your content consumers never make it to the end of the video, how can you expect them to take action,” he asked.

Andrew described how to create suspense within your content – not by adding monsters or serial killers but by keeping the audience curious, holding back the answers to central questions until the end. “When someone says, ‘Your content is too long,’ what they’re really saying is ‘I ran out of questions before you ran out of content,’” Andrew writes.

Create suspense within your #content by keeping your audience curious, says @DrewDavisHere. Click To Tweet

One of the most fun articles I worked on this year was Comics: The Most Powerful Medium You’re Not Using. Not only could I release my inner geek, but I got to interview content marketer Buddy Scalera (about his other life as a comic writer) and Darren Sanchez of Marvel Custom Solutions.

“We are visual learners,” Buddy said. “A picture can help somebody to understand what you want them to do, whereas prose requires an abstract to concrete translation that not everybody’s going to be able to do.”

Of course, most people associate comics with certain genres and particularly superheroes. In the same article, Elissa Johnsen of Takeda Pharmaceuticals described how partnering with Marvel resulted in a graphic novel and ongoing comic series designed to spread information and provide support to people suffering from inflammatory bowel disorder. “Using superheroes and the world of graphic illustration allowed Takeda to help empower people living with IBD to overcome the unpredictability, anxiety, and stigma around the disease,” Elissa said.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

The Content Marketer’s Guide to Story Structure

2 Things to Know About Visual Content Strategy in 2019

Data crunching or data crunched (November 2018)

The November issue delved into data-driven content, with a series of articles that explored data’s changing role at different stages of the content strategy. Carmen Hill spoke with Julie Wisdom of London agency ALIAS Partners about the types of data that can sharpen the focus of your content strategy before you really begin. Meanwhile, Clare discussed data’s role in the production stages, and how conducting some original research can give your content greater authority.

Finally, Sarah Mitchell took to her soapbox in 20/20 hindsight to argue that some commonly used metrics don’t actually reveal very much. With additional comments from Rand Fishkin, Sarah describes why certain metrics might look impressive but are quite useless when determining how the content impacts the business bottom line.

Too many marketers mistakenly rely on the same metrics regardless of #content’s purpose, says @SarahMitchellOz. Click To Tweet

“The marketing metrics we use are disconnected from the things that actually impact the business goal,” Rand said.

Beyond the numbers

My wrap-up started with Fergal McGovern arguing that most metrics don’t reveal that much about content quality. It ended with Rand Fishkin making a very similar point.

So what is quality content? What are the opportunities (and limitations) of data? I think it’s safe to say these are just two themes CCO will continue to poke with variously shaped sticks — and expert opinions — throughout 2019.

Ready for one more spin around the sun?

Want to make sure you’re one of the first to know when CCO 2.0 arrives on site? Subscribe today to the free weekday newsletter.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

