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lloydshoulddyehishair · 4 years

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hopes for s13 and brief review of s12?

okok ik s12 just aired but--- hear me out skjskyjs

i really liked this season, wouldn't say i loved it, but still liked it. we got a proper storyline unlike in s11 and some(?) character development, the soundtrack was good - which it also was in s11 - and i loved that they brought the master back.

yet i cant help but be quite annoyed about some things in this season.

the master:

like i said i loved that they brought the master back BUT how can we not have missy mentioned at least once. if this master is an incarnation after missy he for sure would have mentioned her at least once to spite the doctor and hurther even more by her having failed missy or something like that. and if he was an incarnation before missy i'm pretty sure that the doctor would have mentioned her at least once. it just feels like everything that missy hat going for her during s9/10 got thrown out of the window and i highkey do not like that.

i really hope that in s13 we will get some closure on that because i don't really believe we've seen the last of the master yet.

angst? things?

something that bothered me and a lot of others with the doctor in s11 was that it felt like the doctor lacked something the other new who doctors always had and that had just become part of the doctors character over the years.

i'm talking about the darkness, the anger, the sadness.

and i know we got some of that in s12 which i LIVED for btw because i am a huge sucker for angst. but (i'm going to use this word so much in this blog thingy skjs) we never really had an anger moment that made one go "oh damn" like we had with the previous doctors. i mean matt smith had one of those moments in his second episode.remember how he had this cold anger towards amy for pressing the forgot button about the starwhale situation because she didn't want the doctor to have to make a decision - so basically making the decision for him - and how he then screamed at everyone in fury. those are the kinds of moments im talking about and i feel like we haven't had one of those with the thirteenth doctor yet. (i love her anyways because i am basically whipped for her but still)

and i know many, many people like exactly that about her and say that it's refreshing to see a doctor that didn't embody those things and this is obviously just my opinion. i just feel like the doctor isn't really the doctor withthout some characteristics and that's one of them. (maybe its just me growing up with him always being like that that makes me miss it so much now)

and this is definitely not jodies fault because she's a great actress and more than capable of doing a scene like that - she just wasn't given the right material to work with.

the companions:

so this will be quite short because i only have two things to say

1. character development.

it's been two seasons and i'm still not quite sure what kind of people yaz, graham and ryan are and thats just-- not good.

i think they introduced too many characters at the same time and thats why they could barely pull of any character development. would've enjoyed it more if they did something like in s5 where amy travels alone with the doctor for half the season - we get an idea of who she is, ect - and then properly introduced rory.

2. HUGS

where are the good old hugs? thirteen deserves a hug and if she goes of the show without being higged at least twice i will RIOT and steal chris chibnalls identity to rewrite doctor who.

the only hug thirteen got was when she hugged najia khan. yaz' mum. like---

clara oswald would NOT have let this happened

y'all remember when i said i only had like two points about this? i was lying

rule 1

3. death

okay so if there is one hope i have for the next season that i want to happen more than any of the others it's

DO NOT KILL THE FAM OFF

not because i love them so much (i mean i do love them but--)

but because its getting quite boring at this point.

the last three companions have all been (more or less) killed off in some way. amy and rory being taken by the weeping angels and dying of old age, clara being killed by the raven thing, bill being converted into a cyberman.

don't even need a huge donna situation. maybe just have them go on their own, deciding it'd be better to stay home now, like martha did in the end of s3.

that'd be refreshing.

i'm exited for how theyll decide to let the fam go especially since there are rumors that tosin (ryan) and bradley (graham) will be leaving the series.

maybe have ryan realize that all of that traveling is too risky for him after all and that he wants to stay in sheffield and have graham stay with him because he wants to look out for his grandson.

i don't know what to do with yaz tbh because i doubt they'd keep her as a companion for three full seasons with that little character development, ect. maybe have her stay and then go mid-season? idk

regeneration:

i think we all know its coming. the doctor is probably going to regenerate at the end of s13 or around the christmas/new years special. and while i'm not ready to let her go yet because i feel like they could do so much more with her character and i just lover her so much, i don't think they'll make her stay for four seasons. the longest run any doctor had was three seasons so thats why i'm assuming she's going in s13. (i dont fucking want her to go i cant - - - - -)

so if they make her regenerate i hope that they'll do two things:

have her have a memorable speech, doesn't have to be as deep and heart clenching as the one 12 had (i'm still crying about it) but maybe something along the lines of 10 would be nice. but just beacuse i love angst.

the other thing i'm hoping for is that she won't regenerate into a man just yet. not because i want to push some fEmInIsT aGeNdA but because i feel like there are many things that can still be explored with a female doctor - ESPECIALLY HISTORY WISE. yeah we got some of that during the with trials (was that the episodes title? not sure) in season 11 but 1 episode out of 372802275110 (ok i just smashed the numbers on my keyboard but still). have her explore some more of the struggles women in the past had to go and sometimes still go through.

jack:

let me tell y'all something

if they just brought jack back for those 5 minutes in s12 where he didn't even directly interwct with the doc and won't bring him back in s13 i WILL throw hands.

i need a thirteen and jack reunion with jack hugging thirteen tight and lifting her up from the ground and spinning them around while she's still in the air in his arms, grinning like a freaking retard beCAUSE I AM SOFT LIKE THAT

i'll probably do a blog about the things that i really liked about s12, because i feel like it seems like i hated s12 which i really didn't just kinda sad and disappointed (ex. the jack situation) about some things

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mommydragon-of-all · 6 years

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OC Interview Meme

This looks fun. Also some answers drastically differ depending on around what time this "interview” takes place. So i got thinking and since I was tagged by@sakurabunnie who’s getting to know my pre-inquisition Soren, i choose to time this before Inquisition. Then i was tagged by dear @hadiden-lavellan too, but by then i was halfway through his post, and hey why not, some looking back :) Thank you both!!!! :3333

For Soren (Lavellan):

1. What is your name?

“A lot of people have called me by a lot of names. You can call me Soren.”

2. What is your real name?

“It is actually Soren. Yep, just Soren. I lost my original belonging and i didnt take any of my families surnames. Not permanently nor in any way official.”

3. Do you know why you were called that?

“Oh well, my parents wanted a pair of short and strong names that ring together, even if they had to get a bit creative. Also, as i learned, a pair of names that can be lilted and growled equally well haha “

4. Are you single or taken?

“i am free like a bird. Does your nest have some extra space on a cold night by the way?”

5. Have any abilities or powers?

“Im a highly trained assassin, among … other things. If you ever get in trouble… *slides over a strange little object* flash this around the shady parts of any city. They will take care of the rest. But for your lives sake, do not try to lie”

6. Stop being a Mary Sue.

“ I dont think i ever used that alias… “

7. What’s your eye color?

“Oohhh you are welcome to gaze into them closer, yes ;) no low light excuses, they have their own, so just lean over… “

8. How about your hair color?

“ Oh yes that is harder to tell in different lights. Its dark red, like good wine or blood from the liver .”

9. Have you any family members?

“ I have tons. If you meant blood relation… other than my twin sister i have some distant family. Literally distant even, like few and far between, out in the world. Some of us exchange awesome birthday gifts some years though, regardless of the exact date. Who has time to time that. “

(Scattered by the wind, but firmly standing like the trees)

10. Oh? What about pets?

“ Sadly animals are deadly afraid of me. It takes just a sniff to run for dear life… Even predators… it takes a special blend of proud and crazy to befriend me it seems. I would kill for such treasures. Like that Hart i once fought for an apple in that deep forest and lately rode to far destinations… i think it starts to get even attached!!! If he sticks around im gonna call him Captain. But remember, Dont go close to him! For your dear life, please dont. He is easy to recognize. Big as a mountain and looks like “Oh, Shit”. “

(’Where to, Captain?’)

11. That’s cool I guess, now tell me about something you don’t like.

“ Those things are about to change. Or drop in numbers significantly in the world. Just wait. …as truly as i want to mean that, unfortunately some things never change. Like the darkness in people, festering hearts. There will always be things like betrayal, prejudice, hatred, discrimination, envy, greed, cruelty,... i could go on. People who mostly keep themselves above those shades of their nature are all worth to be protected.“

12. Do you have any hobbies/activities you like doing?

“ Oh there are so many awesome things in the world and so many exciting things to do! I cant even count them. Like there’s hunting dragons for one! Speaking of hunting, there is also treasure hunt and demon hunt and manhunt and wyvernhunt and countless others, the bigger and meaner the better! But then theres also MAGIC! Do you have any idea how awesome that is? Everything magic and everything it touched. Putting together and using magic objects for so many things! And spells??? Potions, lotions, weapons... And there are also PEOPLE! The most magical thing is the warm light in ones heart. And they are so various and unique! There are different languages and codes and symbols and oh the stories! And dance and music and pleasures and laughing and caring and helping and…. oh … haha… im sorry, are you awake? Please ask away. “

(’Ah, what a beautiful day!’)

13. Ever hurt anyone before?

“ I think you snoozed off and forgot about my profession already. :) “

14. Ever… killed anyone before?

“ Hahaha oh these sharp and pointy things and stuff arent for chopping and cooking vegetables either.”

15. What kind of animal are you?

“Pfffft i am my own species! Hehe! A unique hybrid i guess! But definitely a big animal, yes. Sis’ won that argument long ago, so there you have the answer. “

16. Name your worst habits.

“Hmm? What?” (*Muffs out with one of the interviewers -already leafed through-notebooks between his sharp teeth, booth on table...*) Hey! That is… how did you… *sigh*... nevermind

(exhibit 99: ‘”I’ll go straight there!”)

17. Do you look up to anyone at all?

“My sister, definitely. She is the best. She is indestructible in every way i swear! Gotta be the strongest person alive. She is also really cool. But hot. I mean explosive! Not that shes not hot, technically... she is my female version after all haha. And caring for me with great big sister love (*mumble*:even if i am like 5 minutes older), but dont spread that ;) Might harm her notoriety. I also look up to several of my tutors and many other people for many different reasons. People can be so many kinds of amazing.”

18. Gay, straight, or bisexual?

“You can not expect me to label my interests in a world full of so many differently beautiful people with warm hearts.”

19. Do you go to school?

“Yes. Life. 24/7. Got less intense since i learned how to survive and sustain myself, and grew a strong body to back up my needs and will, but there are always new things to learn and lessons you never asked for too. I had some actual teachers along the way too, but lately mostly i just teach myself what i dont just encounter by diving into new things. Which is not only fun by the way, you are bound to learn a few things. Then there are books, theories, researching, digging, honing instincts and reflexes, combining and refining techniques or theories, trial and error... Life is a bottomless school “

20. Do you ever want to marry and have kids one day?

“Wow, wow, you mean like.. babies? Sweet Fade, i wouldnt dare breathe their way, they are so fragile... little young PEOPLE, persons who arrived so recently and understand so little and cant even tell whats up just cry and i cant understand them, i understand every language but i can not understand babies for my life and ... and... thats terrifying! And do you have any idea how EASY it is to kill someone? And then there is that small bundle of vulnerability, my proximity could be lethal to it! And .... *sigh*... sorry just... It all would depend on that special person i might find who would want to keep me for life, for better or worse, and if they wanted kids... even if babies, i would be on board. I would do anything for that special someone. Even learn baby care... Bigger kids, well, i already have :D . In good care. If any of them were to be taken under my constant and indirect care, would depend on a lot of things. Right now they are much safer otherwise.”

21. Do you have any fanboys/fangirls?

“Most certainly ;D.But none of them know much about me, of course. With that comes a transformation of those feelings”

22. What are you most afraid of?

‘Im not afraid of ANYTHING!” *eyes instantly betraying* “Fine, fine, gotta be loss. Ironic, isnt it, for i have but what is on my person. Replaceable come and goes. Im mostly afraid of losses that arent even really “mine”, but others. Loved ones or even barely known ones loosing their lives or their light. Loosing my sister, myself, my heart... that is all i am. The only thing i cannot live without is my heart, i AM my heart, and loosing pieces of it or have it broken or freezing through a hole... I hate how selfish that is. But yeah. There you go. I still tend to leave pieces of it everywhere, and it only grows with that, funny how that works, but it also tends to get wounded on every turn. I fear the numbing cold. I fear the day when i cant hold it together and go on anymore.”

(from “When you are away”)

23. What do you usually wear?

“What you see is my whole wardrobe, hahah. But i shift and change to blend in from the dirt of Orzammar’s dust town to the shining halls of Orlesian palaces. Its fun. What i like to wear mostly are well covering clothes, that allow a great scale of mobility, but not baggy to catch on things. Made of high quality materials only. My clothes MUST be of great quality materials, more for comfort than durability. Heightened overall senses arent always fun. Oh and for outer wear i like leather, especially dragonskin stuff for light armor, and long boots are the only footwear i acknowledge, some with high heels, and a matching pair of long gloves from soft fine leather are necessary too. Long coats from mostly leather and all the necessary leather straps and harnesses and pouches and belt too of course. If it counts, all my current favorite necklaces with magical pendants and bracelets are a constant wear too. It also doesnt hurt if my clothes look great. But fine materials tailored to my body and my needs usually bring that effect without further touches.”