from http://bit.ly/2rJtM0s

Unturned On Steam

YOUNG BOY GEORGE has actually revealed his broken heart after learning that a person of his closest good friends took her very own life - just hours after she shared a concerning message on Twitter the other day. Stephen Harrigan has perfectly captured a guy we all A Friend of Mr. Lincoln by Stephen Harrigan is certainly an incredible read. Weird & so unpleasant like a lifetime flick. She absolutely informed this sorry prior to and also has once again she told an extremely similar story in Justin's publication with the attorney and also assistant. However we need to have more democracy in the partnership-- in most cases, we're discussing placing even more freedom right into commercialism. It additionally shows up that work can be fairly a lonesome location also: 42% of people said they had no pals at the workplace. Well, at the time, he was my greatest client, as well as I allow that pooch walk around me. One Month later, he strolled right back to my close friend. Royal Bank of Scotland boss Rory Cullinan, 55, revealed no indications of being under the problem of considering the future of countless workers as he joked with his 18-year-old daughter over Snapchat. This scenario is tough for any individual to browse, as it confirmed to be for my close friend. When removed of this, in charge exists naked as another funny with a featureless tale. Because being hired last month, Manager is doing just exactly what felines do: appearing in memes, complete with English-language puns. Yet like all crows, he is very smart, and utilizing sticks and leaves he develops a friend. In 2009, while advertising Chéri, Good friend made an appearance on the daytime United States talkshow The Sight. Manager could be a little over-cooked or even half-baked sometimes in its representation of time-honored Windy City corruption. This is an actually adorable story about a lady as well as her close partnership with her nanny. Additionally, if your boss is away, you would certainly be the go-to person on this project, making it possible for others to see you in your boss's function. Lincoln has as lots of repulsive tales to inform his male pals secretive as he has tales ideal for blended company - and also he enjoys informing them perhaps even more than his audience enjoys hearing them. Tempting Her Best Friend is an excellent read if you're trying to find something that has hot, steamy love scenes, that's not heavy on the agony, something that could make you laugh, as well as something that can and will certainly leave you with a large smile on your face. A fail-safe means to ensure that conversation will certainly always be streaming is to just ask inquiries. Never ever use the separate session to provide him recommendations as if you are mentoring him for a future partnership. In high-stakes relationships, for instance between firefighters whose lives rely on coworkers, the effects of objectives may be enhanced since the responsiveness of others to existing requirements may live or death repercussions. If a close friend involves you with a new idea, aid her explore how she could make it a truth. It's the most important connection you have, and also we do not commonly consciously try to grow it. Acts of self-love are effective!" So take yourself to the flicks, obtain a facial or a massage therapy, and even go on a solo trip. It's really hard to repair a partnership where one partner wishes sex-related gratification that the various other can not or won't offer. If you choose not to, your loan is yours yet the relationship condition remains in danger. Their connection is progressing with a check out to Aria's mum's house where Aria learns some stunning information from her past which might have an effect on their relationship. When Lucky makes her last action, assuming the role of Lady Employer at Panther Studios, she sets and stuns the entire sector off a series of shock waves, not just endangering her marriage to Lennie, but incuring her head the disgust of criminal offense manager Carlos Bonnatti - a disgust that goes back generations, placing in peril her life, and the lives of everyone near to her! Likewise, the South African, Julie, is such a B. Quit whining, J. First-world troubles. I have seen many a large boss learn terrific points from leaders on lower rungs of the business ladder. So as opposed to letting the connection pass away an uncomfortable death, end it on a high, and leave her desiring for more. http://superfit-blog.com/eracto-pret-pareri-efecte-cazul-care-pentru-cumpara-farmacie-sau-pe-site-ul-producatorului/ might make Dan feel comfy about himself and valued as a person, be sensitive to his feelings, and also understand his concerns, however Cathy might not have compassionate goals making a favorable distinction in Dan's life or stay clear of being self-seeking or self-indulgent. You can normally review the one in charge measure pretty quickly to check his/her mood. It truly recorded the power of relationship and the battles of falling in love with your friend. Robin Bielman is just one of a handful of writers that I know I can depend bring me every element I might perhaps need, and also want, from a charming read and also she nailed it with The most effective Good friend Deal. While the style is rather regular, the writer has taken it over the top with in depth emotion that you get in touch with and also embrace. An additional location of research is the connection in between coronary cardiovascular disease as well as decreases in stress and anxiety states. You could offer the following worry: Our connection is revealing some indication that it might end eventually and also we don't want that. For added inspiration, consider this: A research done by the American Cancer Society located that ladies that sit six or even more hours per day were 40 percent most likely to pass away compared to females who sat much less than 3 hours daily. I such as that it offers examples of each and options to various problems that may occur between buddies. I couldn't wait to sprawl out on my couch, open the crisp brand-new web pages, and let the characters hurry onward to greet me, their lengthy, lost buddy. As soon as you finish a partnership with a person, both of you possibly have issues with each various other.

to the place where i won’t sway

One part buddy cop movie, one part mind-numbing domestic fluff, one part redemption fic but not in that (or any) order.

ao3 link: [ch1]

non-linear narrative

Arc 3 - ⁂ Bakugou Katsuki ends up in a Life Changing Field Trip with one Todoroki Shouto

Ch1- ⁂ - Midoriya Izuku would like know what, pray tell, the fuck.  