(*his gear gotta let his smooth ass move*)

24. Do you love someone?

“I love all good people. ...and some others”

25. When was the last time you wet yourself?

"Bahahahhahaa now thats some blunt question! It deserves to be answered truthfully. I wish i could say when i was a baby, but truth is i think it happened a few times during the wilder rides of intense poison training with blood magic assistance, but im not really sure, i was barely conscious through those parts from pain and all kinds of nasty sensations, i came to my senses naked and tucked in after them. I never do extreme limit pushing training alone. There were also times when i was subject to some blood spells and experiments unwilling too. I have some suspicious blurry memories that i have made all sorts of messes. Egh. Lets move on to more fun questions”

26. Well, it’s not over yet!

“Perfect!”

27. What class are you? (High class, middle class, low class)

“I live outside of such systems. But i took part in every class during my life, thanks to current families or goals.”

28. How many friends do you have?

“Plenty, but one cant have too many. Helping each other goes a long way. I tend to make some friends everywhere i go, but i have few close friends. The closest one is my sis’. She knows me more than i know myself, and she is always there for me, at any cost.”

29. What are your thoughts on pie?

“Pie? One of the most fun cakes. It was invented for throwing i swear!”

30. Favourite drink?

“Hmmmm... old, red wine, hot and seasoned, spiced with a nice kick of that special antivan poison blend. I dont recommend you trying it, but you dont know what you’re missing out.”

31. What’s your favourite place?

“Wherever i am welcome.”

(*one favorite place example. It is not Where, it is Who*)

32. Are you interested in someone?

“I am interested in everyone. Are you fishing for some special interest?”

33. What’s your bra cup size and/or how big is your willy?

“Hahahha oh you never disappoint! Well, it was a long time ago when i last i wore a bra, back when i could still pull off the young girl appearance, to get in paces and so on. I always made sure to have a proportional but quite evident bosom. Oh it was such fun, my long hair helped too, and i dished out that act spot on! Like that time in Val Royeaux, when the heads i turned waltzing in as part of a rich antivan court were spinning all around in frantic search in the chaos, while i walked right out as a male servant. Oh sorry, i got distracted. You also asked about my “willy” if i recall correctly. If you would like to measure it so badly we can discuss that later ;) “

34. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean?

“Hmmm.... whichever promises more sunk treasures and secrets. Some lakes hide quite the surprises let me tell you.”

(’Looks like a perfect place for some diving..’)

35. What’s your type?

“My type of what, exactly, dear? ;)”

36. Any fetishes?

“I am very flexible in many ways, let me tell you, in case you are planning to bend me to your will. And if id have some suggestions, well, let it remain a little mystery for now ;p”

37. Seme or uke? Top or Bottom? Dominant or Submissive?

“Depends. What would you like me to be?”

38. Camping or indoors?

“Nothing beats a warm bed and a well secured resting place. Especially with my... condition, and experiences”

39. Are you wanting the interview to end?

“Are you kidding me? You have such awkward, uncomfortable questions... Let me get a new round of drinks for us and lets do this till morning!” “What do you mean new round... when did this cup of hot wine get here? It has my name on it??? What the... I better go i think.”

40. Now it’s over!

“What? Oh come on, we just got to some really “embarrassing” parts! Talking about “embarrassing”, would you like to hear the story of my encounter with this qounari dreadnought captain and ended up on board to Ostwick? Maybe you can tell me some stories yourself too in exchange..” *puppy eyes+shining grin combo* “Well, im not exactly in a hurry...” “Excellent!” *shifts closer and pours more wine*

I tag @quizzikemen @pelle-lavellan @hadiden-lavellan @sakurabunnie @elalavella @nipuni and everyone who wants to do it! For those who already did this consider this a tag for another OC! Gotta love them all :D (if you feel like doing it. I always feel like reading it)

#finally i got around to finish this post #soren lavellan #oc meme #dragon age inquisition #dual wield assassin #male lavellan #screenshots

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tmitransitioning · 6 years

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(1/2) I dunno if this is out of line; but I have had a lot of trial and error with T shots!!!! The least painful places to do your shots are in fat cells, so your butt or your stomach, you only feel a slight pinch and you’re good to go. The needle does move more though since it’s JUST fat cells around your needle and not muscle tissue. It’s very easy to hit a blood vessel in your butt though, and hard to get the right angle since... it’s your butt. Lol. My friend does their shot in their stomach

2/3) and they say it’s really easy? And almost impossible to mess up, but the T can clump up very easy in that area. I have the most experience with my thigh! You want to make sure it’s on the top of you leg (not near the inner thigh) and really pay attention to the needle as it’s going it. I found that if you feel it ‘prick’ another layer once it’s already in, you probably hit a nerve, or a vein, which you can’t inject into!!! So please make sure to pull out and re-adjust if that happens.

(3/3) Also remember!!! If injections were easy to mess up doctors would not let you do them yourself! So don’t be afraid ❤️ I hope that helps!

Great tips anon! Remember that injections into the fat (subcutaneous-SQ- injections) use different needles than injections into the muscle (IM injections), so definitely talk to your provider if you’re planning on switching. I switched to SQ after the first year- and studies show the blood levels stay just as steady IM to SQ at 7-10 days, so you’re getting the same dose. Here’s the rules- Pick the right spot for the injection. (here’s IM) (here’s SQ). change spots with every injection- at least a couple ‘fingers’ away from the last one or a whole new site. if you use the same spot time after time, scar tissue will form, especially knowing you might be injecting there for 30, 40, 50+ years. Be sure to use the right size of needle for your injection site/type AND body size. (if you’re very heavy, you need a longer needle to get into the proper area). Generally for IM you need a 23g 1″ or 1.5″ needle- or up to a 2″ for larger bodies, and for SQ you need a 25g or 27g, 5/8″ needle, or up to a 1″ for larger bodies. the gauge (Xg number) goes in opposite order, with the larger number being a smaller needle. because testosterone is thick, the smaller the needle, the slower it is to inject, and the more force you’ll need to get it in (be sure the needle is screwed tightly into the barrel of the syringe). Lastly- use a “draw” needle- a second separate needle (sometimes it’s a large gauge standard needle, sometimes it’s plastic or blunt tip metal) with a thick gauge to pull your dose into the syringe. that way you don’t have to puncture anything but your body with the injection needle- so it’s not pre-blunted. You’ll draw up your dose using the draw needle, change to the injection needle, then give your dose. -mod mayhem

#tmitransitioning #testosterone #injections #mod mayhem #Anonymous

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citious · 7 years

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CHAPTER 2.5

Characters

Main: Song Jiwon, Im Sungmin

Supporting: Kang Yina, Jung Yeeun, Yoo Eunjae, Jo Eun, Jo Chungwon

Note: If you haven’t read Chapters 1 and 2, you may do so here –> First Chapter, Second Chapter

In a nutshell: Worries flooded Sungmin’s mind as Jiwon acted strangely after what happened on Valentine’s Day. Does it mark the beginning of their awkward friendship? Or is just a misunderstanding that will lead them to the beginning of a man-woman relationship?

This chapter is numbered 2.5 - an extension from chapter two. The story pretty much revolves around Sungmin and Jiwon.

Rating: T

Morning at Sungmin’s Apartment

15th February 2018

8.20 a.m.

Jiwon woke up from her good night’s sleep and saw a figure she’s familiar of laying in front of her. Suddenly, bits of memories started to flood her mind as she recalled the things that happened between her and Sungmin last night. Jiwon froze as her heart started to beat fast in panic.

She quickly went out of the bed and picked up her underwear and dress that were lying in disarray on the floor. She headed to the bathroom across the room, and wore all her clothes back.

Her legs felt weak suddenly, so she let her back slide off the bathroom wall, as she curled herself up on the black marble tiles - trying to recall every single detail of what happened on the night of Valentine’s Day.

She truthfully didn’t know what to feel. Did she feel regretful? Or was she satisfied that she actually lost it to Sungmin last night? She couldn’t work it out.

8.35 a.m.

Sungmin woke up from his sleep, and realized his bare state. He instantly remembered what happened last night with Jiwon, and lifted his body up as he couldn’t find Jiwon next to him.

Jiwon’s bag was laying on the sofa at the foot of the bed, so Jiwon must still be in the apartment, Sungmin thought.

He grabbed a towel robe that was luckily within reach beside the bed. He put it on and went outside the room to search for Jiwon.

The first place he checked was the living room and kitchen area, but he could only spot opened cans of beers, uncapped Soju bottles, and some alcohol glasses on the coffee table.

He had searched everywhere except for the bathroom opposite his room.

As Sungmin reached the bathroom door, he said softly while knocking,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah…

The air was silent.

Sungmin: are you inside?

There was no answer, so Sungmin warned that he’s going to enter the bathroom.

As he turned the door knob and the door opened, he saw Jiwon curling up on the bathroom tiles. She was wearing her pink dress and her hair was messy.

Looking at the sight, Sungmin gulped in uneasiness.

He approached Jiwon and let himself get into a squat position so that he could see Jiwon’s face clearly.

He tried reaching Jiwon’s arms that were wrapped around her legs, but before he could touch it, Jiwon retracted her arms to the side.

Wanting to know what happened, Sungmin asked,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, why are you curled up here?

There was no answer, so Sungmin tried to reach to her differently.

Sungmin: Do you want breakfast? I can make it for you…

Again. Nothing came out from Jiwon’. He tried again.

Sungmin: Do you want me to bring you home?

For the third time, Jiwon still kept quiet.

Finally, Sungmin asked her,

Sungmin: Did you regret it?

Hearing this question, Jiwon raised from her curled up position and exited the bathroom.

Sungmin couldn’t do anything, as all he could do was to witness Jiwon going inside his room to take her bag, barging out of his room, putting her heels on, and walking out of the apartment without looking and saying anything to him.

Jiwon walked out of Sungmin’s apartment in a hurry and pressed the elevator button down. She waited for the elevator to come and hoped that Sungmin didn’t follow her out.

Thank God the elevator came fast. She hopped on and pressed the ground floor. Jiwon combed her messy hair with her fingers when she saw her own reflection on the elevator doors.

As the lift reached the ground floor, she walked out of the apartment through the lobby and headed towards the bus stop to go back home.

Flashback – After the trial at Belle Epoque

13th February 2018

Kang-eonni and the Belle Epoque girls (minus Jiwon) safely arrived at the share house after a long and nerve-wrecking car journey.

They entered the house one by one with sullen expressions as they were exhausted. All these time, Kang-eonni’s driving skill hadn’t improved much.

As everyone went in, they crowded the sofa, seeeing Jiwon who’s fast asleep.

Kang-eonni clicked her fingers and gave the girls the I-have-a-plan look. She’s about to do something.

Kang-eonni took Jiwon’s phone that’s lying on the table next to the sofa.

She tried to key in the 4-digit passcode to unlock Jiwon’s phone, but it failed the first time. She tried to think of what combination could match, and she finally unlocked it on the second try.

She went over Jiwon’s chat history and found Sungmin’s name on the list. She clicked on his name and drafted some words in the chat box while thinking how Jiwon would type it to Sungmin.

The messages read:

As the messages were sent and they’ve all been read, Kang-eonni showed the chat to the Belle Epoque girls. Eunjae gave her a thumbs up.

Kang-eonni quickly deleted the message bubbles from the chat history, locked the phone and put it back on the table so Jiwon wouldn’t find out.

She went inside Yoon-sunbae’s room to make a phone call…

Yina: Hello? Dongjoo-yaa~

Dongjoo: Eo, what’s up?

Yina: Can I make a reservation at your woman’s restaurant for tomorrow at 8 p.m.?

Kang-eonni asked with her face full of hopefulness.

Dongjoo: What? Tomorrow? Ya, you know you have to make a reservation at least a week before at this restaurant, right? And tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Hearing Dongjoo’s reply, Kang-eonni tried to persuade him.

Yina: Ya, come on… I owe you a lot. Please please please???

Dongjoo: … Arasseo. I’ll tell her.

Kang-eonni was delighted to hear Dongjoo’s acceptance to help her.

Yina: Eo, gomawo! I trust you with this. Make the reservation under Song Jiwon, okay?

Dongjoo: What? Why Song Jiwon? I thought you’re the one who wanted to make the reservation?

Yina: Aish, why are you asking so many questions? Just do what I told you to.

Dongjoo: okayyy okayyyy, I’ll do it.

The call ended as Kang-eonni pressed the red button on the screen. Although Kang-eonni is no longer dating married man to earn money, she still maintained her network well.

Dongjoo was still pursuing his life as a cub, and the woman Kang-eonni mentioned in her call was indeed the cougar Dongjoo is seeing. She’s the owner of Villa Sortino, the 5-star restaurant that’s super popular amongst fine-dining goers.

In only about 15 minutes after Kang-eonni called Dongjoo, the reservation was confirmed. She smiled in satisfaction as her plan seemed to be working well.

So, that was how Sungmin got the messages from Jiwon telling him to eat at Villa Sortino on Valentine’s Day.

Flashforward – Seoul Café

9.25 a.m.

Sungmin who’s dumb about relationships asked to meet Chungwoon as soon as he washed up after Jiwon went out of his apartment. He couldn’t follow Jiwon out, because he knew it wasn’t exactly the best thing he could do at the time.

Sungmin sat down on one of the sofas in the café, zoning out.

Chungwon who arrived saw Sungmin from outside the glass window and waved at him, but realized that something must’ve gone wrong as Sungmin didn’t seem to realize his presence.

Chungwon entered the café and approached Sungmin.

Chungwon: Hyung

Sungmin was surprised as he heard Chungwon calling him. He totally wasn’t paying attention at his surroundings.

Sungmin: Eo, you’re here.

Chungwon: Is something up?

Hearing Chungwon’s question, Sungmin couldn’t say a word.

Chungwon: I’ve never seen you like this before, Hyung.

Suddenly, Sungmin exclaimed in upset,

Sungmin: Aish!!!

Sungmin’s voice echoed around the whole café that the room turned silent instantly. Only the café’s song and the sound of the coffee makers could be heard. Sungmin covered his face with his palms to hide his face that was in dismal.

Sungmin: I think I made a huge mistake.

Chungwon who couldn’t grasp the meaning behind the statement, asked,

Chungwon: what kind?

Sungmin: We did it last night.

Sungmin continued,

Sungmin: We drank alcohol together at my place. It was uncontrollable.

Chungwon: Hyung…. Wait…. Are you talking about Jiwon-sunbae?

Sungmin didn’t answer Chungwon’s suggestive question, but silence means yes.

Wanting to know more of the story, Chungwon popped another question,

Chungwon: So what happened then?

Sungmin let go a sigh,

Sungmin: I think she hates me now. What the f*ck should I do?

Chungwon: Alright, let’s be clear first. Who initiated it?

Sungmin tried to recall the incident first before answering the question.

Sungmin: Well, as I remember, we both kissed… Aish! This is so awkward! Why do I even have to tell you this?!

Chungwon: It’s okay. Continue.

Sungmin paused for a while before he continued on with his elaboration,

Sungmin: We both kissed at the same time, I saw her approaching me too. I took her to my room and then…

Chungwon: And then what?

Sungmin: Before we reached that stage, she took the protection from her bag and then I asked her if she’s sure that she wanted to do it.

Chungwon: so what did she say?

Sungmin: She told me to shut up.

Chungwon: … Seriously? Jiwon-sunbae told you to shut up?

Chungwon laughed at the story.

But of course he knew Sungmin wasn’t joking in any way. All along, the Sungmin-hyung that he knew is someone who’s serious.

Chungwon: Okay Hyung, from what I see, I don’t think Jiwon-sunbae hates you. You see, we’ve gone out a lot with her to drink outside and I must admit she’s a strong drinker. She doesn’t get drunk easily, but well she does get hyper. Very. What you should do now is try and talk to her slowly. I’ll ask Eunjae if she can help.

Sungmin: Jinjja? Are you sure?

Chungwon: Yes, Hyung. I don’t dare bluff, especially to you. You’re scary. I’ll call Eunjae now if you won’t believe me.

Sungmin nodded a few times as he trusted Chungwon’s words.

Belle Epoque

9.27 p.m.

Jiwon’s expression was flat all the way from when she rode the bus until she entered Belle Epoque.

At the dining table, Yeeun, Eunjae and Eun were eating breakfast when Jiwon came in.

Eunjae attempted to greet her,

Eunjae: Jiwon-sunbae an…

Before she could finish her words, Jiwon ignored everyone and went straight to her room.

The three girls exchanged glances to ask if anyone knew what happened, but to no avail, no one could answer.

Curious, the girls discussed the matter.

Yeeun: Jiwon didn’t come home, right?

Eunjae and Eun nodded.

Yeeun: Didn’t Kang-eonni say she’s setting Jiwon up with Sungmin?

Eunjae and Eun nodded again.

Yeeun: Then something must’ve gone wrong somewhere between them.

This time, Eunjae and Eun looked at each other as they expected rhat something big must’ve really happened.

Suddenly, Eunjae’s phone rang. It was Chungwon. She picked the call up with a smile.

Yeeun and Eun were curious to find out what Chungwon were saying on the other side.

Eunjae ended the call and prepared to say something,

Eunjae: Someone, maybe one of us should try to talk to Jiwon-sunbae. Yeeun-sunbae, since you are the same age, why don’t you try talking to her?

After some hesitation, Yeeun replied,

Yeeun: Arasseo. I’ll try.

10.00 a.m.

Yeeun went inside her room and called Jiwon’s name softly, but there was no reply.

She looked over to Jiwon’s bed and saw her fast asleep, wrapped under her blanket. Seeing this, she went out of the room.

20.30 p.m.

Yeeun went inside the room again to see if Jiwon was already up, but she’s not.

Yeeun even brought a bowl of porridge for Jiwon to eat, but seeing that Jiwon is still asleep made her hesitate.

*zzzzzzzz* Jiwon’s phone notification showed 10 missed calls and a few messages from Sungmin, but there was no reaction from Jiwon at all.

Outside, Yeeun let the girls know about the situation and decided to call Kang-eonni for help. Anyway, she was the one who set Sungmin and Jiwon up for a fake date in the first place, so Yeeun felt that Kang-eonni was responsible.

Belle Epoque

16th February 2018

9.00 a.m.

The next morning, Jiwon woke up to relieve herself in the bathroom. When she came out, Kang-eonni was already there, waiting for Jiwon in the dining table.

Yeeun, Eunjae and Eun were seated on the sofa, looking towards Kang-eonni and Jiwon’s direction.

Without delay, Kang-eonni asked Jiwon to talk in private inside her room.

The three girls waited outside for the two girls to wrap up their sharing session.

Inside Jiwon’s room…

Jiwon sat on Yeeun’s bed and Kang-eonni dragged Jiwon’s study chair to face Jiwon.

Kang-eonni waited for a while and finally started to talk,

Yina: Jiwon-ah, why is your face like that? Did something happen?

Jiwon: …

Yina: Song Jiwon… Jaebal, please tell me if something happened.

Kang-eonni waited patiently to hear Jiwon’s answer.

If Jiwon isn’t her close friend, she would’ve blown up by now, but she lent her ear to Jiwon as she also felt responsible for setting her up with Sungmin.

She knew Jiwon’s acting like that because of Sungmin.

Jiwon: I…

Yina looked relieved as she heard Jiwon talk for the first time in 15 minutes.

Jiwon: I did it.

Yina: Did what?

Kang-eonni tried to guess the meaning behind Jiwon’s statement, and she kind of guessed what it’s all about.

But the thing sis she doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, judging from Jiwon’s expression that was flat.

Suddenly, Jiwon exclaimed in her cheerful voice,

Jiwon: Kang-eonni… I finally did it!!!

Kang-eonni who heard it, understood Jiwon’s feeling right away.

Jiwon’s overjoyed.

Yina: Yaa Song Jiwon… you went that far??

Jiwon nodded ecstatically. Her expression switched from flat to all smiles in literally no time.

Yina: ya, you sly b**ch! I thought something went terribly wrong with you!!!!

Kang-eonni squished Jiwon’s cheeks to show her adoration and irritation towards her friend who’s no longer a virgin.

Jiwon’s ecstatic state didn’t last long, however, as she’s now looking confused.

Jiwon opened her mouth to ask something,

Jiwon: I know I should be happy, because I finally did what I always wanted to do in the first place. But I don’t know why I feel weird?

Kang-eonni, who’s back to not understanding Jiwon asked,

Yina: How so?

Jiwon: I don’t know

Yina: Do you like him?

When Kang-eonni hit Jiwon with that question, something came up on Jiwon’s mind, and she wanted to clarify that out with her.

Jiwon: If you like a person, does your heart beat like crazy when you look at that person’s eyes? And does your stomach feel weird too?

Kang-eonni tried to give an honest answer.

Yina: Well, I’d say yes to the former, but the latter… seems to suggest you need the toilet.

Yina: But anyway, who initiated it?

Upon hearing Kang-eonni’s response, Jiwon tried to recall that moment at Sungmin’s apartment.

Jiwon: Well…. we kissed at the same time, and I could feel that we both enjoyed it a lot

Jiwon: But for THAT matter… I think I took the lead. He even asked me first if I was sure. At that time I spontaneously told him to shut up, because I couldn’t hold it anymore.

Kang-eonni poked Jiwon’s shoulder to make fun of her.

Yina: So what’s the problem, then?

Jiwon: I’m embarrassed.

Jiwon’s honest statement made Kang-eonni feel like there’s absolutely no reason why Jiwon should feel that way.

Yina: Embarrassed of what? The Song Jiwon that I know is never embarrassed of anything.

Jiwon: Facing him.

Jiwon: I’m embarrassed because we’ve seen each other with no single thread on our bodies, and truthfully, our relationship is still friends. We didn’t say anything about feelings yesterday. I mean, we were too drawn into the mood.

So, that’s how Jiwon felt. No matter how outgoing and vulgar Jiwon is, it’s still her first time and honestly she felt so damn awkward and nervous when she woke up to find Sungmin beside her.

All these time Jiwon saw Sungmin as her close guy friend, but the fact that they broke that wall that one night changed it all. That’s why when Sungmin found her curling up in the bathroom, Jiwon avoided him and refused to be driven home in his car.

With no hesitation, Kang-eonni provided the simplest solution to Jiwon.

Yina: Then you should make you and him not friends anymore.

Jiwon looked up to Kang-eonni as she heard her advice. Her eyes goggled as her heart pounded quite strongly.

Kang-eonni stood up from the study chair and exited the room.

The three girls who were waiting outside instantly looked at her to ask how it went.

Kang-eonni gave them the smile and the ‘ok’ gesture to express that Jiwon was okay and everything went well.

‘Yeokshi,’ everyone thought. ‘Kang-eonni knows how to handle everyone’s problem.’

At Jiwon’s room…

Jiwon checked her phone and saw the numerous amount of missed calls and messages from… Sungmin.

She hesitantly opened the chat and read it. It was from yesterday.

Jiwon sat and thought for a while before she hit number ‘1’ speed-dial button on her phone.

Right. She set the primary speed-dial for Sungmin’s number.

She felt so foolish that she just realized how important Sungmin was in her life.

Sungmin’s Apartment

9.35 a.m.

Sungmin was home in the living room, zoning out while staring at his phone for don’t know how long already.

As soon as his phone rang with Jiwon’s caller ID showing on the screen, he reached out to his phone, cleared his throat, and answered the call.

Sungmin: Hello?

Jiwon: Hm…

Sungmin who’s relieved to hear Jiwon’s voice replied,

Sungmin: Where have you been? I’m dead worried that something might have happened to you. Are you alright?

Jiwon: You don’t have to worry about me… I’m fine.

After some pause, Jiwon continued,

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah…

Sungmin: Eo… why?

Jiwon: Let’s meet.

Sungmin heard Jiwon’s request and quickly agreed to it.

Sungmin: Where do you want to meet?

There was only one place Jiwon could think of at that time.

Jiwon: My favorite chicken place.

Hearing Jiwon’s reply, Sungmin laughed a little, as he couldn’t hold her cuteness.

Sungmin: Do you want me to come over to pick you up?

Jiwon: ani, it’s okay… I’ll go there by myself.

Sungmin who wanted to respect Jiwon, ended the call with his last response,

Sungmin: Alright, see you.

Sungmin shouted out in glee as Jiwon finally called him.

He hasn’t been able to sleep the whole night, thinking about Jiwon and the possibility that he might have committed a wrong doing to Jiwon the other night.

At the Chicken Place

11.00 a.m.

Sungmin was the first to arrive yet again.

He ordered the menu that Jiwon liked and waited for about 5 minutes before Jiwon came and sit in front of Sungmin at the usual table.

Jiwon couldn’t look at Sungmin in the eyes as she was still embarrassed. Her cheeks was red like ripe cherries.

Sungmin tried to catch a glimpse of Jiwon’s face but failed to do so as Jiwon completely buried her face such that her long hair covered her whole face.

Jiwon gathered her courage and finally looked up and say,

Jiwon: You…

Sungmin was all ears as he wanted to hear what Jiwon had to say,

Jiwon: What’s the re-

Before Jiwon could finish her sentence, the chicken and coke that Sungmin ordered earlier came to their table.

The waiter, who was familiar of Sungmin and Jiwon commented,

Waiter: Oh you two are here! It’s been a long time. Enjoy your meal.

Sungmin and Jiwon could only smile in response to the waiter’s remarks. As the waiter walked away, Jiwon continued where she left off,

Jiwon: What’s the reason that you kissed me last night?

Sungmin’s heart almost exploded in reflex to Jiwon’s straight-to-the-point question. But as a man, Sungmin gathered his guts to tell her nothing but the truth.

Sungmin: Honestly…

Jiwon’s pupil expanded as she looked forward to Sungmin’s answer.

Sungmin: I like you.

Jiwon stayed completely still as she heard what Sungmin just uttered. It felt surreal.