⁂

26 years old

Koizumi Kaito is a genius. A child prodigy who graduated from Zenmiburu High School at 15 years old and the youngest graduate of Japan's top police academy at 19; whose quirk, Dome Isolation, makes him a top investigator and invaluable in crime scenes. He was also, luckily enough, given the honor to be part of the freshly dubbed Supernova Squad in charge of getting the world's most valuable key witness to the rendezvous point in Sukagawa and from the Fukushima Airport guard him all the way to Vienna, Austria, where they in turn would describe, and outright name in some cases, the heads on the international villain coalition (dubbed Singularity by his superiors). Said honor allowing him the privilege to stand in front of a retired All Might himself, along with one of the heroes he most admires both. By all means, this should be the highlight of his life. Instead, he wishes he was anywhere but here. Away from All Might's shocked and open mouth (clearly visible under the oxygen mask he requires daily), away from the groans of the woman standing behind the couch, the very same couch where Midoriya Izuku, famed hero Deku, sits with a towel wrapped around his shoulders, still sweating from the physical therapy session he'd been interrupted from, face impassive. "I'm sorry," Midoriya Izuku, famous and beloved hero Deku, starts, "you lost my husband?" Against those eyes and that tone, one oh so reminiscent of Kaito's grandfather chastising him during his youth, Kaito fights back a shudder and gives a stiff nod. There's a beat of awkward silence. "Do you realize how fucking stupid you sound?" Kaito stares aghast (doesn't even hear All Might's chiding "Midoriya, my boy...") as one of his favorite heroes plainly says that to his face. Midoriya Izuku for his part seems to realize it too, seconds later, blank expression crumbling into a surprisingly boyish and embarrassed grimace. "I'm sorry, Kacchan's a terrible influence," he mumbles quickly, running a hand down his face before bursting up from his seat, "wait- no, I'm not sorry! You lost my husband?! How do you lose my husband?!" he shouts before starting to pace back and forth in front of the couch. The woman behind the couch rolls her eyes before making her way around it, just as Midoriya Izuku keeps his rapid fire mumbling about "how can you even lose him, he's pretty hard to miss. I mean even if you lost sight of him he's pretty freaking loud, there's no way you could miss him, as if he'd let you-" "Calm down, Midoriya," the woman says, reaching up towards a shoulder and pushing him back into his seat (a hard feat considering how short she is, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulders), "the stress is bad for the baby," she says with a straight face. "What baby?!" Midoriya Izuku shrieks, near hysterical (and Kaito barely manages to restrain himself from shouting that out too). "You. Now hush," she says to him, but instead faces Kaito with the sort of look you'd expect from someone looking down at a particularly annoying bug before grinning at him, blinding white teeth that look just short of being uncanny valley material. He was warned before hand about Supernova Hero Agency's head accountant slash PR manager slash Bakugou Katsuki's right hand woman and business partner, Ueno Airi. It's no secret after all, that a key player in Bakugou Katsuki's, in Ignite's Hero Agency becoming one of the most profitable and effective agencies around, and in such an incredibly short time too, is all thanks to her ability to utilize her quirk at 200%. If villains all around feared the good majority of the Ignite Agency heroes, then paparazzi and newbie police men across the country alike feared her. "Now," she says with eyes promising pain, "tell me again how you lost Bakugou Katsuki, and be a dear, don't leave anything out." the 'or else' loudly heard at the end. Kaito opens and closes his mouth before freezing at her raised brow. He's not even supposed to be here longer than it should've taken to let Midoriya Izuku know that, yes his husband was very much missing but not to worry as they would be doing everything in their power to find him and bring him home and really please do not worry everything is perfectly under control. All of course without mentioning just how dire the situation was for all involved. He knows he shouldn't- can't- really shouldn't say anything when he hasn't gotten the approval for it by his superiors. Symbol of Peace or not, the world's got bigger problems right now than possibly making a disaster with the most famous duo in the hero business' relation with that of the police force. After all no matter how