Sungmin:

I like you. A lot. Okay? I REALLY LIKE YOU. Everytime you got into trouble, it makes my heart race like crazy and it makes me so worried about you.

And whenever I see your gloomy face for whatever reason, I really wanted to hug you to assure you that everything’s gonna be alright.

And when you teased me to go date that female hoobae, or to tell other girls that I live in a big apartment, I can’t. Because you’re the only one I’m concerned about. I don’t want anyone else.

Didn’t you get why I asked you if you’d be okay if I date that hoobae? I wanted to find out if you at least have a tiny bit of feelings for me.

But do you know what’s even harder? It’s the thought that I might have to sacrifice our togetherness if you reject me.

I’m so scared to lose you.

All the sudden, Sungmin felt his heart so much more at ease as he finally let all his suppressed feelings for Jiwon out all at once in words, something he couldn’t do all these years.

Jiwon who was all ears hearing Sungmin’s confession burst out in tears.

She opened her mouth to react,

Jiwon: You bad guy. Why didn’t you tell me all that before?!

Jiwon kept sobbing as she expressed her thoughts.

Sungmin handed out his handkerchief to Jiwon and told her to wipe her tears.

Jiwon: If you told me earlier, I would’ve realized that I like you sooner.

Jiwon: Do you know how confused I was? I didn’t know how to face you because I thought we were still just friends and last night was just a result of our thirst.

Sungmin who heard what Jiwon just said twitched his eyes as he couldn’t believe that his feeling was reciprocated.

Sungmin: So that night was real for you too?

Sungmin asked Jiwon to confirm her feelings.

Jiwon: Eo. It was. Ya! You’re the one who told me you need to lose it to the right person as it’s something very precious. Do you even remember your own words?

Sungmin, who understood what she said, smiled.

Sungmin: Seriously, Jiwon-ah… I thought you were mad at me. Your actions yesterday morning made me dead nervous.

Sungmin: I thought I’d lose you from that moment on.

Jiwon: Just accept it. We women tend to show complicated feelings.

Sungmin sighed as he heard Jiwon’s reply, but he knew all too well about this kind of thing.

Sungmin: I know. I know.

Sungmin: Wahh… this reminds me of the times when you said “Don’t worry about me,” when you curled up in the university newspaper office. I did exactly what you told me to, but you kept pouting and your eyes were teary. I couldn’t hold to not care and ended up asking you what’s wrong. Do you remember?

Jiwon smirked in remembrance as she heard Sungmin’s words.

As the atmosphere has now cooled down, Sungmin offered Jiwon her favorite fried chicken drumstick and smiled as Jiwon ate it deliciously, with the spirit of the Song Jiwon he knew.

On Jiwon’s fifth drumstick, she blurted a question casually for Sungmin,

Jiwon: By the way, my skill in bed was phenomenal, right?

Sungmin choked upon hearing Jiwon’s nonchalant question and blinked his eyes numerous times to control himself.

Jiwon: Well you don’t have to tell me, I know I’m good. To tell you the truth… you were not bad.

During all those 4 years of knowing Jiwon, Sungmin still couldn’t fathom Jiwon’s coolness every time she talked about vulgar things.

Sungmin gulped down a pint of coke in front of him to cool himself down.

Sungmin and Jiwon finished eating and headed out towards the car that’s parked on the street.

In the car, Jiwon held Sungmin’s right hand that’s unoccupied, and fit her slim fingers in between Sungmin’s.

Jiwon commented,

Jiwon: yaa… how can our hands fit so perfectly like this?

Sungmin: I don’t know, maybe we’re just meant to be?

Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s cheesy words, teased him,

Jiwon: Im Sungmin, you learnt some sweet-talk skills, didn’t you?

Jiwon: Are you sure you’re a mosol all these time?

Sungmin laughed as he heard Jiwon teasing him.

But to answer that question, Sungmin thought to himself, ‘yeah, I was a mosol, but not anymore. Because I have you.’

So that was how Sungmin and Jiwon finally confirmed their feelings.

Both went through a lot to finally have their hearts intertwine.

From now on, their journey is going to be filled with ups and downs.

It’s only natural that two people in a love relationship go through some frictions in between.

But if those frictions are approached with open hearts, it would only strengthen a couple’s relationship.

Glossary

mosol = motae solo = Forever alone (single since birth)

Thank you for reading.

Read the next chapter:

Chapter 3

#ssongsungmin #age of youth #age of youth 2 #age of youth season 2 #im sungmin #sungmin #song jiwon #jiwon #fanfiction #park eun bin #park eunbin #son seung won #son seungwon #kdrama #korean drama #the beginning of something unexpected

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dealersofatlanta · 5 years

Text

Part 1:Chapter 3 (pt. 1)

(X and Heiress, Tiana will be introduced in the other half of this chapter)

Year: February 3rd 2011

Omari: age 26

I stood by my car watching Ace come through the gate. “Aye my nigga” Ace said smiling. He had been in jail for 2 years after killing Mamas crazy ass boyfriend. “You been working out nigga?” I asked him. My brother was almost as lean as me. He laughed. “I had nothing better to do man” He told me. “How was Mama?” He asked me. Our mom had been diagnosed with a mental illness, she had to get admitted. I been paying for her care. I shrugged. “Good I guess, she still want nothing to do with us” I told him. He slowly nodded. “Uh you heard anything about J?” He asked me. I shook my head. “Nah, Her aunt reported her as a runaway, she been missing since you left. I tried to ask around and shit but they aint seen her” I told him. He sighed. “Well what’s next?” He asked. I smiled. “Demetri wants you to start your training, he still wants to hand shit over to you”.

“Yeah girl you already know” My nigga Teej was caking on the phone with some girl he met a week ago. I smacked the back of his head. “Business time nigga get off the phone” I told him. He sucked his teeth in. I pulled up my sweats that was sagging, as we walked into the basement. Over the years Demetri grew as a father figure for me, always watching out for me and taking care of me, he looks out for me like his son along with his son X. We like brothers. Then I met Teej. He wanted in, after he seen my whip. Teej, and K.C and Slim are my main niggas. My riders. X and Ace, Demetri are my family. “Welcome home Ace” Demetri greeted him. Ace smiled and dapped him up. “Thanks for real fam, for putting money on my books and getting me out sooner than later” He said to Demetri. “Only the best for my boys” He told us. “Aight lets get to business” He pulled out a map. Demetri planned a big heist on the Eastside. He wanted there merch, they had been stealing from us for a minute especially since they got more men and crews then us. “Ace ima get you trained by my trainer Jai, he the best assasain on my team, I heard you never miss a shot, I need that on my team. Get set up and meet him upstairs, and Ace here’s the keys to the Lambo I just got you, my men only have the best” He said to him. Ace ran upsairs cheesing. “Aight so O, I need you to get everyone together and Im putting you in charge of the plan, I have a deal I need to set up” He left me downstairs to orchestrate everything. “Teej, you always late for this you need to be on time, K.C get Joe and Nash the heads up to get getaways cars set up. Teej I need you to get the guns and start scoping the place out. Ima get Slim to hack into they cellphone and emails to see when they about to drop the merch. Demetri came back downstairs. “O, let me holla at you right quick” He said. I followed him upstairs. “I need you to drop of some money to my daughter Tiana, she lives on the east side” He told me. I looked at him crazy. “Daughter?” I asked. He nodded. “Yes, I had been unhappy in my marriage and I stepped out on Keish, got my side piece pregnant. She’s 14, I will give the address I just need you to handle that for me. I nodded.

6 months later: July 6th, 2011

“Ever since I can remember I been poppin my collar, poppin my collar, poppin collar ever since I can remember I been working these hoes so they better put my money in my hand” I sang along to Three 6 Mafia bumpin as I sat in my truck waiting for my nigga Teej to pull up. “Man where is this motherfucker” I said to myself. I heard music blasting. I seen Teej pull up, he was blasting Rick Ross “Boss”. I sucked my teeth in. I grabbed my glock and put it in my back pocket. I got out my whip, and locked it. “Nigga you late!” I said. He turned off his car and got out. He laughed. “Man sorry, I was getting some play play from my shawty” He told me. I rolled my eyes. “Man fuck love you supposed to focus, we got a big drop, Demetri blowing up my phone” I told him. He pulled up my sweats that was sagging, as we walked to the meet up. We was meeting my mentor and our boss Demetri. He was more like a father figure. I was kicked out at 17 and he raised me like his son along with his son X. Then I met Teej. He wanted in, after he seen my whip, He was selling stolen phones at a Texaco across from Cascade. Demetri had us meet him in Bankhead to meet these niggas to get some more pills. He said niggas been going crazy over these Xanz he recently started selling. He wanted to cop more, but he wanted the best kind, word on the block a nigga named Pharaoh only had them. He was in Zone 1. Demetri ran all of Atlanta, but Westside was our major selling Turf. When we got over to the spot. We see Demetri in the middle of the deal. He looked over at us and waved his hand over. “Yall late” He said sternly. As soon as he looked at us, I could see the nigga that he was meeting with pull out his gun. It felt like slow motion. “Demetri!” I yelled grabbing my gun. The nigga shot multiple shots into Demetris body. I see him drop to the ground. Teej started shooting back, the dealers niggas hopped out the whip and started shooting back. Our crew shot them before they could shoot back. I ran over to Demetri and grabbed his body to safety. I pulled out my phone and called Sharita. The number 1 rule was to never call 911 but to call Sharita. She ran an underground hospital in her basement for our crew only. I was shaking waiting for her to answer. “Mari whats up?” She asked. I was breathing hard trying to keep Demetri with me. “Demetri is shot, its bad Rita. Real bad” I said. “Calm down Omari, Q and Sammy it’s a code 1 boss down!” She yelled. “Stay calm Omari, we are on the way” She hung up. I heard more shots and I see one of our boys hit the ground. “Teeej!” I yelled. Demetri grabbed at my shirt as he was struggling to breathe. “Hold on D, man help is on the way” I told him trying to keep it together. Teej ran up to me holding his chest. He was shot. “He good?” He asked. I shook my head. “You good?” I asked. He sat down against the wall breathing hard. We were in a car garage. I was praying hard, I didnt want to lose my bestfriend and the man I looked up to. My phone rang. It was Sharita. “Omari listen to me, we just listened on the cop scanner and the police are 7minutes away, you got to meet us away from there or you will get arresred and Demetri will die” She said. “Teej, is down too” I told her. “Go Omari!” She yelled. “Come on Teej we got to go”. He got up holding his side. He tried his best to help me. Demetri was going in and out. I got to my car. I tried to get Demetri in the car. Teej dropped to the ground and Demetri went limp. He started closing his eyes. “D! Come on man” I yelled. I heard the police sirens. “Go O!” Teej yelled. I shook my head man. “I can’t leave yall!” I yelled. He shook his head. “Ima be fine, man we both can’t go down, this was my fault anyways”. Sharita was calling again. I looked at Teej. He waved me off. I got in my car and sped off. I met Sharita at the address she sent me. “Wheres D?” He asked. I looked at her with watery eyes. “He didn’t make it” I told her. Q and Sammy sighed deeply.

4 days later: August 10th, 2011

The cops arrested Teej, after they took him in to the hospital. Demetri was pronounced dead the scene. The niggas who killed him was dead as well. Teej killed them. 3 of our niggas died. At the funeral everybody showed out. We all loved Demetri even though he was ruthless he was loved. He gave everybody a chance. At the end of the funeral we had a big meeting. “Okay so Demetri had handled everything just in case something like this were to happen” Maxwell his bodyguard and best friend said. He pulled out a letter. “He leaves 10 million placed his son X’s, he wants X to go to college and get a degree and learn the business. He leaves $10,000 for Keisha Demetris Wife, he says he knows that you been cheating on him, and going behind his back. He leaves 10million for his daughter Tiana once she turns 18 who he concieved will still married to Keisha. He says he’s sorry for not telling X sooner, but he needs him to watch over her now. $50,000 to her mother Melissa, who he is sorry he never stepped up sooner. Omari he wants you to take over the business and make smarter decisions. He knows that you will accomplish more than he ever could. Ace he leaves you with the gangs the Ace of Spades. He says you are now the leader and he need you to watch over Zone 4-6 he also leaves you guys 100 million dollars to split evenly. He knows you will create an empire, the house is you guys. He needs you to take care of Ace, X and Tiana. He says yall are family now” Maxwell said. “$10,000 fuck D, he can rot in hell for all I care. I birth that nigga his first son and he do me like this! Trifflin ass mother fucker!” Keisha yelled leaving. X stayed to himself. Tiana was crying in her mother’s arms. I sighed looking at Ace my little brother. “So, we knew who killed D yet?” He asked. I nodded. “Yeah somebody from The Eastbound crew, we will handle that later we got to get Teej out of jail and shit” I told him. He shook his head. “My trigger finger itching” He said. I sighed. “It always is, crazy ass” I said getting up. I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. I made moves without D all the time but now I got to completely shit was weird. “You got this youngblood” Maxwell said to me.

3 months later: November 5th 2011

After the funeral, we tried to get Teej out, but Demetri Scott was a well-known drug kingpin. The cops tried for years to catch him, and at the worst possible time the judge we normally had on payroll, was reinstated and a new judge was at Teej’s trial. Teej was sentenced to 10years for not snitching. It was a minor sentence that what they were going to give him, but our lawyer bargained the best he could. Teej, had mentioned how he was seing this shawty or whatever but shit just wasn’t going to work out. I took it upon myself to tell her, so she wouldn’t think he just dipped. I see her walk in from getting off the bus. She seemed like she had a lot going on, but she was very pretty. I got out my car and debated about saying anything. “Man fuck it” I got out my car and jogged up to her. “Hey”.

Naomi: age 20

I rushed into work. I put my shit up and ran to the time clock to clock in. I worked at Forever 21. I know not the best job, but I just needed the money to make ends meet. I was full time back stock associate. I didn’t have to try too hard to look cute coming into work. I would work 7 days a week and go to school 5 days a week. Even though I’m only 20 years old I plan on being a millionare before 30. I know thats wishfull thinking, but I know God has a big plan for me. I just feel it. I hadn’t heard shit from Teej my boyfriend well ex in a while. I had seen he had gone to jail on the news for killing somebody. I was hurt and confused at first. But I wasn’t in love with him really. Before I could even go sit in the back, I heard someone yell out to me. “Hey” I heard. I turned around to see a tall fine ass guy. “Hey, my name is Omari” He said. I slowly nodded. “Um okay” I said turning back around. “Um my bad, I just seen you walking, and you are very beautiful” He said. I looked down and smiled. “Thanks” I said. “Yeah um, I know this shit is weird, but can I like take you out maybe we can kick it or something?” He asked. I laughed. “I’ll think about it” I told him. He smirked. “Name?” He asked. “Naomi, Naomi Richards” I told him. He pulled out his phone, and it seemed like he was texting something. “Okay and your number sweetheart?” He asked. I laughed. “You smooth as fuck its 678 890 6754” I said. “I get off at 8 tonight” I told him. The fuck he came from I thought. He licked his lips at me. “Ima call you”. He said before leaving. “Who is that?” My friend Valentine asked. “Girl, I don’t know but he can definitely get the business” We started laughing. “Didn’t you just get out of a relationship though?” She asked. I shrugged. “Girl he went to Jail, I’m not riding or dying for nobody I aint in love with, we were just kicking it ya know” She nodded. “Got it”.

Work was kind of slow, my manager Jessica allowed me to leave early so I can catch my train. My phone vibrated.

I was kind of nervous to meet up with Omari tonight. Uhh why did I agree, I thought to myself. I was walking down the street almost near my house. I lived in College Park, Atlanta. I was 20 years old, living with my gay cousin Teddy and my Auntie Vi. My parents moved back to Michigan after I graduated from Highschool, I wanted to stay in Atlanta.

“Baby girl don’t you ever get too comfortable, (comfortable) yeah to left to the left if you want to leave be my guess you can step, feeling irreplaceable listen to Beyoncé’, well okay I’ll put you out on your b-day” I sang along to Lil Wayne- “Comfortable”, while I was doing my hair in the mirror. It was 7:45 and I wasn’t trying to do too much but I wanted to be cute still. “I'm not saying this to shake you up, I'm just saying this to wake you up

It’s all good when we making love

All I ask is don't take our love

For granted, its granted. My love for you, is real.

Baby if you don't love me

Somebody else will, so baby girl

Don't you ever get too comfortable” I continued to sing into my flat iron as I bumped my bangs. “Well somebody is happy” Teddy said. I smiled. “I got like this date tonight” I told him. He smirked. “Ooh with who?” he said sitting on my bed. I shrugged. “This guy I met at work today named Omari” I said spraying my Sweet Pea perfume from Bath and Body Works. “No last name? Girl we need a last name to find his Facebook” He said. I groaned. “Dang I know, to make sure he aint got no baby mama drama, no bitch. I mean he has a car” I told Teddy. “Ehh, but what kind of car? I’m tired of these bummy niggas. I mean we both aint got no car either but if me and my nigga ain’t got no car, oh helll nah” He said. I started laughing. “Shut the fuck up, but you right though”. He pointed at me. “Imagine being cold cause yall both walking, bitch no mam” I was laughing hard as hell. My cousin always had me dying. My phone rang. I see it was Omari. “Hello?” I answered. “What up shawty, I’m outside” He said. I smiled. “Okay, I’ll be out shortly” I told him. I hung up the phone. “Okay, I’m gone Teddy Bear” I said to him. He smirked. “You getting some dick tonight?” He asked. I shrugged. “Mmm I got class in the morning so maybe” I said smirking. I rushed outside so Omari wouldn’t have to wait too long. I walked up my drive way and got in his car. He drove a 2012 Lexus. He must be rich or something. I thought. “Hey beautiful” He said smiling at me. “You must have done this before this can’t be your first time” Drakes “The Real Her” softly played as I was putting on my seatbelt. He had his iPhone on the aux. “I’m shocked, a nigga that bumps Drake” I said to him. He smiled. “Yeah man, he be doing the damn thing” He said. I laughed a little a nodded. “I’m glad actually, I just got the CD, this is best one yet” I said. We went to Camp Creek to eat Chipotle. It was cool outside, it was about to be fall so we wasn’t cold or too hot, so we decided to sit outside alone to talk and eat. “Favorite Movie?” I asked. He started to think hard. “Man, I don’t know that’s tough, I’d have to say Juice” He said. I smiled. “Juice why Juice?” I asked curious. He shrugged. “Shit dope, Tupac went hard on that one” He told me. I smiled. “Yeah, I agree” I said. “Mmm let me guess your favorite movie is love & basketball?” He said. I laughed. “Okay the movie was good but no I have so many it’s hard to pick” I told him. “I can agree with that as well, so tell me about yourself, how old are you?” He said looking at me seriously. “I’m 20, I’m in school for Fashion and Design, I live with my Aunt and my cousin Teddy he’s like my best friend, I of course work at Forever 21, I work full time and go to school full time this is the first time I been out in a while actually” I said to him. He nodded smiling. “Dang 20, I’m old then. I’m 26, I am a business man. I have a brother named Ace, my dad died when I was 7, my mom is in a mental facility right now” He told me slightly smiling. I nodded slowly. “Wow, um is she okay?” I asked. He softly smiled. “Um last I heard she was fine” He said. I nodded. “You ever been to Star Night?” He asked. I looked at him crazy. “It’s this place that I know downtown where you can ride this 4D space ship ride for up to 3hrs, it’s a little pricey but whatever, it’s like you’re really in outer space, they close @12am” He said. I smiled. “I’m down” we got up and threw our food away. “You sure now, you know you got class?” He said playfully. I nodded. “Yes, I’m sure” I said. He grabbed my hand. We got in the car and listened to some more Drake. “Word on road is that clique about to blow, you aint got to run and tell nobody they already know, we’ve been living on the high, they’ve been talking on the low, but it’s cool know you heard it all before, that’s why I ask you how you mean, how you mean what you heard about the team?” We rapped together in the car. He had his hand on my thigh swerving through traffic. He was fine as hell, making me feel some type of a way. He had the mentality of a boss. I liked that. We pulled up the place, it was empty as hell. “Um is it closed?” I asked. He smiled and shook his head. “For everybody else but not for us” He told me. He grabbed my hand again. He banged on the glass door of the facility. The door opened revealing some nerdy guy. “Wazzam fam” He said dapping the guy up. “Aye this my patna, Slim he works here, and he works for me” He said. I smiled. “Hi, I’m Naomi” I said. He gave me a head nod. “Wazzam”. We walked inside. I could tell it was a Nasa Muesum, something of the sort. We walked into a big room with a space ship looking thing. Slim gave us some our 4D glasses. “Ima give you the keys O, you know how to turn it off” He threw him the keys. Omari dapped him up. “Aight be safe fam”. Omari grabbed my hand as we walked into the mock space ship. He pressed a button, and quickly sat down. “Seatbelts baby girl” He told me. I buckled myself in. It felt like we were lifting off like a plane. I felt turbulence and shit. “Woah what the fuck” I said holding on to Omari. 10 minutes later a sign popped up signaling we can take off our seatbelts. He pulled out his phone and started playing Drake again. He leaned over me slowly and undid my seatbelt. He licked his lips looking at me. I instantly was turned on more than I was before. “Uh um what type of business do you do? Is this your business?” I asked him. He laughed a little. “I will eventually tell you, in due time if you want to stick around” He said. I grabbed his chin closer to me and we started making out. This nigga had me in a fake space ship, listening to Drake. Yeah he can get the draws. He stopped the kiss and grabbed my hand and bought me to the back of the ship. He had to have planned this because it was a pallet on the ground with Rellos and Wine, and snacks. “You smoke?” He asked. I nodded. “Duh” I said laughing. We talked for an hour smoking and drinking. “You got any other men you got lined up?” He asked me. I shook my head. “I was talking to one nigga but he in jail, I guess. We wasn’t serious but I was feeling him” I said smoking my blunt. “You feeling me?” He asked. I shrugged. “You aight” I said smiling. He drunk henny from the bottle and put it down. He started kissing me again. I normally don’t have sex on the first night but oh well.

Jade: age 19

I inhaled the blunt, as I sat and watched Davis play cards. “Yooooo uno my nigga! Uno!” He yelled. He looked over at me. “Baby go fix me a drink” He said. I looked at him high as fuck. “What?” I asked. “I said fix me a got damn drink” He said sternly. I got up and went over to the liquor table. I put his ice in his cup and bored him some grey goose. I stumbled from being drunk, and high. I passed him his drink. He smacked my ass. “Thanks” He said smiling. “It’s a shame you keep her all to yourself” His friend Deon said shaking his head. “Cause Im the only man that been up in there and I want to keep it like that” He said. His friend shook his head. “She got a baby face, nigga would pay high price for her, niggas like me” Deon said. Davis looked over at me. “She been making me a lot of money dancing though, aint that right baby” He said to me. I nodded slowly. Deon put a stack on the table. “$1500, one hour?” He asked. I got up feeling sick, I went towards the back. “Aye, where you going?” He asked me. “The bathroom” I stumbled. He nodded. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I had been with Davis since I was 16, I fell for his charm, his money. I gave him my virginity and everything. He bought me anything I wanted. He then started getting me into pills, smoking weed, and selling me to men to dance for, sometimes hitting me if I don’t listen. Maybe this is love. I don’t know. I got myself together looking at the makeup I put under my eye. Davis had seen me smiling at the waiter earlier today when we went out to eat and punched me in my face. I heard banging on the bathroom door. “Baby come on out” I slowly opened the door. He grabbed my face softly and kissed me. “You know we been short on money so I need you to just fuck Deon for this 1500 real quick” He told me. I shook my head. “Noo!” I yelled. He sighed. “Go in the room and get undressed it’s just an hour” He said pleading with me. “I love you, I need this please Baby” He said. I nodded slowly. He gave me some pills. “It’s X” He told me handing me some liquor to chase it down. I slowly went to the room to get undressed. I cried silently to myself. I heard a knock at the door and quickly wiped my face. “Come in” I said. I see Deon come in then another guy I never seen. I shielded my body. “Um why is he in here?” I asked. Deon smiled. “My homie here wanted to join in” He said. I shook my head. “No, Davis!” I yelled. Deon smiled. “Davis went out for a while, we paid 3000 for you pretty girl” He and his friend started to get undressed I tried to keep my tears in.

I laid in bed feeling dirty. After Deon and his friend left. I got up feeling crazy as fuck, high and geeking from the pill and being drunk. I got in the shower and cried to myself sitting under the shower faucet. “I heard the bathroom door slam. I jumped up. “Get out now!” He yelled. I quickly got up and turned off the water. I tried to grab my towel, but he snatched it from me. He held a belt in his hand. “Davis, what’s wrong?” I asked shaking. “You fucked two niggas?” He asked me. I nodded. “They said they paid you” I said. “But did you get my permission?” He asked. I shook my head. He came at me and grabbed my hair. “You aint nothing but a hoe, I can’t marry no hoe” He said. He unraveled his belt. “Davis, Im sorry” I said crying.