well heroes and policemen get along there's always discontent somewhere. But he also glances down from Ueno's face to see Midoriya Izuku's worried eyes, still finding traces of fatigue in a still too thin face, and remembers- this man- these men have given so much to the world already that to keep one of them in the dark feels almost too rude. Even if it causes himself problems, or puts his job on the line, he'll breaks his orders. It's the right thing to do, at least it will be, if it eases Midoriya Izuku's worries. He takes a deep breath. "Do you- Is there a sound proof room here by any chance?" he asks. "Or at least somewhere where the chances on someone listening in are as slim as possible." The others frown at him. Midoriya nods, leaving his seat (Ueno walks and stands near All Might's wheelchair). "Whatever you have to say they can hear it too," Midoriya says over his shoulder as he leads them out of the sitting area, then out of the terrace into the gardens making a bee line for the storage house disconnected from the main building. Kaito can hear All Might's motor-powered wheelchair behind him as well as All Might's soothing words of, "It'll be alright," most likely for Ueno, though he finds it difficult to believe that someone who can verbally go head to head against Ignite on a bad day would ever need to be reassured about anything (he remembers too that this is someone who Endeavor himself once tried his hardest to recruit into his agency, only for her to make a very public and very humiliating rejection speech, without ever actually mentioning Endeavor himself). Midoriya holds the door for all three of them, waving off Supernova's current hero-on-guard-duty, Diamond Brand's, questioning shout from the roof of the house with a smile and reassurance that 'everything's fine, we'll be right back'. Kaito takes a moment to look around once inside. It's fairly empty, expected perhaps since it's only been around three months since the couple moved into this home according to the information he was given. There's a fridge tucked into a corner, nothing compared to the one he saw in the kitchen when he'd been lead to the sitting area but definitely bigger than the one he owns in his apartment. Other than that, there are some weights thrown into another corner and some towels folded atop a small stand next to the fridge. There's nothing of interest inside and the sounds that are heard from outside tell him this isn't a very soundproof place at all. There's a thermometer by the door, he notices when Midoriya turns to it after closing the door. He pulls down the cover of it, a small black screen inside. He presses his thumb into it and Kaito can hear a small buzzing sound coming from everywhere around them before the floor gives a slight shake. He nearly stumbles, unlike the others, with the exception of All Might, who merely stand in waiting. The floor starts to lower, taking them and everything else with it, weights and fridge and towel stand included, down. "There's a basement?" He asks shocked. That wasn't in the floor plan he was given. Midoriya Izuku gives him a half smile. "Something like that." Kaito hums, waiting for the lift to stop. It takes a bit, he notices, glancing upwards to see the top coming close as lights can be heard flickering on. At least the distance of four to five floors is what they've traveled down. The final lights seem to come to life as the wall behind Midoriya Izuku slides open. Kaito has to close his eyes, the light blinding him for a moment. The first thing he thinks when his vision clears is, 'Holy shit.' Except for the part where he doesn't think it, blurting it out in such wonder that the other three give small laughs. Midoriya walks into the room first, arms raised for a moment. "Welcome to the playground," he says with a smile. "This is where Kacchan trains when he's not down at the agency. Everything in here from the walls to the ceiling and floor was made specifically to withstand even his strongest explosions and keep the volume of the explosions to a minimum." He shrugs. "Can't have him go deaf from hearing his own explosions over and over." All Might and Ueno follow him inside. Ueno turns to him. "So nothing gets out of this place in terms of sound." All Might laughs. "Wouldn't want to bother the neighbors after all." Kaito steps inside, looking around him. The space is definitely at least four stories tall and encompasses what's likely the entire property, being almost three times the space of the house above ground. The walls must be made up of a special type of metal, shining a bright gray and looking brand new still. Kaito notices there's no echo