3 weeks later: December 14th 2011

Ace: age 20

Since Demetri died, I been taking over things for O, developing my crew for my terf. Training hard every day, I felt good everybody knew not to fuck with me on the eastside. “Hustle, Hustle, Hustle Hard, Hustle Hustle, Hustle Hard closed mouths don’t get fed on this boulevard” I rapped riding around in my Lambo. I pulled up at my friend Deon bachelor party “Yoooo Ace what up blood?” He said dapping me up. “What up fam” I met Deon when I was in juvie. “This your crib nigga?” I asked. He nodded. “Yeah made a come up” He said. I smiled. “Aye I aint mad at ya bruh”. He smiled. “Well I got entertainment soon, for the niggas in my ball room” He said. I nodded and started to walk around the party, checking my surroundings. “Okay fellas we have a nice sexy treat for you in the ballroom” Deon said grabbing the mic from the DJ. I followed the niggas into the ballroom. It was dark, and a pole was set up. “Fellas get your money out and give it up for Sweet Caramel!” The DJ yelled. A spotlight was on the stage, and the music started. A girl with all white lingerie on came out. “This is for you, you my #1, spotlight big stage 50,000 fans screaming in a rage” Usher “Superstar” played. I was mesmerized by her dancing. “I’ll be groupie baby, cause you are my superstar, and as your number one fan, give me your autograph sign it right here on my heart” The song played. Niggas was whistling throwing dollars. She slid down the pole facing the crowd. I see her face, she looked very familiar. I got up closer towards the stage. “Now you know I how feel, your truly special, your love is legendary to me”. I could see her face clearly. Jade? I thought. Jade? My Jade? My heart dropped as she stood up there naked as fuck. I could feel my face getting hot, I wanted to kill all the niggas in here drooling over her and throwing money at her, she was better than this. She slowly crawled over towards me seductively. Our eyes met each other’s as the song ended. I knew instantly she knew who I was. “Damnnn give it up for Sweet Caramel” All the niggas cheered. She grabbed the money looking at me and she walked off the stage. “Now give it up for Honey Glaze, the baddest” He yelled as “Aint no way around it” By Future played. Deon came up to me. “How you are liking my mini strip club?” He asked. I forced a smile. “It’s dope, can we get private dances?” I asked. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, ask my nigga Davis over there he takes all the payment for the girls” He told me. I walked over to this clown ass looking dude Davis standing by some big dudes by a room with a velvet rope. “Aye what up Patna, how much for shawty Carmel?” I asked. “500 for a dance, $2000 to fuck” He said. I clenched my jaw “To fuck?” I asked. He nodded. “Yeah” He said. I pulled out $500. “You can pick your song” he told me. He moved the rope and let me through. I went to the iPod that was hooked the speaker. I see a song I wanted to listen to, it was a song I felt was right. I sat in a room with hookah and liquor. She came out as the song played. She started moving to the beat. “Hey there pretty girl, you know exactly what got, I don’t blame you at all, you can’t resist it, especially when the lights so bright, and the money so right” Drake HoustAlantaVegas played. She danced in my lap. “Why are you doing this?” I asked in her ear. She ignored me and kept dancing. “And she danced to this song, and she dance to this sooong” Drake sang. “I been looking for you since I got out” I said to her. She slowly grinded on me. “You left me” She simply said. I put my hands on her hips as she moved. She slowly moved my hands. “You don’t have to do this J, I told you I would always make sure you straight” I said. “She just stuck in HoustAtlantaVegas” The song slowly ended. “Times up” She said before leaving. If she thought I was leaving her here she got me fucked up. “Times up player” Davis said. I walked out seeing 3 niggas was paying in bands. “Yall all trying to fuck?” Davis asked. The niggas nodded. “Which one?” He asked. “Carmel” One of them said. Davis nodded. “Aight”. I walked out the house and went to the car and grabbed one gun and put it in my pants in the back then I grabbed my silencer, I closed my trunk. I pulled out my trap phone. “O, I need back up” I said. “What the fuck you got yourself into Ace?” He asked. “Long story, I need back up and cleanup” I said. He sighed. “Aight send location”. I walked back into the house. I was checking how many men I had take out. Security was blocking the door still. I seen that Davis nigga icing his hand. “You good nigga? I asked. He nodded. “Yeah man just got to keep bitches in check ya feel me?” He asked. I slowly nodded. “Yeah, I want another Dance with shawty” I said. He shook his head. “She upstairs with 3 niggas right now it might be a minute” He said. I nodded. I went over to the stair case, everybody was too busy to notice me. I got upstairs and heard niggas laughing. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I knocked on the door. “We busy in here” I heard a nigga say. I knocked again. The door swung open. “Man, the fuck you want?” He asked. I pulled out my silencer and shot him in the head. I walked in and seen Jade pleading with the men as one of them is pinning her down. I shot them both. She jumped up crying. She looked at me, I seen she had a bloody nose. “I wasn’t bout to leave here without you” I told her. She stared at me in shock. I went through the drawers in the room, I found some basketball shorts and a big t-shirt. “Put these clothes on” I told her. She quickly put them on. I grabbed her face and looked over her face. “That nigga Davis did this?” He asked. She looked at me with tears and nodded. I grabbed her hand as we walked downstairs. “Yo where you going with my girl?” Davis asked talking to Deon by the stair case. “We leaving” I simply said. He shook his head. “You not leaving here with my girl nigga” He said. “Aye nigga, you might want to chill” Deon said to Davis. “Man I aint scared of him”. I pulled my gun back out, and I shot him in the leg. “Shit!” He yelled. “You been selling your girl, hitting your girl” I said to him shooting him again in his dick. “I’m sorry! Please!” He yelled. “Put your hands up!” I yelled at him. He was screaming on the ground. “Man fuck this you loud as hell” I said shooting him in the head. Deon jumped back. I shot security coming around the corner with their guns. “Yo chill Ace” Deon said. “He payed to run a train on me” Jade said. I looked at her. “Who?” I asked. She pointed at Deon. “Look I’m sorry, she just a bitch man, she aint worth it” He said to me. “You were in juvie with me, you was my homie, so you remember how I told you I had a shawty back home right?” I asked. He nodded. “Some girl named J something” He asked. “Jade” I told him. “Say hey to Jade” I told him. He looked at both of us. “Fuck, man I’m sorry”. I nodded. “Me too” I shot him in the head. Thank God for the DJ blasting music. I grabbed Jade and we quickly ran to my car. I threw my guns in my trunk under the mat and got in the car and sped off. “What was that Ace, what the fuck!” She yelled. “Jade a lot had changed since we last seen each other” I told her, speeding through 285.

We pulled up at a condo. “What you need from here?” I asked her. I broke into the Condo. She ran upstairs. I looked around and seen pictures of Jade and that nigga Davis. She ran back downstairs with a book bag. “You got what you needed?” I asked. She nodded. “I just needed my journals and my cds” She simply said. We quickly went back to the car and headed to my place. We was silent the whole ride. We when pulled up at my house, she looked at the house then me. “You live here?” She asked. I nodded. “Yeah” I said. She followed me inside. “You have 3 cars?” She asked. I laughed a little. “Yeah” I said. She sat down on the couch admiring my crib. I sat across from her. She looked at me as she played with her hands. “I thought you got locked up?” She asked. I nodded. “I did, I got out earlier this year. I been working with O and shit” I said. She slowly nodded. “Why were you with that nigga Jade?” I asked. “When you got arrested, you left me. Rodney tried to rape me, my aunt caught him and she tried to fight me so I left. I had no where to go, so Davis picked me up. I thought he was my knight and shinning armor or some shit, but he just was like a pimp and I was his hoe” She said wiping her face. I looked down. “I’m sorry for leaving, my mama man she was getting beat by Greg. I just wanted to save her but I should’ve saved you instead” I told her. She started laughing. “You did though” She said. I smiled. “I’m sorry you had to see that side of me, but this is my job I kill people I sell drugs I make money” I told her. She shrugged. “I’m not judging you Ace” She said looking at me. She got off the couch and came over to me. I looked at her. She leaned in, and we started kissing. I wasn’t used to feeling this type of way about Jade. I had feelings for her but, I couldn’t figure out what they were until I was in jail and she was all I thought about. “I don’t want you to think I’m trying to fuck or take advantage of you” I said. She shook her head. “Ace, I always been in love with you. I always wanted to kiss you” She simply said. I shook my head. “I don’t know man” I told her. She sighed. “I ain’t never felt this way about anybody it’s scary to me J, just give me time” I told her she nodded. I went to my liquor cabinet and took a shot. I kept thinking about her kissing me, and dancing on me. Man Fuck it. I walked back into the living room and kissed her back.

Supporting Characters:

Teej: (Dave East)

Slim: Romeo Miller

K.C: Lil Durk

0 notes

simonegaleanaus · 5 years

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The 5 Best Free Blogging Platforms in 2019 (100% Unbiased)

So, you’d like to take blogging for a test drive, eh?

See if you like it or not before ponying up the bucks for a complete self-hosted WordPress setup?

You’ve probably heard you can start a blog for free, and indeed you can. The big question is:

What’s the best free blogging platform right now?

And the answer is… it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

In this post, we’ll go over all the different free blogging platforms and give you the pros and cons of each, but first, let’s stop to ponder a more fundamental question:

Table of Contents

Do You Even Need a Free Blogging Platform?

No Blogging Platform is Right for Everyone

#1. Medium: Best Platform for Simplicity

#2. WordPress.com: Best Sandbox Platform

#3. LinkedIn: Best Platform for Professionals

#4. Instagram: Best Platform for Visuals

#5. Guest Blogging: Best Platform for Building Your Authority

Making the Switch to Self-Hosted WordPress

What’s the Best Free Blogging Platform for You?

Do You Even Need a Free Blogging Platform?

The truth:

Blogging can be expensive.

If you’re a seasoned blogger who’s been around the block a time or two, who’s already figured out which ideas work and which don’t, it’s easy to chalk up these costs as the price of doing business. Spend money, make money. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

But what if you’re a beginner learning how to start a blog for the first time? What if you’re someone who hasn’t yet figured what works and what doesn’t?

I’ll let you in on a secret…

You can experiment just as well on a free blogging platform as you can on a self-hosted WordPress setup with all the bells and whistles.

Actually, you can experiment better on a free blogging platform since the learning curve isn’t as steep.

Do you really want to experience the inevitable growing pains of blogging while forking over large piles of cash each month?

Free blogging platforms allow you to confirm your blog topic has potential, spy on the competitors in your niche, and test your ideas without spending any of your hard-earned dough.

So which one is best?

Well, that’s the thing:

No Blogging Platform Is Right for Everyone

Different bloggers have different needs, and different blogging platforms are good for different things. Ultimately, “best” will depend on you and your situation.

That said, each of the platforms we’ll discuss do have common traits (besides being free). Let’s briefly look at them before we dive in:

There’s zero maintenance hassle. The burden of maintenance doesn’t fall on you when you use a free blogging platform. No worries about software updates, data backups, or gremlins hacking your server — they’re all handled by someone else.

They’re easy to use. To varying degrees, each platform is friendly to beginners. With limited tech savviness, you could get started today.

Customization is limited. If you’re a micromanager, take a deep breath: you will not have full control or unlimited options when you use a free blogging platform.

That last one can be both a blessing and a curse.

Once you get serious about blogging, the limited customization options of free platforms will likely hold you back. When you’re just starting though, the limitations will help you focus on what’s important: the aforementioned testing of your ideas.

Alright, enough prologue.

Ready to find out which platform is best for you? Let’s go.

#1. Medium: Best Platform for Simplicity

First up is Medium.

Founded by Evan Williams, one of the founders of Twitter, Medium launched in August 2012 to much fanfare, and it’s grown into a behemoth. According to the New York Times, as of May 2017, Medium was up to 60 million unique visitors each month.

That’s considerably less than WordPress, but Google Trends indicates the tide could be turning:

The red line in the graphic above represents the number of worldwide searches for “wordpress” during the past five years. The blue line represents the number of searches for “medium.”

Granted, some of those “Medium” searches could be for the TV show of the same name that starred Patricia Arquette from 2005 through 2011.

Nonetheless, it’s growth is impressive.

How Do You Get Started?

Medium offers multiple ways to register.

Don’t want to remember yet another password for yet another account? No problem. Sign up using one of your social media accounts.

Go to Medium.com and click the “Get Started” button:

Choose Google or Facebook. You’ll then be asked to log into your (Google or Facebook) account. Once you authorize Medium to access your account, it will redirect you back to Medium.

That’s it.

To get to your Medium account in the future, all you have to do is click “Sign In” on the homepage and choose the “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Facebook” option.

Or if you already have a Twitter account, it’s even easier. Choose the “Sign In” link instead of the “Get Started” button, and you’ll see the following:

Click the “Sign in with Twitter” button (even though you haven’t yet signed up).

If you haven’t already logged into Twitter, you’ll be asked to log in and then authorize Medium to access your Twitter account.

Click “Ok,” and you’ll be off to the races.

What Do You Get For $0?

A simple, beautiful WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) blogging platform that embraces minimalism.

After you join, click your avatar (the floating head) in the top-right corner of the page and then, select “New story.”

You’ll land on a clean, easy-to-use editor.

Where to insert the title for your post is clearly defined. So, too, is where to begin typing your first sentence.

Every change you make gets automatically saved in the background. And as you type, you begin to see exactly how your finished post will appear to your readers.

That’s the beauty of a WYSIWYG editor.

There’s no guessing, no wondering, and no trial and error. If your post looks good in the editor, it’s going to look good when your post goes live after you click the “Ready to publish?” button.

And speaking of what happens after publishing, there’s something else Medium offers you for the whopping price of zero dollars and zero cents:

The chance to be featured in front of their 60+ million readers.

Write something that wows people and, if it receives enough love from readers (they click a “clap” button to show their approval), it could get featured as one of Medium’s top stories on their app and website…

Or in their “Daily Digest” email…

Such a spotlight would mean lots of new eyeballs on your content.

Who Should Use Medium?

Anyone. Everyone.

Seriously, though it isn’t perfect, you’ll be hard pressed to find a blogging topic or niche that Medium can’t service.

This is especially true if your niche will be self-improvement or entrepreneurship. Medium puts your content, your message, front and center to your readers.

As Evan Williams once put it: “Medium is not about who you are or whom you know, but about what you have to say.”

Best-selling authors. Entrepreneurs. Writers who stepped away for a season, but are making a comeback. Ministers who have a good sense of humor. Yours truly.

All have things to say, and all have found homes on Medium.

Who Should NOT Use Medium?

Microbloggers (you’d be better off using Instagram — more on that later).

Those who don’t plan on using their blog for writing (photographers, podcasters, etc.).

Anyone who likes to color outside the lines.

Medium is all about the written word. Sure, graphics embedded into Medium posts look great, but in the end, it all comes back to the words.

Medium is best for those who love words. It excels at typography. It uses an abundance of white space so that its text has a perfect canvas. It embraces a minimalistic design so that nothing distracts your readers from your precious — yes, I’m going to repeat it — words.

Look at this example screenshot from a post written by Jeff Goins:

Black text on a white background. A simple, easy-to-read font. It’s a perfect arrangement for Jeff’s strong, unique voice.

Medium offers no glitz, glam, or sparkles. And, unlike WordPress.com (which provides a few basic design themes and customization options), Medium is one size fits all.

What you see is what you get.

If you like what you see, great. If you don’t, there’s not a lot you can do about it.

Final Word on Medium

What are the Pros?

Built-in audience of over 60 million readers!

Good for all blog types

Excellent typography — your blog will look professional

More business friendly than WordPress.com

What are the Cons?

Little, if any, customization — your blog will look like every other Medium blog

Conclusion: If the written word is your preferred medium, you’ll do very well with Medium. It’s an easy-to-use platform that puts your words front and center, and it’s the platform we most often recommend to beginner bloggers.

But is it the right choice for everyone?

Let’s look at the other options…

#2. WordPress.com: Best Sandbox Platform

Source: Lorelle on WordPress

Launched in 2005, WordPress.com is a turnkey blogging platform built on the open-source WordPress.org software.

In any given month, over 409 million people will view more than 21 billion pages on WordPress.com’s network of blogs. In September 2018, more than 70 million posts were published and over 52 million blog comments were written.

In short, WordPress is quite popular.

How Do You Get Started?

Signing up for a free account takes only a few minutes.

Go to WordPress.com and click the “Get Started” button to get to Step 1:

You’ll need to enter your email address, a username, and a strong password.

Next, enter a few details about your blog for Step 2:

For Step 3, enter an address for your site:

Once you’ve typed something, you’ll get a list of options. Be sure to select the “Free” one.

Finally, in Step 4 you pick a plan. Again, choose the “Free” option.

What Do You Get For $0?

WordPress.com’s “free for life” plan gives you numerous features, including:

A free WordPress.com subdomain

“Jetpack” essential features

Community support

Dozens of free themes

Let’s look at those features in more detail:

Free Subdomain

A couple of definitions are probably in order…

First, what’s a domain? See the address bar at the top of your browser? What comes after the “https://” is the domain.

In the case of this site, the domain is smartblogger.com. For my site, it’s beabetterblogger.com.

And in the case of WordPress, the domain is wordpress.com.

So what’s a subdomain? If the domain is the parent, the subdomain is the child. Anything between the “https://” and the domain is a subdomain.

Some examples:

alumni.harvard.edu

braves.mlb.com

finance.yahoo.com

That’s what WordPress is offering with its free subdomain.

So, if I wanted to start “Kevin’s Awesome Blog” on WordPress.com, my subdomain might be something like kevinsawesomeblog. Readers would type kevinsawesomeblog.wordpress.com in their browser to view my site.

It’s not a good look if you’re a business (more on that later), but for a sandbox blog where you’re testing your ideas, it’ll do the trick.

Jetpack Essential Features

WordPress.com doesn’t allow third-party plugins (unless you upgrade to their “business” plan). So, if your buddy tells you about this “amazing” WordPress plugin “you’ve got to try,” you’re out of luck until you upgrade to a self-hosted WordPress site.

However, WordPress.com’s free plan does come with many built-in plugins that offer everything from spam protection to contact forms.

For a complete list of the built-in functionality that WordPress.com offers, check out their plugins page.

Community Support

Possibly WordPress.com’s best feature (beyond the price) is its extensive support system and knowledgebase.

You can find virtually anything you need to know about using their free platform in WordPress.com’s Support section. To call their collection of how-to articles merely “extensive” would be an understatement.

And if you have a specific question you need an answer for, they have you covered there too.

Visit the WordPress.com forum, search to see if anyone has had your same question, and browse the answers. Can’t find the solution you need? Post the question yourself.

Free Themes

Whereas Medium prevents you from customizing the look of your blog, WordPress.com gives you options.

With “dozens” (93 at the time of this writing) of free themes from which to choose, WordPress.com offers design flexibility that isn’t available with Medium and the other free platforms.

What we’re saying is…

You get a lot for “free.”

Who Should Use WordPress.com?

WordPress.com is a solid platform for almost every type of blogger.

Do you want to be a self-help blogger? Good news — WordPress.com will meet your needs.

Want to blog on food, pets, or politics? You’re in luck.

Just want to write about life? That’s WordPress.com’s jam, my friend.

Source: The Next Adventure

But WordPress.com is good for more than just blogging. You can also use it for projects and e-commerce stores, which isn’t something the other free platforms can claim.

That gives it an edge over the other options. If you want to blog and do something else with your site, WordPress.com offers flexibility the others do not.

However, it’s not a good fit for everyone…

Who Should NOT Use WordPress.com?

If you want to blog for a business, you should skip WordPress.com and look into Medium or LinkedIn (which we’ll discuss in a moment).

Why?

Because it makes you look like a cheapskate.

Free is wonderful, but using WordPress.com when you’re a business is the equivalent of handing out business cards with the printer’s logo on the back of them.

Doesn’t exactly scream “I’m a professional,” does it?

Also:

If you’re hoping to join a blogging community where your posts have a chance to be discovered by new audiences, you should look elsewhere.

Medium shines a spotlight on the best their members have to offer. If you write something great, it has a chance to be featured and seen by millions.

WordPress.com? Not so much.

Here’s a screenshot of the most-recent “Editors’ Picks” on the official WordPress.com blog:

There might as well be tumbleweeds blowing across the screen.

Final Word on WordPress.com

What are the Pros?

Suitable for a variety of blog types

Solid support articles and forum

More design options than other free platforms

Shorter learning curve if you choose to transition to self-hosted WordPress later

Good for more than just blogs

What are the Cons?

Not ideal for businesses

You can’t install third-party themes and plugins

Lack of community makes it difficult to build an audience from scratch

WordPress advertising and banners may appear next to your content

Conclusion: If you’re a non-business blogger who wants an easy to use platform that gives you some control over customization, WordPress.com is a solid option — especially if you plan to transition to self-hosted WordPress someday.

#3. LinkedIn: Best Platform for Professionals

Source: Darren Rowse

Next up is LinkedIn.

Primarily used for professional networking, LinkedIn also offers a publishing platform. This allows any of its 560 million users (as of September 2018) to write posts that could (potentially) be read by any of the 260 million members who are active in a given month.

(Again, potentially.)

How Do You Get Started?

Go to LinkedIn.com, and you’ll see this window encouraging you to join:

Enter your name, your email, and a strong password. Then click the “Join now” button.

You’ll then be asked to answer a few simple questions:

Your country and zip code

Whether or not you’re a student (if no, you’ll enter your job title and the name of your employer; if yes, you’ll enter the name of your school and other relevant info)

Your reason for joining LinkedIn

It sounds like a lot, but it’s fairly harmless.

Still, if you feel the urge to throw your computer into the dumpster, we won’t blame you.

What Do You Get For $0?

A free-to-use publishing platform that’s focused on professionals and business contacts.

If you’re already a LinkedIn member, publishing your content will be easier than WordPress.com, Medium, or any other blogging platform.

Why?

Because it’s built right into your LinkedIn profile. Click the “Write an article” button and start writing.

Who Should Use LinkedIn?

Anyone who wants to reach professionals and businesses.

After all, that’s what LinkedIn is all about, right? Nurturing business relationships.

Source: Syed Balkhi

Blogging on LinkedIn helps to cultivate those relationships.

When you write an article, LinkedIn will notify your existing connections. If your article is great (and why wouldn’t it be?), they’ll take notice. Write more and more great articles, and they’ll start to see you as an authority.

And, like with Medium, great content on LinkedIn has a chance to get noticed by those outside your list of connections.

If one of LinkedIn’s editors sees your masterpiece and decides to feature it on one of LinkedIn’s numerous channels, your work gets exposed to a giant audience of interested, like-minded professionals.

Tip: Want to increase the chances a LinkedIn editor will see your article? Share it on Twitter and include “tip @LinkedInEditors” in your tweet.

Who Should NOT Use LinkedIn?

This one is pretty straightforward…

If you aren’t a working professional, or you’re not looking to reach working professionals, you’ll be better off choosing one of the other free platforms.

Final Word on LinkedIn

What are the Pros?

Good for professionals and businesses

Clean, simple design

Easy to use — publishing platform is built right into your LinkedIn profile

Built-in audience of like-minded professionals

What are the Cons?

Only good for professionals and businesses

Very few customization options

You can’t schedule posts for future publishing

Conclusion: If you’re looking to write posts that will reach professionals and businesses, LinkedIn is the best free blogging platform available.

#4. Instagram: Best Platform for Visuals

A photo and video-sharing platform that’s owned by Facebook, Instagram is one of the largest social media sites in the world.

As of June 2018, Instagram has 1 billion users worldwide. The previous September, they had 800 million users — a growth of 200 million in only nine months.

Even if you subtract everyone who follows a Kardashian or has posted a photo of themselves impersonating a duck, Instagram offers an audience of well over 75 people.

(Kidding. Mostly.)

How Do You Get Started?

On a personal computer, go to Instagram.com, and you’ll see the following:

Enter your phone number or email address, your name, your desired username, and a strong password. Then click the “Sign up” button.

Or, skip all that and click the “Log in with Facebook” button (assuming you have a Facebook account). If you aren’t already logged in, it will ask you to log into your Facebook account.

You could also do the above using the Instagram app on your mobile device.

What Do You Get For $0?

You get an extremely popular social media platform that’s perfect for microblogging.

What’s microblogging, you ask? Here’s how it works:

You get a great image. Maybe it’s a photo you took on your camera, or perhaps it’s a Creative Commons image that perfectly fits your current shade of melancholy.

You upload the image to Instagram.

And for the caption? You write a short blog post.

Here are a couple examples:

In the above screenshot, Sarah Von Bargen cleverly plugs a course she offers in the midst of a tiny, bite-sized post (accompanied by a photo of assorted beverages).

And in the below screenshot, my friend Jaime Buckley (in true Jaime Buckley style), uses Instagram to publish an eye-catching graphic alongside 107 inspirational words on parenting.

That’s microblogging — and it can be done very, very well using Instagram.

Who Should Use Instagram?

Anyone who focuses on highly-visual topics.

Models…

Photographers…

Yoga instructors…

Professional chefs…

Make-up artists, hair stylists, clothing stores…

The list goes on and on.

If you’re someone who can combine great visuals with short posts that pack a punch, you can have great success using Instagram as a microblogging platform.

Who Should NOT Use Instagram?

If your idea of a great image involves pulling out the iPhone 3G you’ve had since 2008 and snapping a photo, Instagram may not be the platform for you.

If you tend to draft novels when you write, Instagram’s 2,200 character limit when writing captions could prove problematic.

Also, if your target audience tends to shy away from mobile devices for any reason, Instagram might not be the best platform to test your ideas. Instagram started life as a mobile app. Mobile is where it shines, and it’s where most of its users call home.

(So, if you’re planning to start a Wilford Brimley fan club, it’s probably best to skip Instagram.)

Final Word on Instagram

What are the Pros?

Great for visual topics

Ideal platform for microblogging (short posts)

Great if your target audience primarily uses mobile devices

What are the Cons?

Limited to 2,200 characters

Limited to one hyperlink (in your bio)

If your target audience isn’t on mobile, it’s less than ideal

Conclusion: Instagram offers a great microblogging platform geared toward visual topics. However, it is not kind to fans of the great Wilford Brimley.

#5. Guest Blogging: Best Platform for Building Your Authority

Sometimes, the best platform for your work is someone else’s popular blog.

Why? Because it can mean instant credibility.

Once your post publishes on a site like Smart Blogger, Forbes, Lifehacker, or Business Insider; people look at you differently.

Yesterday, you were just you — a talented, attractive writer living in obscurity. But then, after having your work published on a well-known website, you’re now seen as a subject matter expert in your field.

What happened? Guest blogging happened.

How Do You Get Started?

There are two approaches to finding sites where you can contribute guest posts.

The first is easy…

Check to see if the blogs you already like to read (that are relevant to your niche, of course) accept guest post submissions.