for such a large space. "There are two more exits, here," Midoriya motions to the left of the elevator, a small door tucked into a corner, "and over there," he motions to the opposite end. "Each is a stair case that leads into the streets above but they can only be opened from inside so there's no danger of someone accidentally ending up in here. Down here. Anyway, usually when Kacchan's here he'll wear a wireless mic that's connected to the main frame of the house's intercom system, so if he needs something and I'm in the house I'll still be able to hear him. But, we don't have that here and now, so nothing leaves this room at all," he finishes, face once again serious. "So please, tell me what's going on." Kaito nods. Shakes his head before taking a deep breath. "Ok," he says, "are you aware of the last mission Ignite was on?" Midoriya and Ueno nod. "Kacchan said something about having a bad feeling about all the villains that were suddenly crossing borders internationally," Midoriya starts, crossing his arms over his chest, "even I had my doubts that it wasn't a big deal, even though it was getting little to no media attention." "Once he started putting the pieces together he asked me to call in a few favors here and there," Ueno continues, "see if there was at least some investigating going on that he could lend- well, get his hands on. Once he got in and ended up with a lead he took Rockafella, Vitalia, and Condance with him. It was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission. And I haven't seen any of them since," she finished openly glaring at him. Kaito gulps down his fright and perseveres. "They have been relocated for the meantime. They're not in any real danger at the moment," he specifies when Ueno's face clouds and she takes a step towards him. "They have no information of value to give, to any one, but for their safety we scattered them. In fact, it was requested by Bakugou himself," he points out. "Why?" He turns his head, giving his attention back to Midoriya Izuku. "Because you're right," Kaito says to him, "even though it has had little to no media attention, it is cause for concern. All these villains being seen in neighboring countries or even across oceans to their own usual sightings. In fact there's little to no media attention because this is how they wanted. World governments, the UN, you name it." He shrugs. "It all sounds very conspiracy theorist but it's true. Any information that comes out, that country's government chooses it and keeps what they don't want out in." "Keeping the people in the dark never helps the situation, regardless of what the situation is," All Might says, looking down at his hands on his lap. Kaito nods. "I agree- or I would if the implications weren't quite as- dangerous. Which is precisely why Bakugou requested that we keep his team safe even though he himself was the only one in danger. He- he saw something he shouldn't have, but that something is exactly what my superiors wanted, no, needed desperately. It's the very same thing that the villains in question wouldn't want out at all. Or at the very least, not unless it's on their terms because if what is being speculated is correct, then-" he stops, needed a moment to collect himself. What he'll say, and who he's saying it to, is almost an insult, if Kaito's honest with himself. But there's no point is sugarcoating it. "Then we're talking about a team up of villains that would make the League of Villains look like nothing but an after school club. A coalition that managed to grow right under All for One's nose, to a bigger scale than anything he ever accomplished in the decades he lived. A danger far worse than All for One or Shiragaki Tomura." Because really what can you say to a man whose loved ones were brutally murdered by and whose life was pretty much destroyed by the former, and to another man who ended up in a year long coma and even now is having serious health repercussions from the confrontation with the latter. How do you look them in the eye and tell them that that was nothing.

Notes:

#are they all just standing at the end (w/ the obvious exception of all might)? YES. #zenmiburu is just a play on "all-seeing" (全部見る = zenbu miru) ("what kanji would you use to write it out then?" uuhhhh idk) #you get to see Kaito's quirk in action in another chapter! yay suspense! #Airi's name is written with the kanji for "management" (管理 = kanri) instead of the usual way (bc it's a hint about her quirk) #[this] is the house Kacchan bought and renovated #Kacchan is not King of Explodo-Kills bc the only 'killing' that would've happened if he kept that name would've been his dignity