Browse their “About” or “Start” pages. Try their “Contact” page. Sometimes, they’ll make it easy and have a “Contribute” or “Write for Us” link in their navigation menu or footer.

The second approach involves utilizing Google’s and Twitter’s search capability.

Here’s how it works:

As you can in the screenshot above, you can query a topic (in this example: “blogging”) along with a search phrase (“write for us”).

Google returned a list of results that contained both of those search terms/phrases.

Click on the results that look promising, browse the sites, and see if they’re a good fit. Not all sites will be worth your time. Skip the ones that aren’t. Bookmark the matches.

Then try some other, similar queries:

“Blogging” + “guest post”

“Blogging” + “contribute”

“Blog tips” + “write for us”

And so on.

Replace “blogging” and “blogging tips” with whatever topics you would like to write about.

Searching for guest blogging opportunities on Twitter follows a similar routine:

Type “guest post”, “guest blog post”, “guest article”, etc. in the search box. Twitter will give you a list of tweets where people used those exact phrases.

Every time someone proudly tweets that a guest post they’ve written has been published on someone’s site, as Meera Kothand does in the above screenshot, it’s saved by Twitter for posterity. And it allows you to go on an archeological hunt find it.

Scroll through the results.

Based on the title of the guest post and the site that published it, you will have a good idea whether or not it’s a match for you. Keep scrolling until you find some possibilities. Click the link in the tweet, browse the site, and bookmark it for later if you think it’s a contender.

What Do You Get For $0?

You get the chance to put your words in front of already-existing, relevant audiences.

Jon wasn’t an unknown when he wrote How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World as a guest post for Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger in 2011, but he was an unknown to me until I discovered the post a few years later.

Then everything changed.

It didn’t matter that Jon was already well known by most thanks to his former role at Copyblogger; for me, his ProBlogger post was a gateway drug.

Jon went from being an unknown — a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce — to an authority on blogging I had to read.

That’s the power of guest blogging. Every time you put your words in front of newly targeted audiences; you have the chance to gain fans for life.

Who Should Guest Blog?

Anyone who wants to build their credibility and boost their authority.

How can guest blogging do that, you ask? Let’s use me as an example.

Before I wrote my first guest post for Smart Blogger, the only people who viewed me as an authority on blogging were my wife and maybe one of our cats.

My site, Be A Better Blogger, was less than a year old. After reading a post about quitting your job and moving to paradise written by some guy named Jon, launching my own “blog about blogging” sounded like a great idea.

So that’s what I did. I was on unemployment at the time, and I had a lot of free time on my hands.

And I was doing a great job in such a short period.

The only problem?

I had little credibility. Few saw me as an authority on the topics I was writing.

Then I received an email…

Jon’s editor, the talented Glen Long, invited me to write a guest post for Smart Blogger (formerly known as Boost Blog Traffic).

That guest post…

Led to a second opportunity…

Which led to a third…

Which led to the post you’re reading right now.

It led to opportunities like writing for Syed Balkhi over at OptinMonster.

It led to being asked to provide quotes for dozens of blog posts and articles.

It led to flattering, tongue-placed-firmly-in-cheek emails like this one from James Chartrand:

It may not have led to tons of traffic for my website or large crowds chanting my name in the streets, but guest blogging did something that would have taken me considerable time to do on my own:

It legitimized me.

Hey, and speaking of website traffic…

Who Should NOT Guest Blog?

Anyone who wants to build up their own blog.

The reason? It isn’t very efficient.

Brace yourself…

You would better off publishing your masterpiece on your website, even if it isn’t yet popular, rather than on someone else’s — even if their website is very popular.

Please don’t misunderstand: Guest blogging is a great way to gain credibility; however, it isn’t a great way to get traffic to your blog. Not anymore.

Guest blogging may have been a nice traffic source in the past, but those days are long gone.

In his eye-opening article on the topic, Tim Soulo determined guest blogging was a poor return on investment if your goal was to generate traffic to your website.

According to Tim’s survey of over 500 bloggers (which included yours truly):

Guest posts from those in the marketing niche earned their authors an average of only 56 website clicks

85% of the authors received fewer than 100 referrals to their sites

That doesn’t mean you should never guest blog. It just means you need to be clear about your reasons for doing so.

Guest blog for credibility, for boosting your authority, and for building your brand.

Don’t guest blog if you’re hoping for traffic. More often than not, you’ll be disappointed.

Oh, and there’s one more group who shouldn’t guest blog:

Those who want to take shortcuts.

There’s both good and bad when you’re putting your words in front of a large audience. If your post teaches them something new, inspires them, or gives them something juicy to chew on; they’ll remember you for it.

And if it sucks? Yeah, they’ll remember you for that too.

Guest blogging is a great way to build your authority, but it’s also a great way to destroy it.

If you’re not willing to put in the time and do the work, guest blogging isn’t for you.

Final Word on Guest Blogging

What are the Pros?

Write for interested, targeted audiences

Fastest way to build your authority and reputation

What are the Cons?

Fastest way to destroy your authority and reputation

Not an efficient method for getting traffic to your own website

Getting published on quality sites is hard work

Time-consuming — may be hard to fit into busy schedules

Conclusion: Guest blogging is a great way to build your authority and get your content in front of new readers. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. However, it’s unlikely to generate tangible traffic to your blog.

Making the Switch to Self-Hosted WordPress

Technically, there’s one more free option out there…

The WordPress.org software — the same software used by WordPress.com — is free too. It’s free for any and all to use.

However, just like there’s no such thing as a free puppy (once you factor in food, veterinarian bills, and replacing all your shoes after they’ve become chew toys), WordPress.org’s software isn’t actually free once you add up the other expenses.

See, to use the software, you have to install it on your own web host. That costs money.

Is this something you will want to do eventually? Absolutely. Just not right now. Not when you’re getting started.

So how will you know when you’re ready?

Jon recommends making the switch once you reach a 20% outreach success rate.

What does that mean? Let’s break it down:

Step #1: Register for a Free Blog

Step #2: Follow Jon’s New Method for Starting a Blog

If you haven’t read How to Start a Blog in 2018, do so immediately.

(Well, not immediately. Finish reading this post; leave us a comment; and share it with all your friends, loved ones, and acquaintances. Then, by all means, immediately after saying hi on Twitter, go and read Jon’s excellent tutorial.)

In the post, Jon shows you how to conduct a miniature outreach campaign where you email 10-20 influential bloggers and ask them to share your blog posts.

Once you’ve hit a 20% success rate, you’re ready to make the transition.

Step #3: Switch to Self-Hosted WordPress

Jon’s post also offers guidance for making the switch. When you’re ready to choose a web host, be sure to read WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money.

It’ll help you pick the best host for your needs and budget.

What’s the Best Free Blogging Platform for You?

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?

You now know why testing your ideas on a free blogging platform when you’re just starting is a good idea. You now know the pros and cons of Medium, WordPress.com, LinkedIn, Instagram, and guest blogging. And, you now know how to get started with each of them.

So which one is it going to be?

If you want my honest opinion, the answer is simple…

The best free blogging platform is whichever one will get you to stop dipping your toes into the water and start diving in head first.

The next blogging masterpiece isn’t going to write itself.

Are you ready?

Then let’s do this thing.

About the Author: Kevin J. Duncan runs Be A Better Blogger, where he uses his very particular set of skills to help people become the best bloggers they can be.

The post The 5 Best Free Blogging Platforms in 2019 (100% Unbiased) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/blogging-platforms/

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alanajacksontx · 7 years

Text

The Guestblogalypse: How to Get Links Without Guest Blogs

Guest blogs are a popular link-building strategy used by businesses all over the world. And until recently, many were relying on guest blogging as their primary source of earned links. But a diverse link profile is essential to maintain ranking. So how can businesses achieve this?

“The landscape of SEO and link building is always changing, and today, the importance of building high-quality links has never been higher” – Paddy Moogan of Moz

Guest posts are an easy and effective way to build earned links. But on May 25 2017, Google issued a warning to sites against excessive guest posting.

“Lately we’ve seen an increase in spammy links contained in articles referred to as contributor posts, guest posts, partner posts, or syndicated posts,” Google stated.

Google even followed up with a nice list of what violates favorable link earning …

What are brands and businesses to do? Rely solely on natural link building through highly authoritative content? Well, this would be ideal for all. But let’s face it, this strategy may not be the most realistic given the vast amounts of content being produced daily and the difficulty of standing out from the crowd.

Guest blogging can still be a part of your link earning strategy. However, it should not be your only strategy. It’s important to diversify your link profile so that it doesn’t constitute a large percentage of your backlink profile.

Here are a few fantastic link opportunities you can put into motion today.

1. Blogger Reviews

If you have a product or service to leverage, you could leverage the blogger community to review your product, which can result in links. Even when bloggers disclose that you sent them free product to review, these reviews can earn in natural links when other bloggers learn about your products and decide to try, and review them!

How do you find bloggers willing to whip up a review? Use the power of Google. Let’s say your product is rugged cell phone cases. Open your Google browser and type in “cell phone case product reviews.”

You will see a wide-ranging list of sites that have done product reviews in your market niche. You can skip the Amazon reviews and the listicles. Look for the sites that focused on one product.

Next, begin compiling a healthy list of bloggers that you could reach out to. Your outreach email should be very short, concise, and to the point. Here is an example that has worked well in the past …

Hello (Blogger)

I noticed your review of (similar product) and wanted to connect. I just launched a new cell phone case that is rugged, waterproof, and great for travel and sports enthusiasts.

Presently it costs (dollar amount), but would love to send you a free phone case if you would happily review it and share it with your fans.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

(Your name, website, and contact information)

You may be wondering why there is no mention of a back link. Well, bloggers that do product and service reviews know the deal – typically there is no real surprise why you are giving them your product free, so there is no need to mention it.

2. HARO

HARO is a platform that provides journalists with a database of sources for stories (and an opportunity for sources to obtain media coverage).

There are some that think HARO isn’t worth the time. However, there have been instances when this little link building gem has produced serious results. The key is to keep your query answers focused on your niche, product, or expertise.

Once you have found a few HARO queries that fit your particular niche or expertise, you can send your detailed and expert insight. You will typically hear back from the journalists that are interested in your insight. The ones you will not get featured in, however, you will simply get no reply.

3. Capitalize on Broken Links

There are a lot of link opportunities if you know how to find broken links of businesses and companies in your industry. Here you will be looking for broken links on resource pages that will return a 404 message.

First you will need to pull up the different resource pages in your niche, industry, or expertise. If your site were devoted to alternative health, you would use a variety of Google search strings to find these resources, such as:

“alternative health” + “resources”

“alternative health” + “recommended sites”

“alternative health” + “resource pages”

Using these Google search strings will bring up results like …

Next, you’ll want to identify the broken links. Here are 3 ways to find broken links:

Use a Chrome Extension such as Check My Links

Run that page through Screaming Frog

Use Xenu to check the page for broken links

Once you find one, it’s time to email the site owner kindly asking to replace the broken link with your site’s URL. If the broken link is on a page referring to a particular article or resource, consider recreating a similar resource on your site so the link is natural and makes sense.

You will be surprised how well this method works. No site owner wants a poor user experience, and getting rid of those broken links will make them happy you reached out.

4. Discover Unlinked Mentions

Another great way to easily earn links without toiling over guest blogging content for hours on end is to find unlinked mentions. When someone mentions your brand or business, you should get a link back right? Well, this is not always the case.

You can, however, put on your link detective hat on and find those mentions and ask the site owners for a link. Online tools like BuzzSumo, MOZ, and Mention allow you to set up alerts for this tactic.

The only downside is that you may need to sign up for a membership, or free trial to access this feature on most platforms. Nonetheless, it is a quick and easy way to earn links, especially if you had a piece of content go viral recently.

5. Leverage Infographics

Infographics are a highly shareable asset to any link building strategy, but many businesses and brands still fail to see the power they possess.

You can pretty much create an infographic about anything. Infographics also have a very long shelf life for link building and are a fantastic way to differentiate yourself from the army of people offering free content.

The first thing to do after you have infographic in hand is list it on infographic sharing platforms like …

Visual.ly

Infographic Journal

Daily Infographic

There are also a number of high authority news and blog sites you can list your infographic on as well …

Fast Company

The Huffington Post

After you have submitted your infographics to the above sites, it is time to offer it to bloggers in your niche.

Similar to blogger reviews, you will be reaching out offering a high value item they can share with their audience. If you have a robust social media following, be sure to mention that you will gladly share their post across all your social media networks as well.

It is important to remember that building links the right way, to appease Google, is of great importance. You want to maintain a nice balance of do follow vs. no follow links, as well as a slow and steady link building strategy.

Make sure you are using a mixture of strategies so that your link profile remains diversified. If guest posts are only one of several strategies you are employing, then you can continue to earn links without fear of seeing a negative impact on your organic traffic.

from IM Tips And Tricks https://searchenginewatch.com/2017/07/03/the-guestblogalypse-how-to-get-links-without-guest-blogs/ from Rising Phoenix SEO https://risingphxseo.tumblr.com/post/162549137960

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